To Our Friends in Wrestling Around the world
By William May
(Japan Amateur Wrestling Federation, Public
Information Committee
:wmay52@hotmail.com)
TANAKA 2ND AT DAVE SCHULTZ, JAPAN GETS 3 BRONZE in GR
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (February 5-6) - Akihito Tanaka posted a pair
of wins against one loss to take home the silver medal at 120 kg at the
Dave Schultz Memorial wrestling competition. Tanaka, who will graduate
from Senshu University in March, opened the four-man round robin competition
with a 2-0 loss to U.S. team veteran Tolly Thompson.
He rebounded with wins, however, against American Josh Pearce and Canada’s
Ari Taub to claim the silver medal for the Japanese squad of collegiate
all-stars.
In greco-roman, three Nippon Sports Science University grapplers -- Munehiro
Wada, Michimoto Fukuma and Ryutaro Matsumoto -- came away with bronze medals
for Japan. Japan did not enter the women’s competition, which was dominated
by Canada and its three individual champions -- Carol Huynh, Lyndsay Belisle
and Ohenewa Akuffo.
Results of bouts involving Japanese wrestlers (from USA Wrestling website):
Freestyle
55 kg - Shinichi Yumoto, Takushoku Univ. (9th, 10 entries)
2R - lost to Jason Powell (USA) by fall, 2:43)
55 kg - Yasuhiro Inaba, Senshu Univ. (8th, 10 entries)
2R - lost to Tanner Gardner (USA), 0-2 (1-3, 0-2)
Medal winners - 1. Matt Azevedo (USA), 2. Kripa Shankar Patel (IND), 3.
Jason Powell (USA), Frank Mensah (CAN)
----
60 kg - Masaki Wakayama, Nippon Sports Science Univ. (5th, 15 entries)
1R - df. Sukhbaatar Sengedorj (MGL), 2-1 (0-3, 3-2, 3-1)
QF - lost to Michael Lightner (USA), 1-2 (1-4, 1-0, 0-1)
r1 - df. Jose Sanchez (USA) by fall, 1:05
F3 - lost to Yogeshwar Dutt (IND), 0-2 (0-1, 0-2)
60 kg - Masashi Saito, Nihon Univ. (7th, 15 entries)
1R - df. Dantas Elison (USA), 2-0 (6-0tf, 6-0tf)
QF - lost to Yogeshwar Dutt (IND), 0-2 (3-4, 0-2)
60 kg - Kenichi Yumoto, NSSU (9th, 15 entries)
1R - df. Jesse Brock (USA), 2-0 (5-0, 2-0)
QF - lost to Josh Moore (USA), 0-2 (1-5, 1-1)
60 kg - Noriyuki Takatsuka, NU (dnp, 15 entries)
1R - lost to Angel Cejudo (USA) by fall, 5:56
Medal winners - 1. Sahit Prizeni (ALB), 2. Michael Lightner (USA), 3. Zach
Roberson (USA), Yogeshwar Dutt (IND)
----
66 kg - Tsukasa Sato, Waseda Univ. (dnp, 24 entries)
1R - df. Haislan Garcia (CAN), 2-1 (1-0, 0-1, 2-0)
2R - lost to Eric Larkin (USA), 0-2 (0-2, 0-7tf)
66 kg - Muneyuki Suzuki, Ritsumeikan Univ. (dnp, 24 entries)
1R - lost to Doug Schwab (USA), 0-2 (0-3, 0-4)
Medal winners - 1. Jared Lawrence (USA), 2. Sushil Kumar (IND), 3. Scott
Owen (USA), Jesse Jantzen (USA)
----
74 kg - Yosuke Kato, NSSU (5th, 12 entries)
QF - df. Azam Gulomov (TJK), 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)
SF - lost to Donny Pritzlaff (USA), 0-2 (0-1, 0-4)
F3 - lost to Luke Becker (USA), 1-2 (0-1, 3-1, 0-1)
Medal winners - 1. Donny Pritzlaff (USA), 2. Tyrone Lewis (USA), 3. Luke
Becker (USA), Nathan Coy (USA)
----
84 kg - Takao Isokawa, TU (5th, 16 entries)
1R - df. Nick Ugoalah (CAN) by default
QF - df. Tony Gansen (USA), 2-0 (3-0, 5-3)
SF - lost to Andrew Hrovat (USA), 0-2 (1-0, 0-3, 2-3)
F3 - lost to Kyle Hansen (USA), 0-2 (0-1, 0-1)
Medal winners - 1. Joe Williams (USA), 2. Andrew Hrovat (USA), 3. Tyler
Nixt (USA), Kyle Hansen (USA)
----
96 kg - Kenzo Sakamoto, Nihon Bunri Univ. (9th, 9 entries)
QF - lost to Nik Fekete (USA), 0-2 (1-2, 0-7)
Medal winners - 1. Dawid Rechul (USA), 2. Mo Lawal (USA), 3. Nik Fekete
(USA), Zach Thompson (USA)
----
120 kg - Akihito Tanaka, SU (2nd, 4 entries - round robin)
R1 - lost to Tolly Thompson (USA), 0-2 (0-6tf, 0-3)
R2 - df. Josh Pearce (USA), 2-1 (0-6tf, 1-0, 2-1)
R3 - df. Ari Taub (CAN) by fall, 0:48
Medal winners - 1. Tolly Thompson (USA), 2. Akihito Tanaka (JPN), 3. Ari
Taub (CAN), Josh Pearce (USA)
----
Greco-roman
55 kg - Munenori Wada, NSSU (3rd, 10 entries)
QF - df. Ivo Angelov (BUL) by fall, 4:39
SF - lost to Joseph Betterman (USA), 1-2 (0-3, 1-0, 1-1)
F3 - df. Niklas Lovkvist (SWE) by fall, 2:57
Medal winners - 1. Joseph Betterman (USA), 2. Alexei Shaipak (USA), 3.
