Eight Reigning World Medalists Competing This Weekends at Hungarian Grand Prix

Thursday, February 21, 2019 - 15:13 By Eric Olanowski

GYOR, Hungary (February 21) – The Hungary Grand Prix returns in 2019 as one of United World Wrestling four Greco-Roman Ranking Series events. The two day tounrament, which begins on Saturday, features over 175 wrestlers from 25 different nations.

Azerbaijan's reigning world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI headlines the entry list which includes a total of eight returning world medalists.

Every weight except 55kg will have at least one world or Olympic medalist entered, with 130kg leading the charge with eight combined world and Olympic medalists.

Budapest World Medalists
Gold
60kg - Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)

Bronze
60kg - WALIHAN Sailike (CHN)
72kg - Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE)
77kg - KIM Hyeonwoo (KOR)
77kg - Viktor NEMES (SRB)
82kg - Viktar SASUNOUSKI (BLR)
97kg - Mihail KAJALA (SRB)
130kg - KIM Minseok (KOR)

The Deepest Weight: 130kg (Sunday Night)
Super-Heavyweight (130kg) features four wrestlers who've combined for a total of six world medals and two Olympic top-three finishes.

The two Olympic medalists entered at 130kg are London runner-up Heiki NABI (EST) and Rio bronze medalist Sabah SHARIATI (AZE).

In addition to Nabi’s Olympic silver medal in 2012, he also medaled at four world championships, including a gold at the 2006 and 2013 world championships and a bronze in 2014. Most recently, Nabi fell short in the 2017 world finals, departing Paris with a silver.

Nabi, who finished in fifth at the 2018 world championships, brings 20 Ranking Series points (20rsp) and is the eighth-ranked wrestler in the world coming into the Hungary Grand Prix.

Outside of the Olympic medal winners, world bronze medalists KIM Minseok (KOR) and Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI) are also wrestling at 130kg.

Kim wrapped up last year’s Budapest world championships with a bronze, while Acosta Fernandez completed his 2017 season with a third-place finish.

Acosta (28rsp) is coming off a third-place finish at the Zagreb Open and jumped up to the third spot in the latest rankings, and Kim (25rsp) lost in the opening round of Zagreb Open but is still ranked No. 5 in the world.

Reigning world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) will be wrestling up a weight at 60kg for the third time in his career. (Photo: Martin Gábor)

World Champion Azizli Moves Up to 60kg (Sunday Night)
Eldaniz Azizli, KIM Seunghak (KOR), and WALIHAN Sailike (CHN) lead a tight pack of competitors at 60kg.

Azerbaijan’s reigning 55kg world champion Eldaniz Azizli could be the safest bet to take top billing, but the Azeri has struggled in his two previous outings at 60kg.

Before his run to the top of the podium in Budapest, Azizli wrestled up at 60kg at the Oleg Karavaev Memorial and Vehbi Emre & Hamit Kaplan Tournament in 2018, failing to medal at both tournaments, finishing in fifth and tenth place respectively.

Kim Seunghak (12rsp) and Walihan Sailike (25rsp), the pair of 60kg world bronze medalists, are the other two wrestlers who have a shot at earning the eight first-place points.

Walihan won the 2018 world bronze medal and is ranked third in the world coming into the Hungarian GP, while Kim, the 2017 world bronze medalist, finished in fifth place at the Zagreb Open and No.16 in the world.

Kim and Nemes to Rekindle Rivalry (Sunday Night)
Without a doubt, the two favorites to reach Sunday’s 77kg finals are Korea’s Olympic champion KIM Hyeonwoo and 2017 world champion Viktor NEMES (SRB). The pair, who have reached the top of the world podium, are looking to rekindle their rivalry from 2015 where Kim knocked off Nemes 3-2 in the second round of the World Championships.

Both guys won bronze medals at the 2018 world championships and sit inside the top-five of the latest world rankings.

Kim (25rsp) finished in third place at the Zagreb Open and is ranked No. 3 in the world, while Nemes (25rsp) is making his 2019 Ranking Series debut and is ranked No. 4 in the world.

Rio Olympic runner-up Shinobu OTA (JPN) won the last meeting with Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR). The two can meet again in Saturday night's finals. (Photo: Martin Gábor)

The Clash of Rio Olympic Medalists at 63kg (Saturday Night)
At 63kg, Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) and Shinobu OTA (JPN) could meet in what would be a rematch of their quarterfinal round match at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The last time the pair met, the Japanese wrestler grabbed the 4-0 victory, using a head pinch and a high-level shot, which put him into the Olympic semifinals.

Ota went on to finish with silver, and Berge fought back, winning a pair of matches to capture the bronze medal.

Olympic Bronze Medalist Chunayev Makes Ranking Series Debut (Saturday Night)
Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE), one of Greco-Roman’s most consistent wrestlers over the past five years, will wrestle in the first Ranking Series event of his career.

Chunayev, who is entered at 72kg, has wrestled in four world championships and the Rio Olympic Games since 2014, and won a title in 2015, and a pair of world and Olympic bronze medals. The only year he did not medal was in 2017 when he finished in seventh place.

