#WrestleTokyo: Lopez Sets Up Shot at Historic 4th Gold; Fumita, Gray Make Finals

Sunday, August 1, 2021 - 12:22 By Ken Marantz

CHIBA, Japan (August 1) --- After not budging in the bottom of the par terre position, Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) stood up and did a few hops like a boxer showing he wasn't affected by the best his opponent could hit him with.

Lopez withstood everything longtime rival Riza KAYAALP (TUR) could throw his way to remain on the path toward a unique place in Olympic history with a 2-0 victory in the semifinals of the Greco-Roman 130kg division on Sunday night at Makuhari Messe Hall.

Both of Lopez's points came on passivity calls as the Cuban star kept alive his hopes of joining Kaori ICHO (JPN) as the only wrestlers in Olympic history to win four gold medals.

In Monday night's final, Lopez will face 2019 world bronze medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO), who clinched a medal in his second Olympic appearance by defeating Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI) 1-1 on last-point criteria.

In other action, reigning world champions and top seeds Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and Adeline GRAY (USA) both advanced to their respective finals. Fumita, a two-time world champion making his first Olympic appearance, will have a shot at the gold at Greco 60kg, while Gray will look to add the women's 76kg Olympic crown to her five world titles.

Mijain LOPEZ Riza KAYAALP Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) after beating Riza KAYAALP (TUR) in the 130kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Lopez and Kayaalp have now met in three consecutive Olympics, and the Cuban has come out on top in all three, having dispatched Kayaalp in the semifinals at London 2012 and the final at Rio 2016. The last time Lopez lost to anyone was in 2015 at the hands of Kayaalp, who beat him for one of his three world titles.

"This was definitely my most difficult bout and win against Riza," Lopez said. "The match in the Rio Olympics final was one-sided. My matches are mostly about dedication and preparation. Tomorrow I have to go with the same technique and I am prepared for it."

The 38-year-old Lopez, who won the last of his five world golds in 2014, has competed in just two international tournaments since Rio, with the most recent being a triumphant run at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.

But he has looked sharp on the mat at Makuhari Messe, where he scored a pair of technical fall victories to set up his clash with Kayaalp. In the first period, he turned the Turk in the par terre position, but the points were wiped out when it was determined he used his legs for leverage.

"The judges made a bad decision for the challenge," Lopez said. "But because I had established myself in the bout, it did not matter."

He then failed to turn Kayaalp in a second shot at par terre in the second period. With just over a minute left, Lopez was himself put in the par terre, giving Kayaalp a chance to turn the tide by turning him over. But the Cuba kept a rock solid base and, when he got up, gave the display of confidence.

Also Read: Mijain Lopez, too big to fail

The other semifinal featured a rare occurrence, as there were three passivity calls, with the requisite two points awarded, but not one battle in the par terre position. The two times that Acosta could have put Kajaia into par terre, he opted to continue the match from the standing position, including when the Georgian was tagged for passivity with 1:20 left.

The 27-year-old Kajaia, meanwhile, got his passivity point in the second period. But when he failed to heed the referee's instruction to put both of his knees on the mat, he forfeited the par terre and the two were put back on their feet.

It did little to diminish the elation Kajaia felt over his accomplishment. "It has been my goal for the past 27 years" he said. "Tomorrow will be a very spectacular match. I can’t say anything else. Today everything went well. So tomorrow I’ll only go forward, not step back."

Acosta, who is just the second Chilean wrestler in history to appear in the Olympics, will now have a chance for a bronze medal, which would be his country's first at the Tokyo Olympics.

Cuba will have a second wrestler in Monday's finals as Luis ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB) set up a gold-medal clash at Greco 60kg with Fumita by overwhelming the slippery Victor CIOBANU (MDA) by 11-0 technical fall in the semifinals.

Fumita Kenchiro FUMITA (JPN) will wrestle for gold at 60kg. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

It marks the second straight Olympics that the final of the lightest Greco weight class will be a Japan-Cuban clash. In Rio, Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) defeated Shinobu OTA (JPN) in the 59kg final.

That result has provided motivation for Fumita, who won his second career world title in 2019. He and Ota were teammates and rivals at Nippon Sports Science University, with Fumita eventually winning out between them to earn the ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.

"Five years ago in Rio, I watched Ota get a medal right in front of my eyes," Fumita said. "I thought, 'I want that.' But to surpass him, the only way is to win the gold."

Luis ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB) made it to the 60kg final in Tokyo. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

By assuring himself of a silver medal, Fumita has extended a streak of Japanese men medaling at every Olympics dating back to Helsinki 1952. "In recent years, the women have been amazing, and the men have been continuing the streak," Fumita said. "I definitely wanted to keep it going."

Fumita is aiming to become Japan's first Olympic Greco champion since Atsuji MIYAHARA (JPN) won the 52kg gold at Los Angeles 1984.

In the semifinals, Fumita scored four points in the second period to defeat Lenur TEMIROV (UKR) 5-1. The Japanese kept his composure as he trailed 1-1 on criteria, then scored a takedown and gut wrench for the winning points.

In the women's 76kg division, 2019 world bronze medalist Alice ROTTER FOCKEN (GER) assured her country of its first women's Olympic wrestling medal in what she says will be her final tournament when she knocked off local favorite Hiroe MINAGAWA (JPN) 3-1 in the semifinals.

Focken Aline ROTTER-FOCKEN (GER) reached the final at 76kg in Tokyo. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

With Minagawa, the 2019 world silver medalist, leading 1-1 on criteria, Rotter Focken scored with a double-leg takedown with 1:15 left, then held on to make the final in her second Olympic appearance.

"It was really exciting and stressful, but I'm really happy I could show my full potential, because I can wrestle everyone," Rotter Focken said. "Sometimes it doesn't work out, and today it did."

Rotter Focken said she is looking forward to one final clash with Gray to cap a friendly rivalry that goes back to when they were teenagers. In fact, Gray said that she invited the German to her wedding (she couldn't come due to a prior commitment).

"I'm really happy to wrestle her," Rotter Focken said. "We are good friends, and we're always said for Tokyo that we'd like to meet each other in the Olympic final. It's like a movie, we did it. I like her style of wrestling, and I'm really excited who will be the No. 1 tomorrow."

Gray, who has waited five long years to redeem herself for failing to medal in Rio, kept her golden dreams alive with a close 3-2 victory over a young, gutsy Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ).

"This is so many years of hard work coming into fruition, it's incredible," Gray said. "I'm just excited to be here after such a long time."

Adeline GRAY (USA) after making it the 76kg final at Tokyo Olympics. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

Gray took a 2-0 lead with an activity point and stepout in the first period. With just over a minute to go in the second, Medet Kyzy came close to a takedown, but failed to complete the move as they went out of bounds.

But the Kyrgyz side challenged the call, which was rejected, giving Gray a point that would later prove decisive.

"I think that's just experience," Gray said of avoiding the takedown. "I don't panic there. I'm great at scoring points, and I do pretty well when I'm down, so even if she does get that takedown...I really feel confident that it's enough of a fire to kick me into the next gear, which sometimes I need to make these matches not as close."

The 22-year-old Medet Kyzy, a 2019 world U-23 bronze medalist, went on the attack and, with 20 seconds left, secured a takedown that cut the lead to 3-2 and which she transitioned into a lace lock. But she wasn't able to turn the veteran American, who let out a whoop of joy when time expired.

"I haven't wrestled this women, she has been cleaning house with a lot of people who I have great matches with," Gray said of Medet Kyzy. "I went in ready to battle. It was a little closer than I expected it to be, she's pretty slippery in a few positions, but I really felt that my positioning got the better of her."

Also Read: #WrestleTokyo Day 1 Morning Session reacap

In the mixed zone, Gray opened up about the disappointment she felt five years ago in Rio, when she went in as the prohibitive favorite but came out on the short end of a 4-1 loss to Vasilisa MARZALIUK (BLR) in the quarterfinals.

"It's tough to lose," Gray said. "That's what it comes down to. I had expectations for myself, and I think everyone else did last [Olympic] quad for me to do well. I had gone undefeated for 2 1/2 years leading into it, I didn't see anybody that was really going to be able to go toe-to-toe with me."

Gray said that in the intervening years, she has come to realize how a shoulder injury had led to her downfall by not admitting to herself how serious it really was.

"I didn't realize how injured I was. I had to take a year and a half off, and it took me three years before my shoulder was ready to really compete and really grind. I didn't want to blame it on the injury because losses happen, but making it here today really shows me that I had a lot of pain leading up to that tournament and I was fighting through mentally just dealing with that on a day-to-day basis.

