Rio Silver Medalists Ota, Higuchi Take Drastic Measures in Quest to Make Tokyo 2020

Monday, December 2, 2019 - 13:13 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (Dec. 2) --- A pair of Japanese silver medalists from the Rio 2016 Olympics, denied during their preferred routes to Tokyo 2020, will be trying desperate measures in last-ditch efforts to make Games in their host country---which presents a weighty problem for both.

Shinobu OTA, the Rio 2016 silver medalist at Greco-Roman 60kg, has moved up to two divisions to 67kg for the upcoming All Japan Championships, which will serve as the final qualifier for either filling an Olympic berth that Japan has already secured, or earning the chance to win a spot at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in March.

Conversely, Rei HIGUCHI, who failed to gain an Olympic ticket at freestyle 65kg, has gone the other way, dropping two weight classes down to 57kg, the division in which he won the silver in Rio, according to the list of entries recently released by the Japan federation for the tournament to be held Dec. 19-22 in Tokyo.

At the World Championships in Nur-Sultan in September, Japan clinched eight Olympic berths in the 18 weight classes --- two in freestyle, one in Greco-Roman and five in women's wrestling. As incentive, the Japan federation decreed that any wrestler who won a medal in the Kazakh capital would automatically fill the Olympic spot themselves.

That resulted in five wrestlers clinching Olympic spots: Mayu MUKAIDA (53kg), Risako KAWAI (57kg), Yukako KAWAI (62kg) and Hiroe MINAGAWA (76kg) among the women, and Kenichiro FUMITA (60kg) in Greco-Roman. None of the five are entered in the All Japan tournament.

When Fumita won the gold to regain the world title he had won in 2017, it also closed the door on Ota in that weight class. Having been beaten by Fumita for the 60kg place on the team to Nur-Sultan, Ota moved up to 63kg --- and won his first world title. But that being a non-Olympic weight class, he knew he had to take drastic measures to get to Tokyo 2020.

Shinobu OTA, the reigning 63kg world champion, will be moving up to 67kg with hopes of improving his silver medal from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

So he has moved up further to 67kg, where he will challenge defending national champion Shogo TAKAHASHI. Takahashi was eliminated in the third round in Nur-Sultan, leaving Japan without an Olympic spot at this point. Others who Ota might have to deal with are Katsuaki ENDO, the 2018 world U-23 champion at 63kg, and Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA, a former world team member who was second to Takahashi last year.

Ota, who won two international tournaments in Hungary and Belarus this year at 63kg, had planned to get a test run at 67kg at the World Cup in Iran, but the tournament was postponed due to unrest in that country.

After winning a silver in Rio, Higuchi moved up to 61kg, where he won the 2016 All Japan title and a bronze medal at the Asian Championships. But with eyes on Tokyo 2020, in late 2017 he made the jump up to 65kg, but, at just 1.62 meters, found the size difference difficult to overcome.

Still, he won the world U-23 gold in 2018, then pulled off a surprising victory over world champion Takuto OTOGURO at the All Japan Invitational Championships, the second of the two qualifiers for the world team. That set up a playoff between the two, but Otoguro, having recovered from a recent knee injury, totally dominated the encounter.

Assuming he can successfully get down to 57kg, Higuchi will challenge former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI, who has had a domestic stranglehold on the lightest division for the past three years. Takahashi kept the door open to the Olympics when he fell in the fourth round in Nur-Sultan. Also in the mix will be a pair of world junior champions, Toshiya ABE and Kaiki YAMAGUCHI, the latter dropping from 61kg.

Otoguro still has some unfinished business himself. He secured the 65kg berth for Japan in Nur-Sultan, but by losing in the bronze-medal match, left himself needing a win at the All Japan (also referred to as the Emperor's Cup) to seal the deal. His biggest concern looks to make sure he is healthy for the competition.

Rio Olympic champion Sara DOSHO will be challenged by U23 world champions Masako FURUICHI and Yuka KAGAMI at 68kg. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Rio Olympic champion Sara DOSHO is in the same boat at Otoguro. Her fifth-place finish at 68kg left her short of the Olympics and raised doubts about whether she had fully recovered from the shoulder surgery she underwent earlier in the year. She will have some tough company in her bid to secure the Tokyo ticket.

World U-23 champion Masako FURUICHI gave Dosho a run for her money in the final at the All Japan Invitational last June, losing 4-3 on a last-second takedown. After that loss, Furuichi moved up to 72kg for the senior World Championships, where she took home a bronze medal.

Another notable entry at 68kg is high schooler Yuka KAGAMI, who this year added world junior and U-23 titles to the two cadet golds she had previously won. While she mostly competed at 72kg, the weight in which she won the junior title, she also moved up to 76kg to challenge Minagawa for the world team spot, but was unsuccessful (her U-23 title came in that division). Dropping to 68kg will mark her first competition under 72kg since she won the Klippan Lady cadet at 65kg in February 2018.

