#WrestleSkopje

#WresleSkopje U23 European C'ship Entries

By Eric Olanowski

SKOPJE,  North Macedonia (May 13) --- After a 592 day layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for the first time since the '19 U23 World Championships, the U23 calendar resumes with the U23 European Championships (May 17-23). 

The VIP Arena Boris Trajkovski in North Macedonia's capital city, Skpoje, will welcome nearly 425 rising stars from 36 different nations.

Freestyle action begins on Monday, women's wrestling takes center stage on Wednesday and Greco-Roman closes out the competition beginning on Friday.

Freestyle

57kg
Endrio AVDYLI (ALB)
Karen ZURABYAN (ARM)
Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)
Dzmitry SHAMELA (BLR)
Mehmed Hasan MEHMED (BUL)
Ramaz TURMANIDZE (GEO)
Niklas STECHELE (GER)
Richard Lajos RACZ (HUN)
Simone Vincenzo PIRODDU (ITA)
Ghennadi DIUVENJI (MDA)
Besir ALILI (MKD)
Akhmed IDRISOV (RUS)
Nils LEUTERT (SUI)
Hafiz Can HASDEMIR (TUR)
Kamil KERYMOV (UKR)

61kg
Razmik PAPIKYAN (ARM)
Ilya RAHOZAU (BLR)
Ruhan Hyusnyu RASIM (BUL)
Arman Norik ELOYAN (FRA)
Teimuraz VANISHVILI (GEO)
Nico MEGERLE (GER)
Leomid COLESNIC (MDA)
Arben ABAZI (MKD)
Muslim MEKHTIKHANOV (RUS)
Nino LEUTERT (SUI)
Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR)
Artem KRYVENKO (UKR)

65kg
Sure VRIONI (ALB)
Hrachya MARGARYAN (ARM)
Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Uladzislau KOIKA (BLR)
Alish Gyoksel ALISH (BUL)
David KOPRIVA (CZE)
Marwane Ahmed YEZZA (FRA)
Ross Taylor CONNELLY (GBR)
Giorgi TCHOLADZE (GEO)
Leon GERSTENBERGER (GER)
Karoly KISS (HUN)
Altin BERISHA (KOS)
Sergiu LUPASCO (MDA)
Elmedin SEJFULAU (MKD)
Stefan Ionut COMAN (ROU)
Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (RUS)
Cavit ACAR (TUR)
Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR)

70kg
Eriglent PRIZRENI (ALB)
Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM)
Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE)
Daniil AMELYANCHYK (BLR)
Dimitar Atanasov ANGELOV (BUL)
Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO)
Roland BIRO (HUN)
Raul ZARBALIEV (ISR)
Albin SHEHU (KOS)
Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA)
Fati VEJSELI (MKD)
Norbert MOLNOS (ROU)
Inalbek SHERIEV (RUS)
Tobias PORTMANN (SUI)
Daniel CHOMANIC (SVK)
Cuneyt BUDAK (TUR)
Denys BOROHAN (UKR)

74kg
Arjan DANAJ (ALB)
Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM)
Simon MARCHL (AUT)
Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE)
Davud ALIZALAU (BLR)
Nikolay Iliev DIMITROV (BUL)
Charles André AFA (FRA)
Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)
Lucas Marco KAHNT (GER)
Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
Naftali Hertz HOROWITZ (ISR)
Luca FINIZIO (ITA)
Vasile DIACON (MDA)
Serhan SHAKIROV (MKD)
Szymon WOJTKOWSKI (POL)
Krisztian BIRO (ROU)
Chermen VALIEV (RUS)
Isa DEMIR (TUR)
Andrii NUHUMANOV (UKR)

