The World’s Only Female 10th Degree Black Belt (She’s 98)

I love celebrating the life victories of strong and successful women. I especially like to do this when they break a belief barrier. When that happens, our perspective changes, and we start to truly believe that anything is possible. Take beauty and age for example. There has long been a myth that only young women are beautiful, and that aging is something to fight. In reality, aging is part of a beautiful life, and each smile line that might show up on our face over time is simply evidence of a life well lived.

I remember writing about this 100-year-old woman who won a beauty contest. She now travels to nursing homes around the country to inspire others. Then of course there was this absolutely stunning 82-year-old supermodel who is still very much in demand. Today I’d like to share with you the story of Keiko Fukuda. I’ve seen her all over the Internet this month, and she definitely deserves her own place here on Bit Rebels.

Keiko recently became the first woman ever in history to become a 10th degree black belt in Judo. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, she is 98-years-old. This is the highest ranking in Judo, and only three other people have ever achieved this level. They were all men living in Japan. Keiko is also the last living student of Jigoro Kano who founded Judo in 1882. She still teaches classes to women and girls three times a week, and she often talks about the huge sacrifices she’s made throughout her lifetime as she worked towards this goal. You can read more about her incredible story on Bloody Elbow.