#JapanWrestling

Ozaki grabs Paris ticket at 68kg with thrilling win over Ishii

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (January 27) -- Ever since she started wrestling as a schoolgirl, the single-leg takedown has been Nonoka OZAKI's most reliable weapon. It didn't let her down when she needed it most -- with a ticket to the Paris Olympics on the line.

Ozaki launched a last-ditch single-leg in the final nine seconds and it paid off with a takedown, giving the two-time world champion a dramatic 5-4 victory over Ami ISHII in a playoff for Japan's spot in Paris at women's 68kg on Saturday at Tokyo's National Training Center.

"I'm really happy, but it still hasn't sunk in that I've taken a step closer to my dream," said a jubilant Ozaki, for whom the road to Paris has been a roller-coaster of emotions.

Ozaki was the 2022 world champion at 62kg, but missed out during the domestic qualifying process for Paris in that weight class. She then decided to take a shot at 68kg when that became her only remaining option.

Ozaki set up the playoff with Ishii by winning the 68kg title at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships last December. Ishii, the world silver medalist in 2022, had finished fifth at last year World Championships in Belgrade -- good enough to secure a Paris berth for Japan but not enough to fill it herself.

The victory gave Ozaki her fifth win in five career meetings between the two, who are only three months apart in age. The older Ishii turned 22 in December. Ozaki threw down the gauntlet in their most recent clash, defeating Ishii 6-2 in the first round of the Emperor's Cup.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Ami ISHII scores a go-ahead takedown late in the second period. (Photo by Ikuo Higuchi / Japan Wrestling Federation)

On Saturday, Ishii looked like she might have finally found an answer. Trailing 3-0 in the second period, she received a passivity point, then broke through Ozaki's defenses to score a takedown at the edge in the final seconds that was upheld in an unsuccessful challenge (the Ozaki side wanted it called a stepout) to take a 4-3 lead.

"She got the points in the last 10 seconds and I thought for a moment all was lost," Ozaki said. "During the challenge, I thought, 'I don't want the match to end this way.' Those on my side had a look on their faces of 'you can still do it.'...There was nothing left but to go for it."

During the challenge, the mat chairman also had the clock reset from four seconds and change to 9.89. Ozaki wasted none of it, lunging for the single-leg and quickly finishing it off with a few seconds to spare.

"I didn't practice that, shooting right off the whistle, but I believed in myself," Ozaki said. "It was good they put the clock back to 10 seconds, if it was four seconds, it would have been a problem. I can't say I was calm, but there was nothing else to do. The fact that I didn't have time to think, 'What should I do?' was a good thing."

Ozaki also cut it close with her first-period takedown, which she scored with six seconds left off a counter that she said she practiced in preparation for the match. Ishii likes to work an underhook, and as soon as she made a move for a leg, Ozaki dropped down and clamped on her head, then used her speed to spin behind.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka OZAKI defeats Ami ISHII in the women's Olympic 68kg playoff. (Photo by Ikuo Higuchi / Japan Wrestling Federation)

For Ishii, the agony of defeat was excruciating. In disbelief, she dropped to the mat and sobbed uncontrollably, which continued even after she was escorted by teammates off the mat. Her wails of anguish reverberated throughout the room, in contrast to Ozaki's celebrations with her contingent.

The playoff was held on one of the six mats in the spacious wrestling room on the basement floor of the National Training Center. Aside from a smattering of media and federation officials, each wrestler was accompanied by a small contingent of fans or teammates.

Ishii just could not seem to process what had happened. Speaking in a barely audible voice through tears to the media, she said, "It's like someone you know has died, but you don't feel like they're gone. I don't feel like Paris is gone, but I have to accept that it is."

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka Ozaki finishes up a quick-fire takedown in the final seconds of the second period to clinch the victory. (Photo by Ikuo Higuchi / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Ozaki could commiserate with her vanquished opponent. She had been on the losing end in a battle for the 62kg place with Ishii's Ikuei University teammate Sakura MOTOKI, a 2022 bronze medalist at 59kg who moved up to the Olympic weight and made it hers. (Another Ikuei wrestler, world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI, will be going to Paris at 57kg.)

