Meiji Cup

Susaki Pulls Off Last-Second Win over Irie, to Face Tosaka in 50kg Final; Icho-Kawai Clash on Tap

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (June 15)---As the seconds ticked down, Yui SUSAKI could see everything she had dreamed of achieving being lost. There would be no trip back to the World Championships and, by extension, she could kiss her Olympic aspirations goodbye.

Willing herself to snatch a victory from a certain defeat, Susaki launched a desperate attack, and in one of those lightning-quick turn of events that seem to defy reality, Susaki went from hopeless to hopeful in a span of seconds.

Susaki scored a 4-point takedown with 2 seconds remaining in her opening match to grab a stunning 6-2 victory over rival Yuki IRIE, then went on to make the women’s 50kg final on the third day of the four-day All-Japan Invitational Championships in Tokyo.

Having cleared the first hurdle with such drama, Susaki faces an equally high one when she takes on 2016 Rio Olympic gold medalist Eri TOSAKA in the final on Sunday, which will be the first-ever official match between the lightweight titans.

That’s one of several high-profile finals on tap as the top wrestlers funneled into the Olympic weight classes for the tournament, setting up clashes between stars with hefty collections of global medals. 

At 57kg, Rio 2016 champions Kaori ICHO and Risako KAWAI will clash in a rematch of their meetings at last December’s All-Japan Championships (Emperor’s Cup), in which Icho beat Kawai for the title after losing to her in a preliminary group match.

And the 53kg final will see a battle between reigning world champions, as 55kg gold medalist Mayu MUKAIDA, who moved down to the Olympic weight, will take on Haruna OKUNO, winner of the 53kg world title at Budapest 2018.  

The victor between Susaki and Tosaka will face Irie in a playoff on July 6 for a place on Japan’s team to the World Championships in Kazakhstan in September. Capturing a medal at the worlds---certainly a likelihood in the 50kg class that Japan dominates---would in turn earn an automatic place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

That’s the incentive that is driving Susaki and the other top wrestlers at the tournament, also referred to as the Meiji Cup, at Tokyo’s Komazawa Gym. 

“I’m strongly determined to definitely win the title, win the playoff, then win my third straight world championship and get to the Tokyo Olympics,” said the straight-talking Susaki. 

A victory at the Meiji Cup, combined with a title at the Emperor’s Cup, earns a place on the team to Nur-Sultan 2019. If the winners are different, the berth will be decided in a playoff. 

The latter is now the case at women’s 50kg, as Irie had won the Emperor’s Cup, where she defeated Tosaka in the semifinals. Susaki had skipped the tournament due to an elbow injury. 

It caused quite a buzz when Irie and Susaki were drawn to face each in their opening match, which was in the quarterfinal round. The last time the two met, Susaki came out on a top in the playoff for Budapest 2018, where she won a second straight world gold.

Yui SUSAKI, the reigning two-time world champion, faces 2016 Rio Olympic gold medalist Eri TOSAKA in the final on Sunday. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

“At the World Championships, I also had to face the top seed right away,” Susaki said. “So I looked at that as a plus for me going into today’s match. You have to do what you have to do. To be the champion, you have to be able to beat everyone.”

Susaki got the upper hand with a double leg takedown in the first period, but Irie grabbed the lead on last-point criteria with a takedown a minute into the second. Irie then went into defensive mode, keeping Susaki at arm’s distance as the clocked ticked away.

With 5 seconds left, Susaki blasted straight in for a high double leg, then brought her left arm up to Irie’s neck while pulling in the leg with the right. As the clock hit :02, Irie tumbled backward to the mat with a splat. 

“In the last, what two seconds, I was able to reverse the score,” Susaki said. “Today, I couldn’t cut the distance between us, and couldn’t get inside. But I didn’t panic, and I thought I couldn’t give up on the Olympics. That feeling was so strong, so I just went for it. I went with my strength, a direct tackle from the front, and it worked.”

Susaki, who will turn 20 later this month, had a less-dramatic but not-much-easier match in the semifinals, scoring with a duck-under to clinch a 5-2 victory over two-time world U23 champion Miho IGARASHI.

Tosaka advanced with a 9-2 win over Kika KAGATA in the other semifinal.

“Recently, I’ve been losing in the semifinals, so I’m glad I was able to make it to the final,” said Tosaka, who underwent foot surgery after her victory in Rio and has not wrestled internationally since. “I went through hard times after Rio, but having gone through that experience, I want to win tomorrow.”

Tosaka, who said she has been encouraged by a group of about 50 supporters from her Toyama Prefecture hometown who made the long trip to Tokyo by bus to cheer her on, knows what she is in for in her first meeting with Susaki, her successor as world champion in the lightest weight class.

