#NFRoundup

UPDATED: NF Roundup Blog, March 9 - March 14

By United World Wrestling Press

The Russian National Freestyle Championships are underway in Ulan-Ude and the first three gold medals were claimed on Friday night. Dagestani wrestlers  Zavur UGUEV and Magomed KURBANOV claimed 57kg and 92kg golds, respectively, while Alania's Artur NAIFONOV won gold at 86kg.

Day Two Finals Results

57kg: Zavur UGUEV df. Nachyn MONGUSH, 9-5
86kg: Artur NAIFONOV df. Dauren KURUGLIEV, 1-1  ⠀
92kg: Magomed KURBANOV df. Anzor URISHEV, via forfeit

Day Two Semifinal Results

70kg
GOLD: Israil KASUMOV vs. Evgeny ZHERBAEV 
SEMIFINAL: Israil KASUMOV df. Abdula AKHMEDOV, 10-0
SEMIFINAL: Evgeny ZHERBAEV df. Chermen VALIEV, 13-4

74 kg
GOLD: Zaurbek SIDAKOV vs. Razambek ZHAMALOV
SEMIFINAL: Zaurbek SIDAKOV df. Timur BIZHOEV, 5-3
SEMIFINAL: Razambek ZHAMALOV df. Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV, 2-1 

125 kg
GOLD: Atsamaz TEBLOYEV vs. Sergey KOZYEV 
SEMIFINAL: Atsamaz TEBLOYEV  df. Baldan TSYZHIPOV, via injury default
SEMIFINAL: Sergey KOZYEV df. Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV, 5-1 ⠀

Follow all the action from the Russian National Freestyle Championships on www.wrestrus.ru.

Yazdani and Atri Book Tickets to Tokyo Olympic Games

Rio Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) defeated Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) to win Iran's 86kg team trial for Tokyo Olympic Games.

Yazdani earned his first point from an inactivity on behalf of Ghasempour, then ended the first period with a 3-0 lead after a successful takedown.

In the second period, Ghasempour responded with two points of his own. He scored a single-leg takedown but it wasn’t enough for the two-time U23 world champion as Yazdani earned another takedown and won the match, 5-2.

The then-22-year-old achieved gold at the Rio Olympics and will now be looking to become Iran's first-ever two-time Olympic champion.

“We are both from a town (Jouybar) and even train at the same club. We know each other very well and it makes the match even more difficult,” said Yazdani after his win over Ghasempour. The Olympic champ added, “In such a close match, the winner will be the wrestler who has makes fewer mistakes and is more ready. I hope the most deserving wrestler is the one who'll compete at Tokyo Olympic Games.”

“Because of the COVID crisis, we were in full quarantine and weren't allowed to leave the national team's training camp. The situation has tough, but that's what we have to do for out Olympics preparations.”

In the second Olympic trails match, '19 Asian champion Reza ATRI (IRI) met '19 cadet world champion Rahman AMOUZAD KHALILI (IRI) for the 57kg spot.

The 18-years-old Khalili opened the match with a single leg takedown and led 2-0. In the second period, he extended his lead to 4-2, but Atri's experienc showed up in the last :30 seconds as he scored four points -- stealing the match, 6-4. 

Iran has earned six combined Olympic spots in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman. In freestyle, Iran earned three Olympic berths at the '19 World Championships at 57kg, 86kg and 125kg, while the Greco-Roman team has qualified 60kg, 77kg and 130kg for the Olympics.

The focus for Iran turns to the Olympic Qualification events, as they'll look to qualify the remaining six weights. 

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024 Olympics Women's Wrestling Entries

By United World Wrestling Press

PARIS (July 10) -- Women's Wrestling in Paris will see only one returning Olympic champion in Yui SUSAKI (JPN). Five new Olympic champions are set to be crowned as 96 wrestlers compete in six weight classes over a week at the Paris Olympics. Wrestling will be held from August 5 to 11 with Women's Wrestling scheduled each day.

