#WrestleNice

2024 Henri Deglane Grand Prix Entry List

Thursday, January 18, 2024 - 19:06 By United World Wrestling Press

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NICE, France (January 18) -- The 50th edition of the Henri Deglane Grand Prix will commence in Nice, France on January 19.

More than 300 wrestlers from around the world will take the mats over the weekend to prepare for the all-important Olympic qualifiers later this year.

A two-kilogram weight allowance is allowed at the tournament which will begin with Women's Wrestling on January 19, Freestyle on January 20 and Greco-Roman on January 21.

Here's the list of the wrestlers competing in Nice.

57kg
Ivaylo TISOV (BUL)
Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA)
Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS)
Ben TARIK (MAR)
Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX)
Gary GIORDMAINA (MLT)
Rafal SZEWC (POL)
Darian Toi CRUZ (PUR)
Thomas EPP (SUI)
Cael NASDEO (USA)
Liam CRONIN (USA)
Kael LAURIDSEN (USA)
Daniel DESHAZER (USA)

61kg
Stilyan Yanchev ILIEV (BUL)
Georgi VANGELOV (BUL)
Levan METREVELI (ESP)
Jules GARDETTE (FRA)
Arman ELOYAN (FRA)
Ramzan AWTAEW (GER)
Dario DITTRICH (GER)
Jannis REBHOLZ (GER)
Julien ZINSER (GER)
Kairat AMIRTAYEV (KAZ)
Zangar KABYLBEKOV (KAZ)
Joseph SILVA (PUR)
Ramon SALAZAR (USA)
Ravi KUMAR (UWW)

65kg
Ayub MUSAEV (BEL)
Ilyas ABDURASHIDOV (BEL)
Mikyay NAIM (BUL)
Peiman BIABANI (CAN)
Michael ZALE (CAN)
Carlos ALVAREZ (ESP)
Quentin STICKER (FRA)
Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA)
Marwane YEZZA (FRA)
Nico MEGERLE (GER)
Dominik JAGUSZ (POL)
Nino LEUTERT (SUI)
Nahshon GARRETT (USA)
Aden VALENCIA (USA)
Paul KOLODZIK (USA)
Anthony ASHNAULT (USA)
Seth GROSS (USA)

70kg
Alexander SEIWALD (AUT)
Benedikt HUBER (AUT)
Muhammad ABDURACHMANOV (BEL)
Kaloyan ATANASOV (BUL)
Moukhammad SANGARIEV (FRA)
Seyfulla ITAEV (FRA)
Abdoul NAKAEV (FRA)
Leon GERSTENBERGER (GER)
Kevin HENKEL (GER)
Alexander SEMISOROW (GER)
Dias SAGDATOV (KAZ)
Zhassulan BEXULTANOV (KAZ)
Yernur NURGAZY (KAZ)
Rifat SAIBOTALOV (KAZ)
Timur SHANBAYEV (KAZ)
Fabian NIEDZWIEDZKI (POL)
Marc DIETSCHE (SUI)
Yahya THOMAS (USA)
Anwar ALLI (USA)
Antonio TOLBERT (USA)

74kg
Muhamed BEKTEMIROV (AUT)
Mihail GEORGIEV (BUL)
Mohammad MOTTAGHINIA (ESP)
Roni NEVALAINEN (FIN)
Magamed DELIEV (FRA)
Alan GOLMOHAMMADI (GER)
Stefan KAEPPELER (GER)
Shamil USTAEV (GER)
Stas WOLF (GER)
Tim MUELLER (GER)
Rayanne ESSAIDI (MAR)
Nico ZARB (MLT)
Szymon WOJTKOWSKI (POL)
Tobias PORTMANN (SUI)
Khairiddine BEN TLILI (TUN)
Alexander FACUNDO (USA)
Tyler BERGER (USA)
Joseph LAVALLEE (USA)

79kg
Lukas LINS (AUT)
Gabriel IGLESIAS (ESP)
Joona VUOTI (FIN)
Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA)
Adam KAKHRIEV (FRA)
Pouria TAHERKHANI (GER)
Richard SCHROEDER (GER)
Yerkhan BEXULTANOV (KAZ)
Mateusz PEDZICKI (POL)
Umar MAVLAEV (SUI)

