Japanese Women’s National Championships

Madoka Wada defeated her top rivals in the Japanese Women’s National Championships
The Japanese Women’s National Championships was held in the historical city of Osaka where the four-days long competition finished with great final battles. The event was the fourteenth edition as Japan was one of the pioneer nation in the Asian women boxing and have been there in the events in the beginning of the last decade.
The Japanese Women’s National Championships was scheduled for elite boxers and high school athletes who are mainly in the youth age group. Japan claimed one bronze medal in the last edition of the ASBC Asian Confederation Women’s Boxing Championships in Wulanchabu, China while their top youth ladies proved top performance in the Balkan Women’s Tournament in Bulgaria two months ago.
Former AIBA Women’s Junior World Champion 19-year-old Kasumi Saeki defeated National Championships silver medallist Yuzu Ogawara, national team member veteran Aya Shinmoto and ASBC Asian Confederation Women’s Boxing Championships bronze medallist Ayako Minowa in the road to the finals of the important Women’s Elite Flyweight class (51 kg).
Teenager Kasumi Saeki was not enough shape in the gold medal bout and lost in the final to Madoka Wada. Wada is the lone Japanese woman boxer who could win a medal in an AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships which was a bronze in Jeju among the elite athletes. The 20-year-old boxer defeated her younger teammate and has got the chance to represent Japan in the main events in 2016.
The first gold medal among the elite athletes was reached by High School National Championships silver medallist 19-year-old Tsubasa Komura who defeated Mizuki Chimoto in the final of the Light Flyweight class (48 kg). Sana Kawano was gold medallist in the high school level in 2014 and now she was able to beat Ayana Furukawa in the final of the Elite Bantamweight class (54 kg).
Kana Kuroki is also a young hope for Japan who could win the gold medal of the Featherweight class (57 kg) after defeating Mana Kunimoto. Tomoko Kugimiya is member of the national squad since 2010 and had enough experiences to triumph over Yukiko Iwasaki in the final of the Lightweight class (60 kg) which is an Olympic category. Yuri Yamazaki and Yukiko Ijuin, who moved up to the Welterweight class (69 kg), won the further gold medals in the elite section of the Japanese Women’s National Championships. In the third Olympic weight class there was not any attending boxer as TV star and veteran Shizuyo Yamasaki retired from the sport.
Japan’s super talented Risa Nakata was involved to the national squad in 2015 and defeated Sawaka Tashiro in the Youth Light Flyweight class (48 kg). Balkan Women’s Youth Tournament winner Tsukimi Namiki defended her throne after beating Mei Miyamoto in the final of the Flyweight class (51 kg) and the 17-year-old hope proved she could be a star in the upcoming years.
Balkan Women’s Youth Tournament silver medallist Runa Kikuchi also shocked all of her rivals including Momoko Komagata in the final of the High School Featherweight class (57 kg). Isabel Brito won the last gold medal among the high school boxers who is a Brazilian-descent but has been fighting for Japan in the competitions. She claimed silver medal in the last edition in 2014 but now she was able to beat Nanako Kodama in the final and get her first title in the national events.

Winners in the Japanese Women’s National Championships
High School 46 kg: Sayo Segawa
High School 48 kg: Risa Nakata
High School 51 kg: Tsukimi Namiki
High School 54 kg: Hinami Yanai
High School 57 kg: Runa Kikuchi
High School 60 kg: Seira Hamaguchi
High School 64 kg: Isabel Brito
Elite 48 kg: Tsubasa Komura
Elite 51 kg: Madoka Wada
Elite 54 kg: Sana Kawano
Elite 57 kg: Kana Kuroki
Elite 60 kg: Tomoko Kugimiya
Elite 64 kg: Yuri Yamazaki
Elite 69 kg: Yukiko Ijuin