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The countdown begins: Can Shohei Ono win the All-Japan Open Weight Championships?

April 28, 2017 By judo fan Leave a Comment

Shohei Ono (R) vs Takeshi Ojitani (L) at the 2014 All-Japan Open Weight Championships

With only 2 days to go before the All-Japan Open Weight Judo Championships, the judo headlines in Japan have again focused upon one athlete: Shohei Ono, the 2016 Olympic Champion in the middleweight (-73kg) division. The fanfare has been unusually lopsided, given the quality of the rest of the field. I don’t think I have seen the defending champion in a single headline in the Japanese news leading up to this tournament. What is understandable is the fascination the Japanese have with a lightweight(ish) athlete taking on the heavyweights. Though the chances of a lightweight winning are next to none in modern era judo, one can always hope.

It has been 45 years since a sub-80kg athlete won this tournament. 1972 Olympic Champion, Shinobu Sekine did it in 1972, though that victory was overshadowed by the two victories of Isao Okano, who won in 1967 and 1969. There is not a lot of footage, but you can see a clip of Okano here:

https://youtu.be/ltJUN5FU8G4

Since then, the closest a -80kg player came was in 1990, when Toshihiko Koga made it to the finals in an unbelievable run that might have gone his way had he been competing in the current time limit. He went nearly 8 minutes (the final was 10 minutes back then) with Olympic Silver medalist, Naoya Ogawa who outweighed the 76kg Koga by 54kg! From that day forward, no -80kg player has come even remotely close to winning, and from what I have read on the internet, many in the English speaking world are not aware that Ono has already had one crack at the elusive title, which ended in a third-round loss to the defending champion, Takeshi Ojitani back in 2014. Does he have what it takes to win it this time around? In order to answer that question, let’s first have a quick look at some of his matches against heavyweight opponents:

All 3 of the opponents in this playlist are top-class athletes. The first opponent, Kensuke Sakamoto was a former All-Japan university champion in the -100kg class. The second, Ryohei Anai was a former national team member in the -90kg category and made a switch up to the -100kg class in 2016. The third opponent in this playlist is Ojitani, who will likely come into this tournament at about 140kg. As you may have noticed if you watched these videos, Ono does not get off any throws, though he does defeat Anai by penalties.

For Ono to win, it would probably take nothing less than a miracle, especially under the current rule set. Koga, and even more so Sekine and Okano had privileges that Ono will not have in this tournament, the main one being leg grabs. Additionally, the pace and style of judo has changed quite considerably.

So, while it is fun to dream of a David vs Goliath type conquest from Ono in this tournament, I don’t believe there is much of a realistic possibility. I predict he will go out in his first match which I break down in this post, but if he somehow makes it out of his first match, I don’t see him getting past his most likely opponent in the third round, Aaron Wolf.

That said, Shohei Ono is truly one of the greats in judo and while I believe his selection to this tournament was more of a publicity stunt by the All-Japan Judo Federation, we wish him the best of luck and couldn’t be more thankful that he has decided to step up to this challenge.

2008 Olympic gold medalist, Satoshi Ishii to seek spot on Japan’s 2020 Olympic wrestling team

April 18, 2017 By judo fan 2 Comments

2008 Olympic gold medalist, Satoshi Ishii (+100kg)

Fresh off of his April 16th, MMA victory over Heath Herring at Rizin in Yokohama, Japan, former Olympic judo gold medalist, Satoshi Ishii has announced (source: Nikkan Sports News) that he has set his sights on making Japan’s Olympic wrestling team for the 2020 Olympics. A day after his victory at Rizin, Ishii stated to the press, “I can no longer try for a spot on Japan’s judo team, so I will try my hand at wrestling. Actually, I entered an amateur tournament last year.” The tournament he was referring to was an amateur tournament in Holland, where he trains his striking for MMA. However, he was the only entrant in his category and therefore has yet to have a single match in amateur wrestling.

“I chose wrestling because it is good all-around practice, and at the moment, there are no major contenders at heavyweight in Asia. When I return to Holland, I want to compete in a wrestling tournament as well as challenge myself in amateur boxing and other competitions”, said the former Olympic champion (rough translation – source). This is not the first time he has announced plans to make a repeat appearance at the Olympics. Several years ago, USA Judo announced on their webpage that Ishii was seeking US citizenship in order to compete for the US in judo at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Of course, that never materialized.

