After a broken leg ended his football career at the age of 10, a Piscataway native began taking Judo lessons to stay active. And now, Colton Brown is getting ready to compete in his second Olympic Games in Tokyo.

“To do it once was incredible. And to do it twice is a great feeling. I’ve been so blessed to do what I love at the highest level for such a long period of time,” Brown says.

Brown had already qualified for the Olympic Judo team in March 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put his Olympic dreams in jeopardy.

“This was a grueling process with COVID, so this is going to be a special Olympics for me, and I kind of know this might be my last time out there, so it means even more,” Brown says.

The 29-year-old was able to requalify last month based on his world rankings. He will now end his Judo journey where it began. Brown went to train in Japan after graduating from Piscataway High School in 2009.

“To go back to Japan and see some of my friends that I went through that experience with and to be there at the birthplace of Judo, it’s special. This is where the first Olympics were in 1964 for Judo. It was in this exact arena it’s going to be in,” says Brown.

Brown advanced to the round of 16 in his division at the Rio games. But he is hoping for a better result in Tokyo. He says that his past Olympic experience will help him.

“The goal has always been a medal. I want to stand on the podium and it’s doable. I’ve competed against all these guys in this division and I know that if I have a day, it’s definitely doable. I feel really good, I’ve had incredible training,’ he says.

Brown still trains in new Jersey and says that the support he receives from the community will fuel him to be the best version of himself when he takes the stage in Tokyo.

“One thing I can say about Jersey, and especially Piscataway, is the roots run deep and they genuinely want to see me do well. And that forces me to go a little bit harder each day in training as I prepare for these games,” says Brown.

The Tokyo Summer Olympics begin on July 23.