#JapanWrestling

Olympic champ Higuchi on fact-finding mission to get grasp on American folkstyle

Thursday, March 6, 2025 - 11:32 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO (March 6) -- The conventional wisdom is that domestic folkstyle hampers American wrestlers trying to make the transition to the international stage. Paris Olympic champion Rei HIGUCHI (JPN), however, finds the opposite to be true, saying his toughest matches have come against opponents with such a background.

And the Japanese star has been on a fact-finding mission to find out why. Higuchi has been spending the winter learning American folkstyle while training at Lehigh University in the eastern U.S. in an attempt to find out what makes that version of the sport tick, and how he might be able to integrate its techniques into his own reportoire.

"When I face opponents who had done American style, I always have a hard time," Higuchi said in an interview last year prior to departing on his journey.

Higuchi, the freestyle 57kg gold medalist in Paris, cites the difficulty he had in the final with Spencer LEE (USA), the American sparkplug whom he defeated 4-2 with a late takedown off a scramble -- the aspect of the sport that Higuchi notes Americans are particularly adept at.

"It was the same with Seth GROSS [USA]," he added, referring to his opponent in a wild 15-7 semifinal victory en route to the 61kg world title in 2022. "It's a different culture, isn't it? The difference in styles, what makes them strong, that's something I haven't yet figured out. By not knowing, I feel I still have room for growth and that's exciting."

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN)Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) wrestling at the Lehigh University. (Photo: Courtesy of Lehigh University)

The biggest difference between American folkstyle and the freestyle used around the globe is the emphasis on control in the former. Takedowns are generally the same, but what comes after that is how the two styles greatly differ.

In a loose equivalent of par terre, there is no returning the wrestlers to their feet after an allotted time for gaining exposure points, and the bottom wrestler is obligated to be on the move and try to escape or reverse. And there are no points for just exposing the back; the opponent must be held down on the mat for a certain count for points to be given.

"In college style, on the ground, they don't use the body lock, so their forearms are incredibly strong," Higuchi noted. "Maybe it was just Spencer Lee, but I feel like I have to train harder to get that strength in my forearms.

"Instead of a body lock, I think I can raise my level by learning how to maintain control [on top], how to get takedowns and how to use my body. I want to practice a lot."

Regarding his first impression of the differences, Higuchi said in a message earlier this winter, "I feel that in folkstyle, there are a lot of scramble situations. In freestyle, you wrestle trying to keep your legs from getting touched. But these guys don't seem to care if someone gets in on a tackle.

"From the time the leg is touched, they are thinking about how to get control of the opponent. In that way, the American wrestlers are far superior in scrambles then those from other countries."

Lehigh UniversityLehigh University wrestling training room.

Lehigh comes calling

While it was Higuchi who would go off in search of enlightenment, it was actually Lehigh that came to him and proferred an invitation to practice with the team in the middle of the U.S. collegiate wrestling season.

The 29-year-old Higuchi, who defeated Lehigh alumnus Darian CRUZ (PUR) in the quarterfinals in Paris, said he was approached in September after the Olympics. He needed little persuasion.

"For them to think so highly of me, I was really happy," said Higuchi, who was allowed to bring his wife and baby daughter. "I want to help them produce NCAA champions."

The final arrangements were made by Sanshiro ABE (JPN), a former NCAA champ at Penn State currently living in Pennsylvania where Lehigh is located, via Shingo MATSUMOTO (JPN), the head coach at Nippon Sports Science University, Higuchi's alma mater where he continues to train.

From the start, Lehigh coach Pat SANTORO (USA), along with Kerry MCCOY (USA), the head coach of the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club, were on board with Higuchi's coming.

"When Kerry McCoy and I were approached we were obviously very excited," Santoro said in an interview by email. "Kerry spent some time in Japan last year with Darian Cruz and learned so much. I have been a huge fan of Rei's for many years, so it was an easy decision."

Lehigh's timing was just right, because soon after other teams came calling for Higuchi. But he said he had already made a commitment and would stick to it.

"Actually, from [Tadaaki] HATTA I heard that Oklahoma [State] definitely wanted me to come," Higuchi said. "But I had already decided to accept Lehigh's offer, so I thought maybe I could go after that had finished. Oklahoma [State], Penn State, Iowa. Well, Iowa, I'm not sure, with the connection with Spencer Lee," he said with a grin.

Lehigh, which has a traditionally strong wrestling program, is an academically select private university with an enrollment of 5,800 located in the town of Bethlehem, about 90 kilometers north of Philadelphia and 130 kilometers west of New York City.

Higuchi is one of a number of top Japanese who have taken "sabbaticals" at U.S. universities this winter, after the country's wrestlers suddenly became hot commodities when they came away from Paris with a stunning haul of eight gold medals, a silver and two bronzes.

Reigning world 61kg champion Masanosuke ONO has been training at No. 1-ranked Penn State, while Paris 74kg silver medalist Daichi TAKATANI and Tokyo Olympic 65kg champion Takuto OTOGURO mixed it up at Ohio State.

But unlike Higuchi, the others went for exposure to American training methods, not to learn folkstyle. "I think it can be applied to freestyle," Higuchi said. "When we tied up, Seth was really strong in that position. His ability to be in control is higher than in freestyle now. I want to be able to do that part of it."

Higuchi said he knew going into the venture that, while his aim was to learn the American style, his hosts were not going to let the opportunity to pick the brain of an Olympic champion go to waste. As such, it natually evolved into a mutually beneficial arrangement for both sides, one in which Higuchi has already participated in a clinic for local wrestlers.

"I want to share the techniques I have with the Lehigh students, and conversely, I want to learn and absorb much from the Lehigh students that I can take back with me," Higuchi said. "I want it to be a fruitful three months."

Said coach Santoro: "Our staff and team ask a lot of questions about his training, learning new techniques and his mindset.

"I believe that freestyle and folkstyle are very similar and making a few minor adjustments will allow you to adapt to each style. At the end of the day, wrestling is wrestling and fundamentals are what wins at the highest level."

Higuchi said one thing he has he noticed is that American training sessions feature more live wrestling, while Japan's lean toward a more drill-oriented approach. "It's not a matter of which way is better, but the difference in culture seems to come out in the wrestling styles."

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN)Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) with wife Yuki and daughter Nagi at the airport before flying to the United States. (Photo: Rei Higuchi / X)

Longest stay abroad

Aside from international tournaments and overseas training camps, it marks the longest time Higuchi has spent overseas. "The longest up to now has been about three weeks," he said.

"I've been on extended practice tours to Russia, Mongolia and other places. But the max has been three weeks."

Ever since he attended the 2017 NCAA Championships in the midwestern city of St. Louis in 2017 ("They had massive crowds. Everyone eats popcorn as they watch," he recalls), Higuchi has been enamored with the fervor that Americans show for the sport.

He plans to stay through this year's NCAA Championships, to be held in nearby Philadelphia on March 20-22, and might consider a future stay in the States if the opportunity arises.

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN)Posing with Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) and others at the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. (Photo courtesy of Rei Higuchi)

"I've always wanted to go [to America]," Higuchi said. "But it was dependent on my putting up good results...In the future, I may be a coach in Japan, or perhaps a coach of a wrestler in America. I don't know how many years I will continue as an athlete.

"But I want to find a future work place that values the skills I have acquired, the passion I have for wrestling and my way of thinking."

In Japan, Higuchi has earned a reputation for being professional, polite and, for a Japanese athlete, outgoing in his own way. Coach Santoro said that that description fits the wrestler who has shown up in the wrestling room.

"Rei is extremely polite and friendly, what I noticed right away is how much he really enjoys wrestling," Santoro said. "He works extremely hard, but he often is smiling or laughing after a great scramble.

"His technique is some of the best I've seen in the world, he is fundamentally sound in so many positions. He is also very good at explaining his thought process of positional wrestling and technique."

