ST. PETERSBURG (March 8) – Despite ceding a forfeit and competing with a youthful squad of reserve wrestlers, the Japanese women’s wrestling team defended their World Cup title Sunday in St. Petersburg beating host Russia, 5-3.

Japan has now captured three of the last four World Cup titles and leads all nations with eight total.

Russia was favored at several weights, but the Japanese side rattled off two significant upsets of highly ranked Russian opponents, en route to winning the first five weight classes. Hikari SUGAWARA (JPN) found three takedowns from short offense to upset No.3 Irina OLOGONOVA (RUS), 6-0 at 55kg and No.9 Risako KAWAI (JPN) had little trouble in dispatching No.2 Valeria KOBLOVA (RUS), 6-1 at 58kg.

World No.1 Chiho HAMADA (JPN) and 2014 European champion Maria GUROVA (RUS) had the day’s most exciting match, with Hamada needing a last-second shoelace snatching takedown to win, 4-3. Gurova in her first action back since suffering a season-ending elbow injury last August, finished the World Cup with a 3-1 record.

Natalia VOROBIEVA (RUS), competing in front of her home fans, was a highlight for the Russian side, finding a second period pin to give Russia one of their two wins in competed matches.

Mongolia took the bronze medal match beating the United States, 5-3. One of the most aggressive teams of the weekend, Mongolia found two falls and two technical falls largely from upper body throws. World champion SUKHEE Tsendchimed (60kg) bounced back from an upset loss Saturday to beat No.14 Kelsey CAMPBELL (USA) by TF, 12-1.

Azerbaijan squeaked past Ukraine, 4-4 with a 16-15 edge in classification points. World No.1 Yulia TKATCH (63kg) remained undefeated in 2015, and world No.2 Mariya STADNYK (48kg) finished the weekend flawless for Azerbaijan.

Poland bested Sweden, 5-3 to earn 7th place.

The United World Wrestling World Cup series will conclude April 11-12 at the Freestyle Wrestling World Cup in Los Angeles.

Gold Medal Match: Japan df. Russia, 5-3

48kg: No.7 Yu MIYAHARA (JPN) df. Nadezhda FEDOROVA (RUS), 14-6
53kg: No.1 Chiho HAMADA (JPN) df. Mariia GUROVA (RUS), 4-3
55kg: Hikari SUGAWARA (JPN) df. No.3 Irina OLOGONOVA (RUS), 6-0
58kg: No.9 Risako KAWAI (JPN) df. No.2 Valeria KOBLOVA (RUS), 6-1
60kg: Kanako MURATA (JPN) df. Zhargalma TCYRENOVA (RUS) by TF, 11-0
63kg: No.5 Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS) via forfeit
69kg: No.3 Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) df. Kayoko KUDO (JPN) by FALL 
75kg: No.13 Ekaterina BUKINA (RUS) df. No.12 Hiroe SUZUKI (JPN), 4-0

Bronze Medal Finals: Mongolia df. United States, 5-3

48kg: No.11 Alyssa  LAMPE (USA) df. No.17 Narangerel ERDENESUKH (MGL), 10-8 
53kg: No.8 Sumiya ERDENECHIMEG (MGL) df. No.5 Whitney CONDER (USA) by FALL, 4-2  
55kg: No.2 Helen Louise MAROULIS (USA) df. No.7 Byambatseren SUNDEV (MGL), 2-1  
58kg: No.15 Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) df. No.6 Allison RAGAN (USA) by TF, 10-0  
60kg: No.1 Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) df. No.14 Kelsey CAMPBELL (USA) by TF, 12-1
63kg: No.3 Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD (MGL) df. No.18 Erin CLODGO (USA) by FALL, 11-2 
69kg: No.7 Nasanburmaa OCHIRBAT (MGL) df. No.2 Elena Sergey PIROZHKOV (USA), 8-5 
75kg: No.1 Adeline GRAY (USA) df. Naranchimeg GELEGJAMTS (MGL) by TF, 10-0

5th Place: Azerbaijan df. Ukraine, 4-4 (16-15)

48kg: No.2 Mariya STADNYK (AZE) df. Olga SCHNAIDER (UKR) by TF, 13-0  
53kg: Anzhela DOROGAN (AZE) df. Tetyana LAZAREVA (UKR), 5-0  
55kg: Natalya SINISHIN (AZE) df. Tetyana LAVRENCHUK (UKR), 5-3 
58kg: Tetiana OMELCHENKO (UKR) df. Irina Petrovna NETREBA (AZE), 10-1  
60kg: Oksana HERHEL (UKR) df. No.4 Yuliya RATKEVICH (AZE), 4-3  
63kg: No.1 Yuliia TKACH (UKR) df. Ragneta GURBANZADE (AZE) by TF, 10-0 
69kg: No.20 Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR) df. Nadiia MUSHKA SEMENTSOVA (AZE), 9-5  
75kg: Gozal ZUTOVA (AZE) df. Kateryna BURMISTROVA (UKR), 6-2  

7th Place: Poland df. Sweden, 5-3 

48kg: Anna LUKASIAK (POL) df. (SWE) by forfeit
53kg: Fredrika Ida PETERSSON (SWE) df. Paula KOZLOW (POL), 3-1
55kg: No.2 Sofia MATTSSON (SWE) df. No.13 Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) by TF,12-2
58kg: Aleksandra WOLCZYNSKA (POL) df. Szilvia PETER (SWE), 4-0
60kg: No.6 Johanna MATTSSON (SWE) df. Agnieszka Sylwia KROL (POL), 6-0
63kg: Monika MICHALIK (POL) df. No.12 Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE), 3-0  
69kg: No.15 Agnieszka WIESZCZEK-KORDUS (POL) df. Moa Lena Maria NYGREN (SWE) by TF, 10-0  
75kg: Daria Urszula OSOCKA (POL) df. Fanny Helene GRADIN (SWE) by TF, 10-0