Possible Collision of World Champs at 67kg (Sunday Night)
World champions Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) and RYU Hansu (KOR) are favored to meet in the 67kg finals, and it could mean a turn in tides for weight class supremacy for the pair of Asian stars.

Korea’s two-time world champion Ryu Hansu has been one of Asia’s top-men at this weight since winning his first world title in 2013. He earned his second world title in 2017.

Ryu also has three Asian titles on his resume. Most recently, Ryu won the 2018 Asian Games last season in Jakarta.

Endo is making his second Ranking Series appearance. Last year, he competed at the Vehbi Emre, where he finished in tenth place.

U23 Talent Litters 82kg (Saturday Night)
The 82kg weight class is littered with U23 world-level talent and features three guys who have at least reached the finals at the U23 world championships.

Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) won the U23 world title in 2018, while Rajbek BISULTANOV (DEN) and Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) each fell short in the finals.

Bisultanov dropped the 2018 finals, and Gobadze lost in 2017 finals.

Belarus’ two-time world medalist Viktar SASUNOUSKI (BLR) will also wrestle at 82kg. He’s the only wrestler who has reached the podium on the senior level. Sasunouski fell in the 2015 finals and won the bronze medal last year in Budapest. The Belarusian is the fourth-ranked wrestler in the world at 82kg and has 25 Ranking Series points (25rsp).

Reigning World Bronze Medalist Kajala Favored at 97kg (Saturday Night)
Reigning world bronze medalist Mihail KAJALA (SRB) is the clear favorite at 97kg coming into the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Serbian is looking to continue his 2018 hot streak, where he claimed at least a bronze medal in every competition he entered.

Kajala reached the finals of the 2018 Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov Tournament and the European Championships and grabbed bronze medals at the World Championship, Mediterranean Games, and the Grand Prix of Zagreb.

Kajala enters the Hungarian Grand Prix with 25 Ranking Series points and is the fourth-ranked wrestler in the world at 97kg.

Ghanderian Standing Alone at 87kg (Sunday Night)
Iran’s Yousef Ahmad GHADERIAN is the lone senior-level medalist entered at 87kg. He represents Iran at three consecutive world championships beginning in 2015, where he defeated Kazakhstan’s Askhat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) 4-0 to win the bronze medal.

Wide Open Weight: 55kg (Saturday Night)
Alexandru Vasile BOTEZ (ROU) and Reza Kheirollah KHEDRI (IRI) are only two wrestlers who have won world medals, and they’ve both come at the age-group level.

Iran’s Reza Kheirollah Khedri captured the 2011 cadet world title and the 2015 junior world title, and Romania’s Alexandru Botez grabbed the 2013 cadet world bronze medal.

SCHEDULE

Friday (February 22)
Till 12:00 - Final entries for GR cat. 55, 63, 72, 82, 97 kg
16:00 - Technical conference – all teams
17:00 - Draw – GR cat. 55, 63, 72, 82, 97 kg

Saturday (February 23)
08:00 - Medical examination & Weigh-in for GR cat. 55, 63, 72, 82, 97kg
10:00 - Qualification rounds and repechage for GR cat. 55, 63, 72, 82, 97kg
Till 12:00 - Final entries for GR cat. 60, 67, 77, 87, 130kg
16:30 - Draw – GR cat. 60, 67, 77, 87, 130kg
17:00 - Opening Ceremony
18:00 - Finals for GR cat. 55, 63, 72, 82, 97kg Award ceremonies

Sunday (February 24)
8.30 - Medical examination & Weigh-in for GR cat. 60, 67, 77, 87, 130kg
10.00 - Qualification rounds and repechage for GR cat. 60, 67, 77, 87, 130kg
16.00 - Finals for GR cat. 60, 67, 77, 87, 130kg and Award ceremonies

#KoreaWrestling

Special referee at national meet part of Japanese efforts to get more women to become officials

Tuesday, January 16, 2024 - 20:32 By Ikuo Higuchi

(Editor's Note: The following appeared on the Japan Wrestling Federation website on Jan. 1. It has been translated and published by permission.)

With its connection to the Paris Olympics, this year's Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships drew a record field of 470 competitors. But history was also made regarding the third person on the mat. For the first time ever, a foreign referee was on the whistle, one specifically invited with the hope of producing long-term effects beyond the outcome of matches.

The Japan federation brought in Ji-Woo LEE, one of six Korean women holding international licenses, as part of its efforts to get more women interested in becoming referees. Lee is a holder of the UWW's highest Category IS License, which qualifies her to officiate at the Olympics and World Championships.

While Japan remains the dominant country in women’s wrestling, in the case of women referees, it can be regarded as “undeveloped.” Of Japan’s 19 international referees, only two are women, putting Japan far behind United World Wrestling’s objective of having equal numbers from both genders.

JPN1 Ji-Woo Lee holds the highest Category IS License. (photo by Japan Wrestling Federation)

"It was a big surprise, and wonderful," Lee said of being asked to officiate at the All-Japan Championships, which was held Dec. 21-24 in Tokyo and was serving as a qualifier for the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in April. "It is really a joyful [moment] in my life. A big honor, also."

