Burroughs Rides Classic Takedown to 5th World Title, 1st at 79kg

Monday, October 4, 2021 - 19:12 By Ken Marantz

OSLO, Norway (October 4) -- The tiger-like leap forward. The vice-like grip behind the knees. The head to the chest. The opponent tumbling helplessly backwards.

With the same classic takedown that has kept him at the pinnacle of the sport for a decade, Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) added to his self-proclaimed legend by capturing a fifth world title and first in the freestyle 79kg division.

Burroughs scored twice with his trademark double-leg takedown in the second period to outclass world junior champion Mohammad NOKHODILARIMI (IRI) 5-1 in one of the four finals on tap Monday night at the World Championships in Oslo.

"I've been waiting a long time to get back here," Burroughs said. "It's been four years since I won a world championship. It's been so much that I've gone through this last year. It's been a really difficult year for me."

Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Thomas GILMAN (USA) also gave the U.S. a gold with a victory at 57kg, as Iran came away with only one title on the night despite having a presence in all four finals.

The Russian federation and Iran split the other two golds at stake, with European champion Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF) capturing the 65kg gold and Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) coming through at 92kg to give Iran its third gold overall of the tournament at Jordal Amfi arena.

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) won the 79kg title after beating Mohammad NOKHODILARIMI (IRI) 5-1 in the final. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

Burroughs, by adding to the world titles he won in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 (all at 74kg), is now the first American male to become a five-time world champion. Combined with his Olympic gold in 2012, he tied John Smith for the U.S. record of six world and Olympic crowns.

"I knew that this was going to be a big moment for me, and it was only six minutes of wrestling to solidify myself in history," Burroughs said. "I just wanted to be in the moment. My coaches told me to be thankful, show heart and gratitude, let the light inside you shine brighter than the lights on you."

The 33-year-old Burroughs revealed that he suffered a severe calf injury at the U.S. team trials three weeks ago that nearly derailed his trip to Oslo. He also had to deal with mental strain of his wife having fourth child two days before his departure. That was on top of missing out on the Tokyo Olympics when he was beaten for the 74kg spot by Kyle DAKE (USA).

"I was able to persevere through strong faith and a great encouraging team around me," he said. "I'm just super-blessed to be in this position. I really don't take any of this for granted....Even if I never wrestle another match in my life, I feel like I'm certified, I'm a legend in this sport and no one can take that away from me."

Burroughs joked that the epic story of how he won the 2013 world title despite a severe ankle injury might have cost him credibility had he pulled out of Oslo.

"Nobody listens to me now," he said with a smile. "They're like, you did it in 2013, you can do it again."

Burroughs said that making the victory sweeter was the fact that he faced an Iranian in the final, as he and that country share a long-held mutual respect.

"I knew coming into this match-up tonight that it was really cool that I get to wrestle an Iranian in the final, since I hadn't done that since 2013," said Burroughs, who also joked about facing such a younger opponent. "He was junior world champion, but that's all they had to tell me, that he was junior world champion, in 2021! I'm like, nope, I can't lose to this guy."

Still, Burroughs knows never to underestimate anyone, so he did his homework and found the chink in Nokholdilarimi's armor. From earlier matches, Burroughs saw how the Iranian liked to square up and work for an underhook, which he countered by circling and deflecting the arm.

Nokholdilarimi never launched an attack, and in the first period, Burroughs scored the only point off the activity clock. In the second period, it was Classic Burroughs and his driving takedown.

"If you leave your legs in a square position, half of the work is done for me," Burroughs said. "I don't have to have a set-up. Now all I have to do is just lower my stance and shoot a hard one. Fortunately, I was able to get my hands behind his knees and get through him a few times."

So will Burroughs head off into the sunset in triumph? Not on your life, he says. He's not only going to continue, but has aims of eventually dropping back down to 74kg and making it to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"I'm sore. I'm getting old, man. I feel it, but I also feel good," he said. "I feel strong at this weight class and I'm going to stay here at 79 kilos for the foreseeable future, then work my way back down to 74 for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

"I'm not done. I still feel like I have a lot to give."

