#Grappling

World Combat Games Qualifiers: 16 earn quotas

By Vinay Siwach

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (April 30) -- The World Combat Games Qualifiers offering 40 quotas got underway in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Sunday in Grappling and Grappling Gi.

The first phase of the qualification was held in 2022 in Pontevedra, Spain which also offered 40 quotas. The four highest-placed grapplers in each of the Combat Games approved senior weight categories qualified for the World Combat Games in Saudi Arabia in October 2023.

In Tashkent, the process will be the same and the first four highest-placed athletes in each of the weight categories will each qualify for one quota place for their national federation.

If in a weight category, more than one athlete from the same country is ranked in the first four highest places, only one quota will be allocated to the country. The remaining quota(s) will be reallocated in the same weight category to the national federation of the next best-ranked athlete, not yet qualified, in the qualification event where the quota place was obtained.

Men's Grappling

66kg
Mayis NERSESYAN (ARM)
Renzo MARTINEZ (VEN)
Avzal AKHMETOV (UZB)
Syimyk MAKHMEDOV (KGZ)

84kg
Nadir IMAMALIYEV (AZE)
Ulugbek RAKHMONOV (UZB)
Nurbek TALBUDIN (KAZ)
Amirhossein JINOUR (IRI)

92kg
Hajimurad PURTIYEV (AZE)
Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA)
Mantas DAUBLYS (LTU)
Ramazan KUSSAINOV (KAZ)

Women's Grappling

58kg
Viktoriia SYNIAVINA (UKR)
Zhenishgul ABDYRAKHMAN KYZY (KGZ)
Zilolakhon MUHAMMADOVA (UZB)

90kg
Madinabonu SALOKHIDDINOVA (UZB)
 

#JapanWrestling

Ozaki, Tanabe take special wrestling trip to Iran

By Vinay Siwach

TEHRAN, Iran (April 28) — While most Paris Olympic medalist from Japan are preparing for June’s Meiji Cup at their base universities in Japan, world champion Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) and Asian champion Kaisei TANABE (JPN) have managed to squeeze in a educational trip to Iran despite their busy training schedule.

Ozaki, who won bronze medal at the Paris Olympics at 68kg, returned to international competition recently won a silver medal at 62kg at the Asian Championships in March. She is expected to compete at the Meiji Cup which will be held in Tokyo from June 19 to 22.

“I am in Iran right now,” Ozaki told UWW. “It’s a place I always wanted to visit. I am really happy.”

Ozaki visited Tehran as part of her education trip and exchanged wrestling notes with few of the Iranian wrestlers who are part of the team.

“Iran has many world and Olympic champions and I wanted to study wrestling here,” she said. “I stayed for a week and this experience will help me learn me about wrestling.”

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka OZAKI (JPN), left, and Kaisei TANABE (JPN), third from left, in Iran. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Tanabe won the gold medal at the Asian Championships at 65kg and also attended the training camp with Iran wrestlers.

The Nippon Sports Science University wrestler is also expected to compete at the Meiji Cup and if he wins, he will book his ticket to the World Championships in September where he can meet Paris Olympic silver medalist Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) who was present at the training camp in Tehran.

Amouzad lost the 65kg final in Paris to Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) who is a teammate of Tanabe at NSSU.