china, Women's Wrestling, japan women's wrestling, wrestling, United World Wrestling, asian championships, asia wrestling, Taiwan, chinese taipei

China Wins Women’s Team Title as Japan Stumbles

By Tim Foley

Team Japan headed into Saturday night’s finals at the Asian Junior Championships in Taiching, with three chances for gold, but when the curtain came down on the night’s finals world’s most dominant women’s wrestling nation would be left holding a trio of silver medals.

The gold medal finals kicked off at 48kg where Chihiro SAWADA (JPN) seemed to have the upper hand on China’s Jiang ZHU (CHN) late into the second period, holding steady with a 2-0 lead and controlling the tie-ups. But the Chinese wrestler closed the distance and kept up her attacks to find a high double leg late to snag the equalizing takedown. After a scramble and challenge by Sawada the final score tallied, 4-2 in favor of Zhu.

The two nations battled again in the 55kg final with Jing LIANG (CHN) taking on Tomoha UCHIJO (JPN) in a thrilling back-and-forth contest. The match got off to a slow and defensive start, but in the second period Liang and Uchijo traded takedowns, turns and lifts for a total of three lead changes. Liang sealed the match late with a late hi-crotch and lift for two that sealed China’s second gold medal of the night.

Japan’s final hope for gold came with Misuzu ENOMOTO facing off against Aina TEMIRTASSOVA of Kazakhstan. The taller Temirtassova had spent the day throwing her opponents and off the whistle pummeled in for position. Enomoto staved off the Kazakh’s attack for the first period, but in the second Temirtassova managed to launch Enomoto for a 4-1 lead.

The Japanese middleweight fought back, striking on an outside single to make the match 4-3 heading into the final minute, but Temirtassova held strong, winning the match 5-3 and keeping Team Japan off the top of the podium.

Tsetsegbayar BYAMBADORJ (MGL) took the 72kg final over Chuchu YAN (CHN) via forfeit.

China took the team title with 73 points followed by Japan with 56 and India with 52.

Mongolia Goes One for Two in Freestyle Finals

They might have been the smallest competitors, but Nasanbuyan NARMANDAKH (MGL) and Darkhan KALKENOV (KAZ) provided giant action during the 50kg finals Saturday night in Taichung. The pair combined for more than 30 points in one of the most awe-inspiring and energetic displays of offense this year.

After six minutes of throws, trips, takedowns and reversals it was Narmandakh who would prevail 17-13.

At 120kg Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB) cemented his position as world’s best heavyweight prospect with a crushing thirty second pin against Mongolia’s Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR. The Uzbek bruiser is expected to compete at the Junior World Championships this August in Finland.

#WrestleBelgrade

Preliminary women's World Championship seeds announced

By Eric Olanowski

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 4) --- United World Wrestling has released the preliminary women's wrestling seeds for the 2023 World Championships.

The point-based seeds were determined by a wrestler's participation and placement at the 2022 World Championships, 2023 Continental Championships and 2023 Ranking Series events.

Although it's highly unlikely that the brackets play out exactly how their seeded, but if the seeds were to hold true through the finals in the top-eight seeded system, here's how the bracket will look leading up to the gold-medal match:

Quarterfinals: 
No. 1 vs. No. 8 (top side)
No. 4 vs. No. 5 (top side)

No. 2 vs. No. 7 (bottom side)
No. 3 vs. No. 6 (bottom side)

Semifinals: 
No. 1 vs. No. 4 (top side)
No. 2 vs. No. 3 (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 vs. No. 2 

*The seeds are based on the current entries provided by National Federations and are subject to change.

50kg
No. 1 - Yui SUSAKI (JPN)
No. 2 - Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) 
No. 3 - Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
No. 4 - Ziqi FENG (CHN)
No. 5 - Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
No. 6 - Madison PARKS (CAN)
No. 7 - Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)
No. 8 - Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR)

53kg
No. 1 - Lucia YEPEZ (ECU)
No. 2 - Dominique PARRISH (USA)
No. 3 - Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)
No. 4 - Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
No. 5 - Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
No. 6 - Sztalvira ORSUS (HUN)
No. 7 - Karla ACOSTA MARTINEZ (MEX)
No. 8 - Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)

55kg
No. 1 - Karla GODINEZ (CAN)
No. 2 - Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA)
No. 3 - Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ)
No. 4 - Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
No. 5 - Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
No. 6 - Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)
No. 7 - Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
No. 8 - Otgontuya CHINBOLD (MGL)

57kg
No. 1 - Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR)
No. 2 - Helen MAROULIS (USA)
No. 3 - Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)
No. 4 - Giullia PENALBER (BRA)
No. 5 - Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB)
No. 6 - Anhelina LYSAK (POL)
No. 7 - Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE)
No. 8 - Luisa VALVERDE (ECU)

59kg
No. 1 - Jowita WRZESIEN (POL)
No. 2 - Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ)
No. 3 - Yuliia TKACH (UKR)
No. 4 - Qi ZHANG (CHN)
No. 5 - Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)
No. 6 - Othelie HOEIE (NOR)
No. 7 - Siwar BOUSETA (TUN)
No. 8 - Jennifer PAGE (USA)

62kg
No. 1 - Kayla MIRACLE (USA)
No. 2 - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
No. 3 - Xiaojuan LUO (CHN)
No. 4 - Ana GODINEZ (CAN)
No. 5 - Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)
No. 6 - Lais NUNES (BRA)
No. 7 - Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)
No. 8 - Sara LINDBORG (SWE)

65kg (Only six seeded wrestlers entered)
No. 1 - Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL)
No. 2 - Iva GERIC (CRO)
No. 3 - Aleah NICKEL (CAN)
No. 4 - Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ)
No. 5 - Kadriye AKSOY (TUR)
No. 6 - Masa PEROVIC (SRB)

68kg
No. 1 - Feng ZHOU (CHN)
No. 2 - Ami ISHII (JPN)
No. 3 - Irina RINGACI (MDA)
No. 4 - Koumba LARROQUE (FRA)
No. 5 - Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
No. 6 - Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
No. 7 - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
No. 8 - Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

72kg
No. 1 - Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
No. 2 - Amit ELOR (USA)
No. 3 - Dalma CANEVA (ITA)
No. 4 - Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)
No. 5 - Shauna KUEBECK (CAN)
No. 6 - Kendra DACHER (FRA)
No. 7 - QIANDEGENCHAGAN (CHN)
No. 8 - Alina LEVYTSKA (UKR)

76kg
No. 1 - Samar HAMZA (EGY)
No. 2 - Genesis REASCO (ECU)
No. 3 - Epp MAE (EST)
No. 4 - Justina DI STASIO (CAN)
No. 5 - Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
No. 6 - Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)
No. 7 - Cynthia VESCAN (FRA)
No. 8 - Francy RAEDELT (GER)