Komarov Shines on U23 Debut; Ukraine Trumps Russia for WW title

Friday, May 21, 2021 - 20:12 By Vinay Siwach

If there is a perfect way to debut at a tournament, Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) demonstrated it on Friday.

Wrestling for the first time at an U23-level tournament, the former cadet and junior world champion dominated his way into the final, establishing himself as the wrestler to beat at 87kg in the future.

He led three Russians in the finals as Greco-Roman wrestling began on Friday at the U23 European Championships in Skopje, North Macedonia.

Sweden and Armenia managed to enter two wrestlers each into the final while Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan also got one each in Saturday's final at the Jane Sandanski Arena.

Russia, Turkey and Armenia had entered four wrestlers each in the semifinal but only Russia managed to advance three while the other two fell behind.

Komarov was slow to start in the semifinal against Muhutdin SARICICEK (TUR) and was put in par terre after being called passive. But Saricicek failed to take advantage of the position. The Russian then got a takedown to lead 2-1 at the break.

Saricicek was penalized for his passivity and Komarov used his strength to gut-wrench him from the par terre position. His three rolls gave him six points and a 9-1 win.

In the morning session, Komarov notched up two victories by technical superiority but was checked by junior world champion Istvan TAKACS (HUN) in the quarterfinal. The Russian managed to win 4-1.

In the final, junior European champion Temur TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO) will challenge Komarov. The Georgian is yet to concede a point in the tournament and has outscored his opponents 28-0.

He was so dominant in the semifinal against Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) that it only lasted one minute and 20 seconds. After an early takedown to lead 2-0, Tchkuaselidze got two from a body lock throw. A leg foul from the Armenian added two more to extend the lead 6-0.

The following par terre position was enough for Tchkuaselidze to finish the bout but his grip slipped under the opponent's waist and the two points for the gut were reversed after a challenge from Armenia. But their happiness was short lived as Tchkuaslidze got a snap down for two points and the victory.

At 77kg, Sergei STEPANOV (RUS) also had a stunning run as he reached the final against Per OLOFSSON (SWE). In the semifinal, he took out Samvel GRIGORYAN (ARM) 8-3, in a bout controlled with ease.

After his 1/8 final win over Patryk BEDNARZ (POL) via fall, he had a rematch of his World Championships final at 72 against Nikoloz TCHIKAIDZE (GEO). Like that bout, he came out on top in Skopje as well with a pin.

Olofsson, whose tournament was all but over in the quarterfinal, scored another come-from behind-victory against Erkan ERGEN (TUR). After a step out and Olofsson's passivity, Ergen led 2-0 but the Sweden wrestler scored a takedown after Ergen's miss to level it 2-2. He then trapped the Turk in a body lock to get two more points for the throw. The call was challenged by Turkey but they lost the challenge. The 5-2 score in favor of Olofsson remained until the clock expired.

In the quarterfinal, Olofsson was down 0-6 but scored 14 unanswered points against Aliaksandr PECHURENKA (BLR) to win 14-6 and progress to the semifinal.

OLOFSSON (SWE) U23 European Championships

In another Sweden vs Turkey semifinal at 63kg, Niklas OEHLEN (SWE) defeated Abdulkadir SAYDAM (TUR) 8-0. Half of those points, however, were caution points.

Oehlen got the advantage after Saydam was called passive and the Sweden wrestler won an exposure from the par terre position. Later, the referee awarded two points to Oehlen, warning Saydam for twisting his opponent's fingers.

Another warning followed as the Turk was seen to be involved in dangerous wrestling and that made the score 7-0 for Oehlen. The Turkey corner challenged the call and lost, ending the bout 8-0.

From the other side of the bracket, Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) upset U23 and Senior European bronze medalist Leri ABULADZE (GEO) 1-1 in the semifinal. The bout only saw points for the two passivity calls with the Armernian getting the benefit of the second call.

At 55kg, Adem UZUN (TUR) will take on Zaur ALIYEV (AZE) in the final after he defeated Denis DEMIROV (BUL) 9-4 in the semifinal while Aliyev etched out a 3-3 win over Mavlud RIZMANOV (RUS).

Zaur ALIYEV U23 European Championships

Aliyev had fallen behind 1-3 but he scored a takedwon on the edge to make it 3-3 with 1:38 to go. The move was originally scored a stepout and one point but his corner challenged the call and won. Aliyev managed to keep his lead for the remaining 98 seconds and reach the final.

Uzun had to work harder for his win after leading 6-0 at one point of the match. But Demirov scored a takedown on either side of the break to make it 6-4. A stepout and a takedown later Uzun won 9-4.

In the final category of the day, two big wins in the semifinals set up a Russia-Armenia final. Mikhail LAPTEV (RUS) defeated Franz RICHTER (GER) 11-0 in just one minute and 57 seconds while David OVASAPYAN (ARM) won against Delian ALISHAHI (SUI) 9-0 in three minutes and 40 seconds.

Ukraine win WW title

They trailed Russia by four points in the team title race on Thursday. But by the end of the women's wrestling in Skopje, Ukraine claimed the team title by a difference of 16 points.

If the scores of the all the medals winners are accounted, both nations are locked at 165. But Ukraine's fifth-place finish at 72kg and eighth-place at 76kg gave them 18 points. Russia, however, managed only two points from their non-medal winning wrestler.

Alina AKOBIYA (UKR) led the day with a gold medal finish at 57kg after beating Patrycja GIL (POL) 8-0 in the final. It was finally a big load off her back as she had finished with silver medals at the previous two U23 European Championships.

She got Gil in a headlock before turning it into a takedown. Another cradle and exposure made it 6-0 for before a double leg attack extended the lead to 8-0.

With 10 medals at age-group European and World Championships, Akobiya's resume got even more stronger with this title. Last month, she had won the silver medal at the senior Euros and also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.

Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) was another first-time gold medalist at the U23 level as converted her debut into a golden one at 62kg.

Wrestling against Tatsiana PAULAVA (BLR) in the final, Rizhko worked up two takedowns before giving one up. Leading 4-2, she performed an inside trip to put Paulava on her back and secure the fall with 53 seconds remaining.

The only Ukrainian wrestler to come up short in the final was Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR) as she dropped her 65kg final 8-5 against rapidly rising Irina RINGACI (MDA).

The Moldovan wrestler put the disappointment of failing to qualify for the Tokyo Games behind her and ran through her opposition at this tournament.

In the final, she had some trouble as Zelenykh opened the scoring with a takedown before Ringaci countered with a lift which exposed Zelenykh for a four. The Ukrainian also countered with a takedown and almost got the pin. But Ringaci survived and led 4-4.

Riganci then scored a takedown and then a snap to make it 8-4. She conceded a point for step out but it was too little too late for Zelenykh as she dropped her bout 8-5.

Russia had two finalist but only one won the gold medal. Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS) was crowned the 53kg champion after Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) forfeited due to injury.

At the 72kg final, Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) shocked Marina SUROVTSEVA 2-2 in a bout that saw point only for passivity and stepouts.

Choluj was called passive in the first period but she scored a stepout to lead 1-1. Surovtseva scored a stepout to claim back the lead but was put on the activity clock with a minute and 18 seconds remaining. Choluj led 2-2 on criteria after the Russian failed to score.

The Polish wrestler hung on to the lead for the final 48 seconds and claimed the gold medal.

Results: GR Semifinals

55kg
GOLD: Zaur ALIYEV (AZE) vs Adem UZUN (TUR)

SF 1: Zaur ALIYEV (AZE) df Mavlud RIZMANOV (RUS), 3-3
SF 2: Adem UZUN (TUR) df Denis DEMIROV (BUL), 9-4

63kg
GOLD: Niklas OEHLEN (SWE) vs Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Niklas OEHLEN (SWE) df Abdulkadir SAYDAM (TUR), 8-0
SF 2: Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) df Leri ABULADZE (GEO), 1-1

77kg
GOLD: Sergei STEPANOV (RUS) vs Per OLOFSSON (SWE)

SF 1: Sergei STEPANOV (RUS) df Samvel GRIGORYAN (ARM), 8-3
SF 2: Per OLOFSSON (SWE) df Erkan ERGEN (TUR), 5-2

87kg
GOLD: Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO) vs Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS)

SF 1: Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO) df Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM), 8-0
SF 2: Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) df Muhutdin SARICICEK (TUR), 9-1

