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Soichi Hashimoto is a colorful figure in the judo world, aiming to win every contest by ippon. ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Hashimoto was crowned world champion back in August after beating Azerbaijan's Rustam Orujov in the final. ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
It means the Japanese judoka is now ranked No. 1 in the -73kg division and the third best pound-for-pound judoka on the planet. ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
He suffered the heartache of missing out on a place in the Japanese team for the Rio Olympics to Shohei Ono, who won gold. ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
But with Ono taking a year out to study, Hashimoto bounced back from his disappointment to be crowned world champion for the first time in Budapest. ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Here he stands (second from left) with, from left, silver medalist Rustam Orujov, South-Korean Changrim An and Mongolia's Odbayar Ganbaatar, who both won bronze. ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
He is renowned for what he calls "the Hashimoto special" flicking opponents to the ground from his hip. ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
His sights are now set on being the dominant force in his division at the next Olympics in his home town of Tokyo. ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
