Susaki regains Asian crown but shows cracks in pre-Paris prep

Saturday, April 13, 2024 - 18:57 By Ken Marantz

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 13) -- Reigning world and Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) finally showed some chinks in her armor. Not enough to suffer a first-ever loss to a non-Japanese opponent, but enough to give her something to think about with four months to go to the Paris Olympics.

Susaki faced the rare situation of trailing in a match in the women's 50kg final at the Asian Championships but managed to right the ship and defeat Ziqi FENG (CHN) 8-4 on Saturday at Bishkek Arena to regain the title she won in her last appearance in 2017.

"To go through such troubling matches before the Olympics is an important experience in order to win the gold in Paris," said Susaki, who earlier overcame a tough challenge from Yong Ok HWANG (PRK). "I want to make use of this feeling of regret so that after I win the gold, I can say it was good I had this experience."

Japan won two of the four other women's golds at stake on the third day of the competition, with two-time world champion Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) triumphing in her first international foray at the Olympic weight of 68kg and 2022 world U23 champion Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) winning the 55kg title in her senior Asian debut.

World silver medalist Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) sent the home fans happy by rallying to a thrilling victory in the 76kg final to cap the night, which earlier saw world champion Qi ZHANG (CHN) storm to the 59kg gold to follow up her victory over two-time Olympic champion Risako KINJO (JPN) in the afternoon session.

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) attempts an unsuccessful front headlock roll against Ziqi FENG (CHN) in the 50kg final during the Asian Championships (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

For Susaki, the stop in Bishkek is part of her final preparations in the run-up to the Paris Olympics. Instead, it turned into a wake-up call, although she is trying to see it in a positive light.

"To be in a tough situation and still be able to come out with a victory gives me a boost of confidence," said the four-time world champion.

In the final against Feng, Susaki was facing an opponent she had beaten twice in the past seven months -- an 8-2 win in the semifinals at last year's World Championships in Belgrade and a 10-0 rout in the final of the Zagreb Open in January.

But it became obvious that her opponents are doing their homework on the superstar, who has only three losses in her entire career, all to the same Japanese opponent, Yuki IRIE (JPN).

Feng got on the scoreboard first with a counter lift for 2, but Susaki rolled through it and gained 2 of her own. But she lost the criteria advantage when Feng stuffed her on a front headlock roll for a 4-2 lead. It looked like it would stay that way to end the period, but Susaki came back with a driving takedown off a high crotch just seconds before the buzzer.

In the second period, Susaki kept her composure and scored a pair of takedowns to clinch the victory, which runs her current streak to 54 wins in a row.

"I wasn't trying for any specific tackle and I tried to hit a front headlock roll," Susaki said. "But I realize I can improve on the combination and it makes me want to quickly get back to practice."

Susaki's first bump in the road came in her opening match in the quarterfinals against Hwang, a 2019 bronze medalist who, like the rest of her compatriots, had been out of the international wrestling scene for much of the past five years.

Susaki received two activity points before Hwang came to life and scored a stepout late in the second period. She was close to scoring another when Susaki wriggled out of danger, then stopped a desperate front roll attempt to win 4-1.

"She came up with a strategy to keep the score low and put everything into deciding it at the end," Susaki said. "I allowed her to dictate the match. I'm going to go back to Japan and figure out how to deal with an opponent who avoids contact and saves it for the end."

Even with the close calls, Susaki remains among the most popular wrestlers on the circuit, as attested by the cheers for her from the Bishkek crowd.

"It was my first Asian Championships in seven years," Susaki said. "Seven years ago, it was my first challenge at a senior tournament. It was very moving to be back after seven years. The Kyrgyz people supported me and I was very happy to be able to compete with so many cheering for me. I'm very grateful to the fans."

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) completes a takedown against world silver medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) in the 68kg semifinals during the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Ozaki had her own issues to deal with, mainly handling a move from 62kg to 68kg over one year, with a stop at 65kg in between to win another world title. The extra weight proved to be no problem, at least on the continental level.

