#WrestleBelgrade

Greco-Roman entries released for 2023 World Championships

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 - 12:37 By Eric Olanowski

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BELGRADE, Serbia (August 22) — Serbia's capital city, Belgrade, is set to host United World Wrestling's flagship event of 2023, the World Championships, from September 16-24.

This year's stacked preliminary Greco-Roman field includes nine of ten reigning Greco-Roman world gold medalists, with recent-retiree Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) being the only absentee 2022 world title holder.

The competition begins on September 16 with freestyle action, but the draws for Greco-Roman wrestling come out on September 20, with the Classic Style starting on September 21. 

The 2023 World Championships hold significant importance for the 2024 Olympic cycle as they mark the initial phase of the six qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 90 Olympic quotas—30 each in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women's wrestling—are up for contention in Belgrade.

The Olympic quotas will be allocated across six weight classes: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg, and 130kg. Additionally, four non-Olympic weights will be contested—55kg, 63kg, 72kg, and 82kg—however, placements in these categories will have no impact on qualification for the Paris Olympics.

Wrestlers who achieve gold, silver, or bronze medals in the six Olympic weight categories will secure a place for their nation in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Additionally, the two wrestlers who fall short in the bronze-medal bouts will compete in a wrestle-off to determine the fifth quota for the Paris Olympics.

Other Olympic Qualification Events:

  • March 01-03: Pan-American Olympic Qualifier in Acapulco, Mexico
  • March 22-24: African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Cairo, Egypt
  • April 04-07: European Olympic Qualifier in Baku, Azerbaijan
  • April 19-21: Asian Olympic Qualifier in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
  • May 09-12: World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey

Nine out of the ten world champions currently grace the early entry list. However, Sebastian NAD (SRB) and Mate NEMES (SRB), Serbia's reigning world champions at 63kg and 67kg, respectively, are both registered at the Olympic weight of 67kg, with the final spot yet to be determined.

Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), Ali ARSALAN (SRB), Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ), Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) and Riza KAYAALP (TUR) are the other notable world-title holders who'll have targets on their backs coming into Belgrade.

Azizli, a lightweight standout, will strive to secure his third 55kg world title by overcoming fellow world champion Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO). The two clashed in a battle for world gold a year ago, with Azizli emerging victorious. 

Returning world bronze medalist Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) is also registered in the 55kg category.

Sharshenbekov faces a challenging journey to defend his 60kg world championship title against countless formidable opponents, including world champions Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and Victor CIOBANU (MDA). Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL), who Sharshenbekov defeated in the finals last year, is also a guy to highlight at 60kg.

At 63kg, Leri ABULADZE (GEO), a two-time world runner-up, stands as the solo returning medalist in the weight category and is favored to vie for world supremacy.

The 67kg category holds a compelling narrative centered around Serbia's "issue." With a pair of reigning world champions as viable options, the spotlight is on Mate Nemes, the reigning world champion of the weight, and 63kg world gold medalist Sebastian Nad, who moved up a weight class to pursue his Olympic title aspirations. The Serbian coaching staff will look at Nemes and Nad's results from this season and make a decision in the coming weeks.

Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) seeks to recapture his 2021 form when he became the only Greco-Roman wrestler in history to win golds at the World Championships and Olympic Games in the same year.

Promising newcomer Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), who is only 20 years old, has already earned a European gold and world bronze medal in the 67kg category. He's a guy who could send shockwaves through weight.

At the non-Olympic weight of 72kg, Serbia's Ali ARSALAN (SRB) aims to face off against 2022 world medalists Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) and Selcuk CAN (TUR) once again.

The 77kg bracket features all four medalists from the previous year's competition.

Makhmudov, the first wrestler from Kyrgyzstan to win a world title, will try to keep his hot streak alive and build towards a second consecutive world-title run.

Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), the opponent Makhmudov defeated for the world title, is certaintly seeking retribution. Also in contention are 2022 world bronze medalists Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) and Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR).

The anticipated clash for world gold in the 82kg category is expected between the last two winners of the bracket: Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), the reigning world champion, and Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE), who clinched the title in 2021.

The 87kg bracket is the only weight class lacking a defending world champion. With the recent unexpected retirement of Zurabi Datunashvili, the two-time world champ, and the injury to world silver medalist Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN), the category presents an open field.

Tokyo Olympic champion Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) is registered to compete for the second time since his Olympic victory. He returned to competition earlier this season, securing gold at the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane.

David LOSONCZI (HUN) and Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) are noteworthy contenders for 87kg gold.

