The eighth world championship in women's freestyle wrestling was held over the weekend at Moscow's Druzhba arena. It had all the attributes of any major international competition, including Olympic-style opening ceremonies, a full military orchestra, speeches and dignitaries.
These women take their wrestling seriously, despite the fact that the 135 competitors from 24 countries outnumbered the fans in the arena by about 125. Seven nations -- Canada, the United States, Japan, Taiwan, France, Ukraine and Russia sent full, nine-member teams.
Japan dominated the competition with the sport's most-decorated athlete, Yoshimura Shoko, winning her sixth world title in the 44-kilogram weight class. Samira Ganachueva, 18, won Russia's first world gold medal in women's wrestling in the 50-kilogram class, the youngest woman to win at the championship.
The athletes wrestled a maximum of six rounds, depending on the number of women in each class.
There were cries of joy, cries of sorrow and cries of foul.
When Japan's Yamamoto Miyn won by take-down over China's Ma Zhong Xiue with one second remaining in the four-minute, 47-kilogram final, both the winner and loser shed tears openly.
American Patricia Sanders, cried foul when she lost the 47-kilogram bronze medal match to Russia's Elena Egoshina on the judges' decision after the three-minute overtime ended at 4-4.
"I try to be a good sportsman but the judging today was awful," said Sanders.
The Phoenix, Arizona, native, who won the first U.S. world title in 1992, said she had to lose 50 pounds in preparation for this meet after giving birth to her first child. Sanders brought 9-month-old Tassia to Moscow along with a Russian expatriate babysitter.
Sanders, 29, said she gets respect from the male wrestlers she regularly trains with, adding: "The general public, though, think of us as mud wrestlers and not serious competitors."
"It took us four years to win the gold," said Alexander Zverkov, Russia's head coach. Russia, a traditional superpower in men's wrestling, made its debut at the women's championships in 1991 in Tokyo.
"My father will have a heart attack," said Ganachueva, from Makhachkala, in the Dagestan region, about her hometown welcoming party.
These women take their wrestling seriously, despite the fact that the 135 competitors from 24 countries outnumbered the fans in the arena by about 125. Seven nations -- Canada, the United States, Japan, Taiwan, France, Ukraine and Russia sent full, nine-member teams.
Japan dominated the competition with the sport's most-decorated athlete, Yoshimura Shoko, winning her sixth world title in the 44-kilogram weight class. Samira Ganachueva, 18, won Russia's first world gold medal in women's wrestling in the 50-kilogram class, the youngest woman to win at the championship.
The athletes wrestled a maximum of six rounds, depending on the number of women in each class.
There were cries of joy, cries of sorrow and cries of foul.
When Japan's Yamamoto Miyn won by take-down over China's Ma Zhong Xiue with one second remaining in the four-minute, 47-kilogram final, both the winner and loser shed tears openly.
American Patricia Sanders, cried foul when she lost the 47-kilogram bronze medal match to Russia's Elena Egoshina on the judges' decision after the three-minute overtime ended at 4-4.
"I try to be a good sportsman but the judging today was awful," said Sanders.
The Phoenix, Arizona, native, who won the first U.S. world title in 1992, said she had to lose 50 pounds in preparation for this meet after giving birth to her first child. Sanders brought 9-month-old Tassia to Moscow along with a Russian expatriate babysitter.
Sanders, 29, said she gets respect from the male wrestlers she regularly trains with, adding: "The general public, though, think of us as mud wrestlers and not serious competitors."
"It took us four years to win the gold," said Alexander Zverkov, Russia's head coach. Russia, a traditional superpower in men's wrestling, made its debut at the women's championships in 1991 in Tokyo.
"My father will have a heart attack," said Ganachueva, from Makhachkala, in the Dagestan region, about her hometown welcoming party.