#JapanWrestling

Fumita returns to book ticket to Belgrade; Sakurai, Ishii make it

By Ken Marantz

TACHIKAWA, Japan  (July 1) -- Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Kenichiro FUMITA managed to defy the doctor and recover enough to make it onto the mat for the world team playoff. Having come this far, neither Maito KAWANA nor a nasty gash over his eye was going to stop him.

Fumita defeated Kawana 3-1 to secure the Greco-Roman 60kg spot on Japan's team to this year's World Championships as the seven final places in Olympic weight classes were decided on Saturday in Tachikawa in western Tokyo.

"Among competitions in which I wasn't in perfect condition, I came into this tournament in the lowest I have been, and could not move as I wanted," said Fumita, who was forced to withdraw from the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships two weeks ago due to a torn right hamstring.

The Meiji Cup was the second of Japan's two domestic qualifiers for the World Championships, along with the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships held last December. Winners of both automatically earned places on the team to Belgrade; in cases where the champions were different, a playoff would decide matters.

Also earning tickets to Belgrade were women's world 57kg champion Tsugumi SAKURAI and Ikuei University teammate and world 68kg silver medalist Ami ISHII -- both with dramatic victories -- while world 76kg bronze medalist Yuka KAGAMI took a gamble and made it pay off to earn a return trip to the worlds.

Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN)Kenichiro FUMITA works to turn Maito KAWANA in the Greco 60kg playoff. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo YABUKI)

With his victory, Fumita will get a chance to regain the world title he won in 2017 and 2019 and improve on his bronze-medal finish from 2022. But more importantly, it gives him a chance to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where making amends for his Tokyo silver holds top priority.

The Japan Federation has decreed that any wrestler in an Olympic weight class who wins a medal at the World Championships will automatically fill the spot in Paris themselves.

"The biggest reason [for my win] is that I want to get back to the Olympics and win a gold medal," Fumita said.

Fumita had won the Emperor's Cup by beating Kawana in the final but was forced to miss the Meiji Cup when he tore a hamstring in practice in early May. Kawana won the title in his absence to earn the place in the playoff.

Fumita said that the doctor who diagnosed his injury said it would take 12 weeks to heal. That ruled him out of the Meiji Cup, but he was determined to make it back in time for the playoff.

"At the Meiji Cup, I saw my Nittaidai teammates do so well," said Fumita, using the familiar name for his alma mater, Nippon Sports Science University, where he and other alums still train. "It was tough to watch. But I watched the Meiji Cup with a positive outlook. That really gave me motivation."

Fumita spent three weeks completely away from the mat after the injury and did what he could to prepare, including adding swimming to his training regimen. It worked somewhat, but he acknowledged he wasn't at his best.

"Up to now, I've never cramped during a match," he said. "But it happened now. Usually before a match, I jump in the air twice. But when I jumped today, I already started to feel I was cramping up. I was really surprised. In this condition, I wrestled at my limit."

In the match, Fumita was put into par terre first and, while not even attempting a big throw, managed to lever Kawana over for a 2-point roll. Early in the second period, a clash of heads left him with a bloody gash over his left eye that required his head to be wrapped. When put on the bottom, he resisted and held on for the victory.

"Still, I was able to fight to the end," Fumita said. "I took [the points] that I could get, and defended well to keep from giving up points. I think that was from what I learned while I was injured."

Among the small crowd at Dome Tachikawa Tachihi was the 27-year-old Fumita's wife and baby daughter Hazuki, who was born in January. "I only want my daughter to see me winning," he said with a smile.

Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)Tsugumi SAKURAI, red, has now beaten Sae NANJO in four of five career matches at women's 57kg, all victories in the final seconds. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo YABUKI)

Sakurai deals Nanjo yet another last-second loss

For the fourth time in five meetings between the two, Sakurai left it until the final seconds in handing world U23 champion Sae NANJO a heartbreaking defeat.

Sakurai scored a 2-point exposure off a front headlock in the last second -- and which was only awarded after a challenge -- to edge Nanjo 2-2 on last-point criteria and earn a shot a defending her 57kg world title.

