Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences dominated the West Japan Student Wrestling Spring League, held on May 9-10 at Kinka Park Gymnasium in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. The team went undefeated against six universities in the Division 2 league, securing the championship and a promotion to Division 1.
Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences’ Yosaku Tsujita performed a spectacular back drop during the matches.
The competition featured team matches with seven weight classes, with Division 2 using a round-robin format. On May 9, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences won all three matches: 7-0 against Momoyama Gakuin University, 6-1 against Kwansei Gakuin University, and 7-0 against Kansai University. They finished the first day in second place behind Minami Kyushu University, which had four wins.
On the second day, May 10, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences defeated Tenri University 6-1 in their opening match, setting up a showdown against undefeated Minami Kyushu University. First up in the 74kg class, Yosaku Tsujita (freshman, Faculty of Sports Science, formerly of Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences Naniwa High School) used his power to land a spectacular throw, building a 10-point lead and winning by technical superiority. In the 70kg class, Sota Utsunomiya (junior, Faculty of Sports Science, Hyogo Inagawa High School) lost, but Sora Shigeno (senior, Faculty of Physical Education, Wakayama Kita High School) fought through injury to win in the 86kg class. Riki Matsumoto (freshman, Faculty of Sports Science, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences Naniwa High School) secured a fall victory in the 125kg class. Haruto Seno (sophomore, Faculty of Sports Science, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences Naniwa High School) also won a hard-fought match in the 65kg class. In the 61kg class, Yushin Ishizuka (sophomore, Faculty of Sports Science, Gunma Municipal Ota High School) won 14-1 by technical superiority, and in the 57kg class, Kojiro Anno (freshman, Faculty of Sports Science, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences Naniwa High School) won 16-5 by technical superiority, putting the team on the verge of victory.
Riki Matsumoto displayed powerful heavyweight-style wrestling.
In the final match against Chukyo Gakuin University, Tsujita and Shigeno both won 10-0, and Anno secured a 12-1 technical superiority victory. Utsunomiya redeemed his earlier loss with a fall, while Matsumoto and Ishizuka also won by fall. Seno was forced to forfeit due to injury as a precaution. The team finished the first day with six consecutive wins and secured the championship and promotion to Division 1.
Additionally, Sora Shigeno, who went undefeated in five matches, received the Odawara Cup, awarded to the Division 2 MVP.
Sora Shigeno, undefeated in five matches.
The wrestling program is not limited to university students; it includes junior high and high school students at Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences Naniwa, forming a unified middle-high-university coaching system. Since 2025, the team has been led by head coach Kenichi Yumoto, a 2008 Beijing Olympic silver medalist, who aims to produce Olympians. The freshmen who excelled in this competition are also graduates of Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences Naniwa High School, demonstrating the strength of the unified coaching system.
Coach Yumoto said, “Winning Division 2 is just a stepping stone. Even now, we have the strength to compete in the top half of Division 1,” expressing confidence in further progress.
Head coach Yumoto giving advice to wrestlers between matches.
Captain Sora Shigeno said: “After we were relegated to Division 2 last year, especially the juniors trained desperately because we absolutely wanted to return to Division 1. Strong freshmen joined us, so I was confident we could win Division 2. Since it’s a league competition, not only individual performance but also team momentum matters, so I fought while paying attention to the overall atmosphere. There are still areas we need to improve to compete in Division 1, so we will continue to train hard.”
Haruto Seno
Kojiro Anno
Yushin Ishizuka, known for his clever wrestling style.
Sota Utsunomiya, who secured a fall victory in the final match.
Captain Sora Shigeno, selected as Division 2 MVP.
Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences wrestling team.