The Olympic spot at freestyle 74kg that was secured by Mao OKUI's fifth-place in Nur-Sultan will also be up for grabs, and there is no shortage of scavengers looking to come away with the spoils. Yuhi FUJINAMI, a 2017 world bronze medalist at 70kg who was not at 100 percent when he lost a world team playoff to Okui, will be looking for revenge, and will be joined in the hunt by world junior silver medalist Jintaro MOTOYAMA and Asian silver medalist Kojiro SHIGA, who placed seventh at 70kg in Nur-Sultan.

Kaori ICHO did not enter the All Japan Championships, which ends her quest for a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

End of the road for Icho
Meanwhile, living legend Kaori ICHO officially ended her quest for an unprecedented fifth straight Olympic gold when she decided not to enter the tournament.

Icho had lost out for the women's 57kg spot to fellow Rio Olympic champion Risako Kawai, who punched her ticket to Tokyo 2020 with a gold in Nur-Sultan. When Mukaida and Yukako Kawai also secured their spots at the weight classes immediately above and below, the only avenues left were at 50kg and 68kg --- and Icho didn't see much hope in either choice.

It was at women's 50kg that Japan suffered one of its bigger shocks in Nur-Sultan, as Yuki IRIE suffered a heartbreaking 13-12 quarterfinal loss to SUN Yanan (CHN) and failed to clinch an Olympic berth.

That opened the door for two-time world champion Yui SUSAKI, who had lost a world team playoff to Irie. Those two will be joined at the Emperor's Cup by Rio 2016 champion Eri TOSAKA in the latest round of the trio's battle royale.

There was speculation that former world champion Haruna OKUNO, who lost out to Mukaida for the 53kg spot, might drop down to 50kg in a bid to keep her Olympic dream alive. But that ended when she was entered at 53kg.

That could result in an intriguing rematch with Nanami IRIE, Yuki's younger sister. When Okuno failed to knock off Mukaida, she entered the world team playoff at 55kg, only to lose to Irie, who went on to win the silver medal in Nur-Sultan.

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024: Ramazanov denies Yazdani, Higuchi completes 57kg turnaround

Saturday, August 10, 2024 - 00:42 By Ken Marantz

PARIS (August 9) -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) and his aching shoulder missed out on a second Olympic gold medal and was relegated to a second silver instead, and David TAYLOR (USA) was nowhere in sight. Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) is the new king of the freestyle 86kg class.

Russian-born Ramazanov outdueled a less-than-100 percent Yazdani in notching a 7-1 victory in the final on Friday at the Paris Olympics, giving Bulgaria its second gold in two nights.

"It was really something for me," said Ramazanov, the 2020 European 79kg silver medalist who began competing for Bulgaria this year. "I come from a little town, and my family worked really hard for me to get here. It is really an honor. I got the gold medal for them."

Japan grabbed the two other gold medals up for grabs at the Champs de Mars Arena, with Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) completing an arduous eight-year journey to an elusive freestyle 57kg gold and two-time reigning world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) winning the women's 57kg title in her Olympic debut.

Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) and Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) at the podium of 86kg in Paris. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Yazdani, one of the biggest stars of the sport whose many laurels include the 74kg gold from Rio 2016 and a silver at 86kg three years ago in Tokyo, was in obvious discomfort from the get-go of his clash with the 31-year-old Ramazanov.

Almost immediately after the start, the Iranian signaled for a timeout, clutching his upper right arm. While managing to keep the score close, and even tentatively leading at one point, he stopped the match five times for treatment on his shoulder.

"It was hard for him, but he was a great fighter with his other arm," Ramazanov said. "In the Olympics, you don’t get to choose the conditions, you just have to compete, and that’s what makes this sport so hard."

Yazdani gave up an activity point in the first period -- just barely failing to complete a takedown in the process -- but got one himself in the second to lead 1-1 on criteria.

Ramazanov put the pressure on and tripped Yazdani for a takedown while trapping the Iranian's foot underneath him at an odd angle, keeping him in a sitting position. That allowed the Bulgarian to use a crossface to tilt Yazdani backward for two exposures and a 7-1 lead.

With 30 seconds left, Yazdani conceded that it was over. He put his hands on his knees as the seconds ticked down to the inevitable. He gave Ramazanov a hug of respect.

Ramazanov dedicated the gold medal to his father who died when he was still a child.

"It was really hard, I had to fight elite wrestlers, but today it was destiny, and I want to thank god and dedicate this medal to my father, who died a few years ago," Ramazanov said. "I think he would be very proud of me."

