Marchenko wins gold for Ukraine; Romania best at U20 Worlds

Saturday, September 3, 2022 - 12:47 By Vinay Siwach

CONSTANTA, Romania (September 2) -- When Romania hosted its national championships for beach wrestling, more than 800 wrestlers registered across age groups. Perhaps Romania is by far the most active country in the sport.

So it was no surprise when seven of the eight finalists at the U20 World Championships at the Mamaia beach in Constanta, Romania were from the host country.

Winning three out of the four gold medals, Romania ended the championships as the best team in the women's category, as it did at the U17 edition a day before.

The only non-Romanian wrestler who managed to win the gold on Friday was Sofiia MARCHENKO (UKR), winning the 60kg title after beating Viorica ADAM (ROU) in the final.

While Adam, a silver medalist from the U17 World Championships last year, was the favorite, Marchenko dug deep to upset the local in the final minute of the bout.

Surprised by the constant attacks from Adam, Marchenko took time to adjust to Adam's style. On a few occasions, Adam almost got the fall but Marchenko managed to defend the attempted throws.

After two minutes of no action, Adam got the first point but Marchenko answered with a takedown four seconds later. But since she had a caution against her, Adams led 1-1 on criteria.

But Marchenko remained calm and scored a stepout with just 18 seconds remaining to win the gold medal.

"The final match was tough," Marchenko said. "The girl [Adam] was really active. I was risking with the hip-toss, but I did everything right and won."

Marchenko finished ninth at the U17 Worlds where Adams won the silver but has been training for the championships and it paid off.

"I practice freestyle wrestling, but when it’s getting warmer in summer I practice beach wrestling," she said.

The 18-year-old showed her class in the semifinal as well when she defeated Ana PUIU (ROU) 3-2 in the semifinal. She took a 1-0 lead with a snap down in the first four seconds but Puiu countered with an ankle pick. As the bout neared its end, Puiu took the lead when Marchenko's knee touched the sand.

With 37 seconds remaining, Puiu was happy defending her lead but Marchenko scored via a strong snap. She ended the bout with another snap down.

But Romania's three gold medalists came at 50kg, 70kg, and +70kg.

'21 U20 world bronze medalist Ana PIRVU (ROU) upgraded her medal to gold this year as she won her four bouts at 50kg to remain undefeated.

She began with a 1-0 win over Fanny VIGOUROUX (FRA) in Round 2 before beating Andreea BARAGA (ROU) 3-1 in Round 3, Nicoleta BAJAN (ROU) 3-0 in Round 4 and Cristina ANDUJAR (ESP) 3-0 in Round 5.

At 70kg, Teodora SIRBU (ROU) defeated compatriot Paula ROTARU (ROU) 3-1 in the final to claim the gold medal. Sirbu had missed out on a medal last year but dominated the field on Friday to win her first world title in beach wrestling.

Drosoula TZIANAKOPOULOU (GRE) won the bronze medal after she beat Georgiana ANDRIES (ROU) 3-0. She won her second bronze in two days as she was a medalist at the U17 Worlds as well.

In the +70kg weight class, Elena MARGAS (ROU) pulled off a thrilling 2-2 win over Andreea SCARLATESCU (ROU) to win the gold medal.

Both wrestlers were tied 0-0 for the first two minutes before the referee penalized Margas for passivity. Scarlatsecu then scored a stepout to lead 2-0.

But Margas managed to get a point with five seconds remaining. She then got another throw in the final second to win 2-2.

Amalia RATUNZEANU (ROU) defeated Maren ANDERSON (USA) 3-0 in the bronze medal bout to ensure a sweep of the podium for Romania.

Georgian TRIPON (ROU), dark, won the +90kg gold medal. (Photo: FRL)

3 gold for Romania men

Like the women's category, Romania dominated the show in men's as well, winning three out of the four gold medals on offer.

At 70kg, Daniel SANDU (ROU) put the Round 1 loss against Alin CIORICI (MDA) behind him to reach the semifinals in which he defeated Rubail IBRAHIMLI (AZE) 3-2 in a close decision. Ibrahmili got behind Sandu and almost forced the Romanian's knee to touch the sand but his own knee touched first which gave Sandu the win.

In the final, he defeated Ion MARCU (MDA) 3-1 to be crowned champion, an improvement from his bronze medal at the U17 Worlds last year.

The final was expected to be a rematch between Sandu and Ciorici but in the semifinal, the Moldovan was tied 0-0 with Marcu. In such a case, the wrestler with lower weight wins. But both Marcu and Ciorici had the exact weight of 69.85kg.

As luck would have it, Marcu's draw number was lower than Ciorici which gave him the win over his teammate.