"My objective was winning the title, but it didn't matter if I lost as long I took something away from it," Ozaki said. "I wanted it to be a test of what level I am at."

Her level is quite high, to say the least. Ozaki won the gold with a 15-2 victory over 2022 Asian U23 champion RADHIKA (IND), her third consecutive technical fall of the day in which she was on the mat for a combined time of just over seven minutes.

"My transition from standing to the ground position was good and I could get big points," Ozaki said. "I want to continue working on that in practice."

Ozaki, the 2022 world champion at 62kg, suffered a devastating setback when she lost out on the place at the Paris Olympics in that weight class to Sakura MOTOKI (JPN). After moving up to 65kg for another chance to win a world title, which she accomplished, the opportunity to earn a ticket to Paris arose at 68kg, and she grabbed it by beating Ami ISHII (JPN) in a playoff in January.

As a natural 62kg wrestler, Ozaki has a speed advantage over her opponents. Since earning the Olympic spot, she has been spending time filling out into the heavier weight.

"I still have room to get bulkier and put on weight," she said. "I think I'll be much bigger the next time you see me."

Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) scores a two-point takedown in her 7-0 win over Kyong OH (PRK) in the 55kg final during the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 55kg, Kiyooka pulled away in the second period for a 7-0 victory over Kyong OH (PRK), adding the senior Asian gold to the world U23 and U20 titles she won in 2022.

"Last year, I was supposed to be here, but I got injured and that was tough to take," the 20-year-old Kiyooka said. "This makes up for that."

In the final, Kiyooka received an activity point for the lone score of the first period. In the second period, she scored a pair of takedowns, sandwiched around an exposure for stopping a reverse fireman's carry that the Korean wrestlers use so effectively.

"The Japan team has many top-level wrestlers and I got power from them," Kiyooka said. "I was very nervous, but I was able to move just as I do in practice."

To earn a spot on the team to Bishkek, Kiyooka defeated former world champion Haruna OKUNO (JPN) for the first time at the All-Japan Championships in December. She said her goal now is to secure a ticket to this year's senior World Championships.

While Kiyooka's job is done in Bishkek, she still has a future interest in the city. Her older brother Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) will be coming in an attempt to earn an Olympic quota in freestyle 65kg at the Asian Olympic Qualifier, which follows on April 19-21.

"I wanted to create good momentum to pass off to my brother," Kiyooka said. "I didn't see him before I left, but he messaged me and said, 'If you stay relaxed, you can win.'"

Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) celebrates after winning the 76kg final during the Asian Championships in Bishkek on Saturday. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

For Medet Kyzy, her 10-7 victory over Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN) in the 76kg final was similar in nature to a match between them 10 months ago in Bishkek, but far more dramatic and with more at stake.

Medet Kyzy, who trailed 4-0 after the first period, bulled her way to a 4-point takedown -- her second of the match -- with 35 seconds left to regain the Asian title she won in 2022 in her fifth straight trip to the final.

"To be honest, the final match was a little hard for me, but you saw that there were lots of our fans in the stands and each of them needed to see my victory, so I did my best to win," Medet Kyzy said.

At the Bishkek Ranking Series tournament last June, Huang led 3-0 after the first period of the final when Medet Kyzy rallied to a 5-3 win, scoring the winning takedown with 23 seconds left.

Qi ZHANG (CHN) celebrates after beating two-time Olympic champion Risako KINJO (JPN) in the 59kg quarterfinal during the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

In the 59kg final, Zhang needed less than a minute to score a takedown, lock up an arm and score four straight rolls to vanquish Anudari BATKHUYAG (MGL) 10-0. That gave her her first Asian title after a pair of bronzes from 2017 and 2019.

It was Zhang's second straight 10-0 win after her victory over Kinjo. The Chinese beat the two-time Olympic champion by getting the latter of two activity points and win 1-1 on criteria.

Risako KINJO (JPN) won the bronze medal at 59kg at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Kinjo rebounds to take bronze

Kinjo, a four-time world and Asian champion, made sure she would not leave Bishkek empty-handed, overwhelming Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB) 13-2 in a 59kg bronze-medal match.

