Kawai makes stunning move to 68kg in bid for Olympic repeat

Friday, May 19, 2023 - 06:19 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (May 16) -- In her bid for a second straight Olympic title, Yukako KAWAI has made a surprising and sudden move up two weight classes to the next Olympic division.

Kawai, who won the Tokyo Olympic gold at 62kg in women's wrestling, is entered at 68kg for next month's Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, the Japan Wrestling Federation announced Wednesday.

The Meiji Cup on June 15-18 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym is the second of Japan's two domestic qualifiers for this year's World Championships, which will provide the first opportunity for qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The first domestic qualifier was the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships held last December.

Kawai's older sister Risako (who now goes by her married name KINJO) has moved back down to 57kg, the weight class in which she won her second straight Olympic gold at the 2021 Tokyo Games. Risako had returned to competition at 59kg last fall after giving birth to her first child.

And the match-up that the wrestling world has been longing to see could finally become a reality at 53kg, where teen phenom and 2021 world champion Akari FUJINAMI and Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Mayu SHIDOCHI are both entered.

Any wrestler who wins titles at both the Emperor's Cup and Meiji Cup automatically earns a ticket to Belgrade. If the champions in the Olympic weights are different, a playoff will be held between the two in July. In non-Olympic weights, the two champions and any wrestlers who finish second in an Olympic division are eligible to enter the playoff.

The competition to get to Belgrade in the Olympic weights is particularly fierce, given that the Japan federation has decreed that a wrestler who wins a medal there will automatically fill the Olympic berth that comes with it.

While no medal is a sure thing, it is worth noting that Japan's women medaled in five of the six Olympic weights at the 2019 World Championships, the first qualifier for Tokyo 2021. As such, the top wrestlers have funneled into the Olympic weights for the Meiji Cup, pitting current and past world and Olympic champions and medalists against each other.

Kawai failed to win the 62kg title at the Emperor's Cup, revealing later she had not fully recovered from a back injury. While there have been no reports of her reason, it appears she figured her best chance for getting to Paris would be take a chance at 68kg.

It will be no easy task. While the weight class has seen the retirement of 2016 Rio Olympic champion Sara DOSHO, the field includes world silver medalist Ami ISHII, world 65kg champion Miwa MORIKAWA, world 72kg bronze medalist Masako FURUCHI and 2021 world silver medalist Rin MIYAJI.

Ishii, coming off a gold-medal run at the Asian Championships last month in Astana, has the upper hand, having defeated Morikawa 5-2 in the Emperor's Cup final. Miyaji gave Ishii a tough fight in the second round when she come out on the short end of a 6-4 decision.

Kinjo won the Emperor's Cup title at 59kg, so for her to make it to Belgrade at 57kg, she needs to beat in-form Emperor's Cup champion Sae NANJO in the Meiji Cup and/or a playoff. Nanjo was also one of Japan's five women's champions in Astana.

Not to be counted out is two-time world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI, who suffered a last-second 5-4 loss to Nanjo in the Emperor's Cup final and will be gunning for revenge.

Fujinami heads into the Meiji Cup on a 119-match winning streak dating back to her junior high school days, which she extened by winning three international titles in three months -- Zagreb in February, Sofia in March and Astana in April.

The streak currently ties her with legendary three-time Olympic champion and fellow Mie Prefecture native Saori YOSHIDA. But she has long said the streak is secondnary to winning a gold in Paris. Fujinami moved closer by cruising to victory at the Emperor's Cup, where Shidochi was in the other bracket but failed to make the final.

Shidochi had taken time off after the Tokyo Olympics to get married, returning to action last year to win her third world title at 55kg. But moving back to 53kg at the Emperor's Cup, she lost in the semifinals to former two-time world champion Haruna OKUNO, whom she had beaten in nine previous matches.

Also entered at 53kg is Moe KIYOOKA, the Emperor's Cup champion at 55kg who captured a world U20-U23 double in 2022 and won this year's Zagreb Open.

The most intense final could come at 62kg, where world 59kg bronze medalist Sakura MOTOKI will look to repeat her stunning triumph at the Emperor's Cup over world champion Nonoka OZAKI. That loss left Ozaki in tears and she will certainly be out for revenge.

Motoki, looking to join her father as an Olympian (Yasutoshi finished ninth at Greco 63kg at the 2000 Sydney Olympics), preceded her 4-2 victory in the final over Ozaki by crushing Kawai 9-2 in the semifinals. That gave the 21-year-old consecutive wins over the reigning Olympic and world champions.