“She’s strong mentally, and has speed and power,” the 25-year-old Tosaka said. “It’s not just youthful energy, she’s an athlete with remarkable talent. I’m sure it will be a tough match. But however the match plays out, even if it looks bad, the only thing that matters is winning.”

At 57kg, Rio 2016 champions Kaori ICHO and Risako KAWAI will clash in a rematch of their meetings at last December’s All-Japan Championships (Emperor’s Cup), in which Icho beat Kawai for the title. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Icho survives scare herself

Like Susaki, Icho also had to survive a scare as she aims for her first Meiji Cup title since 2015. Icho had not competed since her triumph in Rio until launching a comeback in September last year. 

Icho, after winning her two preliminary group matches quite handily, had her hands full with world junior silver medalist Sae NANJO in the semifinals. Nanjo was leading 1-1 on criteria in the second period when she got in on a tackle that Icho countered with a lift. 

Nanjo was awarded 2 points and, upon further review by the referees, Icho also received 2 for tilting Nanjo, giving her a 3-3 advantage. Icho then held off a last-ditch single-leg attempt for the victory. 

“I’m not sure [why it happened],” Icho said of the close match. “If I have the courage to attack, that would lead to points. The thing is whether I can get that courage.”

Icho, who had to settle for a bronze medal after losing in the semifinals at the Asian Championships in April, said she now goes into competition with a different perspective from when she was such a dominant force. 

“Nothing I’ve done up to now can be used for reference,” she said. “Now, I’m the challenger. I’m not the world champion, I’m not even the Asian champion. I think the best way is to face high-level wrestlers as a challenger.”

Kawai needed three wins to top her group, including a 12-4 win over Nanjo, before chalking up a mundane 2-1 win in the semifinals over Akie HANAI, with all of the points coming on the activity clock. 

Mukaida, coming off a disappointing second-place finish at the Asian Championships, overwhelmed Ibuki TAMURA with an 11-0 technical fall in the semifinals, while Okuno ousted Nanami IRIE, 5-2. Mukaida has won all eight of her previous encounters with Okuno. 

At 68kg, Rio 2016 champion Sara DOSHO, who missed a chance to defend her world title last year after undergoing shoulder surgery, advanced to the final, where she will face former three-time world junior champion Masako FURUICHI.

In freestyle, world champion Takuto OTOGURO showed little sign of the knee problem that has recently plagued him in cruising into the 65kg final. He will take on Rei HIGUCHI, the Rio 2016 silver medalist at 57kg. 

Not to be outdone, 2017 world champion Kenichiro FUMITA and Rio 2016 silver medalist Shinobu OTA will go at it again for the Greco-Roman 60kg title. Fumita won their last clash, in the Emperor’s Cup final, to take a 5-4 lead in career meetings.  


Yuki TAKAHASHI clinched his ticket Nur-Sultan with a 6-3 victory over Kaiki YAMAGUCHI. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Takahashi earns chance to regain world title

Overshadowed somewhat by the big names going through the qualifying rounds, 2017 world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI clinched his ticket Nur-Sultan with a 6-3 victory over Kaiki YAMAGUCHI in the freestyle 57kg final.

Takahashi, who won bronze medals at last year’s World Championships and at this year’s Asian Championships, was elated to move closer to his dream of making the Olympics. The sting of failing to qualify for Rio 2016 still lingers. 

“Four years ago, I missed out on the Rio Olympics. I felt disappointment, I felt regret. Put all together, it’s a harsh memory. I knew that to get to the World Championships, I had to win here.”

Takahashi scored two takedowns in the second period to clinch the win over the 20-year-old Yamaguchi in a near repeat of the Emperor’s Cup final, which he won 6-4.   

“When I saw the draw sheet, I thought it would be Yamaguchi in the final,” Takahashi said. “The level in the lightweight classes in Japan has steadily been rising, but I was confident I could win out.”

Meanwhile, world silver medalist Yukako KAWAI, Risako’s younger sister, also secured a ticket back to the World Championships in the women’s 62kg division with a 3-1 victory over Asian 59kg champion Yuzuka INAGAKI.

Kawai was on the activity clock with the score tied 1-1 when she scored the decisive takedown with 53 seconds left, then fought off a late tackle attempt from the high schooler, a world cadet champion in 2017. 

Day 3 Results

Freestyle

57kg (12 entries)
Final - Yuki TAKAHASHI df. Kaiki YAMAGUCHI, 6-3
3rd Place - Toshihiro HASEGAWA df. Shotaro SUWAMA, 6-0
3rd Place - Rikuto ARAI df. Daiki ARAKI, 8-2

61kg (11 entries)
Final - Yo NAKATA df. Ken KIKUCHI by TF, 12-2, 5:09 
3rd Place - Ryutaro HAYAMA df. Keita SHIMIZU by Def. 
3rd Place - Kodai OGAWA df. Wataru TADANO by TF, 14-4, 5:05 

65kg (11 entries)
Semifinals
Takuto OTOGURO df. Yujiro UENO by TF, 10-0, 2:38
Rei HIGUCHI df. Takuma TANIYAMA, 9-0

70kg (8 entries)
Semifinals
Kojiro SHIGA df. Jin HARAGUCHI, 5-2
Haruki SENO df. Shinnosuke SUWAMA, 2-1 

74kg (12 entries)
Final - Mao OKUI df. Jintaro MOTOYAMA, 6-2 
3rd Place - Yuto MIWA df. Yuhi FUJINAMI by Def. 
3rd Place - Ryuki YOSHIDA df. Ken HOSAKA, 6-4 

92kg (5 entries)
Round-robin, Final Standings
1. Takuma OTSU (4-0)
2. Takumi TANIZAKI (3-1)
3. Koji YAMANE (2-2)
Key match: Takuma OTSU df. Takumi TANIZAKI, 2-1 in 2nd round

Greco-Roman

55kg (8 entries)
Final - Shota OGAWA df. Hirokazu ONO by TF,10-0, 1:05
3rd Place - Kenta KOSAKA df. Hiromu KATAGIRI by Def. 
3rd Place - Kota OTANI df. Kazuto KATO by TF, 9-0, 1:59 

60kg (12 entries)
Semifinals
Kenichiro FUMITA df. Hayanobu SHIMIZU by TF, 9-1, 4:15
Shinobu OTA df. Ayata SUZUKI by TF, 9-0, 3:19

67kg (12 entries)
Final - Shogo TAKAHASHI df. Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA, 2-1
3rd Place - Katsuaki ENDO df. Katsuyoshi KAWASE by Def.
3rd Place - Yusuke KITAOKA df. Yamato UI, 5-3 

72kg (12 entries)
Semifinals
Tomohiro INOUE df. Keisei SHIMABUKURO, 4-0
Nao KUSAKA df. Ryoma HOJO, 12-7 

82kg (9 entries)
Semifinals
Yuya OKAJIMA df. Masao TANAKA by TF, 8-0, 2:38
Satoki MUKAI df. Tatsuya FUJII, 3-1 

130kg (8 entries)
Final - Arata SONODA df. Keita BANCHI by TF, 8-0, 1:15 
3rd Place - Shoma SUZUKI df. Satoshi KAIZUKA, 3-1
3rd Place - Sota OKUMURA df. Ryota KONO, 3-2

Women’s Wrestling 

50kg (12 entries)
Semifinals
Yui SUSAKI df. Miho IGARASHI, 5-2
Eri TOSAKA df. Kika KAGATA, 9-2

53kg (11 entries)
Semifinals
Mayu MUKAIDA df. Ibuki TAMURA by TF, 11-0, 4:48
Haruna OKUNO df. Nanami IRIE, 5-2

57kg (7 entries)
Semifinals
Risako KAWAI df. Akie HANAI, 2-1 
Kaori ICHO df. Sae NANJO, 3-3

62kg (12 entries)
Final - Yukako KAWAI df. Yuzuka INAGAKI, 3-1 
3rd Place - Yui SAKANO df. Kiwa SAKAE by Fall, 3:09 (6-0) 
3rd Place - Miwa MORIKAWA df. Kumi IRIE, 4-2

68kg (6 entries)
Semifinals
Sara DOSHO df. Chiaki SEKI, 8-0
Masako FURUICHI df. Rio WATARI, 9-4 

72kg (4 entries)
Round-Robin, Final Standings
1. Mei SHINDO (3-0)
2. Mai HAYAKAWA (2-1)
3. Kanon KOBAYASHI (1-2)
Key Match: Mei SHINDO df. Mai HAYAKAWA, 2-1 in 3rd round

Meiji Cup

Irie, Icho Aim to Clear Big Hurdles, Move Closer to Tokyo 2020 with Victories at Meiji Cup

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO---After winning the women's 50kg gold medal at the Asian Championships in Xi'an, China, in April, Yuki IRIE's first reaction was that she wanted to get back to Japan and into the wrestling room as soon as possible.

