US Women win the team title at the world cup

[JDenz]

With the dual meet going down to the final match, the United States edged host Japan, 14-13, to claim the team title at the 3rd Women’s World Cup in Tokyo, Japan, October 11-12.
Japan and the USA are the two major powers in women’s freestyle wrestling, the newest sport in the Olympic Games. Japan and the United States were tied for first at the World Championships in New York City in September, but Japan won the title on a tiebreaker, most golds.

The victory over Japan in the World Cup on Sunday could be considered one of the greatest achievements for Team USA in women’s wrestling history, and a great boost for the program going into the first “Olympic year” for the sport. When the United States won its World Championships team title in 1999, it edged Japan by a point.
The World Cup is a dual meet tournament, with every team in the field competing against the other teams.

With Japan leading 12-11 going into the final match, Tocarra Montgomery (Cleveland, Ohio/Cumberland College) scored a 5-3 decision over five-time World Champion Kyoko Hamaguchi. That gave the U.S. three team points, and Japan received one point for Hamaguchi scoring at least one technical point, giving the U.S. the razor-thin 14-13 win. In the World Championship finals in New York City, Hamaguchi had beaten Montgomery, 4-1.

Both teams entered the gold-medal round with perfect 5-0 records. The U.S. jumped to an early 6-2 team lead with victories in the first two weight classes.
At 48 kg/105.5 lbs., 2003 World silver medallist Patricia Miranda (Colorado Springs, Colo./Dave Schultz WC) stopped Makiko Sakamoto, 4-3, to get the team to a good start. Miranda and Sakamoto did not face each other in New York City last month.
2003 World bronze medalist Jenny Wong (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) upset 2003 World champion Chiharu Icho, 4-2 at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. Wong and Icho did not face each other in New York City last month.

Japan responded by winning the next three matches and taking over the team lead at 12-7. Two-time World Champion Saori Yoshida continued her command of American Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 55 kg/121 lbs., winning their match by pin. Icho has defeated George in the World Championships gold-medal match the last two years, including a 5-2 win in New York City.

Four-time World Champion Seiko Yamamoto edged 2003 World bronze medalist Sally Roberts (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC), 3-2. They did not wrestle each other in New York City.

At 63 kg/136.5 lbs., two-time World Champion Kaori Icho defeated 2003 World silver medalist Sara McMann (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), 5-0. The two met in the gold-medal finals in New York City, with Icho winning a nailbiting 4-3 overtime match.
The U.S. put itself in position to win with a big victory by two-time World Champion Kristie Marano (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 67 kg/147.5 lbs. Marano pinned Norie Saito, giving Team USA four match points. Marano had also pinned Saito in New York City.
When Montgomery turned the tables on Hamaguchi, the most popular wrestler in Japan, the United States was able to leave Tokyo as the best women’s wrestling dual meet team in the entire world.

Earlier on Sunday, Team USA hammered Germany, 23-3, winning all seven matches. Scoring a pin was McMann, and Miranda won by technical fall. McMann pinned Stephanie Gross and Miranda stopped Sigrun Dobner, 12-1.

Four U.S. women claimed individual gold medals, for having the best performance against the rest of the women in their weight classes: Miranda, Roberts, Marano and Montgomery.

Miranda was the only U.S. champion with a perfect 6-0 record in a very difficult field. Only one other wrestler had a perfect 6-0 record, champion Saori Yoshida of Japan at 55 kg/121 lbs. Miranda was named Outstanding Wrestler of the World Cup, based upon her dominance of the competition.

Roberts, Marano and Montgomery were all 5-1 during the weekend, but won the gold medal based on the total number of classification points they scored during the tournament. The athletes that beat Marano and Montgomery were beaten by other athletes, and the athlete that beat Roberts did not compete in all of the dual meets.
Two U.S. wrestlers claimed silver medals: Wong and McMann. Both had 4-2 records, and scored enough points in comparison to the rest of the opponents to claim second place.
Canada claimed third place as a team, with Russia in fourth place. Both had identical 3-2-1 records, and they had a tie when they faced each other. Canada won the tiebreaker with the most classification points for the tournament, 95-85. Canada’s dominant 20-6 win over China opened the door for their impressive third-place finish.

China placed fifth, Germany sixth and Greece seventh in the final team standings.
This was the most challenging Women’s World Cup ever held. At the 2003 World Championships in New York City, Japan was 1st, USA 2nd, Russia 3rd, China 4th; Canada 6th; Greece 8th and Germany 10th.

The U.S. team was coached by National Women’s Coach Terry Steiner (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Chris Horpel (Stanford, Calif.)

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
in Tokyo, Japan, October 11, 2003
Final Team standings
1. USA (6-0 record), 12 pts.
2. Japan (5-1 record), 10 pts.
3. Canada (3-2-1 record), 7 pts.
4. Russia (3-2-1 record), 7 pts.
5. China (2-4 record), 4pts.
6. Germany (1-5 record). 2 pts.
7. Greece (0-6 record), 0 pts.