At 50kg, standing in reigning world champion Yui SUSAKI's path to a possible second straight Olympic gold is longtime rival and 2021 world gold medalist Remina YOSHIMOTO. Susaki defeated Yoshimoto 8-0 in the Emperor's Cup final for her fourth win in four career meetings, but Yoshimoto always poses a threat for an upset.

The remaining Olympic weight class, 76kg, also presents a intriguing potential match-up. World U20 champion Ayano MORO, who just started her freshman year at Yamanashi Gakuin University, won the Emperor's Cup title when world bronze medalist Yuka KAGAMI wrestled injured and failed to make the final. It looks like a toss-up between those two.

Higuchi, Otoguro look to punch tickets to Belgrade

In men's freestyle, world 61kg champion Rei HIGUCHI will look to negotiate a tough field and earn the ticket to the worlds at 57kg, while Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO should have little problem locking up the spot at 65kg.

Higuchi, the 2016 Rio Olympic silver medalist at 57kg who failed to make Japan's team for the Tokyo Games, has been in sizzling form of late. Last year, he won Asian and world golds at 61kg before taking the Emperor's Cup title at 57kg to put him halfway to Belgrade.

Trying to keep him from making that trip will be Asian bronze medalist Rikuto ARAI, 2021 world 61kg bronze medalist Toshihiro HASEGAWA, 2019 Asian bronze medalist Yudai FUJITA and 2019 world junior champion Toshiya ABE.

Otoguro, the 2018 world champion, has only competed once since his Olympic triumph, and that ended with his third Emperor's Cup title and first in three years. His main competition will likely be Asian bronze medalist Ryoma ANRAKU, whom he beat 4-0 in the Emperor's Cup final.

The most intriguing freestyle weight class is 86kg, with veteran Sohsuke TAKATANI returning in an attempt to qualify for his fourth Olympics. The 34-year-old Takatani has spent the past two years at 92kg, where last year he won his 12th consecutive national title over four weight classes, while becoming the head coach at his alma mater Takushoku University.

Looking to stop him will be Emperor's Cup champion and Asian bronze medalist Hayato ISHIGURO and world U23 champion Tatsuya SHIRAI, who sat out of the Emperor's Cup.

In Greco-Roman, the weight class to watch is 67kg and Taishi NARIKUNI's quest to become a world champion in both styles. Narikuni won the freestyle 70kg crown last year in Belgrade.

Narikuni, who prefers weight training to typical wrestling practice, entered both freestyle and Greco at the Emperor's Cup (a title double hasn't been done in 49 years), but had to withdraw because of a broken rib suffered in practice. This time, he is entered only in Greco.

As for the reason for his unusual crusade, Narikuni's mother was a two-time world champion, and instead of just matching her, he feels his accomplishment will stand out more if he also wins two titles but in different styles.

Standing in his way are Emperor's Cup champion and Asian silver medalist Kyotaro SOGABE, 2022 Asian bronze medalist Katsuaki ENDO and Taishi HORIE, the Emperor's Cup winner at 72kg who has moved down to the Olympic weight.

At 77kg, Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU has a steep climb to get back to Paris, having lost in the second round at the Emperor's Cup to world U23 bronze medalist Nao KUSAKA. Kodai SAKURABA, a bronze medalist at the recent Asian Championships, beat Kusaka in the Emperor's Cup final, and the title battle looks to be between these three.

For Olympic 60kg silver medalist and former world champion Kenichi FUMITA, the ticket to Belgrade is his to lose. He is the favorite to follow up his Emperor's Cup triumph.

#WrestleHangzhou

Asian Games Freestyle Preview: Tazhudinov, Yazdani in star-studded field

Saturday, September 30, 2023 - 18:33 By Vinay Siwach

HANGZHOU, China (September 30) -- It’s rare that Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) is second best on the mat. It’s rarer that he isn’t the biggest star at a wrestling competition, that too in Asia.

But the Asian Games in Hangzhou is one such rare occasion when Yazdani has to take a back seat. It’s not because his form has deteriorated or he isn't the favorite in his weight class.

It's because a new star has taken the wrestling world by storm in the last two weeks.

WOMEN'S WRESTLING PREVIEW | GRECO-ROMAN PREVIEW

20-year-old Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) is the newly-crowned world champion at 97kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) will have everyone glued to their screens as he competes two weeks after setting the World Championships ablaze, winning the 97kg gold medal in what was arguably the most thunderous run in recent times.

