Yoshida Saori of
Japan (red) wins over Xu Li of China during the women's freestyle 55kg final at
the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games wrestling event in Beijing, China, Aug. 16, 2008.
Yoshida Saori won the bout and got the gold medal. (Xinhua)
Yoshida Saori of
Japan (red) cerelates victory after winning over Xu Li of China during the
women's freestyle 55kg final at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games wrestling event
in Beijing, China, Aug. 16, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
Saori Yoshida
retained her Olympic gold medal in the women's 55kg freestyle wrestling on
Saturday after defeating host wrestler Xu Li in the final.
Yoshida
dominated the final, giving her opponent no chance and winning the two bouts
2-0, 5-0.
The 25-year-old Yoshida was also the winner of the last five
world championships from 2002 to 2007 besides her triumph in Athens four years
ago when women's wrestling made its Olympic debut.
Yoshida had a
undefeated record of 119 matches, which ended by American Marcie van Dusen in
the World Cup in Taiyuan, China in March this year.
"This gold really
means lots to me," said Yoshida. "I can't forget the loss to van Dusen. That's
the only one in my career life."
"That loss left shadow in my heart and
it forced me to keep training. I came here only for the gold."
"I never
wasted any practise chance since 2004 and I kept on improving myself." added
Yoshida
Yishida thought high of her opponent in final. She thought Xu Li
was quite a strong opponent.
"Xu Li is very young and strong. It is
difficult to beat her."
"From now on, I will begin to start all
opponents' weakness to win more." said Yoshida.
She became the first
female wrestler to retain the Olympic champion.
Xu Li failed to earn
China the first wrestling gold at Beijing Olympics. The silver was Chinese
second as Chang Yongxiang placed second men's Greco-Roman 74kg class. Xu would
have been the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in any discipline.
Xu Li, 19, said she didn't expect to go into the final as her first
target was just to be in the top eight.
"So silver is all right to me,"
said Xu. "I fought with Yoshida twice and I lost both. She was really a strong
rival to defeat."
"Anyway, I don't think I was performing my best. I
will work hard in the future." added Xu.
Jackline Renteria of Colombia
defeated Ana Paval of Romania with a victory by fall, to earn Colombia the
second medal at the Beijing Olympics.
Another bronze medal went to Tonya
Verbeek of Canada. She took the second medal for Canada following teammate Carol
Huynh's gold win in the women's 48kg category.
Japanese female freestyle wrestlers got their olympic campaign
off to an impressive start on Saturday with Saori Yoshida and Chiharu Icho
booking final spots in their respective weight categories at the Beijing
Games.
Defending champion Yoshida has convincingly won her way into the
final of the Women's 55 kilograms category, while Icho reached the final in the
48 kilogram group, at China Agricultural University Gymnasium.
Yoshida, a
five-time world champion, had little difficulty dispatching with Sweden's
Ida-Theres Nerell, defeating her 2-0.
She also dominated over 2007 world
bronze medalist Natalia Golts of Russia to book her spot in the final
four.
Athens silver medalist Tonya Verbeek of Canada was the third
opponent to be defeated by Yoshida, losing in a spectacular rout to
clear
the way for the Japanese to meet China's Xu Li later in the day in the
final.
Chiharu Icho went on to be defeated in her final by Carol Huynh of
Canada.
Icho had been determined to capture gold in Beijing with her
younger sister Kaori Icho, who won the title at 63 kilograms when women's
wrestling debuted at the Athens Games four years ago.
Kaori Icho will aim
to defend her title on Sunday, while compatriot Kyoko Hamaguchi is aiming to
take the gold medal at 72 kilograms
after she had a bronze medal finish in
Athens.
Canada was finally guaranteed a first medal at the 2008 Olympics this morning
after wrestler Carol Huynh of tiny Hazelton in west central B.C. won three
consecutive matches in the women's 48 kg class to advance to the gold medal
match.
Huynh, the daughter of refugees from Vietnam who were placed in the mostly
native village nearly three decades ago by the United Church, was to face
Chiharu Icho of Japan in a match to take place after The Vancouver Sun's
deadline.
"Wow, I feel absolutely amazing and really excited," said a beaming Huynh as
she towelled off sweat in the interview area following a solid semifinal
win.
"This has been my goal for the longest time now. It's really great to be
realizing it. Just one more step. I'm confident. I'm ready. I want to go out
there and show everyone what I'm made of."
Huynh, 27, said it felt "really special" to know she had secured the first
medal for a Canadian team that was starting to feel the pressure after being
shut out in the pool and everywhere else through the first seven days of the
Games.
"I know that we've got more coming, but it's nice to be the first one," said
the bubbly, effervescent Huynh.
In fact, Canada was expected to pick up a few medals today, with another
wrestler Tonya Verbeek of Beamsville, Ont., the 2004 silver medallist at 55 kg,
in a bronze medal match, and the men's pair rowing team of Dave Calder of
Victoria and Scott Frandsen of Kelowna the favorites in their final, which was
scheduled to go at the same time as Huynh's match.
Huynh got to the final with a two-round victory (1-0, 2-0 on points) over
Tatyana Bakatyuk of Kazakstan in a semifinal, beating a woman she had lost to in
January in a World Cup. "It's very nice to get some payback."