Ibrahimli bounced back in the bronze medal bout and defeated Ciorici 3-0 for the win.

At 80kg, Thor MICHAELSON (USA) looked in some form as he dominated his way to reach the semifinals against Ion MARCU (MDA). He was trailing 2-0 when he scored a three-point move to win and reach the final against Denis CHIRICA (ROU).

He once again came from behind with a lead 2-2 on criteria against Chirica but as he tried defending his lead with 10 seconds left, Chirica used a snap down in which Michaelson's knee touched the sand the Romanian won 3-2.

Marcu returned to beat Luca FINIZIO (ITA) 3-0 and win the bronze medal.

The Nordic bracket was followed at 90kg and Farid JABBAROV (AZE) emerged as the unbeaten wrestler after Round 5.

He began with a win against Razvan PAVALASC (ROU), followed by Alexandru OLTEAN (ROU) and David MITRAN (ROU). In Round 5, he defeated Konstantinos TSAKNAKIS (GRE) to claim the gold medal.

Oltean with three wins was the silver medalist while Pavalasc took home the bronze with two wins.

Azerbaijan could have won a second gold medal but Georgian TRIPON (ROU) defeated Zafar ALIYEV (AZE) in the +90kg final to deny it.

In a rematch of the Round 3 bout which Tripon won, 3-2, Aliyev tried to avenge that loss but Tripon was well prepared for the final which he won 2-1.

The bronze medal was won by Rafail GKIRNIS (GRE) who defeated Eduard POPESCU (ROU) 2-0.

#WrestleBelgrade

Susaki defends 50kg title, leads Japan sweep of WW golds

Thursday, September 21, 2023 - 00:12 By Ken Marantz

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 20) -- A day after showing a few chinks in her armor, Yui SUSAKI (JPN) completed her crusade to a fourth world title and a shot at a second straight Olympic gold with a display of her old dominance.

Susaki blasted away Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) with a 10-0 technical fall to retain the women's 50kg title at the World Championships, leading a Japanese sweep of the four gold medals at stake in women's wrestling on Wednesday at Belgrade's Stark Arena.

"As a Tokyo Olympic champion, I want to be one who pulls the Japanese team up and can be relied on," said Susaki, whose preparations for Belgrade were severely curtailed by a torn ligament of her right knee.

In the other Olympic weights, Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) successfully defended her title at 57kg for her third straight world gold, and Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) won at 76kg, making her the first Japanese woman to win a world title at the heaviest weight in two decades.

Meanwhile, Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) captured a second straight world title with a bittersweet victory in the non-Olympic weight of 65kg.

Susaki's match against Dolgorjav was a rematch of the final a year ago in the same arena, and it went better than expected, given the problems Susaki had in her preparations for Belgrade and the vulnerability she showed in her matches on Tuesday.

It was vintage Susaki, who came out firing on all cylinders, scoring a single-leg takedown and immediately going into her devastating lace lock. She could only manage three spins, but that only delayed the inevitable as she quickly scored another single-leg takedown to finish off the match in 1:29.

The 24-year-old Susaki, who won her previous world titles in 2017, 2018 and 2022, had been unable to properly train in the run-up to Belgrade and even skipped a national team training camp, which is otherwise unheard of.

But she said that with a strong support team, she managed to be ready enough for the mission at hand. "If I had to do it on my own, I would not have made it here," Susaki said.

Susaki turned heads during the preliminary rounds on Tuesday when she gave up rare points in two matches, a far cry from her winning run at the Tokyo Olympics and last year's worlds, where she struck gold without conceding a point.

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) is now a four-time senior world champion. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Susaki said she gained inspiration from the Japan men's basketball team, which earlier this month put on amazing rallies at the World Cup to clinch a place at the Paris Olympics.

"At that time, coach [Tom] HOVASSE used the word 'Believe,'" Susaki said. "My sister sent me a video of the clinching game and said, 'Yui, we believe in you. If you are hurt or things are going tough, we believe you will become a world champion and get to the Paris Olympics.'

"That really gave me strength and by believing, I won the world title."

The Belgrade worlds also serves as the first qualifier for spots at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with five quotas available in each weight class. For the Japanese wrestlers, their federation has decreed that winning a medal means that they fill the spot without having to go through a playoff process.

"There is going to be pressure and other circumstances in the year heading to the Paris Olympics, but I'm really looking forward to all of it," Susaki said. "I definitely want to win a second straight title in Paris.

Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) defeated Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) to become a three-time world champion. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Sakurai captured her third world title overall and the ticket to Paris with a 3-2 victory over Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) in a battle of 2022 world champions.

Sakurai gained an activity point in the first period but had trouble finishing off her takedown attempts against Nichita, the gold medalist last year at 59kg who dropped down to the Olympic weight. But Sakurai finally broke through off a 2-on-1 for a 3-0 lead.

