Hitomi Obara

Japanese wrestler Hitomi Obara was one of the best in her sport of her generation, winning eight world titles and gold at the Olympics. In the 51 kg class Obara won back-to-back world titles in 2000 and 2001 before a serious knee injury kept her out of the world championships for four years. She made her return in 2005, winning four more consecutive titles. During this time she also made her first attempt to qualify for the 2004 Athenia Olympics, but lost to the legendary Saori Yoshida in the final of the All-Japan Championships. Four years later, history repeated itself with Obara once again missing out on the 2008 Beijing Games after losing to Yoshida at the All-Japan Championships.

Contemplating retirement, Obara opted instead to drop down to the 48 kg class, winning another two back-to-back world titles in 2010 and 2011. The only blemish on her impressive record was a semi-final loss at the 2010 Asian Games, which ended an incredible 70-match winning streak in international competitions. At the lower weight class she also fulfilled her dream of competing at the Olympics, qualifying for the flyweight event for the 2012 London Games. Obara beat the defending Olympic champion Carol Huynh (CAN) in the semi-finals before defeating Mariya Stadnik (AZE) in the final to win gold.

Obara retired following the London Olympics, joining the Self-Defense Force Physical Training School where she became an officer and a coach. In 2022 she was inducted into the UWW’s Hall of Fame. Sadly, she was only 44-years-old when she died in July 2025.