Lee said she was impressed by the large and enthusiastic crowd that packed into Yoyogi No. 2 Gym, saying it reminded her of the atmosphere at the big venues that stage the World Championships and European Championships.

JPN4 Lee faces Saori YOSHIDA at the 2004 Asian Championships in Tokyo. (photo by Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Lee herself was no stranger to Japan. Long before she officiated at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she came on numerous trips during her career as a wrestler to train at the well-known Oka Wrestling Dojo in the mountains of Niigata Prefecture. Wrestling at 55kg and competing under the name LEE Na-Lae, she faced three-time Olympic champion Saori YOSHIDA three times, in the final at the 2002 Asian Games, and at both the 2004 and 2005 Asian Championships. Lee was the lone Korean woman to appear at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

While she knows a little Japanese, she basically operates in her native Korean or English. As for communicating on the mat at the All-Japan, she said, "I used very simple words. 'Fingers.' 'Open.' Maybe after a foul, I say, 'Next time caution.' Or 'One more time, the match is finished.'" Having Olympic experience both as a wrestler and a referee has given her the confidence to dish out warnings as she sees fit and remain in control on the mat.

JPN2 Lee made her Olympic refereeing debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021. (Photo by Japan Wrestling Federation)

Handling the big matches

After retiring as a wrestler, Lee went to the 2012 London Olympics as a national team coach, then changed course and embarked on a new path to become a referee, while also earning a doctorate and becoming a professor at Yong-In University. She obtained the Category IS License just before the 2019 World Championships, and was among the officiating crew at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

It was Isao OKIYAMA, head of the Japan Federation's refereeing commission, who suggested inviting Lee to the All-Japan. Okiyama's thinking took a two-pronged approach. In the big matches with so much at stake, the federation would get a neutral official completely free of any suspicions -- justified or not -- about college affiliations and other links that are so strong in Japanese wrestling.

And, by having a female Category IS official at Japan's highest-level tournament, it would bring national attention on the existence of female referees and further motivate more women to want to become one.

JPN5 Lee was on the whistle when Nonoka OZAKI defeated Ami ISHII in a vital 68kg match with Olympic implications. (photo by Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

At this year's All-Japan, three matches in particular stood out, each with global implications: 1) the first-round match at women's 68kg in which Nonoka OZAKI defeated Ami ISHII, who had needed to win the title to fill the Paris Olympic berth she secured for Japan at the World Championships; 2) the freestyle 65kg semifinal between Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO and collegian Kotaro KIYOOKA, which Otoguro lost to end his chances of a repeat in Paris; and 3) the 68kg final between Ozaki and Miwa MORIKAWA, which Ozaki won to advance to a future playoff with Ishii for the Paris ticket.

Lee was the mat official for all three. Asked if she was nervous, she replied, "I'm never nervous. I know this championships is very important for Japan, also in the world because the champions [can go to the Olympic qualifier]. More than being nervous, I was concerned with doing my best to make fair and clear decisions."

She admits she did feel jittery at her first major tournament at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan (now Astana). She particularly recalled a bronze-medal match between Iranian and Azerbaijan wrestlers where it seemed the entire crowd turned against her. "I was very nervous. One time [I made a] mistake, just a warning, and everyone goes, 'Boooooo,'"she recalled with a laugh.

JPN4 Lee poses with the three Japanese female referees at the All-Japan Championships, from right, Mariko SHIMIZU, Airi FURUSATO and Honoka SAITO. (photo courtesy of Airi FURUSATO)

Getting more women involved

At the All-Japan, there were only three other women referees, Airi FURUSATO, Mariko SHIMIZU and Honoka SAITO, putting them well in the minority. Only Furusato and Haruka WATANABE, currently on maternity leave, hold international licenses, and neither is at the Category IS level.

Of the 393 referees registered domestically in Japan, just 19 are women, or 4.8%. The percentage is even lower for those with a Class A license, which is required for officiating at the All-Japan — just seven out of 197, or 3.6%.

In its Global Gender Gap Report released in June last year by the World Economic Forum, Japan ranked 125th out of 146 countries in terms of achieving gender equality. While Japan is on top in women's wrestling, when it comes to women referees, it unfortunately aligns with the gender gap ranking.

JPN6 World champion Akari FUJINAMI tries her hand as a referee at a men's collegiate event last May. ((photo by Ikuo Higuchi / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Among recent moves to cultivate women referees was having world champions Akari FUJINAMI and Yuka KAGAMI serve as referees at the men's East Japan Collegiate League last May. Officials hope that seeing the female stars filling such roles will appeal to more women to consider becoming referees.

Lee said she hopes to see more Japanese women entering the referee ranks and believes that with the right training and support, they can become as much as factor as their wrestling sisters. In fact, it was Japan's Osamu SAITO, a former member of the UWW Refereeing Commission, who encouraged and mentored her and to whom she credits her advancement.

"I am waiting for the day when I can work with Japanese women referees," Lee said. "We are professionals with skills. I support the development of women referees."

--Translation and editing by Ken Marantz

Eight Reigning World Medalists Competing This Weekends at Hungarian Grand Prix

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Special referee at national meet part of Japanese efforts to get more women to become officials