The continental championship could be considered just a snack on the way to a main banquet---in this case, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics---and the next stage in the process for getting a seat at that event was fast approaching.  And when it means possible rematches with two-time world champion Yui SUSAKI or Rio 2016 Olympic gold medalist Eri TOSAKA, there's not a moment to spare.

A number of world and Olympic champions and medalists could potentially collide again as Japan's top wrestlers---funneled into the Olympic weight classes---clash at the four-day All-Japan Invitational Championships, referred to as the Meiji Cup, starting Thursday at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym.

The tournament, combined with the All-Japan Championships (Emperor's Cup) held in December, serves as a qualifier for the World Championships in Kazakhstan in September. A victory in both gives the wrestler an automatic berth on the team to Nur-Sultan; if the victors are different, they will meet it a playoff on July 6.

Making the team to the World Championships has even larger ramifications this year, as the Japan Wrestling Federation has decreed that any wrestler winning a medal there will automatically fill a spot on the Tokyo 2020 team. While that will be a tall task for the men, there is certainly a strong possibility of Japan medaling in all six women's Olympic divisions in the Kazakh capital, so getting there is of the utmost urgency.

Thus, Irie's comments after defeating SUN Yanan (CHN) in the Asian final were echoed by many others: "I uncovered many issues, so I want to get home right away and start practicing. If I don't win at the Meiji Cup, it doesn't mean anything...To aim for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, winning this tournament was essential. I was glad to clear that. To me, June is the real deal."

Two-time world champion Yui SUSAKI will be making her return to action after skipping the Emperor's Cup due to a dislocated elbow. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

Irie will renew her rivalry at 50kg with Susaki, who was forced to skip the Emperor's Cup due to a dislocated elbow. Irie is the only wrestler in the world who has defeated Susaki multiple times, with her most recent win coming at last year's Emperor's Cup.

Not to be counted out are Tosaka, who lost in the semifinals to Irie at the Emperor's Cup, and 2017 world cadet champion Remina YOSHIMOTO, who gave Susaki a tough fight in losing 2-1 in the final of the Junior Queen's Cup in April.

Four-time Olympic champion Kaori ICHO (JPN) and Rio Olympic champion Risako KAWAI (JPN) are both entered at 57kg. The pair split their two matches at the Emperor's Cup. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Icho, Kawai to likely go at it again
At the Emperor's Cup, fans were treated to not just one clash between Rio 2016 champions Kaori ICHO and Risako KAWAI, but two.

Icho defeated her younger rival in a thriller for the 57kg title, scoring a takedown in the last 10 seconds for a 3-2 victory. That came after Kawai stunned the four-time Olympic gold medalist 2-1 in a preliminary group match, handing Icho her first loss to a Japanese opponent since 2001.

Kawai, the 2018 world champion at 59kg, moved down to 57kg, rather than up to 62kg, where she would have to displace her younger sister Yukako. But it meant risking her shot at the Olympics by putting her on a collision course with Icho, who returned to competition in late 2018 for the first time since winning the gold in Rio.

Icho, who will turn 35 on Thursday, got a dose of reality in Xi'an, where she lost in the semifinals to JONG Myung-Suk (PRK) and had to settle for a bronze medal. But that defeat might have been the wakeup call that she needed, as it showed that she could not take any opponent for granted.

According to a Japanese press report, Icho has been below par physically since returning from Xi'an and only participated one day in a recent national team training camp. Kawai, determined to exact revenge, attended the entire camp. Still, one Japan federation official said, "I think [Icho] will definitely be ready."

World champion Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) and Haruna OKUNO (JPN) could meet at 53kg. If they do, Mukaida holds the upper hand in head-to-head meetings, having won all eight previous bouts between the two. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

The other big showdown on tap could come at 53kg between Shigakkan University teammates Haruna OKUNO, the world champion at that weight, and Mayu MUKAIDA, the gold medalist at 55kg who has dropped to the Olympic weight.

An anticipated meeting at the Emperor's Cup never came about after Okuno withdrew due to a stomach virus. Mukaida holds the upper hand in head-to-head meetings, having won all eight previous bouts between the two, most recently in 2017.

Like Icho, Mukaida fell short of a gold medal at the Asian Championships, where she gave up a last-second takedown and fell 4-3 in the final to PAK Yongmi (PRK). While that may have exposed a weakness, it also will serve to make her more determined to avoid making the same mistakes.

Olympic champion Sara DOSHO (JPN) has won gold medals at both the Emperor's Cup and Asian Championships since returning from shoulder surgery. (Photo Sachiko Hotaka) 

Japan's other reigning Olympic champion, Sara DOSHO, will look to fight off a challenge from fellow Rio Olympian Rio WATARI at 68kg. Dosho was unable to defend her world title last year after undergoing shoulder surgery, but showed she was on the right track in her return by winning titles at both the Emperor's Cup and Asian Championships.