In his most recent outing, Losonczi showcased dominance by securing Hungarian Ranking Series gold, outscoring his opponents 41-0.

Maskevich aims to build on his runner-up finish in Oslo and claim the world championship title.

Despite the presence of all medalists from the previous year's World Championships, Artur Aleksanyan remains the favorite in the 97kg category. A consistent force in Greco-Roman wrestling since 2012, 'The White Bear' has accumulated gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Olympic Games and six world medals—four of which are gold—during this period.

Aleksanyan's primary competition includes Kiril MILOV (BUL), who he defeated for the world and European gold over the past year, as well as rival Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and world bronze medalist Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE).

The 130kg category will witness efforts to prevent Riza KAYAALP (TUR) from adding a sixth world title to his achievements. His strongest contenders include Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) and Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU), who secured world silver and bronze medals, respectively, last year.

The 2023 World Championships begin September 16-24 in Belgrade, Serbia. Fans can follow all the action live on www.uww.org or on 'The Home of Wrestling,' United World Wrestling's new app.

*Please note these entries are preliminary and are subject to change.

Greco-Roman entries

55kg
Vitalii KABALOEV (AIN)
Mohamed DRIDI (ALG)
Rudik MKRTCHYAN (ARM)
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)
Wenjie CHEN (CHN)
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
Poya DAD MARZ (IRI)
Mostafa ALQADE (JOR)
Taiga ONISHI (JPN)
Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ)
Davies ORIWA (KEN)
Hyeokjin JEON (KOR)
Artiom DELEANU (MDA)
Denis MIHAI (ROU)
Umit DURDYYEV (TKM)
Adem Burak UZUN (TUR)
Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR)
Brady KOONTZ (USA)
AJAY (UWW)
Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB)

60kg
Hleb MAKARANKA (AIN)
Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN)
Bajram SINA (ALB)
Reginaldo da SILVA (ANG)
Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)
Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE)
Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL)
Liguo CAO (CHN)
Dicther TORO (COL)
Latuf MADI (COM)
Kevin DE ARMAS (CUB)
Jeremy PERALTA (ECU)
Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY)
Helary MAEGISALU (EST)
Leo TUDEZCA (FRA)
Pridon ABULADZE (GEO)
Christopher KRAEMER (GER)
Erik TORBA (HUN)
Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI)
Melkamu FETENE (ISR)
Jacopo SANDRON (ITA)
Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN)
Olzhas SULTAN (KAZ)
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
Seunghak KIM (KOR)
Aleksandrs JURKJANS (LAT)
Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU)
Ismail ETTALIBI (MAR)
Victor CIOBANU (MDA)
Samuel GURRIA (MEX)
Joao BENAVIDES (PER)
Michal TRACZ (POL)
Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)
Ibrahim BUNDUKA (SLE)
Sabolc LOSONC (SRB)
Virgil BICA (SWE)
Aslamdzhon AZIZOV (TJK)
Kerem KAMAL (TUR)
Viktor PETRYK (UKR)
Ildar HAFIZOV (USA)
MANISH (UWW)
Jamal VALIZADEH (UWW)
Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB)
Raiber RODRIGUEZ (VEN)

63kg
Astemir BIZHOEV (AIN)
Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
Abu AMAEV (BUL)
Zheng LI (CHN)
Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO)
Stefan CLEMENT (FRA)
Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
Etienne KINSINGER (GER)
Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN)
Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI)
Ryuto IKEDA (JPN)
Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ)
Dastan KADYROV (KGZ)
Jinwoong JUNG (KOR)
Alexis RODRIGUEZ (MEX)
Mairbek SALIMOV (POL)
Perica DIMITRIJEVIC (SRB)
Akmyrat GELDIYEV (TKM)
Enes BASAR (TUR)
Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR)
Xavier JOHNSON (USA)
Vikram KURADE (UWW)
Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB)

67kg
Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (AIN)
Aslan VISAITOV (AIN)
Ishak GHAIOU (ALG)
Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM)
Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
Ivo ILIEV (BUL)
Nestor ALMANZA (CHI)
Husiyuetu HUSIYUETU (CHN)
Julian HORTA (COL)
Luis SANCHEZ (CUB)
Andres MONTANO (ECU)
Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY)
Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA)
Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO)
Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER)
Krisztian VANCZA (HUN)
Ashu ASHU (IND)
Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI)
Shon NADORGIN (ISR)
Ignazio SANFILIPPO (ITA)
Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN)
Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ)
Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ)
Minseong KWON (KOR)
Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU)
Valentin PETIC (MDA)
Edsson OLMOS (MEX)
Morten THORESEN (NOR)
Nilton SOTO (PER)
Mateusz BERNATEK (POL)
Mihai MIHUT (ROU)
Mate NEMES (SRB)
Andreas VETSCH (SUI)
Niklas OEHLEN (SWE)
Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK)
Mansur NURBERDIYEV (TKM)
Souleymen NASR (TUN)
Murat FIRAT (TUR)
Parviz NASIBOV (UKR)
Alejandro SANCHO (USA)
Vinayak PATIL (UWW)
Abror ATABAEV (UZB)