Huynh, whose dad was born in China before moving to Vietnam at age three,
started wrestling in high school, encouraged by an older sister and a coach who
made the sport one of the most popular in the community of 1,500.
She went to SFU where she wrestled collegiately and continued training on the
Burnaby Mountain campus until 2007 when she decided she needed a change of
scenery and training partners and relocated to Calgary, the hometown of her
husband.
Huynh's parents had not seen her wrestle in person since they snuck in the
back door of the high school gym a decade ago to catch her a couple of
times.
They were in the stands at the China Agricultural University gym today with
three of Huynh's siblings and her husband.
"It was really nice to see them waving out in the crowd. They had made shirts
that said 'Go Carol Go.' It was really cute."
gkingston@vancouversun.com
ONLINE: For complete coverage of Canada's first medal and all the weekend's
events, go to vancouversun.com
(BEIJING, August 16) -- Wrestler Carol Huynh took Canada's first Beijing gold, and forced Icho Chiharu of
Japan to her second straight silver, in the Women's Freestyle Wrestling 48 kilogram weight class final on August
16.
Huynh won the first period 4-0 with a three-point takedown. Icho tried her
best in the second period but still lost 2-1.
Huynh became the first Canadian female wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal.
This is also Canada's first gold medal of these Games.
Icho took the 48kg silver medal in Athens. After that, the 26-year-old almost
won all major international events, including two World Cups, two World
Championships and the 2006 Asian Games. She came to the final with all the odds
in her favor, but instead took another second place finish.
On the other hand, this is the best senior result for 27-year-old Huynh, who
only won two senior championships before this tournament: the 2006 Golden Grand
Prix and the 2007 Pan-American Games.
B.C.'s Carol Huynh has advanced to the gold-medal match
of the women's 48kg freestyle wrestling competition, and is guaranteed to win at
least a silver medal for Canada.
Reuters
BEIJING - Carol Huynh of Hazelton, B.C., wrestling in front of parents for
the first time since she competed in high school a decade ago, has advanced to
the gold medal match in the women's 48 kg class at the 2008 Olympics.
Huynh beat Tatyana Bakatyuk of Kazakstan in two rounds (1-0, 2-0) this
morning to get into the final, where she will face Chiharu Icho of Japan.
She has never beaten Icho, but she is guaranteed at least a silver medal,
assuring Canada of its first medal of the Games on the eighth day of
competition.
"Wow, I feel absolutely amazing and really excited," said Hunyh. "This has
been my goal for the longest time now. It's really great to be realizing it.
Just one more step."
Huynh, 27, said it felt "really special" to know she was going to get the
first medal for a Canadian team that was starting to feel the pressure after
being shut out in the pool and everywhere else through the first week.
"I know that we've got more coming, but it's nice to be the first one."
Huynh won three matches to get into the gold medal bout, beating Mariya
Stadnik of Azerbijian and then Kim Hyung-Joo of Korea before dispatching
Bakatyuk, who had beaten here in straight rounds (2-1, 3-1) back in January at a
World Cup.
"It's very nice to get some payback."
Huynh's parents - her dad is a native of China, her mom a native of Vietnam -
came to Canada nearly 30 years ago, sponsored as refugees by the United Church.
They were placed in Hazelton, a primarily native community in west central B.C.
where Huynh was born and grew up.
She started wrestling in high school, encouraged by an older sister. She
later went to SFU, where she wrestled collegiately and continued training on the
Burnaby Mountain campus before moving to Calgary a year ago.
Hunyh said it was amazing to look up and see her parents, her husband and
three of her siblings. "It was kind of weird [to see her parents], but really
nice to see them waving out in the crowd."
BEIJING - Canada's Carol Huynh, a frequent world placewinner but never a
champion, has upset 2004 silver medalist Chiharu Icho of
Japan to win the Olympic women's wrestling 48-kilogram gold
medal.
Huynh is Canada's first gold-medalist in the Beijing Olympics.
Icho,
second for a second successive Olympics,
is the sister of Athens 63-kilogram gold medalist Kaori
Icho, who wrestles Sunday.
The bronze medalists were Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan and 2004 gold medalist
Irini Merlini of Ukraine.
Merlini pinned Clarissa Chun, the Hawaiian who lost a three-period decision
to Icho in the semifinals. Merlini lost in the quarterfinals to Icho, a reversal
of Merlini's 2004 gold-medal win.
___
(Corrects that Huynh is Canada's first gold-medalist of Beijing Games.)
By ALAN ROBINSON,AP Sports Writer AP - 2 hours 39 minutes
ago
BEIJING - Carol Huynh, a frequent world place-winner but never a
champion, upset 2004 silver medalist Chiharu Icho of Japan to win the Olympic
women's wrestling 48-kilogram gold medal on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Huynh, who finished fifth or higher four times in the world
championships since 2002 but never won, is Canada's first gold medalist in the
Beijing Olympics. Canada got a second wrestling medal minutes later with Tonya
Verbeek's bronze at 55 kg.
"Wow, I feel absolutely amazing," Huynh said. "It's been my goal for the
longest time and it's been great to realize it. It's pretty special."