World bronze medalist Hiroe MINAGAWA's stranglehold on the 76kg division will be put to the test by high school phenom Yuka KAGAMI, a two-time world cadet champion. Having captured the Emperor's Cup and Asian titles at 72kg, the 17-year-old Kagami decided to take a shot at making the Tokyo Olympics by challenging the veteran Minagawa.

Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) will make his return to competition since becoming Japan's youngest-ever male world champion when he won the gold in Budapest 2018. Otoguro has been sidelined with a bursitis in his right knee.   (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne) 

Injury concerns shadow Otoguro

In freestyle, world champion Takuto OTOGURO will need to show he has recovered from recent knee problems to win his second straight Meiji Cup title at 65kg and earn his ticket to Nur-Sultan.

Otoguro, who became Japan's youngest-ever male world champion when he won the gold in Budapest 2018 at 19 years 10 months, came down with bursitis in his right knee earlier this year, which caused him to withdraw from both the World Cup and Asian Championships.

He returned to the mat to wrestle one match for Yamanashi Gakuin University at the East Japan collegiate team tournament in May, which he won. But he will have to be sharp to beat Asian Games silver medalist Daichi TAKATANI, world U-23 champion and Rio 2016 57kg silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI, and a number of others who help make this one of Japan's deepest weight classes.

Sosuke TAKATANI, Daichi's older brother, seems to have settled in at the Olympic weight of 86kg after a two-year progression from 74kg, in which he won a world silver in 2014.

The 30-year-old Takatani won his eighth straight national title and first at 86kg at the Emperor's Cup, then showed he could be a factor on the international stage in the heavier division when he defeated world silver medalist Fatih ERDIN (TUR) at the World Cup.

Shota SHIRAI, who lost in the Emperor's Cup final to Takatani, spent January training in Russia and will be looking for revenge, along with the two bronze medalists, Masao MATSUSAKA, who fell to Takatani 2-1 in the semifinals, and teenager Hayato ISHIGURO, the world junior champion at 79kg.

World bronze medalist Atsushi MATSUMOTO (JPN), who normally competes at 92kg, will be bumping up to the Olympic weight of 97kg. (Photo: Unknown)

One high-profile man who has switched to an Olympic weight class for this tournament is Atsushi MATSUMOTO, the world bronze medalist and Emperor's Cup winner at 92kg who has moved up to 97kg.

Matsumoto, who finished third at 92kg in Xi'an, had previously demonstrated just how strong his desire is to make an Olympics---in 2017-18, he switched to Greco-Roman after failing to qualify for Rio 2016. (He later switched back to freestyle after a rule change worked against him.)

Looking to stop Matsumoto's bid at 97kg are Emperor's Cup champion Naoya AKAGUMA and runner-up Takeshi YAMAGUCHI, who reportedly paid his own way to the Mongolian Open in April, where he won the silver medal.

At 74kg, Yuhi FUJINAMI, a 2017 world bronze medalist at 70kg, suffered a knee injury during a first-round victory at the Asian Championships, then opted to pull out rather than jeopardize his chances of being ready for the Meiji Cup.    

Fujinami's readiness will be tested by Emperor's Cup runner-up Ken HOSAKA and third-place finisher Yuto MIWA, who had a key win in Japan's victory over Cuba at the World Cup. Adding depth to the field are Keisuke OTOGURO (Takuto's older brother), who has moved up from 70kg along with teenager Jintaro MOTOYAMA, last year's Meiji Cup champ at that weight.

World champion Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) will likely meet his former teammate and Rio 2016 silver medalist Shinobu OTA in the 60kg division. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

In Greco-Roman, the 60kg division will likely see the latest battle between 2017 world champion Kenichiro FUMITA and Rio 2016 silver medalist Shinobu OTA, former teammates at Nippon Sports Science University.

Fumita returned from injury to defeat Ota 7-2 in the final at the Emperor's Cup. That gave Fumita, at 23 two years younger than Ota, a 5-4 advantage in their head-to-head meetings dating back to 2014.

While Fumita went on to win a bronze medal at Xi'an, Ota did not sit around idly waiting for the Meiji Cup. He traveled to Europe, where he won the gold at the Hungary Grand Prix and silver at the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov Tournament in Bulgaria, both at 63kg.

En route to the final, either of the two might have to get past world junior bronze medalist Kazuki YABE, who lost to Fumita by technical fall in December.