Ozaki awaits as Kawai among Olympic medalists set to return for Meiji Cup

Tuesday, June 14, 2022 - 00:00 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (June 14) -- While the cats who hauled in the medals for Japan at the Tokyo Olympics were away, the mice were not only playing, but showing they could be world-beaters as well.

Most of Japan's Olympic medalists, including three of the five who won golds, will be returning to action for the first time since the Tokyo Games at this week's Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, and most will be facing stiff challenges from wrestlers who filled the global gaps in their absences.

The sparks will particularly be flying in the women's competition, in which one weight class could see a showdown between the Olympic and world champions (Yui SUSAKI and Remina YOSHIMOTO at 50kg) and other between the Olympic champion and a world medalist (Yukako KAWAI and Nonoka OZAKI at 62kg).

One potential clash of the titans was put on hold when the Tokyo gold medalist moved up a weight class. Teenaged world champion Akari FUJINAMI will put her 97-match winning streak on the line in a quest to defend her 53kg title, but she won't have to contend with Mayu SHIDOCHI (formerly MUKAIDA).

Shidochi, the Olympic champion and 2021 newlywed, is entered at 55kg, the weight class in which she won world titles in 2016 and 2018. Among her competition, there will be newly crowned Asian champion Umi IMAI.

Fujinami, now a freshman at Nippon Sports Science University, will likely have her toughest competition in two-time former world champion Haruna OKUNO and 2019 world 55kg silver medalist Nanami IRIE, both of whom she has already beaten twice.

The Meiji Cup, to be held June 16-19 at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym, is the second of Japan's two qualifying tournaments for this year's World Championships in Belgrade. Winners at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships held last December who triumph at the Meiji Cup automatically earn tickets to Serbia; if the champion is different, a playoff will be held at the end of that day's action.

None of Japan's Olympic medalists -- and only one of the 12 Olympic team members --competed at the Emperor's Cup, meaning the majority will have to win the Meiji Cup title and the subsequent playoff to go to the World Championships.

The tournament will mark the first time in three years that family members, teammates and spectators will be allowed, as the Japan federation had maintained strict protocols throughout the pandemic. The number of daily infections has been steadily decreasing, and the Japanese government has this month reopened the door to foreign tourists.

The two Tokyo gold medalists who the fans will have to wait to see again are women's 57kg champion Risako KAWAI and freestyle 65kg titlist Takuto OTOGURO, neither of whom are entered.

Kawai, who like Mukaida got married soon after her Tokyo triumph, gave birth to her first child in May, and is eyeing a return at this year's Emperor's Cup in December. An inquiry to Otoguro's Japan Self-Defense Forces team for a reason for his absence went unanswered.

Yukako KAWAI (JPN) is set to return to action for the first time since the Tokyo Olympic Games. (Photo: UWW / Gabor Martin)

The fans, however, will be treated to the return of the other half of the golden Kawai sisters, and Yukako could feature in the match of the tournament if she and 19-year-old defending champion Ozaki clash as expected at 62kg. The two have never faced each other.

Ryo KANEHAMA, Kawai's coach at Suntory Beverage, said that Kawai restarted full-time training about a month after the Olympics and is well prepared for the Meiji Cup. "She has returned to top shape," he said. "About the same level as for the Olympics."

Asked what will be the key point in facing Ozaki, Kanehama replied, "Not allowing her to get her ankles [for a lace lock]. If she gets the ankles, that will lead to big points, so first of all she has to prevent her from using that technique."

On their feet, Kanehama says it's a toss-up between the two. "Until they face each other, we won't know. Ozaki has a really good low single, so the main point will be how well Kawai can keep her from grabbing her leg."

Ozaki, who won consecutive world U17 titles in 2018 and 2019, is coming off a confidence-boosting victory at the Asian Championships in April in Ulaanbaatar, where she beat Olympic silver medalist Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) in the final to avenge a first-round loss to her at 2021 World Championships.

Last year in Oslo, Ozaki jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Tynybekova, only to see the Kyrgyz star storm back for a 6-4 victory. Ozaki battled back through the repechage to take the bronze in her international senior debut, while Tynybekova won the gold.

Assessing Ozaki's matches with Tynybekova, who has been a longtime nemesis of Kawai, Kanehama observed, "At the World Championships, as I think Ozaki also believes, she made a mistake in strategy. At the recent Asian Championships, I think she reflected on that and used it in her wrestling. She wrestled smart, and I think that shows her progress."

