#25Under25

UWW 25-Under-25: No. 1-No. 5

Saturday, February 19, 2022 - 10:35 By Vinay Siwach

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 19) -- For the past week, United World Wrestling brought you the top 20 wrestlers who could put on a show throughout 2022. These stars, all under the age of 25 years, have proved their mettle in the past and are likely to continue, especially with the Paris Olympics just two years away.

Now, it's time for the top five wrestlers on the list -- the number 1 to 5. All these wrestlers are already big names in the wrestling world and fans would be keen to follow going into this Olympic cycle.

These stars are not only the 'next big thing,' but they are trendsetters who can rewrite history moving forward.

Here's UWW's fifth and final segment -- No. 1 through No. 5 -- of the Top 25-Under-25 to keep an eye on.

UWW 25-Under-25: No. 21-No. 25
No. 25 - Alina AKOBIYA (UKR), 23-years-old
No. 24 - Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), 24-years-old
No. 23 - Artur SARGSYAN (RWF), 24-years-old
No. 22 - TUMUR OCHIR Tulga (MGL), 24-year-old
No. 21 - Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), 22-years-old

UWW 25-Under-25: No. 20-No. 16
No. 20 - Anshu MALIK (IND), 20-years-old
No. 19 - Irinia RINGACI (MDA), 21-years-old
No. 18 - Zagir SHAKHIEV (RUS), 23-years-old
No. 17 - Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), 23-years-old
No. 16 - Leri ABULADZE (GEO), 23-years-old

UWW 25-Under-25: No. 15-No. 11
No. 15 - Ernazar AKMATLIEV (KGZ), 23-years-old
No. 14 - Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI), 24-years-old
No. 13 - Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), 18-years-old
No. 12 - Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RWF), 23-years-old
No. 11 - Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), 23-years-old

UWW 25-Under-25: No. 10-No. 6
No. 10 - Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), 23-years-old
No. 9 - Mohammad EL SAYED (EGY), 23-years-old  
No. 8 - Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) – 23-years-old
No. 7 - Akzhol MAKHMUDOV – 22-years-old
No. 6 - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) – 22-years-old

No. 5 - Ravi KUMAR (IND), 24-years-old (December 12, 1997)

Instagram: ravi_kumar_60

There is no doubt that Kumar is one of the most exciting wrestlers in the sport. For more than three years after winning junior silver in 2015, Kumar was sidelined with injuries. But he came back to win the silver medal at the U23 Worlds. Yet, he never was a threat at the senior level.

It all began with a bronze medal at the '19 World Championships in Nur-Sultan. A close bout with Zavur UGUEV (RWF) in the semifinal was his only loss. He followed that with Asian championship golds in 2020 and 2021, beating veterans like Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) and Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ).

By the time Tokyo Olympics arrived, Kumar was a medal threat. His style, stamina and ability to come from behind made fans talk about him being an Olympic champion. Using his exceptional pace to attack, the Haryana-native reached the final of the Olympics at 57kg and faced a familiar opponent in Uguev, who once again overcame Kumar to win the gold in Tokyo. Kumar's hopes of being India's first-ever wrestling Olympic champion were dashed. The silver medal in Tokyo left the Indian dissatisfied.

The challenge for Kumar going into the Paris cycle will be to maintain his weight at 57kg. A big year ahead will see him compete at the Asian Championships and Asian Games which could give an insight into his condition for the next two years.

No. 4 - Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI), 24-years-old (January 6, 1998)

Instagram: mohammadhadi_saravi

When it comes to the 97kg Greco-Roman weight class, Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) and Musa EVLOEV (RWF) have dominated the world for two consecutive Olympic cycles. But there is a new name that is on a mission to remove the two greats. Saravi has proven that he can be a world-beater at 97kg.

A junior world and Asian champion, Saravi won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, losing to Aleksanyan in an encounter closer than the 4-1 scoreline suggested. Two months later, he was back on the mat for the World Championships in Oslo, Norway.

He humbled every wrestler that came in his way to the gold, claiming his first senior world title in dominating fashion. He began with a 6-4 win over U23 world champion and friend Artur SARGSIAN (RWF). He followed that up with a technical superiority win over Giorgi MELIA (GEO), a 5-1 victory over Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), and in the final, broke Hungary's Alex SZOKE (HUN).

In 2022, Saravi needs to find a way to match the strength of Evloev and even Aleksanyan. But by the time Paris comes, Saravi's name will be in the same league as the two Olympic champions.

No. 3 - Amir ZARE (IRI), 21-years-old (January 16, 2001)

Instagram: amirhossein.zarre

Iran was without a 125kg gold medal at the World Championships for the last 32 years. Then, Zare!

The teenager not only ended that draught, but he did so in style. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Taha AKGUL (TUR) fell victims to Zare's wrath in Oslo as the Iranian wrestler did everything right. Zare defeated Akgul, 6-0, in the semifinals, and later avenged his Olympics loss to Petriashvili with a 9-2 gold-medal win, backed by the electrifying Iranian fans.