It was a second successive Olympic letdown for Icho, who has lost the 48-kg
gold medal match in both Olympics since women's wrestling became a medal sport
in 2004.
"She's very strong. I've got to accept the result," said Icho, who is the
older sister of Athens' 63-kg gold medalist Kaori Icho, who wrestles Sunday.
Huynh also is Canada's first Olympic wrestling champion. Wrestling has been a
medal sport since the first Olympics in 1896.
Huynh, clutching her champion's red roses, burst into tears on the medal
stand as soon as "O Canada" began playing, and she didn't break out a big smile
until the last verse.
Huynh's father is Chinese and mother is Vietnamese. Her parents relocated to
Canada nearly 30 years ago as refugees, sponsored by a church group. Her parents
have seen her wrestle only several times, but made the trip to Beijing.
"It was really nice to see them waving in the crowd," she said.
The bronze medalists were Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan and 2004 gold medalist
Irini Merlini of Ukraine.
Icho and Merlini were the big favorites going into the games _ and how could
they not be, given their domination of the weight class for years? Clarissa
Chun, who defeated 2004 bronze medalist Patricia Miranda in the U.S. trials,
also was seen as a medal contender.
Huynh pushed the smaller Icho all over the mat in a match that was more
one-sided than the score indicated. Not being mentioned among the favorites
admittedly lessened the pressure on Huynh and, instead, gave her motivation.
"I wanted to go out there and show them what I'm made of," said Huynh, who
wrestles for the University of Calgary wrestling club.
Icho also smiled on the medals stand, a rarity so far in wrestling given how
many of men's Greco-Roman medalists seemed unhappy with their results.
"Today, the medal I got was silver," the 26-year-old Icho said. "I have been
working hard since the Athens Olympic Games with my younger sister, Kaori (who
is 24). To me this is gold."
Merlini secured her second medal by pinning Chun, who had lost a tight,
three-period decision to Icho in the semifinals despite throwing her for a
3-point move to end the second period.
"I should have won," said a red-eyed Chun, who obviously had been crying.
Merlini lost in the quarterfinals to Icho, a reversal of Merlini's 2004
gold-medal win. It appeared that Merlini would win again, but she was pinned in
the final 10 seconds while in the lead.
"Winning the bronze was actually harder than winning the gold," Merlini said.
"On one hand it's a pity but, on the other hand, I thank God I got the bronze. I
appreciate this medal."
Being close to a medal wasn't good enough for Chun, who sobbed after losing
to Icho and again after the bronze-medal loss.
"It's the Olympics," U.S. coach Terry Steiner said. "We weren't coming in
here and expecting a medal to land in our laps. Clarissa has improved a lot in
her mental preparation. She just needs to put it all together."
16 August 2008
BEIJING - Defending Olympic champion Saori Yoshida of Japan
kept her headlock on the women's 55kg wrestling title, pinning down the gold in
Beijing on Saturday with a spectacular win over her less experienced Chinese
opponent.
The Athens
2004 gold medallist came out on top again in a hard-fought final bout with Xu Li
of China, the youngest woman in the event at 18, who won
silver.
Colombian
Jackeline Renteria and Tonya Verbeek of Canada won bronze
medals.
Yoshida,
25, turned two back somersaults in celebration and her coach hoisted her on his
shoulders as Japanese fans cheered.
She has
won the last five world championship titles and now successfully defended her
gold from Athens, where women's wrestling was introduced to the
Olympics.
Yoshida
was held in awe by her opponents in the qualifying bouts. Ide-Theres Nerell of
Sweden said she felt "empty" when she realised she was drawn against the
formidable Japanese. Nerell's coach said Yoshida "doesn't show anything, and
then something happens".
But
Yoshida got a wake-up call earlier this year when her amazing 119-match winning
streak was broken and was anything but complacent ahead of her match with
Xu.
"She is
very young and strong. I'm sure it will be a fight to the end," she
predicted.
The
Japan-China clash in one of the Games' few single combat, full-contact sports
was anticipated with relish by home fans packing the China Agricultural
University gym, who rattled the rafters with chants of "China,
China".
Xu had
thrilled the crowd with fearless and powerful assaults in qualifying bouts. But
in the final match, Yoshida's experience proved too much for her
Women's wrestling is going to make its second appearance in Olympic Games as
freestyle 48kg and 55kg matches will start on Saturday.
Japanese female
wrestlers Chiahru Icho and Saori Yoshida will struggle to take golds as their
male athletes failed to earn a single medal in previous seven categories of
Greco-Roman wrestling.
Icho, 27, was the winner of last two world
championships in 48kg category but her memory in Athens Games still hurt. She
lost to Ukrainian Irini Merlini in the final. Merlini took off the 2006 season
and cameback in 2007, finishing second in world championships in Baku, defeated
by the arch-rival Icho.
Host wrestler Li Xiaomei finished third in Baku
and is also a possible medalist. Newcomer Li made her debut in Olympic Games by
replacing her teammate Ren Xueceng, who was the 2005 world
champion.
Vetaran Clarissa Chun defeated Athens bronze medalist Patricia
Miranda in the Olympic team trials to represent the United States in 48kg
category. Chun was a Pan American Championships gold medalist in
2008.
