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Asian Championships women's wrestling brackets

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 - 15:25 By Vinay Siwach

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ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (April 20) -- The Asian Championships will move to women's wrestling beginning Thursday. The draws for all 10 weight classes were held Wednesday.

Japan is once again the favorite to win the team title, especially with China unable to compete in the Asian Championships for the third straight year.

Kyrgyzstan and India will also be hoping to crown a couple of champions as they have in the past tournaments.

50kg

The six-wrestler bracket is headlined by world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN). Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) opted to sit out the tournament.

Seeded number one, Yoshimoto has been clubbed with fourth seed Miran CHEON (KOR) and MANISHA (IND) in Group A. Two wrestlers from this group will qualify for the semifinal.

Group B will have second seed Namuuntsetseg TSOGTOCHIR (MGL) and third seed Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB). The two will have to wrestle with Aigul NURALIM (KAZ) as well as she takes the third spot in the group.

53kg

World champion Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) will be wrestling at her first Asian Championships and nothing less than a gold is expected from her. She is the top seed and has Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) and Swati SHINDE (IND) in Group A. In most likelihood, Batkhuyag and Shinde will battle for the second semifinal spot from this group.

The other group has second seed Zhuldyz ESHIMOVA (KAZ) and third seed Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB) wrestling it out for the two semifinal spots with HyunyoungOH (KOR).

55kg

The 55kg has only five wrestlers and each one has to wrestle against the other. Altyn SHAGAYEVA (KAZ) is the top seed but former junior world champion Umi IMAI (JPN) is the favorite to win the gold here.

Sushma SHOKEEN (IND) will represent India while the host nation Mongolia will be represented by the 2017 U23 World bronze Otgonjargal GANBAATAR (MGL). Sarbinaz JIENBAEVA (UZB) completes the bracket.

With no semifinals in the bracket, the winner of the most matches will be the gold winner.

57kg

One of the toughest weight classes, the 57kg can see the clash of world silver medalist and defending champion Anshu MALIK (IND) and Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) who won the world title at 55kg in Oslo. The two are in opposite groups and can clash in the final if they both top their groups and win the semifinal.

Malik has fourth seed Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) and Danielle LIM (SGP) in her group while Sakurai is with former Asian silver Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL), junior world champion Nilufar RAIMOVA (KAZ) and Hyungjoo KIM (KOR).

59kg

In another five-wrestler bracket, two-time defending champion Sarita MOR (IND) will be tested once as she has three-time World medalist Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) and 2018 Asian silver Sara NATAMI (JPN). Mor and Baatarjav wrestled in the final last year in Almaty and the Indian came out on top.

The other two wrestlers in the draw are Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ) and Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB).

62kg

Two-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) is going for yet another Asian title and she is the favorite to win it.

Seeded number one, Tynybekova will wrestle Khongorzul BOLDSAIKHAN (MGL) in the quarterfinal. Boldsaikhan had finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics.

In the other quarterfinal, Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB) and Sachini WERADUWAGE (SRI) will wrestle and the winner will reach the semifinal against Tynybekova or Boldsaikhan.

The lower side of the bracket has world silver medalist and second seed Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) who will wrestle Hanbit LEE (KOR) in the quarterfinal. She is the favorite to reach the final against Tynybekova.

But for that, she would have to beat Lee and one of MANISHA (IND) or Ayaulym KASSYMOVA (KAZ) who was second to Yukako KAWAI (JPN) at the 2020 Asian Championships.

Tynybekova and Ozaki met in the opening round of the Oslo World Championships and the Kyrgyzstan wrestler won 6-4 against the former junior world champion.

65kg

Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) will make her debut at the Asian Championships and like any other Japanese wrestler, is the favorite to win the weight class. After winning the silver at the World Championships, she has proved herself to be a force to reckon with.

Trying to stop her from winning gold in the five-wrestler bracket will be two U23 World silver medalists RADHIKA (IND) and Purevsuren ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL). The Indian a silver in 2021 while the Mongolian is a medalist in 2019.

Incidentally, Morikawa is a U23 world bronze medalist from 2018 at 68kg. The world junior champion also came agonizingly close to knocking off Sara DOSHO (JPN) to make the Japan team for the Tokyo Olympics.

Second seed Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB) and third Dariga ABEN (KAZ) will complete the bracket.

68kg

World champion and Olympic bronze medalist Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) will look to defend her title at 68kg in a seven-wrestler bracket. She is part of Group A which has Madina BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) and Sujin PARK (KOR).

Group B will have a even more competitive as number two seed Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) who was second to Zhumanazarova in the '21 Asia final and won the U23 world bronze later that year.

Third seed Azoda ESBERGENOVA (UZB) and Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN) will be looking to upset the Mongolian. Matsuyuki was silver at the 2020 Asian Championships and is a former junior world champion.