The possible match between Kawai and Ozaki is generating wide interest, and Kanehama is no exception. Asked if he's looking forward to it, he replied, "Sure, they have to eventually face each other somewhere. Heading to the Olympics, it will have to be decided sometime. That day is going to come."

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) will lace her boots up for the first time since outscoring her opponents 41-0 en route to the 50kg Olympic gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The other titanic clash could come at 50kg between Susaki and Yoshimoto, although Susaki has to be regarded as the favorite in that one. Susaki, a recent graduate of Waseda University who can now train full-time under corporate sponsorship, defeated Yoshimoto in their two previous encounters, most recently a close 2-1 win at the 2019 Junior Queens Cup.

But Yoshimoto, a senior at Shigakkan University, has made great strides in recent years, as seen in her performance at last year's World Championships, where she reeled off four straight wins by fall or technical fall before beating Olympic bronze medalist Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) 5-3 in the final. She was even more dominant at the Asian Championships.

How sharp Susaki will be after her long layoff could determine the outcome.

Meanwhile, Tsugumi SAKURAI has since moved up to 57kg from 55kg, the weight class in which she won the gold in Oslo, as she aims to eventually thwart Risako Kawai's attempt to win a third straight Olympic gold. Sakurai won the Emperor's Cup in December, defeating world bronze medalist Sae NANJO in the final, and a rematch looks likely.

World champion Masako FURUICHI has returned to 72kg after an unsuccessful outing at 68kg at the Emperor's Cup. She could face a showdown with Emperor's Cup champion Sumire NIIKURA, who won a silver medal at the Asian Championships in her first-ever international competition.

Japan's top cat in Greco-Roman, Olympic silver medalist Kenichiro FUMITA, returns as he looks to earn a shot at a third career world title at 60kg. Nicknamed by the Japanese press as the "Cat Wrestler" for his backbone flexibility and love for felines, he will be gunning for his fourth career Meiji Cup title and first since 2019.

Waiting in the wings will be Ayata SUZUKI, who won his second straight Asian bronze medal in April. The two train together at their alma mater Nippon Sports Science University and met in the final of the 2020 Emperor's Cup, with Fumita coming away with a 2-1 victory.

Suzuki won last year's Emperor's Cup, meaning that Fumita will have to beat him in a playoff to earn a ticket to Belgrade. "This time with the Olympics over, Fumita might not be at his sharpest," Suzuki told the Japan federation website. "So I think I have a chance."

At 77kg, Shohei YABIKU will have to perform under the new-found pressure that comes with being an Olympic bronze medalist. As Emperor's Cup champion Kodai SAKURABA is skipping the tournament due to injury, Yabiku can secure a place on the world team outright with a victory.

His main competition will likely come from Nippon Sports Science University's Nao KUSAKA, the Emperor's Cup runner-up and a double collegiate champion.

At 55kg, world champion Ken MATSUI would like nothing better than to have a chance to avenge his humiliating defeat in the Emperor's Cup final to Yu SHIOTANI, who won a second straight Asian gold in Ulaanbaatar.

Shiotani tossed Matsui around like a rag doll, scoring consecutive five-point throws in an 11-0 technical fall in 1:42.

World 63kg bronze medalist Kensuke SHIMIZU, the nephew of a former Olympic speed skating gold medalist, has moved up to 67kg after failing to medal at the Asian Championships. He could clash with Emperor’s Cup champion Katsuaki ENDO, who won a bronze medal at 67kg in Ulaanbaatar.

In freestyle, the weight class to watch will be 61kg, which looks to come down to a rematch of the Emperor's Cup final between 2020 Asian bronze medalist Ryuto SAKAKI and Rio Olympic silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI. Sakaki won that encounter 4-0, but much has changed since then.

Higuchi has rebounded well from his calamitous bid to make the Tokyo Games that was scuttled when he failed to make weight at 57kg for the Asian qualifying tournament. When an injury kept Sakaki out of the Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Higuchi stepped in and came away with the 61kg gold, capped by a 46-second win in the final. It was his first major international title since winning the 2018 world U23 gold at 65kg.

Sakaki, the 2017 world 58kg U17 champion, skipped the East Japan college league tournament in April due to injury, so it remains to be seen how effective he will be against the high-flying Higuchi.

Japan's other freestyle Asian champion, the somewhat eccentric Taishi NARIKUNI, will look to make his first senior World Championships by adding the Meiji Cup title at 70kg to his inaugural Emperor's Cup triumph from last December.

Narikuni, whose mother was a two-time world champion and runs the kids club where he started the sport, has been an outlier of sorts in Japan, as he prefers to focus his training mostly in the weight room instead of on the mat. He harbors a bold dream of someday winning world titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Narikuni won the Asian title when he came back from a 1-3 deficit in the final to defeat world silver medalist Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) 4-3.

Also worth watching is veteran Sohsuke TAKATANI, who is making his first Meiji Cup outing since 2019. The three-time Olympian was the only member of the Tokyo 2021 squad to compete at the Emperor's Cup, where he moved up from 86kg and won the 92kg crown -- his 11th straight title over four weight classes.

He has entered again at 92kg and will be aiming for his fourth straight Meiji Cup title and sixth in seven years. Takatani was a 2014 world silver medalist at 74kg.

Takatani will be looking to repeat a sibling double with younger brother Daichi, the Emperor's Cup champion at 74kg who won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships.

Among the entries at 86kg is Mao OKUI, who has made a big jump up in weight classes after placing fifth at the 2019 World Championships at 74kg. That earned a place for Japan at the Tokyo Olympics, but Okui failed to fill it himself when he lost to Keisuke OTOGURO, Takuto's older brother, in a playoff for the spot.

At 57kg, Toshihiro HASEGAWA, a 2021 world bronze medalist at 61kg, will be looking to follow up his victory at the Emperor's Cup and return to the World Championships at the Olympic weight. Aiming to stop him will be Yuto TAKESHITA and Rikuto ARAI, Asian bronze medalists in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

This year's Meiji Cup will also be unique in that the federation has taken the rare move of charging a nominal admission fee for general fans. This is likely due to the combination of the Olympic medalists returning to the mat and the fact that this will be the first event fans can see live in such a long time.

A Japan federation official said the last time he can recall tickets being sold for a wrestling tournament was in 2007, when Norifumi "Kid" YAMAMOTO, who had become a popular mixed martial arts competitor, returned to freestyle wrestling at the All-Japan Championships in a bid to make the Beijing Olympics.

The tournament ended for the older brother of multi-world champions Miyu and Seiko YAMAMOTO when he suffered a dislocated elbow 16 seconds into his second-round match at 60kg and lost by fall.

Schedule

June 16 (Thursday)

FS 65kg-79kg; GR 63kg-97kg-130kg; WW 59kg-68kg-76kg

10:00 - 12:30 1st round through quarterfinals
13:00 - 14:00 Semifinals
14:00 - 15:45 Repechage
15:45 - 16:15 3rd-Place Finals
16:15 - 17:35 Finals

June 17 (Friday)

FS 61kg-74kg-125kg; GR 67kg-72kg-87kg; WW 57kg-65kg

10:00 - 12:30 1st round through quarterfinals
12:30 - 13:30 Semifinals
13:30 - 15:15 Repechage
15:15 - 15:45 3rd-Place Finals
15:45 - 17:05 Finals

June 18 (Saturday)

FS 70kg-86kg-92kg-97kg; GR 55kg-82kg; WW 53kg-72kg

10:00 - 12:30 1st round through quarterfinals
12:30 - 13:30 Semifinals
13:30 - 15:15 Repechage
15:15 - 15:45 3rd-Place Finals
15:45 - 17:05 Finals

June 19 (Sunday)

FS 57kg; GR 60kg-77kg; WW 50kg-55kg-62kg

10:00 - 12:30 1st round through quarterfinals
12:30 - 13:15 Semifinals
13:15 - 14:45 Repechage
14:45 - 15:05 3rd-Place Finals
15:05 - 15:30 Ceremony for return of Meiji Cup, etc.
15:30 - 16:50 Finals

*Playoff for World Championships team in weight classes between winners of Emperor's Cup and Meiji Cup will be held approximately one hour after the completion of that day's competition.

#WrestleAstana

Dauletbekov settles score with Karimi to win Asian 86kg gold

Friday, April 14, 2023 - 13:30 By Ken Marantz

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (April 14) -- Although he was the reigning champion, Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) could have been regarded as the challenger in the final, given how his opponent had dominated him over the years. Spurred on by a vocal home crowd, the futility came to a joyous end.

