Team Japan Selected To Take On USA Mens, Womens Wrestlers May 17 At NYC Beat the Streets Benefit

NEW YORK - March 23, 2017 - PRLog -- World wrestling power Japan will compete in the Beat the Streets Benefit event for the first time, it was announced today by Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. and USA Wrestling. The Japanese team brings a squad of eight Senior men's freestyle wrestlers and three Senior women's freestyle wrestlers. This year's event will take place in Times Square's Duffy Square (between 46th and 47th streets) on Wednesday, May 17 in the seventh annual wrestling celebration. Competitors for Team USA, which will include members of the 2016 Olympic team as well as other elite stars, will be announced in April.

It is a young and talented Japanese squad, with considerable international achievements. The men's team is led by 2014 World silver medalist and two-time Olympian Sohsuke Takatani at 74 kg/163 lbs. Takatani placed seventh at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and also competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games. He has been on three Japanese Senior World Teams.

Two-time age-group World medalist Daichi Takatani will wrestle men's freestyle at 65 kg/143 lbs. Takatani was a 2011 Cadet World bronze medalist and a 2014 Junior World bronze medalist. He also placed seventh in the 2014 Senior World Championships.

Nobuyoshi Takojima was fifth at the 2015 Senior World Championships at 70 kg/154 lbs.. Shinjo Arimoto, who wrestles at 61 kg/134 lbs., was also a member of Japan's 2016 Senior World Championship team. Rinya Nakamura, who will compete at 57 kg/125.5 lbs., was a 2011 Cadet World medalist for Japan.

All three of the women wrestling for Japan have won medals at the World level at either the Senior or age-group levels.

2014 Senior World champion Chiho Hamada leads the women's delegation at 58 kg/128 lbs. Hamada also boasts gold medals from the 2014 University World Championships and the 2012 Junior World Championships. She won a silver medal at the 2016 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia.

Yuki Irie, who wrestles at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., won both a Junior World title and a University World title in 2012. Most recently, she was a 2016 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix champion in Russia and a 2015 Senior Asian champion. Young Miwa Morikawa was a 2016 Cadet World silver medalist, and will wrestle at 69 kg/152 lbs. in women's freestyle.

The Japanese delegation will be led by very accomplished wrestlers who are now in leadership positions. The Team Leader is 1992 Olympic silver medalist Kosei Akaishi, who competed in three Olympic Games. The women's coach is Shinichi Yumoto, who was a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist. Coaching the men's team is 1984 Junior World champion Ryo Kanehama.

Japan joins a growing list of wrestling powers who have participated in past Beat the Streets events, with previous teams including Iran, Russia, Cuba and Canada. In 2014, a World All-Star team competed against the USA, with athletes from Russia, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Canada, Spain, Venezuela, and Ukraine in the lineup. This has truly become a highlight event on the annual international wrestling schedule.

The decision on who will compete for Team USA will be influenced by the results from the U.S. Open in men's freestyle and World Team Trials in women's freestyle, set for Las Vegas, Nev., April 25-29.

2017 BEAT THE STREETS BENEFIT

At New York, May 17

Team Japan roster

Men's freestyle

57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Rinya Nakamura

61 kg/134 lbs. - Shingo Arimoto

65 kg/143 lbs. - Daichi Takatani

70 kg/154 lbs. - Nobuyoshi  Takojima

74 kg/163 lbs. - Sohsuke Takatani

86 kg/189 lbs. - Takahiro Murayama

97 kg/213 lbs. - Koki Yamamoto

125 kg/275 lbs. – Katsutoshi Kanazawa

Women's freestyle

48 kg/105.5 lbs. - Yuki Irie

58 kg/128 lbs. - Chiho Hamada

69 kg/152 lbs. - Miwa Morikawa

Team Leader - Kosei Akaishi

Freestyle Coach - Shinichi Yumoto

Women's Coach - Ryo Kanehama