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By William May
（Japan Amateur Wrestling Federation, Public Information Committee：wmay52@hotmail.com）
WASEDA WINS 1ST EAST JAPAN COLLEGE CROWN IN 62 YEARS
TOKYO (May 21) – Waseda University defeated crosstown rival Takushoku University 5-2 in the final of the East Japan Collegiate Wrestling League Championships to win its first league title since the fall of 1948.
Waseda, one of the oldest and most prestigious schools in Japan, broke
a 2-2 tie at Komazawa Gymnasium with a pin at 84kg by Takeshi Yamaguchi
and then secured the title with a 2-0 victory by Takashi Taketomi at 96kg.
The triumph was Waseda's sixth overall in the history of the league championship,
which was first held in the fall of 1946. Waseda won the first five league
titles, then held in the spring and autumn, but had not lifted the league
championship trophy until this year.
Waseda's win over defending champion Takushoku also avenged two earlier
losses, in 2005 and 2009, in the league finals and gave head coach Takuya
Ota his first league title in his 10th year at the Waseda helm. Waseda's
pillar at 60kg Kei Matsumoto was named the outstanding wrestler of the
tournament.
Meanwhile, in the second division, the National Defense Academy of Japan defeated Rikkyo University 5-2 for the division crown. The NDAJ earned promotion to the first division for next year with a 7-0 win over Nippon Sports Sciences University in the promotion-relegation dual. All seven wins for NDAJ were by default.
The NSSU wrestling team is currently under an indefinite ban on competition after the arrest and conviction of a team member last year for a sexual assault on a young woman living near the university.
In the other promotion-relegation dual, Tokyo Agricultural University blanked Rikkyo 7-0 to retain its place in the top division.
JAPANESE WORLD TEAM FOR MOSCOW DECIDED
TOKYO (May 3) – The Japan Wrestling Federation announced its team for the 2010 world championships following the Meiji Nyugyo Cup All-Japan Invitational tournament.
The team will feature reigning Olympic and world champion Saori Yoshida at 55kg on the women's team for the championships in Moscow, September 5-12, and will see the return of fellow Olympians Kaori Icho and Kyoko Hamaguchi to the Japanese squad.
The JWF, however, held off on naming its selection at 59kg for the women, recognizing the sudden improvement of Kayoko Shimada despite her loss to four-time former world champ Ayako Shoda in the world team wrestle-offs. A decision is expected from the national team committee in July.
On the men's side, world bronze medalist Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (FS, 66kg) takes another shot at the world championships while 2009 Golden Grand Prix winner Kohei Hasegawa (GR, 55kg) and Hungarian Open titlist Tsutomu Fujimura (GR, 66kg)
Men's freestyle
55kg – INABA, Yasuhiro (Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department)
60kg – ODA, Hiroyuki (Kokushikan University)
66kg – YONEMITSU, Tatsuhiro (Japan Self-Defense Forces)
74kg – NAGASHIMA, Kazuyuki (Clean-up Wrestling Club)
84kg – MATSUMOTO, Atsushi (ALSOK Sogo Keibi)
96kg – ISOKAWA, Takao (Tokuyama University staff)
120kg – SHIMONAKA, Takahiro (Kokushikan University graduate school)
Greco-roman
55kg – HASEGAWA, Kohei (Fukuichi fisheries)
60kg – MATSUMOTO, Ryotaro (Gunma Yakult Sales)
66kg – FUJIMURA, Tsutomu (Japan SDF)
74kg – TSURUMAKI, Tsukasa (Japan SDF)
84kg – SAIKAWA, Norikatsu (Ryomo Yakult Sales)
96kg – KITAMURA, Katsuya (FEG)
120kg – SHINJO, Hirokazu (Japan SDF)
Women's freestyle
48kg – SAKAMOTO, Hitomi (Japan SDF)
51kg – HORIUCHI, Yu (Nihon University)
55kg – YOSHIDA, Saori (ALSOK Sogo Keibi)
59kg – to be named later
63kg – ICHO, Kaori (ALSOK Sogo Keibi)
67kg – SHINKAI, Mami (Aishin AW)
72kg – HAMAGUCHI, Kyoko (Japan Beverage)
JAPAN TO SEND TAKAHASHI, MIYAHARA TO INAUGURAL YOUTH OLYMPICS
TOKYO (May 5) – Japan will send Yuki Takahashi and Yu Miyahara to the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in August in Singapore, the Japan Wrestling Federation.
