Meiji Cup

Ozaki gets best of Kawai in 62kg showdown; Susaki, Shidochi prevail

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (June 19) -- Five of Japan's seven Olympic medalists took the mat on Sunday for the first time since the Tokyo Games, with the goal of securing a place on the team to this year's World Championships. One will not be going to Belgrade.

World bronze medalist Nonoka OZAKI knocked off Tokyo Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI in the women's 62kg final at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, scraping out a tense 3-1 victory in the first-ever meeting between the two.

While Kawai went down to defeat, fellow Olympic gold medalists Yui SUSAKI and Mayu SHIDOCHI (formerly MUKAIDA) earned chances to add to their world gold collections by capturing the tournament titles and then winning subsequent playoffs for the world team spots at 50kg and 55kg, respectively.

Susaki's victories came at the expense of reigning world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO, whom she beat 4-2 in the final and then 8-0 in the playoff.

The four-day tournament at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym was the second of Japan's two qualifiers for this year's World Championships in September in Belgrade, in conjunction with last December's Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships. Winners of both tournaments receive automatic tickets to Serbia; when the winners were different, a playoff was held for the spot.

As none of the Olympic medalists competed at the Emperor's Cup, their path to the World Championships had to pass through a playoff, except in cases in which the Emperor's Cup winner did not enter the Meiji Cup due to injury.

Nonoka OZAKINonoka OZAKI (blue) battles Yukako KAWAI in the women's 62kg final. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

The 19-year-old Ozaki had won the Emperor's Cup, and avoided a playoff by beating Kawai in a match that featured a lot of tension but few attacks, and came down to a challenged call in the final seconds.

Kawai received an activity point in the first period, but Ozaki went ahead when she received two in the second. Kawai, trying to budge Ozaki with a front arm-and-head lock combo, launched a sudden forward surge in the last five seconds that forced Ozaki backwards in a way that may have exposed her back. But the referee awarded no points, and a challenge by the Kawai side was lost to make the final score 3-1.

"I wanted to score technical points," Ozaki said. "I thought before the match, 'What do I have to do to win?' Even if I didn't score with a tackle, I had to show I was making the effort to attack. When it became one caution each, I thought I would definitely win in the end."

Ozaki was coming off a confidence-building gold-medal run at the Asian Championships in April in Mongolia, where she defeated world champion and longtime Kawai nemesis Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) in the final. That avenged a first-round loss to Tynybekova at last year's World Championships in Oslo.

But for Ozaki and the rest of the Japanese contingent, this year's World Championships is just a way station en route to the next Emperor's Cup in December. That will serve as the starting point for qualifying for the 2023 World Championships, which in turn is the start of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics -- the next ultimate goal.

"Looking ahead, the Emperor's Cup and Meiji Cup will be linked to Olympic qualifying, so I can't be content with this," said Ozaki, a rarity in Japan in that she is pursuing the sport while attending academically-oriented Keio University. "Other wrestlers will be coming up with strategies against me, and there will be some who change to the Olympic weight.

"I believe that I own the 62kg weight class. Aisuluu and other strong competitors will be at the World Championships, so I want to win the title. Then I want to defend my Emperor's Cup and Meiji Cup titles at 62kg and get to the Olympics."

Kawai, whose older sister Risako won the 57kg Olympic gold but will not be returning to action until December after giving birth in May, took her loss in stride as she looks at the big picture.

"The qualifying for the next Olympics in Paris starts in December," she said. "I hadn't been in a national tournament since June 2019, so regardless of whether I won or lost, I wanted to experience a domestic tournament. I entered for the purpose of preparing myself and was not obsessed with winning."

Kawai said she suffered from an emotional letdown following the hoopla that comes with winning an Olympic gold in an Olympic-obsessed country.

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard to take," Kawai said. "But I achieved my dream at the Tokyo Olympics and after that, I started training again, but I really couldn't get into it."

She said she was encouraged by previous Olympic champions who are part of the Shigakkan University family of current students and alumni.

