Abakarov, Gadzhiev Hungry for More after Taking Azerbaijan to Team Title

Sunday, March 13, 2022 - 20:12 By Vinay Siwach

PLOVDIV, Bulgaria (March 13) -- Azerbaijan could not have asked for better preparation for the senior European Championships. It won four gold and three bronze at the U23 European Championships to claim the freestyle team title to make a serious statement before Budapest.

Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) and Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) were the two stars Sunday as they won the gold at 74kg and 86kg respectively, further establishing themselves as big names in the two Olympic weight classes.

Abakarov, who won a bronze medal at the Oslo World Championships, needed only 42 seconds against Lilian BALAN (MDA) to win 10-0. A combination of arm trap and gut-wrench helped him to win the gold with ease but he is looking at the bigger picture.

"I could win easily today," Abakarov said. "But this competition is not the main one since I compete at the senior level.

"For me, the senior European Championship is more important now. I haven’t been training for a while because of the injury and this was a trial event for me."

Since jumping to 86kg in 2020 in a bid to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, Abakarov has had mixed success. But he wants to start this Olympic cycle on a better note.

"I feel that I can compete at a higher level," he said. "I hope I’ll be a leader of this weight class by the time of the Paris Olympics."

That will take some doing as Olympic champion David TAYLOR (USA) and world champion Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) have dominated the weight class for more than six years now. Abakarov wrestled Taylor in Oslo and even scored points on him before losing.

"It was our first match and next time I’ll be more confident," he said. "I’ll be ready to wrestle against the leaders. I should work on my physical shape as all the wrestlers from this weight category like Taylor, Yazdani, Naifonov are physically very well prepared."

The former U23 world silver medalist also praised fellow gold medalists Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) and Gadzhiev.

"I think that Gadzhiev at 74kg is good enough to compete at senior level," he said. "Bayramov at 65kg is also a good wrestler even though he is still young [21-years-old]. In a year or two, he will compete against the leaders."

Dzhabrail GAZHIEV (AZE), blue, is now a two-time U23 European champion. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Gadzhiev wrestled for the full period of his 74kg final against Krisztian BIRO (ROU) and won 8-1. After being called passive in the first period, he went for a four-pointer and lead 4-1. He then earned two more points with a double-leg and continued for a leg-lace to make it 8-1. He was happy to hold on to his lead until the clock expired.

"Everything worked out successfully," Gadzhiev said. "It wasn’t easy at all. All the wrestlers are well prepared. But it's Azerbaijan's common success and our hard work."

Gadzhiev had won the 70kg U23 European title last year but he thinks that 74kg is a better category for him. But Azerbaijan has a two-way battle at 74kg with U23 world champion and Tokyo Olympian Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) also looking to stay at the same weight. But the two wrestled in the final at the Dan Kolov Invitation tournament last month with Gadzhiev winning the bout 2-1.

"At 74kg all the wrestlers are very good, but I want to be the leader," he said. "If I really want to achieve results, with the help of God I will get it. I came here with my coaches to become a champion. It was my prior intention to win the European championship."

Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) won the gold medal 61kg. (Photo: UWW / Konstadin Andonov)

Turkey also won two gold medals but finished eight points behind Azerbaijan in the team race with 151 points. Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) defeated Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA), 4-1 in the 61kg final while Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) beat Joshua MORODION (GER), 10-0 in the 92kg final.

Ormanoglu was passive in the first period while Arsamerzouev was called passive in the second period. But the Turkey wrestler scored a stepout in the activity time to lead 2-1. Arsamerzouev tried hard to get a point for the win but failed. A desperate arm-spin ended in Ormanoglu getting a takedown and two points.

Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) won the gold medal at 92kg. (Photo: UWW / Konstadin Andonov)

At 92kg, Akturk and Morodion were involved in a slow-paced final with the former scoring all 10 points via stepout.

The fifth gold of the night went to Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) as he denied Milan KORCSOG (HUN) from becoming his country's first-ever U23 European champion. In the 8-1 win, Manashvili never looked in trouble and overpowered Korcsog.

His gold helped Georgia win the third spot in the team race as they finished with 149 points, just two behind Turkey.

A few of these wrestlers will now be in Budapest, Hungary as the action shifts to the senior European Championships, the second continental championships of the year.

Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO)

RESULTS

61kg
GOLD: Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) df Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA), 4-1

BRONZE: Ramaz TURMANIDZE (GEO) df Ruhan RASIM (BUL), 10-0
BRONZE: Norik HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df Besir ALILI (MKD), 10-0

74kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) df Krisztian BIRO (ROU), 8-1

BRONZE: Vasile DIACON (MDA) df Dimitar ANGELOV (BUL), 10-3
BRONZE: Ismet CIFTCI (TUR) df Menua YARIBEKYAN (ARM), 2-1

86kg
GOLD: Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) df Lilian BALAN (MDA), 10-0

BRONZE: Emre CIFTCI (TUR) df Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA), 4-3
BRONZE: Bagrati GAGNIDZE (GEO) df Mher MARKOSYAN (ARM), 7-2

92kg
GOLD: Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) df Joshua MORODION (GER), 10-0

BRONZE: Daviti KOGUASHVILI (GEO) df Redjep HAJDARI (MKD), 10-0
BRONZE: Ilia HRISTOV (BUL) df Gheorghe ERHAN (MDA), via fall

125kg
GOLD: Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) df Milan KORCSOG (HUN), 8-1

BRONZE: Adil MISIRCI (TUR) df Lior ALTSHULER (ISR), 7-3
BRONZE: Aydin AHMADOV (AZE) df Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE), 7-3

#JapanWrestling

Olympic champ Fumita joins Ono as late withdrawal from Emperor's Cup

Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 07:42 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (December 17) -- Five days after former world champion Masanosuke ONO made the stunning announcement that he was pulling out of the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships, another high-profile star aborted a long-awaited return to action by joining him on the sidelines.

