Japanese and Samoan wrestler (born 1990)
Gaku Akazawa (Japanese: 赤澤岳, romanized: Akazawa Gaku; born June 1990) is a Japanese and Samoan wrestler. He qualified to represent Samoa at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Life and career
Akazawa was born in Tokyo in June 1990.[1][2] He initially competed in kendo growing up, before beginning wrestling in sixth grade.[3] He won national championships both in junior high school and at Hanasaki Tokuharu High School [ja].[3] He attended Nihon University, but suffered multiple injuries while competing there, requiring surgeries on both shoulders which ended his hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics.[3]
After Akazawa graduated from Nihon University, he spent several years training in Russia but missed out on qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[3][4] Still pursuing his childhood dream of making the Olympics, he thought that changing nationalities would give him a better chance of making it for the next Olympics.[3] He recalled that one of his junior high school teachers had taught judo in Samoa and got in contact with him.[4]
Akazawa moved to Samoa in June 2017 and continued training; United World Wrestling noted that he became one of "about 10 wrestlers over the age of 14 in the entire country," as rugby is the most popular sport.[4][5] He opened a gym there, where he teaches the sport.[3] After marrying a woman he met in Samoa in 2018, he set up a massage parlor, which became popular locally.[3] He tried to make the 2020 Summer Olympics but was unable to gain Samoan citizenship in time.[5] Akazawa obtained Samoan citizenship in December 2023.[3] He competed at the 2024 African & Oceania Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament and won over his opponent from Guinea-Bissau to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[2]
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