{{Short description|American Olympic judoka (born 1960)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox judoka <!-- Personal information --> | image = Second Lieutenant Craig Agena, right, from Fort Carson, Colorado, competes against Norway's Alfredo Chinchilla in the 65 kilogram weight class of the judo event at the 1984 Summer Olympics.png | image_size = <!-- only when absolutely necessary --> | alt = Craig Agena, right, competes against Norway's Alfredo Chinchilla in the 65 kilogram weight class of the judo event at the 1984 Summer Olympics. | caption = Craig Agena, right, competes against Norway's Alfredo Chinchilla in the 65 kilogram weight class of the judo event at the 1984 Summer Olympics. }}
'''Craig John Agena''' (born 1960)<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=June 15, 2016 |title=Craig John AGENA - Olympic Judo {{!}} United States of America |url=https://www.olympic.org/craig-john-agena |access-date=August 12, 2017 |work=International Olympic Committee |language=en}}</ref> is a former Olympic level judoka for the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=US Olympic Judo Teams 1964 to present |url=http://judoinfo.com/usolympic.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626083848/http://judoinfo.com/usolympic.htm |archive-date=June 26, 2014 |access-date=September 12, 2016}}</ref> He competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Craig Agena Bio, Stats, and Results |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ag/craig-agena-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418045056/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ag/craig-agena-1.html |archive-date=April 18, 2020}}</ref>
==Career== Agena was born Craig John Agena, September 7, 1960, in Honolulu, Hawaii<ref name=":0" /> He attended Golden High School.
He trained at Northglenn Judo Center in Northglenn, Colorado,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Judo's faithful find home in Northglenn - Colorado Community Media |url=http://coloradocommunitymedia.com/stories/Judos-faithful-find-home-in-Northglenn,25022 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419113705/https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/stories/judos-faithful-find-home-in-northglenn,25022 |archive-date=April 19, 2023 |access-date=August 13, 2017 |work=Colorado Community Media |language=en}}</ref> and competed in several events, including the 1981 and 1983 National Seniors judo competition (placed second and first respectively)<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Wooley |first=James |date=December 1981 |title=1981 Senior National Judo Championships |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NtIDAAAAMBAJ&dq=judo+craig+agena&pg=PA70 |magazine=Black Belt |publisher=Active Interest Media |page=70 |language=en |volume=19 |number=12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Craig Agena, Judoka, JudoInside |url=https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/22424/Craig_Agena |access-date=August 13, 2017 |website=www.judoinside.com}}</ref>
He graduated from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |title=Craig Agena |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/33384 |access-date=July 11, 2022 |website=Olympedia |publisher=OlyMADMen}}</ref>
After joining the army in 1983, he was placed in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program. Being placed second in the qualifying trials, Agena was given a place on the Olympic team of the 1984 Games<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Benjamin |first=Nancy |date=July 1984 |title=The 1984 U.S. Olympic Judo Trials: Countdown to Los Angeles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yNsDAAAAMBAJ&dq=judo+craig+agena&pg=PA34 |magazine=Black Belt |publisher=Active Interest Media |page=34 |language=en |volume=22 |number=7}}</ref> competing (unplaced) in the 65 kilogram weight class of the Judo event.<ref name=":1" />
Following the Games, he was transferred to a tank battalion in Germany, winning a bronze medal at the 1987 World Military Championships in San Diego,<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Clokon |first=Joe |date=February 1988 |title=U.S. Wins Three Judo Medals |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e9YDAAAAMBAJ&dq=judo+craig+agena&pg=PA76 |magazine=Black Belt |publisher=Active Interest Media |page=76 |language=en |volume=26 |number=2}}</ref> then later serving in Iraq and Japan.
Having risen to the rank of Colonel, he was chief of the Bilateral Coordination Action Team (BCAT) in 2011 at the time of the earthquake and tsunami, and directed US military efforts assisting the Japanese government in the clean up after the disaster.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Language Institute fills communication gap during Operation Tomodachi |url=https://www.army.mil/article/56081/Language_Institute_fills_communication_gap_during_Operation_Tomodachi |access-date=August 12, 2017 |work=www.army.mil |language=en}}</ref>
He received the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun in 2014 for "Contribution to the strengthening of the Security of Japan and the Japan-US alliance and to the promotion of the understanding of Japanese culture".<ref>{{Cite web |title=2014 Spring Conferment of Decorations on Foreign Nationals |url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/info/conferment/pdfs/2014_sp.pdf |access-date=August 13, 2017 |website=Foreign Office Ministry, Japan}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Sports links}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agena, Craig}} Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:American military Olympians Category:Olympic judoka for the United States Category:Judoka at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:American male judoka Category:University of Colorado Colorado Springs alumni Category:United States Army colonels Category:U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program personnel
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