#Zagreb2019

Eight Returning World Medalists Headline Loaded Zagreb Open Field

Thursday, February 7, 2019 - 18:25 By Eric Olanowski

ZAGREB, Croatia (February 7) – The Dom Sportova Arena, located in Croatia’s largest city, Zagreb, is the host site for the Zagreb Open, which is arguably the deepest Ranking Series event that United World Wrestling has ever hosted.

This weekend’s event is stockpiled with talent, boasting an Olympic champion, an Olympic bronze medalist, eight 2018 world medal winners, and nearly 40 past age-level or senior-level world medalists.

Eight Budapest World Medalists Registered
Metehan BASAR (TUR), last year’s 87kg world champion, leads a group of eight Budapest world medalists into Zagreb. He’s the lone returning world gold medalist, but the field features two runner-ups and five bronze medalists.

Furthermore, there will be at least one world medalist in seven of the ten weight classes.

Budapest World Medalists
55kg - Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) – bronze medalist
63kg - Rahman BILICI (TUR) – bronze medalist
72kg - Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) – bronze medalist
72kg - Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL) – bronze medalist
82kg - Emrah KUS (TUR) – runner-up
87kg - Metehan BASAR (TUR) – world champion
97kg - Kiril MILOV (BUL) – runner-up
130kg - KIM Minseok (KOR) – bronze medalist

Korea's two-time Olympic medalist KIM Hyeonwoo is one of two Olympic medalists wrestling at the first Ranking Series event of the year, the Zagreb Open. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Duo of Olympic Medalists Who Will Compete This Weekend
KIM Hyeonwoo (KOR) and Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) are the two past Olympic medalists that are traveling to Croatia’s capital city to compete for the eight first-place Ranking Series points.

Kim, the 2012 Olympic champion and Rio Olympic bronze medalists, will compete in one of the deepest weight classes, 77kg, and Uzbekistan’s Rio bronze medalist Elmurat Tasmuradov is shooting for gold at 67kg.

Rio bronze medalist Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) is one of two Olympic medalists who will wrestle at the Zagreb Open (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Weight Class to Watch: 67kg
Other weight classes have a higher number of world medalists, but in my opinion, 67kg is the most compelling weight class to watch.

The reason being, it houses Elmurat Tasmuradov, RYU Hansu (KOR), and Radu MIHUT (ROU). These are three of most electrifying Greco-Roman wrestlers entered into this weekend's competition.

Keeping recent results in mind, the favorite coming into the first Greco-Roman Ranking Series event is Elmurat Tasmuradov. The Uzbek tallied five wins in Budapest before falling to Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS), 6-3 in the 63kg finals and finished with a silver medal.

It’s no secret that Tasmuradov’s weight has fluctuated over the past three seasons and he's still looking for a consistent home. Since his bronze medal finish at the Rio Olympics, he’s competed at four different weights. This weekend, he’ll be making yet another weight change, when he returns to 67kg for the first time since the 2018 Asian Games where he left with a disappointing seventh-place finish.

Korea's two-time world champion Ryu Hansu and one of the sports brightest rising stars Radu Mihut will join Tasmuradov at 67kg.

Though Ryu won that 67kg Asian Games bracket where Tasmuradov finished in seventh-place, the multiple-time world champion is trying to rebound after a lackluster 26th-place finish at the 2018 world championships, when he was knocked out after dropping his first match to Ukraine’s Denys DEMYANKOV, 4-2.

Romania's Radu Mihut rounds out the potential title-contenders at 67kg. The U23 and senior European champion is also looking to rebound after an uninspiring world championship performance. Muhut, one of the favorites coming into Budapest, finished in 13th place after losing to Hungary’s Krisztian VANCZA (HUN) in his first match.

For Mihut to begin his quest to get back to the top, there's no other place he'd rather do it than Zagreb.

Mihut joins Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) as the only two returning Zagreb Open champions entered in this year's first Greco-Roman Ranking Series event. Last season, Mihut used the Zagreb Open to kick-start his 2018 hot streak which ultimately helped him reach the top of the podium at two European championships, the Thor Masters, Kristjan Palusalu Memorial, and Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial.

