#JapanWrestling

Kinjo earns shot at 4th world title, but it won't be part of sister act

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (May 26) -- It may not be Paris, but given what it took for Risako KINJO to get there, the Albanian capital of Tirana will do just fine.

Already denied a chance at winning a third Olympic gold medal, Kinjo created her own chance for some consolation by earning a shot at a fourth career world title by qualifying for Japan's team to this fall's Non-Olympic Weight Class World Championships.

The only downside for Kinjo is that younger sister Yukako TSUNEMURA won't be accompanying her as a competitor, meaning there would be no repeat of their sibling double at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics where they won golds together under their maiden name of KAWAI.

Kinjo needed a dramatic, last-second victory in a playoff over 18-year-old Sakura ONISHI to secure a ticket at women's 59kg to the non-Olympic worlds to be held October 28-31 in Tirana.

jpnRisako KINJO celebrates her victory in the 59kg playoff over teenager Sakura ONISHI. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

That win avenged a loss earlier in the day to 2023 world U17 champion Onishi during the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships -- the second of two domestic qualifiers for Tirana held May 23-26 in Tokyo -- to set up the playoff.

"My desire to go to the World Championships was so strong," Kinjo said. "If I didn't do it, I would be regretting it for the next year. It was a desperate situation."

Tsunemura, whose marriage on New Year's Day got off to an ominous start when a devastating earthquake struck her home prefecture hours later, saw her bid at 65kg end with a quarterfinal loss to Miwa MORIKAWA, who went on to win the title and a playoff to get the chance to regain the world gold she won in 2022.

Japan will also have strong representation in the two other women's weight classes, with newly crowned Asian champion Moe KIYOOKA at 55kg and 2022 world 68kg silver medalist Ami ISHII at 72kg -- teammates at Ikuei University -- also making it through the playoff route.

The former Kawai sisters have been through hard times since their dual triumph in Tokyo, where Risako captured the 57kg gold and Yukako triumphed at 62kg.

Both took time off after the Olympics, with Risako getting married, then giving birth to a daughter in May 2022. By the time both returned to the mat, formidable newcomers had emerged in the race to the Paris Olympics.

Both fell in the qualifying process -- Kinjo to world 57kg champion Tsugumi SAKURAI and Tsunemura to world 62kg bronze medalist Sakura MOTOKI (notably also Ikuei wrestlers). Tsunemura also made a long-shot attempt at 68kg, but came up short there as well.

"After the Tokyo Olympics, I couldn't win for awhile," Kinjo said. "It made me realize just what a big deal it is to win at the Olympics."

After giving birth, Kinjo returned to the mat in late 2022 at 59kg in preparation for a run to Paris at 57kg. She won the title at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships that year, but her bid for Paris ended at the 2023 Meiji Cup. She also lost a playoff at 59kg for the 2023 World Championships.

In December last year, Kinjo retained her 59kg title at the Emperor's Cup, which earned her a ticket to the Asian Championships last April in Bishkek. She would take home a bronze after being dealt a tough 1-1 loss by world champion Qi ZHANG (CHN) in a quarterfinal limited to activity points.

As Emperor's Cup champion, Kinjo would have automatically clinched a place on the team to the non-Olympic worlds with a victory at the Meiji Cup. But Kinjo was dealt an 8-4 loss in the semifinals by Onishi, in which she gave up a 4-point front body lock throw. When Onishi won the title, it set up a rematch in the playoff.

Kinjo was emboldened by recalling the grueling qualifying process that she went through to get to the Tokyo Olympics when she had to endure classic battles with four-time Olympic champion Kaori ICHO to earn the spot.

"Before the playoff, I thought, 'The qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics was a hundred times tougher. To have gone through that, nothing seems difficult."

jpn2Risako KINJO fights off a takedown attempt by Sakura ONISHI in the 59kg playoff. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Onishi, currently a freshman at Nippon Sports Science University where Icho is among her coaches, made it as hard as she could, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first period with a pair of takedowns, the second off a nice ankle pick, and a penalty point for an illegal knee hold.

Onishi added a stepout to start the second period before Kinjo finally made her presence known, going behind for a takedown and adding a 2-point exposure to cut the lead to 6-4. From there, experience kicked in for the 29-year-old who captured back-to-back golds at the 2016 Rio and 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

"With a minute left, I thought that even if I was the aggressor, it would be to my disadvantage against an opponent who is a student and very lively," Kinjo said. "When 30 seconds, 20 seconds left, I put it all on the line for going to the World Championships."