79kg
Arman AVAGYAN (ARM)
Yahor AKULICH (BLR)
Oktay Ruzhdi HASAN (BUL)
Erik REINBOK (EST)
Goga MAMIAURI (GEO)
Beat Konstantin SCHAIBLE (GER)
Botond LUKACS (HUN)
Max KASPEROVICH (ISR)
Salvatore DIANA (ITA)
Lilian BALAN (MDA)
Astrit ISMAILI (MKD)
Jakub Patryk WLADCZYK (POL)
Khalid IAKHIEV (RUS)
Tanguy DARBELLAY (SUI)
Ramazan SARI (TUR)
Valentyn BABII (UKR)

86kg
Benjamin GREIL (AUT)
Orkhan ABASOV (AZE)
Ilya KHAMTSOU (BLR)
Ivan Kostadinov STEFANOV (BUL)
Matous VONDAL (CZE)
Demur MEGENEISHVILI (GEO)
Lars SCHAEFLE (GER)
Patrik SZUROVSZKI (HUN)
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR)
Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT)
Andrian GROSUL (MDA)
Omer SEJFULAI (MKD)
Cezary Marek SADOWSKI (POL)
Amanula RASULOV (RUS)
Emre CIFTCI (TUR)
Denys SAHALIUK (UKR)

92kg
Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)
Arkadzi PAHASIAN (BLR)
Ivaylo Stefanov NANCHEV (BUL)
Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO)
Sebastian SCHMIDT (GER)
Richard VEGH (HUN)
Shai Shabtai SHOTASHVILI (ISR)
Auron SYLA (KOS)
Gheorghe ERHAN (MDA)
Redjep HAJDARI (MKD)
Azamat ZAKUEV (RUS)
Erhan YAYLACI (TUR)
Daniil PIDLYPENETS (UKR)

97kg
Islam ILYASOV (AZE)
Aliaksei PARKHOMENKA (BLR)
Tsvetan Danielov EVTIMOV (BUL)
Luka KHUTCHUA (GEO)
Ertugrul AGCA (GER)
David LABKOVSKY (ISR)
Radu LEFTER (MDA)
Ramadan MUSTAFOVSKI (MKD)
Michal Jan BIELAWSKI (POL)
Aslanbek SOTIEV (RUS)
Viliam OROSS (SVK)
Sven Janovitj ENGSTROEM (SWE)
Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR)
Danylo STASIUK (UKR)

125kg
Paris KAREPI (ALB)
Hovhannes MAGHAKYAN (ARM)
Timon Johann HASLWANTER (AUT)
Vakhit GALAYEV (AZE)
Yaraslau SLAVIKOUSKI (BLR)
Georgi Lyubomirov IVANOV (BUL)
Aleksi ZHORZHOLIANI (GEO)
Lior ALTSHULER (ISR)
Semion PLUGARU (MDA)
Uvejs FEJZULAHU (MKD)
Atsamaz TEBLOEV (RUS)
Anil Berkan KILICSALLAYAN (TUR)
Yurii IDZINSKYI (UKR)


Four-time age group world champion Aleksandr Andreevitch KOMAROV (RUS) will compete at 87kg. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman
55kg

Bajram SINA (ALB)
Ashot MKHITARYAN (ARM)
Zaur Eyvaz ALIYEV (AZE)
Maksim STUPAKEVICH (BLR)
Denis Krasimirov DEMIROV (BUL)
Ramaz SILAGAVA (GEO)
Artiom DELEANU (MDA)
Denis Florin MIHAI (ROU)
Mavlud RIZMANOV (RUS)
Sebastian KOLOMPAR (SRB)
Adem Burak UZUN (TUR)
Mykola HAVRYCHKIN (UKR)

60kg
Tigran MINASYAN (ARM)
Elmir ALIYEV (AZE)
Uladzislau PRYBYLSKI (BLR)
Edmond Armen NAZARYAN (BUL)
Andy JUAN SUCH (ESP)
Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO)
Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN)
Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA)
Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)
Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (RUS)
Ahmet UYAR (TUR)
Ihor KUROCHKIN (UKR)

63kg
Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
Zaur NURIYEV (AZE)
Aliaksandr PECHURENKA (BLR)
Ilia Dimitrov MUSTAKOV (BUL)
Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
Andrej GINC (GER)
Andrea SETTI (ITA)
Alexandru TRANDAFIR (ROU)
Rakhman TAVMURZAEV (RUS)
Dejan PETROVIC (SRB)
Niklas Jan Olov Pontus OEHLEN (SWE)
Abdulkadir SAYDAM (TUR)
Maksym LIU (UKR)

67kg
Gurgen ALEKSANYAN (ARM)
Aker AL OBAIDI (AUT)
Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
Maksim NEHODA (BLR)
Ivo Krasimirov ILIEV (BUL)
Denis MERTL (CZE)
Marcos SANCHEZ SILVA MEJIAS (ESP)
Elmer Joakim MATTILA (FIN)
Gagik Mishai SNJOYAN (FRA)
Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO)
Krisztian Istvan VANCZA (HUN)
Mateusz Radoslaw SZEWCZUK (POL)
Vasile Alexandru DOSOFTEI (ROU)
Turpal Ali ISAEV (RUS)
Kadir KAMAL (TUR)
Oleksii MASYK (UKR)

72kg
Kevin KUPI (ALB)
Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)
Khasay HASANLI (AZE)
Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (BLR)
Luka MALOBABIC (CRO)
Akseli Elias YLI HANNUKSELA (FIN)
Otar ABULADZE (GEO)
Idris IBAEV (GER)
Oliver KAJTAN (HUN)
Mihai PETIC (MDA)
Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR)
Sergei KUTUZOV (RUS)
Aron PINTER (SRB)
Michael PORTMANN (SUI)
Oliver OLAH (SVK)
Hasan ORAKCI (TUR)
Andrii KULYK (UKR)

77kg
Samvel GRIGORYAN (ARM)
Mikita KAZAKOU (BLR)
Pavel PUKLAVEC (CRO)
Jakub BIELESZ (CZE)
Waltteri Harri Kristian LATVALA (FIN)
Nikoloz TCHIKAIDZE (GEO)
Erik LOESER (GER)
Moric KISMONI (HUN)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Patryk Adam BEDNARZ (POL)
Nicolae POPA (ROU)
Sergei STEPANOV (RUS)
Aleksa ILIC (SRB)
Gergely BUERSOELY (SVK)
Per Albin OLOFSSON (SWE)
Erkan ERGEN (TUR)
Ihor BYCHKOV (UKR)

82kg
Gagik HAKOBYAN (ARM)
Yauheni YUROU (BLR)
Tihomir Todorov DIMOV (BUL)
Sebastian PETRAC (CRO)
Ranet KALJOLA (EST)
Otto Eemeli KETONEN (FIN)
Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO)
Dimitrios TSOMPANOUDIS (GRE)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
Arminas LYGNUGARIS (LTU)
Vladislav GUTU (MDA)
Marcel STERKENBURG (NED)
Magnus GROENVIK (NOR)
Vasile Daniel COJOC (ROU)
Shamil Letkaevitch OZHAEV (RUS)
Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB)
Ramon Rainer BETSCHART (SUI)
Mats Ola Lukas AHLGREN (SWE)
Dogan KAYA (TUR)
Dmytro GARDUBEI (UKR)

87kg
Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM)
Lachin VALIYEV (AZE)
Ihar YARASHEVICH (BLR)
Svetoslav Nikolaev NIKOLOV (BUL)
Matej MANDIC (CRO)
Andreas VAELIS (EST)
Juho Matias PAHIKAINEN (FIN)
Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO)
Ilias PAGKALIDIS (GRE)
Istvan TAKACS (HUN)
Mirco MINGUZZI (ITA)
Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED)
Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL)
Nicu Samuel OJOG (ROU)
Aleksandr Andreevitch KOMAROV (RUS)
Mario VUKOVIC (SRB)
Muhutdin SARICICEK (TUR)
Dmytro KIIASHOK (UKR)

97kg
Kevi BALLABANI (ALB)
Albert YEGHIKYAN (ARM)
Markus RAGGINGER (AUT)
Pavel HLINCHUK (BLR)
Mariyan Iliyanov MARINOV (BUL)
Filip SMETKO (CRO)
Ondrej DADAK (CZE)
Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO)
Patrick NEUMAIER (GER)
Michail IOSIFIDIS (GRE)
Robert ERSEK (HUN)
Luca SVAICARI (ITA)
Arnoldas BARANOVAS (LTU)
Marcus WORREN (NOR)
Piotr CHUDZIK (POL)
Artur SARGSIAN (RUS)
Aleksandar SIMOVIC (SRB)
Damian VON EUW (SUI)
Beytullah KAYISDAG (TUR)
Valentyn SHKLIARENKO (UKR)

130kg
David OVASAPYAN (ARM)
Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE)
Ilya YUDCHYTS (BLR)
Mate GOKADZE (GEO)
Franz RICHTER (GER)
Nikolaos NTOUNIAS (GRE)
Dariusz Attila VITEK (HUN)
Nikola MILATOVIC (NOR)
Gerard Cyprian KURNICZAK (POL)
Lenard Istvan BEREI (ROU)
Mikhail LAPTEV (RUS)
Vladan ZIVKOVIC (SRB)
Delian Hossein ALISHAHI (SUI)
Fatih BOZKURT (TUR)
Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR)

Cadet, junior, U23 and senior European champion Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) headlines the women's wrestling entries. She'll compete at 59kg. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling
50kg

Anastasiya YANOTAVA (BLR)
Ana Maria TORRES RUBIO (ESP)
Taru Marketta VAINIONPAEAE (FIN)
Lisa ERSEL (GER)
Jekaterina JERMALONOKA (LAT)
Vestina DANISEVICIUTE (LTU)
Maria LEORDA (MDA)
Amanda TOMCZYK (POL)
Maria Alexandra CIOCLEA (ROU)
Mariia TIUMEREKOVA (RUS)
Anna POLLAKOVA (SVK)
Aynur ERGE (TUR)
Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR)

53kg
Viktoryia VOLK (BLR)
Emma Solange Irène LUTTENAUER (FRA)
Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER)
Szimonetta Timea SZEKER (HUN)
Elvira KRASNIQI (KOS)
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
Alicja CZYZOWICZ (POL)
Elena Simona IONESCU (ROU)
Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS)
Esra PUL (TUR)
Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)

55kg
Florine Maria SCHEDLER (AUT)
Anastasiya RAMANIONAK (BLR)
Aleksandrina Nikolaeva KASHINOVA (BUL)
Laura GOMEZ VIZCAINO (ESP)
Laura STANELYTE (LTU)
Dominika Ewa KULWICKA (POL)
Beatrice Ionela FERENT (ROU)
Aleksandra SKIRENKO (RUS)
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
Khrystyna Zoryana DEMKO (UKR)

57kg
Hanna VAHER (BLR)
Sezen Behchetova BELBEROVA (BUL)
Josefine Maria PURSCHKE (GER)
Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
Aurora RUSSO (ITA)
Othelie Annette HOEIE (NOR)
Patrycja GIL (POL)
Denisa Iuliana FODOR (ROU)
Viktoriia VAULINA (RUS)
Kristina CINTALANOVA (SVK)
Eda TEKIN (TUR)
Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR)

59kg
Celina Michelle DENZ (AUT)
Krystsina SAZYKINA( BLR)
Maria Victoria BAEZ DILONE (ESP)
Anne Beatrice NUERNBERGER (GER)
Tamara DOLLAK (HUN)
Ineta DANTAITE (LTU)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)
Magdalena Urszula GLODEK (POL)
Aleksandra NITSENKO (RUS)
Anna FABIAN (SRB)
Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)

62kg
Tatsiana PAULAVA (BLR)
Raya Zhanetova KYOSEVA (BUL)
Kelsey BARNES (GBR)
Debora LAWNITZAK (GER)
Elena ESPOSITO (ITA)
Anhelina LYSAK (POL)
Mariia LACHUGINA (RUS)
Cansu AKSOY (TUR)
Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)

65kg
Albina DRAZHI (ALB)
Viktoryia Alesia DZEHTSIARENKA (BLR)
Nerea PAMPIN BLANCO (ESP)
Eyleen SEWINA (GER)
Elma ZEIDLERE (LAT)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)
Kamila Czeslawa KULWICKA (POL)
Amina Roxana CAPEZAN (ROU)
Dinara KUDAEVA SALIKHOVA (RUS)
Linnea Antonia SVENSSON (SWE)
Asli DEMIR (TUR)
Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR)

68kg
Natallia BELSKAYA (BLR)
Siyka Todorova IVANOVA (BUL)
Kendra Augustine Jocelyne DACHER (FRA)
Ewelina Weronika CIUNEK (POL)
Adina Ionela IRIMIA  (ROU)
Vusala PARFIANOVICH (RUS)
Tindra Linnea SJOEBERG (SWE)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Oksana CHUDYK (UKR)

72kg
Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (BLR)
Kornelija ZAICEVAITE (LTU)
Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)
Maria larisa NITU (ROU)
Marina SUROVTSEVA (RUS)
Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK)
Merve PUL (TUR)
Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)

76kg
Hanna MASLAKOVA (BLR)
Bernadett NAGY (HUN)
Enrica RINALDI (ITA)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Ewelina KACZYNSKA (POL)
Diana Elena VLASCEANU (ROU)
Evgeniia ZAKHARCHENKO (RUS)
Andela PRIJOVIC (SRB)
Aysegul OZBEGE (TUR)
Romana VOVCHAK (UKR)

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024 Day 4 Wrestling Preview: FS 57kg and 86kg; WW 57kg

By Vinay Siwach

PARIS (July 25) -- After the Tokyo Olympics high, a possible David TAYLOR (USA) vs Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) bout was the most anticipated one for the Paris Olympics. But Aaron BROOKS (USA) had other plans. He defeated Taylor in the Olympic trials in the United States to book his spot at 86kg for the U.S.

Now, Yazdani is the favorite to win the gold. He can also become the first Iran wrestler to win two Olympic golds.

PARIS 2024 SCHEDULE | PARIS 2024 NEWS

The 86kg weight class on August 8 isn't the only one in which history can be created. Both the other two weight classes also have a chance to see some historic medals to be won.

The 57kg in Freestyle will have world champion Stevan MICIC (SRB) trying to win the first medal for Serbia in Freestyle at the Olympics. Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB), also a world champion, has the same task for Albania.

In women's 57kg, Rio 2016 champion Helen MAROULIS (USA) has a chance to win the third Olympic medal for the U.S. while she tries to knock off world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN). Maroulis is no stranger to beating Japanese world champions at the Olympics.

Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) has a great chance to make history for Moldova by winning a medal even as the bracket has Kexin HONG (CHN), ANSHU (IND), Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) and Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) among others.

FS 86kg: Over to Yazdani

Ever since his move to 86kg after winning the gold medal at 74kg in Rio, Yazdani has lost to only one wrestler -- Taylor. With the American not in Paris, Yazdani has his tail up.

Throughout the 2023 season, Yazdani wrestled with a shoulder injury and it became a headache for Iran when he underwent surgery. Iran contemplated having a wrestle-off between Yazdani and 92kg world champion Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI). But then Brooks beat Taylor.

Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) trains in Mazandaran, Iran. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Yazdani won the Budapest Ranking Series and reignited his hopes of winning the gold.

"I thank God that I was able to get on the mat in international competitions after seven months and 13 days," Yazdani had said in Budapest. "I had a little preparation and it was around 60 percent. I hadn’t wrestled for a long time. I have some weaknesses that I hope I can fix before the Olympics so that I can wrestle better than these competitions and get the gold medal. I hope that until the Olympics, I can eliminate my weaknesses so I can win the best medal for my country and our good people."

Yazdani was winning the Tokyo final when Taylor scored a takedown in the final moments to claim the gold. A furious Yazdani walked off the mat, hitting anything that came his way. But two months after that loss, he defeated Taylor at the Oslo World Championships, his only win over the American. Taylor would rebound to beat him at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships.

Brooks, a four-time NCAA champion, defeated Taylor in a best-of-three series at the trials. Brooks has a U23 world title and is now the biggest threat to Yazdani's gold medal.

Aaron BROOKS (USA)Aaron BROOKS (USA) won the 2023 U23 world title in Tirana. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Yazdani has a solid underhook and has improved his conditioning but Brooks' defense is top-notch as Taylor found out at the trials. A wait-and-watch counter-attacking bout can ensue if the two meet in Paris.

Brooks is unseeded and will be drawn at random in the 16-wrestler bracket which means he can face any of the top wrestlers in the first bout.

Myles AMINE (SMR), who won a historic bronze for San Marino in Tokyo, is returning, hoping to stand on the podium again. Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) is another master of defense and will be a tough case to crack for any wrestler. 

Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL), Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) and Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) are some other potential medal hopefuls in Paris.

FS 57kg: History on line

When Spencer LEE (USA) won the U.S. trials, he did not know if he was going to the Olympics. He still had to qualify the 57kg weight for the U.S. He did so at the World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, in dominating fashion, barring one bout. Lee, a former U17 and U20 world champion, has now set his sights on the gold medal.

But at 57kg, the bracket is among the toughest in recent times. World champions Stevan MICIC (SRB), Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) and Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) are trying to achieve the same. Add to the list the European and Asian champions in Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE), Vladimir EGOROV (MKD), AMAN (IND) and Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB).

However, Lee has extra motivation to perform in France, his mother's native country.

"This is a big deal for me," Lee said in Istanbul. "My family lives in France. They live outside of Bordeaux. My grandmother has never seen me wrestle and it's a really big deal for me to compete in my mother's home country."

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN)Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) won the Budapest Ranking Series in June. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Higuchi, a silver medalist from Rio 2016, has dabbled with 65kg but returned to 57kg to make the Tokyo Olympics. He missed the weight at the qualifiers. But a strict diet, planned weight cut and experience have helped Higuchi return to the Olympics. However, he doesn't think too much about the loss against Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) in the final in Rio.

“I don't look back at my matches. I want to move on. Next match,” he told UWW last year. "I don't feel bad about missing the Tokyo Olympics. The day I lost the chance to represent at the Tokyo Games, I began preparing for Paris.”

In his preparation for Paris, Higuchi has taken to cooking special meals for himself to keep his weight under control, training with specific partners, and enjoying the journey. He also got married and has a kid.

But for Olympics, Higuchi's battle begins well before he steps on the mat as he reduces at least seven kilograms.

"The aim is to lose 2kg of body fat per month," Higuchi was quoted as saying by Yahoo. "In my case, it takes about three months to bring weight to 59kg, and then I think the best way to lose the last 2kg is to cut out water and lose it before the match. When losing weight, start with a low-fat diet, and when you can't lose any more weight, switch to a ketogenic diet [restricting carbohydrates and consuming fat]. Repeat this process. And it's important to consume carbohydrates from a low-fat diet before a match."

Another wrestler heading to Paris with a weight cut on his mind is the reigning world champion Stevan MICIC (SRB), who defeated Higuchi in a thrilling 57kg final in Belgrade. Micic is the first Serbian world champion in Freestyle and will look to add a historic Olympic medal.

Micic, however, has only competed once since winning the World Championships. He won the gold medal at the Dan Kolov tournament at 61kg.

"First time competing since the World Championships, up at 61kg," Micic said on his YouTube channel. "I would give myself 9/10 this time. In my first match against Iran, he was young and motivated, any match against Iran is tough. At this kind of tournament, you are not supposed to be perfect. It's getting yourself that feeling of competition out of the way."

Stevan MICIC (SRB)Stevan MICIC (SRB) won the world title at 57kg in Belgrade in 2023. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Adonov)

In Paris, he wouldn't have to worry about an Iran wrestler though. Iran failed to qualify the 57kg weight class. However, it is yet to be seen if that will help Micic improve his 14th-place finish at Tokyo.

Also, Higuchi is hoping to avenge that loss in the final if the two meet in the final.

"I'll definitely pay them back in the real thing [Olympcis]," he said. "I know quite a bit about what technique my opponents will use and when. What are my weaknesses? I'm not that worried. I think that all I have to do is make small adjustments and corrections. I think I have to win the gold medal in Paris. After all, I love this sport and I've been doing it for a long time, so I have a strong desire not to lose."

Abakarov and Harutyunyan will look to end up on the podium as well. Harutyunyan had a high-scoring bout against Higuchi before going down in the World Championships semifinal. Abakarov, after suffering a loss to Micic, returned to win the bronze medal by beating Tokyo Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN). Then there are Asian hammers in Abdullaev and Aman. While Adbullaev is going to his second Olympics after finishing fifth in Tokyo, Aman will be making his debut.

WW 57kg: Three-way battle for supremacy

Will the 57kg Olympic gold medal stay with Japan? The country which has dominated women's wrestling ever since it was added to the Olympics is expected to continue it. It has won the 55-58kg gold medal at all editions. So can Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) keep it with Japan?

Sakurai, a three-time world champion, has a strong 2-on-1 attack to go with her defense. However, that did not work in the final of the Asian Championships this year as she lost 5-2 to Yongxin FENG (CHN). Fortunately for Sakurai, Feng is not the Chinese representative in Paris.

Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) executes a 2-on-1 attack. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Despite the loss and a wake-up call before Paris, Sakurai was composed in her assessment of the bout, saying that her opponents are coming in with plans against her,

"I think everyone knows my style of wrestling," Sakurai said after the Asian Championships. "I have to train so that even if I get stopped, I can still find a way to score points. No matter the tournament, my objective is always to win the title. When you lose, there has to be a reason for the loss. I will look at this as I'm glad it wasn't the Olympics, and I will practice hard up to August."

Undoubtedly, Hong too will be ready with her coaches to pull off an upset. Hong has been on a roll this year, winning the Zagreb Open and Budapest Ranking Series, apart from winning the Paris qualification in Bishkek. In Zagreb, she defeated Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) and then 59kg world champion and compatriot Qi ZHANG (CHN) in the final. She would once again beat Zhang in Budapest in the semifinal and win the gold with a win over ANSHU (IND).

But the world will be watching Maroulis, who made her third straight Olympics. She won the first-ever gold for the U.S. in Rio by beating the legendary Saori YOSHIDA (JPN). She won bronze in Tokyo after dropping the semifinal against Risako KINJO (JPN). And Maroulis looks good for a third medal at the Olympics.

She lost only to Sakurai at the World Championships but won the Pan-Am Championships and the Poland Open this year. Maroulis has the habit of peaking towards the second half of the season in which the World Championships or the Olympics are held.

Nichita, the world silver medalist, can surprise anyone on her day but a recent injury and her loss to Anshu in Budapest must have given her a wake-up call. Currently training in Italy, Nichita can create history by winning the first medal at Olympics in Women's Wrestling, given Irina RINGACI (MDA) doesn't to do on day one.