Blades the latest star at 76kg with Alexandria gold

Friday, February 24, 2023 - 20:16 By Vinay Siwach

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (February 24) -- Yelena MAKOYED (USA) had just won the Zagreb Open Ranking Series gold medal two weeks ago and talked about the competition she has to navigate in the USA to be a national team member at 76kg

Apart from the well-established name of Adeline GRAY (USA), Makoyed mentioned wrestlers who will be jumping from 72kg to 76kg, calling them "very good."

One of the wrestlers from that bunch is Kennedy BLADES (USA).

After wrestling at 68kg before Tokyo Olympics, Baldes has been at 72kg, winning the U20 World Championships in 2021, her last international competition for a long time.

With just over a year left for the Paris Olympics, Blades has decided to move up to 76kg and made her senior-level debut at a United World Wrestling event on Friday.

And to prove Makoyed right, she won the gold medal at 76kg at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series event in Alexandria, Egypt in dominating fashion.

In the previous three Ranking Series events, Makoyed had dominated the 76kg weight class, winning all three gold medals. But her sitting out of this one meant that a new champion would be crowned. Few would have thought that it would be Blades.

The 19-year-old, who did not give up a single point in the U20 World Championships in 2021, was unfazed by the number of stars in her weight class and went on with her wrestling as if she was a seasoned campaigner, evident in her win over World bronze medalist Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) in the semifinal.

Blades brought varied attacks with her to Egypt. If she used ankle picks to score points at the beginning of the day, she used the double-leg to great effect later in the evening.

In the final against Juan WANG (CHN), Blades displayed signs of maturity but also some inexperience. Like when Wang was not ready to engage and Blades found it difficult to score, she waited patiently. Once Wang got a little comfortable, Blades used a fake and switched to a leg attack, scoring four points.

From there, Baldes never let Wang wrestle her style. Blades' active wrestling proved to be too much for the Chinese as she gave up another takedown. Blades extended her lead to 6-5. With a five-point lead, she maintained her distance from Wang, eliminating the risk of getting countered. Blades wanted Wang to attack.

It was the last anxious moments when Blades slipped. She took her eyes off Wang who managed to score a takedown and add a gut wrench with three seconds left. Blades managed to navigate those and win 6-5 for her first senior-level gold medal.

Her performance in the morning session was far more dominant and assuring. In the semifinal against Medet Kyzy, which Blades won 12-1, she attacked with purpose and completed those low attacks to score quickly. She managed to square up Medet Kyzy on various occasions, scoring takedowns using double-leg attacks. Her quick feet made her extremely superior to the Kyrgyz wrestler.

Blades shut off attacks in the second period which worked well in Alexandria but she will have to be cautious of that approach while facing a more aggressive wrestler in the future.

Kennedy BLADES (USA) kept off a spirited Genesis REASCO (ECU) in the quarterfinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The first bout of the morning saw Blades run through Qian ZHOU (CHN) with a mix of double-leg attacks and ankle picks. But her quarterfinal against Genesis REASCO (ECU) was an extremely close affair.

Blades used defense as her attack and never let Reasco go behind even in the last moments of the bout. She ended up winning 5-4, thanks to a big double-leg attack she used to score four points.

The gold will also give Blades a lot of confidence after a forgetful outing in the Henri Deglane Grand Priz in January in which she finished fifth. But in less than a month's time, she has managed to turn it around.

With the World Championships in September offering quota places for the Paris Olympics, a USA wrestler winning one of the five available sports is a no-brainer. But who will actually be on the flight to Paris will depend on the outcome of the Olympic trials in the USA with Adeline GRAY (USA), Amit ELOR (USA), Makoyed, Blades, Kylie WELKER (USA), Dymond GUILFORD (USA), Precious BELL (USA) and Skylar GROTE (USA) being some of the names eyeing that coveted ticket.

Forrest MOLINARI (USA) scores four points on Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) in a heated 68kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Another USA wrestler who made a switch to an Olympic weight class and won gold was Forrest MOLINARI (USA). Wrestling against three-time world medalist Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), who won the Zagreb Open gold recently, in the final, Molinari dictated proceedings and won 13-2.

The aggression which Molinari brought to the mat complimented her snap and counter style of wrestling. Larroque could never find a way to get out of the ties and kept running out of time.

