Gerard Takayawa continued his family’s legacy in the sport of judo at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The name Takayawa is synonymous with Fiji judo, and the 18-year-old is the latest from the family to shine on the world stage. A former student of Suva Grammar School, he now studies in Japan and is the youngest Takayawa to compete in the Olympics.
Takayawa faced 25-year-old Slovakian Marius Fizel in the round of 32, ultimately being defeated. Fizel is ranked 16th in the world. Reflecting on his experience, Takayawa said, “I feel proud and honored. I wasn’t expecting to be at the Olympics at this age. I thought I would be there in my mid-20s, but this has been an unbelievable experience.”
He lost 19 seconds before full-time and was surprised by the crowd’s enthusiasm, saying, “I didn’t expect the crowd to make so much noise when I came out. The cheering made me feel like I needed to get stronger; I wanted to do more.”
Gerard is the nephew of Tevita Takayawa, who competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The family tradition started with Viliame Takayawa in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, followed by Nacanieli Takayawa-Qerewaqa in 1992, 1996, and 2000.
Despite his loss, Gerard remains determined to excel in judo. “Even though I lost, I will continue to do my best in the sport. I’ll go back, continue training, and try to get back in the next Olympics,” he said.
Takayawa began practicing judo at 12 and started competing officially at 15. He made his mark in international competitions last year, winning silver at the 2024 Santiago Panamerican Open in Chile. Gerard is currently a first-year law student at Ryutsu Keizai University in Japan.