ATHENS (August 23) - Results of bouts involving and affecting Japanese entries in the women痴 wrestling competition August 22-23 at Ano Liossia Olympic Hall:
48 kg (14 entries) - ICHO, Chiharu
SF - Icho df. Angelique Berthenet (FRA) by TF, 12-1, 4:10
Icho spun around behind for one point and scored with a gut wrench for the only scoring in the first period. Icho opened the second period with a three-point double-leg takedown and added a gut wrench as she cruised into the gold medal final. Icho, last year's world champion at the non-Olympic weight of 51 kg, will face two-time world champion at 48 kg Irini Merleni of Ukraine for the gold medal.
SF - Irini Merleni (UKR) df. Patricia Miranda (USA), 9-0
F1 - Icho v Irini Merleni (UKR)
F3 - Angelique Berthenet (FRA) v Patricia Miranda (USA)
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55 kg (12 entries) - YOSHIDA, Saori
SF - Yoshida df. Anna Gomis (FRA), 7-6
Four-time former world champion Gomis countered Yoshida twice, throwing the reigning world champ to her for six points. Yoshida, however, stormed back in each case and grabbed the lead for good late in the second period with a simple go-behind. Yoshida squares off with Canada's unheralded Tonya Verbeek for the gold
medal.
SF - Tonya Verbeek (CAN) df. Ida-Theres Karlsson (SWE), 3-1
F1 - Yoshida v Tonya Verbeek (CAN)
F3 - Ida-Theres Karlsson (SWE) v Anna Gomis (FRA)
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63 kg (12 entries) - ICHO, Kaori
SF - Icho df. Lise Golliot-Legrand (FRA), 4-0
Icho scored a pair of takedowns in each period for a decisive win over the two-time former world champion from France. Icho will face America's Sara McMann for the gold medal in a rematch of last year's world
championship final.
SF - Sara McMann (USA) df. Stavroula Zygouri (GRE) by fall, 0:50
F1 - Icho v Sara McMann (USA)
F3 - Stavroula Zygouri (GRE) v Lise Golliot-Legrand (FRA)
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72 kg (12 entries) - HAMAGUCHI, Kyoko
SF - Wang Xu (CHN) df. Hamaguchi, 6-4
Hamaguchi and Wang, in a rematch of the 2002 world championship final, traded takedowns and tilts in the first period to stand level at 3-3. Hamaguchi, however, was penalized for one point in par terre for holding onto Wang's wrist too long in the second period and then gave up a gut wrench to fall behind 6-3. Hamaguchi answered back with a takedown for one point before time expired. Hamaguchi will face Svitlana Sayenko of Ukraine, the silver medalist at the 2004 European championships, for the bronze medal.
SF - Gouzal Maniourova (RUS) df. Svitlana Sayenko (UKR) by TF, 11-0
F1 - Gouzal Maniourova (RUS) v Wang xu (CHN)
F3 - Hamaguchi v. Svitlana Sayenko (UKR)