Daultetbekov defended his 86kg title with an inspired victory over powerful Alireza KARIMI (IRI), capturing one of Kazakhstan's two gold medals in the last five freestyle weight classes on the final day of the Asian Championships on Friday in Astana.

"It means a lot to win the Asian Championships on home soil," Daultetbekov said. "I'm very happy. I thank all the fans who came here to support us."

Teenager Arash YOSHIDA (JPN), whose wrestling bloodline runs deep and to a faraway land, marked his international debut with a spectacular run to the 92kg gold, while Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) brought down the curtain on the tournament by taking the 125kg title and exorcising a demon of his own.

Kazakhstan put four wrestlers into the finals at the packed Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial ArtsPalace, but only Darkhan YESSENGALI (KAZ) could join Dauletbekov at the top of the podium.

Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) won the other gold at stake at 61kg, adding to the Asian U23 title he won last year.

Combined with its two golds from Thursday, Kazakhstan easily secured the team title with 179 points. Japan finished second at 129, while Iran slipped to a surprising third with 124, just four points ahead of Mongolia.

Dauletbekov, a 2022 world bronze medalist, earned his second career Asian gold and fourth medal overall by finally settling a score with Karimi, who had beaten him numerous times over nearly a decade. The most recent loss was a 4-0 defeat at the World Cup in December.

But with his adrenaline in overdrive, Dauletbekov dug deep and found the will to finally come out on top, beating the two-time former Asian champion 4-1 and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

After Karimi got the lone point of the first period with an activity point, the match opened up in the second period. Dauletbekov struck by using a snapdown and spin behind to take the lead, which he padded with a similar takedown gained after blunting a Karimi tackle attempt.

"I’ve wrestled with that Iranian athlete five or six times, and lost all the matches," Dauletbekov said. "I'm very happy to win today at home. At the last match, I followed the strategy of our coaches. This victory is important for me and I am happy to win in Kazakhstan."

For the 29-year-old Dauletbekov, the next objective is clear -- making it to an elusive Olympics for the first time, which he hopes to do by qualifying at this year's World Championships.

"The goal is to get qualified for the Olympic Games at the World Championships," he said. "We will train hard to reach the goal."

At 92kg, Yoshida won a battle of 19-year-olds over Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ), putting on an impressive show of speed and power for an 11-4 victory in the final.

Yoshida's victory made him, at 19 years and 3 months, Japan's youngest-ever male Asian champion. Yu Shiotani was 19 years and 5 months when he won the Greco 55kg gold at the 2021 Asian Championships.

Yoshida continually took the fight to Aitmukhan, scoring three stepouts and a single-leg takedown for a 6-0 first period lead. Aitmukhan got on the scoreboard with a single-leg takedown of his own to start the second period. But after that, Yoshida twice scored a takedown that Aitmukhan could only answer with a stepout, and Yoshida finished up the scoring with go-behind takedown.

"Honestly speaking, I never imagined it," Yoshida said of his victory, which gave Japan its lone freestyle gold of the tournament. "It was my first international tournament. The anxiety and nervousness were big."

For Yoshida, the key match came in the quarterfinals, when he trailed 6-3 against Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) before rallying to a 9-7 victory.

"That match was the toughest," Yoshida said. "The last minute, I was just going on emotions and was able to pull out the win."

Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) is now the youngest male wrestler from Japan to win the Asian Championships. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

If Yoshida's aggressive, in-your-face style seems to resemble that of the Iranians, that's no coincidence. Yoshida's father Javid ESFANJANI is Iranian, a former wrestler who settled in Japan and started a kids' wrestling school in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. That's where Arash and his siblings got their start in the sport.

As if part of a Hollywood script, Yoshida's first international match coincidentally came against an Iranian -- which he won by a 10-0 technical fall over Arashk MOHEBI (IRI). The significance was not lost on the Nihon University student.

"I wrestled an Iranian for the first time [in my career]," Yoshida said. "Iran is strong, a wrestling powerhouse. Honestly speaking, I could not have said for sure that I was going to win. I was very anxious. But I was able to do what I do best, which was good."

Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) became the first Mongolian heavyweight to win the Asian gold in 22 years. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Like Dauletbekov, Munkhtur's path to the gold was blocked by an opponent whom he had had his trouble with in recent years and was the defending champion wrestling at home to boot.

