#JapanWrestling

Otoguro, Susaki avoid carnage to secure tickets to Belgrade

Sunday, June 18, 2023 - 16:31 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO (June 18) -- Japanese stars Takuto OTOGURO and Yui SUSAKI managed to avoid the carnage that all but knocked their fellow Tokyo Olympic champions out of the running for a repeat in Paris.

Otoguro overcame a severe right foot injury to take the freestyle 65kg title, and Susaki withstood a late flurry to triumph at women's 50kg at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships on Sunday, the final day of the four-day tournament at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym.

With their victories, both Otoguro and Susaki clinched places on Japan's team to this year's World Championships in Belgrade, where they will have their first chance to secure a place at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning a medal.

"I knew that leading up to the Olympics the matches would be tough, so I'm happy that I was able to win them one by one," said Otoguro, who defeated Ryoma ANRAKU 9-0 in a match that was far closer than the score indicates.

The Meiji Cup was the second of Japan's domestic qualifiers for the Belgrade worlds, combined with the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships held last December. A victory at both in an Olympic weight class assures a ticket to Belgrade; if the champions are different, the two will face each other in a playoff on July 1.

Both Otoguro and Susaki repeated victories in the Emperor's Cup finals against the same opponents on Sunday.

Takuto OTOGURO (JPN)Takuto OTOGURO defeated Ryoma ANRAKU 9-0 in the 65kg final. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Otoguro, who had been unable to walk off the mat under his own power after his semifinal win on Saturday, had considered defaulting to Anraku and letting the world team spot come down to a playoff but opted to go for it upon consultation with his coaches.

"Talking it over with my coaches, they said it would be a good experience to win amid such adversity, and instead of a playoff, we should get it done now," said Otoguro, who would not reveal details of the injury, only to say it was "serious."

Otoguro, seemingly hesitant to attack, scored the bulk of his points with defensive counter moves in the final minute of the match, in which he had been given a 2-0 lead with a pair of activity points.

Otoguro was himself on the clock when Anraku got in deep on a single leg, but Otoguro perfectly timed a counter-lift for 2, then went back the other way for 2 more. An unsuccessful challenge added a point, then Otoguro got a takedown in the final seconds off a desperation shot by Anraku.

"There wasn't anything particularly bad, but I'm not really satisfied," Otoguro said of his performance. "The good things were few."

Since winning the gold at Makuhari Messe in 2021, Otoguro's lone competition was at the Emperor's Cup, which he won with a 4-0 victory over Anraku.

A 2022 world U23 bronze medalist, Anraku won a bronze at this year's Asian Championships in Astana that Otoguro had planned to enter, but pulled out after suffering his foot injury at a training camp in January.

Otoguro's main focus over the next three months is to prepare for Belgrade, where he will aim to secure his ticket to Paris by regaining the title he won in 2018, which made him at 19 years 10 months Japan's youngest-ever male world champion.

The Japan Wrestling Federation has decreed that any wrestler winning a medal in an Olympic weight class in Belgrade will automatically fill the spot themselves at the Paris Olympics, without going through any further qualifying process.

"First of all, I have to get healthy, then at the World Championships gain the Olympic spot, then aim for the gold in Paris," said the 26-year-old Otoguro.

Yui SUSAKIYui SUSAKI managed to roll over Remina YOSHIMOTO from here to score the winning points in the 50kg final. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Susaki secured her ticket back to Belgrade, where she won a third career world title last year, with a 4-3 victory over rival Remina YOSHIMOTO that wasn't decided until a challenge sorted out the points from a flurry in the final seconds.

"This was a tournament for contending for [places at] the World Championships and subsequently Paris, and I came into it determined to win," Susaki said. "The final did not go very well, but I was able to win and get to the World Championships, so it was good that I cleared that task."

Like Otoguro, Susaki had received an activity point in each period before being put on the activity clock, although the time ran out on her, leaving her with a 2-1 lead.

With 20 seconds left, Yoshimoto got in on a single leg, which Susaki defended by slipping the side and reaching over for the far leg, attempting a counter lift. Yoshimoto went with the lift and charged over the top, putting Susaki onto her back with :06 on the clock. But in the final one second, Susaki managed to finish off the roll.

The original call was 2 for Susaki; the challenge awarded 2 to each wrestler, still leaving Yoshimoto on the short end and giving Susaki her sixth win in six career meetings between the two.

"I knew she would do her homework on me," Susaki said of Yoshimoto, who won the 2021 world gold while Susaki was on a post-Olympic hiatus. "In the final, she got in on a tackle and my response was not enough and made things difficult for me.

"I have to practice to be able to take advantage of opportunities that come my way."

