Stanford-bound Marisol Torro hopes to make Olympics in judo

Season Interrupted: Marisol Torro sees her judo stock climbing

Columnist

May 1, 2020 6 AM PT

Throughout the spring, The Times will interview high school seniors whose athletic careers were cut short by the coronavirus outbreak.

Name: Marisol Torro

School: West L.A. New West Charter

Sport: Judo

Key stats: Ranked No. 5 in the world in the International Judo Federation Cadet Division (under 18) in 2019.

Summer plans: Travel to Portugal to train and compete

Fall plans: Will attend Stanford

On the impact of the sports shutdown:

“A lot of disappointment. It’s frustrating because it’s our last year and you want to make the best of it and have some great memories.”

What she misses most:

“Traveling around the world to compete and my coaches. I wanted to learn from them as much as I could before I left for college.”

On the unique challenges of her sport:

“Judo is a martial art. The goal is to get one’s opponent on the ground by throwing them or submitting them in a choke, arm bar or pin. If the person is completely on their back, it counts as a full point. If it’s halfway on the back, it’s half a point.”

How she got involved in judo:

“We (she and her sister) were introduced to it by a family friend when I was 8 years old. We fell in love with the Japanese culture and how different it was from every sport.”

How she’s training with no facilities open:

“We have a little gym in the back of the house and practice with my sister on a mat.”

Lessons she’s learned:

“I learned to be flexible and adapt because that’s really important as the world changes. And to find motivation from yourself and other people because that’s what will get you through difficult times.”

What new things she’s discovered with her free time:

“I’ve been cooking and baking a lot of dishes from all over the world and become interested in investigating the stock market.”