Yojiro Uetake

Yojiro Uetake (上武 洋次郎, Uetake Yōjirō, born January 12, 1943) is a Japanese wrestler and two-time Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling. He went undefeated for the entirety of his college career, winning three consecutive NCAA Championships. Uetake was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma as a Distinguished Member in 1980.^[1] In 2005, he was inducted into the FILA Hall of Fame.^[2] He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.^[3]

Yojiro Uetake

Personal information
Nationality	Japan
Born	(1943-01-12) January 12, 1943 (age 81) Ora, Japan
Sport
Country	Japan
Sport	Wrestling
Event(s)	Freestyle and Folkstyle
College team	Oklahoma State
Medal record Men's freestyle wrestling Representing  Japan Olympic Games 1964 Tokyo 57 kg 1968 Mexico City 57 kg Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Oklahoma State Cowboys NCAA Division I Championships 1964 Ithaca 130 lb 1965 Laramie 130 lb 1966 Ames 130 lb

Life and career

Uetake had originally hoped to learn judo, but was considered too light. He later went on to become a high school wrestling national champion in Japan. The commissioner of the Japanese Wrestling Federation sent Uetake to the Oklahoma State University as a promise to head coach Myron Roderick. Roderick considered him "by far the best wrestler he ever saw or coached". While at Oklahoma State, Uetake was a three-time undefeated NCAA Champion. Later, Uetake went back to Japan as a coach.^[4]

Olympics

Uetake competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo where he won a gold medal in Freestyle wrestling in the bantamweight class.^[5]

He also won a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics.^[6] Despite suffering a separated shoulder in the second round while trailing 0–2, Uetake managed to even the score at 2-2 and ended up with the gold medal in the 57 kg division.

References

1. Yojiro Uetake Obata. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
2. "Kevin Jackson, Yojiro Uetake among 11 inducted into FILA Wrestling Hall of Fame". TheMat.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-06.
3. "THE GREATEST EVER: Japanese import Uetake honored by Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
4. "Two-Time Olympic Champion Wrestler Yojiro Uetake Part 2: Born in Japan, Made in America". theolympians.co. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
5. "1964 Summer Olympics – Tokyo, Japan – Wrestling" Archived 2007-08-26 at the Wayback Machine databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on September 2, 2008)
6. "1968 Summer Olympics – Mexico City, Mexico – Wrestling" Archived 2008-09-29 at the Wayback Machine databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on September 2, 2008)