Six Title Contenders at 77kg
The deepest weight class in terms of world medalists is 77kg. It includes at least three world champions and six world medalists from the cadet through the senior level.

Without a doubt, the two 77kg favorites are Olympic champion Kim Hyeonwoo and 2017 world champion Viktor NEMES (SRB). Both wrestlers are coming off bronze-medal finishes at the 2018 world championships.

Kim capped off his run to a third overall world medal with a 3-1 win in the bronze-medal bout against Uzbekistan’s Bilan NALGIEV, while Nemes completed his bronze-medal run with a 6-2 win over Sweden’s Michel BJURBERG KESSIDIS.

If Kim and Nemes were to meet this weekend, it would be their second overall career meeting. They also met at the 2015 world championships, where Kim knocked off Nemes 3-2 in the second round.

There are also be four age-level world medalists entered at 77kg. They are Kamal BEY (USA), Fatih CENGIZ (TUR), Ilie COJOCARI (ROU), and Per KURE (NOR).

Two dark horses to pay close attention to out of the age-level world medal winners are Cengiz and Bey.

Cengiz won the U23 world title two years ago, and also finished with a bronze medal at the Paris World Championships.

Bey, the United States' 2017 world champion and worldwide fan favorite, is coming off a title-winning performance at the Dave Schultz Memorial International where he defeated fellow American Carter NIELSEN (USA) to win his first gold medal since last January's Cerro Pelado International.

Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL) will move up to 72kg from his world bronze medal weight of 67kg. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

World Bronze Medal Duo Entered at 72kg
The two championship prospects at 72kg are the pair of returning world bronze medalist, Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) and Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL).

Mnatsakanian rallied off four wins and capped off his 72kg bronze-medal run with a 9-0 routing of Algeria’s Tarek Aziz BENAISSA, while Sahakyan, who was down at 67kg, shutout Danijel JANECIC (CRO) 7-0 and claimed his first world medal.

The former Armenian Sahakyan is competing at 72kg for only the second time in his career. He competed at 72kg at last year's European Championship and finished in fifth place. His two losses in Dagestan came to eventual world champion Adam KURAK (RUS) and 2018 world runner-up Balint KORPASI (HUN).

Turkey's two-time junior world champion Kerem KAMAL is trying to win his first senior-level tournament. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Can Young Trio at 60kg Take That Next Step?
The 60kg weight class features a trio of young wrestlers who are looking to jump levels and grab their first senior titles. They are Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), Ilkhom BAKHROMOV, and Kerem KAMAL (TUR).

Of the three, Islomjon Bakhramov, the 2018 Asian Championship bronze medalist, is the most experienced and has the most success in the senior level. Though he reached the finals of the G. Kartozia & V. Balavadze Price and Islamic Solidarity Games, he fell short in each of his two previous finals appearances.

Uzbekistan’s 2018 world team representative Ilkhom Bakhramov is making his third senior appearance. In his two previous tournaments, he’s finished inside the top-10 but has yet to make a final. He finished in fourth place at the G. Kartozia & V. Balavadze Price and ninth place at the 2018 world championships.

Turkey’s two-time junior world champion Kerem Kamal has seen loads of success at the age-group level, but that success has not transitioned to the senior-level. In his three senior tournaments, Kamal has only medaled once. That medal, a bronze, came at last year’s Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov Tournament.

Heavy Hitters Entered at 130kg
The gold-medal favorites at 130kg are the pair of world bronze medalists, Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI) and KIM Minseok (KOR).

Minseok won a bronze at the Budapest world championships, and Acosta Fernandez claimed his bronze at the Paris world championships.

If Minseok and Acosta Fernandez meet this weekend, it’ll be their second career meeting. The pairs first meeting came at the 2017 world championships where Acosta Fernandez demolished Kim 9-0 in the opening round en route to his history-making bronze-medal finish.

Turkish big man and three-time world champion Riza KAYAALP was on the early entry list but has since pulled out and confirmed that he'd make his season debut at the second Ranking Series event, the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Turkey will instead be sending U23 world silver medalist Osman YILDIRIM (TUR).