The women's 55kg wrestling will be only one wrestler's personal
show, that is Saori Yoshida of Japan. The defending champion Yoshida enters as a
strong favorite. The five-time world champion dominated the sport since seven
years ago and had never been defeated until this year's World Cup in Taiyuan,
China.
American Marcie van Dusen took the advantage while Yoshida was
catching a cold then and ended the top star's undefeated record, which also
broke Yoshida's goal of finishing her career without a loss on the senior
level.
Canadian Tonya Verbeek is also looking forward to going further as
she was silver medalist in 2004 Olympic Games. Verbeek beat van Dusen in the
final of 2008 Pan American Championships to qualify to Beijing Games.
The
19-year-old Xu Li may bring surprises to Chinese spectators as she finished
third in 2008 Asian Championships.
Japan was pinning the hope on its women wrestlers to win more golds in the
Beijing Olympic Games as two more women's wrestling crowns will be offered on
Sunday in the China Agricultural University Gymnasium (CAG).
For six
straight years, Kaori Icho has won all but one gold medals in the 63kg
freestyle, including the Athens Games in 2004. As a model of consistency, she
almost made others to only compete for the silver in her speciality.
And
her only loss during the period was in the 2007 Asian Championships where she
finished eighth and Chinese Xu Haiyan became the eventual winner.
Other
contenders include Yelena Shalygina of Kazakhstan who lost to Icho in the final
of the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Silver medalist in
the 2006 World Championships, host wrestler Xu Haiyan also harbored the chance
to win a medal. Xu defeated Shalygina in the 2006 Doha Asiad and won the 2007
Asian Championships.
American Sara McMann, the 2004 Olympic silver
medalist, didn't make her trip to Beijing as she was defeated by Randi Miller in
the domestic trial. Miller is competing for her first world-level
event.
Lise Legrand of France, bronze medalist in Athens, also has her
chance to win a second Olympic medal in Beijing after placing fifth at the 2007
World Championships. She placed third in 67kg class at the European
Championships this year.
In the women's 72kg category, Kyoko Hamguchi of
Japan and Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria are the best hopefuls to meet in the
final.
Zlateva won the last two world championships, beating Hamaguchi in
the final in 2006. She continued her impressive performance into 2008 by winning
the 2008 European Championships.
Five-time world champion Hamguchi
suffered a surprising defeat in the Athens Games where she was defeated by
Chinese Wang Xu in the semifinal and finished with a bronze medal.
She
even slipped to ninth in the 2007 world championships, before winning the 2008
Asian title, a sign that she is coming back.
For the Beijing Games,
defending champion Wang Xu, 23, was dropped during the Chinese team selection
and was replaced by younger Wang Jiao.
Her 1.77-meter height made Wang
Jiao the tallest women wrestler in the Beijing Olympics. Last year, Wang Jiao
won both titles at the Good Luck Beijing and the World Junior Championships.
BEIJING - Saori Yoshida of
Japan has won her second successive Olympic women's wrestling gold medal at 55
kilograms, pinning Chinese teenager Xu Li.
Yoshida has lost only one match in her international career, to American Marcie Van Dusen earlier
this year. She bounced back from that loss with a series of easy victories in
Beijing to become the first women's wrestler to win two Olympic golds.
Xu, who doesn't turn 19 until December, would have been the youngest Olympic
wrestling gold medalist in any discipline. She lost the first period 2-0, then
was pinned by Yoshida 43 seconds into the second.
Winning the bronze medals
were Tonya Verbeek, who took
Canada's second wrestling medal of the games, and Jackeline Renteria of
Colombia. Carol Huynh of Canada earlier won the gold at 48 kg.
BEIJING -- Saori Yoshida of Japan has won her second
successive Olympic women's wrestling gold medal at 55 kilograms, pinning Chinese
teenager Xu Li.
Yoshida has lost only one match in her international career,
to American Marcie Van Dusen earlier this year. She bounced back from that loss
with a series of easy victories in Beijing to become the first women's wrestler
to win two Olympic golds.
Xu, who doesn't turn 19 until December, would have been the
youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in any discipline. She lost the first
period 2-0, then was pinned by Yoshida 43 seconds into the second.
Winning the bronze medals were Tonya Verbeek, who took
Canada's second wrestling medal of the games, and Jackeline Renteria of
Colombia. Carol Huynh of Canada earlier won the gold at 48 kg.
Saori Yoshida retained her Olympic gold medal in the women's 55kg
freestyle wrestling on Saturday after defeating host wrestler Xu Li in the
final.
Yoshida dominated the final, giving her opponent no chance and winning
the two bouts 2-0, 5-0.
The 25-year-old Yoshida was also the winner of the
last five world championships from 2002 to 2007 besides her triumph in Athens
four years ago when women's wrestling made its Olympic debut.
Yoshida had a
undefeated record of 119 matches, which ended by American Marcie van Dusen in
the World Cup in Taiyuan, China in March this year.
"This gold really means
lots to me," said Yoshida. "I can't forget the loss to van Dusen. That's the
only one in my career life."
