#WrestleHammamet

LIVE BLOG: African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier , Day Two

Saturday, April 3, 2021 - 10:09 By Eric Olanowski

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HAMMAMET, Tunisia (April 3) -- Women's wrestling takes center stage on Day 2 of action at the African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier.

19:20:  The semifinal session just wrapped up. We'll take a few-minute break and roll right into the medal matches.

19:11: This'll be the final match of the semifinal session. We'll take a quick break and roll right into the medal matches. 

19:07: Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) continues to roll past the competition at 68kg. She's barely broke a sweat in her first two matches. She's scored back-to-back technical superiority wins on the day. Oborudud's first came against Enas Mostafa Youssef Khourshed AHMED (EGY) and her second came against Anta SAMBOU (SEN). She'll wrestle Khadija JLASSI (TUN) in the third round. 

18:53: After dominating semifinal performances, Fatoumata CAMARA (GUI) and Siwar BOUSETA (TUN) qualified Guinea and Tunisia for the Olympic Games at 57kg. Camara pinned Rayane HOUFAF (ALG) after leading 6-0, and Bouseta scored two takedowns, two exposures and a reversal to defeat Eman EBRAHIM (EGY), 9-2.

18:35: How about that? Rckaela AQUINO (GUM) scored five first-period takedowns against Siwar LOUATI BEN ALI (TUN) and booked Guam a ticket to the Olympic Games at 53kg. She's the second women's wrestler ever from Guam to qualify for the Olympic Games. 

18:22: After leading 10-0, Joseph Emilienne ESSOMBE TIAKO (CMR) pinned Lamia CHEMLAL (ALG) and qualified Cameroon for the Olympic Games at 53kg. That was her second win of the day via fall. In her first match, Essombe Tiako pinned her '20 finals opponent Bose SAMUEL (NGR) in less than a minute. 

18:21: ICYMI: Tunisia Tallies Four GR Olympic Berths on Friday

18:13: There's going to be one more 50kg Round 4 match. After that, the next four matches will determine Olympic berths as 53kg and 57kg are traditional brackets.

18:07: We're back to action! The match order is posted below. Outside of 53kg and 57kg, the majority of these matches will be Nordic-style bracket matches -- meaning the winners may not punch their nation's tickets to Tokyo. They'll have to finish in the top two to book a spot at the Tokyo Olympics.

HAMMAMET, Tunisia (April 3) -- Women's wrestling takes center stage on Day 2 of action at the African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier.

12:40: That concludes the morning session. We'll return at 18:00 for the women's wrestling Tokyo Qualification round.

Traditional-Bracket Semifinal Matches:

53kg
SEMIFINAL - Siwar LOUATI BEN ALI (TUN) vs. Rckaela Ramos AQUINO (GUM) 
SEMIFINAL - Joseph ESSOMBE TIAKO (CMR) vs. Lamia CHEMLAL (ALG) 

57kg
SEMIFINAL - Siwar BOUSETA (TUN) vs. Eman EBRAHIM (EGY) 
SEMIFINAL - Fatoumata CAMARA (GUI) vs. Rayane HOUFAF (ALG) 

12:35: This'll be the last match of the morning session. 

12:13: What a match! Amri comes out on top, 3-1. She waited for the inactivity clock to expire, and once it did, she struck with a takedown and won by two points. Smart wrestling on behalf of the Tunisian. 

12:03: One of African women's wrestling biggest rivalries Amri and Adeniyi just started on Mat B.

11:57: This session is flying by! We only have two matches left on each mat. 

11:39: That didn't last too long! Hamza was quick to hit a nasty headlock. She pinned Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN) and will wrestle Debora TURE (GBS) in two matches on Mat C!

11:30: Samar HAMZA (EGY) is coming up next on Mat A. The reigning African champ is ranked No. 2 in the world at 76kg after her runner-up finish at the '21 Matteo Pellicone in Rome earlier this year.

11:22: Amri only led 1-0 after the first frame but is a different wrestler here in the second. She stopped an attack from Berthe ETANE NGOLLE (CMR) then snagged two gut wrenches and closed out the match 7-0. Amri's next match will be against Aminat ADENIYI (NGR) -- the last African wrestler to hand her a loss.

11:19: Rio Olympic bronze medalist iMarwa AMRI (TUN) is up now on Mat A! 

11:10: We barely had time to get situated and we already had a '20 African finals rematch go down! Joseph ESSOMBE TIAKO (CMR) hip tossed Bose SAMUEL (NGR) and earned the 24-second fall. That match was in the opening round at 53kg.

11:00: We're ready to get things roll on Day 2! Below you'll find the opening round match order for the morning session. 

