Japan Wrestling

Japan Freestyle Squad Gets Together for 1st National Team Camp in Six Months

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO -- Save for a short period when his university was completely shut down, former world champion Takuto OTOGURO has been able to keep up a regular practice routine during the global pandemic.

But finally getting to work out with his fellow national team members takes it to another level. It gets the juices flowing, and raises hopes that the day the wrestling world gets back on the mat for competition won't be far off.

"To be here with the national team gathered together makes me feel grateful again," Otoguro said. "I feel motivated looking toward the Olympics."

The Japan national freestyle team started its first training camp in six months on Oct. 1 at the Ajinomoto National Training Center in Tokyo, with 17  of the nation's best converging for the eight-day conclave being held under strict health protocols.

In principle, the top two placewinners at last year's national championships were invited -- a few were excused due to university or company commitments -- as Japan begins preparation for the tentatively scheduled World Championships in December, Asian Championships in February and the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in March. Whether any or all of the tournaments will be held is still just speculation.

The freestylers, who last got together in March this year, had been scheduled to have a camp in mid-July, following the women and Greco-Roman squads. While the latter two had their camps, freestyle was left in the lurch when a sudden surge of coronavirus cases in Tokyo caused the Japan federation to cancel.

Takuto OTOGURO ties up former Olympic medalist and national team coach Shinichi YUMOTO. (photo by Sachiko Hotaka/JWF)

"So many times we make a schedule and it's canceled, make a schedule and it's canceled," said freestyle head coach Kenji INOUE. "Under these circumstances, it could not be helped."

Scheduling a national team camp is no easy matter. Wrestlers are scattered around the country, and must be released by their university or club teams. Also, the federation needs to get the green light from its medical commission.

"Even if we [in the federation] want to hold this, we cannot do it without the support and cooperation of many people," Inoue said. "And then when we have to cancel after all the planning, all we can do it apologize to them. This time, along with being grateful for their cooperation, we can repay them by having a camp without incident."

Rei HIGUCHI squares off with former Olympic gold medalist and national team coach Tatsuhiro YONEMITSU. (photo by Sachiko Hotaka/JWF)

Following strict protocols

As with the camps held in July, the freestylers face strict regulations over their movements in the "bubble" of the NTC complex. There are limits on how many can be in the weight room at any one time. In the dining room, they are urged to sit diagonally across from each other, not face to face. Contact with the outside world is limited to an occasional run to the local convenience store.

Upon entering the wrestling room, they have their temperature taken, and sanitize not only their hands, but the bottom of their wrestling shoes. Each wrestler has taken a PCR test for the coronavirus; all came up negative.

"The teams did what they could and each individual did what he could," Inoue said. "I don't know if other countries did the same, but there's no anxiety on our part."

Otoguro has been somewhat fortunate in that Yamanashi Prefecture, where he attends Yamanashi Gakuin University, has been largely spared the brunt of the pandemic. Through Oct. 3, the prefecture west of Tokyo had just 194 cases and six deaths, compared to Tokyo with 26,376 and 411, respectively. As a whole, Japan has had about 1,600 deaths.

Otoguro and older brother Keisuke are the only Japanese in freestyle who have secured berths at the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed a year to 2021. Takuto, the 2018 world gold medalist, earned his place at 65kg by finishing fifth at last year's World Championships, while Keisuke filled the 74kg spot by winning a domestic playoff, having moved up from 70kg.

Keisuke Otoguro had a slightly better situation coming into camp as he is a member of the Self-Defense Force Physical Training School team, which offers a high level of competition and ordinarily operates within a bubble of its own.

For inspiration, he has to look no farther than the team coaches, three of whom have won Olympic medals. Not only that, but Inoue (bronze, Athens 2004), Tatsuhiro YONEMITSU (gold, London 2012) and Shinichi YUMOTO (bronze, London 2012) are also on the national team staff.

"I am learning from wrestlers with the great experience of having won Olympic medals," Otoguro said. "I think that can be a big advantage for me."

His brother and Rei HIGUCHI, the Rio 2016 silver medalist at 57kg who will try to earn a spot in Tokyo in that weight class at the Asian qualifier, both got to see first hand how the coaches have not lost much since their active days.

Takuto Otoguro had the weight advantage in sparring with Yumoto, who wrestled at 55kg in his prime. But Higuchi faced the opposite situation in squaring off with Yonemitsu, who certainly looks like he would quickly get up to speed if he ever decided to return to competition.

"I have so much I can learn," Higuchi said of facing the muscular Yonemitsu, who has added bulk to the frame that triumphed in London at 66kg. "Naturally, there is a bit of a size difference. I need to overcome that. I'm the type that hates to lose, so it was very tough to take. I don't consider that the situation is hopeless."