130kg
GOLD: Mikhail LAPTEV (RUS) vs David OVASAPYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Mikhail LAPTEV (RUS) df Franz RICHTER (GER), 11-0
SF 2: David OVASAPYAN (ARM) df Delian ALISHAHI (SUI), 9-0

WW Medal Results

53kg
GOLD: Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS) df Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), inj def

BRONZE: Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) df Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), 9-2
BRONZE: Alicja CZYZOWICZ (POL) df Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN), 2-1

57kg
GOLD: Alina AKOBIYA (UKR) df Patrycja GIL (POL), 8-0

BRONZE: Othelie HOEIE (NOR) df Hanna VAHER (BLR), 6-1
BRONZE: Viktoriia VAULINA (RUS) df Sezen BELBEROVA (BUL), inj def

62kg
GOLD: Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) df Tatsiana PAULAVA (BLR), via fall (8-0)

SF 1: Mariia LACHUGINA (RUS) df Cansu AKSOY (TUR), 13-4
SF 2: Anhelina LYSAK (POL) df Elena ESPOSITO (ITA), via fall (8-0)

65kg
GOLD: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR), 8-5

BRONZE: Kamila KULWICKA (POL) df Nerea BLANCO (ESP), via fall (5-0)
BRONZE: Eyleen SEWINA (GER) df Asli DEMIR (TUR), via fall (10-3)

72kg
GOLD: Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) df Marina SUROVTSEVA , 2-2

BRONZE: Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (BLR) df Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 6-5

#JapanWrestling

Olympic Champs Fumita, Higuchi Emerge Unscathed on Return Since Paris 2024

Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 15:09 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (May 21) -- They both were returning to the mat for the first time since winning gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and both moved up a weight class, for now, with the next Olympic qualifiers still far off.

And each was watched and cheered on for the first time by their most precious fan.

Kenichiro FUMITA and Rei HIGUCHI shook off the rust and emerged unscathed on Thursday to advance to their respective finals at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym.

Fumita, the Paris gold medalist at Greco 60kg, handily won two matches to secure a spot in the 63kg final on Friday, where he will face 2025 world team member Manato NAKAMURA in a bid for his first Meiji Cup title since 2022 and fifth overall.

Higuchi, who struck gold in Paris at freestyle 57kg, needed three wins to set up a showdown in the 61kg final with defending champion and former world bronze medalist Toshihiro HASEGAWA.

Arash YOSHIDA, coming off winning a second straight freestyle 97kg gold at the Asian Championships, also advanced to the finals on the opening day of the four-day Meiji Cup, which is serving as the second of two domestic qualifiers for both this year's World Championships and, in the Olympic weight classes, the Asian Games that will be hosted by Japan.

Winners from the first qualifier, the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships held in December, can clinch a spot with a victory at the Meiji Cup; if the two champions are different, a playoff will be held at the end of the day.

Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) hits a four-point throw in his round one bout. (Photo: wrestling-spirits.jp / Ikuo Higuchi)

Fumita, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion, had planned to return to competition at the Emperor's Cup, but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

As for the move up to 63kg, he said, "Looking at the competitions and my own personal objectives, and my current physical ability, I decided to enter at 63kg. I've really on been on edge up to this point leading up to the competition. It's quite a few years since I've had a match at Komazawa. But I feel great, and was able to enjoy myself."

The return from a long layoff can be as testing mentally as it is physically, and Fumita used the experiences of others to guide him through it.

"I thought I would feel more pressure," said Fumita, who advanced to the final with a 7-1 victory over Kensho NATAMI in the semifinals. "After Paris, I watched [fellow gold medalists] Kotaro [KIYOOKA] and Nao [KUSAKA] up close before their [comeback] matches, and both said they were very nervous.

"Having seen that, it gave me an image of what to expect. I stayed calm and, staying aware of what was going on around me, I felt I was able to control the matches."

Helping calm his nerves was the lilty voice of a child clearly heard amid the sparse crowd on the opening day as she yelled, "Papa, ganbatte (fight hard)!" For the first time, the oldest of his two
daughters, now 3, was old enough to see him compete and understand what he was doing.

Fumita related the emotions he went through seeing fellow Nippon Sport Science University alumnus Shota TANOKURA being inspired by his son loudly yelling that set phrase as he ended his career at the Meiji Cup two years ago.