"It wears you down a little bit more that I had expected it to. I'm just thankful that I'm healthy, that I have a great team with me and so many people willing to help."

RESULTS:

Greco-Roman

60kg
GOLD: Kenchiro FUMITA (JPN) vs Luis ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB)

SF 1: FUMITA Kenichiro (JPN) df Lenur TEMIROV (UKR), 5-1
SF 2: Luis ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB) df Victor CIOBANU (MDA), 11-0

130kg
GOLD: Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) vs Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)

SF 1: Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) df Riza KAYAALP (TUR), 2-0
SF 2: Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) df Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI), 1-1

Women's Wrestling

76kg
GOLD: Adeline GRAY (USA) vs Aline ROTTER-FOCKEN (GER)

SF 1: Adeline GRAY (USA) df Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), 3-2
SF 2: Aline ROTTER-FOCKEN (GER) df Hiroe MINAGAWA (JPN), 3-1

#JapanWrestling

Wrestling prodigy Ono takes big strides, with family's support

Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - 14:23 By Vinay Siwach

JAPAN (January 8) -- Ben ASKREN calls him the 'best wrestler on the planet.' Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) invited him as a special guest to his academy. Kids are lining up to take his autograph. Wrestling social media pages have numerous highlights of him.

No wrestler has been talked about as much as Masanosuke ONO (JPN) in recent times, and not because he has a soy sauce named after him.

Two months have passed since he won the World Championships on the first attempt, but Ono remains the hottest topic in wrestling. Currently in the United States for various commitments, Ono first broke out by winning the U20 World Championships in October, and two weeks later, he rocked the world with his run at the World Championships in Tirana.

The 20-year-old, using his speed and a lethal gut wrench, dominated Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN), blanked world champion Vitali ARAJAU (USA) and posted three other technical superiority wins en route to the gold medal at 61kg. All that with a broken ankle.

"One month ago, I broke my ankle, and I couldn't practice at all," Ono had said after winning the gold in Tirana. "The Uguev match was my first live wrestling match after the fracture, and I was very unsure how I would do."

"It's like a dream for us," said Noriko, Ono's mother, who watched her son in the arena in Tirana. She was joined by her husband Masaharu, who was equally elated with his son's success.

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) with his with sister Konami, left and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (center).

This was not the first time the couple had traveled with the Ono for a wrestling tournament. Well before Masanosuke became a world-known wrestler, the Ono household had been traveling for wrestling. In 2015, they traveled to Las Vegas for the World Championships. Photos of Ono with Burroughs and other wrestlers went viral on social media after he won.

Masaharu has several anecdotes of his son Ono's childhood, especially from wrestling tournaments.

"We stayed at the same hotel as the wrestlers in 2015," Masanharu recounts. "One day, he was missing. We searched for him in the hotel and later found that he was eating with Haji Aliyev and going around wrestlers' rooms to get autographs."

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) poses for a picture with Masansuke and Konami ONO in 2015.

Ono's parents were not the only ones surprised. Former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), who was wrestling at 57kg in the 2015 World Championships, heard a rumor that a little wrestler from Japan had come to Las Vegas to watch the World Championships.

"It's very rare in Japan, and he's the only little wrestler I've ever known who has traveled all the way overseas to watch matches like this," Takahashi says. "That was the first time I saw him, in the hotel. I was the same age at the time as he is now, a third-year university student. I don't remember talking to him directly, but I remember feeling very happy watching him running around with a big smile on his face."

Takahashi, a two-time Olympian for Japan, is now a coach at Yamanashi Gakuin University, the school that produced Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) and where Ono is a third-year student now.

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) wrestling in school.

His story, however, begins way back -- when Ono was in kindergarten. Or, more specifically when he was removed from a music class.

Unable to sit still and constantly interrupting his teacher, Ono was asked to leave the class. "The teacher was angry and told him to take up wrestling," Masaharu says.

Turns out, music's loss is wrestling's gain.

Ono's father Masaharu had no experience in wrestling, he practiced Kendo, a form of martial arts that uses sticks. Yet, he trained Ono, and himself fell in love with the sport.

"Wrestling, a sport in which you don't use any equipment, you compete using only your body," he says. "It's a fair competition. Whether you win or lose, you are solely responsible. There are no excuses. The match starts and ends with a handshake. I love that about it. I incorporated elements of Kendo into Masanosuke's wrestling. So I coached him, even though I had no experience."

