Kakran clinches 2nd Asian gold with match to spare as Vinesh, Malik make finals

Friday, April 16, 2021 - 10:23 By Ken Marantz

One day after India got its first-ever two-time women's champion at the Asian Championships, Divya KAKRAN (IND) became the second by clinching the 65kg title with a match to spare, while high-profile compatriots VINESH (IND) and Sakshi MALIK (IND) moved closer to elusive first Asian golds.

Kakran, the 68kg champion a year ago in New Delhi, won both of her round-robin matches in the early session -- including an 8-5 victory over defending champion Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) -- to assure she would come away with the gold regardless of the outcome of her final match in the night session on Friday in Almaty.

"Until I wrestle the final bout, I won’t consider myself the champion," Kakran said. "As they say, never underestimate your rival."

The absence of powerhouses Japan and China from the competition at the spectator-less Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports has not only created better medal opportunities for their continental neighbors, but necessitated a round-robin group format for all women's weight classes due to the reduced entries. The 65kg division has just four participants.

In addition to Kakran's gold, India has a chance to come away with three of the four other titles at stake on the final day of the women's competition, to follow up on the victory on Thursday at 59kg by SARITA (IND) that made her the nation's first two-time champion.

Vinesh, who has amassed a collection of seven Asian medals, will try to finally strike gold when she faces Meng Hsuan HSIEH (TPE) in the 53kg final, while Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Malik will try to make her sixth career Asian medal a first gold in the 65kg final against 2020 Asian bronze medalist Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL).

"The main aim was to wrestle the Japan and China wrestlers, but they are not here," Vinesh said. "It's not in my hands. If there is a gold medal on the offering, I will take it."

India has another finalist in 2020 bronze medalist ANSHU (IND) at 57kg, where she will try to follow up securing one of the two spots available at the Asian Olympic qualifier held at the same venue April 9-11.

In fact, India might have had a shot at a sweep of the day's five golds, but rising star Sonam SONAM (IND), who also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, had to default her matches at 62kg due to a knee injury suffered last week.

That prevented what would have been an intriguing clash between her and world champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), who stormed into the final with two technical falls and the default from Sonam, who defeated Malik in the Indian team trials to appear at the Olympic qualifier.

Kakran clinched the 72kg gold with victories over Bakbergenova and Tsevegmed ENKHBAYAR (MGL), who in turn had both defeated Kakran's final opponent Sujin PARK (KOR). Even if Kakran loses to finish 2-1 and tied with the winner of the other match, she will get the gold based on head-to-head results.

Kakran said she nearly passed up the chance to compete at Almaty after failing to earn a spot at the Asian Olympic qualifier at 68kg by losing out at the Indian trials, but relented upon parental advice. She was also concerned about a lack of match sharpness after having wrestled just once since last year's Asian Championships and having gone through a bout with Covid-19.

"I have not been wrestling well for sometime now," she said. "The trials in India were one of my worst performances. So I was not thinking of participating in 72kg, but my father asked me to.

"I was thinking that if I didn't wrestle good in 68kg, how will I win the trials in 72kg? But I managed to and I have wrestled well here. The difference here is that I am wrestling without pressure. In India, I am wrestling with a lot of expectations from myself."

In the likely de facto match for the gold against Bakbergenova, Kakran took a 4-3 lead into the second period, which she padded with a takedown. But the Kazakh cut the lead with a tackle for 2, only to see Kakran score 2 herself with a counter roll to clinch the 8-5 win.

"Wrestling here was very good," Kakran said. "I dominated all my bouts and the Kazak girl is very good. She has beaten Indian wrestlers before and she is the champion. She is wrestling at home so that gives her a lot of advantage."

Vinesh, who had earned a ticket to Tokyo by placing third at the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan, had a walkover into the 53kg final when Hyunyoung OH (KOR) had to forfeit their semifinal match due to an injury suffered in her second match.

Vinesh, a bronze medalist last year in New Delhi, stormed into the semfinals with two technical fall victories, including a 12-2 romp over Meng Hsuan HSIEH (TPE) -- her opponent in the final.

"I learnt a lot of things despite the tough opponents not here," Vinesh said. "The most important part is the recovery. I think my recovery between the bouts is not the best right now.

"Also, I took this competition a little too easy so I was not following the correct process in the lead up to the tournament."

Vinesh said she has been having problems with low blood pressure, which she said affected her in last year's quarterfinal loss in New Delhi to Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN).

"Last year in Delhi during the Mukaida bout, the last one minute was little blurry," Vinesh said. "So I was thinking it will improve here, but I am still struggling with it."

