JAPANESE WOMEN LEAD THE WAY IN GOLDEN GRAND PRIX FINAL
BAKU (September 21-23) – Yui Sakano upended a 2011 world champion to claim her fifth straight triumph in international competition as the Japanese women led the way with four championships at the FILA Golden Grand Prix Final.
Sakano, a student at Tokyo's Abe Gakuin high school, opened with a win over this year's European junior champion Mimi Hristova (BUL), then stopped 2011 world champ Anna Vasylenko (UKR) for the title at 59kg.
Kanako Murata, meanwhile, followed up on victory at the junior world championships and defeated 2011 European bronze medalist Katarzyna Krawczyk (POL) for her fourth international triumph of 2012.
Yu Miyahara, a member of the JOC Elite Academy, outscored four opponents 33-0 to add the GGP title at 51kg to add to her Asia junior crown in May, while Anna Iwamure made her international debut with a win at 48kg.
Japan also received three bronze medals from Yurika Ito (63kg) and Sara Dosho (67kg) and Chiaki Iijima (67kg).
Japan struggled in the men's events with only Tsubasa Ogata having a chance to win a medal. Ogata, however, lost to 2009 junior world bronze medalist Khursad Babashov (AZE) at 55kg in greco-roman and had to settle for fifth place.
Women's freestyle
48kg – IWAMURE, Anna (Gold, 14 entries)
R1 – df. Iryna Rybak (UKR), 2-1 (1-5, 4-2, 1-0)
R2 – df. Fredrika Ida Petersson (SWE), 2-0 (2-2, 2-0)
SF – df. Shafag Muradzade (AZE), 2-0 (4-3, 6-0)
F1 – df. Nataliya Pulkovska (UKR), 2-0 (1-0, 1-1)
48kg – SUZUKI, Ayano (8th, 14 entries)
R1 – df. Iwona Matkowska (POL) by fall, 2P (1-0, F3-0)
R2 – lost to Nataliya Pulkovska (UKR), 1-2 (0-2, 1-0, 0-1)
c1 – lost to Elena Vostrikova (RUS), 0-2 (0-1, 0-1)
51kg – MIYAHARA, Yu (Gold, 11 entries)
R1 – df. Samantha Klinger (USA) by TF, 2-0 (6-0, 7-0)
R2 – df. Renata Omilusik (POL) by TF, 2-0 (5-0, 6-0)
SF – df. Roksana Zasina (POL), 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)
F1 – df. Anzhela Dorogan (AZE) by fall, 1P (F7-0)
51kg – SHIDOCHI, Mareka (7th, 11 entries)
R1 – df. Ekaterina Krasnova (RUS), 2-0 (3-0, 6-0)
R2 – lost to Roksana Zasina (POL), 1-2 (1-0, 0-3, 0-2)
55kg – MURATA, Kanako (Gold, 10 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – df. Aizhan Ismagulova (KAZ) by fall, 2P (3-1, F5-0)
SF – df. Tatiana Debien (FRA) by fall, 1P (F2-0)
F1 – df. Katarzyna Krawczyk (POL), 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)
59kg – SAKANO, Yui (Gold, 8 entries)
R1 – df. Mimi Hristova (BUL) by fall, 1P (F5-0)
SF – df. Irina Netreba (AZE), 2-0 (1-0, 5-1)
F1 – df. Anna Vasylenko (UKR), 2-1 (3-0, 1-4, 1-0)
63kg – ITO, Yurika (Bronze, 11 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – lost to Yuliya Ostapchuk (UKR) by fall, 2P (0-3, F0-6)
F3 – df. Amanda Hendey (USA) by fall, 1P (F7-0)
67kg – DOSHO, Sara (Bronze, 9 entries)
R1 – df. Marianna Sastin (HUN), 2-1 (1-0, 1-3, 1-0)
R2 – df. Gozal Zutova (AZE), 2-0 (4-2, 6-0)
SF – lost to Nadya Sementsova (AZE), 0-2 (0-1, 1-1)
F3 – df. Mariya Zaitseva (KAZ) by fall, 2P (3-0, F6-0)
67kg – IIJIMA, Chiaki (Bronze, 9 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – df. Anastasia Shchavlinskaya (RUS) by fall, 2P (1-0, F4-0)
SF – lost to Veronica Carlson (USA), 1-2 (0-1, 1-0, 0-1)
F3 – df. Henna Johansson (SWE), 2-1 (0-1, 1-0, 1-0)
72kg – SHINKAI, Mami (6th, 7 entries)
R1 – lost to Agnieszka Wieszczek (POL), 1-2 (0-1, 1-0, 0-1)
Men's freestyle
66kg – KOISHIHARA, Takuma (7th, 11 entries)
R1 – df. Rasul Murtazaliev (RUS), 2-1 (0-4, 3-2, 1-0)
R2 – lost to Eminent Azizov (AZE), 0-2 (0-1, 0-3)
c1 – lost to Azamat Omurzhanov (KAZ), 1-2 (1-0, 0-1, 0-1)
Greco-roman
55kg – OGATA, Tsubasa (5th, 17 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – df. Elchin Aliyev (AZE), 2-1 (0-1, 2-0, 1-1)
R3 – lost to Orkhan Ahmadov (AZE), 0-2 (0-1, 0-2)
c1 – df. Sayasat Shangitbayev (KAZ), 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)
F3 – lost to Khursad Babashov (AZE), 1-2 (0-1, 1-0, 0-1)
60kg – MINEMURA, Ryo (12th, 17 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – lost to Elmurat Tasmuradov (UZB), 1-2 (0-2, 5-0, 1-3)
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