Regina Doi (USA) charges at her opponent in the 40kg final of the World Cadet Championship in Zrenjanin

Doi twins make it two out of two

By Sonja Nikcevic, FILA News Bureau

On the second day of women’s freestyle at the World Cadet Championships in Zrenjanin, Serbia, it was time for another Doi sister to step out on the mat. Regina Doi (40kg) wrestles a category up from her identical twin sister Marina, and she was handed just as tough of a draw.

European champion Veronika Gurskaya from Russia was there waiting to confirm her continental dominance in the first round, but Doi didn’t flinch, grabbing her best win of the day and going to clinch the silver medal. And her sister Marina was there with yesterday’s bronze around her neck, cheering her on all the way.

This is the first international tournament where both sisters have come out as medal winners and the first world championship where Regina made it to the podium. Both girls claimed that the Doi family was going to relax and celebrate tonight.

“This is a huge win, not just for me, but for Team USA and Team Doi. The two of us have been waiting to be medal winners at Worlds together and here we are! It’s been a great competition and I’ve learned so much,” gushed Regina.

The slightly heavier Doi twin not only grabbed her first world medal, but managed to make it one step higher than her sister’s. There’s bound to be some teasing at the dinner table until a rematch at the next major tournament.

“We compete over everything, wrestling scores, medals, grades at school,” says Regina with a laugh, and Marina chimes in that they’re each other’s best wrestling partners too.

“We’re huge rivals obviously,“ she grins, “but we’re also best friends and the best wrestling partners. We wrestle together every day and that’s what helps us improve more than anything,” Marina claims.

She also couldn’t help pointing out that, while her sister might have gotten the better result this time round, she had another personal victory to be proud of.

“We don’t often wrestle against each other competitively, but the last time we did was at the Austrian Open this May, and I won!” she beamed.

“After that, at the Nationals in North Dakota, we both made it to the final and we were co-champions!” Regina adds quickly.

The twins’ rivalry looks to be a very healthy one, with smiles and companionship all round. And there’s no doubt that Marina’s fight back to the bronze a day earlier is partially what inspired Regina to go that step further and get her first world medal.

The Doi’s have now reached the maximum Cadet age limit and have new goals ahead.

“Juniors are next,” they exclaim, “and we have a lot of time in the gym ahead of us. 44kg is the weight goal, and it won’t be easy!”

Having one another to push to that goal probably makes it that little bit easier.

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