"This is a world of competition, and I came here to get the ticket [to Paris] also," Ozaki said. "I know how much she wanted to win, but the competition is harsh and one of us has to lose. I won in the last few seconds, but that could have gone either way. I could have just as easily lost. I am grateful to her for giving me such a high-level match."

Ishii had won the world silver at 68kg in 2022 and could have locked up her place in Paris with a repeat performance last year in Belgrade. The Japan federation had decreed that any wrestler who won a medal in an Olympic weight class would automatically fill the Paris berth themselves.

As it turned out, 68kg was the only women's weight class out of the six in which the Japanese entry did not medal.

Sadly for Ishii, an 8-8 loss in the bronze-medal match to Irina RINGACI (MDA) had dire consequences. Ishii would win the fifth-place playoff to secure the Paris berth for Japan, but it left the door open for others to poach.

Ozaki was also in Belgrade, having decided that she needed to move forward and put her failure at 62kg behind her. She won a spot on Japan's team at the non-Olympic weight of 65kg and picked up her second world gold. But her heart was hardly into it. Of more concern was seeing Motoki clinched her place in Paris by winning the 62kg silver.

"When I look back, it's enough to make me cry, it was so tough," Ozaki said. "Right now I'm happy, but up to last year's World Championships, there was no joy at all in my life. It's like the person I was up to then was lost, it was someone I didn't know like I had run into a wall. I wanted to fight hard but I couldn't make the effort.

"I thought that I don't even want to watch a Paris Olympics that I'm not in. When I won the 65kg playoff here, I had convinced myself that I had to keep moving forward. It wasn't an Olympic weight, but I thought if I could be No. 1 in the world again, it would be an opportunity to start over.

"That's how I felt going to the World Championships. But before my final, the 62kg [berth] was secured. I didn't take a victory lap and I was crying -- it makes me cry now to recall this -- because I was thinking, 'The Olympics is over for me.' I felt resentment. But as I told the media, I was the one responsible and had to accept it. 'I'm not going to retire, and I'll keep fighting,' I said. I had never thought that in the end, I would be going to the Olympics at 68kg."

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Ikuei University teammates try to console a devastated Ami Ishii. (Photo by Ken Marantz / United World Wrestling)

Less than two years ago, Ozaki was on top of the world at 62kg, having won 2022 world golds on the senior, U23 and U20 levels over two months. Her eyes were firmly on Paris, and the Japanese press buzzed over her budding rivalry with Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ).

But her well-laid plans began to unravel just a few months later when Motoki decided to make a challenge for the Olympic spot at 62kg in a field that included Tokyo Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI.

After Motoki won their clash at the Emperor's Cup, they never got to meet in the second qualifier -- the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships in June 2023 -- as Ozaki was handed a stunning 6-6 defeat in the quarterfinals by Yuzuku INAGAKI. Motoki won the title to clinch the ticket to Belgrade, and the rest is history.

In preparation for Paris, Ozaki plans to enter one tournament at 68kg, the Asian Championships in Bishkek in April. She is also carrying some injury concerns, having hurt her right knee at the Emperor's Cup and having problems with her left thumb for the past year which she says affects her grip.

But that is all secondary to having made it to the Olympics, even if it means facing opponents larger than she is accustomed to.

"A year ago, I would never have thought of taking the path of 68kg," Ozaki said. "I'm still only 66 kilograms, but I'll work to fill out to 68. Without being inferior in strength, I will use my speed to my advantage. I'll work on counters for underhooks and throws, and maybe even be able to hit some throws of my own. I'll continue to make progress and I'll be ready."

Ozaki, a product of the JOC Academy, took the academic route when it came to choosing a college and currently attends the prestigious Keio University. That means that outside of national team camps, she has to hit the road for training. Her preparation for the playoff took her to Kanagawa University, a club team in Kanagawa Prefecture and a high school in Yamanashi Prefecture. Several of the male wrestlers at the latter were on hand Saturday.

