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2026.06.30

Ayata Suzuki: My Journey So Far

Ayata Suzuki, a Greco-Roman wrestler who has claimed five All-Japan Championship titles and competed in the German professional league, the Bundesliga. Here, we introduce his journey so far and his feelings towards wrestling, as he continues to step onto the mat, overcoming injuries and setbacks along the way.

Discovering Wrestling at Age Five

I started wrestling when I was five years old. It all began because of my brother, who is two years older than me. One of his classmates did wrestling, and we went to watch together. The first club we visited didn't feel right, but the second one had a feel similar to a gymnastics class — playing with balance balls and tackling training dummies — and I found it so much fun that I started together with my brother.

In the early days, there were times I wanted to quit, but my mother always supported me, from driving me to practice to accompanying me on trips away. Looking back, I can only feel grateful. Without her, I would not be where I am today. As a young elementary school student, I had days where I just couldn't win at wrestling, but even so, the desire to win never left me. Because I had asthma, I also swam in parallel, and from sixth grade I took up judo as well, thinking it could help my wrestling.

Finding "the Zone" in My Third Year of High School

The match that became a major turning point was the Under-20 World Championship qualifier in my third year of high school. Competing as the youngest high school student among university third-year athletes, I won 13 to 11.

During the match, my body was exhausted, yet I had the sensation that I could score points with any technique I tried. It was a match where I kept returning my opponent's two points with four points of my own, and looking back later, I realised, "That must have been what they call being in the zone." This victory, where I was able to perform beyond my actual ability for the first time, became a great source of confidence in continuing with wrestling.

The Greatest Ordeal: Second Year of University

In the summer of my second year at Nippon Sport Science University, where I had been training hard after enrolling, I suffered the worst injury of my life. I tore multiple ligaments in my left knee and also fractured bones, and the doctor told me it would take a year to recover.
Just as I was beginning to think, "Maybe there's no point in continuing like this," my coach at the time said to me, "If you rot away here, everything will be over." Holding those words close, I committed to daily rehabilitation at the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences from Monday to Friday, and managed to return to competition in around half a year. This experience of rebuilding my mind and body when they were on the verge of breaking made me stronger as an athlete.

The Resolve Born from a Silver Medal, and then Germany

After graduating from university, I joined Lester. I went on to win the All-Japan Championship five times in total, but a neck injury forced me to withdraw midway from two important competitions in a row, and the path to the international competition I had been aiming for was closed off. I was beginning to feel like it might be time to walk away from the sport.

I told my mother I wanted to quit wrestling, and stepped onto the mat at the Asian Games intending it to be my last competition — yet I went on to win a silver medal in a field packed with strong competitors. Overcome with frustration, I called my parents in tears after the match. In the midst of all that, my high school mentor said to me, "Please keep going a little longer." A feeling grew within me that I had to keep going for the people around me, and I made the decision to continue wrestling for another four years.

One year after making that decision, driven by the desire to test myself at an even higher level, I took on the challenge of competing in the German professional league, the Bundesliga. With matches every week, I repeated weight cuts of three to four kilograms each week, and trained alongside athletes from many different countries.

Now, and Looking Ahead

Right now, I am focused on the tactical side of things — how to fight each opponent — and testing myself in practice every day.
My career, built through countless injuries and setbacks, continues. Carrying with me the desire to win that I have held since I was five years old standing on the mat, I will keep giving everything I have going forward.