#WrestleOslo

25 Tokyo Olympic Medalists Highlight #WrestleOslo World Entries

By Eric Olanowski

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 8) – Fresh off winning his second Olympic title, wrestling's most prominent star Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF) will return to the mat October 02-10 for the Oslo World Championships. He'll lead a group of 25 newly minted Olympic medalists – including four champs – into Norway for this year's historic World Championships.

Due to the Tokyo Olympic Games postponement, the 2021 World Championships will be the first of its kind. It'll be the first time wrestling has held the Olympic Games and an all-weight world championship in the same year.

Sadulaev, alongside fellow Tokyo champs David TAYLOR (USA), Tamyra STOCK-MENSAH (USA) and Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) will have the unprecedented opportunity to win World and Olympic gold in the same season.

But the path to history for 'The Russian Tank,' Taylor and Mensah-Stock, in particular, won't be easy. Instead, they'll share the bracket with at least two other Tokyo Olympic medalists – including the wrestlers they defeated in early August to win Olympic gold. 

Sadulaev will have to get through Kyle SNYDER (USA) to win his fifth world title. His American nemesis is the only person who's handed him a world championship loss in his previous five world appearances. But, as of last month, the 25-year-old Russian broke the series tie and gained the one-match advantage on Snyder with his 6-3 victory in the 97kg Tokyo gold-medal match. He also defeated 'Captain America' to win '18 world gold, which came a year after falling to Snyder in the '17 world finals. 

Outside of Sadulaev and Snyder, Olympic bronze medalist Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA) will also compete at 97kg.

Taylor will share the 86kg bracket with Rio Olympic champion Hasan YAZDANI (IRI). They've met three times since 2017, with "The Magic Man" owning the 3-0 series lead. Taylor picked up his most recent victory over 'The Greatest' in Tokyo with a last-second takedown to claim the 86kg Olympic title.

Artur NAIFONOV, the Russia Wrestling Federation's Toyko Olympic bronze medalist, is also entered at 86kg.

Mensah will wrestle alongside Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) and Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) in the 68kg bracket. She defeated her Nigerian foe for gold, while the Kyrgyz wrestler ended her Tokyo campaign with a bronze medal.

On the Greco-Roman side of the competition Olympic champ Geraei will compete at 67kg.

Freestyle wrestling kicks off the 2021 World Championships on October 2. Women’s wrestling takes center stage at the Jordal Amfi Arena on October 4, with Greco-Roman closing out the competition in Norway beginning on October 7.

*Please note that these entries are subject to change, and National Federations can update names and weight categories until three days before the start of each style.

Musa EVLOEV (RWF) celebrates with his coaches after winning 97kg gold in Tokyo. He'll wrestle at 97kg in Oslo. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Here's a breakdown of all of the reigning Tokyo Olympic medalists that'll lay it on the line in Oslo. 

By the numbers:
Freestyle: 11 medalists (2 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze)
Greco-Roman: 5 medalists (1 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze)
Women’s Wrestling: 9 medalists (1 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze)

Freestyle
57kg  - Thomas Patrick GILMAN (USA) – Tokyo Olympic bronze
74kg - Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
86kg  - David Morris TAYLOR III (USA) - Tokyo Olympic gold
86kg - Hassan Aliazam YAZDANICHARATI (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic silver
86kg - Artur NAIFONOV (RWF) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
97kg - Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF) - Tokyo Olympic gold
97kg - Kyle SNYDER (USA) - Tokyo Olympic silver
97kg - Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
125kg  -Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) - Tokyo Olympic silver
125kg - Amir Hossein Abbas ZARE (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
125kg - Taha AKGUL (TUR) - Tokyo Olympic bronze

Greco-Roman
67kg  - Mohammadreza Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic gold
82kg  - Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
87kg  - Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
97kg - Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
130kg  - Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) - Tokyo Olympic silver

