Japan Holds 1st National-Level Tournament Since Feb. as High Schoolers Take Mat

Monday, October 19, 2020 - 01:06 By Ken Marantz

NIIGATA, Japan---The loudest sounds came from the referees' whistles, even though they were blown behind plastic face shields. Other than shouts from the coaches in the corners, the only encouragement was from teammates in the stands in voices muted by obligatory masks.

Japan took another small step forward toward normalcy in the pandemic era, cautiously and optimistically holding its first national-level tournament since February with the three-day Kazama Cup National High School Invitational Championships Oct 9-11.

Protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus were firmly in place as over 300 of the top second- and third-year high schoolers converged on the port city of Niigata for the tournament which had been originally scheduled for March---and had one point been canceled outright.

But less than a month ago, as restrictions on sports and other large-scale events began easing, the Niigata Prefecture wrestling federation stepped up and took up the challenge of hosting what will likely act as a template for tournaments in the near future.

A referee wearing a face shield keeps an eye on the action. (Japan Wrestling Federation photo)

"My feeling is, 'The wait is finally over,'" said Yoshihiko HARA, vice-chairman of the tournament organizing committee on what it was like to finally see the event, which included separate team and invidividual competitions, actually being held.

"We need one month to prepare, but it got pushed back another week and we had to wait until there was only three weeks before it was decided. In the first week of September, the Niigata Prefecture government vastly eased the restrictions and we were able to become the host."

The Kazama Cup is one of three tournaments making up the high school "triple crown" for boys, along with the Inter-High and the National Games (Kokutai). With the latter two canceled for good, national wrestling officials wanted to give the outgoing seniors a final goal to strive for.

"For the 3rd-year students, this is their final tournament," Japan Wrestling Federation Vice-President Hideaki TOMIYAMA said. "They had nothing because the Inter-high and Kokutai weren't held. It's good they have one."

Tomiyama denied the suggestion that the federation might be pulling the trigger too soon and pressing to hold the event.

Everyone entering the facility had their temperature automatically taken. (Japan Wrestling Federation photo)

"Looking at other sports, the pro sports have gradually been allowing spectators back in," he said, referring to Japan's leading pro sports of sumo, baseball and soccer. "First of all, you have to move forward. As long as you prepare thoroughly and take firm countermeasures, it can be done."

There was also a precedent of sorts, as Niigata last month hosted the national collegiate championships in athletics.

"Before this, there was a national college track and field meet and the restrictions were very tough," said Hara, a Niigata native and former five-time national freestyle champion and two-time Olympian. "The athletes and coaches weren't allowed to leave their hotels and had to submit a written pledge. It had 1,300 athletes."

Allaying local fears
While Niigata city, located on the Sea of Japan coast about 250 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, has a population of 810,000, the prefecture of the same name in which it sits is a mix of rural and mountainous regions.

The prefecture has been spared much of the brunt of the pandemic--there have been less than 200 total cases and no deaths recorded. That is in stark contrast with Tokyo, which continually has 100 to 200 cases per day and accounts for about one-fourth of the nation's 1,670-plus deaths. There is constant concern among locals about "outsiders" spreading infection.

"We are far away from Tokyo and there were many complaints about holding the tournament," Hara said. "'Why are we holding a national event? Why are people from Tokyo coming here?' There is still an 'allergy' in terms of events."

A wrestler bows to his opponent's corner after his match instead of shaking hands. (Japan Wrestling Federation photo)

Unlike other individual sports such as athletics, tennis and golf, wrestling and other contact sports are in a much tougher position when it comes to preventing the spread of infection. That was true even before the coronavirus came along, but is now even more so.

As such, other contact sports, along with the media, took great interest to see how wrestling handled the Kazama Cup. Hara noted that three national officials from boxing came to observe.

"Among contact sports, it is the first national tournament," Hara said. "Rugby was canceled. Judo is also halted. We're holding the first high school event on a national scale, so it has become mainstream news. Interview requests are coming not for those of us involved in wrestling, but the doctor on site and the volunteers checking temperatures at the entrance. Still, we're grateful."

The rules were strict and encompassing. Only the wrestlers, coaches and tournament officials and staff were allowed into the venue, the Higashi General Sports Center; that meant no family members, friends or general spectators. As teams were limited in their preparation, wrestlers were recommended not to cut excessive weight, and a 2-kilogram allowance was adopted.

