[NEWS] Wakaba Tomita Wins 4th Consecutive Championship, Rika Takayama Wins 4th Time / All Japan Judo Championships Fukuoka

On the final day of the All Japan Judo Championships Fukuoka, women’s competitions were held in three weight classes. This tournament is held every year in April at the Fukuoka International Center to decide the best judoka of the year in each weight category. It is held every April at the Fukuoka International Center.

Wakaba Tomita (Komatsu), the top seed, won the women’s +78kg event. This was her fourth consecutive win in this event, beginning with the 2020 tournament, which was held jointly with the Kodokan Cup. The first match was a hard-fought contest in which both players lost Shido 2 after Nami Inamori (Japan Ace Support) persisted. However, Tomita won out with a Tai-otoshi “Waza-ari” at the golden score of 1:54. After this hard-fought victory, Tomita’s performance improved steadily. In the semifinals, Tomita finished off Ruri Takahashi (SBC Shonan Aesthetic Clinic), who had defeated Sara Asahina (Big Tree) in the previous round, with a brilliant Ashi-guruma “Ippon”. In the final, she beat Hikaru Kodama (SBC Shonan Aesthetics Clinic) by Awase-waza “Ippon,” throwing her with a right Kosoto-gari and holding her down with Kami-shiho-gatame. It was a quick move that took only 1 minute and 20 seconds.

” I am of course happy to have won the tournament for the fourth year in a row, but I am more pleased with my performance. I was able to throw my opponents in every match,” Tomita said smiling in an interview. She looked like a different person from the stern expression on his face during the matches. She said ” I don’t think the door to the world is closed yet. I aim to be the best in the world,” expressing his determination.

In the -78kg weight class, Rika Takayama (Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance), the top seed, won by a landslide.
In the semifinals, she defeated last year’s university student category champion Misaki Sugimura (Tokai University) by an Awase-waza of Hikikomi-gaeshi and Yoko-shiho-gatame in 1:48. In the final, she kicked out her rival Mao Izumi (Komatsu), who had won a war of attrition with Mami Umeki (ALSOK) in the previous round. she ended the match in just 59 seconds with an Awase-waza “Ippon”, with a combination of Osoto-otoshi and Kuzure-kesa-gatame. This was Takayama’s fourth victory in this event.

Momo Tatsukawa (ALSOK), who recently graduated from Tokai University in March, won the -63kg weight class for the first time. In the semifinals, she was defeated by Haruka Kaju (V-Technology) after being locked in a Ude-hishigi-juji-gatame. However, after the match, the referees confirmed on video that Kaju had committed a dangerous action by “falling down while gaining his opponent’s elbow with Ude-hishigi-waki-gatame. The referees acknowledged their mistake, called the two fighters back to the MAT, and declared a direct foul loss for Kaju, in accordance with the rules. This made the winner Tatsukawa. Tatsukawa, who had to go through the unusual process to reach the final, fought hard against the injury to her right elbow sustained during the foul. She won a tough 10-minute, 45-second duel with Masako Doi (JR East) with Shido 3. Tatsukawa had been icing her elbow and hanging her arm for treatment since the semifinals ended. but she decided to fight and threw away the triangular bandage that was holding her arm in place. And she won a big title that was well worth the determination.

Nami Nabekura (SBC Shonan Aesthetic Clinic), the top seed, disappeared in the first round, losing to the 2021 All-Japan Junior Champion, Kirari Yamaguchi (Kokushikan Univ.). Nabekura was leading Shido 2, but lost her “Waza-ari” at 3:20. And she could not mark a score after that.

In the -70kg weight class, Moka Kuwagata (Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance), winner of last fall’s Kodokan Cup, won this event for the first time. She won all her bouts by Shido 3, as she did in the Kodokan Cup. In the final against Erina Ike (Kokushikan Judo Club), she won a war of attrition that lasted 9 minutes and 43 seconds.

The top seed Tanaka Shiho (JR East) disappeared in her first match, succumbing to Ike by Kata-gatame “Ippon” in 3:25 of the GS overtime. She injured her right knee at the World Championships last October and underwent surgery. This tournament was her return match.

