Tadahiro Nomura

Tadahiro Nomura is the only judoka to have won three Olympic titles. He even won them consecutively, claiming the extra-lightweight (up to 60 kg) title in 1996, 2000 and 2004. This feat is even more remarkable considering the fact that Nomura only managed to win a single World Championship (in 1997), partially due to the tough qualifying contests in Japan. He was also eliminated in national competition for the 2008 Games, but is still aiming for a fourth Olympic title in 2012. His judo skills run in the family; his father coached 1984 Olympic champion Hosokawa, while his uncle Toyokazu was himself an Olympic judo champion in 1972.