PHUKET, Thailand (June 15) – Defending champion Yuka Yago racked up four technical fall victories at 48kg and claimed her second Asian junior wrestling title on the third day of the championships.
Yago's lone triumph was a large step down from last year's four gold medals for Japan, but it was enough to give Japan the team title on criteria after Japan and India finished tied at 55 points apiece. Yago's gold medal was the tie-breaker after the best India could do was a pair of silver medals.
Japan also had a pair of silver medals after Rumi Yokose finished in second at 55kg. Yokose, a student at Tokyo's Abe Gakuin high school, notched a fall and two technical falls before being flattened by Xie Jianyi (CHN) in the final. Anri Kimura won a silver medal for Japan at 51kg on the second day of competition.
Meanwhile, the men's freestyle competition got under way with Koki Ishitani of Wakayama's Kita high school taking a bronze medal at 50kg.
Women's freestyle
48kg – YAGO, Yuka (Gold, 9 entries)
R1 – df. Nguyen Thi Mai Lan (VIE) by TF, 2P (8-0)
R2 – df. Namuuntsetseg Tsogt-Ochir (MGL) by TF, 1P (7-0)
SF – df. Liu Shujin (CHN) by TF, 1P (7-0)
F1 – df. Mamta (IND) by TF, 2P (8-0)
55kg – YOKOSE, Rumi (Silver, 11 entries)
R1 – df. Battsetseg Altantsetsag (MGL) by fall, 2P (F7-2)
R2 – df. Tidarat Kaemoree (THA) by TF, 1P (7-0)
SF – df. Lalita (IND) by TF, 2P (10-3)
F1 – lost to Xie Jianyi (CHN) by fall, 1P (F0-3)
63kg – ICHIKAWA, Yurika (8th, 10 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – lost to Chen Wan-ling (TPE), 2-4
72kg – MAKISHIMA, Ryo (6th, 6 entries)
R1 – lost to Gulmaral Yerkebayeva (KAZ), 2-7
Team Results
1. Japan, 55 points (criteria); 2. India, 55; 3. Kazakhstan, 53
Men's freestyle
50kg – ISHITANI, Koki (Bronze, 14 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – df. Uula Zhirgalbek Abdikarim (KGZ), 8-6
SF – lost to Mostafa Yaghoubizeleti (IRI) by TF, 1P (0-9)
F3 – df. Methaq Ahmed Dahan al-Oqabi (YEM) by TF, 2P (8-1)
120kg – MATSUMOTO, Tetsuya (9th, 13 entries)
R1 – bye
R2 – lost to Kim Ji-Youn (KOR), 3-3
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