"I was very moved seeing how he responded," Fumita said. "To continue my career and win with my children with me is really a special feeling. Here, I am wholeheartedly determined to perform for them."

Fumita said there are still aspects of his job about which his daughter is blissfully oblivious.

"Sometimes I take [my daughter] to practice. For her, it is really a fun place. So she thinks I go to a fun place every day and I'm just someone who plays all the time," he said with a laugh.

Fumita already has a memento from his first competition in over two years -- a gash over his left eye that was treated with tape wrapped around his head.

"It happens a lot in practice and in matches," Fumita said. "I have many photos of me in the past with my head taped. It gave me a feeling of going back to my roots, which I thought was great."

Higuchi, who like Fumita is 30, an alumnus of NSSU and is sponsored by children's clothing giant Miki House, was wrestling for the first time in front of his 2-year-old daughter (and like Fumita, he has a second infant daughter).

"She kind of knows what's going on," said Higuchi, who defeated world U23 bronze medalist Akito MUKAIDA 12-1 in the semifinals.

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) reached the 61kg final at the Meiji Cup. (Photo: wrestling-spirits.jp / Ikuo Higuchi)

For Higuchi, a battle with weight loss proved more daunting than any opponent he faced on the mat on Friday. He normally should have had no trouble making weight at 61kg, but said he didn't manage it correctly.

"It was my first competition in awhile, and my preparation did not go so well," he said. "There are parts that I have to work on. All went well in practice, but I need to do better at conditioning and cutting weight or I won't be able to win out in December [at the Emperor's Cup]."

A notoriously slow starter, Higuchi said he gradually began to find his groove, culminating in his one-sided win over Mukaida.

"My first match, my movement was not very good," he said. "The water loss as a I cut weight didn't go so well either, so the first and second matches were touch and go.

"During the second match, I was able to get in gear. In the third match in the semifinals, my opponent was third at the world U23, which normally should have been a close match. But I was able to put on a fairly good performance, which I give a grade of 80 [out of 100]."

Higuchi is looking forward to mixing it up with another high-level opponent, one he knows quite well. Hasegawa is yet another NSSU alumnus who still trains at the facility.

"From an emotional viewpoint, I was really excited about facing tough opponents," Higuchi said. "Tomorrow, Hasegawa is world-class wrestler. I don't know if I will win or lose, but I'm really happy to be able to have such a showdown on this big stage."

Asian champion Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) returned to the final of Meiji Cup at 97kg. (Photo: wrestling-spirits.jp / Ikuo Higuchi)

At 97kg, defending champion Yoshida stormed to a pair of 10-0 victories, defeating Satoshi MIURA, a 2025 world U23 bronze medalist at 86kg, in the semifinals to advance to the final against teenager Noah LEIBOWITZ.

The final will be a repeat of the gold-medal match at the Emperor's Cup, which Yoshida won 11-0.

Leibowitz is now a freshman at Nihon University, from which Yoshida just graduated in March. Since then, he began living on his own for the first time.

"I have to prepare my own meals," Yoshida said on how his life has changed. "Instead of always being with a group, I am living a life on my own. My father brings over dinner every Friday, but other than that, I prepare it myself. My specialty is pork kimchi; actually that's all I can make."

Meanwhile, Taishi NARIKUNI, who attempted a rare freestyle-Greco double at the Asian Championships in Bishkek, advanced to the freestyle 70kg final, where he will face collegiate champion Yuma TOMIYAMA.

In women's action, world U20 bronze medalist Shirin TAKEMOTO pulled an upset of sorts at 72kg, knocking off Asian silver medalist Mahiro YOSHITAKE 11-6 in the semifinals. She will face Chisato YOSHIDA in the final.

At 65kg, Asian silver medalist Nana IKEHATA scored a takedown and stepout in the final 1:10 to edge Misuzu ENAMOTO 4-3 and set up a gold-medal clash with Hiyori MOTOKI, the younger sister of Paris Olympic champion Sakura MOTOKI.

Komarov Shines on U23 Debut; Ukraine Trumps Russia for WW title

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Olympic Champs Fumita, Higuchi Emerge Unscathed on Return Since Paris 2024