Isabella Sambou

Isabella Sambou (born October 20, 1980 in Mlomp Haer, Ziguinchor Province, Senegal ) is a Senegalese wrestler . In 2012 she was fifth in the Olympic Games in the weight class up to 48 kg body weight.

Career

Isabella Sambou grew up in Senegal and began wrestling in 1999, at the age of 19. Over the years she has developed into a world-class wrestler and starts at a height of 1.53 meters in the light weight classes in women's wrestling. She is currently (2013) training at the FILA training center in Thiès . The most important coaches they supervised are or were Nikolai Minchew and Viktor Kodie.

In 2000 she started at an African Championship for the first time and finished 5th in the weight class up to 62 kg. In 2011 she won her first medal at an international championship with the silver medal at the African championship in Jadila / Morocco in the weight class up to 56 kg. In 2002 she started at a world championship for the first time. In Chalkida / Greece she reached 10th place in the weight class up to 55 kg with one win and two defeats.

In 2004, Isabelle Sambou became the first African champion in the weight class up to 51 kg in Cairo . She also won this title in Casablanca in 2005 , in Cairo in 2006, in Casablanca in 2009, in Cairo in 2010, in Dakar in 2011 and in N'Djamena in 2013 . So she won the African Championship seven times.

She tried to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing . She had to train in the weight class up to 48 kg, which she managed with great effort. However, she was unable to qualify for these games in the qualifying tournaments in Edmonton and Haparanda , although she finished in an excellent 5th place in Edmonton. However, she was able to realize her dream of participating in the Olympic Games in 2012. She won a qualifying tournament in Marrakech ahead of Maroi Mezien from Cameroon. She was also able to convince at the 2012 Olympic Games in London . She won there in the weight class up to 48 kg over Rosalie Benie Tanoh from the Ivory Coast, then lost to Hitomi Obara Sakamoto from Japan, the later Olympic champion, then won over Maroi Mezien and lost in the consolation round in the fight for one of the bronze medals against the Olympic champion of 2008, Carol Huynh from Canada.

Isabella Sambou also took part in a total of seven world championships. The best place she managed was an 8th place at the 2010 World Wrestling Championships in Moscow , where she defeated the Chinese Li Hui in the weight class up to 51 kg .