Whether she can win the gold will likely come down to how effective her old friend, the single-leg tackle, will be for her.

"That tackle has been a part of everything I've accomplished up to now," Ozaki said. "It's my weapon, one that I believe in completely. I've always relied on it and won with it. I owe a debt of gratitude to the technique."

Japan's Paris-bound women

50kg: Yui SUSAKI (world champion)
53kg: Akari FUJINAMI (world champion)
57kg: Tsugumi SAKURAI (world champion)
62kg: Sakura MOTOKI (world silver medalist)
68kg: Nonoka OZAKI (world champion 65kg)
76kg: Yuka KAGAMI (world champion)

#JapanWrestling

Otoguro's dream of Olympic repeat shattered with stunning loss to Kiyooka

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (December 23) -- The day after his younger sister pulled off an upset by beating the world champion, Kotaro KIYOOKA managed to top that with the type of victory that reverberates throughout the wrestling world.

Kiyooka officially ended Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO's hopes to repeat in Paris, getting two calls advantageously corrected on challenge in the last 30 seconds to score a stunning 6-6 victory in their freestyle 65kg semifinal at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships on Saturday in Tokyo.

"I was the challenger, but I went in with a strong mind that I could knock him off," said Kiyooka, who was vociferously cheered on by the large contingent of his Nippon Sports Science University teammates at Yoyogi No. 2 Gym.

In another weight class in the spotlight, Nonoka OZAKI assured that the open Olympic spot at women's 68kg will be heading to a playoff after upending Ami ISHII in their first-round clash, while Yukako KAWAI was another Tokyo Olympic gold medalist eliminated from the Paris hunt.

Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN)Kotaro KIYOOKA goes out the back door for a takedown against Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO in the freestyle 65kg semifinals. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

For the 22-year-old Kiyooka, his mission is not yet over. The tournament is also serving as the qualifier for the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in Bishkek in April, and Kiyooka will face fellow collegian Masanosuke ONO in Sunday's final to earn that ducat.

"If I lose tomorrow, it's all for nothing," Kiyooka said. "I will focus on the one match and make sure I come out the winner."

Kiyooka said he was inspired by younger sister Moe winning her second straight All-Japan title at 55kg on Friday when she beat reigning world champion Haruna OKUNO in the final to avenge a loss in a world team playoff in July.

"That really gave me a spark," Kotaro said. "I was in the middle of cutting weight but I watched it closely."

The siblings had both missed out on making the World Championships in an Olympic weight with losses at the second domestic qualifier, the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, in June.

"She had also tasted the disappointment of defeat after losing a playoff and at the Meiji Cup," Kiyooka said. "I'm really happy that she won, and that made me fight even harder."

Otoguro came into the tournament having been plagued by a right foot injury that he suffered in January this year, but which flared up at his only two outings -- the Meiji Cup, which he still won, and the World Championships in September, where he strikingly failed to secure a Paris berth at 65kg.

The foot didn't seem to affect him in his first two matches Saturday, although he did take a brief timeout against Kiyooka. When the chips were down late in the match, he moved with the fierce intensity of a banshee, and Kiyooka fought him tooth and nail.

Kiyooka was the aggressor and scored the first points after going out the back door on a takedown in the first period, then made it 4-0 with a high leg roll. Otoguro snatched a takedown just before the buzzer to go into the break down 4-2.

With the crowd sensing a historic upset and Otoguro going into high gear, Kiyooka shot again, but Otoguro reached over and worked for a counter lift with a half-minute to go. This is where things got both interesting and complicated.

Takuto OTOGURO (JPN)The two points that Takuto OTOGURO (red) was awarded on this counter lift in the final seconds was rescinded on challenge. (Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Otoguro executed a lift and back roll for 2, then another, then apparently a third that put him up 8-4. But Kiyooka's side challenged, and the points for the third roll were switched to a 2-point exposure for Kiyooka, putting him ahead 6-6 on last-point criteria.