He also paid tribute to his adopted country. "Bulgaria is my second home," he said. "This country gave me this amazing opportunity to compete in the Olympics with the best athletes around the world. It’s really hard psychologically because you don’t know if you’ll get to the next Olympics, and it’s so hard to qualify."

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) kisses his gold medal at the 57kg medal ceremony. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At freestyle 57kg, Higuchi won a showdown with an equally determined Spencer LEE (USA) 4-2 to capture the gold medal that eluded him at the 2016 Rio Olympics and for which he spent the ensuing years on a path of trials and tribulations.

"I was able to have fun wrestling," Higuchi said. "I think that in my career, this was my highest level performance. It was a great tournament."

Higuchi was able to limit Lee's attacks to a pair of stepouts in the first period, the first one while Lee was on the activity clock. In the second period, Higuchi managed to stay grounded so that there would be no points as he went over the edge.

Meanwhile, Higuchi took the initiative himself in the second period, launching a double-leg takedown attempt that Lee tried to counter by rolling over the top. But Higuchi rolled through it and Lee landed on his back, giving Higuchi 2 points and a momentary chance for a fall.

That gave Higuchi the lead 2-2 on criteria, and he managed to hold on, adding a takedown with two seconds left off a desperation throw attempt.

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) tackles Spencer LEE (USA) in the 57kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

After Rio, Higuchi moved up to 61kg, winning an Asian title, with an eye on making the Tokyo Olympics at 65kg. He won the world U23 gold at 65kg in 2018, and defeated Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) at one point, but in the end lost out to the eventual Tokyo gold medalist.

The only option for going to his home Olympics was to drop down to 57kg, but he famously failed to make weight at the Asian Olympic Qualifier, a shock only made worse when he later lost a playoff for Japan's Olympic spot to Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN).

Still in his prime, he spent the next two years at 61kg, winning his first senior world crown in 2022, then made the drop back to 57kg with the aim of being on the mat in Paris.

This time he became more attentive to his nutrition and diet, which got a boost when he got married in May last year. It paid off with a world silver in Belgrade that clinched his ticket to Paris.

"The road to getting the gold medal was not easy at all," said Higuchi, who became a father in February. "I suffered many losses and I had the failure to make weight. I had many setbacks and moments of despair.

"But I was absolutely confident I could win the gold medal. My coaches and teammates supported me and this is a medal I could get because of so many people. I will never think this is
a gold medal that I won by myself."

With Higuchi's win, current students or alumni of his alma mater Nippon Sports Science University now account for four wrestling golds in Paris. He was preceded by Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and Nao KUSAKA (JPN) in Greco and Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) in women's wrestling.

Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) celebrates after winning the 57kg final at the Paris Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Sakurai later added Japan's fifth gold overall through five days of competition in Paris with a 6-0 victory over Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) in a repeat of the women's 57kg final at last year's World Championships in Belgrade.

"I practiced just for this moment, and I was able to be here because of the support of many people," said Sakurai, who defeated two-time Olympic champion Risako KAWAI (now KINJO) (JPN) in the process of qualifying for Paris. "I'm really glad I won the title."

Sakurai, employing a 2-on-1 while standing that pretty much neutralized Nichita's offense, opened the scoring by shooting for a single-leg takedown, then stepping over for an exposure when Nichita attempted a counter-lift.

Sakurai had the 2-on-1 when the two went to the mat and Nichita tried to go over and hook the far leg. But Sakurai bucked her to the mat and went behind to make it 4-0 at the break. In the second period, Sakurai added a single-leg takedown while conceding nothing to clinch the gold.

After her victory lap, Sakurai went to the stands for a group hug with her father and her coach at Ikuei University, Yoshimaro YANAGAWA, who could have another Olympic champion after Ikuei's Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) made the women's 62kg final earlier in the session.

"He said, 'You did great,'" Sakurai said of Yanagawa. "For this Olympics, he sacrificed so much time for us. He made us train hard and kept pushing us. I'm glad I could get it done. I was able to put out on the mat what I had done up to now."

Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) wrestles Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) in the 57kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Sakurai suffered a setback in her Olympic preparations when she lost in the final at the Asian Championships in April to Yongxin FENG (CHN), but managed to right the ship in time for Paris. It was her first international loss since the 2019 Asian Junior (U20) Championships.

Despite missing out on the gold, Nichita earned a place in Moldovan history by becoming just its second Olympic wrestling medalist ever and the first woman.

"So many people came today to support me, and I'm really grateful for that," Nichita said. "I'm really sorry that I didn't win the gold medal, but next time I will try my best to win the gold.

"All of my life I dreamed about this, and I went through a lot of pain and trauma, and here I am today, with a medal."