Thomas GILMAN (USA) won his first world title in Oslo, Norway. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

At 57kg, Gilman, who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, had a takedown in each period to build up a five-point cushion that he rode to a 5-3 victory over 2019 world U23 bronze medalist Alireza SARLAK (IRI).

"I am glad that we finally did it," Gilman said. "It has been four, five years in the making. Checked that one off the list. We have three years and hopefully I can do this again in Paris. But we are here. It's sinking a little bit."

Gilman, the 2017 world silver medalist who finished fifth in 2018, said the key to victory was the single-leg takedown he scored early in the second period, in which he got Sarlak's leg in the air and twisted him down for a 5-0 lead.

"I was looking for maybe 4, maybe lift him and step through," Gilman said. "But I was getting to the edge, and he was strong there, so I dumped him. If I don't get that takedown, maybe I lose. It was important, looking back.

"I can win with five points. With three points, I'm not confident I can win that match and stay in there. That's something I have to continue to work on."

Sarlak, this year's Asian silver medalist, despearately tried to rally, but his takedown with 30 seconds left and stepout with :06 on the clock proved too little, too late.

Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF) made short work of Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) to win 65kg gold. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In one of the strangest matches of the day, Shakhiev notched a 14-4 technical fall in the first period over Amir YAZDANI (IRI) in the 65kg final that took some time to sort out all of the points.

"I was well prepared for the final match," Shakhiev said. "I could concentrate really well. I was planning to wrestle for six minutes. I knew the Iranian wrestler was definitely not a bad one. It was expected to be an interesting match for the fans. I could finish it ahead of time. I believed I could make it. And I’ve made it."

The fireworks started when Shakhiev got in on a single and Yazdani went to his backside for a counter lift. Shakhiev kept an inside grip on Yazdani's arm as well as the leg, and the two then flip-flopped over several times, with Shakhiev getting credit for four exposures and Yazdani two.

Leading 8-4, Shakhiev came out behind, then secured a standing lace lock, from which he rolled three times to end the match at 1:25 to add the senior title to his 2016 world cadet gold.

"I am glad I could win this," Shakhiev said. "It’s my first time and I could make it, thank God. Thanks a lot to all those people who supported me....I am glad I could make so many people happy. My parents back home worry about me, I can imagine."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) won the 92kg World title in Oslo. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Ghasempour salvaged Iranian pride in the final bout of the night when he forged an 8-4 victory in the 92kg final over Magomed KURBANOV (RWF) in a battle between reigning continental champions.

Ghasempour, the 2018 and 2019 world U23 champion who won his second Asian title this year, scored a takedown at the first-period buzzer to take a 3-2 lead into the second period.

A takedown and penalty point increased the lead to 6-2, but Kurbanov had a chance to turn the match around when he scored a takedown with 30 seconds left. As the Russian worked for a gut wrench that would give him the win on criteria, Ghasempour stopped the move by stepping over, adding the final 2 points to his tally to clinch the win.

"I am so happy to finally win the world championship gold and I hope I can continue this and win more," Ghasempour said. "It's great for me, for the team and everyone and I hope now we can be team champions as well."

Meanwhile in the bronze-medal matches, Horst LEHR (GER) gave Germany its first world freestyle medal since 1999 with consecutive takedowns in the second period that gave him a well-earned 6-4 victory over Abubakar MUTALIEV (RWF).

Horst LEHR (GER) defeated Abubakr MUTALIEV (RWF) to claim the bronze medal at 57kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Lehr, the 2020 European bronze medalist, had never placed higher than seventh in several trips to World Championships at different age-group levels.

"I was not sure if I would be able to come here for the tournament because I had a lot of injuries and I was recovering," Lehr said. "But to come here and win, I am glad and I think I will be the guy for Paris 2024."

