To Our Friends in Wrestling Around the world
By William May
（Japan Amateur Wrestling Federation, Public
Information Committee
：wmay52@hotmail.com）
MATSUNAGA GOLD, SASAMOTO SILVER IN WORLD C’SHIP TUNE-UPS
National team newcomer Tomohiro Matsunaga was golden and veteran ace Makoto
Sasamoto won silver in key tune-up competitions in Poland in August. Matsunaga
came from behind in the 55-kg final to defeat European champion Ghenadi
Tulbea of Moldova at the Ziolkowski memorial event for his third title
in an international tourney this year.
Matsunaga, in his first season on Japan’s senior national team, also
defeated two-time Olympic champion Namig Abdullaev of Azerbaijan in the
first round of the meet in Siedlec, Poland on August 14.
Sasamoto also defeated a two-time Olympic gold medalist, Armen Nazarian
of Bulgaria, on his way to the 60-kg finals of the prestigious Pytlasinski
international in Raciborz, Poland on August 20. Sasamoto, an older teammate
of Matsunaga’s with the Sogo Keibi Hosho wrestling club, however, stumbled
in the final against Alexei Shevtsov of Russia and had to settle for the
silver medal. Kunihiko Obata, meanwhile, took his second bronze medal of
the season in freestyle competition to give Japan a complete set of medals
for their efforts in Poland.
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Results of Japanese entries:
FREESTYLE (20 countries, 107 entries)
55 kg - MATSUNAGA, Tomohiro (1st, 16 entries)
Q - df. Namig Abdullaev (AZE), 2-1 (4-2, 0-1=2:24, 1-0)
Matsunaga scores big with uchimata inner-thigh reap to take first
period; loses the second on an overtime force-out; then hits a low single
to win the third.
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QF - df. Evgeny Kolbrin (RUS) by fall, 2P=0:53 (1-0, 3-0)
SF - df. Zalimkhan Kutsaev (RUS), 2-0 (3-0, 4-2)
F1 - df. Ghenadi Tulbea (MDA), 2-1 (0-1, 4-0, 5-4)
European champ Tulbea takes first period countering Matsunaga’s takedown
attempt. Matsunaga draws level with an ouchi-gari inside trip for three
points. In the third period, Matsunaga gives up 0-4 lead in the first 30
seconds, but comes back with a pair of takedowns and gut wrenches to win.
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74 kg - OBATA, Kunihiko (3rd, 16 entries)
R1 - df. Lukasz Wiechna (POL), 2-0 (1-0=2:11, 1-0)
QF - df. Szymon Piatkowski (POL), 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)
SF - lost to Oleg Bilotserkivsky (UKR), 0-2 (0-3, 0-1)
Obata gives up takedown and exposure in the final five seconds of
the first period and cannot break through his opponent’s defense in the
second.
F3 - df. Carlos Dominguez (ESP), 2-0 (5-0, 1-0)
Obata has little trouble with an opponent he faced regularly in the
joint training camp before the competition.
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84 kg - YAMAMOTO, Satoru (13th, 16 entries)
R1 - lost to Said Abrahimi (IRI), 0-2 (0-1=2:30, 0-1)
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Greco-Roman (28 countries, 177 entries)
55 kg - TOYOTA, Masatoshi (19th, 24 entries)
Q - lost to Reihanpour Soryan (IRI), 0-2 (1-1x, 0-5)
Toyota cannot turn the junior world champ in the par terre position
and drops two sets. Toyota is eliminated from competition when Soryan is
defeated by Olympic champion Istvan Majoros of Hungary in the quarterfinals.
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60 kg - SASAMOTO, Makoto (2nd, 27 entries)
Q - df. Joaquin Martinez (ESP) by fall, 2P=0:57 (2-0, 4-0)
R1 - df. Armen Nazarian (BUL), 2-1 (3-2, 0-4, 2-1)
Even after the first two periods, Sasamoto breaks Nazarian’s grip
to start par terre in the third period and defends for a point. Sasamoto
lifts for a 2-0 in his half of par terre and then holds on for the win
after Nazarian ends up on top.
QF - df. Jurij Kohl (GER) by TF, 2-0 (6-0=2:00, 6-0=1:08)
SF - df. Suren Hervorkyan (UKR), 2-0 (2-2=caution, 2-0)
F1 - lost to Alexei Shevtsov (RUS), 1-2 (2-0, 0-3, 3-4)
Sasamoto takes the first period with a lift and good defense and
is five seconds from victory when Shevtsov turns him with a gut wrench
in the second. Sasamoto regains momentum in the third period with a body
tackle and gut wrench for a 3-0 lead, but then gets flipped to his back
from a front headlock position to give Shevtsov the win.
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66 kg - IMURO, Masaki (14th, 30 entries)
Q - df. Lucjan Kwit (POL), 2-0 (4-2, 1-1)
R1 - lost to Sergey Kuntarev (RUS), 0-2 (0-3, 0-7=1:27)
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74 kg - IWASAKI, Yuki (12th, 28 entries)
Q - df. Waclaw Siorak (POL), 2-1 (6-0=1:29, 2-4, 2-1)
R1 - lost to Bolat Abdulayev (UKR), 2-1 (2-1, 1-1, 0-2)
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84 kg - MATSUMOTO, Shingo (10th, 26 entries)
Q - df. Jim Petterson (SWE), 2-0 (5-1, 5-1)
R1 - lost to Melonin Noumonui (FRA), 0-2 (0-2, 4-5)
Matsumoto gets turned at 1:58, missing his chance to take the first
period against the French Olympian. Matsumoto led 2-0 and 4-3 in the second
period, but couldn’t hold on. Moumonui lost in the semifinals to 2002
world runner-up Badri Khasai of Georgia, eliminating Matsumoto from competition.
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96 kg - Kato, Kenzo (18th=tie, 24 entries)
Q - lost to Asset Mambetov (KAZ), 0-2 (3-5, 0-6=1：59)