Japan Wrestling Federation News ― July 2024 (Olympic Team/Asian U15-U20 Championships)

※本記事は日本レスリング協会に掲載されていたものです。

Japan Olympic team readies for Paris

The Japan Olympic Committee officially accredited the complete Japan contingent for the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 7. The delegation consists of 409 athletes across all sports (originally 410, but one dropped out), the most-ever for an Olympics outside of Japan.

In wrestling, there is a total of 13 men and women, the most since the number of Olympic weight classes in the three styles was set at six each. The wrestlers will make their final preparations on their own in Tokyo and other locations before departing for Paris in two groups on Aug. 2 and 5. None participated in the opening ceremony on July 26 on the Seine River.

Photos and design by Sachiko HOTAKA

The Japan team is as follows:

Greco-Roman
60kg: Kenichiro FUMITA
67kg: Kyotaro SOGABE
77kg: Nao KUSAKA

Women
50kg: Yui SUSAKI
53kg: Akari FUJINAMI
57kg: Tsugumi SAKURAI
62kg: Sakura MOTOKI
68kg: Nonoka OZAKI
76kg: Yuka KAGAMI

Freestyle
57kg: Rei HIGUCHI
65kg: Kotaro KIYOOKA
74kg: Daichi TAKATANI
86kg: Hayato ISHIGURO

In addition, Japan-born and raised Gaku AKAZAWA will represent Samoa in the freestyle 65kg competition. He gained Samoan citizenship in time to become eligible for the Olympics, and qualified for Paris at the Africa-Oceania Olympic Qualifier in March this year.

Akazawa was honored with traditional “send-off” ceremonies at his alma mater and other places. “I was encouraged just like Hayato ISHIGURO [who attended the same high school and university],” Akazawa said. In line with Samoan Olympic Committee policy, Akazawa participated in the opening ceremony and will remain in Paris until the competition.

Olympians Hayato ISHIGURO, center in blue, and Gaku AKAZAWA, center in red, are encouraged by the wrestling team at their alma mater Hanasaki Tokuharu High School during an event in their honor.

Japan wins 1st-ever freestyle team title at Asia U15

The Asian U15 Championships were held July 16-18 in Sriracha, Thailand. In freestyle, which was held on the final day, Japan won six gold medals and captured the team title with 197 points, well ahead of second-place India with 163.

It was the first title for a male team in 16 years on any age-group level at a World Championships or Asian Championships, dating back to the senior Asian Championships in 2008.

The gold medalists were Riku FURUSAWA (38kg), Haruto EMA (41kg), Heizo MORIFUJI (44kg), Kanta YAKUNO (52kg), Taiga HIBARINO (57kg) and Kochiro NAGAI (68kg).

For Ema, it was his second straight title after winning at 38kg last year. Hibarino improved on his second-place finish at 52kg from a year ago.

In the girls’ competition, Japan won four golds and finished second in the team standings.

Winning golds were Sera FURUICHI (39kg), Ema ARAKAWA (46kg), Kanna TAKARAJIMA (50kg) and Rion OGAWA (54kg). Ogawa successfully defended her title from last year.

Every team member came home with a medal, as the squad also won four silvers and two bronzes. Still, that was not enough to overcome rival India and retain the team title won last year. India also had four golds, but had five silvers and one bronze to finish with 215 points, five more than Japan.

Japan did not enter a team in Greco-Roman.

The squads in freestyle and women’s wrestling at the Asian U15 Championships pose for a group photo. Combined, they brought home 10 gold medals.(Photo by Ikuo HIGUCHI)

Japan captures 5 golds at Asian U20

The Asian U20 Championships followed at the same Thai venue on July 20-24. The Japanese women won three gold medals, while there was one champion each in freestyle and Greco-Roman.

In the women’s competition on July 22, Kanon YAMASHITA followed up on her 55kg title from last year by winning the 59kg gold. Also winning titles were Rinka OGAWA at 50kg and Momoko KITADE at 65kg.

With one silver and one bronze, the team did not exceed last year’s haul, when it won three golds, three silvers and a bronze. That left the squad third in the team standings with 156 points, 50 points behind India which had five champions, and four behind China which had two.

It was the first time since 2014 that the women did not finish in the top two.

The women’s medalists at the Asian U20 Championships, from left, Rinka OGAWA (gold), Risa MOTOHARA (bronze), Yuna SAWATANI (silver), Kanon YAMASHITA (gold) and Momoko KITADE (gold). (Photo by Ikuo HIGUCHI)

In freestyle, held July 23-24, reigning world U20 champion Yuto NISHIUCHI won the lone gold for Japan with a victory at 61kg, while Japan got bronze medals from Takuro MATSUBARA at 65kg and Taiga OGINO at 70kg.

Nishiuchi won the world U20 title at 61kg in 2022 and at 57kg last year. While satisfied that his wrestling was good enough to win in Sriracha, he regrets we will not be able to defend his world title. “My goal was to win a third straight title,” Nishiuchi said. “But [losing domestically] meant going to the Asian Championships instead, so I am left with some regret.”

While it was Japan’s first freestyle title since pre-pandemic 2019, the team did not exceed last year’s total of five medalists (two silvers, three bronzes) and dropped from fifth last year to seventh in the team standings.

In Greco on July 20-21, Koto GOMI won the gold medal at 60kg and Kensho NATAMI and Takaku SUZUKI won bronzes at 63kg and 67kg, respectively.

The team finished fifth in the standings, a vast improvement from last year’s eighth when it went home without a medal.

Asian U20 freestyle gold medalist Yuto NISHIUCHI, center, poses with bronze medalists Taiga OGINO, left, and Takuro MATSUBARA.(Photo by Ikuo HIGUCHI)