Russian-born Aryan TSIUTRYN (BLR), making his debut on the international stage after stagnating in his native country, denied European champion Suleyman ATLI (TUR) a third world medal with a 3-1 victory that had no technical points.

Tsuitryn, who was fifth at this year's world championships, scored two activity points, then got his final point on an unsuccessful match-ending challenge as Atli failed to add to his 2019 world silver and 2018 bronze.

At 65kg, 2019 Asian U23 champion Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) had a pair of 4-point moves against ROHIT (IND), the second coming from a pancake that he finished off with a fall at 5:47.

Tumur Ochir, who lost to eventual gold medalist Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics, used a spinning arm throw right off the opening whistle for 4 points. He led 10-4 before securing the fall.

Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ) won the 0ther 65kg bronze when he scored two first-period takedowns and held on for a 4-1 win over European silver medalist Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL), who made a medal match for the first time in five trips to the World Championships.

At 79kg, 2019 world U23 bronze medalist Radik VALIEV (RWF) picked up a senior bronze by overwhelming Ryuki YOSHIDA (JPN) by 11-0 technical fall. After bulling his way to three takedowns, he slammed the Japanese down for 4 to end the match in 2:25.

Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO) followed with a near-identical win for the other 79kg bronze, putting away Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) 10-0 in 2:07. Using an arm drag for an opening takedown, he locked up the ankles and whipped off four lace rolls.

At 92kg, dethroned two-time champion J'den COX (USA) made sure he would not leave Oslo empty-handed after surging late to an 11-0 technical fall of Andriy VLASOV (UKR).

Leading 3-0, Cox slammed Vlasov to the mat off a single-leg for 4 points, then added a takedown and gut wrench to end the match at 5:20 for his fourth career world medal.

European bronze medalist Osman NURMAGODMEDOV (AZE) defeated Amarhajy MAHAMEDAU (BLR) 2-0 for the other 92kg bronze, with both points coming off the activity clock.

With the final two weight classes to finish on Tuesday, Iran had a one-point lead over the United States in the team standings with 141. The Russian federation is third with 133.

Day 3 Results

Freestyle

57kg (22 entries)
GOLD: Thomas GILMAN (USA) df. Alireza SARLAK (IRI), 5-3

BRONZE: Horst LEHR (GER) df. Abubakar MUTALIEV (RWF), 6-4
BRONZE: Aryan TSIUTRYN (BLR) df. Suleyman ATLI (TUR), 3-1

65kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF) df. Amir YAZDANI (IRI) by TF, 14-4, 1:25

BRONZE: Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ) df. Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL), 4-1
BRONZE: Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) df. Rohit ROHIT (IND) by Fall, 5:47 (10-4)

70kg (26 entries)
Semifinal: Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) df. Evgenii ZHERBAEV (RWF), 9-5
Semifinal: Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) df. Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE), 4-2

79kg (25 entries)
GOLD: Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) df. Mohammad NOKHODILARIMI (IRI), 5-1

BRONZE: Radik VALIEV (RWF) df. Ryuki YOSHIDA (JPN) by TF, 10-0, 2:25
BRONZE: Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO) df. Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) by TF, 10-0, 2:07

92kg (20 entries)
GOLD: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) df. Magomed KURBANOV (RWF), 8-4

BRONZE: Osman NURMAGODMEDOV (AZE) df. Amarhajy MAHAMEDAU (BLR), 2-0
BRONZE: J'den COX (USA) df. Andriy VLASOV (UKR) by TF, 11-0, 5:20

97kg (22 entries)
Semifinal: Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF) df. Mahamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR) by TF, 11-0, 5:29
Semifinal: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI), 3-2

Women's Wrestling

55kg (14 entries)
Semifinal: Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) df. Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RWF), 6-2
Semifinal: Nina HEMMER (GER) df. Pinki PINKI (IND), 8-6

62kg (17 entries)
Semifinal: Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR), 5-2
Semifinal: Kayla MIRACLE (USA) df. Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA), 2-0

#JapanWrestling

Wrestling prodigy Ono takes big strides, with family's support

Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - 14:23 By Vinay Siwach

JAPAN (January 8) -- Ben ASKREN calls him the 'best wrestler on the planet.' Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) invited him as a special guest to his academy. Kids are lining up to take his autograph. Wrestling social media pages have numerous highlights of him.

