#JapanWrestling

Fujinami stays on path to Paris, via Belgrade, with 53kg title

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (June 17) -- A day after vanquishing the Olympic champion, Akari FUJINAMI secured a shot at regaining her world title, which in turn would get her closer to her ultimate goal of gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Fujinami cruised to the women's 53kg title at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships on Saturday, clinching a spot on Japan's team to this year's World Championships in Belgrade where the first qualifying spots for Paris will be up for grabs.

Fujinami, the 2021 world champion who missed last year's worlds due to injury, rolled to a 10-0 technical fall in the final over fellow 19-year-old Moe KIYOOKA at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym in the second of Japan's two domestic qualifiers for Belgrade.

"Winning this tournament was my sole objective," Fujinami said. "At the moment that I won, the first thing that came into my head was that I want to win the world title. At the World Championships, I want to take the gold and take home the spot at the Olympics."

Fujinami's victory stretched her current winning streak to 122 matches dating back to her junior high school days in 2017 and followed her title run in December at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships, the first of the world team qualifiers.

For wrestlers in the Olympic weights, titles at both tournaments clinches a spot at the World Championships. In cases in which the winners are different, they will meet in a playoff scheduled for July 1.

Also securing his ticket to Belgrade was Rei HIGUCHI, the reigning world champion at freestyle 61kg who has moved back down to 57kg, the weight class in which he won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Missing out was Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU after losing in the final at Greco 77kg, while world bronze medalist Yuka KAGAMI kept alive her hopes of a return trip to Belgrade by defeating Emperor's Cup champion Ayano MORO to force a playoff at women's 76kg.

Akari FUJINAMIAkari FUJINAMI blanked Moe KIYOOKA in the 53kg final at Meiji Cup in Tokyo. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

With the Olympic weight classes being run over two days, Fujinami's title run began Friday with a victory by fall in a long-awaited first-time clash with Tokyo Olympic champion Mayu SHIDOCHI (formerly MUKAIDA). That all but ended Shidochi's dreams of an Olympic repeat, as Fujinami will certainly be the favorite in Belgrade for the gold, much less just a medal.

Against Kiyooka, a world U23 and U20 champion and Emperor's Cup winner last year at 55kg, Fujinami used her unstoppable single-leg to score three takedowns in the first period, then picked up a pair of stepouts before ending the match with a takedown at 4:10.

"We've sparred together often in the past," Fujinami said. "[She knows] the tackle I use and I know she's a wrestler who likes to go on the attack. I kept from being defensive and stayed aggressive."

Her incredible winning streak has particularly caught the eyes of the local press, mainly because she surpassed the 119-match string put together by three-time Olympic champion and national hero Saori YOSHIDA.

But to Fujinami, the streak only holds significance if the gold-medal match in Paris is eventually included, although she appreciates the attention it brings to the sport. "To me, the record means nothing," she said. "But through this, it will spread the word of wrestling, which is a good thing."

After missing the World Championships last year in Belgrade due to a foot injury, Fujinami made up for the lost time and piled up a series of titles starting with her win at the Emperor's Cup.

Her victory on Saturday gave her a fourth championship over a five-month span, following wins at the Zagreb Open in February, the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov tournament in Bulgaria in March, and the Asian Championships in April.

Rei HIGUCHIRei HIGUCHI clinched his spot on the Japan team for World Championships after winning the gold medal at 57kg. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Higuchi, who missed out on the Tokyo Olympics -- mainly after infamously failing to make weight at the Asian qualifying tournament -- is intent on getting back to the Olympics and making amends for his runner-up finish in Rio.

But he said the Olympic berth at stake in Belgrade will not be the main incentive. Having won the 61kg gold last year in the Serbian capital, he wants to gain another world title there.

"I get more pumped up for matches overseas than in Japan," Higuchi said. "I feel I am better overseas and those matches bring out the best in me. I want to win the world title in Serbia, which I think is a place that suits me."

Higuchi was untroubled in scoring a 4-0 victory in the final over 2019 Asian bronze medalist Yudai FUJITA, but expressed concern over his lack of ability to pad his lead after scoring all of his points in the opening minute.

"There were situations where I could have gotten more points," said Higuchi, who scored with a takedown-gut wrench combination. "He was good enough where he could make it to the final, and I knew I had to be stronger to overcome him. But it turned out that I wasn't doing my wrestling and I'm not very satisfied."

