TOKYO, April 7 - Two young challengers from Chukyo Women's University pulled off a pair of big wins at the Japan Queens Cup wrestling tournament, the first competition to employ the weight classes instituted by FILA last winter.
Saori Yoshida(photgraph), a junior world champion at 58 kg, defeated
three-time world champion Seiko Yamamoto
in the finals at 55 kg and was named the
most outstanding wrestler of the tournament
at Komazawa Gymnasium in Tokyo. Yoshida's
win was a reversal of the national championship
final last December in which Yamamoto scored
in the last 20 seconds to complete a come-from-behind
triumph for the title.At 48 kg, Mika Noguchi defeated Misato Shimizu, a fifth-place finisher at last year's world championships, in the semifinals and then claimed her first Queen's Cup crown with a triumph over national champion Shoko Yoshimura.
Also for the CWU juggernaut, Chiharu Icho won her first title at 51 kg, CWU graduate Rena Iwama won at 59 kg and Kaori Icho, the champion at 56 kg one year ago, won at 63 kg to give the Nagoya school five of the seven titles at stake. The other two titles went to Norie Saito at 67 kg and Kyoko Hamaguchi at 72 kg.
National team berths for the world championships, World Cup and Asian Games will be determined in wrestle-offs at the national team training camps to be held through July.
The champions are:
48 kg - NOGUCHI, Mika (Chukyo Women's University, 1st title)
Born: 1982 October 9, Kagoshima Prefecture. Age: 19. High school: Kanoya Chuo, Kagoshima Prefecture. 1999 cadet world champion at 46 kg.
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51 kg - ICHO, Chiharu (CWU, 1st)
Born: 1981 October 9, Aomori Prefecture. Age: 20. High school: Amino, Kyoto. 2000, 2001 world champion at 50 kg.
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56 kg - YOSHIDA, Saori (CWU, 1st)
Born: 1982 October 5, Mie Prefecture. Age: 19. High School: Hisai, Mie. 1999 cadet world champion at 56 kg; 2000, 2001 junior world champion at 58 kg.
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59 kg - IWAMA, Rena (Repre, 2nd straight, 2nd overall)
Born: 1979 August 2, Iwate Prefecture. Age: 22. High School: Miyako Shogyo, Iwate. 1999 junior world champion 58 kg, 2000 world championships 2nd, 62 kg.
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63 kg - ICHO, Kaori (CWU high school, 2nd straight, 2nd overall)
Born: 1984 June 13, Aomori Prefecture. Age: 17. Ht: 165 cm. Won the 2001 Japan Queens Cup at 56 kg by fall over world champion Seiko Yamamoto. No international experience.
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67 kg - SAITO, Norie (Japan Beverage, 1st)
Born: 1978 October 24, Ibaraki Prefecture. Age: 23. High school: Tsuchiura Nichidai, Ibaraki. University: Teikyo. Switched from judo to wrestling after graduating university. National team member for 2001 world championships.
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72 kg - HAMAGUCHI, Kyoko (Hamaguchi Gym, 4th straight, 6th overall)
Born: 1978 January 11, Tokyo. Age: 24. Three-time world champion at 75 kg, 1997-1999. 1998 FILA women's wrestler of the year. 2000 world championships, 3rd. 2001 world championships, 4th.
WINNERS AT JUNIOR NATIONALS
YOKOHAMA, April 28 - Winners at the JOC Cup, junior national championships at Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium:
Freestyle
50 kg - Masahiro Shimozawa (Tokyo University of Agriculture)
54 kg - Seshito Shimizu (Nippon Sport Science University)
58 kg - Masashi Saito (Nihon University)
63 kg - Takayuki Suzuki (Ritsumeikan University)
69 kg - Koki Sugamori (NSSU)
76 kg - Ryuta Takahashi (Takushoku University)
85 kg - Takao Isokawa (Nihon Bunri University high school)
97 kg - Akihito Tanaka (Senshu University)
120 kg - Kazuo Sugiura (Yamanashi Gakuin University)
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Greco-roman
50 kg - Kohei Hasegawa (Yaezu Chuo high school Shizuoka)
54 kg - Munenori Wada (NSSU)
58 kg - Yuryo Shoji (Takushoku)
63 kg - Tatenori Funaba (Minami Kyushu University)
69 kg - Takeshi Yoshida (NSSU)
76 kg - Tatsuo Nagatomo (NSSU)
85 kg - Yoshio Shimowada (Takushoku)
97 kg - Nobuhiko Maejima (Takushoku)
120 kg - Hirokazu Shinjo (Kokushikan University)