Zare shot to limelight in 2019 when he won the U23 Worlds at the age of 18 years and followed that up with a 15-11 win over Petriashvili in the Iranian league. But Mason PARRIS (USA) and Sergey KOTZEV (RWF) scored victories over Zare at the Junior Worlds and Youth Olympics to keep him under check.

The Amol-born star later qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and won a bronze at 125kg after losing his semifinal 6-4 to Petriashvili.

The stunning turnaround to beat the Georgian star only took two months and it stunned wrestling fans. With a lot of wrestling left in him, Zare could be a name that will be repeated at the medal ceremonies around the world for a long time.

No. 2 - Yukako KAWAI (JPN), 24-years-old (July 27, 1997)

Instagram: yukako_kawai27

How does it feel to win an Olympic gold medal at home with your sister? Just ask Yukako KAWAI (JPN).

Yukako and her sister Risako won gold medals at 57kg and 62kg, respectively, in Tokyo. But before being an Olympic champion, Kawai overcame a big hurdle.

Kawai's biggest hurdle was two-time world champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), who defeated her at the 2019 Asian and World Championships. She needed to avenge her loss before the Olympics rolled around so she had a psychological advantage over the Kyrgystan wrestler. She did that with a final second four-point move at the Asian Championships in 2020.

That helped her when the two met in the final in Tokyo with Tynybekova being a slight favorite to win the gold. But as the match progressed, Kawai kept her cool and took home the gold medal with a 4-3 win, ending Tynybekova's dream of becoming the nation's first-ever Olympic gold medalist in any sport.

Both Risako and Yukako would like to repeat the feat in Paris 2024 and it will be an exhibition of high-class wrestling over the next three years whenever the two are on the mat.

No. 1 - Yui SUSAKI (JPN), 22 years old (June 30, 1999) and Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), 23-year-old (December 5, 1998)

Instagram: yui106301susaki, 01096taku

When you have two wrestlers who've won the world and Olympic titles before the age of 23 years old, it's impossible to give one the top spot over the other. With that being, Susaki and Otoguro share UWW's No. 1 spot for the Top 25 Under 25!

A little to differentiate the two Japanese studs as they handled the pressure of home Olympics with ease.

Susaki won her first world title in Paris in 2017. That was also the last time she surrendered a two-point takedown. Furthermore, in the last five years, the Japanese star has only given up exposure once. That came against her rival, SUN Yanan (CHN) during the World Cup in Narita, Japan in 2019.

A mind-blowing fact upcoming: Susaki has not allowed an offensive point to be scored on her since November 2019. That is more than two years of just toying with her opponents.

It remains unclear how long she will continue to wrestle internationally, but there’s one thing that’s clear: Susaki has the talent and will to match the all-time Japanese greats like Kaori ICHO (JPN) and Saori YOSHIDA (JPN).

Otoguro became a cadet world champ in 2014 but outlasted his 65kg foes at the ’18 Budapest World Championships and became Japan’s youngest-ever senior world champion at 19 years and 10 months old.

After an uncharacteristic fifth-place finish in Nur-Sultan, Otoguro bounced back and grabbed gold at back-to-back Asian Championships before winning Tokyo Olympic gold on home soil.

Otoguro's growth as a wrestler was visible during the Asian Championships in 2020 as he matured after that heartbreaking loss at the World Championships in 2019.

#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships 2026 Day 1 Greco-Roman Highlights

Sunday, April 5, 2026 - 19:41 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 6) -- For the first time, the Asian Championships will be held in two-day format. The edition in Bishkek will begin with Greco-Roman, followed by Women's Wrestling and then Freestyle. Five Greco-Roman weight classes -- 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg and 130kg -- are in action on Monday.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW

The semifinals will begin at 18:00 local time

55kg
SF 1: Huoying SHI (CHN) vs. LALIT (IND)
SF 2: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) vs. Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ)

63kg
SF 1: Azatjan ACHILOV (TKM) vs. Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ)
SF 2: Erfan JARKANI (IRI) vs. Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB)

77kg
SF 1: Ali OSKOU (IRI) vs. AMAN (IND)
SF 2: Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB) vs. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)

87kg
SF 1: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) vs. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
SF 2: Sunil KUMAR (IND) vs. Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI)

130kg
SF 1: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) vs. Minseok KIM (KOR)
SF 2: Yuta NARA (JPN) vs. Rafael TSITSUASHVILI (UZB)

13:10: World champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) begins his Asian title defense with a 10-0 win over Roman KIM (KGZ) and advance to the semifinals. He will face Minseok KIM (KOR)

13:03: Returning bronze medalist Yuta NARA (JPN) gets the winning score with a slow-motion gut wrench in the second period, prevailing on last-point criteria 3-3 over two-time Asian U23 silver medalist Jokhar UZAROV (KAZ) to advance to the 130kg semifinals.

12:58: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) gets a gut wrench to the back upgraded to a 4-point move upon his opponent's challenge, giving him a 10-0 victory over two-time bronze medalist Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) and moving him a step closer to a second straight gold, this time up at 87kg after winning at 82kg last year.

12:57: World bronze medalist Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) with some big throws and a fall against Dovletmyrat BAYRAMOV (TKM) at 87kg in just 30 seconds. Zhanyshov vs Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) final will be a treat.

12:50: Sunil KUMAR (IND), the last Indian to win a Greco gold when he did on home soil in New Dehli in 2020, reeled off two gut wrenches from par terre in the second period for a 5-1 victory over Shichang ZHENG (CHN) and a place in the 87kg semifinals. Kumar is also going for his fourth career Asian medal.

12:42: Kaisei TANABE (JPN), last year's champion at freestyle 65kg looking to make history with a victory at Greco 63kg, minimized the points scored by Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ), but failed to get enough of his own and came out on the short end of a 4-3 score. Taalaibek Uulu had the first chance in par terre, but even though he lifted Tanabe off his feet, he could only get a 1-point throw out of it. Taalaibek Uulu then got in on a bear hug and lifted Tanabe again, but only got a takedown out of that situation to lead 4-0 at the break. Tanabe got a chance at par terre and hit a gut wrench to cut the gap to 1, but could not pull out the win.

12:32: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), aiming to improve on his two bronze medals from 2023 and 2025, rips off four straight rolls from par terre and he's into the 55kg semifinals with a 10-0 win over Hajiali HOSSEINVAND (IRI). The Iranian side pushed the challenge button before the first roll, looking for a leg foul, but the scoring was upheld.

12:25: Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB), a bronze medalist in 2024, makes short work of Amro SADEH (JOR), storming to a quick 9-0 win to earn a semifinal date with Makhmudov.

12:23: There cannot be a better way to find a way to win a Greco-Roman bout that a five-point throw! AMAN (IND) does exactly that in his quarterfinal against Halishan BAHEJIANG (CHN) at 77kg. Aman was down 4-1 but got on a duckunder and locked Bahejiang and completes a perfect throw for five points and wins 6-4

12:20: Ali OSKOU (IRI), Zagreb Open Ranking Series champion at 77kg, defends from par terre twice, against Yeonghun NOH (KOR) and he does that well, once with 25 seconds remaining to win 5-2 and advance to the semifinals.

12:18: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) with another spectacular throw as he defeats Kaharman KISSYMETOV (KAZ) 9-1 to gain a place in the semifinals. Makhmudov is put on the bottom of par terre, but wiggles his way out and gets behind for a takedown. Then the fun starts, as he hits a high-flying 4-point throw to lead 6-1. In the second period, Makhmudov gets the top position, and he quickly executes a gut wrench that ends the proceedings.

12:10: Roman KIM (KGZ) gets the home crowd going, getting four straight rolls from par terre to knock off Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL) 9-0 at 130kg. Batbayar is one of a few wrestlers who will be doing the Greco-Freestyle double in Bishkek — he's the Asian U23 champion in freestyle!

12:08: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI), the reigning world champion at 82kg, has moved up to the Olympic weight of 87kg and gets off to a good start, overwhelming Muhammad SULTONZODA (TJK) 9-0 in less than two minutes.

12:05: Hyunwoong CHOI (KOR) survives a battle against Huangsheng WU (CHN) at 63kg. He was leading 11-6 when Wu scored a huge four-pointer with 11 seconds remaining to make it 11-10. But the last desperate attempt ended with Choi getting two points and a 13-10 win

12:02: Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), an Asian champion in 2019 and world bronze medalist in 2023, is looking to regain the magic up a weight at 63kg. He cruises through his opening match, handily defeating  Rayan HAWSAWI (KSA) 8-0.

11:51: Hajiali HOSSEINVAND (IRI), winner at the Zagreb Ranking Series tournament, advances at 55kg with a 4-0 victory over Nurzat KABDYRAKHIMOV (KAZ). Hosseinvand chalks up three points in the first period, then adds a stepout in the second.

11:41: Local star Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) gets the tournament off to an exciting start with a 4-point bear hug en route to a 7-3 victory over a spunky Isami HORIKITA (JPN) in the opening match at 77kg. Makhmudov, a two-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion aiming for his fourth career Asian gold, used a bear hug to power Horikita to the mat, then added a 2-point roll for 6-1 lead. In the second period, Makhmudov got the passivity point, but when he tried a gut wrench from par terre, Horikita stepped over for a 2-point exposure. But that was the end of the scoring and Makhmudov was safely through. 

11:15: The Asian Championships will get underway in Bishkek with Greco-Roman. Five weight classes with local hero Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) in action as well.