As the time ticked down, Kiyooka was desperately clasping onto a leg, with Otoguro glancing at the clock as he girded his strength for one last counter lift. With the clock nearing zero, he hit the move and turned Kiyooka over, and the referees signaled 2 points.

But that was not the end. Another challenge, and after a long look at the replay, it was determined that Kiyooka's back had not been in the danger position by breaking the 90-degree plane. No points, and the king had fallen.

"He wasn't going to let me win easily, and the second period was a real battle," Kiyooka said. "I thought I had won, and maybe there was a little luck on my side. But it was good that I stayed on the attack in the second period. I think that led to the win."

As the NSSU side went wild, Otoguro displayed a mixture of disbelief, agitation and anger. Never one to handle losing well, he stormed out of the arena and refused to talk with the media.

Shinichi YUMOTO, Otoguro's coach on the Self-Defense Forces Physical Training School team, appeared in Otoguro's place.

"We disagree completely with the call, but the refereeing supervisor made the decision and we have to live by it," Yumoto said. "There is no one who puts their whole self into wrestling like him, and because he is so devastated he is unable to do an interview. I apologize for that."

Yumoto acknowledged that Otoguro needs to accept the outcome. "I think we saw a Takuto who gave everything he has now. He needs to have the pride of an Olympic champion and calmly accept the defeat."

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka OZAKI scores a takedown with an ankle pick against Ami ISHII in their first-round match at women's 68kg. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Ozaki, Morikawa to clash in 68kg final

The Japan federation had set the criteria that a wrestler who wins a medal in an Olympic weight class at the World Championships in Belgrade would automatically fill the spot in Paris themselves. Of the 10 secured by Japan, Ishii's at 68kg was the only one who did not medal.

That left 68kg as the lone unfilled spot for the Japanese women, and a powerful lineup had gathered to challenge Ishii, who could have clinched the place outright by winning the All-Japan.

Now she will have to earn it in a playoff with the winner of the final on Sunday between Ozaki and Miwa MORIKAWA, after both made it through a gauntlet in their brackets.

Ozaki has been on a roller-coaster of emotions since losing out at her normal weight class of 62kg to Sakura MOTOKI, who secured her ticket to Paris with a silver medal in Belgrade.

Morikawa was in a similar boat, as she lost to Ishii in the world team playoff at 68kg. Both Ozaki and Morikawa also went to Belgrade in non-Olympic weights, with the former winning the gold at 65kg and the latter a bronze at 72kg. Ishii's failure to win a medal reopened the door to Paris for both, and now they are on a collision course to see who gets to challenge Ishii in the decisive showdown on a date to be determined.

On Saturday, the naturally lighter Ozaki put her superior speed to full use in chalking up a 6-2 victory over Ishii.

Ozaki said she was unfazed by having to face Ishii right off the bat. "My goal is the win the championship," she said. "I can't get to the playoff without it, so I can't let myself get too high or too low. Facing Ishii in the first match is just part of it."

Ozaki scored a takedown with a slick ankle pick in the first period for a 2-0 lead. In the second period, Ishii secured an underhook that set up a deep single shot, but Ozaki worked out of it and spun behind to make it 4-0.

Ishii then put the pressure on from above and Ozaki on her knees, but Ozaki shimmied out of danger and got behind for another takedown. Ishii managed a stepout that also drew a fleeing point, but it was too little too late.

After pouring it on in the second period to beat Mei SHINDO by a 10-0 technical fall in the quarterfinals, Ozaki advanced to the final with an 8-1 victory over Miyu YOSHIKAWA, who scored one of her biggest career wins by knocking off Kawai.

Kawai, the Tokyo Olympic champion at 62kg, saw her last chance to get back to the Olympics end when Yoshikawa scored the final point in a scramble for a 4-4 win on criteria.

Yoshikawa, formerly IMAI, has been a perennial medalist at 65kg and although she has never won a national title, she was a world junior champion in 2018.

Morikawa's path to the final consisted of a 3-2 win over Rin MIYAJI and a 10-0 technical fall over Masako FURUICHI. Ironically, the three were all medalists together at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, where Morikawa and Miyaji won silvers at 65kg and 68kg, respectively, and Furuichi won the 72kg gold.

Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN)Hayato ISHIGURO fends off a takedown attempt by Sosuke TAKATANI in the freestyle 86kg final. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Ishiguro quashes Takatani's Olympic hopes, title streak

Veteran Sosuke TAKATANI saw his dreams of a fourth Olympic appearance and a streak of 12 straight All-Japan titles come crashing down at the hands of Takashi ISHIGURO. And he drew a tear-filled tongue-lashing from his younger brother to boot.

Ishiguro fended off Takatani's tackles and held on for a 3-2 victory in the freestyle 86kg final to earn a ticket to the Asian Olympic qualifier to go with his second straight title and third overall. The Asian bronze medalist this year will get his second chance to make a first Olympics after coming up short at the World Championships.

"It's not over yet. I still have a high hurdle to get over," Ishiguro said. "But I'm really happy."

With Ishiguro leading 1-1 on criteria after the two traded activity points, he scored a stepout that drew an additional point for fleeing for a 3-1 lead with 1:20 left. Takatani received another activity point, but his desperate attempts for a winning takedown were thwarted.

Takatani was aiming for his 13th straight All-Japan title won over four weight classes, but more importantly, he wanted to go to the Paris Olympics in tandem with younger brother Daichi, who clinched his ticket by winning a bronze medal at 74kg in Belgrade.

In the concourse beneath the stands leading to the mixed zone, Daichi confronted his brother. Like a coach castigating a player who let him down, he went at Sosuke for spoiling their plans in a mixture of ire and affection.

"What were you doing out there for six minutes!" he bellowed before the tirade ended with a hug.

Ishiguro also saw a brother fall by the wayside, as older sibling and two-time defending champion Takashi was dethroned at 97kg with a 7-1 loss in the semifinals to Hibiku ITO.

Ito, whose mother was an Olympic medal-winning volleyball player, stands 1.93 meters and used his height advantage to score a 4-point counter and fend off Ishiguro's low tackles.

In the final, Ito will face one of Japan's fastest-rising stars, 19-year-old Arash YOSHIDA, who won the 92kg gold at the Asian Championships in his international debut and finished fifth at the World Championships.

Yoshida blasted his way to the gold-medal match with a fall and technical fall in his two matches. Asked about his strategy in regard to Ito's height, the son of an Iranian father and Japanese mother replied, "It's difficult. I've never faced such a tall wrestler. It's important how I can attack. I will talk it over with my coach."

In other action, two-time world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO and reigning world U23 champion Umi ITO both cruised into the women's 50kg final in what will be a matchup of arguably the best wrestlers in the world in that weight class not named Yui SUSAKI.

Susaki, like all of the eight others who clinched Paris berths in Belgrade, did not enter the tournament.

Japan has a good chance to gain another ticket to Paris at Greco 67kg from either Asian Games gold medalist Katsuaki ENDO or Asian silver medalist Kyotaro SOGABE, who will clash in the final after both won their respective semifinal by technical fall.

Tomoaki FUTAMATA (JPN)Tomoaki FUTAMATA (red) sends Taishi NARIKUNI flying for a 4-point throw during their Greco 67kg match. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

While they were tearing through their respective brackets, former world freestyle champion Taishi NARIKUNI's latest foray into Greco was dealt a surprisingly early setback.

Narikuni, who won the 2022 world gold at freestyle 70kg, had planned to compete in both styles at last year's Emperor's Cup, but withdrew from both after suffering an injury just before the tournament. He then went strictly with Greco at the Meiji Cup, but was ousted in the quarterfinals.

On Saturday, he was completely outclassed by Tomoaki FUTAMATA, who reeled off a pair of 4-point throws for a 9-0 win in 2:05 in their preliminary round match.

"It's really shameful," a tearful Narikuni said. "I came with the real aim of winning the title. It's not like I let down my guard, I was ready to go from the first match. Wrestling can be really difficult."