86kg
Matteo MONTEIRO (CPV)
Miko ELKALA (FIN)
Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA)
Joshua MORODION (GER)
Lars SCHAEFLE (GER)
Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE)
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR)
Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT)
Alans AMIROVS (LAT)
Domantas PAULIUSCENKO (LTU)
Krzysztof SADOWIK (POL)
Ethan RAMOS (PUR)
Kimi KAEPPELI (SUI)
Samuel SCHERRER (SUI)
Mark HALL (USA)
Taylor LUJAN (USA)
Owen WEBSTER (USA)

92kg
Benjamin GREIL (AUT)
Sali SALIEV (BUL)
Rahmatullah MORADI (GER)
Islyambek ILYASSOV (KAZ)
Abdimanap BAIGENZHEYEV (KAZ)
Michal BIELAWSKI (POL)
Filip ROGUT (POL)
Camden MCDANEL (USA)

97kg
Tarik AZZOUZI(BEL)
Adlan VISKHANOV (FRA)
Ertugrul AGCA (GER)
Nurdaulet ZAUYTBEK (KAZ)
Lukas KRASAUSKAS (LTU)
Wiktor HASA (POL)
Mohamed SAADAOUI (TUN)
Michael MACCHIAVELLO (USA)
Nathan JACKSON (USA)

125kg
Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT)
Levan LAGVILAVA (FRA)
Lucas GANSI (GER)
Omar EYUBOV (KAZ)
Jonovan SMITH (PUR)
Hayden ZILLMER (USA)
Trent HILLGER (USA)

Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN)Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) will compete at 87kg in Nice. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman

55kg
Raymond LANGLET (FRA)
Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO)
Ramaz SILAGAVA (GEO)
Giorgi KOCHALIDZE (GEO)

60kg
Marat GARIPOV (BRA)
Nikolai MOHAMMADI (DEN)
Aser EBRO RODRIGUEZ (ESP)
Daniel BOBILLO VIGIL (ESP)
Ilian AINAOUI (FRA)
Lucas LO GRASSO (FRA)
Beso MAKHARADZE (GEO)
Dimitri KHACHIDZE (GEO)
Romeo BERIDZE (GEO)
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
Rashad ORUJEVI (GEO)
Abere FETENE (ISR)
Melkamu FETENE (ISR)
Romio GOLIATH (NAM)
Grzegorz KUNKEL (POL)
Michal TRACZ (POL)
Mohamed HKIRI (TUN)
Taylor LA MONT (USA)
Jamal VALIZADEH (UWW)

63kg
Gildas CHAMBINAUD (FRA)
Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO)
Rati KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO)
Avtandil MAMALADZE (GEO)
Beka GURULI (GEO)
Jonas MUELLER (SUI)
Mathias MARTINETTI (SUI)

67kg
William REENBERG (DEN)
Nestori MANNILA (FIN)
Tigran GALUSTYAN (FRA)
Hocine AKLI (FRA)
Nika BROLADZE (GEO)
Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO)
Shon NADORGIN (ISR)
Piotr STOLARCZYK (POL)
Michal BISKUPSKI (POL)
Dorien HUTTER (SUI)
Saya BRUNNER (SUI)
Fritz REBER (SUI)
Souleymen NASR (TUN)

72kg
Matias LIPASTI (FIN)
Haik Michel SARGSYAN (FRA)
Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO)
Otar ABULADZE (GEO)
Piotr LEWANDOWSKI (POL)

77kg
Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARG)
Oliver KRUEGER (DEN)
Junior BENITEZ (ESP)
Marcos SANCHEZ (ESP)
Tornike MIKELADZE (GEO)
Nikoloz TCHIKAIDZE (GEO)
Khvicha ANANIDZE (GEO)
Shafaihuuna BENHARD (NAM)
Kamil CZARNECKI (POL)
Konrad KOZLOWSKI (POL)
Aleksander MIELEWCZYK (POL)
David LOHER (SUI)
Sami SLAMA (TUN)

82kg
Yvan GUIADEM (FRA)
Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA)
Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Adam GARDZIOLA (POL)

87kg
Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN)
Daniel HERRERO (ESP)
Waltteri LATVALA (FIN)
Artem SHAPOVALOV (FIN)
Tourpal MAGAMADOV (FRA)
Vladimeri KARCHAIDZE (FRA)
Gurami KHETSURIANI (GEO)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO)
Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO)
Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL)
Islam ALIEV (POL)
Hakim TRABELSI (TUN)

97kg
Loic SAMEN (FRA)
Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO)
Giorgi MELIA (GEO)
Artsiom SHUMSKI (POL)
Igor SHEPETUN (POL)

130kg
Saba CHILASHVILI (GEO)
Giorgi TSOPURASHVILI (GEO)

Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) is entered at 53kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling

50kg 
Katie DUTCHAK (CAN)
Justine VIGOUROUX (FRA)
Joséphine HAEMMERLE (FRA)
Juliette LESCURE (FRA)
Lola JACQUINOT (FRA)
Jasmine BOUAZERIA (FRA)
Julie SABATIE (FRA)
Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA)
Joanna SAMSONOWICZ (POL)
Amanda TOMCZYK (POL)
Natalia WALCZAK (POL)
Georgiana ANTUCA (ROU)
Svenja JUNGO (SUI)
Erin GOLSTON (USA)

53kg
Samantha STEWART (CAN)
Aintzane GORRIA (ESP)
Maria BAEZ (ESP)
Maelyss ROUSSELET (FRA)
Lilya COHEN (FRA)
Laurie LESAFFRE (FRA)
Tetiana PROFATILOVA (FRA)
Christianah OGUNSANYA (NIG)
Florentina ROTARU (ROU)
Elena IONESCU (ROU)
Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)
Lobna ICHAOUI (TUN)
Abir ZARROUKI (TUN)
Alisha HOWK (USA)
Katie GOMEZ (USA)
Hannah HALL (USA)
Lauren MASON (USA)

57kg
Giullia PENALBER (BRA)
Hannah TAYLOR (CAN)
Graciela SANCHEZ (ESP)
Celeste SION (FRA)
Gaelle RUIZ (FRA)
Mia OLIVIER (FRA)
Romaissa EL KHARROUBI (FRA)
Mathilde RIVIERE (FRA)
Amel REBIHA (FRA)
Ester ABRAHAM (NAM)
Patrycja STRZELCZYK (POL)
Julia NOWICKA (POL)
Ana PUIU (ROU)
Evelina HULTHEN (SWE)
Tilda NAESLUND (SWE)
Faten HAMMAMI (TUN)
Alexandra HEDRICK (USA)
Abigail NETTE (USA)
Bridgette DUTY (USA)

62kg
Lais NUNES (BRA)
Lydia PEREZ (ESP)
Mathilde GUEDON (FRA)
Esther KOLAWOLE (NIG)
Nicola WASILEWSKA (POL)
Olha PADOSHYK (POL)
Aleksandra WITOS (POL)
Annatina LIPPUNER (SUI)
Johanna LINDBORG (SWE)
Siwar BOUSETA (TUN)
Lexie BASHAM (USA)
Ana LUCIANO (USA)
Lauren LOUIVE (USA)
Skylar HATTENDORF (USA)

65kg
Madison CLAYTON (CAN)
Iris THIEBAUX (FRA)
Elma ZEIDLERE (LAT)
Alicja NOWOSAD (POL)

68kg
Nerea PAMPIN (ESP)
Lorena LERA (ESP)
Dalma CANEVA (ITA)
Paulina DANISZ (POL)
Georgiana ANDRIES (ROU)
Nour JELJELI (TUN)
Khadija JLASSI (TUN)
Kaylynn ALBRECHT (USA)

72kg
Thamires MARTINS (BRA)
Ambre CHEVREAU (FRA)
Kendra DACHER (FRA)
Karolina JAWORSKA (POL)
Paula ROTARU (ROU)
Maria NITU (ROU)
Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE)
Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)

76kg
Meiriele CHARAMBA (BRA)
Epp MAE (EST)
Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA)
Patrycja CUBER (POL)
Daniela TKACHUK (POL)
Anna BRAUN (SWE)
Dymond GUILFORD (USA)
Skylar GROTE (USA)
Yelena MAKOYED (USA)
Precious BELL (USA)
Brooklyn HAYS (USA)

#JapanWrestling

Tokyo Olympic champ Otoguro calls it a career at 26

Sunday, April 6, 2025 - 14:27 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO (April 6) -- Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), whose dynamic moves and fierce tenacity thrilled fans around the world, suddenly announced his retirement, bringing down the curtain on a short but glory-filled career also plagued by injuries.

"Some may be surprised by this sudden announcement, but I have decided to retire as a wrestler," the 26-year-old Otoguro wrote on Instagram on Friday that included an English translation. "I discovered wrestling and became obsessed with it, and [was] loved and supported so much that it was a happy wrestling life."

Otoguro, who still remains Japan's youngest-ever male world champion for the freestyle 65kg gold he won in 2018, said he feels no uneasiness about leaving the mat, while adding a cryptic message about how the sport lost some of its shine for him.

"I have no regrets, because I was able to play the wrestling I love until I started to hate it," Otoguro wrote.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Takuto Otoguro (@01096taku)

It seems that being unable to defend his Olympic title at the 2024 Paris Games likely swayed his decision. First, he was hampered by a lingering foot injury and failed to secure Japan's quota at 65kg at the 2023 World Championships. Then he lost out in the domestic qualifying process to eventual gold medalist Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN).

As it turned out, the 6-6 loss to Kiyooka in the semifinals at the All-Japan Championships in December 2023 would prove to be Otoguro's final match. There was no symbolic leaving of the shoes on the mat at the time.

In stepping away, Otoguro paid tribute to all those who helped him achieve his success, while expressing his gratitude for putting up with his self-acknowledged stubbornness.

"My family, coaches, trainers, fellow wrestlers, and everyone who supported me and cheered me on," Otoguro wrote. "I can't mention all of their names, but I think I was a crazy and difficult wrestler to deal with. Thank you for believing in me and supporting me."

Otoguro won gold and bronze medals in three appearances at the cadet (U17) worlds, but gained widespread global notoriety with his dazzling performance at the 2018 World Championships in Budapest.

Otoguro overcame an ankle injury to notch a 16-9 victory over Bajrang PUNIA (IND) in a wild, freewheeling final that was selected as UWW's Freestyle Match of the Year  -- overshadowing his 15-10 come-from-behind win in the semifinals over Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS).  He was also chosen as the Breakout Performer of the Year.

That made him, at 19 years 10 months, Japan's youngest-ever male world gold medalist, breaking the previous record held by 1976 Olympic gold medalist Yuji TAKADA (JPN), his head coach at Yamanashi Gakuin University.

Otoguro, who won back-to-back titles at the Asian Championships in 2020 and 2021, hit the pinnacle of his career at the Tokyo Olympics. He defeated in succession Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN), avenging a loss in the bronze-medal match at the 2019 worlds; Gadshimurad RASHIDOV (ROC), the 2019 world champion; and Haji ALIEV (AZE), a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and former world champion.

Otoguro started wrestling at age 4, following older brother Keisuke into the wrestling club coached by their father. He found success early, winning five straight national titles for his elementary school age group from second to sixth grades.

In a 2019 interview with The Japan News, Otoguro recalled the battles he and Keisuke had in their home, and how it laid the foundation for his future success.  "We would break windows, and open holes in the wall," he said, his soft-spoken, reserved nature contrasting with his aggressive style on the mat. "It would escalate from wrestling into fighting. It made us both better. It was the best way."

Otoguro opted to leave their home in Yamanashi Prefecture after elementary school to enroll in the JOC Elite Academy in Tokyo. He won the national junior high school title, then became the fourth wrestler in history to win the national Inter-High tournament for three consecutive years.

For university, Otoguro returned to his home prefecture to attend Yamanashi Gakuin, where his practice partners included 2017 world 57kg champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) and world 70kg bronze medalist Yuji FUJINAMI (JPN), the older brother Paris women's gold medalist Akari FUJINAMI (JPN).

"Of course he works hard, but what I am most envious about him is his total preparation for matches," Takahashi was quoted as saying by The Japan News. "He knows no fear. He is really remarkable."

Early in his freshman year, Otoguro suffered his first major injury, a torn cruciate ligament in the knee, that kept him off the mat for about a year. But he came back in the fall of 2017 and, at that year's All-Japan, defeated 2016 Rio Olympics 57kg silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) for the first of three national titles.

Upon graduation, Otoguro followed Keisuke again, this time to the Japan Self-Defense Forces' Physical Training School team. He has not indicated what he plans to do in the future.

"To everyone who loved my wrestling: I feel a little lonely, but this is farewell as a wrestler. I hope that the wrestling world moves in a positive direction in the future."