Like Otoguro, Susaki had a health issue on Saturday, when she suddenly cut short her post-match press conference after one question without disclosing the reason. "I'm sorry, I wasn't feeling well," she said, adding that it had no effect on her performance on Sunday.

The Japanese women in particular realize the importance of getting to this year's World Championships, as there is a high likelihood that those who go to Belgrade in the Olympic weights will win a medal, meaning there will be no future chances for others.

At the 2019 World Championships, Japan's women medaled in four of the six Olympic divisions, and Susaki knows personally the anxiety of leaving one's fate in other hands.

Susaki ended up at the Tokyo Olympics only because Yuki IRIE shockingly failed to medal at 50kg in Nur-Sultan, and Susaki took full advantage of the second chance. She doesn't plan to let her chance slip away in Belgrade.

"I didn't get to the Tokyo Olympics solely on my own power," Susaki said. "For Paris, I want to control my own fate and get there and win the gold."

Waiting in the wings for another chance -- however slim -- will be Tokyo Olympic gold medalists Mayu SHIDOCHI (formerly MUKAIDA), Risako KINJO (formerly KAWAI) and Yukako KAWAI.

All three suffered losses over the four-day tournament to eliminate them from contention for places on the world team, meaning their only hopes for Paris lie in the representative in Belgrade failing to make the podium.

And even after that, they would have to earn a place on Japan's team for the Asian or world Olympic qualifiers in 2024, most likely with victories at this year's Emperor's Cup, no small task in itself.

Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)Tsugumi SAKURAI scores a takedown against Sae NANJO in the 57kg final. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Sakurai upends Nanjo

For the third time in four matches between the two, world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI pulled off a last-second victory over world U23 champion Sae NANJO, giving her the women's 57kg title and setting up another clash in the July 1 playoff.

"The result was a victory, but I was nervous and I wasn't able to put into practice what I've done in training," said Sakurai, who ousted Kinjo in the semifinals on Saturday. "If I go on like this, two weeks from now, I will lose again. First, I have to reflect on today's match."

Sakurai was awarded a takedown with less than a second left on the clock, and the call was upheld on a challenge for a 5-2 victory over the Emperor's Cup champion.

Sakurai had opened the match with a go-behind takedown, to which Nanjo responded with a single-leg takedown to lead 2-2 on criteria going into the second period.

With a half-minute left, Sakurai got in on a single leg, and fought to get behind as Nanjo kept a firm clamp on Sakurai's right arm as the seconds ticked off. With the clock at 0.48, the referee was finally convinced and gave Sakurai the 2, and the challenge confirmed the points.

"I was running out of steam," Sakurai said. "There was a time when I was injured and couldn't train. But I knew that if I didn't do something, I would lose. I knew if I lost here, I wouldn't go to the Olympics. It would be a loss that I would always regret."

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 had avenged last-second losses to Sakurai at both the 2021 Emperor’s Cup and last year's Meiji Cup.

Maito KAWANAMaito KAWANA scored thrilling 5-4 win to win the Grec-Roman 60kg gold medal at the Meiji Cup. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

In the other Olympic weight class up for grabs, Asian bronze medalist Maito KAWANA won a 5-4 thriller in the Greco 60kg final over Kaito INABA, earning him a place in a playoff against Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Kenichiro FUMITA.

Kawana, who was trailing 4-4 on criteria, forced a stepout with :36 left to secure the victory and set up a rematch of his 6-0 loss to Fumita in the Emperor's Cup final.

Fumita, the 2017 and 2019 world champion, withdrew from the tournament due to a torn hamstring suffered in practice. He wrote on Twitter that he would do his utmost to recover in time for the playoff.

At freestyle 61kg, Rin SAKAMOTO of Tokyo's Jiyugaoka Gakuen High School defeated collegian Hayato FUJITA 6-2 in the final, making him just the second high schooler in the history of the Meiji Cup to win a freestyle title since the tournament was started in 1997.

Day 3 Results

Freestyle

61kg (14 entries)
GOLD - Rin SAKAMOTO df. Hayato FUJITA, 6-2

BRONZE - Kaito MORITA df. Takumi YOSHIMURA, 7-2
BRONZE - Kosei IDE df. Fuga SASAKI, 5-2

Semifinal - Rin SAKAMOTO df. Kaito MORITA, 9-4
Semifinal - Hayato FUJITA df. Fuga SASAKI by TF, 14-4, 3:19

65kg (9 entries)
GOLD - Takuto OTOGURO df. Ryoma ANRAKU, 9-0

BRONZE - Kaiki YAMAGUCHI df. Kaiji OGINO, 6-0
BRONZE - Kaito MORIKAWA df. Makoto HOSOKAWA, 10-2