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN)Playing the role of the typical tourist at the Statue of Liberty in New York in February. (Photo courtesy of Rei Higuchi)

Higuchi preceded his Lehigh adventure with a short stay at Cornell University, the alma mater of four-time world champion and two-time Olympic bronze medalist Kyle DAKE (USA) in upstate New York.

He arrived at Lehigh in December, but returned to Japan in early January to attend the wedding ceremony of fellow Olympic gold medalist and Nippon Sports Science alumnus Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN). When he returned to Lehigh, he was accompanied by his wife Yuki and daughter Nagi, who turned 1 in February.

The family, which took a sightseeing trip to New York City last month, has been staying at the home of Lehigh junior Ryan CROOKHAM (USA), who finished third at last year's NCAAs at 133lbs (60.3kg). Crookham is a local star from Hellertown, a neighboring town of Bethlehem.

"Our team loves having Rei around, they understand how elite he is and all of his accomplishments," Santoro said. "Seeing how well he prepares and how his mind works is very valuable for our guys. Some of the wrestlers on our team aspire to be World and Olympic champions, too."

Overcoming setbacks

Higuchi's determination enabled him to bounce back stronger from several devastating setbacks and ascend to the apex of the sport, the Olympic gold.

A native of Osaka in central Japan, Higuchi was pushed into the sport at age 3 by his mother, who was concerned he would be bullied because of his small size. His own stubbornness soured him on team sports, but was a good fit for an individual sport like wrestling.

"I was the type who would say, 'We lost because that guy stinks,'" Higuchi said in a 2019 interview with The Japan News. "In that way, wrestling is great. Everything depends on you. If you lose, it's you own fault. I think that is way it suits me."

His first setback came as an elementary school first-grader in 2002, when he lost in the final of that age group at the national championships. It's a loss that left a lifetime impression on him and solidified a distaste for losing that continued throughout his career. He went on to win his age group for the next five years.

He won his first senior national title in 2015 and qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he was dealt his second big disappointment. In the 57kg final, he suffered a heart-breaking and frustrating 3-3 criteria loss to Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) in a match he had led 3-0.

Higuchi's bid to make amends for that loss led to perhaps the most devastating calamity of his career. After an unsuccessful bid to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at 65kg, he moved back down to 57kg, only to infamously fail to make weight at the Asian Qualifying Tournament. He then lost a playoff for the Japan team spot to Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN).

Getting married -- his wife was a former national high school champion, and they had a long-distance relationship starting as high schoolers -- helped add structure to his life, and enabled him to better manage his nutrition and weight control. From there, there was no stopping him as he stormed to the gold in Paris.

The path ahead

So, what lies ahead for Higuchi? Like the vast majority of Japan's Paris medalists, he has not seen action since the Olympics, spending the time recovering and taking advantage of invitations to take part in TV variety shows and other frivolities.

Higuchi had toyed with the idea of entering the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships in June, which will serve as the second of two qualifiers for this year's World Championships, but has indicated he will give that a pass.

His more immediate aim is to make the team to the 2026 Asian Games, a tournament that he has yet to compete in and which Japan will host in the fall of that year. He would likely have to begin the qualifying process for that at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships in December.

"The next objective is to win a tournament that I haven't won before, which is the Asian Games," Higuchi said. "That's what I'm shooting for."

Beyond that, including defending his Olympic title, remains undecided. "As an athlete, I think I'll want to keep going up to Los Angeles," he said. "I still don't know about that."

#WrestleBelgrade

Women’s Preview: Star-studded Japan juggernaut set for medal feast

Monday, September 11, 2023 - 08:47 By Ken Marantz

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BELGRADE, Serbia (September 11) -- After both secured their places on Japan's team to the World Championships, Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) presented Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), a friend from her junior days, with a matching T-shirt emblazoned with "PARIS".

The action next week will take place on the mats in the Belgrade Stark Arena, but thoughts of the French capital will be on the minds of the wrestlers as they battle for the first qualifying places for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The World Championships offers 90 spots for the Paris Games, 30 in each style. The four medal winners in an Olympic weight class along with the winner of the playoff between bronze-medal bout losers will receive a quota for their respective National Olympic Committees.

Given the gruelling process that they had to go through just to make it to Belgrade -- in which three of Japan's four gold medalists in women's wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics fell by the wayside -- the Japanese wrestlers in the Olympic weight classes are determined to secure their tickets to Paris now.

The Japan federation has decreed that a wrestler winning a medal in an Olympic weight class will also automatically fill that spot in Paris without any playoff. The last thing any of them want to do is give a rival another chance, as the saga of Yui SUSAKI (JPN) remains proof-positive of how that can backfire.

Susaki, the Tokyo 2021 gold medalist and defending world champion at 50kg, and Fujinami, looking to regain the world title she won at 53kg in 2021 but abdicated due to injury, lead what is arguably the strongest-ever Japanese women's contingent at a senior World Championships.

Add in the four non-Olympic weight classes, which include two world champions from 2022 and a two-time former champion, and is not too far a stretch to see a Japanese on every podium, with perhaps as many as eight on the top step.

That's not to say it will be easy for any of them. Veterans with proven track records like Mariya STADNIK (AZE), Helen MAROULIS (USA), Irina RINGACI (MDA), Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) and Adeline GRAY (USA) will be aiming to derail the Japanese juggernaut and add to their own formidable lists of laurels.

Naturally, the emergence of new young stars can't be discounted, such as was seen in 2022 with powerful teenager Amit ELOR (USA).

Here's a look at the ones to watch in each weight class:

50kg
There is no sure thing in wrestling, but Yui SUSAKI (JPN) may be about as close as you can get at this tournament. Susaki, who followed up her victory at the Tokyo Olympics by capturing a third world title last year in Belgrade, has still never lost to a non-Japanese opponent.

And the 24-year-old will be laser-focused not to slip up as she pursues her goal of a second straight Olympic gold. It was well documented how her Olympic dreams had seemed all but over when she lost out to Yuki IRIE (JPN) for a place at the 2019 World Championships, but was given new life when Irie failed to medal in Nur-Sultan. She never again wants to place her fate in the hands of others.

After taking a break after Tokyo, Susaki added both the world senior and U23 golds in 2022, making her the first-ever to achieve the Golden Grand Slam, comprised of the four world age group titles and the Olympic gold. Earlier this year, she picked up the title at the Ranking Series Zagreb Open to assure herself of the top seed in Belgrade.

The three other medalists from last year's worlds in Belgrade are back -- silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) and bronze medalists Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) and Anna LUKASIAK (POL). But Susaki's most dangerous threat could come from ageless Mariya STADNIK (AZE), the 35-year-old four-time Olympic medalist who has the experience to find a way to pierce the Japanese star's armor.

Stadnik, who along with Hildebrandt was a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, captured her eighth career European title in April. She missed a clash with Susaki in Zagreb when she defaulted their semifinal match due to injury. The two have met twice, both times in a final in 2018, with Susaki winning 2-2 at the Klippan Lady Open and 10-0 at the World Championships.

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) is coming into the World Championship on a 122-match winning streak. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

53kg
If there is a way to defeat Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), no one on the planet has been able to figure it out since she was in junior high school. The 19-year-old collegian will be putting a 122-match winning streak -- which includes a victory by fall over Tokyo Olympic champion Mayu SHIDOCHI (JPN) in a long-awaited showdown in June -- on the line in Belgrade with the express purpose of regaining the world title she won in 2021 and securing a spot for the Paris Olympics.

Fujinami missed last year's worlds due to a foot injury (and the world U23 a month later because of knee trouble), but she has since been healthy and as invincible as ever. She started the year off with a bang, winning the Zagreb Open, Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov International and Asian Championships in consecutive months -- 13 victories, all by fall or technical fall without conceding a point.