72kg
Narek OGANIAN (AIN)
Abdelmalek MERABET (ALG)
Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
Stoyan KUBATOV (BUL)
Jian TAN (CHN)
Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA)
Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO)
Michael WIDMAYER (GER)
Robert FRITSCH (HUN)
Danial SOHRABI (IRI)
Zaur KABALOEV (ITA)
Rintaro SOGABE (JPN)
Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ)
Jiyeon LEE (KOR)
Mihai PETIC (MDA)
Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR)
Kamil CZARNECKI (POL)
Ali ARSALAN (SRB)
Selcuk CAN (TUR)
Artur POLITAIEV (UKR)
Patrick SMITH (USA)
Ankit GULIA (UWW)
Jamol JUMABAEV (UZB)

77kg
Pavel LIAKH (AIN)
Adlet TIULIUBAEV (AIN)
Kevin KUPI (ALB)
Abd OUAKALI (ALG)
Francisco KADIMA (ANG)
Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
Joilson RAMOS (BRA)
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
Rui LIU (CHN)
Jair CUERO (COL)
Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO)
Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB)
Oldrich VARGA (CZE)
Oliver KRUEGER (DEN)
Mohamed KHALIL (EGY)
Marcos SANCHEZ (ESP)
Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN)
Johnny BUR (FRA)
Iuri LOMADZE (GEO)
Deni NAKAEV (GER)
Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE)
Zoltan LEVAI (HUN)
Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI)
Riccardo ABBRESCIA (ITA)
Amro SADEH (JOR)
Nao KUSAKA (JPN)
Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ)
Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Daekun PARK (KOR)
Paulius GALKINAS (LTU)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
Emmanuel BENITEZ (MEX)
Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Patryk BEDNARZ (POL)
Viktor NEMES (SRB)
Fabio DIETSCHE (SUI)
Per Albin OLOFSSON (SWE)
Toyly ORAZOV (TKM)
Yunus BASAR (TUR)
Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR)
Kamal BEY (USA)
Gurpreet SINGH (UWW)
Aram VARDANYAN (UZB)
Wuileixis RIVAS (VEN)

82kg
Stanislau SHAFARENKA (AIN)
Aues GONIBOV (AIN)
Samvel GRIGORYAN (ARM)
Aker SCHMID AL OBAIDI (AUT)
Michael WAGNER (AUT)
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
Halishan BAHEJIANG (CHN)
Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO)
Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Idris Hanpasaevic IBAEV (GER)
Erik SZILVASSY (HUN)
Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI)
Sultan Ali Mohd Damen EID (JOR)
Isami HORIKITA (JPN)
Shohei YABIKU (JPN)
Dias KALEN (KAZ)
Beksultan NAZARBAEV (KGZ)
Sejin YANG (KOR)
Mihail BRADU (MDA)
Jose Andres VARGAS RUEDA (MEX)
Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB)
Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE)
Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)
Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR)
Spencer WOODS (USA)
SAJAN (UWW)
Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB)

87kg
Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN)
Savelii BORISOV (AIN)
Bachir SID AZARA (ALG)
Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM)
Lukas STAUDACHER (AUT)
Islam ABBASOV (AZE)
Ronisson BRANDAO (BRA)
Semen NOVIKOV (BUL)
Haitao QIAN (CHN)
Carlos MUNOZ (COL)
Ivan HUKLEK (CRO)
Daniel GREGORICH HECHAVARRIA (CUB)
Mohamed METWALLY (EGY)
Andreas VAELIS (EST)
Toni METSOMAEKI (FIN)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO)
Hannes WAGNER (GER)
Ilias PAGKALIDIS (GRE)
David LOSONCZI (HUN)
Naser ALIZADEH (IRI)
Mirco MINGUZZI (ITA)
Masato SUMI (JPN)
Yoji KAWAMURA (JPN)
Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
John OMONDI (KEN)
Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ)
Sanghyeok PARK (KOR)
Martynas NEMSEVICIUS (LTU)
Viorel BURDUJA (MDA)
Daniel VICENTE (MEX)
Marcel STERKENBURG (NED)
Exauce MUKUBU (NOR)
Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL)
Nicu OJOG (ROU)
Mario VUKOVIC (SRB)
Ramon BETSCHART (SUI)
Alex KESSIDIS (SWE)
Azym ANNAMAMMEDOV (TKM)
Ali CENGIZ (TUR)
Zhan BELENIUK (UKR)
Zachary Kyle BRAUNAGEL (USA)
Manoj KUMAR (UWW)
Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB)
Luis AVENDANO (VEN)

