Ozaki, Elor win third world title in two months

Saturday, October 22, 2022 - 00:09 By Vinay Siwach

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 21) -- Since the U23 World Championships were introduced in 2017, there were only two wrestlers to win all four world titles till Thursday.

In the space of two days, three more have been added to the group which only had Haruna OKUNO (JPN) and Masako FURUICHI (JPN).

After Yui SUSAKI (JPN) won the 'Grand Slam' on Thursday, Nonoko OZAKI (JPN) and Amit ELOR (USA) won their first U23 world titles to complete the haul.

Both Ozaki and Elor have won three world titles in the last two months with the first coming at the U20 Worlds in Sofia. They won the senior gold in Belgrade last month before winning the U23 gold on Friday in Pontevedra, Spain.

As women's wrestling ended at the U23 World Championships, Japan won the team title with 225 points with the USA finishing second with 107 points. Ukraine was third also with 107 points but fell behind the USA as the latter had a gold medalist [Elor] while Ukraine did not.

Apart from Ozaki and Elor, senior world champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) won the 62kg gold, former senior and U23 world champion Haruna OKUNO (JPN) won the 53kg gold and Sae NANJO (JPN) won the 57kg gold.

Amit ELOR (USA) won the 72kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

While Ozaki and Elor have been very similar in their way of winning the gold at the World Championships, both reflect on their achievements differently.

Ozaki, who has lost only once since her 2018 Inter High School Championships semifinals against Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN), feels that the world titles mean little unless she wins the Olympics.

"I don't really have an actual feeling that I am number one in the world," Ozaki said. "Becoming number one was the goal, but since winning the [senior world] championship, nothing has changed for me. For this tournament, I never thought about my being the world champion. Also, it was my first tournament at U23. I just felt it was a regular international tournament. I didn't feel any pressure."

Ozaki, just 19 years old, spent four minutes and 54 seconds in her four bouts in Pontevedra to win the gold at 62kg. In the final, she defeated Iryna BONDAR (UKR) using the leg lace. She led 8-0 after 37 seconds but dropped the pace of the bout after that and won the final in two minutes and 13 seconds.

In the semifinal, she defeated returning champion Ana GODINEZ (CAN) via technical superiority.

"My style is to finish it [match] off with a single action," she said. "If it doesn't end there, I go to a counterattack. That happened in the semifinal. It wasn't bad to not finish it off all at once, and overall it was a good match."

Despite a 41-0 result in Pontevedra, Ozaki thinks that there are a lot of areas in which she can improve.

"From a mental point of view, the way I dealt with the matches was really good," Ozaki said. "I was in several tournaments over the past year and there were good things and bad things from a mental aspect. Each match was different, and I had to think about how I can ensure my best performance and what should I think about before the match. Over this year, I feel I found a good way to do that. I think this will be useful from now."

For 18-year-old Elor, the tournament was another learning experience as keeps improving with every gold medal.

"With each world championship I've gone a little bit better," Elor said. "Even this summer, each time I wrestled I gained experience and I felt stronger, mentally and physically."

The USA wrestler was up against Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) in the 72kg finals and won 11-0 in four minutes and 12 seconds. She also defeated returning silver medalist Kendra DACHER (FRA) 13-2 in the quarterfinals.

"I can't believe this summer," she said. "This has been the best summer of my life. [At the start of the year] I would not believe that [winning 3 world titles]. I was injured. I had surgery in January this year. It's unbelieve. That [senior world] medal means the world so far and was an amazing experience for me."

With a lot accomplished, a lot remains for the two. Ozaki and Elor want to be Olympic champions and as the next season approaches, both will have to go through a grinding qualification process.

Ozaki will have to win the Emperor's Cup in December this year before the Meiji Cup in June next year to qualify for the 2023 World Championships which offers 2024 Olympic quotas. A medal there will seal the berth for Ozaki.

"I prepared for this [U23] tournament, but my number one objective is the Olympics," Ozaki said. "I went into this [U23] tournament regarding it as the last one to get ready for the Emperor's Cup. At this tournament, a number of new issues to be addressed came up. I want to use that in my final preparations."

Ozaki's win-loss record reads 60-1 dating back to 2018 with that one loss coming at the 2021 World Championships against Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), her first against a non-Japanese opponent in 11 career international tournaments.

Riding on a 26-0 winning streak, Ozaki will be the favorite at the Emperor's Cup especially since she beat Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI (JPN) at the Meiji Cup in June this year to qualify for the 2022 World Championships.

However, Ozaki does not think much of that win.

"I don't think it [win over Kawai] gives me confidence," she said. "More than that, I learned a lot about myself."

