A total of 424 players including many former olympic medal winners, world medal winners for Japan are getting ready to participate in the Emperor’s cup all Japan championships. The tournament will decide the fate of two time world champion Yui SUSAKI, Rio Olympic silver medalists Shinobu OTA and world medallist Rei HIGUCHI along with many other hopefuls in their quest to make it to the national team for Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifiers.
So intense is the competition to make it to the Japanese team for Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifiers in China that even the biggest of the world beaters can lose out on the chance. A total of 424 players, including 164 men’s Greco-Roman, 175 men’s freestyle players, and 85 women’s players will participate in the tournament from all over Japan.
Only the gold winners from this tournament will be eligible to participate in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in China 2020 March. Japanese wrestling federation has decided to give exemption from competing in the tournament to the world championship 2019 medallists of the Olympic categories. That means Kenichiro Fumita in Greco-Roman (60kg), Mayu Mukaida in 53kg WW, Risako Kawai (57kg), Yukako Kawai (62kg) Hiroe Minagawa (76kg) have already booked their places for Japan team in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
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Shinobu Ota place in Japan team on-line – He won the Nur-Sultan world championships but will he be seen at Tokyo 2020 ? The answer to this will come from on how Ota performs in his new weight category of 67kg at the Japan nationals. 63kg is not an olympic category and that is the reason Ota has to move up to 67kg which is laced with some very establish players. If Ota has to make it to the Japan team he needs to defeat defending national champion Shogo TAKAHASHI, defending national runner-up Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA and last year’s U23 world champion Katsuaki ENDO, for the 67kg spot.
Will it be two time world champion Susaki or Rio Olympic champion Tosaka in 50kg women – It can’t get bigger than this in any national championships. The two time world champion Susaki will have to fight out with Rio Olympic champion Tosaka for a place in the Japan team in the 50kg category. If that was not enough just include seasoned Yuki IRIE also in the scheme of things and just imagine how difficult it will be to get through the 50kg category.
Rei HIGUCHI vs Yuki Takahashi for place in 57kg freestyle – This is another super-duper battle that will be played at Japanese national championships. Higuchi is dropping down to 57kg from 65kg, will have to get through Yuki TAKAHASHI if he has hopes of representing Japan in a second straight Olympics. The task won’t be easy, as Takahashi has been one of the best wresters at the weight over the past three years.
