“For the last few months, I kept asking myself: should I go on or not?” he admits. The decision, however, was not about physical ability. “I told myself that if I don’t have the hunger… I know the hunger I need to become a world champion. I know what it takes. Not because I can’t, but because I understand what it demands from inside.” Those words define the athlete he has always been. A world champion and Olympic team medallist in Tokyo, two times European champion and so many times on a World Judo Tour podium, Muki built his success on intensity, discipline and an uncompromising inner drive. For him, greatness requires more than preparation; it requires fire.
“I need to feel it from inside,” he explains calmly. “So I decided to step down.” There is no regret in his voice, only emotion. “I feel happy and sad at the same time but I feel complete, fulfilled, at peace with my decision and at peace with myself. I’m very proud of what I brought to my country and to the world.” It is pride, not ego, fulfilment, not frustration. After years of sacrifice, he leaves on his own terms.
For Sagi Muki, judo was never simply an activity. “Judo was not part of my life, it was my whole life.” The sport shaped his identity, teaching him how to set a goal and how to achieve it. It instilled excellence, respect and resilience in him. It taught him how to rise after defeat and how to stay grounded in victory.
Beyond medals, judo offered him something even greater: connection. “Judo created opportunities, not just for myself. It helped me meet people and create bridges. I have amazing friends from all over the world.” In a divided world, he found unity through the values of the tatami. “We win, we lose, it doesn’t matter; we have the same goal. We must use that platform for the right purpose.”
Although his competitive chapter is closing, his relationship with judo is not. He has opened a judo school in Israel, is involved in new projects, films and lectures, and remains committed to sharing the values that shaped him. “It doesn’t mean I’m done with judo. Judo and its values will always be part of me.” He now looks forward to spending more time with his family and building new projects with the same determination that once drove him to a world title. “I just start a new life,” he says with quiet confidence.
Sagi Muki leaves elite competition as a champion in every sense: strong, reflective and grateful. His medals will remain in the record books but his true legacy lies in the bridges he built, the example he set and the values he lived. Judo was his whole life and in many ways it always will be.