Keyword to Tokyo "throw money" Kenichiro Fumita Wrestling Jan 23 20:06
Do you know wrestling's Greco-Roman style?
The so-called "Greco", which is confronted only by the upper body, may be less familiar than "Freestyle".
Kenichiro Fumita is aiming for the first Olympic gold medal in 36 years for Greco in Japan. The keyword for the Tokyo Olympics set by the 24-year-old ace is “throw money”.
It was a strong belief that "Greco" was interesting.
"Throw money"
Fumita won the 2017 and 2019 World Championships in the Greco-Roman style 60kg class. This was the first victory for a Japanese player of "Greco" to win the World Championship twice.
My specialty is sledging.
Use the spring of the whole body to jump up the opponent, greatly warp your back and throw it down. The sharpness is said to be "the best in the world" and is feared by overseas players.
The keyword raised by such Bunda is "throw money".
In addition to winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, he was determined to use his strong "throwing technique" to decide.
"Throwing is a synonym for myself and I am the most confident technique, so I would like to decide on the Greco-Roman style I pursued and the technique I was particular about."
The biggest feature is "throwing" battle
There are two types of wrestling: "freestyle" and "greco-roman style" where only the upper body can be used for attacks.
In Japan, what many people imagine when they hear "wrestling" may be "freestyle."
Freestyle is the main means of attack, as symbolized by the third consecutive Olympic victor, Saori Yoshida, who beats the opponent with a "tackle" to the lower body while riding in speed.
On the other hand, the “Greco-Roman style”, which is unique to men, is characterized by a powerful “throwing” attack and defense, and the trained body of the athlete is noticeable.
The "throw" that Mr. Fumita is particular about is a symbol of "Greco Roman style".
“Cool Greco”
Fumita was once a freestyle player.
I started when I was in the fourth grade of elementary school, but I am not good at tackling, which is the basis of freestyle, and sometimes think that it is not suitable for me.
It was Mr. Toshiro, his father who was a Greco player, that conveyed the appeal of Greco-Roman style, which is completely different from Freestyle.
Since I was a junior high school student, I have shown images of Greco-Roman style overseas players on a daily basis.
Men such as steel, such as Russian Alexander Karelin, who was called "the strongest primate".
The battle they clashed and flung each other changed the image of wrestling.
"I was very shocked. The opponent was falling from the back of the head, flying in the air, I thought that it was completely different from what I have been doing," said Mr. Fumida.
It seems that his father, Toshiro, was watching his son thinking "shimeshime".
"I want to do such cool wrestling."
Bunda was obsessed with the appeal of Greco, and practiced throwing as many times as many times as many people.
In the freestyle tournament, while other players piled up points with tackles, Fumita won points by winning points with throwing techniques and continued to stick to throwing techniques.
Above all, "sledding" has grown to be called "the best in the world" by its natural body softness and the practice of "repeated more than 10,000 times".
Overcome measures from overseas
Foreigners are taking measures against the throwing of Fumita.
What was noticeable was the World Championship last September. Most of the opponents were wary of Mr. Bunta's sled throw and did not try to pull down and tightly fit his body.
For this reason, Fumita was not able to create a sled-tossing position, and could only make one sled-throw in five games.
He earned points for his unseen “sleeping skills” and achieved his second victory. However, after the tournament, he spoke of remorse.
"I think it's a bit regrettable that the throw didn't come out. I will. "
“The throw is not complete”
The Olympic Games are approaching six months later, and what we are working on now is to move forward and catch opponents.
We believe that if you are on the lookout for a throw and you catch the fleeing opponent and bring it to a combined position, you can decide on a throw for any opponent.
Fumida says, "Your throw will never be completed."
I was not satisfied with becoming the best in the world, and I was eager to evolve the throw, and I could see the pride I could not afford to throw.
For the future of Greco
The reason why Fumita sticks to throwing is to look into the future of Greco-Roman style.
Greco-Roman style is not the mainstream in Japan.
Elementary and junior high school students only have freestyle competitions, and many high school students are freestyle. Japan is 36 years away from the Olympic gold medal in the Greco-Roman style.
In December of last year, Mr. Fumita participated in a training camp for high school students in his local Yamanashi area during his practice, and taught throwing.
He carefully conveyed the skills he had cultivated so far, such as kumite, carrying the feet, and tips on how to use the body.
We want to increase the number of children who engage in Greco-Roman style by telling the appeal of throwing to many people.
"I think if a more aggressive, acrobatic and engaging game is played, the result will be more attention to wrestling, and more people will see and do it. I want to prove it. "
A gold medal and aggressive wrestling aimed at throwing techniques prove to be the strongest. The keyword “throw money” is a strong determination of the age of 24.
(Sports News Department reporter Yohei Shimizu)