Rena

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado Rena 'Rusty' Kanokogi, dubbed the 'Mother of Judo' for helping shepherd women's judo into the Olympic Games, has died at the age of 74, USA Judo said on Sunday.

Kanokogi's daughter, Jean Kanokogi, said she died Saturday at Lutheran Medical Center in New York after a three-year battle with leukemia.

Rusty Kanokogi competed in judo against men in the 1950s and helped create the first Women's World Judo Championships, which were held in 1980 in New York.

She coached the US women's judo team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, the year women's judo was added to the Games.

'Rusty inspired the sports world to think differently about the notion of women in competitive sports and her legacy will live on for generations of athletes to come,' said USA Judo President Lance Nading.

'Having my own daughter who loves the sport of judo, I am especially reminded of her contribution to young female judo athletes everywhere. I hesitate to think where women in judo and other Olympic sports would be today if it were not for the fully inclusive notion that Rusty fought for relentlessly every day — that men and woman are truly equal to pursue their dreams within the same sports and set of rules.'At a time when women were banned from competing in the sport, Kanokogi disguised herself as a man to compete as a member of the Brooklyn Central YMCA club team.

After winning the 1959 New York State YMCA Judo Championships, Kanokogi was forced to surrender her gold medal when her identity as a woman was discovered.

In August of this year Kanokogi, the first woman in the United States to receive the ranking of seventh-degree black belt, was presented with her medal during a special ceremony at the Brooklyn YMCA.

On November 24, 2008, Kanokogi received the prestigious Emperor's Order of the Rising Sun for her contribution to Japanese society.