Helen MAROULIS (USA) celebrates after winning her bronze-medal bout at 57kg in Paris. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Maroulis quickly bags bronze for 3rd Olympic medal

Helen MAROULIS (USA) needed just 24 seconds to win a third Olympic medal, taking a second straight women's 57kg bronze with victory by fall over Hannah TAYLOR (CAN).

Maroulis hit a textbook-perfect fireman's carry to send Taylor to her back, then clamped down to secure the fall less than a half-minute after the start.

The three-time former world champion added the Paris bronze to the gold she won at Rio 2016 with a historic win over legend Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) and her bronze from Tokyo three years ago.

Kexin HONG (CHN) needed a bit more time to secure the other women's 57kg bronze, rolling to a 10-0 victory over Giullia PENALBER (BRA) in 1:57.

The two bronze medalists at 86kg -- Aaron BROOKS (USA) and Daruen KURUGLIEV (GRE). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

World U23 champion Aaron BROOKS (USA), who needed to beat Tokyo Olympic champion David TAYLOR (USA) just to earn his ticket to Paris, defeated Asian silver medalist Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) 5-0 to take home a freestyle 86kg bronze medal.

Brooks received an activity point in the first period, then added a stepout early in the second. Put on the clock himself, Brooks scored a double-leg takedown to make it 4-0, then added a late stepout to relegate Shapiev to a second straight fifth-place finish at the Olympics.

Asked if the competition in his first major senior event was tougher than he had expected, Brooks replied, "I never try to expect anything. When you are going on the mat with expectations and they are not met, it's where you can have those climaxes and drop-offs.

"It's the Olympics. They are what they are. It's a tough competition."

The other 86kg bronze went to Russian-born Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE), who survived a valiant late surge by Tokyo bronze medalist Myles AMINE (SMR) in a 5-4 victory that gave Greece its first Olympic wrestling medal since Athens 2000.

Kurugliev appeared to be cruising to a victory on the back of a first-period takedown and 2-point exposure off a second-period scramble. With the clock ticking down, Amine completed a takedown with :07 on the clock, but wasn't done there.

He got behind again, but Kurugliev somehow managed to keep his knees off the mat as they went out of the ring, limiting Amine to a stepout and fleeing point that made it 4-4 but left him on the short end on criteria. An unsuccessful challenge added the final point.

"I would like to thank Greece, this country that gave me this opportunity," Kurugliev said. "Thank you very much to all of you. I'm very happy to have won this medal. Of course, I tried to win gold, but bronze is fine, and I'm quite happy."

AMAN (IND) became India's youngest Olympic medalist in individual sports. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Asian champion Aman SEHRAWAT (IND), the lone Indian male wrestler to qualify for Paris, assured that the country would win a medal for the fifth straight Olympics, winning a takedown-a-thon over Darian CRUZ (PUR) 13-5 to take a bronze at freestyle 57kg.

Sehrawat scored three takedowns in each period, adding a late stepout with a fleeing point tacked on, to deny the U.S.-raised Cruz's bid to become just the second Olympic wrestling medalist for Puerto Rico. Cruz, an NCAA champion at Lehigh University in the U.S., chalked up two takedowns of his own.

Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), who also did some collegiate wrestling in the U.S., picked up the other 57kg bronze with a 5-1 win over Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) that was closer than the score indicates.

Abdullaev got an activity point and stepout in the first period, and led 2-1 in the second after giving up a point on the activity clock. Fighting off everything Almaz Uulu threw at him down the stretch, he got a last-second 2 by stopping a desperation throw attempt, with an unsuccessful challenge point added on.

Day 5 Results

Freestyle

57kg
GOLD: Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) df. Spencer LEE (USA), 4-2

BRONZE: Aman SEHRAWAT (IND) df. Darian CRUZ (PUR), 13-5
BRONZE: Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ), 5-1

74kg
SF1: Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) df. Kyle DAKE (USA), 20-12
SF2: Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) df. Viktor RASSADIN (TJK), 8-2

86kg
GOLD: Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) df. Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), 7-1

BRONZE: Aaron BROOKS (USA) df. Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB), 5-0
BRONZE: Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) df. Myles AMINE (SMR), 5-4

125kg
SF1: Amir ZARE (IRI) df. Taha AKGUL (TUR), 2-1
SF2: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) df. Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE), 7-0

Women's Wrestling

57kg
GOLD: Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) df. Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), 6-0

BRONZE: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Hannah TAYLOR (CAN) by Fall, :24 (4-0)
BRONZE: Kexin HONG (CHN) df. Giullia PENALBER (BRA) by TF, 10-0, 1:57

62kg
SF1: Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) df. Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), 9-2
SF2: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Grace BULLEN (NOR) by Fall, 4:26 (7-7)

Rio Silver Medalists Ota, Higuchi Take Drastic Measures in Quest to Make Tokyo 2020

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Paris 2024: Ramazanov denies Yazdani, Higuchi completes 57kg turnaround