Still, he fared better than Yabiku, who gave up a 2-point exposure in par terre and came up on the short side of a 3-2 decision in the Greco 77kg final against world U23 bronze medalist Nao KUSAKA.

Kusaka had ousted Yabiku at the Emperor's Cup, where the latter was at far less than top shape after suffering a severe knee injury 10 days before the competition. He subsequently underwent surgery and, while still having some limited motion, felt prepared to get the title he needed to earn a fourth career trip to the World Championships.

"Up to yesterday, I was able to defend [in par terre], but today I was turned over," Yabiku said. "I lost to Kusaka the last time, and he has studied me. Standing, on the ground, it was like he was controlling me. At this rate, no matter how many matches we have, it will be the same result."

Yuka KAGAMIYuka KAGAMI won the 76kg final to earn a spot in the playoff against Ayano MORO, her opponent on Saturday, on July 1. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Like Yabiku, Kagami had been affected by an injury at the Emperor's Cup, where she was forced to default due to a torn shoulder as Moro captured the title.

Kagami also underwent surgery -- the scar runs parallel to the right strap at the front of her singlet -- and after a grueling rehab, only returned to the mat in April.

"In the months after the Emperor's Cup, so many people put in a great deal of effort to get me ready [for the Meiji Cup]," Kagami said. "Because of that, I could get the gold medal."

She hardly showed the effects as she defeated Moro 2-1 in the final, with all points scored on the activity clock. That followed up a 3-2 victory in their Nordic round-robin group on Friday and means the two will go at it again in the July 1 playoff.

"My movement was a bit tighter than yesterday, but that was because winning was everything," Kagami said. "But compared to before, I was more aggressive."

Takuto OTOGURO (JPN)Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO complained of strain in his right foot during his 65kg semifinal win against Kaiki YAMAGUCHI. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Otoguro, Susaki advance, with concerns

Olympic champions Takuto OTOGURO and Yui SUSAKI both advanced to the final of their respective weight classes, but their post-match actions led to varying degrees of concern.

Otoguro's case seems much more serious, as he had to be piggy-backed off the mat following a 3- 2 semifinal victory over Kaiki YAMAGUCHI at freestyle 65kg, during which he took a long timeout when a recent foot injury flared up.

Otoguro, whose only competition since winning the Tokyo gold in 2021 was a triumphant run at the Emperor's Cup, had looked sluggish in his opening match in the quarterfinals but managed to forge out a safe 2-0 victory over Kaiji OGINO.

Against the formidable Yamaguchi, a 2022 Asian bronze medalist and 2019 world U20 champion, Otoguro had to be on his toes, and the strain apparently proved too much for his tender foot.

After whizzering to a stepout and gaining an activity point for a 2-0 lead in the first period, Otoguro managed to fend off a high single-leg attempt. But soon afterward he dropped to the mat clutching his foot and stayed down for an extended time discussing the problem with the tournament medical staff and his coaches. At one point he even took off his shoe and sock and gingerly walked about testing the foot.

The match was eventually resumed, and Yamaguchi went ahead with a stepout and activity point of his own with a minute left. But Otoguro reached down for the drive that made him Japan's youngest-ever male world champion in 2018 and scored a stepout to secure the win and a place in Sunday's final against Asian bronze medalist Ryoma ANRAKU.

Otoguro was not made available to the media, but Kenji INOUE, the head coach of the Self-Defense Force Physical Training School team, issued a statement: "Early this year, he injured his right foot in a match at training camp. Regarding tomorrow's match, it will be decided based on how the treatment goes."

Susaki, aiming for a second straight world title that will propel her into the Paris Olympics, had no trouble on the mat, rolling to a 10-0 technical fall in the women's 50kg semifinals over Riko KASAI.

That sets up yet another clash in the final with Asian champion Remina YOSHIMOTO, who won the 2021 world title while Susaki was on a post-Olympic hiatus. The two met in the Emperor's Cup final, with Susaki winning 8-0 for her fifth win in five career meetings.

It was at the post-match press conference that something went amiss with Susaki. After answering a standard opening question about her performance -- "I still have one more match. I want to win that and keep on track to the Olympics," she answered -- she suddenly stopped, rubbed her stomach and walked over to sit on a nearby bench.

After a few moments, her handlers announced that she would not be answering any more questions. It was not immediately known what the problem was, but speculation is that it is related to a struggle to make weight. Still, it did not seem serious enough to keep her from appearing in Sunday's final.

