#EmperorsCup

Kawai Gets Best of Icho, but Faces Quick Rematch with More at Stake

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO---In a match that left something to be desired considering the hype, Risako KAWAI got the best of fellow Olympic champion Kaori ICHO. She’ll have to show tomorrow she can do it again for much higher stakes.

Kawai defeated Icho in the highly anticipated clash between the titans of women’s wrestling, scoring a dull 2-1 victory in the opening match of their 57kg round-robin group at the All-Japan Championships in Tokyo.

The two both then beat Sae NANJO, the third wrestler in their group, to advance to the semifinals. They both won, setting up an instant rematch on the final day of the four-day tournament that is also serving as the first stage in Japan’s qualifying process for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“This is the first tournament that has Olympic implications, so no matter who you have to face, this is a weight class that has drawn those who want to go to the Olympics,” Kawai said. “I have the title of Olympic gold medalist, but I can think about that. If I don’t win here, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Kawai, coming off winning a second straight world title at Budapest in October and third overall, hardly outwrestled the four-time Olympic gold medalist per se; it’s more like she just did a better job of showing she was trying.

The match had no technical points, as all scoring came with the opponent on the activity clock----Kawai had the fortune of seeing Icho flagged twice, despite the fact that Kawai herself initiated zero attacks.

It’s one thing to play it safe against a four-time Olympic champion. But Kawai repeated that performance against world junior silver medalist Nanjo, winning by the same score, with the same points, and without a takedown attempt. Icho defeated Nanjo 6-2 in a much more active match.

Kawai finally showed some life in the semifinals, where she used a takedown-ankle roll combination for a 4-0 win over world junior champion Hanako SAWA, while Icho advanced with a 3-0 victory over Akie HANAI.

“I’m sure this is drawing a lot of attention, but the fact is, it is Kaori and I who are the ones who have to perform,” Kawai said. “I’d like it to be exciting if possible.”

Yuki IRIE defeated Rio Olympic champion Eri TOSAKA, 4-4, putting her in the 50kg gold-medal bout. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

In the other match of global interest, Yuki IRIE repeated her victory from last spring over Rio 2016 champion Eri TOSAKA, winning 4-4 on big-point criteria to advance to the final of the women’s 50kg division, which had lost world champion Yui SUSAKI to an elbow injury.

Irie twice followed giving up a point on the activity clock by scoring a takedown, when Tosaka scored a takedown with :15 left. But it wasn’t enough for the former world champion, who underwent foot surgery after the Rio Olympics.   

Tosaka will now need to win the All-Japan Invitational Championships in June to force a playoff with Irie for the ticket to the 2019 world championships, where winning a medal will earn an automatic berth on Japan’s team to the Tokyo 2020.

“The next six months will go fast,” she said. “If I don’t win there, I can’t go to the Tokyo Olympics. First of all, I have to win in June and get into the playoff.”

Yuki TAKAHASHI, 2017 world champion and 2018 world bronze medalist won his third straight Emperor's Cup title. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka) 

Meanwhile, Budapest 2018 bronze medalist Yuki TAKAHASHI barely came away with his third straight title at freestyle 57kg.

Takahashi, the Paris 2017 world gold medalist, was trailing 4-4 on criteria when teenaged opponent Kaiki YAMAGUCHI, trying desperately to fend him off, was assessed a 1-point penalty with :02 left. An unsuccessful challenge left Takahashi the winner by a final score of 6-4.

“To have the final finish like that, it makes me wonder how I would do at the worlds,” Takahashi said. “This tournament has links to the Olympics, so I think that brought out some extra nerves and I didn’t move like I wanted, and my matches were sloppy.”

Takahashi was acquainted with Yamaguchi, having beaten him 4-0 in a tough semifinal battle last year when he was still in high school.

“The fact that I could still win even without wrestling at my best gives me a confidence boost,” Takahashi said.

On the heels of Susaki’s shocking withdrawal, the tournament lost another marquee match-up when women’s 53kg world champion Haruna OKUNO pulled out prior to her match due to a stomach virus. 

Okuno had been due for a clash with fellow world champion Mayu MUKAIDA, who dropped down from 55kg to the Olympic weight class. Had they met, it would have been only the 11thtime in Japan wrestling history that two reigning world champions faced each other in a domestic tournament.

Mukaida launched her bid for a third straight national title---she won at 53kg in 2016---with a 12-2 technical fall victory over world junior champion Umi IMAI, then overcome a tough challenge from Momoka KADOYA, winning 3-0. In the final, she will face Nanami IRIE, Yuki’s younger sister. 

Yuhi FUJINAMI, 2017 world bronze medalist, won back-to-back Emperor's Cup titles with a fall over Ken HOSAKA in the 74kg finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka) 

Yuhi FUJINAMI, a 2017 world bronze medalist who finished out of the medals this year, successfully defended his freestyle 74kg title with a victory by fall over Ken HOSAKA in the final. 

Hosaka surprised the defending champion with an early takedown, but Fujinami quickly evened the score. He then clamped a headlock on Hosaka and, while his opponent looked close at one time to escaping the predicament, Fujinami reapplied the pressure and ended the match in 1:44.

The other freestyle title at stake went to world university champion Yudai FUJITA, who defeated last year’s runner-up Shingo ARIMOTO, 6-0, in the 61kg final for his first national crown.

The day’s Greco golds went to Hiromu KATAGIRI (55kg), Shogo TAKAHASHI (67kg) and Naotsugu SHOJI (77kg). It was the first for Katagiri and Shoji, while Takahashi previously won at 66kg in 2016.   

Meanwhile, the tournament, also known as the Emperor’s Cup, saw the return of Rio 2018 champion Sara Dosho in her first competition since suffering a shoulder injury at the Women’s World Cup in March. 

Dosho, who underwent surgery and had her shoulder heavily taped, won both of her matches on the day in the women’s 68kg class, which has just five entries and is using a round-robin format. 

Dosho beat Umi FUKUSHIMA, 6-1, and Chiaki SEKI, 2-1, and will finish up the competition Sunday by facing fellow Rio Olympian Rio WATARI in her final match, which will likely decide the gold medal. Watari also won twice. 

Hiroe MINAGAWA, who won a second straight world bronze in Budapest, maintained her dominance of the women’s heaviest weight class by beating Yasuha MATSUYUKI, 3-0, in what was essentially the 76kg gold-medal match.

Minagawa’s victory gave her a 4-0 record in the five-women round-robin group for her third straight national title and fifth overall. Matsuyuki, a world junior bronze medalist, finished as runner-up at 3-1. 

Takuto OTOGURO, the reigning world champion, will wrestle Daichi TAKATANI for the 65kg Emperor's Cup title. 

Japan’s lone reigning male world champion, Takuto OTOGURO, advanced to the freestyle 65kg final with a solid 8-3 victory in the semifinals over world U23 champion Rei HIGUCHI, the Rio 2016 silver medalist at 57kg.

Standing in OTOGURO’s path to a first national title is defending champion Daichi TAKATANI, who lost to Otoguro in a playoff last July for the place on Japan’s team to Budapest and will be looking for revenge. 

Sunday will also see the latest installment of the Great Greco Rivalry at 60kg between Rio 2016 silver medalist Shinobu OTA and Paris 2017 world champion Kenichiro FUMITA, who have split their last eight matches dating back to 2014. 

Ota advanced to the final with a pair of technical fall victories, while Fumita scored a technical fall, then came out on top of a wild bout with high schooler Kyotaro SOGABE, emerging as a 13-8 winner when the dust cleared. 

DayResults

Freestyle

57kg (19 entries)
Final: Yuki TAKAHASHI df. Kaiki YAMAGUCHI, 6-4 
3rdPlace: Daiki ARAKI df. Kotaro KIYOOKA, 3-1 
3rdPlace: Kazuya KOYANAGI df. Toshihiro HASEGAWA, 4-3

61kg (18 entries)
Final: Yudai FUJITA df. Shingo ARIMOTO, 6-0 
3rdPlace: Joji NAGATA df. Yushi NAKAMURA, 2-1
3rdPlace: Yo NAKATA df. Takumi YOSHIMURA, 2-1 

65kg (27 entries)
Semifinals
Takuto OTOGURO df. Rei HIGUCHI, 8-3
Daichi TAKATANI df. Koki SHIMIZU, 8-7

70kg (14 entries)
Final: Kojiro SHIGA df. Haruki SEINO, 5-2 
3rdPlace: Keisuke OTOGURO df. Hidetaka SAKANO, 5-3
3rdPlace: Shin HARAGUCHI df. Ryo YONEZAWA, 4-3 
Semifinals
Seino df. Otoguro, 6-4
Shiga df. Yonezawa, 3-2

 

74kg (19 entries)
Final: Yuhi FUJINAMI df. Ken HOSAKA by Fall, 1:44 (4-2)
3rdPlace: Mao OKUI df. Ryuki YOSHIDA, 3-2
3rdPlace: Yuto MIWA df. Masato MIZUNO, 3-0

Greco-Roman

55kg (14 entries)
Final: Hiromu KATAGIRI df. Ken MATSUI, 5-0
3rdPlace: Shota OGAWA df. Kaito INABA, 4-3
3rdPlace: Ryota SAITO df. Kenta KOSAKA by Fall, 2:16 (6-0) 
Semifinals
Katagiri df. Ogawa, 8-1
Matsui df. Kosaka by TF, 8-0, 4:28

6o kg (13 entries)
Semifinals
Shinobu OTA df. Kazuki YABE by TF, 9-0, 5:27
Kenichiro FUMITA df. Kyotaro SOGABE, 13-8

 

67kg (21 entries)

Final: Shogo TAKAHASHI df. Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA, 4-2 
3rdPlace: Takahiro YAMAMOTO df. Yusuke KITAOKA, 6-1
3rdPlace: Masuto KAWANA df. Yuji UEGAKI, 5-1 

77kg (16 entries)
Final: Naotsugu SHOJI df. Kodai SAKURABA, 4-0 
3rdPlace: Shohei YABIKU df. Amane SHIMOYAMADA by TF, 9-0, 2:08
3rdPlace: Yuya MAETA df. Yudai KOMURO by TF, 11-0, 2:06

Women’s Wrestling

50kg (8 entries)
Semifinals
Yuki IRIE df. Eri TOSAKA, 4-4
Kika KAGATA df. Miho IGARASHI, 5-0

53kg (8 entries)
Semifinals
Nanami IRIE df. Katsura KONISHI by TF, 10-0, 1:02 
Mayu MUKAIDA df. Momoka KADOYA, 3-0

57kg (7 entries)
Semifinals
Kaori ICHO df. Akie HANAI, 3-0
Risako KAWAI df. Hanako SAWA, 6-0

65kg (4 entries)
Round-Robin (Final Standings)
1. Naomi RUIKE (3-0, 11 pts)
2. Misuzu ENOMOTO (2-1, 7)
3. Miki KAWAUCHI (1-2, 3) 
Key Match: Ruike df. Enomoto, 2-0 in 2ndround

68kg (5 entries)
Round-Robin (through 3 rounds)
1. Rio WATARI (2-0, 6 pts); 2. Sara DOSHO (2-0, 6); 3. Chiaki SEKI (1-2, 5); 4. Umi FUKUSHIMA (1-2, 5); 5. Rin MIYAJI (0-2, 2)

76kg (5 entries)
Round-Robin (Final Standings)
1. Hiroe MINAGAWA (4-0, 16 pts)
2. Yasuha MATSUYUKI (3-1, 10)
3. Masako FURUICHI (2-2, 8)
Key Match: Minagawa df. Matsuyuki, 3-0 in 5thround

 

 

#WrestleZagreb

Reasco becomes Ecuador's first world champ as Maroulis adds to gold tally

By Ken Marantz

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- While Helen MAROULIS (USA) was adding to her mountainous pile of world medals with a fourth career gold, Genesis REASCO (ECU) made history by becoming Ecuador's first-ever world champion.