#WrestleAmman

U17 Worlds: India claims four WW golds after unbeaten run

Thursday, August 22, 2024 - 21:01 By Vinay Siwach

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AMMAN, Jordan (August 22) -- China's Na HU (CHN) stole a match in the dying seconds but it was India that stole the show at the U17 World Championships in Amman on Thursday. India had four wrestlers in the final in Women's Wrestling and all four won gold medals.

Last year, India had won only one gold, coming at 61kg. But with four golds and five more weight classes remaining, the country is set to register its best at the U17 World Championships.

Hu was the other champion of the day at 49kg, a weight class in which India had no participation as it sent only nine wrestlers in Women's Wrestling to the U17 Asian Championships in June.

NEHA (IND)NEHA (IND) scores a takedown against So TSUTSUI (JPN) during the 57kg final at the U17 World Championships in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Leading the Indian team was returning bronze medalist NEHA (IND) at 57kg. A day before heading to Amman, Neha met VINESH (IND) who had returned from the Paris Olympics. Vinesh had become the first wrestler to beat Yui SUSAKI (JPN) internationally and reach the final at 50kg. She was later disqualified for failing her weigh-in on the second day.

Hailing from the same village -- Balali in Haryana -- as Vinesh, Neha did not take long to announce herself, winning the gold medal by beating So TSUTSUI (JPN) in a show of brute power. In her earlier bouts on Wednesday, Neha won one via fall, one via technical superiority and the semifinal 8-4.

The 16-year-old will have to quickly refocus as she is scheduled to compete at her first U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain from September 2.

Mansi LATHER (IND)Mansi LATHER (IND) works for the pin against Hanna PIRSKAYA (AIN) during the 73kg final at the U17 World Championships in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At 73kg, Mansi LATHER (IND) capped off her dominant run with a gold medal by pinning Hanna PIRSKAYA (AIN) in the final. This was her third fall in four bouts while one was a 6-0 win over returning champion Piper FOWLER (USA).

Lather built a 3-0 lead over Pirskaya at the break and continued her attacks in the second period. She had Pirskaya's back on the mat after a takedown and secured the fall with 1:23 remaining in the four-minute bout. The gold is an addition to her gold at the U17 Asian Championships in 69kg in June.

PULKIT (IND)PULKIT (IND) and Daria FROLOVA (AIN) in a scramble during the 65kg final at the U17 World Championships in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

PULKIT (IND) did not dominate her final but did enough to beat Daria FROLOVA (AIN), 6-3, and win the gold medal at 65kg. She got the first points on board when Frolova tried to score a pushout but Pulkit defended and pushed Frolova out. Frolova fell with Pulkit scoring a takedown to take a 2-0 lead. It became 3-0 when Frolova was called passive.

A missed leg-attack from Frolova gave another takedown to Pulkit who extended her lead to 5-0. Frolova cut the lead to 5-3 when she scored a takedown and Pulkit was cautioned. The next attempt gave her hope but Pulkit defended the attack and came out unscathed. A lost challenge added one point to Pulkit's score.

Aditi KUMARI (IND)Aditi KUMARI (IND) celebrates after winning the 43kg gold medal at the U17 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Aditi KUMARI (IND) was the fourth gold medalist for India as she defeated Maria GKIKA (GRE) 7-0 in the 43kg final. Gkika was hoping to become Greece's first world champion in Women's Wrestling in 22 years.

Kumari got the first point when Gkika was called passive before she added a takedown just before the break to lead 3-0. She added two gut wrenches before the clock expired and raced to a 7-0 lead that she maintained till the end of the match.

Ha, the lone Chinese wrestler in the final, had to bring out a clutch double-leg to score two points and beat Utaha YUI (JPN) 4-3 in the 49kg final and become the first wrestler from China to win gold at U17 Worlds in Women's Wrestling after five years.

Yui led 3-0 at the break but Ha scored a takedown to cut it to 3-2 in the second period. As Yui tried holding on to that lead, Ha made continuous attempts to break the defense. She finally succeeded in the final 10 seconds, using a double-leg attack, completing the takedown with head-outside for two points.

Yuu KATSUME (JPN)Yuu KATSUME (JPN) defeated Morgan TURNER (USA) in the 46kg semifinal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

India eyes team title

With four golds and two more finalists on Friday, India will be favorites to win the Women's Wrestling team title in Amman. This would be the first time it will accomplish the feat after falling short for the last five years.

India has 100 points from the gold medal while Japan, in second spot, has 56 points. Japan has three finalists on Friday and is still looking for its first gold medal. Japan hopes that one of Yuu KATSUME (JPN), Nana KOZUKA (JPN) and Sae NOGUCHI (JPN) end the drought.

