#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Live Blog: #WrestleUlaanbaatar Asian Championships day two

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 - 03:21 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

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ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (April 20) -- The second day of the Asian Championships will see the five Greco-Roman weights in action. After Kyrgyzstan won two gold and Kazakhstan, Japan, and Iran had one each, Wednesday will decide the team title race.

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13:23: That's it for the morning session on Day 2 at the Buyant Ukhaa Sports Palace. Iran has four wrestlers in the five finals in the evening session to start at 18:00 local time. Korea and Kazakhstan have two finalists each, while Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have one each. 

13:20: Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI) was trailing 1-1 on criteria against Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) with 40 seconds remaining but scores a takedown to lead 3-1. Kyrgyzstan challenged it but lost. Balihamzehdeh sets up a final against Assakalov

13:14: Ryu builds up an early lead and chalks up a hard-fought 6-2 victory over Endo to make the final at 67kg against Shermakhanbet--a rematch of the 2019 final won 3-1 by Ryu. Shermankhanbet advances with a 6-3 win over 2020 silver medalist Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB )

13:05: Rasoul GARMSIRI (IRI) goes for a reverse lift from par terre to get five points and ultimately pin Harpreet SINGH (IND). That was a stunning move from Garmsiri

13:00: Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) is into the finals at 97kg. He beats Sanzhar SERIKKAN (KAZ) 8-0 to secure his spot in the gold medal bout.

12:55: Sharshenbekov sets up a final against Mohsen Nejad with a 6-1 win in the other 60kg semifinal over Fidakhmetov. 

12:53: Mohsen Nejad beats Suzuki for the second year in a row in the semifinals at 60kg, but it was much more difficult than last year's 9-1 win. Mohsen Nejad scores 5 points in the first period in par terre, then holds off the Japanese for a 5-4 win.

12:40: Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB ), the 2020 silver medalist, fills the final semifinal spot at 67kg with a 14-5 technical fall over a gutsy Nyamdorj BATTULGA (MGL). He next faces 2018 world bronze medalist Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ), who pulled off one of the most intriguing moves of the session in beating Sachin SAHRAWAT (IND), gaining an arm lock and somersaulting the Indian onto his back before getting a headlock for a fall.

12:25: Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI) did get hit for four but Jewoo PARK (KOR) cannot get out of the lock after hitting the drop. Balihamzehdeh secures the fall at 97kg

12:22: Ryu twice hits the same slick lateral drop as he's backed to the edge for 4, and that's it for Badaghimofrad in 2:38. He'll face 2018 world U23 champion Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) in the semifinals. 

12:10: Yuya OKAJIMA (JPN) had no wins in three Asian Championships in his career but he snubs that trend by beating a silver medalist from Almaty Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ) 5-3 at 82kg in Ulaanbaatar.

12:07: Mohammadreza MOKHTARI (IRI) gets four points from par terre in the first period to lead 5-0 before a takedown and stepout in the second period makes it 8-0 against Adilkhan NURLANBEKOV (KGZ) at 72kg

12:06: On deck at 67kg on Mat C, veteran Hansu RYU (KOR), who won his fourth Asian title in 2021 at 72kg, against Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (IRI), a 2019 world junior bronze medalist at 63kg. 

12:05: Top seed Dias KALEN (KAZ) gets the par terre in the second period and gets the guts going to win 9-1 against Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB)

11:55: Ayata SUZUKI (JPN), a bronze medalist in 2021, will get a chance to avenge his semifinal loss last year in Almaty to Mohsen Nejad after notching a 12-3 technical fall over Firuz TUKHTAEV (UZB)

11:55: Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) goes four gut wrenches from par terre to win his quarterfinal at 97kg 10-0 against Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN). He is looking for his first gold at 97kg

11:45: At 60kg on Mat A, world silver medalist Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) and Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) both won handily. The two are favorites to meet in the final

11:42: Yernur FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) scores a 2-point takedown at the edge with :05 left to knock off Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) in the 60kg quarterfinals. 

11:32: Mirzobek RAKHMATOV (UZB ) needed little time to finish off Vikas VIKAS (IND) at 72kg, gaining a takedown and four back-and-forth gut wrenches for an 8-0 technical fall in :40.

11:30: The action is ready to start on Day 2 in chilly Ulaanbaatar, with the final five weight classes in Greco, 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg and 97kg.

