#wrestlenursultan

Japan's Irie Aims for Golden Birthday Bonus in Senior World Debut

Monday, September 9, 2019 - 14:28 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO---When Yuki IRIE, the only wrestler on the planet to have ever defeated two-time world champion Yui SUSAKI, beat her for the third time in her career two months ago, it was far more than just a win over a formidable opponent.

It finally meant that Irie had the mental toughness to win when it counted most. That she had overcome the hardships of the past year. And in this case, that she could prevail when the stakes could hardly have been higher.

Irie's 6-1 victory over Susaki in the Japan national team playoff on July 6 not only denied her younger rival a chance for a third straight world title, it gave herself a first-ever ticket to the senior world championships---and in the leadup to the Olympic year, that has far-reaching ramifications.

"After the Meiji Cup, I worked on fixing my mistakes," Irie says, referring to a last-second loss to Susaki at the second of Japan's national tournaments that serve as national team qualifiers, and which set up the playoff between the two for the women's 50kg spot on the squad to Nur-Sultan.

"I was determined not to let her score at the end and came up with a strategy. I don't focus on analyzing the opponent, I work to know better what I can do. It paid off that I could improve and make the changes."

Irie, a world junior champion in 2012, had since then played second or third fiddle to a succession of domestic stars in her stacked weight class --- Hitomi OBARA, Eri TOSAKA and Susaki --- who combined to keep the world or Olympic titles in in the lightest women's division in Japanese hands every year but one dating back to 2010.

Irie will aim to keep that streak alive and make sure that Sept. 20, the first day of competition at 50kg, turns out special---and not just because it will be her 27th birthday.

The Japanese federation has decreed that any wrestler winning a medal at the world championships will not only earn a berth for Japan at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but fill the spot themselves without any further qualifying process. By making it to the final, which will be held the next day, Irie would already know she had made the Olympic team.

Yuki IRIE (JPN) will wrestle in her first World Championships beginning on September 20. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

"On that birthday, I can't let myself relax," Irie says, speaking at an interview with the UWW website at a recent national team training camp in Tokyo. "When the matches are over, then I can start thinking about the Olympics."

Irie will look to emerge victorious from a field led by veteran Mariya STADNIK (AZE), the runner-up to both Tosaka at the Rio 2016 Olympics and Susaki at last year's world championships.

Others expected to be in contention are 2018 world bronze medalists SUN Yanan (CHN) and Oksana LIVACH (UKR), and 2017 world bronze medalist KIM Son-Hyang (PRK). Irie has chalked up recent victories over both Sun and Kim, the win over the former coming in the final at the Asian Championships in Xi'an in April. Livach is the European champion.

Stadnik, 31, won by technical fall in the only previous meeting between the two, but that was back at the 2014 Golden Grand Prix. A lot has changed since then for Irie, and perhaps no more than over the past year.

The season actually started on a high note, when Irie pulled a surprise at the All-Japan Championships in December 2017. The tournament, known as the Emperor's Cup and the first of the two national team qualifiers, had been billed as a clash between teen phenom and reigning world champion Susaki and Olympic champion Tosaka, who was making a comeback following foot surgery after Rio 2016.

Instead, Irie crashed the party, whipping Susaki by 10-0 technical fall in the semifinals, then holding on to edge Miho IGARASHI 6-5 in the final to regain the national title she first won in 2015, when she beat an up-and-coming Susaki in the first meeting between the two. Tosaka's title hopes ended when she defaulted her semifinal match against Igarashi.

The victory put Irie onto Japan's teams in 2018 for the Asian Championships in Bishkek, the Women's World Cup hosted by Japan, and the Asian Games in Jakarta. But that is where the story takes a downturn.

Coming off a third career title at the Yarygin Grand Prix, Irie headed to Bishkek in high spirits --- only to be dealt a stunning loss in the semifinals by Vinesh VINESH (IND) and having to settle for a bronze.

Irie sticks world and Olympic bronze medalist SUN Yanan (CHN) at the 2018 Women's Wrestling World Cup. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

She followed that with a successful Women's World Cup in March, going 3-0, including a victory by fall over Sun, and helping Japan take the title. In the meantime, Susaki won the Klippan Lady and waited for her chance for revenge, which would come three months later.

At the Meiji Cup, Irie defeated Tosaka 6-2 in the semifinals, setting up a showdown in the final with Susaki. But Susaki caught her with a pancake and scored a fall in 3:37. That set up a playoff for the world championships in Budapest, which Susaki won 6-4 with a dramatic takedown in the final 15 seconds.

The additional salt to the wound would come a month later in Jakarta, where Irie suffered her second loss of the year to Vinesh to finish with the silver medal at the Asian Games.

"Psychologically, I was depressed," Irie says. "Physically, there was a gap between what I was thinking to do and what I actually did. Along with the losses, that took a toll and led to depression."

To right the ship, Irie, a member of the Japan Self-Defense Force Physical Training School in Tokyo, returned to her roots on the southern island of Kyushu. It was there that she started wrestling at age 5, and where she knew could always turn to her high school coach and long-time mentor Hideki TSUJI.

It was because of Tsuji that Irie attended college on Kyushu instead of going to powerhouse Shigakkan University or one of the top schools in the Tokyo area. She didn't seem to lose anything, as she won four national collegiate titles while at Kyushu Kyoritsu University.

"My coach has been teaching me since I was in kids wrestling, even now, when I return home, he coaches me," Irie says. "I wanted to keep him as a coach. Even when I was in college, I would go to his high school and practice, and he would watch my movement and offer advice."

Irie returned to Tokyo for the 2018 Emperor's Cup in a better frame of mind and with the kinks, mainly in her stance, worked out. For better or worse, she did not have to face Susaki, who withdrew from the tournament due to an elbow injury. Irie again got the best of Tosaka, winning 4-4 in the semifinals.

"When we were in high school, I beat her," Irie says of her long rivalry with Tosaka. "But when we got to university, she really got stronger. She had a scary presence."

Irie then won the title with a 6-0 victory over Kika KAGATA, earning her a ticket to this year's Asian Championships in Xi'an, where she beat Sun in the final for her first continental gold since 2015.

But the path to the World Championships still had to pass through Susaki, and it got extended at the Meiji Cup in dramatic fashion. Susaki scored a miraculous 4-point move in the last 2 seconds of their quarterfinal match for a 6-4 win, then went on to win the title and set up yet another playoff between the two---this time with Olympic implications.

This time Irie was ready. She never hesistated, nor dangerously sat on a lead as she had done at the Meiji Cup, and forged a solid victory that left Susaki in tears.

"She went in with the attitude of being the challenger," Japan national women's coach Masashi SAITO says. "Her being the aggressor was the usual pattern for her, she has always had the ability. When she loses, she herself knows she has to fix various things. She regained the confidence going into matches. Her aggressiveness became her strength."

Saito added he was impressed with how decisively Irie handled the rematch with Susaki. "It was amazing. Her speed, technique were superb.  Her mental state was good."

Irie gained a "bonus" two weeks later, when younger sister Nanami also secured a ticket to Nur-Sultan in the non-Olympic weight of 55kg by winning a wrestle-off with Haruna OKUNO, the world champion at 53kg who had lost out on a place in that weight class to the 55kg world champion Mayu MUKAIDA.

"I've been competing along with her for a long time, so I'm really happy that we can appear together," the soft-spoken Irie says while flashing a warm smile. "After all, she's the person I'm closest to, so we can be honestly critical with each other about both good and bad things."

Older brother Shinji and younger sister Kumi, currently a national collegiate champion, also wrestled, causing some intense times in the Irie household while they were growing up in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture.

"At practice, it would be a mix of fighting and wrestling," Irie recalls. "None of us wanted to lose to the other. So I would fight with my younger sisters. My brother became too strong, so he was unbeatable for us."

Yuki made her first big mark in 2006 when she captured the national junior high school title at 46kg. (While Irie's weight has hardly changed since then, Nanami and Kumi overcame her in size when they were in high school.)  Of note was that among the bronze medalists in that weight class was Sara DOSHO, currently the reigning Olympic and world champion at 68kg.

