All hail Ono

[Dark Energy]

Freaking guy deserves own thread.  Runs roughshod through 61kg 2024 worlds.  Murders the field.  20 years old?   Damn. Think he’ll go 57 or 65 or stay at 61?

[Takuto_Otoguro]

He has wrestled 65 before. I assume he goes up eventually

[CHROMEBIRD]

isn't Kiyooka still pretty young? He also grew into 65 and probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Tough decision for Ono.

[juniorvarsity]

Japan about to take 3 Olympics in a row at 65kg with 3 different guys.

[SocraTease]

Ono was (and is) damn impressive.  Cut through guys like a hot knife in butter.   He's super quick and technically very good.   Apparently, he will be training at Penn State this winter.   Wondering whether Cael offers him a scholarship to do folkstyle or a place at the NLWC

[ionel]

3 minutes ago, SocraTease said:

Ono was (and is) damn impressive.  Cut through guys like a hot knife in butter.   He's super quick and technically very good.   Apparently, he will be training at Penn State this winter.   Wondering whether Cael offers him a scholarship to do folkstyle or a place at the NLWC

[AnklePicker]

One of the most impressive guys I’ve seen…ever.  That snap to low attack is a combo of tricky technique and lighting quickness. Killer underhook to push out. Ankle picks and an apparently unstoppable gut. Not to mention it’s damn near impossible to get to his legs. He made Vito look slow. 61 is a perfect weight for him too. He’s thick but short. Super fun to watch. Congrats Ono!  

[CA_Wrestler]

8 hours ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

isn't Kiyooka still pretty young? He also grew into 65 and probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Tough decision for Ono.

Kiyooka is 23.

The past several years, Ono has been jumping all over the place.  57, 60, 61, 65.  I'd say he probably tries to compete for Japan's 57kg spot at next year's Senior World Championships.  

Ono was amazingly impressive this week.  He and Kiyooka had a very close match in the 2023 Emperor's Cup finals(for the 65kg Olympic spot) for around 2 minutes until Kiyooka caught him  and teched him, 11-0.

[Shibboleth]

Ono said he naturally weighs 62-63 kg. Makes it rough for olympic weights - if they stay the same and if he stays the same weight. 61 KG is perfect weight for him, looks like. Although there's a pretty high chance that Higuchi enters the conversation there as well, within Japan.

[Eagle26]

He’s impressive for sure. Looks like he may be trying to attend college here. Maybe he will look to get US citizenship before 2028?

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

1 hour ago, Eagle26 said:

He’s impressive for sure. Looks like he may be trying to attend college here. Maybe he will look to get US citizenship before 2028?

Why would he want to go to a country with what many are calling an 'inferior freestyle program' and wrestle US folkstyle?  I can see a trip or two and some extended stays, but I doubt he enrolls at a US college.

[TylerDurden]

11 minutes ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

Why would he want to go to a country with what many are calling an 'inferior freestyle program' and wrestle US folkstyle?  I can see a trip or two and some extended stays, but I doubt he enrolls at a US college.

Maybe he wants a degree? He did seem to be a fan of Vito. 

Cornell, confirmed. 

[CA_Wrestler]

2 hours ago, Eagle26 said:

He’s impressive for sure. Looks like he may be trying to attend college here. Maybe he will look to get US citizenship before 2028?

No.

 

He's been with Yamanashi Gakuin University and currently there now.

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

5 minutes ago, TylerDurden said:

Maybe he wants a degree? He did seem to be a fan of Vito. 

Cornell, confirmed. 

Ummm lets count the reasons why not: Already a student in Japan.  Significant language difficulties.  Significant cultural differences.  Wrestling folkstyle? C'mon man!

Are you sure he's still a fan of Vito?  

[SuperBonBon]

American universities are the best in the world.  One of our strongest products as a country.  I would imagine the cost is a limiting factor of why more foreigners don't attend American universities.

Personally I love when wrestling programs have foreigners in their program.  It makes it more interesting as a sport.  Maybe even more exotic.

