Olympics: Japan's fab four repeat Athens success

Monday 18 August 2008

BEIJING - Five-time world champion Kaori Icho retained her Olympic 63kg title on Sunday as Japan's formidable four in women's wrestling duplicated their Athens Games medal haul.

But China unveiled a new weapon in the 72kg heavyweight division as world junior champion Wang Jiao upset the senior title holder, Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria, with a breathtaking fall to keep the title won by compatriot Wang Xu in Athens.

Wang, the 2005 Asian champion, battled back from 3-2 down to pin Zlateva with three seconds to go in the first period.

"I was a little bit passive at the beginning because I had never fought (Zlateve) before," said the 20-year-old Wang.

"But later I attacked more than I defended because I believe attack is the best form of defence."

Zlateva, 25, had won the world and European titles for the second straight year and hoped to put behind her a disaster at the Athens Olympics in 2004 where she ended 12th.

"I felt a little nervous because everybody wanted me to become an Olympic champion," a dejected Zlateva said. "That's the reason I didn't fight well.

Japan dominated the four-category two-day contest with the same wrestlers winning the same medals as they did in Athens - two golds, one silver and one bronze - when women's freestyle wrestling made its Olympic debut.

China and Canada won the two other gold medals.

Icho, 24, whose older sister Chiharu grabbed her second straight 48kg silver medal on Saturday, beat European champion Alena Kartashova of Russia in the final by taking the two periods, both from a tie-breaking clinch position.

"The final match was very long. I even thought I was going to lose. But I kept telling myself to win," said Icho, who had vowed with her 26-year-old sister, a three-time world champion, to strike double gold here.

"We didn't achieve our dream. I didn't sleep well last night," she said. "If Chiharu said she was going to retire after this competition, I would say the same."

Wang helped Japan's carbon-copy run by pinning former five-time world champion Kyoko Hamaguchi in the semi-finals, avenging the 0-2 loss she suffered at the hands of the 30-year-old Japanese in the 2005 world semi-finals.

Hamaguchi fought through the repechage round of losers to the eventual winners and grabbed her second straight Olympic bronze.

On Saturday, five-time world champion Saori Yoshida retained her 55kg Olympic title, crowning her comeback from her shock World Cup defeat which ended her 119-match winning streak in January.

"China are working hard and so are Japan," said Hamaguchi. "I think it will be great if Japan and China can join hands in demonstrating Asian power to the rest of the world."

Asia made an impression here as Canada's gold medal was also won by Carol Huynh, a daughter of Chinese-Vietnamese refugees.

Japan coach Kazuhito Sakae said the time was near to bring in new blood to his foursome whose collection of Olympic and world championship gold medals increased to 22.

"I think it imperative to cultivate wrestlers who can overtake the veterans," he said.