#WrestleBelgrade

10 must watch WW quarters at World Championships

Saturday, September 3, 2022 - 13:49 By Olivia Lichti

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BELGRADE, Serbia (September 2) -- Competition day looms closer at the Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, and women’s wrestling will feature some of the most exciting storylines of the tournament. For the first time, eight highest ranked wrestlers will be seeded at the World Championships which has allowed both veterans and young stars alike to find their place amongst the seeds.

Here are some of the most intriguing potential quarterfinal matchups, featuring faceoffs between world champions, Olympic medalists, and top up-and-comers.

These quarterfinals are far from guaranteed as many talented women will be in their brackets without a seed and will have a fair shot at upsetting the ranked wrestlers.

 

50kg: No. 2 Yui SUSAKI (JPN) vs No. 7 Mariya STADNIK (AZE)

Susaki has never lost to a competitor from anywhere but Japan since she first burst onto the scene in 2014. However, Mariya Stadnik has gotten about as close as one can get. Interestingly, Stadnik hasn’t lost to a non-Japanese opponent since 2014 either.

In 2018, Stadnik almost pulled off a win but Susaki scored a late stepout to win 2-2 on criteria at the Klippan Lady Open. 

Although Susaki has clearly pulled away from her Azeri opponent in recent years, winning 10-0 teching her in the semifinals in Tokyo last August, Stadnik is her most credentialed competitor in the bracket.

This match will feature two of the best pound-for-pound athletes in the world and thus shouldn’t be missed.

 

53kg: No. 4 Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) vs No. 5 Jonna MALMGREM (SWE)

Last year in Oslo, Krawczyk broke through and won her first world medal at the age of 30. She followed up that performance with a solid 2022 season, adding two Ranking Series medals to her resume and earning the number four seed.

However, 2021 U20 world champion Malmgrem picked up one of the biggest wins of her career when she pinned the Polish veteran in this year’s European semifinals en route to winning her first Senior continental title. This rematch could provide Krawczyk with the opportunity to avenge and a second-consecutive podium finish at Worlds, or allow Malmgrem to prove the Euros win wasn’t just a fluke and that she is a serious senior-level threat.

Andreea ANA (ROU)Andreea ANA (ROU) is a U23 world and senior European champion. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

55kg: No. 3 Andreea ANA (ROU) vs No. 6 Karla GODINEZ (CAN)

Ana and Godinez are both rising stars that have accumulated impressive results in the last year. Ana became the first Romanian woman to win a U23 World title in addition to earning U23 and Senior European titles.

Canada’s Godinez upset 2019 world champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) to win the Pan-Am gold, a feat she accompanied with a Zouhaier Sghaier silver medal.

Both these women will be integral parts of the future of 55kg and their matchup will showcase some of the toughest young talents in the world.

Presuming seeds hold, the winner here should face another rising star, Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR), in the semifinals.

Helen MAROULIS (USA)Helen MAROULIS (USA) is the defending world champion at 57kg. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

57kg: No. 1 Helen MAROULIS (USA) vs No. 8 Anhelina LYSAK (POL)

Top seed and American legend Maroulis will be a huge favorite in this matchup against U23 world champion Lysak. This match makes the list purely because of Lysak’s volatile tendencies.

Lysak loves to lock up overhooks and go for big throws, a risk that has both helped and harmed her in her international career. She began representing Poland in 2021 after spending her age-level career in Ukraine and has earned a U23 world title, a pair of European medals and a Ranking Series gold medal since her transfer. She’s a formidable athlete, but Maroulis’ greater experience and wide range of skills should propel her to the finals.

 

57kg: No. 2 Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) vs No. 7 Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR)

After unexpectedly winning a bronze medal in Tokyo last year, Nikolova was looking to add another feat to her list of accolades: earning her first European title. She managed to make her second European final this year in Budapest but her hopes of winning gold were dashed by U23 world champion Hrushyna, who defeated her 6-2.

Hrushyna qualified Ukraine for the Olympics at 57kg last year but was unable to compete due to an elbow injury. While she has yet to wrestle at a senior World Championship, her list of achievements and significant wins are impressive for an athlete of her age.

If Hrushyna can defeat Nikolova again, she’ll prove that she truly is a medal contender at 57kg though Nikolova will indubitably be hungry for victory.