"That loss left shadow in my heart and it forced
me to keep training. I came here only for the gold."
"I never wasted any
practise chance since 2004 and I kept on improving myself." added
Yoshida.
Yoshida thought high of her opponent in final. She thought Xu Li was
quite a strong opponent.
"Xu Li is very young and strong. It is difficult to
beat her."
"From now on, I will begin to start all opponents' weakness to win
more." said Yoshida.
She became the first female wrestler to retain the
Olympic champion.
Xu Li failed to earn China the first wrestling gold at
Beijing Olympics. The silver was Chinese second as Chang Yongxiang placed second
men's Greco-Roman 74kg class. Xu would have been the youngest Olympic wrestling
gold medalist in any discipline.
Xu Li, 19, said she didn't expect to go into
the final as her first target was just to be in the top eight.
"So silver is
all right to me," said Xu. "I fought with Yoshida twice and I lost both. She was
really a strong rival to defeat."
"Anyway, I don't think I was performing my
best. I will work hard in the future." added Xu.
Jackline Renteria of
Colombia defeated Ana Paval of Romania with a victory by fall, to earn Colombia
the second medal at the Beijing Olympics.
Another bronze medal went to Tonya
Verbeek of Canada. She took the second medal for Canada following teammate Carol
Huynh's gold win in the women's 48kg category.
BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Saori Yoshida retained her women's
55kg freestyle wrestling title as her teammate Chiharu Icho lost again in the
48kg final following her Athens defeat at the Beijing Olympics here on
Saturday.
It's a repeat of history for the Japanese female wrestlers.
Four years ago in Athens, Yoshida won the title and Icho finished second
after losing to Irini Merleni of Ukraine.
This time in Beijing, Icho strode over Merleni in the quarterfinals but
was thrashed by darkhorse Carol Huynh of Canada in the final.
Huynh, 28, won Canada the first gold at the Beijing Olympics, which is
also its first-ever wrestling Olympic gold for her country. Huynh overwhelmed
Icho with a comfortable victory of two bouts, which sent hundreds of Icho's fans
to silence.
Huynh threw her arms in the air, dropping her face into her hands after
the win and running into her coaches' arms. She later grabbed a Canadian flag
from a fan on the stand. Her coach hoisted her onto his shoulders and carried
her out of the gym.
"It feels pretty special," said Huynh. "I know we have more to come, but
it's nice to be the first one. I was a little nervous and heavy on my feet, but
I just kept wrestling."
Icho admitted that Huynh was too strong for her to defeat.
"I have been working hard since the Athens Games with my younger Kaori.
To me, this medal is gold," said Icho. "I should accept the result."
"I seriously thought of retiring for several times. But I just can't give
up," said the 27-year-old Icho.
Yoshida's victory made her the first female wrestler retain an Olympic
title since women's wrestling made its Olympic debut in Athens 2004. She
dominated the final, giving her opponent, host wrestler Xu Li no chance and
winning the two bouts 2-0, 5-0.
The 25-year-old had an undefeated record of 119 matches, which was ended
by American Marcie van Dusen in the World Cup in Taiyuan, China in March this
year.
"This gold really means a lot to me," said Yoshida. "I can't forget the
loss to van Dusen. That's the only one in my career.
"That loss left a shadow in my heart and it forced me to keep training. I
came here only for the gold.
"I never wasted any practise chance since 2004 and I kept on improving
myself," added Yoshida. "And it is really good to win the gold."
Xu Li failed to earn China the first wrestling gold at the Beijing
Olympics. The silver was China's second as Chang Yongxiang placed second in
men's Greco-Roman 74kg class. Xu would have been the youngest Olympic wrestling
gold medallist in any discipline.
Xu Li, 19, said she didn't expect to go into the final as her first
target was just to be in the top eight.
"So the silver is all right to me," said Xu. "I fought with Yoshida twice
and I lost both. She was really a strong rival to defeat."
"Anyway, I don't think I was performing my best. I will work hard in the
future," added Xu.
European champion Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan and 2004 Athens champion
Irini Merleni of Ukraine finished joint third in 48kg.
Jackline Renteria of Colombia defeated Ana Paval of Romania with a
victory by fall in the bronze medal match of 55kg, to earn Colombia the second
medal at the Beijing Olympics. Another bronze medal went to Tonya Verbeek of
Canada.
Bob Duff at the Beijing Games, Canwest News
Service
Published: Saturday, August 16, 2008
BEIJING -- There were times when she pondered the notion of walking away.
Pinning her wrestling career to the mat. Getting on with her life.
Occasionally, Tonya Verbeek wondered whether it was all worth it, but as she
stood on that podium, her second Olympic medal around her neck, she wondered no
more.
Tonya Verbeek (Canada/facing camera) wrestles Naidan
Otgonjargal (Mongolia) in the Women's Freestyle 55 kg. Wrestling competition at
the Beijing Olympic Games August 16, 2008. Verbeek won the match.
The 31-year-old wrestler from Beamsville, Ont., defeated Sweden's Ida-Theres
Nerell 2-0 to capture the bronze medal in the women's 55-kilogram freestyle
competition Saturday at the China Agricultural University Gymnasium.