Greco-Roman

60kg (11 entries)
GOLD - Maito KAWANA df. Kaito INABA, 5-4

BRONZE - Yu SHIOTANI df. Ayata SUZUKI by Def.
BRONZE - Kosei TAKESHITA df. Koto GOMI by TF, 9-0, 2:12

72kg (11 entries)
GOLD - Shingo HARADA df. Yuga KASUGAI by TF, 10-0, 2:00

BRONZE - Hajime KIKUTA df. Seiya TERADA by TF, 11-0, :55
BRONZE - Tomohiro INOUE df. Takahiro YAMAMOTO, 5-1

Semifinal - Yuga KASUGAI df. Hajime KIKUTA, 10-6
Semifinal - Shingo HARADA df. Tomohiro INOUE, 5-3

Women

50kg (13 entries)
GOLD - Yui SUSAKI df. Remina YOSHIMOTO, 4-3

BRONZE - Umi ITO df. Riko KASAI by TF, 10-0, 4:53
BRONZE - Miyu NAKAMURA df. Miu OBATA, 8-3

57kg (13 entries)
GOLD - Tsugumi SAKURAI df. Sae NANJO, 5-2

BRONZE - Umi IMAI df. Hana KIKUTA by TF, 11-0, 3:57
BRONZE - Sara NATAMI df. Risako KINJO by Def.

#JapanWrestling

Two-time Olympic champ formerly known as Kawai returns in triumph

Sunday, October 16, 2022 - 21:25 By Ken Marantz

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YAIZU, JAPAN (October 16) -- As Risako KINJO stood on the top of the medal podium, a warm smile came across her face. It was not for the victory in her return to the mat after 14 months, but for that other part of her life that had kept her to stay away so willingly.

She had caught sight of her mother in the stands across the gym, holding Kinjo's 5-month-old daughter in her arms and waving the infant's hand in her direction.

"There have been so many people supporting me, and that's what allowed me to take the mat today," she said.

To the rest of the wrestling world, she is still known by her maiden name KAWAI, under which she won a second straight Olympic title by capturing the women's 57kg gold at the Tokyo Games in August 2021.

Much had changed in her life since that triumph at Makuhari Messe arena, her name notwithstanding through the marriage to former wrestler Kiryu KINJO. But as the three-time world champion showed on Sunday, her desire and talent for the sport have not altered in the slightest.

Kinjo returned to competition by cruising to the 59kg senior title at the Japan Women's Open, winning three matches without surrendering a point in Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, about 200 kilometers southwest of Tokyo.

"There's a feeling of relief, but also I wish I had a few more matches," said the 27-year-old Kinjo, who capped her golden run with a 9-0 victory in the final over national collegiate silver medalist Miyu NAKANISHI. "It felt like the three matches were over before I knew it."

Kinjo said she had butterflies in her stomach at the start, but actually welcomed that feeling as in reminded her of old times.

"I was really nervous before my first match," she said. "After that there wasn't much time between matches. But it's like there was something nostalgic about the nervousness. After it was over, looking back I thought, 'That was fun.'"

JPN
Risako KINJO gets 2 with a counter-lift in the 59kg final against Miyu NAKANISHI (photo by Japan Wrestling Federation)

Kinjo, who had a bye into the quarterfinals, opened with a victory by fall in 51 seconds over Mizuki NAKAHORI. Kinjo did not have to attack, as she spun behind off a Nakahori shot, executed a pair of gut wrenches, then used a leg lock and reverse half-nelson for the fall.

In her semifinal match against Himeka HASEGAWA, Kinjo maintained her defensive wall and scored two go-behind takedowns, then scored another with a snap down. From there, a pair of gut wrenches ended the match 10-0 at 1:23.

In the final against a defensive-minded Nakanishi, Kinjo took a 3-0 lead into the second period from an activity point and a back-door takedown off a single--off her first shot of the day. But in the second period, Kinjo effectively moved Nakanishi around to set up a low sweeping single, then a shrug-and-go-behind. She added a counter-lift for 2 to make it 9-0.

Kinjo's coach Ryo KANEHAMA was impressed with the performance, given the uncertainty going into the tournament.

"That she first of all could get so mentally prepared was really big," he said. "She also showed speed. What we were most fearful of was going the full six minutes, but she was able to keep moving like that. Looking at how she started in the morning, she looked in really good shape."

For Kinjo, the most unfamiliar moment came when her married name was used in the pre-match announcement for the first time.

"When I saw 'Kinjo' on the scoreboard, I was like, 'Oh, right,'" she said. "This is the first tournament that I entered as Kinjo, and I feel honored to have it on the certificate that I received."

The couple announced they had tied the knot on Aug. 27, 2021, and Kinjo gave birth to a baby girl in May this year. She said she started working out again at the end of June, and practiced on the mat the following month. As can be imagined, it was not easy.

