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2023.06.01

Japan Wrestling Federation News ― May 2023 (Meiji Cup entries/Beach wrestling)

Yukako Kawai makes surprise move up to 68kg for Meiji Cup

The announcement of the entries for the upcoming Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships, the second of the two domestic qualifiers for Japan’s team to the World Championships, had one surprise in particular.

Three Tokyo Olympic champions take part in a practice at Nihon University in early May in preparation for the Meiji Cup. On the front left is Yukako KAWAI, while in the middle of the mat, Risako KINJO, left, pairs off with Yui SUSAKI.

Yukako KAWAI, the Tokyo Olympic champion at women’s 62kg, has moved up two weight classes to the next Olympic division of 68kg for the tournament to be held June 15-18 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym.

Kawai’s older sister Risako KINJO (nee KAWAI), the Tokyo gold medalist at 57kg, has returned to that weight class after competing at 59kg following her return to the mat after giving birth to her first child. Kinjo won the 59kg title at the first domestic qualifier, the Emperor’s Cup All-Japan Championships, in December last year.

The moves are significant because it means that for either sister to get to the World Championships — which offers the first chance to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics — they will need to triumph at the Meiji Cup, then win a subsequent playoff against the Emperor’s Cup champion in their weight class.

A wrestler who wins titles in an Olympic weight class at both the Emperor’s Cup and Meiji Cup automatically makes the team to the World Championships. If the champions are different, they will meet in a playoff to be held in early July.

There is added incentive to get to the World Championships, to be held in September in Belgrade, Serbia. A medal in an Olympic weight class there will bring with it an automatic ticket to the Paris Olympics, so the competition is fierce to get there.

Kawai competed at 62kg at the Emperor’s Cup, but lost in the semifinals to Sakura MOTOKI, a world 59kg bronze medalist who had moved up to the Olympic weight. Kawai had been plagued with back problems going into the tournament that flared up again, and she defaulted the bronze-medal match.

It remains to be seen how well she has recovered, and how well she handles the additional weight in a stacked division that includes five current or former world medalists.

The front-runner is Emperor’s Cup champion Ami ISHII, the world silver medalist to Olympic champion Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA). Ishii is in good form, having won the gold medal in April at the Asian Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, where she beat 2021 world champion Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) in the semifinals.

Also looking to grab the ticket to Belgrade will be world 65kg champion Miwa MORIKAWA, 2021 world 72kg champion Masako FURUICHI, and 2021 world silver medalist Rin MIYAJI, who scored a famous victory by fall over Mensah Stock en route to the 2021 final.

Emperor’s Cup champion Ami ISHII, 2nd from left, shown during the women’s 68kg medal ceremony in December, heads a Meiji Cup field that includes five current or former world medalists.

For three-time world champion Kinjo, the main one to beat at 57kg will be Emperor’s Cup champion Sae NANJO, who also triumphed at the Asian Championships in Astana. Not to be counted out is two-time defending world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI, who lost a close semifinal to Nanjo at the Emperor’s Cup.

The big three will be joined by up-and-coming Sara NATAMI, the 2021 Asian champion and losing finalist to Nanjo in December. She prepped for the Meiji Cup by winning the gold at the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, in March.

Another women’s weight class to watch is 62kg, which Motoki moved up to for the Emperor’s Cup and shockingly knocked off world champion Nonoka OZAKI in the final. Ozaki will be out for revenge. Able to pull a surprise is Yuzuka INAGAKI, the 2019 world U23 champion who also won in Sofia.

At 50kg, reigning world and Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI is the solid favorite, having beaten top rival and 2021 world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO for the Emperor’s Cup gold.

Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI, left, and Risako KINJO take a moment for a friendly photo during a joint practice.

Teen star Akari FUJINAMI, the 2021 world gold medalist at 53kg who was unable to defend her title due to injury, moved a step closer to her ultimate goal of an Olympic gold in Paris with a victory at the Emperor’s Cup. Fujinami heads into the Meiji Cup on a 119-match winning streak and coming off victories in three tournaments in three months from February to April.

Her main competition will come from Tokyo Olympic champion Mayu SHIDOCHI (nee MUKAIDA) and former world champion Haruna OKUNO, while world U20 and U23 55kg champion Moe KIYOOKA is looking to also be in the mix. At the Emperor’s Cup, Fujinami defeated Okuno in the final after Okuno knocked off Shidochi in the semifinals.

In the final Olympic weight class of 76kg, world bronze medalist Yuka KAGAMI had to injury default at the Emperor’s Cup, and it remains to be seen how well her recovery has gone as she aims to knock off teen Ayano MORO, the world U20 champion who won the Emperor’s Cup in her absence.

Teen star Akari FUJINAMI serves as a referee during the East Japan Collegiate League matches held May 16-18 in Tokyo for men’s teams.

World freestyle champ makes challenge in Greco

As he stated he would do, world 70kg freestyle champion Taishi NARIKUNI is looking to get back to the World Championships, but this time in Greco-Roman.

Narikuni, whose mother was a two-time world champion, is entered at 67kg. He had entered both styles at the Emperor’s Cup, but had to withdraw due to a broken rib suffered in practice. This time, he has limited himself to Greco. Determined to deny Narikuni will be Emperor’s Cup champion Kyotaro SOGABE, who is coming off an impressive silver-medal finish at the Asian Championships.

World freestyle champion Taishi NARIKUNI prepared for his switch to Greco-Roman with a victory in that style at the All-Japan Non-Student Championships in December.

Kenichiro FUMITA, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist at 60kg, will look to follow up on his Emperor’s Cup triumph and secure his ticket to Belgrade, where he will aim for a third world gold and first since 2019.

In freestyle, there was one noticeable move. Sohsuke TAKATANI, aiming to make his fourth straight Olympic appearance, has moved back down to the Olympic weight of 86kg after spending the last two years at 92kg. The 34-year-old Takatani won his 12th straight Emperor’s Cup title over four weight classes last December with a victory at 92kg.

Takatani’s path to Belgrade will have to go through Hayato ISHIGURO, who won the Emperor’s Cup title and added an Asian bronze medal in April. Also expected to be in contention is world U23 gold medalist Tatsuya SHIRAI.

World 61kg champion Rei HIGUCHI will look to follow up on his victory in the Emperor’s Cup at 57kg — the weight class in which he had to settle for a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, a result which has been nagging him ever since.

Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO has competed just once since his triumph at Makuhari Messe, winning the 65kg title at the Emperor’s Cup. Otoguro, the 2018 world champion, will be the favorite to complete the double and earn his ticket to Belgrade.

Abe wins silver medal at opening beach wrestling event

Hirotaka ABE won a silver medal at 80kg as three Japanese took part in the opening event of the beach wrestling World Series, held May 7-8 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the first time for Japanese wrestlers to take part in the series.

The Japan contingent at the opening event of the beach wrestling World Series in Buenos Airies, from left, Masayuki AMANO, Yoshiki YAMADA and Hirotaka ABE.

Abe won all three matches in his preliminary group, then defeated Justin BOYCE (BAR) in the quarterfinals and Steven RODRIGUEZ TORREYES (VEN), who had competed at the World U23 Championships at freestyle 86kg, in the semifinals. In the final, he lost to No. 1-ranked Nika KENCHADZE (GEO), a three-time winner in the series last year. Abe had finished second at freestyle 70kg at the 2021 Emperor’s Cup.

Both Yoshiki YAMADA at 70kg and Masayuki AMANO at +90kg went 1-2 in their preliminary groups and failed to advance to the quarterfinals. Yamada was a member of Japan’s team to the 2019 World U23 Championships, while Amano appeared at the 2021 Asian Championships.

–Translation by Ken Marantz

 

 

 

 

 







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