 

62kg: No. 2 Lais NUNES (BRA) vs No. 7 Ana GODINEZ (CAN)

Nunes and Godinez have split matches this year, with Godinez winning their Pan-Am semifinal 7-5 and Nunes taking their Matteo Pellicone bronze medal bout 8-6. The matches have been razor-thin and both will be looking to gain the advantage in their rivalry should they meet in the quarterfinals in Belgrade.

Both have impressed lately with Godinez winning the U23 world title last year and Nunes pulled off one of the season’s biggest upsets at the Yasar Dogu over when she beat top-ranked wrestler Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ).

Marwa AMRI (TUN)Marwa AMRI (TUN) will be hoping to win a medal at 62kg in Belgrade. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

62kg: No. 3 Kayla MIRACLE (USA) vs No. 6 Marwa AMRI (TUN)

Miracle had her senior-level breakout last year when she made her first World final, losing only to Tynybekova. She’s been somewhat absent internationally this year, though she did make the Pan-Am finals before forfeiting due to injury.

All signs point to her being ready to go in Belgrade but she’ll have a tough task in her projected quarterfinal opponent -- Tunisia’s Amri, who owns the distinction of being the first African Olympic WW medalist.

Amri’s 2022 season has been a successful one as she won a Yasar Dogu bronze, Mediterranean Games gold and an African title.

Miracle has clearly leveled up over the past year, but Amri has a well-adorned hitlist and years of experience that will make her tough to beat.

Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) is the returning silver medalist at 65kg. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

65kg: No. 1 Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) vs No. 8 Mallory VELTE (USA)

In the United States, Forrest MOLINARI (USA) owned the 65kg world team spot ever since the weight was introduced in 2018. However, Velte changed that this year when she pulled two shocking upsets over the 2021 World bronze medallist to find herself on yet another world team.

Now, she’ll be chasing her second world medal, but up three kilograms from where she accumulated her first piece of hardware. Her projected quarterfinal opponent, top seed Morikawa, represented Japan in Oslo last year.

She defeated Molinari 6-2 in the semifinals but fell in the gold medal to Irina RINGACI (MDA). In Belgrade, Morikawa will look to claim her first world title since winning U20 gold in 2019. This match will be highly competitive and should be a great test for Velte at her new weight.

 

68kg: No. 2 Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) vs No. 7 Feng ZHOU (CHN)

In January 2020, Mensah was cruising to the Matteo Pellicone gold medal with an 8-0 lead over Zhou in the 68kg final.

But Zhou shocked Mensah by securing a trap-arm gut wrench and turned her three times -- enough to win 8-8 on criteria, snatching the gold.

Although Mensah since has defeated Zhou, the Chinese’s impressive top game will make even big leads seem volatile and allow her to keep the match in the margins till the final buzzer sounds.

 

68kg: No. 3 Blessing OBORODUDU (NGR) vs No. 6 Irina RINGACI (MDA)

2021 65kg world champion Ringaci has been very successful in her move up to the Olympic weight of 68kg, picking up U23 and senior European titles and a Ranking Series silver medal.

She faced off against Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Oborodudu earlier this year at Matteo Pellicone semis. She destroyed Oborodudu with an abrupt pin in a mere 32 seconds.

If she can pull off another win over Oborodudu in Belgrade with the dominance, she’ll cement herself as a true medal contender at her new weight for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

#WrestleParis

10 seeded showdowns we need to see at Paris 2024 (No. 6-10)

Wednesday, July 17, 2024 - 14:29 By Eric Olanowski

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PARIS, France (July 17) – We’re still a few weeks out from the Paris 2024 draws taking place on August 4. However, with the release of the top eight seeds per style, we can start to project potential matches that could take place as early as the quarterfinals.

SCHEDULE | PARIS 2024 EVENT PAGE 

The top eight Ranking Series point collectors from the 2023 World Championships, 2024 Continental Championships, and the Croatian and Hungarian Ranking Series events earned a top eight seed. The remaining eight wrestlers will be randomly drawn into their respective brackets.

Here are the top ten matches that we could see between seeded wrestlers from the quarterfinals on:

10. WW 68kg QUARTERFINAL - No. 3 Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) vs. No. 6 Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)
Koumba Larroque has been a prominent figure in French wrestling since her bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships at just 19 years old. Now in the prime of her career, she’s France’s best shot at a medal.

Larroque’s path to an Olympic medal will be bumpy, to say the least. She’s the third-seeded athlete in a bracket with six world champions and includes a potential quarterfinal clash with  familiar foe No. 6 Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR).

Larroque and Oborududu met twice in their career, splitting their pair of previous encounters.