#JapanWrestling

Another Ono rises: Konami follows brother's footsteps

Friday, August 29, 2025 - 02:52 By Ikuo Higuchi

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TOKYO (August 27) -- When you think of the name Ono from Shimane Prefecture, many will recall Masanosuke ONO (JPN), a world champion who is quickly becoming a global star, who now primarily competes in the United States.

Ono's younger sister Konami, who was undefeated in the national tournament during her elementary school years, is just like her brother. She went on to attend Nippon Sport Science University Ohka High School in Tokyo, where she grew up steadily, winning the Inter-High School Championships in 2023 and also winning silver at the U17 World Championships the same year.

A shoulder injury caused her to slow down, but through repeated practice at Nippon Sport Science University she regained her former strength and won the East Japan Student Championships and the All Japan Amateur Championships [women's competition is open to university students as well] last week.

Konami ONO (JPN)Konami ONO (JPN), left, won a silver medal at the 2023 U17 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Being coached by 2004 Athens Olympic bronze medalist Chikara TANABE and Kaori ICHO, she described herself as being in "the best environment."

Ono had been suffering from pain in the right shoulder and had to undergo a surgery in June last year. She had initially aimed for a comeback last year at the All Japan Championships [Emperor's Cup] in December, but was forced to withdraw. She returned to competition in April of this year at the Junior Queen's Cup U20, where she won one match, but lost the next match to a junior from high school by technical superiority.

"There were times when my shoulder would dislocate just by walking. It was a frustrating year," said Ono with her voice becoming teary, as if the pain had returned. "I'm happy because I was injured and couldn't wrestle for a while," she said but added, "I realized I need to practice more and get stronger."

Inspiration from brother Ono

While she was off the mat, Konami watched her brother Masanosuke win the gold medal at the U20 World Championships in 2024 and later become the world champion at 61kg at the Non-Olympic World Championships.

"It's not something I could ever imitate," she says, and although he is someone she should "admire" rather than "target," he is also someone close to her, having competed alongside since childhood. "I want to study hard and catch up," she says.

Konami ONO (JPN)Konami ONO (JPN) with world and Olympic champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA). (Photo courtesy: Masaharu Ono) 

Earlier in spring, Konami accompanied her older brother to the United States, where he trains at Pennsylvania State University. She was still recovering and was unable to train, but she watched her brother's win against 2024 Paris Olympic silver medalist Spencer LEE (USA).

"I thought American wrestling was really amazing. It was inspiring," she said.

What made the biggest impression on Konami was how much fun her brother seemed to be having wrestling, even though he was in a foreign country.

"He really enjoys wrestling," she said. "I was amazed that there are people who love wrestling that much [laughs].

"My brother is my role model," she said. "I often watch his techniques and aspire to be like him."

What she finds particularly impressive is his speed, and the way he unconsciously develops his techniques. She herself sometimes has trouble deciding what to do next during a match, but her brother's body moves without a second thought. "I need to be able to come out with techniques one after the other," she said.

Training with Fujinami, Onishi

While Ono found his path in the United States, Konami is thinking of firmly establishing herself in Japan.

"I think that if I stay at Nippon Sport Science University, I will become really strong," she says, believing that his current environment is the place where she can develop the skills to compete on the world stage.

Not only is there an impressive coaching staff, but there are also world-class athletes such as 2024 Olympic champion Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) and Asian champion Sakura ONISHI (JPN) in the 57kg and 59kg weight class, respectively. Fujinami won gold at the Olympics in 53kg.

"I practice with Akari every day. She's really strong..." she said, admiringly, and when she's not sparring, she's always following Fujinami's movements to study them.

Since they are both in the 57kg weight class, could she challenge Fujinami as early as the All Japan Championships in December? To that question, she gave no clear answer, saying, "I'm not at the level where I can fight yet..." and said that she might move up a weight class as her body grows, so it's still up in the air, but perhaps the day is approaching when the middleweight trio, including Onishi, will take to the world stage.

Rather than setting big goals, her current goal is to "compete in many matches and enjoy wrestling." She says that she is actually enjoying it, so perhaps she is getting closer to her brother's level. Her next concrete goal is the All Japan Women's Open Championships in October.

She vowed to make a leap forward, saying, "I want to train both my body and mind and become even stronger. I want to become a star from Shimane Prefecture!"