#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open 2024 Entry List

By United World Wrestling Press

ZAGREB, Croatia (January 1) -- The new season kicks off in Zagreb, Croatia with the Zagreb Open. The Ranking Series event from January 10 to 15 will begin with Freestyle, followed by Women's Wrestling and end with Greco-Roman.

The biggest names in wrestling will look to begin the Olympic year in their respective Olympic weight class along with a two-kilogram weight allowance.

Former world champion Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) will be returning to action after nursing an injury. He will be at 97kg.

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA)Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) is entered at 74kg for Zagreb Open. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Freestyle

57kg
Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE)
Georgi VANGELOV (BUL)
Darthe CAPELLAN (CAN)
Wanhao ZOU (CHN)
Weiyu LI (CHN)
Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS)
Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO)
Luka GVINJILIA (GEO)
Horst LEHR (GER)
Darian CRUZ (PUR)
Muhammet KARAVUS (TUR)
Ahmet DUMAN (TUR)
Andrii YATSENKO (UKR)
Zane RICHARDS (USA)
Brandon COURTNEY (USA)
AMAN (UWW)

61kg
Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)
Nuraddin NOVRUZOV (AZE)
Giorgi GONIASHVILI (GEO)
Daniel POPOV (ISR)
Bekhbayar ERDENEBAT (MGL)
Joseph SILVA (PUR)
Andrii DZHELEP (UKR)
Michael MCGEE (USA)

65kg
Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG)
Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Mikyay NAIM (BUL)
Shaohua YUAN (CHN)
Baowen WEI (CHN)
Omar MOURAD (EGY)
Quentin STICKER (FRA)
Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA)
Goderdzi DZEBISASHVILI (GEO)
Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Abbas EBRAHIMZADEHSAVADKOUHI (IRI)
Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI)
Joshua FINESILVER (ISR)
Colin REALBUTO (ITA)
Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
Sebastian RIVERA (PUR)
Nino LEUTERT (SUI)
Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR)
Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR)
John DIAKOMIHALIS (USA)
Nahshon GARRETT (USA)
Joseph MCKENNA (USA)

70kg
Nikolay DIMITROV (BUL)
Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO)
Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO)
Daniel ANTAL (HUN)
Marc DIETSCHE (SUI)
Douglas ZAPF (USA)

74kg
Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE)
Cesar BORDEAUX (BRA)
Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL)
Ivan STOYANOV (BUL)
Feng LU (CHN)
Nuerlanbieke WURENIBAI (CHN)
Amr REDA (EGY)
Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA)
Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA)
Giorgi GOGRITCHIANI (GEO)
Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN)
Hossein ABOUZARIPASHKOLAEI (IRI)
Yones EMAMI (IRI)
Mitchell FINESILVER (ISR)
Kamil RYBICKI (POL)
Patryk OLENCZYN (POL)
Krisztian BIRO (ROU)
Tobias PORTMANN (SUI)
Yakup GOR (TUR)
Vadym KURYLENKO (UKR)
Quincy MONDAY (USA)
Jason NOLF (USA)
YASH (UWW)
Anthony MONTERO (VEN)

79kg
Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Abdollah SHEIKHAZAMI (IRI)
Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI)
Denys PAVLOV (UKR)
Evan WICK (USA)
Joseph LAVALLEE (USA)

86kg
Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE)
Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)
Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL)
Zushen LIN (CHN)
Suhe GANG (CHN)
Peilong LI (CHN)
Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA)
Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA)
Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)
Evsem SHVELIDZE (GEO)
Csaba VIDA (HUN)
Patrik PUESPOEKI (HUN)
Hadi VAFAEIPOUR (IRI)
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR)
Matthew FINESILVER (ISR)
Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ)
Ethan RAMOS (PUR)
Samuel SCHERRER (SUI)
Osman GOCEN (TUR)
Mukhammed ALIIEV (UKR)
Valentyn BABII (UKR)
Zahid VALENCIA (USA)
Chandler MARSTELLER (USA)
Maxwell DEAN (USA)
Deepak PUNIA (UWW)
Pedro CEBALLOS (VEN)

92kg
Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO)
Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO)
Balazs JUHASZ (HUN)
Denys SAHALIUK (UKR)
Eric SCHULTZ (USA)
Taylor LUJAN (USA)
Nathan JACKSON (USA)