"Am I disappointed, or am I happy, I'm not even sure myself," said Kinjo, who capped her victory with a driving 4-point takedown that ended the match with five seconds left in the first period.

Kinjo was appearing in her first international competition since winning the 57kg gold at the Tokyo Olympics. After that, she got married, gave birth, and missed out on a place at the Paris Olympics at 57kg to world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN), who will be in action on Sunday.

Still wanting to compete, Kinjo moved up to 59kg and won the national title to earn the ticket to Bishkek.

Asked about the loss to Zhang, Kinjo said, "The opponent is the world champion. I don't know if she even knew I had changed my name. She is not an opponent that I can't beat. But strategically the match went her way. I lost, but it was enjoyable six minutes."

Host Kyrgyzstan picked up two bronze medals, and both in dramatic fashion at the expense of opponents from rival neighbor Kazakhstan.

At 55kg, Aruuke KADYRBEK KYZY (KGZ) gave up what should have been a decisive 2-point arm throw to Zulfiya YAKHYAROVA (KAZ) with four seconds left, only to come away with a 5-3 win by managing to score a reversal with less than one second on the clock. An unsuccessful challenge accounted for the final score.

Gulnura TASHTANBEKOVA (KGZ) also gave up early points to Albina KAIRGELDINOVA (KAZ) at 68kg, but came back with a counter to the back and scored a fall at 2:09.

Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ) took home the other bronze at 59kg with a wild 11-8 victory over Pushpa YADAV (IND). Kayumova was leading 7-7 on criteria when she clinched the win with her second 4-point move of the match -- a Greco-like back suplex.

In a surprise at 76kg, Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) prevented Japan from having a medalist in every weight class when she overcame a four-point deficit to defeat 2022 world U23 bronze medalist Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN) 8-6.

Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ), whose defense of her 76kg title ended with a semifinal loss to Medet Kyzy, also worked her way out of a four-point hole, but did it by pancaking PRIYA (IND) and scoring a fall in the second period.

At 50kg, Shivani PAWAR (IND) used her counter style of wrestling to maximum effect, pulling off a last-second victory with a counter lift to stun three-time world medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) 9-7.

In arguably the biggest victory of her career, Pawar, the 2021 world U23 silver medalist, had given up a go-ahead takedown to Dolgorjav with 20 seconds left.

Hwang, who won a bronze medal as a member of the last DPR Korea team to appear at the Asian Championships in 2019, will go home with another after defeating Thi Xuan NGUYEN (VIE) 4-2 at 50kg.

Min ZHANG (CHN), the 2023 Asian U23 champion, denied Dulguun BOLORMAA (MGL) a fourth senior Asian medal when she notched an entertaining 15-5 victory at 55kg.

Zhang led by a modest 2-1 in the second period when she scored a takedown and two rolls to go up 8-1. Bolormaa caught Zhang with a 4-point headlock throw, but her inability to secure the fall was her undoing, as Zhang came back with a 4-point takedown and gut wrench to finish the technical fall at 5:26.

World silver medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) earned her fourth senior Asian medal -- still none gold -- when she edged Zelu LI (CHN) 2-1 for the other 68kg bronze, with all of the points coming on the activity clock.

Day 3 Results

Women's Wrestling

50kg (13 entries)
GOLD: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Ziqi FENG (CHN), 8-4

BRONZE: Yong Ok HWANG (PRK) df. Thi Xuan NGUYEN (VIE), 4-2
BRONZE: Shivani PAWAR (IND) df. Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL), 9-7

55kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Kyong OH (PRK), 7-0

BRONZE: Min ZHANG (CHN) df. Dulguun BOLORMAA (MGL) by TF, 15-5, 5:22
BRONZE: Aruuke KADYRBEK KYZY (KGZ) df. Zulfiya YAKHYAROVA (KAZ), 5-3

59kg (8 entries)
GOLD: Qi ZHANG (CHN) df. Anudari BATKHUYAG (MGL) by TF, 10-0, :50

BRONZE: Risako KINJO (JPN) df. Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB) by TF, 13-2, 2:54
BRONZE: Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ) df. Pushpa YADAV (IND), 11-8