Nichita gained a takedown with 25 seconds left to make it interesting, but Sakurai staved off her late attempts to secure the win.

Like the other Japanese, Sakurai had to go through a grueling process just to make the team to Belgrade. In her case, it meant beating Tokyo Olympic champion Risako KAWAI (JPN) (now KINJO) among others.

"I trained for the purpose of winning this gold medal," said the 22-year-old Sakurai, who also won the world title at 55kg in 2021. "There were tough times, but I'm glad I practiced hard."

Sakurai said she received many messages of congratulations after winning her semifinal on Tuesday, which clinched the Olympic spot. But for her, the job was not finished.

"To me, I had one more match to win, so I went into today with a different mind," she said. "I practiced to win the title, not get to the Olympics.

"It's interesting to think about what the Olympics is like. I think I will be studied more [by my opponents], so I want to train hard to become a strong wrestler who can beat any opponent."

Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) won the 76kg gold medal for her first world title. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

At 76kg, Kagami added her first senior title to her collection of age-group golds when Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) sadly had to default after suffering a knee injury.

Kagami scored a takedown on a low single early in the second period but wrenched Medet Kyzy's right knee in the process. Medet Kyzy would continue, but Kagami increased the lead to 8-0 and eventually, the tournament doctor decided Medet Kyzy was unable to go on.

While it was not the optimal way to win, it did not take away from the joy felt by Kagami, who had to overcome a shoulder injury herself that required surgery early in the year.

"This is the best and happiest day of my life," said Kagami, who won a bronze medal last year. "In December I was injured, and it was a hard recovery for six months. Every day I was out of breath and crying as I practiced.

"The competition in Japan is hard and it's even harder in the world, but I didn't set limits for myself and I set a goal. My objective was to win a gold medal."

Kagami, who turned 22 last week, is a product of the JOC Elite Academy which also produced Susaki and Ozaki. Her victory makes her the first Japanese champion at the heaviest women's weight since Kyoko HAMAGUCHI (JPN) won at 72kg in 2003.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) used the lace to beat Macey KILTY (USA) 10-0 in the 65kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Ozaki won the world gold last year at 62kg but lost out to Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) for a place on the Japan team at that weight. When Motoki advanced to the 62kg final earlier in the day, it all but closed off Ozaki's path to Paris, barring injury or other unforeseen circumstances.

That realization came to the fore after she defeated Macey KILTY (USA) in the 65kg final. She managed a smile, but would soon be reduced to tears about taking home what for her is a consolation prize.

"When I won the title, it hit me that it wasn't in an Olympic weight class," Ozaki said of breaking down in tears after taking a victory lap with the Japanese flag.

Ozaki rolled to her third 10-0 technical fall in four matches -- the other was a 9-0 victory -- overwhelming Kilty in the final for her second world gold and third medal overall.

Ozaki gained a single-leg takedown, then reeled off a pair of lace-lock rolls. When Kilty managed to squirm out of the hold, Ozaki bulled her over for another 2, then applied the coup to grace by turning her over a final time with a cross-face and leg lift at 1:01.

"It was tough to see someone else clinch the team spot in my weight class," said Ozaki, who broke down while speaking to the media in the mixed zone. "It was my own fault. Sports is like that. I have to accept it."

Ozaki will now look to bounce back at the Asian Games early next month.

"I have the option of going to the Asian Games," Ozaki said. "The 62kg division has Aisuluu [TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)] and the strong Mongolian [Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)]. We will be leaving one week after I get home. I have no choice but to put this behind me."

Helen MAROULIS (USA) won a bronze medal at 57kg after victory over Anhelina LYSAK (POL). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Maroulis, Gray grab bronzes, Paris places

American 30-something stars Helen MAROULIS (USA) and Adeline GRAY (USA) both added to their extensive world medal collections and claimed an Olympic berth in their weight class with 10-6 victories in the bronze-medal matches.

Maroulis gave up a 4-point throw during her clash with Anhelina LYSAK (POL), but stuffed her twice for points en route to win 10-6 at 57kg.

Gray, whose loss in the quarterfinals to Kagami ended her bid for a seventh world gold, punctuated her takedowns with points from par terre, and that made the difference in her 10-6 decision over Milaimys MARIN (CUB) at 76kg.

It was still a triumph of sorts for Gray, who returned to the mat this year for the first time since her gold-medal run in 2021 after getting married and giving birth to twins.

Earlier, compatriot and Olympic bronze medalist Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) earned her second straight bronze medal and fourth world medal overall, scoring a takedown in each period to defeat 2022 European champion Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) 5-0 at 50kg.

Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) won the bronze medal, only the second for Colombia at the World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Colombia had two chances to get just the second world medal in its history, and after Alisson CARDOZO (COL) came up short at 50kg, Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) pulled it off at 76kg.

Renteria, the 2022 world U23 champion, had a 6-1 lead when she stopped a desperation throw attempt by Catalina AXENTE (ROU), fell on top of her and secured a fall with one second left on the clock.

With the victory, Renteria joins namesake Jackeline RENTERIA (COL), a bronze medalist at 63kg in 2017, as Colombia's world medalist.

Asian bronze medalist Ziqi FENG (CHN) gave China its first Olympic berth with a Japanese-like, lace-locked-filled technical fall over Cardozo at 50kg. Feng gained a single-leg takedown, then immediately locked up the ankles and ripped off four rolls for a 10-0 victory in 2:19.

Odunayo ADEKUOROYE )COL Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) won the 57kg bronze and qualified Nigeria for the Paris Olympics. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

In the other third-place match at 57kg, Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) picked up her fourth world medal by putting on a late rush and then holding on to defeat Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) 9-5.

Akekuoroye was trailing 1-1 on criteria when she scored a takedown with a minute to go, then seemed to put the match away with three lace-lock rolls. But Kamalaglu put the pressure on and got two stepouts, each with a fleeing point tacked on, but it was not enough to deny the Nigerian.

At 65kg, European champion Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) picked up her first world medal, muscling Tatsiana PAULAVA (AIN) into a cradle and securing a fall at 1:51 of their bronze-medal match.

LILI (CHN) also got her opponent into a cradle, but although she was at the edge and didn't have the room to turn Kadriye AKSOY (TUR) over, the takedown was enough to give her a 3-2 victory and the other 65kg bronze.

Turkiye, Poland, Cuba win 5th-place playoffs

Turkiye, Poland and Cuba each picked up a Paris quota when their wrestler won the fifth-place playoff in their respective weight class.

Turkiye's Demirhan scored a first-period takedown and defeated Cardozo 4-1 at 50kg, but her country was prevented from a second one when Poland's Lysak pinned Kamaloglu at 57kg.

Lysak twice gave up exposure points after scoring with a throw, but on the third attempt, managed to hold down Kamaloglu for the fall.

At 76kg, Cuba's Marin made short work of Axente, using a blast double to send her to her back and scoring a fall in 49 seconds.

Day 4 Results

Women

50kg (28 entries)
GOLD: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) by TF, 10-0, 1:29

BRONZE: Ziqi FENG (CHN) df. Alisson CARDOZO (COL) by TF, 10-0, 2:18
BRONZE: Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) df. Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) by 5-0

5th-Place Playoff: Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) df. Alisson CARDOZO (COL), 4-1

53kg (31 entries)
GOLD: Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) vs. Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN)

Semifinal: Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) df. Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) by TF, 10-0, 00:42
Semifinal: Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN) df. ANTIM (UWW), 5-4

57kg (36 entries)
GOLD: Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) df. Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), 3-2

BRONZE: Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) df. Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR), 9-5
BRONZE: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Anhelina LYSAK (POL), 10-6

5th-Place Playoff: Anhelina LYSAK (POL) df. Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) by Fall, 1:56 (8-4)

62kg (34 entries)
GOLD: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) vs. Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)

Semifinal: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Grace BULLEN (NOR), 2-1
Semifinal: Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Luisa NIEMESCH (GER), 4-2

65kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. Macey KILTY (USA) by TF, 10-0, 1:00

BRONZE: Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) df. Tatsiana PAULAVA (AIN) by Fall, 1:51 (4-2)
BRONZE: Lili LILI (CHN) df. Kadriye AKSOY (TUR), 3-2

68kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) vs. Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR)

Semifinal: Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) df. Emma BRUNTIL (USA) by Fall, 2:44 (6-0)
Semifinal: Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR) df. Ami ISHII (JPN) by TF, 11-1, 2:40

72kg (18 entries)
GOLD: Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL) vs. Amit ELOR (USA)

Semifinal: Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL) df. Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ), 6-2
Semifinal: Amit ELOR (USA) df. Kendra DACHER (FRA) by TF, 12-2, 5:24

76kg (29 entries)
GOLD: Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) df. Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) by Inj. Def., 5:06 (8-0)

BRONZE: Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) df. Catalina AXENTE (ROU) by Fall, 5:58 (8-1)
BRONZE: Adeline GRAY (USA) df. Milaimys MARIN (CUB), 10-6

5th-Place Playoff: Milaimys MARIN (CUB) df. Catalina AXENTE (ROU) by Fall, :49 (8-0)

Marchenko wins gold for Ukraine; Romania best at U20 Worlds

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Susaki defends 50kg title, leads Japan sweep of WW golds