Still, he is grateful for being back on the national team, as it gives him the chance for such encounters.

"If I'm not here, I don't have a chance [to wrestle] with Yonemitsu or Yumoto. It's fun, but it's also frustrating. This week, I'll do what I can to beat them."

Keisuke OTOGURO works on a takedown. (photo by Sachiko Hotaka/JWF)

Tough decision ahead

Higuchi had originally tried to make the Olympic team at 65kg, but couldn't get past Otoguro. He then dropped down two weight classes to 57kg to challenge former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI, and defeated him in the final of the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships last December to earn a ticket to the Asian Olympic qualifier.

He hit a bump in the road when a cluster of infections broke out among the wrestlers at Nippon Sport Science University, his alma mater where he continues to train and serves as a graduate assistant. While it was not revealed whether Higuchi was among those infected, he said he made the best of the situation.

"Because of the coronavirus, the amount of practice was reduced," Higuchi said. "I went back home and had a lot of time off. I felt refreshed with a renewed sense of commitment. So it wasn't so bad."

Veteran Sosuke TAKATANI, a two-time Olympian and 2014 world silver medalist at 74kg who will try to make the Tokyo Games at 86kg, also had his training curtailed. But he is unperturbed about the long span between national team camps, which also saw the cancelation of all competition.

"I don't feel concerned at all," Takatani said. "Everyone in the country has to overcome this crisis. It's not a matter of, they did this or we couldn't do that. I'll just do what I can to get ready for the next competion."

What that competition will be is still up in the air, but even in the best-case scenario, Japan's top wrestlers will be forced to make a difficult decision.

The World Championships, normally held in September, have been scheduled for Dec. 12-20 in Belgrade. But that directly overlaps with the All-Japan Championships, which are slated for Dec. 17-20.

Normally, the team for the World Championships would be decided based on the results from the Emperor's Cup in December and the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships in May or June. But the latter was canceled this year, and a Japan federation official said the winners at the Emperor's Cup will be given preference for places on the team to Belgrade. Some, however, may opt to stay in Japan for the Emperor's Cup, which will be their prerogative.

Takatani did not hesitate in saying he will opt for Belgrade. "My goal is to be No. 1 in the world, so if I'm given the chance, I want to definitely win the gold medal," he said, even though missing the Emperor's Cup would end his streak of nine consecutive national titles.

Both Takuto Otoguro and Higuchi said they are undecided at this point.

"I have to talk to my coach, I don't know now," said Otoguro, whose most recent competition was a gold-medal run at the Asian Championships in New Dehli in February.  "Tokyo is the goal, that's the standard. Whatever tournament I enter before then, I'll aim to win the title."

Higuchi is playing it by ear as well, leaving it undecided at the moment but assuring he will be on the mat for one of them.

"It will depend on the timing of how I feel in terms of getting back my match sense," he said.

The women and Greco-Roman national teams will hold camps from Oct. 20 and 21, respectively.

#WrestleBelgrade

World Championships: Taylor continues dominance of Yazdani, bags 3rd gold

By Ken Marantz

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 17) -- After beating rival Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) yet again, and handily at that, David TAYLOR (USA) dropped down to a knee and shook his head seemingly to say that even he doesn't know how he does it.

Taylor maintained the upper hand in one of the sport's great rivalries, capturing his third world title by securing a late fall in their freestyle 86kg final in the feature match on Sunday, the second day of the World Championships in Belgrade.

Taylor's victory was part of a productive day for the U.S. team, which won both of the non-Olympic titles up for grabs and gained another spot at the Paris Olympics when Mason PARRIS (USA) won a bronze medal at 125kg.

Read More: Micic beats Olympic, world champs to set up Higuchi final; Dake takes on Sidakov

This year's championships offers the first five qualifying places for the 2024 Paris Olympics and includes a historic fifth-place playoff between the losers of the bronze-medal matches.

Iran has secured two tickets to Paris, including one when Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) regained the 125kg throne with a one-sided victory over veteran Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO).

In the 86kg final, Taylor, taking advantage of a successful challenge in the first period that changed the tenor of the match, scored a key takedown early in the second period to take a 7-3 lead.

As the two battled for openings, Taylor clamped down when Yazdani attempted a headlock throw to make it 9-3 and secured the fall with two seconds left for his fifth win in six career meetings between the two.

"It's so many micro-adjustments, it's amazing," Taylor said. "I have a plan, he has a plan, then you go out there and your plan works for about 20 seconds. When I wrestle him, it's like organized chaos, there's just so much happening. It becomes, honestly, a lot of instinct. It's what I've been doing for 25 years."