The other pairing of note decided on Saturday was at women's 57kg, in which world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI stunned two-time Olympic champion Risako KINJO (formerly KAWAI) and earned a chance to avenge her semifinal loss at the Emperor's Cup to eventual titlist Sae NANJO, the world U23 champion.

Sakurai showed no fear in scoring the go-ahead takedown with 1:45 left, then poured it on for an 11-1 technical fall over Kinjo, who had returned to the Olympic weight after winning at the Emperor's Cup at 59kg.

With Kinjo's loss, three of Japan's four women's gold medalists in Tokyo have seen their chances of an Olympic repeat all but end as the depth of Japanese women's wrestling comes to the fore. Kinjo joined Shidochi and younger sister Yukako, the 62kg gold medalist who was aiming to make Paris at 68kg, as those whose fates are now in the hands of others.

Day 3 Results

Freestyle

57kg (13 entries)
GOLD - Rei HIGUCHI df. Yudai FUJITA, 4-0

BRONZE - Toshihiro HASEGAWA df. Tatsuya TSUKAMOTO, 2-1
BRONZE - Yuto NISHIUCHI df. Shotaro TATSUMURA, 8-0

65kg (9 entries)
Semifinal - Takuto OTOGURO df. Kaiki YAMAGUCHI, 3-2
Semifinal - Ryoma ANRAKU df. Makoto HOSOKAWA, 11-9

70kg (8 entries)
GOLD - Yoshinosuke AOYAGI df. Keiji WATANABE, 5-0

BRONZE - Kanata YAMAGUCHI df. Yuma TOMIYAMA, 3-3
BRONZE - Toki OGAWA df. Daishin YAMAJI, 6-1

Semifinal - Yoshinosuke AOYAGI df. Kanata YAMAGUCHI, 8-4
Semifinal - Keiji WATANABE df. Daishin YAMAJI, 4-2

74kg (14 entries)
GOLD - Daichi TAKATANI df. Yuto MIWA by TF, 10-0, 3:45

BRONZE - Masaki SATO df. Kansui OZEKI by TF, 10-0, 1:37
BRONZE - Kirin KINOSHITA df. Kojiro SHIGA, 5-3

79kg (9 entries)
GOLD - Kosuke YAMAKURA df. Shu YAMADA by TF, 10-0, 1:13

BRONZE - Kenshin YAMAJI df. Koki OTA by TF, 11-0, 3:43
BRONZE - Hirotaka ABE df. Kento ITAKURA, 11-9

Semifinal - Kosuke YAMAKURA df. Koki OTA, 7-0
Semifinal - Shu YAMADA df. Kento ITAKURA, 3-2

Greco-Roman

60kg (11 entries)
Semifinal -- Maito KAWANA df. Yu SHIOTANI, 4-1
Semifinal -- Kaito INABA df. Koto GOMI by TF, 11-0, 2:22

77kg (11 entries)
GOLD - Nao KUSAKA df. Shohei YABIKU, 3-2

BRONZE - Minto MAEDA df. Shu YAMADA by TF, 8-0, :45
BRONZE - Taishi TOMOYOSE df. Tatsuya FUJII, 2-1

82kg (8 entries)
GOLD - Yuya OKAJIMA df. Yuya MAETA, 4-3

BRONZE - Hayato TAMAOKA df. Isami HORIKITA, 5-3
BRONZE - Reon KAKEGAWA df. Shotaro OIZUMI by TF, 8-0, 2:14

Semifinal - Yuya MAETA df. Hayato TAMAOKA, 5-1
Semifinal - Yuya OKAJIMA df. Reon KAKEGAWA by TF, 9-0, 2:03

97kg (8 entries)
GOLD - Yuta NARA df. Yuri NAKAZATO, 3-3

BRONZE - Kyo KITAWAKI df. Daisho KATO, 8-7
BRONZE - Masayuki AMANO df. Yudai YONETA by TF, 9-0, 1:55

Women

50kg (13 entries)
Semifinal - Yui SUSAKI df. Riko KASAI by TF, 10-0, 1:56
Semifinal - Remina YOSHIMOTO df. Miu OBATA by TF, 10-0, 1:54

53kg (12 entries)
GOLD - Akari FUJINAMI df. Moe KIYOOKA by TF, 10-0, 4:10

BRONZE - Mayu SHIDOCHI df. Karen SASAKI by TF, 11-1, 4:52
BRONZE - Haruna OKUNO df. Mako ONO by TF, 10-0, 3:31

57kg (13 entries)
Semifinal - Sae NANJO df. Umi IMAI by TF, 10-0, 1:21
Semifinal - Tsugumi SAKURAI df. Risako KINJO by TF, 11-1, 5:05

