Nakano hands the Emperor’s Cup to his father (left) with a smile (Photo by Kenta Yokoyama)
◇29th ◇Tokyo, Nippon Budokan ◇Weight free
Kanta Nakano (23, Asahi Kasei) won his first victory in the men’s 100+ kilogram class. He will face off against Hisaki Harasawa (31, Chofu Kosan), the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, in the final. He won the competition by flag judging, which was revived for the first time in eight years. He was trained at Tenri University by Takamasa Anai (39), the two-time All Japan V coach, and took the first step toward his dream of competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Although Harasawa failed to reach the top for the third time in six years, he expressed his desire to continue his career. Men’s 100kg+ athlete Tatsu Saito (22, JES Group) and other candidates scheduled to represent the Paris Olympics are not participating.
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The 8-minute final was decided by a flag decision for the first time in 8 years. Nakano was the one who laughed. The flags he could see were one red and one white, and when he looked back at the assistant referee behind him, his red flag was raised. The long-awaited number one in Japan with a narrow margin of 2-1. She was adorable as she clenched both of his fists and said, “It’s the best,” with a wide-eyed look on her face. It was his sixth time competing and his first win, and he was satisfied, saying, “It feels like a dream.I was able to fight with patience all day long.”
He led Tenri High to the number one team title in Japan for the first time in 27 years and Tenri University to the number one team title in Japan for the first time in 29 years. 182 cm, 128 kg. Two years ago, he lost in the second round to Ryunosuke Haga, a bronze medalist at the Rio Olympics, and last year to Michihiro Arai, a freshman at Tokai University, both in the lower 100kg class. “It made me realize how naive it was. It was a meaningful defeat.” 2nd year of working life. After reviewing his sleep and diet, and after losing in this month’s selection weight class, Coach Anai accompanied him to a one-week individual training camp at Tenri University, his base. Randori hell with no end in sight. The results were clearly visible in the semi-finals. He beat the previous year’s champion, Takeshi Ojitani, by one stroke in just 36 seconds. I rode the momentum.
Saito, who will be representing the Paris Olympics, is one year younger. Since his high school days, he has shared the No. 1 title in Japan many times. He aims to be in Los Angeles four years from now, saying, “I’ll be selected during the selection process that starts after Paris.He’s definitely a player I have to keep an eye on.I want to take on the challenge.” In the era of the top two in the heaviest weight class, Nakano also grabbed the most prestigious title.[Jun Kinoshita]
■Flag judgment for the first time in 8 years Aggressive exchange of techniques
With the return of flag judging for the first time in eight years and the elimination of overtime, the hall was filled with excitement from the beginning with an active exchange of techniques. Zenjuren training committee chairman Konno said, “The matches were so interesting that I returned to being a judo fan.There was no big difference.” Until last year, the rules for international tournaments were largely adopted. Since there was an unlimited overtime game, there were many cases where the games were decided by guidance from a stalemate. Nakano, who won for the first time, welcomed the competition and said, “Just like in a team competition, you can give your best in five or eight minutes.It’s easy to prepare yourself.”
■Kuki Harasawa smiles in defeat
Runner-up Harasawa was smiling even though he lost. In the third round, he defeated Naoya Ogawa’s eldest son, and in the quarterfinals, he defeated Shin Kageura and other talented players. After two Olympics, she had a tough time, finishing silver in Rio and finishing fifth in Tokyo, but she made it to the All Japan finals for the first time in six years. As a runner-up, I was also given a recommendation for the next competition, which made me feel motivated and thought, “I’ll be able to participate next year, so I guess I’ll do my best.” Haga, who won Rio bronze in the 100kg class, was defeated in the third round. Up until last year, he had advanced to the finals three times in four tournaments, but this year he even declined to become a training athlete for the Zenju Ren, dedicating himself to the competition and making comments like “Honestly, I feel relieved that the competition is over,” as if he had decided to move on. .
◆Tenri University coach Anai, who coached Nakano, is overwhelmed with emotion. Not a single match was easy, but he persevered and showed Kanta’s persevering judo. As expected, be patient. All Japan had to win once. “I’m going to focus on the result and be patient,” he told himself (on the 27th). I’m happier when my students win the All-Japan Championship than when I win it myself.
2024-04-29 23:30:06
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