// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Kazuhito Sakae? A sakae to fame.
.jpg) Kazuhito Sakae with Saori Yoshida at the 2008 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | June 19, 1960 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 62 kg (137 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Kazuhito Sakae (栄 和人, Sakae Kazuhito; born June 19, 1960) is a Japanese wrestling coach and retired wrestler who won several medals in the 62 kg category at the Asian and world level between 1983 and 1989. Kazuhito has trained Saori Yoshida, Kaori Icho, Hitomi Obara, Chiharu Icho, Kyoko Hamaguchi and Eri Tosaka, among others.
Biography
[edit]At the 1983 Asian Wrestling Championships, he won a gold medal in the freestyle wrestling and a silver in the Greco-Roman wrestling.[1][2]
After retiring from competitions he worked as a national coach, Around late 1980s,:Chukyo Women’s University, near Nagoya (later renamed Shigakkan University), launched its wrestling program. Several years afterward, the university appointed Kazuhito as head coach, who actively recruited the country’s strongest female wrestlers for the university team and its affiliated high school. He developed a coaching approach tailored to female athletes, modifying selected freestyle techniques to suit Female physique of lower center of gravity and greater upper-body flexibility, and prioritizing all-female sparring and drills on the grounds that women respond differently to wrestling scenarios than men.[3]
Japan's women's freestyle wrestling team, coached by Kazuhito successfully repeated their medal performance from the 2004 Athens Olympics at the 2008 Beijing Games. Under Sakae's guidance, the Japanese quartet earned two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze — the same result as in Athens — bringing their combined total of Olympic and world championship gold medals to 22. Following the competition, Kazuhito noted that it was time to introduce new talent to the team.[4]
During the 2016 Rio de Janeiro. Olympics, Kazuhito's team of women’s freestyle wrestling which includes Risako Kinjo and Eri Tosaka, has brought four gold medals.[5]
On December 19, 2019, he returned as head coach of the wrestling team at Shigakukan University.[6] On December 17, 2022 , he assumed the position of president of the Obu City Wrestling Association.[7]
He was married to Ryoko Sakamoto, the 1992 Women's World Championships 57 kg class gold medalist,[8][9][10][11] and a bodybuilder.[12] His daughter, Kiwa Sakae, is also a wrestler.[13] In 2008, Kazuhito married with Rena Iwata, another wrestler and also one of Kazuhito's former student.
In February 2026, it was announced that Kazuhito Sakae would participate in exchange events at three senior care facilities operated by Couleur (Kruur) in Aichi Prefecture on March 7, 2026. The events include talks and stretching sessions with residents, their families, and staff. This follows his retirement as Shigakkan University wrestling coach in March 2025 and his appointment as head coach of the Mongolian national wrestling team in August 2025, where he will prepare the team for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.[14]
References
[edit]- ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Kazuhito Sakae". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
- ↑ Sakae, Kazuhito (JPN). iat.uni-leipzig.de
- ↑ May, William (August 5, 2016). "Wrestling 101: What Is the Secret to Japan's Success in Women's Wrestling". United World Wrestling. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Japanese quartet repeat Athens success". Dawn. August 18, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ↑ "The Japanese Wrestling Team and Their Coach Had the Most Joyous Celebrations at the Olympics". TwistedSifter. August 22, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ "レスリング栄和人氏が監督復帰「生きがいを感じる」" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. December 19, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ "愛知：大府市にレスリング協会 振興へ大会や教室開催" (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. December 18, 2022. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ "【2015年世界選手権／日本代表選手・略歴】女子60kg級・栄希和（至学館大）". 日本レスリング協会. August 29, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- ↑ "前十字靭帯再建手術を受けて見事にカムバックを果たした、レスリングの坂本涼子選手 ナースセンターだより1992年５月". フジミックスTV / 旧スポーツ医・科学研究所 ナースセンターだより (in Japanese). 1992. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ "世界チャンピオン／女子（７）…坂本涼子". レスリング・スピリッツ : WRESTLING SPIRITS (in Japanese). Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ "International Wrestling Database – Sakae, Riyoko (JPN)". United World Wrestling. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ "スーパーレディ zeroのブログ". Ameba Blog (in Japanese). January 7, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ "栄希和逆転Ｖ、父和人氏に最高の誕生日プレゼント". 日刊スポーツ. June 19, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- ↑ "介護事業のクルールにて3/7(土)にレスリングの「栄和人監督」との交流イベントを開催いたします。" (in Japanese). PR TIMES. February 13, 2026. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Kazuhito Sakae at the International Wrestling Database
- Kazuhito Sakae at Olympedia
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