Kinjo earns shot at 4th world title, but it won't be part of sister act

Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - 12:07 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (May 26) -- It may not be Paris, but given what it took for Risako KINJO to get there, the Albanian capital of Tirana will do just fine.

Already denied a chance at winning a third Olympic gold medal, Kinjo created her own chance for some consolation by earning a shot at a fourth career world title by qualifying for Japan's team to this fall's Non-Olympic Weight Class World Championships.

The only downside for Kinjo is that younger sister Yukako TSUNEMURA won't be accompanying her as a competitor, meaning there would be no repeat of their sibling double at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics where they won golds together under their maiden name of KAWAI.

Kinjo needed a dramatic, last-second victory in a playoff over 18-year-old Sakura ONISHI to secure a ticket at women's 59kg to the non-Olympic worlds to be held October 28-31 in Tirana.

jpn Risako KINJO celebrates her victory in the 59kg playoff over teenager Sakura ONISHI. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

That win avenged a loss earlier in the day to 2023 world U17 champion Onishi during the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships -- the second of two domestic qualifiers for Tirana held May 23-26 in Tokyo -- to set up the playoff.

"My desire to go to the World Championships was so strong," Kinjo said. "If I didn't do it, I would be regretting it for the next year. It was a desperate situation."

Tsunemura, whose marriage on New Year's Day got off to an ominous start when a devastating earthquake struck her home prefecture hours later, saw her bid at 65kg end with a quarterfinal loss to Miwa MORIKAWA, who went on to win the title and a playoff to get the chance to regain the world gold she won in 2022.

Japan will also have strong representation in the two other women's weight classes, with newly crowned Asian champion Moe KIYOOKA at 55kg and 2022 world 68kg silver medalist Ami ISHII at 72kg -- teammates at Ikuei University -- also making it through the playoff route.

The former Kawai sisters have been through hard times since their dual triumph in Tokyo, where Risako captured the 57kg gold and Yukako triumphed at 62kg.

Both took time off after the Olympics, with Risako getting married, then giving birth to a daughter in May 2022. By the time both returned to the mat, formidable newcomers had emerged in the race to the Paris Olympics.

Both fell in the qualifying process -- Kinjo to world 57kg champion Tsugumi SAKURAI and Tsunemura to world 62kg bronze medalist Sakura MOTOKI (notably also Ikuei wrestlers). Tsunemura also made a long-shot attempt at 68kg, but came up short there as well.

"After the Tokyo Olympics, I couldn't win for awhile," Kinjo said. "It made me realize just what a big deal it is to win at the Olympics."

After giving birth, Kinjo returned to the mat in late 2022 at 59kg in preparation for a run to Paris at 57kg. She won the title at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships that year, but her bid for Paris ended at the 2023 Meiji Cup. She also lost a playoff at 59kg for the 2023 World Championships.

In December last year, Kinjo retained her 59kg title at the Emperor's Cup, which earned her a ticket to the Asian Championships last April in Bishkek. She would take home a bronze after being dealt a tough 1-1 loss by world champion Qi ZHANG (CHN) in a quarterfinal limited to activity points.

As Emperor's Cup champion, Kinjo would have automatically clinched a place on the team to the non-Olympic worlds with a victory at the Meiji Cup. But Kinjo was dealt an 8-4 loss in the semifinals by Onishi, in which she gave up a 4-point front body lock throw. When Onishi won the title, it set up a rematch in the playoff.

Kinjo was emboldened by recalling the grueling qualifying process that she went through to get to the Tokyo Olympics when she had to endure classic battles with four-time Olympic champion Kaori ICHO to earn the spot.

"Before the playoff, I thought, 'The qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics was a hundred times tougher. To have gone through that, nothing seems difficult."

jpn2 Risako KINJO fights off a takedown attempt by Sakura ONISHI in the 59kg playoff. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Onishi, currently a freshman at Nippon Sports Science University where Icho is among her coaches, made it as hard as she could, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first period with a pair of takedowns, the second off a nice ankle pick, and a penalty point for an illegal knee hold.

