Yabiku Wins 3rd Straight Greco-Roman Title at JOC Cup Jr Nationals

YOKOHAMA (April 25-26) – Collegiate national champion Shohei YABIKU and three-time cadet world champion Kika KAGATA each won their fifth straight age-group titles at the Japanese national championships for junior and cadet wrestlers.

Yabiku of Nippon Sport Sciences University, a junior world bronze medalist in 2013, won the junior title for a third straight year at 74kg to add to a pair of earlier cadet titles and was named the outstanding wrestler in the men’s competition at Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium.

In the women’s events, Kagata of Bunka Gakuen high school in Tokyo avenged a loss to Miho IGARASHI in the Japan Queens Cup final earlier in the month with a 4-3 victory over the 46kg cadet world champion in the 48kg final. The triumph was Kagata’s second junior title after three cadet national crowns.

Junior world champ Masako FURUICHI of Nihn Unversity won her second straight national title at 67kg in the 18-20 age group and was awarded the outstanding wrestler award in the women’s events. Furuichi was also a three-time cadet world champion, 2011-2013.

Meanwhile, Youth Olympic Games gold medalist Yajuro YAMASAKI defeated defending champion Tsubasa ASAI in the semifinals at 74kg and edged collegiate champion Mao OKUI in the final to become the first high school wrestler to win in this division since Sosuke TAKATANI in 2007.

Freestyle, junior division

50kg – Eiji YURA (Amino HS, Kyoto) df. Daichi KITA (Mii HS, Fukuoka), 11-9

55kg – Toshihiro HASEGAWA (NSSU) df. Yuta FUJITA (Aoyama Gakuin Univ), 11-9

60kg – Rei HIGUCHI (NSSU) df. Raimu MAEDA (Nihon Univ) by TF, 11-0, 3:19

66kg – Yuhi FUJINAMI (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ) df. Yushi TANABE (Doshisha Univ) by TF, 11-0, 2:09

74kg – Yajuro YAMASAKI (Saitama Sakae HS) df. Mao OKUI (Kokushikan Univ), 2-2

84kg – Shota SHIRAI (NU) df. Hiroki OYAMA (Meiji Univ) by fall, 3:51 (8-0)

96kg – Taira SONODA (Takushoku Univ) df. Takashi ISHIGURO (Hanasaki Tokuharu HS, Saitama) by TF, 10-0, 4:28

120kg – Taiki YAMAMOTO (Taku) df. Masahito MIYAHARA (Daito Bunka Univ), 3-0

Greco-Roman, junior division

50kg – Masaya NAGANUMA (Chukyo Gakuin Univ) df. Ryota SAITO (Hosei Univ), 6-0

55kg – Yo NAMBA (AGU) df. Hiroki WAKIYAMA (Senshu Univ), 4-0

60kg – Masuto KAWANA (Sen) df. Daiki KOBAYASHI (NSSU), 6-3

66kg – Yuuto SAWADA (NSSU) df. Takahiro YAMAMOTO (NSSU) by TF, 8-0, 1:15

74kg – Shohei YABIKU (NSSU) df. Kota SAKURABA (Taku) by TF, 9-0, 5:29

84kg – Takahiro SHIOKAWA (NSSU) df. Shingo NISHIYAMA (NSSU) by fall, 1:17 (4-0)

96kg – Yuta NARA (NSSU) df. Naoyuki IWATA (Daito) by fall, 0:48 (10-0)

120kg – Kenji KAIZUKA (YGU) df. Masahide TOMIEI (Kasumigaura HS, Ibaraki) by TF, 8-0, 1:19

Women, juniors

44kg – Chihiro SAWADA (Saitama Sakae HS) df. Kana SUZUKI (Saitama Sakae), 6-2

48kg – Kika KAGATA (Bunka Gakuen HS, Tokyo) df. Miho IGARASHI (Shigakkan Univ), 4-3

51kg – Momoka KADOYA (Shigakkan) df. Nao TANIYAMA (Kagaoka Liberte HS, Osaka) by fall, 5:56 (6-2)

55kg – Nanami IRIE (Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) df. Fubuki SAKAGAMI (Shigakkan) by fall, 3:25 (7-0)

59kg – Kumi IRIE (Kogura Shogyo HS, Fukuoka) df. Shiomi IMAI (Doshisha) by fall, 0:29 (4-0)

63kg – Ayana GEMPEI (Shigakkan) df. Misuzu TAKAHASHI (Waseda Univ), 5-2

67kg – Masako FURUICHI (NU) df. Miko YOKODANA (Int'l Pacific Rim Univ) by TF, 12-1, 1:42

72kg – Kanami DOBASHI (Shigakkan) df. Mira SAITO (King’s Club), 5-2

Cadet winners, Freestyle

42kg – Taichi TSUTSUMI (Numazu Club, Shizuoka)

46kg – Hirai TANAKA (Shingu Juniors, Wakayama)

50kg – Toshiya ABE (Teikyo HS, Tokyo)

54kg – Takuto OTOGURO (Teikyo)

58kg – Jintaro MOTOYAMA (Inabe Sogo Gakuen HS, Mie)

63kg – Rui SAKASAI (Hanasaki Tokuharu)

69kg – Taro UMEBAYASHI (Teikyo)

76kg – Kairi YAGI (Saitama Sakae)

85kg – Shutaro YAMADA (Akita Shogyo HS)

100kg – Hiroto NINOMIYA (Ginan Kogyo HS, Gifu)

Cadet winners, Greco-Roman

42kg – Kensuke SHIMIZU (Obihiro Kita HS, Hokkaido)

46kg – Kaito INABA (Nirasaki Kogyo HS, Yamanashi)

50kg – Shota OGAWA (Kasumigaura HS, Ibaraki)

54kg – Ayata SUZUKI (Hiryu HS, Shizuoka)

58kg – Yuta FUJISHIMA (Kagawa Chuo HS)

63kg – Takumi IWAMOTO (Kasumigaura)

69kg – Minto MAEDA (Hanasaki Tokuharu)

76kg – Rai HAYASHI (Nirasaki Kogyo)

85kg – Hiroki MATSUZAWA (Miyazaki Nichidai HS)

100kg – Ryota KUBO (Yawatahama Kogyo HS, Ehime)

Cadet winners, Women

38kg – Miu SHIMIZU (Aminocho Club, Kyoto)

40kg – Yumi SHIMONO (Kyoto Kaiyo Club)

43kg – Yumeka TANABE (Teikyo)

46kg – Yui SUSAKI (Abe Gakuin HS, Tokyo)

49kg – Saki IGARASHI (Seijo HS, Aichi)

52kg – Sae NANJO (Abe Gakuin)

56kg – Haruna OKUNO (Hisai HS, Mie)

60kg – Kanaho MIWA (Abe Gakuin)

65kg – Atena KODAMA (Kochi Higashi HS)

70kg – Yasuha MATSUYUKI (Shigakkan HS, Aichi)

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