Results for each weight class are as follows

-63kg

(8 Judoka)

Results
1.TATSUKAWA, Momo
2.DOI, Masako
3.YAMAGUCHI, Kirari
3.KAJU. Haruka
5.NABEKURA, Nami
5.KOTA, Nana
5.WATANABE, Seiko
5.AONO, Minami

Round 1
YAMAGUCHI, Kirari [W] Waza-ari / Uchi-mata [L] NABEKURA, Nami
DOI, Masako [W] Yoko-shiho-gatame (3:03) [L] KOTA, Nana
KAJU. Haruka [W] Fusen-make [L] WATANABE, Seiko
TATSUKAWA, Momo [W] Waza-ari / O-goshi [L] AONO, Minami

Semifinals
DOI, Masako [W] Hansoku-make / Shido 3 (GS2:09) [L] YAMAGUCHI, Kirari
TATSUKAWA, Momo [W] Hansoku-make / Direct-Hansoku (3:35) [L] KAJU. Haruka
*Waki-gatame

Final
TATSUKAWA, Momo [W] Hansoku-make / Shido 3 (GS6:45) [L] DOI, Masako

-70kg

(8 Judoka)

Results
1.KUWAGATA, Moka
2.IKE, Erina
3.SAIGANJI, Riho
3.UNO, Yukiko
5.TANAKA, Shiho
5.TADA, Junna
5.SUGIYAMA, Utane
5.TAJIMA, Yuka

Round 1
IKE, Erina [W] Kata-gatame (GS3:25) [L] TANAKA, Shiho
SAIGANJI, Riho [W] Osoto-otoshi (1:17) [L] TADA, Junna
KUWAGATA, Moka [W] Hansoku-make / Shido 3 (GS2:00) [L] SUGIYAMA, Utane
UNO, Yukiko [W] Waza-ari / Osoto-gari (GS0:46) [L] TAJIMA, Yuka

Semifinals
IKE, Erina [W] Sasae-tsurikomi-ashi (GS0:25) [L] SAIGANJI, Riho
KUWAGATA, Moka [W] Hansoku-make / Shido 3 (GS0:32) [L] UNO, Yukiko

Final
KUWAGATA, Moka [W] Hansoku-make / Shido 3 (GS5:43) [L] IKE, Erina

-78kg

(8 Judoka)

Results
1.TAKAYAMA, Rika
2.IZUMI, Mao
3.SUGIMURA, Mizuki
3.UMEKI, Mami
5.YAMAGUCHI, Ryoka
5.KURODA, Aki
5.IKEDA, Kurena
5.WADA, Rinoko

Round 1
TAKAYAMA, Rika [W] Yoko-shiho-gatame (1:05) [L] YAMAGUCHI, Ryoka
SUGIMURA, Mizuki [W] Awase-waza / Ouchi-gari & Kuzure-kesa-gatame (3:06) [L] KURODA, Aki
UMEKI, Mami [W] Hansoku-make / Shido 3 (GS2:53) [L] IKEDA, Kurena
IZUMI, Mao [W] Kosoto-gake (GS1:08) [L] WADA, Rinoko

Semifinals
TAKAYAMA, Rika [W] Awase-waza / Hikikomi-gaeshi & Yoko-shiho-gatame (1:48) [L] SUGIMURA, Mizuki
IZUMI, Mao [W] Waza-ari / Kosoto-gake (GS2:53) [L] UMEKI, Mami

Final
TAKAYAMA, Rika [W] Awase-waza / Osoto-otoshi & Kuzure-kesa-gatame (0:59) [L] IZUMI, Mao

+78kg

(8 Judoka)

Results
1.TOMITA, Wakaba
2.KODAMA, Hikaru
3.TAKAHASHI, Ruri
3.ARAI, Mao
5.INAMORI, Nami
5.ASAHINA, Sarah
5.AKIBA, Maya
5.HASHIMOTO, Akemi

Round 1
TOMITA, Wakaba [W] Waza-ari / Tai-otoshi (GS1:54) [L] INAMORI, Nami
TAKAHASHI, Ruri [W] Hansoku-make / Shido 3 (GS5:18) [L] ASAHINA, Sarah
ARAI, Mao [W] Hansoku-make / Shido 3 (GS1:52) [L] AKIBA, Maya
KODAMA, Hikaru [W] Hansoku-make / Shido 3 (GS3:01) [L] HASHIMOTO, Akemi

Semifinals
TOMITA, Wakaba [W] Ashi-guruma (2:20) [L] TAKAHASHI, Ruri
KODAMA, Hikaru [W] Ouchi-gari (GS0:18) [L] ARAI, Mao

Final
TOMITA, Wakaba [W] Awase-waza / Kosoto-gari & Kami-shiho-gatame (1:20) [L] KODAMA, Hikaru