Asian Games

Rio Champ Dosho to Miss Asian Games Due to Shoulder Injury

Thursday, April 19, 2018 - 15:14 By Ken Marantz

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World and Olympic champion Sara DOSHO (JPN) will miss the Asian Games in Jakarta this summer due to a left shoulder injury suffered at the recent Women's World Cup, the Japan Wrestling Federation has announced on its website.

Dosho's reign as a world champion is also in doubt, as she will almost surely to be forced to skip the Japan Invitational Championships (Meiji Cup) in June, which is serving as the final domestic qualifying tournament for Japan's team to the world championships in Budapest in October.

Sara DOSHO (JPN) df. Aline FOCKEN (GER) by 3-0 to win the gold medal at the 2017 World Championship. Photo by Martin Gabor.

Dosho suffered the injury, which has necessitated surgery, during her 68kg match against Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) on the opening day of the World Cup in Takasaki, Japan. Dosho took a 2-1 lead early, then held on to win by that score as Japan beat Canada 8-2.

The four-time world medalist skipped the gold-medal match the following day against China, which Japan won 6-4 for its fourth straight title. As team captain, she joined the celebrations on the mat.

Dosho, a product of powerhouse Shigakkan University who won a seventh consecutive national title last December, captured gold medals at 69kg at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2017 Paris world championships.

Dosho has not lost since the 2015 world championships in Las Vegas, where she fell in the third round 11-7 to FENG Zhou (CHN). She came back to win the bronze medal.

Ironically, Dosho and Feng were in line for a rematch in the final at the Women's World Cup, but Dosho's injury scuttled the clash.


Sara DOSHO (JPN) df. Martina KUENZ (AUT), 6-0 to seal her spot in the 2017 world finals. Photo by Martin Gabor. 

Dosho's place at the Asian Games will be taken in a three-way wrestle-off between Ayana GEMPEI, Miwa MORIKAWA, and Naruha MATSUYUKI on April 22 at the Ajinomoto National Training Center in Tokyo.

Gempei and Morikawa finished 1-2 at 65kg at the national championships, while Matsuyuki was the 72kg champion. All three were members of the Japan team in Takasaki.

At the Asian Games, wrestling will be held Aug. 19-22, with six weight classes in each style.

As entries must be finalized by the end of May, the Japan federation cannot use the results of the Meiji Cup to determine its team. As such, in principle, the winners of the respective weight classes at the national championships will fill the team spots, according to the website.

2026 U23 European Championships

Three Golds Power Belarus to First U23 Euro Women's Team Title

Saturday, March 14, 2026 - 00:19 By Vinay Siwach

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ZRENJANIN, Serbia (March 13) -- Three golds medals on Friday propelled Belarus to win its first-ever Women's Wrestling team title at the U23 European Championships. Belarus finished with 171 points to claim the top spot while Russia was second with 141 points. Ukraine finished third with 140 points.

After winning one gold medal on Thursday, Belarus added three through Aryna DZEMCHANKA MARTYNAVA (BLR), Kseniya TSIARENIA (BLR) and Viktoryia RADZKOVA (BLR). It also won one silver and one bronze while all 10 wrestlers contributed points to the team score.

European champion Alina SHAUCHUK (BLR) claimed the 68kg gold medal on Thursday and the gold rush on Friday began with Martynava scoring a tough win over Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR) in the 57kg final, a repeat from last year's edition.

In what turned out to be one-move match, Martynava scored a double-leg head-outside takedown in the first 10 seconds of the bout. She then sat on her two-point lead for five minutes and 50 seconds. In the second period, Martynava was called passive and Filipovych was given a point.

But the Ukrainian failed to score two more points that were needed for a win that would have avenged her loss from last year's final which Martynava won 8-2.

The Belarus wrestler now has two U23 European gold medals to go with her silver at the U23 World Championships and gold medal at the U20 World Championships.

The second gold for Belarus was won by Kseniya TSIARENIA (BLR) after she defeated Ekaterina KOSHKINA (RUS), 4-2, in the 65kg final. Tsiarenia controlled the match giving little chance to Koshkina to score.

It was only in the dying seconds of the match that Koshkina managed to score a harmless takedown for two points.

The third gold medal for Belarus was won by Viktoryia RADZKOVA (BLR) who denied Veronika VILK (CRO) a chance of winning a historical gold medal at 72kg. Radzkova opened the scoring when Vilk was called passive. Vilk then tried an arm-throw but Radzkova blocked her and scored two points to lead 3-0 at the break.

Vilk tried a headlock in the second period but Radzkova was ready for it and again blocked Vilk's attempt to score two points. A turn for exposure added two more points for Radzkova that extended her lead to 7-0.

Perhaps ready for another throw from Vilk, Radzkova stood up and when Vilk tried the throw, she once again blocked and landed on top. The two points plus two more points for the turn gave Radzkova an 11-0 win with a minute nine seconds left.

Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP) was also trying to achieve a historic gold for Spain but was denied as Anastasiia POLSKA (POL) used a fireman's carry to secure a fall in just a minute and 17 seconds and win gold at 53kg.

Senior world bronze medalist Amina TANDELOVA (RUS) claimed the 62kg gold medal after beating Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE), 5-3, in the final.

Tandelova, who won silver at U23 Europeans in 2023, used a beautiful arm-throw to score the first four-pointer. The first point for Tandelova was from the activity period of Mammadova in which the Azerbaijan wrestler failed to score.

Mammadova scored a takedown and activity clock point to cut the lead but it was still not enough to overturn the result.

Photo

RESULTS

53kg
GOLD: Anastasiia POLSKA (UKR) df. Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP), via fall (4-0)

BRONZE: Sevval CAYIR (TUR) vs. Nargiz SAMADOVA (AZE)
BRONZE: Ekaterina KARPUSHKINA (RUS) df. Kseniya KOSTSENICH (BLR), via inj. def.

57kg
GOLD: Aryna DZEMCHANKA MARTYNAVA (BLR) df. Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR), 2-1

BRONZE: Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN) df. Amory ANDRICH (GER), 7-5
BRONZE: Felicitas DOMAJEVA (NOR) df. Romaissa EL KHARROUBI (FRA), 5-0

62kg
GOLD: Amina TANDELOVA (RUS) df. Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE), 5-3

BRONZE: Iris THIEBAUX (FRA) df. Gulsum BINGOL (TUR), 4-0
BRONZE: Alicja WOJEWODZKA NOWOSAD (POL) df. Naemi LEISTNER (GER), 5-1

65kg
GOLD: Kseniya TSIARENIA (BLR) df. Ekaterina KOSHKINA (RUS), 4-2

BRONZE: Maria PANTIRU (ROU) df. Bianca CONTRAFATTO (ITA), via fall (8-0)
BRONZE: Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) df. Saga SVENSSON (SWE), 11-1

72kg
GOLD: Viktoryia RADZKOVA (BLR) df. Veronika VILK (CRO), 11-0

BRONZE: Karolina JAWORSKA (POL) df. Daniela BRASNAROVA (BUL), 5-0
BRONZE: Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (RUS) df. Greta TVERSKYTE (LTU), 3-3