#JapanWrestling

Ozaki grabs Paris ticket at 68kg with thrilling win over Ishii

Sunday, January 28, 2024 - 02:51 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO (January 27) -- Ever since she started wrestling as a schoolgirl, the single-leg takedown has been Nonoka OZAKI's most reliable weapon. It didn't let her down when she needed it most -- with a ticket to the Paris Olympics on the line.

Ozaki launched a last-ditch single-leg in the final nine seconds and it paid off with a takedown, giving the two-time world champion a dramatic 5-4 victory over Ami ISHII in a playoff for Japan's spot in Paris at women's 68kg on Saturday at Tokyo's National Training Center.

"I'm really happy, but it still hasn't sunk in that I've taken a step closer to my dream," said a jubilant Ozaki, for whom the road to Paris has been a roller-coaster of emotions.

Ozaki was the 2022 world champion at 62kg, but missed out during the domestic qualifying process for Paris in that weight class. She then decided to take a shot at 68kg when that became her only remaining option.

Ozaki set up the playoff with Ishii by winning the 68kg title at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships last December. Ishii, the world silver medalist in 2022, had finished fifth at last year World Championships in Belgrade -- good enough to secure a Paris berth for Japan but not enough to fill it herself.

The victory gave Ozaki her fifth win in five career meetings between the two, who are only three months apart in age. The older Ishii turned 22 in December. Ozaki threw down the gauntlet in their most recent clash, defeating Ishii 6-2 in the first round of the Emperor's Cup.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Ami ISHII scores a go-ahead takedown late in the second period. (Photo by Ikuo Higuchi / Japan Wrestling Federation)

On Saturday, Ishii looked like she might have finally found an answer. Trailing 3-0 in the second period, she received a passivity point, then broke through Ozaki's defenses to score a takedown at the edge in the final seconds that was upheld in an unsuccessful challenge (the Ozaki side wanted it called a stepout) to take a 4-3 lead.

"She got the points in the last 10 seconds and I thought for a moment all was lost," Ozaki said. "During the challenge, I thought, 'I don't want the match to end this way.' Those on my side had a look on their faces of 'you can still do it.'...There was nothing left but to go for it."

During the challenge, the mat chairman also had the clock reset from four seconds and change to 9.89. Ozaki wasted none of it, lunging for the single-leg and quickly finishing it off with a few seconds to spare.

"I didn't practice that, shooting right off the whistle, but I believed in myself," Ozaki said. "It was good they put the clock back to 10 seconds, if it was four seconds, it would have been a problem. I can't say I was calm, but there was nothing else to do. The fact that I didn't have time to think, 'What should I do?' was a good thing."

Ozaki also cut it close with her first-period takedown, which she scored with six seconds left off a counter that she said she practiced in preparation for the match. Ishii likes to work an underhook, and as soon as she made a move for a leg, Ozaki dropped down and clamped on her head, then used her speed to spin behind.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka OZAKI defeats Ami ISHII in the women's Olympic 68kg playoff. (Photo by Ikuo Higuchi / Japan Wrestling Federation)

For Ishii, the agony of defeat was excruciating. In disbelief, she dropped to the mat and sobbed uncontrollably, which continued even after she was escorted by teammates off the mat. Her wails of anguish reverberated throughout the room, in contrast to Ozaki's celebrations with her contingent.

The playoff was held on one of the six mats in the spacious wrestling room on the basement floor of the National Training Center. Aside from a smattering of media and federation officials, each wrestler was accompanied by a small contingent of fans or teammates.

Ishii just could not seem to process what had happened. Speaking in a barely audible voice through tears to the media, she said, "It's like someone you know has died, but you don't feel like they're gone. I don't feel like Paris is gone, but I have to accept that it is."

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka Ozaki finishes up a quick-fire takedown in the final seconds of the second period to clinch the victory. (Photo by Ikuo Higuchi / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Ozaki could commiserate with her vanquished opponent. She had been on the losing end in a battle for the 62kg place with Ishii's Ikuei University teammate Sakura MOTOKI, a 2022 bronze medalist at 59kg who moved up to the Olympic weight and made it hers. (Another Ikuei wrestler, world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI, will be going to Paris at 57kg.)