With :15 on the clock, Kinjo got in on a single and managed to lift up the leg and expose Onishi's back with 8 seconds left, putting her ahead 6-6 on criteria. But Onishi squirmed back to her feet and with a mighty charge, went for a double-leg takedown that forced Kinjo out just as time expired. The referee gave her 1 for a stepout, but after an agonizing wait for the challenge review, it was nullified as Kinjo's foot was just centimeters from the edge when the clock hit all zeroes.

"I didn't have a strategy," Kinjo said. "Having wrestled for over 20 years, at my age, more than what move should I use, or how should I attack, the most important thing is being mentally ready."

jpn3Miwa MORIKAWA, right, keeps the pressure on Yukako TSUNEMURA in the 65kg playoff. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Two days earlier, her sister pulled off a similar miracle to start her bid at 65kg, but couldn't make the magic last.

Tsunemura avenged a loss at the Emperor's Cup to Miyu YOSHIKAWA when, like Kinjo, she scored an exposure off a single leg in the final seconds for a 5-4 victory, after having given up a go-ahead takedown with :45 remaining.

But Tsumemura said she heard her knee pop in the match, and the subsequent pain hampered her in a 5-1 quarterfinal loss to Morikawa, who scored three stepouts in the first period and stopped a late front headlock roll attempt for a 2-point exposure. Morikawa went on to win the title, then defeated Emperor's Cup and Asian champion Mahiro YOSHITAKE 8-0 in the world playoff.

"Of course I wanted to go the World Championships, but this tournament was more about erasing the disappointing memories from the last year," Tsunemura said.

New Year of celebration, calamity

Like families throughout Japan, the Kawai clan had gathered for the New Year's holidays at the family home in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on the snowy northern coast of Japan.

On January 1, Yukako and mixed martial arts fighter Toshinori TSUNEMURA went to the municipal office in the nearby city of Tsubata and registered their marriage.

Four hours later, the ground began to shake violently.

The major earthquake that measured 7 on the Japanese intensity scale left over 200 dead and caused massive damage to homes, buildings and infrastructure, exacerbated by a tsunami and fires. Even now, thousands remain in temporary shelters.

"I'm not going to be so flippant as to say to people, 'I'm fighting hard, so please keep fighting,'" Kinjo said. "Their hardship is completely different. Many homes were destroyed and they can't go back. Someone near us had just finished construction of their house and it was damaged.

"But if [my winning] can give them some good news and it warms their hearts even a little, that would be good."

Tsunemura also was hoping to boost the spirits of her hometown.

"The big earthquake hit in January, but there are many people who suffered much more than me," she said. "Even if I lose, I think there are people who are heartened by seeing me give my best."

The sisters, who both went to then-powerhouse Shigakkan University in central Japan, currently reside in Tokyo. They train at Nihon University, where they are taking online graduate school classes.

Tsunemura said that in her studies of sports psychology, she uses her own notes on her mindset that she kept up to and during the Tokyo Olympics. She also said the program is giving her a broader outlook on life.

"Of course, I credit Shigakkan for making me strong in wrestling," she said. "But the daily schedule at Nihon University allows me to grow as a person. It has widened my view of the world.

"Wrestling is only something you can do when you're young, and the day is going to come when you call it quits. Your life after retirement will be longer. With that in mind, it makes me think that little by little I have to start looking ahead."

For now, the question of when -- or if  -- she will return to competition remains unanswered.

"I don't know when I will enter a tournament," Tsunemura said. "After the Olympics, I had come to despise wrestling, but I really like it. I don't intend to stop any time soon. I will let the injury heal and get back to practice, and if I want to compete again, I'll do it. I don't know whether I will have a match again, but I still like wrestling."

Kinjo, of course, has her dance card filled for October, when she will attempt to win her first world title since winning three straight from 2017 to 2019. (She also has a silver from 2015.)

Her appearance at the Asian Championships in April marked her first international match since the Tokyo Olympics, and as fate would have it, she was paired with China's Zhang right off the bat. The closeness of the loss reassured her that she could still be competitive.

"In the first round, I met the world champion from last year," Kinjo said. "Even though I lost, it was my first international tournament in three years since the Olympics, and it may be rude to say it, but I think it went better than expected. It made me think that I can still do it."

