Yoko (right) and Bernice in supermatch action.
KUCHING: Japan’s Yoko Yamada proved she is the undisputed Professional Armwrestling League’s (PAL) number one ranked puller in the Women’s Heavyweight 65kg Below Left Hand and 65kg Above Right Hand after taking up the Supermatch challenge here on Friday.
The 43-year-old from Tokyo did not face much difficulty overcoming Malaysian challengers 27-year-old Bernice Gan Siew Hua and 15-year-old Abigail Kee Zing Ning at Premier 101 Mazurenko Armwrestling Training Centre.
Yoko – who is Japan Open 2019 champion, China Open 2019 champion and 2005 world champion – outclassed Bernice 4-0 in the 65kg Below Left Hand. Abigail suffered the same fate (4-0) in the 65kg Above Right Hand.
The two Supermatches, based on the best of five, were refereed by Mohd Zil Fadli, who is Malaysian Armwrestling Federation president, and his assistant Abisadj Kee.
They are recognised by the Professional Armwrestling League under the Vendetta General Division.
This was the first time that international matches were held at the training centre which is well equipped with state-of-the-art Mazurenko equipment.
“I feel really happy to win both matches and earn the number one rankings.
“I was nervous at first but once I got into the rhythm, there was no stopping me,” said Yoko after the contest.
She said strong mental toughness with full focus was a key reason for her victory.
“They (Bernice and Abigail) are still very young and I feel that they need to train more and go for exposure outside Malaysia.
“I am also ready to help them improve their skills and techniques and give them encouragement and morale support,” she added.
Bernice was not discouraged after losing to Yoko for the second time since they last met at the champion of champions of the Premier 101 International Charity 2019 in April this year.
“I think I need to work harder to improve my wrist strength, speed and power.
“I will relish the chance to wrestle with her again next year,” she said.
Yoko faces off against Abigail. — Photos by Chai Chang Yu
Meanwhile, teenager Abigail found out what the Japanese champion was made of.
“She is too strong and she used her vast experience to easily beat me.
“After seeing Yoko competing with Bernice, I said to myself that I need to focus but I just failed to do that.
“Hopefully I will have a ‘re-match’ with Yoko again next year and I shall be more prepared for that match,” vowed the form three student of SMK Batu Lintang.
She is bound for the World Armwrestling Championship in Warsaw, Poland from Dec 4 to 10.
Abigail will be training under renowned coach Igor Mazurenko in Lumia, Poland for one month from Nov 1 to 30.
Her training stint is supported by the Sarawak Sports Corporation.