"This is a world of competition, and I came here to get the ticket [to Paris] also," Ozaki said. "I know how much she wanted to win, but the competition is harsh and one of us has to lose. I won in the last few seconds, but that could have gone either way. I could have just as easily lost. I am grateful to her for giving me such a high-level match."

Ishii had won the world silver at 68kg in 2022 and could have locked up her place in Paris with a repeat performance last year in Belgrade. The Japan federation had decreed that any wrestler who won a medal in an Olympic weight class would automatically fill the Paris berth themselves.

As it turned out, 68kg was the only women's weight class out of the six in which the Japanese entry did not medal.

Sadly for Ishii, an 8-8 loss in the bronze-medal match to Irina RINGACI (MDA) had dire consequences. Ishii would win the fifth-place playoff to secure the Paris berth for Japan, but it left the door open for others to poach.

Ozaki was also in Belgrade, having decided that she needed to move forward and put her failure at 62kg behind her. She won a spot on Japan's team at the non-Olympic weight of 65kg and picked up her second world gold. But her heart was hardly into it. Of more concern was seeing Motoki clinched her place in Paris by winning the 62kg silver.

"When I look back, it's enough to make me cry, it was so tough," Ozaki said. "Right now I'm happy, but up to last year's World Championships, there was no joy at all in my life. It's like the person I was up to then was lost, it was someone I didn't know like I had run into a wall. I wanted to fight hard but I couldn't make the effort.

"I thought that I don't even want to watch a Paris Olympics that I'm not in. When I won the 65kg playoff here, I had convinced myself that I had to keep moving forward. It wasn't an Olympic weight, but I thought if I could be No. 1 in the world again, it would be an opportunity to start over.

"That's how I felt going to the World Championships. But before my final, the 62kg [berth] was secured. I didn't take a victory lap and I was crying -- it makes me cry now to recall this -- because I was thinking, 'The Olympics is over for me.' I felt resentment. But as I told the media, I was the one responsible and had to accept it. 'I'm not going to retire, and I'll keep fighting,' I said. I had never thought that in the end, I would be going to the Olympics at 68kg."

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Ikuei University teammates try to console a devastated Ami Ishii. (Photo by Ken Marantz / United World Wrestling)

Less than two years ago, Ozaki was on top of the world at 62kg, having won 2022 world golds on the senior, U23 and U20 levels over two months. Her eyes were firmly on Paris, and the Japanese press buzzed over her budding rivalry with Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ).

But her well-laid plans began to unravel just a few months later when Motoki decided to make a challenge for the Olympic spot at 62kg in a field that included Tokyo Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI.

After Motoki won their clash at the Emperor's Cup, they never got to meet in the second qualifier -- the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships in June 2023 -- as Ozaki was handed a stunning 6-6 defeat in the quarterfinals by Yuzuku INAGAKI. Motoki won the title to clinch the ticket to Belgrade, and the rest is history.

In preparation for Paris, Ozaki plans to enter one tournament at 68kg, the Asian Championships in Bishkek in April. She is also carrying some injury concerns, having hurt her right knee at the Emperor's Cup and having problems with her left thumb for the past year which she says affects her grip.

But that is all secondary to having made it to the Olympics, even if it means facing opponents larger than she is accustomed to.

"A year ago, I would never have thought of taking the path of 68kg," Ozaki said. "I'm still only 66 kilograms, but I'll work to fill out to 68. Without being inferior in strength, I will use my speed to my advantage. I'll work on counters for underhooks and throws, and maybe even be able to hit some throws of my own. I'll continue to make progress and I'll be ready."

Ozaki, a product of the JOC Academy, took the academic route when it came to choosing a college and currently attends the prestigious Keio University. That means that outside of national team camps, she has to hit the road for training. Her preparation for the playoff took her to Kanagawa University, a club team in Kanagawa Prefecture and a high school in Yamanashi Prefecture. Several of the male wrestlers at the latter were on hand Saturday.

Whether she can win the gold will likely come down to how effective her old friend, the single-leg tackle, will be for her.

"That tackle has been a part of everything I've accomplished up to now," Ozaki said. "It's my weapon, one that I believe in completely. I've always relied on it and won with it. I owe a debt of gratitude to the technique."