"Along with my sister, [Eri] TOSAKA, [Saori] YOSHIDA and others told me, 'You will get a lot of attention as an Olympic champion, and there are people who would want that and never get it.' That changed my mood and about February or March, I started coming around again."

Yui SUSAKIYui SUSUKI scores a takedown against Remina YOSHIMOTO in the world team playoff at women's 50kg. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Susaki went through a life change when, upon graduating from Waseda University, a company in her native Chiba Prefecture put her on the payroll in April to allow her to train full time. But her wrestling looked hardly different despite a 10-month break since the Olympics.

"It's really been a long time to get on the mat since the Tokyo Olympics and at this tournament, I was able to find many points that I need to work on, which to me is a good start in making progress as I head toward the Paris Olympics," Susaki said. "I want to make use of that and definitely become the world champion and get the ball rolling for qualifying for Paris that starts in December."

After looking like her old self and opening the tournament with a pair of technical falls, Susaki scored a pair of first-period takedowns against Yoshimoto in the final and, despite giving up a takedown herself in the second period, looked solid in winning a fifth career Meiji Cup title and first since 2019.

"I need to make sure not to allow such openings, and become a wrestler who doesn't show such space," she said of giving up the takedown. "I can't just stay with the status quo, I need to always work to improve looking ahead to the Paris Olympics."

She made the right adjustments in the playoff, as she kept Yoshimoto off the scoreboard while scoring one takedown in the first period and three in the second for her fourth win in four career meetings between the two.

Mayu SHIDOCHIMayu SHIDOCHI scores a stepout against Umi IMAI in the world team playoff at women's 55kg. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Shidochi, who married her coach after her Olympic triumph at 53kg and now uses her married name, cruised to the 55kg title with three straight 10-0 technical falls, the last over teenager Moe KIYOOKA at 3:36 of the final.

That put her into the playoff with Emperor's Cup champion Umi IMAI, who was coming off a victory at the Asian Championships but lost to Kiyooka in the quarterfinals. Shidochi proved too much to handle and, despite settling twice for stepouts when she had Imai's leg in the air, she rolled to a 4-0 victory.

"It was my first tournament since the Tokyo Olympics, and while I was nervous, I was moving my legs from the first match like I wanted to and was able to make the final," Shidochi said. "In the playoff, I tightened up a bit, but I was able to pull off the victory."

The big question was why Shidochi moved up to 55kg, with speculation that she was ducking teenaged world champion Akari FUJINAMI, who has emerged as the dominant force in the weight class over the past year. But the reason was more simple.

"Before the Tokyo Olympics, I also competed at a non-Olympic weight," said Shidochi, who won the 2018 world title at 55kg. "Then I changed to 53kg for the main event. Heading to the Paris Olympics, I'm following the same process and wrestling now at 55kg. Next time in December, my plan is to enter at 53kg."

Asked about Fujinami, Shidochi replied, "She has long limbs and is a very strong wrestler. Looking at the Paris Olympics, I will have many rivals, but Fujinami is really good and one I will have to beat. First, my goal is to win the world championship, then prepare for the Paris Olympic qualifying that starts in December."

FumitaKenichiro FUMITA celebrates his win over Ayata SUZUKI in the world team playoff at Greco 60kg. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Fumita, Yabiku make the cut

Not to be outdone, Japan's two Olympic medalists in Greco-Roman, Kenichi FUMITA and Shohei YABIKU, both made the cut for the team to Belgrade.

Fumita, the Olympic silver medalist at 60kg, will get a shot at a third world title after twice defeating Asian bronze medalist Ayata SUZUKI, who has emerged as his latest rival from the stable of current and past Nippon Sport Science University wrestlers that they both belong to.

The 26-year-old fired the first salvo by beating Emperor's Cup champion Suzuki 6-3 in the Meiji Cup final, then scored a decisive second-period takedown to take the playoff 4-2.

"Honestly speaking, I moved a lot better than I thought I would," Fumita said. "After the Olympics, I took a full three months off and had nothing to do with wrestling.

"At first my weight was up and my strength was down. I went back into training in November, and I wasn't sure I would be ready by June, but I did what I'm capable of and came out with the victory."

