Ayako Shōda

Ayako Shōda ( Japanese 正 田 絢 子 , Shōda Ayako ; born November 3, 1981 ) is a Japanese wrestler . She has been world champion four times in her career.

Career

Ayako Shōda began wrestling at the age of 6 in 1987. Thanks to the coaches Ryo Kanehama, Osama Yoshioka, Kazuhito Mimura and Kazuhito Sakae, she quickly developed into a world-class wrestler. The 1.63 meter tall athlete attended the University of Tokyo . She is now (as of 2011) a teacher and member of the wrestling club of the Amino High School in Amino -chō, Kyōtango .

In 1998 she was the first Japanese champion in the weight class up to 58 kg. In the same year she finished 3rd in the same weight class at the Junior World Championships in Fredrikstad, Norway . In 1999 she won her first championship title at international championships. First she was in Bucharest in the weight class up to 63 kg junior world champion, where she won in the final against Anita Schätzle from Germany . In Hildursborg / Sweden she also became world champion for women in the weight class up to 62 kg. With Lotta Andersson , Sweden, Annika Oertli , Germany, Nikola Hartmann-Dünser , Austria , Jane Hofweber , Canada and Meng Lili , People's Republic of China , she had to defeat five strong opponents.

In the next few years she could not win any Japanese championship titles. This was primarily due to the fact that Kaori Ichō also started in her weight class , which she could not defeat. At the international level, however, it continued to celebrate successes, even if it was no longer used at world championships until 2005. In 2000 in Seoul , 2001 in Ulaanbaatar , 2003 in New Delhi and 2006 in Alma Ata , she was Asian champion in the weight class up to 62 kg (until 2001) and 63 kg (since 2002). In the respective final fights, she defeated Meng Lili, Su Kun-kua, China, Geetika Jahkar, India and Jelena Schalygina from Kazakhstan . In 2000 she was again Junior World Champion in Nantes , where she u. a. Sara McMann , USA , Monika Ewa Michalik , Poland and Darija Nasarowa from Russia defeated. Finally, in 2004 in Lodz and in 2005 in Izmir, she was also university world champion and won the 2005 World Cup in Clermont-Ferrand ahead of Sally Roberts from the United States .

Ayako Shōda started in 2005 to avoid Kaori Ichō, behind whom she had become Japanese runner-up in the weight class up to 63 kg in the years 2002 to 2004, in the weight class up to 59 kg. In 2005 it was used again at a world championship in Budapest . In her new weight class she became world champion for the second time with victories over Alka Tomar from India , Julia Ratkewitsch from Azerbaijan , Lene Aanes , Norway , Ida-Theres Nerell , Sweden and Marianna Sastin from Hungary . With 27: 1 points in the five fights she achieved a point ratio that came close to that normally achieved by Kaori Icho. At the Japanese championship in 2005 in December of this year, however, she did not succeed in becoming the Japanese champion for the second time, because she was defeated there in the final by the former world champion Seiko Yamamoto .

In 2006 she was again world champion in the weight class up to 59 kg in Guangzhou after victories over Alka Tomar, Otschirbatyn Nasanburmaa , Mongolia , Ludmila Cristea , Moldova and Su Lihui , China, while she won the 2007 World Cup in Baku after victories over Leigh Jaynes from the United States States and Agata Pietrzyk from Poland lost to Natalja Sinischin from Ukraine and only came in 7th place. In 2008 Ayako Shōda made no attempt to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. She would have had to switch back to the weight class up to 63 kg, but saw no chance of winning against Kaori Icho. In 2008 she competed at the World Championships in Tokyo , where she won the fourth time with victories over Kestan Kiazowa, Kyrgyzstan , Deanna Rix , USA, Elvira Mursalowa, Azerbaijan and Natalja Golz , Russia.