Reasco reached the pinnacle of the sport with a 4-2 victory in the 76kg final over Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), denying the two-time world medalist her first gold in the last of four women's finals on Wednesday at the World Championships in Zagreb.

"I went in, gave my all, and it worked," Reasco said. "That’s how the gold medal was achieved, because honestly, I have a lot of respect for all my opponents. They gave everything out there on the mat, and they were really good matches -- both yesterday’s and today’s. Everything was very tough, very close."

Maroulis, who will turn 34 on Friday, showed why she has accumulated eight medals overall in 12 trips to the World Championships when she scored a dramatic takedown with :05 left to edge Il Sim SON (PRK) 3-2 in the 57kg final.

In other finals, Myonggyong WON (PRK) gave the DPR Korea its second women's title in two nights -- and just the third in its history -- with an emotional victory at 50kg , while Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) earned her second world gold and fifth medal overall with a dominant run to the 65kg title.

Reasco's historic victory came two years after Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) became the South American country's first-ever world medalist, and a day before Yepez gets a chance to join her as a gold medalist after making the 53kg final earlier in the day.

Reasco had long been seen as having the potential for a breakthrough, but never seemed to be able to make that final step up to the big time. She finished fifth at the 2022 World Championships and 2024 Paris Olympics, and was third at this year's Pan American Championships.

But after knocking off Paris bronze medalist Milaimy MARIN (CUB) in Tuesday's semifinals, the impossible suddenly became possible.

"At the Olympics, I was close to winning bronze, but it didn’t happen," she said. "But now the world medal came, and I’m very happy after all the sacrifices."

In the final, Reasco scored with a double-leg takedown in the first period, then scored another at the edge in the second. Medet Kyzy, a three-time Asian champion, tried desperately to launch a comeback, but she had to settle for 2 with a late throw attempt and came up short.

The 27-year-old Reasco got a relatively late start to the sport, saying she was not even aware of wrestling's existence until she was introduced to it at age 15.

"At that time, I practically didn’t know what wrestling was," she said. "I was going for another sport, but the coach of that sport took me to wrestling -- it was thanks to his influence. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even known what wrestling was.

"The first day I saw it, I was shocked. Since I was little, I always liked sports -- I liked basketball, football. So I always had that love for sports. Any sport, any other sport, I liked."

But her dedication to training eventually led to the greatest of achievements, which she surmises will be widely celebrated back in her hometown of Esmeraldas and the province of Manabi where she trains.

"When I focus on competition, I even put my phone aside," she said.

In the 57kg final, Maroulis had her work cut out for her with the quick and powerful Son, this year's Asian silver medalist.

"She's an amazing opponent," Maroulis said. "I knew she was going to be tough. I watched all of her film. I'm like, my gosh, she's so good."

Maroulis had to fight out of a double-leg attempt in the first period, in which she received an activity point for the only score. In the second, Son received an activity point, then went ahead 2-1 by scoring a stepout at 1:32.

It looked like it might end that way until Maroulis, using a trip to great effect as she had done all tournament, sent Son reeling backward, then spun behind as Son tried to whip her over with :05 on the clock.

"I had to really, really dig deep for that and, I don't know, before the last exchange started, I just had to dig deep and find it," Maroulis said. "It was just some scramble flurry and just that it came out my way. I'm grateful."

The U.S. wrestler added the title to the ones she won in 2015, 2017 and 2021. She also has an Olympic gold from 2016, when she dealt the legendary Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) her lone international loss, and three Olympic medals overall.