Verbeek won each of the periods 1-0. Wrestlers must win two of the three
periods to win the match.
Verbeek's win came moments after Carol Huynh, of Hazelton, B.C., earned
Canada a gold medal in the 48-kilogram freestyle weight class.
"I'm so proud of Carol," Verbeek said. "It's her day."
The medal also came four years after Verbeek became the first Canadian woman
ever to win an Olympic wrestling medal, taking silver in the same weight
class.
"It's still a great, great feeling," Verbeek said of winning bronze. "This
one's a little bit different because I won my match to get to the podium.
"With silver, you had lost, so it's a different emotion. I have to say that
I'm really happy with my performance today."
Briefly a national celebrity after her medal in Athens, Verbeek drifted back
into the woodwork as Canada forgot about its Olympic heroes, going back to the
daily grind of training at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., with her
coach Marty Calder.
"Same old, same old," Verbeek shrugged.
For athletes who toil in sports that rarely see the spotlight beyond Olympic
years, those four years between magical moments often prove a lonely
existence.
"It can be," Verbeek said. "It all depends upon your approach. I tried to
keep looking ahead and learn from my mistakes.
"As I see it now, it worked."
She struggled with her form at times following Athens, failing to qualify for
the 2006 world championships.
"The last four years have been quite a character builder for me," Verbeek
said. "I've had a lot of ups and downs. I'm an older athlete now, so it's
tempting to say, 'Let's go somewhere else in my life.'
"I'm trying to be as reflective as I can in a lot of areas of my life. The
main thing for me was to enjoy it when I'm wrestling out there. It was funny.
When I was walking out (for her bronze-medal bout), I heard some people yelling
at me and they were going crazy and I just smiled. It just felt good.
"Yes, I'm going on to a wrestling mat, but I can still smile and enjoy
myself."
Verbeek's mettle was tested, but at the end of the exam, she'd earned another
medal.
"To be able to finish off like this, because this will be my last Olympics, I
really can't complain," she said.
Bob Duff is in Beijing as part of the Canwest News Service Olympic Team
BEIJING, August 16) -- Canada's Carol Huynh won the Women's Freestyle 48
kilogram gold medal on August 16 in a surprising defeat over competition
favorite Icho Chiharu of Japan, shattering Japan's hope of winning two Wrestling gold medals in one day.
This was Icho's second Olympic defeat, having also taken silver in Athens.
She has won two World Cup titles and two World Championship titles in the past
three years but was unable to bring this gold medal home. "Today the medal I got
was silver, I have been working hard since the Athens Olympic Games with my
younger sister, Kaori. To me, this is Gold," she said after the final.
Carol
Huynh (2nd L), Icho Chiharu (1st L), Mariya Stadnik (2nd R) and Irini Merlini
(Photo credit: Li Gang/Xinhua)
For Huynh, the gold medal meant her best senior achievement, Canada's first
gold medal in Beijing and Canada's first ever Women's Wrestling Olympic gold
medal.
Bronze medals went to Athens gold medalist Irina Merleni of Ukraine and 2008 European champion Mariya Stadnik of
Azerbaijan.
The defending 55kg champion, 25-year-old wrestling legend Yoshida Saori,
outwrestled local favorite Li Xu in the 55kg final to uphold Japanese authority
in Wrestling on Saturday. Yoshida began wrestling when she was just three,
training under her father; since her international debut in 1998, she has won
all major international tournaments, including five World Championships. She
also set a historical record for wining 119 bouts in a row, before a loss in
January.
Yoshida cried after winning the bout. "I didn't remember crying in Athens but
this time I cried because I killed myself preparing for these Olympics," she commented on her crying. "I don't
remember crying in Athens. This time I cried because I was very happy and I
really put my best into preparing for this Olympics. I really had been carrying
around with me in my head what happened in January."
Yoshida
Saori of Japan (2nd, L), Xu Li of China (1st, L), Tonya Verbeek (2nd, R) and
Jackeline Renteria (Photo credit: Xinhua)
Colombia's Jackeline Renteria took one of two bronze medals for her country's
first ever Olympic Wrestling medal. The other bronze went to Athens silver
medalist Tonya Verbeek of Canada.
BEIJING -- First, Carol Huynh blew kisses to her family.
They were easy to pick out among the crowd the China Agricultural University
Gymnasium, what with the red-and-white hand-made "Go Carol" T-shirts they were
all wearing.
Then Huynh waved in every direction as she ascended the podium, her smile a
permanent beam of white light. Then the tears came and they kept coming, but the
smile never wavered.
Carol Huynh (Canada) sheds tears during the playing of
the Canadian national anthem after defeating Chiharu Icho (Japan) to win the
gold medal in the Women's Freestyle 48 kg. Wrestling competition at the Beijing
Olympic Games August 16, 2008.
Finally, as O Canada was played, Huynh lost the battle to contain herself and
was overcome with emotion.
Why not?
She was an Olympic champion after all.
Huynh of Hazelton, B.C., the daughter of Vietnamese boat people who came to
Canada as refugees, brought the country its first gold medal of the Beijing
Games, defeating two-time reigning world champion Icho Chiharu of Japan 2-0 to
take the 48-kilogram women's freestyle wrestling title Saturday at the China
Agricultural University Gymnasium.