97kg
Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN)
Artur SARGSIAN (AIN)
Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG)
Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)
Markus RAGGINGER (AUT)
Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE)
Igor ALVES DE (BRA)
Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL)
Yiming LI (CHN)
Filip SMETKO (CRO)
Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB)
Artur OMAROV (CZE)
Mathias BAK (DEN)
Mohamed GABR (EGY)
Richard KARELSON (EST)
Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN)
Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO)
Peter OEHLER (GER)
Laokratis KESIDIS (GRE)
Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI)
Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)
Yuta NARA (JPN)
Riku NAKAHARA (JPN)
Olzhas SYRLYBAY (KAZ)
Beksultan MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Seungjun KIM (KOR)
Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU)
Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED)
Felix BALDAUF (NOR)
Gerard KURNICZAK (POL)
Luka KATIC (SRB)
Mihail KAJAIA (SRB)
Aleksandar STJEPANETIC (SWE)
Metehan BASAR (TUR)
Serhii OMELIN (UKR)
Josef RAU (USA)
Shailesh SHELKE (UWW)
Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB)

130kg
Ilya YUDCHYTS (AIN)
Sergei SEMENOV (AIN)
David OVASAPYAN (ARM)
Daniel GASTL (AUT)
Beka KANDELAKI (AZE)
Eduard SOGHOMONYAN (BRA)
Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI)
Lingzhe MENG (CHN)
Oscar PINO (CUB)
Marcel ALBINI (CZE)
Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY)
Heiki NABI (EST)
Matti KUOSMANEN (FIN)
Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
Jello KRAHMER (GER)
Dariusz VITEK (HUN)
Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)
Sota OKUMURA (JPN)
Yuma MIYAUCHI (JPN)
Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ)
Seungchan LEE (KOR)
Romas FRIDRIKAS (LTU)
Paul MORALES (MEX)
Oskar MARVIK (NOR)
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)
Boris PETRUSIC (SRB)
Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM)
Riza KAYAALP (TUR)
Oleksandr CHERNETSKYY (UKR)
Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA)
Mehar SINGH (UWW)
Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB)

#JapanWrestling

Paris champ Kiyooka sets up clash with Tanabe, Motoki faces Ozaki

Saturday, June 21, 2025 - 12:44 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO (June 21) -- Before his astonishing run to an unlikely Olympic title, Kotaro KIYOOKA was the one doing the chasing. Now at the forefront and looking over his shoulder, he sees a familiar face bearing down on him whom he now has to confront.

Paris Olympic champion Kiyooka advanced to the freestyle 65kg final at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships on Saturday, where he will face former Nippon Sport Science University teammate Kaisei TANABE with a ticket to this year's World Championships on the line.

Kiyooka is one of three Paris gold medalists, along with Sakura MOTOKI at women's 62kg and Nao KUSAKA at Greco 77kg, who are making their full-fledged returns to the mat at the Meiji Cup, the second of Japan's two domestic qualifiers for the World Championships in Zagreb in September.

Both Motoki and Kusaka advanced with little trouble to Sunday's finals at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, with Motoki setting up a highly anticipated clash with Paris 68kg bronze medalist Nonoka OZAKI -- whom she beat out for the spot in Paris at 62kg but is intent on reclaiming that weight class.

Kotaro KIYOOK (JPN)Kotaro KIYOOKA, left, ended up scoring 4 points off this scramble in his semifinal match at freestyle 65kg with Yuto NISHIUCHI. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Unlike the other two, Kiyooka has never been to a senior World Championships. Standing in his way is a formidable opponent in Tanabe, two years his junior who is coming off an impressive victory at the Asian Championships in March in Amman, Jordan. Tanabe only moved up to 65kg last year, and the two had not crossed paths before.

Following the Olympics, Kiyooka spent some time (with Kusaka) competing in the German Bundesliga. But the Meiji Cup marks his first high-level competition since Paris.

"It's been awhile since I've been in an official tournament," the 24-year-old Kiyooka said. "Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics, I'm still a long way away. What's important at this tournament is to come out with a victory.

