TOKYO (May 26) – Japan notched three wins in the preliminaries, including a 5-2 triumph over five-time defending champion China, to advance to the championship final of the World Cup of women’s wrestling.
Japan will square off with Russia in the host team’s first trip to the World Cup finals since 2007. Japan last won the World Cup in 2006 when the meet was held in Nagoya.
In the Group A final at Yoyogi National Gymnasium complex in Tokyo, Kyoko Hamaguchi capped Japan’s win over China with a come-from-behind victory over Beijing Olympic gold medalist Wang Jiao at 72kg.
All four of Japan’s wrestlers headed to this summer’s Olympics in London, including Hamaguchi, posted wins as Japan ended a four-match losing streak to the Chinese in the World Cup.
In the tournament opener against Ukraine, Hitomi Obara led off with a victory over former world champion Aleksandra Kohut at 48kg and cadet world champ Yu Miyahara edged 2004 Olympic gold medalist Irina Merleni at 51kg as Japan reeled off six straight for the win.
Against the United States, Obara and Saori Yoshida each notched falls, but Kaori Icho was stretched to the limit by Elena Pirozhkova in a 2-1 triumph at 63kg that secured the win for Japan.
In the Group B final, Beijing Olympic gold medalist Carol Huynh defaulted at 48kg with an injury and world silver medalist Tonya Verbeek was upset by 19-year-old Valeria Zholobova at 55kg as Russia rolled to a 6-1 win over Canada.
Detailed results of Japan's duals:
Group A, Round 1
Japan 6, Ukraine 1
48kg – Hitomi Obara df. Aleksandra Kohut, 2-0 (3-2, 6-0=1:34)
51kg – Yu Miyahara df. Irini Merleni, 2-1 (0-3, 1x-1=last, 1-0)
55kg – Kanako Murata df. Iryna Husyak, 2-0 (1x-1=last, 14-7)
59kg – Kayoko Shimada df. Ganna Vasylenko, 2-1 (0-1, 2-0, 2-0)
63kg – Kaori Icho df. Yuliya Ostapchuk, 2-0 (1-0, 4-1)
67kg – Sara Dosho df. Alina Stadnik, 2-0 (3-1, 7-1)
72kg – Kyoko Hamaguchi lost to Katerina Burmistrova, 0-2 (0-1=2:30, 0-1=2:10)
Group A, Round 2
Japan 5, United States 2
48kg – Hitomi Obara df. Clarissa Chun by fall, 1P=0:52 (F6-0)
51kg – Yu Miyahara df. Alyssa Lampe, 2-0 (1x-1=last, 6-0)
55kg – Saori Yoshida df. Kelsey Campbell by fall, 1P=1:51 (F4-0)
59kg – Takako Saito lost to Leigh Jaynes, 0-2, (0-2, 0-4)
63kg – Kaori Icho df. Elena Pirozhkova, 2-1 (1-0, 2-2x=big, 2-0)
67kg – Yoshiko Inoue df. Jennifer Page, 2-0 (2-0, 1-0)
72kg – Kyoko Hamaguchi lost to Adeline Gray by fall, 2P=1:01(1-0=2:03, F0-4)
Group A, Round 3
Japan 5, China 2
48kg – Hitomi Obara df. Li Hui, 2-1 (1-5, 4-0, 4-0)
51kg – Yu Miyahara df. Zhao Shasha, 2-1 (0-1, 6-0=1:25, 3-0)
55kg – Saori Yoshida df. Yang Chen, 2-0 (2-0, 1-0)
59kg – Kayoko Shimada lost to Li Hui, 2-1 (1-0=2:03, 0-3, 0-2)
63kg – Kaori Icho df. Jing Ruixue, 2-0 (1-0, 1x-1=last)
67kg – Yoshiko Inoue lost to Xu Haiyan by fall, 2P=1:44 (0-1, F0-4)
72kg – Kyoko Hamaguchi df. Wang Jiao, 2-1 (0-5, 5-1, 1-0)
Dual meet results
Group A
R1 – Japan 6, Ukraine 1; China 6, United States 1
R2 – Japan 5, United States 2; China 6, Ukraine 1
R3 – Japan 5, China 2; Ukraine 4, United States 3
Group B
R1 – Canada 4, Mongolia 3; Russia 5, Azerbaijan 2
R2 – Canada 5, Azerbaijan 2; Russia 5, Mongolia 2
R3 – Russia 6, Canada 1; Mongolia 5, Azerbaijan 2
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