"The match was tough and I couldn't control the flow," Sakurai said. "At the end, I was fighting on sheer will and was able to get the points and win."

In the Meiji Cup final, Sakurai was awarded a takedown with less than a second left on the clock, which was upheld on a challenge, to defeat Nanjo 5-2 and avenge a loss in the Emperor's Cup semifinals.

On Saturday, Nanjo came out strong and scored a shrug-by single-leg takedown in the first period. It looked like that would be enough as she continually fended off Sakurai's attacks well into the second period.

But Sakurai managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat yet again. Gaining a front headlock with seven seconds left, her first attempt at a roll went nowhere. But she tried again with all of her might, and it just got Nanjo's shoulders to break the 90-degree plane, although the referees did not see it that way.

Sakurai's look of despondency suddenly turned to joy when the mat chairman announced that she had indeed earned the points.

"Honestly speaking, I wasn't sure if I turned her or not," said Sakurai. "I had to go for it and just tried the move. Seeing the video, it looked like I got her over."

At the Emperor's Cup, Nanjo had finally gotten the best of Sakurai by taking a five-point lead and holding on for a 5-4 win in the semifinals. That was after Sakurai had scored last-second victories in their two previous meetings, at the 2021 Emperor’s Cup and at last year's Meiji Cup.

"I've been in this situation before and I was able to win, so I wasn't anxious," Sakurai said. "I've faced this opponent a number of times and I've gotten single-leg takedowns, but she was on the lookout for that. There was a moment in there I thought I was going to lose, but my desire to go to the Paris Olympics made me fight to the end."

On the path to Belgrade, Sakurai also defeated Tokyo Olympic champion Risako KINJO in the semifinals of the Meiji Cup.

"Japan has incredible depth and to win out gives me confidence," Sakurai said. "I want to be the one who takes the Olympic gold next and I'll do what I have to do to get there."

Ami ISHII (JPN)Ami ISHII looks for an opening the women's 68kg playoff against Miwa MORIKAWA. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo YABUKI)

Ishii assured she will join teammate Sakurai on the plane to Belgrade by holding on for a nail-biting 2-1 win over world 65kg champion Miwa MORIKAWA, avenging a loss to her in the Meiji Cup semis.

Ishii scored a double-leg takedown in the first period and, after giving up an activity point in the second, fended off Morikawa's attacks for the victory.

"I worked to fix what went wrong at the Meiji Cup, but I also worked on strengthening my usual techniques," Ishii said.

Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)Yuka KAGAMI keeps hold of Ayano MORO's leg during a key point in their women's 76kg bout. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo YABUKI)

At 76kg, Kagami followed up on her Meiji Cup victory over world U20 champion Ayano MORO by scoring a takedown with 50 seconds left to win 2-2 in a bout that hinged on a risky challenge by the Kagami side.

The 18-year-old Moro had opened the match with a single-leg takedown, then scrambled out of several scoring chances by Kagami. In the second period, Kagami got in deep on a single, but Moro worked around to the back into a grapevine-like situation and was given a 2-point takedown.

Kagami, however, had never lost her grip on Moro's leg, and Toyo University coach Shogo MAEDA decided to challenge the call, even though a rejection would put her into a deeper five-point hole.

The referees' call was overturned, and Moro's two-point lead restored, opening the door for Kagami to win with just one score.

"I myself thought she didn't get it," said Kagami, who had shoulder surgery in January after defaulting at the Emperor's Cup. "If I challenged it, it could make it 5-0 and make it tougher for me. I thought for a moment about rejecting it, but I looked at my coach and he said it was alright. I left it up to my coach."

Maeda acknowledged that the challenge was risky, but concluded it was worth it because in essence being down five points is not much different than being down by four.

"The opponent was being very cautious of tackles," Maeda said. "If [we didn't challenge and] it became four points, it would have been difficult. But if we got it, it would just be a difference of one takedown. To have a chance, we needed it to be 2-0. I understood the risk."

The three other playoffs were in Greco-Roman, with 2022 world U23 bronze medalists Kyotaro SOGABE (67kg) and Nao KUSAKA (77kg) prevailing, along with 2018 Asian silver medalist Masato SUMI (87kg).

The playoffs in the non-Olympic weight classes will be held on July 17.

All wrestlers who finished in the top two in an Olympic weight at either the Emperor's Cup or Meiji Cup are eligible to make a challenge in a non-Olympic weight. Among notable wrestlers who are eligible, but as yet undecided, are Kinjo and Morikawa.

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024: Ramazanov denies Yazdani, Higuchi completes 57kg turnaround

By Ken Marantz

PARIS (August 9) -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) and his aching shoulder missed out on a second Olympic gold medal and was relegated to a second silver instead, and David TAYLOR (USA) was nowhere in sight. Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) is the new king of the freestyle 86kg class.

Russian-born Ramazanov outdueled a less-than-100 percent Yazdani in notching a 7-1 victory in the final on Friday at the Paris Olympics, giving Bulgaria its second gold in two nights.

"It was really something for me," said Ramazanov, the 2020 European 79kg silver medalist who began competing for Bulgaria this year. "I come from a little town, and my family worked really hard for me to get here. It is really an honor. I got the gold medal for them."

Japan grabbed the two other gold medals up for grabs at the Champs de Mars Arena, with Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) completing an arduous eight-year journey to an elusive freestyle 57kg gold and two-time reigning world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) winning the women's 57kg title in her Olympic debut.

Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL)Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) and Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) at the podium of 86kg in Paris. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Yazdani, one of the biggest stars of the sport whose many laurels include the 74kg gold from Rio 2016 and a silver at 86kg three years ago in Tokyo, was in obvious discomfort from the get-go of his clash with the 31-year-old Ramazanov.

Almost immediately after the start, the Iranian signaled for a timeout, clutching his upper right arm. While managing to keep the score close, and even tentatively leading at one point, he stopped the match five times for treatment on his shoulder.

"It was hard for him, but he was a great fighter with his other arm," Ramazanov said. "In the Olympics, you don’t get to choose the conditions, you just have to compete, and that’s what makes this sport so hard."

Yazdani gave up an activity point in the first period -- just barely failing to complete a takedown in the process -- but got one himself in the second to lead 1-1 on criteria.

Ramazanov put the pressure on and tripped Yazdani for a takedown while trapping the Iranian's foot underneath him at an odd angle, keeping him in a sitting position. That allowed the Bulgarian to use a crossface to tilt Yazdani backward for two exposures and a 7-1 lead.

With 30 seconds left, Yazdani conceded that it was over. He put his hands on his knees as the seconds ticked down to the inevitable. He gave Ramazanov a hug of respect.

Ramazanov dedicated the gold medal to his father who died when he was still a child.

"It was really hard, I had to fight elite wrestlers, but today it was destiny, and I want to thank god and dedicate this medal to my father, who died a few years ago," Ramazanov said. "I think he would be very proud of me."

He also paid tribute to his adopted country. "Bulgaria is my second home," he said. "This country gave me this amazing opportunity to compete in the Olympics with the best athletes around the world. It’s really hard psychologically because you don’t know if you’ll get to the next Olympics, and it’s so hard to qualify."

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN)Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) kisses his gold medal at the 57kg medal ceremony. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At freestyle 57kg, Higuchi won a showdown with an equally determined Spencer LEE (USA) 4-2 to capture the gold medal that eluded him at the 2016 Rio Olympics and for which he spent the ensuing years on a path of trials and tribulations.

"I was able to have fun wrestling," Higuchi said. "I think that in my career, this was my highest level performance. It was a great tournament."

Higuchi was able to limit Lee's attacks to a pair of stepouts in the first period, the first one while Lee was on the activity clock. In the second period, Higuchi managed to stay grounded so that there would be no points as he went over the edge.

Meanwhile, Higuchi took the initiative himself in the second period, launching a double-leg takedown attempt that Lee tried to counter by rolling over the top. But Higuchi rolled through it and Lee landed on his back, giving Higuchi 2 points and a momentary chance for a fall.

That gave Higuchi the lead 2-2 on criteria, and he managed to hold on, adding a takedown with two seconds left off a desperation throw attempt.

