Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu

Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu, with the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London

Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu ( Japanese 米 満 達 弘 , Yonemitsu Tatsuhiro ; born August 5, 1986 in Yamanashi Prefecture ) is a Japanese wrestler . He became a lightweight Olympic champion in free style in London in 2012 .

Career

Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu started wrestling as a teenager. He concentrates on the free style. The 1.69 meter tall athlete, who weighs around 70 kg and starts at a lightweight, is a member of the Army and a member of the Sports Club of the Self-Defense Forces in Saitama Prefecture . His trainer is Hiromichi Itō.

As a junior he won his first medal at the Japanese senior championship in 2005 with a 3rd place in the lightweight. His international career began in 2006 when he took part in the Junior World Championship in Guatemala City , but only came 12th after defeating Suren Adjan, Armenia and losing to Saeid Tavakoli from Iran . In 2008 he was the first Japanese champion in lightweight before Kazuki Morikawa and Kazuhiko Ikematsu. In the same year he also won the Universities World Championships in Thessaloniki . That was his first major international success with the seniors.

Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu could not take part in the Japanese championship in 2009 due to a shoulder injury. He won another two medals at international championships that year. First, he finished second at the Asian Championships in Pattaya behind Mehdi Tahvani Kermani from Iran , who was to become his main competitor for international success in his further career. Then he won a bronze medal in the lightweight world championship in Herning / Denmark . At this championship he defeated Shirar Hovhannisjan from Armenia and Gergő Wöller from Hungary , then lost to Rasul Dschakajew from Russia and won over Jung Jung-ho from South Korea and Sushil Kumar from India .

In 2010 Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu won his second Japanese championship title in lightweight. At the World Cup this year in Moscow he lost in the first round against Geandry Garzón Caballero from Cuba . Since he did not reach the final, he did not make it into the consolation round, but was eliminated and ended up in 23rd place. He was able to keep himself a little harmless for this disappointment in November 2011, when he won the Asian Games in Guangzhou and defeated Mehdi Taghavi Kermani in the final battle.

In 2011 he was again the Japanese champion before Kazuhiko Ikematsu. He was also in excellent shape at the 2011 World Cup in Istanbul . There he defeated Bujandschawyn Batdsorig from Mongolia , Adam Sobieraj from Poland , Jabrail Hasanow from Azerbaijan and Leonid Basan from Bulgaria , but lost in the final battle against Mehdi Taghavi Kermani and became vice- world champion .

In May 2012, Tastsuhiro Yonemitsu already indicated his ambitions for an Olympic victory at the World Cup in Baku when he won this tournament in front of such outstanding wrestlers as Leonid Spiridonow from Kazakhstan , Jabrail Hananow and Mehdi Taghavi Kermani. At the Olympic Games in London he confirmed his favorite position, for he was there with wins over Liván López , Cuba, Haislan Garcia Veranes , Canada , Jabrail Hasanow and Sushil Kumar Olympic champion .

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
2006	12.	Junior World Championships in Guatemala City	Light	after defeating Suren Adjan, Armenia and losing to Saeid Tavakoli , Iran
2008	1.	Universities World Cup in Thessaloniki	Light	before Yasin Bolat, Turkey , Nikolai Kurtew , Bulgaria and Gergő Wöller , Hungary
2009	9.	Dan Kolov Nikolai Petrow Memorial in Varna	Light	Winner: Haislan Garcia Veranes , Canada ahead of Dimitar Georgiew, Bulgaria
2009	2.	Asian Championships in Pattaya	Light	behind Mehdi Taghavi Kermani , Iran, in front of Yang Chun Song, North Korea and Kim Dae-sung, South Korea
2009	3.	World Cup in Herning / Denmark	Light	after victories over Shirar Hovhannisjan, Armenia and Gergő Wöller, a defeat against Rasul Dschakajew , Russia and victories over Jung Jung-ho, South Korea and Sushil Kumar , India
2010	23.	World Cup in Moscow	Light	after losing to Geandry Garzón Caballero , Cuba
2010	1.	Asia Games in Guangzhou	Light	before Mehdi Taghavi Kermani, Yang Chun Song and Leonid Spiridonow , Kazakhstan
2011	2.	Golden Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk	Light	behind Adam Batirow , Russia, in front of Israil Kasumow and Magomedmurad Gadschijew, both Russia
2011	2.	World Cup in Istanbul	Light	after victories over Bujandschawyn Batdsorig , Mongolia , Adam Sobieraj , Poland , Jabrail Hasanow , Azerbaijan and Leonid Basan , Bulgaria and a defeat against Mehdi Taghavi Kermani
2012	1.	World Cup in Baku	Light	before Leonid Spiridonow, Jabrail Hasanow and Mehdi Taghavi Kermani
2012	gold	OS in London	Light	after victories over Livan Lopez Azcuy , Cuba, Haislan Garcia Veranes, Jabrail Hasanow and Sushil Kumar

Japanese championships

year	space	Weight class	Results
2005	3.	Light	behind Tsukasa Sato and Kohei Fujimoto
2006	2.	Light	behind Takafumi Kojima, in front of Koji Furusato and Kazuhiko Ikematsu
2007	3.	Light	behind Kazuhiro Ikematsu and Takafumi Kojima
2008	1.	Light	before Kazuki Morikawa, Kazuhiko Ikematsu and Takafumi Kojima
2010	1.	Light	before Takafumi Kojima, Kohei Fujimoto and Kazuhiko Ikematsu
2011	1.	Light	before Kazuhiko Ikematsu, Takahiro Inoue and Kohei Fujimoto

Explanations

• all free style competitions
• OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship
• Lightweight, weight class up to 66 kg body weight

swell

• Trade journal Der Ringer
• Foeldeak Wrestling Database website
• Website "www.japan-wrestling.org"
• Website "www.japan-wrestling.jp"

Web links

• Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu's profile at the Institute for Applied Training Science
• Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu on Facebook
• Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu's profile