After both advanced with a pair of technical falls, Fumita fell behind in the final when he got a little complacent in executing a throw from par terre. As he bridged backward, Suzuki, sitting on Fumita's chest, reached forward and clamped down on his stomach, causing Fumita to fall onto his back.

Now down 2-1, Fumita quickly scrambled off his back and hit a reverse throw for 4 and a 5-2 lead. He added a stepout in the second period, after which he was put in the bottom of par terre but wouldn't budge as Suzuki desperately tried to lift him.

In the playoff, Suzuki scored a takedown when he fought off a headlock throw attempt to go ahead 2-1. A stepout by Fumita still left him trailing on criteria, but with about a minute to go, he got a body lock and twisted Suzuki down for the winning takedown.

"I was losing in the last minute, but I was confident I could turn it around," Fumita said.

Up until recently, Fumita had to battle fellow NSSU alum and Rio Olympic silver medalist Shinobu OTA for national team places. Ota has since retired, with Suzuki stepping up to keep Fumita on his toes. Fumita said the two practice at the same time, but "we don't wrestle together so much anymore, now that we're rivals."

Fumita said that he spent his post-Olympic hiatus taking a road trip with a friend to western Japan. He also said his weight rose to unmentionable heights.

"When it got to 74.5 kilos, I was too afraid to look at the scale anymore," he said with a smile.

YABIKUShohei YABIKU attempts to throw Minta MAEDA in the Greco 77kg final. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Yabiku, whose bronze-medal performance at 77kg in Tokyo made him Japan's heaviest-ever Olympic medalist in Greco, only needed to win the Meiji Cup title, as Emperor's Cup champion Kodai SAKURABA skipped the tournament due to injury.

He got what he came for, but it didn't come easy.

"In the first match I got head-butted in the face, then I gave up four points in the second round, and in the final, I couldn't dictate the pace," Yabiku said.

In the final, Yabiku forged out a 6-3 victory over Minto MAEDA that had a bizarre exchange that took the referees an extraordinary amount of time to sort out.

In the second period with Maeda leading 1-1 on criteria, Yabiku secured a front arm-headlock, but as he bridged back, Maeda secured a body lock and Yabiku was sent momentarily to his back before bridging out and getting on top. He then back-suplessed Maeda out of the ring.

The judges gave Maeda 2 for the initial block, Yabiku 1 for a reversal and then 4 for the throw.

Yabiku had undergone surgery in December on a herniated disc, finally fixing a problem that had been bothering him from even before the Olympics. But it set back his preparations, and he's still trying to regain his sharpness.

"Coming back from surgery, I'm at about 80%," he said. "I still don't have the feeling for actual competition. There's a big difference between practice and being at 100% in matches, so I still have a way to go to work it out."

Somewhat overshadowed on the last day of the competition was the final freestyle weight class, in which world 61kg bronze medalist Toshihiro HASEGAWA earned a trip back to the World Championships, this time at 57kg by defeating Toshiya ABE 2-0 in the final.

Hasegawa, who moved down to 57kg after taking the bronze in Oslo and won the title at the Emperor's Cup, scored with a single-leg takedown in the first period and made that hold up to add to the Meiji Cup title he won last year at 61kg while denying Abe a second straight one at 57kg.

"This time, I didn't wrestle aggressively, but I will be able to attack more against foreign opponents," Hasegawa said. "I will work on raising my level so I can win both at home and abroad."

