Chiharu Icho

Chiharu Ichō ( Japanese 伊 調 千 春 , Ichō Chiharu ; born October 6, 1981 in Hachinohe , Aomori Prefecture ) is a Japanese wrestler . She won a silver medal at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games and is also a four-time world champion .

Career

Chiharu Icho comes from a family of wrestlers. She is the sister of two-time Olympic champion Kaori Icho , who is almost three years older . After attending Chōja Middle School, she began to train intensively when she attended Amino Public High School. At the national championship of high schools, she had two consecutive title wins. After that she studied at Tōyō University , which she broke off in favor of studying at the Chūkyō Women's University and belonged to their wrestling club for many years. At the end of 2005, after completing her studies, she moved to the security company ALSOK Sōgō Keibi Hoshō ( ＡＬＳＯＫ 綜合 警備 保障 ), from which she is sponsored and has been wrestling for their wrestling club since then. Your trainer is Kazuhito Sakae.

Her great sporting success began in 2000 when she won the junior world championship in the weight class up to 50 kg body weight. She defeated two very strong wrestlers, Natalja Guschtschina from Russia and Iwona Sadowska-Matkowska from Poland.

In 2001 she started with the senior women and continued her successes seamlessly in this age group. First she was Asian champion in 2001 in Ulaanbaatar in the weight class up to 51 kg in front of the Chinese Li Xuehua and the Mongolian Naidangiin Otgondschargal and then she became world champion in Martigny / Switzerland in the same weight class. She left Natalja Guschtischina, Lindsay Rushton from Canada , Iwona Sadowska-Matkowska and Irina Melnik-Merleni from Ukraine , who was to become her main competitor in the next few years, behind.

In 2002 Chiharu Ichō was student world champion in Edmonton in the weight class up to 51 kg before Gao Yanzhi from China and Lindsay Belisle from Canada . At the world championship this year in Chalkidis / Greece , however, she surprisingly lost in the same weight class in the final against the local Sofia Poumpouridou on points and had to be content with 2nd place. In December 2002 she was the first Japanese champion among senior women.

At the 2003 World Championships in New York , she won her second senior world title in the weight class up to 51 kg with victories over Emese Szabo from Hungary , Alexandra Engelhardt from Germany , Alena Iwanowna Kareicha from Belarus and Natalja Karamtschakowa from Russia , in December 2003 the second Japanese championship title followed.

In 2004 women's wrestling competitions were held for the first time at the Olympic Games. However, only in four weight classes (up to 48 kg body weight, up to 55 kg body weight, up to 63 kg body weight and up to 75 kg body weight). Chiharu Ichō decided to start in the weight class up to 48 kg, but had to train 3 kg more than before. In this new weight class she was first Asian champion again in Tokyo ahead of Le Thing Trang from Vietnam and Dong Weichan from China.

At the Olympic Games in Athens she beat the world class wrestlers Lindsay Belisle , Brigitte Wagner from Germany, the 2001 world champion in this weight class, and Angélique Berthenet-Hidalgo from France . In the final she then faced Irina Melnik-Merleni . The fight was perfectly balanced over the entire duration and ended with 2: 2 technical points and 1: 1 cautions. The judges had to decide, based on the visual impression, who was the better and thus became Olympic champion, and decided in favor of Irina Melnik-Merleni. Chiharu Ichō had to be content with the silver medal. However, she received the Honorary Award of the Citizens of Hachinohe, the Honorary Award of the Citizens of Aomori Prefecture, and the Sports Merit Award from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology .

In 2005 Chiharu Ichō did not start at the World Cup, but was Japanese champion for the third time ahead of Makiko Sakamoto and Yūri Funatsu .

In 2006 she was back in the weight class up to 48 kg at the World Championships in Guangzhou, China . There she defeated u. a. Carol Huynh from Canada and the Chinese Ren Xuecheng in the final battle and became world champion for the third time. Then she won in Doha at the Asian Games in the same weight class before Kim Hyung-joo from South Korea and Tsogtbadsaryn Enchjargal from Mongolia . In the Japanese championship this year she was not at the start.

At the Asian Championships in Bishkek in 2007, the Icho sisters caused a minor scandal. Chiharu competed in the weight class up to 48 kg with overweight and Kaori gave up shortly before the start of her first fight because of an alleged injury. Both finished last in their weight classes. Nothing can be read anywhere about the reason for their behavior.

This behavior did not have any after-effects, because both wrestlers became world champions again in their weight classes in 2007. Chiharu Icho needed six wins in Baku in the 48 kg class and won u. a. via Stefanie Murata from the United States, Maria Stadnik from Azerbaijan and Irina Melnik-Merleni , who they won 2-0 rounds at 3-1 techn. Points defeated. She was also Japanese champion again that year ahead of Makiko Sakamoto.

In the Olympic year 2008 Chiharu Icho was again Asian champion in the South Korean Jeju-si in the weight class up to 48 kg and then started in the same weight class at the Olympic Games in Beijing . With the firm intention of winning the gold medal this time , she first defeated Li Xiaomei from the People's Republic of China , Irina Melnik-Merleni and Clarissa Chun from the United States on points and met the Canadian of Chinese-Vietnamese descent Carol Huynh in the final . Surprisingly, she couldn't get along with this wrestler at all and lost quite clearly with two rounds losses at 1: 6 techn. Points, with which she had to be content with the silver medal again.

After these Olympic Games, the Icho sisters announced their resignation from international wrestling. In the meantime, however, they are said to have declared, after reports to the contrary, that they want to continue to wrestle until the 2012 Olympic Games in London . The future will show.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class
2000	1.	Junior World Championships in Nantes	up to 50 kg	with victories over Devi Ngangabibemibe, Indonesia , Melina Hutchinson, USA , Agoro Papavasileiou, Greece , Natalja Guschtschina , Russia a . Iwona Sadowska-Matkowska , Poland
2001	1.	Asian Championship in Ulaanbaatar	up to 50 kg	before Li Xuehua, People's Republic of China a . Naidangiin Otgondshargal, Mongolia
2001	1.	World Cup in Martigny / Switzerland	up to 51 kg	before Natalja Guschtschina , Russia, Lindsay Rushton , Canada , Iwona Sadowsaka-Matkowska u. Irina Melnik-Merleni , Ukraine
2002	1.	Universities World Cup in Edmonton	up to 51 kg	before Gao Yanzhi , China, Lindsay Belisle , Canada a. Kera Pemberton, USA
2002	1.	Canada Cup in Calgary	up to 51 kg	before Ida Hellström , Sweden, Lindsay Belisle , Canada and Heather Sweeney, Canada
2002	2.	World Cup in Chalkidis / Greece	up to 51 kg	with victories over Stefanie Murata , USA, Marta Wojtanowska, Poland, Nadir Urun Percin, Turkey and Natalja Golz , Russia and one defeat against Sofia Poumpouridou , Greece
2003	1.	Klippan Ladies Open	up to 51 kg	before Alexandra Dremmel and Nicole Hauptmann, both Germany and Therese Ris, Sweden
2003	1.	World Cup in New York	up to 51 kg	with victories over Emese Szabo, Hungary , Alexandra Engelhardt , Germany , Lena Iwanowna Kareicha, Belarus and Natalja Karamtschakowa , Russia
2003	4th	World Cup in Tokyo	up to 51 kg	behind Lindsay Belisle, Jennifer S. Wong , USA and Ren Xuecheng , China
2004	1.	FILA test tournament in Athens	up to 48 kg	with victories over Sara Sanchez Parra, Spain , Julia Wojtowa, Ukraine, Patricia Miranda , USA, Lindsay Belisle and Larissa Oorzak , Russia
2004	1.	Asian Championship in Tokyo	up to 48 kg	in front of Le Thing Trang, Vietnam , Dong Weichan , China and Basanjargalyn Daschdawaa , Mongolia
2004	silver	OS in Athens	up to 48 kg	with victories over Lindsay Belisle , Brigitte Wagner , Germany and Clarissa Chun , USA and one defeat against Irina Melnik-Merleni
2004	2.	World Cup in Tokyo	up to 48 kg	behind Deng Weichan and in front of Carol Huynh , Canada and Clarissa Chun
2005	1.	World Cup in Clermont-Ferrand	up to 48 kg	before Natalja Smirnowa, Russia and Vanessa Boubryemm , France
2006	1.	World Cup in Nagoya	up to 48 kg	before Carol Huynh, Stefanie Murata, Inga Karamtschakowa , Russia a. Lyudmila Balushka , Ukraine
2006	1.	World Cup in Guangzhou / China	up to 48 kg	with victories over Mayelis Caripa Castillo , Venezuela , Tatjana Bakatschuk, Kazakhstan , Carol Huynh, Francine de Paola-Martinez, Italy a . Ran Xuechen, China
2006	1.	Asian Games in Doha	up to 48 kg	in front of Kim Hyung-joo, South Korea , Tsogtbadsaryn Enchjargal , Mongolia a. Li Xiaomei , China
2007	9.	Asian Championship in Bishkek	up to 48 kg	Winner: Tsogtbadsaryn Enchjargal before Klahan Sunisas, Thailand a . Li Xiaomei
2007	1.	World Cup in Baku	up to 48 kg	with victories over Isabelle Sambou, Senegal , Stefanie Murata, Jildiz Eschimowa , Kazakhstan, Maria Stadnik , Azerbaijan , Li Xiaomei and others. Irina Melnik-Merleni
2008	1.	Asian Championship in Jeju / South Korea	up to 48 kg	before Ren Xuecheng, China, Neha, India and Tsogtbadsaryn Enchjargal
2008	silver	OS in Beijing	up to 48 kg	with wins over Li Xiaomei , Irina Melnik-Merleni and Clarissa Chun and one loss against Carol Huynh

Note: OS = Summer Olympics, WM = World Championship, all competitions in free style

Japanese championships

• 2002, 1st place, up to 51 kg, in front of Ninaku Hattori u. Miyuki Hiraoka,
• 2003, 1st place, up to 48 kg body weight, ahead of Makiko Sakamoto ,
• 2004, 1st place, up to 48 kg body weight, ahead of Makiko Sakamoto, Miyz Yamamoto, Misato Shimizu and Shoko Yoshimura
• 2005, 1st place, up to 48 kg body weight, ahead of Makiko Sakamoto u. Yuuri Funatsu ,
• 2007, 1st place, up to 48 kg body weight, ahead of Makiko Sakamoto u. Fuyuko Mimura

swell

• Trade journal Der Ringer , numbers: 12/2001, 9/2002, 10/2003, 9/2004, 10/2006 and 10/1007
• Database of the Institute for Applied Training Sciences at the University of Leipzig
• http://jwf2007.kir.jp

1. ↑ ^{a b} 祝！ 伊 調 姉妹 メ ダ ル 獲得 ！！ . Hachinohe City, August 19, 2008, accessed March 31, 2009 (Japanese). 

Web links

• - 20k - photo series with Chiharu Ichō from the 2008 Olympic Games