CADET WORLD CHAMPS SNARE SENIOR TITLES AT KLIPPAN LADIES
KLIPPAN, Sweden (February 18-19) – Cadet world champions Risako Kawai and Yui Sakano fournd little difficulty wrestling in the senior division and came away with titles at the Klippan Ladies Open Golden Grand Prix wrestling tournament.
Sakano came from behind to defeat five-time European champion Ida-Theres Nerell (SWE) for the title at 59kg – her first in a senior competition. The 17-year-old student from Tokyo’s Abe Gakuin high school also pinned 2009 European silver medalist Emese Szabo (HUN) in the semifinals.
It was Sakano’s third straight title in Klippan, after winning cadet crowns last year and in 2010.
Kawai, meanwhile, advanced to the 51kg final via a fall and technical fall and then edged American world team member Whitney Conder (USA) for her second Golden Grand Prix title of the year.
The Shigakkan (Aichi) high school student, 17, won the Yarygin international crown in January. Kawai’s triumph in Klippan was her second following a win two years ago at 49kg in the cadet division.
Anri Kimura of Nishi Ora (Gunma) high school, who lost to Conder in the quarterfinals, came back for a bronze medal at 51kg, while Sachi Katagiri of Sakai Girls high school in Osaka had to settle for fifth place at 48kg after losing to European bronze medalist Iwona Matkowska (POL) and Liubov Salnikova (RUS), a third-place winner at the Yarygin International.
In the team standings, the Japanese junior select team finished in fourth place with two champions and a bronze medal for 43 points. Host Sweden won the team title with two champions, a silver and a bronze and 59 points, followed by Russia (54 points) and the United States (47 points).
Results of bout involving Japanese entries:
Women’s freestyle, senior-junior division
48kg – KATAGIRI, Sachi (5th, 16 entries)
R1 – df. Viktoria Jeppsson (SWE), 2-0 (1-0, 2-0)
R2 – df. Henriette Slattum (NOR), 2-1 (1-2, 3-0, 4-1)
SF – lost to Iwona Matkowska (POL), 0-2 (0-3, 1-1)
F3 – lost to Liubov Salnikova (RUS) by fall, 1P=1:56
48kg – SAITO, Honoka (9th, 16 entries)
R1 – lost to Marina Vilmova (RUS), 0-2 (1-3, 0-2)
c1 – lost to Mercedesz Denes (HUN), 1-2 (1-0, 0-1, 1-2)
48kg – ITO, Shiori (13th, 16 entries)
R1 – lost to Iwona Matkowska (POL), 0-2 (0-1, 0-1)
c1 – lost to Liubov Salnikova (RUS), 0-2 (1-2, 1-4)
51kg – KAWAI, Risako (Gold, 9 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – df. Cassandra Sjogren (SWE) by fall, 2P
SF – df. Jessica Medina (USA) by TF, 2-0 (7-0, 8-0)
F1 – df. Whitney Conder (USA), 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)
51kg – KIMURA, Anri (Bronze, 9 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – lost to Whitney Conder (USA), 0-2 (0-1, 0-1)
F3 – df. Fredrika Pettersson (SWE), 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)
59kg – SAKANO, Yui (Gold, 13 entries)
R1 – df. Mikaela Haglund (SWE) by TF, 2-0 (7-0, 8-0)
R2 – df. Johanna Kikkas (EST) by fall, 1P=1:56
SF – df. Emese Szabo (HUN), 2P=1:10
F1 – df. Ida-Theres Nerell (SWE), 2-1 (0-2, 1-0, 4-0)
63kg – MOCHIZUKI, Fusano (11th, 18 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – lost to Marianna Kolic (FRA), 1-2 (2-3, 2-1, 2-2)
67kg – ICHIKAWA, Yurika (4th, 4 entries)
RR1 – lost to Adeline Gray (USA) by fall, 2P
RR2 – lost to Marianna Sastin (HUN), 0-2 (0-2, 0-1)
RR3 – lost to Elif Yesilirmak (TUR), 0-2 (0-1, 0-2)
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