Narikuni realizes that he may have set a trend, as more than a few wrestlers are competing this year in both styles, including freestyle 61kg champion Kaisei TANABE, who made it to the quarterfinals at Greco 63kg.

"Recently, I have become a pathfinder and the number doing both styles has increased," Narikuni said. "But because I have not won at all, all I feel is pitiful."

Ironically, Futamata is among the group that doubled up here. His priority on Greco, however, became apparent when he was forced to make a tough decision.

Five minutes before his match against Narikuni, his first-round match at freestyle 70kg was called. He forfeited it.

Day 3 Results

Freestyle

57kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Kento YUMIYA df. Rikuto ARAI by TF, 10-0, 2:01

BRONZE: Yudai FUJITA df. Yuto TAKESHITA, 5-2
BRONZE: Daito KATSUME df. Akito MUKAIDA, 11-7

65kg (27 entries)
Semifinal: Kotaro KIYOOKA df. Takuto OTOGURO, 6-6
Semifinal: Masanosuke ONO df. Ryoma ANRAKU, 8-4

70kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI df. Keiji WATANABE, 4-0

BRONZE: Kanata YAMAGUCHI df. Raita MORITA by TF, 10-0, 3:43
BRONZE: Ryota UCHIYAMA df. Toki OGAWA by Fall, 6:00 (10-4)

Semifinal: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI df. Raita MORITA by TF, 10-0, 1:23
Semifinal: Keiji WATANABE df. Toki OGAWA, 2-0

79kg (20 entries)
GOLD: Ryunosuke KAMIYA df. Kirin KINOSHITA, 9-6

BRONZE: Subaru TAKAHARA df. Yuta ABE, 6-4
BRONZE: Taro UMEBAYASHI df. Kensuke OTANI by TF, 13-0, 3:46

Semifinal: Ryunosuke KAMIYA df. Yuta ABE by TF, 10-0, 5:14
Semifinal: Kirin KINOSHITA df. Taro UMEBAYASHI by TF, 11-0, 4:48

86kg (14 entries)
GOLD: Hayato ISHIGURO df. Sosuke TAKATANI, 3-2

BRONZE: Yudai TAKAHASHI df. Mao OKUI by Fall, 5:59 (7-0)
BRONZE: Tatsuya SHIRAI df. Shota SHIRAI by TF, 10-0, 5:20

97kg (14 entries)
Semifinal: Hibiki ITO df. Takashi ISHIGURO, 7-1
Semifinal: Arash YOSHIDA df. Taira SONODA by TF, 11-0, 2:32

Greco-Roman

60kg (16 entries)
GOLD: Kaito INABA df. Maito KAWANA, 5-2

BRONZE: Yasuhito MORI df. Keijiro SONE, 4-2
BRONZE: Koto GOMI def. Kosei TAKESHITA by Def.

67kg (20 entries)
Semifinal: Katsuaki ENDO df. Haruto YABE by TF, 11-0, 2:27
Semifinal: Kyotaro SOGABE df. Tomoaki FUTAMATA by TF, 9-0, 1:58

77kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Isami HORIKITA df. Taishi TOMOYOSE, 5-3

BRONZE: Keisei SHIMABUKURO df. Yudai KOBORI by TF, 10-2, 1:30
BRONZE: Shu YAMADA df. Kenryu KUZUYA, 8-5

Women's Wrestling

50kg (18 entries)
Semifinal: Remina YOSHIMOTO df. Miwa MAGARA by TF, 10-0, 3:39
Semifinal: Umi ITO df. Minoriho MAEHARA by TF, 13-2, 3:20

57kg (13 entries)
Semifinal: Sae NANJO df. Sara NATAMI by Fall, 5:04 (2-5)
Semifinal: Yumaka TANABE df. Ichika ARAI, 4-4

68kg (11 entries)
Semifinal: Miwa MORIKAWA df. Masako FURUICHI by TF, 10-0, 5:56
Semifinal: Nonoka OZAKI df. Miyu YOSHIKAWA, 8-1