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN)Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) tackles Spencer LEE (USA) in the 57kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

After Rio, Higuchi moved up to 61kg, winning an Asian title, with an eye on making the Tokyo Olympics at 65kg. He won the world U23 gold at 65kg in 2018, and defeated Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) at one point, but in the end lost out to the eventual Tokyo gold medalist.

The only option for going to his home Olympics was to drop down to 57kg, but he famously failed to make weight at the Asian Olympic Qualifier, a shock only made worse when he later lost a playoff for Japan's Olympic spot to Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN).

Still in his prime, he spent the next two years at 61kg, winning his first senior world crown in 2022, then made the drop back to 57kg with the aim of being on the mat in Paris.

This time he became more attentive to his nutrition and diet, which got a boost when he got married in May last year. It paid off with a world silver in Belgrade that clinched his ticket to Paris.

"The road to getting the gold medal was not easy at all," said Higuchi, who became a father in February. "I suffered many losses and I had the failure to make weight. I had many setbacks and moments of despair.

"But I was absolutely confident I could win the gold medal. My coaches and teammates supported me and this is a medal I could get because of so many people. I will never think this is
a gold medal that I won by myself."

With Higuchi's win, current students or alumni of his alma mater Nippon Sports Science University now account for four wrestling golds in Paris. He was preceded by Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and Nao KUSAKA (JPN) in Greco and Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) in women's wrestling.

Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) celebrates after winning the 57kg final at the Paris Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Sakurai later added Japan's fifth gold overall through five days of competition in Paris with a 6-0 victory over Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) in a repeat of the women's 57kg final at last year's World Championships in Belgrade.

"I practiced just for this moment, and I was able to be here because of the support of many people," said Sakurai, who defeated two-time Olympic champion Risako KAWAI (now KINJO) (JPN) in the process of qualifying for Paris. "I'm really glad I won the title."

Sakurai, employing a 2-on-1 while standing that pretty much neutralized Nichita's offense, opened the scoring by shooting for a single-leg takedown, then stepping over for an exposure when Nichita attempted a counter-lift.

Sakurai had the 2-on-1 when the two went to the mat and Nichita tried to go over and hook the far leg. But Sakurai bucked her to the mat and went behind to make it 4-0 at the break. In the second period, Sakurai added a single-leg takedown while conceding nothing to clinch the gold.

After her victory lap, Sakurai went to the stands for a group hug with her father and her coach at Ikuei University, Yoshimaro YANAGAWA, who could have another Olympic champion after Ikuei's Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) made the women's 62kg final earlier in the session.

"He said, 'You did great,'" Sakurai said of Yanagawa. "For this Olympics, he sacrificed so much time for us. He made us train hard and kept pushing us. I'm glad I could get it done. I was able to put out on the mat what I had done up to now."

Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) wrestles Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) in the 57kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Sakurai suffered a setback in her Olympic preparations when she lost in the final at the Asian Championships in April to Yongxin FENG (CHN), but managed to right the ship in time for Paris. It was her first international loss since the 2019 Asian Junior (U20) Championships.

Despite missing out on the gold, Nichita earned a place in Moldovan history by becoming just its second Olympic wrestling medalist ever and the first woman.

"So many people came today to support me, and I'm really grateful for that," Nichita said. "I'm really sorry that I didn't win the gold medal, but next time I will try my best to win the gold.

"All of my life I dreamed about this, and I went through a lot of pain and trauma, and here I am today, with a medal."

Helen MAROULIS (USA)Helen MAROULIS (USA) celebrates after winning her bronze-medal bout at 57kg in Paris. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Maroulis quickly bags bronze for 3rd Olympic medal

Helen MAROULIS (USA) needed just 24 seconds to win a third Olympic medal, taking a second straight women's 57kg bronze with victory by fall over Hannah TAYLOR (CAN).

Maroulis hit a textbook-perfect fireman's carry to send Taylor to her back, then clamped down to secure the fall less than a half-minute after the start.

The three-time former world champion added the Paris bronze to the gold she won at Rio 2016 with a historic win over legend Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) and her bronze from Tokyo three years ago.

