#BuchaWrestU23

World Champions Gempei and Sukhee advance to U23 Semifinals

Thursday, November 15, 2018 - 13:03 By Taylor Miller

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Photo of Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) by Sachicko Hotaka.

BUCHAREST, Romania – The semifinals for Thursday at the 2018 U23 World Championships have been set and features two World champions.

Highlighting the semifinalists at 65 kg is returning U23 World champion Ayana GEMPEI (JPN), who is also a 2016 Junior World champion and a 2018 Senior World bronze medalist.

To earn her second spot in the U23 World finals, Gempei will have to go through 2018 Junior World bronze medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR).

The other 65 kg semifinal will feature 2017 U23 World bronze medalist Moa NYGREN (SWE) and two-time Junior World bronze medalist Elis MANOLOVA (AZE).

There are three past age-group World medalists in the semifinals at 57 kg.

On the top side of the bracket, 2014 Senior World champion and 2015 Senior World silver medalist Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) will battle this year’s University World runner-up Alexandria TOWN (CAN).

Meanwhile on the bottom half, 2017 U23 World silver medalist and 2018 Junior World silver medalist Qi ZHANG (CHN) will go head-to-head with 2018 Junior Asian champion Akie HANAI (JPN), who knocked off 2017 Senior World bronze medalist Becka LEATHERS (USA) in the qualification round.

Photo of Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR).

At 53 kg, two-time Cadet World silver medalist Andreea ANA (ROU) will face 2018 University World silver medalist Momoka KADOYA (JPN), while two-time Junior World bronze winner and 2018 Military World champion Milana DADASHEVA (RUS) will battle two-time Junior World medalist Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR).

At 62 kg, we’ll see 2018 Senior World runner-up Yukako KAWAI (JPN) take on home country’s Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU), who is a 2016 University World silver medalist and 2013 Cadet World bronze winner.

Also moving on to the semis at 62 kg was 2017 U23 World silver medalist Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) and two-time age-group World silver medalist Luisa NIEMESCH (GER).

At 72 kg, two-time age-group World bronze medalist Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) will challenge Buse TOSUN (TUR), who won bronze at the 2018 Senior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Tosun is also a 2013 Junior World silver medalist.

In the other 72 kg semi, 2017 Junior World bronze medalist and hometown favorite Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) against Xiaoqian WANG (CHN).

Semifinal matchups

53 kg
Andreea ANA (ROU) vs. Momoka KADOYA (JPN)
Milana DADASHEVA (RUS) vs. Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR)

57 kg
Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) vs. Alexandria TOWN (CAN)
Qi ZHANG (CHN) vs. Akie HANAI (JPN)

62 kg
Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) vs. Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)
Yukako KAWAI (JPN) vs. Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU)

65 kg
Moa NYGREN (SWE) vs. Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
Ayana GEMPEI (JPN) vs. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR)

72 kg
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) vs. Buse TOSUN (TUR)
Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) vs. Xiaoqian WANG (CHN)

#BuchaWrestU23

China and Japan Each Advance Four Women to #BuchaWrestU23 Semifinals

Wednesday, November 14, 2018 - 14:17 By Taylor Miller

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Photo of Miho IGARASHI (JPN) by Martin Gabor. 

BUCHAREST, Romania – The first batch of women’s freestyle semifinals are set for the 2018 U23 World Championships in Bucharest, Romania, highlighted by four wrestlers from China and four from Japan.

There are no semifinal head-to-head matchups between the two nations.

For Japan, the four semifinalists include Miho IGARASHI at 50 kg, Saki IGARASHI at 55 kg, Yuzuru KUMANO at 59 kg and Miwa MORIKAWA at 68 kg.

Wrestling tonight for China is Junling OUYANG at 55 kg, Ningning RONG, Chuying TANG at 68 kg and Paliha PALIHA at 76 kg.

2017 U23 World champion Miho Igarashi advanced to the semis at 50 kg, where she will take on two-time age-group World bronze medalist Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU). Miho seeks her fifth World title as she is also a two-time Junior World champion and a 2014 Cadet World champion.

The other semifinal at 50 kg features 2011 Cadet World champion and two-time World silver medalist Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RUS) and Namuuntsetseg TSOGT OCHIR (MGL).

Photo of Junling OUYANG (CHN) by Martin Gabor. 

At 55 kg, the other Igarashi, Saki, will take on 2016 Junior World bronze medalist and 2014 Cadet World bronze winner Elena Heike BRUGGER (GER). Saki was this year’s 2018 Junior World champion and claimed Cadet World silver in 2015.

On the other side of the bracket, it’s China’s Ouyang against Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ), who is a two-time Junior World medal winner.

Photo of Grace BULLEN (NOR) by Martin Gabor. 

World champions Rong of China and Kumano of Japan are on opposite sides of the 59 kg bracket.

Rong, who won the 2018 Senior World title at 57 kg two weeks ago, will battle two-time Cadet World champion and two-time Junior World medalist Olena KREMZER (UKR), while the reigning U23 World champion Kumano will face Youth Olympic Games champion and 2017 Junior World bronze medalist Grace BULLEN (NOR).

Photo of Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ (CUB) by Martin Gabor.

The last weight that features wrestlers from both China and Japan is at 68 kg.

2018 Junior World bronze medalist Morikawa will have to go through Khishigmaa MUNKHBAT (MGL) to earn a spot in the finals. Most recently, Munkhbat was 10th at the Ivan Yarygin Memorial.

Tang of China took seventh at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, last month. In order to guarantee a spot on the podium, Tang must make her way past Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ (CUB), who is a 2017 U23 World silver medalist and 2017 Junior World bronze medalist.

At 76 kg, Paliha will face 2015 Junior World bronze winner Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ). On the other side, 2017 U23 World finalist Gracelynn DOOGAN (CAN) will go head-to-head with Aysegul OZBEGE (TUR).

Semifinals will begin Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. local time (10:15 a.m. ET). Fans can watch live on unitedworldwrestling.org.

Semifinal matchups

50 kg
Miho IGARASHI (JPN) vs. Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU)
Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RUS) vs. Namuuntsetseg TSOGT OCHIR (MGL)

55 kg
Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) vs. Junling OUYANG (CHN)
Elena Heike BRUGGER (GER) vs. Saki IGARASHI (JPN)

59 kg
Ningning RONG (CHN) vs. Olena KREMZER (UKR)
Yuzuru KUMANO (JPN) vs. Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR)

68 kg
Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) vs. Khishigmaa MUNKHBAT (MGL)
Chuying TANG (CHN) vs. Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ (CUB)

76 kg
Paliha PALIHA (CHN) vs. Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ)
Aysegul OZBEGE (TUR) vs. Gracelynn DOOGAN (CAN)