97kg
Nishan Preet RANDHAWA (CAN)
Awusayiman HABILA (CHN)
Tuerxunbieke MUHEITE (CHN)
Maxwell LACEY (CRC)
Mostafa ELDERS (EGY)
Adlan VISKHANOV (FRA)
Mamuka KORDZAIA (GEO)
Erik THIELE (GER)
Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)
Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)
Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL)
Radoslaw BARAN (POL)
Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR)
Erhan YAYLACI (TUR)
Illia ARCHAIA (UKR)
Michael MACCHIAVELLO (USA)
Isaac TRUMBLE (USA)
Kyle SNYDER (USA)
VICKY (UWW)
Cristian SARCO (VEN)

125kg
Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE)
Vakhit GALAYEV (AZE)
Georgi IVANOV (BUL)
Amarveer DHESI (CAN)
Zhiwei DENG (CHN)
BUHEEERDUN (CHN)
Diaaeldin ABDELMOTTALEB (EGY)
Youssif HEMIDA (EGY)
Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO)
Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)
Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO)
Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER)
Daniel LIGETI (HUN)
Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)
Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)
Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL)
Robert BARAN (POL)
Jonovan SMITH (PUR)
Yurii IDZINSKYI (UKR)
Nicholas GWIAZDOWSKI (USA)
Christian LANCE (USA)
Mason PARRIS (USA)
SUMIT (UWW)
Jose DIAZ (VEN)

Luis ORTA (CUB)World Championships finalists Luis ORTA (CUB) and Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) are entered at 67kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman

55kg
Maksim STUPAKEVICH (AIN)
Adem Burak UZUN (TUR)

60kg
Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE)
Hleb MAKARANKA (AIN)
Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN)
Sadyk LALAEV (AIN)
Marat GARIPOV (BRA)
Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL)
Liguo CAO (CHN)
Haodong TAN (CHN)
Leo TUDEZCA (FRA)
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
Pridon ABULADZE (GEO)
Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO)
Georgios SCARPELLO (GER)
Hassan ALHARTHI (KSA)
Munthir JANDU (KSA)
Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU)
Victor CIOBANU (MDA)
Denis MIHAI (ROU)
Ihor KUROCHKIN (UKR)
Bohdan HRYSHYN (UKR)
Hayden TUMA (USA)
Ildar HAFIZOV (USA)
GYANENDER (UWW)
Raiber RODRIGUEZ (VEN)

63kg
Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
Matej REBIC (CRO)
Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO)
Stefan CLEMENT (FRA)
Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
Jacopo SANDRON (ITA)
Rayan HAWSAWI (KSA)
Aleksandrs JURKJANS (LAT)
Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)
Georgij TIBILOV (SRB)
Virgil BICA (SWE)
Mehmet CEKER (TUR)

67kg
Aslan VISAITOV (AIN)
Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
Ivo ILIEV (BUL)
Abu AMAEV (BUL)
Nestor ALMANZA (CHI)
HUSIYUETU (CHN)
Lei LI (CHN)
Sailike WALIHAN (CHN)
Luis ORTA (CUB)
Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY)
Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY)
Yanis GUENDEZ NIFRI (FRA)
Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA)
Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA)
Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO)
Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO)
Krisztian VANCZA (HUN)
David MANYIK (HUN)
Danial SOHRABI (IRI)
Faisal E ALDOSSARY (KSA)
Saud ALSUBAIE (KSA)
Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU)
Morten THORESEN (NOR)
Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR)
Mihai MIHUT (ROU)
Sebastian NAD (SRB)
Andreas VETSCH (SUI)
Niklas OEHLEN (SWE)
Murat FIRAT (TUR)
Parviz NASIBOV (UKR)
Oleksii MASYK (UKR)
Maksym LIU (UKR)
Alejandro SANCHO (USA)
Peyton OMANIA (USA)
Robert PEREZ (USA)
NEERAJ (UWW)

72kg
Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (AIN)
Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
Calebe CORREA FERREIRA (BRA)
Luka MALOBABIC (CRO)
Dominik ETLINGER (CRO)
Aaron BELLSCHEIDT (GER)
Krisztofer KLANYI (HUN)
Levente LEVAI (HUN)
Zsolt TAKACS (HUN)
Ahmed BARAHMAH (KSA)
Iulian LUNGU (ROU)
Maurus ZOGG (SUI)
Michael PORTMANN (SUI)
Muhammed GOCMEN (TUR)
Murat DAG (TUR)

