Japanese journalist Higuchi has most correct Women’s World champions predictions with three winners

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
11/05/2002


Ikuo Higuchi of Japan, a top international wrestling journalist, had the most correct predictions among the journalists polled by TheMat.com prior to the Women's World Wrestling Championships in Greece.    Higuchi had three correct selections out of the seven weight classes. He picked all three Japanese World champions correctly: Saori Yoshida at 55 kg/121 lbs., Kaori Icho at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Kyoko Hamaguchi at 72 kg/156.25 lbs. Higuchi has covered wrestling, and many other martial arts for years, and was in attendance in Halkida, Greece covering the Women's World Championships.    Frank Shanley of Mat Chat in New Zealand had a pair of the champions correctly chosen: Yoshida and Hamaguchi. U.S. wrestling fan Sina Etemadi picked both Yoshida and Icho, but he had Icho competing at the wrong weight class, at 59 kg rather than 63 kg.    Four journalists had one correct selection and three journalists had zero correct selections. A total of 10 journalists selected the women's picks in advance of the tournament this year.    Since the 2000 Olympic Games, TheMat.com has asked wrestling journalists from around the world to make their predictions prior to the Olympics or World Championships.