#JapanWrestling

Ishii wins showdown with Morikawa for 68kg gold; Kinjo claims 59kg crown

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (December 23) -- Already a world silver medalist, Ami ISHII picked up her first national title at women's 68kg with a dramatic victory over world 65kg champion Miwa MORIKAWA, while two-time Olympic champion Risako KINJO was content with a title in a non-Olympic weight as she transitions back to the mat from childbirth.

Ishii denied Morikawa in her bid to move up to the Olympic weight class, scoring all of her points in the second period for a 5-2 victory in the final at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships on Friday in Tokyo.

Kinjo, who plans to make a run for her third Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games at 57kg, forged out a 4-1 victory over former world U23 champion Yui SAKANO in the 59kg final in the tournament that is serving as the first domestic qualifier for next year's World Championships in Belgrade.

Meanwhile, Rei HIGUCHI and Sae NANJO both avenged losses to old nemeses in reaching the final of their respective weight classes, while Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI, well, just did what Yui Susaki always does.

Ami ISHII (JPN)Ami ISHII, right, and Miwa MORIKAWA square off in the women's 68kg final. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation/Takeo Yabuki)

The Ishii-Morikawa clash came about due to the fact that the tournament has implications on qualifying for the Paris Olympics. Combined with the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships in June, it helps determine the team to Belgrade, where a medal by a Japanese wrestler in an Olympic weight will mean an automatic place in Paris.

To better prepare the wrestlers for the worlds and Olympics, the format of the four-day tournament has been tweaked so that the Olympic weights are run over two days, while the non-Olympic classes are started and finished in one day.

Ishii moved a step closer to Paris by emerging victorious in a field that included four current or past world medalists and two former U20 world champions.

"When the buzzer sounded, I was really happy," said Ishii, who also picked up the world U20 gold this year. "But when I look at it calmly, this match was the first in the qualifying process, it didn't decide the Olympics. It's just a point along the way."

Morikawa, who missed out on the Tokyo Olympics when she lost a playoff for the 68kg spot to Sara DOSHO, took the lead in the final with a spin-behind takedown off an Ishii shot in the first period. In the second period, Ishii tied it with a single-leg takedown.

As Morikawa tried to press for a stepout, her strength was not enough against the rock-solid Ishii, who reversed the roles and forced Morikawa out. Ishii stuffed a last-ditch lateral drop attempt in the final seconds for her final points.

"The first two points I gave up, I started the attack and she scored off my mistake," Ishii said. "To tie the match, I went with my regular single. At 2-2, there was still a lot of time left, but I didn't want to just keep defending and I kept on the attack."

It was a major blow for Morikawa, who won the 68kg title in 2019 before winning consecutive crowns at 65kg in 2020 and 2021.

"At 65kg, I often press ahead to get stepout points," Morikawa said. "But she held me off and I couldn't get her out. I have to get [my strength] to the level of this weight class."

Risako KINJO (JPN)Risako KINJO clamps down on Yui SAKANO in the women's 59kg final. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation/Takeo Yabuki)

For the 28-year-old Kinjo, who won her Olympic golds and three world titles under her maiden name of KAWAI, the road ahead goes the opposite direction, as she will be returning to 57kg for the Meiji Cup.

Kinjo got married soon after the Tokyo Olympics -- to a fellow wrestler, of course -- and gave birth to her first child, a girl, in May. She returned to competition in October at the second-tier All-Japan Women's Open, where she won the 59kg title.

While her mother and others help with the childcare, Kinjo finds she must budget her time, which means quality over quantity when it comes to practice. But it makes her more appreciative of being able to still compete in the sport she loves.

"On days that I practice, putting on the shoes and taking the mat for a hard workout is tough, but just that alone is pleasureable and I can feel that wrestling is still fun," she said.

In contrast to her credentials, Kinjo did not have an easy time on Friday. In her opening match in the quarterfinals against collegian Natsuki YAMAGUCHI, she received an activity point just before giving up a takedown, then held on for a 3-2 victory.