Beating Olympic champions Kyle SNYDER (USA) and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) in back-to-back matches, Tazhudinov became the first world champion from Bahrain and also qualified the nation for the Paris Olympics.

The 20-year-old will be under the limelight at the Lin’an Sports Culture and Exhibition Center, the venue for wrestling at the Asian Games which began September 23. Wrestling will take place from October 4 to 7 in the 18 Olympic weight classes.

Tazhudinov is one of the seven 2023 crowned world champions who will be in Hangzhou, hoping to win the gold medal. He is expected to capture gold without trouble but can have a rematch with Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) and Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI).

Tazhudinov defeated Ibragimov in the World Championships and had a 13-8 win over Goleij in the Asian Championship, a tournament in which he won gold after beating Awusayiman HABILA (CHN) 11-0 in the final and the Chinese wrestler will be keen on avenging that loss if the two meet in Hangzhou.

38-year-old Ibragimov is a returning bronze medalist and will hope to add one more medal to his cabinet. Goleij, who lost to Sadulaev in a thriller at the World Championships, has to hope his gas tank holds on if he wants to win a medal.

For Kazakhstan, Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) is back at 97kg and can complicate the medal standings as a dark horse.

Yazdani, who has won six World and Olympic medals since his gold at the Jakarta Asian Games, will come to Hangzhou after his latest world silver medal. It will be key for Yazdani to have recovered both physically and mentally after another grueling final match against David TAYLOR (USA).

The Rio Olympic champion has not lost to a wrestler not named Taylor at 86kg and a loss in the Asian Games looks unlikely. However, a few will look to challenge him.

World bronze medalist Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) has the potential to push the Iranian and the Kazakhstan wrestler has shown in the past that he is improving consistently. Kazakhstan will put a lot of hopes on Dauletbekov to end their gold-medal drought as the country last won a Freestyle title at the Asian Games in 1994, its only gold. The 2018 Games saw Kazakhstan win four silver and six bronze medals.

Former world silver medalist Deepak PUNIA (IND) will be back in action at 86kg after a long time. Punia has not been in the thick of things since finishing fifth at the Tokyo Olympics. Another Tokyo fifth Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) will be competing at his first Asian Games. He finished fifth at the World Championships after suffering a last-second loss to Dauletbekov in the bronze-medal bout. He will be a big medal contender in Hangzhou.

Bat-Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL) finished seventh at the World Championships but will look to make his mark at the Asian Games. For Korea, Gwanuk KIM (KOR) won a bronze medal in 2014 but missed out in 2018.

World champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) is the favorite to win gold at 125kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Yazdani and Goleij are not the only members of Iran’s World Championships team on this trip. World champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI), Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) and Yones EMAMI (IRI) are also on the team as Iran looks to improve the gold medal bout. 57kg will be represented by Ebrahim KHARI (IRI) who defeated Alireza SARLAK (IRI) in a domestic trial to win the spot.

He will be high on confidence after he reclaimed the world title he lost to Taha AKGUL (TUR) in Belgrade. He will need it as he faces a few big names to win his first Asian Games gold medal.

2022 world silver medalist Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) will be Zare’s biggest hurdle in Hangzhou. Munkhtur won the Asian Championships in April, a competition Zare skipped, to earn his first-ever Asian gold. If Zare needs to beat the big Mongolian, his underhook and active wrestling will be key as it will test Munkhtur’s conditioning.

Another test for Zare will be Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) who was a takedown away from beating him at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup in June 2022. He can trouble the Iranian again due to his strong gut-wrench which Zare can avoid by building an early lead.

37-year-old Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) returned to the mat in June after the Tokyo Olympics and reached the 1/16 finals at the World Championships. He will be at the Asian Games as a medal threat but will have to manage the younger wrestler who will beat him by fitness.

A consistent performer at the age levels, Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB) has not been able to replicate that success at the senior. He will return to the mat after four months and can upset a few stars if he is at the top of his game. Sumit MALIK (IND) will hope to improve on his fifth-place finish from the 2018 edition and win his first Asian Games medal.

Bekzod ABDURAKHAMONOV (UZB) Bekzod ABDURRAKHOMOV (UZB) is the defending champion at 74kg. (Photo: UWW / Assem Shalgumbayeva)

At 74kg, both Emami and Bekzod ABDURAKHAMOV (UZB) will be disappointed to not win a medal or an Olympic qualification at the World Championships for Iran and Uzbekistan respectively. Both lost to eventual world champion Zaurbek SIDAKOV (AIN) and in repechage, Abdurkhamanov lost to Avantdil KENTCHADZE (GEO) in the repechage while Emami suffered a close loss to Hetik CABOLOV (SRB).