The Ono siblings with Kenichiro FUMITA(JPN) in 2016.

Soon, Ono's sister Konami joined the training. Konami is two years younger than Ono but is already making a name for herself. She won the Japan Queen's Cup in 2023 and won silver at the U17 World Championships at 61kg after she won the prestigious Klippan Lady Open.

In the Ono household, wrestling became a way of life. Masaharu would take his kids to most domestic competitions in Japan. If not competing, they would travel to watch. He even made a "Save Olympic Wrestling" banner in 2013 when wrestling was dropped from the Olympic program.

At the 2012 Japan Championships, Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) made a stunning debut, winning the gold medal. Later that day, Ono recognized Fumita outside the arena and ran to get his first autograph.

Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), center, a coach at the Yamanashi Gakuin University, pictured with Masanosuke ONO (JPN), second from right.

Ono would join Yamanashi Gakuin University, and Takahashi would see him again since the 2015 World Championships.

"He had grown bigger since I came to watch the World Championships, but he looked like he was having fun practicing, and his attitude seemed the same as it was back then," Takahashi says. "My first impression was that he was stronger in defense than in attack. I remember it was hard to score points. We had a lot of sparring, and watching him wrestling with pure joy made me feel young again."

Takahashi says that he expected Ono to be dominant once he is free of injuries and begins competing internationally.

"He had a lot of injuries and was unable to participate in many domestic tournaments for a long time, but when he is not injured and can train normally, he is really strong," he says. "He does not lose to fighters in higher weight classes. When he first entered the school, he was very weak even when sparring with me, but now he is really strong and has good natural ability, so I can feel his strength."

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Ono made his international debut at the 2024 Asian Championships in 65kg and returned with a bronze medal from the Asian Championships after he was pinned by Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) who used a perfect arm throw. He dropped back to 61kg, a weight class more suited to him, and Ono was a menace.

"He doesn't change his wrestling style depending on his opponent but sticks to his own style. I expected him to win both the World Championships, but I didn't expect him to win so overwhelmingly."

The reason for Ono's ability to be the best on the mat comes from his speed. Takahashi explained that Ono researches a lot on his opponent and is quick to understand their gameplan.

"After he returned to Japan, I asked him about his impressions of Uguev. He said that he had done a lot of research and was able to understand what he was going to do just by moving a little," he says. "In terms of technique, it's not flexibility, but his speed that is so fast. There is always an initial movement before a technique, but he can perform the technique right there, so the opponent's reaction is delayed. Also, he predicts this and still performs the technique, so the opponent cannot even react."

Masanosuke ONO (JPN)
Soy sauce named Masanosuke, after Ono.

While Ono is away in the United States, his father Masaharu is planning for a long 2025 season. He wants to continue his travels with Masanosuke and Konami, which he has done since 2015. An owner of a soy sauce brewing factory in the Shimane Prefecture, Masaharu has even launched a soy sauce named after his son.

"I would be happy if people in the wrestling world around the world liked Masanosuke's interesting character," Masaharu says. "I am happiest when I travel the world to attend wrestling matches with Masanosuke and Konami."

Masaharu has documented his children's journey and is enjoying the love his son is getting so far in wrestling. Whether fans or his opponents, Ono is celebrated. Ono's walk after winning the gold was similar to what Connor McGregor did during his career; it went viral, adding to his celebrations like a fictional character from the manga series Attack on Titan (Shingekino Kyojin).

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) The Ono family in Budapest for the 2018 World Championships.

Masaharu also documented his family's trip to the 2018 World Championships in Budapest. Ono, then 14 years old, would run around to get pictures clicked. He got a few with Kyle SNYDER (USA), Sadulaev, Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), Taha AKGUL (TUR) and other stars.

And Masaharu has no plans to stop capturing his children on and off the wrestling mat. And then tell the stories of his travels.

"The viral photo with Burroughs was by chance," Masaharu says. "Ono had wandered off in the hotel and took his autograph. I did not believe that it was Burroughs's autograph. So he took me to his room and asked me to click a photo with Burroughs as evidence. That's how we got the photo. Later that night he won the gold medal at 74kg."

#WrestleTokyo: Lopez Sets Up Shot at Historic 4th Gold; Fumita, Gray Make Finals

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Wrestling prodigy Ono takes big strides, with family's support