Meiji Cup

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

Sunday, June 17, 2018 - 14:50 By Ken Marantz

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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
 

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024 Day 5 Wrestling Preview: FS 74kg and 125kg; WW 62kg

Friday, July 26, 2024 - 14:32 By Vinay Siwach

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PARIS (July 26) -- Kyrgyzstan is waiting for its first Olympic champion, in any sport. Two came close to ending that drought in Tokyo when Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) and Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) reached the final in Greco-Roman 77kg and women's wrestling 62kg. Both fell short.

Come Paris, Kyrgyzstan is banking on its wrestlers again. Three world champions are heading to Paris as the favorites in their weight classes to win the gold medal. One of them is Tynybekova, the legend who took wrestling to the pinnacle in the country.

PARIS 2024 SCHEDULE | PARIS 2024 NEWS

Makhmudov and Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) wrestle before Tynybekova at the Olympics. But if they don't win the gold, Tynybekova will have the chance to win the historic gold and be the first Olympic champion from Kyrgyzstan. It would only be apt.

Kyle DAKE (USA)Kyle DAKE (USA) lost to Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (AIN) at the Tokyo Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Tony Rotundo)

Apart from Tynybekova, two more Tokyo silver medalists will look to win gold on August 9 when WW 62kg and Freestyle 74kg and 125kg weight classes take place at the Champ de Mars Arena in Paris.

Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (AIN) at 74kg and Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) at 125kg won't have it easy. Both fell in the finals at Tokyo, Petriashvili's loss being the more dramatic of the two.

Kadzimahamedau stunned the world when he tossed around Kyle DAKE (USA) in Tokyo and Petriashvili was left stunned when Gable STEVESON (USA) scored a last-second takedown to beat him in the 125kg final.

But to lay claim to gold in Paris, all three weight classes will be full of drama.

FS 74kg: Dake out to avenge Tokyo loss

Kyle DAKE (USA) was the favorite to win the 74kg gold medal in Paris. Then Uzbekistan announced Razambek JHAMALOV (UZB) as its entry, Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (AIN) got in after approval and suddenly, there is no clear favorite to win this weight class.

Kadzimahamedau's run in Tokyo saw him beat Dake and reach the final. Dake hasn't faced him after but is looking forward to that bout if it happens in Paris.

"I have been itching to get those matches back," Dake told FloWrestling. "Those are fun matches. You want to go out and compete against the best guys. All I know is there will be 16 guys trying to win an Olympic gold medal and perform at their best. My goal is just being better than them on that day."

Reflecting on his campaign in Tokyo and then in the 2023 World Championships, Dake said he was satisfied and has a different outlook towards results.

"I don't know if I would change anything," Dake said. "Given the circumstances, I competed the best I could. I went out and wrestled and did my best. My girls, last year [after the World Championships], asked me 'daddy you didn't win, what happened?' I tried my best and it didn't fall my way. That's okay. A lot of what I am focusing on is competing with gratitude, scoring points, be Kyle Dake the best way I can."

If the best Dake shows up in Paris, he will be unstoppable. But a few opponents have pushed him to the edge in the past. Frank CHAMIZO (ITA), Yones EMAMI (IRI), Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) and Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) are a few he has wrestled. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), Chermen VALIEV (ALB), Razambek JAMALOV (UZB), Viktor RASSADIN (TJK), Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) are a few others he has not wrestled and will be in Paris. Thanks to his top seed, Dake will avoid Kougioumtsidis, Salkazanov and Bayramov till the final.

Kadzimahamedau will be unseeded and can be drawn anywhere in the bracket. After Tokyo, his performance has seen him win a European Championships silver medal at 79kg in what was a rare appearance on the mat.

But Kougioumtsidis defeated him at the World Championships in a thrilling opening-round bout. The Greek wrestler was looking good to make the final but hit Dake in the semifinal, dropping the bout 4-1, a much closer semifinal than the scoreline indicates.

Takatani was another wrestler who troubled Dake in the quarterfinals. Though Dake won 6-4, Takatani seemed to have figured out Dake's style and controlled the bout. Dake, however, was just too good.

The entries of Valiev and Jamalov has spiced up things. Valiev was entered in the World Olympic Qualifier after he completed his transfer from Albania. His style of frustrating his opponents by having a sitting position with no aim to score will be on test in Paris.

 

Jamalov is replacing Bekzod ABDURAKHAMANOV (UZB) in the line-up and the former U23 world champion can upset any wrestler in Paris. Jamalov's defense is among one of the many exceptional skills he possesses and once he thwarts the attacks of his opponents, they crumble due to disappointment.

Making his debut for Uzbekistan, Jamalov won the Budapest Ranking Series and won gold, announcing himself just before the Games and it should not surprise the wrestling world if he goes all the way in Paris.

Wait, maybe Geandry GARZON (CUB) will get his prized Olympic medal in Paris? The 41-year-old finished fifth in the 2008 Beijing Games and returned to the Olympics in Tokyo. Now he is going for his third Olympics in Paris.

WW 62kg: Tynybekova and history

Yukako KAWAI (JPN) denied Tynybekova the gold in Tokyo. A for Tynybekova would have grown her legend in Kyrgyzstan. The fans still love and adore her. They cheer for her in every country she wrestles. All they want is for her to become the country's first Olympic champion. Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) threatened her to disallow that for significant time before she moved categories after losing domestically.

