To Our Friends in Wrestling Around the world
                    

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


YUMOTO LOSES, WINS AT MNC WORLD TEAM TRIALS





TOKYO (June 10) - National champion Kenichi Yumoto lost in the semifinals of the Meiji Nyugyo Cup men痴 invitational meet but rebounded in the wrestle-offs at 60 kg to win a trip to the world championships in September.

On a wild day of action in freestyle at 60 kg, which saw world bronze medalist Noriyuki Takatsuka tumble out in the first round, Shigeki Ozawa grabbed his first MNC title with wins over Olympic bronze medalist Kenji Inoue in the semifinals and Yumoto in the final. Yumoto, however, wrapped up Ozawa for the fall in the national team wrestle-off to win his second shot at the world championships after finishing 13th in Budapest two years ago.

Meanwhile, in other matches at Yoyogi No. 2 Gymnasium in Tokyo, Tomohiro Matsunaga pinned rival Hideki Taoka at 55 kg and will get his second chance at the world championships after a fifth-place finish in Budapest. Hiroki Kayamori defeated national champion Kazuyuki Nagashima twice at 74 kg to earn his first trip to the world meet. Kiyotaka Kodaira turned away the challenge of former Takao Isokawa at 96 kg for this third straight trip to the world championships.

In greco-roman, Tsukasa Tsurumaki defeated national champion Taichi Suga in back-to-back matches and will get his first chance at the world championships at 74 kg. Hirokazu Shinjo won at 120 kg and was awarded the ticket to Baku after national champion Naoki Sawada failed to make weight.

Makoto Sasamoto (GR, 60 kg) was named the most outstanding wrestler of the competition, while Shingo Matsumoto (GR, 84) and Tomohiro Matsunaga (FS, 55) were named the outstanding wrestlers in their respective styles.

F55kg : Tomohiro Matsunaga F60kg : Ken-ichi Yumoto F74kg : Hirioki Kayamoro

Results of individual matches:

Greco-roman
74 kg (16 entries)
Tsukasa Tsurumaki df. Taichi Suga, 2-0 (1L-1, 3-0)
(Tsurumaki wins 1st MNC title)

National team wrestle-off
Tsurumaki df. Suga, 2-0 (6-0, 1L-1)

120 kg (10 entries)
Hirokazu Shinjo df. Atsushi Nakamura, 2-1 (1-1L, 1L-1, 1L-1)
(Shinjo wins 1st MNC title)

National team wrestle-off
Shinjo df. Naoki Sawada by default, 0:00

Freestyle
55 kg (14 entries)
Tomohiro Matsunaga df. Hideki Taoka by fall, 2P=1:32 (1-0, 4-0)
(Matsunaga wins 2nd MNC title, first since 2005)

60 kg (13 entries)
F1 - Shigeki Ozawa df. Kenichi Yumoto, 2-0 (3B-3, 2-0)
(Ozawa wins 1st MNC title)

Also,
SF - Yumoto df. Shinya Odate, 2-1 (4-1, 1-3, 2-0)
SF - Ozawa df. Kenji Inoue, 2-1 (0-1=2:02, 5-0, 1-0)
R1 - Seshito Shimizu df. Noriyuki Takatsuka, 2-0 (1-0=2:02, 1-0)
R2 - Ozawa df. Shimizu by fall, 1P=1:33 (3-1)

National team wrestle-off
Yumoto df. Ozawa by fall, 2P=1:39 (2-1, 5-2)

74 kg (15 entries)
F1 - Hiroki Kayamori df. Kazuyuki Nagashima, 2-0 (1-0=2:06, 2-1)
(Kayamori wins 1st MNC title)

Also,
SF - Nagashima df. Kunihiko Obata, 2-0 (2-1, 1-0=2:03)
National team wrestle-off
Kayamori df. Nagashima, 2-1 (0-2=2:15, 1-0, 1-0)

96 kg (14 entries)
Kiyotaka Kodaira df. Takao Isokawa, 2-1 (0-1=2:04, 1-0, 2:30, 1-0)
(Kodaira wins 4th straight MNC title)