Kyoko Hamaguchi wanted to become a pro-wrestler like her father, who was dubbed "Animal" for his emotional outbursts, while Mio Nishimaki needed an escape route from childhood obesity.

Saori Yoshida, meanwhile, couldn't avoid the amateur wrestling gym that was her home and Hitomi Sakamamoto followed her younger brother onto the mat.

Japan's four world-beating women wrestlers at the Asian Games may have started their career for different reasons, but they are going out to triumph in Guangzhou and breathe new life into their country's gold medal challenge.

"We've seen our country's hopes finish second or crash out," said Yoshida, who has won two back-to-back Olympic titles and eight world gold medals in the 55kg category.

"It's really been a tough battle. To set the trend straight, all four of us will go for gold medals to boost Japan's collection," added Yoshida, who is aiming for a third straight title.

The fabulous four, except for former world heavyweight champion Hamaguchi, all won at the world championships in Moscow last September.

Coach Kazuhito Sakae warned China are formidable rivals on home ground.

"There are also many wrestlers in Asia who are in the world's top three," he said.

Yoshida - whose ultimate goal is to break Russian Alexander Karelin's record of 12 straight Olympic and world wrestling golds - singled out China's world 59kg silver medalist Zhang Lan as a threat.

"She goes out attacking. I guess she is definitely more powerful than I am because she belongs to one division higher," the 28-year-old Yoshida said.

"I will deal with her by attacking as well."

Japan have dominated women's wrestling, fought in freestyle, winning 63 world titles since the second championships in 1989 with four gold medals from two Olympics.

Hamaguchi and Yoshida won two out of four on offer in the inaugural Asiad competition.

But at the last Asian Games in Doha, Hamaguchi lost to China's Wang Xu in the 72kg final to spoil Japan's bid for a clean title sweep.

Hamaguchi, 32, said, "I realize that I'm in the best mental and physical condition of my 17-year career."

"It is really a miracle that I remain active like this," said Hamaguchi, who won the world heavyweight title five times until 2003.

She also won two Olympic bronze medals since the sport made its debut on the premier stage at the 2004 Athens Games.

When she lost in Beijing in 2008, she called herself a "worn-out dustcloth."

She and her father Heigo, now 63, turned her defeat at the Doha Asiad into a sideshow with all the hallmarks of pro-wrestling.

Agencies