Day 4 Results

Freestyle

57kg (12 entries)
Final - Toshihiro HASEGAWA df. Toshiya ABE, 2-0
3rd Place - Yudai FUJITA df. Rikuto ARAI, 4-0

Greco-Roman

60kg (11 entries)
Final - Kenichiro FUMITA df Ayata SUZUKI, 6-3
3rd Place - Kaito INABA df. Maito KAWANA by Fall, 4:33 (6-2)

World team playoff - Kenichiro FUMITA df. Ayata SUZUKI, 4-2

77kg (10 entries)
Final - Shohei YABIKU df. Minto MAEDA, 6-3
3rd Place - Nao KUSAKA df. Shinsuke MIZUGUCHI, 11-8

Women's Wrestling

50kg (10 entries)
Final - Yui SUSAKI df. Remina YOSHIMOTO, 4-2
3rd Place - Miyu NAKAMURA df. Hanano SAKURAI, 11-10

World team playoff - Yui SUSAKI df. Remina YOSHIMOTO, 8-0

55kg (11 entries)
Final - Mayu SHIDOCHI df. Moe KIYOOKA by TF, 10-0, 3:36
3rd Place - Mako ONO df. Ibuki TAMURA, 8-0

World team playoff - Mayu SHIDOCHI df. Umi IMAI, 4-0

62kg (6 entries)
Final - Nonoka OZAKI df. Yukako KAWAI, 3-1
3rd Place - Yuzuka INAGAKI df. Yui SAKANO, 4-2

Meiji Cup

Susaki Avenges Loss to Irie to Grab 50kg Title at Meiji Cup

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (June 17) —Yui SUSAKI got the revenge she sought and the second chance she needs in her continuing quest to defend her world title. 

For Rio 2016 Olympic champion Eri TOSAKA, the global stage remains a distant and currently unobtainable goal as she continues her comeback from a spate of injuries.

Susaki took a step closer to earning a place on Japan’s team to the world championships when she scored a stunning victory by fall over Yuki IRIE in the women’s 50kg final on the final day of the All-Japan Invitational Championships in Tokyo.

That avenged a devastating loss to Irie by technical fall in the semifinals of the All-Japan Championships, also known as the Emperor’s Cup, last December that left her in tears. The two will now face each other again in a winner-take-all playoff for the berth on the team to Budapest.

“My feeling at this moment is that I’m happy to win the title, and, as there is a playoff in three weeks and I earned a place in it, I will start working tomorrow so that I can win it and go to the world championships,” said the 18-year-old Susaki, a three-time world cadet champion who skipped the junior level and won the senior 48kg gold last year in Paris.

Under the Japan federation criteria, wrestlers who win their weight class at both the Emperor’s Cup and the invitational tournament, known as the Meiji Cup, automatically qualify for the world team. If the winners are different, then the two will face in a special playoff to be held July 7.  

“I lost at the Emperor’s Cup so I thought, I have nothing to lose, just put up a firm challenge and come out with the title,” Susaki said. “I was the aggressor and controlled the flow of the match, and I think that led to the victory.” 

In the final, Susaki, who posted technical fall victories in her first two matches, led 2-1 when she countered an Irie attack and pancaked her onto her back, securing the fall at 3:37 for her third straight Meiji Cup gold. 

For Susaki, now a freshman at Waseda University, the loss to Irie in December had even further ramifications, as it kept her off Japan’s team to the Asian Championships in February, the Women’s World Cup in March and the upcoming Asian Games in Jakarta.

“This time, I lost at the Emperor’s Cup and that kept me from being able to enter various tournaments,” Susaki said. “Seeing wrestlers other than me competing is very hard to take…So the only road open to me was to win here and get to the world championships. It became an obsession.”

She did not remain idle, winning the 50kg gold medal at the Klippan Lady Open in February with a victor in the final over Rio 2016 silver medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE). 

“That win gave me confidence, but if I don’t win the national championships, I can’t go to overseas [championships]. I put everything into this tournament and I still have a ways to go, but to achieve one goal is great.”

Tosaka, competing in just her third tournament since winning the gold in Rio, was eliminated from the running for Budapest when she was dealt a 6-2 defeat by Irie in the semifinals. 

Tosaka scored the lone point of the first period when Irie was on the activity clock. But Irie roared back by scoring all of her points in the second period with a pair of takedowns and a roll. 

“Purely speaking, it was a match where I lacked strength,” said Tosaka, who beat Irie 4-0 in the Meiji Cup final in 2015, the year she won the last of three straight world titles. 