"Last year, I didn't listen to my body," Fujinami told the Japan media. "The feeling that all I had to do was put on a 'last spurt' got bigger, and that led to injuries. Now I'm going through the final prepping, but I'm listening closely to my body."

Dominique PARRISH (USA), who won the gold last year in Fujinami's absence, is back, as well as bronze medalist Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE). Others who could do some damage are 2017 world champion and Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN), world silver medalist Iulia LEORDA (MDA) and 2021 world bronze medalist Samantha STEWART (CAN).

A pair of European champions are also in the field in Jonna MALGREN (SWE) and Andreea ANA (ROU), the latter of whom has moved down to the Olympic weight from 55kg.

The wrestler that most intrigues Fujinami is Olympic silver medalist Qianyu PANG (CHN), this year's Asian champion at 55kg. "I have never faced a Chinese wrestler in my life," said Fujinami, who did not cross paths with China's entry at the Asian Championships. "It's not that there will be no pressure. But the tournament atmosphere is different overseas, which gets me excited."

Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA)Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) is a world champion from 2019 at 55kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

55kg
This non-Olympic weight class features a pair of former world champions in Haruna OKUNO (JPN) and Jaccara WINCHESTER (USA). Okuno had failed to dislodge Fujinami at 53kg and won a playoff for the consolation prize of a ticket to Belgrade at 55kg.

Okuno won a world gold at 55kg in 2017, then dropped down to 53kg and won there the next year. But when the process began for qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, she played second fiddle to Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) (now SHIDOCHI) at 53kg and never got back to the senior worlds. Then Fujinami emerged and knocked them both out.

Okuno went into a bit of a funk after missing out on Tokyo, but has since regrouped mentally, enough to defeat Shidochi last December for the first time in 10 career meetings. Two months earlier, she captured a third world U23 title.

Winchester triumphed at 55kg the last time the worlds were serving as the initial Olympic qualifier in 2019. After that, she made the U.S. Olympic team at 53kg, but had to settle for fifth place in Tokyo, the same result she would get at the 2022 worlds.

But the 30-year-old got her year off to a good start with victories at international tournaments in Alexandria and Budapest.

Others to watch will be world bronze medalist Karla GODINEZ (CAN), who was second to Winchester in Budapest; 2021 world 53kg bronze medalist Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL); European silver medalist Erika BOGNAR (HUN); Asian silver medalist Otgontuya CHINBOLD (MGL) and world U20 champion Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN).

57kg
In arguably the most stacked women's weight class, the de facto gold-medal match could come in the semifinals. If the seedings go to form, that would be where defending champion and No. 3 seed Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) and former Olympic gold medalist and No. 2 seed Helen MAROULIS (USA) would meet in a rematch of the 2022 final.

Sakurai and Maroulis both won world titles in 2021, the former at 55kg and the latter at 57kg. Sakurai made the move up to the Olympic weight last year and never missed a beat, striking gold at 57kg in Belgrade. That was all in the absence of Tokyo Olympic champion Risako KAWAI (JPN) (now KINJO), who took extended time off to get married and give birth to her first child.

To get back to Belgrade, the 22-year-old Sakurai beat Kinjo by technical fall in their only meeting in one of Japan's world qualifying tournaments. But her biggest hurdle turned out to be Sae NANJO (JPN). Sakurai twice came within seconds of missing out on a ticket to Belgrade, but each time pulled off last-second victories over Nanjo. By comparison, Maroulis defeated Nanjo 6-4 in the world semifinals in 2021.

Maroulis made a name for herself in Japan by becoming the conqueror of the legendary Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) and preventing her from becoming a four-time Olympic champion with a stunning win in the final at the 2016 Rio Games. She went through hard times battling concussion after that triumph, but came back strong with a full collection of global medals in the two-year span in 2021-22. Maroulis will turn 33 on September 19, the day of the qualification rounds and semifinals at 57kg.

The two favorites will have no dearth of competition, most noticeably from the dangerous Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), the 2022 world champion and this year's European gold medalist at 59kg who has dropped into the 57kg mix. In her first foray at 57kg since placing seventh at the Tokyo Olympics, Nichita struck gold at the Budapest international tournament in July.

