97-year-old Judo master puts ‘spirit’ above medals at Olympics [Photos]

Winter Training at the Kodokan in Tokyo is a pilgrimage for judo enthusiasts across the world [COURTESY]

Proudly sporting the red belt marking him out as one of the 15 highest-ranked Japanese judo masters in history, 97-year-old Ichiro Abe hopes the sport's homecoming at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be more than a quest for gold.

Just three years shy of his 100th birthday and with the clock ticking towards the Games, Abe is training with a younger disciple during the famous Winter Training at the Tokyo Kodokan, where the sport began nearly 140 years ago.