That turned the final into a heated one but Molinari wrestled with continuous pressure and kept scoring. At one point, she countered Larroque's attempt to score a takedown with a four-pointer which made the score 7-2. She added a roll in the same sequence to lead 9-2.

Larroque was cautioned for fleeing when Molinari scored a stepout and she then gave up a takedown before time to give up the gold.

Molinari's performance on Friday also included a 6-3 win over 2021 world champion Meerim ZHUMANAZAROV (KGZ). Her first two wins of the day were both via fall.

Both Blades and Molinari will take home 1500 Swiss Francs while Wang and Larroque will pocket 750 Swiss Francs each. The four bronze medalists in the two weight classes will get 500 Swiss Francs each as well.

Beginning this year, the Ranking Series awards medal winners with prize money and also a two-kilogram weight tolerance to help wrestlers remain in their preferred weight class.

Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) won the 62kg final to end her gold medal drought. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In two other women's wrestling finals, Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) ended her gold medal drought by winning the 62kg weight class while Alexandria TOWN (CAN) was rewarded for her exceptional run Friday with the 57kg gold after Alina AKOBIIA (UKR) injury defaulted.

Tynybekova last won a gold medal at the 2021 World Championships and has since suffered surprising losses to younger wrestlers with the latest being a first-round loss to Xiaojuan LUO (CHN) at the Zagreb Open.

But Tynybekova rolled back the years and avenged that loss to Luo in a low-scoring but tough final in Alexandria, winning 3-2 for the gold.

Her day began with a solid 7-0 win against Ameline DOUARRE (FRA) and then a 10-0 technical superiority win over Kayla MIRACLE (USA). Tynybekova had beaten Miracle in the final of the 2021 World Championships but the American secured a 9-3 win over Tynybekova at the recent World Cup in Iowa.

The semifinal against Tokyo bronze medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) tested Tynybekova, who won silver in Tokyo. However, her strong defense kept in the bout after Koliadenko's passivity, eventually winning 2-0.

Luo reached the final from the other side of the bracket by beating Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB) via fall, Kriszta INCZE (ROU) 5-1, Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) 6-3 and Johanna LINDBORG (SWE) 6-4 with a last-second takedown in the semifinal.

Luo led 1-1 late into the bout but Tynybekova got a single leg for a takedown to take the lead 3-1. Luo managed to duck and get behind Tynybekova but failed to bring her down, scoring only a stepout.

It is a mere coincidence that Alexandria TOWN (CAN), center, won the gold in the town of Alexandria. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 57kg, Town's run included a big victory via fall over Tokyo bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) in the semifinals after she had defeated Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) 14-2 and Elena BRUGGER (GER) 12-4.

Akobiia did not wrestle in the final but looked good throughout the day, winning via fall against Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER), 11-0 against Giullia OLIVEIRA (BRA) and 7-1 against Qi ZHANG (CHN) in the semifinals.

Despite the silver, it would have been an emotional day for Akobiia as exactly a year ago she had to abandon the plan of reaching the Kyiv airport and fly to Istanbul for the Ranking Series event last year after Ukraine came under attack.

Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) throws Otar ABULADZE (GEO) for four points in the 72kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Georgia wins two GR golds

Three Greco-Roman gold medals were also decided as Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) captured the 72kg gold medal by beating fellow countryman Otar ABULADZE (GEO) in the final.

Abuladze had knocked out Olympic champion Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) 8-0 in the final. Gereaei was wrestling a weight up than his preferred 67kg in which he won an Olympic and world title.

At 77kg, Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) won the gold medal by beating Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) 1-1 after the two wrestlers exchanged passivity points in the final. Mnatsakanian defeated Yunus BASAR (TUR) 3-1 in the quarterfinal and Rui LIU (CHN) 1-1 in the semifinal.

The final gold medal in Greco-Roman went to Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) who breezed past Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ) 10-0 in the final using a strong gut wrench.

RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

57kg
GOLD - Alexandria TOWN (CAN) df. Alina AKOBIIA (UKR), via inj. def.

