Yuji Takada (wrestler)

Yuji Takada (Japanese高田 裕 司, Yuji Takada, born February 17, 1954 in Ōta ) is a former Japanese wrestler. He was 1976 Olympic champion and four -time world champion in free style flyweight.

Career

Yuji Takada began as a teenager at a high school with the rings. In 1976 he was a student at the Nippon Sport Science University where he continued this sport. He developed into a world-class athlete in free style. In 1973 he was Japanese flyweight champion for the first time. In the same year he was also first used at an international championship, the World Cup in Tehran, flyweight. He won there in four battles, but had arsenic Alachwerdijew from the USSR and Ibrahim Javadi from Iran defeats plug in and won the bronze medal.

At the World Championships 1974 in Istanbul Takada three wins were enough to win the world champion title. The reason was that he defeated Ali Riza Alan, Turkey, Roman Dmitriev, USSR and Dojodovyn Ganbat, Mongolia, wrestler, the places 2-4 occupied behind him. He also had a bye in round one.

In 1975, Takada celebrate winning his second world title in Minsk. The special thing about it was that he won this title with "0" points failure because he defeated his six opponents early. Also at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal Takada was superior to flyweight. Of the seven opponents, against whom he had to play, only the Soviet athlete Alexander Ivanov came with it over time, but lost hands down on points. The remaining six opponents defeated Takada once again prematurely and won with 0.5 false points, the gold medal.

At the World Championships in 1977 in Lausanne Takada repeated the fantastic performance of 1975. Premature With seven victories, he was again with " 0" Fault points champion.

That Takada was not unbeatable, the first time was at the 1978 World Cup in Mexico City. The big favorite Yuji Takada lost like his first fight prematurely against Soviet athlete Anatoly Beloglasow and had to take what made ​​him come only to 5th place by Hartmut Reich of Jena in the fifth battle a defeat.

A year later, Takada succeeded at the World Championships in San Diego revenge against both Anatoli Beloglasow to which he, as luck would have it, again met the same in the 1st round and auspunktete time superior than against Hartmut Reich, he even defeated prematurely. He also won his other fights prematurely and was in superior style for the fourth time world champion.

1980 Takada was affected by the Olympic boycott, he therefore could not compete in Moscow. From 1981 to 1983, he put on the international mat a break. But in 1984 he started again at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but was no longer the sovereign wrestler between 1974 and 1979. He lost in the now newly introduced pool system in its pool against Saban Trstena from Yugoslavia and was thus as a pool runner-up only fight more against Ray Takahashi from Canada to the bronze medal. This fight he won safely on points.

Then he ended his international career Ringer. At the age of 36 years Takada tried, because the World Cup at home in Tokyo held a comeback, but which, in terms of its past achievements, failed. He could not keep up with the new and a lot of younger wrestlers stars who were now grown, and landed on the 8th Place.

Then he ended his active career Ringer final. He then professionally and as a sports official career, was a professor of law and politics at the University of Yamanashi Gakum and practiced in Japanese Wrestling Federation, in the Japanese National Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee from high office. Prior to this he practiced for several years, the Office of the Japanese head coach of the freestyle team. For his contributions to the sport wrestler he was inducted into the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, F = free style, Fl = Flyweight, then to 52 kg body weight)

Japanese Championships

Yuji Takada won from 1973 to 1980, 1984 and 1990, the Japanese championship in free style flyweight.

Swell

• Div. Issues of the journals " Athletics " from the years 1973 to 1975, " The Ringer " from the years 1976 to 1990
• Documentation of International Wrestling championships FILA, 1976
• International Wrestling Data Bank at the University of Leipzig,
• Website of the International Association Ringer ( FILA )