To Our Friends in Wrestling Around the world
By William May
（Japan Amateur Wrestling Federation, Public
Information Committee
：wmay52@hotmail.com）
HAMAGUCHI MAKES IT 10 STRAIGHT AT NATIONALS --NAT'S C'HIPS (3)
TOKYO (December 23) - Kyoko Hamaguchi won in dominating fashion at 72 kg to become the second wrestler in Japanese wrestling history to win 10 championships in a row at the national championships. Olympic gold medalists Saori Yoshida and Kaori Icho also claimed their fourth straight national titles at 55 kg and 63 kg respectively as Yoshida extended her domestic winning streak to 86.
Wrestling on the final day of the national championships at Yoyogi No. 2 Gymnasium in Tokyo, Hamaguchi pinned Mie high school student Miki Enomoto in the semifinals and then took a one-sided 1-0, 4-0 win from Ayako Murashima in the finals. Hamaguchi, a silver medalist at this year's world meet in Budapest, was awarded the Emperor's Cup as the most outstanding wrestler of the championships. (The right is her father, Heigo "Animal" Hamaguchi, who was a
professional wrestler)
Hamaguchi's 10 championships in a row is second only to greco-roman
ironman Yasutoshi Moriyama, who won the national championship 14 years
in a row from 1982 to 1995.
Meanwhile, Yoshida notched a pair of pins and then defeated Chikako
Matsukawa 5-0, 4-0 to set at new standard for consecutive wins in domestic
events by a female in the combat sports. Previously, judoka Ryoko Tani
(formerly Tamura) had the record of 84 straight wins at home.
In greco-roman, Athens Olympians Makoto Sasamoto (60 kg) and Shingo
Matsumoto (84 kg) won their sixth and seventh championships respectively
while world team members Tomohiro Matsunaga (55 kg) and Kenichi Yumoto
(60
kg) won in freestyle.
Men's freestyle
55 kg (20 entries)
Championship final
Tomohiro Matsunaga df. Yasuhiro Inaba, 2-0 (4-0, 6-0=1:23)
Semifinals
Matsunaga df. Masashi Saito, 2-0 (1-0, 7-1=2:00)
Inaba df. Hideki Taoka, 2-0 (2x-2, 2-0)
----
60 kg (15 entries)
Championship final
Kenichi Yumoto df. Noriyuki Takatsuka, 2-0 (1-0, 3-0)
Semifinals
Yumoto df. Hiroki Sekikawa, 2-0 (3-0, 5-1)
Takatsuka df. Shinichi Inoue, 2-1 (0-1, 2-0, 2-1)
----
Greco-roman
60 kg (15 entries)
Championship final
Makoto Sasamoto df. Hideo Kitaoka, 2-0 (4-0, 8-0)
Semifinals
Sasamoto df. Hiroshi Shimomura, 2-0 (1x-1, 1x-1)
Kitaoka df. Yoshitaka Kido, 2-0 (4-0, 4-1)
----
84 kg (15 entries)
Championship final
Shingo Matsumoto df. Hiroshi Yorozu, 2-0 (8-0=1:09, 6-0=1:17)
Semifinals
Matsumoto df. Tetsuro Asami, 2-0 (7-2=1:49, 7-1=1:26)
Yorozu df. Shinobu Komukai by disq., 3P=2:00
----
Women
55 kg (10 entries)
Championship final
Saori Yoshida df. Chikako Matsukawa, 2-0 (5-0, 4-0)
Semifinals
Yoshida df. Miho Shibata by fall, 2P=0:32)
Matsukawa df. Ninako Hattori, 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)
----
63 kg (7 entries)
Championship final
Kaori Icho df. Erika Matsukawa by fall, 1P=1:24
Semifinals
Icho df. Maki Tsukamoto by fall, 1P=0:54
Matsukawa df. Chie Ishii by fall, 1P=0:50
----
72 kg (5 entries)
Championship final
Kyoko Hamaguchi df. Ayako Murashima, 2-0 (1-0, 4-0)
Semifinals
Hamaguchi df. Miki Enomoto by fall, 1P=0:31
Murashima df. Kie Tanaka, 2-0 (2-0, 1-0)