"I'm usually tight in the first match," Kinjo said. "Even if it's only one point, I have more experience than the others, so it may seem like a little, but I think it's big. After the first match, I make changes that I need to make."

The most surprising aspect of the victory was the fact that Kinjo was not aware it had been five years since she won her last Emperor's Cup title. Since then, she came out on the short end of a classic battle with the legendary Kaori ICHO in 2018, then skipped the tournament the next three years.

Ayano MORO (JPN)High schooler Ayano MORO gets emotional after winning the women's 76kg title in her first senior competition. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation/Takeo Yabuki)

Meanwhile, there was no outburst of joy like that of one of the youngest participants in the tournament, as world U20 champion Ayano MORO's victory in the women's 76kg final left the high schooler wailing in tears on the medal podium.

Moro, making her debut in a senior level tournament, scored a takedown with 20 seconds left to take a three-point lead, then held on for a 4-3 victory over Nodoka YAMAMOTO, who opened some eyes by winning both of her matches at the recent World Cup.

The 17-year-old Moro, a junior at Tokyo's Abe Gakuin High School, has not lost since November 2017, a span that includes a victory at the U20 World Championships in August this year in Sofia, Bulgaria, as she looks to fill the opening at the heaviest weight class once dominated by world medalists Kyoko HAMAGUCHI and Hiroe MINAGAWA.

In other action, Daichi TAKATANI combined with older brother Sohsuke for a sibling double for the second year in a row and third time overall when he defeated Kirin KINOSHITA 5-2 in the freestyle 74kg final.

Takatani scored with a front headlock roll late in the first period, then added a second-period takedown to defeat Kinoshita for his third career title. He still has a way to catch up to Sohsuke, who notched his 12th straight title on Thursday with a victory at 92kg.

Yuki TANAKA (JPN)Yuki TANAKA failed to get another shot at Yui SUSAKI after losing in the women's 50kg quarterfinals. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation/Takeo Yabuki)

Susaki cruises into final

Susaki, coming off her historic win at the world U23 two months ago, advanced to the women's 50kg final with an 11-0 technical fall over Nanami IRIE, the 2019 world silver medalist at 55kg.

The current world champion set up a clash for the gold with Remina YOSHIMOTO, the 2021 world champion in Susaki's absence and has lost all four previous encounters between the two, including the final of this year's Meiji Cup.

The 23-year-old Susaki moved into another stratosphere with her victory at the world U23 in Pontevedra, Spain, as it made her the first wrestler in history to complete the Grand Slam of Olympic gold and all four age-group titles. It also came a month after she captured her third senior world gold.

While Susaki disposed of one Irie sister in gaining a chance for her third career Emperor's Cup title and first since 2019, she was relieved of the burden of facing another one with whom she is much more familiar.

Yuki TANAKA, who remains the only wrestler on the planet to have beaten Susaki from her junior high school days, was ousted in her quarterfinal match by Hanano SAKURAI, the younger sister of 57kg world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI, who used a nifty barrel roll twice to score a 7-0 victory.

Tanaka, the oldest of the three Irie wrestling sisters, had stepped away from the sport when she failed to get to the Tokyo Olympics. Newly married, she only returned to competition in July this year.

"The level [of opponents] has gotten higher, and I haven't reached that yet," said Tanaka, who defeated Susaki three times in her career but eventually lost out to her for a place at the Tokyo Olympics. "I didn't wrestle for two years. Of course, I wanted to win the title, but I had a stronger feeling of just taking each and every match one at a time."

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN)Rei HIGUCHI, left, avenges a loss to Yuki TAKAHASHI in the playoff for the Tokyo Olympics to make the freestyle 57kg final. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation/Takeo Yabuki)

Higuchi, who won the world gold at 61kg this year, made a successful start in his drop back down to 57kg, the weight class in which he won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

On Friday, Higuchi advanced to the final with an 11-0 technical fall over former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI, avenging a devastating loss to the Yamanshi Gakuin University coach in a playoff for a spot at the Tokyo Olympics.

Higuchi used an effective single-leg attack to score three takedowns, two of which he punctuated with gut wrenches with the last one ending the match at 3:43.

For Higuchi, the biggest problem at 57kg has been weight control, as he famously failed to make weight at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament to open the door back up for Takahashi to gain the ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.

Higuchi refused to speak to the press after his win, saying he needed to focus on doing what he needs to do to make weight on Saturday.

Sae NANJO (JPN)Sae NANJO celebrates after holding on to beat Tsugumi SAKURAI in the women's 57kg semifinals. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation/Takeo Yabuki)

Nanjo made it third-time-lucky in her encounters with Tsugumi Sakurai, making the women's 57kg final by finally protecting a lead after twice seeing the Ikuei University star score a last-second victory over the past year.

Nanjo jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first period with a takedown, penalty point and lace lock, then held on for a 5-4 win after Sakurai scored two takedowns in the second but couldn't manage to turn her over.

"In the first period, I allowed her to easily get to my legs and after that, to turn me on the ground, so it put me in a tough five-point deficit," Sakurai said.

"My style is to fight the full six minutes and put it on the line in the second period. But I had a tough match in the quarterfinals, so I started getting tired. My opponent stayed tough and I couldn't pull out the win."

In the final at last year's Emperor's Cup, Sakurai seized the title with a four-point takedown in the final seconds for a 5-2 victory over Nanjo. Then, at this year's Meiji Cup it was deja vu all over again as Sakurai scored a buzzer-beating takedown for a 5-3 win.

In going for her fifth career title and first since 2020, Nanjo will next face Sara NATAMI, who pulled off a late victory by fall over Umi IMAI in the other semifinal, a battle of reigning Asian champions.

Natami was trailing 2-1 in the last minute when she used a front headlock roll to put Imai on her back and secured the fall at 5:31. Natami won the 59kg title at this year's Asian Championships, while Imai took home the 55kg gold.

Shohei YABIKU (JPN)Olympic bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU, right, and Nao KUSAKA know each other well as training partners. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation/Takeo Yabuki)

Another big name to fall was Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU, who was ousted in the Greco 77kg quarterfinals by collegiate champion Nao KUSAKU, with whom he trains at his alma mater Nippon Sports Science University.

Kusaku, a world U23 bronze medalist this year, led on criteria with the second of two passivity points handed out, then held on when placed on the bottom in par terre in the second period for a 1-1 victory.

Yabiku has been battling recent knee and other injuries since placing second at the Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup in Poland in July and made an early exit at the World Championships in Belgrade.

"It can't be said I'm in the best condition, but as long as I'm taking the mat, I'm thinking of winning, so I don't want that to be an excuse," Yabiku said.

Yabiku had two chances on top in par terre, but he was unable to execute the spectacular throws that he rode to an eye-opening run to the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

"What I mostly rely on was stopped," Yabiku said. "We practice together every day, so he knows me very well. The big reason for the loss was my ground attack. I'm confident I can defend on the ground, but the offense has become a source of anxiety. Bad things come out in me."

Meanwhile, Taishi NARIKUNI's bold quest to become the first wrestler in 49 years to pull off a freestyle-Greco double at the All-Japan never got started, as the world freestyle 70kg champion withdrew due to a broken rib suffered in practice.

Narikuni, who was entered at both freestyle 70kg and Greco 67kg, suffered the injury about a month ago, but only had it diagnosed last week after he continued to feel pain, according to a Facebook post by Narikuni's mother, a former two-time world champion.

Another less-heralded wrestler who was attempting the same feat, collegian Akito MUKAIDA, also withdrew due to injury. Mukaida is the younger brother of Olympic champion Mayu SHIDOCHI.

Results

Freestyle

57kg (11 entries)
Semifinal - Rikuto ARAI df. Ryuto SAKAKI, 5-4
Semifinal - Rei HIGUCHI df. Yuki TAKAHASHI by TF, 10-0, 3:43

74kg (14 entries)
Gold - Daichi TAKATANI df. Kirin KINOSHITA, 5-2

Bronze - Kojiro SHIGA df. Jintaro MOTOYAMA by TF, 10-0, 1:28
Bronze -Kota TAKAHASHI df. Ryutaro TOGIYA by TF, 10-0, 1:53

86kg (14 entries)
Semifinal - Hayato ISHIGURO df. Taisei MATSUYUKI, 4-3
Semifinal - Yudai TAKAHASHI df. Fumiya IGARASHI, 5-1

97kg (10 entries)
Gold - Takashi ISHIGURO df. Hibiki ITO by TF, 13-1, 5:51

Bronze - Shohei YAMAZAKI df. Toyoki HAMADA, 3-1
Bronze - Hiroto NINOMIYA df. Keiwan YOSHIDA by Def.

125kg (10 entries)
Gold - Daiki YAMAMOTO df. Ryusei FUJITA by TF, 12-0, 1:31

Bronze - Nozomi OISHI df. Takuya HIGUCHI by Def.
Bronze - Yuji FUKUI df. Kai SHUTTO, 3-0

Greco-Roman

63kg (16 entries)
Gold - Machiezo MARUYAMA df. Ryuto IKEDA, 6-1

Bronze - Kenshin MATSUMOTO df. Ryotaro FUJINAMI by Def.
Bronze - Yamato HAGIWARA df. Komei SAWADA, 7-1

Semifinal - Ryuto IKEDA df. Ryotaro FUJINAMI by TF, 8-0, 1:51
Semifinal - Machiezo MARUYAMA df. Komei SAWADA, 5-3

67kg (13 entries)
Semifinal - Katsuaki ENDO df. Haruto YABE, 5-5
Semifinal - Kyotaro SOGABE df. Shigeki TSUTSUMI by TF, 9-0, 2:01

77kg (13 entries)
Semifinal - Nao KUSAKA df. Tatsuya FUJII, 5-1
Semifinal - Kodai SAKURABA df. Minto MAEDA, 8-6

87kg (10 entries)
Gold - Masato SUMI df. So SAKABE, 5-1

Bronze - Yuto MATSUZAKI df. Daisei ISOE by TF, 9-0, 1:55
Bronze - Yoji KAWAMURA df. Kaito MIYAMOTO by Def.

97kg (11 entries)
Gold - Yuta NARA df. Masayuki AMANO, 3-0

Bronze - Yuri NAKAZATO df. Kairi YOSHIMURA by TF, 10-0, 4:09
Bronze - Riku NAKAHARA df. Kyo KITAWAKI by TF, 8-0, 4:07

130kg (10 entries)
Gold - Sota OKUMURA df. Shion OBATA, 3-3

Bronze - Daigo NISHI df. Koei YAMADA, 1-1
Bronze - Ryuta KONO df. Naoto YAMAGUCHI, 3-1

Women

50kg (16 entries)
Semifinal - Yui SUSAKI df. Nanami IRIE by TF, 11-0, 2:47
Semifinal - Remina YOSHIMOTO df. Hanano SAKURAI by Fall, 3:57 (10-0)

57kg (10 entries)
Semifinal - Sae NANJO df. Tsugumi SAKURAI, 5-4
Semifinal - Sara NATAMI df. Umi IMAI by Fall, 5:31 (3-2)

59kg (15 entries)
Gold - Risako KINJO df. Yui SAKANO, 4-1

Bronze - Akie HANAI df. Natsuki YAMAGUCHI, 6-5
Bronze - Miyu NAKANISHI df. Nana IKEHATA by Fall, 3:54 (2-1)

Semifinal - Risako KINJO df. Akie HANAI, 5-0
Semifinal - Yui SAKANO df. Miyu NAKANISHI by TF, 11-0, 5:51

68kg (9 entries)
Gold - Ami ISHII df. Miwa MORIKAWA, 5-2

Bronze - Rin MIYAJI df. Naruha MATSUYUKI by TF, 10-0, 3:27
Bronze - Miyu IMAI df. Yui ISAKI by TF, 10-0, 1:10