Everyone entering the arena had to submit a form with their daily temperature for the previous 14 days. At the reception desk, infrared cameras were set up to take temperatures again. Inside, everyone other than the wrestlers in action on the four mats had to wear a mask at all times.

Access to the warm-up room was limited to avoid crowding. "The biggest problem was trying to get people to maintain social distancing in there," Hara said. The referees on the mat wore face shields, and, following a match, the wrestlers bowed to the opponent's coach, instead of the normal handshake.

"You need to carefully handle the reception area," Tomiyama said. "If you do that, there's no real problem. With no spectators, we can confirm everyone who comes here."

Tuvaadorj BUKHCHULUUN (NSSU Kashiwa) battles Kyo KITAWAKI (Nirasaki Technical) in the 92kg final. (Japan Wrestling Federation photo)

Mongolian leaves final mark
The tournament is set up for 48 entries in the team competition and in each of the eight individual weight classes, selected from nine regions and host Niigata. The number of allotments per region ranged from eight each from Kanto (which includes Tokyo) and Kyushu to one from Hokkaido. The draw that was made in March was used as is, so there were about five to 10 no-shows in each division.

Starting things off was the team competition, which was held on the first day and the morning of the second, and consisted of a knockout-style competition of duel meets between seven-man squads.

Nippon Sports Science University Kashiwa High School of Chiba Prefecture won its fourth straight title, defeating Saitama Sakae 5-2 in the final. NSSU Kashiwa advanced to the final by edging another Saitama Prefecture school, Hanasaki Tokuharu, 4-3 in the semifinals.

Mongolian Tuvaadorj BUKHCHULUUN provided the decisive victory at 125kg in the semifinal win over Hanasaki Tokuharu, then became the lone NSSU Kashiwa wrestler out of three in the finals to win an individual crown, taking the gold at 92kg.

Bukhchuluun chalked up four straight technical falls without surrendering a point before blanking Kyo KITAWAKI of Yamanashi Prefecture's Nirasaki Technical 6-0 in the final.

For Bukhchuluun, the victory marked not only the end of his career as a high schooler, but as a freestyle wrestler as well. He said he will be joining the sumo team at Nippon Sports Science University next year, the first step toward a career in that sport, which has in recent years been dominated by Mongolians.

Bukhchuluun, who speaks conversational Japanese, said the switch was to fulfill a pledge he made to his father before he died in 2018. "I wanted to wrestle in college, but he wanted me to go into sumo," he said.

Bukhchuluun only started wrestling in 2016 and won the Mongolian junior high school championship the following year. That drew the notice of former sumo yokozuna (grand champion) Asashoryu, who helped arrange for the youngster to enter NSSU Kashiwa as a foreign student.

Last year, Bukhchuluun won the 92kg title at both the Inter-High and Kokutai, beating Atsushi Miura of Kyoto Prefecture's Amino High School in the final both times. Those avenged a loss to Miura in the final of the Kazama Cup. This year, they both emerged victorious, as Miura moved up to 125kg and won the gold for his second title.

One big difference for Bukhchuluun as he prepares for a sumo career is that his weight concerns will no longer be about making a certain weight (although at a natural weight of 83kg, that wasn't really a factor). He will now have to bulk up in a sport where 100kg is considered light. "I have to get bigger to win," he said.

Kaisei TANABE (NSSU Kashiwa), the son of an Olympic medalist, had to settle for the silver after a loss in the 55kg final to Kento YUMIYA (Inabe Sogo Gakuen). (Japan Wrestling Federation photo)

Family ties with mixed results
In other finals, there was a handful of names that global wrestling fans might recognize, although their owners had mixed success.

NSSU Kashiwa's Kaisei TANABE, the son of 2004 Athens Olympic bronze medalist Chikara TANABE, had to settle for a silver medal for the second year in a row when he was dealt a close 4-2 loss in the 55kg final by Kento YUMIYA of Mie Prefecture's Inabe Sogo Gakuen.

Yumiya, the Kokutai champion, followed in the footsteps of older brother Hayato, the 55kg champ in 2019, when he scored a stepout with :25 left and Tanabe leading 2-2 on criteria.

"The latter part of my match is my weakest part," Tanabe said. "I have to fix that for the next tournament."

For Tanabe, who lost in the 51kg final last year, the match was his 11th over the three days, combining team and individual bouts.

