Kanako Murata

Kanako Murata medal table
Wrestling
Japan
Asian Championship
gold	2012 Gumi	up to 55 kg
silver	2013 New Delhi	up to 55 kg
silver	2015 Doha	up to 63 kg
Universiade
bronze	2013 Kazan	up to 55 kg
Junior World Championships
bronze	2010 Budapest	up to 59 kg Juniors
gold	2011 Bucharest	up to 55 kg Juniors
gold	2012 Pattaya	up to 55 kg Juniors

Kanako Murata ( Japanese 村田 夏南子 Murata Kanako ; born August 10, 1993 in Matsuyama ) is a Japanese wrestler . She became Junior World Champion in 2011 and 2012 and Asian Champion in 2012, each in the weight class up to 55 kg body weight.

Career

Kanako Murata began wrestling as a teenager at Abe Gakuin High School in Tokyo . She is now a student at Nihon University in Tokyo, where she is trained by Ryo Kanehana. It is 1.56 meters tall and starts in the weight class up to 55 kg body weight.

From 2009 to 2011 she became a Japanese "high school" master. Her international career began in 2009. She was Asian Junior Champion (Cadets) in Pune / India in front of Jekaterina Larionowa from Kazakhstan. In 2010 she became Asian Junior Champion in Huangshan / China in the weight class up to 59 kg ahead of Li Feng-Ling, China. At the Junior World Championships this year in Budapest, she came third in the same weight class behind Zhang Lan , China, and Valerija Scholobowa , Russia. In December 2010 she started for the first time in the Japanese championship of women and took 3rd place in the weight class up to 55 kg behind Saori Yoshida and Chikako Matsukawa.

In 2011 Kanako Murata became Junior World Champion in the weight class up to 55 kg in Bucharest. On the way to this success she defeated Eileen Friedrich, Germany, Tatjana Debien, France, Maria Prevolaraki , Greece, Hafize Sahin , Turkey, and Helen Maroulis , United States. In the Japanese women's championship she came in second behind Saori Yoshida.

In 2012 she was also the first women's Asian champion in Gumi / South Korea. In doing so, she left Tran Tri Dien Ninh, Vietnam, Aishan Ismagulowa, Kazakhstan and Geeta Kumari , India, behind. A start at the Olympic Games in London this year was out of the question for her because in Japan, Saori Yoshida - three-time Olympic champion and ten-time world champion - clearly dominated the action in her weight class. But she was again Junior World Champion in the weight class up to 55 kg in Pattaya ahead of Zhong Xuechan, China, Salina Sidakowa, Belarus and Petra Olli, Finland. In December 2012, in the absence of Saori Yoshida, she became the first Japanese master in front of Chiho Hamada , Risako Kawai and Katsumi Sakagami. Should Saori Yoshida end her unique career, Kanako Murata has the best prerequisites to become her successor.

In April 2013, however, she experienced a little disappointment, because she was beaten in the final of the Asian Cup in New Delhi by the Chinese Yang Senlian and only came in second. At the 2013 Universiade in Kazan, she won a bronze medal behind Valerija Koblowa, Russia and Irina Husjak, Ukraine.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
2009	1.	Asian Junior Championship (Cadets) in Pune / India	up to 60 kg	in front of Ekaterina Larionowa, Kazakhstan
2010	1.	Asian Junior Championship in Huangshan / China	up to 59 kg	before Li Feng-Ling, China, Ora-In Daranee, Thailand and Choi Ji-ae South Korea
2010	3.	Junior World Championships in Budapest	up to 59 kg	behind Zhang Lan, China and Valerija Scholobowa, Russia
2011	1.	"Ivan Yarigin" Golden Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk	up to 55 kg	before Irina Kisel, Russia, Irina Chariw and Natalja Sinischin , both Ukraine
2011	2.	Klippan Golden Grand Prix	up to 55 kg	behind Ida-Theres Nerell , Sweden, ahead of Emese Szabo, Hungary and Katarzyna Krawczyk, Poland
2011	2.	Golden Grand Prix in Baku	up to 55 kg	behind Ida-Theres Nerell, in front of Irina Ologonowa, Russia and Julia Ratkewitsch , Azerbaijan
2011	1.	Junior World Championships in Bucharest	up to 55 kg	after victories over Eileen Friedrich, Germany, Tatjana Debien, France, Maria Prevolaraki, Greece, Hafize Sahin, Turkey and Helen Maroulis, USA
2012	1.	"Ivan Yarigin" Golden Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk	up to 55 kg	before Valerija Scholobowa, Aym Abdildina, Kazakhstan and Maria Gurowa , Russia
2012	1.	Asian Championship in Gumi / South Korea	up to 55 kg	before Tran Thi Dien Ninh, Vietnam, Aishan Ismagulowa, Kazakhstan and Geeta Kumari , India
2012	8th.	World Cup in Tokyo	up to 55 kg	Winner Tonya Verbeek , Canada (Kanako Murata only played one fight)
2012	1.	Junior World Championships in Pattaya	up to 55 kg	before Zhong Xuechan, China, Salina Sidakowa, Belarus and Petra Olli, Finland
2012	1.	Golden Grand Prix in Baku	up to 55 kg	before Katarzyna Krawczyk, Tatjana Debien and Irina Husjak , Ukraine
2013	2.	Asian Championship in New Delhi	up to 55 kg	behind Yang Senlian, China, in front of Han Kum-Ok , North Korea and Babita Kumari , India
2013	3.	Universiade in Kazan	up to 55 kg	behind Valerija Kolobowa, Russia and Irina Husjak, Ukraine, together with Hwang Sun-Byol, North Korea
2014	1.	"Ivan Yarygin" Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk	up to 55 kg	before Salina Sidakowa, Belarus and Irina Ologonowa, Russia
2015	2.	Asian Championship in Doha	up to 63 kg	behind Zhuoma Xiluo, China, in front of Jekaterina Larionaowa, Kazakhstan and Enchbar Tsevegmed, Mpngolei

Japanese championships

year	space	Weight class	Results
2010	3.	up to 55 kg	behind Saori Yoshida and Chikako Matsukawa
2011	2.	up to 55 kg	behind Saori Yoshida, in front of Chikako Matsukawa and Kei Yamana
2012	1.	up to 55 kg	before Chiho Hamada, Risako Kawai and Katsumi Sakagami
2013	3.	up to 55 kg	behind Saori Yoshida and Chiho Hamada, in front of Yuki Ikegami

Explanations

• all free style competitions
• WM = World Championship

literature

• Trade journal Der Ringer

Web links

• Profile of Kanako Murata at the Institute for Applied Exercise Science