Maroulis said that she had to deal with a blood vessel problem that curtailed her training starting in the spring, and did not return to full-fledged practice until about two weeks ago.

With her conditioning limited, she said she aimed to end her matches early, which resulted in her ending all three of her matches leading up to the final by fall.

"I was like, I'm just going to start working on training because I'm not conditioned enough to go six minutes," Maroulis said. "I'm literally not conditioned enough. But if I pin, no one has to know that."

Maroulis said she is currently undecided about continuing her career. But should she go on, it could put her on a collision course with one of the sport's rising stars, Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), the Paris Olympic champion at 53kg who announced that she was moving up to 57kg in the runup to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I would love to wrestle her," she said. "I've been wrestling for so many years, I want to wrestle the best of the best, and she's phenomenal. I've heard and seen great things about her.

Maroulis said the two have never had a chance to work out together. "We message back and forth, actually we were trying to go to a camp together, it just didn't work out in time for the Olympics. I found she was going to 57[kg], I said, 'Oh my gosh.' It's a great opportunity for both of us."

At 50kg, Won dominated her gold-medal showdown with Asian silver medalist Yu ZHANG (CHN) from the start, storming to an eight-point lead in the first period and holding on for an 8-2 victory.

"This medal and the championship belt I’ve won are just the first step in repaying my parents for all their sacrifices," Won said. "From now on, I’ll work even harder to become an Olympic champion."

Her victory came a day after Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) won the 55kg gold to become the second women's world champion in their country's history. They joined Yong-Mi PAK (PRK), who won the 53kg gold in Nur-Sultan in 2019.

Won became so overcome with emotion, she tearfully hugged the referee after the match, then went over and did the same with the side judges. Then she hugged her coaches, and during the medal ceremony, shed tears as the national anthem was played.

"The moment I took first place, all the tough days of training flashed before my eyes and I couldn’t hold back my tears," she said. "And when I thought about sharing the news with my mom and dad, the tears came again."

Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) celebrates after winning the 65kg final at the World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 65kg, Morikawa cruised to an 8-0 victory over Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) to regain the title she won in 2022, capping a year in which she also won the Ranking Series Tirana event and a second career gold at the Asian Championships.

Morikawa scored all of her points by shooting for a single, then fighting off a whizzer by Kasabieva to gain control for a pair of takedowns in each period.

"It's my first time to face her, but comparatively she was easier to wrestle than my semifinal opponent," Morikawa said, referring to her semifinal victory over former world champion Irina RINGACI (MDA), albeit a 10-0 decision.

"I couldn't get in on my tackles, and that part is something that I have to change. I'll be going to a heavier weight class and I want to be able to knock off the top wrestlers."

For Morikawa, competing at 65kg now is part of a process aimed at being competitive in the race to make the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, almost surely at 68kg, after missing out on Paris.

"It was great that I won the championship, but the next step will be starting soon. I can be happy today, but from tomorrow I'll have to start working hard in practice."

In between her two world titles, Morikawa took a world bronze at 72kg in 2023, then returned to 65kg in 2024, only to have to settle for a bronze again.

"It was a long time [between titles], and there was the time that I missed out on the Olympics, but I will use this victory as inspiration for what is coming next. It will be the start of a much more difficult fight than up to now, so I have to renew my determination."

While two world golds is no small accomplishment, Morikawa joked that it still leaves her well behind her coach, who was in her corner on Wednesday and accompanied her on the victory lap on the mat.

"I still only have two titles, so I'm about 10 behind the coach who was in my corner," Morikawa said of Kaori ICHO (JPN), the four-time Olympic and 10-time world champion.

Smirnova stuns Yoshimoto for 50kg bronze

Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) pulled off the surprise of the bronze-medal matches, stunning former world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) at 50kg with a stepout in the final seconds for a 3-3 win on criteria.

