Japan Wrestling

With Decision to Make, Japan's Women With Olympic Berths All Intend to Enter Belgrade Worlds

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 - 12:30 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO---Given a difficult choice, all five Japanese women who have already secured berths at the Tokyo Olympics would choose to take on the world prior to the 202One Games.

By a twist of fate, the dates for this year's rescheduled World Championships (Dec. 12-20) in Belgrade perfectly overlapped with the traditional slot on the calendar for the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships (Dec. 17-20).

The Japan federation, trying to set a course in the turbulent seas caused by the coronavirus pandemic, would give the wrestlers the option of choosing which competition they would like to appear.

Sara DOSHO_S20E2958.jpg Olympic champion Sara DOSHO (JPN) finishes a shot during the women's team training camp (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

On Wednesday, the opening day of a national women's team training camp at the Ajinomoto National Training Center in Tokyo, defending Olympic champions Risako KAWAI and Sara DOSHO and the three others all said they would decide or are leaning toward appearing at the World Championships.

"I want to take part," said Kawai, who won her third straight world title in September 2019 in Nur-Sultan by winning the gold at 57kg. "I realize the danger with the coronavirus, but thinking about the Olympics, I haven't been in an international tournament since February, so I want to [be in one] once before the Olympics."

This is all contingent, of course, on the World Championships being held in the first place. United World Wrestling is expected to make the final call in early November, a decision that took an additional twist with the recent announcement that the United States will not be sending a team.

For the Japanese wrestlers, it goes even beyond that. The Japanese government currently requires citizens returning from a trip abroad to self-isolate for 14 days. The restriction is about to be relaxed in some cases for business travelers, both Japanese and foreigners, but it is unlikely to apply to the athletes.

"At Narita, they would have to stay at a hotel," said Shigeki NISHIGUCHI, the technical director of the Japan Wrestling Federation, referring to the international airport that services Tokyo. "Or maybe they would wait it out at home. They wouldn't be able to practice."

Nishiguchi said all could be rectified if the government would allow the wrestlers to quarantine at the National Training Center. As a self-contained facility that already operates as an anti-virus bubble, the wrestlers could stay and train as if they were at an extended training camp.

"At the moment, that doesn't look possible," he said. "We're not sure the government will allow it."

The wrestlers themselves are concerned only with what they can control. Normally, the year-ending Emperor's Cup would be the first of two qualifying tournaments for the team to the following year's World Championships. But with all tournaments wiped out by the pandemic, the members of the 2019 team in Nur-Sultan would have the first choice of going to Belgrade.

In Nur-Sultan, Japanese women grabbed Olympic spots in five of the six weight classes, winning one gold, two silvers and one bronze, with one fifth-place finish. The only weight class in which Japan still needs to qualify is 50kg, and two-time world champion Yui SUSAKI will try to make the cut at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in Xi'an, China, on March 26-28.

Susaki was among a number of collegians who were absent from the training camp that started Wednesday due to school commitments. As Susaki's situation is different from the confirmed Olympians, her coach, Shoko YOSHIMURA, said she is undecided which tournament she would enter.

"She hasn't decided," Yoshimura said. "She's not at a stage yet where she knows all of the conditions. When those are decided, we'll talk about it and make a decision."

Mayu MUKAIDA_S20E2937.jpg Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) finishes a double leg takedown. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

For Mayu MUKAIDA, the 2019 world silver medalist at 53kg, there is no debate.

"I'm planning to enter the worlds," Mukaida said. "There was nothing to think about, I'm preparing for the worlds."

Mukaida would have some unfinished business to attend to in Belgrade. She is still stinging from the one-sided loss she was dealt in the final in Nur-Sultan by PAK Yong-Mi (PRK). "I don't know if the North Korean will enter or not, but I'll do what I can to win the gold medal and keep that momentum going up to the Olympics."

Dosho, the Rio Olympic champion and 2017 world champion at 69kg, says she would lean toward entering the World Championships. She finished fifth in Nur-Sultan at 68kg after coming back from a layoff due to shoulder surgery.

In Nur-Sultan, Dosho lost in the third round to eventual champion Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA), but isn't concerned about missing out on a chance to face her again before the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed to July 2021.

"If I can face her, it's OK, if I don't, then I'll focus on preparing to be ready at that level for the Olympics," said Dosho, who recently has recovered from a knee injury. "I don't have any big injury, but I have some small issues here and there. I'm keeping in mind avoiding injury as I train."

