NEW DELHI (April 22) – Former Waseda University teammates Tomotsugu Ishida and Kohei Kitamura earned bronze medals for Japan in men's freestyle as the curtain came down on the Asian wrestling championships.
The medals were the only ones garnered by the Japanese men's freestyle squad and left the team in eighth place overall with 32 points. India took the team title with two champions and 48 points, followed by Iran (45) and Mongolia (40).
Ishida lost his opening bout to 2010 Asian Games gold medalist Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (MGL), but defeated former junior world bronze medalist Mohammad Yosefi (IRI) in the consolation rounds.
Ishida edged two-time Olympian Jung Young-Ho (KOR) in the third-place final, giving the Tokyo police officer a bronze medal in the Asian championships for a second year in a row.
Kitamura, meanwhile, went three periods in all four of his bouts, falling in the second round to 2011 Asia champion Rashid Kurbanov (UZB) but coming back with a win against Inokenti Inokentyev (KGZ), a 2011 Asia bronze medal winner at 66kg.
Japan's final two entries in freestyle, Shinya Matsumoto (84kg) and Takeshi Yamaguchi (96kg), both lost their opening bouts and did not get the chance to wrestle in the consolation bracket.
Men's freestyle
66kg – ISHIDA, Tomotsugu (Bronze, 14 entries)
R1 – lost to Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (MGL), 1-2 (1-0, 3-4, 0-1)
c1 – df. Mohammad Yosefi (IRI), 2-0 (1-0, 2-0)
F3 – df. Jung Young-Ho (KOR), 2-0 (2-0, 1-0)
74kg – KITAMURA, Kohei (Bronze, 15 entries)
R1 – df. Ankhbayar Batchuluun (MGL), 2-1 (1-3, 1-1, 7-3)
R2 – lost to Rashid Kurbanov (UZB), 1-2 (0-3, 2-1, 1-3)
c1 – df. Kadhim Ahmed Mohsin (IRI), 2-1 (1-1, 3-0, 3-0)
f3 – df. Inokenti Inokentyev (KGZ), 2-1 (0-1, 4-0, 2-0)
84kg – MATSUMOTO, Shinya (9th, 14 entries)
R1 – lost to Kim Hwan-Ku (KOR), 1-2 (2-1, 3-3, 0-1)
96kg – YAMAGUCHI, Takeshi (10th, 10 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – lost to Tatari Hameo (IRI), 0-2 (0-1, 0-3)
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