"It was tough, but coming into the tournament I wanted to win the team and individual titles. I was good through the semifinal," he said, adding that he felt adequately prepared.

Next year, Tanabe will join older sister Yumeka TANABE, the 2019 world U-23 champion at 59kg, at Nippon Sports Science University, where their father is the coach. His father would normally have been at his side in Niigata, but could not attend because of the coronavirus restrictions.

"He gave me advice by phone," Kaisei said. "That was enough."

In the 51kg final, Taiga ONISHI of Saga Prefecture's Tosu Technical chalked up an 11-1 technical fall over Hanasaki Tokuharu's Akito MUKAIDA, the younger brother of two-time women's world champion Mayu MUKAIDA.

It was the second major title for Onishi, who last year won the 55kg title in Greco-Roman at the Kokutai.

The eight gold medalists gather for a group photo. (Japan Wrestling Federation photo)

Meanwhile, Tosu Technical's Iori KOSHIBA, the son of 1998 Asian Games silver medalist Kenji KOSHIBA, picked up his first major title with a 10-0 technical fall of Wakayama Kita's Taishin YAMAJI in the 71kg final.

Saitama Sakae wrestlers took home two of the three other golds at stake, with Kenji OGINO winning at 60kg and Fumiya IGARASHI at 80kg. Hanasaki Tokuharu's Ryosuke KERA triumphed at 65kg.

In a snapshot of the times, the top eight wrestlers in each weight class received their awards (medals for top four, certificates for fifth places) while wearing masks, which they kept on for the memorial photo. The eight champions later took off the masks for a group shot together.

While the tournament seemed to come off without a major hitch, officials know they are not out of the woods yet, given the time that it takes for symptoms of infection to be detected.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep until two weeks after the tournament ends," one official told the federation website prior to the tournament. "I'll be worried that someone will test positive."

#WrestleBelgrade

In World Championships of upsets, Cuba's Rosillo stuns Aleksanyan

Sunday, September 24, 2023 - 00:02 By Ken Marantz

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 23) -- One night after seeing one of the sport's living legends suffer a shocking last-second defeat, it was deja vu all over again as unheralded Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) took down the titan Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM).

Rosillo stunned Aleksanyan and the wrestling world by scoring a takedown with 21 seconds left to deny the Armenian superstar a fifth world title, beating him 3-3 on last-point criteria in the 97kg final of Greco-Roman at the World Championships in Belgrade on Saturday.

"I trained well for these World Championships," Rosillo said. "I was thinking of winning the gold medal and trained so hard to get it."

The crowd at Stark Arena was earlier treated to a freewheeling display of big-throw wrestling in the 60kg final, in which Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) defended his title with a wild 11-6 win over Tokyo Olympic silver medalist and two-time former champion Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN).

Meanwhile, Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) won the gold in the non-Olympic weight class of 72kg, making him the fourth Greco world champion in French history and the first since 2014.

All medalists and the winners of a special fifth-place playoff in the Olympic weight classes secured qualifying spots at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The remaining quotas will be filled at the continental qualifiers and last-chance world qualifiers.

Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) scores the match-winning arm drag against Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

There could hardly have been more of a contrast between the competitors in the 97kg final. The 24-year-old Rosillo came into Belgrade with a 2019 world U20 title at the top of his resume, while Aleksanyan could boast an Olympic medal of every color to go with seven world medals.

The Cuban had lost in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics, where Aleksanyan had taken the silver medal, and in his only other appearance at a World Championships in 2019, he lost in the second round. Aleksanyan finished second in that tournament, too.

And Rosillo missed a year and a half in 2020 when he contracted both COVID and dengue fever and was burned in a fire at his home in Santiago.

"I had to make up for lost time," he said."I could do it with the help of the Cuban people and my coaches."

On Saturday night, Rosillo ignored the past and beat the odds, just as Amir MIRZAZADEH (IRI) did the night before. The Iranian scored a late stepout to stun the great Riza KAYAALP (TUR) for the 130kg gold.

But at least Mirzazadeh had been a past world champion himself; Rosillo had to punch well above his weight to pull this miracle off.

Rosillo received the first passivity point but could hardly budge Aleksanyan in par terre, and the outcome appeared inevitable when Aleksanyan scored a gut wrench from the top position in the second period to go ahead 3-1.