76kg (7 entries)
GOLD - Yuka KAGAMI df. Ayano MORO, 2-1

BRONZE - Nokoda YAMAMOTO df. Yasuha MATSUYUKI, 6-1

Semifinal - Yuka KAGAMI df. Nokoda YAMAMOTO, 8-2
Semifinal - Ayano MORO df. Yasuha MATSUYUKI by TF, 11-0, 5:28

#JapanWrestling

Otoguro set to start on tender foot down last path to Paris

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (December 18) -- The last time the wrestling world saw Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO, he was leaving Belgrade with no medal from the World Championships and, more importantly, without a qualifying spot for Japan at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This week, Otoguro will start on the lone path to Paris remaining for him, hoping the foot injury that plagued him throughout the year has recovered enough to prevail at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships, to be held December 21-24 in Tokyo.

Otoguro, the Tokyo gold medalist at freestyle 65kg, will need to win his second straight title and fourth overall to earn a ticket to the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in Bishkek in April, and, if unsuccessful there, the World Olympic qualifier in May in Istanbul.

"He has had less time to recover from the injury at the World Championships than he did leading up to it," said national freestyle coach Shozo MAEDA, who also works privately with Otoguro. "But the current state of his foot is much better than at the World Championships."

The other weight class in the spotlight will be women's 68kg, where a power-packed lineup will look to nudge Ami ISHII out of the Olympic spot that she secured for Japan by winning the fifth-place playoff in Belgrade.

Japan clinched 10 berths in Paris in Belgrade -- two each in the two men's styles and all six in women's wrestling -- but the entries in the nine others have been decided as those wrestlers won medals in Belgrade to fulfill the Japan federation criteria that allows them to automatically fill the spot themselves.

The nine with tickets to Paris are: Rei HIGUCHI (57kg) and Daichi TAKATANI (74kg) in freestyle; Kenichiro FUMITA (60kg) and Nao KUSAKA (77kg) in Greco; and Yui SUSAKI (50kg), Akari FUJINAMI (53kg), Tsugumi SAKURAI (57kg), Sakura MOTOKI (62kg) and Yuka KAGAMI (76kg) in women's wrestling.

None are entered in the Emperor's Cup, but each will have the first option of deciding whether to compete at the Asian Championships, to be held the week before the Asian Olympic qualifier in Bishkek.

Otoguro suffered the right foot injury at a national team camp in early January, which caused him to pull out of this year's Asian Championships and hampered him at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships in June, which he still won to make the team to Belgrade.

The plan was to win a medal there and secure his place in Paris, but the injury worsened as he was dealt a second-round loss by fall by eventual champion Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN), whom Otoguro had beaten at the Tokyo Olympics. Otoguro defaulted in the repechage, giving up his chance for a medal or a Paris berth.

Maeda said that Otoguro started full-fledged practice in November and all has been going well so far. "Of course, I can't say he's 100 percent, but he's close to it," he said. "He's got in his mind what the limits of his movement are, and he's adjusted his wrestling style a little. By covering for that, I don't think the foot is going to be a problem."

With a Paris ticket on the line, there is no shortage of wrestlers ready to take on the top-seeded Otoguro, some going up or down as many as two weight classes. There are 27 entries at 65kg, meaning Otoguro's foot will have to hold up for four matches.

Maeda said he's psychologically ready for the challenge.

"At the World Championships, he had the injury and he felt he did not train enough," Maeda said. "This time, he created a good training environment. Although he's not the type who usually leaves his base, he went back to his alma mater Yamanashi Gakuin University  and other places so he could have strong practice partners and do more sparring. Because of that, his mental state is good."

Leading the attempt to upend Otoguro will be Ryoma ANRAKU, the 2022 world U23 bronze medalist who won a bronze at the Asian Championships in Otoguro's absence. Anraku lost to Otoguro in the final at both last year's Emperor's Cup and this year's Meiji Cup, and will be determined to finally turn the tables.

Kaiki YAMAGUCHI, the Asian Games bronze medalist, will be looking to regain the Emperor's Cup title that he won back-to-back in 2020-2021 -- also in Otoguro's absence. He lost a close 3-2 decision to Otoguro at the Meiji Cup, although the Olympic champ was definitely not at his best.

Among the more intriguing entries are Toshihiro HASEGAWA and Yuto MIWA, who would be 17 kilograms apart if they were wrestling in their usual weight classes.