But the Mongolian eked out a 1-1 victory over Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ), by virtue of receiving the second of the two activity points in a match in which neither could launch an effective attack.

Batirmurzaev got his activity point in the first period, and Munkhtur's came in the second. That, and the crowd urging him on, sparked Batirmurzaev, who at one point worked in for a body lock throw, but the Mongolian slipped out of the hold.

"I have wrestled him before and lost twice. I have one win against him, but I really planned this win," Munkhtur said. "Because I have wrestled him before, I know his positions and I know the good and bad ones."

The two had faced each other three times in the past three years, with Batirmurzaev winning the first two and Munkhtur winning the most recent, 2-1 in the first round at last year's Yasar Dogu tournament in Istanbul.

Munkhtur only made the final in Astana by the skin of his teeth. In the semifinals, the Mongolian pulled out an 8-7 victory over Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) by scoring a 4-point trip in the final 10 seconds left.

"I had a knee injury and I have been on a break," Munkhtur added. "It was really hard mentally. So I meditated a lot, now I am healthy and I will go to the next Ranking Series event."

Yessengali, the 2019 Asian U23 silver medalist, burst out of the blocks in the 74kg final against Kirin KINOSHITA (JPN), taking a quick six-point lead that he rode to a 7-2 victory.

Yessengali secured a front headlock, from which he scored a 4-point throw that he followed up with a 2-point roll. He added a stepout in the second period, before giving up a stepout and fleeing point to Kinoshita which had little effect on the outcome.

Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) scored a 4-2 win over Minghu LIU (CHN) in the 61kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In the 61kg final, Zhumashbek Uulu was able to neutralize the speed of Minghu LIU (CHN) to forge a 4-2 victory and give Kyrgyzstan its lone freestyle gold.

"It was my first senior Asian championships and the final opponent, the Chinese wrestler, was good," said Zhumashbek Uulu, the 2022 world U23 silver medalist and Asian U23 champion. "But he got tired, and our score was 4-2."

Liu had the advantage after the first period, coming back with an explosive double-leg takedown to go ahead 2-1. But Zhumashbek Uulu fended off all of Liu's attacks in the second period and went ahead to stay with a pair of stepouts before receiving an activity point.

Mongolia picks up 3 bronzes; Bahrain gets 2

In the third-place matches, Mongolia came away with three bronzes to cap a productive night, while BUHEEERDUN (CHN) gets the award for best snatching of a victory from what seemed like a sure defeat.

At 61kg, Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL) kept the pressure on and got the takedown he needed with :04 left for a 4-4 win over Sardor RUZIMOV (UZB), giving him a second Asian bronze -- seven years after his first.

Compatriot Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) earned his first major medal on any level when he cobbled together a 6-0 victory at 74kg over Byungmin GONG (KOR), a gold medalist two years ago at 79kg.

Olonbayar led 3-0 courtesy of two activity points and a penalty point when he scored his first technical points with a driving takedown off a counter. He added a takedown for good measure.

Ganbaatar also came away with a second career bronze several years after his first one, when the Zagreb Open bronze medalist used a pair of 4-point throws to put away Ajiniyaz SAPARNIYAZOV (UZB) by 10-0 technical fall at 92kg.

Ganbaatar stuck Saparniyazov with a hip throw for 4, then after scoring a takedown, unleashed a 4-point arm throw to end the match at 1:18. For Saparniyazov, he was left with his third fifth-place finish in four years.

At 125kg, 2019 Asian junior silver medalist Buheeerdun pulled a victory out of his hat with a fall over Masoumi, adding more misery to the Iranian.

Buheeerdun had sheepishly given up three straight stepouts to the powerful Masoumi, but when the two locked up and the Iranian attempted a backdrop, the Chinese landed on top of him with a mighty thud, then clamped down for the fall in 1:05.

The Russian-born pair of Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN) and Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) gave Bahrain its second and third medals of the tournament with victories in their bronze-medal matches.

Asluev scored a double-leg takedown just after receiving an activity point early in the second period and held on for a 3-2 victory over Adilet ZHAPARKULOV (KGZ) at 74kg.

A short time later Sharipov had a much easier time in dispatching Mirlan CHYNYBEKOV (KGZ) by a 10-0 technical fall at 92kg. A takedown and two gut wrenches, then consecutive single-leg takedowns, and that was it for Chynybekov in 1:43.

