KITAMURA TAKES SILVER IN FREESTYLE AT STUDENT WORLD C’SHIPS

KUORTANE, Finland (October 2-3) – Waseda University's Kohei Kitamura earned a silver medal for Japan's best showing in the men's freestyle events at the world university wrestling championships.

Kitamura won three straight matches at 74kg, including a 2-1 triumph over Colton Sponseller (USA) in the quarterfinals, to reach the finals, but then was shut out by 2010 Asia junior champion Reza Afzalipaemami (IRI) in the championship match.

Takuma Koishihara of the Nippon Sports Sciences University posted a pair of wins, but had to settle for fifth place after falling in the semifinals to junior world bronze medalist Mustafa Kaya (TUR).

Japan's four other entries were unable to notch a win and Japan slipped into 10th place in the team standings. Turkey racked up 49 points to win the team title on criteria over Russia while Moldova finished third with 44 points.

Results of bouts involving Japanese entries:

Men's freestyle

55kg – HANDA, Mamoru (9th, 11 entries)

R1 – bye

R2 – lost to Qi Mude (CHN), 1-2 (3-0, 1-3, 4-5)

60kg – SUZUKI, Yasuhiro (9th, 12 entries)

R1 – lost to Vasyl Shuptar (UKR), 0-2 (0-1, 0-5)

c1 – lost to Munir Recep Aktas (TUR), 1-2 (0-1, 2-0, 0-2)

66kg – KOISHIHARA, Takuma (5th, 13 entries)

R1 – df. Martikainen Petteri (FIN), 2-1 (1-0, 0-1, 1-0)

R2 – df. Li Qingchao (CHN), 2-0 (1-0, 7-0)

R3 – lost to Mustafa Kaya (TUR), 1-2 (5-0, 0-1, 0-1)

F3 – lost to Ilya Abelev (CAN), 0-2 (1-3, 0-3)

74kg – KITAMURA, Kohei (Silver, 16 entries)

R1 – df. Daniel Oliver (CAN), 2-0 (2-0, 2-0)

R2 – df. Colton Sponseller (USA), 2-1 (1x-1, 0-3, 1x-1)

SF – df. Roman Dermenji (MDA), 2-0 (1-0, 4-0)

F1 – lost to Reza Afzalipaemami (IRI), 0-2 (0-1, 0-1)

84kg – SASAKI, Kengo (10th, 13 entries)

R1 – lost to Akhmed Magomedov (RUS), 0-2 (0-8, 1-1x)

96kg – No entry for Japan

120kg – OKA, Tomoyuki (12th, 12 entries)

R1 – lost to Aleksander Khotsianivski (UKR) by TF, 0-2 (0-6, 0-6)

==End Item