UWW President Lalovic Praises Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, IOC

Sunday, August 1, 2021 - 07:55 By United World Wrestling Press

CHIBA, Japan (August 1) --- United World Wrestling president and International Olympic Committee Executive Board member Nenad Lalovic Sunday hailed the organizing committee at the Tokyo Olympic Games for conducting the mega event despite the setbacks because of COVID-19.

Lalovic was speaking the press conference on the first day of wrestling ,which began Sunday at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.

"Welcome to the Olympic Games," Lalovic said. "The Olympic tournament is extremely well organized. It's impossible to compare [the organization in Rio and now in Tokyo] because now we are in a situation where are living alone for more than a year and a half. More or less imprisoned by the pandemic. It is a huge effort to organize the Olympic Games under such conditions. I congratulate the organizers, the Japanese government, the IOC and all involved in this process."

The Tokyo Games, originally scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9 in 2020 were postponed to 2021 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 around the world. Lalovic said that IOC was determined to have the Games under any conditions.

"A year and few months ago we decided at the IOC session to have the Games under any conditions and that's what we have. We have to adapt to this and behave accordingly. Then we will have a successful Games," he said.

As wrestling began at the Games, Lalovic said that the sport has been improving constantly and the action in the first session in Chiba was a proof of that.

"As you saw everything went very well in the first session. Results are quite interesting. Some are unexpected, some are expected. But this is what makes our sport interesting," he said.

At Greco-Roman 130kg, Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) moved closed to becoming the first male wrestler to win four gold medals as he reached the semifinal with ease on Sunday. He will take on Rio Olympic silver medalist Riza KAYAALP (TUR) in the semifinal.

Lalovic was of the opinion that if Lopez can achieve the rare feat it will be a huge effort from the veteran 38-year-old wrestler and a new superstar will be born for the sport.

"He would be the first male wrestler to have that number," he said. "We already have ICHO Kaori (JPN) who has four gold medals. So finally, one man will equal one woman. This is really great. The way he wrestled today encouraged us to think that this is possible. This is a huge effort. He is not the youngest wrestler here, probably the eldest, but definitely he is in very good form. I saw his matches. That would be a new-born superstar of wrestling.”

Icho won four gold medals at the Olympics from Athens to Rio. Now Lopez can equal her if he wins the gold Monday. Extending his thought about the growth of women's wrestling, Lalovic said that wrestlers Sunday showed that it is on its way to become as popular as the men's wrestling.

“In women's wrestling, as an example, the matches we saw today were fantastic, really fantastic, scoring so many technical points," he said. "Women’s wrestling becomes more and more popular and will soon be as popular as men’s wrestling especially with fights and techniques.

"Don't forget that these women are the heavyweights. They are not the fastest ones and even then it's spectacular. We in the federation all have full confidence that we are on the right track. Especially the national federations and NOCs by supporting and backing up women’s wrestling to the maximum. It has to be done, for sure. We saw the reasons this morning.”

He also talked about the opposition to the Games from the Japanese population but the IOC member said that the Games face challenges every edition but this time, going ahead with the event was the best way to fight the pandemic.

"There are always opponents to the Olympic Games everywhere," he said. "Especially finding many reasons to not have them. I don’t know if you remember, but in Beijing (2008), we all had to die from pollution. In London, we had been threatened that we would explode together underground. In Rio, we should all have been killed by the Zika mosquito. But it didn’t happen.

“Today we stand together with the media, athletes, National Olympic Committees and countries taking part in this Games, to fight the pandemic. This is the best way: by having the Olympics.

“You mention also the opposition in Japan. I remember there were 350,000 digital signatures against the Games. May I remind you that in 2013 when we had the crisis [when wrestling was on the verge of being dropped from Olympic Games programme by IOC), the Japanese Wrestling Federation collected more than one million physical signatures, and I insist on the word physical because people really came and signed. Digital signatures are a little bit easier.

“Certainly that is a politically difficult situation, all the pressure from the opposition and so on, but at the end, all of this has been forgotten when the Games were open and the first medals awarded. All that is behind us and we want to finish the Olympic Games in a bright way. I think nothing can stop us."

Wrestling had to fight for its spot in the Games program after IOC announced that it would be dropped after the Rio Games. But wrestling saw a host of changes and support poured in from around the world.

The sport was finally added to the next two cycles of the Games and Lalovic said that the improvement will continue going into the Paris Olympics.

“We have some ideas about what can be the improvements. We will analyze at the technical commission everything that has been shown the last two or three years since we adopted new rules. There may be some changes or improvements. But it has to be analyzed very, very seriously because I think we already achieved something different.

“Probably some small adjustments must be done. But this will be nothing revolutionary until we see that we are not progressing. At this moment, I am absolutely sure that we are progressing in every way. The approach to wrestling is totally different with those rules. You see aggression in Greco-Roman wrestling, which we didn’t have before.”

#WrestleTokyo

Beleniuk Moves to Top of Olympic Podium; Geraei, Kawai Strike Gold

Wednesday, August 4, 2021 - 15:16 By Ken Marantz

CHIBA, Japan (August 4) --- Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) likes to get more aggressive in the second period, figuring it might give him the last-point advantage in matches decided on passivity points. He didn't need that edge in winning his first Olympic gold medal.

Beleniuk scored four points out of the par terre in defeating Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) 5-1 in the Greco-Roman 87kg final on Wednesday night at Makuhari Messe Hall A, giving Ukraine its first Olympic gold in Greco since 1996.

In other finals on a night which featured wrestlers with siblings in the Olympics, Mohammedreza GERAEI (IRI) notched Iran's first wrestling gold with a solid victory at Greco 67kg, and Yukako KAWAI (JPN) did the same for the host country by taking the women's 62kg crown.

Beleniuk's victory was a repeat of the final at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, in which Beleniuk won 2-1 with all points awarded for passivity. On Wednesday, the Ukrainian star put up technical points by rolling Lorincz twice from the par terre position in the second period.

For Beleniuk, it caps a crusade to the top of the Olympic podium after having to settle for the silver at the 2012 London Games, which he went into as reigning world champion.

"This journey has been bumpy and hard," Beleniuk said. "The Olympics were postponed. Practice was not ideal during COVID. A dream came true today and I don't believe it. It will take some time to realize but tomorrow morning I will wake up with a smile."

Beleniuk said he felt the pressure of giving Ukraine its first Greco gold since Vyatsheslav OLEYNIK (UKR) won the country's lone previous one at 90kg at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. It was the fourth wrestling gold overall won by Ukraine.

"Yes, of course I have felt all the tension and pressure," Beleniuk said. "I was the favorite and everybody was expecting and this is something that can not helped. I am a sports psychologist. My knowledge helps me with difficulties and focus on things."

The 30-year-old Beleniuk has one of the more unique background stories among Olympic wrestlers. He was born in Kyiv to a Ukrainian mother and Rwandan father, who was a pilot studying at the city's National Aviation University but would die in the Rwandan civil war.

While excelling as a wrestler, winning two world and three European titles, Beleniuk also got involved in politics and became the first Black member of the Ukrainian Parliament.

"I have won everything thanks to God," Beleniuk said. "I'm an MP [Member of Parliament] and I have been combining the two things. This has made life difficult. Anyway, now I'll rest, focus on work in Parliament."

Yukako KAWAI (JPN) became Olympic champion at 62kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

While Lorincz's loss kept him from joining older brother Tamas as an Olympic champion, after the latter won the Greco 77kg gold on Tuesday, that dream remained in tact for the Kawai sisters of the host country.

Yukako Kawai, the younger sister of 57kg gold medal hopeful Risako KAWAI (JPN), defeated rival and reigning world champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) 4-3 in the women's 62kg final, the first medal won by Japan's powerful women's team halfway through the six weight classes.

"I've faced her a number of times and I've won and I've lost," said Kawai, the 2018 world silver medalist and 2019 world bronze medalist. "This time it was at the Olympics hosted by Japan, so I really wanted to win no matter what. I wanted to show my best to everyone."

After giving up an activity point, Kawai successfully scored with a single-leg takedown to end the first period leading 2-1. It was the first points given up by Tynybekova in four matches.

"I don't remember why, I just did it without thinking," Kawai said of the takedown. "During the match, I just leave it up to what I've done in practice."

In the second period, Kawai padded her lead by spinning behind for 2 on a takedown counter. From that point, it was a battle against the clock as Tynybekova tried to find a way to break down her opponent's defenses.

She came close one time which ended in a stalemate, then got a takedown with 5 seconds remaining that left her one point short.

"This is a sport," said Tynybekova, who won her first medal in three Olympic appearances. "Allour life it's been wrestling and everybody wants to win. Everybody fights according to their style and I did like that. According to the results, Japan is the winner."

Kawai had lost to Tynybekova in their first two encounters, including a defeat by fall at the 2019 World Championships where Tynybekova became Kyrgyzstan's first-ever world champion--and raised hopes of become the country's first-ever Olympic gold medalist in any sport.

"To Kyrgyzstan, yes, I have won the first silver medal for women's wrestling," she said. "I wanted gold. I went to great lengths in my training and did not spare any opponent. Thank you to everyone who helped and waited for the medal. I did everything. But today I could not make history. For now, I have to be satisfied with this silver."

Kawai finally got the best of her rival at the 2020 Asian Championships, setting the stage for a high-level showdown at the Olympics. Kawai had used the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Games to work on building strength, and it paid off by her ability to fend off Tynybekova's attacks.

"In other sports that came before ours, I watched others win gold medals and I thought, 'That's cool, I definitely want one too.' I prepared coming into this, so I'm really happy to win a gold medal."

Earlier in the session, Kawai's older sister Risako earned a shot at a second straight Olympic gold by making the 57kg final. The two have long talked about winning Olympic golds together, and now they are one match away from having it come true.

"It's like a dream," Yukako said. "This was the stage I've always wanted to be on. I was able to get the ideal medal. I'm really happy....Up to now, I've always been second or third...To hear 'Olympic champion,' I'm happy, it's the best day ever."

For Tynybekova, she will have to wait another three years for the chance to earn that moniker.

"In general, my team, my coach and I prepared well," she said. "My coach did well to put me in the right mood. I felt very good in Tokyo. In the final match I could not do everything perfectly according to my coach's instructions."

Mohammadreza GERAEI Mohammedali GERAEI (IRI) won the GR 67kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Geraei, who saw older brother Mohammedali lose in the bronze-medal match at 77kg the day before, gave the family something to celebrate by sweeping past Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) for the Greco 67kg gold with a 9-1 technical fall.

"I did my best to win the gold," said Geraei, the 2019 world U-23 and Asian champion at 72kg. "It was the dream of my life. Unfortunately, my brother could not because he had an injury fromIran. I hope he makes it in the next Olympics."

Leading 3-1 in the second period, Geraei scored 4 points off a driving tackle. An unsuccessful challenge of that call gave him another point, and then he finished off the technical fall at 4:09 by sidestepping a charging Nasibov and scoring a stepout.

Geraei said he expects to return to 72kg for this year's World Championships in Oslo in October, but is undecided beyond that.

"My future plan will be based on my coaches, weight category change as well," Geraei said. "In Norway I will fight at 72kg. For the next Olympics, I will do my best to win the next time with my brother. Hopefully the gold."

In bronze-medal matches, Germany came away with two medals, with 32-year-old Frank STAEBLER (GER) heading into retirement with a hard-earned and first Olympic medal at Greco 67kg to go with his three world titles.

Frank STAEBLER (GER) announced his retirement after winning bronze at 67kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Staebler, making his third Olympic appearance, chalked up a 4-point throw from the par terre position in the first period against Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) , then held off the 2018 world U-23 silver medalist for a 5-4 win.

World bronze medalist Denis KUDLA (GER) caught fire in the second period of his Greco 87kg clash with Mohamed METWALLY (EGY), gut-wrenching his way to a big lead before ending the match by fall at 5:36.

Egypt, however, will not leave Tokyo empty-handed as 2018 and 2019 world U-23 champion Mohammed ELSAYED (EGY) defeated Artem SURKOV (ROC) 1-1 at Greco 67kg. Both points were for passivity, and Elsayed fought off one final stint in the bottom of par terre to clinch the win.

The other Greco 87kg bronze went to Georgian-born Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB), who gave his adopted country just its second Olympic wrestling medal ever by beating Ivan HUKLEK (CRO) 6-1.

European champion Datunashvili scored a takedown and a pair of gut wrenches in the first period to provide all the points he would need in denying Croatia its first-ever Olympic wrestling medal.

Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), the 2018 world champion, needed less than a minute to capture a women's 62kg bronze in her second Olympics. Yusein, who lost to Kawai 3-2 in the semifinals, gained a quick takedown against Liubov OVCHAROVA (ROC), then reeled off a combination of rolls and tilts for a 10-0 technical fall in :56.

Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) won the other 62kg bronze, scoring two stepouts in the second period of a 3-1 win over Anastasjia GRIGORJEVA (LAT), who had been aiming to win Latvia's first Olympic wrestling medal since 1936.

Elder Kawai holds off Maroulis in clash of Rio champs

Risako KAWAI (JPN), left, and Helen MAROULIS (USA) acknowledge after semifinal at 57kg. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

Earlier, Risako KAWAI (JPN) emerged victorious in a highly anticipated clash of Rio 2016 champions, holding off Helen MAROULIS (USA) 2-1 in the semifinals of the women's 57kg class.

Kawai was the Rio gold medalist at 63kg and Maroulis took the 53kg gold with her historic victory over Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) which made her the first American woman to win an Olympic wrestling gold.

At the Tokyo Olympics, they split the difference and met in the middle, aiming for the gold in the weight class in which Kaori ICHO (JPN) won in Rio her unprecedented fourth gold medal.

Icho had actually aimed for a fifth, but lost out in Japan qualifying to Kawai.

In their first-ever meeting, neither Kawai nor Maroulis could break through the other's defenses. In the end, all of the points were scored on the activity clock, with Kawai, regarded as the more aggressive, gaining two.

"The result is the most important thing," Kawai told Japanese TV. "The issues that came up in the morning I talked over with my coach and resolved."

Kawai said she was prepared for the showdown. "She applies a lot of pressure. I had never faced her before, but I saw videos. When we tied up, I felt right away that it was different from those I practiced with and I felt I could handle it."

For Maroulis, the journey to the Tokyo Olympics was a challenge in itself. She had suffered from concussions and a knee injury, and might not have even given it a shot had the Games not been postponed for a year.

"In that year my health actually started getting better, so that was just a blessing," Maroulis said. "If you told me a year ago that I was gonna feel this healthy today and be like 100 percent, I would have probably not believed you. So to be here like this, I'm so grateful."

With the seconds ticking down, Maroulis desparately launched attacks, but was repelled each time.

"In those last 30 seconds, 40 seconds, I really felt like I pushed the pace, but I felt like I got out-positioned," Maroulis said. "I felt like I would be really close to getting her to maybe open up so I could get a takedown, but it just didn't happen."

Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (IRI) df. Artur NAIFONOV Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) wrestle Artur NAIFANOV (ROC) in the 86kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

Another match for the ages was set up in Thursday's freestyle 86kg final, where Rio Olympic and reigning world champion Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) will battle it out with David TAYLOR (USA) in a long-awaited rematch of the 2018 world final won by the American.

Yazdani, who won the 74kg gold in Rio before moving up to the next Olympic weight class and winning the 2017 world title, scored a takedown and a 4-point counter lift in the second period to oust 2019 world bronze medalist Artur NAIFONOV (ROC) 7-1 in the semifinals.

Taylor stormed into the final with his third technical fall of the day, manhandling world silver medalist Deepak PUNIA (IND) 10-0 in 2:49.

"I am excited for the final," Taylor said. "Yazdani is a great competitor, we’ve had battles, one of the best wrestling stars out there. For wrestling to grow you need stars to wrestle each other."

Yazdani is aiming to become the first-ever two-time Olympic champion for wrestling-mad Iran, while Taylor is shooting for a gold medal in his Olympic debut.

"I have to go out there and get it," Taylor said. "It’s not gonna be given to me at all."

Taylor missed the 2019 World Championships after undergoing knee surgery, while Yazdani has been unbeaten since that loss in Budapest in 2018, including winning a second Asian title this year.

Taylor won their two previous meetings, a victory by fall in the 2017 World Cup in Iran and an 11-6 win in the first round at the 2018 worlds.

In the freestyle 57kg semifinals, favorite Zavur UGUEV (ROC) looked more like the two-time world champion than he did in two close victories in the early rounds, notching an 8-3 victory over 2019 Asian champion Reza ATRINAGHARCHI (IRI).

Uguev gave up a roll early on, but came back with a takedown to make it 2-2 going into the second period. A stepout and a pair of takedowns put him in control as he repeated his victory over the Iranian from the quarterfinals at the 2019 World Championships.

In the final, Uguev will face Ravi KUMAR (IND), who rallied from the brink of defeat for a stunning victory by fall over fellow 2019 world bronze medalist Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ).

Kumar never gave up after falling behind 2-9 in the second period, going on the attack to score two takedowns and clamping down for a fall at 5:21 after the second.

Kumar, looking to avenge a loss to Uguev from the semifinals at the 2019 worlds, will get a chance to become India's first-ever Olympic wrestling champion, after becoming just the second in history to make an Olympic final. Sushil KUMAR (IND) took the freestyle 66kg silver at the 2012 London Olympics.

Day 4 Results

Freestyle

57kg
SF1 - Ravi KUMAR (IND) df. Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) by Fall, 5:21 (7-9)
SF2 - Zavur UGUEV (ROC) df. Reza ATRINAGHARCHI (IRI), 8-3

86kg
SF1 - Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) df. Artur NAIFONOV (ROC), 7-1
SF2 - David TAYLOR (USA) df. Deepak PUNIA (IND) by TF, 10-0, 2:49

Greco-Roman

67kg
GOLD - Mohammedreza GERAEI (IRI) df. Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) by TF, 9-1, 4:09

BRONZE - Frank STAEBLER (GER) df. Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO), 5-4
BRONZE - Mohammed ELSAYED (EGY) df. Artem SURKOV (ROC), 1-1

87kg
GOLD - Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) df. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN), 5-1

BRONZE - Denis KUDLA (GER) df. Mohamed METWALLY (EGY) by Fall, 5:36 (8-1)
BRONZE - Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) df. Ivan HUKLEK (CRO), 6-1

Women's Wrestling

57kg
SF1 - Risako KAWAI (JPN) df. Helen MAROULIS (USA), 2-1
SF2 - Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) df. Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) by TF, 11-0, 4:42

62kg
GOLD - Yukako KAWAI (JPN) df. Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), 4-3

BRONZE - Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) df. Anastasjia GRIGORJEVA (LAT), 3-1
BRONZE - Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) df. Liubov OVCHAROVA (ROC) by TF, 10-0, :56

UWW President Lalovic Praises Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, IOC

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Beleniuk Moves to Top of Olympic Podium; Geraei, Kawai Strike Gold