“At 1-0, I did well to get in on a tackle, but not being able to clearly finish it off, that was the turning point of the match. My physical preparation and current condition were not bad. My opponent had a stronger desire to win and that was why I lost.”

Tosaka underwent foot surgery after the Rio Olympics and returned to action in September 2017 at the lower level Japan Women’s Open. That prepared her for the Emperor’s Cup, but she suffered knee and ankle injuries just before the event and ended up defaulting her semifinal match.

“There is a gap between the expectations of those around me and my actual physical ability right now,” Tosaka said. “There are expectations as the Olympic champion and everyone thinks I will win. But my level has not yet caught up.”

Kawai, Okuno, Takahashi to defend world titles

In other action, Paris 2017 world champions Risako KAWAI, Haruna OKUNO and Yuki TAKAHASHI all completed the national double to secure their tickets to Budapest and earn a chance to defend their titles.

Meanwhile, Rio 2016 silver medalist Shinobu OTA took advantage of his main rival’s absence in the Greco-Roman 60kg class to clinch his first trip to a world championships, while another Rio silver medalist, Rei HIGUCHI, saw his bid for a place in the freestyle 65kg playoff foiled by rising star Takuto OTOGURO.


Kawai, the Rio 2016 gold medalist at 63kg, will aim for a second straight world title, this time at 59kg after crushing Yuzuru KUMANO by 10-0 technical fall in 5:28 of the final. 

Kawai scored all of her points on takedowns, and was less than enthusiastic about the quality of her performance in winning for the second straight year and third time overall.

“I switched weight classes with my sister, but I didn’t have to cut weight and I felt I had prepared,” Kawai said. “I can’t say the way I wrestled was that good. I only had two matches and both were against junior teammates. I don’t feel that I gained anything from my matches. There’s still parts of my game that are lacking.”

Kawai had won the Emperor’s Cup at 62kg, but switched weight classes with younger sister Yukako, who had triumphed at 59kg. Yukako won the 62kg title on Saturday. Technically, that set up playoffs between the sisters in both weight classes, but they have decided that Risako will stay at 59kg and Yukako will seek her first world medal at 62kg.

Okuno repeated her victory from the Emperor’s Cup over Yu MIYAHARA in the women’s 53kg final, scoring the bulk of her points with a 4-point tackle in a 6-0 victory.

Okuno, who won her second straight title, did not look sharp in her two earlier matches. She won both by fall in the final seconds, but was trailing in both on last-point criteria going into the final minute.


Takahashi, in contrast, was a whirlwind of activity, showing the speed and power that has brought him to the pinnacle of the freestyle 57kg division.

Following a pair of 10-0 technical falls that took 90 seconds or less each, Takahashi gave up an early takedown in the final against Tomohiro HASEGAWA -- as has become his trademark -- before scoring three takedowns of his own in a solid 7-2 win. 

“I was able to score points off my attack,” the 24-year-old Takahashi said. “I’ve worked hard with the aim of going to the world championships and defending my title. Anyway, I have to forget this tournament and start preparing for the next.”

Takahashi, whose last loss came in January 2017 in the first round of the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix to Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RUS), knows it will be harder defending his world title than winning it the first time.

“I believe that suddenly winning out of the blue is not so difficult, but to win twice in a row, that’s the sign of true strength,” said Takahashi, who took home the Meiji Cup as the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler. 
 
In following up on his Emperor’s Cup victory, Ota did not have to contend this time with Paris 2017 champion Kenichiro FUMITA, who withdrew due to a knee injury. That opened the door for Ota to win his first Meiji Cup title and qualify for his first senior world championships. 

Ota, the gold medalist at the Asian Championships in Bishkek in February, did not have such an easy time, getting just two passivity points and giving up a point for fleeing in a 2-1 victory over Hayanobu SHIMIZU in the final.
 
“It’s very disappointing that I didn’t score any technical points,” Ota said. “At the end, I had no intention of fleeing, but I gave that impression and it gave him a point. That’s a sign of my immaturity and a lack of practice. I’ll work harder so I can always aim for a technical fall.”

