Rena Iwama, right, wrestles her close friend and former teammate Saori Yoshida at Chukyo Women's University located in Obu, Aichi Prefecture.(The Asahi Shimbun)
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Attention
There is going to be the first annual USA Girls folkstyle Nationals in Oklahoma along side the University Nationals in Oklahoma on March 13-15. I think it is going to be for 3rd grade through High school. There will be more info soon. Plan to attend.
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AROUND JAPAN/ HANDA, Aichi Prefecture: Champ tackles her toughest goal yet
05/08/2007
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Rena Iwama, right, wrestles her close friend and former teammate Saori Yoshida at Chukyo Women's University located in Obu, Aichi Prefecture.(The Asahi Shimbun) |
Rena Iwama has taken on and beaten some of the world's best female wrestlers. Now the 27-year-old is wrestling with a very different, but no less formidable, challenge.
Since retiring from competition to take up school teaching, Iwama, who once ranked second in the world in her sport, has started building the foundations for the first predominantly women's wrestling team in a prefectural high school.
The Aichi Prefectural Board of Education has already indicated its support for the plan.
Iwama held the Japanese title in her weight division for five consecutive years from 1999, but retired in April last year. From this April she has been working at the Handa Agricultural Senior High School as a physical education teacher.
Although the school is co-educational, 70 percent of its students are female.
Iwama hails from Iwate Prefecture. She was part of the volleyball team in junior high school, but was persuaded by her homeroom teacher to enroll in Miyako Commercial Senior High School, a public school funded by the prefectural government that was recruiting talented female athletes for its wrestling team. She won first place in a national competition in her senior year, and won her first all-Japan competition soon after, while studying at Chukyo Women's University.
In 2000 she won the silver medal at the world championships, her only medal placing in three world championships.
Meanwhile, she worked for a number of years at Sohgo Security Services Co.
When she failed to win the all-Japan competition last spring, Iwama knew it was time to retire. She had some regrets, in particular the fact that she never won the world title.
"But I thought I could be more forward-looking if I started a new life with the same desire that I used in competition," she says.
Last summer, in preparation for a test to become a physical education teacher, Iwama practiced judo against Saori Yoshida, 24, an Athens Olympics wrestling gold medalist who was about to go on to the world championships.
"It was amazing that Iwama passed the [teaching] test right after retiring. She's a great role model," says Yoshida, who is also a graduate of Chukyo Women's University, an employee at Sohgo Security Services and like a younger sister to Iwama.
In her new role as a teacher, Iwama tries to model herself on Kazuhito Sakae, 46, the coach of the Chukyo Women's University wrestling team.
"I want to be able to mentor my students just like coach Sakae," says Iwama.
Although Aichi Prefecture is home to Chukyo Women's University, which is known worldwide for its women's wrestling team, no prefectural high school now has a women's wrestling team.
"I want to focus first on being a good teacher, but I would like to eventually teach students through wrestling that hard work pays off," says Iwama, hoping to put on a wrestling uniform again someday.(IHT/Asahi: May 8,2007)
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Wrestler Lorisa Oorzhak continues course of treatment in Kyzyl hospital,
Tuva 5/7/2007 1:29:00 PM
Russian wrestler, European champion 2004 and 2007, a participant of the Olympic Games 2004, Lorisa Oorzhak continues a course of treatment in the republican hospital in Kyzyl, Tuva, after being injured seriously in a traffic accident on April 21. Another European champion 2007 Anna Polovneva, who had suffered a back injury in the car accident on April 21, has already started to train and will participate in the assembly of Russia's national team in the town of Chekhov, the Moscow Region, on May 6-24. Chief of female wrestling department of Russian Wrestling Federation Alexander Zverkov announced it to "Ves Sport" agency.
"A few days ago I talked to coaches of Krasnoyarsk high sport mastership school, where Lorisa Oorzhak and Anna Polovneva are training," Alexander Zverkov told, "The guys told me Lorisa Oorzhak had been taken from Achinsk central district hospital of the Krasnoyarsk Territory to the town of Kyzyl, the capital of Tuva. She is having a rehabilitation course in the republican capital now. How long her rehabilitation is likely to last, whether Lorisa Oorzhak will be able to train and compete with one kidney left, these questions remain unanswered. At the same time Anna Polovneva, who was injured in that traffic accident on April 21 suffered light injuries of her back and ribs, as it emerged. She has already started training. She feels well and will take part in the assembly of our national team in Chekhov, the Moscow Region on May 6-24. And then she will compete for a pass to the world championship, where Olympic licenses for the Beijing Games will be drawn out."
As Newslab informed earlier, a car driven by Russia's wrestling national coach Victor Raikov, with passengers Lorisa Oorzhak and Anna Polovneva hit the pavement and the bus stop on April 21. Raikov suffered a chest fracture and a serious knee injury, Polovneva received a shock and a spinal cord injury. They are already at home. Oorzhak had a rupture of her left kidney, a rupture of her small intestine and a shoulder dislocation and had her kidney removed.
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Ogun wrestler breaks opponent's limbs, wins gold
By Solomon Nwoke
Posted to the Web: Monday, May 07, 2007
THREE little known wrestlers caused upsets in three styles at the just concluded Sam Egwu wrestling championship in Abakaliki. Six upsets were recorded out of the seven weight categories of the female wrestling, three out of the seven in the Greco Roma and four in the Free style fell during the tournament.
In what may be described as a desperate move to go to the All Africa Games in July by wrestlers, the little known ones were so determined to make their names and took the fight to the champions of the various weight classes.
Most interesting was in the female 51kg weight class where an entirely new female wrestler, Maria Musa from Ogun State mounted the wrestling mat and took the older ones by storm and left three opponents with broken limbs.
Musa did not only win her class but relegated the champion of the weight class, Adia David of Cross River State to the third place as Anambra State’s Ifeoma Nwoye won silver.
In the 48kg class Chinedu Afuine of Imo State defeated the champion in her class, Chidinma Deabua of Delta State to win the gold while Mary Effiong won bronze just like, Tega Richards of Lagos State dethroned the former champion in her 55kg weight category, Lovena Odolu of Cross River State while the bronze went to Edo State’s Molokwu Joy.
Also, Lagos State’s Becky Ademoh beat the former champion in the 63kg class, Helen Okuns of Bayelsa State to win the gold while Okuns won the silver as the bronze went to Akinsunoye Tola of Ondo State.
Ifeoma Iheanacho of Imo State won the female 67kg class and pushing the African champion, Happiness Burutu to the third place while Bunmi Ogunbamwo of Lagos State won the silver.
In the 72kg class Imo State’s Obiajunwa Amarachi retained her title while Blessing Asiali of Osun State picked the silver and Temitope Sowemimo of Lagos State won the bronze, just as Oyeins Tanghi of Bayelsa State came back to win her title from Esther Augustine of Lagos State who was pushed to the third place while Blessing Oborodudu of Bidei Club Bayelsa State won the silver.