#WrestleIstanbul

World Olympic Qualifier Greco-Roman Paris Qualification Bouts Set

Thursday, May 9, 2024 - 06:57 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

Share this article

ISTANBUL, Turkiye (May 9) -- The first day of the World OG Qualifier, the last chance for wrestlers to earn a Paris 2024 spot, will see the six weight classes in Greco-Roman. Three wrestlers from each weight class will earn the spot for Paris from Istanbul.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER

Here are the Paris Qualification bouts for the evening session

60kg
Dahyun KIM (KOR) vs. Sadyk LALAEV (AIN)
Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)

67kg
Etienne KINSINGER (GER) vs. Valentin PETIC (MDA)
Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) vs. Lei LI (CHN)

77kg
Rui LIU (CHN) vs. Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
Sergei KUTUZOV (AIN) vs. Iuri LOMADZE (GEO)

87kg
Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) vs. Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) vs. Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)

97kg
Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) vs. Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN)
Artur SARGSIAN (AIN) vs. Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER)

130kg
Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN) vs. Sabah SHARIATI (AZE)
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) vs. Heiki NABI (EST)

17:12: In a marquee matchup to cap the seven-hour session, Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) got the best of Viktor NEMES (SRB), scoring a pair of 4-point moves in a 10-1 victory at 77kg. Trailing 1-0 in the second period and put into par terre, Lomadze hits a whirling 4-point throw. He then puts the match away by securing a body lock and taking Nemes to his back for 4.

17:04: Rui LUI (CHN) makes up for squandering an early lead by scoring a stepout with 1:03 left and holding on to defeat Idris IBAEV (GER) 5-5 at 77kg. Lui led 4-2 early in the first period when Ibaev went ahead 5-4 with takedown and stepout.

17:02: Young Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN) is looking unstoppable at 130kg, as he finishes off a 13-4 win over Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) with an awesome underhook 4-point throw.

17:00: Sergey KUTUZOV (AIN) once again dominant on the mat! Per OLOFSSON (SWE) had no chance against Kutuzov who got the first par terre. Olofsson was docked for two points for leg could and Kutuzov scored a turn from par terre to lead 5-0. Few points in the second period but Kutuzov with an 8-2 win at 77kg.

16:51: Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN), looking to become the first Japanese in an upper weight class in Greco to make the Olympics since 2012, moved one step away by scoring two takedowns in a 6-0 victory over Felix BALDAUF (NOR) at 97kg. Standing in his way is Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN).

16:47: London Olympic silver medalist Heiki NABI (EST) is a win away from qualifying for the Paris Games. Nabi, 38, beats Oskar MARVIK (NOR) 5-1 in the quarterfinal at 130kg.

16:43: Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER) knocks off two-time former world bronze medalist Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) at 97kg in another 1-1 match decided by the last of two passivity points. He will face Artur SARGSIAN (AIN) tonight for a ticket to Paris.

16:42: In a thriller at 60kg, Razvan ARNAUT (ROU) is trailing Justus PETRAVICIUS (LTU) 6-2 in the second period when he unleashes a lethal 4-point arm throw and pulls out a 6-6 win.

16:30: Artur SARGSIAN (AIN) barely manages to see off Vladen KOZLIUK (UKR) in the 97kg quarterfinals. Sargsian, who usually has a strong par terre, fails to perform against Kozliuk but gets the job done.

16:27: In one of the featured matches of what is officially the quarterfinals but what are de facto semifinals, Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)  scrapes to a 2-1 victory over Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) at 87kg. After Kessidis gets a passivity point, Huseynov goes ahead on criteria when he receives a point from an unsuccessful and somewhat misguided challenge. In the second period, Huseynov gains a stepout, although it was one the Azeris might have wished they could have challenged it.

16:25: Zagreb Open champion Sadyk LALAEV (AIN) ended the strong run of Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) at 60kg, scoring a second-period takedown that clinched a 6-2 victory.

16:12: Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) does just what he needs to do to get by Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) at 87kg, scoring a roll from par terre to win 3-3 on last-point criteria. He will either Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) or Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) for a ticket to Paris.

16:08: 2021 world silver medalist Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) continues his run at 87kg with a 7-2 win over Nicu OJOG (ROU) to advance to the Paris 2024 qualification bout.

16:02: Lei LI (CHN) rallies from a 5-point deficit to defeat Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) 10-5 and advance to Paris 2024 qualification match at 67kg. He will face Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO), who came out a 9-4 winner in a contentious match with Din KOSHKAR (KAZ) on an adjacent mat.