But at the Asian Games, Abdurakhamonov comes in as the defending champion. He won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and unsuccessfully tried switching to 86kg before moving back to 74kg as the Olympics near. His experience will be useful to beat the likes of Emami, a world bronze medalist from 2022.

The Iranian will back himself to beat Abdurakhamonov but it will be a close battle as the Uzbek is known for his strong defense as well.

Asian champion at 74kg, Darkhan YESSENGALI (KAZ) will look to spoil the party for both Emami and Abdurakhamonov. He will spearhead Kazakhstan's challenge to win the gold medal and end the drought.

Kirin KINOSHITA (JPN) was second to Yessengali at the Asian Championships and will be a big medal threat. Orozbek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ), who has a few senior-level medals at 70kg, is moving up to 74kg for the Asian Games.

Returning bronze medalist Byunmin GONG (KOR) will have the responsibility of winning another medal for Korea. He lost to Kinoshita at the Asian Championships and later to Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL). But Mongolia has decided to send 2021 Asian bronze medalist Sumiyabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) to Hangzhou.

Another defending champion coming to Hangzhou is Bajrang PUNIA at 65kg. The five-time world and Olympic medalist is returning to the mat after a year of absence. He has not competed since winning the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships.

Punia will have to go through a minefield if he wants to defend his title from Jakarta. 2022 world champion Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) will be at his first Asian Games and will start as the favorite being a two-time Asian champion. Joining Amouzad is Tulga TUMUR-OCHIR (MGL) who has improved considerably since finishing fifth at the 2019 World Championships.

Both Tumur Ochir and Amouzad are beasts with their underhooks and have managed to beat a few of the best wrestlers in the world with Amouzad beating Punia in the 2022 Asian final and then repeating as champion in 2023 defeating Tumur Ochir.

But Punia and Tumur Ochir can take confidence from the fact that Amouzad failed to win a medal at this World Championships and finished fifth. His conditioning for a six-minute bout appeared weaker than in previous years.

Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB) is replacing Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) from the initial squad after the latter got injured during the World Championships. Rakhmonov stunned Punia last year by beating the Indian in the final second of their Ranking Series bout.

U20 Asian champion Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK), a recent transfer, is a big medal threat. He finished third at the Bishkek Ranking Series after losing to Tumur Ochir 4-0. 2019 U20 world champion Kaiki YAMAGUCHI (JPN) and 2021 world bronze medalist Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ) are also entered.

AMAN (IND) was the 57kg champion at the Asian Championships. (Photo: UWW / Assem Shalgumbayeva)

The 57kg weight class will see Asian champion AMAN hoping to repeat the golden performance in the Games. While he will be the favorite, Iran is sending Khari, Toshiro HASEGAWA (JPN) is a bronze medalist from 2021 Worlds at 61kg while China has Tokyo Olympian Minghu LIU (CHN), also a multiple-time Asian medalist, Kazakhstan is going with Asian bronze medalist Rakhat KALZHAN (KAZ) while Kyrgyzstan has young star Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ).

Aman is trying to fill the shoes of Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Ravi KUMAR who has been sidelined for more than a year due to injuries. He is currently under rehabilitation for an ACL injury.

India's first-ever U23 world champion Aman had a golden run at the Asian Championships, beating Rikuto ARAI (JPN), Wanhao ZOU (CHN) and Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ). But the Games come with different pressures.

Former U23 world champion Hasegawa, who pinned Kumar to win that gold in 2018, will look to finally get a big medal at the senior level and the Asian Games could be his chance. A technically gifted wrestler, Hasegawa has not been able to find a firm footing at 57kg, mainly due to the weight cut.

If he wins the gold, it will not only be special for Hasegawa but for Japan as well. Japan has not had a Freestyle gold medal in the last two editions of the Asian Games. In fact, London Olympic champion Tatsuhiro YONEMITSU (JPN) is the only Freestyle wrestler from Japan to win gold since the 1994 edition. In the last 28 years, apart from Yonesmitsu, Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) is the only wrestler to reach the final. He lost to Punia in the 65kg final in 2018.

Liu was at the 2018 Asian Games and finished fifth. So he will be hoping to win a medal at the home Games and has all the class to do so as well.

Kawai makes stunning move to 68kg in bid for Olympic repeat

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Asian Games Freestyle Preview: Tazhudinov, Yazdani in star-studded field