#WrestleAlmaty

Kazakhstan's Assetuly Headlocks Way to Greco 63kg Title, Limits Iran to 3 Golds

Tuesday, April 13, 2021 - 16:54 By Ken Marantz

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ALMATY, Kazakhstan (April 13) --- Had there been a crowd at the Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports, it would surely have gone wild over the impressive victory delivered by Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) that prevented Iran from going 4-for-4 in the finals.

Assetuly missed out on the adulation, but not the gold medal when he used the potent headlock that got him into the Greco-Roman 63kg final to secure a victory by fall over Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) at the Asian Championships on Tuesday in Almaty.

Iran still came away with three of the five Greco golds at stake on the opening day of the six-day tournament, while a Japanese teenager grabbed the other title in the spectator-less arena with coronavirus protocols firmly in place.

Assutuly was undeterred by the credentials that Dalkhani brought to Almaty that include the 2019 world U-23 title and 2020 Asian bronze medal, nor when Dalkhani built a 3-0 lead off of the par terre position. A 4-point move with a headlock roll put him on top to end the first period

In the second period, he once again got Dalkhani into a headlock for 4 points, but this time he clamped down and ended the match by fall at 3:55.

"The final was a very tough bout because Iran has the best wrestlers," said Assetuly, the silver medalist at last month's Matteo Pellicone tournament. "Before that, the semifinal and quarterfinal were very easy for me. All the three fights today I won before time, so that was good."

Assetuly was a dynamo all day, ending both of his two previous matches in the first period, the first by technical fall and the second by fall (with a headlock, of course). Having conquered the continent, he is setting his sights higher.

"I just want to win the world championships," he said. "In the next four years, I am planning to participate in the Olympics in the 67kg weight class and I want to be the champion."

A new Iranian face on the international scene emerged victorious in unheralded Naser ALIZADEH (IRI), who claimed the 87kg gold with a 3-1 victory Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ), who had to settle for the third Asian silver medal of his career.

Aliazadeh, who does not come from a wrestling family but hails from the wrestling-rich province of Mazandaran, scored with a gut wrench from the par terre position, then held off Azisbekov when he was on bottom in the second.

In the 130kg final, 2019 world junior and U-23 champion Aliakbar YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI) picked up his first major senior title when he scored two takedowns in the final two minutes to defeat Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) 5-1.

Pejman POSHTAM (IRI), last year's silver medalist at 77kg, walked off with the gold this time without a fight, as Daler REZA ZADE (TJK) defaulted due to injury, wiping away his chance to become Tajikistan's first-ever Asian champion in Greco.

"Thank God I was finally able to win the Asian Championships gold medal," Poshtam said. "I was at the Asian Championships last year and lost to the Kazak wrestler and won the silver medal. This time I am able to win the whole tournament so it is a special moment.

"The goal of every wrestler is to win a gold medal at the Olympics. I am the same and this is a good start to that journey. I wrestled everyone with a lot of courage and I was successful."

Ironically, Poshtam only wrestled two of four scheduled matches. After winning his qualification match, he had a bye into the semifinals because both wrestlers in the bracket feeding into his quarterfinal had withdrawn from the tournament.

In his senior debut, Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) defeated Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) in the 55kg gold-medal match. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Teen Shiotani makes mark in senior debut

In the lone final without an Iranian, 19-year-old Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) made his second international tournament and first as a senior a memorable one by stunning 2019 Asian champion Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) at 55kg.

Shiotani shrugged off a 5-0 deficit in the second period, launching a pair of dynamic 5-point throws in chalking up a 17-7 technical fall victory over Bakhromov, who was looking to regain the Asian title he had won in 2019 in Xi'an, China.

"I don't know how to react to this because I have never felt this emotion before," Shiotani said. "This is my first-ever international medal and now I have my first ever gold medal. Today's bouts were so good and I am excited about this."

By beating Bakhromov, Shiotani did what Hiromu KATAGIRI (JPN), his senior teammate back at Takushoku University who handily defeated him in the last two finals of the All-Japan Championships, couldn't do.