BRONZE - Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) df. Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL), 10-5
BRONZE - Qi ZHANG (CHN) df. Giullia OLIVEIRA (BRA), 9-1

62kg
GOLD - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Xiaojuan LUO (CHN), 3-2

BRONZE - Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) df. Johanna LINDBORG (SWE), 9-0
BRONZE - Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) df. Kayla MIRACLE (USA), via fall

68kg
GOLD - Forrest MOLINARI (USA) df. Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), 13-2

BRONZE - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Alexandria GLAUDE (USA), via fall
BRONZE - Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), 6-1

76kg
GOLD - Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Juan WANG (CHN), 6-5

BRONZE - Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Qian ZHOU (CHN), 3-0
BRONZE - Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) df. KIRAN (IND), 11-0

Greco-Roman

72kg
GOLD - Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) df. Otar ABULADZE (GEO), 6-0

BRONZE - Daniyar KALENOV (KAZ) df. Mahmoud ABDELRAHMAN (EGY), 4-1
BRONZE - Ankit GULIA (IND) df. Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI), via inj. def.

77kg
GOLD - Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) df. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 1-1

BRONZE - Yunus BASAR (TUR) df. Rui LIU (CHN), 8-0
BRONZE - Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Per OLOFSSON (SWE), 6-4

82kg
GOLD - Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ), 10-0

BRONZE - Kristoffer BERG (SWE) df. Michael WAGNER (AUT), 1-1
BRONZE - Abd OUAKALI (ALG) df. Roland SCHWARZ (GER), 4-4

#WrestleZagreb

Motoki works her magic to snatch elusive world gold

Thursday, September 18, 2025 - 22:33 By Ken Marantz

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 17) -- Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) finally has a world gold to go with the one she won at the Paris Olympics. And she did it with another
dramatic victory, this time in the final.

As is becoming her forte, Motoki snatched a victory in the dying seconds of a match, beating Asian silver medalist Ok Ju KIM (PRK) 5-4 in the 62kg final at the World Championships on Thursday, as the women's competition concluded with a banner day for Japan.

"Just like at the Olympics, I went from a point where I thought I would lose, then the outcome suddenly changed and I was able to win," Motoki said. "It's the same feeling of happiness and feeling of relief, and brought me to tears."

Japan won two of the three other golds at stake, with Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) winning at 53kg for her fourth career world gold, and Ami ISHII (JPN) triumphing
at 68kg to become a two-time world champion.

The fourth and final gold of the night went to Alla BELINSKA (UKR), who repeated her victory over Nesrin BAS (TUR) from the final of the European Championships -- right down to winning by fall.

The three golds padded Japan's total in the team race, as the Asian powerhouse had clinched the title before the night began. Japan, which won five of the 10 golds, finished on top with 162 points, followed by the DPR Korea with 115 points. China edged the United States for third, 87-83.

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Motoki made a name for herself around the world at the Paris Olympics, where her hopes of a gold seemed to be over in the semifinals, when she was trailing Grace BULLEN (NOR) 7-2 and was being tripped backwards for what might end the match.

But Motoki suddenly locked Bullen's arms and bridged, then turned her over and recorded a stunning fall to the shock of those in the Champ de Mars Arena and around the world. The next day she defeated Irina KOLIADENKO (UKR) for the gold.

Motoki had to survive a grueling qualifying process just to get to Paris. A world bronze medalist at 59kg, she moved up to the Olympic weight and had to win out among a domestic field that included Tokyo Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI (JPN) and world champion Nonoka OZAKI (JPN).

And she basically had to repeat the process to get to Zagreb. As she did in Paris, Motoki pulled a rabbit out of the hat and defeated Ozaki by scoring a takedown literally in the final second of a playoff for Japan's team.

On Thursday, Kim became the latest to fall victim to the Motoki magic. The Japanese took a 3-0 lead in the first period on an activity point and a sweeping single-leg takedown.

Trying to defend in the second period, Motoki gave up a single-leg takedown to Kim, which the Japanese was willing to concede. But she wasn't prepared for being
gut-wrenched over to suddenly fall behind 4-3 with :35 left.

"I had a three-point lead and when she got in on a single leg, I thought it would be alright to give up two [points]," Motoki said. "But then when I was rolled, I thought, 'This is bad. Once again I'm going to get this far and not win?'"

Ok Ju KIM (PRK) turns Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) to take a 4-3 lead in the 62kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In her two previous trips to the World Championships, Motoki fell short of the gold, taking the bronze in 2022 and the silver in 2023, losing to Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) in the final. Would she miss out on the gold again?

With 12 seconds left, she launched her attack, transitioning from one thing to another in a desperate attempt. First a low single, then an arm throw, then back to
a single. All were defended. Then she tried a headlock throw, and that sent Kim sideway to the mat as time ran out.

The referee gave no points, but on challenge, it was determined that Kim's shoulders broke the 90-degree plane -- with :00.3 seconds on the clock.

"In the last 12 seconds, I launched an attack, and when the tackles failed, I thought, 'Oh no, that's the end,'" Motoki said. "When I looked back, she was on my back. I thought if I threw her, I could make it. I just put everything into the throw, but I didn't know if I turned her. Really, it was lucky."

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) won her first world gold medal in Zagreb. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Motoki said her earlier losses at the worlds served as incentive to work harder and always give everything up to the final whistle. She told the Japanese press earlier this year that she uses the UWW music played during the medal ceremony as her morning alarm -- a constant reminder of the agony she never wanted to experience again.

"Three years ago and two years ago, I lost on this stage, and the feeling of disappointment and of being inferior, even after winning at the Olympics, did not go away," Motoki said. "But by losing, it made me stronger and made me what I am now. To win here makes me so happy."

Motoki will embark on another quest in a month's time when she competes at the World U23 Championships on October 20-27. Already a world U17 and U20 champion, a victory in Novi Sad, Serbia, will make her just the third member -- along with Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Amit ELOR (USA) -- of the elite "Golden Grand Slam" club, those who have won on the senior and all three age-group levels as well as at the Olympics.

"One might think that winning on the age-group level would put you at the forefront, but that's not the case," Motoki said. "After I won the U17, I had an injury and became weaker. I lost in the first round at the Inter High. Then I went to college and thought I had progressed, only to have a major injury.

"To achieve the Grand Slam would be due to overcoming the hard times with the support of many others."

Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) controls Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) during the 53kg final at the World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 53kg, Murayama established herself as the frontrunner in the weight class in the runup to the 2028 Los Angeles, following the decision by Paris gold medalist Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) to move up to 57kg.

Murayama scored takedowns in each period to defeat Paris silver medalist Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) 5-0 and add to her world golds from 2017, 2018 and 2023, all won under her maiden name of OKUNO.

It marks the continuation of a remarkable turnaround for Murayama, who sank into the depths of despair after losing out on the berth for the Tokyo Olympics to collegiate teammate and eventual gold medalist Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN).

"I had half given up on the idea of competing at events like the World Championships in an Olympic weight class," Murayama said. "So just being able to stand on this stage and leave this kind of result behind -- it’s something that two or three years ago, I couldn’t even have imagined."

It was Yepez who famously scored seven points off Fujinami in the quarterfinals at the 2023 World Championships, albeit the Japanese came back and scored 16 of
her own before winning by fall. But the Ecuadorean, her country's first-ever world and Olympic medalist, established herself as a dangerous foe.

In the final, Murayama wrestled cautiously but methodically, using a front headlock to spin behind for a takedown just as she was receiving an activity point in the first period. She added a second takedown by getting behind again in the second period.

Murayama and Yepez had met once before, with the Japanese winning 10-0 in the final of the U23 World Championships in October 2022.

Ami ISHII (JPN) tries to score on Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) in the 68kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 68kg, Ishii had plowed through the field to make the final, where she met stiff resistance from four-time European medalist Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) and needed a second-period takedown to secure a 4-2 victory.

It was Yaneva who struck first when she adroitly used a counter lift for a two-point lead. Ishii came back with a stepout, but an apparent takedown was wiped out on challenge as having been completed after the buzzer.

Down by a point, Ishii warily avoided the counter and went with an arm drag to get behind for a takedown to go ahead 3-2. A short time later, Yaneva shot in for a single, but Ishii slipped under and grabbed Yaneva's leg, then clung on to force a stalemate. An unsuccessful challenge at the end gave Ishii her final point.

"I thought I might get countered again," Ishii said of her strategy for the second period. "Still, I had to get points. It would be the end if I lost my nerve. Even if I couldn't get in [on a tackle], I had to find a way to get points."

Ishii has been a workhorse since missing out on the Paris Olympics when she suffered a heartbreaking, last-second loss for the 68kg spot to Ozaki. She won the 72kg gold at last year's Non-Olympic World Championships as a sort of consolation, so winning at 68kg holds more significance.

"Without a doubt, it's getting to a place closer to the Olympics," Ishii said, adding that her mission now will be staying at the top of the division in Japan. "It's tough to be at this level, and I can't just keep going as I am now. I need to raise my level, so I have to train even harder."

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In the last match of the night, two-time European champion Belinska, who had received an activity point in the first period, came out in the second and caught Bas in a headlock before securing the fall in 4:25.

"The final was tense, but I had prepared my throw, and I’m very happy that I managed to execute it," Belinska said. "In the first period, I couldn’t make that move, and the tension started to build -- but even in a stressful situation, I was still able to pull it off."

Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) defeated Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR) to win bronze at 62kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Purevdorj captures bronze 8 years after striking gold

Eight years after winning a world gold, Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) finally picked up her another medal, taking a 62kg bronze by rallying to a nail-biting 6-5 victory over Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR).

After Purevdorj received an activity point in the first period, she fell into a large hole by giving up a 4-point takedown at the edge to open the second period. Purevdorj picked up a 2-point exposure on a scramble, which, after a scramble, revealed a foul by Kolawole. That gave Purevdorj a point and, significantly, put her on top in par terre.

She took advantage by executing a gut wrench and, even though Kolawole reversed, it left the Mongolian with a 6-5 advantage that she maintained through the end.

Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) earned her first world medal when she scored a duck under takedown in the final minute to defeat Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) 4-2 for the other 62kg bronze.

Asian champion Hyongyong CHOE (PRK) added the senior world bronze to her Olympic bronze from Paris with a victory at 53kg by second-period fall over Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) after building up an 8-0 lead.

Choe went for the kill at all times, scoring two exposures off a head lock, then ending the match when she scored a takedown and immediately applied a half-nelson to turn Akhmedova over.

Two-time Asian bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) gave India its first medal through six days in Zagreb, capping a 9-1 victory over Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) with a 4-point takedown for the other 53kg bronze.

Kennedy BLADES (USA), the Paris silver medalist at 76kg who made the drop all the way down to 68kg but couldn't get past Ishii, assured she wouldn't leave empty-handed when she routed Buse TOSUN (TUR) 12-1 for the bronze medal.

Jia LONG (CHN), last year's champion at 65kg at the Non-Olympic Worlds, defeated Sol Gum PAK (PRK) 6-1 for the other 68kg bronze. Long scored all of her points in the first period, with a takedown-roll combo followed by a go-behind takedown.

China also picked up a bronze at 72kg, when Zelu LI (CHN) fought off her back after a 4-point headlock by Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) to start the match, gradually chipping away until she came away with a 7-4 victory with three takedowns.

Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) scored a takedown in each period to top Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA) 5-0 for the other 72kg bronze.

Day 6 Results

Women's Wrestling

53kg (23 entries)
GOLD: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) df. Lucia YEPEZ (ECU), 5-0

BRONZE: ANTIM (IND) df. Jonna MALMGREN (SWE), 9-1
BRONZE: Hyongyong CHOE (PRK) df. Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) by Fall, 4:00 (8-0)

62kg (22 entries)
GOLD: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Ok Ju KIM (PRK), 5-4

BRONZE: Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) df. Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR), 6-5
BRONZE: Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) df. Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), 4-2

68kg (24 entries)
GOLD: Ami ISHII (JPN) df. Yuliana YANEVA (BUL), 4-2

BRONZE: Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Buse TOSUN (TUR) by TF, 12-1, 5:22
BRONZE: Jia LONG (CHN) df. Sol Gum PAK (PRK), 6-1

72kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Nesrin BAS (TUR) by Fall, 4:25 (5-0)

BRONZE: Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) df. Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA), 5-0
BRONZE: Zelu LI (CHN) df. Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU), 7-4

Greco-Roman

55kg (18 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) df. Emin CAKIR (TUR) 2-2
SEMIFINAL: Payam AHMADI (IRI) df. Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) 3-1

77kg (33 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI), 5-1
SEMIFINAL: Nao KUSAKA (JPN) df. Robert FRITSCH (HUN), 3-1

82kg (26 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), 8-5
SEMIFINAL: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) df. Karlo KODRIC (CRO), 7-1

130kg (27 entries)
SF 1: Darius VITEK (HUN) df. Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW), 3-1
SF 2: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Wenhao JIANG (CHN), 3-1

Blades the latest star at 76kg with Alexandria gold

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Motoki works her magic to snatch elusive world gold