No wrestler has been talked about as much as Masanosuke ONO (JPN) in recent times, and not because he has a soy sauce named after him.

Two months have passed since he won the World Championships on the first attempt, but Ono remains the hottest topic in wrestling. Currently in the United States for various commitments, Ono first broke out by winning the U20 World Championships in October, and two weeks later, he rocked the world with his run at the World Championships in Tirana.

The 20-year-old, using his speed and a lethal gut wrench, dominated Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN), blanked world champion Vitali ARAJAU (USA) and posted three other technical superiority wins en route to the gold medal at 61kg. All that with a broken ankle.

"One month ago, I broke my ankle, and I couldn't practice at all," Ono had said after winning the gold in Tirana. "The Uguev match was my first live wrestling match after the fracture, and I was very unsure how I would do."

"It's like a dream for us," said Noriko, Ono's mother, who watched her son in the arena in Tirana. She was joined by her husband Masaharu, who was equally elated with his son's success.

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) with his with sister Konami, left and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (center).

This was not the first time the couple had traveled with the Ono for a wrestling tournament. Well before Masanosuke became a world-known wrestler, the Ono household had been traveling for wrestling. In 2015, they traveled to Las Vegas for the World Championships. Photos of Ono with Burroughs and other wrestlers went viral on social media after he won.

Masaharu has several anecdotes of his son Ono's childhood, especially from wrestling tournaments.

"We stayed at the same hotel as the wrestlers in 2015," Masanharu recounts. "One day, he was missing. We searched for him in the hotel and later found that he was eating with Haji Aliyev and going around wrestlers' rooms to get autographs."

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) poses for a picture with Masansuke and Konami ONO in 2015.

Ono's parents were not the only ones surprised. Former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), who was wrestling at 57kg in the 2015 World Championships, heard a rumor that a little wrestler from Japan had come to Las Vegas to watch the World Championships.

"It's very rare in Japan, and he's the only little wrestler I've ever known who has traveled all the way overseas to watch matches like this," Takahashi says. "That was the first time I saw him, in the hotel. I was the same age at the time as he is now, a third-year university student. I don't remember talking to him directly, but I remember feeling very happy watching him running around with a big smile on his face."

Takahashi, a two-time Olympian for Japan, is now a coach at Yamanashi Gakuin University, the school that produced Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) and where Ono is a third-year student now.

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) wrestling in school.

His story, however, begins way back -- when Ono was in kindergarten. Or, more specifically when he was removed from a music class.

Unable to sit still and constantly interrupting his teacher, Ono was asked to leave the class. "The teacher was angry and told him to take up wrestling," Masaharu says.

Turns out, music's loss is wrestling's gain.

Ono's father Masaharu had no experience in wrestling, he practiced Kendo, a form of martial arts that uses sticks. Yet, he trained Ono, and himself fell in love with the sport.

"Wrestling, a sport in which you don't use any equipment, you compete using only your body," he says. "It's a fair competition. Whether you win or lose, you are solely responsible. There are no excuses. The match starts and ends with a handshake. I love that about it. I incorporated elements of Kendo into Masanosuke's wrestling. So I coached him, even though I had no experience."

The Ono siblings with Kenichiro FUMITA(JPN) in 2016.

Soon, Ono's sister Konami joined the training. Konami is two years younger than Ono but is already making a name for herself. She won the Japan Queen's Cup in 2023 and won silver at the U17 World Championships at 61kg after she won the prestigious Klippan Lady Open.

