To Our Friends in Wrestling Around the world
                    

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


ARAKIDA SAVES FINAL DAY ON THE MATS AT ASIAN C’SHIPS WITH BRONZE



PATTAYA, Thailand (May 6) - Nobuyoshi Arakida rebounded from a shaky first-round match at 120 kg in men’s freestyle to win a bronze medal and salvage some hardware for Japan on the final day on the mats at the Asia senior wrestling championships. Arakida, a bronze medalist at last year’s junior world championships, struggled against Korea’s Nam Kyung-Jin in the first round at the Ambassador City Hotel and fell 0-2 to the fifth-place finisher from the 2008 Asia junior meet.(right=Arakida, Left=Yonemistsu)

Nam, however, advanced to the gold medal final, giving Arakida another chance in the consolation bracket or repechage. Arakida, not to be denied, overpowered his opponent from Iraq and the pinned China’s Hei Yisahabei for the bronze medal.

The medal was Arakida’s first in an international meet at the senior level and Japan’s second overall in men’s freestyle, following Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu’s silver at 66kg the day before.

Japanese team captain Kazuyuki Nagashima, seeking to improve on his bronze medal performance last year, opened with a victory by fall at 74kg, but then suffered back-to-back losses and had to settle for fifth place.

National team newcomers Atsushi Matsumoto (84kg) and Yoshitaka Shimoyashiki (96kg) each lost their opening bouts and did not get a chance to wrestle back in the consolations.


Men’s freestyle

74kg - NAGASHIMA, Kazuyuki (5th, 13 entries)

R1 - bye

R2 - df. W.S.D.S. Fernando (SRI) by fall, 1P (F8-0)
 Nagashima scores takedown quickly then uses leg grapevine to turn his opponent for the fall.

SF - lost to Abdulkhakim Shapiyev (KAZ), 0-2 (0-2, 1-3)
 Nagashima drops a points midway through the first period and cannot force a fleeing call. Nagashima scores first in the second, but surrenders a single-leg late in the period and then gives up exposure points to the Asian Games bronze medalist.

F3 - lost to Kim Jin-I (KOR), 0-2 (3-4, 1-3)
 Nagashima scores with a force-out off the whistle, but gives up three single-leg takedowns. Nagashima comes back to draw level with a takedown and turn, but Kim gets a force-out at the buzzer. Nagashima cannot stop Kim’s leg attacks in the second period and has to settle for fifth place.

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84kg - MATSUMOTO, Atsushi (8th, 11 entries)

R1 - bye

R2 - lost to Anuj Kumar (IND), 0-2 (0-1, 1-3)
 Matsumoto tries to keep the pressure on the Athens Olympian, but is met with timely leg attacks and is sent to an early exit from the competition.

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96kg - SHIMOYASHIKI, Yoshitaka (9th, 13 entries)

R1 - lost to Daulet Shabanbay (KAZ) by fall, 2P (1-4, F0-8)
 Shimoyashiki scores the first point against last year’s bronze medal winner, but little else goes his way as he goes down by fall in the second period.

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120kg - ARAKIDA, Nobuyoshi (3rd, 9 entries)

R1 - lost to Nam Kyung-Jin (KOR), 0-2 (1-5, 1-5)
 Arakida gives up an arm throw in the first period and has a takedown attempt crushed by his opponent, resulting in a near fall and one-sided loss for the junior world bronze medalist. Nam, only fifth in last year’s Asian junior meet, advances to final, giving Arakida a chance in repechage.

r1 - df. Mahammad Sahah (IRQ), 2-0 (1-0, 3-1)
 Arakida takes the first period on a go-behind takedown and wraps up the second with a takedown and back exposure.

F3 - df. Hei Yisahabei (CHN) by fall, 1P (F6-2)