#WrestleSofia

#WrestleSofia U20 World Championships entry list

By Vinay Siwach

SOFIA, Bulgaria (August 4) -- Two weeks after the U17 World Championships, the U20 Worlds will be thrown open in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Close to 600 wrestlers will be in the Bulgarian capital eyeing the 30 world titles on offer with Iran and the USA hoping to defend their freestyle and women's wrestling team titles respectively.

Iran is led by two defending U20 world champions in Erfan ELAHI (IRI) and Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI). Elahi won the title at 70kg and will now be jumping up to 74kg while Friozpour, who has made his name at the senior level as well, will be moving from 86kg to 92kg.

Azerbaijan has two returning silver medalists in Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) and Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) at 70kg and 74kg.

At 86kg, Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) will try to win the gold he missed last time as he returns in the same weight class as the U20 European champion.

In women's wrestling, Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) at 62kg and Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) are the biggest names in the field. A few former and current U17 world champions are also entered.

Greco-Roman has none of the finalists returning but five bronze medalists are trying to better their medals from the previous edition.

The U20 World Championships begins August 15 in Sofia with all the action live on uww.org.

Freestyle 

57kg
Harutyun HOVHANNISYAN (ARM)
Nuraddin NOVRUZOV (AZE)
Ivaylo TISOV (BUL)
Abdelrahman MAHMOUD (EGY)
Seyfulla ITAEV (FRA)
Harvey RIDINGS (GBR)
Luka GVINJILIA (GEO)
Andreas PAROTSIDIS (GRE)
Abhishek DHAKA (IND)
Ahmad MOHAMMADNEZHAD (IRI)
Simone PIRODDU (ITA)
Kento YUMIYA (JPN)
Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ)
Iukhan DOKTURBEK UULU (KGZ)
Dmitri CARASTOIANOV (MDA)
Munkh Od LKHAMBUZMAA (MGL)
Rafal SZEWC (POL)
Thomas FISCHER (SUI)
Tolga OZBEK (TUR)
Heorhii KAZANZHY (UKR)
Jore VOLK (USA)
Azizbek NAIMOV (UZB)

61kg
Hayk ABRAHAMYAN (ARM)
Jeyhun ALLAHVERDIYEV (AZE)
Ilyas ABDURASHIDOV (BEL)
Shehabeldin MOHAMED (EGY)
Akseli ERKKOLA (FIN)
Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA)
Daviti ABDALADZE (GEO)
Dimitrios OFLIDIS (GRE)
Mohit KUMAR (IND)
Armin HABIBZADEH (IRI)
Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN)
Maiis ALIYEV (KAZ)
Aden SAKYBAEV (KGZ)
Fatlum BRAKA (KOS)
Diego RODRIGUEZ (MEX)
Daniel KULCZYNSKI (POL)
Mika LEHMKUEHL (RSA)
Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR)
Mykyta ABRAMOV (UKR)
Nicholas BOUZAKIS (USA)
Arslan RAKHIMOV (UZB)

65kg
Abderrahmane BENAISSA (ALG)
Artur SARDARYAN (ARM)
Muhamed BEKTEMIROV (AUT)
Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Ayub MUSAEV (BEL)
Ismail POMAKOV (BUL)
Matias RAMIREZ (CHI)
Yehia HAFEZ (EGY)
Luka JANEZASHVILI (GEO)
Jonnathan PEREZ (GUA)
SUJEET (IND)
Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI)
Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN)
Olzhas OLZHAKANOV (KAZ)
Myrza ZHYRGALBEK UULU (KGZ)
Egzon XHONI (KOS)
Pavel GRAUR (MDA)
Erick BAUTISTA (MEX)
Doru DINCA (ROU)
Hamza ZOPALI (TUR)
Mykyta ZUBAL (UKR)
Robert CORNELLA (USA)
Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB)

70kg
Saad BOUGUERRA (ALG)
Hayk PAPIKYAN (ARM)
Benedikt HUBER (AUT)
Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE)
Muhammad ABDURACHMANOV (BEL)
Ivan STOYANOV (BUL)
Stone LEWIS (CAN)
Said ELGAHSH (EGY)
Davit KUTCHUASHVILI (GEO)
Marcell NAGY (HUN)
Mulaym YADAV (IND)
Hossein MOHAMMAD (IRI)
Raul CASO (ITA)
Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN)
Rodion ANCHUGIN (KAZ)
Kanat KERIMBEKOV (KGZ)
Pavel ANDRUSCA (MDA)
Alexandru MATEA (ROU)
Mustafo AKHMEDOV (TJK)
Harun SOYLER (TUR)
Ivan SEMENOV (UKR)
Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA)
Begijon KULDASHEV (UZB)

74kg
Menua YARIBEKYAN (ARM)
Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE)
Petar PETKOV (BUL)
Amaan Ali GULACHA (CAN)
Luka CHKHITUNIDZE (GEO)
Balint NEMES (HUN)
Sagar JAGLAN (IND)
Erfan ELAHI (IRI)
Luca FINIZIO (ITA)
Ryunosuke KAMIYA (JPN)
Iliyas YERBOLATOV (KAZ)
Nurbolot ADYL UULU (KGZ)
Gheorghi CARA (MDA)
Batbayar BATSUKH (MGL)
Kamil BARLOWSKI (POL)
Krisztian BIRO (ROU)
Arno VAN ZIJL (RSA)
Umar MAVLAEV (SUI)
Muhammed OZMUS (TUR)
Tymur HUDYMA (UKR)
Alexander FACUNDO (USA)
Jafar CHULIBOYEV (UZB)

79kg
Mushegh MKRTCHYAN (ARM)
Soslan TIGIYEV (AZE)
Radomir STOYANOV (BUL)
Connor CHURCH (CAN)
Gabriel RAMOS (ESP)
Miko ELKALA (FIN)
Otari ADEISHVILI (GEO)
DEEPAK (IND)
Sobhan YARI (IRI)
Daisuke SHIMIZU (JPN)
Shamsat TAIR (KAZ)
Mukhammad ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA)
Mateusz PEDZICKI (POL)
Gigi SUBTIRICA (ROU)
Johannes HATTINGH (RSA)
Kimi KAEPPELI (SUI)
Bekir OVEC (TUR)
Oleksandr MAMROSH (UKR)
Braydew THOMPSON (USA)

86kg
Gurgen SIMONYAN (ARM)
Sabuhi AMIRASLANOV (AZE)
Zhulien IVANOV (BUL)
Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA)
Daviti KOGUASHVILI (GEO)
Angelos KOUKLARIS (GRE)
Cesar ESTRADA (GUA)
Nandor HAJDUCH (HUN)
Jointy KUMAR (IND)
Aref RANJBARI (IRI)
Gabriele NICCOLINI (ITA)
Fumiya IGARASHI (JPN)
Muslim ZHAKSYLYK (KAZ)
Aslan MAMASADYKOV (KGZ)
Pureun KIM (KOR)
Lilian BALAN (MDA)
Batbilguun NAADAMBAT (MGL)
Ismail KUCUKSOLAK (TUR)
Nazar DOD (UKR)
Bennett BERGE (USA)

92kg
Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM)
Suray RUFAD (BUL)
Adlan VISKHANOV (FRA)
Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO)
Kiril KILDAU (GER)
Gkivi BLIATZE (GRE)
Krisztian ANGYAL (HUN)
AKASH (IND)
Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI)
Satoshi MIURA (JPN)
Nurdaulet BEKENOV (KAZ)
Kutman TEMIRBEKOV (KGZ)
Seohyun CHA (KOR)
Ion DEMIAN (MDA)
Juan RUIZ (MEX)
Yildiray PALA (TUR)
Denys SAHALIUK (UKR)
Jaxon SMITH (USA)
Ravshanbek JUMABOEV (UZB)

97kg
Harutyun KIRAKOSYAN (ARM)
Sali SALIEV (BUL)
Mohamed SALAHELDIN (EGY)
Luka KHUTCHUA (GEO)
NIRAJ (IND)
Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)
Toyoki HAMADA (JPN)
Zelimkhan MUSSIKHANOV (KAZ)
Joobin PARK (KOR)
Vilius MIKALAUSKAS (LTU)
Georgian TRIPON (ROU)
Rifat GIDAK (TUR)
David MCHEDLIDZE (UKR)
Benjamin KUETER (USA)

125kg
Lyova GEVORGYAN (ARM)
Georgi IVANOV (BUL)
Roger LI (CAN)
Merab SULEIMANASHVILI (GEO)
Mahendra GAIKWAD (IND)
Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)
Ryusei FUJITA (JPN)
Bekzat TAZHI (KAZ)
Adil MISIRCI (TUR)
Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR)
Nicholas FELDMAN (USA)
Namoz ABDURASHIDOV (UZB)

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) is a senior world bronze and Asian champion. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
Asmar JANKURTARAN (AZE)
Emine OSMAN (BUL)
Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN)
Karolina MUELLEROVA (CZE)
Priyanshi PRAJAPAT (IND)
Umi ITO (JPN)
Laura GANIKYZY (KAZ)
Gabija DILYTE (LTU)
Imane BOUJNANE (MAR)
Munkhgerel MUNKHBAT (MGL)
Marija SPIRKOVSKA (MKD)
Natalia WALCZAK (POL)
Ana PIRVU (ROU)
Svenja JUNGO (SUI)
Ellen OESTMAN (SWE)
Yung LIN (TPE)
Sevval CAYIR (TUR)
Aida KERYMOVA (UKR)
Audrey JIMENEZ (USA)

53kg
Gultakin SHIRINOVA (AZE)
Nazife TAIR (BUL)
Shaimaa MOHAMED (EGY)
Chadia AYACHI (FRA)
Amory ANDRICH (GER)
Vivien MATYI (HUN)
ANTIM (IND)
Ayaka KIMURA (JPN)
Altyn SHAGAYEVA (KAZ)
Aruuke KADYRBEK KYZY (KGZ)
Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA)
Patricia IURASCU (ROU)
Emine CAKMAK (TUR)
Nataliia KLIVCHUTSKA (UKR)
Katie GOMEZ (USA)
Dilshoda MATNAZAROVA (UZB)

55kg
Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE)
Irena BINKOVA (BUL)
Robbie PINGAL (CAN)
Antonia ARRIAGADA (CHI)
Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN)
MANJU (IND)
Immacolata DANISE (ITA)
Moe KIYOOKA (JPN)
Ainur ASHIMOVA (KAZ)
Andrea BARRIENTOS (MEX)
Georgiana LIRCA (ROU)
Pei LIAO (TPE)
Tuba DEMIR (TUR)
Albina RILLIA (UKR)
Adriana MARIN (USA)
Sarbinaz JIENBAEVA (UZB)

57kg
Gabriela CROSS (CAN)
Anna MICHALCOVA (CZE)
Celeste SION (FRA)
Adrienn BERES (HUN)
SITO (IND)
Aurora RUSSO (ITA)
Ruka NATAMI (JPN)
Zeinep BAYANOVA (KAZ)
Sezim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Bertha CHAVEZ (MEX)
Othelie HOEIE (NOR)
Julia NOWICKA (POL)
Ana PUIU (ROU)
Melda DERNEKCI (TUR)
Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)
Sofia MACALUSO (USA)

59kg
Fatme SHABAN (BUL)
Mia FRIESEN (CAN)
Viktoria BORSOS (HUN)
Bhagyashree FAND (IND)
Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)
Madina AMAN (KAZ)
Hedda KVAALE (NOR)
Aleksandra WITOS (POL)
Kara LE ROUX (RSA)
Ebru DAGBASI (TUR)
Yuliia LESKOVETS (UKR)
Savannah COSME (USA)

62kg
Mastoura SOUDANI (ALG)
Birgul SOLTANOVA (AZE)
Mima TANEVA (BUL)
Angelina TODDINGTON (CAN)
Iva GERIC (CRO)
Iris THIEBAUX (FRA)
Luisa SCHEEL (GER)
Yasmine SOLIMAN (HUN)
Sonam MALIK (IND)
Bianca CONTRAFATTO (ITA)
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)
Tynys DUBEK (KAZ)
Bermet NURIDIN KYZY (KGZ)
Viktoria OEVERBY (NOR)
Wiktoria STANETA (POL)
Yu LO (TPE)
Busra EFE (TUR)
Iryna BONDAR (UKR)
Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA)
Rushana ABDIRASULOVA (UZB)

65kg
Valentina KOZHUHAROVA (BUL)
Eniko ELEKES (HUN)
PRIYANKA (IND)
Veronica BRASCHI (ITA)
Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN)
Korlan AMANOVA (KAZ)
Dilnaz SAZANOVA (KGZ)
Melanie VILLALBA (MEX)
Davaajargal ALTANSUKH (MGL)
Zofia POLOWCZYK (POL)
Nora SVENSSON (SWE)
Khadija JLASSI (TUN)
Derya KARADUMAN (TUR)
Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR)
Reese LARRAMENDY (USA)
Gulmira AITMURATOVA (UZB)

68kg
Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE)
Daniela BRASNAROVA (BUL)
Nicoll OSORIO (COL)
Menatalla BADRAN (EGY)
Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER)
Nikoleta BARMPA (GER)
ARJU (IND)
Laura GODINO (ITA)
Ami ISHII (JPN)
Zhibekzhan SABYRZHANOVA (KAZ)
Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ)
Luciana BEDA (MDA)
Sandra MENCHACA (MEX)
Patrycja SLOMSKA (POL)
Caroline KVIST (SWE)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Yevheniia SIEDYKH (UKR)
Destiny RODRIGUEZ (USA)
Firuza ESENBAEVA (UZB)

72kg
Marziya SADIGOVA (AZE)
Vanesa GEORGIEVA (BUL)
Nyla BURGESS (CAN)
Jennifer ROESLER (GER)
Zsofia VIRAG (HUN)
REETIKA (IND)
Sumire NIIKURA (JPN)
Anastassiya PANASSOVICH (KAZ)
Ximena RODRIGUEZ (MEX)
Patrycja CUBER (POL)
Ping HUNG (TPE)
Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)
Nazar BATIR (TUR)
Iryna ZABLOTSKA (UKR)
Amit ELOR (USA)

76kg
Ana SANTOS (BRA)
Vianne ROULEAU (CAN)
Laura KUEHN (GER)
Eleni CHRYSIKAKI (GER)
Veronika NYIKOS (HUN)
Priya MALIK (IND)
Ayano MORO (JPN)
Alina YERTOSTIK (KAZ)
Daniela TKACHUK (POL)
Elena MARGAS (ROU)
Melisa SARITAC (TUR)
Mariia ORLEVYCH (UKR)
Tristan KELLY (USA)

Emre MUTLU (TUR)Emre MUTLU (TUR) is a U23 European champion. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman

55kg
Karapet MANVELYAN (ARM)
Nihad GULUZADE (AZE)
Paolo MILKOV (BUL)
Abdalla SHAABAN (EGY)
luka JAVAKHADZE (GEO)
Ilias ZAIRAKIS (GRE)
Anup KUMAR (IND)
Seyedarash NEGAHDARI (IRI)
Taiga ONISHI (JPN)
Iskhar KURBAYEV (KAZ)
Nuristan SUIORKULOV (KGZ)
Vilius ADOMAVICIUS (LTU)
Marco ALVAREZ (MEX)
Denis MIHAI (ROU)
Emre MUTLU (TUR)
Mykola HAVRYCHKIN (UKR)
Jonathan GURULE (USA)
Alisher GANIEV (UZB)

60kg
Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM)
Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE)
Borislav KIRILOV (BUL)
Ronaldo RAMIREZ (COL)
Dimitri KHACHIDZE (GEO)
Georgios SCARPELLO (GER)
SUMIT (IND)
Saeid Morad ESMAEILI (IRI)
Melkamu FETENE (ISR)
Koto GOMI (JPN)
Bakytzhan KABDYL (KAZ)
Adilet ABYKEEV (KGZ)
Ismail ETTALIBI (MAR)
Olivier SKRZYPCZAK (POL)
Aleksandar BERAROV (SRB)
Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK)
Yong SU (TPE)
Mert ILBARS (TUR)
Volodymyr VOITOVYCH (UKR)
Maxwell BLACK (USA)
Akmal KHAMROEV (UZB)

63kg
Fayssal BENFREDJ (ALG)
Arman VARDANYAN (ARM)
Ziya BABASHOV (AZE)
Ivan KOSTOV (BUL)
Matias RAMIREZ (CHI)
Domagoj CELICEK (CRO)
Romeo BERIDZE (GEO)
Ioannis PETKOS (GER)
David MANYIK (HUN)
UMESH (IND)
Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI)
Chiezo MARUYAMA (JPN)
Dinislam SAGITZHAN (KAZ)
Baiaman KARIMOV (KGZ)
Donatas RINDEIKIS (LTU)
Arslanbek SALIMOV (POL)
Azat SARIYAR (TUR)
Oleh KHALILOV (UKR)
Haiden DRURY (USA)

67kg
Kanan ABDULLAZADE (AZE)
Angelo DE OLIVEIRA (BRA)
Radoslav DIMITROV (BUL)
Nestor TRUYOL (CHI)
Luka IVANCIC (CRO)
Abdelrahman OMAR (EGY)
Nestori MANNILA (FIN)
Yanis NIFRI (FRA)
Nika BROLADZE (GEO)
Marco STOLL (GER)
Zsolt TAKACS (HUN)
Ankit GULIA (IND)
Seyed SOHRABI (IRI)
Shon NADORGIN (ISR)
Steve MOMILIA (ITA)
Ryohma TOYOTA (JPN)
Din KOSHKAR (KAZ)
Erlan MARS UULU (KGZ)
Adomas GRIGALIUNAS (LTU)
Alexei HAHLOVSCHI (MDA)
Kasper OEVERBY (NOR)
Mairbek SALIMOV (POL)
Iulian LUNGU (ROU)
Fritz REBER (SUI)
Onur YURTADA (TUR)
Marian HOLUBOVSKYI (UKR)
Robert PEREZ (USA)
Ilyosjon ABDINAZAROV (UZB)

72kg
Haithem ISSAAD (ALG)
Arman KHACHIKYAN (ARM)
Matthias HAUTHALER (AUT)
Gurban GURBANOV (AZE)
Dimitar STEFCHEV (BUL)
Niko KAMENJASEVIC (CRO)
Jakub SIMCIK (CZE)
Emad GHALY (EGY)
Junior ORTIZ (ESP)
Ekke LEITHAM (EST)
Temuri ORJONIKIDZE (GEO)
Aaron BELLSCHEIDT (GER)
Alexandros BATZAKIDIS (GER)
Attila TOESMAGI (HUN)
Deepak PUNIA (IND)
Amir ABDI (IRI)
Ariell SOSUNOV (ISR)
Eito NISHIDA (JPN)
Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ)
Alibek BERDIEV (KGZ)
Minseo OH (KOR)
Rokas CEPAUSKAS (LTU)
Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA)
Elsi ORDONEZ (MEX)
Magomed EDAEV (NOR)
Igor BOTEZ (ROU)
Daniel DU TOIT (RSA)
David LOHER (SUI)
Georgios BARBANOS (SWE)
Sheroz OCHILOV (TJK)
Omer DOGAN (TUR)
Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR)
Richard FEDALEN (USA)

77kg
Henrik GEVORGYAN (ARM)
Khasay HASANLI (AZE)
Guilherme DE ARRUDA (BRA)
Martin DIMITROV (BUL)
Michal ZELENKA (CZE)
Omar OKIL (EGY)
Tornike MIKELADZE (GEO)
Deni NAKAEV (GER)
Andreas VASILAKOPOULOS (GRE)
Rajmund ZURAI (HUN)
SACHIN (IND)
Masoud GHAFI (IRI)
Isami HORIKITA (JPN)
Omar SATAYEV (KAZ)
Nurel DUISHONBEKOV (KGZ)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
Diego TORRES (MEX)
Benjamin HANSEN (NOR)
Filip LOCH (POL)
Simon BORKENHAGEN (SWE)
Yuksel SARICICEK (TUR)
Ramazan PASHAIEV (UKR)
Payton JACOBSON (USA)
Samandar BOBONAZAROV (UZB)

82kg
Ruben GEVORGYAN (ARM)
Rauf ALIYEV (AZE)
Ivaylo IVANOV (BUL)
Marek VRBA (CZE)
Fares GHALY (EGY)
Olavi LAISARV (EST)
Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN)
Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Odysseas ROUNGERIS (GRE)
Rohit DAHIYA (IND)
Alireza MOHMADI (IRI)
Leon RIVALTA (ITA)
Renta YAMAGUCHI (JPN)
Azimkhon ABDALIYEV (KAZ)
Artykbek ALYMBEK UULU (KGZ)
Mihai GUTU (MDA)
Christian NUNEZ (MEX)
Vasile COJOC (ROU)
James HOLDER (RSA)
Milos PEROVIC (SRB)
Alexander JOHANSSON (SWE)
Shan LIN (TPE)
Alperen BERBER (TUR)
Ruslan ABDIIEV (UKR)
Adrian ARTSISHEUSKIY (USA)

87kg
Vigen NAZARYAN (ARM)
Lachin VALIYEV (AZE)
Ivan MANOV (BUL)
Tomislav BRKAN (CRO)
Ondrej HAVELKA (CZE)
Kareem ELDESOUKY (EGY)
Robin USPENSKI (EST)
Aapo VIITALA (FIN)
Beka MELELASHVILI (GEO)
Nikolaos IOSIFIDIS (GRE)
Surjeet SINGH (IND)
Abolfazl CHOUBANI (IRI)
Tomofumi IWAI (JPN)
Maksat SAILAU (KAZ)
Nartu ABDURAKHMANOV (KGZ)
Donghyun YUN (KOR)
Damian MATVEIKO (LTU)
Gabriel LUPASCO (MDA)
Patrik GORDAN (ROU)
Mario VUKOVIC (SRB)
Algot KAELLMAN (SWE)
Furkan TAS (TUR)
Mykyta ALIEKSIEIEV (UKR)
Kodiak STEPHENS (USA)
Azamatjon ABDUBANNOBOV (UZB)

97kg
Kaloyan IVANOV (BUL)
Marko MILANOVIC (CRO)
Richard KARELSON (EST)
Kote SITCHINAVA (GEO)
Connor SAMMET (GER)
Archontis XOURAS (GRE)
Narinder CHEEMA (IND)
Ali ABEDIDARZI (IRI) 
Riku NAKAHARA (JPN)
Iussuf MATSIYEV (KAZ)
Nurmanbet RAIMALY UULU (KGZ)
Joowan KIM (KOR)
Rostislav COVALI (MDA)
Mateusz IWANOWSKI (POL)
Ionut GOSA (ROU)
Luka KATIC (SRB)
Maans KLOSTERMANN (SWE)
Oktay DEMIR (TUR)
Vladyslav DRAHANCHUK (UKR)
Christian CARROLL (USA)
Islomjon RAKHMATOV (UZB)

130kg
Albert VARDANYAN (ARM)
Artur SARKISJAN (CZE)
Fekry EISSA (EGY)
Eerik PANK (EST)
Mate GOKADZE (GEO)
Rafail GKIRNIS (GRE)
Adolf BAZSO (HUN)
PARVESH (IND)
Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)
Koei YAMADA (JPN)
Jokhar UZAROV (KAZ)
Junho PARK (KOR)
Dominik KRAWCZYK (POL)
Talip CIFTCI (TUR)
Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR)
Aden ATTAO (USA)
Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB)

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024: Tazhudinov strikes gold; Japan finish with eight

By Ken Marantz

PARIS (August 11) -- A little less than a year ago in Belgrade, Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) announced himself to the world by knocking off two of the sport's biggest giants -- both literally and figuratively. On Sunday, he accomplished the one feat that makes a name live on forever.

Tazhudinov added the Olympic gold to the one he won at last year's World Championships, scoring an opportunistic fall over Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) in the freestyle 97kg final on the last day of competition at the Paris Olympics.

"This is the Olympic Games, all of the fights are difficult. I just did it," said the Russian-born Tazhudinov, who became Bahrain's first-ever Olympic champion in a sport outside of athletics. "I trained hard. My family, brothers and [training] partners helped me become what I am today."

Japan capped a spectacular showing in Paris by grabbing the two other gold medals at stake, with world champion Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) prevailing at women's 76kg to become the country's first-ever champion in the heaviest weight class, and unheralded Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) taking the freestyle 65kg title to join a childhood wrestling club teammate as Olympic champion in Paris.

Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN)

The 21-year-old Tazhudinov turned the wrestling world upside down in Belgrade last September when he swept aside in succession both Kyle SNYDER (USA) and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN), who between them had won every world or Olympic 97kg title dating back to 2015, en route to the gold.

Few had been aware of Tazhudinov up to that point, although he did give a hint of things to come by winning the Asian Championships earlier that year. The native of the wrestling hotbed of Dagestan had changed his nationality to Bahrain in the autumn of 2022.

A month after his triumph in Belgrade, Tazhudinov added the Asian Games gold, then prepped for Paris this year by winning the Antalya international tournament and successfully defending his Asian title in Bishkek.

On Sunday, Tazhudinov shone brightest on the biggest stage of all, beating Snyder in the semifinals before securing the gold before another packed crowd at the Champs de Mars Arena.

In the final, two-time reigning European champion Matcharashvili threw caution to the wind at the start and attempted a bold arm throw. It would be a fateful decision, as Tazhudinov stopped the move and Matcharashvili left on his back. That provided the opening for him to pounce on top, securing the fall at 1:52 for his seventh straight major tournament title.

"It was a counterattack, and I caught him on this move," said Tazhudinov, who has not lost since falling 6-4 to Vladislav BAITCAEV (HUN) in the quarterfinals of the Alexandria Ranking Series tournament in February 2023.

Kagami doesn't put up the big numbers like Tazhudinov, but she steadily wears down opponents and gains enough openings to score with her deceptive speed.

Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) after winning the 76kg final against Kennedy BLADES (USA) in Paris. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

In the women's 76kg final against Kennedy BLADES (USA), Kagami trailed 1-1 on criteria when she connected with a double-leg tackle, driving the American out of bounds for a takedown that was originally scored a stepout to lead 3-1.

After that Kagami never let the taller Blades, who defeated six-time world champion Adeline GRAY (USA) at the U.S. Olympic trials to get to Paris, get even a whiff of her legs as she secured the historic victory for Japan.

“She was definitely strong, and her positioning was great," said the 20-year-old Blades, last year's world U23 silver medalist. "I knew going into the match that Japan is very disciplined on positioning, so I think that’s what made it a little tough. I’m just going to go back to the drawing board and start working on my stuff again.

“She was ready for what I was going to do, and I was ready for what she was going to do. It was definitely a scramble. It was a fun match. Of course, I do want to be on top, always. But honestly, at the end of the day, it was a battlefield."

Blades had advanced to the final by knocking off world silver medalist Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) 8-6 in the semifinals Saturday.

That Japan is the dominant power in women's wrestling is beyond dispute -- the country won four of the six golds in Paris, with two bronzes -- but until Sunday, it had always come up short in the heaviest weight at the Olympics.

The last time a Japanese heavyweight even medaled was in Beijing 2008, when Kyoko HAMAGUCHI (JPN) won a second straight bronze at 72kg. Kagami was determined to rectify the situation.

"It is something that I have always been aiming for," Kagami said. "It's really a thrill to be able to accomplish something that no one else has. What I did today resulted from what I have done up to now and the choices that I have made."

After the victory, Kagami lifted up and twirled around coach Shogo MAEDA, who is not only a national team coach but was her coach at Toyo University, which she chose to attend instead of one of the established powerhouses.

Kagami is a product of the JOC Academy that also produced Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Nonoka OZAKI (JPN), who both won bronzes in Paris. Her effervescence and outgoing nature make her a favorite on the national team.

"To see everyone with tears of joy for me makes me the happiest," said Kagami, a two-time Asian champion and world bronze medalist in 2022.

"I had always aimed to be standing here. I thought to enjoy each and every match, each and every second. I was smiling, and I was nervous. But I spent this Olympics even enjoying the nervousness."

Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN)Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) laces Amouzad KHALILI (IRI) during the 65kg final at the Paris Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At 65kg, Kiyooka was never considered a favorite in a stacked weight class, although he did earn some street cred by defeating Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) en route to qualifying for Paris.

“There was a certain degree of pressure to perform as well as my rival, but I was able to defeat the champion of the Tokyo Games," said Kiyooka, who finished ninth at the 2023 World U23 Championships. "I felt like there was an element of fate there having defeated a prior gold medalist."

His lightning-quick reflexes and solid techniques propelled him to the pinnacle of the sport, capped by a 10-3 victory over reigning Asian champion and 2022 world 61kg gold medalist Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI).

Amouzad got on the scoreboard first with a driving stepout while on the activity clock. Kiyooka responded with a single-leg takedown, then executed a lace-lock variant in which he puts his head between the legs while securing the thighs or ankles, a move often used by Japanese wrestlers.

Kiyooka reeled off a series of rolls, but a fourth that would have ended the match came after time expired, leaving him with a still-formidable 10-1 lead.

"That is my pet move, and if I can get into position, I'm confident I can get the turns," the 23-year-old Kiyooka said. "I had intended to end it right there, but time ran out.

"When I looked up it was 10-1. I was aiming to attack from the beginning in the second period to win by technical superiority, but he is not so easy of an opponent, so I couldn't finish it off."

It was Amouzad who would score the lone points of the second period, a 2-point exposure off a counter, but he never found a way through Kiyooka's defenses to close the gap any further.

“In this 65kg weight class, any athlete could have won gold," Kiyooka said. "It’s a very difficult and challenging weight class, and winning gold in this weight class is particularly important for me. That’s why I felt like the hero of my own novel."

Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN)Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) celebrates with his childhood friend and fellow Olympic champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Kiyooka started wrestling at age 3 at a kids wrestling club in Kochi City on the central island of Shikoku. It was there he first met the 2-year-old daughter of the club's coach. Her name is Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN), and she won the women's 57kg gold the previous day.

"I had to find a way to win," Kiyooka said. "Before the tournament, we knew that she would wrestle before me, so I told her to put pressure on me by winning. I converted that into motivation.

"We've had a great relationship leading up to this point and both of us won gold medals. We made each other stronger and had dreams of the Olympics together, and we could both win by encouraging each other. It's really incredible that we won titles at the same Olympics."

Asked about standing at the top of the medal podium, Kiyooka replied, "It's the most beautiful view in the world."

Japan finished its best-ever tournament with a total of eight golds, one silver and two bronzes from the 13 weight classes in which the country had qualified. With Kiyooka's victory, Nippon Sports Science University students and alumni combined for five golds, more than double any other country.

Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) denied Kyle SNYDER (USA) in the 97kg bronze-medal bout. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Snyder denied bronze; Albania wins 2nd

Snyder, who came to Paris looking to regain the Olympic title after taking silver in Tokyo, will leave empty-handed after being dealt a 4-1 defeat by 2022 world U23 champion Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI).

Azarpira scored a takedown in the first period and two stepouts in the second, then fended off everything Snyder threw his way to earn a bronze medal and repeat his 6-3 victory over Snyder in the final at the Zagreb Open in January.

The other 97kg bronze went to Russian-born world silver medalist Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE), who scored two takedowns in each period of a 10-0 victory over Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR).

Prior to the Paris Olympics, Albania had never won an Olympic medal in any sport. European champion Islam DUDAEV (ALB) gave the tiny European nation a second in wrestling in two nights.

The Russian-born Dudaev had just been tagged for a 4-point throw when he scored a reversal with :04 left, giving him a thrilling 13-12 victory over reigning world champion Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) in a freestyle 65kg bronze-medal match.

“The match was very difficult," Dudaev said. "It was not the first bout I had with Muszukajev. We have already met several times, so I knew him quite well, and I knew what I was supposed to do to win against him.”

Dudaev started off the clash with a bang, getting 4 with a marvelous inner crotch throw and 2 more with an exposure. Musukaev cut the lead to 8-4 off a scramble, and a takedown whittled it further to 8-6 at the break.

Dudaev spread the gap again to six points with a takedown and roll, but Musukaev struck back again with a takedown, then used a front headlock to throw Dudaev to the mat for 4 to go ahead 12-12 on criteria.

But Dudaev squirmed out of the hold and got behind in time to secure a dramatic win and join compatriot Cherman VALIEV (ALB), also a native Russian, as a bronze medalist.

Sebastian RIVERA (PUR)Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) scores the winning takedown against Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

There was also drama in the preceding 65kg bronze-medal match, as Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) scored a takedown in the final seconds to upend Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) 10-9, giving Puerto Rico just its second-ever Olympic wrestling medal.

"It was tough," Rivera said. "Everybody in the weight class was really tough. To get a medal, that’s what I expected and what I came here to do, so I’m happy I could fulfill my dreams."

Rivera prevailed in a back-and-forth match when Tumur Ochir, trying to clinch the victory, went for a headlock throw, but the Puerto Rican slipped out and got behind with eight seconds left.

Tumur Ochir appeared to have remained on all fours to avoid the takedown -- but a challenge revealed his knee hit down, giving Rivera the winning points.

Rivera had spotted Tumur Ochir a 4-0 lead in the first period, then went ahead himself 8-4 with a takedown and three exposures from an arm trap. Tumur Ochir took back the advantage 9-8 on a 4-point leg sweep and a lost challenge.

Rivera, who was born in the U.S. state of New Jersey and competed collegiately at Northwestern and Rutgers universities, joins Jaime ESPINAL (PUR), a silver medalist at freestyle 84kg at London 2012 as the only wrestling medalist in their nation's history.

At women's 76kg, world silver medalist Medet Kyzy was relegated to her second straight fifth-place Olympic finish when she was dealt a 6-0 defeat by Milaimy MARIN (CUB) in their bronze-medal match.

Marin fired out of the blocks with a big 4-point double-leg takedown, then went behind for a takedown in the second to deny the Asian champion.

In a rare Olympic medal match between South Americans, Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) gave Colombia its second-ever Olympic wrestling medal, defeating Genesis REASCO (ECU) 2-1 for the other women's 76kg bronze in a bout decided solely on activity points.

Day 7 Results

Freestyle

65kg
GOLD: Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI), 10-3

BRONZE: Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) df. Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) 10-9
BRONZE: Islam DUDAEV (ALB) df. Ismail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN), 13-12

97kg
GOLD: Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) df. Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) by Fall, 1:52 (2-0)

BRONZE: Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) df. Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR) by TF, 10-0, 4:29
BRONZE: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) df. Kyle SNYDER (USA), 4-1

Women's Wrestling

76kg
GOLD: Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) df. Kennedy BLADES (USA), 3-1

BRONZE: Milaimy MARIN (CUB) df. Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), 6-0
BRONZE: Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) df. Genesis REASCO (ECU), 2-1