Katsume entered the 46kg final by beating returning champion Morgan TURNER (USA) 13-2 in the semifinal. She will take on Shrutika PATIL (IND) for gold after Patil beat Medina KUANYSHBEK (KAZ) in the other semifinals.

Kozuka was also dominant, winning her 53kg semifinal via fall over Lisette BOETTKER (EST) and will take on Kaura COLES (CAN) after she became the first Canadian to reach the U17 Worlds final in Women's Wrestling. Coles beat Isabella GONZALES (USA), 8-3.

Noguchi will look to stop the United States from having a U17 world champion as she faces Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) in the 61kg final. Noguchi beat Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) 5-0 while Fernandez pinned Zhaidar MUKAT (KAZ) in the semifinals.

At 69kg, Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) will face KAJAL (IND) after she stunned Ilayda CIN (TUR) with a fall. Cin was leading 4-0 when Rybak rolled over and pinned her. Kajal defeated Rahma BEDIWY (EGY), 4-3, in a close semifinal.

Ukraine's second finalist was Kamila KUCHMA (UKR) who won her semifinal at 40kg against Nazrin AHMADLI (AZE) 5-0. She will take on Aleksandra FEDOROVA (AIN) who defeated Raj BALA (IND) 4-3, thanks to a challenge to give her the win instead of Bala, who was winning 3-2 before the challenge.

https://photo.uww.org/Wrestling/2024/U17-World-Championships/Womens-Wrestling

RESULTS

43kg
GOLD: Aditi KUMARI (IND) df. Maria GKIKA (GRE), 7-0 

BRONZE: Aleksandra BEREZOVSKAIA (AIN) df. Mareim ABDELAAL (EGY), 7-0
BRONZE: Gabriela PALACIOS (MEX) df. Xin HUANG (CHN), 6-4

49kg
GOLD: Na HU (CHN) df. Utaha YUI (JPN), 4-3

BRONZE: Kseniya KOSTSENICH (AIN) df. Dounia ZITOUNI (ALG), via fall
BRONZE: Polina BOCHKAREVA (AIN) df. Esra MAMMADLI (AZE), 9-0

57kg
GOLD: NEHA (IND) df. So TSUTSUI (JPN), 10-0

BRONZE: Anna STRATAN (KAZ) df. Mairi MANI (GRE), 5-1
BRONZE: Palina BRAHINETS (AIN) df. Barbara BAGER (HUN), 7-3

65kg
GOLD: PULKIT (IND) df. Daria FROLOVA (AIN), 6-3

BRONZE: Uldana TILEUKHAN (KAZ) df. Anastasiya KOMANAVA (AIN), via fall (13-2)
BRONZE: Maram ALY (EGY) df. Ling CAI (CHN), via fall (11-0)

73kg
GOLD: Mansi LATHER (IND) df. Hanna PIRSKAYA (AIN), via fall

BRONZE: Lotta ENGLICH (GER) df. Khrystyna DEMCHUK (UKR), via fall (5-2)
BRONZE: Diana TITOVA (AIN) df. Makia KIMURA (JPN), 6-0

Women's Wrestling Semifinals

40kg
GOLD: Kamila KUCHMA (UKR) vs. Aleksandra FEDOROVA (AIN)

SF 1: Aleksandra FEDOROVA (AIN) df. Raj BALA (IND), 4-3
SF 2: Kamila KUCHMA (UKR) df. Nazrin AHMADLI (AZE), 5-0

46kg
GOLD: Shrutika PATIL (IND) vs. Yuu KATSUME (JPN)

SF 1: Yuu KATSUME (JPN) df. Morgan TURNER (USA), 13-2
SF 2: Shrutika PATIL (IND) df. Medina KUANYSHBEK (KAZ), 3-1

53kg
GOLD: Nana KOZUKA (JPN) vs. Kaura COLES (CAN)

SF 1: Kaura COLES (CAN) df. Isabella GONZALES (USA), 8-3
SF 2: Nana KOZUKA (JPN) df. Lisette BOETTKER (EST), via fall (10-0)

61kg
GOLD: Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) vs. Sae NOGUCHI (JPN)

SF 1: Sae NOGUCHI (JPN) df. Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE), 5-0
SF 2: Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) df. Zhaidar MUKAT (KAZ), via fall (6-0)

69kg
GOLD: Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) vs. KAJAL (IND) 

SF 1: KAJAL (IND) df. Rahma BEDIWY (EGY), 4-3
SF 2: Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) df. Ilayda CIN (TUR), via fall (2-4)