Yonezuka Top American at Tokyo Grand Slam
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by Bill Kellick
Jack Yonezuka (West Long Branch, N.J. / NYAC / Cranford JKC) placed seventh for the second consecutive year at the Tokyo Grand Slam which concluded Sunday in Japan. A total of 303 athletes from 41 nations competed in the prestigious event and the last major contest of 2025.
Yonezuka, a 2024 Olympian, defeated Fabio Basile (ITA) in the round of 16 of the men's 73 kg competition by scoring a yuko in the third minute that stood as the only scoring of the match.
In the quarterfinals, Yonezuka faced 2024 Junior World Champion Keito Kihara (JPN) with the match going into the fourth minute of Golden Score (sudden-death overtime) before Kihara threw Yonezuka for ippon (instant win). Kihara went on to win the silver medal in his first IJF Grand Slam.
Yonezuka drew two-time Grand Slam medalist Uranbayar Odgerel (MGL) in the repechage and in a tightly-contested match, Odgeral scored the decisive yuko in the first minute of Golden Score to secure the win. He went on to win his third career Grand Slam medal, taking a bronze.
Top eight and U.S. results:
Men's 60 kg
1. Hayato Kondo (JPN)
2. Taiki Nakamura (JPN)
3. Harim Lee (KOR)
3. Ryuju Nagayama (JPN)
5. Romain Valadier Picard (FRA)
5. Luka Mkeidze (FRA)
7. Michel Augusto (BRA)
7. Yung Wei Yang (TPE)
Also Competed: Kyle Tran (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center), 1-1; Joshua Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team), 0-1
Women's 48 kg
1. Wakana Koga (JPN)
2. Sachiyo Yoshino (JPN)
3. Chen-Hao Lin (TPE)
3. Mizuki Harada (JPN)
5. Anudari Jamsran (MGL)
5. Hikari Yoshioka (JPN)
7. Tamar Malca (ISR)
7. Mary Dee Vargas Ley (CHI)
Men's 66 kg
1. Hifumi Abe (JPN)
2. Kairi Kentoku (JPN)
3. Shinsei Hattori (JPN)
3. Takeshi Takeoka (JPN)
5. Channyeong Kim (KOR)
5. Obid Dzhebov (TJK)
7. Valerio Accogli (ITA)
7. Daikii Bouba (FRA)
Also Competed: Jacob Yang (Los Angeles, Calif. / USA Judo National Resident Team), 0-1
Women's 52 kg
1. Uta Abe (JPN)
2. Nanako Tsubone (JPN)
3. Kokoro Fujishiro (JPN)
3. Ariane Toro Soler (ESP)
5. Larissa Pimenta (BRA)
5. Kisumi Omori (JPN)
7. Nandin-Erdene Myagmarsuren (MGL)
7. Seyun Jang (KOR)
Men's 73 kg
1. Ryuga Tanaka (JPN)
2. Keito Kihara (JPN)
3. Uranbayar Odgerel (MGL)
3. Shusuke Uchimura (JPN)
5. Yudai Tanaka (JPN)
5. Lasha Shavdatuashvili (GEO)
7. Jack Yonezuka (West Long Branch, N.J. / NYAC / Cranford JKC)
7. Ankhzaya Lavjargal (MGL)
Also Competed: Cole Chandler (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri Judo), 1-1
Women's 57 kg
1. Akari Omori (JPN)
2. Momo Tamaoki (JPN)
3. Eteri Liparteliani (GEO)
3. Mio Shirakane (JPN)
5. Sarah Leonie Cysique (FRA)
5. Irina Zueva (RUS)
7. Shirlen Nascimento (BRA)
7. Kseniia Galitskaia (RUS)
Men's 81 kg
1. Yuhei Oino (JPN)
2. Sotaro Fujiwara (JPN)
3. Timur Arbuzov (RUS)
3. Yoshito Hojo (JPN)
5. Kaito Amano (JPN)
5. Zaur Dvalashvili (GEO)
7. Matthias Casse (BEL)
7. Francois Gauthier Drapeau (CAN)
Also Competed: Ramon Hernandez, Jr. (Pompton Lakes, N.J. / North Jersey Judo), 1-1; Tomo Naito (Mililani, Hawaii / Hawaii Judo Academy), 1-1
Women's 63 kg
1. Haruka Kaju (JPN)
2. Kirari Yamaguchi (JPN)
3. Renata Zachova (CZE)
3. Narumi Tanioka (JPN)
5. Gili Sharir (ISR)
5. Angelika Szymanska (POL)
7. Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo (MGL)
7. Jisu Kim (KOR)
Men's 90 kg
1. Sanshiro Murao (JPN)
2. Goki Tajima (JPN)
3. Komei Kawabata (JPN)
3. Giorgi Jabniashvili (GEO)
5. Minki Song (KOR)
5. Tiziano Falcone (ITA)
7. Israpil Sagaipov (BRN)
7. Hidetoshi Tokumochi (JPN)
Also Competed: John Jayne (Chicago, Ill.), 0-1
Women's 70 kg
1. Shiho Tanaka (JPN)
2. Madina Taimazova (RUS)
3. Katarzyna Sobierajska (POL)
3. Ai Tsunoda Roustant (ESP)
5. Rin Maeda (JPN)
5. Irene Pedrotti (ITA)
7. Erina Ike (JPN)
7. Ida Eriksson (SWE)
Also Competed: Melissa Myers (Burnt Hills, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center), 0-1
Men's 100 kg
1. Ilia Sulamanidze (GEO)
2. Dota Arai (JPN)
3. Ryotaro Masuchi (JPN)
3. Matvey Kanikovskiy (RUS)
5. Niiaz Bilalov (RUS)
5. Iosif Simin (ISR0
7. Kotaro Ueoka (JPN)
7. Martin Bezdek (CZE)
Also Competed: Tokuzo Takahashi (Los Angeles, Calif. / Los Angeles Tenri Judo Dojo), 0-1
Women's 78 kg
1. Kurena Ikeda (JPN)
2. Patricia Sampaio (POR)
3. Mami Umeki (JPN)
3. Mao Izumi (JPN)
5. Shu Huei Hsu Wang (TPE)
5. Inbar Lanir (ISR)
7. Zanet Michaelidou (CYP)
7. Coralie Godbout (CAN)
Men's +100 kg
1. Valerii Endovitskii (RUS)
2. Hyoga Ota (JPN)
3. Kanta Nakano (JPN)
3. Inal Tasoev (RUS)
5. Yuta Nakamura (JPN)
5. Minjong Kim (KOR)
7. Irakli Demetrashvili (GEO)
7. Tsetsentsengel Odkhuu (MGL)
Women's +78 kg
1. Hyeonji Lee (KOR)
2. Hayun Kim (KOR)
3. Wakaba Tomita (JPN)
3. Romane Dicko (FRA)
5. Safa Soliman (EGY)
5. Mao Arai (JPN)
7. Asya Tavano (ITA)
7. Ruri Fujii (JPN)
Also Competed: Anna Atkinson (Tacoma, Wash. / Ippon Judo Dojo), 0-1
