2008 Olympics
Posted: Sunday August 17, 2008 6:03 AM

China's backup is women's 72-kg mat gold medalist

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EDs: APNewsNow.

BEIJING (AP) -Wang Jiao has won the women's 72-kilogram wrestling gold medal for China.

Wang, a backup competing only because of an injury to a 2004 champion, pinned favorite Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria with one second left in the first period on Sunday.

Zlateva had won the last two world championships. But the 20-year-old Wang put her to the mat with about 30 seconds left in the two-minute period and kept maneuvering for the pin.

Wang, last year's world junior champion, was chosen to wrestle after Athens gold medalist Wang Xu injured a shoulder recently in training.

The bronzes were won by five-time world champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan and Agnieszka Wieszczek of Poland. Hamaguchi defeated Ali Bernard of the United States 3-0, 3-1 for Japan's fourth medal - two golds, a silver and her bronze - in the four women's weight classes.

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