It was Katagiri whom Bakhromov defeated for the 2019 gold, but Shiotani showed his career is heading upward with his masterful handling of the Uzbek -- although not so much at first.

Bakhromov took advantage of the par terre position in the first period, smoothly executing two gut wrenches for a 5-0 lead.

But in the second period, Shiotani got maximum output from his shot at par terre. Using a reverse lift, he wheeled Bakhromov through the air for 5 points, then, keeping his grip, slammed him down for 5 more and a 11-5 lead.

When Shiotani pressed forward with a bear hug, Bakhromov countered as he fell backward and over the edge. In a flurry that needed some time to sort out, Shiotani was given 4 points for the initial move, Bakhromov 2 for the counter, then Shiotani 2 more for a second exposure, ending the match with :31 left.

"I don't really remember the match," Shiotani said after the medal ceremony, at which the national anthem was played for him for the first time. "But standing on the medal podium, standing on top and hearing the national anthem, it gradually sunk in."

Last December, Shiotani lost in the final at nationals for the second straight year to Katagiri, but was picked for the team to Almaty because Katagiri has ostensibly gone into retirement following graduation.

With this boost in confidence, Shiotani is setting his sights on bigger stakes. This performance makes him the favorite at next month's All-Japan Invitational Championships, which will serve as a domestic qualifier for the World Championships slated for October in Oslo.

"I still have a national competition ahead, and I want to have a good result and make it to the World Championships," said Shiotani, whose only previous international competition was the 2016 World Cadet Championships, where he placed ninth.

Meanwhile, in a bronze-medal battle between Tokyo Olympic-bound wrestlers, a 2-point penalty for grabbing the legs late in the second period gave Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB)  a 2-2 victory over Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) at 87kg.

Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) will be taking home a second bronze medal from Almaty after he defeated Urmatbek AMATOV (KGZ) 3-0 in the third-place match at 63kg.

His other bronze might be considered more of a consolation prize, as it came at 60kg in the Asian Olympic qualifier and left him short of the two spots available at the Tokyo Games.

In the other 63kg bronze-medal match, Muhamad FWAZ (SYR) was denied in a bid to become Syria's ninth Asian medalist in history and first in 13 years when he fell 7-5 to Jui Chi HUANG (TPE).

Murat RAMONOV (KGZ) earned a fifth career Asian bronze medal dating back to 2009 -- he also has a silver from 2016 -- by defeating Sukhrob FATTOEV (UZB) 5-1 at 130kg.

Minseok KIM (KOR), the silver medalist at 130kg a year ago, gave Korea its third bronze of the night by rolling to a 9-0 technical fall victory over Sota OKUMURA (JPN).

Day 1 Finals

Greco-Roman

55kg (10 entries)
GOLD - Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) df. Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) by TF, 17-7, 5:28
BRONZE - Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ) df. Sandeep SANDEEP (IND), 11-5
BRONZE - Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Aslamdzhon AZIZOV (TJK) by TF, 9-0, 1:19

63kg (12 entries)
GOLD - Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) df. Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) by Fall, 3:55 (8-3)
BRONZE - Jui Chi HUANG (TPE) df. Muhamad FWAZ (SYR), 7-5
BRONZE - Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) df. Urmatbek AMATOV (KGZ), 3-0

77kg (12 entries)
GOLD - Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) df. Daler REZA ZADE (TJK) by Default
BRONZE - Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) df. Muhammetberdi MAMEDOV (TKM) by TF, 9-0, 4:33
BRONZE - Kairatbek TUGOLBAEV (KGZ) df. Singh GURPREET (IND), 5-0

87kg (10 entries)
GOLD - Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) df. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ), 3-1
BRONZE - Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) df. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ), 2-2
BRONZE - Seunghwan LEE (KOR) df. Tokhirdzhon OKHONOV (TJK), 6-1

130kg (8 entries)
GOLD - Aliakbar YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI) df. Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ), 5-1
BRONZE - Minseok KIM (KOR) df. Sota OKUMURA (JPN) by TF, 9-0, 1:49
BRONZE - Murat RAMONOV (KGZ) df. Sukhrob FATTOEV (UZB), 5-1

#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.