"I have to make adjustments and prepare mentally for tomorrow. It's not just a one-and-done final, there is also a playoff so I can make it to the World Championships."

Tanabe, the son of NSSU coach and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Chikara TANABE, captured the title at the first domestic qualifier for the world team, the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships in December, in Kiyooka's absence.

As such, Kiyooka will not only have to beat him on Sunday in the final, but again in a playoff to be held at the end of the session.

As an indication of the depth of Japan in the weight class, even with the retirement of Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO, both Kiyooka and Tanabe had to get over tough hurdles to make the championship match.

In the semifinals, Kiyooka struggled to break through the defenses of two-time world U20 champion and current NSSU star Yuto NISHIUCHI. In the end, he used counters to great effect in an 8-1 win, scoring 4 by stepping over during a scramble and 2 more defending against a single leg.

"I'm not usually the type who scores big points," Kiyooka said. "But I have built myself up physically after the Olympics and I think the result was that I could get the big point."

In his opening match, Tanabe needed a stepout with 20 seconds left to get past Shinnosuke SUWAMA 5-4, before topping Ryuto SAKAKI 5-0 to make the final.

While Kiyooka is a bit unsettled about having a target on his back, he seems ready to face whatever comes his way.

"Up to now, it's always been the reverse situation," he said. "I never had the feeling that I was being chased. But I don't want to lose. As being among those who is aiming for the Los Angeles Olympics, I want to be a big barrier for the others. If you give them an opening, they will use it. I don't want to show them any gaps."

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)Sakura MOTOKI pries over Shirin TAKEMOTO en route to a 10-0 win in their women's 62kg semifinal. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

As surprising as Kiyooka's run to gold in Paris was, the bigger shock likely came during the qualifying process when an underrated Motoki, who was "only" a world bronze medalist at 59kg, had the audacity to move up and challenge the highly touted Ozaki at 62kg.

But the 2022 world U20 champion believed in herself, and keeps making believers of others. She returned to competition earlier this year in order to qualify for the World U23 Championships.

Victories at the U23 and senior worlds will make her just the third person in history to achieve the "Golden Grand Slam" of Olympic gold combined with all four world age-group titles.

On Saturday, Motoki's toughest test in advancing to the final came in the opener, when she used a low single to score a takedown in each period of a 5-0 win over two-time world U23 champion Yuzuku INAGAKI.

"She has a good defense," Motoki said. "Being able to get through a tough match really boosts my confidence. When you're an Olympic champion, it's only natural that [opponents] try to come up with a strategy against you.

"In that light, I have to figure out a way to become stronger from the start of Olympic qualifying. That's still under development."

Like Kiyooka, Motoki will have to beat the Emperor's Cup champion twice to secure a place on the world team, and Ozaki won't make it easy.

"She's a really strong wrestler," Motoki said. "I will have to summon up all of my power and try my best."

Nao KUSAKA (JPN)Nao KUSAKA sets up a 4-point overhead lift of Naoki KADODE during their semifinal at Greco 77kg. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

At Greco 77kg, Kusaka chalked up a pair of technical falls to advance to the final, where he will face the Emperor's Cup champion in Kodai SAKURABA, a 2022 Asian bronze medalist whom he aced out in the qualifying for Paris.

In the semifinals, Kusaka romped to a 12-1 victory over Naoki KADODE. After giving up a stepout, he came back with three of his own. Then he got behind and dropped backwards for 4, then ended the match with a 4-point lift at 2:04.

In other weight classes that will finish with medal matches on Sunday, longtime rivals and former NSSU teammates Katsukai ENDO and Kyotaro SOGABE set up their latest clash in the final at Greco 67kg.

Asian bronze medalist Endo, the Emperor's Cup champion, defeated 2021 world bronze 63kg medalist Kensuke SHIMIZU 7-3 in the semifinals, while Paris Olympian Sogabe rallied for a 13-6 win over 2023 world U23 bronze medalist and fellow NSSU alum Haruto YABE.

With Paris bronze medalist Yui SUSAKI still on post-Olympic hiatus, Remina YOSHIMOTO remained on track for a shot at a second world title at women's 50kg when she stormed to 10-0 victories over a pair of teenagers. She will face Umi ITO in a repeat of the Emperor's Cup final, which she won 3-2.

Emperor's Cup champion Rin SAKAMOTO, who has taken the rare collegiate path of going to the United States to compete at Oklahoma State University, advanced to the final at Freestyle 57kg and a showdown with Kento YUMIYA.