68kg (9 entries)
GOLD: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. RADHIKA (IND) by TF, 15-2, 4:28

BRONZE: Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) df. Zelu LI (CHN), 2-1
BRONZE: Gulnura TASHTANBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Albina KAIRGELDINOVA (KAZ) by Fall, 2:09 (7-2)

76kg (9 entries)
GOLD: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN), 10-7

BRONZE: Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) df. PRIYA (IND) by Fall, 4:25 (2-4)
BRONZE: Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) df. Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN), 8-6

#JapanWrestling

Fujinami cruises in test run at 57kg, earns ticket to World U23

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 07:47 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (April 14) -- Paris Olympic champion Akari FUJINAMI took her new, slightly bulked-up body out for its first spin on Sunday, and it was just as high-performance as ever.

Fujinami, the reigning world and Olympic champion at women's 53kg, made her first official foray into the next Olympic weight class of 57kg, and cruised to victory in the U23 division at the Japan Junior Queens Cup in Tokyo.

"It was my first tournament at 57kg and, as the starting point at [this weight], I feel this was a good tournament to get an idea of my power at 57kg and the method for making the adjustment, all while maintaining the right amount of tension," Fujinami said.

The tournament also saw the return to the mat of Paris 62kg champion Sakura MOTOKI, who also prevailed in the U23 tournament, while recently crowned senior Asian champion Sakura ONISHI earned a chance to repeat as world U20 champion, and one-time heavyweight prodigy Ayano MORO returned in triumph at U20 from a 16-month injury absence.

Fujinami needed just two wins to win her title, winning both matches by 10-0 decision in the first period. That extended her current winning streak to 141 straight victories dating back to a loss in the final at the national junior high school championships in June 2017.

The victory also earned the 21-year-old star a place on Japan's team to the World U23 Championships, to be held Oct. 20-26 in Novi Sad, Serbia, which gives her a shot at one of the few major titles she hasn't already won.

The Junior Queens Cup, held over two days at the Tokyo Budokan in eastern Tokyo, featured competition in the four age-group divisions, U15, U17, U20 and U23, and was serving as the world qualifiers in the latter three and the Asian Championships for all four.

It was Fujinami's first individual competition since winning the 53kg gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August last year, when she added to her senior world titles from 2021 and 2023. She capped the day by finishing off Kanon YAMASHITA 10-0 in the final just inside the first-period buzzer.

"Of course, winning the title here was among my objectives," said Fujinami, who has started her third year at Nippon Sports Science University. "But I wanted to use the time here to get an actual feel for the 57kg weight class.

"In practice, I often train with others in heavier weight classes, but there is a difference between practice and actual matches. And I wanted to get that match feeling. For sure, I could feel the four-kilogram difference, but it didn't seem that big."

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) makes her debut at 57kg at the Japan Junior Queens Cup. (Photo: Ikuo Higuchi / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Her only previous action since Paris was at a collegiate team tournament. Because it had just three weight classes, many participants, including Fujinami, wrestled outside of their usual division. She won both of her matches by fall.

More significantly, it was at that event that Fujinami made the eye-opening announcement that she was moving up to 57kg, citing the difficulty of cutting weight, as well as the historic aspect that no woman wrestler has ever won a second straight Olympic gold after moving to a higher weight class.

Fujinami, who said she never considered making a detour at 55kg, has been spending time looking for the right balance of adding weight while not losing the speed and agility that have become her trademark.

"I won't be making big changes to my style of wrestling and what has worked for me, but I will adopt and add things that fit my style so I can make progress and get to point where I'm stronger at 57kg,"she said.

The Junior Queens Cup provided the first test run in preparation for a much bigger challenge coming up. Fujinami is certain to face a significantly higher level of competition at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships in June, which will serve as the second of two domestic qualifiers for this year senior World Championships.

"The Meiji Cup in June will be the big test, and I realized here the aspects in which I want to get stronger," Fujinami said.

The world champion also said she is working on expanding her repertoire of techniques. "I want to expand my wrestling. I want to raise the level of my attacks so I can score points in different ways.