Taylor, who beat Yazdani in the Tokyo Olympic final, said the key to handling the Iranian star was to neutralize his dangerous underhook.

"He's so good in that position, and it's forced me to get better," Taylor said. "For me, the more action always benefits me. I feel like our matches had a lot of action...People will do the best they possibly can to slow me down, my job is to become a dynamic scorer and find ways to continue to score and that was what I was able to do."

Taylor's lone loss to Yazdani was a 6-2 decision in the 2021 final in Oslo, which he said he took to heart.

"He is an aggressive, fearless competitor," Taylor said. "In Oslo, I gave him an inch and he took a mile. I learned my lesson the hard way in that match. Every time I have to try to stay one step ahead."

Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) celebrates after winning the 125kg final against Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Zare split a pair of matches with Petriashvili in 2021, but there was no doubt who was the dominant figure in their clash for supremacy at 125kg.

Petrashvili had no answer for the tremendous pressure that Zare applied, as the Iranian had six stepouts in charging to an 11-0 technical fall in 4:48.

Zare, a bronze medalist last year, added to the world gold he won in 2021 as a 19-year-old, while Petrashvili, a two-time Olympic medalist, took home his eighth world medal. He has not won a gold since winning three straight from 2017 to 2019.

Zare knows that even though he secured the Paris berth, he faces tough competition in the battle to fill it himself.

"There are domestic competitors who are young and motivated and I will try to beat [them] and go to the Olympics and get the best result," he said.

Vitali ARUJAU (USA)Vitali ARUJAU (USA) won the 61kg gold medal at the World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Meanwhile, Vitali ARUJAU (USA) and Zain RETHERFORD (USA) gave the U.S. gold in non-Olympic weight classes for their first world titles. Arujau triumphed at 61kg to join his father as a world champion, while Retherford powered to the 70kg title by beating the other Yazdani in action on Sunday.

Arujau, who won a national collegiate title this year for the Ivy League's Cornell University, prevailed 10-9 in a freewheeling 61kg final over 2021 world champion Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (AIN) that featured lots of points on counter lifts and exposures.

"There were some things that went my way, and some things that didn't," Arujau said. "But when it comes to finding those openings and being able to chain together multiple attacks, that's where I really shine."

Arujau scored first with a stepout, then things really got wild. On a shot by Magomedov, Arujau went to a body lift while on his posterior, with both bodies twisting and swirling in a wild scramble. When the dust cleared and a challenge allowed the scoring to be sorted out, Arujau had a 7-4 lead.

In the second period, Magomedov gained an exposure and a challenge point to tie the match, but his lead on criteria quickly evaporated when Arujau scored a go-behind takedown. Arujau added a stepout to go up 10-7 before Magomedov picked up a stepout and caution point in the final seconds to account for the final score.

Arujau, a silver medalist on both the junior (U20) and cadet (U17) levels, made it to the top step of the senior podium to emulate his father Vugar ORUDIEV, who won two world titles at freestyle 48kg for the former Soviet Union, as well as a bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

"It's been a long time coming," said Arujau, who was born in Belarus but grew up in the state of New York. "I'm 24 years old and this is the first time I can say I'm actually gaining a little ground [on him.]"

Zain RETHERFORD (USA)Zain RETHERFORD (USA) defeated Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) in the 70kg to win his first world title. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Retherford made it to the top of the podium after finishing second last year by putting together a solid 8-5 win over Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) in the 70kg final.

Retherford dictated the pace of the match, using counters and a low single to score three takedowns and two stepouts. Yazdani, last year's world U23 silver medalist, had two slick takedowns, but otherwise offered little resistance in having to settle for the senior silver.

"I'm satisfied with how I felt wrestling, especially in the semifinal and final," Retherford said. "I came out a little nervous in the first round, but in the semifinal and final, I felt like I opened up, I felt like I was myself, battling for every score and had fun doing it."

Myles AMINE (SMR)Myles AMINE (SMR), San Marino's first Olympic medalists, secured a Paris Olympic berth by winning the bronze medal at 86kg. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Akgul, Amine win bronzes, Olympic berths

In the bronze-medal matches, Taha AKGUL (TUR) earned his eighth world medal and the Olympic berth for his country that came with it, with an untroubled 5-0 victory over Daniel LIGETI (HUN) at 125kg.

Akgul, the defending champion who was dethroned in the semifinals by Zare, scored all of his points in the first period with a stepout, a takedown and a gut wrench, then stayed out of danger the rest of the way.

Assuming he fills the berth in Paris himself, Akgul will get a shot at a third Olympic medal, having won a gold in 2016 and a bronze in 2021.

Parris, a late U.S. team replacement after the withdrawal of Olympic champion Gable STEVESON (USA), capped an impressive performance with a 12-2 technical fall over Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) for the other 125kg bronze and Olympic quota.

