Mukaida Losses 1st Int’l Bout, Takes Silver at Yarygin GP

KRASNOYARSK, Russia (January 23) – Youth Olympic Games gold medalist Mayu MUKAIDA suffered her first loss in international competition, but still grabbed a silver medal on the first day of the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix wrestling tournament.

Mukaida, wrestling in her first senior-level event defeated Asian Games bronze medalist Tatiana AMAZHOL (KAZ) and 2013 world runner-up Sumiya ERDENECHIMEG (MGL) on her way to the 53kg final, but stumbled to European junior champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA, 3-8, in the title bout.

The Abe Gakuin high school student, who turns 18 in June, has won two cadet world titles and last year took the Asia cadet crown and the gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games in August.

Meanwhile, world cadet bronze medalist Yukako KAWAI (58kg), Copa Brasil winner Haruko SATO (60kg) and junior world champion Masako FURUICHI (69kg) all advanced to the bronze medal finals but were relegated to fifth-place finishes.

In men freestyle, Japan’s three entries at 57kg drew to the top three positions of the competition with London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medalist Shinichi YUMOTO advancing to the quarterfinals. Yumoto, however, lost to world university bronze medal winner Nyurgun SKRYABIN (RUS), 1-4, and did not get the chance to wrestle in the consolation bracket.

At 74kg, junior world team member Tsubasa ASAI fell to Russian nationals runner-up Yakub SHIKHGHAMALOV (RUS), 2-5, in the opening round and watched the remainder of the tourney from the sidelines.

Results of bouts involving Japanese entries:

Men’s Freestyle

57kg – YUMOTO, Shinichi (9th, 46 entries)

R1 – bye

R2 – df. TAOKUDUNBAYAR-YER (CHN) by TF, 14-4

R3 – df. Kazuya KOYANAGI (JPN) by TF, 10-0

QF – lost to Nyurgun SKRYABIN (RUS), 1-4

57kg – KOYANAGI, Kazuya (21st, 46 entries)

R1 – bye

R2 – df. Gaku AKAZAWA (JPN), 18-15

R3 – df. lost to Shinichi YUMOTO (JPN) by TF, 0-10

57kg – AKAZAWA, Gaku (25th, 46 entries)

R1 – bye

R2 – lost to Kazuya KOYANAGI (JPN), 15-18

74kg – ASAI, Tsubasa (24th, 31 entries)

R1 – lost to Yakub SHIKHGHAMALOV (RUS), 2-5

Women’s Wrestling

53kg – MUKAIDA, Mayu (2nd, 19 entries)

R1 – df. Natalya MALYSHEVA (RUS), 8-0

R2 – df. Otgontsetseg DAVAASUKH (MGL), 10-5

QF – df. Tatyana AMANZHOL (KAZ), 12-2

SF – df. Sumiya ERDENECHIMEG (MGL), 7-4

F1 – lost to Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS), 3-8

58kg – KAWAI, Yukako (5th, 10 entries)

R1 – lost to Baatarzhav SHOOVDOR (MGL), 3-4

c1 – df. Enkhbat GANTUGA (MGL)by fall (14-9)

F3 – lost to Michelle FAZZARi (CAN) by TF, 4-14

60kg – SATO, Haruka (5th, 12 entries)

R1 – df. Munktuya TUNGALAG (MGL), 5-5=last

QF – lost to Anastassia HUCHOK (BLR) by fall (4-7)

c1 – df. Maria LULKOVA (RUS), 4-2

F3 – lost to Zhargalma TSYRENOV (RUS), 2-3

69kg – FURUICHI, Masako (5th, 15 entries)

R1 – df. Svetlana SAYENKO (MDA) by TF, 10-0

QF – lost ot Natalya VOROBIEVA (RUS), 2-8

c1 – df. Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ), 9-3

F3 – lost to Dorothy YEATS (CAN), 6-8

==END ITEM