Hsieh, who will try to beat the odds and Vinesh to become Chinese Taipei's first Asian champion since 1999, made the final with a nail-biting victory by fall over Assylzat SAGYMBAY (KAZ).

Hsieh had fallen behind 6-2 after Sagymbay scored consecutive takedowns in the final minute, but reversed the tide with a picture-perfect arm throw and secured the fall with :31 left.

"I was trying to fake her on both legs," Hsieh said. "Once the right leg, once the left and then I got the opportunity to do the arm throw which she was not ready for. I lost to Vinesh in the group stage, but I will try to wrestle better in the final."

Hsieh hopes to emulate her role model. "I like Yui SUSAKI (JPN) a lot," she said, referring to the two-time world champion at 50kg, "and maybe if I wrestle like her in the final, I win."

Standing in Malik's path is Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL), who last year won her third career Asian bronze medal and would like nothing better than to come away with a gold this time.

Malik, who posted two technical falls in the group stage, advanced when Hanbit LEE (KOR) defaulted due to a knee injury late in the first period with the Indian ahead 3-0. Zorigt chalked up her third straight fall by decking Hsin Ping PAI (TPE) at 2:10 while leading 8-0.

Anshu also has a rematch in the final, where she will face Battsetseg ALTANTSETSEG (MGL), last year's silver medalist at 57kg. In the group stage, Anshu was leading 9-1 when the Mongolian was disqualified with 2:18 to go after receiving a third caution for fleeing.

"Last year, I missed [the gold] in Delhi," Anshu said. "Now I have a chance to do it here. The Mongolian wrestler is actually a difficult one. I got my knee bumped in the first bout against her. Little uncomfortable in that."

In the Asian qualifier, Anshu secured a Tokyo spot by advancing to the final, where she lost to another Mongolian, Khongorzul BOLDSAIKHAN (MGL).

"My body is far better than it was in the qualifier," Anshu said. "I feel rested and the bouts have been smooth."

As expected, Tynybekova has been the dominant force at 62kg as she pursues a fourth Asian gold for her eighth medal overall. A victory by fall in the semifinal over Rushana ABDIRASULOVA (UZB) set up a gold-medal showdown with Dolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL), a 7-1 winner of Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ).

"I am just relaxed here," Tynybekova said. "My mind is only focused on the finals."

Day 4 Women's Wrestling Results

Semifinals

53kg (6 entries)
Meng Hsuan HSIEH (TPE) df. Assylzat SAGYMBAY (KAZ) by Fall, 5:28 (6-6)
Vinesh VINESH (IND) df. Hyunyoung OH (KOR) by Inj. Default

57kg (7 entries)
Anshu ANSHU (IND) df. Shinhye LEE (KOR) by Fall, 1:35 (2-2)
Battsetseg ALTANTSETSEG (MGL) df. Altynay SATYLGAN (KAZ) by Fall, 3:13 (10-1)

62kg (7 entries)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Rushana ABDIRASULOVA (UZB) by Fall, 2:09 (8-2)
Dolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL) df. Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ), 7-1

65kg (6 entries)
Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL) df. Hsin Ping PAI (TPE) by Fall, 2:10 (8-0)
Sakshi MALIK (IND) df. Hanbit LEE (KOR) by Inj. Default, 2:12 (3-0)

72kg (4 entries)
Standings (after 2 rounds)
1. Divya KAKRAN (IND), 2-0; 2. Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) 1-1; 3. Tsevegmed
ENKHBAYAR (MGL), 1-1; Sujin PARK (KOR), 0-2
Kakran clinched gold medal.

Japan Wrestling

High schooler Yoshida completes historic Japan national title double

Thursday, December 19, 2024 - 15:00 By Ken Marantz

Taizo YOSHIDA, left, battles Yuya OKAJIMA in the Greco 82kg final. (photo by Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

TOKYO (December 19) -- As the wrestling world still buzzes about those four gold medals won by Japanese men at the Paris Olympics, a rising star is emerging who looks capable of showing that there will more of that ahead.

Teenager Taizo YOSHIDA, already a senior Asian champion, became just the fourth high schooler in history to win a men's title at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships when he triumphed at Greco 82kg on Thursday in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Ami ISHII and Miwa MORIKAWA, who both medaled at the Non-Olympic Weight Category World Championships after failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics, regained the women's 68kg and 65kg titles, respectively.

The 18-year-old Yoshida recorded three straight technical falls before defeating veteran Yuya OKAJIMA 5-0 in the final on the opening day of the four-day tournament at Tokyo's Yoyogi No. 2 Gym that is serving as the first of two domestic qualifiers for next year's World Championships.

The other world qualifier is the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, which will be held in June next year. Having won that tournament this year, Yoshida's victory on Thursday made him the only male high schooler to achieve the Emperor's-Meiji double.

"To win both the Meiji Cup and Emperor's Cup as a high schooler is quite a feat, and I achieved it," said Yoshida, who lost a close match in the final at last year's Emperor's Cup. "To be able to say I was the first makes me really happy."

Yoshida made his first mark on the global stage by winning the world U17 gold at 80kg in 2023. That was just a prelude for what was to come in 2024, as he won the gold at the Asian Championships, then took a bronze at the world U20 and finished fifth at the senior worlds.

He said that working on his par terre wrestling has made a difference. "Up to the Meiji Cup, I was at a level where I couldn't get a roll even once. But I worked on improving my ground wrestling, and I think this was the payoff."

Yoshida is from the same rural high school in western Japan that produced Paris Olympic champion Nao KUSAKA, and he will follow in Kusaka's footsteps and enroll at powerhouse Nippon Sports Science University (known informally as Nittaidai) in the spring as he begins his quest for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"Takamatsu Kita High School is really out in the country, and we had few members on the [wrestling] team and not a good practice environment," Yoshida said. "But out of that an Olympic champion emerged, and that makes me believe that it is possible for me.

"I will be in my senior year of college at the time of the Los Angeles Olympics. The training situation will be at a much higher level at Nittaidai, and as a culmination of my four years, I want to win an Olympic title along with Nao."

While victory laps are not standard procedure at the Emperor's Cup, Yoshida made an exception by taking one that was more a tribute to Kusaka -- instead of a Japanese flag, he ran a quick lap with one of the towels that Kusaka's supporters brandished in Paris.

"It wasn't very exciting, but it made him happy. Maybe he'll buy me something," Yoshida joked.

JPN1 Ami ISHII scores a takedown on Mahiro YOSHITAKE in the women's 68kg final. (photo by Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

Ishii captures 7th straight major tournament title

Ishii, coming off winning her first world title with a victory at 72kg in Tirana -- which she preceded the week before by capturing the world U23 gold at 68kg -- easily plowed through a thin field to regain the 68kg Emperor's Cup crown that she won in 2023.

Ishii, who still feels the sting of a crushing, last-second loss to Nonoka OZAKI in a playoff for the Paris Olympic 68kg berth, won both of her round-robin group matches 10-0, then repeated that score in routing Asian 65kg champion Mahiro YOSHITAKE in the final.

"I lost in the qualifying for Paris, and I have set a goal of going to the Los Angeles Olympics and winning the gold," Ishii said. "My main objective is getting to Los Angeles and it started by winning today at the Emperor's Cup by focusing on each and every match."

The pain of missing out on Paris was so sharp that Ishii revealed that she did not even watch the wrestling competition, with the exception of her Ikuei University teammates Tsugumi SAKURAI and Sakura MOTOKI, who both went on to win gold medals.

"Half of me didn't want to, but I had worked so hard with Sakura and Tsugumi to make us all better, so of course I had to support them. But I didn't watch anyone else," she said, adding that she did watch other Olympic sports.

Since the playoff in January, Ishii has been among the busiest of Japan's top wrestlers. While the Olympic medalists have been barely seen outside of television appearances and hometown events -- only Ozaki is entered in this year's Emperor's Cup -- Ishii entered seven high-level tournaments, as well as a few small regional events, and won them all.

"There was no pressure that if I lost, I wouldn't qualify for something else. I was really happy to take part. And it was half-joking, half-serious, but after my first win after the playoff, I would say I was on my way to beating Akari FUJINAMI's winning streak, which was 127 at the time. Right now I am at 27 in a row."

JPN2 Miwa MORIKAWA, right, holds off Momoko KITADE in the women's 65kg final. (photo by Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

Morikawa, the 2022 world champion at 65kg, had also tried to make the Olympic team at 68kg, a quest that ended with a loss in last year's Emperor's Cup final to Ozaki. She then won a playoff to get to the non-Olympic worlds at 65kg, where she took a bronze home from Tirana.

On Thursday, Morikawa was not overly dominating. In the final, she scored four stepouts -- one with a fleeing point tacked on -- in a 5-0 victory over Momoko KITADE.

"I had aimed for winning by technical superiority, but this whole tournament, nothing went right for me," Morikawa said. "But I think I have some clear issues to work on in the future."

Morikawa has twice been foiled in a bid to make it to the Olympics, and is determined to not have to endure a third time. The domestic qualifying for Los Angeles will start with the 2026 Emperor's Cup, so for now, she will stay at 65kg and work on sharpening her game and rebuilding confidence.

"To be honest, there are strong wrestlers in every weight class. I want to dominate this weight class and, with the qualifying for Los Angeles starting [in two years], I am only thinking about improving."

jpg Yoshinosuke AOYAGI works to turn Toki OGAWA in the freestyle 70kg final. (photo by Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

Aoyagi cruises to 3rd straight freestyle 70kg crown

Another medalist from the non-Olympic worlds who made it to the top of the podium was Yoshinosuke AOYAGI, who won a third straight crown at 70kg by defeating Toki OGAWA by 10-0 technical fall in the final.

For Aoyagi, it capped a productive year in which he won a silver medal at the Asian Championships, won the title at the Meiji Cup, finished third at the world U23 (a year after placing second), then took a silver at the non-Olympic worlds in Tirana.

"I feel like I won because the flow of my matches went really well," Aoyagi said.

Acknowledging that his overseas success this year has boosted his confidence, he added that he feels pressure from within the training group at Yamanashi Gakuin University, from which he graduated last spring. That includes Kaito MORITA, who he faced and defeated 5-0 in the semifinals.

"There are guys coming up from within my own team that are steadily turning up the heat," Aoyagi said. "The semifinal was tough; to be honest, it scared me. In the final, you never know what will happen."

At freestyle 65kg, Kaisei TANABE, whose father Chikara was a bronze medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, defeated world U23 silver medalist Kaiji OGINO 2-0 in the final to add that title to the one he won last year at 61kg.

In the semifinals, Tanabe scored a 7-2 victory over two-time world U20 champion Yuto NISHIUCHI, who had beaten him at the collegiate championships in August.

The 61kg title went to Takara SUDA in the absence of world champion and Yamanashi Gakuin teammate Masanosuke ONO, who is still recovering from a broken foot suffered en route to winning the gold in Tirana.

Day 1 Results

Freestyle

61kg (16 entries)
GOLD -- Takara SUDA df. Hiroyuki ISHIHARA, 5-2
BRONZE -- Akito MUKAIDA df. Toshihiro HASEGAWA, 6-3
BRONZE -- Takeru OIKAWA df. Haruto OURA, 4-0

65kg (17 entries)
GOLD -- Kaisei TANABE df. Kaiji OGINO, 2-0
BRONZE -- Yuto NISHIUCHI df. Reiji UCHIDA by TF, 10-0, 3:15
BRONZE -- Ryuto SAKAKI df. Yuta MIYAZAKI, 7-0

70kg (20 entries)
GOLD -- Yoshinosuke AOYAGI df. Toki OGAWA by TF, 10-0, 1:14
BRONZE -- Kanata YAMAGUCHI df. Kaito MORITA by TF, 11-0, 2:21
BRONZE -- Yuma TOMIYAMA df. Yuto MIWA, 9-6

Greco-Roman

82kg (17 entries)
GOLD -- Taizo YOSHIDA df. Yuya OKAJIMA, 5-0
BRONZE -- Konosuke TANIZAKI df. Yuto SAWADA by TF, 8-0, 1:35
BRONZE -- Reon KAKEGAWA df. Yudai KOBORI by TF, 9-0, 1:46

87kg (9 entries)
GOLD -- So SAKABE df. Daisei ISOE by TF, 8-0, 1:27
BRONZE -- Isshin ONITSUKA df. Kou FUKUSHIMA by TF, 9-1, 4:13
BRONZE -- Akira YOSHIZAWA df. Sora SATO by TF, 8-0, 3:50

97kg (12 entries)
GOLD -- Yuri NAKAZATO df. Takahiro TSURUTA, 2-1
BRONZE -- Kanta SHIOKAWA df. Hikaru ISOTANI by TF, 9-0, 1:11
BRONZE -- Riku NAKAHARA df. Sorato KANAZAWA, 11-5

Women's Wrestling

65kg (9 entries)
GOLD -- Miwa MORIKAWA df. Momoko KITADE, 5-0
BRONZE -- Nana IKEHATA df. Miyu YOSHIKAWA, 4-4
BRONZE -- Rin TERAMOTO df. Horu SATO by TF, 11-0, 4:41

68kg (6 entries)
GOLD -- Ami ISHII df. Mahiro YOSHITAKE by TF, 10-0, 2:24
BRONZE -- Seia MOCHINAGA df. Kaede MATSUYAMA, 3-1

Kakran clinches 2nd Asian gold with match to spare as Vinesh, Malik make finals

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High schooler Yoshida completes historic Japan national title double