YOG GOLD MEDALIST TAKAHASHI WINS 3RD STRAIGHT NAT’L HS CROWN

    HACHIMANTAI, Iwate (August 3-4) – Youth Olympics champion Yuki Takahashi rolled to his third straight high school national championship crown, winning at 55kg to become only the third three-time champion in the history of the summer classic.

    Takahashi of Inabe Gakuen (Mie) edged Yanai Gakuen (Yamaguchi) rival Minoru Ota 2-0 (2-0, 1-1) in the 55kg final at Hachimantai municipal sports park gymnasium for the historic win.

    Previous three-time national high school champions were Osaka's Masahide Ohashi (1993-95) and current national team member Shinya Matsumoto from Kyoto (2002-2004).

    In other freestyle finals, Takahashi's teammate at Inabe Gakuen Katsuhiro Kawase won the 60kg crown, upending Kasumigaura ace Kazuki Furuya in the quarterfinals.

    Meanwhile, Masato Mizuno of Kyoto's Amino high school became the sixth first-year student in tournament history win a title, after taking the 66kg crown. And, Ryuta Yonoha Urasoe Kogyo became Okinawa's first high school champ in 24 years by 84kg category.

     Winners at the individual weight categories were:

50kg – Hirotaka Abe, Kajima Gakuen (Ibaraki)
55kg – Yuki Takahashi, Inabe Sogo Gakuen (Mie)
60kg – Katsuhiro Kawase, Inabe Sogo Gakuen
66kg – Masato Mizuno, Amino (Kyoto)
74kg – Shunsuke Yamashita, Kasumigaura (Ibaraki)
84kg – Ryuta Yonaha, Urasoe Kogyo (Okinawa)
96kg – Koki Yamamoto, Hanabuki Tokuei (Saitama)
120kg – Shin Sonoda, Hino (Shiga)