Takashi Ishiguro grabs second straight All Japanese, heads to world finals in Serbia

Coached by NJPW’s own Yuji Nagata, Team New Japan’s Takashi Ishiguro was victorious in Tokyo on June 18 to take his second straight All Japanese amateur wrestling title. His victory in freestyle at 97kg earns him a spot in the world championships, coming up this September in Serbia.

As a result of a bye, Ishiguro’s first match on the day was in the semifinals, where a blowout 10-0 technical fall victory over Keisuke Ito was his. He then advanced to the finals where a more cautious approach saw Ishiguro resist advances from Hibiki Ito and nearly throwing his foe before securing a 4-0 win. 

While showing an air of relief as he spoke to reporters after his match, Ishiguro remarked ‘I lost in the All Asia back in April and that took its toll on me mentally, but Coach Nagata was able to get me back on the winning path.’

Nagata responded ‘I’ve been working with the kid and teaching what I can when I haven’t had any matches, and my brother Katsuhiko has been helping with some more physical work as well. I don’t think he needed to sweat his All Asia loss all that much, but I’m glad he managed to find some more confidence here to take to the world championships!’

Ishiguro now faces the demanding world stage at the heavyweight level. A hard path is in front of him, but he’ll keep working hard with the Lion Mark on his back!