#YasarDogu2018

Dake and Taylor Trample Competition, USA Edges Iran to Win Yasar Dogu Team Title

Sunday, July 29, 2018 - 16:49 By Eric Olanowski

ISTANBUL, Turkey (July 29) - First-time world team representatives Kyle DAKE (USA) and David TAYLOR (USA) thumped the competition, picking up seven falls and a technical superiority victory on their way to winning gold medals at the 46th Annual Yasar Dogu.

Kyle Dake closed out the Yasar Dogu in dominant fashion, picking up two falls and a technical superiority victory on his way to grabbing the 79kg gold medal.

In his opening round match-up, Dake buried three-time world and Olympic bronze medalist, Cabrayil HASANOV (AZE) with a cradle after commanding an 11-2 lead to set up a semifinal match-up with Turkey’s Ayhan SUCU.

It only took the Ivan Yarygin runner-up 60 seconds to score the fall over Sucu, locking for his second championship finals appearance of the year.

In the finals, Dake squared off against junior world bronze medalist Ibrahim YUSUBOV (AZE). The American used three takedowns, and a pair of gut wrenches to end the gold-medal bout 11-0 in the opening period. This win gave Dake his third overall international gold medal (2014 Granma Cup and 2017 Grand Prix of Paris).

David TAYLOR (USA) sticks Murad SULEYMANOV (AZE) to claim his third gold medal of the year. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

Fellow American David Taylor, the 2018 Pan-American champion also cruised to a gold medal, tallying four dominating wins via fall in route to winning the 86kg gold medal.

Taylor pinned Kazakhstan’s Azamat DAULETBEKOV in the opening round after being up 14-6.

In the quarterfinals, Taylor took on 2017 world runner-up Boris MAKOEV (SVK), who lost to Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) in the 86kg Paris World finals a year ago.

Taylor sealed his spot in the semifinals after pummeling Makoev 11-0 before gathering his second fall of the day.

In the semifinals, Taylor only needed four minutes to flatten Mediterranean Games champion Ahmet BILICI (TUR) after leading 13-4, making his second Ranking Series event final of the year.

The second-ranked wrestler in the world took less than 90 seconds to trample Murad SULEYMANOV (AZE) in the finals. In addition to the Ivan Yarygin and Pan-American gold medal, this is Taylor’s third individual gold medal of the year.

Thomas GILMAN (USA) was the third wrestler from the United States to win a gold medal at the 2018 Yasar Dogu. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

Four other American’s contributed to the United States’ team title run. Thomas GILMAN (USA), 2017 world runner-up claimed the 57kg gold medal, while world bronze medalist NICK GWIAZDOWSKI (USA) and the three-time world and Olympic champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) took home bronze medals.

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), the five-time world and Olympic champion was the sixth American medalist, finishing in second place after falling to two-time world champion Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) in an epic 10-10 shootout. With that loss, Burroughs now has more losses (two) at the Yasar Dogu than 11 World Cup’s and World Championships combined (one).

RESULTS

Team Scores
GOLD - United States (150 points)
SILVER - Iran (146 points)
BRONZE - Turkey (125 points)
Fourth - Azerbaijan (121 points)
Fifth - Ukraine 117 points)

Freestyle
61kg
GOLD - Mohammadbagher YAKHKESHI (IRI) df. Sandeep TOMAR (IND), 8-2

BRONZE - Andrei BEKRENEU (BLR) df. Ruslan GASIMOV (AZE), 4-1
BRONZE - Hasanzada MIRCALAL (AZE) df. Andreyeu ULADZISLAU (BLR), 2-1

70kg
GOLD - Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) df. Andriy KVYATKOVSKYY (UKR) via injury def.

BRONZE - Aghahuseyn MUSTAFAYEV (AZE) df. Sefa AKSOY (TUR), 3-0
BRONZE - Mustafa KAYA (TUR) df. Yones EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI), 12-5

79kg
GOLD - Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA) df. Ibrahim YUSUBOV (AZE), 11-0

BRONZE - Rustam DUDAIEV (UKR) df. Bakhtiyar IZBASSAROV (KAZ), 7-0
BRONZE - Hasanov CABRAYIL (AZE) df. Ayhan SUCU (TUR), 4-0

92kg
GOLD - Mohammadjavad EBRAHIMIZIVLAEI (IRI) df. Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI), 2-2

BRONZE - van YANKOUSKI (BLR) df. Liubomyr SAGALIUK (UKR), 2-1
BRONZE - Hajy RAJABAU (BLR) df. Serdar BOKE (TUR), via injury def.

125kg
GOLD - KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR) df. Yadollah MOHEBI (IRI), 9-6

BRONZE - Nick NICK GWIAZDOWSKI (USA) df. Nick MATUHIN (GER), 6-4
BRONZE - Danylo KARTAVYI (UKR) df. Huseyin CIVELEK (TUR), 12-3

Women's Wrestling
Team Scores
GOLD - Ukraine (164 points)
SILVER - India (151 points)
BRONZE - Turkey (143 points)
Fourth - Azerbaijan (93 points)
Fifth - Germany (67 points)

53kg
GOLD - Anzhela DOROGAN (AZE) df. Aysun ERGE (TUR), 10-7

BRONZE - Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR) df. Seema SEEMA (IND), 10-2

57kg
GOLD - Iryna CHYKHRADZE KHARIV (UKR) df. Pooja DHANDA (IND), 11-0

BRONZE - Tetyana KIT (UKR) df. Mehlika OZTURK (TUR), 10-0

BRONZE - Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) df. Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER), 10-0

62kg
GOLD - Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) df. Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), via injury def.