72kg (8 entries)
Gold - Sumire NIIKURA df. Kanon KOBAYASHI, 7-5

Bronze - Yawara SHIOSAWA df. Mei SHINDO, 3-0
Bronze - Misaki WACHI df. Nana SAKAMOTO by TF, 10-0, 2:45

Semifinal - Sumire NIIKURA df. Mei SHINDO, 4-0
Semifinal - Kanon KOBAYASHI df. Misaki WACHI, 6-3

76kg (7 entries)
Gold - Ayano MORO df. Nodoka YAMAMOTO, 4-3

Bronze - Mizuki NAGASHIMA df. Nanaha TAKASU, 4-0

#JapanWrestling

Fujinami cruises in test run at 57kg, earns ticket to World U23

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (April 14) -- Paris Olympic champion Akari FUJINAMI took her new, slightly bulked-up body out for its first spin on Sunday, and it was just as high-performance as ever.

Fujinami, the reigning world and Olympic champion at women's 53kg, made her first official foray into the next Olympic weight class of 57kg, and cruised to victory in the U23 division at the Japan Junior Queens Cup in Tokyo.

"It was my first tournament at 57kg and, as the starting point at [this weight], I feel this was a good tournament to get an idea of my power at 57kg and the method for making the adjustment, all while maintaining the right amount of tension," Fujinami said.

The tournament also saw the return to the mat of Paris 62kg champion Sakura MOTOKI, who also prevailed in the U23 tournament, while recently crowned senior Asian champion Sakura ONISHI earned a chance to repeat as world U20 champion, and one-time heavyweight prodigy Ayano MORO returned in triumph at U20 from a 16-month injury absence.

Fujinami needed just two wins to win her title, winning both matches by 10-0 decision in the first period. That extended her current winning streak to 141 straight victories dating back to a loss in the final at the national junior high school championships in June 2017.

The victory also earned the 21-year-old star a place on Japan's team to the World U23 Championships, to be held Oct. 20-26 in Novi Sad, Serbia, which gives her a shot at one of the few major titles she hasn't already won.

The Junior Queens Cup, held over two days at the Tokyo Budokan in eastern Tokyo, featured competition in the four age-group divisions, U15, U17, U20 and U23, and was serving as the world qualifiers in the latter three and the Asian Championships for all four.

It was Fujinami's first individual competition since winning the 53kg gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August last year, when she added to her senior world titles from 2021 and 2023. She capped the day by finishing off Kanon YAMASHITA 10-0 in the final just inside the first-period buzzer.

"Of course, winning the title here was among my objectives," said Fujinami, who has started her third year at Nippon Sports Science University. "But I wanted to use the time here to get an actual feel for the 57kg weight class.

"In practice, I often train with others in heavier weight classes, but there is a difference between practice and actual matches. And I wanted to get that match feeling. For sure, I could feel the four-kilogram difference, but it didn't seem that big."

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) makes her debut at 57kg at the Japan Junior Queens Cup. (Photo: Ikuo Higuchi / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Her only previous action since Paris was at a collegiate team tournament. Because it had just three weight classes, many participants, including Fujinami, wrestled outside of their usual division. She won both of her matches by fall.

More significantly, it was at that event that Fujinami made the eye-opening announcement that she was moving up to 57kg, citing the difficulty of cutting weight, as well as the historic aspect that no woman wrestler has ever won a second straight Olympic gold after moving to a higher weight class.

Fujinami, who said she never considered making a detour at 55kg, has been spending time looking for the right balance of adding weight while not losing the speed and agility that have become her trademark.

"I won't be making big changes to my style of wrestling and what has worked for me, but I will adopt and add things that fit my style so I can make progress and get to point where I'm stronger at 57kg,"she said.

The Junior Queens Cup provided the first test run in preparation for a much bigger challenge coming up. Fujinami is certain to face a significantly higher level of competition at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships in June, which will serve as the second of two domestic qualifiers for this year senior World Championships.

"The Meiji Cup in June will be the big test, and I realized here the aspects in which I want to get stronger," Fujinami said.

The world champion also said she is working on expanding her repertoire of techniques. "I want to expand my wrestling. I want to raise the level of my attacks so I can score points in different ways.