Oborududu won their opening meeting at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event, but Larroque returned the favor a year later at the Poland Open, evening the score at 1-1.

If Larroque and Oborududu win their first match, their third career meeting would take place August 5 in the 68kg quarterfinals.

9.  FS 65kg SEMIFINAL –  No. 2 Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) vs. No. 3 Ismail MUSUKAEV (HUN)
Amouzad and Musukaev are nightmare opponents for each other and are stylistically opposites.

Amouzad, the 65kg world champ from two years ago, is a guy who wants to close the gap with his right-side underhook and fill as much space as possible. Conversely, Musukaev, the reigning 65kg world champion, wants as much space as possible to flow freely.

In their first meeting—the semifinals of the 2022 World Championships-- Musukaev fell victim to Amouzad’s pace and was shut out 6-0. In their second matches—the semifinals of the 2023 World Championships—Musukaev weathered the first period storm, saved enough energy for a last-ditch effort and stole the world finals spot, 6-5, with less than 10 seconds remaining.

If Amouzad and Musukaev meet for a third time, it’ll be on August 10 in 65kg semifinals.

8. 57kg SEMIFINAL – No. 2 Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) vs. No. 3  Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR)
The Nichita and Adekuoroye rivalry is one that dates back to the 2019 World Championships but has since changed hands from their pre-COVID meeting.

The seasoned vet Adekuoroye is an anomaly in the wrestling world. Her style can’t be mimicked or replicated. She’s the tallest and lengthiest 57kg wrestler in the world but has also learned to use her leverage to become one of the most powerful wrestlers in the weight.

Adekuoroye’s unique style gave Nichita fits in their first meeting, as the four-time world medalist opened their three-match series with a dominant 10-0 win.

But Nichita carried what she learned from their first meeting into their next matches and had her hand raised on subsequent occasions.

In Tokyo, Nichita fell behind early but capitalized on an uncharacteristic Adekuoroye’s mistake and picked up a dramatic come-from-behind fall while trailing 8-2. Their next meeting came at the 2023 World Championships, where Nichita doubled Adekuoroye before ending the match in the first period with a left-sided trap arm gut, 10-0.

The fourth meeting between Nichita and Adekuoroye will take place August 8 in the 57kg semifinals.

7. GR 67kg QUARTERFINAL – No. 2 Luis ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB) vs. No. 7 Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI)
If there were ever a lesson from losing a match, Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) certainly learned it the hard way.

Earlier this year at the Hungarian Open Ranking Series event, Esmaelil led reigning Olympic champion Orta, 7-5, with 0.4 seconds left in the match.

But before we get to the ending of the match, it’s important to note that Esmaeili was in a domestic battle with reigning Olympic gold medalist Reza GERAEI (IRI) for Iran’s 67kg Paris Olympic spot. If Esmaeili beat Orta, he cemented his spot on Iran’s Olympic team. If he lost, Esmaeili and Geraei would go to a three-match wrestle off and the winner goes to Paris.

Now, circling back to the match: With less than a second to go in the match, Esmaeili began celebrating as he thought the clock expired.

During Esmaeili’s lapse of judgement, Orta, being the experienced guy, continued to wrestle through the whistle. Orta took a peek at the clock, saw there was still time left, locked up a throw and picked up four points, stealing the match, 9-7.

Esmaeili will try to get his revenge on Orta August 7 in the 67kg quarterfinals.

*Esmaeili ended up beating Geraei in two straight matches to earn the Olympic spot.

6. WW 57kg SEMIFINAL - No. 1 Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) vs. No. 5 Helen MAROULIS (USA)
Through the first two meetings between Sakurai and Maroulis, it’s been a one-sided affair. Sakurai is 2-0 against Maroulis, outscoring the Rio Olympic champion, 9-0, while picking up four offensive takedowns and not surrendering a single point.

Sakurai and Maroulis’ meeting at the 2022 World Championships was a slow-paced match, where the Japanese wrestler did enough to win but didn’t really establish her dominance.

That came in the second match.

In their second meeting, the biggest difference was Sakurai’s tatical use of her right hand when tied up with Maroulis. She used it to score three takedowns—one from an underhook front headlock, one from a underhook throw-by and the final one coming from a two-on-one—besting the American, 6-0.

The third meeting between Sakurai and Maroulis would take place August 8 in the 57kg semifinals.

Wrestling at the Paris Olympic Games starts Agust 5-11 and can be followed on www.uww.org.