Women’s Wrestling
50kg  - Sarah Ann HILDEBRANDT (USA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
53kg  - Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
57kg - Helen Louise MAROULIS (USA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
57kg - Evelina Georgieva NIKOLOVA (BUL) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
62kg  - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) - Tokyo Olympic silver
68kg  - Tamyra Mariama STOCK MENSAH (USA) - Tokyo Olympic gold
68kg - Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) - Tokyo Olympic silver
68kg - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
76kg - Adeline Maria GRAY (USA) - Tokyo Olympic silver

David TAYLOR (USA) finishes a shot on Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) during their meeting in Tokyo for 86kg gold. They are both entered at 86kg. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Freestyle

57kg 
Afgan KHASHALOV (AZE)
Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL)
Darthe CAPELLAN (CAN)
Levan  METREVELI VARTANOV (ESP)
Goga DZIGUA (GEO)
Horst Justin Junior LEHR (GER)
Pankaj PANKAJ (IND)
Alireza Nosratolah SARLAK (IRI)
Toshiya ABE (JPN)
Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ)
Simon Kamau WAINAINA (KEN)
Changjun PARK (KOR)
Bekhbayar ERDENEBAT (MGL)
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD)
Abubakar MUTALIEV (RWF)
Suleyman ATLI (TUR)
Roman HUTSULIAK (UKR)
Thomas Patrick GILMAN (USA)
Gamal Mohammed Yahya ALSABRI (YEM)

61kg
Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)

Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE)
Alibeg ALIBEGOV (BRN)
Georgi Valentinov VANGELOV (BUL)
Arman Norik ELOYAN (FRA)
Beka LOMTADZE (GEO)
Nico MEGERLE (GER)

Gamzatgadzsi HALIDOV (HUN)
Ravinder RAVINDER (IND)
Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI)
Toshihiro HASEGAWA (JPN)
Kenneth KOECH (KEN)
Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ)
Sunggwon KIM (KOR)
Chakir ANSARI (MAR)

Igor CHICHIOI (MDA)
Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL)
Eduard GRIGOREV (POL)
Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RWF)
Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB)
Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR)
Yaroslav HURSKYY (UKR)
Daton FIX (USA)

65kg
Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
Gabriel JANATSCH (AUT)
Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE)
Ayub Muratovitch MUSAEV (BEL)
Marcos Wesley DE BRITO SIQUEIRA (BRA)
Haji Mohamad ALI (BRN)
Ruhan Hyusnyu RASIM (BUL)
Dillon Emmanuel WILLIAMS (CAN)
Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA)
George Anthony RAMM (GBR)
Rohit ROHIT (IND)
Amirmohammad Babak YAZDANICHERATI (IRI)
Colin John REALBUTO (ITA)
Kaiki YAMAGUCHI (JPN)
Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ)
Junsik YUN (KOR)
Maxim SACULTAN (MDA)
Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)
Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
Sebastian C RIVERA (PUR)
Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF)

Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR)
Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR)
John Michael DIAKOMIHALIS (USA)

70kg
Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM)
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Adam BATIROV (BRN)
Carlos Eduardo ROMERO MILLAQUEO (CHI)
Nicolae COJOCARU (GBR)
Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO)
Shamil USTAEV (GER)
Daniel ANTAL (HUN)
Sushil SUSHIL (IND)
Erfan Mohammad ELAHI (IRI)
Gianluca TALAMO (ITA)
Jintaro MOTOYAMA (JPN)
Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
Seungchul LEE (KOR)
Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA)
Temuulen ENKHTUYA (MGL)
Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL)

Evgenii ZHERBAEV (RWF)
Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB)
Anil NiroshanMunasinghe KARUNA PELI GEDARA (SRI)
Marc DIETSCHE (SUI)
Daniel CHOMANIC (SVK)

Mustafa KAYA (TUR)
Ivan KUSYAK (UKR)
James Malcolm GREEN (USA)

Hussein Abdullah Hussein Abdullah AL AZZANI (YEM)

74kg
Joshgun AZIMOV (AZE)
Ali Pasha Ruslanovich UMARPASHAEV (BUL)
Jasmit Singh PHULKA (CAN)
Aimar ANDRUSE (EST)
Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Osman Kubilay CAKICI (GER)
Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN)
Yash YASH (IND)
Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI)
Mitchell Louis FINESILVER (ISR)
Masaki SATO (JPN)
Mathayo Matonya MAHABILA (KEN)
Byungmin GONG (KOR)
Vasile DIACON (MDA)
Byambadorj BAT ERDENE (MGL)
Suresh CHUNARA (NEP)
Kamil RYBICKI (POL)

Timur BIZHOEV (RWF)
Malik Michael AMINE (SMR)
Hetik CABOLOV (SRB)
Tajmuraz Mairbekovic SALKAZANOV (SVK)
Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR)
Zielimkhan TOHUZOV (UKR)
Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA)

79kg
Arman AVAGYAN (ARM)
Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE)
Oktay Ruzhdi HASAN (BUL)
Samuel Jacob BARMISH (CAN)
Erik REINBOK (EST)
Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA)
Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
Csaba VIDA (HUN)
Baliyan GOURAV (IND)
Mohammad Ashghar NOKHODILARIMI (IRI)
Aron CANEVA (ITA)
Ryuki YOSHIDA (JPN)
Saiakbai USUPOV (KGZ)
Manho OH (KOR)
Alans AMIROVS (LAT)
Wilson Hallowanger TOAYEN (LBR)
Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA)
Bat Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL)
Andrzej Piotr SOKALSKI (POL)
Maxim VASILIOGLO (ROU)

Radik VALIEV (RWF)
Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK)
Muhammet Nuri KOTANOGLU (TUR)

Rustam RASUIEV (UKR)
Jordan Ernest BURROUGHS (USA)

86kg
Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
Dzhemal Rushen ALI (BUL)
Hunter Jeffery LEE (CAN)
Taimuraz FRIEV NASKIDAEVA (ESP)
Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA)
Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO)
Ahmed Ruslanovic DUDAROV (GER)
Sandeep Singh MANN (IND)
Hassan Aliazam YAZDANICHARATI (IRI)
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR)
Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN)
Mark Omumasaba INGUYESI (KEN)
Gwanuk KIM (KOR)
Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT)

Piotr IANULOV (MDA)
Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)
Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL)
Ethan Adrian RAMOS (PUR)
Artur NAIFONOV (RWF)
Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
Osman GOCEN (TUR)
Mukhammed ALIIEV (UKR)
David Morris TAYLOR III (USA)

92kg
Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)

Akhmed Adamovich MAGAMAEV (BUL) 
Jordan STEEN (CAN)
Heriberto SANDI CASTILLO (CRC)
Irakli MTSITURI (GEO)

Pruthviraj Babasaheb PATIL (IND)
Kamran Ghorban GHASEMPOUR (IRI)
Simone IANNATTONI (ITA)
Takuma OTSU (JPN)
John Odhiambo OMONDI (KEN)
Hyeokbeom GWON (KOR)
Georgii RUBAEV (MDA)
Orgilokh DAGVADORJ (MGL)
Zbigniew Mateusz BARANOWSKI (POL)
Magomed Guseynovitch KURBANOV (RWF)
Erhan YAYLACI (TUR)
AndriI VLASOV (UKR)
Jden Michael Tbory COX (USA)
Gilberto Segundo AYALA RODRIGUEZ (VEN)

97kg
Islam ILYASOV (AZE)
Ahmed Sultanovich BATAEV (BUL)

Nishan Preet Singh RANDHAWA (CAN)
Maxwell Lemar LACEY GARITA (CRC)
Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO)
Satywart KADIAN (IND)
Mojtaba Mohammadshafie GOLEIJ (IRI)
Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA)
Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN)
Dan Aura CHEPTAI (KEN)
Minwon SEO (KOR)
Lukas KRASAUSKAS (LTU)
Radu LEFTER (MDA)
Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL)
Magomedgadji Omardibirovich NUROV (MKD)
Sumir Kumar SAH (NEP)
Radoslaw BARAN (POL)
Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF)
Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR)
Mahamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR)
Kyle Frederick SNYDER (USA)

125kg
Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT)
Amarveer DHESI (CAN)

Youssif Mohamed Badea HEMIDA (EGY)
Jere Tapani HEINO (FIN)
Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)

Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE)
Kumar ANIRUDH (IND)
Amir Hossein Abbas ZARE (IRI)
Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN)
Yeihyun JUNG (KOR)
Egor OLAR (MDA)
Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL)
Robert BARAN (POL)

Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV (RWF)
Taha AKGUL (TUR)
Oleksandr KOLDOVSKYI (UKR)
Nicholas Edward GWIAZDOWSKI (USA)

Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) looks to expose Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) during their 67kg battle for Olympic gold. Geraei is entered at 67kg. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman

*Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI) was registered at 97kg freestyle. He's been moved to 97kg Greco-Roman.

55kg
Norayr HAKHOYAN (ARM)
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)
Marat GARIPOV (BRA)
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
Fabian Bernhard SCHMITT (GER)
Sandeep SANDEEP (IND)
Sajjad Javid ABBASPOURRAGANI (IRI)
Ken MATSUI (JPN)
Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ)
Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Hyeokjin JEON (KOR)
Snorre Harsem LUND (NOR)
Emin Narimanovitch SEFERSHAEV (RWF)
Ekrem OZTURK (TUR)
Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR)
Max Emiliano NOWRY (USA)

60kg
Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)
Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
Helary MAEGISALU (EST)
Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO)
Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN)
Gyanender GYANENDER (IND)
Mehrdad Abdmohammad MARDANI (IRI)
Ayata SUZUKI (JPN)
Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ)
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
Jinwoong JUNG (KOR)
Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU)
Victor CIOBANU (MDA)
Michal Jacek TRACZ (POL)
Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)

Stepan MARYANYAN (RWF)
Ahmet UYAR (TUR)
Zhora ABOVIAN (UKR)
Dalton ROBERTS (USA)

63kg
Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)

Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO)
Mostafa Hassan Abdelaal MOHAMED (EGY)
Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
Deniz MENEKSE (GER)
Erik TORBA (HUN)
Neeraj NEERAJ (IND)
Meysam Karamali DALKHANI (IRI)
Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN)
Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ)
Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ)
Hanjae CHUNG (KOR)
Aleksandrs JURKJANS (LAT)
Stig Andre BERGE (NOR)
Artor Zaitsev HAGERUP (NOR)
Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU)
Ibragim LABAZANOV (RWF)
Perica DIMITRIJEVIC (SRB)

Virgil Alexander BICA (SWE)
Mehmet CEKER (TUR)
Lenur TEMIROV (UKR)
Sam JONES (USA)

67kg
Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM)

Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
Ott SAAR (EST)
Elmer Joakim MATTILA (FIN)
Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA)
Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO)
Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER)
Krisztian Istvan VANCZA (HUN)
Gaurav DUHOON (IND)
Mohammadreza Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI)
Zaur KABALOEV (ITA)
Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (JPN)
Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ)

Gilbert Mbevoni KABOCHE (KEN)
Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ)
Hansu RYU (KOR)
Morten THORESEN (NOR)
Mateusz Lucjan BERNATEK (POL)
Pedro Miguel DE MATOS OLIVEIRA DE MORAIS CA (POR)
Nazir Rachidovitch ABDULLAEV (RWF)
Sebastian NAD (SRB)
Andreas VETSCH (SUI)
Murat FIRAT (TUR)
Oleksii MASYK (UKR)
Peyton OMANIA (USA)

72kg
Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)
Christoph BURGER (AUT)
Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
Deyvid Tihomirov DIMITROV (BUL)
Jair Alexis CUERO MUNOZ (COL)
Mikko Petteri PELTOKANGAS (FIN)
Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamed Hassan GHANEM (FRA)
Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO)

Idris Hanpasaevic IBAEV (GER)
Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN)
Vikas VIKAS (IND)
Mohammad Reza Hojatollah MOKHTARI (IRI)
Tomohiro INOUE (JPN)
Kaharman KISSYMETOV (KAZ)
Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ)
Jiyul LEE (KOR)
Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU)
Valentin PETIC (MDA)
Juan Sebastian AAK (NOR)
Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR)
Roman PACURKOWSKI (POL)

Sergei KUTUZOV (RWF)
Aleksa ERSKI (SRB)
Leos DRMOLA (SVK)

Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR)
Maksym YEVTUSHENKO (UKR)

Patrick SMITH (USA)

77kg
Boris FRROKAJ (ALB)
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
Joilson DE BRITO RAMOS JUNIOR (BRA)
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO)
Oliver Marco KRUEGER (DEN)
Matias Olavi Iisakki LIPASTI (FIN)
Evrik NIKOGHOSYAN (FRA)
Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Roland SCHWARZ (GER)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
Sajan SAJAN (IND)
Mohammadali Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI)
Kodai SAKURABA (JPN)
Tamerlan SHADUKAYEV (KAZ)

Mathayo Matonya MAHABILA (KEN)
Kairatbek TUGOLBAEV (KGZ)
Yeonghun NOH (KOR)
Paulius GALKINAS (LTU)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
Emmanuel Alexis BENITEZ CASTRO (MEX)
Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Rabie K. A. KHALIL (PLE)
Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL)
Bakhit Sharif K BADR (QAT)

Roman VLASOV (RWF)
Viktor NEMES (SRB)
Bogdan KOURINNOI (SWE)

Daler REZA ZADE (TJK)
Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR)
Dmytro PYSHKOV (UKR)
Jesse Alexander PORTER (USA)

82kg
Gegham TORGOMYAN (ARM)
Rohan Peter KALISCH (AUS)
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
Tarek Mohamed ABDELSLAM SHEBLE MOHAMED (BUL)
Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO)
Oldrich VARGA (CZE)
Ranet KALJOLA (EST)
Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO)
Hannes WAGNER (GER)
Laszlo SZABO (HUN)
Singh HARPREET (IND)
Pejman Soltanmorad POSHTAM (IRI)
Igor PETRISHIN (ISR)
Satoki MUKAI (JPN)
Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ)
Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ)
Byeongcheol SHIN (KOR)

Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Edgar BABAYAN (POL)
Adlan AKIEV (RWF)
Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB)
Alex Michel BJURBERG KESSIDIS (SWE)
Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)
Dmytro GARDUBEI (UKR)
Benjamin Errol PROVISOR (USA)

87kg
Artur SHAHINYAN (ARM)
Michael WAGNER (AUT)
Islam ABBASOV (AZE)
Yoan Danielov DIMITROV (BUL)
Vjekoslav LUBURIC (CRO)
Petr NOVAK (CZE)
Turpan Ali Alvievich BISULTANOV (DEN)
Raido LIITMAEE (EST)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO)
Pascal EISELE (GER)
Istvan TAKACS (HUN)
Kumar SUNIL (IND)
Ramin Soltanmorad TAHERISARTANG (IRI)
Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN)
Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
Seunghwan LEE (KOR)
Julius MATUZEVICIUS (LTU)
Mihail BRADU (MDA)
Ruben Elias BEEN (NOR)
Magnus GROENVIK (NOR)
Arkadiusz Marcin KULYNYCZ (POL)

Milad Valerikovitch ALIRZAEV (RWF)
Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB)
Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE)

Metehan BASAR (TUR)
Alan VERA (USA)
Semen NOVIKOV (UKR)

97kg
Murat LOKIAYEV (AZE)
Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL)
Ioannis NARLIDIS (CAN)
Artur OMAROV (CZE)
Mathias BAK (DEN)
Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA)
Giorgi MELIA (GEO)
Peter OEHLER (GER)
Alex Gergo SZOKE (HUN)
Ravi RAVI (IND)

Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI)
Yuta NARA (JPN)
Yerulan ISKAKOV (KAZ)
Beksultan Makhamadzhanovich MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Jewoo PARK (KOR)
Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU)
Felix BALDAUF (NOR)
Marcus WORREN (NOR)
Gerard Cyprian KURNICZAK (POL)

Artur SARGSIAN (RWF)
Mihail KAJAIA (SRB)
Pontus Johan LUND (SWE)
Ibrahim TIGCI (TUR)
Yevhenii SAVETA (UKR)
Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA)

130kg
David OVASAPYAN (ARM)
Beka KANDELAKI (AZE)
Radoslav Plamenov GEORGIEV (BUL)
Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI)
Marko KOSCEVIC (CRO)

Stepan DAVID (CZE)
Konsta Johannes MAEENPAEAE (FIN)
Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
Jello KRAHMER (GER)
Naveen NAVEEN (IND)

Aliakbar Hossein YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI)
Arata SONODA (JPN)
Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ)

Seungchan LEE (KOR)
Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU)
Oskar MARVIK (NOR)
Nikola MILATOVIC (NOR)
Rafal Andrzej KRAJEWSKI (POL)
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)

Zurabi GEDEKHAURI (RWF)
Mykola KUCHMII (UKR)
Cohlton Michael SCHULTZ (USA)

 Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) finishes a shot on Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) during their battle for the 68kg Olympic title. They are both registered at 68kg. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
Patricia Alejandra BERMUDEZ (ARG)
Turkan NASIROVA (AZE)
Kamila BARBOSA VITO DA SILVA (BRA)
Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL)

Madison Bianca PARKS (CAN)
Lisa ERSEL (GER)
Kumari HANNY (IND)
Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN)
Miran CHEON (KOR)
Gabija DILYTE (LTU)
Emilia CIRICU BUDEANU (MDA)

Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) 
Ramona ERIKSEN (NOR)
Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
Emilia Alina VUC (ROU)
Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RWF)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Bohdana KOKOZEI YASHCHUK (UKR)
Sarah Ann HILDEBRANDT (USA)

53kg
Samantha Leigh STEWART (CAN)
Annika WENDLE (GER)
Pooja POOJA (IND)
Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)
Eunyoung PARK (KOR)
Kamile SERNAUSKAITE (LTU)
Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL)
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)
Anzhelika VETOSHKINA (RWF)
Emma Jonna Denise MALMGREN (SWE)
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR)

Amy FEARNSIDE (USA)

55kg
Natasha Irene Vera FOX KRAMBLE(CAN)
Nina HEMMER (GER)
Pinki PINKI (IND)
Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)
Soyeon KIM (KOR)
Sumiya ERDENECHIMEG (MGL)
Esther Omolayo KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Anne SVARSTAD (NOR)
Roksana Marta ZASINA (POL)
Andreea Beatrice ANA (ROU)
Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RWF)

Mehlika OZTURK (TUR)
Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)
Jenna BURKERT (USA)  

57kg
Jeannie Agnes KESSLER (AUT)
Giullia RODRIGUES PENALBER DE OLIVEIRA (BRA)
Evelina Georgieva NIKOLOVA (BUL)
Alexandria Rebekkah TOWN (CAN)
Elena Heike BRUGGER (GER)
Ramona GALAMBOS (HUN)
Anshu ANSHU (IND)
Sae NANJO (JPN)
Sophia Omutichio AYIETA (KEN)
Davaachimeg ERKHEMBAYAR (MGL)

Patrycja GIL (POL)
Veronika CHUMIKOVA (RWF)

Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)
Helen Louise MAROULIS (USA)

59kg
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)
Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA (BUL)

Linda MORAIS (CAN)
Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER)
Sarita SARITA (IND)
Akie HANAI (JPN)
Ineta DANTAITE (LTU)

Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL)
Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR)

Jowita Maria WRZESIEN (POL)
Svetlana LIPATOVA (RWF)
Sara Johanna LINDBORG (SWE)

Ebru DAGBASI (TUR)
Oksana KUKHTA HERHEL (UKR)
Maya Gabriella NELSON (USA)

62kg
Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA)
Ana Paula GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN)
Luisa Helga Gerda NIEMESCH (GER)
Sangeeta SANGEETA (IND)
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Hwa Young SUNG (KOR)

Gantuya ENKHBAT (MGL)
Aleksandra WOLCZYNSKA (POL)
Alina KASABIEVA (RWF)

Merve KARADENIZ (TUR)
Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR)
Kayla Colleen Kiyoko MIRACLE (USA)

65kg
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
Mimi Nikolova HRISTOVA (BUL)
Koumba Selene Fanta LARROQUE (FRA)
Eyleen SEWINA (GER)
Bhateri BHATERI (IND)
Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)

Winrose ALIVISA (KEN)
Hyebin AHN (KOR)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)

Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL)
Ingrid Bergh SKARD (NOR)

Kamila Czeslawa KULWICKA (POL)
Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU)
Dinara KUDAEVA SALIKHOVA (RWF)
Malin Johanna MATTSSON (SWE)

Asli DEMIR (TUR)
Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)

Forrest MOLINARI (USA) 

68kg
Olivia Grace DI BACCO (CAN)
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
Ritu RITU (IND)
Rin MIYAJI (JPN)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Minji HA (KOR)
Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

Natalia Iwona STRZALKA (POL)
Khanum VELIEVA (RWF)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Anastasiia LAVRENCHUK (UKR)
Forrest Ann MOLINARI (USA)
Tamyra Mariama STOCK MENSAH (USA)

72kg
Sofiya Hristova GEORGIEVA (BUL)
Kayla Mary BEDNARCIK BRODNER (CAN)
Anna Carmen SCHELL (GER)
Divya KAKRAN (IND)
Masako FURUICHI (JPN)
Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)

Kseniia BURAKOVA (RWF)
Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK)
Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR)

Alla BELINSKA (UKR)
Kylie Renee WELKER (USA)

76kg
Mariya Gerginova ORYASHKOVA (BUL)
Samar Amer Ibrahim HAMZA (EGY)
Epp MAEE (EST)
Cynthia Vanessa VESCAN (FRA)
Georgina Olwen NELTHORPE (GBR)
Francy RAEDELT (GER)
Zsanett NEMETH (HUN)
Kiran KIRAN (IND)
Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Cholee KIM (KOR)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Zagardulam NAIGALSUREN (MGL)
Iselin Maria Vilde Moen SOLHEIM (NOR)

Marina SUROVTSEVA (RWF)
Aysegul OZBEGE (TUR)
Anastasiia OSNIACH SHUSTOVA (UKR)
Adeline Maria GRAY (USA)

#JapanWrestling

Paris champ Kiyooka sets up clash with Tanabe, Motoki faces Ozaki

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (June 21) -- Before his astonishing run to an unlikely Olympic title, Kotaro KIYOOKA was the one doing the chasing. Now at the forefront and looking over his shoulder, he sees a familiar face bearing down on him whom he now has to confront.

Paris Olympic champion Kiyooka advanced to the freestyle 65kg final at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships on Saturday, where he will face former Nippon Sport Science University teammate Kaisei TANABE with a ticket to this year's World Championships on the line.

Kiyooka is one of three Paris gold medalists, along with Sakura MOTOKI at women's 62kg and Nao KUSAKA at Greco 77kg, who are making their full-fledged returns to the mat at the Meiji Cup, the second of Japan's two domestic qualifiers for the World Championships in Zagreb in September.

Both Motoki and Kusaka advanced with little trouble to Sunday's finals at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, with Motoki setting up a highly anticipated clash with Paris 68kg bronze medalist Nonoka OZAKI -- whom she beat out for the spot in Paris at 62kg but is intent on reclaiming that weight class.

Kotaro KIYOOK (JPN)Kotaro KIYOOKA, left, ended up scoring 4 points off this scramble in his semifinal match at freestyle 65kg with Yuto NISHIUCHI. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Unlike the other two, Kiyooka has never been to a senior World Championships. Standing in his way is a formidable opponent in Tanabe, two years his junior who is coming off an impressive victory at the Asian Championships in March in Amman, Jordan. Tanabe only moved up to 65kg last year, and the two had not crossed paths before.

Following the Olympics, Kiyooka spent some time (with Kusaka) competing in the German Bundesliga. But the Meiji Cup marks his first high-level competition since Paris.

"It's been awhile since I've been in an official tournament," the 24-year-old Kiyooka said. "Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics, I'm still a long way away. What's important at this tournament is to come out with a victory.

"I have to make adjustments and prepare mentally for tomorrow. It's not just a one-and-done final, there is also a playoff so I can make it to the World Championships."

Tanabe, the son of NSSU coach and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Chikara TANABE, captured the title at the first domestic qualifier for the world team, the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships in December, in Kiyooka's absence.

As such, Kiyooka will not only have to beat him on Sunday in the final, but again in a playoff to be held at the end of the session.

As an indication of the depth of Japan in the weight class, even with the retirement of Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO, both Kiyooka and Tanabe had to get over tough hurdles to make the championship match.

In the semifinals, Kiyooka struggled to break through the defenses of two-time world U20 champion and current NSSU star Yuto NISHIUCHI. In the end, he used counters to great effect in an 8-1 win, scoring 4 by stepping over during a scramble and 2 more defending against a single leg.

"I'm not usually the type who scores big points," Kiyooka said. "But I have built myself up physically after the Olympics and I think the result was that I could get the big point."

In his opening match, Tanabe needed a stepout with 20 seconds left to get past Shinnosuke SUWAMA 5-4, before topping Ryuto SAKAKI 5-0 to make the final.

While Kiyooka is a bit unsettled about having a target on his back, he seems ready to face whatever comes his way.

"Up to now, it's always been the reverse situation," he said. "I never had the feeling that I was being chased. But I don't want to lose. As being among those who is aiming for the Los Angeles Olympics, I want to be a big barrier for the others. If you give them an opening, they will use it. I don't want to show them any gaps."

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)Sakura MOTOKI pries over Shirin TAKEMOTO en route to a 10-0 win in their women's 62kg semifinal. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

As surprising as Kiyooka's run to gold in Paris was, the bigger shock likely came during the qualifying process when an underrated Motoki, who was "only" a world bronze medalist at 59kg, had the audacity to move up and challenge the highly touted Ozaki at 62kg.

But the 2022 world U20 champion believed in herself, and keeps making believers of others. She returned to competition earlier this year in order to qualify for the World U23 Championships.

Victories at the U23 and senior worlds will make her just the third person in history to achieve the "Golden Grand Slam" of Olympic gold combined with all four world age-group titles.

On Saturday, Motoki's toughest test in advancing to the final came in the opener, when she used a low single to score a takedown in each period of a 5-0 win over two-time world U23 champion Yuzuku INAGAKI.

"She has a good defense," Motoki said. "Being able to get through a tough match really boosts my confidence. When you're an Olympic champion, it's only natural that [opponents] try to come up with a strategy against you.

"In that light, I have to figure out a way to become stronger from the start of Olympic qualifying. That's still under development."

Like Kiyooka, Motoki will have to beat the Emperor's Cup champion twice to secure a place on the world team, and Ozaki won't make it easy.

"She's a really strong wrestler," Motoki said. "I will have to summon up all of my power and try my best."

Nao KUSAKA (JPN)Nao KUSAKA sets up a 4-point overhead lift of Naoki KADODE during their semifinal at Greco 77kg. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

At Greco 77kg, Kusaka chalked up a pair of technical falls to advance to the final, where he will face the Emperor's Cup champion in Kodai SAKURABA, a 2022 Asian bronze medalist whom he aced out in the qualifying for Paris.

In the semifinals, Kusaka romped to a 12-1 victory over Naoki KADODE. After giving up a stepout, he came back with three of his own. Then he got behind and dropped backwards for 4, then ended the match with a 4-point lift at 2:04.

In other weight classes that will finish with medal matches on Sunday, longtime rivals and former NSSU teammates Katsukai ENDO and Kyotaro SOGABE set up their latest clash in the final at Greco 67kg.

Asian bronze medalist Endo, the Emperor's Cup champion, defeated 2021 world bronze 63kg medalist Kensuke SHIMIZU 7-3 in the semifinals, while Paris Olympian Sogabe rallied for a 13-6 win over 2023 world U23 bronze medalist and fellow NSSU alum Haruto YABE.

With Paris bronze medalist Yui SUSAKI still on post-Olympic hiatus, Remina YOSHIMOTO remained on track for a shot at a second world title at women's 50kg when she stormed to 10-0 victories over a pair of teenagers. She will face Umi ITO in a repeat of the Emperor's Cup final, which she won 3-2.

Emperor's Cup champion Rin SAKAMOTO, who has taken the rare collegiate path of going to the United States to compete at Oklahoma State University, advanced to the final at Freestyle 57kg and a showdown with Kento YUMIYA.