To Our Friends in Wrestling Around the world
                    

By William May
(Japan Amateur Wrestling Federation, Public Information Committee
wmay52@hotmail.com


JAPANESE WORLD TEAM SET FOR DENMARK IN SEPT.


TOKYO (June 21) – With the conclusion of the Meiji Nyugyo Cup men’s national invitational tourney and a special wrestle-off for the women’s 59kg slot, the Japanese delegation for the world championships in Denmark this fall has been set. The world championships will be held September 21-27 in Herning, Denmark.

The only major change among world team qualifiers is Yu Horiuchi, who is being forced to sit out at 51kg because of an injury to her right shoulder. Horiuchi will be replaced by 2007 World Cup champion Yuri Kai, the runner-up in both the All-Japan meet in December and the women’s nationals in April.


The Japanese world team line-up:

Men’s freestyle
55kg – YUMOTO, Shinichi (Japan Self-Defense Forces), 24 years old, 1st world team
60kg – MAEDA, Shogo (Nippon Sports Science Univ.), 22, 1st
66kg – YONEMITSU, Tatsuhiro (Japan SDF), 22, 1st
74kg – NAGASHIMA, Kazuyuki (Clean-up), 27, 1st
84kg – MATSUMOTO, Shinya (Tokyo Metropolitan Police), 24, 2nd
96kg – ISOKAWA, Takao (Tokuyama Univ., staff), 25, 1st
120kg – ARAKIDA, Nobuyoshi (Senshu Univ.), 21, 1st

Greco-roman
55kg – HASEGAWA, Kohei (Fukuichi Gyogyo), 24, 1st
60kg – MATSUMOTO, Ryutaro (Gunma Yakult), 23, 1st
66kg – FUJIMURA, Tsutomu (Japan SDF), 27, 1st
74kg – TSURUMAKI, Tsukasa (Japan SDF), 24, 2nd
84kg – SAIKAWA, Norikatsu (Ryomo Yakult), 23, 1st
96kg – KITAMURA, Katsuya (FEG), 23, 2nd
120kg – SHINJO, Hirokazu (Japan SDF), 26, 2nd

Women’s freestyle
48kg – SAKAMOTO, Makiko (Japan SDF), 23, 3rd
51kg – KAI, Yuri (Aishin AW), 25, 1st
55kg – YOSHIDA, Saori (ALSOK Security), 26, 7th (9th, including Olympics)
59kg – YAMANA, Kei (Aishin AW), 22, 1st
63kg – NISHIMAKI, Mio (Chukyo Women’s Univ.), 21, 2nd
67kg – INOUE, Yoshiko (CWU), 21, 2nd
72kg – SANO, Asuka (Japan SDF), 27, 1st