"There were things that worked and things that didn't work in these two matches. One thing I tried to work on was using an underhook, but it didn't go very well. I'll look at the video and make adjustments. I want to have more ways to score points beyond my specialty tackle."

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), third from left, with other 57kg medalists. (Photo: Ikuo Higuchi / wrestling-spirits.jp)

One thing Fujinami doesn't want to do is dwell on the past -- she particularly doesn't like to talk about the winning streak. Her focus is forward, and constantly striving to improve.

"The Paris Olympics are done and in the past and I have begun my next challenge," she said. "Of course, there is the next Olympics. But before that, my thinking is to keep making progress and exceed my past self."

The elephant in the room regarding her move up to 57kg is that it puts her on a collision course with Tsugumi SAKURAI, the Paris gold medalist in that weight class. Fujinami has already beaten Sakurai, but not for such stakes as will be involved in the run-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Asked if there were any wrestlers at 57kg that she looked forward to facing, she replied, "Actually, there are not really any particular wrestlers that I think like that. It's more about me finding out what kind of wrestling I can do at 57kg. I have my own expectations, and I want to exceed who I was at 53kg."

One aspect of her move to 57kg that appeals to Fujinami is that she no longer has to spend time obsessing over her weight, time that can be put to much better use.

"When I was at 53kg, I would have to start focusing on cutting weight from one month before [a tournament] and that would dictate my lifestyle," she said. "But at 57kg, I can continue my regular life, which allows me to focus on the wrestling aspect."

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN), left, won the 62kg gold at the Junior Queens Cup to qualify for the World U23 Championships. (Photo: Ikuo Higuchi / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Motoki stays on track to 'Golden Grand Slam'

For Motoki, the hiatus she took after the Olympics allowed her to enjoy some culinary excesses that she normally has to avoid. She was able to get back into decent enough shape, although for better or worse, it did not play much of a factor as her weight class only had two entrants.

"I had a half-year blank since my last match at the Olympics," said Motoki, who defeated Nagisa ITO by fall in 1:02. "After getting back into shape, I thought this was good timing for getting my body back into live-match mode. I was a bit nervous.

"Partly due to cutting weight, I felt my movement was dull in the morning, but I had a long time until my match, so I was able to recover. When I was warming up, I thought, 'I feel good.' Physically, I was in pretty good condition."

Motoki also plans to enter the Meiji Cup, where she could renew her rivalry with Paris 68kg bronze medalist Nonoka OZAKI, whom she beat out for the Olympic 62kg spot. But, she said, her focus is actually more on the U23 worlds.

"This year is the last I can compete in U23," she said. "You can wrestle at the senior worlds at any age, so I'm in no rush for that. I think it's best to do it when I'm ready, both physically and technically."

A victory at the world U23 would keep Motoki on track to a feat accomplished by just two other wrestlers in history. Only compatriot Yui SUSAKI and Amit ELOR (USA) have achieved the "Golden Grand Slam" of titles on all four age-group levels along with an Olympic gold.

Motoki already has world U17 (2018) and U20 (2022) titles, and arguably got the hardest one out of the way by winning the gold in Paris. She came up short twice previously at the senior worlds, taking a bronze in 2022 and silver in 2023.

Among the other U23 winners on Sunday were senior world 55kg champion Moe KIYOOKA, who returned to that weight class after taking a silver medal at 53kg at the Asian Championships in March, and Ami ISHII at 68kg. Ishii, the world 72kg champion, has recovered from the injury that caused her to become a late withdrawal in Amman.

Sakura ONISHI (JPN) wrestles at the U20 tournament of the Junior Queens Cup. (Photo: Ikuo Higuchi / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Onishi adds to hectic schedule

In the U20 tournament on Saturday, Onishi said it was a bit difficult to turn the switch back on so fast following her golden run at 59kg at the Asian Championships.

"There was a bit of pressure," Onishi said. "After returning from the Asian Championships, I wasn't sure how to get back into the mode. That made the matches tougher here. But I was able to come around with advice and support from those around me and win the title."

