Takatani Notches No.3, Kawai Wins 63kg at Meiji Cup Invitational – 2nd Day

TOKYO (June 20) – World silver medalist Sosuke TAKATANI edged Asian championships runner-up Daisuke SHIMADA for his third straight Meiji Cup national invitational crown to secure his berth on the Japanese squad for this year’s world championships in Las Vegas.

Takatani, who also defeated Shimada for the All-Japan national championships title at 74kg in December, is expected to be formally named on Sunday to the Japanese squad for the September 7-12 world meet.

Also in freestyle, Asian bronze medal winners Masakazu KAMOI (61kg) and Takafumi KOJIMA (70kg) secured world team berths – Kamoi for a second year in a row and Kojima for the first time since 2006.

Asian bronze medal winner Taichi OKA won his second trip to the world championships with the invitational crown at 85kg for a second year in a row. Yuya MAEDA won at 80kg and will receive the world team berth as All-Japan champ Masato SUMI changed weight divisions for the invitational.

At 66kg, All-Japan champ Takeshi IZUMI lost in the first round, 4-6, to eventual invitational champion Tomohiro INOUE, but prevailed in the world team wrestle-off with Inoue, 7-2, for the ticket to Las Vegas.

In the women’s events, Risako KAWAI defeated reigning national champ Yurika ITO, 6-4, in the semifinals at 63kg and Asian Games gold medalist Rio WATARI, 2-1, in the final for the invitational crown and consideration for a place on the world team.

World silver medalist Sara DOSHO won her fourth invitational crown at 69kg and appears headed back to the world championships for a third straight year.

Freestyle

61kg (10 entries)

F1 – Masakazu KAMOI df. Shingo ARIMOTO, 4-3

F3 – Hirotaka ABE df. Shota NAKANO by TF, 15-2, 4:58

SF – Kamoi df. Nakano by TF, 13-2, 3:46

SF – Arimoto df. Abe, 6-4

70kg (7 entries)

F1 – Takafumi KOJIMA df. Nobuyoshi TAKOJIMA, 2-0

F3 – Yusuke MATSUO df. Yushi TANABE by TF, 12-1, 4:41

SF – Kojima df. Matsuo by TF, 10-0, 1:52

SF – Takojima df. Tanabe, 10-4

74kg (12 entries)

F1 – Sosuke TAKATANI df. Daisuke SHIMADA, 7-6

F3 – Tsubasa ASAI df. Ken HOSAKA, 2-2

SF – Takatani df. Hosaka by TF, 11-1, 3:33

SF – Shimada df. Asai, 2-2

Greco-Roman

66kg (12 entries)

F1 – Tomohiro INOUE df. Hideyuki OTOIZUMI, 4-0

F3 – Shogo TAKAHASHI df. Tsutomu FUJIMURA, 5-5

SF – Inoue df. Fujimura, 2-0

SF – Otoizumi df. Takahashi by TF, 11-0, 4:32

World Team Wrestle-Off – Takeshi IZUMI df. Tomohiro INOUE, 7-2

80kg (9 entries)

F1 – Yuya MAEDA df. Noritomo ETO by TF, 10-1, 4:55

F3 – Kyosuke NAKAZAKI df. Shuhei SAKANO, 4-2

SF – Maeda df. Nakazaki by TF, 9-1, 2:13

SF – Eto df. Sakano, 3-0

85kg (8 entries)

F1 – Taichi OKA df. Masayuki AMANO, 4-0

F3 – Tsukasa TSURUMAKI df. Masato SUMI by TF, 8-0, 1:28

SF – Oka df. Sumi, 4-0

SF – Amano df. Tsurumaki, 2-2

Women’s Wrestling

63kg (12 entries)

F1 – Risako KAWAI df. Rio WATARI, 2-1

F3 – Yurika ITO df. Kanako MURATA by injury default

SF – Kawai df. Ito, 6-4

SF – Watari df. Murata, 7-7

69kg (5 entries)

F1 – Sara DOSHO df. Kayoko KUDO, 6-4

F3 – Yoshiko INOUE df. Masako FURUICHI, 6-2

SF – Dosho df. Inoue, 4-0

SF – Kudo df. Furuichi, 6-5

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