i know what you did for the rest of us, and i thank you!Woman who posed as man to become judo champ finally gets gold - 50 years after being stripped of it
BY Jeff Wilkins and Christina Boyle
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
It took 50 years, but she finally got gold.
A Brooklyn judo champ stripped of her first place medal when judges realized she was a woman competing in a contest against men secured her place in the history books Friday.
It was a sweet moment for Rena (Rusty) Kanokogi, who became a pioneer for her sport - and a champion for equal rights - after her 1959 victory turned sour because she was the wrong gender.
"[The medal] should have never been taken away from me," the 74-year-old said.
"But we're righting a wrong, that's what counts."
Kanokogi is now frail, battling cancer, and walks with a cane. But she vividly recalls the moment she took on her opponent in the New York State YMCA judo championships..........
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