Onishi added a stepout to start the second period before Kinjo finally made her presence known, going behind for a takedown and adding a 2-point exposure to cut the lead to 6-4. From there, experience kicked in for the 29-year-old who captured back-to-back golds at the 2016 Rio and 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

"With a minute left, I thought that even if I was the aggressor, it would be to my disadvantage against an opponent who is a student and very lively," Kinjo said. "When 30 seconds, 20 seconds left, I put it all on the line for going to the World Championships."

With :15 on the clock, Kinjo got in on a single and managed to lift up the leg and expose Onishi's back with 8 seconds left, putting her ahead 6-6 on criteria. But Onishi squirmed back to her feet and with a mighty charge, went for a double-leg takedown that forced Kinjo out just as time expired. The referee gave her 1 for a stepout, but after an agonizing wait for the challenge review, it was nullified as Kinjo's foot was just centimeters from the edge when the clock hit all zeroes.

"I didn't have a strategy," Kinjo said. "Having wrestled for over 20 years, at my age, more than what move should I use, or how should I attack, the most important thing is being mentally ready."

jpn3 Miwa MORIKAWA, right, keeps the pressure on Yukako TSUNEMURA in the 65kg playoff. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Two days earlier, her sister pulled off a similar miracle to start her bid at 65kg, but couldn't make the magic last.

Tsunemura avenged a loss at the Emperor's Cup to Miyu YOSHIKAWA when, like Kinjo, she scored an exposure off a single leg in the final seconds for a 5-4 victory, after having given up a go-ahead takedown with :45 remaining.

But Tsumemura said she heard her knee pop in the match, and the subsequent pain hampered her in a 5-1 quarterfinal loss to Morikawa, who scored three stepouts in the first period and stopped a late front headlock roll attempt for a 2-point exposure. Morikawa went on to win the title, then defeated Emperor's Cup and Asian champion Mahiro YOSHITAKE 8-0 in the world playoff.

"Of course I wanted to go the World Championships, but this tournament was more about erasing the disappointing memories from the last year," Tsunemura said.

New Year of celebration, calamity

Like families throughout Japan, the Kawai clan had gathered for the New Year's holidays at the family home in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on the snowy northern coast of Japan.

On January 1, Yukako and mixed martial arts fighter Toshinori TSUNEMURA went to the municipal office in the nearby city of Tsubata and registered their marriage.

Four hours later, the ground began to shake violently.

The major earthquake that measured 7 on the Japanese intensity scale left over 200 dead and caused massive damage to homes, buildings and infrastructure, exacerbated by a tsunami and fires. Even now, thousands remain in temporary shelters.

"I'm not going to be so flippant as to say to people, 'I'm fighting hard, so please keep fighting,'" Kinjo said. "Their hardship is completely different. Many homes were destroyed and they can't go back. Someone near us had just finished construction of their house and it was damaged.

"But if [my winning] can give them some good news and it warms their hearts even a little, that would be good."

Tsunemura also was hoping to boost the spirits of her hometown.

"The big earthquake hit in January, but there are many people who suffered much more than me," she said. "Even if I lose, I think there are people who are heartened by seeing me give my best."

The sisters, who both went to then-powerhouse Shigakkan University in central Japan, currently reside in Tokyo. They train at Nihon University, where they are taking online graduate school classes.

Tsunemura said that in her studies of sports psychology, she uses her own notes on her mindset that she kept up to and during the Tokyo Olympics. She also said the program is giving her a broader outlook on life.

"Of course, I credit Shigakkan for making me strong in wrestling," she said. "But the daily schedule at Nihon University allows me to grow as a person. It has widened my view of the world.

"Wrestling is only something you can do when you're young, and the day is going to come when you call it quits. Your life after retirement will be longer. With that in mind, it makes me think that little by little I have to start looking ahead."