"There were things that worked and things that didn't work in these two matches. One thing I tried to work on was using an underhook, but it didn't go very well. I'll look at the video and make adjustments. I want to have more ways to score points beyond my specialty tackle."

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), third from left, with other 57kg medalists. (Photo: Ikuo Higuchi / wrestling-spirits.jp)

One thing Fujinami doesn't want to do is dwell on the past -- she particularly doesn't like to talk about the winning streak. Her focus is forward, and constantly striving to improve.

"The Paris Olympics are done and in the past and I have begun my next challenge," she said. "Of course, there is the next Olympics. But before that, my thinking is to keep making progress and exceed my past self."

The elephant in the room regarding her move up to 57kg is that it puts her on a collision course with Tsugumi SAKURAI, the Paris gold medalist in that weight class. Fujinami has already beaten Sakurai, but not for such stakes as will be involved in the run-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Asked if there were any wrestlers at 57kg that she looked forward to facing, she replied, "Actually, there are not really any particular wrestlers that I think like that. It's more about me finding out what kind of wrestling I can do at 57kg. I have my own expectations, and I want to exceed who I was at 53kg."

One aspect of her move to 57kg that appeals to Fujinami is that she no longer has to spend time obsessing over her weight, time that can be put to much better use.

"When I was at 53kg, I would have to start focusing on cutting weight from one month before [a tournament] and that would dictate my lifestyle," she said. "But at 57kg, I can continue my regular life, which allows me to focus on the wrestling aspect."

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)Sakura MOTOKI (JPN), left, won the 62kg gold at the Junior Queens Cup to qualify for the World U23 Championships. (Photo: Ikuo Higuchi / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Motoki stays on track to 'Golden Grand Slam'

For Motoki, the hiatus she took after the Olympics allowed her to enjoy some culinary excesses that she normally has to avoid.  She was able to get back into decent enough shape, although for better or worse, it did not play much of a factor as her weight class only had two entrants.

"I had a half-year blank since my last match at the Olympics," said Motoki, who defeated Nagisa ITO by fall in 1:02. "After getting back into shape, I thought this was good timing for getting my body back into live-match mode. I was a bit nervous.

"Partly due to cutting weight, I felt my movement was dull in the morning, but I had a long time until my match, so I was able to recover. When I was warming up, I thought, 'I feel good.' Physically, I was in pretty good condition."

Motoki also plans to enter the Meiji Cup, where she could renew her rivalry with Paris 68kg bronze medalist Nonoka OZAKI, whom she beat out for the Olympic 62kg spot. But, she said, her focus is actually more on the U23 worlds.

"This year is the last I can compete in U23," she said. "You can wrestle at the senior worlds at any age, so I'm in no rush for that. I think it's best to do it when I'm ready, both physically and technically."

A victory at the world U23 would keep Motoki on track to a feat accomplished by just two other wrestlers in history. Only compatriot Yui SUSAKI and Amit ELOR (USA) have achieved the "Golden Grand Slam" of titles on all four age-group levels along with an Olympic gold.

Motoki already has world U17 (2018) and U20 (2022) titles, and arguably got the hardest one out of the way by winning the gold in Paris. She came up short twice previously at the senior worlds, taking a bronze in 2022 and silver in 2023.

Among the other U23 winners on Sunday were senior world 55kg champion Moe KIYOOKA, who returned to that weight class after taking a silver medal at 53kg at the Asian Championships in March, and Ami ISHII at 68kg. Ishii, the world 72kg champion, has recovered from the injury that caused her to become a late withdrawal in Amman.

Sakura ONISHI (JPN)Sakura ONISHI (JPN) wrestles at the U20 tournament of the Junior Queens Cup. (Photo: Ikuo Higuchi / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Onishi adds to hectic schedule

In the U20 tournament on Saturday, Onishi said it was a bit difficult to turn the switch back on so fast following her golden run at 59kg at the Asian Championships.