Olympic champion Kenichiro FUMITA announced Wednesday on the eve of the tournament that he was withdrawing due to an injury, keeping him out of what would have been his first tournament since his triumph at the Paris Olympics.

Fumita, who won the Paris gold at Greco 60kg but was entered at 63kg, made the announcement on his X account. Without disclosing the injury, he said it "was not a major injury that will have an effect on my wrestling career, but I feel it is not worth the risk at this time so I decided to withdraw."

The Emperor's Cup is also serving as the domestic qualifier for the 2026 Asian Championships, and as the first of two national domestic qualifiers for this year's World Championships and Asian Games. The latter holds particular significance in that Japan will be hosting the event.

Fumita, the silver medalist at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and a two-time former world champion, had only competed at 63kg once in his career, at the 2023 German Grand Prix, where he placed second as a warmup for the World Championships, where he took home the silver.

The 30-year-old was due to take the mat on Thursday, the first day of the four-day tournament at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym.

"I deeply apologize to everyone who was looking forward [to seeing me] and to all those involved [with the tournament]," Fumita said. "I will make the utmost effort to be in top condition and be able to perform at the next competition."

Last Friday, Ono announced that he had withdrawn for health reasons, a move that indefinitely delays his return to the mats of his native country.

Ono revealed on social media that he had been diagnosed with a kidney problem, possibly linked to cutting weight to get down to 57kg, according to a report by Japan's top wrestling website Wrestling Spirits.

Ono has been competing at either 61kg or 65kg in recent years, and the stress of getting down to 57kg might have taken too big a toll. Ono said that he had gotten near 57kg the previous week when he experienced thickening of the urine, which can be regarded as a sign of dehydration.

Upon consultation with a doctor, it was decided "I will play it safe this time," Ono said.

The 22-year-old Ono has become a worldwide sensation, first by winning the senior world title at freestyle 61kg in 2024 with one-sided victories that included beating a past Olympic gold medalist and the reigning world champion, then for leaving the comfort of Yamanashi Gakuin University for the challenge of competing in American folkstyle at powerhouse Penn State University.

The Emperor's Cup would have provided a rare chance for Ono to compete in a freestyle tournament again, the first step on the path to getting back to the World Championships.

Ono said he will now return to Penn State, where he will resume his introduction into folkstyle. While he is redshirting this year -- the system that allows him to train with the team but not enter official competitions to preserve a year of eligibility -- he plans to enter an open tournament in January.

As pointed out by Wrestling Spirits, the big issue facing Ono now is whether or not he will be afforded a spot in the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships in May next year, which will be the second domestic qualifier for the worlds and Asian Games.

As the name implies, the field is limited to invitees, using criteria set by the Japan Wrestling Federation based on results from major competitions over the past year. There are exceptions made for a wrestler who has been out of action for an extended time but has achieved "particularly outstanding results."

In the past, this has been interpreted to mean medaling at an Olympics, as the majority of wrestlers take time off following Olympic success. The question the federation will have to answer is, will a world title in 2024 earn Ono an invitation?

Asked directly by Wrestling Spirits, Kenji INOUE, the federation's chairman of the technical enhancement committee, replied, "At this stage, nothing has been decided."

There is one incentive for the publicity-starved JWF to include Ono in the Meiji Cup field -- it could set up a classic match-up between him and Paris Olympic champion Rei HIGUCHI.

Higuchi has not competed since winning the Paris gold, but has already stated he plans to return at the Meiji Cup with eyes on a first Asian Games appearance.

Ono has not competed in Japan since June 2024, when he participated in the East Japan Collegiate League, a team competition in which he helped Yamanashi Gakuin win the Division I title.

After winning the gold at the Non-Olympic Weight Class World Championships in Tirana in October 2024, he revealed he had been dealing with a broken ankle.

That kept him out of competition for awhile, then early in 2025, he headed across the Pacific to begin training with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. In March, he made the blockbuster announcement that he would enroll at Penn State.

Ono had been entered at 57kg at the Bill Farrell Memorial Invitational in New York in November, but was a late withdrawal for undisclosed reasons.

At the Emperor's Cup, Olympic weight classes will be contested over two days in the same format at the World Championships, while non-Olympic weights will be finished in a single day.

Although Fumita will no longer be competing, fellow Paris gold medalist Yuka KAGAMI will be making her return to the mat for the first time since her Olympic triumph at women's 76kg, which gets started on Thursday.

Abakarov, Gadzhiev Hungry for More after Taking Azerbaijan to Team Title

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Olympic champ Fumita joins Ono as late withdrawal from Emperor's Cup