In his previous three matches, the 31-year-old Aleksanyan had immediately finished off a technical fall from par terre with four straight rolls. By only getting one off Rosillo, it kept the match going. Few would have ever foreseen what transpired.

With a half-minute to go, the two were jostling for wrist control when Rosillo suddenly hit an arm drag and took Aleksanyan to the mat for a takedown. When the whistle stopped the action with :08 on the clock, the stunned Aleksanyan was slow to get up, and Rosillo held on as time ran out on his historic victory.

Rosillo said his defeat in Tokyo provided a wake-up call. "I understood that I have to have a stronger heart and get better in each phase of the battle, and to never give up even when I feel tired," he said.

Regarding the ticket to Paris that comes with his remarkable run to the gold, he said, "My coach is expecting a lot from me. I know I still have to work hard on my stamina."

Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), blue, won his second world title and denied Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) his third. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In the 60kg final, Sharshenbekov chalked up two 4-point moves in fending off the energetic Fumita in a match that saw 15 points put on the board in the first 90 seconds.

Fumita, who had to settle for a bronze medal in Belgrade last year after winning world titles in 2017 and 2019, had told the Japanese press after the semifinals that he was content with a "boring" style of wrestling.

But he reverted back to his big-throw ways when he attempted an arm throw in the opening seconds, only to see Sharshenbekov stuff it for 4. Fumita responded with a stepout, then connected on a 2-point throw.

Sharshenbekov, who won his second straight Asian title in April, got the picture and when the two locked up, he slammed Fumita to the mat for another 4-pointer, adding a gut wrench for 2. Fumita reversed to the back for 2, leaving him down 10-5. The two each had a stepout to make it 11-6 as the first period ended.

The fireworks of the first period were never reignited in the second as the two parried each other in a never-ending flurry of action. Fumita hit a couple of sweet arm throws, but Sharshenbekov was able to land on his feet to avoid giving up points.

"In recent years, my opponents have tightened their defense and been on their guard against me," Fumita said. "He was really like that. I made the attacks and he absorbed the blows. I thought that I had to keep attacking, even if it was all-or-nothing or not a very good attack. It made me realize that I have to have confidence in my style."

Sharshenbekov increased his stash of world medals to four, having finished second in both 2018 and 2021 before striking gold last year.

"It is wrong to say that I won the gold medal only by myself," he said. "The whole team worked hard for me to win this. I was ready. I saw the draw but didn’t care about my opponents. I was ready for everyone."

A year ago, Fumita was dealt a heartbreaking 5-5 loss in the semifinals by Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL), who Sharshenbekov then proceeded to beat 11-2 to take the gold.

The two had met once previously, with the Japanese coming out on top 4-0 in the final of the 2020 Asian Championships. In that match, Fumita had scored off a counter for the decisive points.

Five months later they both advanced to the gold-medal match at the Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup in Warsaw, but the rematch never happened as Sharshenbekov defaulted due to injury.

"I wrestled Fumita in New Delhi and lost," Sharshenbekov said. "But three years have passed since then and I prepared for this. I have worked hard for this and I was able to win because of that."

Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) became the first world champion from France in nine years. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 72kg, Ghanem finished second in Europe this year but now is on top of the world after posting a solid 3-0 victory in the final over 2022 European champion Robert FRITSCH (HUN).

Ghanem, who lost in a bronze-medal match last year, moved straight to the top of the podium by gaining a passivity point in the first period and adding a snap-down-go-behind takedown in the second.

Fritsch tried to come back by securing a front headlock several times, but Ghanem squirmed out of the predicament and held on to become France's first Greco champion since Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) triumphed at 85kg in 2014 in Tashkent.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) took the bronze medal and a Paris Olympic quota for Iran at 97kg. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Saravi takes 2nd straight bronze

In the bronze-medal matches, Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) found a place on the third-highest step of the podium for the second straight year by defeating teenager Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) 4-2 at 97kg.

Saravi, the 2021 world champion, scored a roll-off par terre to take a 3-0 lead in the first period, then added a stepout in the second to clinch a Paris quota for Iran.

Artur OMAROV (CZE) continued a run of third-place finishes this year, getting a gut wrench from par terre in the second period of a 3-1 victory over Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU) in the other 97kg bronze-medal match.

Omarov came to Belgrade have placed third at the European Championships, the Ranking Series events in Bishkek and Alexandria, and at the Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup. It was the Czech Republic's first Greco-Roman medal at a World Championships since 2007.