The two others who made the podium in Tokyo, silver medalist Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN) and bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL), are also among the preliminary entries, while Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) comes in as the top seed on the strength of her third-place finish last year and European title this year.

Others to watch are veteran Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR), who will try for her fourth world medal and first since 2019; SARITA (UWW), a 2021 world bronze medalist at 59kg; Anhelina LYSAK (POL), a bronze medalist last year; and Kexin HONG (CHN), the runner-up to Nichita in Budapest.

Yulia TKACH (UKR)Yulia TKACH (UKR), a world champion at 63kg in 2014, is going for her second world title at 59kg. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

59kg
With the top names funnelling either up or down into the Olympic weight classes, the door is open at 59kg for a less-heralded wrestler to come away with a first world title, or, in the case of veteran Yulia TKACH (UKR), her first in a decade.

Sae NANJO (JPN), a 2021 world bronze medalist at 57kg who failed to make Japan's team at that weight, had to defeat Olympic champion Risako KINJO (JPN) among three wins in a playoff just to get to Belgrade at the non-Olympic weight.

Nanjo, the 2022 world U23 champion and Asian champion this year at 57kg, fought back from a six-point deficit to defeat Kinjo with a dramatic 6-6 victory, and she will be determined not to squader such a moment by slipping up in Belgrade.

The 34-year-old Tkach won her only world title in 2014, and the last of her four world medals in 2018. But the three-time Olympian has shown this year she can still be competitive, winning Ranking Series events in Alexandria and Bishkek and placing second at the European Championships.

Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) is the lone returning medalist in the weight class, having won a bronze last year. Others who could figure in the medal chase are two-time Asian medalist Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL), 2021 world U23 bronze medalist Krystsina SAZYKINA (AIN) and Qi ZHANG (CHN), a bronze medalist this year in both Zagreb and Budapest.

62kg
Just what Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) needs: another physically tough Japanese to contend with. Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) is the latest wrestler from her country standing between Tynybekova and a third career world gold, and given what it took for Motoki to get to Belgrade, you can bet she will battling tooth and nail.

Motoki, a bronze medalist last year at 59kg who has moved up to the Olympic weight class, had to defeat both the Olympic champion (Yukako KAWAI (JPN)) and the defending world champion (Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)) in epic battles to secure the 62kg spot on Japan's team.

Both Kawai and Ozaki had been nemeses of Tynybekova in recent years, with wins and losses on both sides on the world and continental levels. How Motoki fares should the two meet for the first time poses one of the intriguing questions of the tournament.

Motoki, the 2022 world U20 champion at 59kg, picked up some international experience at the heavier weight by winning the Zagreb Open in February, beating Grace BULLEN (NOR) 7-0 in the final. Bullen has also moved up from 59kg, where she was the world runner-up last year to Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), who had beaten Motoki in the semifinals.

Motoki has some strong incentives to take the gold and earn the ticket to Paris. First, she wants to become an Olympian like her father Yasutoshi, who competed in Greco-Roman at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Another is to catch up to a pair of Ikuei University teammates when it comes to success on the world stage.

Ikuei's Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) is the defending champion at 57kg, while Ami ISHI (JPN) was the silver medalist last year at 68kg. "It would be amazing if the three of us go to the Olympics," Motoki told the Japanese media. "Last year, I finished the lowest. This year, I want to catch up to other two and all three of us win championships."

Bullen has also made a smooth adjustment to 62kg, chalking up second-place finishes at the Zagreb Open, European Championships and Poland Open.

The list is long of other contenders, including Xiaojuan LUO (CHN), a bronze medalist a year ago and a two-time former Asian champion. This year, Luo scored a stunning 10-4 first-round win over Tynybekova in Zagreb, but Tynybekova avenged that loss three weeks later with a 3-2 win in the final in Alexandria.

There's also Kayla MIRACLE (USA), who won her second straight world silver medal in 2022, and Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), who captured the European title this year.

