Osamu Watanabe

Osamu Watanabe (1964)

Osamu Watanabe ( Japanese渡 辺 長 武, Watanabe Osamu ; born October 21, 1940 in Wassamu , Hokkaidō ) is a former Japanese wrestler . He was an Olympic free style featherweight champion in 1964.

Career

Osamu Watanabe learned to wrestle during a special program of the Japanese Olympic Committee at a high school. He then attended Amo University in Tokyo , where, since he was now one of the top Japanese wrestlers in the free style, he was able to prepare specifically for the major international competitions. Osamu played his first international championship in 1962 at the Asian Games in Jakarta , where he won the featherweight division.

In the same year Osamu won his first featherweight world title with five wins in Toledo / USA . Osamu also remained undefeated at the 1963 World Cup in Sofia . The strong wrestlers Vladimir Rubashvili from the Soviet Union , Mohammad Ebrahim Seifpour from Iran and Stancho Kolew Ivanov from Bulgaria had no chance against him.

As a high favorite, Osamu went to Tokyo in 1964 in the Olympic featherweight tournament. He fully lived up to this favorite position and came with six convincing victories to the Olympic victory.

After Tokyo, Osamu Watanabe resigned from active wrestling. He had won 186 fights in a row. Even at the international championships that he contested, he only landed victories.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, F = free style, Fe = featherweight, back then up to 63 kg body weight)

• 1962, 1st place , Asian Games in Jakarta , F, Fe, ahead of Mohamad Akhtar, Pakistan a . Ibragim Mohammad, Afghanistan ;
• 1962, 1st place , World Cup in Toledo / USA, F, Fe, with victories over Ahmed Seyit Agrali , Turkey , Nodar Kokaschwili , Soviet Union , Stefanos Ioannidis, Greece , Ewald Tauer , Germany a . Mohammad Khadem , Iran ;
• 1963, 1st place , World Cup in Sofia , F, Fe, with victories over Georges Ballery, France , Vladimir Rubashvili , Soviet Union, Tauno Jaskari , Finland , Yunus Pehliwan, Turkey, Mohammad Ebrahim Seifpour , Iran and others. Stancho Kolew Ivanov , Bulgaria ;
• 1964, gold medal , OS in Tokyo , F, Fe, with victories over Baldangiin Sandschaa , Mongolia , John Alan Smith , USA, Raul Romero , Argentina , Reiner Schilling , FRG, Nodar Kokaschwili u. Stancho Kolew Ivanov

literature

• Div. Issues of the professional journal Athletik from 1960 to 1964,
• Documentation of FILA's International Wrestling Championships, 1976

Web links

• Profile of Osamu Watanabe at the Institute for Applied Exercise Science
• Osamu Watanabe in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )