Nagoya, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s medal tally at the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games increased further Thursday, with Sotaro Fujiwara, Narumi Tanioka and Rin Maeda clinching gold medals in judo events. Fujiwara, who secured gold in the men’s 81-kilogram category, said, “I’m in a world where people expect results, so I’m relieved.” Tanioka won gold in the women’s 63-kg category and Maeda in the women’s 70-kg category. In the quarterfinals, Maeda was bitten on the arm by a Chinese opponent, who was later disqualified for the behavior. “I didn’t really care because I was pumped with adrenaline,” she said. Elsewhere in the quadrennial sporting festival held mainly in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, Yuri Nakazato added to Japan’s gold haul in wrestling, by winning the men’s Greco-Roman 97-kg event. “I didn’t think that I would win,” he said. Nakazato’s mother is from Aichi. Saying that many relatives were at the venue cheering him on, Nakazato said, “I had twice as much energy as usual.” Nao Kusaka clinched silver in the men’s Greco-Roman 77-kg event. For women’s wrestling, Nonoka Ozaki overpowered a North Korean wrestler in the 62-kg event final to claim a gold medal. “I managed to create a long period of time in which the opponent couldn’t do anything,” she said. Adding to the host nation’s medal collection, Kurumi Ito secured gold in the women’s kayak single canoe slalom event. “I feel like I’m in a dream,” she said. In cycling track, Japan won gold in the women’s Madison event, while Kaiya Ota and Kanta Umezawa both took home golds in the men’s sprint and omnium events, respectively. Ai Mori secured silver in the women’s sport climbing boulder event. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