Added to the mix are 2021 world 59kg champion Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), Poland Open champion Luisa NIEMENSCH (GER), Asian silver medalist and former world champ Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) and 2022 world 65kg bronze medalist Kriszta INCZE (ROU), leaving little room for error for the favorites.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) has moved up to 65kg after failing to make the Japan team at the Olympic weight of 62kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

65kg
The 65kg throne became open when 2022 champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) moved up to 68kg. Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) is the prohibitive favorite to keep the title in Japanese hands as she attempts to salvage her season after missing out at 62kg, in which she would have been the defending champion.

Ozaki lost out at 62kg to Sakura MOTOKI (JPN), then -- given how nothing is ever easy when it comes to the Japanese women -- she needed to defeat Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI (JPN) in a playoff just for the consolation prize of a ticket to Belgrade at 65kg.

The 20-year-old Ozaki, a product of the JOC Elite Academy that produced Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), takes a 46-2 record against non-Japanese opponents into Belgrade. Both of the losses were to Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), whom she has also beaten twice.

Ozaki's disappointment this year follows one of incredible success in 2022, when she won the Asian title in April -- beating Tynybekova in the final -- then reeled off victories at the world U20, senior and U23 in consecutive months from August.

The threats to Ozaki in Belgrade appear to be few and far between, but the leading contenders are European champion Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) and Macey KILTY (USA), who seems to have a penchant for silver. The American finished second at the world U20 and U23 in 2019, and in Krasnoyarsk and Istanbul in 2022.

Oksana KUKHTA HERHEL (UKR), a world champion in 2015, will see if she has enough left in the tank to get back onto the medal podium.

Ami ISHII (JPN)Ami ISHII (JPN) is the returning silver medalist at 68kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

68kg
With the departure of Olympic and world champion Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) to the professional wrestling ring, there will be a new face topping the medal podium at 68kg. Who that will be is anyone's guess, and there is no shortage of possibilities.

The leading candidate would have to be the silver medalist from a year ago, Ami ISHII (JPN), who also won the world U20 title in 2022 and picked up the senior Asian crown this year. Her loss in the 2022 final to Mensah Stock was the lone defeat of her career to a non-Japanese opponent dating back to 2018.

In Japan's grueling qualifying process, the 20-year-old Ishii turned back the challenges of world 65kg champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) and a desperation attempt from Tokyo Olympic 62kg gold medalist Yukako KAWAI (JPN).

Leading the bids to deny Ishii a gold medal will be Irina RINGACI (MDA), a bronze medalist last year who won the world 65kg title in 2021. That victory in Oslo, where she beat Morikawa in the final, made Ringaci the first-ever woman in Moldova history to win a world wrestling title.

This year, Ringaci finished third at the Zagreb Open, took the silver medal behind rival Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) at 65kg at the European Championships, and most recently won the 65kg title at an international tournament in Budapest.

Two 2022 medalists in other weight classes have joined the 68kg fray. Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), who won the gold in Zagreb this year, will be looking to improve on her bronze medal at 65kg and secure an Olympic berth for the host country in Paris, while Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) has moved down from 72kg, in which she won a bronze last year and the European title in April.

There will also be two Olympic medalists on hand, Tokyo silver medalist Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) and bronze medalist Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ). Zhumanazarova won the world gold in 2021 by injury default in the final over Rin MIYAGI (JPN), who had stunned Mensah Stock with a victory by fall in the semifinals. Ishii defeated Zhumanazarova 6-2 in the semifinals of the Asian Championships in April en route to the gold.

Two-time world medalist Feng ZHOU (CHN), who turns 30 on September 12, has been in good form this year, finishing third at the Asian Championships and striking gold in Bishkek and Budapest. She will be aiming for her first world medal since 2018.

Others to keep an eye on are European champion Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) and Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), the winner at the Poland Open and runner-up in Zagreb.

72kg
Is there anyone who can stop the human bulldozer better known as Amit ELOR (USA)? Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) feels she is up to the task, even though it meant going up two weight classes and facing what she deferentially termed "monsters."

