Aug. 11, 2011
Keiko Fukuda is 98 years old, 4 feet 10 and a mere 100 pounds, but this petite woman has been recognized as a giant in the martial arts world of judo.
Fukuda was just awarded a 10th-degree black belt, judo's highest level and an honor that has been granted to only a handful of men worldwide and never before to a woman.
Fukuda, who is addressed by the honorific sensei, which means master, is as soft spoken as she is humble. "I appreciate it very much," was all she would say to ABCNews.com.
Before Fukuda attained her new rank, she was a ninth degree black belt, an already stratospheric ranking in the world of judo.
Although she sometimes uses a wheelchair, Fukuda continues to teach classes three times a week to women and girls as young as 14 at the Soko Joshi Judo Club in the Noe Valley area of San Francisco.
She was recently videotaped getting out of her wheelchair to demonstrate a move meant to flip an opponent on his back. Instead of tossing the opponent, she settled for a comment that drew laughs from her students.
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