Huynh won the first period 4-0 and took the second period 2-1. The first
athlete to win two periods is the winner.
Huynh's victory was followed by a bronze-medal effort from Tonya Verbeek, of
Beamsville, Ont., in the women's 55-kilogram division.
"It's a great day for Canadian wrestling," said Verbeek's coach, Marty
Calder. "I'm so happy to be part of this."
Huynh had never beaten Chiharu before, but took it to the 2004 Olympic silver
medallist, beating her to the punch with her lightning-quick moves.
"I knew that I had to set the tone and make sure I wrestled my match and it
worked," Huynh said. "When I took her out of bounds for the three points (in the
first round), at that point I knew I had her."
There was no sign of Huynh's name anywhere on the pre-competition list of
medal contenders issued by the International Olympic Committee and she was fine
what that.
"I was OK with kind of flying under the radar," Huynh said, while adding her
own pre-competition assessment of her gold-medal chances. "I knew it was a
possibility."
As the day progressed and Huynh made short work of one opponent after
another, it seemed more like a probability.
When it became a reality late Saturday afternoon, the ever-smiling Huynh
broke down and bawled like a little girl who'd skinned her knee, not a compact
dynamo who'd skunked all the best wrestlers in the world.
Stepping up to accept her gold medal, she was absolutely delighted to shine
in the spotlight.
"I was waving to my family especially and to all of my friends and teammates
and coaches and then I was just waving at any Canadian flag I could see," Huynh
said. "I was just thinking how proud I am to be Canadian and about the road I
took to get here. It's been a long one, but a good one."
A hard road, too, one that was started by her parents, displaced Vietnamese
refugees whose move to Hazelton was sponsored by the local United Church.
"They've spoken about it a few times, but just little snippets," Huynh said
of her parents' ordeal as boat people.
Born in China, Viem Hunyh moved to Vietnam, settling in Ho Chi Minh City with
his wife Mai Trinh, who was originally from Vietnam.
"They had nothing (when her parents came to Canada)," Huynh said. Supporting
five children, her father worked as a carpenter, did odd jobs, later landing a
position at a sawmill. Huynh's mom waitressed.
Eventually, they opened a small hotel in Hazelton, the Bulkley Valley Motel,
which they sold in May, moving into retirement.
"They worked so hard for us to have a better life," Huynh said. "I'm pretty
sure I learned my work ethic from them."
Like most wrestlers, Huynh learned her lessons from the school of hard
knocks. After failing to make the 2004 Olympic team, Huynh dedicated all of her
energies to ensuring 2008 would be a reality.
"I made a commitment four years ago after I didn't make the Athens Olympic
team to being on this team," she said. "I really tried to do everything I could
to get me here.
"One of those things I knew I really had to work on was my confidence. I
started working with a sports psychologist."
Leigh Vierling, Huynh's coach, who celebrated his birthday Saturday with a
gold medal from his athlete, noticed the change in Huynh.
"She was of the attitude that, 'OK, now's her time,' " Vierling said. "She
was very confident. In the past, she didn't allow herself to be as confident.
"She embraced me after her semifinal match and said, 'Happy birthday.' I
said, 'You're not getting away with that one. We've still got some work to do.'
"
Amazingly, Huynh, 27, believes this will be her lone Olympic experience.
"I'm not sure about another four years," she said. "Another one or two for
sure, but I don't think I could go another four.
"I'm getting old for this."
She also wasn't sure how she'd celebrate her sudden status as Canada's golden
girl.
"I have to go pee in a cup first," Huynh said. "Then I'll think about
celebrating."
Bob Duff is in Beijing as part of the Canwest News Service Olympic
Team
Carol
Huynh of Canada (red) poses after victory ceremony of the women's freestyle 48kg
at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games wrestling event in Beijing, China, Aug. 16,
2008. Carol Huynh beat Icho Chiharu of Japan and got the gold medal.
(Xinhua)
Carol Huynh won Canada the first gold at the Beijing
Olympics here on Saturday, beating Chiharu Ichoof Japan in the final of women's
freestyle 48kg final.
Huynh overwhelmed her rival in the comfortable
victory of two bouts, stunning thousands of Japanese spectators who planned to
witness Icho's win after she got a silver in the Athens Games four years ago.
Huynh, 28, won Canada's first-ever wrestling Olympic gold and its first
at Beijing Olympics. She cried after the victory ceremony.
Carol
Huynh of Canada (red) competes with Icho Chiharu of Japan during the women's
freestyle 48kg final at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games wrestling event in
Beijing, China, Aug. 16, 2008. Carol Huynh won the bout and got the gold medal.
(Xinhua)
"It feels pretty special," said Huynh. "I know we have
more to come, but it's nice to be the first one. I was a little nervous andheavy
on my feet, but I just kept wrestling."
Huynh threw her arms in the air
and then dropped her face into her hands after the win before running into her
coaches arms.
Huynh later grabbed a Canadian flag from a fan on the
stand, thecoach hoisted her onto his shoulders and carried her out of the gym.
It was Icho's second time to miss the gold. She lost to Irini Merleni in
the final of the 2004 Athens Games.
