Matteo Pellicone freestyle preview

Tuesday, June 21, 2022 - 09:26 By Vinay Siwach

ROME, Italy (June 20) -- A year ago, Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) was one of the most active wrestlers in the world. He competed in eight competitions including the Olympic Games, three World Championships and two continental ones. It seemed that Bayramov would be the go-to-wrestler for Azerbaijan at 74kg.

But at the beginning of 2022, Bayramov ran into Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) at the Dan Kolov tournament in Bulgaria. While the final was not action-packed, Gadzhiev scored two technical points against one of Bayramov to win the gold.

Still, Azerbaijan sent Bayramov to the senior European Championships in which he won bronze while Gadzhiev won the gold at the U23 European Championships.

Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) is returning to competition after one year. (Photo: UWW / Gabor Martin)

Azerbaijan is now entering the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event in Rome with both of them competing at 74kg. The battle is now three-way as Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) returns after being away for a year due to injury.

Gadzhiyev had qualified Azerbaijan for the Tokyo Olympics from the European Olympic Qualifiers but injured his knee in practice and Bayramov took his place on the team. But with Islamic Games in August and the World Championships in September, Azerbaijan is in a dilemma with the three wrestlers trying to make the same weight class.

Winning gold in Rome won't be a guarantee as European champion and world silver medalist Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) will be eyeing his second straight Ranking Series gold. He won the 74kg title at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup in Almaty earlier this month.

The weight class is one of the deepest in the world and Azerbaijan may not want to suffer a slip on its part at the World Championships by not sending its best wrestler to Belgrade.

Horst LEHR (GER) will be competing at 57kg in Rome. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

With the same thought in mind, they have entered two wrestlers in the 57kg weight class as well. U23 world champion and European Championships silver medalist Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) will be the favorite to win the gold in Rome but compatriot Afgan KHASHALOV (AZE) will be up for the task if he wants to make the team at 57kg.

World bronze medalist Horst LEHR (GER) is returning to competition since becoming Germany's first-ever U23 European champion in February. His experience and unique style of wrestling may upset the flow of the Azerbaijan pair.

Former U17 world champion Andrii YATSENKO (UKR) will also be raging to be competition ready in Rome. He last competed at the European Olympic Qualifiers in March last year.

Ukraine's two big stars, junior European champion Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) and Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) are entered at 65kg. While the 31-year-old Shuptar participated in the Oslo World Championships, a better result for Arushanian may see him make the cut for the Belgrade event.

But it won't be a cakewalk for him as European champion Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) is eyeing his first Ranking Series gold medal of the year. The Hungarian defeated Olympic silver medalist Haji ALIYEV (AZE) in the final in Budapest.

Apart from him, former world champion Beka LOMTADZE (GEO), Pan-Am silver medalist Sebastian RIVERA (PUR), U23 European bronze medalist Hamza ALACA (TUR) and Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE), who is competing for the first time since Oslo, are entered at 65kg.

Haji ALIYEV (AZE) will be jumping up to 70kg for the Matteo Pellicone. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Aliyev had the opportunity to avenge his Budapest loss against Muszukajev but made a jump to 70kg for the tournament. Aliyev has wrestled in the weight class once before -- at the '21 Poland Open Ranking Series. He ended up winning bronze.

If he wants to win the gold now, he will have to go through two crafty wrestlers in European champion Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) and World and Asian silver medalist Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ).

The Georgian has not competed since winning the 70kg title in Budapest after winning bronze at the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series at the start of the year.

Akmataliev failed to win a medal in Istanbul but returned to win silver at the Asian Championships. He suffered a 4-3 loss in the final against Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN). But Akmataliev will now be looking to win his second Ranking Series gold after he won the top medal in Almaty.

For Azerbaijan, world bronze medalists Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) and Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) will be the favorite to win the 86kg and 92kg respectively.

While European silver medalist Abakarov has Boris MAKOEV (SVK) and U23 world champion Mukhmammed ALIIEV (UKR) as his top opponents, Nurmagomedov may face Erhan YAYLACI (TUR).

The two wrestled at the '21 U23 European Championships and Nurmagomedov had all but sealed the gold medal. In the dying second, he resorted to keeping a distance from Yaylaci and on the final attack from the Turkey wrestler, Nurmagomedov committed a single-pull. The penalty point cost him the continental title.

The 97kg field for Rome can be dubbed as a mini European Championships. All the top six wrestlers from Budapest are entered for Rome led by gold medalist Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE). Silver to him in Budapest Vladislav BAITSAEV (HUN) will be eyeing revenge if the two meet on the mat.

The two bronze medalists Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK) and Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) will also look to reverse the results from Budapest. The Slovakia wrestler had lost to Baitsaev in the opening round while Baranowski suffered a semifinal loss to Magomedov.

In the bronze medal bouts, Tsakulov, who won the gold at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup, defeated Erik THIELE (GER) while Baranowski went past veteran Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO).

But entering his first Ranking Series event since 2018, Odikadze will hope to extend his perfect record at such tournaments. In 2018, he won gold at both Ranking Series events.

Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) will be the favorite to win the 125kg gold in Rome. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Another Georgian star and Olympic silver medalist Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) is the favorite to win the gold at 125kg. After losing to Taha AKGUL (TUR) in the European Championships final, Petriashvili would like to return to winning ways before the grand event in September.

But Robert BARAN (POL) may have other ideas. In a thrilling semifinal at the European Championships, Baran managed to hold off Petriashvili for the majority of the time. He ultimately suffered a 2-1 loss but in Rome, he would back himself to reverse the result.