In 2009, after an eleven-year break, she became Japanese champion for the second time. She defeated it in the final fight of the weight class up to 59 kg Kei Yamana. In 2010 she started again at the World Championships in Moscow . After victories over Sona Ahmadli , Azerbaijan and Olga Kalinina , Kazakhstan, she lost against Sorondsonboldyn Battsetseg from Mongolia extremely narrowly and controversially on points (1: 2 rounds at 8: 8 points). In the fight for one of the world championship bronze medals she defeated Tonya Verbeek from Canada.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
1998	3.	Junior World Championships in Fredrikstad / Norway	up to 58 kg	behind Sandrine Seve, France and Swetlana Gratschowa, Russia
1999	1.	Junior World Championships in Bucharest	up to 63 kg	before Anita Schätzle , Germany , Lotta Andersson , Sweden and Jelena Perepelkina , Russia
1999	1.	World Cup in Hildursborg / Sweden	up to 62 kg	after victories over Lotta Andersson, Annika Oertli , Germany, Nikola Hartmann-Dünser , Austria , Jane Hofweber , Canada and Meng Lili , People's Republic of China
2000	1.	Asian Championships in Seoul	up to 62 kg	in front of Meng Lili and Seo Mi-suk, South Korea
2000	1.	Junior World Championships in Nantes	up to 63 kg	after victory over Tara Rose Hedican, Canada, defeat against Lotta Andersson and victories over Sara McMann , USA , Monika Ewa Michalik , Poland and Darija Nasarowa, Russia
2001	1.	Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar	up to 62 kg	in front of Su Kun-kua, China and Ochirbatyn Mjagmarsüren , Mongolia
2001	6th	Junior World Championships in Martigny / Switzerland	up to 63 kg	Winner: Tara Rose Hedican ahead of Darija Nasarowa
2003	1.	Asian Championships in New Delhi	up to 63 kg	in front of Geetika Jakhar, India and Hang Jin-young, South Korea
2003	8th.	World Cup in Tokyo	up to 63 kg	Winner: Kaori Icho , Japan ahead of Sara McMann
2004	1.	Universities World Cup in Lodz	up to 63 kg	before Helen Hennick, Canada and Olga Chilko, Belarus
2004	1.	Canada Cup in Guelph	up to 63 kg	before Helen Hennick and Viola Yannick, both Canada and Nikola Hartmann-Dünser
2005	1.	World Cup in Clermont-Ferrand	up to 59 kg	before Sally Roberts , USA, Jocelin Rojas Urbira, Venezuela and Natalja Sinischin , Ukraine
2005	1.	Universities World Cup in Izmir	up to 59 kg	in front of Justyna Barciak, Poland, Lee Yeon-mi, South Korea and Breanne Leigh Graham, Canada
2005	1.	World Cup in Budapest	up to 59 kg	after victories over Alka Tomar, India, Julia Ratkewitsch , Azerbaijan , Lene Aanes , Norway , Ida-Theres Nerell , Sweden and Marianna Sastin , Hungary
2006	1.	Asian Championships in Alma-Ata	up to 63 kg	before Jelena Schalygina , Kazakhstan, Gao Pei, China and Hang Jin-young
2006	1.	Golden Grand Prix in Baku	up to 59 kg	before Ida-Theres Nerell, Audrey Prieto , France and Natalja Iwanowa, Russia
2006	1.	World Cup in Guangzhou	up to 59 kg	after victories over Alka Tomar, Otschirbatyn Nasanburmaa , Mongolia, Ludmila Cristea , Moldova and Su Lihui , China
2007	7th	World Cup in Baku	up to 59 kg	after victories over Leigh Jaynes, USA and Agata Pietrzyk , Poland and a defeat against Natalja Sinischin
2008	1.	World Cup in Tokyo	up to 59 kg	after victories over Nestan Kiasowa, Kyrgyzstan , Deanna Rix , USA, Elvira Mursalowa, Azerbaijan and Natalja Golz , Russia
2010	1.	World Cup in Nanjing	up to 59 kg	before Deanna Rix and Katerina Dombrowska, Azerbaijan
2010	3.	World Cup in Moscow	up to 59 kg	after victories over Sona Ahmadli , Azerbaijan and Olga Kalinina, Kazakhstan, a defeat against Sorondsonboldyn Battsetseg , Mongolia and a win over Tonya Verbeek , Canada
2011	1.	Sunkist-Kids-Intern.-Open in Phoenix (Arizona)	up to 59 kg	before Amanda Hendey and Jazzie Barker, both USA
2012	2.	New-York-Athletic-Club-International	up to 63 kg	behind Danielle Lappage, Canada, in front of Jennifer Page, USA

Japanese championships

year	space	Weight class	Results
1998	1.	up to 58 kg
2002	2.	up to 63 kg	behind Kaori Ichō , in front of Mimi Sugawara and Kayoko Shimada
2003	2.	up to 63 kg	behind Kaori Ichō, in front of Eri Sakamoto and Hiroe Suzuki
2004	2.	up to 63 kg	behind Kaori Ichō, in front of Saki Kanazawa and Erika Matsukawa
2005	2.	up to 59 kg	behind Seiko Yamamoto, in front of Mio Nishimaki and Rena Iwama
2006	2.	up to 63 kg	behind Kaori Ichō, in front of Saori Watanabe and Maki Tsukamoto
2007	2.	up to 72 kg	behind Kyōko Hamaguchi , in front of Hiroe Suzuki and Ayako Murashima
2008	3.	up to 59 kg	behind Kei Yamana and Erika Nakata
2009	1.	up to 59 kg	before Kei Yamana, Ayako Satō and Yurika Itō
2010	3.	up to 59 kg	behind Takako Saitō and Kayoko Shimada

Explanations

• all free style competitions
• WM = World Championship

swell

• Trade journal Der Ringer
• Foeldeak Wrestling Database website
• Website www.japan-wrestling.org