For now, the question of when -- or if -- she will return to competition remains unanswered.

"I don't know when I will enter a tournament," Tsunemura said. "After the Olympics, I had come to despise wrestling, but I really like it. I don't intend to stop any time soon. I will let the injury heal and get back to practice, and if I want to compete again, I'll do it. I don't know whether I will have a match again, but I still like wrestling."

Kinjo, of course, has her dance card filled for October, when she will attempt to win her first world title since winning three straight from 2017 to 2019. (She also has a silver from 2015.)

Her appearance at the Asian Championships in April marked her first international match since the Tokyo Olympics, and as fate would have it, she was paired with China's Zhang right off the bat. The closeness of the loss reassured her that she could still be competitive.

"In the first round, I met the world champion from last year," Kinjo said. "Even though I lost, it was my first international tournament in three years since the Olympics, and it may be rude to say it, but I think it went better than expected. It made me think that I can still do it."

In hindsight, the defeat may have been a blessing in disguise, which was reinforced by her mother Hatsue, a member of Japan's team at the 1989 World Championships.

"Truthfully, if I had won the Asian title, it would have been a good way to go out. But I lost. I talked it over with my mother, and she said, 'You're going to keep going, right?' I felt that way, too."

Japan Wrestling Federation President Hideaki TOMIYAMA, a gold medalist at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, surmises that while motherhood may be an added burden for Kinjo, it is indirectly keeping her in the sport.

"It's likely that she wants her child to be able to see her mother during her career," Tomiyama said. "The Olympics was before she was born. Probably she wants to give the child something to remember. She can see with her own eyes and remember 'Mama was strong.' I think that's what keeps her going."

From the federation's perspective, having a past Olympic champion remain active is always a positive thing.

"Of course, her [making the national team] draws the attention for wrestling from the mass media," Tomiyama said. "Wrestling doesn't usually make the news. Becoming a topic of conversation is important. We're really happy to see her fighting on, and it will help in the spread of wrestling."

jpn4 Moe KIYOOKA, right, works for a takedown in the 55kg playoff against world champion Haruna MURAYAMA. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Kiyooka inspired by Paris-bound brother

Like Kinjo, Kiyooka went into the tournament as the Emperor's Cup champion, only to lose her opening match -- also to a high schooler -- and have her fate decided in a playoff. One big difference was the level of her opponent.

Having bounced back from an 11-9 loss to 17-year-old Sowaka UCHIDA, Kiyooka proceeded to defeat reigning world champion Haruna MURAYAMA (nee OKUNO) 3-2 in the playoff, thanks to a second-period takedown.

Kiyooka's win over Murayama was a repeat of the Emperor's Cup final in December and allowed her to join Ikuei teammate Ishii on the plane to Tirana.

In Albania, Kiyooka will get a chance to join the small group of wrestlers who have won world titles on all four age levels. She won the U17 gold in 2019, and then captured both the U20 and U23 titles in 2022.

Kiyooka, a winner at the Zagreb Open in 2023, made her major senior debut at the Asian Championships, where her gold-medal performance came a week before brother Kotaro won the Asian Olympic qualifier at freestyle 65kg at the same venue in Bishkek.

"Recently, my brother's accomplishments have been a source of inspiration for me," Kiyooka said. "I believe that if I keep fighting to the end, I know I can definitely win."

Ishii was coming off a heartbreaking, last-second playoff loss in January to Nonoka OZAKI for the 68kg spot in Paris -- which she herself had won for Japan by placing fifth at the 2023 World Championships.

Ishii swept to the Meiji Cup gold at 72kg with a 10-0 victory in the final over former world champion Masako FURUICHI. That gave her the ticket to Tirana as there was no playoff because Emperor's Cup champion Ayano MORO did not enter.

jon4 High schooler Taizo YOSHIDA, top, tries to turn Yuji OKAJIMA in the Greco 82kg final of the Meiji Cup. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Most noteworthy in the men's styles was the victory at Greco 82kg by 18-year-old Taizo YOSHIDA, who followed up his historic gold-medal run at the Asian Championships by becoming just the third male high school champion in Meiji Cup history.

