Susaki Wins No.3, Velieva Halts Japanese Sweep at Cadet World C’ships

By William May

TBILISI (September 15) – Yui SUSAKI (JPN) won her third world title on Thursday and Khanum VELIEVA (RUS) regained the crown she lost last year as the women took to the mats on Day Three of the Cadet Wrestling World Championships.

Susaki, who had previously won at 43kg and 46kg, overwhelmed 2015 world bronze medalist Maria TYUMEREKOVA (RUS), 10-0, for her third technical fall of the day and the crown at 49kg.

The Tokyo high school student also notched a pair of falls while outscoring her five opponents 42-0 at Tbilisi Sports Palace.

Velieva, meanwhile, scored with a pair of single-leg attacks in the 65kg championship bout and held on to defeat 2015 Asian champion Miwa MORIKAWA, 4-2, in the evening’s finale.

Velieva’s victory prevented Japanese wrestlers from securing a fourth gold medal while salvaging a win for Russia, which had advanced three wrestlers to the finals.

Russia’s three finalists, however, lifted their team to first place in the first-day team standings with 42 points. Japan, which did not have an entry at 38kg, trails in second with 39, while the United States with two bronze medalists is third with 26.

In other gold medal matches, 2014 Asian cadet champion Manami UENO (JPN) racked up her fourth 10-0 technical fall of the day against European champion Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) in the 43kg final.

And, national team newcomer national Hanako SAWA (JPN) out-maneuvered Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), who won the European junior crown in July, with a single-leg attack and a slick feint and duck behind for a 6-2 win at 56kg.

In the lone final without a Japanese or Russian entry, Petya DELCHEVA (BUL), a fifth-place finisher at last year’s world meet, took a 4-3 lead when dropped Manisha MANISHA (IND) to her back in the second period. But the Asian cadet runner-up scored with a low single to go-behind in the final 10 seconds for a 5-3 come-from-behind triumph.

Women’s Wrestling

38kg (10 entries)

Gold – Manisha MANISHA (IND) df. Petya DELCHEVA (BUL), 5-4
Bronze – Nada MOHAMED (EGY) df. Tatyana BLINKOVSKAYA (BLR), 5-4
Bronze – Valeria CHISTOBAEVA (RUS) df. Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE), 4-0

Semifinal – Petya DELCHEVA (BUL) df. Nada MOHAMED (EGY), 8-0
Semifinal – Manisha MANISHA (IND) df. Valeria CHISTOBAEVA (RUS), 6-2

43kg (13 entries)

Gold – Manami UENO (JPN) df. Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) by TF, 10-0, 2:44
Bronze – Aynur JAMALOVA (AZE) df. Ana TORRES RUBIO (ESP), 4-2
Bronze – Reem AHMED (EGY) df. Ankush ANKUSH (IND), 5-4

Semifinal – Manami UENO (JPN) df.  Aynur JAMALOVA (AZE) by TF, 10-0, 1:50
Semifinal – Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) df. Reem AHMED (EGY) by TF, 12-2, 2:42

49kg (21 entries)

Gold – Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Maria TYUMEREKOVA (RUS) by TF, 10-0, 1:57
Bronze – Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) df. Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA), 6-2
Bronze – Macey KILTY (USA) df. Zhala ALIEVA (AZE) by TF, 13-2, 3:15

Semifinal – Maria TYUMEREKOVA (RUS) df. Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), 5-1
Semifinal – Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Macey KILTY (USA) by Fall, 3:24 (8-0)

56kg (21 entries)

Gold – Hanako SAWA (JPN) df. Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), 6-2
Bronze – Gracie FIGUEROA (USA) df. Anastasia SIZENKO (RUS), 6-5
Bronze – Oksana CHUDYK (UKR) df. Krystina SAZYKINA (BLR) by Fall, 2:42 (2-4)

Semifinal – Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) df. Anastasia SIZENKO (RUS), 6-0
Semifinal – Hanako SAWA (JPN) df. Krystina SAZYKINA (BLR), 7-6

65kg (18 entries)

Gold – Khanum VELIEVA (RUS) df. Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN), 4-2
Bronze – Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Aukse RUTKAUSKAITE (LTU) by TF, 10-0, 3:13
Bronze – Tuende ELEKES (HUN) df. Ashlynn ORTEGA (USA), 2-1

Semifinal – Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Aukse RUTKAUSKAITE (LTU) by TF, 10-0, 1:17
Semifinal – Khanum VELIEVA (RUS) df. Tuende ELEKES (HUN), 4-0