BRONZE - Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) df. Elmira GAMBAROVA (AZE), 10-0

BRONZE - Sarita SARITA (IND) df. Cansu AKSOY (TUR), 10-0

68kg
GOLD - Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU), 5-4

BRONZE - Anna SCHELL (GER) df. Viktoria BOBEVA (BUL), 3-0

76kg
GOLD - Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER) df. Yasemin ADAR (TUR), 5-3

BRONZE - Sabira ALIYEVA (AZE) df. Mehtap GULTEKIN (TUR), 4-0

#wrestlebishkek

Susaki 2.0 Ready to Rumble at Asian Championships

Saturday, March 28, 2026 - 07:14 By Vinay Siwach

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (March 27) -- In what has become a lasting photo of wrestling from the 2024 Paris Olympics, a wide-eyed Yui SUSAKI (JPN) is seen staring blankly into nothing.

The photo was taken after Susaki suffered her first-ever international loss. Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) had just defeated her in the opening round of the Paris Games. It was not a familiar feeling for Susaki. Not in international wrestling at least.

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) lost her first bout at the Paris Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

It was only after she walked off the mat and faced the cameras waiting for her in the field of play mixed zone that Susaki realized what had happened. She burst into tears.

Almost two years after that after that loss, a 'new' Susaki is returning to action at next week's Asian Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in a bid to re-establish herself as the dominant force she was before Paris.

"The defeat at the Paris Olympics and the year-and-a-half that followed were an incredibly difficult and painful time," Susaki says.

Susaki went on to win a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, a downgrade from the gold medal she won in Tokyo where she outscored her opponents 41-0. The loss shocked the world as Susaki was considered unbeatable. She was a three-time world champion boasting of a 96-0 winning streak, never lost an international bout and was the first wrestler to win the Golden Grand Slam, winning the Olympic gold and all age-group world titles including senior.

A second Olympic title seemed inevitable. There was no stopping.

While the loss was on the mat, Susaki believes that things off the mat may have contributed to her loss as well.

"In recent years, my desire to give back and do things for those around me had grown stronger," she says. "My focus had shifted toward others. When my focus is on others, I feel pressure, my mind gets cluttered with distractions, and doubts arise, leading me to overthink things."

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) celebrates after winning the world title in 2023. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

She is relieved that she did not overthink the loss in Paris after she returned to Japan.

"There were moments when I lost faith in myself [after that Paris loss]," she says. "But since then, I’ve focused more than ever on self-reflection and self-dialogue in my personal life, as well as on developing my character as a person. I’ve gained a deeper understanding of myself, and I feel I’ve developed a firm sense of self."

The version that Susaki has been working on over the last year did not begin just after the Olympics. There was one more bump before she made an important career decision.

Susaki was finding it incredibly difficult to reduce weight to continue wrestling at 50kg. So in September 2025, she decided to wrestle at 53kg at the National Sports Festival in Japan. It did not go as planned.

She suffered her first domestic loss in six years when world champion Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) defeated her at the festival. What was more alarming was that Susaki failed to finish a takedown in the final minute despite getting control over Kiyooka.

The 26-year-old returned to the drawing board with a sense of urgency as the Emperor's Cup was looming. The 2025 December tournament was the first step towards making the Japan team for the 2026 Asian Championships, World Championships and the Asian Games.

"The answer I arrived at after overcoming it all was simple: I wrestle because I love it and because I want to become an Olympic champion," she said. "I wrestle not for anyone else, but for myself -- to make my dream come true."

Susaki, along with her team, devised a better plan to reduce weight and remain at 50kg. She ate precise and molded her training in a way in which she managed to contain the weight.

In December, she won the Emperor's Cup at 50kg without much trouble and earn a spot on the Japan team for the Asian Championships which only be her third in her 12-year international career.

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) defeated Ziqi FENG (CHN) in the 50kg final at the Asian Championships in 2024. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Incidentally, her last Asian Championships was also in Bishkek in 2024, and she won gold after beating Ziqi FENG (CHN) in the final. She is likely to face Feng again as the Paris Olympic bronze medalist is among a strong field at 50kg this year.

One of the challenges that Susaki will be keen on taking on is a bout against Son Hyang KIM (PRK), a wrestler Susaki has beaten before. The two met in the 48kg final of the 2017 Asian Championships, Susaki's first, and the Japanese wrestler won 10-0.

Then in the same year, the two met at the World Championships and Kim managed to keep it tighter but failed to stop Susaki from winning, 5-2. Susaki went on to win her first senior world title.

While the matches against formidable opponents are something she is looking forward to, Susaki is more excited to return to an international tournament after a break and kick start her new Olympic cycle.

"I’m incredibly excited to be competing in a UWW international tournament for the first time in a year and eight months," she said. "I want to win this tournament to get off to a strong start, so that I can compete in the Los Angeles Olympics and reclaim the gold medal. I also want wrestling fans to see how much stronger Yui Susaki has become.

"I think you’ll get to see a whole new Yui Susaki!"

Dake and Taylor Trample Competition, USA Edges Iran to Win Yasar Dogu Team Title

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Susaki 2.0 Ready to Rumble at Asian Championships