October 5, 2021 – The Japanese duo of Remina YOSHIMOTO and Akari FUJINAMI, making their senior national team debuts in Oslo, combined for five wins by fall or technical superiority Tuesday, the fourth day of the Oslo 2021 Senior Wrestling World Championships.
Yoshimoto and Fujinami were later joined in the semifinals by 2019 junior world champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) at 65kg.
Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN), heavily bandaged around her knees, fell to Samar HAMZA (EGY) in the quarterfinals at 76kg.
In Tuesday evening’s medal matches, Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) goes for the gold medal at 55kg against Germany’s Nina HEMMER (GER), while Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) will try to grab a bronze medal at 62kg against Veronika IVANOVA (BLR).
50kg (20, 17 entries)
Remina YOSHIMOTO, 2017 World cadet champion, 2019 Asia junior champion,
Qualification – 2021 national champion Yoshimoto rolled over Lithuania’s Gabija DILYTE (LTU), 10-0, in 24 seconds.
R16 – Yoshimoto needed 2:09 to record her second win by technical superiority over Natalya VARAKINA (BLR), a fifth-place finisher in the 2021 European junior meet and junior world championships.
QF – The Shigakkan University student slapped a fall on 2018 junior world silver medalist Ontgonjargal DOLGORYJAV (MGL) at 1:04 (4-0).
53kg (17 entries)
Akari FUJINAMI, 2018 junior Asia, junior world champion; 2020 senior Japan national champion
R16 – Fujinami combines takedown, single-leg attack, and gut wrench to slap Pooja POOJA (IND) with an 11-0 technical fall at 2:11.
QF – Luisa VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU) tried her best to slow the Japanese phenom down, but eventually fell 10-0 at 3:44.
65kg (19 entries)
Miwa MORIKAWA, 2019 junior world champion, 2018 world U23 silver medalist
R16 – Morikawa wrestled cautiously against Maria MAMASHUK (BLR) to fashion a 5-0 triumph over the Rio 2016 silver medalist.
QF – Morikawa broke a 2-2 tie with a low single for two points and went behind for another two for a 6-2 win over Aina TEMIRTASSOVA (KAZ).
76kg (18 entries)
Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN), 2017 world U23 champion, 2018 junior world bronze medalist
R16 – Matsuyuki appeared solid in dealing Zsanett NEMETH (HUN), a former European championships medalist, a 5-2 loss.
QF – Matsuyuki struggled against Samar HAMZA (EGY), but could not find the answer to getting over a 2-3 deficit.
In repechage bouts left from Monda
Freestyle
Repechage, 97kg
Takashi ISHIGURO, 2021 Asian Championships bronze medal winner
Ishiguro led, 4-3, midway through the second period over Tokyo 2020 Olympian Aleksandr HUSHTYN (BLR), and continued to hold the advantage when Hushtyn evened the score at 4-4. Hushtyn, however, kept the pressure on for one more point in the closing seconds for the win a berth in the bronze medal final.
Women’s Wrestling
Repechage, 62kg
Nonoka OZAKI held onto a 2-0 win over 2021 European bronze medalist Veronika IVANOVA (BLR). Ozaki squares off with Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) Tuesday evening for the bronze medal.
Tuesday evening’s medal finals, Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) goes for the gold against