Though the often-criticized Ishii has obviously fallen out of favor with the All-Japan Judo Federation and the Japanese press, I’d like to personally say that I wish him all the best in his quest to make it to the 2020 Olympics. Yes, he made some PR blunders that put him at odds with many in the judo world, but he was after all, only 21 when he won his Olympic title. That said, I am going to file this one under the “believe it when I see it” category as the prospects of him competing for Japan in wrestling seem to be quite a stretch at the moment.

News short: Mashu Baker mulling surgery and minimum 8-month layoff (UPDATE: 4/5)

April 5, 2017 By judo fan 2 Comments

Mashu Baker will likely miss this summer’s world championships due to injury, according to Excite News. On April 2nd, at the All-Japan Championships, Baker sustained a dislocated shoulder, which required him to withdraw from the match. The latest news reports that the injury to his right shoulder was originally sustained prior to the 2016 Rio Olympics where he won the gold medal, but the injury was kept hidden from the media.

Further, his physician had been recommending surgery since prior to the olympics, but set the recovery period at about 8 months, meaning he would likely be out of high-level competition for up to a year. He had suffered from a series of subluxations in the same shoulder prior to the olympics.

For Baker, the tournament turned out to be the perfect storm, as his decision to compete was left until the final hours. His family cancelled their trip from Tokyo to Fukuoka, anticipating his withdrawal due to an injury to his leg. The timing was also difficult as his entrance into his new company after graduation from university overlapped with the tournament. His former coach at Tokai University, Kenichiro Agemizu reported to the press that prior to the tournament he had hardly been able to train.

However, the pressure to compete in the tournament was great as entrance was nearly a prerequisite for consideration for selection to the world championship team. Now Baker must decide on the timing to undergo surgery, but we can be almost certain that he will miss the April 29th All-Japan Open Weight Championships.

The Japan’s team has a large number of high profile athletes sitting out with injury at the moment. It makes one marvel at the thought that Ryoki Tani competed in 5 consecutive olympic games and went on winning streaks nearing the hundreds at certain points in her career.

*UPDATE: Baker will not be taking part in the open weight championships, but his selection for the world championships is still a possibility depending on his surgery and recovery. (source: https://mainichi.jp/articles/20170406/k00/00m/050/131000c)

2017 All-Japan Weight Class Championships round-up: the winners and losers

April 3, 2017 By judo fan Leave a Comment

2017 All-Japan Judo Weight Class Selection Championships -100kg final. Wolf defeats Haga.

The 2017 All-Japan Judo Weight Class Selection Championships took place in Fukuoka, Japan this past weekend. The results are up: http://www.judo.or.jp/p/40054 and though there were no major surprises, the tournament is always pivotal in shaping the future of Japan’s national team. The highlight clips, provided by All-Japan Judo Federation’s corporate sponsor, Token Corporation are here in a (very handy) playlist, and while you are there, please subscribe to the Judofan.com youtube channel.

As always, this tournament is a quasi-trials for the world championships and in an olympic year, the olympics. However, that is not without one major caveat. It’s really only a trials when the favorite wins. Otherwise, it’s more of a national championship. This was certainly the case this year, when many of Japan’s top athletes were either out due to injury, or absent due to other circumstances. In various categories, the winner was not selected for the world championship team that will represent Japan in Budapest this summer. However, the magnitude of this tournament is still quite large for many of the athletes as it will determine their place on the national team in this coming year. Though the results have mostly been determined, the official announcement will take place on April 29th, at the conclusion of the All-Japan Open Weight Championships. For a Japanese judoka, selection to the national team has huge implications in regards to sponsorship, funding, training, tournament assignments, etc. Thus, perhaps more important than determining a worlds team, this tournament can really alter the trajectory of an athlete’s career based on their results here. Here is a look at some of the winners and losers at the conclusion of this tournament.

First for the losers:

Ai Shishime (-52kg, Ryotokuji Gakuen) : Despite winning the tournament, she was passed up to represent Japan at the world championships, with the selection going to her teammate, Natsumi Tsunoda. Last year, she narrowly missed out on qualification to the olympics after finishing second in the same tournament.