"The next year, she got much bigger," Irie says with a laugh. "It's like she became a different person."

Irie's first dip into the international waters came in March 2011, just before her graduation from Kokura Commercial High School, where she won two national titles. Irie entered the senior division at 48kg at the Klippan, winning the gold in her debut at the prestigious Swedish tournament.

"I was really excited and looking forward to it," Irie says. "My impression was that it was fun. [The foreign wrestlers] seem to rely on power more than Japanese wrestlers."

If Irie wins a medal at the 2019 World Championships, she'll lock up her spot on Japan's team at the 2020 Olympic Games. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

Irie says she will take that same attitude into Nur-Sultan, when she aims for the biggest prize of her career.

"This is my first time to appear [at the world championships], the feeling is like when I first entered the Klippan," Irie says. "The feeling of enjoying myself is strong, but as a tournament, I am looking to win each match one at a time and take the title. And as a bonus, if I win the gold, the Olympic berth comes with it."

After graduating from college, it was the structured atmosphere of the JSDF Physical Training School that appealed to her and led her to join that team. It was also no coincidence that one of the coaches is Obara, who won most of her eight world titles under her maiden name of Sakamoto.

"Only a person who has been to an Olympics, who knows the feeling and atmosphere, can point out the dos and don'ts," Irie said. "She teaches me the tough aspects. It's really been good."

Having competed in the shadow of three of Japan's greatest women's wrestlers for much of her career, one might believe that Irie was hexed to be in such a strong weight class. She thinks of it in the opposite way.

"It's tough, but it allowed me to develop and make progress," she says. "With the Olympic champion and the world champion in the country, I could practice and have matches on a high level. To me, that was a plus."

And having beaten both of them, now it's time for her to reap the rewards. No birthday cake can compete with that.

#WrestleParis

Japan gold medalists meet fans, looking to inspire their successors

Thursday, August 29, 2024 - 14:15 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO (August 29) -- It may not compare to the punishing six minutes on the mat in an Olympic final, but standing for over two hours shaking hands, taking photos and signing autographs can take its toll -- and be rewarding in its own way.

Rei HIGUCHI was among five of Japan's eight gold medalists at the Paris Olympics who participated in a meet-and-greet on Sunday in Tokyo, where over 500 people turned out to see this new group of heroes.

"I don't want this to be the last event, so we can help make wrestling more popular," Higuchi said at a press conference following the session. "That's one of the responsibilities of the top athletes. I want to do all that I can."

Higuchi, the freestyle 57kg champion, was joined by fellow freestyle gold medalist Kotaro KIYOOKA (65kg), Greco winner Nao KUSAKA (77kg) and women's champions Tsugumi SAKURAI (57kg) and Sakura MOTOKI (62kg), as well as freestyle 74kg silver medalist Daichi TAKATANI.

The adoring fans came in all ages and sizes, from parents with toddlers to schoolkids sporting their wrestling club t-shirts to senior citizens, all waiting patiently in line for the chance to get up close and personal with a handful of the stars who had brought glory to their country.

For the wrestlers themselves, it was a way to express their thanks for the support they received, and to help inspire the next generation that can hopefully someday match or exceed the wrestling squad's outsized performance in Paris, where it won 11 medals in the 13 weight classes in which it had entries.

"It's amazing, more people showed up than I thought would," Sakurai said. "It really shows the value of the Olympics. I get a sense of how it gives the children dreams to shoot for.

"When I was little, I saw an Olympic gold medal and it really inspired me to work hard in wrestling. In the same way, it makes me happy if it inspires others by seeing my medal."

The event was held in the entranceway at the Komazawa Indoor Ball Sports Arena (Komazawa Gym is being renovated) in conjunction with the third day of the national collegiate championships. Many of the collegians came out for a peek at the medalists, some of whom are still, or until recently were, their teammates.

With the six lined up against a backdrop of posters of the Olympic squad, each person or group would hand their phone to a volunteer, who would snap photos as they were surrounded by the wrestlers.