"At first, I couldn't even do calistenics on the mat, or a high bridge," she said. "Parts of my body were really stiff. My legs couldn't react to where my eyes were looking. I thought, this is how much it changes after being away 10 months. It was like watching someone else."

Kinjo eventually got back to speed, realizing that the additional burden of raising a child meant changing her approach to training from quantity to quality.

"I have a child and she is the No. 1 priority," Kinjo said. "The amount of practice has been reduced. Before, my time was all mine; now more time is spent on the child. I don't know how much less I'm doing, but to me, it's of a better quality."

Living with her husband in Fukui Prefecture in western Japan, where he is coach at Tsuruga Kehi High School, presents a challenge for Kawai. She takes advantage of every opportunity for a practice spot--sometimes it's with the high schoolers, other times she might head to Tokyo or Aichi Prefecture to train with younger sister Yukako, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist at 62kg.

Everywhere she goes, she is fortunate to have someone to help out with the baby. In Fukui, Tsuruga has a kids club and sometimes the mother of one of the team members will look after the child. In Tokyo, she knows she can always leave her with her mother, Hatsue, a national team member during her career who almost unfailingly attends all of her daughters' matches.

That support system has allowed Kinjo to join the ever-growing number of Japanese female athletes who are continuing careers after childbirth, which only a few decades ago would have been unheard of. Most noticeable was Ryoko TANI, who won a fourth Olympic medal in judo after giving birth.

JPN
Risako KINJO, center, smiles on the medal podium. (photo by Japan Wrestling Federation)

Kinjo became the latest high-profile wrestler to use the Japan Women's Open as the first stepping stone in a return to the sport. It is actually a second-tier tournament with age groups that for senior wrestlers, is a last-chance event to qualify for the All-Japan Championships in December. Kinjo's only previous appearance was in the junior high school division in 2008.

Previously, 2016 Olympic champion Eri TOSAKA appeared at the 2017 tournament as her first competition after undergoing foot surgery, and the legendary Kaori ICHO competed in 2018, having taken two years off after Rio 2016 in a bid for a fifth Olympic gold that would eventually be thwarted by Kinjo.

The question now is, what will Kinjo do from here? The All-Japan in December marks the start of the qualifying process for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is squarely on Kinjo's radar. It is possible for her to enter at 59kg and later drop down to the Olympic weight of 57kg, or she can go down to the latter now. "It's a secret," she said mischievously.

Of course, whether she does it in December or later, Kinjo will almost surely eventually clash heads with rising star Tsugumi SAKURAI, who won the 57kg world title in Kinjo's absence.

Kinjo takes an esoteric stance when it comes to the emergence of the 21-year-old Sakurai, who also won the 55kg world title in 2021.

"I think it is a good thing for Japan that young wrestlers are being cultivated," Kinjo said. "I don't mean that it would be good for me to lose to them. But for the ones coming up after me, the future is bright. While I keep battling on, the young ones get stronger. They are all rivals, but I think that their getting stronger is a good situation."

JPN1
Yukako KAWAI talks to the media after withdrawing just before her opening match. (photo by Japan Wrestling Federation)

Younger sister defaults after injury during warm-up

Meanwhile, younger sister Yukako KAWAI was also entered in the tournament, but defaulted her opening match at 62kg after hurting her back while warming up.

"It's not such a serious injury, but we thought it was better to be cautious and not risk making it worse," Kawai said.

Unlike Risako, Kawai has already faced a domestic usurper to her throne, and lost it. In her first tournament after winning the Tokyo Olympic gold, she returned at the All-Japan Invitational Championships last June, but lost in the final to another rising star, Nonoka OZAKI.

Ozaki went on to win the senior world title in Belgrade last month, establishing herself as the one to beat in the race to Paris 2024.

"I've been working to fix the mistakes I make in the June match, and this Women's Open was supposed to be a test of how far I have come," Kawai said. "I think I'm rounding into shape."

Kawai said she finds motivation in Ozaki's world title run.

"I thought she would win the championship," she said. "By winning the title, I think it shows that our domestic matches are the highest level matches in the world. That's motivating me."

Another top wrestler who made the trip to Yaizu was world silver medalist Ami ISHII, who won the 68kg title by beating Kokona TAKADA by fall at the first-period buzzer.

"The reason I entered this tournament, to put it plainly, was to check my technique," she said. "Also, my pre-match preparation has not been good and I wanted to work on that."

In December, Ishii can expect to see a great deal of shifting into the Olympic weight class, with her most notable competition likely to be current 65kg world champion Miwa MORIKAWA.

"If I do what I need to do, the confidence will come," Ishii said. "We'll see how much I can progress in the next two months. If I do everything I need to, it will be like insurance, and winning won't be out of the question."