Sonika HOODA (IND) is the fourth wrestler in the group and can surprise others to make the semifinal.

72kg

Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) is chasing a gold medal after finishing with a silver at home in '21. For that, she will have to win the most bout in the five-wrestler group at 72kg.

The silver medalist at the World Championships is the top seed and will be challenged by 2022 Ivan Yarguin silver medalist and second seed Davaansasan ENKH AMAR (MGL).

NIKKI (IND), Sumire NIIKURA (JPN) and Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB) close out the bracket.

76kg

She was close to winning the medal at the Olympics and won a bronze at the World Championships but Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) will be looking to pocket her first Asian title after finishing second last year.

The top-seeded wrestler is in Group A of the six-wrestler bracket with Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) and Sudesh KUMARI (IND). Kagami was a junior world champion and U23 world silver medalist in 2019. Medet Kyzy was bronze at the same event.

The lower group has second seed Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ), Ariunnjargal GANBAT (MGL) and Valentina TORENIYAZOVA (UZB).

The Kazakhstan wrestler would like to reach her first Asian Championships final after missing out on all of her previous attempts. She finished seventh in the 2019 edition. A 2018 U23 world bronze medalist Yerkebayeva is likely to reach the semifinal from this group.

A winner between Ganbat and Toreniyazova will be the other semifinalist from the group if Yerkebayeva wins all her bouts.

#WrestleTirana

World Championships: Azizli wins record fourth title, leads Azerbaijan's golden run

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 - 22:17 By Ken Marantz

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TIRANA, Albania (October 29) -- In leading a golden night for Azerbaijan, Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) became the country's most successful wrestler on the world stage.

Azizli won his fourth consecutive world title at Greco 55kg, one of three golds won by Azerbaijan on the first night of finals at the Non-Olympic Weight Categories World Championships on Tuesday in Tirana.

Azerbaijan also got golds from Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) at 63kg and Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) at 72kg, while Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) took the other Greco title at stake at 82kg to claim an elusive world gold after having previously settled for three bronzes.

In the 55kg final, Azizli defeated 2023 bronze medalist Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) for the fourth time in four career meetings, but this one was the closest as he won 1-1 on last-point criteria after each received a passivity point.

"I have met the Iran wrestler before and we know each other well," Azizli said. "That is why it was close. I have beaten him four times and but this time it was closer."

It was an ironic defeat for Dad Marz, who had been on the winning end of the same scoreline in his two previous matches. In their most recent encounter at the Budapest Ranking Series in June, Azizli had bested the Iranian 6-1.

By winning his fourth world title, the 32-year-old Azizli eclipsed the national record of three held by freestyle great Haji ALIYEV (AZE), who won golds in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Aliyev also has two Olympic medals, a prize that Azizli is unable to attain on the current Olympic program.

Looking ahead, Azizli said he would like to win his fifth world Greco gold, a milestone reached by 16 wrestlers, topped by the 12 of Russian legend Aleksandr KARELIN (RUS).

"I don't know what the future holds, but I would like to win five world gold medals," he said. "I will not be at the Europeans [next year], but I will try to win a fifth world title and finish my career."

In a battle of reigning continental champions, Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) took advantage of some impatience on the part of Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ), scoring twice by stopping throw attempts for a 6-1 victory in the 63kg final.

After keeping Asian champion Zharlykassyn from scoring from par terre in the first period, Mammadli, the European 60kg champion, went ahead by stuffing a back suplex attempt, adding a roll to go ahead 4-1.

When Zharlykassyn tried a front headlock throw at the edge, Mammadli pressed forward and sent him tumbling back for another 2 to put the match out of reach.

At 72kg, Ganizade kept the Azeri juggernaut going and improved on his silver medal from 2022 by dethroning defending champion Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) 3-2.

Ganizade had won a 7-7 nail-biter over Ghanem in the final at the 2023 European Championships, and Tuesday's clash was just as tense. Ganizade was put on the bottom of par terre in the first period, but grabbed Ghanem's head and stopped a roll attempt for a 2-point exposure.

Ghanem received a second passivity point in the second period to make it 2-2, but remained behind on criteria. Perhaps learning a lesson from the first period, he chose to remain standing instead of taking another shot at par terre.

In the end, he could not break down the defenses of Ganizade, who gained a third point when Ghanem unsuccessfully challenged for what he claimed was a grabbed singlet.

In the 82kg final, Geraei was not to be denied in his first chance at world gold, as he stormed to a 9-0 victory over a shell-shocked Erik SZILVASSY (HUN).

"After eight years, I finally got to experience the world finals," Geraei said. "I’m truly happy from the bottom of my heart because I could make my fans and family happy, especially my dear wife 
who stood by me in tough times and understood me, as well as my parents and all my fans.

