Shinobu OTA (JPN) is no stranger to the Olympic Games. The electric ball of energy fell short in finals of the Rio Olympic Games and settled for a silver medal. Since his runner-up finish in 2016, Ota has represented Japan twice at the World Championships — including a gold-medal performance at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
But for Ota to represent Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in his home country, he’ll have to move up to 67kg from his Nur-Sultan winning-weight of 63kg. He was expected to drop down to 60kg to challenge Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) for the spot, but Fumita sealed up his place on Japan’s Olympic team by demolishing his way to a third consecutive world title. Fumita won a senior-level world title in 2017, a U23 world title in 2018 and the aforementioned senior-level world gold this year.
Japan’s Shogo TAKAHASHI failed to qualify the weight at the World Championships after falling to Fredrik BJERREHUUS (DEN) in the second round at the World Championships — leaving Japan eyeing the Asian Olympic Qualifier in late March in Xi’an, China, to earn a 67kg berth to the Olympic Games.
In order for Fumita or Takahashi to lock up Japan’s spot, they’ll be met by stiff competition in Xi’an. Korea’s two-time world champion RYU Hansu failed to qualify the weight for the Olympics and is also expected to be at the Asian Olympic Qualifier, too.
Finally, Kazakhstan’s four-time world medalist Almat KEBISPAYEV, who was this year’s world bronze medalist at 63kg, is also rumored to be making the 4kg jump to 67kg for the Asian Olympic Qualifier.
This will leave at least three multiple-time world medalists at 67kg jockeying for two of the spots from the Asian Olympic Qualifier.
WrestlingTV garners 6.5 mn unique viewers for World Championships