In 2009 she also started at the "Beach Wrestling" World Championship for women in Obzor / Bulgaria. She won in the weight class up to 70 kg in front of the Bulgarian Taybe Yusein . However, the importance of this title is not to be assessed very highly.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
2000	5.	African Championship	up to 62 kg	Winner: Garram Rim (Tunisia) ahead of Asmaa Eddahar (Morocco)
2001	2.	African Championship in Jadila / Morocco	up to 56 kg	behind Salma Ferchichi (Tunisia), in front of N'guessan Stephanie Kolouassi (Ivory Coast)
2002	3.	African Championship in Cairo	up to 55 kg	behind Salma Ferchichi and Samaia Abdellatif (Egypt)
2002	10.	World Cup in Chalkida / Greece	up to 55 kg	after a defeat against Kostantina Katerina Tsibanakou (Greece), a victory over Suellyn Hayes (Australia) and a defeat against Viktorija Sagainowa (Russia)
2003	14th	World Cup in New York	up to 55 kg	after a victory over Rosa Sagintajewa (Kazakhstan) and defeats against Tatiana Lasarewa (Ukraine) and Mabel Fonseca Ramirez (Puerto Rico)
2003	4th	All African Games in Abuja / Nigeria	up to 55 kg	behind Faiza Bejaoui (Tunisia), Hannah Samri (Nigeria) and Rasha Mohamed Eelaklawy (Egypt)
2004	1.	African Championship in Cairo	up to 51 kg	before Noue El Houda Bejaoui (Tunisia) and Kawtar Othami (Morocco)
2005	1.	African Championship in Casablanca	up to 51 kg	before Dalila Rouabhia (Algeria) and Hamida Abd El Wafa (Egypt)
2006	2.	African Championship in Pretoria	up to 51 kg	behind Maria Musa (Nigeria), in front of Wasille Rawafy (Tunisia) and Mpho Modi (South Africa)
2007	1.	African Championship in Cairo	up to 51 kg	before Sammy Oziti (Nigeria) and Fatma El Zahraa (Egypt)
2007	2.	All African Games in Algiers	up to 51 kg	behind Hamza Naziha (Tunisia) and Maria Musa, together with Mpho Modi
2007	21st	World Cup in Baku	up to 48 kg	after defeats to Chiharu Ichō (Japan) and Stephanie Murata (USA)
2008	5.	Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Edmonton	up to 48 kg	behind Elsa Tasetdinowa (Russia), Kim Hyung-joo (South Korea), Alexandra Engelhardt (Germany) and Estera Dobre (Romania)
2008	18th	Olympic qualification tournament in Haparanda	up to 48 kg	Winner: Tatjana Amanschol-Bakatschuk (Kazakhstan) ahead of Estera Dobre and Alexandra Engelhardt
2008	13.	World Cup in Tokyo	up to 51 kg	after a loss to Rathi Noba (India)
2009	7th	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow Memorial in Varna	up to 55 kg	Winner: Ana Maria Paval (Romania) ahead of Brittanee Laverdure (Canada)
2009	1.	African Championship in Casablanca	up to 51 kg	before Mona Samir Mahmoud (Egypt) and Marwa Mazyani (Tunisia)
2009	1.	“Beach Wrestling” World Championship in Obzor / Bulgaria	up to 70 kg	before Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria), Maminirina Judcael Rafaliharisolo (Madagascar) and Zarnitze Welewa (Bulgaria)
2009	11.	World Cup in Herning / Denmark	up to 51 kg	after victories over Hedia Trabelsi (Tunisia) and Tatjana Amanschol-Bakatschuk and a defeat against Yuri Kai (Japan)
2010	1.	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow Memorial in Burgas	up to 48 kg	before Cristina Croitoru (Romania) and Filiz Cikrika (Turkey)
2010	1.	African Championship in Cairo	up to 51 kg	before Mona Samir Mahmoud and Ifeoma Nwoye, Nigeria
2010	8th.	World Cup in Moscow	up to 51 kg	after a victory over Li Hui (China) and a defeat against Tatjana Amanschol-Bakatschuk
2011	1.	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow Memorial in Sofia	up to 51 kg	before Sara Fulp-Allen (USA) and Nadine Tokar (Switzerland)
2011	5.	"Alexander Medved" tournament in Minsk	up to 51 kg	Winner: Maria Ivanova (Belarus) ahead of Alena Adaschinskaja (Russia)
2011	1.	African Championship in Dakar	up to 51 kg	before Mona Samir Mahmoud and Hedia Trabelsi (Lebanon)
2011	10.	World Cup in Istanbul	up to 48 kg	after victories over Sarianne Savola (Finland) and Cristina Croitoru and a defeat against Carolina Castillo Hidalgo (Colombia)
2012	2.	African Championship in Marrakech	up to 48 kg	behind Rebecca Ndolo Muambo (Cameroon), in front of Maroi Mezien (Tunisia) and Sammy Oziti
2012	1.	Olympic qualification tournament in Marrakech	up to 48 kg	before Maroi Mezien, Rebecca Ndolo Muambo and Sammy Oziti
2012	11.	Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid	up to 48 kg	Winner: Lyubow Salnikowa (Russia) ahead of Carolina Castillo Hidalgo
2012	5.	OS in London	up to 48 kg	after a win over Rosalie Benie Tanoh (Ivory Coast), a loss to Hitomi Obara Sakomoto (Japan), a win over Maroi Mezien and a loss to Carol Huynh (Canada)
2013	5.	"Ivan Yarigin" Memorial in Krasnoyarsk	up to 51 kg	Winner: Tatjana Amanschol-Bakatschuk ahead of Yekaterina Sergejewna Krasnowa (Russia)
2013	1.	African Championship in N'Djamena	up to 51 kg	before Folasade Adekudroye (Nigeria) and Hedia Trabelsi
2013	3.	Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid	up to 51 kg	behind Jessica MacDonald (Canada) and Marina Wilmowa (Russia)

Explanations

• all free style competitions
• OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship

swell

• Trade journal Der Ringer
• Foeldeak Wrestling Database website

Web links

• Isabella Sambou in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original ) on Sports Reference
• Isabella Sambou in training (video)