The 19-year-old Elor, who became the youngest American world champion in history when she captured the 72kg title last year in Belgrade, is the clear favorite as she returns to the Serbian capital in a bid for a repeat.

Elor, who takes an unofficial 30-1 career record in international matches into the tournament, could hardly have been more dominant in 2022, winning the world U20, senior and U23 titles in succession. Add in her cadet (U17) title from the previous year, and she completed the Grand Slam of age group titles while still a teenager.

This year has seen no letdown, as the former judoka swept to the Pan American and world U20 titles without conceding a point.

The lone loss of Alor's career came at the 2019 World U17 Championships, a 3-1 decision to Honoka NAKAI (JPN). Now another Japanese is aiming for the American, and one with the credentials -- at least on paper -- to pull it off.

Morikawa, last year's world 65kg champion after finishing second in 2021, had moved up to 68kg in the Olympic year but failed to oust Ami ISHII (JPN). Intent on getting to Belgrade somehow -- but not so enthusiastic about cutting the weight she had just put on -- she opted to go up to 72kg, where she prevailed in a playoff for the world team spot.

Also vying for the medals will be Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ), who won her second straight world silver last year in Belgrade and picked up her third Asian title this year, world U23 68kg champion Nesrin BAS (TUR) and world U20 silver medalist Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ).

Ilana KRATYSH (ISR), making her seventh appearance at the World Championships dating back to 2011, has perhaps her best chance to become the first-ever Israeli to medal in women's wrestling. The 33-year-old finished fifth at the European Championships.

76kg
She's ba-a-a-a-ck. Two years after winning a U.S. record sixth world title and a little more than a year after giving birth to twins, Adeline GRAY (USA) will be in Belgrade aiming to add more gold to her luminous collection.

When last seen, Gray had lost a heartbreaking final at the Tokyo Olympics to longtime friend and foe Aline FOCKEN (GER), then bounced back two months later and captured the world title in Oslo to break a tie with Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) for most-ever won by an American.

Gray gave birth to twins on July 23, 2022, and returned to training in January. She lost to teenager Kennedy BLADES (USA) at the U.S. Open in April, but came back to beat her in the U.S. world team trials in June.

Gray will see some familiar faces and some new ones as she begins a quest into unchartered waters. As she said after the trials, "There’s pieces of wrestling that you have to put together. It’s just going to take me a little bit of time.”

Those most capable of derailing the Gray Express would be 2022 silver medalist Samar HAMZA (EGY) and bronze medalists Epp MAE (EST) and Yuka KAGAMI (JPN), as well as Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ).

Hamza already has world silver and bronze medals -- the latter won in Oslo in 2021 which made her the first-ever Egyptian woman to win a world medal -- and would love nothing more than to finish the collection with a gold. She will have to step up her game, however, having finished no higher than seventh this year in Zagreb, Alexandria and Budapest.

Mae, a bronze medalist last year, gave Gray a tough fight in the 2021 final, leading 4-2 in the final minute before the American scored a takedown to go ahead on criteria then worked Mae over for a fall with two seconds remaining. Mae also lost to Gray in the 2014 and 2018 world finals, and she would relish the chance to finally come out on top.

Kagami, the 2022 Asian runner-up to Medet Kyzy who will turn 22 on September 14, is aiming to become Japan's first world champion in the heaviest women's weight class since Kyoko HAMAGUCHI (JPN) in 2003. Her season was delayed after undergoing shoulder surgery in January, but she seems to have fully recovered.

Conversely, Medet Kyzy has been quite busy, and successful, this season. The 2021 world bronze medalist finished second in Zagreb, third in Alexandria, second at the Asian Championships and won the Ranking Series event as the hometown favorite in Bishkek.

Others with the potential to shake things up are Milaimys MARIN (CUB), Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) and Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR).

The World Championships run from September 16 to 24 with Women’s Wrestling scheduled on September 18, 19 and 20. The action will be live on UWW+ around the world and on FloSports in the U.S.