At 61kg, Yasin REZAEIAGHOUZGOLEH (IRI) gave Iran its lone win of the medal matches when he put on a clinic of counter wrestling, scoring a pair of 2-point exposures and a stepout off counters to the single-leg attack of Kodai OGAWA (JPN) and riding that to a 7-4 victory.

Ogawa's points came after he twice got behind and in control, but he could not get the Iranian's knees to the mat and had to settle for stepouts, with a fleeing point tagged on each time. Rezeiaghouzgoleh had a takedown of his own early in the second period.

Bobur ISLOMOV (UZB) won his second straight bronze medal, overwhelming Weng Gary CHOW (SGP) with a 10-0 technical fall in 1:30 at 86kg, the same result and scoreline when the two met in the first round last year in Mongolia.

Islomov got a quick takedown and, locking up an arm, added a tilt and two rolls for an 8-0 lead. The overmatched Chow showed some spirit by attempting an arm throw, but Islomov stopped it and got behind for the takedown that ended the match.

Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN), coming off winning a silver medal at the Zagreb Open, picked up his first major senior medal with an 11-0 technical fall over LIN Zushen (CHN) at 86kg.

Ishiguro, who has a 2019 World U23 bronze and 2018 world junior gold to his credit, showed his dexterity with a nifty ankle pick for one of his three takedowns. He finished off the win in the second period with a takedown-gut wrench combination.

Anirudh KUMAR (IND) took home the other bronze at 125kg with a 12-2 technical fall over Sardorbek KHOLMATOV (UZB).

Kholmatov had drawn first blood with a driving takedown over the edge, but Kumar came right back with one of his own, although his was good for four points. He repeated the move for 2, then recorded three straight go-behind takedowns to end the proceedings in 2:29.

Day 6 Results

Freestyle

61kg (13 entries)
GOLD: Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) df. LIU Minghu (CHN), 4-2

BRONZE: Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL) df. Sardor RUZIMOV (UZB), 4-4
BRONZE: Yasin REZAEIAGHOUZGOLEH (IRI) df. Kodai OGAWA (JPN), 7-4

Semifinal: LIU Minghu (CHN) df. Sardor RUZIMOV (UZB), 8-2
Semifinal: Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Yasin REZAEIAGHOUZGOLEH (IRI), 11-2

74kg (16 entries)
GOLD: Darkhan YESSENGALI (KAZ) df. Kirin KINOSHITA (JPN), 7-2

BRONZE: Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) df. Byungmin GONG (KOR), 6-0
BRONZE: Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN) df. Adilet ZHAPARKULOV (KGZ), 3-2

Semifinal: Kirin KINOSHITA (JPN) df. Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) by TF, 12-2, 4:43
Semifinal: Darkhan YESSENGALI (KAZ) df. Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN), 2-1

86kg (13 entries)
GOLD: Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) df. Alireza KARIMI (IRI), 4-1

BRONZE: Bobur ISLOMOV (UZB) df. Weng Gary CHOW (SGP) by TF, 10-0, 1:29
BRONZE: Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) df. LIN Zushen (CHN) by TF, 11-0, 3:31

Semifinal: Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) df. Bobur ISLOMOV (UZB) by TF, 10-0, 2:14
Semifinal: Alireza KARIMI (IRI) df. Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN), 9-2

92kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ), 11-4

BRONZE: Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) df. Ajiniyaz SAPARNIYAZOV (UZB) by TF, 10-0, 1:18
BRONZE: Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) df. Mirlan CHYNYBEKOV (KGZ) by TF, 10-0, 1:43

Semifinal: Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Ajiniyaz SAPARNIYAZOV (UZB) by TF, 13-2, 4:10
Semifinal: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) df. Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN), 6-1

125kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) df. Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ), 1-1

BRONZE: Buheeerdun BUHEEERDUN (CHN) df. Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) by Fall, 1:05 (4-2)
BRONZE: Anirudh KUMAR (IND) df. Sardorbek KHOLMATOV (UZB) by TF, 12-2, 2:29

Semifinal: Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) df. Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI), 8-6
Semifinal: Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) df. Sardorbek KHOLMATOV (UZB) by Fall, 4:46 (7-0)

Ozaki awaits as Kawai among Olympic medalists set to return for Meiji Cup

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Dauletbekov settles score with Karimi to win Asian 86kg gold