Teimoc Johnston-Ono (born July 26, 1955) is an Olympic judo competitor and instructor. He has won the World Masters tournament in both judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, making him the only person to have done so.

Career

Teimoc's martial arts training started during the summer of 1960 in the basement of a Buddhist church. His father believed judo, kendo, aikido, and kyūdō were essential parts of an education, so aged six he began his lifelong study of Judo. Four years later, at the 1964 World's Fair, he demonstrated the art of Judo and Kendo at the Japanese pavilion, and over the following years he progressed rapidly in both disciplines. Amongst his instructors were Kiyoshi Shiina, Wally Jay, and Jim Bregman. At the age of 16, Teimoc became one of the youngest Judo practitioners to receive the rank of Black Belt, winning titles in the Junior and Senior divisions, and in the High School Nationals the same year. He remained an accomplished high school wrestler and undefeated practitioner throughout his wrestling career. In 1971 he qualified as an alternate for the 1972 Olympic Games, which earned him the nickname "The Kid". Four years later he captured a coveted spot on the Judo team for the 1976 Olympics, placing 13th. Teimoc retired from competition in 1990 to become Head Coach of the US Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, and two years later he returned to his home in New York City to direct the Chelsea Piers Martial Arts program. He has also maintained a teaching, coaching, and representative position for the New York Athletic Club for over 40 years. As of 2009, he is head trainer of the 5 Points Academy in Chinatown, NYC.

Return to competitions

After a 14-year layoff, Teimoc returned to international competitions, redefining his training methodology to adapt. His new approach worked well as he is not only still active in competition, but has a winning record to prove it. Today he does the majority of his strength training and conditioning at the Parisi Speed School alongside athletes from the UFC, the IFL, and the NFL. In 2003 Teimoc went to Brazil to compete in the World Masters Jiu-Jitsu tournament, which he won. To date, he is the only non-Brazilian to win both the Black Belt division and the Absolute Black Belt division. Returning in 2006, 2007 and 2008, he consecutively took back home first place awards in both divisions. He also received a Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2006. Teimoc is the only practitioner to win the prestigious World Masters competition in both Judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Family

Teimoc's brothers, Genji Ito and Teiji Ito were accomplished Japanese composers and performers. His mother, Teiko Ono, was a traditional and classical genre dancer.

Competition results

Judo

US National Championships Seniors

US Open

Judo World Masters Championship

Other Competition

Recent awards