Going into Paris, one thing Tynybekova can take confidence in is her record against Sakura MOTOKI (JPN), the Japan entry for the Olympics. The two met in the World Championships final which Tynybekova survived and won. Then at the Zagreb Open and again at the Asian Championships. Tynybekova used her counter lifts to win both times.

But Tynybekova knows that it's not just the Japanese opponent at the Olympics she has to be prepared for. The 62kg weight has seen the rise of Grace BULLEN (NOR), Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK) and Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), return of Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL). Tokyo bronze medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) is also looking for her second Olympic medal.

"I would like to say that there are no easy or tough opponents," Tynybekova said after the Asian Championships. "It all depends on my physical condition on that exact day. That’s why me and my coaches will prepare to wrestle every single wrestler in my weight class."

Motoki may well be at the top of that list. Motoki isn't one with the natural gift of wrestling. She believes in going back to the drawing board after every loss and aiming for perfection through repetitions.

"I don't have confidence and think negatively. That's why I can practice and research. Those are my weapons," she told Yomiuri recently.

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) will be one of the contenders for gold at the Paris Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

One of her lethal attacks is the single-leg, which she has perfected to hit deep and score most of the time. If she fails to finish it, Motoki throws herself back to defend. The Ikuei University student says she has 30 variations to hit it.

"It's like a mathematical formula. If you know it, you can apply it," she said.

Those weapons have worked well against most but Tynybekova. She ran close in Zagreb but could not finish. At the Asian Championships, she got countered by Tynybekova so often that the bout was never in balance. A sobbing Motoki failed to make sense of the loss and said she believed she could win. She cried, thought about it, and realized a win was close.

It's like her junior high school all over again. At one point, she could not get past a wrestler and lost "about seven times." Then she finally beat her after years in a different division. 

"There was a sense of accomplishment and joy that people who keep winning don't get," she said. "No other athlete has ever experienced such setbacks. That's my strength. I want to win the gold medal and get revenge."

Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK)Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK) is an Asian Games champion at 62kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Gyong-Mun will be another wrestler who can surprise a few in Paris. She won the Asian Games after beating Ozaki in the final and with little known about her, wrestlers can find it tricky to face the DPR Korea wrestler.

Bullen will be at her first Olympics having transformed her style after getting a new team and moving to Georgia for training. She won bronze at the World Championships and will be a threat in Paris.

FS 125kg: Zare set to enter new territory

Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) has grown leaps and bounds after his bronze-medal finish at the Tokyo Olympics. He won the World Championships gold medal in Oslo, beating Taha AKGUL (TUR) and Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO). He suffered a loss to Akgul in 2022 but bounced back to win the gold in 2023. Going into Paris 2024, Zare is undoubtedly a heavy favorite.

Zare has not only grown in experience but has worked on his conditioning to a great extent. At the 2023 World Championships, his opponents found it difficult to score on him and he gave up only six points in five bouts.

Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL)Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) during the Asian Olympic Qualifier. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL), who won a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships, wrestled Zare at the Asian Games final in October 2023 but fell behind quickly.

"His conditioning is very high," Munkhtur said after the final. "The strength part is normal but it's his conditioning which keeps him going for six minutes."

Munkhtur had a disastrous World Championships, bowing out in the first round. But he came back to qualify for the Olympics from the Asian qualifiers.

Zare's biggest competitors will be Petriashvili, Akgul and Mason PARRIS (USA) who won the trials in the absence of Tokyo Olympic champion Gable STEVESON (USA).

Petriashvili was close to winning his first Olympic gold after bronze in Rio but in the final second of the final, Steveson scored a takedown to beat Petriashvili. The Georgian has not been able to win a gold at any championships since.

"I was very close to the gold medal," Petriashvili told UWW. "It was one of the hardest matches in my life. Steveson was very fast and strong. Every day I try to forget that moment. I am not saying I have forgotten it. It's very hard to do so.

"I don't know what happened there. Maybe I thought 'I have won, really!' I was talking to myself. My eyes went black because of happiness. I was counting - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 seconds and I lost. What happened? Every day I ask myself what happened and don't have an answer. It's wrestling. It's very hard for your emotions but you have to be quiet and have this feeling."

Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) after losing the 125kg final at the Tokyo Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

But Petriashvili will have to forget it and be ready for another spell of matches. He knows that well and is ready for Paris. 

"It will be hard and there will be good matches," he said. "I hope I will be ready. For 12 years, I have been standing on the mat at the senior level. I feel good here. Akgul and Zare are world-class wrestlers. Parris is also good. I am a good wrestler as well (laughs). Everyone wants to take a gold medal home. No one gives you the medal."

Akgul won the gold medal in Rio and bronze in Tokyo. But for a third Olympic medal, he will have to work hard. He is on the same side as Zare which makes it difficult to be in the final. Both will not collide before the semifinals.

Mason PARRIS (USA)Mason PARRIS (USA), red, will be the U.S. representative at 125kg in Paris. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Parris is on the other side, making him a potential opponent of Petriashvili in the semifinal. The Georgian defeated Parris in the semifinal of the World Championships. Parris, however, won the gold medal at the Budapest Ranking Series.

"Getting a world bronze medal last year was awesome for my confidence," Parris said. "I think I am being underestimated by a lot of people. I think I have one of the best chances to be an Olympic champion. My plan is to bring it home for the U.S."