15:50: Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) jumps out to a big lead against VIKAS (IND) at 77kg, using an arm throw for 2, then getting behind and nailing a 4-point throw. Lomadze then slips behind for a takedown that ends it at 8-0 with 25 seconds to spare in the first period.

15:45: Sergei KUTUZOV (AIN) looks the wrestler to beat at 77kg! He takes out Tsimur BERDYIEU (AIN) 8-0 to advance to the quarterfinals where he will face Per OLOFSSON (SWE).

15:39: Former world champion Viktor NEMES (SRB) forges ahead at 77kg, scoring a gut wrench in his second shot at par terre in the second period to sew up a 4-0 victory over Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO).

15:29: Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) prevails in an intense battle between former world medalists at 77kg, gaining a stepout in the first period and a passivity point in the second for a 2-1 victory over Zoltan LEVAI (HUN).

15:27: There's still plenty of life left in 38-year-old Heiki NABI (EST), holder of an Olympic silver from 2012 and five world medals won over a span from 2006 to 2019. He gets a pair of gut wrenches from par terre in the first period, then uses stepouts to finish off Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM) 9-0 at 130kg.

15:19: Veteran Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU), finally taking the mat for the first time on a long day as he bids to make a fourth Olympics, gets a gut wrench from par terre in the first period and comes out a 4-0 winner over Eduard BABENOSHEV (TJK) at 130kg.

15:17: Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) falls in the 1/8 finals against Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) 130kg. Kuosmanen hit a front head lock for four at the start of the bout before getting a passivity point to lead 5-0. Kajaia got one point in the second period but that was all as Kousmanen won 5-1.

15:10: Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) beats Alex SZOKE (HUN) 1-1 at 97kg after the two exchanged passivity points. Szoke got the par terre on the third passivity but failed to score and Kajaia was happy to hold on to his criteria lead.

15:02: Sabah SHARIATI (AZE), a bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, rolls to a 9-0 victory over three-time Asian bronze medalist Roman KIM (KGZ) at 130kg.

14:59: Felix BALDAUF (NOR) wins over no new friends in Istanbul after he knocked off local favorite Metehan BASAR (TUR) at 97kg, winning 1-1 on last-point criteria after both received a passivity point.

14:50: Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) continues to surprise at 97kg, scoring a reversal from the bottom of par terre after landing on his feet during a throw -- which was upheld on challenge -- in a 3-1 victory over Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE).

14:48: In a clash of Tokyo Olympians, Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) gets a passivity point in each period and comes out a 2-0 winner over Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) at 97kg.

14:34: An impressive display by two-time world bronze medalist Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) to move closer to a ticket to Paris at 60kg. He reverses from the bottom of par terre against Christopher KRAEMER (GER), then scores two gut wrenches to make it 5-1. Mammodov finishes the proceedings with a twirling 4-point throw and, with an unsuccessful challenge, the final score is 10-1.

14:31: Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) literally took down Goliath. The 2023 world bronze medalist at 63kg scored a takedown against five-time African medalist Romio GOLIATH (NAM), then reeled off four rolls for a 9-0 victory to advance at 60kg.

14:29: Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) reels off a 4-point throw from par terre in the second period and that makes the difference in a 5-4 victory over Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) at 87kg. Both wrestlers competed at the Tokyo Olympics at 77kg, but lost in the first round.

14:23: Marcel STERKENBURG  (NED) hangs on for a 3-2 win over Mihail BRADU (MDA) at 87kg. Sterkenburg scored a turn from par terre for a 3-0 lead. He challenged asking for two more points for the second turn. He lost that challenge as Bradu never came in danger position. Bradu got one point for par terre in the second period but failed to score any points.

14:15: Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) with a big four-pointer, that was challenged by Martynas NEMSEVICIUS (LTU) but lost. Bisultanov then added a takedown and turn to earn a 9-0 win at 87kg.

14:14: Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) hangs on for a 5-4 victory over Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) at 87g.

14:09: Olympic bronze medalist Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) advances at 87kg by the slimmest of margins, overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the final seconds for an improbable 4-3 win over Sunil KUMAR (IND). With time running out, Huseynov got in on a body lock and forced Kumar over the edge for a stepout. But the Indian was assessed a 1-point penalty for fleeing, giving Huseynov a 3-3 win on criteria. An unsuccessful challenge added the final point.