The wrestlers flashed a smile and held up their medal for each shot, and sometimes one would put their medal around a young fan's neck. They all had no qualms about letting the fans touch the medal and feel its weight (and it's heavy, alright).

"I'm really happy to have so many people come to this and get a chance to touch the medal," Higuchi said. "Kids who are wrestling also came, and I am happy if this helps nurture those who will follow us. It seems that a lot of people watched the Olympics. I wanted to put [the medal] around the neck of every one, and I felt bad that there was a problem with time.

After the photos, they all took a few steps over to a table, where the wrestlers would sign autographs on t-shirts, notebooks or "shikishi," the traditional white cardboard used for such occasions. In some cases, they signed their names directly on a t-shirt that the fan was wearing.

Keito Ota, a 12-year-old from Tokyo whose mother allowed him to stay up and watch the Olympic finals that started at 4 a.m. Japan time, came to meet his favorite wrestler, Kiyooka.

"Kiyooka-san is so cool, so that's why I came to this autograph session," said Ota, a national schoolboy fifth-grade champion who was wearing his Figure Four Club t-shirt. "I was really glad [they are here], I'll work hard to become an athlete like them. The team that will be made up from my generation, we'll try to get more than eight medals."

The six medalists, from left, Rei HIGUCHI, Kotaro KIYOOKA, Tsugumi SAKURAI, Sakura MOTOKI, Nao KUSAKA and Daichi TAKATANI, pose together after the event. The six medalists, from left, Rei HIGUCHI, Kotaro KIYOOKA, Tsugumi SAKURAI, Sakura MOTOKI, Nao KUSAKA and Daichi TAKATANI, pose together after the event.

Needing to spread the word

It some ways, the event could be considered a case of preaching to the choir. There is no way of knowing how many came who had no interest in wrestling prior to the Olympics, but the Japan federation does have a problem when it comes to raising the popularity of the sport to match the country's achievements in it.

Overall, Japan won 20 gold medals in Paris, which means that nearly half were won in wrestling. But the media leans toward highlighting Gen-X favorites like skateboarding and rock-climbing, or gymnastics and table tennis in which the top competitors have become household names.

Going into Paris, the main focus when it came to wrestling was on women's 50kg star Yui SUSAKI, mainly because she was the only Japanese champion from the Tokyo Olympics who was defending her crown in Paris.

The national championships have not been regularly televised since the years when three-time Olympic champion Saori YOSHIDA was a media darling back in the early 2000s. In recent years, the only time it made the airwaves was when Rio Olympic champions Kaori ICHO and Risako KAWAI squared off to make the team to Tokyo.

"We wrestlers won eight of the 20 gold medals [won by Japan in Paris], and overall, we had 13 wrestlers and 11 won medals," the 28-year-old Higuchi said. "But it's not just about that result. From now, we have to use opportunities like this to make more people aware of the sport of wrestling.

"If wrestling stays unknown and is just a sport that comes up once every four years, there will be nobody coming up to follow us. We need to do activities that spread the word.

"It's because of those who support these events and tournaments that we were able to become wrestlers. We appreciate them, which includes the media, as we continue to do everything in our power to promote the sport."

Higuchi pointed out the vast difference between the crowd at the Japan college championships, which was maybe in the hundreds, and those at the U.S. NCAA tournament, which draws in the tens of thousands. "The intensity is completely different," he said.

During and after the Olympics, the wrestlers got valuable chances to publicize the sport on news programs and variety shows, which were only too happy to capitalize on the Olympic enthusiasm by booking appearances from the Paris medalists.

In one segment, Greco 60kg gold medalist Kenichiro FUMITA demonstrated to an unsuspecting host just how tight the waist hold of a gut wrench can be. He also got on the bottom of par terre to show how he resisted his opponents in Paris and kept from being turned. The host could barely budge him.

"The way we are treated, they are so nice, it's like we've become a celebrity," Takatani said. "Even if I made an unusual request, they listened to it. It showed just how highly regarded the Olympics is. It's like I saw a whole new world."

