ABE GAKUIN WINS 4 IN FIRST HS NAT’LS FOR GIRLS

SHIMABARA, Nagasaki (August 5-6) – Wrestlers from Tokyo’s Abe Gakuin high school won four individual titles in the first national high school wrestling championships to include girls’ events.

Yuki TANABE (64kg), Mayu MUKAIDA (52kg), Yoshimi KAYAMA (60kg) and Masako FURUICHI (70kg) led the charge for Abe Gakuin at Shimabara Fukko Arena which is hosting the summer wrestling classic for high school boys and girls.

Mayu MUKAIDA, who won as a first-year student at Abe Gakuin, was named the outstanding wrestler of the girls’ competition.

On the first day of competition, Kanae YAMADA of Abe Gakuin edged middle school phenom Kika KAGATA in the final seconds of their  quarterfinal bout, 10-8, to deny the Bunka Gakuen Suginami high school (Tokyo) student her chance to become a first-year champion.  YAMADA later fell to Nao TANIYAMA of Kaorigaoka Liberte high school (Osaka) in the 49kg championship final.

Girls’ freestyle champions:

46kg – Yuki TANABE, Abe Gakuin high school (Tokyo)

49kg – Nao TANIYAMA. Kaorigaoka Liberte high school (Osaka)

52kg – Mayu MUKAIDA, Abe Gakuin

56kg – Kumi IRIE, Kokura Shogyo high school (Fukuoka)

60kg – Yoshimi KAYAMA, Abe Gakuin

65kg – Misuzu TAKAHASHI, Omori Gakuen (Tokyo)

70kg – Masako FURUICHI, Abe Gakuin

Outstanding Wrestler – Mayu MUKAIDA (52kg), Abe Gakuin

==END ITEM