Japan's Paris-bound women

50kg: Yui SUSAKI (world champion)
53kg: Akari FUJINAMI (world champion)
57kg: Tsugumi SAKURAI (world champion)
62kg: Sakura MOTOKI (world silver medalist)
68kg: Nonoka OZAKI (world champion 65kg)
76kg: Yuka KAGAMI (world champion)

#JapanWrestling

Two-time Olympic champ formerly known as Kawai returns in triumph

Sunday, October 16, 2022 - 21:25 By Ken Marantz

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YAIZU, JAPAN (October 16) -- As Risako KINJO stood on the top of the medal podium, a warm smile came across her face. It was not for the victory in her return to the mat after 14 months, but for that other part of her life that had kept her to stay away so willingly.

She had caught sight of her mother in the stands across the gym, holding Kinjo's 5-month-old daughter in her arms and waving the infant's hand in her direction.

"There have been so many people supporting me, and that's what allowed me to take the mat today," she said.

To the rest of the wrestling world, she is still known by her maiden name KAWAI, under which she won a second straight Olympic title by capturing the women's 57kg gold at the Tokyo Games in August 2021.

Much had changed in her life since that triumph at Makuhari Messe arena, her name notwithstanding through the marriage to former wrestler Kiryu KINJO. But as the three-time world champion showed on Sunday, her desire and talent for the sport have not altered in the slightest.

Kinjo returned to competition by cruising to the 59kg senior title at the Japan Women's Open, winning three matches without surrendering a point in Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, about 200 kilometers southwest of Tokyo.

"There's a feeling of relief, but also I wish I had a few more matches," said the 27-year-old Kinjo, who capped her golden run with a 9-0 victory in the final over national collegiate silver medalist Miyu NAKANISHI. "It felt like the three matches were over before I knew it."

Kinjo said she had butterflies in her stomach at the start, but actually welcomed that feeling as in reminded her of old times.

"I was really nervous before my first match," she said. "After that there wasn't much time between matches. But it's like there was something nostalgic about the nervousness. After it was over, looking back I thought, 'That was fun.'"

JPN
Risako KINJO gets 2 with a counter-lift in the 59kg final against Miyu NAKANISHI (photo by Japan Wrestling Federation)

Kinjo, who had a bye into the quarterfinals, opened with a victory by fall in 51 seconds over Mizuki NAKAHORI. Kinjo did not have to attack, as she spun behind off a Nakahori shot, executed a pair of gut wrenches, then used a leg lock and reverse half-nelson for the fall.

In her semifinal match against Himeka HASEGAWA, Kinjo maintained her defensive wall and scored two go-behind takedowns, then scored another with a snap down. From there, a pair of gut wrenches ended the match 10-0 at 1:23.

In the final against a defensive-minded Nakanishi, Kinjo took a 3-0 lead into the second period from an activity point and a back-door takedown off a single--off her first shot of the day. But in the second period, Kinjo effectively moved Nakanishi around to set up a low sweeping single, then a shrug-and-go-behind. She added a counter-lift for 2 to make it 9-0.

Kinjo's coach Ryo KANEHAMA was impressed with the performance, given the uncertainty going into the tournament.

"That she first of all could get so mentally prepared was really big," he said. "She also showed speed. What we were most fearful of was going the full six minutes, but she was able to keep moving like that. Looking at how she started in the morning, she looked in really good shape."

For Kinjo, the most unfamiliar moment came when her married name was used in the pre-match announcement for the first time.

"When I saw 'Kinjo' on the scoreboard, I was like, 'Oh, right,'" she said. "This is the first tournament that I entered as Kinjo, and I feel honored to have it on the certificate that I received."

The couple announced they had tied the knot on Aug. 27, 2021, and Kinjo gave birth to a baby girl in May this year. She said she started working out again at the end of June, and practiced on the mat the following month. As can be imagined, it was not easy.

"At first, I couldn't even do calistenics on the mat, or a high bridge," she said. "Parts of my body were really stiff. My legs couldn't react to where my eyes were looking. I thought, this is how much it changes after being away 10 months. It was like watching someone else."

Kinjo eventually got back to speed, realizing that the additional burden of raising a child meant changing her approach to training from quantity to quality.

"I have a child and she is the No. 1 priority," Kinjo said. "The amount of practice has been reduced. Before, my time was all mine; now more time is spent on the child. I don't know how much less I'm doing, but to me, it's of a better quality."