Basar Heavily Favored at 87kg
Turkey's Metehan BASAR (TUR) was one of four non-Russian wrestlers to win a world title in Budapest. Basar defeated 2015 world champion Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) 2-1 to claim back-to-back world titles. He comes into the Zagreb Open heavily favored to win the 87kg title.

His two biggest competitors will be a pair of Hungarian wrestlers, Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) and Erik SZILVASSY (HUN).

Lorincz is a two-time world bronze medalist. Lorincz is a Rio Olympian and has represented Hungary at every world championship since 2011.

His fellow countryman Erik Szilvassy, the 2017 U23 world champion, will use this weekend as an opportunity to try to overthrow the six-time world team representative and take country supremacy before the selection process begins for Hungary's Astana World Championship team.

Mohsen MADHANI is one of ten Iranian's making their senior international debut at the Zagreb Open. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Can the Iranian Youth Prevail?
Iran will be sending a full team to the Zagreb Open, but it surely won’t be the same team they'll be sending to Astana, Kazakhstan for the 2019 World Championships.

Every wrestler Iran registered for the first Ranking Series event of the year will be making their senior-level international debuts, and only Abolfazl SEYEDMAHDAVI, who finished in eighth place at the 2019 Takhti Cup in Tehran, Iran, has wrestled domestically on the senior-level.

Iran’s Zagreb Open Lineup
55kg - Poya DAD MARZ – 2017 junior world champion
60kg - Milad REZANEZHAD HOSSEINVAND – 2017 cadet world championships - 17th place
63kg- Mohsen MADHANI – 2017 cadet world champion
67kg - Mohammad Reza Hojatollah MOKHTARI – 2016 cadet world runner-up
72kg - Yousef Hajiali HOSSEINVAND FATHI – 2016 cadet world champion, 2018 junior world bronze
77kg - Mohammad Aziz NAGHOUSI – 2018 cadet world bronze medalist
82kg - Hosein FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU – 2018 junior world championships - 8th place
87kg - Hasan FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU
97kg - Abolfazl Naser SEYEDMAHDAVI – 2019 Takhti Cup - 8th place
130kg - Aliakbar Hossein YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI – 2018 U23 world bronze

Schedule
Saturday (February 9)
8:00 - 1st-day Medical examination & Weigh-in, all weight categories (No weight tolerance!) Sport Hall
10:30 - Qualification and elimination rounds, all weight categories (on 3 wrestling mats)

Sunday (February 10)
8:00 - 2nd-day weigh-in, all weight categories (No weight tolerance!) Sport Hall
10:30 - Repechage bouts and bronze medal matches (all categories)
17:30 - Opening ceremony and Final matches (all categories)

#JapanWrestling

Motoki stuns Ozaki with last-second win in Japan's world team playoff

Sunday, June 22, 2025 - 11:52 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (June 22) -- Each second that ticked off the clock left Paris Olympic champion Sakura MOTOKI that much further from a trip back to the World Championships and a chance to take care of some unfinished business.

But the final second was just enough for her to post arguably the most dramatic win of her life.

Motoki finished up a takedown at the buzzer to stun Nonoka OZAKI 6-5 in a world team playoff, following a close 3-3 victory over her fellow Paris Olympic medalist in the women's 62kg final at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships on Sunday in Tokyo.

"When she took back the lead, there was still 30 seconds left," Motoki said. "I train hard in practice every day, and deep down I knew, or at least thought, I could definitely get it. At the end, I gave it a last shot and was able to finish it off. As long as I kept attacking, there was always a chance."

The Meiji Cup was the second of Japan's domestic qualifiers for this year's World Championships in Zagreb in September. As the winner at the first qualifier, the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships last December, Ozaki could have secured her ticket to Zagreb by winning either the Meiji Cup final or the playoff.

