Wrestling: Kaori Icho loses in national final, postpones 2020 Olympic bid

Japan's four-time Olympic wrestling champion Kaori Icho was defeated at the national invitational championships on Sunday and will have to prevail in a playoff in July to secure a spot at this year's world championships, which double as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.Icho, who is aiming for a fifth straight Olympic title, lost to 2016 Rio de Janeiro gold medalist Risako Kawai in the women's 57-kilogram final at Tokyo's Komazawa Gymnasium. The contest on July 6 will give Icho a final chance to qualify for the Sept. 14-22 world championships in Kazakhstan.The Japan Wrestling Federati…READ FULL ARTICLE