To Our Friends in Wrestling Around the world
By William May
(Japan Amateur Wrestling Federation, Public
Information Committee
:wmay52@hotmail.com)
SAKAMOTO, SHODA, INOUE WIN WORLD TEAM BERTHS
TOKYO (June 10) - World champions Hitomi Sakamoto and Ayako Shoda along
with junior world champ Yoshiko Inoue nailed down berths on the Japanese
women's squad for the Baku world championships in September. Sakamoto and
Shoda were given a chance to qualify for the world team at 51 kg and 59
kg, respectively, after failed bids to win spots on the Japanese team at
the Olympic weights of 55 kg and 63 kg in April.
Wrestle-offs for the women's squad were held on the final day of the men's
national invitational meet at Yoyogi No. 2 Gymnasium in Tokyo. Sakamoto
and Shoda will be seeking a ・three-peat・in Baku after winning world titles
in Budapest in 2005 and Guangzhou, China last year.
Inoue, meanwhile, a freshman at Chukyo Women's University near Nagoya will
be making her first trip to the senior world meet after defeating teammate
Mami Shinkai in the 67-kg wrestle-off. Inoue won the national championships
title in January, but lost in the semifinals of Queens Cup meet in April,
eventually won by Shinkai.
51kg : Hitomi Sakamoto | 59kg : Ayako Shoda | 67kg : Yoshiko Inoue |
Results of individual bouts:
51 kg
F1 - Hitomi Sakamoto df. Mizuho Shibata, 2-0 (1-0, 4-0)
59 kg
R1 - Mio Nishimaki df. Kei Yamana, 2-0 (2-0, 3-0)
F1 - Ayako Shodo df. Nishimaki, 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)
67 kg
F1 - Yoshiko Inoue df. Mami Shinkai, 2-1 (0-4, 1-0=2:07, 1-0)