One year removed from winning the world U17 gold, Yoshida defeated three-time former champion Yuji OKAJIMA 8-0 in the final, then earned the place at the non-Olympic worlds when Hayato TAKAOKA -- who beat Yoshida in the Emperor's Cup final -- defaulted the playoff.

Yoshida will be 18 years and 10 months old when the non-Olympic worlds starts, making it possible for him to eclipse Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Takuto OTOGURO as Japan's youngest-ever male world champion. Otoguro was 19 years and 10 months old when he won the freestyle 65kg gold in 2018.

"At the World Championships, I will give everything I have and aim for a medal," said Yoshida, who will precede that by also appearing at the world U20 in September. "I will be a senior in college at the time of the Los Angeles Olympics. I feel like the fight has just begun."

Three Asian medalists in freestyle also made the cut -- Masanosuke ONO, a bronze medalist at 65kg, earned the spot at 61kg; Yoshinosuke AOYAGI will go at 70kg, where he was the silver medalist in Bishkek; and 74kg champion Kota TAKAHASHI will aim to strike gold at 79kg.

Takahashi will be heading to Tirana early, as he will also compete at 74kg at the world U23 to be held there the previous week.

#WrestleBelgrade

Kayaalp joins 5-time world champions' club; Japan women take 2 golds

Tuesday, September 13, 2022 - 20:53 By Ken Marantz

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 13) -- Even at less than 100 percent, Riza KAYAALP (TUR) can pack quite a wallop, which is why he has joined the elite list of five-time world champions.

Kayaalp emerged with a 1-1 victory on criteria in an intense tussle with Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) to take the 130kg title on Tuesday in the last Greco-Roman final on the program at the World Championships in Belgrade.

"It is a very nice feeling," said Kayaalp, who also has two silvers and two bronzes in his collection of world medals -- not to mention three Olympic medals.

"Hearing the national anthem is our goal. I am proud to represent my country. I think I will lie down for a few minutes because I am so exhausted."

In other action on the fourth day at Stark Arena, Japan's women got off to a good start as Mayu SHIDOCHI (JPN), who won the Tokyo Olympic gold at 53kg under her maiden name of MUKAIDA, captured her third world gold at 55kg, while rising star Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) dominated at 62kg for her first senior world title.

And two days after Kyrgyzstan's first-ever male world champion was crowned, Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) gave the central Asian nation a second with a dominant victory at Greco 60kg.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR) defeated Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) 1-1 in the 130kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In the Greco 130kg final, Kayaalp was unable to score any technical points, as he did when he defeated Mirzazadeh 7-2 in the bronze-medal match at the Tokyo Olympics. But he got the second of the passivity points and was able to preserve the lead he held on criteria for the win.

Mirzazadeh, the 2021 world U23 champion, was presented with a second chance for par terre late in the match but opted to remain on his feet. Unable to score, his defeat left Iran with the rare result of having no Greco golds for the tournament.

Kayaalp's victory helped Turkey capture the team title with 125 points. Azerbaijan finished second with 118, while host Serbia, with an amazing four champions, was third with 110.

Kayaalp, who won the European gold earlier this year, said he had been battling a shoulder injury and other ailments over the past two months during his preparation for Belgrade.

"Preparing for the World Championships with the injuries was very hard for me, especially in the last training camp it is very important to stay injury free," Kayaalp said. "I knew that the injuries will affect me in the final fight, so I changed my tactic a little bit. My defense is very good and we knew that."

Mayu SHIDOCHI (JPN) picked up her third world title at 55kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

She may have a new name and was in a different weight class, but it was pure Shidochi who stormed to the women's 55kg gold with her fourth technical fall in five matches, without conceding a point.