Yoshimoto, a two-time Asian champion, received an activity point, then gave up a takedown when Smirnova countered and got behind to a 2-1 lead. In the second period, Yoshimoto finally got through, scoring a takedown with :54 left. But she failed to hold off Smirnova's final push, leaving her devastated and in tears.

Prior to coming to Zagreb, Yoshimoto's only losses in any competition since 2019 were to compatriot and Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN), whom she lost to four times. That limited her to a single previous appearance at the World Championships in 2021, when she won the gold.

The other 50kg bronze went to Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), who also needed a late score in posting a 3-2 victory over Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL) and adding to the world bronze she won back in 2017.

Byambasuren scored a takedown while on the activity clock to take a 2-0 lead into the second period, and it looked like that might hold up when Demirhan gained a 2-point exposure off an inner thigh block with :15 left. Byambasuren came close to getting behind in the final seconds, but fell short and an unsuccessful challenge handed Demirhan her final point.

The victory took some of the sting out a serious knee injury that Demirhan suffered in the final exchange. She limped off the mat and was taken from the main floor in a wheelchair, then was carried by two fellow medalists to the podium during the medal ceremony wearing a walking cast.

Japan was dealt another set back a short time later in the 57kg bronze-medal bouts, when three-time European champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) scored a takedown and exposure in the second period to upend Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN) 4-1.

As with Demirhan, Khoroshavtseva's victory ended a long medal drought -- her previous bronze had come in 2019.

Paris Olympic bronze medalist Kexin HONG (CHN) picked up her first world medal, surging to a 10-0 victory over Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) in the other 57kg match.

Moldova's national hero Ringaci earned a fourth career world medal by beating Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) 6-3 for a 65kg bronze, scoring a takedown in the first period and two in the second.

Two-time Asian silver medalist Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) had the lead on criteria when she scored an exposure at the edge while holding off an attack by Macey KILTY (USA) to clinch a 4-2 win for the other 65kg bronze.

At 76kg, another Olympic bronze medalist added a world bronze when Marin stormed to a 10-0 victory over PRIYA (IND), setting the mood when she scored the first of her five takedowns by lifting the Indian in the air and dumping her to the mat.

Kylie WELKER (USA) added to the bronze she won last year at 72kg by holding on for a 6-2 victory over Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) for the other 76kg bronze. Welker scored a takedown and gut wrench in the first period, then after Alpyeyeva came back with two stepouts,

clinched the win with a takedown with :14 left. 

Day 5 Results

Women's Wrestling

50kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Myonggyong WON (PRK) df. Yu ZHANG (CHN), 8-2

BRONZE: Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) df. Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN), 3-3
BRONZE: Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) df. Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL), 3-2

53kg (23 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) df. ANTIM (IND), 5-3
SEMIFINAL: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) df. Hyongyong CHOE (PRK), 2-1

57kg (22 entries)
GOLD: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Il Sim SON (PRK), 3-2

BRONZE: Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) df. Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN), 4-1
BRONZE: Kexin HONG (CHN) df. Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) by TF, 10-0, 2:22

62kg (22 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) by TF, 14-1, 4:15
SEMIFINAL: Ok Ju KIM (PRK) df. Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) by TF, 14-3, 6:00

65kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Alina KASABIEVA (UWW), 8-0

BRONZE: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), 6-3
BRONZE: Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) df. Macey KILTY (USA), 4-2

68kg (24 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Ami ISHII (JPN) df. Buse TOSUN (TUR) by TF, 11-0, 2:34
SEMIFINAL: Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) df. Jia LONG (CHN), 6-1

72kg (17 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) by Fall, 5:00 (11-6)
SEMIFINAL: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Zelu LI (CHN), 9-6

76kg (19 entries)
GOLD: Genesis REASCO (ECU) df. Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), 4-2

BRONZE: Kylie WELKER (USA) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 6-2
BRONZE: Milaimy MARIN (CUB) df. PRIYA (IND) by TF, 10-0, 4:07