Takahashi and Miyahara both won their respective weight categories at the YOG trials for Asia held April 30-May 2 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Takahashi won in boys' freestyle at 54kg and Miyahara was the girls' champion at 46kg.
Miyahara's teammate at Abe Gakuin high school in Tokyo, Kanako Murata (60kg),
also won at the trials in Tashkent, but was passed over since a single
country was only allowed to qualify two boys each in freestyle and greco-roman
and one girl in the female events. Miyahara was selected because of her
better results in previous competitions.
Wrestling at the games will be held August 15-17.
Kuninori Koike, a teacher for Tenri Gakuen high school in Nara, was also named as a referee for the youth games.
RESULTS FROM ASIAN TRIALS FOR YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES
TOKYO (April 30-May 2) – Results of Japanese entries at the Youth Olympic Games Asia trials in Tashkent, Uzbekistan:
Girls' freestyle
46kg – MIYAHARA, Yu (1st, 9 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – df. Chen Naixiang (CHN), 2-1 (1-3, 2-0, 7-0)
SF – df. Duong Thi Chang (VIE) by fall, 1P
F1 – df. P. Lalita (IND) by fall, 2P
60kg – MURATA, Kanako (1st, 10 entries)
R1 - bye
R2 – df. S. Tashpulatova (UZB) by TF, 2-0 (6-0, 6-0)
SF – df. Y. Larionova (KAZ), 2-0 (6-0, 5-3)
F1 – df. Pooja Dhanda (IND) by fall, 2P
Boys' freestyle
54kg – TAKAHASHI, Yuki (1st, 15 entries)
R1 – df. Nomin Batbold (MGL), 2-1 (1x-1=last, 2-4, 5-2)
R2 – df. Daniyar Kaisanov (KAZ) by fall, 1P
SF – df. Jamshid Kenjaev (UZB), 2-0 (3-1, 4-1)
F1 – df. S. Javad (IRI), 2-0 (2-0, 5-0)
63kg – FURUYA, Kazuki (5th, 14 entries)
R1 – df. Rahman Annamov (TKM), 2-0 (3-1, 1-0)
R2 – df. M. Djuraev (UZB), 2-1 (0-2, 3-0, 3-1)
SF – lost to Bakhodir Kadirov (TJK), 1-2 (1-0, 0-2, 0-1)
F3 – lost to Rwza Rajabalian (IRI), 1-2 (1-0, 0-1, 0-1)
Boys' greco-roman
50kg – NAKAMURA, Gento (did not place, 13 entries)
R1 – lost to Mohsin Sarmad Hashim (IRQ), 1-2 (0-2, 1x-1, 0-6)
RITSUMEIKAN WINS 17TH TITLE IN WEST JAPAN COLLEGE SPRING MEET
OSAKA (May 23) – Ritsumeikan University defeated first-time finalist Chukyo Gakuin to reclaim its position as the top school in the spring tourney of the semi-annual West Japan Collegiate Wrestling Championships.
Ritsumeikan thumped Chukyo Gakuin 6-1 in the championship final at Kanaoka Park Gymnasium in Sakai for its 17th title overall after being upset last fall by Nihon Bunri University.
Chukyo Gakuin advanced to the championship final on criteria after posting
a record of three wins against one loss in the preliminary group competition.
Nihon Bunri and Doshisha also posted 3-1 records, but Chukyo Gakuin advanced
with more individual wins in their dual meets. In the dual for third place,
Tokuyama University edged Nihon Bunri 4-3.
In division two, Tenri University won all five of its duals and will be
promoted to the first division for the fall tourney.
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