INABE CROWNS THREE CHAMPS TO CLOSE OUT SPRING INVITATIONAL

NIIGATA, Niigata (March 29) – Inabe Sogo Gakuen crowned three champions and Saitama Sakae advanced three wrestlers to the finals with two champions in the individuals competition at the National High School Invitational Wrestling Tournament.

Last year’s invitational champion at 60kg Yuhi FUJINAMI won at 66kg for Inabe for his second title in the spring classic. Fujinami was also cadet world silver medalist in 2013.

Cadet world team member in greco-roman Taishi NARIKUNI won at 50kg and 2011 cadet representative Yudai FUJITA prevailed at 55kg for Inabe Sogo Gakuen, which was team runner-up in last summer’s high school national championships.

Meanwhile, Saitama Sakae, which did not advance into the upper ranks of the team competition, nevertheless, produced two champions in Yajuro YAMASAKI at 84kg and Ryusei SAKATA at 96kg. Takumi YOSHIMURA also made it to the championship finals at 55kg, but lost to Inabe’s Fujita.

Narikuni, Yamasaki, and 74kg winner Ryuki YOSHIDA of Wakayama Kita high school all capped their first year of wrestling with titles for their respective schools. They become second-year students with the start of the new school year in Japan on April 1.

Meanwhile, representatives from the two schools in the invitationl team final – Kasumigaura (Ibaraki) and Tatebayashi (Gunma) were unable to win any of the individual crowns.

Individual champions:

50kg – Taishi NARIKUNI, Inabe Sogo Gakuen (Mie)

55kg – Yudai FUJITA, Inabe Sogo Gakuen (Mie)

60kg – Kei YONEZAWA, Akita Shogyo (Akita)

66kg – Yuhi FUJINAMI, Inabe Sogo Gakuen (Mie)

74kg – Ryuki YOSHIDA, Wakayama Kita (Wakayama)

84kg – Yajuro YAMASAKI, Saitama Sakae (Saitama)

96kg – Ryusei SAKATA, Saitama Sakae (Saitama)

120kg – Taiki YAMAMOTO, Hiryu (Shizuoka)

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