 

Edited November 1 by SuperBonBon

[BuckyBadger]

2 hours ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

Why would he want to go to a country with what many are calling an 'inferior freestyle program' and wrestle US folkstyle?  I can see a trip or two and some extended stays, but I doubt he enrolls at a US college.

He’s coming to train for the winter, not permanently, I believe. It probably benefits him more to do something like this and get a better idea of the competition’s strength/weaknesses.

[Eagle26]

3 hours ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

Why would he want to go to a country with what many are calling an 'inferior freestyle program' and wrestle US folkstyle?  I can see a trip or two and some extended stays, but I doubt he enrolls at a US college.

We’ve had plenty of freestyle success and a lot of it has been guys right out of college. But the motivation doesn’t have to be wrestling related… it could be for education, culture, experience, money, etc. Plus, you have to consider that most wrestlers who change citizenship are doing it to go to an “inferior” country. The main motivation is to secure an Olympic spot… he’s a gold medal contender for sure, but it’s far from a guarantee he could make Japans team.

To be clear, I have no idea if this is his plan… it was pure speculation. But I don’t think you can say there would be no reason for it all. 

Edited November 1 by Eagle26

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

5 minutes ago, BuckyBadger said:

He’s coming to train for the winter, not permanently, I believe. It probably benefits him more to do something like this and get a better idea of the competition’s strength/weaknesses.

Oh, I COMPLETELY get that.  But we have multiple posters wondering in DT is recruiting him, if he's going to try NCAA, or even enroll at Cornell or PSU.  The NCAA thing just isn't going to happen.

[Eagle26]

2 hours ago, CA_Wrestler said:

No.

 

He's been with Yamanashi Gakuin University and currently there now.

Maybe he landed a good NIL deal and is about to hit the transfer portal

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

1 minute ago, Eagle26 said:

We’ve had plenty of freestyle success and a lot of it has been guys right out of college. But the motivation doesn’t have to be wrestling related… it could be for education, culture, experience, etc. Plus, you have to consider that most wrestlers who change citizenship are doing it to go to an “inferior” country. The main motivation is to secure an Olympic spot… he’s a gold medal contender for sure, but it’s far from a guarantee he could make Japans team.

To be clear, I have no idea if this is his plan… it was pure speculation. But I don’t think you can say there would be no reason for it all. 

I did, and will continue to do so.

[Sublime607]

You have to respect what Japan has done. 10 years ago it would be a joke if someone listed them as a threat to win overall worlds and Olympics. They don't Gass and are technically sound. If wrestling grows in popularity because of these recent results we might be looking at the new king of wrestling in future.

Edited November 1 by Sublime607

[GimJustafan]

22 hours ago, ionel said:

of course- penn state  the god dam monopoly of college wrestling 

[GimJustafan]

^^^^^^Ono was (and is) damn impressive.  Cut through guys like a hot knife in butter.   He's super quick and technically very good.   Apparently, he will be training at Penn State this winter.   Wondering whether Cael offers him a scholarship to do folkstyle or a place at the NLWC

[BuckyBadger]

1 hour ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

Oh, I COMPLETELY get that.  But we have multiple posters wondering in DT is recruiting him, if he's going to try NCAA, or even enroll at Cornell or PSU.  The NCAA thing just isn't going to happen.

That’s probably true if it is more of a permanent move.

[CHROMEBIRD]

57 minutes ago, Sublime607 said:

You have to respect what Japan has done. 10 years ago it would be a joke if someone listed them as a threat to win overall worlds and Olympics. They don't Gass and are technically sound. If wrestling grows in popularity because of these recent results we might be looking at the new king of wrestling in future.

Japanese wrestlers defecting to Russia because it's easier to make the world team there... Seriously though, I wonder if this will translate into more UWW events outside of Eastern Europe. Going to Worlds in Japan or elsewhere around Asia/Oceania might be a nice change of scenery. The wifi and streaming may also be a little more reliable.