Elor will have to first decide which Olympic weight class -- 68kg or 76kg -- she wants to move before attending the Olympic trials for the USA if the country wins the quota for the Paris Olympics.

But she is taking one step at a time and not thinking too much ahead.

"I really want to grow and learn more techniques and work on new tactics," she said. "I want to see my body feels at training. For now, I will rest for a while. I am excited for the World Cup this summer."

Three other Japanese wrestlers won gold with Morikawa adding a U23 world gold to her U20 and senior world titles. She also has two U17 silver medals. In the final, Morikawa defeated Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE) 10-0 and won the gold to join her Japanese teammates as the world champion. But like Elor, Morikawa has to quickly make a decision to switch to an Olympic weight class as the Emperor's Cup approaches in two months.

At 57kg, Nanjo added to her 2019 U23 world gold after beating Patrycja GIL (POL) 13-1 in the final. In the quarterfinals, Nanjo defeated senior world bronze medalist and returning champion Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) 10-0.

But Okuno, the first wrestler to win all world titles, won her third U23 world title with another dominant performance. She defeated defending champion Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) 10-0 in the 53kg final.

Okuno was a late replacement for Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) who pulled out due to cellulitis in her knee. Fujinami had to skip the senior World Championships as well due to injury.

The 18-year-old will try to be ready for the Emperor's Cup. Okuno will be one of her competitors along with Olympic champion Mayu SHIDOCHI (JPN).

RESULTS

53kg
GOLD: Haruna OKUNO (JPN) df. Lucia YEPEZ (ECU), 10-0

BRONZE: Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) df. Felicity TAYLOR (USA), 3-3
BRONZE: Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) df. Meng HSIEH (TPE), 7-0

57kg
GOLD: Sae NANJO (JPN) df. Patrycja GIL (POL), 13-1

BRONZE: Alexandra HEDRICK (USA) df. Laura ALMAGANBETOVA (KAZ), 13-2
BRONZE: Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) df. Siwar BOUSETA (TUN), via fall (9-2)

62kg
GOLD: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. Iryna BONDAR (UKR), 11-0

BRONZE: Astrid MONTERO (VEN) df. Ameline DOUARRE (FRA), 3-1
BRONZE: Ana GODINEZ (CAN) df. Paulina DANISZ (POL), 11-0

65kg
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE), 10-0

BRONZE: Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR) df. Asli DEMIR (TUR), via fall
BRONZE: Elena ESPOSITO (ITA) df. Dariga ABEN (KAZ), 5-5

72kg
GOLD: Amit ELOR (USA) df. Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL), 11-0

BRONZE: Sumire NIIKURA (JPN) df. Iryna ZABLOTSKA (UKR), 8-1
BRONZE: Kendra DACHER (FRA) df. Maria NITU (ROU), 12-2

Freestyle

57kg
GOLD: Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) vs. AMAN (IND)

SF 1: Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) df. Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO), 10-0
SF 2: AMAN (IND) df. Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ), 10-4

65kg
GOLD: Hamza ALACA (TUR) vs. Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Hamza ALACA (TUR) df. Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR), 14-8
SF 2: Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) df. Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ), 7-6

70kg
GOLD: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) vs. Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO)

SF 1: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) df. Yahya THOMAS (USA), 4-2
SF 2: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) df. Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ), 10-0

79kg
GOLD: Daulet YERGESH (KAZ) vs. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)

SF 1: Daulet YERGESH (KAZ) df. Carter STAROCCI (USA), 8-7
SF 2: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), 9-6

97kg
GOLD: Tanner SLOAN (USA) vs. Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)

SF 1: Tanner SLOAN (USA) df. Islam ILYASOV (AZE), 10-2
SF 2: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) df. Ertugrul AGCA (GER), 8-0

#WrestleHammamet

Four repeat as African champs; Egypt wins title

Saturday, May 20, 2023 - 20:39 By Vinay Siwach

HAMMAMET, Tunisia (May 20) -- Egypt had an exceptional end to the African Championships, with all 10 of its freestyle wrestlers winning medals on the tournament's final day.

With five gold, three silver, and two bronze medals, Egypt accumulated 215 points, securing the team title. Hosts Tunisia finished second with 173 points, while Algeria took third place with 129 points.

This performance marked an improvement from last year when Egypt only won four gold medals and finished with a total of 195 points. Notably, two of the gold medalists from 2022 successfully defended their titles on Saturday.

Amr HUSSEN (EGY) triumphed at 74kg, securing his third African title and second consecutive win by defeating Bacar NDUM (GBS) with a fall in the final match.

Starting the day with an 11-0 victory over Oyeinkeperemo BRAVEMAN (NGR), Hussen continued his winning streak by defeating last year's silver medalist, Abdelkader IKKAL (ALG), with a convincing 10-0 victory in the semifinals. He then secured the gold medal with the fall over Ndum, who was the 70kg gold medalist last year.

The second wrestler to repeat as champion was Mostafa ELDERS (EGY) who secured a narrow 3-2 victory over Mohamed SAADAOUI (TUN) in the 97kg gold medal match.

Saadaoui, who won the bronze in 2022, received support from the home fans against Elders. After Saadaoui took a 1-0 lead due to Elders being called passive in the first period, Elders managed to regain the criteria lead of 1-1 when Saadaoui stepped out of the zone while evading an attack. However, Elders' lead was short-lived as he was called passive again, allowing Saadaoui to take a 2-1 lead with 50 seconds remaining.

Elders executed a double leg attack when Saadaoui was close to the zone, resulting in a pushout that put Elders back in the lead with a criteria score of 2-2. Saadaoui challenged the call for a headbutt, but the reviews confirmed it was clean, and Elders held on to secure a 3-2 victory.

Feeling disappointed by the close defeat, Saadaoui made an aggressive push on Elders after the bout, particularly since he had defeated Elders 9-5 in the morning session.

At 70kg, two bronze medalists from 2022, Said ELGAHSH (EGY) and Mohamed ZORGUI (TUN) faced off in the gold medal bout this year with the former emerging victorious with a score of 8-2.

Elgahsh began his day with an 8-4 win over Pieter ROETS (RSA) in the quarterfinals and followed it up with a 12-2 victory against Anthony WESLEY (CPV) in the semifinals.

Zorgui, on the other hand, began in the qualifications and secured a fall against Brian OLOO (KEN), followed by another fall in the quarterfinals against Rodgers MUKYEDA (UGA). He faced his first challenge in the semifinals but managed to narrowly defeat Sylvio DIATTA (SEN) with a score of 5-4.

Elgahsh gave little chance to Zorgui in the final and captured the gold with a resounding 8-2 win.

Ahmed MAHMOUD (EGY) won the gold medal at 79kg by stunning the defending champion Chems FETAIRIA (ALG) with a remarkable 11-0 win in the final.

Although Mahmoud easily overcame Fetaira, he was in deep trouble against Sofiane PADIOU BELMIR (MAR), eventually winning by a slim margin of 6-5.

At 125kg, two-time Olympian Diaaeldin ABDELMOTTALEB (EGY) defeated Hamza RAHMANI (TUN) twice on Saturday to win the gold medal, his fourth at the senior continental level. Abdelmottaleb posted a 10-0 win over Rahmani in the morning session and secured a fall in the gold medal bout at 125kg in the evening.

Tunisia, Algeria win two golds

The host nation, Tunisia, also had a reason to celebrate as it clinched two gold medals through Farouk JELASSI (TUN) and Imed KADDIDI (TUN).

Jelassi, who had never previously won a medal at the African Championships, surprised many by claiming gold in the 65kg category.

After achieving technical superiority in his first two bouts, Jelassi faced resistance from Frederik NORTJE (RSA), but it wasn't enough to prevent Jelassi from securing a 10-3 victory in the gold medal bout.

For Kaddidi, it was a significant breakthrough as he finally claimed the gold medal after two previous silver finishes, including one in 2022.

Competing in a Nelson bracket, Kaddidi wrestled four times and left no opportunity for his opponents to threaten him. He began with a fall over Dan CHEPTAI (KEN) in Round 1, followed by a dominant 10-0 win over Mahmoud IBRAHIM (EGY) in Round 2, a 9-1 victory over Machiel GROBLER (RSA) in Round 3, and an 11-0 thrashing of Wadii OUALAL (MAR) in Round 4.

Ibrahim emerged with the silver medal over Grobler after an astonishing 34-point bout. At the end of the six minutes, Ibrahim emerged victorious with a score of 22-12.

His two matches before the final also followed a similar script as Benferdjallah scored an 11-0 and a 13-3 win before entering the final against Elkoumy who won both his bouts via fall.

Benferdjallah did face resistance from Elkoumy but did not flinch under pressure and came out on top with an 8-4 scoreline.

Algeria also celebrated two gold medals as Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG) and Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG) successfully defended their titles as African champions.

Kherbache made an impressive start in the 61kg category, securing a 14-3 victory over Yanisse MADI (COM) in the qualifications, followed by an 8-1 win against Shehabeldin MOHAMED (EGY) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Kherbache continued his dominance with a commanding 14-2 triumph over Seitonkumo RICHARD (NGR).

In the gold medal bout, Kherbache faced Firas KHALIFA (TUN), who had shown exceptional form by winning his previous two matches via falls. However, Kherbache proved unstoppable, defeating Khalifa with a 6-3 scoreline to secure his fourth consecutive African gold medal. Kherbache's achievement also includes three silver medals and a bronze from previous tournaments dating back to 2015.

Tokyo Olympian Benferdjallah added another African gold medal to his career with a controlled 8-4 victory over Saifeldin ELKOUMY (EGY) in the 86kg weight class.

Leading up to the final, Benferdjallah's path followed a similar pattern, as he secured convincing wins with scores of 11-0 and 13-3. Elkoumy, his opponent in the final, had moved into the final by winning both of his previous bouts via fall.

Although Elkoumy provided strong resistance, Benferdjallah remained composed under pressure and emerged victorious with a final score of 8-4. This victory marked Benferdjallah's second African gold medal.

At 57kg, Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS) won the gold medal after a thrilling final against defending champion Gamal MOHAMED (EGY) with a scoreline of 8-8.

Mohamed got the first advantage as Iuna Fafe was called passive in the first period and Mohamed got the 1-0 lead. But from that point on, he only chased Iuna Fafe. The lead switched hands when Iuna Fafe scored six minutes before the break to lead 6-1.

Iuna Fafe did give up penalty towards the end of the bout but he still led on criteria due to the big move in the first period and he held on for an 8-8 win.

This marked Iuna Fafe's first gold medal at the African Championships after the previous two occasions.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS) df. Gamal MOHAMED (EGY), 8-8

BRONZE: KHALIL BARKOUTI (TUN) df. John LEOPOLD (MRI), 13-3
BRONZE: Roland TAMBI NFORSONG (CMR) df. Younes LACHGAR (MAR), 11-0

61kg
GOLD: Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG) df. Firas KHALIFA (TUN), 6-3

BRONZE: Yassine JAA (MAR) df. Kenneth KOECH (KEN), via fall
BRONZE: Shehabeldin MOHAMED (EGY) df. Seitonkumo RICHARD (NGR), 5-0

65kg
GOLD: Farouk JELASSI (TUN) df. Frederik NORTJE (RSA), 10-3

BRONZE: Omar MOURAD (EGY) df. Reginaldo da SILVA (ANG), 12-2
BRONZE: Zohier IFTENE (ALG) df. Derrick AJONGASAP (CMR), 10-0

70kg
GOLD: Said ELGAHSH (EGY) df. Mohamed ZORGUI (TUN), 8-2

BRONZE: Sylvio DIATTA (SEN) df. Brian OLOO (KEN), 13-2
BRONZE: Pieter ROETS (RSA) df. Anthony WESLEY (CPV), via fall

74kg
GOLD: Amr HUSSEN (EGY) df. Bacar NDUM (GBS), via fall

BRONZE: Abdelkader IKKAL (ALG) df. Oyeinkeperemo BRAVEMAN (NGR), 11-1
BRONZE: Yassine FARAJ (MAR) df. Arno VAN ZIJL (RSA), via inj. def.

79kg
GOLD: Ahmed MAHMOUD (EGY) df. Chems FETAIRIA (ALG), 11-0

BRONZE: Ebikeme NEWLIFE (NGR) df. Kaireddine BEN TELILI (TUN), 11-3
BRONZE: Francisco KADIMA (ANG) df. Sofiane PADIOU BELMIR (MAR), 11-2

86kg
GOLD: Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG) df. Saifeldin ELKOUMY (EGY), 8-4

BRONZE: Edward LESSING (RSA) df. Sabri MNASRIA (TUN), 10-0
BRONZE: Harrison ONOVWIOMOGBOHWO (NGR) df. Roman MANITRA RAHARISON (MAD), 13-12

92kg
GOLD: Imed KADDIDI (TUN)
SILVER: Mahmoud IBRAHIM (EGY)
BRONZE: Machiel GROBLER (RSA)

97kg
GOLD: Mostafa ELDERS (EGY) df. Mohamed SAADAOUI (TUN), 3-2

BRONZE: Nicolaas DE LANGE (RSA) vs. Oussama ASSAD (MAR), 10-0

125kg
GOLD: Diaaeldin ABDELMOTTALEB (EGY) df. Hamza RAHMANI (TUN), via fall

BRONZE: Anas LAMKABBER (MAR) vs. Progress BENSON (NGR), 5-1

Ozaki, Elor win third world title in two months

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Four repeat as African champs; Egypt wins title