"Huynh was quite strong today," said
Icho. "So I should accept the result."
"I have been working hard since
the Athens Games with my youngerKaori. To me, this medal is gold."
European champion Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan and 2004 Athens champion
Irini Merleni of Ukraine finished joint third.
Merleni was defeated by
silver medalist Icho in the quarterfinals.
"I lost in the last five
seconds of the match," said Merleni on her loss to Icho. "I relaxed for one
moment and you can't make mistakes at this level."
"Winning the bronze
medal was actually harder than winning the gold," added Merleni. "It is a pity
that I failed to defend the Olympic gold. But on the other hand, thank God I got
the bronze. I appreciate this medal."
Stadnik defeated Tatyana Baktyuk,
Kazakhstan in another bronze medal match. She could not accept the result,
though it is the first medal in history for Azerbaijan in women's wrestling.
"I felt nothing. I am not too excited because I came for gold," said
Stadnik. "I had wished for something better, so I'm not satisfied with my
performance."
BEIJING — Carol Huynh didn't just break
Canada's medal drought; she broke on through to the top of the podium, handily
winning the gold medal in the 48-kilogram weight class in women's wrestling.
With her parents watching inside the China Agricultural University, and
adorned in t-shirts saying Go Carol, the 27-year-old Huynh scored a dominant
decision over her Japanese opponent Chiharu Icho.
Huynh won the first two rounds and didn't have to wrestle a third. She jumped
with joy when she realized she won gold and her coaches carried her on their
shoulders while she waved a Canadian flag.
The gold medal was Canada's first of these Games. Prior to the match, Dave
Calder and Scott Frandsen won a silver medal in the men's pair rowing event.
Canada's Carol Huynh celebrates her gold medal victory over Chiharu Icho from
Japan in the women's freestyle 48kg wrestling final. (Fred
Lum/The Globe and Mail)
Tonya Verbeek, of Beamsville, Ont., capped a successful span for Canada by
winning a bronze medal in the 55-kg wrestling class. All three medals — gold,
silver, bronze — came within an hour's time Saturday.
Huynh had a strong run to the gold medal final but was facing a formidable
foe. Icho is a 26-year-old security guard from Nagoya who was out to improve on
her silver medal finish at the Athens Games in 2004. She'd also won three world
championships and hails from a wrestling family.
But Huynh was aggressive and confident and scored a three-point takedown in
the first round.
"I knew I had to set the pace," she said after her crying her way through the
playing of the Canadian national anthem. "I wrestled my way and it worked."
Huynh was a bronze medalist at the 2005 world championships and stayed with
the sport after failing to qualify for the Canadian team and the 2004 Olympic
debut of women's wrestling. She used that disappointment to fuel her drive for
Beijing.
"I made a commitment four years ago to being on this team and I did
everything I could to be here," said Huynh.
Huynh was born in Hazelton, B.C., after her parents fled Vietnam in the late
1970s. Her mother, Trinh, was born in Vietnam and the father, Viem Huynh, was
born in China but moved to Vietnam when he was three. Trinh and Viem met in Ho
Chi Minh City and left the country to pursue a better life for their two
children.
The family was sponsored by a church group in Hazelton, B.C., and lived on a
native reservation. Huynh said she grew up with close friends and got into
wrestling in high school.
"They did everything," Huynh said of her parents, who worked a variety of
jobs (waitress, marketer, dock worker, sawmill worker) and just recently sold
the Bulkley Valley Motel in Hazelton. "My dad did all kinds of jobs in Vietnam —
sold little trinkets. I'm pretty sure I learned my work ethic from them. They
had five kids to raise."
Verbeek, 31, was the silver medalist in her weight class in Athens. She had
hoped to equal or better than here but was thrilled to have won in what was her
last Olympic appearance.
"I heard the national anthem playing (for Huynh) and that was playing with my
head," said Verbeek, who wrestled immediately after the 48 kg. medal ceremonies.
"I was happy for her but I had to prepare for my match … I used it for
motivation
Verbeek defeated Ida-Theres Nerell from Sweden in two rounds.
BEIJING (Reuters) - Carol Huynh, whose parents fled communist Vietnam in the
1970s, won Canada's first gold of the Olympics on Saturday in the women's 48 kg
freestyle wrestling.
Huynh, 27, defeated Japanese two-times world champion Chiharu Icho, who took
the silver in wrestling's lightest weight class. The score was 3-1.
Her parents were Chinese and settled in British Columbia, where she was born,
after fleeing Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, said Huynh.
"It's very special to them to be here and see such an accomplishment and to
see me reach my dream. And right in front of their eyes," said Huynh.
"I was the first in the family to be born in Canada. My parents are both very
hard-working."
Icho made no excuses for her loss to the Canadian. "She was stronger
physically and technically. Stronger in all respects," said the 26-year-old
Japanese competitor.
Irini Merleni of Ukraine and Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan won bronze
medals.
"Winning the bronze this time was even harder than winning the gold (at the
Athens Olympics in 2004), even though I have been three-times world champion,"
said Merleni.
Canada's Tonya Vebeek later won bronze in the 55 kg category to give the
country two medals from women's wrestling.
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