Lhofei Shiozawa

The son of Japanese immigrants, Lhofei Shiozawa was a great judo talent. At age 14, he won his first Brazilian title, competing against much older and heavier opponents in the open category. He joined the national team in 1960, and contested his first World Championships the following year. He remained an international competitor for 12 years, taking part in the first two Olympic judo tournaments (1964 and 1972), reaching the quarter-finals in Tokyo. His greatest success came in 1963, when he won a gold medal at the Pan American Games in his native São Paulo. Four years later at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg he won silver.