Ota’s day nearly came to a premature end. In his opening match, recklessness on a throw attempt left him having to fight off his back before he came away with a 12-8 win over teenager Ayata SUZUKI. He was more focused in his semifinal, which he ended by 9-0 technical fall in 31 seconds.

The emergence of Otoguro at 65kg adds more depth to an already stacked weight class for Japan. The 19-year-old shut down Higuchi in posting a 6-0 win in the final and earning a place in the world team playoff against Emperor’s Cup champion Daichi TAKATANI. 


“There’s a feeling of relief to win the title, but I still have the qualifying match for the world championships,” said Otoguro, whose older brother Keisuke will take part in a playoff at 70kg. “I have to also win that. I’ll do what I need to be prepared.”

Higuchi was the runner-up in Rio at 57kg, but had since struggled to handle the extra size in moving up to the next Olympic weight of 65kg. Still, he held his own on Sunday, with his three wins en route to the final including an 8-5 decision over Takatani. 

Otoguro, the 2015 world cadet champion at 54kg, had faced Higuchi before, beating him 8-5 in the second round of the 2017 Emperor’s Cup. 

“Last year we faced each other, and it was a match that could have gone either way,” he said. “It looked like I would lose, but I ended up winning. That impression stuck with me and I won this time. Higuchi is strong and I’ll do what I can to keep him from catching me.”

Otoguro got a taste of global competition on the senior level in April as a member of the Japan team that won a bronze medal at the Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City. His two wins included a 10-5 victory over former world champion Logan Stieber of the United States.

“For the first time, I faced a former world champion,” he said. “I’m happy that I could win, but he’s not the champion now. The best thing is for me to go to the world championships and win the title. The World Cup was a good reference point and a good experience.”

Results from Day 4

Freestyle

57kg (15 entries)
Gold – Yuki TAKAHASHI df. Toshihiro HASEGAWA, 7-2
Bronze – Kanta OKADA and Rikuto ARAI
Semifinal – Yuki TAKAHASHI df. Kanta OKADA by TF, 10-0, 1:02
Semifinal – Toshihiro HASEGAWA df. Rikuto ARAI by Def.

65kg (15 entries)
Gold – Takuto OTOGURO df. Rei HIGUCHI, 6-0 
Bronze – Hirotaka ABE and Koki SHIMIZU
Semifinal – Rei HIGUCHI df. Hirotaka ABE, 10-6
Semifinal – Takuto OTOGURO df. Koki SHIMIZU by TF, 10-0, :41

Greco-Roman

60kg (10 entries)
Gold – Shinobu OTA df. Hayanobu SHIMIZU, 2-1
Bronze – Kiyoshi KAWAGUCHI and Ryotaro FUJINAMI
Semifinal – Shinobu OTA df. Kiyoshi KAWAGUCHI by TF, 9-0, :31
Semifinal – Hayanobu SHIMIZU df. Ryotaro FUJINAMI, 7-0 

Women’s Wrestling

50kg (9 entries)
Gold – Yui SUSAKI df. Yuki IRIE by Fall, 3:37 (4-1) 
Bronze – Eri TOSAKA and Miho IGARASHI 
Semifinal – Yuki IRIE df. Eri TOSAKA, 6-2
Semifinal – Yui SUSAKI df. Miho IGARASHI by TF, 10-0, 1:20

53kg (8 entries)
Gold – Haruna OKUNO df. Yu MIYAHARA, 6-0
Bronze – Yuka YAGO and Momoka KADOYA
Semifinal – Haruna OKUNO df. Yuka YAGO by Fall, 5:56 (8-2)
Semifinal – Yu MIYAHARA df. Momoka KADOYA, 6-2 

59kg (6 entries)
Gold – Risako KAWAI df. Yuzuru KUMANO by TF, 10-0, 5:28
Bronze – Kiwa IWASAWA and Yumeka TANABE
Semifinal – Risako KAWAI df. Kiwa IWASAWA by TF, 11-0, 1:44
Semifinal – Yuzuru KUMANO def. Yumeka TANABE by TF, 12-1, 3:35