is a Japanese former amateur Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the men's middleweight category. Katayama wrestled for the Japanese squad in two editions of the Summer Olympics (1996 and 2000), finishing eighth in Atlanta and seventeenth in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, respectively. Outside the Games, Katayama produced a career tally of seven medals in a major international competition, two of which were awarded at the Asian Games (1994 and 1998). Katayama was also a member of the national wrestling squad under coach and three-time Olympian

Yasutoshi Moriyama is a Japanese former wrestler who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics, in the 1988 Summer Olympics, and in the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), ...

, while training full time at the Sports Club of Self-Defense Forces in

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

. Katayama came to prominence in international wrestling, when his country Japan hosted the

1994 Asian Games The 1994 Asian Games ( ja, 1994年アジア競技大会, ''Senkyūhyakukyūjūyon-nen Ajia kyōgi taikai''), also known as the XII Asiad and the 12th Asian Games ( ja, 第12回アジア競技大会, Daijūni-kai Ajia kyōgi taikai), were held from ...

held in

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

. There, he rounded off the podium with a bronze over Iranian wrestler and 1992 Olympian

Ahad Javansalehi Ahad Javansalehi ( fa, احد جوانصالحی, born 16 September 1965 in Ardabil) is an Iranian wrestler. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano ...

in the 74-kg division. At his maiden Olympics in

Atlanta 1996 The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, Katayama started the competition in the men's welterweight category (74 kg) with a powerful 13–2 triumph over Algeria's Youcef Bouguerra, before falling behind Finland's eventual silver medalist

Marko Asell Marko Asell (born 8 May 1970 in Ylöjärvi) is a Finnish wrestler and Olympic medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling. He was also a politician and member of Finnish Parliament in 2007–2011. Olympics Asell competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in A ...

in his next bout by a 2–4 verdict. Facing German opponent

Erik Hahn Erik Hahn (born 25 September 1970) is a German wrestler. He competed in the men's Greco-Roman 74 kg at the 1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly ...

on the losers' circle, Katayama could not hold him tightly on the mat and lost the match 2–5. Originally placed tenth, Katayama upgraded his position to eighth, as two other wrestlers decided to forfeit the final consolation round. Katayama reached the peak of his wrestling career by winning the gold medal at the 1997 Asian Championships in Tehran, Iran. When he entered the

1998 Asian Games The 1998 Asian Games (), officially known as the 13th Asian Games and the XIII Asiad, was an Asian multi-sport event celebrated in Bangkok, Thailand from December 6 to 20, 1998, with 377 events in 36 sports and disciplines participated by 6,554 ...

with the best chance to top the podium in the 76 kg category, Katayama narrowly missed a single point to subdue his Kazakh opponent Bakhtiyar Baiseitov (4–5) for gold in the final match, ending his second Asiad with a silver. At the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

, Katayama qualified for his second Japanese team in the men's middleweight division (76 kg) by placing seventh and securing a berth at the third Olympic Qualification Tournament in Alexandria, Egypt. Unlike his previous Games, Katayama lost his opening match 0–4 to the eventual champion

Murat Kardanov Murat Nausbievich Kardanov (russian: Мурат Наусбиевич Карданов; ady, Къардэн Мурат, Нэусби и къуэ) (born January 4, 1971, in Zaragij village, Kabardino-Balkaria) is a Russian wrestler ...

of Russia and could not rally for points to break a 2–2 draw against Hungary's

Tamás Berzicza Tamás Berzicza (born 15 August 1975 in Zalaegerszeg) is a retired amateur Hungarian Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the men's middleweight category. Considered one of the world's top Greco-Roman wrestlers in his decade, Berzicza had clai ...

upon the referee's decision, dropping him to the bottom of the prelim pool and seventeenth overall in the final standings. Shortly after the Games, Katayama retired from competitive wrestling to serve in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

References

External links

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JOC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katayama, Takamitsu 1971 births Living people Japanese male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers for Japan Wrestlers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Akita Prefecture Asian Games medalists in wrestling Wrestlers at the 1994 Asian Games Wrestlers at the 1998 Asian Games Asian Games silver medalists for Japan Asian Games bronze medalists for Japan Medalists at the 1994 Asian Games Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games 20th-century Japanese sportsmen 21st-century Japanese sportsmen