77kg
Pavel LIAKH (AIN)
Tsimur BERDYIEU (AIN)
Khasay HASANLI (AZE)
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
Joilson DE BRITO (BRA)
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
Stoyan KUBATOV (BUL)
Rui LIU (CHN)
Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO)
Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB)
Oldrich VARGA (CZE)
Michal ZELENKA (CZE)
Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN)
Mikko PELTOKANGAS (FIN)
Akseli YLI HANNUKSELA (FIN)
Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA)
Johnny BUR (FRA)
Iuri LOMADZE (GEO)
Idris IBAEV (GER)
Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER)
Zoltan LEVAI (HUN)
Robert FRITSCH (HUN)
Attila TOESMAGI (HUN)
Amir Ali ABDI (IRI)
Riccardo ABBRESCIA (ITA)
Nao KUSAKA (JPN)
Hassan A BARNAWI (KSA)
Juan AAK (NOR)
Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Ilie COJOCARI (ROU)
Aleksa ILIC (SRB)
Ali ARSALAN (SRB)
Fabio DIETSCHE (SUI)
Per OLOFSSON (SWE)
Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)
Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR)
Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR)
Volodymyr YAKOVLIEV (UKR)
Elmar NURALIIEV (UKR)
Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR)
Benjamin PEAK (USA)
Kamal BEY (USA)
Ravaughn PERKINS (USA)
VIKAS (UWW)

82kg
Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO)
Karlo KODRIC (CRO)
Filip SACIC (CRO)
Tornike DZAMASHVILI (GEO)
Deni NAKAEV (GER)
Roland SCHWARZ (GER)
Erik SZILVASSY (HUN)
Peter DOEMOEK (HUN)
Mahmoud HAWSAWI (KSA)
Vasile COJOC (ROU)
Marc WEBER (SUI)
Mats AHLGREN (SWE)
Timmy SKOELD (SWE)
Alperen BERBER (TUR)

87kg
Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN)
Ihar YARASHEVICH (AIN)
Alan OSTAEV (AIN)
Milad ALIRZAEV (AIN)
Bachir SID AZARA (ALG)
Islam ABBASOV (AZE)
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
Yoan DIMITROV (BUL)
Ioannis NARLIDIS (CAN)
Jose MORENO BUSTOS (CHI)
Haitao QIAN (CHN)
Chengwu WANG (CHN)
Vjekoslav LUBURIC (CRO)
Matej MANDIC (CRO)
Ivan HUKLEK (CRO)
Daniel GREGORICH HECHAVARRIA (CUB)
Mohamed METWALLY (EGY)
Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Hannes WAGNER (GER)
Istvan TAKACS (HUN)
David LOSONCZI (HUN)
Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI)
Mirco MINGUZZI (ITA)
Martynas NEMSEVICIUS (LTU)
Marcel STERKENBURG (NED)
Exauce MUKUBU (NOR)
Nicu OJOG (ROU)
Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB)
Ramon BETSCHART (SUI)
Damian VON EUW (SUI)
Alex KESSIDIS (SWE)
Dogan KAYA (TUR)
Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR)
Spencer WOODS (USA)
Mahmoud Fawzy SEBIE (USA)
Sunil KUMAR (UWW)
Luis AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN)

97kg
Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN)
Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN)
Murat LOKIAYEV (AZE)
Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE)
Vinko PRODANOVIC (CRO)
Kristian LUKAC (CRO)
Filip SMETKO (CRO)
Artur OMAROV (CZE)
Mohamed GABR (EGY)
Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN)
Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER)
Peter OEHLER (GER)
Anton VIEWEG (GER)
Kevin CASTILLO (HON)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
Alex SZOKE (HUN)
Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI)
Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)
Ibrahim FALLATAH (KSA)
Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU)
Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU)
Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED)
Marcus WORREN (NOR)
Luka KATIC (SRB)
Mihail KAJAIA (SRB)
Mario VUKOVIC (SRB)
Aleksandar STJEPANETIC (SWE)
Beytullah KAYISDAG (TUR)
Serhii OMELIN (UKR)
Yevhenii SAVETA (UKR)
Josef RAU (USA)
Alan VERA GARCIA (USA)
Narinder CHEEMA (UWW)
Luillys PEREZ MORA (VEN)

130kg
Kiryl HRYSHCHANKA (AIN)
Sabah SHARIATI (AZE)
Beka KANDELAKI (AZE)
Lingzhe MENG (CHN)
Wenhao JIANG (CHN)
Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB)
Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY)
Konsta MAEENPAEAE (FIN)
Sulkhan BUIDZE (GEO)
Jello KRAHMER (GER)
Franz RICHTER (GER)
Dariusz Attila VITEK (HUN)
Laszlo DARABOS (HUN)
Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)
Romas FRIDRIKAS (LTU)
Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU)
Oskar MARVIK (NOR)
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)
Boris PETRUSIC (SRB)
Delian Hossein ALISHAHI (SUI)
Oleksandr CHERNETSKYY (UKR)
Vladyslav VORONYI (UKR)
Adam COON (USA)
NAVEEN (UWW)
Moises PEREZ (VEN)

Yui SUSAKI (JPN)Yui SUSAKI (JPN) is returning to the Zagreb Open to defend her 50kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Women's Wrestling

50kg
Kseniya STANKEVICH (AIN)
Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (AIN)
Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (AIN)
Miglena SELISHKA (BUL)
Madison PARKS (CAN)
Ziqi FENG (CHN)
Chun LEI (CHN)
Jacqueline MOLLOCANA ELENO (ECU)
Nada MOHAMED (EGY)
Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA)
Julie SABATIE (FRA)
Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN)
Yui SUSAKI (JPN)
Gabija DILYTE (LTU)
Mariana DIAZ MUNOZ (MEX)
Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
Agata Marta WALERZAK (POL)
Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Mariana ROJAS DIAZ (VEN)

53kg
Ekaterina VERBINA (AIN)
Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE)
Karla GODINEZ (CAN)
Antonia VALDES ARRIAGADA (CHI)
Qianyu PANG (CHN)
Min ZHANG (CHN)
Lucia YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU)
Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA)
Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER)
Annika WENDLE (GER)
Nina HEMMER (GER)
Sztalvira ORSUS (HUN)
Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
Christianah OGUNSANYA (NGR)
Jowita WRZESIEN (POL)
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)
Nethmi AHINSA (SRI)
Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)
Mariia YEFREMOVA (UKR)
Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR)
Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA)
Haley AUGELLO (USA)
Dominique PARRISH (USA)
Betzabeth ARGUELLO VILLEGAS (VEN)

55kg
Gultakin SHIRINOVA (AZE)
Samantha STEWART (CAN)
Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN)
Gerda TEREK (HUN)
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
Magdalena GLODEK (POL)
Roksana ZASINA (POL)
Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
Albina RILLIA (UKR)

57kg
Veronika CHUMIKOVA (AIN)
Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE)
Giullia PENALBER (BRA)
Hannah TAYLOR (CAN)
Qi ZHANG (CHN)
Kexin HONG (CHN)
Yongxin FENG (CHN)
Luisa VALVERDE (ECU)
Mathilde RIVIERE (FRA)
Amel REBIHA (FRA)
Elena BRUGGER (GER)
Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
Tamara DOLLAK (HUN)
Ramona GALAMBOS (HUN)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)
Anhelina LYSAK (POL)
Patrycja GIL (POL)
Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)
Amanda MARTINEZ (USA)
Betzabeth SARCO (VEN)

59kg
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)
Nikolett SZABO (HUN)
Mariana CHERDIVARA (MDA)
Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR)

62kg
Veranika IVANOVA (AIN)
Alina KASABIEVA (AIN)
Birgul SOLTANOVA (AZE)
Lais NUNES (BRA)
Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)
Ana GODINEZ (CAN)
Virginia JIMENEZ (CHI)
Jia LONG (CHN)
Yaru WU (CHN)
Lili LILI (CHN)
Iva GERIC (CRO)
Iris THIEBAUX (FRA)
Ameline DOUARRE (FRA)
Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)
Eniko ELEKES (HUN)
Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Grace BULLEN (NOR)
Aleksandra WOLCZYNSKA (POL)
Johanna LINDBORG (SWE)
Iryna BONDAR (UKR)
Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR)
Kayla MIRACLE (USA)
Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA)
SONAM (UWW)
Astrid MONTERO CHIRINOS (VEN)

65kg
Anne NUERNBERGER (GER)
Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ)
Kadriye AKSOY (TUR)
Alla BELINSKA (UKR)

68kg
Hanna SADCHANKA (AIN)
Vusala PARFIANOVICH (AIN)
Elizaveta PETLIAKOVA (AIN)
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
Yuliana YANEVA (BUL)
Sofiya GEORGIEVA (BUL)
Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL)
Feng ZHOU (CHN)
Qian JIANG (CHN)
Veronika VILK (CRO)
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER)
Eyleen SEWINA (GER)
Noémi SZABADOS (HUN)
Karolina POK (HUN)
Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ)
Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)
Buse TOSUN (TUR)
Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)
Forrest MOLINARI (USA)
RADHIKA (UWW)
Soleymi CARABALLO (VEN)

72kg
Fanni NAGY NAD (SRB)
Iryna ZABLOTSKA (UKR)

76kg
Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (AIN)
Rita TALISMANOVA (AIN)
Justina DI STASIO (CAN)
Juan WANG (CHN)
Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN)
Samar HAMZA (EGY)
Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA)
Kendra DACHER (FRA)
Ambre CHEVREAU (FRA)
Francy RAEDELT (GER)
Veronika NYIKOS (HUN)
Bernadett NAGY (HUN)
Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)
Anastasiia OSNIACH SHUSTOVA (UKR)
Adeline GRAY (USA)
Kennedy BLADES (USA)
Kylie WELKER (USA)
Maria ACOSTA (VEN)

#JapanWrestling

Kiyooka, Kusaka secure chance to add first world titles to Paris golds

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (June 22) -- Kotaro KIYOOKA and Nao KUSAKA both lived up to their lofty status as Olympic champions. Now each will get a chance to add a first world title to their Paris gold.

Kiyooka and Kusaka, competing in their first major competition since triumphing at Paris 2024, both won titles on the final day of the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships, then returned to mat to beat the same opponent in a playoff for this year's World Championships.

In one of the most anticipated duels of the tournament, Kiyooka, the Paris champion at freestyle 65kg, pulled off a double victory over former Nippon Sports Science University teammate and Asian champion Kaisei TANABE, whose chances were hampered by a knee injury in the playoff.

"It's my first time to be involved in a playoff and to face the same opponent twice on the same day," Kiyooka said. "It was a learning experience and a good opportunity."

Also Read: Motoki stuns Ozaki with last-second win in Japan's world team playoff

Kusaka, who has a 2023 world bronze to go along with his Paris gold at Greco 77kg, showed little effects of a recent back injury that curtailed his preparation in defeating Kodai SAKURABA to earn a ticket to the World Championships to be held Sept. 13-22 in Zagreb.

The four-day Meiji Cup at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym was serving as the second of two domestic qualifiers for the team to Zagreb, along with the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships in December. A victory at both tournaments earned an automatic spot, while a playoff was held at the end of each day to decide between separate winners.

Both Kiyooka and Kusaka had participated in the German Bundesliga in the autumn after the Paris Olympics, but otherwise had joined the vast majority of Japan's medalists who reaped the rewards of their new-found fame, attending special events and appearing on variety TV shows.

They, along with Sakura MOTOKI at women's 62kg, were the only ones among Japan's eight gold medalists who decided to return to the mat in earnest at the Meiji Cup.

Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN)Kotaro KIYOOKA scores four with a unique throw in the freestyle 65kg playoff with Kaisei TANABE. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

For the 24-year-old Kiyooka, making it to his first World Championships gives him a chance to prove that his victory in Paris was no fluke and that he is no one-hit wonder.

"Before the Olympics, the word out there was that I wouldn't win, but I managed to turn that idea on its head," Kiyooka said. "Still, I'm a champion who came out of the blue, so I'm really not the established king. I want to take the world title so that people both at home and abroad recognize that Kotaro Kiyooka is the true champion."

He and Tanabe, who won his first career Emperor's Cup title in December, have often sparred together in practice, but had never faced each other in an official match.

In an entertaining final that featured a constant tangle of legs and arms amid wild scrambles, Tanabe struck first with a takedown, but Kiyooka responded with a takedown-gut wrench combination to go into the second period ahead 4-2.

Tanabe, the son of NSSU coach and 2004 Sydney Olympic bronze medalist Chikara TANABE, put the pressure on, but could only manage a late stepout as Kiyooka held on for a 4-3 victory.

Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN)Kotaro KIYOOKA works for a takedown against Kaisei TANABE during the freestyle 65kg playoff. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

In the playoff, Kiyooka opened with a stepout off a scramble, then received an activity point. But when he scored a stepout late in the period, Tanabe was slow to get up and indicated he had suffered a knee injury.

Tanabe bravely forged on and scored 2 off a counter lift off a Kiyooka takedown attempt, but Kiyooka kept his leg hold and made it 7-2 with an intriguing 4-point move.

With Tanabe on his back, Kiyooka stood straight up, then moved to the edge, where he launched an aerial cartwheel that caused Tanabe to land flat on his back.

"I wanted to lift him up and get a big point," Kiyooka said. "But Tanabe is a competitor with a high level of talent and athleticism, and if I didn't do it right, he could be the one to get the points. I was glad that I gave it a try.

"To get a big score provides an advantage later on. From now, I'm going to need a move like that, because without it, I'll have to settle for one or two points, which makes it easier for the opponent to catch up. I'm going to add it to my regular practice."

Tanabe stayed down and took an injury timeout, and it was soon after that Kiyooka put the match away with a counter lift and two exposures to win 13-2 in 5:45.

"My opponent's condition wasn't very good in the final, and then his knee became painful in the playoff," Kiyooka said. "So he wasn't at his best, but I couldn't let that sway me and I had to fight to the end.

"At this tournament, the main thing was to win, as it was where I was making my return. I'm also also making a new start with a new company affiliation and wanted it to go right, so I'm glad I could win the title and make the team to the World Championships."

Kiyooka, whose younger sister Moe lost a playoff at women's 53kg on Saturday, said the extended layoff caused him some concern.

"There was some anxiety, but as long as I did what I needed to do, I thought it would lead to a result like this," Kiyooka said. "There are only so many days until the Los Angeles Olympics, and this have given me an idea of what I will need to work on to put it all together."

Nao KUSAKA (JPN)Nao KUSAKA bulls his way to a takedown in the Greco 77kg playoff with Kodai SAKURABA. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Kusaka never seemed in danger in either of his matches against Emperor's Cup champion Sakuraba, nor did he show the dominance that led to Olympic gold.

In the Meiji Cup final, Kusaka came away with a 5-1 win in which he scored no technical points. In the first period, he received a passivity point, then when Sakuraba tried to escape from the bottom of par terre, he was hit with a 2-point penalty for a leg foul, and an unsuccessful challenge made it 4-0. Kusaka then received a second passivity point in the second period and that was it.

Kusaka was more productive in the playoff, bulling his way to a takedown in the first period and a stepout in the second in chalking up a 4-1 victory.

"I became more fatigued that I expected," Kusaka said. "It's been awhile since I went all out. No matter how much you build up in practice, you don't get the tension that you get in a match."

Kusaka revealed that his preparations were curtailed when he suffered a serious back strain while weight training in late May. He said the injury was so serious, it was first time he ever had to be transported on a stretcher.

"I had good luck when it came to the Olympics, but this time I had to go through that," he said. "For two weeks, I couldn't wrestle at all and I spent a week in bed."

Like Kiyooka, Kusaka wants to enhance his relatively slim resume with a world title.

"I've been wrestling 21, 22 years, and it's something I've always aspired to," Kusaka said. "I'm getting attention as an Olympic champion, but I want to be active around the world. The 2024 season went extremely well and I received the MVP award, which was great. But I don't want to be a one-hit wonder. I have to keep getting results."

Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN)Kyotaro SOGABE squares off with longtime rival Katsuaki ENDO in the Greco 67kg playoff. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Another playoff of note occurred at Greco 67kg, where Paris Olympian Kyotaro SOGABE secured his latest triumph over longtime rival and fellow NSSU alum Katsuaki ENDO.

Endo won the Emperor's Cup in Sogabe's absence, but the latter set up the playoff with a 4-0 victory in the Meiji Cup final in which he twice received passivity points, scoring a gut wrench after his second chance at par terre. In the playoff, Sogabe never gave Endo an opening and rolled to a 9-0 victory.

Rin SAKAMOTO (JPN)Teenager Rin SAKAMOTO gestures after securing his ticket to the senior worlds at freestyle 57kg. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Among the two men's weight classes that did not need to go to a playoff, teenager Rin SAKAMOTO secured his ticket to Zagreb at freestyle 57kg by crushing Kento YUMIYA 10-0 to complete the Emperor's Cup-Meiji Cup double.

The 19-year-old Sakamoto is a maverick among Japanese wrestlers, in that he decided to pursue a collegiate career in the United States, where he now competes for powerhouse Oklahoma State University.

He admittedly had trouble at the Emperor's Cup adjusting back to freestyle after practicing in the American folkstyle. But this time, with the U.S. collegiate season over, he was able to focus exclusively on the international style.

Sakamoto had a disappointing showing at the Asian Championships, where he lost in the bronze-medal match, but returned to Japan in April and won the qualifying tournament for the World U20 Championships.

Regarding making his first senior worlds, Sakamoto said, "I'm excited," citing the fact that he can match Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO, who was also 19 when he won the world title in 2018. Unfortunately, should Sakamoto triumph in Zagreb, he will fall one month short of Otoguro's record for Japan's youngest-ever male world champion.

At Greco 60kg, Emperor's Cup champion and two-time Asian medalist Kaito INABA defeated Yu SHIOTANI 5-2 in the final to earn his first trip to the World Championships.

Asian and world U23 champion Kodai TAKAHASHI will get another shot at the senior worlds after he defeated Emperor's Cup champion Hikaru TAKATA 3-0 in the freestyle 74kg playoff.

Takahashi, who missed the Emperor's Cup due to an injury suffered while competing at 79kg at last year's non-Olympic worlds, secured a place in the playoff by beating Takata in Saturday's semifinals. then topping Masaki SATO 3-1 in the Meiji Cup final.

Day 4 Results

Freestyle

57kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Rin SAKAMOTO df. Kento YUMIYA by TF, 10-0, 2:22

BRONZE: Rikuto NAGAI df. Kodai NAKAISHI by TF, 10-0, 5:59
BRONZE: . Rikuto ARAI df. Fuga SASAKI, 4-1

65kg (9 entries)
GOLD: Kotaro KIYOOKA df. Kaisei TANABE, 4-3

BRONZE: Shinnosuke SUWAMA df. Ryuto SAKAKI, 8-5
BRONZE: Yuto NISHIUCHI df. Takuma AKIYAMA by TF, 10-0, 5:45

World Team Playoff: Kiyooka df. Tanabe by TF, 10-0, 5:45

74kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Kota TAKAHASHI df. Masaki SATO, 3-1

BRONZE: Kanata YAMAGUCHI df. Hikaru TAKATA by Def.
BRONZE: Toki OGAWA df. Tenju HOSAKA, 2-1

World Team Playoff: Takahashi df. Takata, 3-0

Greco-Roman

60kg (8 entries)
GOLD: Kaito INABA df. Yu SHIOTANI, 5-2

BRONZE: Seima TOKUHARA df. Eiru TAKAYAMA, 5-2
BRONZE: Koto GOMI df. Maito KAWANA, 7-7

67kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Kyotaro SOGABE df. Katsuaki ENDO, 4-0

BRONZE: Kensuke SHIMIZU df. Chiezo MARUYAMA, 3-2
BRONZE: Haruto YABE df. Kojiro HASEGAWA, 8-5

World Team Playoff: Sogabe df. Endo by TF, 9-0, 5:50

77kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Nao KUSAKA df. Kodai SAKURABA, 5-1

BRONZE: Fuga MISAIZU df. Shu YAMADA by Def.
BRONZE: Isami HORIKITA df. Naoki KADODE, 5-3

World Team Playoff: Kusaka df. Sakuraba, 4-1