Toshio Asakura

Toshio Asakura ( Japanese 朝倉利夫 Asakura Toshio , born July 19, 1956 in Kagoshima , in the prefecture of the same name on the island of Kyūshū ) is a former Japanese wrestler . He became world champion in 1981 and runner-up in free style flyweight championship in 1983 .

Career

Toshio Asakura began wrestling as a teenager and initially worked in the Greco-Roman style. As a junior, he did not make any international assignments. In 1979, at the age of 23, he qualified for the first time for a start in an international championship, the World Championship in San Diego . He started there in the flyweight in Greco-Roman style and immediately won a bronze medal behind Lajos Rácz from Hungary and Kamil Fatkulin from the Soviet Union . He referred the top wrestlers Nicu Ginga from Romania and Rolf Krauss from the Federal Republic of Germany to the next places.

In 1980 he qualified in Japan for the participation in the Olympic Games in Moscow . He should start there in the flyweight and again in the Greco-Roman style. Unfortunately, that didn't work out because Japan boycotted participation in these games for political reasons. In December 1980 Toshio Asakura started in the so-called "World Super Championships" in Tokyo for the first time in free style. He came in flyweight behind the American Gene Mills and before the Poland Władysław Stecyk in second place.

Toshio Asakura achieved the greatest success of his career at the 1981 World Cup in Skopje . He was there in the free style in flyweight with victories over Roman Ratajczak, Poland, Ken Hoyt, Australia, Mohammad Hossein Dabagli, Iran, Aslan Seyhanli , Turkey and Hartmut Reich from Jena world champion. In December 1981 he was also Asian champion in Lahore in the same weight class ahead of Mahavir, India, Mohammad Bazmavar, Iran and Muhammad Anwar, Pakistan.

At the 1982 World Championships in Edmonton , when Hartmut Reich became world champion in the free style in the flyweight division, Toshio Asakura was eliminated early and only finished tenth. In December 1982 he won the Asian Games in New Delhi, ahead of Mohammad Hossein Dababli, Kim Jong-kyu, South Korea and M. Singh, India.

1983 Toshio Asakura was runner-up in the flyweight world champion in Kiev . In the final he was defeated by the outstanding Valentin Jordanow from Bulgaria. Third and fourth place went to Anatoly Beloglasow from the Soviet Union and defending champion Hartmut Reich. At the Asian Cup in 1983 in Tehran, he competed in both styles. He wrestled there for the first time in the bantamweight and won in the Greco-Roman style before Gholamreza Mohseni from Iran and Tohtas Singh, India. In the free style he took second place behind Askari Mohammedian from Iran.

In 1984 Toshio Asakura tried to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics in free style in bantamweight. But he failed because of Hideaki Tomiyama , who also became Olympic champion. Despite this disappointment, he continued his career and competed in the 1985 bantamweight championship in Budapest . He came fourth there behind Sergej Beloglasow , USSR, Kevin Darkus, USA and Georgi Kaltschew from Bulgaria. At the Asian Games in 1986 in Seoul, he won a bronze medal in bantamweight behind Askari Mohammedian and Kong Yong-il from South Korea.

At the 1987 World Championships in Clermont-Ferrand , Toshio Asakura was eliminated early in the bantamweight division and only came in seventh place. For the Olympic Games in 1988 and for the World Cup in 1989, he could no longer qualify. Roy Kanehama started for Japan at both events. In 1990 Toshio Asakura made a comeback. He represented Japan at the Asian Games in Beijing that year, but won the bantamweight division with fourth place but no medal. He also started at the World Cup in Tokyo in 1990. In the bantamweight division he retired from the Soviet Union after a defeat against Sergej Smal and was not placed in the top ten.

Toshio Asakura then ended his wrestling career and became a wrestler coach at Kokushikan University in Setagaya in Tokyo Prefecture.

International success

year	space	competition	style	Weight class	Results
1979	7th	Grand Prix of the Federal Republic of Germany in Aschaffenburg	GR	To fly	Winner: Kamil Fatkulin, USSR ahead of Bruce Thompson, USA, Lajos Racz, Hungary and Alexej Schumakow , USSR
1979	3.	World Cup in San Diego	GR	To fly	behind Lajos Rácz and Kamil Fatkulin , in front of Nicu Ginga , Romania and Rolf Krauss , Federal Republic of Germany
1980	2.	"World Super Championships" in Tokyo	F.	To fly	behind Gene Mills, USA and in front of Wladyslaw Stecyk, Poland
1981	1.	World Cup in Skopje	F.	To fly	after victories over Roman Ratajczak, Poland, Ken Hoyt, Australia, Mohammad Hossein Dabagli, Iran, Aslan Seyhanli , Turkey and Hartmut Reich , GDR
1981	1.	Asian Championship in Lahore	F.	To fly	before Mahavir, India, Mohammad Bazmavar, Iran and Muhammad Anwar, Pakistan
1982	10.	World Cup in Edmonton	F.	To fly	Winner: Hartmut Reich ahead of Osman Efendiew, USSR, Joe Gonzales , USA and Kim Jong-kyu, South Korea
1982	1.	Asian Games in New Delhi	F.	To fly	before Mohammad Hossein Dabagli, Iran, Kom Jong-kyu and M. Singh, India
1983	2.	World Cup in Kiev	F.	To fly	behind Valentin Jordanow , Bulgaria, in front of Anatoli Beloglasow , USSR and Hartmut Reich
1983	1.	Asian Championship in Tehran	GR	Bantam	before Gholamreza Mohseni, Iran and Rohtas Singh, India
1983	2.	Asian Championship in Theran	F.	Bantam	behind Askari Mohammedian , Iran, ahead of Guanbunima, China and Rohtas Singh
1985	4th	World Cup in Budapest	F.	Bantam	behind Sergej Beloglasow , USSR, Kevin Darkus , USA and Georgi Kaltschew, Bulgaria
1986	3.	Asian Games in Seoul	F.	Bantam	behind Askari Mohammedian and Kong Yong-il, South Korea
1987	7th	World Cup in Clermont-Ferrand	F.	Bantam	Winner: Sergej Beloglasow ahead of Barry Davis , USA and Ahmet Ak , Turkey
1990	4th	Asian Games in Beijing	F.	Bantam	Winner: Kim Yong-sik, North Korea ahead of Arslangin Tsedensodnom, Mongole9i and Jalil Jahanshahi, Iran
1990	unpl.	World Cup in Tokyo	F.	Bantam	after losing to Sergei Smal , USSR

Explanations

GR = Greco-Roman style, F = free style
WM = World Championship
Fly weight at that time up to 52 kg, bantam weight up to 57 kg body weight

literature

Trade journal Der Ringer

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Asakura, Toshio
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Japanese wrestler
DATE OF BIRTH	July 19, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH	Kagoshima