13:57: Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO), a 2021 world bronze medalist who would love nothing better than to get a chance to make up for a fifth-place finish in Tokyo, advances at 67kg with a 5-0 win over Niklas OEHLEN (SWE). Zoidze comes close but fails to complete a gut wrench from par terre in the first period, but pulls one off after a takedown in the second.

13:48: Valentin PETIC (MDA) scores a stepout on a throw attempt from par terre and comes out a 4-1 winner at 67kg over Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY). He will face Andreas VETSCH (SUI) for a place in Olympic qualification match.

13:45: European bronze medalist Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) scores a victory by fall over Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) at 87kg. Trailing 1-1 on criteria, Maskevich pancakes his opponent to his back and applies a tight headlock for the fall. It was a rematch of Maskevich's 7-5 win at the 2021 World Championships, where he won the silver medal and Kulynycz took home a bronze.

13:36: Mateusz BERNATEK (POL), a world silver medalist back in 2017, gets a stepout in the first period and a gut wrench from par terre in the second, and he advances at 67kg with a 4-1 victory over Yong Jin RO (PRK).

13:32: European bronze medalist Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) scores a first-period takedown and has one in the second nullified on challenge, but it's enough for a 3-0 victory over Oliver KRUEGER (DEN) at 77kg.

13:17: Asian Games bronze medalist Rui LIU (CHN), who suffered a heartbreaking loss in the final match at the Asian Qualifier, starts out strong at 77kg with an 11-0 win over Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE). Liu gets a pair of rolls from par terre, then finishes it off the match with a 4-point throw.

13:11: Tokyo Olympian Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL), a 2019 world bronze medalist, gets the gut wrench during his shot at par terre in the second period and that's enough for a 3-1 victory over Marcos SANCHEZ (ESP) to advance at 77kg, today's most populated weight class with 33 entries.

12:52: Sergey KUTUZOV (AIN), the 2021 world silver medalist at 72kg, chalks up an 8-0 victory over Kamal BEY (USA) at 77kg, which took a while to figure out. With a 2-0 lead, Kutuzov got behind with the two standing and hit a 4-point throw. The USA side challenged, but instead, Bey was assessed a 2-point foul, ending the match just before the end of the first period.

12:45: Artur SARGSIAN (AIN), who broke his arm at the World Championships, returns for the last chance qualifier and beats Markus RAGGINGER (AUT) 7-1 at 97kg to keep his hopes of earning a Paris 2024 spot alive.

12:31: Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN), the 2023 world U23 champion at 97kg who has moved up to 130kg, advances with a fall over 2020 world U20 champion Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR). Hlinchuk was leading 7-4 when Vyshnyvetskyi hit a lateral drop for 4. But Hlinchuk rolled through the move to come out on top and secure the fall.

12:17: Alex SZOKE (HUN), the 2021 world silver medalist who placed fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, knocks off Nikolaz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) 10-1 at 97kg. Szoke gets a pair of rolls from par terre to build a 5-0 lead. On the bottom in the second period, Szoke stops a roll for 2, then gets on top and hits a gut wrench.

11:57: Metehan BASAR (TUR), six years removed from the second of his back-to-back world titles at 85/87kg, gets the home crowd going with a 2-0 win over Asian Games silver medalist Yiming LI (CHN) at 97kg. The 33-year-old Basar gains a passivity point in the first period and a stepout in the second.

11:56: Five-time Asian medalist and Tokyo Olympian Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ), who came up one win short at the Asian qualifier at home in Bishkek, stuffs a roll attempt by Kaloyan IVANOV (BUL) in par terre for 2 and advances at 97kg with a 3-1 victory.

11:38: Two-time world bronze medalist Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), the reigning European champion at 63kg, gets three rolls and an exposure from par terre to put away Aleksandrs JURKJANS (LAT) 10-1 as he tries to make his first Olympics at 60kg.

11:30: Munkh BATKHUYAG (MGL), a 2023 world U23 bronze medalist in freestyle (!), overwhelms Ibrahim BUNDUKA (SLE) 10-0 at 60kg as he launches his attempt to become just the second Mongolian in history to wrestle Greco at an Olympics and first since 1980.

11:21: Tokyo Olympic 77kg bronze medalist Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE), aiming to make it to Paris at 87kg, gets a pair of passivity points and a challenge point and holds on for a 3-1 win over Ilias PAGKALIDIS (GRE).

11:20: Two-time world medalist and Tokyo Olympian Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) bear hugs Hannes WAGNER (GER) straight to his back for a spectacular 4-pointer from par terre and he advances at 87kg with a 5-1 victory.

11:10: Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) uses his over-under position to score stepouts against Lukas STAUDACHER (AUT) and secures a technical superiority win at 87kg.

10:59: Another match is decided by which wrestler receives the last passivity point. In a battle of Tokyo Olympians, it was former world champion Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) gained a 1-1 victory at 87kg over four-time Pan Am champion Daniel GREGORICH (CUB). The loss by Gregorich at 87kg makes it difficult for Cuba to have wrestlers in all six Greco weight classes in Paris.

10:46: Veteran two-time world champion Hansu RYU (KOR) saw his bid to make a third Olympics end when a late takedown against Matias LIPASTI (FIN) was wiped out on challenge, giving Lipasti a 1-1 victory on last-point criteria -- he got the second of the passivity points awarded. Ryu had a second chance in par terre but couldn't turn Lipasti.

10:36: At 67kg, Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Mohamed ELSAYAD (EGY) has to hang on for a nail-biting 9-8 victory over European bronze medalist Abu AMAEV (BUL). Elsayad gets a pair of 4-pointers to build up a 9-2, only to allow Amaev to nearly rally to victory.

10:35: Yong Jin RO (PRK) gets the gut wrench in his second stint in par terre in the second period, giving him a 3-2 victory at 67kg over the two-time world 72kg bronze medalist Selcuk CAN (TUR). 

10:30: Lei LI (CHN) with a quick takedown and four three rolls for an 8-0 win over Adomas GRIGALIUNAS (LTU) at Greco-Roman 67kg. China is looking to earn the three Greco-Roman spots that it has still not got.

10:00: Welcome to the first day of the World OG Qualifier in Istanbul. Greco-Roman action will kick off the tournament. Winners of the semifinal along with the winner of the playoff between the two bronze medalists will earn a quota for the Paris Olympics.

#JapanWrestling

Otoguro's dream of Olympic repeat shattered with stunning loss to Kiyooka

Saturday, December 23, 2023 - 18:01 By Ken Marantz

Share this article

TOKYO (December 23) -- The day after his younger sister pulled off an upset by beating the world champion, Kotaro KIYOOKA managed to top that with the type of victory that reverberates throughout the wrestling world.

Kiyooka officially ended Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO's hopes to repeat in Paris, getting two calls advantageously corrected on challenge in the last 30 seconds to score a stunning 6-6 victory in their freestyle 65kg semifinal at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships on Saturday in Tokyo.

"I was the challenger, but I went in with a strong mind that I could knock him off," said Kiyooka, who was vociferously cheered on by the large contingent of his Nippon Sports Science University teammates at Yoyogi No. 2 Gym.

In another weight class in the spotlight, Nonoka OZAKI assured that the open Olympic spot at women's 68kg will be heading to a playoff after upending Ami ISHII in their first-round clash, while Yukako KAWAI was another Tokyo Olympic gold medalist eliminated from the Paris hunt.

Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN)Kotaro KIYOOKA goes out the back door for a takedown against Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO in the freestyle 65kg semifinals. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

For the 22-year-old Kiyooka, his mission is not yet over. The tournament is also serving as the qualifier for the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in Bishkek in April, and Kiyooka will face fellow collegian Masanosuke ONO in Sunday's final to earn that ducat.

"If I lose tomorrow, it's all for nothing," Kiyooka said. "I will focus on the one match and make sure I come out the winner."

Kiyooka said he was inspired by younger sister Moe winning her second straight All-Japan title at 55kg on Friday when she beat reigning world champion Haruna OKUNO in the final to avenge a loss in a world team playoff in July.

"That really gave me a spark," Kotaro said. "I was in the middle of cutting weight but I watched it closely."

The siblings had both missed out on making the World Championships in an Olympic weight with losses at the second domestic qualifier, the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, in June.

"She had also tasted the disappointment of defeat after losing a playoff and at the Meiji Cup," Kiyooka said. "I'm really happy that she won, and that made me fight even harder."

Otoguro came into the tournament having been plagued by a right foot injury that he suffered in January this year, but which flared up at his only two outings -- the Meiji Cup, which he still won, and the World Championships in September, where he strikingly failed to secure a Paris berth at 65kg.

The foot didn't seem to affect him in his first two matches Saturday, although he did take a brief timeout against Kiyooka. When the chips were down late in the match, he moved with the fierce intensity of a banshee, and Kiyooka fought him tooth and nail.

Kiyooka was the aggressor and scored the first points after going out the back door on a takedown in the first period, then made it 4-0 with a high leg roll. Otoguro snatched a takedown just before the buzzer to go into the break down 4-2.

With the crowd sensing a historic upset and Otoguro going into high gear, Kiyooka shot again, but Otoguro reached over and worked for a counter lift with a half-minute to go. This is where things got both interesting and complicated.

Takuto OTOGURO (JPN)The two points that Takuto OTOGURO (red) was awarded on this counter lift in the final seconds was rescinded on challenge. (Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Otoguro executed a lift and back roll for 2, then another, then apparently a third that put him up 8-4. But Kiyooka's side challenged, and the points for the third roll were switched to a 2-point exposure for Kiyooka, putting him ahead 6-6 on last-point criteria.

As the time ticked down, Kiyooka was desperately clasping onto a leg, with Otoguro glancing at the clock as he girded his strength for one last counter lift. With the clock nearing zero, he hit the move and turned Kiyooka over, and the referees signaled 2 points.

But that was not the end. Another challenge, and after a long look at the replay, it was determined that Kiyooka's back had not been in the danger position by breaking the 90-degree plane. No points, and the king had fallen.

"He wasn't going to let me win easily, and the second period was a real battle," Kiyooka said. "I thought I had won, and maybe there was a little luck on my side. But it was good that I stayed on the attack in the second period. I think that led to the win."

As the NSSU side went wild, Otoguro displayed a mixture of disbelief, agitation and anger. Never one to handle losing well, he stormed out of the arena and refused to talk with the media.

Shinichi YUMOTO, Otoguro's coach on the Self-Defense Forces Physical Training School team, appeared in Otoguro's place.

"We disagree completely with the call, but the refereeing supervisor made the decision and we have to live by it," Yumoto said. "There is no one who puts their whole self into wrestling like him, and because he is so devastated he is unable to do an interview. I apologize for that."

Yumoto acknowledged that Otoguro needs to accept the outcome. "I think we saw a Takuto who gave everything he has now. He needs to have the pride of an Olympic champion and calmly accept the defeat."

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka OZAKI scores a takedown with an ankle pick against Ami ISHII in their first-round match at women's 68kg. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Ozaki, Morikawa to clash in 68kg final

The Japan federation had set the criteria that a wrestler who wins a medal in an Olympic weight class at the World Championships in Belgrade would automatically fill the spot in Paris themselves. Of the 10 secured by Japan, Ishii's at 68kg was the only one who did not medal.

That left 68kg as the lone unfilled spot for the Japanese women, and a powerful lineup had gathered to challenge Ishii, who could have clinched the place outright by winning the All-Japan.

Now she will have to earn it in a playoff with the winner of the final on Sunday between Ozaki and Miwa MORIKAWA, after both made it through a gauntlet in their brackets.

Ozaki has been on a roller-coaster of emotions since losing out at her normal weight class of 62kg to Sakura MOTOKI, who secured her ticket to Paris with a silver medal in Belgrade.

Morikawa was in a similar boat, as she lost to Ishii in the world team playoff at 68kg. Both Ozaki and Morikawa also went to Belgrade in non-Olympic weights, with the former winning the gold at 65kg and the latter a bronze at 72kg. Ishii's failure to win a medal reopened the door to Paris for both, and now they are on a collision course to see who gets to challenge Ishii in the decisive showdown on a date to be determined.

On Saturday, the naturally lighter Ozaki put her superior speed to full use in chalking up a 6-2 victory over Ishii.

Ozaki said she was unfazed by having to face Ishii right off the bat. "My goal is the win the championship," she said. "I can't get to the playoff without it, so I can't let myself get too high or too low. Facing Ishii in the first match is just part of it."

Ozaki scored a takedown with a slick ankle pick in the first period for a 2-0 lead. In the second period, Ishii secured an underhook that set up a deep single shot, but Ozaki worked out of it and spun behind to make it 4-0.

Ishii then put the pressure on from above and Ozaki on her knees, but Ozaki shimmied out of danger and got behind for another takedown. Ishii managed a stepout that also drew a fleeing point, but it was too little too late.

After pouring it on in the second period to beat Mei SHINDO by a 10-0 technical fall in the quarterfinals, Ozaki advanced to the final with an 8-1 victory over Miyu YOSHIKAWA, who scored one of her biggest career wins by knocking off Kawai.

Kawai, the Tokyo Olympic champion at 62kg, saw her last chance to get back to the Olympics end when Yoshikawa scored the final point in a scramble for a 4-4 win on criteria.

Yoshikawa, formerly IMAI, has been a perennial medalist at 65kg and although she has never won a national title, she was a world junior champion in 2018.

Morikawa's path to the final consisted of a 3-2 win over Rin MIYAJI and a 10-0 technical fall over Masako FURUICHI. Ironically, the three were all medalists together at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, where Morikawa and Miyaji won silvers at 65kg and 68kg, respectively, and Furuichi won the 72kg gold.

Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN)Hayato ISHIGURO fends off a takedown attempt by Sosuke TAKATANI in the freestyle 86kg final. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Ishiguro quashes Takatani's Olympic hopes, title streak

Veteran Sosuke TAKATANI saw his dreams of a fourth Olympic appearance and a streak of 12 straight All-Japan titles come crashing down at the hands of Takashi ISHIGURO. And he drew a tear-filled tongue-lashing from his younger brother to boot.

Ishiguro fended off Takatani's tackles and held on for a 3-2 victory in the freestyle 86kg final to earn a ticket to the Asian Olympic qualifier to go with his second straight title and third overall. The Asian bronze medalist this year will get his second chance to make a first Olympics after coming up short at the World Championships.

"It's not over yet. I still have a high hurdle to get over," Ishiguro said. "But I'm really happy."

With Ishiguro leading 1-1 on criteria after the two traded activity points, he scored a stepout that drew an additional point for fleeing for a 3-1 lead with 1:20 left. Takatani received another activity point, but his desperate attempts for a winning takedown were thwarted.

Takatani was aiming for his 13th straight All-Japan title won over four weight classes, but more importantly, he wanted to go to the Paris Olympics in tandem with younger brother Daichi, who clinched his ticket by winning a bronze medal at 74kg in Belgrade.

In the concourse beneath the stands leading to the mixed zone, Daichi confronted his brother. Like a coach castigating a player who let him down, he went at Sosuke for spoiling their plans in a mixture of ire and affection.

"What were you doing out there for six minutes!" he bellowed before the tirade ended with a hug.

Ishiguro also saw a brother fall by the wayside, as older sibling and two-time defending champion Takashi was dethroned at 97kg with a 7-1 loss in the semifinals to Hibiku ITO.

Ito, whose mother was an Olympic medal-winning volleyball player, stands 1.93 meters and used his height advantage to score a 4-point counter and fend off Ishiguro's low tackles.

In the final, Ito will face one of Japan's fastest-rising stars, 19-year-old Arash YOSHIDA, who won the 92kg gold at the Asian Championships in his international debut and finished fifth at the World Championships.

Yoshida blasted his way to the gold-medal match with a fall and technical fall in his two matches. Asked about his strategy in regard to Ito's height, the son of an Iranian father and Japanese mother replied, "It's difficult. I've never faced such a tall wrestler. It's important how I can attack. I will talk it over with my coach."

In other action, two-time world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO and reigning world U23 champion Umi ITO both cruised into the women's 50kg final in what will be a matchup of arguably the best wrestlers in the world in that weight class not named Yui SUSAKI.

Susaki, like all of the eight others who clinched Paris berths in Belgrade, did not enter the tournament.

Japan has a good chance to gain another ticket to Paris at Greco 67kg from either Asian Games gold medalist Katsuaki ENDO or Asian silver medalist Kyotaro SOGABE, who will clash in the final after both won their respective semifinal by technical fall.

Tomoaki FUTAMATA (JPN)Tomoaki FUTAMATA (red) sends Taishi NARIKUNI flying for a 4-point throw during their Greco 67kg match. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

While they were tearing through their respective brackets, former world freestyle champion Taishi NARIKUNI's latest foray into Greco was dealt a surprisingly early setback.

Narikuni, who won the 2022 world gold at freestyle 70kg, had planned to compete in both styles at last year's Emperor's Cup, but withdrew from both after suffering an injury just before the tournament. He then went strictly with Greco at the Meiji Cup, but was ousted in the quarterfinals.

On Saturday, he was completely outclassed by Tomoaki FUTAMATA, who reeled off a pair of 4-point throws for a 9-0 win in 2:05 in their preliminary round match.

"It's really shameful," a tearful Narikuni said. "I came with the real aim of winning the title. It's not like I let down my guard, I was ready to go from the first match. Wrestling can be really difficult."

Narikuni realizes that he may have set a trend, as more than a few wrestlers are competing this year in both styles, including freestyle 61kg champion Kaisei TANABE, who made it to the quarterfinals at Greco 63kg.

"Recently, I have become a pathfinder and the number doing both styles has increased," Narikuni said. "But because I have not won at all, all I feel is pitiful."

Ironically, Futamata is among the group that doubled up here. His priority on Greco, however, became apparent when he was forced to make a tough decision.

Five minutes before his match against Narikuni, his first-round match at freestyle 70kg was called. He forfeited it.

Day 3 Results

Freestyle

57kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Kento YUMIYA df. Rikuto ARAI by TF, 10-0, 2:01

BRONZE: Yudai FUJITA df. Yuto TAKESHITA, 5-2
BRONZE: Daito KATSUME df. Akito MUKAIDA, 11-7

65kg (27 entries)
Semifinal: Kotaro KIYOOKA df. Takuto OTOGURO, 6-6
Semifinal: Masanosuke ONO df. Ryoma ANRAKU, 8-4

70kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI df. Keiji WATANABE, 4-0

BRONZE: Kanata YAMAGUCHI df. Raita MORITA by TF, 10-0, 3:43
BRONZE: Ryota UCHIYAMA df. Toki OGAWA by Fall, 6:00 (10-4)

Semifinal: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI df. Raita MORITA by TF, 10-0, 1:23
Semifinal: Keiji WATANABE df. Toki OGAWA, 2-0

79kg (20 entries)
GOLD: Ryunosuke KAMIYA df. Kirin KINOSHITA, 9-6

BRONZE: Subaru TAKAHARA df. Yuta ABE, 6-4
BRONZE: Taro UMEBAYASHI df. Kensuke OTANI by TF, 13-0, 3:46

Semifinal: Ryunosuke KAMIYA df. Yuta ABE by TF, 10-0, 5:14
Semifinal: Kirin KINOSHITA df. Taro UMEBAYASHI by TF, 11-0, 4:48

86kg (14 entries)
GOLD: Hayato ISHIGURO df. Sosuke TAKATANI, 3-2

BRONZE: Yudai TAKAHASHI df. Mao OKUI by Fall, 5:59 (7-0)
BRONZE: Tatsuya SHIRAI df. Shota SHIRAI by TF, 10-0, 5:20

97kg (14 entries)
Semifinal: Hibiki ITO df. Takashi ISHIGURO, 7-1
Semifinal: Arash YOSHIDA df. Taira SONODA by TF, 11-0, 2:32

Greco-Roman

60kg (16 entries)
GOLD: Kaito INABA df. Maito KAWANA, 5-2

BRONZE: Yasuhito MORI df. Keijiro SONE, 4-2
BRONZE: Koto GOMI def. Kosei TAKESHITA by Def.

67kg (20 entries)
Semifinal: Katsuaki ENDO df. Haruto YABE by TF, 11-0, 2:27
Semifinal: Kyotaro SOGABE df. Tomoaki FUTAMATA by TF, 9-0, 1:58

77kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Isami HORIKITA df. Taishi TOMOYOSE, 5-3

BRONZE: Keisei SHIMABUKURO df. Yudai KOBORI by TF, 10-2, 1:30
BRONZE: Shu YAMADA df. Kenryu KUZUYA, 8-5

Women's Wrestling

50kg (18 entries)
Semifinal: Remina YOSHIMOTO df. Miwa MAGARA by TF, 10-0, 3:39
Semifinal: Umi ITO df. Minoriho MAEHARA by TF, 13-2, 3:20

57kg (13 entries)
Semifinal: Sae NANJO df. Sara NATAMI by Fall, 5:04 (2-5)
Semifinal: Yumaka TANABE df. Ichika ARAI, 4-4

68kg (11 entries)
Semifinal: Miwa MORIKAWA df. Masako FURUICHI by TF, 10-0, 5:56
Semifinal: Nonoka OZAKI df. Miyu YOSHIKAWA, 8-1