In the Ono household, wrestling became a way of life. Masaharu would take his kids to most domestic competitions in Japan. If not competing, they would travel to watch. He even made a "Save Olympic Wrestling" banner in 2013 when wrestling was dropped from the Olympic program.

At the 2012 Japan Championships, Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) made a stunning debut, winning the gold medal. Later that day, Ono recognized Fumita outside the arena and ran to get his first autograph.

Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), center, a coach at the Yamanashi Gakuin University, pictured with Masanosuke ONO (JPN), second from right.

Ono would join Yamanashi Gakuin University, and Takahashi would see him again since the 2015 World Championships.

"He had grown bigger since I came to watch the World Championships, but he looked like he was having fun practicing, and his attitude seemed the same as it was back then," Takahashi says. "My first impression was that he was stronger in defense than in attack. I remember it was hard to score points. We had a lot of sparring, and watching him wrestling with pure joy made me feel young again."

Takahashi says that he expected Ono to be dominant once he is free of injuries and begins competing internationally.

"He had a lot of injuries and was unable to participate in many domestic tournaments for a long time, but when he is not injured and can train normally, he is really strong," he says. "He does not lose to fighters in higher weight classes. When he first entered the school, he was very weak even when sparring with me, but now he is really strong and has good natural ability, so I can feel his strength."

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Ono made his international debut at the 2024 Asian Championships in 65kg and returned with a bronze medal from the Asian Championships after he was pinned by Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) who used a perfect arm throw. He dropped back to 61kg, a weight class more suited to him, and Ono was a menace.

"He doesn't change his wrestling style depending on his opponent but sticks to his own style. I expected him to win both the World Championships, but I didn't expect him to win so overwhelmingly."

The reason for Ono's ability to be the best on the mat comes from his speed. Takahashi explained that Ono researches a lot on his opponent and is quick to understand their gameplan.

"After he returned to Japan, I asked him about his impressions of Uguev. He said that he had done a lot of research and was able to understand what he was going to do just by moving a little," he says. "In terms of technique, it's not flexibility, but his speed that is so fast. There is always an initial movement before a technique, but he can perform the technique right there, so the opponent's reaction is delayed. Also, he predicts this and still performs the technique, so the opponent cannot even react."

Masanosuke ONO (JPN)
Soy sauce named Masanosuke, after Ono.

While Ono is away in the United States, his father Masaharu is planning for a long 2025 season. He wants to continue his travels with Masanosuke and Konami, which he has done since 2015. An owner of a soy sauce brewing factory in the Shimane Prefecture, Masaharu has even launched a soy sauce named after his son.

"I would be happy if people in the wrestling world around the world liked Masanosuke's interesting character," Masaharu says. "I am happiest when I travel the world to attend wrestling matches with Masanosuke and Konami."

Masaharu has documented his children's journey and is enjoying the love his son is getting so far in wrestling. Whether fans or his opponents, Ono is celebrated. Ono's walk after winning the gold was similar to what Connor McGregor did during his career; it went viral, adding to his celebrations like a fictional character from the manga series Attack on Titan (Shingekino Kyojin).

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) The Ono family in Budapest for the 2018 World Championships.

Masaharu also documented his family's trip to the 2018 World Championships in Budapest. Ono, then 14 years old, would run around to get pictures clicked. He got a few with Kyle SNYDER (USA), Sadulaev, Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), Taha AKGUL (TUR) and other stars.

And Masaharu has no plans to stop capturing his children on and off the wrestling mat. And then tell the stories of his travels.

"The viral photo with Burroughs was by chance," Masaharu says. "Ono had wandered off in the hotel and took his autograph. I did not believe that it was Burroughs's autograph. So he took me to his room and asked me to click a photo with Burroughs as evidence. That's how we got the photo. Later that night he won the gold medal at 74kg."

Burroughs Rides Classic Takedown to 5th World Title, 1st at 79kg

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Wrestling prodigy Ono takes big strides, with family's support