Parris, the 2019 world junior (U20) champion, stopped a Kurbanov back-drop for 4 and found four different ways to score takedowns as he established himself as a future force to be reckoned with.

At 86kg, American-bred Myles AMINE (SMR) added another entry into the wrestling history of tiny San Marino by becoming the country's first-ever senior world medalist by defeating Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) 8-5. Two years ago, Amine gave San Marino its first-ever Olympic wrestling medal when he won a bronze medal in Tokyo.

In the other 86kg match, Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) pulled a rabbit out of his hat to score a buzzer-beating 5-3 win over Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) and earn a bronze for the second year in a row.

Dauletbekov had gone ahead 2-1 with a second activity point when Sharipov used a slick duck under to score a takedown with 20 seconds left.

With the clock ticking down, Dauletbekov hit a last-ditch inside trip that sent Sharipov to the mat at the buzzer. A challenge was denied that the points were scored after time expired.

Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) won his first world medal, bronze, by beating Kodai OGAWA (JPN) at 61kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

In the bronze-medal matches in the non-Olympic weights, Asian champion Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) made sure a single-leg attempt by Kodai OGAWA (JPN) in the second period would only yield a stepout point, allowing him to come away with a 2-1 victory at 61kg.

Zhumashbek Uulu, in repeating his 4-1 victory over Ogawa in the quarterfinals at the Asian Championships in April, went ahead with an activity point in the first period and a stepout in the second.

Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO) added a world bronze to the European he won earlier this year with a dramatic 5-5 win over Valentyn BLIASETSKYI (UKR) in the other 61kg match.

Trailing 2-1, Phartenadze locked up both arms, went for broke and executed a 4-point back trip late in the second period. He would then give up a fleeing point, a stepout and a caution point, but it was not enough to cost him the victory.

At 70kg, European silver medalist Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL) denied Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) a third straight world medal, riding a 4-point trip to an 8-6 victory. Akmataliev had finished third last year and second in 2021.

Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM), last year's European silver medalist, chalked up five 2-point tilts after scoring a takedown in the second period, giving him a 12-1 technical fall over Asian U23 bronze medalist ABHIMANYOU (UWW) for the other 70kg bronze.

Shapiev, Kurbanov win first-ever fifth-place playoffs

Shapiev and Kurbanov became answers to a future trivia question when they became the first winners of the newly adopted fifth-place playoff to decide the fifth Olympic berth available at the World Championships.

Shapiev scored a stepout and two activity points to defeat Sharipov at 86kg, while Kurbanov scored three takedowns in an 8-3 victory at 125kg over Ligeti.

The playoff became mandated when the UWW decided to reassign one Olympic qualifying quota from the World Championships, which originally had six, to the final World qualifying tournament, which now will have three.

fsd

Day 2 Results

Freestyle

57kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) vs Stevan MICIC (SRB)

Semifinal: Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) df. Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) by TF, 11-0, 4:19
Semifinal: Stevan MICIC (SRB) df. Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB), 6-2

61kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Vitali ARUJAU (USA) df. Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (AIN), 10-9

BRONZE: Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Kodai OGAWA (JPN), 2-1
BRONZE: Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO) df. Valentyn BLIASETSKYI (UKR), 5-5

70kg (30 entries)
GOLD: Zain RETHERFORD (USA) df. Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI), 8-5
BRONZE: Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL) df. Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ), 8-6
BRONZE: Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) df. ABHIMANYOU (UWW) by TF, 12-1, 5:01

74kg (45 entries)
GOLD: Zaurbek SIDAKOV (AIN) vs. Kyle DAKE (USA)

Semifinal: Zaurbek SIDAKOV (AIN) df. Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE), 5-1
Semifinal: Kyle DAKE (USA) df. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), 4-1

79kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Akhmed USMANOV (AIN) vs. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)

Semifinal: Akhmed USMANOV (AIN) df. Orkhan ABASOV (AZE), 3-0
Semifinal: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR), 10-4

86kg (48 entries)
GOLD: David TAYLOR (USA) df. Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) by Fall, 5:58 (9-3)

BRONZE: Myles AMINE (SMR) df. Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB), 8-5
BRONZE: Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) df. Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN), 5-3

5th-Place Playoff: Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) df. Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN), 3-1

92kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) vs. Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)

Semifinal: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 8-1
Semifinal: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) df. Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) by TF, 10-0, 1:23

125kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) df. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) by TF, 11-0, 4:48

BRONZE: Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Daniel LIGETI (HUN), 5-0
BRONZE: Mason PARRIS (USA) df. Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) by TF, 12-2, 4:30

5th-Place Playoff: Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) df. Daniel LIGETI (HUN), 8-3