Zagreb Open: Azarpira beats Snyder; Zare, Susaki dominate

Friday, January 12, 2024 - 00:01 By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (January 11) -- He was ready to take over the 97kg weight class in Iran after the Tokyo Olympics. He won the U23 World Championships aged 19 years. He repeated as the champion in 2022. But then Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) rose along with Mohammad MOHAMMADIAN (IRI).

After spending a year struggling at 92kg because of the decision of Iran's management, Amirali AZAPIRA (IRI) is back to his best at 97kg. He defeated Goleij and Mohammadian in Iran and shocked the wrestling world on Thursday with a controlled win over Kyle SNYDER (USA) at the Zagreb Open to win the gold medal.

Snyder, who was the favorite to win the gold medal, especially after his easy 4-0 win over Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) in the semifinal, was shut down by Azarpira in the second period, suffering a 6-3 loss after leading 3-0.

Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) scores on Kyle SNYDER (USA) in the 97kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Memories from last year's Zagreb Open final must have flashed for Azarpira as he lost that match 3-0 to return with a silver medal. But this year, despite Snyder's 3-0 lead, Azarpira continued his attacks and scored two takedowns in the second period to win 6-3.

"I had already thought about the final," Azarpira said. "I had practiced with the other guys [on the Iran team] for a long time for this competition. Last year, I lost to Snyder in the same tournament and the same final but this year, I was confident that I could defeat him."

Snyder led 1-0 at the break after Azarpira was on the activity clock and opened the second period with a takedown to lead 3-0. But Azarpira answered with a takedown of his own to make it 3-2 and added a stepout which Snyder challenged but lost.

Azarpira led 4-3 with over a minute remaining in the final and Snyder came close to scoring the winning stepout twice but Azarpira's defended well.

"It was a good takedown in the first period and then he got into my legs and scored," Snyder said. "I still had a minute and 15 seconds to score but could not. He had good defense. It was good to compete and keep learning. I need to get better at opening guys up and score points."

Azarpira used Iran's traditional underhooks and kept his legs away from Snyder's reach to avoid getting taken down or double-leg attacks.

"I was three points behind but I didn’t lose my focus because I had a plan," Azarpira said. "I knew that even if I was six points behind, I could win it. I was relieved because I already knew that I was going to win. My mind was ready for this competition and I had gained self-confidence."

Azarpira lost some of his self-confidence in 2023 when Iran decided to prepare him for the World Championships at 92kg after Ghasempour's injury. He finished fourth at the Ranking Series event in Budapest and eighth at the World Championships after a loss to Zahid VALENCIA (USA).

But come 2023, he won the Iran nationals to earn his spot for Zagreb and with the win over Snyder, he will be headed to the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek in April.

"I’ve been playing at the weight of 97kg for about three or four years and I fit in this weight," he said. "But according to the opinion of the technical staff of my country, they allowed me to participate in the World Championships at 92kg. But at this weight, considering the weight I lost and the circumstances, I didn’t have the necessary preparation for the competition and I was very annoyed during this time. But I wasn’t real me in the World Championships when I lost."

Azarpira opened the day with a 5-0 win over Radoslaw BARAN (POL) and survived a scare against Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) 8-7 before winning 10-0 against VICKY (UWW).

But Snyder was dominant in the first three matches. He defeated Tuerxunbieke MUHEITE (CHN), Erhan YAYLACI (TUR) and Cristian SARCO (VEN) via technical superiority. He would then beat Ghasempour 4-0 in their second career meeting.

Azarpira's win over Snyder has all but ended Ghasempour's Olympic hopes. Winning the quota in Bishkek would mean that Azapira's ticket to Paris is all but guaranteed.

"It can be said that this weight is the hardest weight in the World, Olympic, Asian," Azarpira said. "With the plans I have, I hope I can get the best results in this weight and I have high hopes in myself.

Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) defeated Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) 5-0 in the 125kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Another Iran wrestler who has confirmed his Paris Olympics ticket is world champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) as he defeated Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) in the 125kg final. The bout was a playoff for the Olympic spot as Masoumi had won the national championships. Like their previous encounters, Zare was in control of the bout which he won 5-0.

"Masoumi is a young and powerful wrestler and he wrestles with high physical strength," Zare said. "Because of that, I was under pressure but according to the training I had done before this tournament, I showed my body was ready to defeat all my opponents."

Throughout the day, Zare showed why he remains the top wrestler at 125kg, winning two bouts via technical superiority before the final.

"The competition was high level and in our weight, except for one or two wrestlers, the champions of different countries were all present and this shows that this year is the year of the Olympics," he said.

Having won the World Championships twice now and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Zare said that he would do everything in his control to win the Paris Olympics.

"The biggest dream of every athlete is Olympic gold and I practice and work hard every day to achieve the Olympic gold and I wanna do it not just once, but several times."

Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) won the 79kg gold after a 6-0 win over Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Iran's third gold medal was won by Mohamad NOKHODI (IRI) who recovered from a grueling semifinal against Evan WICK (USA) to win gold at 79kg with a 6-0 win over Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO). The two-time world silver medalist Iranian struggled with his conditioning in the semifinal but managed to win 6-6. In the final, he scored all the points in the first period and then defended Kentchadze's attacks to win the gold.

Kentchadze finished with a silver medal last year as well after losing to Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI) in the final.

In the other non-Olympic weight class in Freestyle, Nathan JACKSON (USA) won the gold medal at 92kg after a fall over Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO) in the final.

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) defeated Ziqi FENG (CHN) in the 50kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Susaki show

A fully fit and rejuvenated Yui SUSAKI (JPN) remained untouchable in wrestling as she won the 50kg gold medal with ease, finishing each of her five bouts well before time.

Her opponent in the final and world bronze medalist Ziqi FENG (CHN) had similar results, finishing her three bouts before time but suffered a 10-0 loss to Susaki in the final.

At the World Championships, Feng had troubled Susaki and only lost 4-2 but Susaki said it wasn't a big deal.

"I have no injury now," Susaki said. "After the World Championships, I planned a lot [for Feng]."

The 24-year-old has been on a long exposure trip to Europe in which she trained in Germany and France.

"I want to train with foreign athletes and know the style," she said. "I have the Olympics so I want to feel the power of foreign wrestlers, how to fight them, how to plan against them. I had a great experience."

At 55kg, Samantha STEWART (CAN) came home with a gold medal after a 3-1 victory over Roksana ZASINA (POL) in the final.

RESULTS

Freestyle

79kg
GOLD: Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) df. Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO), 6-0

BRONZE: Evan WICK (USA) df. Abdollah SHEIKHAZAMI (IRI),

92kg
GOLD: Nathan JACKSON (USA) df. Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO), via fall

BRONZE: Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) df. Eric SCHULTZ (USA), 8-7

97kg
GOLD: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) df. Kyle SNYDER (USA), 6-3

BRONZE: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) df. Erhan YAYLACI (TUR), 3-1
BRONZE: Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) df. VICKY (UWW), 8-5

125kg
GOLD: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) df. Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI), 5-0

BRONZE: Zhiwei DENG (CHN) df. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Mason PARRIS (USA) df. Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE), 6-2

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Ziqi FENG (CHN), 10-0

BRONZE: Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (AIN) df. Kseniya STANKEVICH (AIN), via fall (10-2)
BRONZE: Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) df. Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), 7-6

55kg
GOLD: Samantha STEWART (CAN) df. Roksana ZASINA (POL), 3-1

BRONZE: Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN), 2-2
BRONZE: Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) df. Albina RILLIA (UKR), via fall (4-0)

#JapanWrestling

Ozaki Gets Best of Motoki in Showdown, Sets Up Final against Onishi

Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 09:10 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (May 23) -- Nonoka OZAKI won her latest showdown with Paris Olympic champion Sakura MOTOKI, and this time there was no having to cut it close.

Ozaki broke open a close match in the second period, pulling away to an 8-2 victory to advance to the women’s 62kg final at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships on Saturday in Tokyo.

"I’m used to being patient before getting going, and in the second period I was able to seize the momentum,” Ozaki said.

The victory put Ozaki into Sunday’s final, where a victory over world 59kg champion Sakura ONISHI will secure her place on Japan’s team to both the Asian Games, to be hosted by Japan, and the World Championships.

Others advancing to their respective finals on the third day of the four-day tournament at Tokyo’s Komazawa Gym were Paris Olympic gold medalists Kotaro KIYOOKA at Freestyle 65kg, Akari FUJINAMI at women’s 57kg and Nao KUSAKA at Greco 77kg, along with Paris bronze medalist Yui SUSAKI at women’s 50kg.

The much-anticipated clash between Ozaki and Motoki was the feature match of the session, and came a round earlier than expected after Onishi upended Motoki 9-7 in their Nordic round-robin group opener.

After a staid first period in which the lone score was an activity point for Motoki, Ozaki stepped up her game and scored a quick takedown to start the second period. When Motoki tried to spin out of an underhook, Ozaki stopped her for 2.

Motoki kept that movement going and got behind for a 1-point reversal, only for Ozaki to stuff a roll attempt for a 2-point exposure to go up 6-2. Ozaki then got behind for a final takedown to complete a solid victory.

The last time they faced each other was in December at the Emperor’s Cup All-Japan Championships, which along with the Meiji Cup, serve as the qualifiers for this year’s Asian Games and World Championships. A victory at both means an automatic place on the Japan team; if the winners are different, a playoff is held between them.

Last December, Ozaki pulled off a late 3-3 victory in the final over Motoki, which earned her a ticket to last month’s Asian Championships, where she won her third career continental gold.

It also avenged a loss by the identical score at last year’s Meiji Cup, which Motoki followed up by beating Ozaki in 6-5 in a nail-biting playoff. With those wins, Motoki secured a ticket to the World Championships in Zagreb, where she won the gold medal.

“I didn’t want to have similar gap in scores like in the previous tournaments or have a one-point difference,” Ozaki said. “I wanted to win after building up a big lead.”

Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) reached the 65kg final and will take on Kaisei TANABE (JPN) for the gold medal. (Photo: wrestling-spirits.jp / Takeo Yabuki)

The other Paris medalists – Kiyooka, Fujinami, Kusaka and Susaki – were all Emperor’s Cup champions and can secure their Asian Games and world team spots without a playoff with victories in Sunday’s finals.

Kiyooka had his hands full in advancing to the Freestyle 65kg final with a 3-1 victory in the semifinals over 2024 world U23 silver medalist Kaiji OGINO.

Ogino was leading in the second period on criteria after each received an activity point, when Kiyooka launched an attack that sent Ogino reeling off the mat for a stepout, to which a fleeing point was added.

Kiyooka said that Ogino put up a defense that resembled that of rival Rahman AMOUDZAD (IRI), who lost to Kiyooka in the final in Paris but gained revenge by relegating him to the silver at the Zagreb Worlds.

“I really felt it as we were going at it,” Kiyooka said. “But being able to overcome that is a big step.”

In Sunday’s final, Kiyooka will face fellow Nippon Sports Science University alumnus Kaisei TANABE, who advanced with an 8-2 victory over world U23 silver medalist Takara SUDA.

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) moved into the 57kg final after a 10-0 win over Sara NATAMI (JPN). (Photo: wrestling-spirits.jp / Takeo Yabuki)

Fujinami, still depending mostly on takedowns as she makes the physical adjustment to 57kg after winning the Paris gold at 53kg, cruised into the final with a 10-0 whitewash of Sara NATAMI.

With her second victory by technical superiority of the day, Fujinami extended her current win streak to 152 matches, dating back to her junior high school days.

In the final, she will face Sena NAGAMOTO, the Emperor’s Cup champion at 59kg who has made the bold move to drop down to 57kg and challenge the seemingly invincible Fujinami.

Nagamoto advanced with a 2-0 victory over Himeka TOKUHARA, who famously put Fujinami into the most danger of having her streak broken by nearly pinning her in the final at the Emperor's Cup, only for Fujinami to survive the predicament and rebound to beat her.

Kusaka looked to be cruising in his semifinal at Greco-Roman 77kg against Kodai SAKURABA, only to give up a 4-point throw from par terre in the second period. Still, the Zagreb silver medalist managed to hang for a 6-5 win.

In the gold-medal match, Kusaka will face Isami HORIKITA in a rematch of the Emperor’s Cup final.

Susaki encountered a slight blip in her 12-2 victory over Umi ITO in the women’s 50kg semifinals, which earned her a trip to the final against world U20 champion Rinka OGAWA.

Susaki led 2-0 late in the first period when she got stuck attempting a front headlock roll, giving Ito 2 points and the lead on criteria. But Susaki shook off the foible and piled up the points in the second period to finish off Ito.

At Freestyle 74kg, world champions Yoshinosuke AOYAGI and Kota TAKAHASHI both advanced to the final to set up a rematch of their high-level championship match at the Emperor’s Cup.

Aoyagi, who moved up to the Olympic weight after winning the world title at 70kg, won by fall over Ryoya YAMASHITA, while Takahashi, the reigning world champ at 74kg, eked out a 3-1 win over Hikaru TAKATA.

Yu KATSUME (JPN), 18, suffered her first-ever loss since July 2019. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Future Prospect Katsume Falls Short

Earlier, at 50kg, highly touted high schooler Yu KATSUME made her long-awaited senior debut, but came up on the short end of a 3-1 decision in the quarterfinals to Morishita. Only a second-period go-behind takedown by Morishita separated the two, with each receiving an activity point.

“It was a match that I feel I could have won,” Katsume said. “I feel it’s not like I can’t compete here.”

The loss ended a remarkable winning streak for Katsume, the 2024 world U17 champion at 46kg who had not lost since she was in the fifth grade of elementary school back in July 2019. She had put up Susak and Fujinami-like numbers, winning 22 straight tournaments on various age group levels.

Katsume, who turned 18 earlier this month, was familiar with her opponent. She is a senior at the high school attached to Shigakkan University, which Morishita attends, and the teams practice together.

“We know each other styles, so I wasn’t sure how the match would go,” Katsume said. “I thought I could do it, but I didn’t do the attacking wrestling that I usually do.”

As for suffering a rare defeat, Katsume commented, “I’m the younger one, and I had never entered a senior tournament. My opponent had been to finals [on this level], so the pressure was on her. Looking at it that way, I thought I could win.”

Zagreb Open: Azarpira beats Snyder; Zare, Susaki dominate

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Ozaki Gets Best of Motoki in Showdown, Sets Up Final against Onishi