Last day of Judo All Japan Invitational Weight Category Championship (April 7, 2024 Fukuoka International Center)
Masuyama wins the men’s 100 kg class final (Photo by Riko Hirashima)
Photo By Sponichi
A total of seven classes for men and women were contested, which also served as the World Championship (Abu Dhabi) selection event in May.The men’s 100kg class was the third time in two years since Kasuke Masuyama (Park 24) won the 90kg class in 2022. He achieved victory. In the finals, he defeated 19-year-old Hope Michihiro Arai (Tokai University) in overtime, forcing him into the third coaching position. She said with a smile, “I never won last year, so I’m happy to win.I’m having fun doing judo now.”
In 2021, he won his first major international tournament, and in 2022, he was selected as a member of the world championship team for the first time. He jumped into the lead in the tightly contested race to represent the Paris Olympics, but was forced to miss the weigh-in at an international tournament last February. He was stripped of his right to represent the same year’s world championships and his training designation, which had already been decided, and his path to the Paris Olympics was ruined. Although he was not satisfied with being treated as a failure in the weigh-in, saying, “I have a lot of concerns,” he decided to move up one class. Less than a year after his transition, he won his first title.
“I was racing for the Olympics (to compete for the national team), but now that I have had a period to relax, I am enjoying it,” he says, and his approach to judo has also changed. As you move up one weight class, your style and technique trends are completely different, so your days are filled with excitement, saying, “I’m really trying my hand at it, but I’m discovering a lot of new things.My training partners have also changed.” Her normal weight has increased to 110 kg. Although he is still not used to being in the 100kg class both in attack and reception, he humbly said, “I’m learning every game.”
In an on-site interview, he said, “I want to win in three weight classes,” and he also said he would like to challenge himself to the 100km+ weight class in the future. Before that, he has a big goal: the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “I’m going to enjoy Los Angeles and don’t forget to aim for it,” Masuyama said. He will definitely reach the big stage in the 100kg class, which he could not reach in the 90kg class.
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2024-04-07 09:31:25
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