Huroe MINAGAWA_S20E3019.jpg Hiroe MINAGAWA (JPN) tightens her grip on a head lock. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Another Japanese wrestler who might benefit from the absence of an American presence in Belgrade is Hiroe MINAGAWA, the world silver medalist at 76kg.

"In my weight class, the American is ranked No. 1 and is the world champion," said Minagawa, referring to Adeline GRAY (USA), who beat her in the final in Nur-Sultan. "It's a shame that she won't be entered. But there are many other strong wrestlers besides her, so it's not so much of a shock that she won't be there, and it means I'll be able to face ones from other countries."

It 's that much-needed exposure to foreign competition that compels Minagawa, who underwent knee surgery in the spring while sports where shut down,  to opt to participate in the World Championships over the Emperor's Cup.

"In my case, I want to use the World Championships to come up with measures to take on wrestlers from other countries who have more power, and get back the match feeling after such a long layoff," she said. "There is still [the issue of] my knee. Naturally, the Olympics is the No. 1 [priority]. I have to think how to be in peak condition for the Olympics."

Not surprisingly, Yukako KAWAI, the world bronze medalist at 62kg, would commit to joining older sister Risako on the flight to Belgrade as the two look to win Olympic gold medals together next year on home soil.

"If there is a World Championships, I will enter that," Kawai said. "There is no anguishing over it."

She  would naturally aim for a gold in Belgrade, but more as a means to an end. "What I want most is the Olympic gold. Of course I will aim for the title at the World Championships, but more than definitely wanting that, I want to have matches that allow me to find out what I need to work on ahead of the Olympics."

Chances are good that the All-Japan Championships will be held as scheduled. Earlier this month, Japan successfully held its first national-level tournament with the National High School Invitational Championships, which was soon followed by the National Collegiate Greco-Roman Championships.

As a footnote to the high school tournament, the Japan federation and the wrestling division of the All Japan High School Athletic Federation recently announced that, after waiting with bated breath in the two weeks following the end of the competition, there were no reported cases of coronavirus infection among the wrestlers, coaches, officials and staff---about 800 people in all.

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024 Wrestling Day 2 Preview: GR 77kg, 97kg; WW50kg

Tuesday, July 23, 2024 - 09:25 By Ken Marantz

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PARIS (July 23) -- Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) are at different stages in their storied careers as they both head to Paris with the aim of winning a second Olympic gold medal.

Susaki, at 25, is one of the biggest stars of the generation now in its prime, having four world titles at women's 50kg to go with the gold she won at the Tokyo Olympics. The endearing dynamo has still never lost to a non-Japanese opponent in nearly 100 matches.

PARIS 2024 SCHEDULE | PARIS 2024 NEWS

The 32-year-old Aleksanyan could be regarded as being on the tail end of a career that includes an Olympic medal of every color, with the gold having come at Rio 2016, and with four world golds of his own. He remains the face of the Greco 97kg weight class.

The two will command the spotlight when those divisions begin action on Day 2 at the Paris Games along with Greco 77kg, in which an unheralded compatriot of Susaki's has suddenly emerged as a gold-medal contender.

"To win consecutive Olympics, or to win just one, is not something that comes easily," Susaki said in an interview with Japanese media in April after returning from a tougher-than-expected title run at the Asian Championships in Bishkek.

"It makes me again aware that [wrestling] is a tough world. How I spend the next three months will decide what happens in three months. I will prepare so that I can win a wonderful gold and leave with a smile."

Mariya STADNIK (AZE)Four-time medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE) will wrestle at her fifth Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

While Susaki will enter as the overwhelming favorite to flash her pearly whites on top of the medal podium, sentiment will be on the side of veteran Mariya STADNIK (AZE), the 35-year-old mother of two who is a good bet to make history by winning an unprecedented fifth Olympic medal.

Can this one finally be a gold for Stadnik? That would likely entail having to pull off a major upset of Susaki, an opponent she has not beaten in three career meetings, most recently in the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics.

Aleksanyan would have been going to Paris as a five-time world champion had he not been dealt a stunning last-second defeat in the final at last year's World Championships in Belgrade by Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB). Look for the Armenian to avoid any more mistakes like that.