Sakurai, who had won a third straight world title heading to Paris (at 55kg in 2021 and conseeutive titles at 57kg in 2022 and 2023), said she had never gained much attention from the general public for her previous exploits.

"It was very different from the World Championships," Sakurai said. "The responses and the excitement from everyone after the World Championships and after the Olympics are different.

"The Olympics were broadcast on television and everyone knows the results. People [at this event] were so happy, like they were meeting their idols, even just to shake hands...I'm not the talkative type and it's hard for me to respond, but I'll do what I can to make them happy again."

With the abundance of golds, Kiyooka fell under the radar and lamented that he had not been invited onto any TV shows. But he still got some well-deserved recognition back in his hometown, where he was honored with a Citizen's Certificate of Honor from both Kochi Prefecture and Kochi City.

"They even came to greet me at the airport," Kiyooka said, adding that there is a parade planned for him and fellow Kochi native Sakurai -- they both started wrestling in the kids club coached by her father -- in September.

Kiyooka appears to have the fine makings for an ambassador for the sport. Asked what he attributed the success of Japan's team in Paris to, Kiyooka replied, "On the wrestling team of Team Japan, every one of us loves wrestling from the bottom of our hearts. We all want to have an influence and uplift others, and in doing so, it produced this result."

What lies ahead

So what will the champions do for an encore? For the moment, they are content to relish the adulation and take some time for a well-deserved rest.

It looks like Kiyooka and Kusaka will be the first ones to get back on the mat in earnest, as both plan to participate in the German Bundesliga in October.

"It's a place I've always wanted to go and give me a new dream," Kiyooka said. "Then I will get down to the job of defending my title in four years."

Kusaka had prepared for the Paris Olympics by traveling solo using his own money to train in Germany and Hungary. He also took part in the Bundesliga, where now he will have more name recognition as an Olympic champion.

Higuchi said that at 28, he does not feel his age is a barrier at all. He is undecided on trying next year to add to the world gold that he won last year at 61kg, but would like to arrange visits to top U.S. colleges like Iowa in the winter.

More than the World Championships, he said his focus is on the 2026 Asian Games, which remains the only major laurel missing from his collection. Adding to the incentive is that the Games will be held in the central Japan city of Nagoya.

"The one thing that is still missing is the Asian Games title, so I will aim to qualify for that," Higuchi said.

Motoki will be taking a break for awhile, but has her sights on someday completing the Grand Slam of age-group world titles.

She won the world U17 in 2018 and U20 in 2022, but has come up just short on the senior level, winning a bronze in 2022 and silver in 2023. She has yet to enter the world U23, and will still be eligible to enter next year's tournament.

"I went through a tough year up to the Olympics and I like wrestling, so I will take a break," Motoki said. "I don't want to train for records or to win consecutive titles or things like that, but I do want to take a stab at completing the Grand Slam. That gives me a new challenge and it will be nice if I can get it."

Higuchi calls for weight allowance

Higuchi also talked from first-hand experience about the sad saga of Vinesh PHOGAT (IND), and called for some kind of weight allowance for second-day weigh-ins.

Phogat had handed Susaki her first-ever international loss en route to the women's 50kg final, only to be disqualified for failing to make weight on the second day.

Higuchi can certainly sympathize. Looking to make up for his loss in the final at the 2016 Rio Olympics, he infamously failed to make weight for the Asian Qualifier for the Tokyo Games, which indirectly led to him missing out.

"I certainly understand her feelings of despair," Higuchi said. "But we are competing under rules, and you can't reverse a decision that has been made. The second day weigh-in is more difficult than the first, and it's something I would like to have changed."

Higuchi said that giving the wrestlers an allowance of one or two kilograms would make a huge difference, both physically and mentally.

"After the matches are over on the first day, you have to lose two or three kilograms," Higuchi said. "It's tough after the matches, and if you lose in the first or second round, you have to prepare without knowing if you will have a match or not. It's really grueling. I'd really like them to do even a little to help us out.

"But that's something for UWW to decide. All I can do is go along with [the rules]."