CHIBA – Teenager Misato Nakamura won the women’s 52-kg title in her first tournament in the weight division at the Kodokan Cup National Weight Class Championships on Saturday. The 18-year-old Nakamura, who moved up from 48 kg ahead of the tournament, defeated defending champion Natsuko Kimijima in the semifinals before beating Eri Kakita in the dying seconds of overtime in the final at Chiba Port Arena. “I’m so happy I won. It’s a huge confidence boost,” said Nakamura, who got an ippon win against Kimijima in their semifinal and scored a “waza-ari” point with an outer-leg trip in the final. Athens Olympic silver medalist Yuki Yokosawa lost in the other semifinal. Nakamura had struggled to maintain her weight after winning the 48-kg title in the absence of Ryoko Tani two years ago. She decided to make the switch to 52 kg with the hope of making next year’s Beijing Olympics. In other action, Mina Watanabe scored an ippon victory over Asuka Oka in the women’s 70-kg final to win her second straight title along with Mai Tateyama, who achieved the same feat at over 78 kg.
Offbeat
Hell hath no fury: Pope an exorcist?
Pope Francis’ fascination with the devil took on remarkable new twists Tuesday, with a well-known exorcist insisting Francis helped “liberate” a Mexican man possessed by four different demons despite the Vatican’s insistence that no such papal exorcism took place. The case concerns a 43-year-old ...