SONODA BATTLES FOR 5TH PLACE IN JR WORLDS GRECO-ROMAN

ZAGREB (August 5-6) – Arata SONODA earned Japan’s highest finish in the greco-roman events with three wins against two losses for a fifth place at 120kg at the junior wrestling world championships.

Sonoda of Tokyo’s Takushoku University outlasted European junior bronze medalist Vladislav VORONYI (UKR) for a 16-16 win on criteria in the second round before falling to defending champion Sergey SEMENOV (RUS). Sonoda also fell in the bronze medal final to Adam COON (USA), who won bronze medals in freestyle as well as the classic style.

Shogo TAKAHASHI of the Nippon Sports Sciences University scratched out a pair of wins in the first two rounds at 66kg, but lost back-to-back technical falls — in the quarterfinals to eventual silver medalist Ruhin MIKAYILOV (AZE) and again the consolation bracket to settle for 10th place.

Japan failed to win a medal in the greco-roman events at the junior worlds for a second year in a row and finished 23rd in the team standings with seven points.

Azerbaijan won the team title with 59 points from five champions and one silver medalist. Georgia came in a distant second with 44 points (1-0-3) with Russia (1-0-2) edging Armenia (0-1-2) on criteria after ended with 31 points.

Greco-roman

50kg – KOIZUMI, (19th, 19 entries)

R1 – lost to Doguz AYAZCI (TUR) by TF, 0-13=2:27

55kg – ICHIOKA, Katsutoshi (11th, 23 entries)

R1 – bye

R2 – df. Ahmadi TOUFAN (FIN), 10-8

R3 – lost to Ion LEFTER (MDA), 2-7

60kg – FUMITA, Kenichiro (16th, 32 entries)

R1 – df. Muradi MIKELADZE (GEO), 2-0

R2 – lost to Sergey EMELIN (RUS), 7-9

66kg – TAKAHASHI, Shogo (10th, 32 entries)

R1 – df. Abylaikhan AMBEYEV (KAZ), 1-0

R2 – df. Deyvid DIMITROV (BUL), 2-0

R3 – lost to Ruhin MIKAYILOV (AZE) by TF, 0-9=5:11

c1 – lost to Daniel CATARAGA (MDA) by TF, 0-10=2:22

74kg – YABIKU, Shohei (27th, 32 entries)

R1 – lost to Mansur GUBAEV (RUS) by TF, 0-8=0:56

84kg – MAETA, Yuya (15th, 28 entries)

R1- lost to Vladimir STANKIC (SRB), 4-5

96kg – MIYAGUNI, Yuta (25th, 28 entries)

R1 – lost to Kukuri KIRTSKHALIA (GEO) by fall, 0:34 (0-4)

120kg – SONODA, Arata (5th, 24 entries)

R1 – df. Salavat AKHMETKALIYEV (KAZ) by TF, 9-1=3:25

R2 – df. Vladyslav VORONYI (UKR), 16-16

R3 – lost to Sergey SEMENOV (RUS) by TF, 0-11=0:26

c1 – df. Ervin IMBIERSKI (POL), 5-3

F3 – lost to Adam COON (USA) by fall, 0:45 (0-2)

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