U.S. dual meets on Sunday
USA 23, Germany 3
48 kg – Patricia Miranda (USA) tech. fall Sigrun Dobner (Germany), 12-1; 51 kg – Jenny Wong (USA) dec. Alexandra Demmel (Germany), 3-1; 55 kg – Tina George (USA) dec. Christina Oertli (Germany), 7-0; 59 kg – Sally Roberts (USA) dec. Stefanie Stuber (Germany), 9-0; 63 kg – Sara McMann (USA) pin Stefanie Gross (Germany); 67 kg – Kristie Marano (USA) dec. Maria Muller (Germany), 13-4; 72 kg – Toccara Montgomery dec. Anita Schatzle (Germany), 3-0

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH –
USA 14, Japan 13
48 kg – Patricia Miranda (USA) dec. Makiko Sakamoto (Japan), 4-3; 51 kg – Jenny Wong (USA) dec. Chiharu Icho (Japan), 4-2; 55 kg – Saori Yoshida (Japan) pin Tina George (USA); 59 kg – Seiko Yamamoto (Japan) dec. Sally Roberts (USA), 4-3; 63 kg – Kaori Icho (Japan) dec. Sara McMann (USA), 5-0; 67 kg – Kristie Marano (USA) pin Norie Saito (Japan); 72 kg – Toccara Montgomery (USA) dec. Kyoko Hamaguchi (Japan), 5-3

U.S. dual meets on Saturday
USA 28, Greece 0
48 kg – Patricia Miranda (USA) pin Fant Psatha (Greece); 51 kg – Jenny Wong (USA) won by tech. fall over Evgenia Stamatakou (Greece), 10-0; 55 kg – Tina George (USA) won by tech. fall over Christina Skoulida (Greece), 10-0; 59 kg – Sally Roberts (USA) pin Agapi Christoudoulaki (Greece); 63 kg – Sara McMann (USA) pin Stavroula Zygouri (Greece); 67 kg – Kristie Marano (USA) pin Irini Dadouti (Greece); 72 kg – Toccara Montgomery (USA) pin Alexia Kourtelesi (Greece).

USA 18, Canada 9
48 kg – Patricia Miranda (USA) dec. Carol Huyhn (Canada), 7-1; 51 kg – Lyndsey Belisle (Canada) dec. Jenny Wong (USA), 4-2; 55 kg – Tonya Verbeek (Canada) dec. Tina George (USA), 4-3; 59 kg – Sally Roberts (USA) dec. Breann Graham (Canada), 8-0; 63 kg – Sara McMann (USA) pin Tara Hedican (Canada); 67 kg – Kristie Marano (USA) dec. Viola Yanik (Canada), 3-1; 72 kg – Toccara Montgomery (USA) dec. Christine Nordhagen (Canada), 11-9

USA 19, Russia 9
48 kg – Patricia Miranda (USA) dec. Lorisa Oorzak (Russia), 6-1; 51 kg – Jenny Wong (USA) dec. Natalia Ilina (Russia), 5-0; 55 kg – Natalia Golts (Russia) dec. Tina George (USA), 5-4; 59 kg – Sally Roberts (USA) dec. Natalia Ivachko (Russia), 6-3; 63 kg – Sara McMann (USA) won by tech. Fall over Liubov Volosova (Russia), 15-3; 67 kg –Svetlana Martynenko (Russia) dec. Kristie Marano (USA), 3-2; 72 kg – Toccara Montgomery (USA) pin Anna Shamova (Russia)

USA 16, China 12
48 kg – Patricia Miranda (USA) dec. Zuying Yang (China), 10-7; 51 kg – Xueceng Ren (China) dec. Jenny Wong (USA), 6-4; 55 kg – Tina George (USA) dec. Yanzhi Gao (China), 5-4; 59 kg – Sally Roberts (USA) pin Zhengyan Zhou (China); 63 kg – Huihua Su (China) pin Sara McMann (USA); 67 kg – Kristie Marano (USA) pin Cailei Wang (China); 72 kg –Ma Bailing (China) dec Toccara Montgomery (USA), 7-5

Other match scores on Sunday
Japan 24, Russia 2
Canada 21, Germany 4
China 28, Greece 0
Japan 28, Greece 0
Canada 20, China 6
Russia 16, China 11
Canada 28, Greece 0

Other match scores on Saturday
Russia 17, Germany 9
Japan 21, Canada 3
China 25, Germany 6
Russia 27, Greece 1
Japan 23, China 4
Germany 25, Greece 2
Japan 25, Germany 1
Canada 14, Russia 14

Individual medallists
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Gold – Patricia Miranda (USA); Silver – Zuying Yang (China); Bronze – Carol Huyhn (Canada)
51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Gold – Lyndsey Belisle (Canada); Silver – Jenny Wong (USA); Bronze – Xueceng Ren (China)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Gold – Saori Yoshida (Japan); Silver – Tonya Verbeek (Canada); Bronze – Natalia Golts (Russia)
59 kg/130 lbs. – Gold – Sally Roberts (USA); Silver – Seiko Yamamoto (Japan); Bronze – Breanne Graham (Canada)
63 kg/138.75 lbs. – Gold – Kaori Icho (Japan); Silver – Sara McMann (USA); Bronze – Huihua Su (China)
67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Gold – Kristie Marano (USA); Silver – Svetlana Martynenko (Russia); Bronze – Norie Saito (Japan)
72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Gold – Toccara Montgomery (USA); Silver – Christine Nordhagen (Canada); Bronze – Kyoko Hamaguchi (Japan)

 

[arnisador]

Good deal!

 

[JDenz]

Yes it is a huge step for US womens wrestling. Japan is a powerhouse and destroyed us head to head in Madison Square Garden. It is huge that we came back for the win in a team format. This is awsome because this will most likly be our US olympic team. There are only a few weight classes in the womens field that are as competive to the mens. No offense to the women it is just that there are probley 100 or more male wrestlers to one women lol.