Nao KUSAKA (JPN)Nao KUSAKA (JPN) is a strong gold medal favorite in Paris. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At Greco 77kg, top seed Nao KUSAKA (JPN) seems to be peaking at just the right time after winning a surprising bronze medal in Belgrade, which he followed up by stunning two-time reigning world champion and Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Akzhol MAKHUMUDOV (KGZ) before the latter's home crowd at the Asian Championships.

Makhmudov, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist, will look to bounce back and become Kyrgyzstan's first-ever Olympic champion -- assuming compatriot Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) doesn't beat him to it at Greco 60kg.

Here's a look at each weight class:

 

WW 50kg: Susaki, the one to beat

When a longtime champion is dealt a rare defeat, they are often told, "It may be the best thing that could have happened," because they become less complacent and more determined. They go back to the basics and come back even stronger.

That's the experience that Susaki went through at the Asian Championships, except that it didn't entail actually losing. Just having fallen behind in a match for the first time in who knows how long was enough of a wake-up call in her declared quest to eventually win four Olympic gold medals.

In the final against Ziqi FENG (CHN), Susaki got stopped on an attempted front headlock roll to put her behind 4-2. From her gold-medal run at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics to that point, Susaki had given up a total of only 11 points in 41 matches, and no one had scored four points on her.

Susaki being Susaki, she managed to come back and win the match and the gold 8-4. That gave her three wins in three career meetings with Feng, who will be in Paris after winning a world bronze in 2023. Susaki would say that while happy with the victory but far from satisfied with the performance, it made her aware of issues that she needed to address.

 

"I think that more of my opponents will use the strategy of trying to keep the score low and have the match come down to the last 30 seconds," Susaki said. "I want to practice so that my wrestling will get me past that type of opponent."

Susaki said she is not concerned that opponents are studying her every move, looking for any cracks in the armor. "The opponents will be doing that, but first, it's a problem with myself. I have to look into myself and to be assured of winning the gold in Paris, I have to decide what I need to do. I have to set a straightforward goal and advance toward it."

Since her first international tournament -- the 2014 Klippan Lady, in the cadet division -- Susaki has compiled a 94-0 record against non-Japanese foes while piling up 24 consecutive tournament titles. In fact, she has lost only three times in her entire career dating back to junior high school, all of which came at the hands of the same opponent, compatriot Yuki IRIE (JPN).

Stadnik showed she could still hold her own on the world stage by capturing a third straight European title in February. She was dealt a surprising loss by Oksana LIVACH (UKR) at the European Olympic Qualifier, but earned her ticket to Paris at the World Qualifier, although that venture included a defeat by 2023 Asian Games silver medalist Son Hyang KIM (PRK). Both Livach and Kim will also be in Paris.

 

The most intriguing entry is Vinesh PHOGAT (IND), whose path to Paris was filled with pain and adversity. For years a top competitor at 53kg, she was forced by circumstances to drop down to 50kg for the first time since 2018 in a desperate bid to win an elusive medal at her third Olympic Games.

A 2022 world bronze medalist at 53kg, her conflict with the Indian federation over accusations of sexual harassment by its president and a subsequent public protest with other top wrestlers drew vilification from within and without the federation. As if that wasn't bad enough, she suffered a severe knee injury in August 2023 that required surgery.

Vinesh was just able to recover in time for the Olympic qualifiers, but the 53kg slot had already been filled by world bronze medalist ANTIM (IND). She decided to take the extreme route of moving down to 50kg, where she prevailed at the Asian Qualifier.

 

"I have fought two battles -- one regarding weight cut and the other is the competition,” Vinesh told UWW after winning the quota from the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek. "Many people had suggested not to take part at 50kg because it might lead to an injury relapse, but I didn’t have an option. It was a do-or-die situation for me."

For the seven-time Asian medalist, the desire to become India's second female wrestling medalist has been a powerful driving force. "The focus will be on trying my best," she said. "I’ve been doing this for 20 years and the hopes of winning an Olympic medal keeps me going. It’s been difficult so far, but when you win, it seems like all the struggles were worth it."

Others with viable medal ambitions are Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist and three-time world medalist Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA), two-time world silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) and world bronze medalist Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER).

Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) scored a late takedown to beat Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) at the World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

GR 97kg: Aleksanyan looks to go out in blaze of glory

It wasn't the food that left a bad taste in Aleksanyan's mouth when he left Tokyo with a silver medal. The combination of being visibly hampered by a leg injury and giving up a 2-point penalty that he is still not convinced about made it hard to swallow a 5-1 loss in the final to Musa EVLOEV (ROC).