Kexin HONG (CHN) needed a bit more time to secure the other women's 57kg bronze, rolling to a 10-0 victory over Giullia PENALBER (BRA) in 1:57.

Aaron BROOKS (USA)The two bronze medalists at 86kg -- Aaron BROOKS (USA) and Daruen KURUGLIEV (GRE). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

World U23 champion Aaron BROOKS (USA), who needed to beat Tokyo Olympic champion David TAYLOR (USA) just to earn his ticket to Paris, defeated Asian silver medalist Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) 5-0 to take home a freestyle 86kg bronze medal.

Brooks received an activity point in the first period, then added a stepout early in the second. Put on the clock himself, Brooks scored a double-leg takedown to make it 4-0, then added a late stepout to relegate Shapiev to a second straight fifth-place finish at the Olympics.

Asked if the competition in his first major senior event was tougher than he had expected, Brooks replied, "I never try to expect anything. When you are going on the mat with expectations and they are not met, it's where you can have those climaxes and drop-offs.

"It's the Olympics. They are what they are. It's a tough competition."

The other 86kg bronze went to Russian-born Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE), who survived a valiant late surge by Tokyo bronze medalist Myles AMINE (SMR) in a 5-4 victory that gave Greece its first Olympic wrestling medal since Athens 2000.

Kurugliev appeared to be cruising to a victory on the back of a first-period takedown and 2-point exposure off a second-period scramble. With the clock ticking down, Amine completed a takedown with :07 on the clock, but wasn't done there.

He got behind again, but Kurugliev somehow managed to keep his knees off the mat as they went out of the ring, limiting Amine to a stepout and fleeing point that made it 4-4 but left him on the short end on criteria. An unsuccessful challenge added the final point.

"I would like to thank Greece, this country that gave me this opportunity," Kurugliev said. "Thank you very much to all of you. I'm very happy to have won this medal. Of course, I tried to win gold, but bronze is fine, and I'm quite happy."

AMAN (IND)AMAN (IND) became India's youngest Olympic medalist in individual sports. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Asian champion Aman SEHRAWAT (IND), the lone Indian male wrestler to qualify for Paris, assured that the country would win a medal for the fifth straight Olympics, winning a takedown-a-thon over Darian CRUZ (PUR) 13-5 to take a bronze at freestyle 57kg.

Sehrawat scored three takedowns in each period, adding a late stepout with a fleeing point tacked on, to deny the U.S.-raised Cruz's bid to become just the second Olympic wrestling medalist for Puerto Rico. Cruz, an NCAA champion at Lehigh University in the U.S., chalked up two takedowns of his own.

Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), who also did some collegiate wrestling in the U.S., picked up the other 57kg bronze with a 5-1 win over Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) that was closer than the score indicates.

Abdullaev got an activity point and stepout in the first period, and led 2-1 in the second after giving up a point on the activity clock. Fighting off everything Almaz Uulu threw at him down the stretch, he got a last-second 2 by stopping a desperation throw attempt, with an unsuccessful challenge point added on.

Day 5 Results

Freestyle

57kg
GOLD: Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) df. Spencer LEE (USA), 4-2

BRONZE: Aman SEHRAWAT (IND) df. Darian CRUZ (PUR), 13-5
BRONZE: Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ), 5-1

74kg
SF1: Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) df. Kyle DAKE (USA), 20-12
SF2: Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) df. Viktor RASSADIN (TJK), 8-2

86kg
GOLD: Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) df. Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), 7-1

BRONZE: Aaron BROOKS (USA) df. Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB), 5-0
BRONZE: Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) df. Myles AMINE (SMR), 5-4

125kg
SF1: Amir ZARE (IRI) df. Taha AKGUL (TUR), 2-1
SF2: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) df. Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE), 7-0

Women's Wrestling

57kg
GOLD: Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) df. Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), 6-0

BRONZE: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Hannah TAYLOR (CAN) by Fall, :24 (4-0)
BRONZE: Kexin HONG (CHN) df. Giullia PENALBER (BRA) by TF, 10-0, 1:57

62kg
SF1: Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) df. Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), 9-2
SF2: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Grace BULLEN (NOR) by Fall, 4:26 (7-7)