S. MATSUMOTO RECLAIMS CROWN, 6 NEW CHAMPS AT NAT’L C’SHIPS – DAY 1

TOKYO (December 21) – Shinya Matsumoto reclaimed his 84kg title in men's freestyle and six new champions were crowned on the first day of the All-Japan wrestling national championships.

Matsumoto of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, an Asia bronze medalist in 2010, edged defending champion Atsushi Matsumoto in the 84kg final at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo for his fourth All-Japan title overall.

Also in men's freestyle, World Cup team member Takeshi Yamaguchi pinned Kengo Sasaki of the Nippon Sports Sciences University for the 96kg crown and Nihon University's Tomoyuki Oka edged two-time defending champion Nobuyoshi Arakida of the Tokyo MPD for the title at 120kg.

In greco-roman, collegiate champ Shota Tanokura of NSSU avenged a loss to former teammate Tsubasa Ogata in the national invitational final this year for the 55kg title while Kazuma Kuramoto of the Japan Self-Defense Forces team also reversed an invitational loss to Ryo Minemura for the crown at 60kg.

In women's freestyle, world team member Hiroe Suzuki notched a pair of falls on her way to her first All-Japan title at 72kg and 2011 Asia junior champion Ayaka Ito of Shigakkan University defeated this year's Asia junior winner Yui Sakano from Tokyo's Abe Gakuin high school for the 59kg crown.

Greco-Roman

55kg

F1 – Shota Tanokura df. Tsubasa Ogata, 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)

(Tanokura wins 1st All-Japan title)  

SF – Ogata df. Kenichiro Fumita, 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)

SF – Tanokura df. Hayanobu Shimizu, 2-1 (3-0, 0-3, 1-0)

60kg

F1 – Kazuma Kuramoto df. Ryo Minemura, 2-0 (7-0=1:28, 1-0)

(Kuramoto wins 1st All-Japan title.)

SF – Minemura df. Takashi Sasaki, 2-1 (0-1, 1-0, 2-0)

SF – Kuramoto df. Yoshitaka Kido, 2-0 (1-0, 2-0)

Men's freestyle

84kg

F1 – Shinya Matsumoto df. Atsushi Matsumoto, 2-0 (1-0, 2-1)

(Matsumoto wins 4th All-Japan title overall, first since 2010.)

SF – A. Matsumoto df. Takaki Yamana by TF, 2-0 (6-1=1:29, 6-0=1:11)

SF – S. Matsumoto df. Seiji Suzuki, 2-0 (1x-1=last, 3-2)

96kg

F1 – Takeshi Yamaguchi df. Kengo Sasaki by fall, 1P=1:40 (F6-2)

(Yamaguchi wins 1st All-Japan title)

SF – Sasaki df. Sho Yasuda, 2-0 (6-0=1:21, 3-0)

SF – Yamaguchi df. Shinichi Nakai, 2-0 (1-0, 4-0)

120kg

F1 – Tomoyuki Oka df. Nobuyoshi Arakida, 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)

(Oka wins 1st All-Japan title.)

SF – Arakida df. Tsutomu Takabayashi by fall, 2P=0:57 (3-0, F4-0)

SF – Oka df. Yutaro Baba, 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)

Women's freestyle

59kg

F1 – Ayaka Ito df. Yui Sakano, 2-0 (2-0, 1-0)

(Ito wins 1st All-Japan title.)

SF – Ito df. Chihiro Kumabe, 2-0 (2-0, 1-0)

SF – Sakano df. Kiwa Sakae by fall, 2P=0:43 (1-0, F3-0)

72kg

F1 – Hiroe Suzuki df. Tamae Yoshii by fall, 2P=0:44 (3-0, F3-0)

(Suzuki wins 1st All-Japan title.)

SF – Suzuki df. Rino Abe, 2-0 (4-3, 4-1)

SF – Yoshii df. Miku Saito, 2-0 (1×1=last, 1-0=2:02)

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