"There was a bit of pressure," Onishi said. "After returning from the Asian Championships, I wasn't sure how to get back into the mode. That made the matches tougher here. But I was able to come around with advice and support from those around me and win the title."

Onishi, a teammate of Fujinami's at NSSU, won all three of her matches by fall or technical fall, although in the final, she gave up a 4-point counter back roll to high schooler Sae NOGUCHI as she was driving for a takedown. "That scared me for a second," Onishi said. "Finishing up my tackles has been an issue and she found an opening."

Onishi, winner at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships last December, will also look to clinch a ticket to the senior worlds with a victory at the Meiji Cup. That makes for quite a hectic schedule looking ahead.

"I have collegiate events also, but my ultimate goal is to definitely win the championship at the senior worlds," Onishi said. " To do that, I have to win the title at the Meiji Cup. I know that I've set a hard schedule for myself."

Ayona MORO (JPN)Ayana MORO (JPN) won the 76kg gold in the U20 tournament, her first since the 2023 Emperor’s Cup. (Photo: Ikuo Higuchi / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Moro, who won the U20 title at 76kg with three wins in a combined 89 seconds, has spent much of the past year rehabbing from a serious neck injury and other ailments.

The 2022 world U20 champion was competing for the first time since winning the 72kg gold at the Emperor's Cup  in December 2023. She had hurt her neck in the playoff with eventual Paris Olympic chamion Yuka KAGAMI for the 2023 world team in July of that year.

She decided to put the pain temporarily aside to enter the Emperor's Cup, then started rehab. She returned intermittently to the mat, but kept reinjuring the neck. On top of that, she is asthmatic and had a bout of pneumonia that left her with a constant cough. She finally returned to full-fledged training in March this year.

"I wasn't able to do much sparring [in training], I did some light rolling around and weight training, and kept up with my rehab," said Moro, who this year left Yamanashi Gakuin University and currently trains at her high school alma mater Abe Gakuin.

"I knew I wouldn't lose on strength. I tend to think negatively, but today I was unusually confident I could do well."

When told about the aggregate quickness of her victories, including a victory in the final by fall in 19 seconds over Chisato YOSHIDA, she responded, "I didn't know that.  I was too nervous, it was my first time on the mat in a long time. It was so scary on the mat. I don't remember anything."

Yuu KATSUME (JPN)Yuu KATSUME (JPN), a world U17 champion at 46kg, won at 49kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Potential future stars to keep an eye on

For those wanting a hint of potential stars of the future, they would be well advised to keep in mind this name: Yuu KATSUME.

Katsume swept to the U17 title at 49kg, putting her in position to win a second world title in that age group after striking gold at 46kg last year. She preceded that by winning back-to-back Asian U15 golds in 2022 and 2023.

Katsume, now a third-year student at the high school affiliated with Shigakkan University, is in the midst of putting together a Fujinami-esque winning streak.

Her most recent loss came  in the fifth grade of elementary school, and that was when she entered a boys' tournament just to get a higher level of competition.

While she doesn't know the exact number of consecutive wins she has -- she added four more on Saturday, which she won by a combined score of 37-0  -- she figures it is "around 70."

Katsume will turn 17 in May, making her eligible to compete at the Emperor's Cup in December, which will also mark her senior-level debut.

Another potential star has a quite familiar name. The newly crowned 50kg champion in the U15 division was Tsukino SAKURAI, who had Paris Olympic gold medalist -- and older sister -- Tsugumi  in her corner.

Tsukino is a product of the same Kochi City wrestling club run by her father in western Japan that produced not only Tsugumi, but fellow Olympic gold medalist Kotaro KIYOOKA as well as his sister Moe.

"Everyone on the team put in a lot of time and effort to help make me stronger," Tsukino said. "I'm happy to win a qualifier for an international tournament for the first time."

As is common among younger siblings, her goal is to not only catch up to her older sister, but to exceed her. (A middle sister, Hanano, recently retired after a modestly successful career at 50kg.)

"She's been to a lot of international tournaments, even the Olympics, and has won them," Tsukino said. "That makes me happy, but she has also become my goal and I want to do better than her."