Junior Asian Championships

Trio of Junior World Champs Propel Japanese Women to Team Title at Junior Asian C'ships

Friday, July 12, 2019 - 15:10 By United World Wrestling Press

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CHON BURI, Thailand (July 12) - A trio of junior world champions helped propel Japan to the team title in women's wrestling on Friday at the Junior Asian Championships in Chon Buri, Thailand.

Umi IMAI (53kg), Andoriahanako SAWA (57kg) and Atena KODAMA (62kg), all returning junior world champions, captured gold medals on the final day of women's wrestling at the Junior Asian Championships.

Japan finished with 200 points and earned medals in all 10 weight categories. The medal haul included four gold medals, two silver medals and four bronze medals. China finished second in the team standings with 157 points, while India was third with 123 points. 

Umi IMAI (JPN) was dominant in the finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Imai, a Klippan Lady Open champion, won her second straight title at the Junior Asian Championships, beating Anudari NANDINTSETSEG (MGL) by 10-0 technical superiority in the finals at 53kg. She went up 4-0 in the first period. In the second period she added two takedowns before ending the match with a gut wrench. 

Andoriahanako SAWA (JPN) cruised to a 10-0 technical superiority in the finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Sawa cruised to the gold medal at 57kg with a 10-0 victory over Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ). She built a 6-0 lead after a takedown followed up by two gut wrenches. Sawa then took Anarkulova down to her back late in the first period, nearly securing the fall before settling with a technical superiority. 

Kodama claimed her gold medal at 62kg by defeating Yaru WU (CHN) 15-5 in the finals. She used two first-period takedowns to go up 4-0 at the break. Kodama added another takedown to go up 6-0 before Yu scored a reversal, which she followed up with two consecutive gut wrenches to get within a point at 6-5. But Kodama would dominate the rest of the way, scoring nine consecutive points on her way to a technical superiority. 


Yue ZHANG (CHN) celebrates after her finals victory. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Japan's gold-medal run was halted by Yue ZHANG (CHN), who defeated Shion MASUYAMA (JPN) by fall in the finals at 65kg. The two wrestlers traded four-point moves in the opening period, and Zhang held a 5-4 lead at the break. With just under two minutes remaining in the match, Zhang threw Masuyama to her back and secured a fall. 

Tsz CHANG (TPE) came from behind to win at 72kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

At 72kg, Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) came back to defeat Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB) to earn the gold medal. Oknazarova took a 2-0 lead into the break after a first-period takedown. She added to her lead in the second period with another takedown to go up 4-0 before Chang turned the tables, scoring with an exposure and then a takedown to take the lead on criteria with just over a minute and 30 seconds remaining. She would then hang on for the narrow victory. 

The freestyle competition at the Junior Asian Championships begins on Saturday. Action is set to begin at 10 a.m. local time.

RESULTS

Final Women's Wrestling Team Scores 
GOLD - Japan (200 points)
SILVER - China (157 points)
BRONZE - India (123 points)
Fourth - Uzbekistan (113 points)
Fifth - Kazakhstan (89 points)

53kg
GOLD - Umi IMAI (JPN) df. Anudari NANDINTSETSEG (MGL), 10-0
BRONZE - Song Ok KIM (PRK) df. Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB), 10-0
BRONZE - Pooja POOJA (IND) df. Thi Oanh NGUYEN (VIE), 4-0

57kg
GOLD - Andoriahanako SAWA (JPN) df. Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ), 10-0
BRONZE - Bharti BAGHEL (IND) df. Thi My Trang NGUYEN (VIE), 3-1
BRONZE - Youmei WU (CHN) df. Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB), 9-0

62kg
GOLD - Atena KODAMA (JPN) df. Yaru WU (CHN), 15-5
BRONZE - Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ) df. Aibike ARTYKALI KYZY (KGZ), 11-9
BRONZE - Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB) df. Phimsuphak AINPHEN (THA), FALL 

65kg
GOLD - Yue ZHANG (CHN) df. Shion MASUYAMA (JPN), FALL
BRONZE - Hsin Ping PAI (TPE) df. Assiya ALIBEK (KAZ), 7-2
BRONZE - Tina TINA (IND) df. Jeumeun KWON (KOR), FALL

72kg
GOLD - Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) df. Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB), 4-4 
BRONZE - Dieu Thuong LAI (VIE) df. Dokyung (Hyerim) YUN (KOR), 10-0
BRONZE - Kanon KOBAYASHI (JPN) df. Gulnaz ZHAPPAROVA (KAZ), 5-5
 

#development

UWW Educators Attend Special NCDA Cohort at NSSU

Friday, May 1, 2026 - 09:09 By United World Wrestling Press

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TOKYO (April 24) -- United World Wrestling's Development Officer Vicent AKA and Education Manager Zach ERRETT recently completed Cohort 9 for the National Coach Developer Academy [NCDA] at the Nippon Sport Science University in Tokyo, Japan.

The NCDA is programme that runs over seven months and includes two sessions at Nippon Sports Science University working with experts in coaching development. It is designed to help participants learn strategies for how to develop and train coaches [train the trainer].

NSSU conducts the programme, that helps train coach developers for different sports and organizations, in partnership with International Council for Coaching Excellence [ICCE] which was created in 1997.

DevelopmentUWW Educators Vincent AKA, left, and Zach ERRETT.

Both Aka and Errett participated with 13 other participants from around the world and different sports. During the programme, both improved their facilitation skills, learned new strategies for training and developing coaches, and designed and implemented a growth development project.

"The training was very interesting and allowed us to grow as a person and ideas for how to organize our system. We were able to learn something we would directly use and to learn from experts in the field," Aka said.

Errett said that the education he received at the NCDA will help them train coaches and educators better in wrestling.

"We had an opportunity to learn from experts in the field of coach development and learn from colleagues around the world," Errett said. "We can use this information to help better train coaches and educators in the future."

Cohort 10, the next edition of the programme, will be attended by UWW Educator Oyan NAZARIANI.

“I am honored to be selected for the NCDA programme," Nazariani said. "At this stage of my career, my focus is on developing structured and sustainable coach education systems. I am particularly excited to deepen my knowledge as a coach developer, strengthen the programme we plan to implement in Azerbaijan, and apply advanced methodologies both in national coaching courses and in international courses I conduct as a UWW Educator across different countries."