SPORTS SHORTS | Wrestling: Japan Excels at the 2025 World Championships

After amassing 11 wrestling medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, there were high expectations for the Japan national squad at the 2025 World Wrestling Championships in Zagreb.

Team Japan fulfilled expectations in the Croatian capital, collecting 13 total medals, including seven gold, in the global tournament that ran from September 13-21.

Japan finished with the most gold medals among the 76 participating nations. It also tied for second in the standings for total medals, trailing only Iran, which collected 15. 

Russian and Belarusian wrestlers participated as United World Wrestling representatives and hauled in 13 medals. Their national teams have been banned from competing in international wrestling events since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Wrestling Success for Japan in Zagreb

Japan won a pair of men's freestyle world titles: Yoshinosuke Aoyagi (70-kg division) and Kota Takahashi (74 kg).

Paris 2024 gold medalist Nao Kusaka had Japan's best result in Greco-Roman wrestling, earning the silver in the men's 77-kg division.

In women's freestyle wrestling, Japan continued its long run of sustained success, winning five of 10 weight divisions.

Haruna Murayama (nee Okuno) (53 kg), Sakura Onishi (59 kg), Sakura Motoki (62 kg), Miwa Morikawa (65 kg) and Ami Ishii (68 kg) collected gold medals.

RELATED:

• Olympic Medals: an Abundant, Varied Collection for Team Japan at Paris 2024
• [JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Japanese Athletes Excel at World Wrestling Championships

Basketball

Nakase Named WNBA Coach of the Year

Japanese American head coach Natalie Nakase of the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries was named the league's Coach of the Year on September 17.

Nakase was the runaway winner of the award, receiving 53 of 72 votes for the prestigious accolade from media members.

The Valkyries, an expansion team, had a 23-21 record in their inaugural season and earned a postseason berth. They became the first WNBA expansion club to reach the playoffs in their first season, and the 23 wins also set a league record for expansion teams.

In the opening round of the 2025 WNBA playoffs, the Western Conference's top-seeded Minnesota Lynx swept the eighth-seeded Valkyries in a two-game series that ended on September 17.

Golden State general manager Ohemaa Nyanin praised Nakase for the commendable job she did leading the brand-new franchise this season.

"Natalie has been a fierce leader from the very moment she was announced as head coach, and this award is an external validation of what we see every day," Nyanin said, according to a news release. "Her core philosophy of connectivity and emphasis on high character has created an environment where everyone can thrive. [And] her unique approach to leadership and ability to hold players accountable with care while staying true to her values has been remarkable.

"Coach Natalie and her coaching staff have been an integral piece of creating this team's foundation in its inaugural year."

Paying Her Dues as a Coach

Earlier in her coaching career, Nakase was an assistant under Bob Hill in Japan. Hill, who previously led four NBA teams, was coach of the now-defunct Tokyo Apache in the bj-league during the 2010-11 campaign.

Later, Nakase served as the head coach of the Saitama Broncos (2011-12), becoming the bj-league's first-ever female bench boss.

Nakase worked for the Los Angeles Clippers and their NBA G League affiliate for several years before joining the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces in 2022.

A California native, the 45-year-old Nakase played college ball at UCLA (1998-03). 

Volleyball

Japan Men Ousted in 1st Round of World Championship

In Quezon City, Philippines, Japan wrapped up its appearance in the 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship with a victory over Libya on September 17.

Captain Yuki Ishikawa and his teammates defeated Pool G foe Libya 25-20, 25-17, 25-12, earning their lone victory of the 24-nation tournament.

Kento Miyaura led Japan with 15 points, including three aces, against Libya. Ishikawa added 12 points.

Turkey and Canada earned three-game sweeps of Japan on September 13 and 15, respectively. Japan's second defeat ended its chances of advancing to the next round.

Briefly…

Formula One driver Yuki Tsunoda of the Red Bull Racing team had a season-best finish in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, September 21, placing sixth in Baku.

Max Verstappen, Tsunoda's teammate, won the race.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.