Hitomi Obara, the 2012 London Olympics gold medalist in the women's 48-kilogram wrestling, died Friday of unspecified causes, sources close to her said. She was 44.The Aomori Prefecture native helped Japan's women dominate the sport alongside icons Kaori Icho and Saori Yoshida. Obara was crowned world champion six times in the 2000s in the 51-kg category before claiming the title at 48 kg in 2010 and 2011.Obara was inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in September 2022 along with four-time Olympic gold medalist Icho and three-time winner Yoshida.She had been coaching youngs…READ FULL ARTICLE