Living with her husband in Fukui Prefecture in western Japan, where he is coach at Tsuruga Kehi High School, presents a challenge for Kawai. She takes advantage of every opportunity for a practice spot--sometimes it's with the high schoolers, other times she might head to Tokyo or Aichi Prefecture to train with younger sister Yukako, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist at 62kg.

Everywhere she goes, she is fortunate to have someone to help out with the baby. In Fukui, Tsuruga has a kids club and sometimes the mother of one of the team members will look after the child. In Tokyo, she knows she can always leave her with her mother, Hatsue, a national team member during her career who almost unfailingly attends all of her daughters' matches.

That support system has allowed Kinjo to join the ever-growing number of Japanese female athletes who are continuing careers after childbirth, which only a few decades ago would have been unheard of. Most noticeable was Ryoko TANI, who won a fourth Olympic medal in judo after giving birth.

JPN
Risako KINJO, center, smiles on the medal podium. (photo by Japan Wrestling Federation)

Kinjo became the latest high-profile wrestler to use the Japan Women's Open as the first stepping stone in a return to the sport. It is actually a second-tier tournament with age groups that for senior wrestlers, is a last-chance event to qualify for the All-Japan Championships in December. Kinjo's only previous appearance was in the junior high school division in 2008.

Previously, 2016 Olympic champion Eri TOSAKA appeared at the 2017 tournament as her first competition after undergoing foot surgery, and the legendary Kaori ICHO competed in 2018, having taken two years off after Rio 2016 in a bid for a fifth Olympic gold that would eventually be thwarted by Kinjo.

The question now is, what will Kinjo do from here? The All-Japan in December marks the start of the qualifying process for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is squarely on Kinjo's radar. It is possible for her to enter at 59kg and later drop down to the Olympic weight of 57kg, or she can go down to the latter now. "It's a secret," she said mischievously.

Of course, whether she does it in December or later, Kinjo will almost surely eventually clash heads with rising star Tsugumi SAKURAI, who won the 57kg world title in Kinjo's absence.

Kinjo takes an esoteric stance when it comes to the emergence of the 21-year-old Sakurai, who also won the 55kg world title in 2021.

"I think it is a good thing for Japan that young wrestlers are being cultivated," Kinjo said. "I don't mean that it would be good for me to lose to them. But for the ones coming up after me, the future is bright. While I keep battling on, the young ones get stronger. They are all rivals, but I think that their getting stronger is a good situation."

JPN1
Yukako KAWAI talks to the media after withdrawing just before her opening match. (photo by Japan Wrestling Federation)

Younger sister defaults after injury during warm-up

Meanwhile, younger sister Yukako KAWAI was also entered in the tournament, but defaulted her opening match at 62kg after hurting her back while warming up.

"It's not such a serious injury, but we thought it was better to be cautious and not risk making it worse," Kawai said.

Unlike Risako, Kawai has already faced a domestic usurper to her throne, and lost it. In her first tournament after winning the Tokyo Olympic gold, she returned at the All-Japan Invitational Championships last June, but lost in the final to another rising star, Nonoka OZAKI.

Ozaki went on to win the senior world title in Belgrade last month, establishing herself as the one to beat in the race to Paris 2024.

"I've been working to fix the mistakes I make in the June match, and this Women's Open was supposed to be a test of how far I have come," Kawai said. "I think I'm rounding into shape."

Kawai said she finds motivation in Ozaki's world title run.

"I thought she would win the championship," she said. "By winning the title, I think it shows that our domestic matches are the highest level matches in the world. That's motivating me."

Another top wrestler who made the trip to Yaizu was world silver medalist Ami ISHII, who won the 68kg title by beating Kokona TAKADA by fall at the first-period buzzer.

"The reason I entered this tournament, to put it plainly, was to check my technique," she said. "Also, my pre-match preparation has not been good and I wanted to work on that."

In December, Ishii can expect to see a great deal of shifting into the Olympic weight class, with her most notable competition likely to be current 65kg world champion Miwa MORIKAWA.

"If I do what I need to do, the confidence will come," Ishii said. "We'll see how much I can progress in the next two months. If I do everything I need to, it will be like insurance, and winning won't be out of the question."