Shidochi managed to finish up a 10-0 win over Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) just before the end of the first period to add to the world titles at 55kg that she previously won in 2015 and 2018. She also has two silvers at 53kg.

Khomenets appeared to suffer an ankle injury when Shidochi scored her second takedown to go up 4-0, and offered little resistance when the Japanese got a takedown and then immediately executed a roll and an exposure to end the match at 2:59.

Shidochi, whose husband and coach Shota was in her corner in Belgrade -- the two got married after the Olympics -- was competing overseas for the first time since her triumph in Tokyo.

"The Tokyo Olympics was an international event, but it was held in my country, so it didn't have the feel of being international," Shidochi said. "This time, I felt like it was an overseas event for the first time in a long time. I was a bit nervous in the first match, but in that feeling, I wanted to put out everything I had. I feel that I kept moving up to the end."

The tournament is only a prelude to what lies ahead. Shidochi plans to return to 53kg for the Japan championships in December, which is the starting point for qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics. That puts her on a collision course with teen star Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), the 2021 world champion who missed this tournament due to a foot injury.

"After the Tokyo Olympics, heading to the Paris Olympics, I regard myself as the challenger and that's how I approached [this tournament]. I concentrated on each and every match and it's great that I was able to win out."

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) upgraded her 2021 bronze to gold by beating Kayla MIRACLE (USA) in the 62kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Ozaki also faces domestic competition that arguably exceeds that outside of Japan. She needed to defeat Tokyo Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI (JPN) to make the team to Belgrade and will have to do so again in the year ahead. Should she make the team, a victory at next year's World Championships will automatically secure a place at Paris 2024.

"I'm really happy, but when I was taking the medal podium, I thought if I'm not here again next year, I can't be satisfied," Ozaki said.

Having finished third last year in Oslo, Ozaki for now is content with accomplishing a goal of winning a senior world title, which she did with a 10-0 technical fall over Kayla MIRACLE (USA) in the 62kg final.

"For the final, all I thought was, I really want to win, I want to win," Ozaki said. "I wanted to relax, but my desire to win was so strong that I may have rushed things. But it was big that I was able to string together points. I think I had a good match."

Ozaki, like many Japanese women, likes to go directly to the lace lock and end their match quickly. Against Miracle, she was only able to complete two rolls after her first takedown. But she stayed patient and got two more takedowns to complete the mission.

"After getting a takedown, going right to work on the ground to end the match is the best style for winning for me," said Ozaki, who won the world U20 title last month. "Even if I can't do that, I use the three minutes and win in whatever way I can. After I scored six points, I thought there was still time and it would be alright if it went into the second period."

Ozaki, who is a product of the JOC Elite Academy that also produced Olympic champions Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), is a rarity in Japan in that instead of going to a university that is a wrestling powerhouse, she took the academic route and passed the entrance exam for prestigious Keio University. The demands of being a true scholar-athlete add to her burden.

"I've had tough times," Ozaki said. "Wrestling was most on my mind, but I also had my studies. I was able to accomplish everything I wanted to. That it all came together here, it's the best."

Zholoman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) became Kyrgyzstan's second Greco-Roman world champ in Belgrade. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

For Sharshenbekov, the victory by compatriot Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) at 77kg on Sunday night may have cost him a place in history, but it also served as motivation after he had to settle for the silver medal last year in Oslo.

In the final, Sharshenbekov built up a big lead with a 4-point throw and went on to defeat 20-year-old European silver medalist Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) by an 11-2 technical fall in 2:30.

"After Akzhol won his final the other day, it gave me a lot of motivation and strength to win my gold medal as well," said Sharshenbekov, this year's Asian champion.

A 2-point penalty, an unsuccessful challenge and the 4-pointer put Sharshenbekov up 7-0 before Nazaryan, whose father Armen was a two-time Olympic champion, came back with a takedown when he slipped out of a throw attempt.

But that only delayed the inevitable as Sharshenbekov scored a takedown and added a throw to end the proceedings.

World champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) returned empty-handed from Belgrade. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

Tynybekova leaves empty-handed

Two-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) will leave Belgrade empty-handed after a furious comeback in her women's 62kg bronze-medal match fell short against Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR), who ended the bout in a cradle but an 8-7 victory.

Prokopevniuk, a three-time world U23 medalist, took a 7-2 lead early in the second period with a 4-point leg trip and a spin-behind takedown. Tynybekova cut the gap with an arm-drag takedown and a penalty. With the clock ticking down, Tynybekova secured a cradle and put the Ukrainian on her back for 2 but needing a fall, she ran out of time. An unsuccessful challenge made it 8-7.

Karla GODINEZ (CAN) defeated Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) 6-2 in the 55kg bronze medal bout. (Photo: UWW / Kostandin Andonov)

In other third-place matches, Karla GODINEZ (CAN) will be taking home one of the women's 55kg bronzes, but sister Ana GODINEZ (CAN) came up just short in a bid for one at 62kg.

Karla scored two takedowns in the first period and went on to defeat Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) 6-2, while Ana fell into a 4-point hole against Xiaojuan LUO (CHN), but a comeback still left her on the short end of a 4-3 decision.

"Hasn’t sunk in yet," Karla said. "When I think about this I am like ‘Wow!’ Yes, I wanted the gold, but winning the bronze just shows that I am growing and that is a huge deal."

The sisters, born in Mexico, relocated to Canada with their family while in elementary school under the pretense that they were going to visit Disneyland. They both started wrestling in their late teens and won Pan American titles this year.

"I have only been wrestling for six years, so I have to put triple the time in to catch up to these girls," Karla said. "I am constantly working.”

In the other 55kg match, 2019 Asian champion Mengyu XIE (CHN) snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat by scoring a fall over 2019 world champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) after trailing 12-4.

Winchester had scored a takedown and was attempting to execute a gut wrench that would end the match, but Xie stepped over and caught the American on her back. Xie eventually broke down Winchester's bridge and secured the fall at 4:56.

Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) won a bronze medal at 60kg. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

In Greco-Roman, it wasn't the color he wanted, but two-time world champion Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) will leave Belgrade with a bronze medal at 60kg after defeating Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) 5-1.

Fumita, still feeling the sting of losing the final at the Tokyo Olympics, scored two points with a headlock that stopped a roll from par terre, then had a gut wrench of his own when he was on top.

In the other 60kg match, Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) added to the world bronze he won in 2018 with a 7-1 victory over Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN). The 2021 Asian champion took the lead for good in the first period with an arm-drag takedown and roll to go ahead 5-1.

At 130kg, Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) won his first world medal in four appearances with a 3-1 victory over Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO). Knystautas got a second chance in par terre and he took advantage, hitting a gut wrench with a half-minute to go for the decisive points.

Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) pulled a rabbit out of the hat and stunned four-time Asian medalist Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) 5-3 to take the other 130kg bronze.

Trailing 3-1 late in the second period, Alexuc Ciurariu got a pair of stepouts, then scored a snap-down takedown with :11 left for the victory. It was his first medal in nine trips to the senior World Championships.

Samar HAMZA (EGY) became the first wrestler to reach the world final in women's wrestling. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Hamza makes history; Susaki powers through

In the semifinals in four women's weight classes held earlier in the night session, Samar HAMZA (EGY) made more history when she became the first from her country to make a women's world final after rallying for a 3-2 victory over veteran Epp MAE (EST) at 76kg.

Hamza, who became Egypt's first-ever female world medalist when she took the bronze last year in Oslo, was trailing 2-0 after surrendering two activity-clock points. With Mae on the clock, Hamza scored a go-behind takedown with :25 left to go up on criteria, then got the activity point for good measure.

In Wednesday's final, the five-time African champion will face Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Yasemin ADAR (TUR), who had to put on a late comeback of her own to defeat Genesis REASCO (ECU) 4-3 in the other semifinal. Down 3-0, Adar scored a takedown and added a lace-lock roll for the win.