Susaki won the gold medal at 50kg in Tokyo and is looking to defend that. Japan, which won four golds out of six in Tokyo, will hope to clean sweep in Paris with world champions Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) and Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) entered. Nonoka OZAKI (JPN), a world champion at 62kg and 65kg, is going up to 68kg for Paris. At 62kg, Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) is a silver medalist from the World Championships.

The United States and Mongolia joined Japan as the only other teams to qualify all six weight classes for Paris. India, Nigeria, Turkiye and China managed to qualify five.

Two-time world 72kg champion Amit ELOR (USA) is down at 68kg in a bid to complete the slam of winning world titles and the Olympic gold. Only Susaki has achieved this feat when she won the U23 world title in 2022. Helen MAROULIS (USA), Rio 2016 champion and bronze medalist in Tokyo, is coming for her third medal.

Four-time Olympic medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE) is going for her fifth medal, a feat no one has achieved in wrestling before. Kaori ICHO (JPN) has four medals, all golds. In total, 10 Olympic medalists are entered in the field of 96 wrestlers.

Paris 2024 will also mark the first time Algeria, Lithuania, New Zealand and Uzbekistan will send a woman wrestler to the Olympics.

PARIS 2024 SCHEDULE | PARIS 2024 NEWS | PARIS 2024 GRECO-ROMAN ENTRIES | PARIS 2024 FREESTYLE ENTRIES

50kg
Ibtissem DOUDOU (ALG)
Mariya STADNIK (AZE)
Ziqi FENG (CHN)
Alisson CARDOZO REY (COL)
Yusneylis GUZMAN LOPEZ (CUB)
Nada MOHAMED (EGY)
Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER)
VINESH (IND)
*Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA)
Yui SUSAKI (JPN)
Gabija DILYTE (LTU)
Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Oksana LIVACH (UKR)
Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA)
Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB)

53kg
Qianyu PANG (CHN)
Lucia YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU)
Annika WENDLE (GER)
Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
Mia AQUINO (GUM)
ANTIM (IND)
Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL)
Christianah OGUNSANYA (NGR)
Hyo Gyong CHOE (PRK)
Andreea ANA (ROU)
Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
Dominique PARRISH (USA)
Betzabeth ARGUELLO VILLEGAS (VEN)

57kg
Chaimaa AOUISSI (ALG)
Giullia PENALBER (BRA)
Hannah TAYLOR (CAN)
Kexin HONG (CHN)
Luisa VALVERDE (ECU)
Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER)
Rckaela AQUINO (GUM)
ANSHU (IND)
Aurora RUSSO (ITA)
Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)
Khongorzul BOLDSAIKHAN (MGL)
Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR)
Anhelina LYSAK (POL)
Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR)
Helen MAROULIS (USA)

62kg
Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)
Ana GODINEZ (CAN)
Ameline DOUARRE (FRA)
Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)
Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
*Hanbit LEE (KOR)
Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)
Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Grace BULLEN (NOR)
Kriszta INCZE (ROU)
Johanna LINDBORG (SWE)
Siwar BOUSETA (TUN)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR)
Kayla MIRACLE (USA)

68kg
Linda MORAIS (CAN)
Feng ZHOU (CHN)
Koumba LARROQUE (FRA)
NISHA (IND)
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)
Tayla FORD (NZL)
Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)
Sol Gum PAK (PRK)
Buse TOSUN (TUR)
Tetiana SOVA RIZHKO (UKR)
Amit ELOR (USA)
Soleymi CARABALLO (VEN)

76kg
Yuliana YANEVA (BUL)
Justina DI STASIO (CAN)
Juan WANG (CHN)
Tatiana RENTERIA (COL)
Milaimys MARIN POTRILLE (CUB)
Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU)
Bernadett NAGY (HUN)
REETIKA (IND)
Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)
Hannah RUEBEN (NGR)
Catalina AXENTE (ROU)
Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)
Yasemin ADAR YIGIT (TUR)
Kennedy BLADES (USA)

Note:

* 50kg: Son Hyang KIM (PRK) was originally entered at 50kg. However, DPR Korea surrendered its quota which went to the next best NOC -- Italy

* 62kg: Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK) was originally entered at 62kg. However, DPR Korea surrendered its quota which went to the next best NOC -- Korea