To Our Friends in Wrestling Around the world
By William May
(Japan Amateur Wrestling Federation, Public
Information Committee
:wmay52@hotmail.com)
February wrestling news
MINEMURA DOWNS OLYMPIC MEDALIST, WINS ACROPOLIS INT'S
ATHENS (February 24-25) - Ryo Minemura defeated 2004 Olympic bronze medalist
Artiom Kiouregian of Greece and went on to claim the gold medal at the
Acropolis International greco-roman wrestling tournament.
Minemura of Kanagawa University defeated Kiouregian 1-1, 3-0 in the quarterfinals
at 55 kg and then came from behind to defeat a highly touted young Russian
wrestler, Maksim Tokareb, 0-3, 1-1, 1-1 in the semifinals.
Minemura claimed the championship with a 1-1, 3-0 win over Czech veteran
Jan Hocko. Meanwhile, the other members of the Japanese squad lost opening
round matches and failed to place. Ryutaro Matsumoto lost his first round
match at 60 kg to Hritos Gikas of Greece 0-2, while Hiroyuki Shimizu came
out on the short end of 1-2 decision to Lucjan Kwit of Poland at 66 kg.
The Japanese greco-roman squad continues their European tour with a training
camp in Hungary followed by the Hungarian Open in Szombathely,March 10-11.
JAPAN TO SEND YOUNG TEAM TO WOMEN'S WORLD CUP
TOKYO (February 21) - Three-time defending champion Japan will send not send its Dream Team to the World Cup of women's wrestling in March in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. The Japan Wrestling Federation announced that the team for the March 22-23 meet, however, will include the three national champions at the non-Olympic weight categories.
Dream Team members, such as Hitomi Sakamoto, Saori Yoshida and the Icho
sisters, Chiharu and Kaori, are vying for positions on the 2008 Olympic
team and are focusing on the Japan Queens Cup meet later in the spring.
The Japan Queens Cup will serve as the 2007 world team qualifier for the
Japanese women. Winning a berth to the world team could be key to a berth
on Japan's 2008 Olympic squad since the JWF has decided that a world championship
title will secure the winner a ticket to Beijing. Japan has sent its best
members to the World Cup since the women's event was inaugurated in 2001.
The Japanese line-up this year will be:
48 kg - Yuri Kai, Chukyo Women's University
51 kg - Ninako Hattori, CWU graduate school
55 kg - Chikako Matsukawa, Nihon University
59 kg - Mio Nishimaki, CWU
63 kg - Kei Yamana, CWU
67 kg - Shoko Inoue, Shigakukan high school
72 kg - Mami Shinkai, CWU
TOMITA TAKES BRONZE AT DAVE SCHULTZ INT'S
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (February 12) - Hidekazu Tomita of Daito Bunka
University led Japan's collegiate select team with a bronze medal at the
Dave Schultz Memorial international wrestling tournament.
Tomita posted three wins at 55 kg in freestyle before suffering a loss in the semifinals to Asset Serikbayev of Kazakhstan. Tomita rebounded with a pair of wins in the consolation bracket, including a victory by fall over American Matt Azevedo for the bronze medal.
Meanwhile, in greco-roman Hideo Kitaoka of the Nippon Sports Science University
put together four wins in repechage after an opening round loss to world
champion Joe Warren of the United States. Kitaoka's fifth match, however,
was against two-time Olympic champion Armen Nazarian of Bulgaria as the
NSSU wrestler was forced to settle for fifth place after an 0-2 loss.
Waseda's Iori Yasuda also grabbed a fifth place out of 13 wrestlers at
120 kg with a pair of wins before a pair of losses. On the opening day
of competition, Fumiya Itakura of Aoyama Gakuin defeated reigning greco-roman
world champion at 66 kg Li Yanyan of China 2-2, 0-6, 3-1 in a repechage
bout, but lost the next match and failed to place.
In other results:
Freestyle
55 kg - Hidekazu Tomita (DBU), 5 wins, 1 loss (3rd, 22 entries)
60 kg - Kenichi Yumoto (NSSU), 2-2 (did not place, 27 entries)
66 kg - Tsukasa Sato (Wa), 2-2 (dnp, 31)
66 kg - Futoshi Yokoyama (NSSU), 2-2 (dnp, 31)
66 kg - Hisashi Aoyama (Toyo), 0-2 (dnp, 31)
74 kg - Goki Kudo (Nihon), 0-2 (dnp, 25)
74 kg - Aoi Otsuka (Wa), 3-2 (dnp, 25)
84 kg - Takao Isokawa (Takushoku), 1-2 (dnp, 28)
84 kg - Naoki Monma (NSSU), 1-2 (dnp, 28)
96 kg - Seiji Azuma (Ritsumeikan), 0-2 (dnp, 16)
120 kg - Nobuyoshi Arakida (Senshu), 0-2 (dnp, 18)
Greco-roman
55 kg - Kohei Hasegawa (AGU), 0-2 (dnp, 14)
55 kg - Ryo Minemura (Kanagawa), 1-2 (dnp, 14)
60 kg - Hideo Kitaoka (NSSU), 4-2 (5th, 20)
60 kg - Kenta Iwasaki (All-Honda), 2-2 (dnp, 20)
66 kg - Shinpei Fujiyama (NSSU), 0-2 (dnp, 25)
66 kg - Fumiya Itakura (AGU), 4-2 (dnp, 25)
74 kg - Masanori Koide (NSSU), 2-2 (dnp, 29)
96 kg - Masaaki Aso (Taku), 1-2 (dnp, 11)
120 kg - Iori Yasuda (Wa), 2-2 (5th, 13)
INVITATIONAL QUALIFYING SET FOR MARCH 25
TOKYO (February 10) - Qualification for the men痴 national invitational meet and world team trials will be held March 25 at the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences in Tokyo.
The top eight wrestlers in each style and weight category will qualify
for the invitational scheduled for June 9-10 at Yoyogi Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Eight wrestlers at each style and weight earned berths in the trials earlier
at the national championships in January.
KASUMIGAURA WINS 17TH STRAIGHT KANTO HS TEAM TITLE
ASHIKAGA, Tochigi (February 3-4) - Kasumigaru high school of Ibaraki Prefecture
won its 17th straight and 23rd overall title in the Shoda Cup Kanto high
school invitational tournament.
Kasumigaura defeated Hanabuki Tokuei high school of Saitama Prefecture in the championship final at Ashikaga Municipal Gymnasium. Kasumigaura wrestlers also won five of the eight individual championships on offer.
AKITA SHOGYO WINS TOHOKU INVITATIONAL CROWN
GOJOME, Akita (February 10-11) - Defending champion Akita Shogyo high
school shut out Aomori rival Kosei Gakuin 7-0 to repeat as Tohoku regional
high school invitational champion.
It was Akita Shogyo痴 seventh overall title in the regional meet. Akita
Shogyo wrestlers, however, were only able to capture two titles in the
individual championships.