"I got a very serious injury during the fight with the Iranian in the semifinals of the Olympic Games in Tokyo. And in the final I fought on one leg," Aleksanyan said in an interview with
Armenpress. "But even in this state, I was ready to win, if not for the bias of the judges.

"To this day, I tell everyone that I did not touch my opponent's leg with my hand. There is no one in the world who would show me that I touched his leg with my hand. If it hadn't been for the injury, I'm sure I would have won."

That has motivated him to make sure nothing goes wrong as he attempts to add a second gold to the one he captured at the 2016 Rio Olympics. "I know exactly what I am preparing for, what path I have traveled, what path I am going through now and how I will go to the end to achieve my goal," he said.

 

Aleksanyan will also have to avoid letting down his guard, as he did in the final at last year's World Championships in Belgrade, where he lost to unheralded Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) 3-3 on last-point criteria after giving up an arm-drag takedown with 21 seconds left.

For Aleksanyan, Paris could mark the end of an illustrious career that includes an Olympic bronze from London 2012 and four world titles, most recently from 2022. If he leaves, he wants to go out in triumph.

"I'm thinking to end my career after the Games, but I still can't imagine myself without wrestling," he said. "I put my life into this sport. However, I am striving to end my career with a victory, but I cannot say when this will happen."

Rosillo will be on hand to try to prevent that, but Aleksanyan's main competition is expected to come from Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI), a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and a former world champion. The two have met three times, most recently in the semifinals at the 2022 World Championships, with Aleksanyan winning all three by decisions.

 

Also in the medal hunt will be world bronze medalist Artur OMAROV (CZE), five-time Asian medalist Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ), and 40-year-old Rustan ASSAKALOV (UZB), who has a pair of eighth-place Olympic finishes on his long resume.

Aleksanyan, asked how he would like to be remembered after he retires, replied, "As a two-time Olympic champion. But I would like the next generations to strive to surpass these results... For me, wrestling is a way of life, and what I like most about this sport is the sense of kinship that is present both in our generation and among our elders."

 

GR 77kg: 'Ordinary' Kusaka aims for extraordinary achievement

It was quite a proud and unexpected moment for host Japan when Shohei YABIKU (JPN) won a Greco 77kg bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics that few if any had foreseen. It was just as surprising that within two years, he would no longer even be the best in the country due to the rapid rise of Kusaka.

Kusaka, like Yabiku a product of powerhouse Nippon Sports Science University, added two strong results at UWW Ranking Series tournaments -- a third place at the Zagreb Open and a gold in Budapest -- to his Asian title to secure the top seed in Paris.

It's been quite a whirlwind ride for the 23-year-old, who credits his new-found success to going the extra mile in training. "I'm just an ordinary person," he said in an interview with broadcaster NHK Takamatsu in his hometown in western Japan. "I have no more talent than anyone else."

He started wrestling at age 3 but never really stood out until he got to high school, where he blossomed under the tutelage of a coach who instilled words of wisdom that he lives by to this day.

"He taught me, 'Effort will always surpass talent,'" he said. "He would always say that giving your all in practice is a given. If you don't give extra in all the other things, you will never become stronger than the others."

Among the "extra" things Kusaka does is stay behind after practice to work out on his own and cook for himself to ensure proper nutrition. He also boldly ventured to Germany -- and on his own dime -- for a month of intense training late last year. He competed in the Bundesliga and traveled to Hungary, where he practiced with Tokyo Olympic champion Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) and 2022 world silver medalist Zoltan LEVAI (HUN).

Levai, who defeated Kusaka at the Zagreb Open, is among the 15 others in the Paris field who will be aiming for the gold themselves. As the No. 7 seed, he will not be able to face Kusaka except in the final.

Makhmudov is the third seed, and looks headed for a semifinal encounter with No. 2 seed Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE), the Zagreb Open champion and 2021 world silver medalist.

Makhmudov still feels the sting of his loss in the Tokyo Olympic final to Lorincz. Asked what his biggest regret has been during a UWW interview, he replied, "The fact that I relaxed in Tokyo
before the final. I was quite ready to win the Olympics. I lost because I relaxed."

He added that he expects to have a "minimum of four" Olympic medals before he retires, which means he will need to start the collection in Paris.

 

Others worth watching will be three-time European champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM), former Asian champion Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) and four-time Asian medalist Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ).