COVID-19

KYODO News: Japanese wrestler using lockdown to lock in mental fortitude

By United World Wrestling Press

Wrestlers around the world are stuck in their homes hoping to do their part to flatten the curve. In an article today in the Kyodo News, defending Olympic champion Risako Kawai says she is taking this break from the mats to train her mind. 

"I can't do, but I can watch," she said, explaining how she has been spending time watching videos of her opponents, researching techniques and mentally rehearsing match scenarios.

The 25-year-old, who competes in the 57-kilogram weight class, says she has never spent so much time away from the sport.

Kawai has not been able to spar with her training partner since Shigakkan University, her alma mater and training base in the central Japan city of Obu, Aichi Prefecture, suspended all club activities in late March.

"All I do is take in one day at a time," she says.

Four years ago, Kawai wrestled the 63-kg event to avoid having to go up against 10-time world champion and four-time Olympic women's wrestling champion Kaori Icho at 58 kg, and claimed the gold medal in her Olympic debut in Rio.

But for Tokyo 2020, Kawai made the bold move of stepping down a weight division and coming face-to-face with Icho in order to leave the pathway open for her sister to make it to the Olympics with her.

Read more on the Kyodo News site ... here

#wrestlebishkek, #WrestleParis

Asian OG Qualifier 2024 Entry List

By United World Wrestling Press

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 4) -- The final continental qualifiers for Paris 2024 will be held in Bishkek from April 19 to 21 with 209 wrestlers fighting for the 36 quotas.

The tournament will be held two days after the Asian Championships at the same venue and live on UWW+ through uww.org and the UWW App.

Like all other continental qualifiers, there will be no gold-medal, repechage and bronze-medal bouts. The winners of the two semifinals in each Olympic weight class will earn a spot for their country for the Paris Games.

Freestyle

57kg
Wanhao ZOU (CHN)
AMAN (IND)
Ahmad JAVAN (IRI)
Khattab AL ANI (IRQ)
Yerassyl MUKHTARULY (KAZ)
Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ)
Sunggwon KIM (KOR)
Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL)
Muhammad BILAL (PAK)
Alvin LOBREGUITO (PHI)
Ali ABURUMAILA (PLE)
Chong Song HAN (PRK)
Gayan KATHURANGANA (SRI)
Aiaal BELOLYUBSKII (TJK)
Kabe MATJANOV (TKM)
Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB)

65kg
Alibeg ALIBEGOV (BRN)
Shaohua YUAN (CHN)
SUJEET (IND)
Mohammed KAREEM (IRQ)
Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN)
Maiis ALIYEV (KAZ)
Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
Junsik YUN (KOR)
Tsogbadrakh TSEVEENSUREN (MGL)
Muhammad ABDULLAH (PAK)
Abdullah ASSAF (PLE)
Kwang Jin KIM (PRK)
Divoshan CHARLES FERNANDO (SRI)
Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK)
Jelaletdin SEYIDOV (TKM)
Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB)
Ibrahim GUZAN (YEM)

74kg
Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN)
Feng LU (CHN)
JAIDEEP (IND)
Yones EMAMI (IRI)
Ali AL OBAIDI (IRQ)
Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ)
Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ)
Byungmin GONG (KOR)
Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL)
Fierre AFAN (PHI)
Madushanka LAKMAL (SRI)
Magomet EVLOEV (TJK)
Alp BEGENJOV (TKM)
Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB)

86kg
Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN)
Vuthy HENG (CAM)
Zushen LIN (CHN)
Deepak PUNIA (IND)
Mustafa AL OBAIDI (IRQ)
Erzo ISAKOV (JOR)
Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN)
Nurtilek KARYPBAEV (KGZ)
Gwanuk KIM (KOR)
Bat Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL)
Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM)

97kg
Awusayiman HABILA (CHN)
DEEPAK (IND)
Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)
Arash YOSHIDA (JPN)
Alisher YERGALI (KAZ)
Andrey ARONOV (KGZ)
Juhwan SEO (KOR)
Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)
Muhammad INAM (PAK)
Badzha KHUTABA (SYR)
Shatlyk HEMELYAYEV (TKM)
Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB)

125kg
Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN)
Zhiwei DENG (CHN)
SUMIT (IND)
Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN)
Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ)
Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ)
Yeihyun JUNG (KOR)
Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL)
Zaman ANWAR (PAK)
Omar SAREM (SYR)
Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM)
Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB)

Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) will look to earn spot for Kyrgyzstan in Women's Wrestling 68kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
Samnang DIT (CAM)
VINESH (IND)
Laura GANIKYZY (KAZ)
Miran CHEON (KOR)
Jiah PINGOT (PHI)
Son Hyang KIM (PRK)
Nipuni WASANA (SRI)
Vatansulton SHAKARSHOEVA (TJK)
Meng HSIEH (TPE)
Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB)
Thi Xuan NGUYEN (VIE)

53kg
Qianyu PANG (CHN)
Zhuldyz ESHIMOVA (KAZ)
Aizhan SABYRBEK KYZY (KGZ)
Seoyoung PARK (KOR)
Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL)
Aliah GAVALEZ (PHI)
Hyo Gyong CHOE (PRK)
Nethmi AHINSA (SRI)
Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)
Thi NGUYEN (VIE)

57kg
Kexin HONG (CHN)
ANSHU (IND)
Emma TISSINA (KAZ)
Kalmira BILIMBEKOVA (KGZ)
Youngjin KWON (KOR)
Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL)
In Sun JONG (PRK)
Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB)

62kg
Jia LONG (CHN)
MANSI (IND)
Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ)
Hanbit LEE (KOR)
Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)
Arian CARPIO (PHI)
Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK)
Gulmira AITMURATOVA (UZB)

68kg
Feng ZHOU (CHN)
NISHA (IND)
Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Ohyoung HA (KOR)
Sol Gum PAK (PRK)
Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB)

76kg
Juan WANG (CHN)
REETIKA (IND)
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
Eunju HWANG (KOR)
Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)
Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE)
Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB)

Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB)Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) will try to win a Paris 2024 quota for Uzbekistan in Greco-Roman 87kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman

60kg
SUPARMANTO (INA)
Sumit SUMIT (IND)
Ali ALBIDHAN (IRQ)
Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ)
Dahyun KIM (KOR)
Munthir JANDU (KSA)
Baljinnyam TSEVEENRAVDAN (MGL)
Mark OLIVEROS (PHI)
Se Ung RI (PRK)
Alexander CUEVAS (SGP)
Aslamdzhon AZIZOV (TJK)
Umit DURDYYEV (TKM)
Jui Chi HUANG (TPE)

67kg
HUSIYUETU (CHN)
Muhammad ALIANSYAH (INA)
ASHU (IND)
Karrar ALBIDHAN (IRQ)
Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN)
Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ)
Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ)
Hansu RYU (KOR)
Faisal ALDOSSARY (KSA)
Jason BAUCAS (PHI)
Yong Jin RO (PRK)
Mohamad ALOBEID (SYR)
Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK)
Rovshen ATDAYEV (TKM)
Abror ATABAEV (UZB)

77kg
Rui LIU (CHN)
VIKAS (IND)
Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI)
Ali ALABODA (IRQ)
Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ)
Dowon LEE (KOR)
Hassan BARNAWI (KSA)
Gadiel MISSO (SGP)
Bazargeldi EZIMOV (TKM)

87kg
Haitao QIAN (CHN)
Sunil KUMAR (IND)
Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI)
Sultan EID (JOR)
Soh SAKABE (JPN)
Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ)
Sanghyeok PARK (KOR)
Aryan BIN AZMAN (SGP)
Sukhrob ABDULKHAEV (TJK)
Yhlas ABDURAZAKOV (TKM)
Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB)

97kg
Yiming LI (CHN)
NITESH (IND)
Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN)
Olzhas SYRLYBAY (KAZ)
Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ)
Seungjun KIM (KOR)
Ibrahim FALLATAH (KSA)
Mirzoamin SAFAROV (TJK)
Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM)
Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB)

130kg
NAVEEN (IND)
Ali AL SHARUEE (IRQ)
Sota OKUMURA (JPN)
Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ)
Roman KIM (KGZ)
Seungchan LEE (KOR)
Eduard BABENOSHEV (TJK)
Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM)
Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB)