#WrestleAlmaty

With Brother on His Side, Mohammadreza Geraei Hopes to Make Tokyo Special

Saturday, April 10, 2021 - 05:07 By Vinay Siwach

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Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) won the gold at Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Almaty. (UWW: Sachiko HOTAKA)

"He got it done in Nur-Sultan. I did it in Almaty. Now, we will do it in Tokyo."

Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) is a proud brother. Less than two years after his elder brother Mohammadali qualified Iran for the Tokyo Olympics at 77kg (GR) through the Nur-Sultan World Championships, the younger did the same at 67kg at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Friday. Now, he is ready to capture the coveted medal alongside his brother come August in the Japanese capital.

"It's a pleasure and honor to go to the Olympics with my brother, and he can definitely help me develop and reach the goal of winning an Olympic medal," Geraei said. "Having him there is great as a partner, support system and teacher."

Mohammadali, popularly known as 'The Falcon,' is a two-time world medalist and has been one of the most consistent Iranian wrestlers in recent times.

The products of the famous Takhti Academy in Iran, the two brothers have been each others' motivators since childhood. Two of the three kids of the Geraeis, Mohammadreza has been following in the footsteps of his two-year elder brother Mohammadali, thanks to their father.

"I am very lucky to come from a wrestling family. My father pushed me into wrestling at a very young age," he says.

 

Wrestling since the age of 10, Geraei quickly became one of the best talents to come out of Iran. Not only he has qualified Iran for the Games, he won the gold medal later in the evening with 9-0 thrashing of two-time world champion and Korean legend Hansu RYU (KOR).

It was not the only technical superiority win for him on Friday, though. Geraei began his day just liked his finished, with a 9-0 win. Up against Sheroz OCHILOV (TJK) in the qualifying round, he completed a 52-second 8-0 win with two bodylock throws.

The quarterfinals were no different as he handed Ahmad Mahmoud Ahmed DAHSHAN (JOR) an 8-0 thrashing. With one step away from joining his brother in Tokyo, Geraei brought his best against Asian Championships bronze medalist ASHU (IND). After winning a point for Ashu's passivity, the Iranian made little work of the Indian with big throws taking two, four and two points.

"Everything worked for my benefit. I have been preparing for this and my body is prepared," he said. "I was able to achieve what I was training for and I will continue to do so."

Even after that, the '19 champion knew the task was still not finished. Facing the veteran Ryu in final, he went right after a reverse lift from the par terre position. Leading 5-0 lead at the break, he came back to hit another four-point throw and completed a 3-minute 45-second win at an empty Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports.

Asian Olympic Qualifier, Almaty

Born in the Shiraz city in southern Iran, Geraei was pushed into wrestling by his father to continue hia family's tradition.

"We are three brothers. Our development coach Rahim Givi is one of best who helped me a lot and my family always supported me," he says. "We were always committed to wrestling and there was little to no time for other things."

Despite a great base, Gereai found that success at the international stage was hard to come by. After a few wins at the junior level, he failed to claim the big medals. Even after regular participation, the medal at world level eluded him.

In 2019 he made the world take notice as he became the Asian champion at 72kg in Xi'an, China. In the same year, he became world champion. In an incredible run at the U23 World Championships in Budapest, Geraei handed defeats to two former age-group champions to claim the gold medal.

Also Read: Geraei Dominates Ryu in Greco 67kg Final After Both Qualify for Tokyo

Just when things were looking up, life came to a standstill. A few weeks before the World Championships in Nur-Sultan when he was preparing to compete in the tournament, he injured his lower back. Despite all his efforts, he failed to be fit for the Championships.

"That is the worst moment of my career. I wanted to wrestle at the World Championships," he recalled. Then COVID-19 hit, derailing his plans to qualify for the Games in 2020.

Despite all the hardships, he kept himself motivated with the goal of going to the Olympics and remembering all the Iranian legends who had done it before. The two brothers had set up gym at their home in Shiraz. The two would even wrestle each other in a six-minute bout.

"We have never competed officially but we practice all the time," he said. "My brother always beats me. He is better than me but I keep on going after him."

Geraei now wants the friendly banter to turn into real-time motivation in Tokyo. It's not like the two brothers have not won medals at the same Games. In 2018, while Mohammadali won the gold medal at the 77kg category, the younger brother claimed the bronze medal at the 67kg weight category in Jakarta, Indonesia, Geraei went to claim the bronze medal.

While it was a special moment, Gereai thinks the best is yet to come.

"The best moment will be in Tokyo. Just wait"

#JapanWrestling

Kiyooka hands Susaki first domestic loss in 6 years, Narikuni shines in Freestyle

Thursday, October 2, 2025 - 07:48 By Vinay Siwach

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SHIGA, Japan (October 2) -- For six years, Yui SUSAKI (JPN) built a career defined by near perfection. She remained unbeaten in Japan, captured Olympic gold, and added several world titles to her name, moving steadily toward an unprecedented winning streak.

That streak was first broken at the Paris Olympics last year, when Susaki suffered her first international defeat at 50kg, ending a 95-match winning run.

Susaki was dealt with further setback on Tuesday at National Sports Festival in Shiga. As she returned to competition at 53kg, testing herself in a higher weight class after a career largely spent at 50kg, the Tokyo Olympic champion was defeated by world champion Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) in the quarterfinals, marking her first domestic loss since 2019.

The National Sports Festival, held annually in rotating prefectures, features Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in all six Olympic weight classes. Women’s competition includes only two divisions: 53kg and 62kg. Tuesday’s 53kg quarterfinal was Susaki’s first test at the higher weight. After her 2-1 victory over Susaki, Kiyooka went on to claim the gold medal, two months ahead of the Emperor’s Cup in December.

At 62kg, Asian 57kg champion Sara NATAMI (JPN), representing Shiga, gave the local fans a big reason to cheer, as she overcame a deficit to pin world 59kg champion Sakura ONISHI (JPN) in the final, winning the gold despite trailing 8-1 in the second period.

In Freestyle, world 70kg champion Yoshunsuke AOYAGI (JPN) lost a close 3-3 decision in the 74kg quarterfinals to 2022 world 70kg champion Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN), who had transitioned to Greco-Roman after his world title three years ago. Narikuni went on to win the gold after reigning 74kg world champion Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) withdrew from the semifinals due to injury.

At 65kg, two-time world U20 champion Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) captured the gold medal, just three weeks before beginning his pursuit of a world U23 title in Novi Sad, Serbia.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by MAMO (@mamo_wrestling)

A lot of debate has surrounded Susaki's return to the mat after her Paris loss to Vinesh PHOGAT (IND). She took her time before coming back and, after careful deliberation, decided to enter the National Sports Festival, which offered only 53kg as the option.

After winning her first bout, Susaki faced a tough opponent in Kiyooka, known for some of the toughest defense on the mat. Susaki began the quarterfinal with her usual movements, attempting sweep singles but failed to score. Kiyooka, who won her world gold at 55kg, was put on the 30-second activity clock in the first period and, after failing to score, Susaki led 1-0.

In the second period, Susaki went on the activity clock. After she failed to score, Kiyooka claimed the 1-1 criteria lead with two minutes remaining. With just 30 seconds left, Susaki went for Kiyooka’s left leg following a misdirection to the right.

She was unable to complete the takedown or force a stepout that would have secured victory for her. But Kiyooka prevented Susaki to pass behind and control the takedown. Susaki’s corner challenged for the final pushout but the sequence was well after the clock had expired.

"It’s very frustrating that I couldn’t win such a close match at the end," Susaki told the media. “It shows my lack of skill that I wasn’t able to take advantage, so I’m very disappointed."

The 26-year-old was particularly upset about not finishing the final takedown, which could have handed her the win.

"I made a one-legged tackle and misjudged how to handle it," she said. "I’m very disappointed that I made such a poor decision with so little time left. I wanted to go for it more from the beginning, but it didn’t work out as I wanted."

Susaki hinted that she will compete at the Emperor’s Cup in December but is still undecided about which weight class she will enter.

"There are still two months until the Emperor’s Cup, so I want to prepare well in those two months so I can win,” she said. "I came all the way here aiming to win. It’s really disappointing, but no matter the challenges, my goal remains the same: I’ll definitely win gold.

"Taking into account the situation and this result, I would like to discuss it with the team and decide the weight class. It was my first match in a year, so it was different from practice. I was a little nervous. I want to find the causes of my mistakes and do my best at the Emperor’s Cup."

Sara NATAMI (JPN)Sara NATAMI (JPN) celebrates after beating Sakura ONISHI (JPN). (Photo: wrestling-spirits.jp)

Natami’s hometown triumph at 62kg left Onishi in tears after Natami pinned her for the fall in the final. Onishi had built an 8-1 lead but was on the defensive in the second period. Both wrestlers launched a few attacks, but when Onishi went for a single-leg, Natami stood firm, unbalancing her opponent. Onishi fell to the mat, and Natami controlled her to secure the victory.

Just two weeks prior, Onishi had won the 59kg gold medal at the World Championships in Zagreb. She moved up to 62kg, an Olympic weight class, in her bid to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN)Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) won the 74kg gold medal. (Photo: wrestling-spirits.jp)

Meanwhile, Narikuni demonstrated he remains a top contender in Freestyle after claiming gold at 74kg. He had recently competed at the Zagreb World Championships in Greco-Roman at 72kg, attempting to add to his Freestyle world title. In Shiga, he returned to Freestyle and faced Aoyagi in the quarterfinals.

During a scramble, both wrestlers went out of bounds and were initially called neutral. Aoyagi challenged, but the review showed it was actually a neutral position. Narikuni was awarded one point for the lost challenge. Aoyagi scored two points by tripping Narikuni, who landed on his back without danger, and added a stepout as he circled inside as Narikuni was trying to force a stepout.

With less than a minute remaining, Narikuni constantly pressured Aoyagi, who dropped to his knees to avoid a stepout. He attempted a counter duckunder, but Narikuni defended and executed a front headlock roll for two points, giving him a 3-3 criteria lead.

After defeating Aoyagi, Narikuni advanced via walkover in the semifinals before decisively beating Masaki SATO (JPN) 8-1 in the final to claim the gold. The victory prompted Paris Olympic 57kg champion and 2022 world champion Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) to post on social media: “Why do you even wrestle Greco?”

RESULTS

Freestyle Winners

57kg: Fuga SASAKI
65kg: Yuto NISHIUCHI
74kg: Taishi NARIKUNI
86kg: Fumiya IGARASHI
97kg: Yudai TAKAHASHI
125kg: Taiki YAMAMOTO

Women's Wrestling Winners

53kg: Moe KIYOOKA
62kg: Sara NATAMI

Greco-Roman Winners

60kg: Koto GOMI
67kg: Chiezo MARUYAMA
77kg: Kodai SAKURABA
87kg: Tatsuya FUJII
97kg: Takahiro TSURUDA
130kg: Sota OKUMURA