Liguo CAO (CHN) defeated Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) 5-3 to earn a bronze medal and Paris 2024 quota for China at 60kg. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At 60kg, Liguo CAO (CHN) finished off the winning takedown with two seconds left on the clock to stun Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) 5-3 at 60kg and add the world bronze to the Asian one he won earlier this year, plus an Olympic berth for China.

Gharibyan, the 2020 European champion, matched Cao with a passivity point and a roll from par terre to lead 3-3 on criteria. With time running out, Cao used an underhook to slip behind, then battled to get Gharibyan to the mat. The knee came down at the :02 mark.

Former Asian champion Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) won the other 60kg bronze with a hard-fought 3-3 victory over Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI).

The result and score were an exact repeat of the outcome of their semifinal encounter at the Bishkek Ranking Series event in June, in which Bakhramov went on to win the gold.

At 72kg, dethroned defending champion Ali ARSALAN (SRB) came out charging from the opening whistle and young Shingo HARADA (JPN) never knew what hit him, falling to a 9-0 technical fall in just 32 seconds.

Arsalan, looking a lot more energetic than he did at the end of his exhausting semifinal loss to Fritsch, blasted to a stepout just 10 seconds into the match, then on the restart, pancaked Harada onto his back for 4.

Scrambling onto the top, Arsalan never took his foot off the gas, reeling off two quick gut wrenches to end the match to the thrill of the home crowd and give the host nation its first Greco medal of the tournament and third overall. Arsalan competed for his native Iran up to 2021 before moving to Serbia.

Harada made his mark in his senior world debut, having rallied to beat 2022 silver medalist Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) in the quarterfinals.

Selcuk CAN (TUR) picked up his second straight bronze medal at 72kg, getting the second passivity point in a 1-1 victory over Stoyan KUBATOV (BUL) on last-point criteria.

Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) grapped the Paris Olympic quota for Iran at 60kg by winning the playoff. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Mohsen Nejad grabs Paris spot for Iran

Mohsen Nejad returned to the mat to give Iran its third berth in Paris of the four Olympic weight classes competed so far, defeating Gharibyan 7-0 in the fifth-place match at 60kg.

Mohsen Nejad, with the right shoulder that appeared to bother him during the bronze-medal match heavily taped, scored all of his points in the first period, gaining a stepout off a whizzer, shrugging Gharibyan by for takedown and adding a pair of gut wrenches.

There was little action from the exhausted pair in the second period and Gharibyan all but gave up the fight with plenty of time still on the clock.

Khaslakhanau claimed the other Paris quota up for grabs, uncorking a mighty 4-point throw in the second period that knocked the fight out of Venckaitis, who conceded the fall at 97kg.

Greco-Roman

60kg (40 entries)
GOLD: Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) df. Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN), 11-6

BRONZE: Liguo CAO (CHN) df. Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM), 5-3
BRONZE: Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI), 3-3

5th-Place Playoff: Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) df. Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM), 7-0

63kg (24 entries)
GOLD: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) vs. Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)

Semifinal: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df. Stefan CLEMENT (FRA), 3-1
Semifinal: Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Georgij TIBILOV (SRB), 4-1

67kg (41 entries)
GOLD: Luis ORTA (CUB) vs. Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)

Semifinal: Luis ORTA (CUB) df. Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) by TF, 9-1, 3:19
Semifinal: Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) df. Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM), 4-3

72kg (24 entries)
GOLD: Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) df. Robert FRITSCH (HUN), 3-0

BRONZE: Selcuk CAN (TUR) df. Stoyan KUBATOV (BUL), 1-1
BRONZE: Ali ARSALAN (SRB) df. Shingo HARADA (JPN) by TF, 9-0, :32

87kg (42 entries)
GOLD: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) vs. David LOSONCZI (HUN)

Semifinal: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) by Fall, 2:18 (5-3)
Semifinal: David LOSONCZI (HUN) df. Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) by TF, 10-0, 2:13

97kg (37 entries)
GOLD: Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) df. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM), 3-1

BRONZE: Artur OMAROV (CZE) df. Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU), 3-1
BRONZE: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN), 4-1

5th-Place Playoff: Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) df. Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU) by
Fall, (5-1)

Japan Holds 1st National-Level Tournament Since Feb. as High Schoolers Take Mat

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In World Championships of upsets, Cuba's Rosillo stuns Aleksanyan