Onishi, a teammate of Fujinami's at NSSU, won all three of her matches by fall or technical fall, although in the final, she gave up a 4-point counter back roll to high schooler Sae NOGUCHI as she was driving for a takedown. "That scared me for a second," Onishi said. "Finishing up my tackles has been an issue and she found an opening."

Onishi, winner at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships last December, will also look to clinch a ticket to the senior worlds with a victory at the Meiji Cup. That makes for quite a hectic schedule looking ahead.

"I have collegiate events also, but my ultimate goal is to definitely win the championship at the senior worlds," Onishi said. " To do that, I have to win the title at the Meiji Cup. I know that I've set a hard schedule for myself."

Ayona MORO (JPN) Ayana MORO (JPN) won the 76kg gold in the U20 tournament, her first since the 2023 Emperor’s Cup. (Photo: Ikuo Higuchi / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Moro, who won the U20 title at 76kg with three wins in a combined 89 seconds, has spent much of the past year rehabbing from a serious neck injury and other ailments.

The 2022 world U20 champion was competing for the first time since winning the 72kg gold at the Emperor's Cup in December 2023. She had hurt her neck in the playoff with eventual Paris Olympic chamion Yuka KAGAMI for the 2023 world team in July of that year.

She decided to put the pain temporarily aside to enter the Emperor's Cup, then started rehab. She returned intermittently to the mat, but kept reinjuring the neck. On top of that, she is asthmatic and had a bout of pneumonia that left her with a constant cough. She finally returned to full-fledged training in March this year.

"I wasn't able to do much sparring [in training], I did some light rolling around and weight training, and kept up with my rehab," said Moro, who this year left Yamanashi Gakuin University and currently trains at her high school alma mater Abe Gakuin.

"I knew I wouldn't lose on strength. I tend to think negatively, but today I was unusually confident I could do well."

When told about the aggregate quickness of her victories, including a victory in the final by fall in 19 seconds over Chisato YOSHIDA, she responded, "I didn't know that. I was too nervous, it was my first time on the mat in a long time. It was so scary on the mat. I don't remember anything."

Yuu KATSUME (JPN), a world U17 champion at 46kg, won at 49kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Potential future stars to keep an eye on

For those wanting a hint of potential stars of the future, they would be well advised to keep in mind this name: Yuu KATSUME.

Katsume swept to the U17 title at 49kg, putting her in position to win a second world title in that age group after striking gold at 46kg last year. She preceded that by winning back-to-back Asian U15 golds in 2022 and 2023.

Katsume, now a third-year student at the high school affiliated with Shigakkan University, is in the midst of putting together a Fujinami-esque winning streak.

Her most recent loss came in the fifth grade of elementary school, and that was when she entered a boys' tournament just to get a higher level of competition.

While she doesn't know the exact number of consecutive wins she has -- she added four more on Saturday, which she won by a combined score of 37-0 -- she figures it is "around 70."

Katsume will turn 17 in May, making her eligible to compete at the Emperor's Cup in December, which will also mark her senior-level debut.

Another potential star has a quite familiar name. The newly crowned 50kg champion in the U15 division was Tsukino SAKURAI, who had Paris Olympic gold medalist -- and older sister -- Tsugumi in her corner.

Tsukino is a product of the same Kochi City wrestling club run by her father in western Japan that produced not only Tsugumi, but fellow Olympic gold medalist Kotaro KIYOOKA as well as his sister Moe.

"Everyone on the team put in a lot of time and effort to help make me stronger," Tsukino said. "I'm happy to win a qualifier for an international tournament for the first time."

As is common among younger siblings, her goal is to not only catch up to her older sister, but to exceed her. (A middle sister, Hanano, recently retired after a modestly successful career at 50kg.)

"She's been to a lot of international tournaments, even the Olympics, and has won them," Tsukino said. "That makes me happy, but she has also become my goal and I want to do better than her."

Susaki regains Asian crown but shows cracks in pre-Paris prep

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Fujinami cruises in test run at 57kg, earns ticket to World U23