"I'm grateful to them; they have always been there for me and supported me, and I dedicate this medal to them."

Geraei, normally a 77kg wrestler who was competing at the heaviest weight of his career, encountered no problems handling the extra bulk against Szilvassy, a winner of international tournaments this year in Zagreb and Budapest.

After a quick stepout, Geraei stopped an attempted throw by Szilvassy for a takedown, then transitioned immediately to a gut wrench. An unsuccessful challenge by the Hungary side padded Geraei's lead to 6-0 just a minute into the match.

Geraei, who finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics but missed the Paris Games due to a suspension, then completed a snap-down, go-behind takedown to finish the match in 1:35 and add the world gold to the bronzes he won at 71kg in 2017 and at 77kg in 2019 and 2021.

"I thought this competition would be really tough, but thank God it ended up being easy," Geraei said. "These past two or three years have been difficult for me, and due to certain circumstances, I couldn't participate in the Olympics and missed out on it. But I hope with this medal I won, I can pave my way to the [next] Olympics and achieve the best medal and my dream."

Serbia's Arsalan takes bronze in 30-point thriller

In the bronze-medal matches, Iranian-born Ali ARSALAN (SRB) picked up his third straight world medal, and he certainly earned it when he rallied to a wild 16-14 win over Hayk MELIKYAN (ARM) at 72kg.

In a thriller filled with big throws and slick counters, Arsalan fell behind 10-5 in the first period. But the 2021 world champion came back in the second with a pair of 4-pointers, the second with 12 seconds to go that was enough for the victory even after Melikyan reversed him for 2.

The other 72kg match was not as high-scoring but was just as entertaining, as Otar ABULADZE (GEO) connected on a pair of 4-point headlock hip throws to defeat Asian bronze medalist Ji LENG (CHN) 9-5 for his first major medal since winning a world cadet bronze in 2017.

Two-time European bronze medalist Denis MIHAI (ROU) added a world bronze by holding on to defeat Haifeng ZHANG (CHN) 8-5 at 55kg. Mihai scored two stepouts and two rolls from par terre for a 7-0 lead, then survived a second-period surge from the Chinese.

Emin SEFERSHAEV (AIN), a silver medalist in 2021, picked up the other 55kg bronze after scoring six points in the first period and holding on for a 7-5 victory over European bronze medalist Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM).

At 63kg, Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) sent Abu AMAEV (BUL) flying all over the mat before he knew what hit him, throwing him four times with a front headlock for an 8-0 victory in 30 seconds. A challenge negated one throw but revised two others to 4-pointers to produce the same result.

Aslanyan, who defeated reigning champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO) and newly crowned world U23 champion Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) before losing to Mammadli in the semifinals, had seen little international action since placing ninth at 67kg at the Tokyo Olympics. But now he has a world bronze to go with three European ones he won from 2018 to 2020.

Sadyk LALAEV (AIN), a European bronze medalist at 60kg, took home the other 63kg bronze without a fight as Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) was forced to default due to injury.

At 82kg, Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) prevented Azerbaijan from medaling in every weight class, denying two-time European U23 champion Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) a senior world bronze with a solid 8-1 victory.

Yilmaz, who normally competes at 77kg, started off with three stepouts before clinching the deal with a classic 4-point throw from par terre for his first major medal on any level.

European bronze medalist Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) gave Japanese teenager and senior Asian champion Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) a lesson on the big stage, rolling to a 10-2 victory for the other 82kg bronze.

Yoshida, the 2023 world U17 champion, got an opening takedown, but could offer little resistance when Bolkvadze got behind for a takedown and added a gut wrench. The Georgian then used an arm drag for another takedown, and two gut wrenches ended the match at 2:40.

Greco-Roman Results

55kg (16 entries)
GOLD: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Poya DAD MARZ (IRI), 1-1

BRONZE: Denis MIHAI (ROU) df. Haifeng ZHANG (CHN), 8-5
BRONZE: Emin SEFERSHAEV (AIN) df. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 7-5

63kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ), 6-1

BRONZE: Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) df. Abu AMAEV (BUL) by TF, 8-0, :30
BRONZE: Sadyk LALAEV (AIN) df. Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) by Inj. Def.

72kg (28 entries)
GOLD: Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) df. Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), 3-2

BRONZE: Ali ARSALAN (SRB) df. Hayk MELIKYAN (ARM), 16-14
BRONZE: Otar ABULADZE (GEO) df. Ji LENG (CHN), 9-5

82kg (28 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) df. Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) by TF, 8-0, 1:35

BRONZE: Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) df. Gurban GURBANOV (AZE), 8-1
BRONZE: Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) by TF, 10-2, 2:40