Munenori Wada (JPN), Lindsey Durlacher (USA)
----
60 kg - Michimoto Fukuma, NSSU (3rd, 17 entries)
2R - df. Jared Moreland (USA), 2-0 (3-0, 6-0tf)
QF - df. Mikhail Siamionau (BLR), 2-0 (1-0, 6-1)
SF - lost to Joe Warren (USA) by fall, 4:42
F3 - df. Ravinder Singh (IND), result not recorded
60 kg - Ryutaro Matsumoto, NSSU (3rd, 17 entries)
2R - df. Erin Kowal (USA), 2-1 (0-1, 2-0, 3-1)
QF - lost to Nikolay Georgiev (BUL), 0-2 (0-3, 0-3)
r1 - df. Chaz Tillman (USA), 2-1 (0-5, 1-0, 2-0)
F3 - df. Willie Madison (USA), result not recorded
Medal winners - 1. Joe Warren (USA), 2. Nikolay Georgiev (BUL), 3. Michimoto
Fukuma (JPN), Ryutaro Matsumoto (JPN)
----
66 kg - Noritomo Eto, TU (dnp, 16 entries)
1R - lost to Jeremiah Jarvis (USA), 1-2 (6-0tf, 3-5, 0-2)
Medal winners - 1. Harry Lester (USA), 2. Mike Ellsworth (USA), 3. Vitali
Zhuk (BLR), Emilian Todorov (BUL)
----
74 kg - Tsukasa Tsurumaki, Kokushikan Univ. (9th, 18 entries)
2R - df. Josh Henson (USA), 2-0 (1-1, 5-0)
QF - lost to Zac Dominguez (USA), 0-2 (1-3, 0-2)
74 kg - Atsushi Kanno, Gifu hs teacher (dnp, xx entries)
2R - lost to Marko Tuomela (FIN), 0-2 (0-2, 0-1)
Medal winners - 1. Darryl Christian (USA), 2. Velin Marinov (BUL), 3. Aliaksandr
Kikiniou (BLR), Marcel Cooper (USA)
----
84 kg - Norikatsu Saikawa, NSSU (7th, 14 entries)
1R - df. Charles Betts (USA), 2-0 (3-0, 4-0)
QF - lost to Tano Prochenski, 0-2 (0-3, 0-1)
r1 - lost to Aaron Boone (USA), 0-2 (3-4, 2-4)
Medal winners - 1. Tano Prochenski (BUL), 2. Jacob Clark (USA), 3. Ethan
Bosch (USA), Keith Sieracki (USA)
----
96 kg - Ryuji Yamaguchi, TU (10th, 12 entries)
1R - lost to Frank Workman (USA), 0-2 (0-3, 0-3)
Medal winners - 1. Mohamad Abdel Fatah (EGY), 2. Kaloyan Dinchev (BUL),
3. Justin Ruiz (USA), R.C. Johnson (USA)
----
120 kg - No Japanese entry (9 entries)
Medal winners - 1. Dremiel Byers (USA), 2. Russ Davie (USA), 3. Petar Bogaevski
(BUL), Khoren Papoyan (USA)
----
Women
48 kg - No Japanese entry (14 entries)
Medal winners - 1. Carol Huynh (CAN), 2. Sara Fulp-Allen (USA), 3. Sadie
Kaneda (USA), Miya Shumel (IND)
----
51 kg - No Japanese entry (15 entries)
Medal winners - 1. Lyndsay Belisle (CAN), 2. Erica Sharp (CAN), 3. tephanie
Murata (USA), Malinda Ripley (USA)
----
55 kg - No Japanese entry (15 entries)
Medal winners - 1. Tina George (USA), 2. Brittanee Laverdure (CAN), 3.
Othella Lucas (USA), Sharon Jacobson (USA)
----
59 kg - No Japanese entry (19 entries)
Medal winners - 1. Sally Roberts (USA), 2. Tela O’Donnell (USA), 3. Breanna
Graham (CAN), Astrid Gomez (USA)
----
63 kg - No Japanese entry (15 entries)
Medal winners - 1. Alaina Berube (USA), 2. Helen Hennick (CAN), 3. Megan
Dolan (CAN), Heidi Kulak (CAN)
----
67 kg - No Japanese entry (14 entries)
Medal winners - 1. Katie Downing (USA), 2. Heather Martin (USA), 3. Megan
Buydens (CAN), Teresa Mendez (ESP)
----
72 kg - No Japanese entry (7 entries)
Medal winners - 1. Ohenewa Akuffo (CAN), 2. Anita Schaetzle (GER), 3. Randi
Miller (USA), Vanesa Jimenez (ESP)