Hasegawa, this year's Asian Games gold winner at 57kg, has experience at a heavier weight as a 2021 world bronze medalist at 61kg, but this will be his first-ever tournament at 65kg. Miwa will be coming from the other direction -- he was the runner-up to Takatani at 74kg at the Meiji Cup, and then won a playoff to make the Japanese team to Belgrade at 79kg. The 25-year-old last wrestled under 70kg  as a high schooler in 2015.

Also worth watching is 18-year-old Rin SAKAMOTO, who became just the second high schooler in history to win a Meiji Cup freestyle title when he triumphed at 61kg.

68kg features who's who of top wrestlers

As the lone women's spot in Paris still up for grabs, the 68kg division may not have the quantity of entries as freestyle 65kg, but it certainly does not lack the quality. In fact, it may just be the greatest aggregation of talent in one weight class in tournament history.

Of the 12 entries, half have won a senior world gold or silver medal over the past three years. Three others are past national champions. Another won a world U20 gold medal this year.

Can Ishii claim the ticket to Paris that she brought back to Japan? A title will make it hers; a loss and the 2022 world silver medalist will then face the eventual champion in a playoff at a date to be determined.

The main rivals looking to get through the door to Paris that Ishii reopened will be Miwa MORIKAWA, Nonoka OZAKI and Yukako KAWAI, with Masako FURUICHI and Rin MIYAJI regarded as outside threats.

Morikawa, the 2022 world 65kg champion who lost to Ishii at last year's Emperor's Cup, beat her in the semifinals en route to gold at the Meiji Cup to set up a playoff between the two for the world team spot. Ishii pulled off a close 2-1 victory to earn the trip to Belgrade.

Morikawa had a front-row seat to Ishii's failure that suddenly rekindled her Olympic dream as she competed at 72kg in Belgrade, where she took home a bronze medal.

Also in Belgrade was Ozaki, who had lost out at 62kg to Motoki, but like Morikawa, made the team in a non-Olympic weight. She moved up to 65kg and took the gold. She has the skill and desire, but it will be interesting to see how she handles the additional weight at 68kg.

While past performance does not ensure future success, Ozaki may get a boost in confidence knowing that she is 3-0 in career meetings with Ishii, her most recent win coming in 2020, and 2-0 against Kawai.

Kawai will also be punching above her weight, as she won the gold medal at 62kg at the Tokyo Olympics. She also failed to displace Motoki in the race to Belgrade and then gave 68kg a shot, but came up short when she lost in the Meiji Cup final to Morikawa.

Furuichi, the oldest in the group at 27, is also a member of the world "grand slam" club, having added the senior 72kg title in 2021. She also has a pair of world bronzes from 2019 and 2022.

Miyaji drew global attention at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, where she stunned Olympic champion Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) in the 68kg semifinals before suffering a serious knee injury in the final and having to settle for the silver. The collegian has struggled to regain her form after a long rehab, but cannot be counted out.

While there are no other Olympic places at stake, two other women's weight classes are worth noting.

Kawai's older sister Risako KINJO, while denied a chance at a third Olympic gold, will be defending her 59kg title as she continues her wrestling career while being the mother of a toddler.

At 50kg, a potential final between 2021 world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO and current world U23 champion Umi ITO could be regarded as a de facto world silver-medal match. Since 2020, neither has lost to anyone, either in Japan or abroad, other than the unbeatable Susaki. They have met each other four times in that span, with Yoshimoto, two years older at 23, winning all four.

Takatani chases legends, 4th Olympics

In other men's weight classes, veteran Sohsuke TAKATANI will be looking to tie a pair of legends for most career national titles -- and keep alive his bid to appear at a fourth Olympics -- when he takes the mat at freestyle 86kg.

The 34-year-old Takatani, the older brother of the Paris-bound Daichi at 74kg, has won 12 consecutive golds at the Emperor's Cup over four weight classes, the last three at 92kg. A victory would tie him with Saori YOSHIDA and Kaori ICHO for third on the all-time list for overall titles. In terms of consecutive titles, a 13th in a row would break a tie for second with Kyoko HAMAGUCHI.

But going down a weight class in no way makes things easier. The biggest obstacle in Takatani's path to Paris is defending champion Hayato ISHIGURO, who beat him 3-0 in the final of the Meiji Cup in June. That earned Ishiguro, an Asian bronze medalist, a ticket to Belgrade, where he made the fourth round and placed 13th.

