Japan Wrestling Federation will be conducting trials for 68kg women’s and 74kg men’s freestyle weight categories on March 30. The try-outs will be held to decide Japan’s official entry for the two Olympic categories for the Tokyo Summer Games. While in the 74kg, 2018 Japan Championship bronze medallist Mao Okui will go against 2019 Japan Champion Keisuke Otoguro.
While Okui is a 2014 Copa Brasil and World University Championship bronze medallist, Otoguro is a 2016 Junior Asian Championship bronze medallist. He also has two bronze medal finish at Cadet World Championships. The two grapplers will wrestle-off at Makuhari Messe Event Hall, Chiba, Japan.
In the women’s wrestling 68kg category, former World Champion (2017) Sara Dosho will go hammers and tongs on the mat against 2019 Junior World Champion Miwa Morikawa. Sara is also a 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist and three-time Asian Champion. Morikawa, on the other hand, is yet to make her mark in the seniors wrestling circuit. The match-up will take place at the Ajinomoto Training Center in Tokyo.
The winners of each match will be included in the Japan Team for the Tokyo-bound Olympic Games.
Japan has qualified in a total of eight weight classes for the Olympics last year at the World Championships held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
The Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 will kick off from July 24 (Friday) and will go until August 9 (Sunday). Wrestling event will be held from August 2 to 8 at Mukhari Messe Event Hall.
