Judo: Final day of the All Japan Student Championships (23rd, Nippon Budokan, Tokyo)

Men’s Final: Tokai University 2 – Tenri University 1

It was a 19-year-old sophomore who pushed Tokai University to its first victory in two years. In the final against Tenri University, both schools were trading one point each, and in the sixth vice captain match, Michihiro Arai took to the mat.

The match lasted 4 minutes. Arai, who was aggressive, scored a Waza-ari with Ouchi-Gari in the early stages, and the highlight came with about 1 minute left. Arai changed the position of Tenri University’s Yushi Kanda (4th year) who came to pin him down, and pinned him down instead. He combined techniques with Yoko-Shiho-Gatame. Confident of victory, he raised his fist powerfully towards the cheering section.

Last year, the team lost to Kokushikan University in the finals, ending their winning streak at “6”, and coach Kenichiro Uesugi reflected, “We learned the weight of losing one game.” Arai also served as the third Gosho last year, but ended up in a draw. A week after the tournament, despite being a first-year student, he was blaming the loss, saying, “We were fighting on the stage of the finals, but we couldn’t score any points. The loss was my fault.”

However, Arai showed great growth in just one year. Determined to clear his regrets about judo through judo, he faced training hard. His body grew a size larger, and his thick back was proof of his growth. His throwing techniques also improved. He achieved results at the world championships, and despite being only a second-year student, he became the team’s ace. With his reliable performance, he led the team to reclaim the title.[Takahashi Hiroyuki]