Winning an Olympic medal remains an obsession for Takatani, a world silver medalist in 2014 at 74kg. His highest finish at an Olympics was a seventh place at the 2016 Rio Games.

Among the others who could pose problems for those two is Tatsuya SHIRAI, who became Japan's heaviest male world champion on any level when he won the U23 gold at 86kg in 2022. Ironically, he broke the record set by Ishiguro, who captured the world U20 gold at 79kg in 2018.

Also worth watching are collegians Fumiya IGARASHI, who established his credentials this year by taking a silver medal at the World U20 Championships, and Yudai TAKAHASHI, who made the first of his two appearances at a senior World Championships as a high schooler in 2019 and has always seemed on the brink of a breakout performance.

There is an added incentive at 86kg. The odds of the winner earning one of the two Paris tickets available at the Asian Olympic qualifier are quite high, as three Asian nations, including Iran, secured berths in Belgrade.

Interestingly, Takatani is also entered at Greco 87kg. He qualified by winning the title at the National Non-Student Open in October in the first-ever foray into Greco of his career.

At freestyle 97kg, rising star Arash YOSHIDA and older brother Keiwan could take the term sibling rivalry to a new level as they could face each other in an attempt to dethrone defending champion Takashi ISHIGURO, Hayato's older brother.

The 19-year-old Arash, whose father is Iranian and runs the kids wrestling club where he got his start in the sport, turned heads when he won the gold medal at 92kg at the Asian Championships last April -- beating an Iranian in the first round in his first-ever international match -- then finished fifth at the worlds in Belgrade.

With Japan still not qualified at 86kg or 97kg for Paris, many wondered which way Yoshida would go. In the end, he decided to go up in weight, and prepared by winning the national collegiate title at 97kg last month.

Keiwan, five years his senior, was also a collegiate star, but never had the success on the global level that his younger brother has already enjoyed. He made the final of the Emperor's Cup once, losing in 2021 to Ishiguro, and qualified this year by winning the second-tier National Games tournament in September.

The most enticing Greco division on tap will be 67kg, which looks to come down to another clash between world team member Kyotaro SOGABE and Asian Games gold medalist Katsuaki ENDO, who are both part of the training group at Nippon Sports Science University.

Endo, 26, has a 5-3 lead in head-to-head meetings dating back to 2019, but the 22-year-old Sogabe has won two of the last three, including a playoff in June to make the squad to Belgrade. There, Sogabe won over fans by taking Olympic champion Mohammad Reza GERAEI (IRI) to the limit before suffering a heartbreaking 11-10 loss in the second round.

Sogabe heads into the tournament as the defending champion, while Endo will be looking to regain the crown he first captured in 2018 and won again in 2021.

The wild card in the weight class could be Taishi NARIKUNI, the maverick who won the world gold in freestyle 70kg in 2022 before deciding to try to repeat the feat in Greco. An injury forced him to withdraw from that year's Emperor's Cup, and his bid to make it to Belgrade ended when he lost badly to Endo in the semifinals at the Meiji Cup.

Also worth watching will be Kensuke SHIMIZU, a 2021 world bronze medalist at 63kg who has yet to find success at the Olympic weight.

The tournament is returning to Tokyo's Yoyogi No. 2 Gym, which was originally built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and then closed for several years as the area was renovated for the 2021 Games. The Olympic weight classes will follow the same two-day format as at the World Championships, with action through the semifinals on the first day and the repechage round and finals on the second. Non-Olympic weight classes will start and finish on the same day.

Schedule

Thursday, December 21

Through semifinals: FS 74kg, FS 125kg; GR 87kg, GR 97kg, GR 130kg; WW 53kg, WW 62kg, WW 76kg

Through finals: FS 61kg; GR 55kg, GR 72kg; WW 72kg

Friday, December 22

Through semifinals: FS 57kg, FS 86kg; GR 60kg, GR 77kg

Through finals: FS 92kg; GR 63kg; WW 55kg, WW 65kg

Finals: FS 74kg, FS 125kg; GR 87kg, GR 97kg, GR 130kg, WW 53kg, WW 62kg, WW 76kg

Saturday, December 23

Through semifinals: FS 65kg, FS 97kg; GR 67kg; WW 50kg, WW 57kg, WW 68kg

Through finals: FS 70kg, FS 79kg

Finals: FS 57kg, FS 86kg; GR 60kg, GR 77kg

Sunday, December 24

Through finals: GR 82kg; WW 59kg

Finals: FS 65kg, FS 97kg; GR 67kg; WW 50kg, WW 57kg, WW 68kg