JAPAN 0-FOR-2 ON 2ND DAY OF OLYMPIC WORLD QUALIFIER

HELSINKI (May 5) – Japanese entries went 0-for-2 on the second day of the world qualifying tourney in Helsinki, dropping a pair of hard-fought opening bouts and then watching the winners fall before reaching the finals.

Takeo Kanakubo, a fifth-place finisher at the 2010 worlds, misfired with a pair of reverse bodylocks and fell to a Dayran Yaylymov (TKM), 1-2, in their first-round meeting at 74kg in greco-roman.

At 84kg, Taichi Oka was saddled with a first-round loss by Ara Abrahamian (SWE) and was then eliminated when the 36-year-old former world champion lost in the semifinals.

A third planned entry for Japan, Nobuyoshi Arakida, at 120kg in men’s freestyle did not make the trip to Finland after the Japanese heavyweight injured his knee in the previous qualifying competition in Taiyuan, China.

Results of bouts involving Japanese entries:

Greco-roman

74kg – KANAKUBO, Takeo (18th, 32 entries)

R1- lost to Doyran Yaylymov )TKM), 1-2 (1-0, 2-3, 2-2x=last)

All three periods were decided in par terre.  Kanakubo, on defense, stepped over Yaylymov’s gut wrench in the first period, but then was trapped on his back in the second after an attempted reverse waistlock and turn.

In the third period, Kanakubo went to the reverse waistlock again and was caught again on his back. Kanakubo received the first two points for exposure and Yaylymov was given the last two for a nearfall.  Yaylymov was awarded the period and the bout on last-point criteria.

Kanakubo was eliminated from the competition when Yaylymov lost in the second round to eventual winner Aleksandr Kazakevich (LTU).

84kg – OKA, Taichi (16th, 26 entries)

R1 – lost to Ara Abrahamian (SWE), 0-2 (1-2, 0-1)

In a bout looking more like sumo than greco-roman, Abrahamian opens quickly with a stiff-arm to Oka’s throat and gets a push-out. Oka answers back by slipping an attempted throw and bumping the former world champion out of the ring, but Abrahamian responds with another quick push out.  In the second, Abrahamian takes control of Oka’s right arm and backs him out of the ring for a point and the win.

==End Item