U23 world silver medalist Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE) and former U23 European champion Anil KILICSALLAYAN (TUR) may finish at the podium.

At 79kg, U23 and senior European champion Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) will be the one to watch as he tries to prove that his two continental titles in two months were not flukes.

Freestyle action begins Friday and can be watched live at uww.org.

#JapanWrestling

Ozaki denies Onishi in 62kg semis, sets up clash with Motoki

Saturday, December 20, 2025 - 08:01 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (December 20) -- Nonoka OZAKI gave Sakura ONISHI a less-than-cordial welcome to the women’s 62kg weight class.

Ozaki, a two-time former world champion who has hit a wall of late amid Japan’s incredible depth in women’s wrestling, defeated world 59kg champion Onishi 4-1 in the semifinals at 62kg at the Emperor’s Cup All-Japan Championships on Saturday.

That earned Ozaki yet another shot at reigning world and Olympic champion Sakura MOTOKI, who advanced with an 8-2 victory over Yuzuka INAGAKI.

The Olympic weight classes are being contested over two days, and organizers saved a bevy of world and Olympic champions and medalists for the third day of the four-day tournament at Tokyo’s Komazawa Gym.

In other semifinals, a clash of champions from this year’s World Championships in Zagreb was set up at freestyle 74kg, in which reigning champion Kota TAKAHASHI will square off with Yoshinosuke AOYAGI, the victor at 70kg who has moved up to the Olympic division.

Takahashi easily disposed of Toki OGAWA by 11-0 technical fall, while Aoyagi posted a 7-1 victory over Hikaru TAKATA.

Meanwhile, Paris Olympic champions Akari FUJINAMI, Kotaro KIYOOKA and Nao KUSAKA all advanced to their respective finals with varying degrees of ease or difficulty, along with Paris bronze medalist Yui SUSAKI.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) Nonoka OZAKI will wrestle Sakura MOTOKI in the 62kg final. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Ozaki had been forced to watch the World Championships from the sidelines after losing out Motoki at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, which, along with Emperor’s Cup, serves as a domestic qualifier for major international competitions.

The last thing Ozaki needed was another interloper in the weight class, and she determinedly fended off the challenge from the 19-year-old Onishi.

“It was my first time facing her,” Ozaki said. “She’s a young, upcoming wrestler who hasn’t yet experienced the Olympics, just like I had been. But this is not a weight class that can be taken lightly.”

After giving up an activity point, Ozaki scored a late takedown in the first period, then added another in the second to earn a spot in Sunday’s final.

“There are many videos of her out there that I have watched, so I had an image of how she wrestles in mind,” Ozaki said. “I had to think of what form my wrestling should take.”

Asked if she has come up with a strategy to handle Motoki, Ozaki said, “I’ve faced her twice now, and I watched her at the World Championships. There is a ‘Motoki way’ of wrestling, and that’s implanted in my mind.”

Takara SUDA (JPN) Takara SUDA, left, works for a takedown in the first period against Kaisei TANABE during their 65kg semifinal. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Suda spoils Tanabe’s bid for two-style double

The stacked freestyle 65kg division saw the match of the day, in which Takara SUDA spoiled Kaisei TANABE’s bid for a historic Greco-freestyle title double with dramatic last-second takedown in their semifinal.

Suda had taken the lead with a takedown with 1:10 left, only to see Tanabe come back with a takedown of his own with five seconds left. But Suda shot for all he’s
worth and managed to score in time for a 5-4 victory.

“There was still five seconds left and I just kept calm,” Suda said. “I thought if I kept cool, I could score.”

Tanabe had won the Greco 63kg gold on Thursday, and was aiming to become the first to double in two styles at the same tournament since 1973.

“I had lost to him twice before, both by technical fall,” Suda said. “This time I just wanted to avoid losing by technical fall. But those matches were two years ago, and I think I’ve gotten better over these two years.”

Suda’s victory earns him a shot at Paris gold medalist Kiyooka, who managed to hold on for a 3-2 victory over Kaiji OGINO that ended with a wild scramble in
the final 15 seconds.

“He’s an opponent on another level,” Suda said of Kiyooka. “I’ll have to keep moving and give everything I got."

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) Yui SUSAKI throws Mako ONO en route to a technical fall in their 50kg semifinal. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Susaki stormed into the women’s 50kg final with three straight technical falls without surrendering a point, the last one a 10-0 rout of Mako ONO. In the final, she will face world U23 53kg champion Haruna MORIKAWA.

Susaki’s path to a fourth national title and first since 2022 was made slightly easier by the absence of rival Remina YOSHIMOTO and the late withdrawal of
Umi ITO.

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) Akari FUJINAMI, left, squares off with Sara NATAMI in the 57kg semifinals. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Fujinami, the Paris champion at 53kg, continued her transition to 57kg with solid victories, although with all of her points being scored from her feet, save
for an activity point.

In the semifinal, she built up a 7-0 lead over defending champion Sara NATAMI before her opponent twice countered single-leg attempts to score exposures, leaving Fujinami with a 7-4 victory. She will face Himeka TOKUHARA in the final.

Kusaka was clearly the most dominant of the Olympians on the day, winning his two matches by 11-0 scores -- both topped off with 4-point throws. He will face
Isami HORIKITA in the final.

Matteo Pellicone freestyle preview

Comments

Ozaki denies Onishi in 62kg semis, sets up clash with Motoki