#WrestleKyiv21

XXIV Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial Entries

By Eric Olanowski

The XXIV Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial Entries will take place in Kyiv on February 26-28 and will feature nearly 600 participants from 33 different nations.

WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVhm78Vnhay9CDvwKxN6jKq6w5UqNP3TG

57kg
Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG)
Karen ZURABYAN (ARM) 
Afgan KHASHALOV (AZE) 
Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE) 
Aryian TIUTRIN (BLR) 
Dzimchyk RYNCHYNAU (BLR) 
Dzmitry SHAMELA (BLR) 
Mikyay NAIM (BUL) 
Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO) 
Otari GOGAVA (GEO) 
Niklas STECHELE( GER) 
Ali GHOLI ZADEGAN KOLOUKHI (IRI) 
Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ)
Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR (KGZ)
Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ)
Petru CRACIUN (MDA) 
Andrei DUKOV (ROU) 
Razvan-Marian KOVACS (ROU) 
Nils LEUTERT (SUI) 
Andrii YATSENKO (UKR)
Kamil KERYMOV (UKR)
Roman GUTSULIAK (UKR)
Serhii TERZI (UKR)
Taras MARKOVYCH (UKR)
Nodirjon Safarov (UZB)

61kg
Razmik PAPIKYAN (ARM) 
Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE) 
Intigam VALIZADE (AZE) 
Lachinau ASADULLA (BLR) 
Uladzislau KOIKA (BLR) 
Arman ELOYAN (FRA) 
Beka LOMTADSZE (GEO) 
Teimuraz VANISHVILI (GEO) 
Viktor LUZEN (GER) 
Richard VILHELM (HUN) 
Ikromzhon KHADZHIMURADOV (KGZ)
Leonid COLESNIC (MDA) 
Ivan GUIDEA (ROU) 
Nino LEUTERT (SUI) 
Ali KARABOGA (TUR) 
Cabbar DUYUM (TUR) 
Saban KIZILTAS (TUR) 
Andrii DZHELEP (UKR)
Oleksandr EVSEENKO (UKR)
Valentyn BLIASETSKII (UKR)
Volodymyr BURUKOV (UKR)
Angelo RINI (USA) 

Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN), a '19 world bronze medalist, will compete at 65kg. (Photo: Kadir Calisan)

65kg
Amar LAISSAOUI (ALG)
Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) 
Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE) 
Dzabrayil GADZHIEV (AZE) 
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) 
Andre BEKRENEU (BLR) 
Dzianis SALAVEI (BLR) 
Niurgun SKRIABIN (BLR) 
Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) 
Juan Pablo GONZALEZ (ESP) 
Marwane YEZZA (FRA) 
Quentin STICKER (FRA) 
Davit TLASHADZE (GEO) 
Giorgi TCHOLADZE (GEO) 
Shmagi TODUA (GEO) 
Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) 
Aibek TOKTOGUL (KGZ)
Alibek OSMANOV (KGZ)
Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
Maxim SAGULTAN (MDA) 
Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU) 
Stefan-Iounut COMAN (ROU) 
Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) 
Andrii SVYRYD (UKR)
Denys BOROGAN (UKR)
Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR)
Gor OHANNESIAN (UKR)
Ivan BILEICHUK (UKR)
Mykyta GONCHAROV (UKR)
Petro BILEICHUK (UKR)
Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR)
Vitalii GODYNA (UKR)

70kg
Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) 
Aliaksandr PAULIUCHENKA (BLR) 
Dillon WILLIAMS (CAN) 
Mirza SKHULUKHIA (GEO) 
Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) 
Alehander SEMISOROV (GER) 
Daniel ANTAL (HUN) 
Erfan ELAHI (IRI) 
Hertz HOROWITZ (ISR) 
Islambek OROZBEKOV (KGZ)
Gheorghe ROBU (MDA) 
Mihail SAVA (MDA) 
Tobias PORTMANN (SUI) 
Daniel CHOMANIC (SVK) 
Selahattin KILIÇSALLAYAN (TUR) 
Andrii NUGUMANOV (UKR)
Igor NYKYFORUK (UKR)
Ivan KUSYAK (UKR)
Maksym LAVROV (UKR)
Mykhailo GURSKYI (UKR)
Oleksii BORUTA (UKR)
Yegor MURADYAN (UKR)
Connor KIEVMAN (USA) 

74kg
Ishak BOUKHORS (ALG)
Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM) 
Varuzhan KAJOYAN (ARM) 
Simon MARCHL (AUT) 
Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE) 
Azamat NURIKAU (BLR) 
Ali-Pasha UMARPASHAEV (BUL) 
Miroslav KIROV (BUL) 
Jasmit PHULKA (CAN) 
Jonathan ALVAREZ (ESP) 
Pablo GARCIA(ESP) 
Charles AFA (FRA) 
Giorgi SULAVA (GEO) 
Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) 
Lennard WICKEL (GER) 
Csaba VIDA (HUN) 
Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) 
Mohammadsadegh FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI) 
Mitch FINESILVER (ISR) 
Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ)
Elaman DOGDURBEK (KGZ)
Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA) 
Stanislav NOVAC (MDA) 
Vasile DIASON (MDA) 
Andrzej SOKALSKI (POL) 
Kamil RYBYCKI (POL) 
Marcin MAJKA (POL) 
Mateusz KAMPIK (POL) 
Patrick OLENCZYN (POL) 
Maxim VASILIOGLO (ROU) 
Zurab KAPRAEV (ROU) 
Marc DIETSCHE (SUI) 
Soner DEMİRTAS (TUR) 
Ali ZAKARIIEV (UKR)
Denys PAVLOV (UKR)
Kasum KASUMOV (UKR)
Semen RADULOV (UKR)
Vadym KURYLENKO (UKR)
Yevgenii DYBOVYI (UKR)
Zelimkhan TOGUZOV (UKR)
David BERKOVICH (USA)

79kg
Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) 
Rashad YUSIFLI (AZE) 
Toghrul ASGAROV (AZE) 
Andrei KARPACH (BLR) 
Yahor AKULICH (BLR) 
Oktay HASAN (BUL) 
Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA) 
Nika KENTCHADZE(GEO) 
Tariel GAPHRINDAS HVILI (GEO) 
Zurab ERBOTSONASHVILI (GEO) 
Milan MESTER (HUN) 
Hamidreza ZARINPEYKAR (IRI) 
Narbek IZABEKOV (KGZ)
Saiakbai USUPOV (KGZ)
Andrius MAZEIKA (LTU) 
Omarskhab NAZHMUDINOV (ROU) 
Vasile-Mandalin MINZALA (ROU) 
Jakub SYKORA (SVK) 
Abdullah ARSLAN (TUR) 
Abdulvasi BALTA (TUR) 
Ramazan SARI (TUR) 
Tarik GUR (TUR) 
Maksym BRES (UKR)
Nazar BOHDANETS (UKR)
Valentyn BABII (UKR)
Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR)
Viacheslav KOPOT (UKR)

Ali SHABANAU (BLR), a four-time world bronze medalist, highlights the entries at 86kg. (Photo: Martin Gabor)

86kg
Hovhannes MKHITARYAN (ARM) 
Benjamin GREIL (AUT) 
Ali SHABANAU (BLR) 
Raman CHYTADZE (BLR) 
Rasul TSIKHAYEU (BLR) 
Akhmed MAGAMAEV (BUL) 
Dzhemal ALI (BUL) 
Hunter LEE(CAN) 
Saba CHIKHRADZE (GEO) 
Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO) 
Ahmed DUDAROV (GER) 
Georgios SAVVOULIDIS (GRE) 
Amirhossein FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI) 
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR) 
Mirlan CHYNYBEKOV (KGZ)
Nurtilek KARYPBAEV (KGZ)
Edgaras VOITECHOVSKIS (LTU) 
Piotr IANULOV (MDA) 
Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL) 
Stefan REICHMUTH (SUI) 
Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) 
Boris MAKOEV (SVK) 
Selim YASAR (TUR) 
Demid KARACHENKO (UKR)
Illia ARCHAIA (UKR)
Khasan ZAKARIIEV (UKR)
Mraz DZHAFARIAN (UKR)
Mukhammed ALIIEV (UKR)
Nazar Dod (UKR)
Oleksii SHCHERBAK (UKR)
Rustam DUDAIEV (UKR)
Vladyslav PRUS (UKR)

92kg
Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) 
Amarhaji MAHAMEDAU (BLR) 
Arkadzi PAHASIAN (BLR) 
Haji RAJABAU (BLR) 
Irakli MTSITURI (GEO) 
Mohammad ALITABARFIROUZJAH (IRI) 
Doolotbek ZHAMGYRBEK (KGZ)
Mihai-Nicolae PALAGHIA (ROU) 
Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) 
Arif OZEN (TUR) 
Andrii VLASOV (UKR)
Glib GRYNCHENKO (UKR)
Roman RYCHKO (UKR)

London Olympic champion Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) will wrestle at 97kg. (Photo: Martin Gabor)

97kg
Mohammed FARDJ (ALG)
Marzpet GALSTYAN (ARM) 
Islam ILYASOV (AZE) 
Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) 
Vasil PAULIUCHENKA (BLR) 
Ahmed BATAEV (BUL) 
Elisbar ODIKADZE (GEO) 
Zuriko URTASHVILI (GEO) 
Wladimir REMEL (GER) 
Timofei XENIDIS (GRE) 
Symbat SULAIMANOV (KGZ)
Lukas KRASAUSKAS (LTU) 
Radu LEFTER (MDA) 
Albert SARITOV (ROU) 
Michael MANEA (ROU) 
Suleyman KARADENİZ (TUR) 
Daniil PIDLYPINETS (UKR)
Danylo STASIUK (UKR)
Ivan MALIN (UKR)
Magamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR)
Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR)
Valerii ANDRIITSEV (UKR)
Vasyl SOVA (UKR)

125kg
Djahid BERRAHAL (ALG)
Hovhannes MAGHAKYAN (ARM) 
Yuri PATRIKEEV (ARM) 
Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT) 
Vaxid GALAYEEV (AZE) 
Vitali PIASNIAK (BLR) 
Islam ADIZOV (BUL) 
Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) 
Asghar LAGHARI (GER) 
Daniel LIGETI (HUN) 
Lior ALTSHULER (ISR) 
Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ)
Samhan JABRAILOV (MDA) 
Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL) 
Enes KAAN SÖKELEN (TUR) 
Hüseyin SOGUKOGLU (TUR) 
Oktay GUNGOR (TUR) 
Paşa EKREM KARABULUT (TUR) 
Artem GASHENKO (UKR)
Danylo KARTAVYI (UKR)
Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKII (UKR)
Oleksandr KOLDOVSKYI (UKR)
Vazha DAIAURI (UKR)
Yurii IDZINSKII (UKR)

'19 world champion Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) will compete at 55kg. (Sachiko Hotaka)

Greco-Roman

55kg
Rudik MKRTCHYAN (ARM) 
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) 
Ramaz SILAGAVA (GEO) 
Sajjad ABBASPOURRAGANI (IRI) 
Nurmukhmmet ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR)
Taras KRUPSKYI (UKR)
Viacheslav BAYRAKTAR (UKR)
Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) 
Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) 

60kg 
Abdeldjebbar DJEBBARI (ALG)
Abdelkrim FERGAT (ALG)
Armen MELIKYAN (ARM) 
Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) 
Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) 
Ivo ANGELOV (BUL) 
Adam MACFADYEN (CAN) 
Andy JUAN (ESP) 
Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO) 
Dato CHKHARTISHVILI (GEO) 
Gizo MELADZE (GEO) 
Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO) 
Ali Reza NEJATI (IRI) 
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
Andrii SEMENCHUK (UKR)
Andriy MARTYNYUK (UKR)
Ihor KUROCHKIN (UKR)
Mykhaylo STUPIN (UKR)
Mykola YAKHONTOV (UKR)
Viktor PETRYK (UKR)
Vladyslav KUZKO (UKR)

63kg
Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) 
Murad HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) 
Yasin OZAY (FRA) 
Leri ABULADZE (GEO) 
Levan KAVJARADZE (GEO) 
Armin MOHEB SABET (IRI) 
Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ)
Kerem KAMAL (TUR) 
Hevorh ARZUMANIUAN (UKR)
Maksym LIU (UKR)
Myroslav SOLOVIAN (UKR)
Nasrullakh NASIBOV (UKR)
Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR)
Vasyl VASYLKIVSKYI (UKR)

67kg
Abdelmalek MERABET (ALG)
Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) 
Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) 
Deivid DIMITROV (BUL) 
Ivo ILIEV (BUL) 
Daniel COLES (CAN) 
Marcos SANCHEZ-SILVA (ESP) 
Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) 
Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO) 
Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) 
Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) 
Mohammad ELYASI (IRI)  
Seyed Danial SOHRAB I(IRI) 
Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ)
Marlen ASIKEEV (KGZ)
Anton KUTSENKO (UKR)
Dmytro MIROSHNYK (UKR)
Edem SALIIEV (UKR)
Oleksandr DERKACH (UKR)
Oleksii MASYK (UKR)
Ruslan KUDRYNETS (UKR)
Serhii HRUSHYN (UKR)
Vitaliy FUGLAYEV (UKR)
Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) 
Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) 
Mirzobek RAKHMATOV (UZB)

72kg
Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) 
Vladislav MANKEVICH (BLR) 
Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) 
Otar ABULADZE (GEO) 
Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) 
Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) 
Atakan YUKSEL (TUR) 
Andrii KULYK (UKR)
Dmytro PYNKOV (UKR)
Ihor BYCHKOV (UKR)
Mykyta POLITAIEV (UKR)
Vladyslav KRAVCHENKO (UKR)

Two-time world medalist Mohammadali "The Falcon" GERAEI (IRI) is entered at 77kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

77kg
Abdelkrim OUAKALI (ALG)
Karapet CHALYAN (ARM) 
Varuzhan GRIGORYAN (ARM) 
Mikita KAZAKOU (BLR) 
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) 
Stoyan KUBATOV (BUL) 
Jair Alexis CUERO MUNOZ (COL) 
Yuisralembert CARRION (ESP) 
Johnny BUR (FRA) 
Bakuri GOGOLI (GEO) 
Sachino DAVITAIA (GEO) 
Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) 
Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) 
Roman ZHERNOVETSKI (ISR) 
Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Kairatbek TUGOLBAEV (KGZ)
Marcel STERKEUBURG (NED) 
Dmytro PYSHKOV (UKR)
Elmar NURALIIEV (UKR)
Oleksandr KUKHTA (UKR)
Pavlo MOLNAR (UKR)
Volodymyr YAKOVLIEV (UKR)
Yasaf ZEINALOV (UKR)

82kg
Artavazd VARDANYAN (ARM) 
Rosian DERMANSKI (BUL) 
Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO) 
Demuri KAVTARADZE (GEO) 
Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) 
Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ)
Artem MATIASH (UKR)
Dmytro GARDUBEI (UKR)
Hlib SKOROFATOV (UKR)
Iurii SKRIUBA (UKR)
Ivan KRAICHEV (UKR)
Oleksii OSNIACH (UKR)
Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB)

Reigning European champion Semen NOVIKOV (UKR) highlights the entries at 87kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

87kg
Bachir SID AZARA (ALG)
Gevorg TADEVOSIYAN (ARM) 
Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) 
Svetoslav NIKOLOV (BUL) 
Tarek ABDELSLAM (BUL) 
Yoan DIMITROV (BUL) 
Yiannis NARLIDIS (CAN) 
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) 
Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) 
Tornike DZAMASHVILI (GEO) 
Ramin TAHERISARTANG (IRI) 
Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ)
Tyrone STERKENDURG (NED) 
Andrii ANTONIUK (UKR)
Davyd SHADT (UKR)
Dmytro KIYASHOK (UKR)
Ruslan KONIEV (UKR)
Ruslan MAHOMEDOV (UKR)
Semen NOVIKOV (UKR)
Serhii OMELIN (UKR)
Vitalii ANDRIIOVYCH (UKR)

97kg
Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG)
Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) 
Artur SHAHINYAN (ARM) 
Kiril MILOV (BUL) 
Jesus GASCA (ESP) 
Giorgi MELIA (GEO) 
Irakli KAJAIA (GEO) 
Revazi NADAREISHVILI (GEO) 
Mehdi BALIHAMZEDEN (IRI) 
Beksultan MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ)
Metehan BASAR (TUR) 
Andrii DEHTIAROV (UKR)
Oleksandr YEVDOKIMOV (UKR)
Valentyn SHKLIARENKO (UKR)
Vladlen KOZLUYK (UKR)
Yevhenii SAVETA (UKR)
Zielimkhan DZIHASOV (UKR)
Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB)

130kg
Hichem KOUCHIT (ALG)
David OVASAPYAN (ARM) 
Radoslav GEORGIEV (BUL) 
Jakob KAJAIA (GEO) 
Levani ARABULI (GEO) 
Zviadi PATARIDZE (GEO) 
Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) 
Amir GHASEMIMONJEZI (IRI) 
Roman KIM (KGZ)
Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR)
Oleksandr CHERNETSKYY (UKR)
Sviatoslav KALASHNIKOV (UKR)
Vladyslav KOVALENKO (UKR)
Vladyslav VORONYI (UKR)
Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) 

'19 world champion Aiusuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) will make her first appearance since winning gold at the '20 Individual World Cup. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling

50kg 

Ibtissem DOUDOU (ALG)
Turkan NASIROVA (AZE) 
Natallia VARAKINA (BLR) 
Viyaleta REBIKAVA-CHYRYK (BLR) 
Madison PARK (CAN) 
Jekaterina JERMALONOKA (LAT) 
Kamile SERNAUSKATE (LTU) 
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) 
Ramona ERIKSEN (NOR) 
Agata WALERZAK (POL) 
Anna ŁUKASIAK (POL) 
Iwona MATKOWSKA (POL) 
Emilia-Alina VUC (ROU) 
Stefania-Claudia PRICEPUTU (ROU) 
Aynur ERGE (TUR) 
Bohdana YASHCHUK (UKR)
Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR)
Oksana LIVACH (UKR)
Veronika MOSKALOVA (UKR)
Yana SOROKA (UKR)
Dauletbike YAKHSHIMURATOVA (UZB) 
Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)

53kg 
Lamia CHEMLAL (ALG)
Leyla GURBANOVA (AZE) 
Tatyana VARANSOVA (AZE) 
Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) 
Sezen BELBEROVA (BUL) 
Diana WEICKER (CAN) 
Samanta STEWART (CAN) 
Marina RUEDA (ESP) 
Iulia LEORDA (MDA) 
Silje Knutsen KIPPERNES (NOR) 
Alicja CZYŻOWICZ (POL) 
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) 
Roksana ZASINA (POL) 
Andreea-Beatrice ANA (ROU) 
Esra PUL (TUR) 
Zeynep YETGİL (TUR) 
Iryna HUSYAK (UKR)
Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR)
Liliya HORISHNA (UKR)
Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB) 

55kg
Othelie Annette HOEIE (NOR) 
Anastasiia KRAVCHENKO (UKR)
Anna VOITOVA (UKR)
Khrystyna-Zoryana DEMKO (UKR)
Nataliia KLIVCHUTSKA (UKR)
Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)
Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB)

Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) will compete for the first time since closing out the year with gold at the '20 Individual World Cup. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

57kg
Rayan HOUFAF (ALG)
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) 
Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) 
Giullia RODRIGUES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) 
Biliana DUDOVA (BUL) 
Tianna KENNETT (CAN) 
Graciela SANCHEZ (ESP) 
Maria Victoria BAEZ (ESP) 
Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ)
Sezim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) 
Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR) 
Angelina ŁYSAK (POL) 
Jowita WRZESIEŃ (POL) 
Magdalena GŁODEK (POL) 
Patrycja GIL (POL) 
Bediha GUN (TUR) 
Mehlika OZTURK (TUR) 
Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR)
Iryna KHARIV (UKR)
Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)
Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB) 
Sevara ESHMURATOVA (UZB) 
Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) 

59kg
Ineta DANTAITE (LTU) 
Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR)
Laura Sofia AAK (NOR) 
Mariana CHERDIVARA (MDA) 
Nazira MARSBEK KYZY (KGZ)
Oksana MOSKALOVA (UKR)
Sofiia BODNAR (UKR)
Yuliia LISOVSKA (UKR)

62kg 
Amel HAMMICHE (ALG)
Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE) 
Krystsina SAZYKINA (BLR) 
Tatsiana PAULAVA (BLR) 
Veranika IVANOVA (BLR) 
Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) 
Jessica BROUILLETTE (CAN) 
Michelle FEZZARI (CAN) 
Jackeline CASTILLO (COL) 
Lydia PEREZ (ESP) 
Aiusuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Alina Aleksandra ANTIPOVA (LAT) 
Aleksandra WÓLCZYŃSKA (POL) 
Katarzyna MĄDROWSKA (POL) 
Natalia KUBATY (POL) 
Kriszta-Tuende INCZE (ROU) 
Asli TUGCU (TUR) 
Cansu AKSOY (TUR) 
Antonyna KULAHINA (UKR)
Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR)
Tetiana RІZHKO (UKR)
Yuliia TKACH (UKR)
Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB) 
Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB) 
Rushana ABDIRASULOVA (UZB) 

65kg
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) 
Irina RINGACI (MDA) 
Henna JOHANSSON (SWE) 
Anastasia OSTAPYK (UKR)
Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR)
Mariia ILCHYSHYN (UKR)
Oksana KUKHTA (UKR)

'20 Individual World Cup champ Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) will compete at 68kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

68kg
Irina NETREBA (AZE) 
Hanna SADCHANKA (BLR) 
Maria MAMASHUK (BLR) 
Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) 
Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) 
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Elma ZEIDLERE (LAT) 
Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU) 
Agnieszka WIESZCZEK –KORDUS (POL) 
Natalia STRZAŁKA (POL) 
Alexandra-Nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU) 
Asli DEMİR (TUR) 
Buse TOSUN (TUR) 
Nesrin BAS (TUR) 
Alina BEREZHNA (UKR)
Alina RUDNYTSKA (UKR)
Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR)
Anna MAZURKEVYCH (UKR)
Oksana CHUDYK (UKR)
Oryna BILOUS (UKR)
Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB) 

72kg
Gozal ZUTOVA (AZE) 
Alla BELINSKA (UKR)
Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)
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#JapanWrestling

Incoming OSU prospect Sakamoto wins 1st All-Japan title

By Ken Marantz

Rin SAKAMOTO works to turn Daito KATSUME after scoring the lone takedown of the freestyle 57kg final. (Photo: Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

TOKYO (December 22) -- Aside from occasional moves that are ineffective in freestyle, Rin SAKAMOTO was able to make enough of a transition back from American folkstyle to capture his first senior national title in his homeland.

Sakamoto, who has taken the rare path among Japanese wrestlers of heading overseas for college, defeated Daito KATSUME 4-0 in the freestyle 57kg final at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships on Sunday in Tokyo.

"I've been practicing in America up to now and only doing folkstyle," Sakamoto said. "It was tough adjusting back to freestyle. I couldn't do my wrestling, so I'm not very satisfied."

The final day of the four-day tournament, which is serving as the first of two domestic qualifiers for next year's World Championships, also saw world 55kg champion Moe KIYOOKA make an early move down to the Olympic weight of 53kg, where she picked up a third straight title.

Rin SAKAMOTORin SAKAMOTO became the first U.S.-based wrestler to win an All-Japan title since 1995 with a victory at freestyle 57kg. (Photo: Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

The 19-year-old Sakamoto, a two-time Inter-High champion at Tokyo's Jiyugaoka Gakuen High School, has been training for the past fourth months at U.S. powerhouse Oklahoma State University, where next month he will officially enroll and be eligible to compete in matches for the Cowboys, who are now coached by former Olympic champion David Taylor.

Sakamoto is hoping to follow in the footsteps of legendary two-time Olympic champion Yojiro UETAKE, who won three NCAA titles from 1964-66 at Oklahoma State. More recently, Sanshiro ABE won an NCAA title at Penn State in 1996, and was the last U.S.-based wrestler to win the All-Japan, in 1995.

"I think it fits my style of wrestling," Sakamoto said of American folkstyle, which puts more emphasis on control, particularly in its version of par terre or when exposing the opponent's back. "I've always liked the American style. If I make the adjustment, either style is alright for me."

The first sign of difference between the two styles came when Sakamoto stepped onto the mat wearing a headgear, an extremely rare sight in Japan. He explained that at OSU, "we have to wear a headgear all of the time, even in practice. So it's not to get me used to wearing one, but because I'm already used to it."

In his opening match, which he went on to win 15-6, he had been taken down and, instead of just lying flat and resisting being turned, he got up to his knees and grabbed the opponent's wrist -- in folkstyle, the wrestler on bottom must try to escape or reverse.

The referee on Sunday was having none of it, commanding he release the wrist. "I kept getting warned," he said. "I have to work harder to make the change."

He also twice used a counter lift in defending a takedown that put him to his own back, which gave his opponent 2 points before getting 2 for himself. In folkstyle, there would have been no points for his own exposure.

But takedowns and sprawling are pretty much universal, and his cat-like reflexes and natural speed carried him into the semifinals, where he forged out a 10-4 win over two-time Asian bronze medalist Rikuto ARAI.

The final against Katsume, who was hampered by a left knee injury that had him hobbling onto and off the mat, lacked the flamboyance of the first two matches, with Sakamoto limited to an activity point and a stepout in the first period, and a defensive takedown in the second.

"I left too much in the tank and did not dictate the match," Sakamoto lamented. "It became a really boring match."

The two were already acquainted, having split two matches while in high school. Katsume, now a sophomore at Yamanashi Gakuin University, beat Sakamoto 8-0 in the semifinals of the 2021 Inter-High championship, but a year later, Sakamoto gained revenge with a 6-2 victory in the final.

Sakamoto said he will return to the U.S. on January 11, two days before the new OSU semester starts in Stillwater, Oklahoma. From then, it will be full-time folkstyle in a wrestling room where he will face stiff competition to make the lineup at 125 pounds (56.7 kilograms).

"There are quite a few in the lighter weights, and I feel like I'm having to catch up in folkstyle," Sakamoto said. "I'm aiming for [the] Los Angeles [Olympics], but for the next two years, I'll focus on freestyle. One goal is to become a NCAA champion."

Sakamoto will, however, return to Japan in the spring for the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships, the second of the two qualifiers for the World Championships. To help him make the adjustment back to freestyle, he will likely enter the JOC Junior Olympic Cup in April, an U20 tournament in which he placed third this year.

Sakamoto is not the only member of his family with an adventurous streak. Older sister Yu, the world U23 champion at 53kg, is currently a member of the Northern Michigan University team.

Moe KIYOOKA (JPN)Moe KIYOOKA defends against a takedown attempt in the women's 53kg final against Saki YUMIYA. (Photo: Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

Kiyooka gets early start in filling 53kg hole

Four years out from the Los Angeles Olympics, Japanese star and Paris Olympic champion Akari FUJINAMI made a not-so-unexpected announcement that she was moving up to 57kg, starting a scramble to fill the hole at 53kg that she left behind.

Perhaps no one was more affected by the news than Kiyooka, who took no time in staking her claim when she rolled to a 9-0 victory in the 53kg final over Saki YUMIYA on Sunday.

Kiyooka, the younger sister of Paris freestyle 65kg gold medalist Kotaro KIYOOKA, had won the All-Japan title at 55kg the past two years, and mulled over whether it was too early to begin the quest to make Los Angeles at 53kg.

"I considered entering at 55kg right up to the last moment," Kiyooka said. "But consulting with my coach, we decided that because I had won the gold at the World Championships at 55kg, I needed to start thinking about things related to the next Olympics, like cutting weight. It's important to become accustomed to doing that. So I set the goal of winning the title at 53kg here."

She knows she will have plenty of competition ahead, notwithstanding speculation that Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Yui SUSAKI might move up from 50kg to 53kg.

"Including the opponents here, there will be even more strong wrestlers," Kiyooka said. "I need to train to get better so I can be confident when I face them and come out on top."

Kiyooka never has to look far for motivation to seek Olympic glory. She was in Paris as a training partner for Ikuei University teammate Tsugumi SAKURAI, who went on to win the 57kg gold.

"I was glad I could help, but there was also the pain of not being in the Olympics," she said. "But seeing people so close to me succeed has shown me that it's not impossible, which has given me strong motivation."

One shortcoming of her wrestling that she addressed on Sunday was her tendency to be a slow starter. She came firing out in her opening match, winning 10-0.

"As I always say, I never move well in the first match," Kiyooka said. "To overcome that, I concentrated on the opening match. As the matches continued, I got used to it and the final was my most solid match of the day."

In the final, Kiyooka scored two takedowns in each period in outclassing Yumiya, a world U20 bronze medalist this year.

Sara NATAMI (JPN)Sara NATAMI became a three-time national champion by winning the women's 57kg title, her first at an Olympic weight. (Photo: Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

Natami catches up to younger sister with 57kg title

Sara NATAMI has quite a sibling rivalry going on, and Sunday she finally caught up to younger sister Ruka when it comes to competing in an Olympic weight class.

Natami, the 2023 world U23 champion, dominated Ichika ARAI 10-2 in the 57kg final to add to two previous All-Japan titles at 59kg.

"At the Meiji Cup [last June], my younger sister won this weight class," said Natami, who had to skip that tournament due to a knee injury. "I was determined to win the next one and that led to this win.

"I had never won [a national title] at an Olympic weight. My sister beat me to it, and that was frustrating. That was the feeling as I prepared for this."

Natami said the two, an alumni and current student at Shigakkan University, respectively, sometimes practice together, "but it ends up becoming a fight."

Natami's biggest win, however, came in the semifinals, when she stuck two-time reigning champion Sae NANJO for a fall that marked her first-ever victory over her fellow Shigakkan alum and avenged a loss in the same round last year.

"We've faced each other since elementary school and I had never beaten her," Natami said. "Beating Sae was among my goals."

Last year, Natami was leading 5-0 when Nanjo, a two-time world U23 champion, suddenly turned the tide and scored a fall in the final minute.

Kaito INABA (JPN)Kaito INABA celebrates after successfully defending his Greco 60kg title. (Photo: Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

In the other final of the day, Asian silver medalist Kaito INABA successfully defended his Greco 60kg title, scoring a victory by fall with the first scoring move of the final against Yu SHIOTANI.

Shiotani, a world 55kg bronze medalist in 2022, attempted a spinning arm throw that ended with him on his back and Inaba's arm wrapped around his throat. The mat referee was not in a position to see what might be construed as a choke hold and called the fall at 1:24.

Day 4 Results

Freestyle

57kg (24 entries)
GOLD -- Rin SAKAMOTO df. Daito KATSUME, 4-0
BRONZE -- Rikuto ARAI df. Isami TAKATA by TF, 10-0, 1:47
BRONZE -- Kento YUMIYA df. Taketo NINOMIYA, 9-7

Greco-Roman

60kg (14 entries)
GOLD -- Kaito INABA df. Yu SHIOTANI by Fall, 1:24 (3-0)
BRONZE -- Koto GOMI df. Kosei TAKESHITA by TF, 11-1, 4:02
BRONZE -- Keijiro SONE df. Yasuhito MORI, 5-3

Women's Wrestling

53kg (9 entries)
GOLD -- Moe KIYOOKA df. Saki YUMIYA, 9-0
BRONZE -- Haruna MORIKAWA df. Miwa MAGARA, 3-1
BRONZE -- Narumi NAKAMURA df. Mihoko TAKEUCHI, 7-5

57kg (9 entries)
GOLD -- Sara NATAMI df. Ichika ARAI, 10-2
BRONZE -- Ibuki TAMURA df. Iroha FUJIYAMA by Inj. Def., :01
BRONZE -- Sae NANJO df. Miuna KIMURA by Fall, 5:50 (7-4)