Hamza will have her work cut out for her if she wants to take home the gold. The two met at this year's Mediterranean Games, where Adar scored a 10-0 victory.

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) secured a fall in her 50kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In other action, Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) found another, equally devastating way to vanquish her opponent when she powered into the women's 50kg final with a victory by fall over Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR).

Susaki, who used her trademark lace-lock roll to such deadly effect in winning her first two matches in a combined 71 seconds, couldn't get that move going. So she switched to a chicken wing after her second takedown of the match and levered the African over for the fall at 2:25.

Susaki, looking to add to the world titles she won in 2017 and 2018, remains undefeated in her career against non-Japanese opponents.

In the final, she will face 2021 world bronze medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL), who knocked off last year's runner-up and Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) 6-2.

Hildebrandt struck first with a takedown, but Dolgorajav answered with one of her own, then added a 2-point exposure while stopping a roll attempt. In the second period, she fought out of one single-leg attempt, then spun out of another for a clinching takedown.

At 65kg, 2021 world silver medalist Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) kept her gold-medal hopes alive with a 3-0 victory over 2020 European champion Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL).

Morikawa, this year's Asian champion, received an activity-clock point in each period and scored with a stepout in the second.

In the other semifinal, Jia LONG (CHN) overcame a five-point deficit against world U23 champion Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), scoring all of her points in the second period to scrape out a 9-7 victory. She notched the deciding takedown with :40 left.

Mongolia will have a second wrestler in Wednesday's finals after Asian silver medalist Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) pulled off a miracle comeback to defeat 2021 world junior champion Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) at 53kg.

Malmgren had dominated the match, scoring a takedown and exposure for a 4-0 lead in the first period, then started the second period with another takedown. But Batkhuyag never gave up and managed to get a half-nelson from standing and muscled Malmgren onto her back for a fall at 4:54.

Batkhuyag will face Dominique PARRISH (USA), a 3-1 winner over European silver medalist Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE), in the gold-medal match to decide who will ascend to the throne left empty when reigning champion Fujinami became a late withdrawal. Japan did not send a replacement.

Day 4 Results

Greco-Roman

60kg (29 entries)
Gold- Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) df. Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) by TF, 11-2, 2:30

Bronze - Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) df. Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN), 7-1
Bronze - Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) df. Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), 5-1

130kg (25 entries)
Gold- Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI), 1-1

Bronze - Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) df. Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO), 3-1
Bronze - Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) df. Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), 5-3

Women's Wrestling

50kg (22 entries)
Semifinal - Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) df. Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA), 6-2
Semifinal - Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR) by Fall, 2:25 (8-0)

53kg (23 entries)
Semifinal - Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) df. Emma MALMGREN (SWE) by Fall, 4:54 (2-6)
Semifinal - Dominique PARRISH (USA) df. Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE), 3-1

55kg (17 entries)
Gold- Mayu SHIDOCHI (JPN) df. Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) by TF, 10-0, 2:59

Bronze - Mengyu XIE (CHN) df. Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) by Fall, 4:56 (6-12)
Bronze - Karla GODINEZ (CAN) df. Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), 6-2

62kg (24 entries)
Gold- Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. Kayla MIRACLE (USA) by TF, 10-0, 2:28

Bronze - Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) df. Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), 8-7
Bronze - Xiaojuan LUO (CHN) df. Ana GODINEZ (CAN), 4-3

65kg (14 entries)
Semifinal - Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL), 3-0
Semifinal - Jia LONG (CHN) df. Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), 9-7

76kg (25 entries)
Semifinal - Yasemin ADAR (TUR) df. Genesis REASCO (ECU), 4-3
Semifinal - Samar HAMZA (EGY) df. Epp MAE (EST), 3-2

Kinjo earns shot at 4th world title, but it won't be part of sister act

Comments

Kayaalp joins 5-time world champions' club; Japan women take 2 golds