In hindsight, the defeat may have been a blessing in disguise, which was reinforced by her mother Hatsue, a member of Japan's team at the 1989 World Championships.

"Truthfully, if I had won the Asian title, it would have been a good way to go out. But I lost. I talked it over with my mother, and she said, 'You're going to keep going, right?' I felt that way, too."

Japan Wrestling Federation President Hideaki TOMIYAMA, a gold medalist at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, surmises that while motherhood may be an added burden for Kinjo, it is indirectly keeping her in the sport.

"It's likely that she wants her child to be able to see her mother during her career," Tomiyama said. "The Olympics was before she was born. Probably she wants to give the child something to remember. She can see with her own eyes and remember 'Mama was strong.' I think that's what keeps her going."

From the federation's perspective, having a past Olympic champion remain active is always a positive thing.

"Of course, her [making the national team] draws the attention for wrestling from the mass media," Tomiyama said. "Wrestling doesn't usually make the news. Becoming a topic of conversation is important. We're really happy to see her fighting on, and it will help in the spread of wrestling."

jpn4Moe KIYOOKA, right, works for a takedown in the 55kg playoff against world champion Haruna MURAYAMA. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Kiyooka inspired by Paris-bound brother

Like Kinjo, Kiyooka went into the tournament as the Emperor's Cup champion, only to lose her opening match -- also to a high schooler -- and have her fate decided in a playoff. One big difference was the level of her opponent.

Having bounced back from an 11-9 loss to 17-year-old Sowaka UCHIDA, Kiyooka proceeded to defeat reigning world champion Haruna MURAYAMA (nee OKUNO) 3-2 in the playoff, thanks to a second-period takedown.

Kiyooka's win over Murayama was a repeat of the Emperor's Cup final in December and allowed her to join Ikuei teammate Ishii on the plane to Tirana.

In Albania, Kiyooka will get a chance to join the small group of wrestlers who have won world titles on all four age levels. She won the U17 gold in 2019, and then captured both the U20 and U23 titles in 2022.

Kiyooka, a winner at the Zagreb Open in 2023, made her major senior debut at the Asian Championships, where her gold-medal performance came a week before brother Kotaro won the Asian Olympic qualifier at freestyle 65kg at the same venue in Bishkek.

"Recently, my brother's accomplishments have been a source of inspiration for me," Kiyooka said. "I believe that if I keep fighting to the end, I know I can definitely win."

Ishii was coming off a heartbreaking, last-second playoff loss in January to Nonoka OZAKI for the 68kg spot in Paris -- which she herself had won for Japan by placing fifth at the 2023 World Championships.

Ishii swept to the Meiji Cup gold at 72kg with a 10-0 victory in the final over former world champion Masako FURUICHI. That gave her the ticket to Tirana as there was no playoff because Emperor's Cup champion Ayano MORO did not enter.

jon4High schooler Taizo YOSHIDA, top, tries to turn Yuji OKAJIMA in the Greco 82kg final of the Meiji Cup. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Most noteworthy in the men's styles was the victory at Greco 82kg by 18-year-old Taizo YOSHIDA, who followed up his historic gold-medal run at the Asian Championships by becoming just the third male high school champion in Meiji Cup history.

One year removed from winning the world U17 gold, Yoshida defeated three-time former champion Yuji OKAJIMA 8-0 in the final, then earned the place at the non-Olympic worlds when Hayato TAKAOKA -- who beat Yoshida in the Emperor's Cup final -- defaulted the playoff.

Yoshida will be 18 years and 10 months old when the non-Olympic worlds starts, making it possible for him to eclipse Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Takuto OTOGURO as Japan's youngest-ever male world champion. Otoguro was 19 years and 10 months old when he won the freestyle 65kg gold in 2018.

"At the World Championships, I will give everything I have and aim for a medal," said Yoshida, who will precede that by also appearing at the world U20 in September. "I will be a senior in college at the time of the Los Angeles Olympics. I feel like the fight has just begun."

Three Asian medalists in freestyle also made the cut -- Masanosuke ONO, a bronze medalist at 65kg, earned the spot at 61kg; Yoshinosuke AOYAGI will go at 70kg, where he was the silver medalist in Bishkek; and 74kg champion Kota TAKAHASHI will aim to strike gold at 79kg.

Takahashi will be heading to Tirana early, as he will also compete at 74kg at the world U23 to be held there the previous week.

#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.