Madoka Wada, Aya Shinmoto and Misuzu Hayashi are the bests in the Japanese Women’s National Championships

Japanese Women’s Elite & High School National Boxing Championships was held in the city of Omishima in the end of the year. The relatively small city is in the Ehime Prefecture which is located in the Shikoku Island of the country which has been preparing to its upcoming local Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The Japanese women boxers reached a few top results in the international competitions but actually they have got still three and half years to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to build up a team which will be able to get medals in the home event. Their young talents could be enough strong to win key competitions in the upcoming years in the Olympic era.
Following the Japanese National Sports Festival their best women boxers could compete in the Japanese Women’s Elite & High School National Boxing Championships in Omishima. The light flyweight (48kg), the flyweight (51kg), the bantamweight (54kg) and the featherweight (57kg) divisions were the highlight of the national event. Elite and youth boxers also attended in the national event where the number of the athletes was more than 100.
The defending National Champion at the light flyweight (48kg) Tsubasa Komura defeated High School National Champion 19-year-old Risa Nakata in the semi-final and she was able to beat former AIBA Women’s Junior World Champion Kasumi Saeki in the final of the event. Komura’s efforts in the second part of their top battle in the national event were enough to defeat Saeki who had great results in the international level.
AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Madoka Wada could not qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games but she is only 21 and has got great chances in Tokyo in 2020. The flyweight (51kg) talent dominated her final fight against Mizuki Hiruta while Satoko Nakata and strong Yuzu Ogawara claimed only bronze medals this time in the National Championships.
Japan’s experienced national team member Aya Shinmoto attended at the bantamweight (54kg) in the new edition of the Nationals and controlled her final bout against Satsuki Ito. Two national team member boxers met in the fourth final of the elite part of the competition where Kana Kuroki defeated 19-year-old Runa Kikuchi. The younger Kikuchi controlled the third round but Kuroki was able to renew in the final minutes and her efforts were enough to win the title at the featherweight (57kg).
Misuzu Hayashi competed at the featherweight (57kg) in the recent main competitions but she moved up to the Olympic lightweight (60kg) this year. The AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships competitor launched serious punches against Manami Yamashita and the referee confirmed her TKO success in the second round.
Mai Kito delivered her best ever performance in the new edition of the Japanese Women’s National Championships. She stopped Tsukasa Akedo in the semi-final and continued her winning path against Akari Nagata in the final of the light welterweight (64kg) which was her first national title during her career. Miyu Otani and Makoto Kikuchi won the further titles in the elite part of the Japanese Women’s National Championships.
In the absence of Japan’s best youth female boxer Tsukimi Namiki another talent Sena Irie won the title at the flyweight (51kg) after beating High School National Championships silver medallist Mei Miyamoto by split decision in a close final. Azusa Ogura dominated her final against Natsumi Iwasaki at the light flyweight (48kg) among the youth boxers and reached her career highlight in Omishima.
Hinami Yanai of Osaka defended her national title in the high school level following her unanimous success over Jielyn Sekiguchi at the bantamweight (54kg) in Omishima. Defending Youth National Champion and High School National Champion 18-year-old Seira Hamaguchi stopped Honoma Misaka in the final of the lightweight (60kg) and proved she is a top talent in Japan.
Japan’s Brazilian-descent youth boxer Isabel Brito was silver medallist in the 2014 edition at the age of 16 but this time she was able to get the title in Omishima. The 18-year-old talent had to meet in the final of the light welterweight (64kg) with Nanako Kodama and expected a big battle against her younger rival. Brito’s opponent injured in the last round therefore she was able to defend her title in the championships after 2015.

Winners in the Japanese Women’s National Championships
Youth 46kg: Misaki Nasu
Youth 48kg: Azusa Ogura
Youth 51kg: Sena Irie
Youth 54kg: Hinami Yanai
Youth 57kg: Kaho Hanada
Youth 60kg: Seira Hamaguchi
Youth 64kg: Isabel Brito
Elite 48kg: Tsubasa Komura
Elite 51kg: Madoka Wada
Elite 54kg: Aya Shinmoto
Elite 57kg: Kana Kuroki
Elite 60kg: Misuzu Hayashi
Elite 64kg: Mai Kito
Elite 69kg: Miyu Otani
Elite 75kg: Makoto Kikuchi