Despite their best efforts, they lose in the semi-finals, and their dreams are dashed once again by Tokai University / All Japan Student Championship

　Meiji University entered the tournament from the third round on the second day of the tournament due to seeding. They won the third and fourth rounds smoothly, and won a close match against Tsukuba University in the quarterfinals. In the following semifinals, they held out against their rival Tokai University, but lost by ippon in the end. They lost to the tough Tokai University and finished the tournament in third place.

June 23rd: 73rd All-Japan Student Championship (Nippon Budokan)
Meiji University – 3rd place

This tournament will decide the best open-weight team in Japan from among universities nationwide. The opponent in the first match is Yamanashi Gakuin University. During the match, vice captain Iwamoto Masatake (3rd year, Political Science and Economics, Takakawa Gakuen) was hit with a shoulder throw by his opponent, but captain Takemura Toranobu (4th year, Political Science and Economics, Taisei) used a deashi barai and won 6-1. In the fourth round, against Senshu University, vanguard Kurokawa Hibiki (4th year, Political Science and Economics, Narashino) hit two ouchigari, and with a single combined technique, he gave momentum to the following players. Next, center fielder Matsubara Sakito (3rd year, Political Science and Economics, Taisei) and vice captain Izawa Naoto (2nd year, Political Science and Economics, Narashino) performed spectacular throwing techniques and accumulated points. In the end, captain Takemura won with an uchimata throw. The match was decided 5-0.

The semi-final against Tsukuba University was a good match. First, Matsubara drew, and Tanaka Manato (3rd year, Commerce, Kyushu Gakuin) wanted to win, but his opponent was given a waza-ari and a victory by advantage. However, Takemura, the fifth player, won with an ouchi-gari and brought the momentum to Meiji University. After drawing with the middle and third players, Izawa, the vice captain, held them down with a shoulder lock and turned the game around. In the final match, both players tied, but the score was 2-1 and they advanced to the semi-finals. Coach Nakahama Shingo reflected, “We had been talking about stopping the first player, and Matsubara did a good job of drawing. Tanaka, the second player, lost a point, but Takemura got it back. Izawa also won, and we took the points we needed to take and won.”

And then the semi-finals arrived. Once again, Tokai University stood in the way of Meiji University’s victory. They had lost to Tokai University at the Tokyo Student Championships held at the end of May, and also in the previous tournament. It was a match that showed the players’ fighting spirit as they aimed for revenge against their arch rival Tokai University. Regarding Tokai University, coach Nakahama said, “We didn’t do anything too different. We practiced to do our best when stopping, drawing, and taking. We prepared the order and arrangement so that anyone could come out anywhere.” The first player, Kurokawa, continued to persevere and the game ended in a draw. The next player, Takemura, was expected to score, but he was unable to apply his techniques and the game ended in a draw. The fifth player, Izawa, was almost caught up in the leg of a player much larger than him, but he continued to endure and brought the game to a draw. After that, Aoi Kabuki (3rd year, Political Science and Economics, Kisarazu) and Tanaka were also unable to find a breakthrough and the game continued to end in draws. The one who got the game going was vice captain Genki Chinone (2nd year, Management, Toin Gakuen). Although he couldn’t finish it, he used a small outside reap and won by waza-ari. Meiji University suddenly took the lead. Will they finally be able to redeem themselves? It was Iwamoto who faced the captain’s match with the hope of victory. However, he was unable to break through the wall of Tokai University. The opponent’s throwing technique early in the match caused a stir in the stadium. The opponent took a point from an inner thigh throw and the match ended in a 1-1 defeat. The opportunity for revenge was postponed.

Just like last year, they finished in third place in this tournament. “I wanted the seniors, Iwamoto, Tanaka, and Matsubara, to try a little harder. We’ll train hard again next year,” said coach Nakahama. Although they suffered another bitter defeat, the All-Japan Student Weight Class Team Championship is coming up in October. They will make further progress and clear their disappointment soon.

［Fujiwara Mao］

Post-match comments
Supervisor Nakahama
――Please tell us why you lost against Tokai University.
“I think their strategy was to try to force a final match by coming in with all the matches tied. I wanted to get a point with Chinone, but I couldn’t get one with Takemura. I think that was the reason we lost.” READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

――What did you do well throughout the tournament? And what challenges do you face?
“Takemura, who was unable to participate in the Tokyo Student Championship, returned and did a good job as a fourth-year student. Also, Tokumochi (Hidehaya Vice Captain, fourth year, Political Science and Economics, Sutoku) was injured in practice the day before and couldn’t participate, but everyone worked hard to cover for him, which was good. As for something to reflect on, I wish the third-year students had tried a little harder. I would like to train the third-year students and below well in preparation for next year.”

――Please tell us about your future aspirations.
“The weight-classified team competition will be held in Amagasaki in October. Last year we came in second, so this year we will be aiming to win, with our captain Mitsuoka (Taketo, 4th year, Commerce, Omuta) at the center. We will win.”

Chino
――What is the atmosphere like in your team?
“Tokumochi-san was injured, but the seniors spoke to me a lot and I think the atmosphere in the team is really good.”

-How did you feel about scoring points in the game against Tokai University?
“I’m glad I was able to get a wazari, but I think not being able to get a full point there showed my weakness.”

–Please tell us about your challenges.
“I still feel like I’m in my shell, not being able to compete when I have the chance. When it’s time to go, I’ll go. I want to break out of that shell even more.”

――What are your team and individual goals?
“As a team, we have Sekimoto-san (Kenta, 4th year, Commerce, Narashino) and Mitsuoka-san in the lightweight class, so we would like to aim for the Amagasaki victory again this year. Personally, the Tokyo Junior Weight Class Championships are next week, so I would like to win there and also win the All Japan Junior Weight Class Championships, and become a player who can continue to be active on the world stage.”

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2024-06-24 07:55:38
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