A total of seven men and women from Japan’s para-Japanese national team will be participating in the IBSA Judo Asian Championships, which will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan from November 7th. Junko Hirose (SMBC Nikko Securities) in the women’s J2-60kg class won the gold medal, and Yujiro Seto (Takanori Itoshima) in the men’s J2-70kg class won the bronze medal. All three female participants won prizes.
Hirose expressed his joy, saying, “Even though I was nervous, I was able to do my own judo.” In preparation for the All Japan Visually Impaired Judo Tournament to be held on November 30th, he was determined to “continue to practice hard.”
Comments from both the men’s and women’s coaches and Hirose, as well as the results of the Japanese national team in each class, are below.
Men’s national team coach Daiki Tanii
“Seto took third place thanks to his specialty, the shoulder throw. We will continue to strengthen our skills in preparation for next year’s Asian Paralympic Games.”
Women’s national team coach Mitsuki Uchimura
“All the athletes who participated were able to win prizes. We will continue to strengthen our efforts in preparation for next year’s Asian Paralympic Games.”
Women’s J2-60kg class Junko Hirose
“Even though I was nervous, I was able to do my own judo and win. Thank you for your support. I will continue to practice hard for the All Japan Tournament at the end of the month.”
Men’s J2 M -70kg (league match)
Yujiro Seto (Takanori Itoshima)
Result: 3rd place (2 wins, 2 losses)
[1st match]Yujiro Seto 〇 Combination technique[背負投・背負投]△Tetsuya Sakurai
[2nd match]Yujiro Seto △ Uchimata 〇 Ibragim Nurmahanuri (Kazakhstan)
[3rd match]Yujiro Seto △ Uchimata 〇 Sherzod Namozov (Uzbekistan)
[4th match]Yujiro Seto 〇 Combination technique[背負投・背負投]△Siriphat Makkum (Thailand)
Tetsuya Sakurai (Oracle Japan Corporation)
Results: 4th place (1 win, 3 losses)
[1st match]Tetsuya Sakurai △ Combination technique[背負投・背負投]〇Yujiro Seto
[2nd match]Tetsuya Sakurai △ Start-up payment 〇 Sherzod Namozov (Uzbekistan)
[3rd match]Tetsuya Sakurai 〇 Arm sprained cross △ Siripat Makkum (Thailand)
[4th match]Tetsuya Sakurai △ Dominant[有効・内股]〇Ibragim Nurmahanuri (Kazakhstan)
Men’s J1 M -81kg (tournament)
Yuji Kato (Marubeni ITOCHU Steel)
Grade: 5th place
[1st round]Yuji Kato〇Yokosho-Gaku]△Kittikai Chaisin (Thailand)
[Semi-finals]Yuji Kato △ Kari Kosoto 〇 Yergali Shamay (Kazakhstan)
[3rd place deciding match]Yuji Kato △ dominant[技あり・巴投]〇Bayilzhan Arstanbekov (Kazakhstan)
Men’s J1 M -95kg (tournament)
Tomokazu Matsumoto (Takaba Clinic)
Grade: 5th place
[1st round]Tomokazu Matsumoto △ Osamu Musa Gholami (Iran)
[Losers’ repechage match]Tomokazu Matsumoto wins[技あり・払巻込]△Abilai Adylbekov (Kazakhstan)
[3rd place deciding match]Tomokazu Matsumoto △ Kari Ototo 〇 Fajal Panbudi (Indonesia)
Women’s J2W -60kg (league match)
Junko Hirose (SMBC Nikko Securities)
Result: Winner (2 wins)
[1st match]Junko Hirose, Kari Ouchi, Hiroko Kudo
[2nd match]Junko Hirose〇Kesagata△Pichayapa Saenman (Thailand)
Hiroko Kudo (SIMIC WELL)
Result: Runner-up (1 win, 1 loss)
[1st match]Hiroko Kudo △ Kari Ouchi 〇 Junko Hirose
[2nd match]Hiroko Kudo〇Kotogari△Pichayapa Saenman (Thailand)
Women’s J1W -70kg (league match)
Minako Tsuchiya (Simplex Holdings)
Results: 2nd place (3 wins, 1 loss)
[1st match]Minako Tsuchiya〇Tomoe throw△Dinara Gujurova (Kazakhstan)
[2nd match]Minako Tsuchiya〇Tomoe pitch△Renuka-Narayan Sarave (India)
[3rd match]Minako Tsuchiya△Combined technique[払巻込・袈裟固]〇Raijav Tsuruner (Mongolia)
[4th match]Minako Tsuchiya〇Tomoe pitch△Muharramkhon Abdusamatova (Uzbekistan)
Photos and materials provided by: Japan Visually Impaired Judo Federation