Nae Udaka (-57, Komatsu) : The former world champion is the oldest member of the Japanese national team and at 32, her chances to represent Japan on the world tour are narrowing. Like Shishime, Udaka was passed up for the world championship selection despite winning, with the AJJF favoring her Komatsu teammate, Tsukasa Yoshida. 10 years Udaka’s junior, Yoshida has produced a string of podium places at grand slam tournaments, and looks to be the heir to Kaori Matsumoto at the -57kg category.

The women’s -63kg division – The AJJF announced that they will not be sending a representative to the world championships in this category, which is a shame not just for the athletes, but for the viewers as well!

Toru Shishime (-60, Ryotokuji Gakuen) : A year ago, he won this tournament but was denied an opportunity to go head-to-head against Takato as a final appeal for a place at the 2016 Rio Olympics. This year, after going out in the first round, he must be biting his nails, waiting to see if he still has a place on the national team going into this next year.

Daiki Kamikawa (+100kg, Keiyo Gas) : For years, Kamikawa was hyped as the next great Japanese heavyweight, and he backed that up with a world championship win in 2010, defeating Teddy Riner in a controversial final. Unfortunately, that turned out to be the peak of his career and though he has been near the top of the ladder for the last few years, he needed a better result here. If he doesn’t place either first or second in the open weight championships later this month, his chances of staying on the national team are probably pretty slim. It has been difficult to watch him struggle as it’s my personal opinion that he possesses some of the best and most pure judo in the heavyweight category.

Ryu Shichinohe (+100kg, Kyushu Electric Power) : Like Kamikawa, Shichinohe has been at the very top of the judo food chain for a number of years, but he seems to perform better internationally than he does domestically. He won this tournament in 2012 and 2013, but has not been able to repeat those performances since. Due to his solid international record, he will probably stay on the national team, but the +100kg category is quickly getting crowded and one has to wonder how much longer we will be seeing him in action.

Now, on to the winners:

Nae Udaka (-57kg, Komatsu) : Yes, she was also in the losers category, but her longevity at the top of the judo world makes this achievement extraordinary and so she deserves a spot in this category as well. To stay injury free and to be competing at this level for so long is something that is rarely ever accomplished. To add to that, she won with some really attractive judo.

Uta Abe (-52kg, Shukugawa Gakuin High School) : Abe was the youngest competitor in the tournament and though she didn’t win, a third place finish here is quite an accomplishment. She has been nearly unbeatable in high school tournaments in Japan, and her performance here confirms that she is on track to be the favorite for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Ryuju Nagayama (-60kg, Tokai University) : He proved here that his win over his university senior, Naohisa Takato at the 2016 Tokyo Grand Slam was no fluke, winning in convincing fashion for the second time in the span of a few months. There are a number of great -60kg players at the moment, but at only 20 years old, he will be awfully hard to beat for the time being. He is my pick to win the world championships this summer.

Hifumi Abe (-66kg, Nippon Sports Science University) : He won this tournament scoring ippon in all of his matches and proved without a doubt that he is the king in the -66kg category. He had three extremely tough opponents, but nobody posed a threat. At 19, he is already entering his third year on the senior national team, but will be making his world championships debut. Anything less than a gold would be surprising.

Aaron Wolf (-100kg, Tokai University) : Wolf went to war with his university elder Ryunosuke Haga in a nail-biter that went over 8 minutes into golden score. Wolf gets his first crack at the world championships this summer and he looks to be in the form of his life.

Takeshi Ojitani (+100kg, Asahi Kasei) : Post Rio Olympics, Ojitani has now won every major tournament that he could possibly win. He started with the Kodokan Cup last November, followed by wins at the Tokyo and Paris Grand Slams. Later this month, he will defend his title at the open weight championships, where he is the #1 seed. The former 2x junior world champion is slowly starting to distance himself from his rivals. During his first win at the All-Japan Open Weight Championships, a high-profile coach mocked Ojitani saying, “How can someone win the All-Japan Championships when his only technique is osoto-gari?”. That’s no longer the case with his newaza being nearly on par with his tachiwaza, adding to the fact that he’s nearly unmovable.

There are many more athletes missing from this list but at the risk of going on forever, I’ll stop here. Now, we wait to see how the open weight tournaments (4/16 for women and 4/29 for men) determine the rest of the world championship team roster and the national team roster going into this next year. Judofan wants to send a HUGE thank you to all of the athletes that make judo so exciting.