Austrian Judo mourns the loss of Ernst Raser

The Austrian judo community mourns the loss of one of its greats: Ernst Raser, known in the 1980s as the "father of the women's World Championship miracle," passed away on Monday at the age of 81. The Vienna-born coach served as Austria's women's national team coach from 1974 to 1991, also overseeing the men's team for the first three years of his tenure.

At just 20 years old, he became Austria’s national coach for both men and women. He led the team at the 1975 World Championships in Vienna, where Hans Pollak finished seventh in the -93 kg category. Shortly after, Raser was removed as the men's coach but remained with the women's team until the mid-1980s. He became known as the "father of the women's judo miracle," guiding his athletes to outstanding success: eight European Championship gold medals for Hrovat, five for Winklbauer, two for Simon, and one for Herta Reiter. Later, as a club coach, he also helped Norbert Haimberger win a European title in 1992.

Ernst Raser played a vital role in bringing the first Women's Judo World Championship to life in 1980 at Madison Square Garden in New York. At that historic event, Austria secured three of the seven gold medals, with Edith Hrovat (-52 kg), Gerda Winklbauer (-56 kg), and Edith Simon (-66 kg) leading the charge. This remains the most successful World Championship in Austrian judo history.  

Ernst Raser was the man who, after years of struggle. together with American judoka Rusty Kanogoki. made the first Women's Judo World Championship possible in 1980. That tournament, held in a side hall of Madison Square Garden in New York, became the most successful World Championship in Austrian judo history. Edith Simon won gold on Saturday, followed by Edith Hrovat and Gerda Winklbauer on Sunday. If there had been a club ranking, Raser’s team would have won, as both Simon and Winklbauer came from his club, which trained first at Lerchenfelder Gürtel and later in Neubauer Zollergasse. The club went through several names: JGV Sport Dobias, JGV Schuh Ski, and finally, JGV Raser.

Raser later transitioned into leadership roles. From 2011 to 2022, he served as president of the Vienna Judo Association and was named honorary president upon his retirement. He also served as vice president of the Austrian Judo Federation from 2019 to 2021. By that time, he had already received the prestigious 9th Dan rank, awarded to him during the IJF Gala at the 70th anniversary of the Austrian Judo Federation.

Judo was his life, but not his only passion. He loved France, a country he visited often as a young judoka. Beauvallon, once home to a summer training camp, was one of his first stops. There, he worked as a waiter and an all-round helper, learned the language, and developed a deep appreciation for French wine. In his later years, he found love in France with Marie-Jeanne, his life partner.

We mourn not only a judo expert and enthusiast but also a gifted poet and, above all, a good person and friend. In one of his recent poems, Ernst Raser wrote: "Even if I am far from you, I will shine for you in the sky as a star." Now, he looks down on us, having completed his earthly journey.

Austrian Judo Federation president Martin Poiger expressed his condolences: "Ernst was one of the greatest figures in Austrian judo history. He will always be remembered fondly, and our deepest sympathies go out to his family."