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) Sakura MOTOKI scores a match-winning takedown in the final second to defeat Nonoka OZAKI in the women's 62kg playoff. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Instead it will be Motoki who will get a chance to make it to the top step of the world podium, after taking a bronze at 59kg in 2022 and a silver at 62kg in 2023 -- results that still leave a bad taste in her mouth that wasn't alleviated by her triumph in Paris.

Motoki and Ozaki already had a history when it comes to high-profile showdowns. At the start of the qualifying process for the Paris Olympics, Ozaki was the reigning world 62kg champion and the odd's-on favorite to secure the ticket to Paris.

But Motoki moved up from 59kg to 62kg and beat the odds and stunned the wrestling world by not only beating Ozaki at the 2022 Emperor's Cup, but also going on to qualify for Paris and take home a gold medal.

In the intervening years, Ozaki temporarily moved up to 65kg and won the world title at that weight in 2023. Then when the 68kg spot in Paris opened up, she took a shot at that, securing the berth with a last-second playoff win over Ami ISHII -- so unlike the one she experienced on Sunday with the shoe on the other foot.

Having taken a bronze in Paris, Ozaki was determined to regain the domestic throne at 62kg.

While all of Japan's Paris medalists took long post-Olympic hiatuses -- five of the eight gold medalists still haven't returned to competition -- Ozaki was the first one back in action, taking the title at the Emperor's Cup and a bronze at the Asian Championships in March.

Motoki returned to the mat for the Japan Junior Queen's Cup, but only needed one match to qualify for the World U23 Championships, taking just over a minute to win by fall. So she was still working out the kinks as she headed into the Meiji Cup.

"Compared to the Olympics, my wrestling is nowhere near as complete, and that made me a bit anxious," Motoki said. "But the wrestler I am now is stronger than the me of the past and I'm more confident going into matches. I was much stronger at the time of the Olympics. But I am still developing and from now will become a more complete wrestler and widen my range."

Motoki dug deep to defeat Ozaki as much on will as on technique.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) Sakura MOTOKI will get a chance to win a first world title after a dramatic victory over Nonoka OZAKI in the women's 62kg playoff. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

In the Meiji Cup final, Motoki received an activity point in the first period, then fell behind 3-1 when Ozaki scored a single-leg takedown while Motoki was on the clock. But with a minute to go, Motoki fended off a shot, launched a countershot and spun behind for a takedown that gave her a 3-3 win on last-point criteria.

Surprisingly or not, the playoff followed the exact same pattern. The only difference was that after Motoki went ahead 3-3, Ozaki came back and got a 2-point exposure during a single-leg attempt with 30 seconds left.

With :24 left, Motoki shot in on a low single that Ozaki stopped with a whizzer as the clockwound down. For all of the intricate movements involved, the final 10 seconds seemed to last forever:

-- Six seconds left. Motoki steps up and tries to drive forward, but Ozaki sits out and wriggles to the front, leaving Motoki in a double-leg position

-- Two seconds left. Motoki transitions to a single-leg, lifts up and drives with her left shoulder.

-- Ozaki lands on her side with a thud. The video replay on challenge shows her hitting the mat with "0.17" on the clock.

"She got out of it once and I wondered if I could get her leg," Motoki said. "At the end, I gave it everything I had and somehow managed to get it in time. It was just my body reacting."

Having won the world cadet (U17) title in 2017 and U20 in 2020, Motoki will get a chance to add the world u23 and senior titles in the coming months. That would make her just the third member of an elite group that has achieved the "Golden Grand Slam" of Olympic gold and all four world age-group titles, after Yui SUSAKI and Amit ELOR (USA).

But the gold in Zagreb is the one that most beckons. She has a reminder of it every morning to keep her from deviating from her mission.

"I have come up short at the World Championships twice, which is really vexing," Motoki said. "As the alarm on my smartphone to wake up in the morning, I use the music they play during the winning lap at the World Championships.

"Each time I hear it, it gives me an unpleasant feeling and makes me remember what happened. Even after I won at the Olympics, that sinking feeling never really went away."

Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) Remina YOSHIMOTO works to turn Umi ITO over during their women's 50kg playoff. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Yoshimoto secures shot at world title

In other women's action on the final day at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, Remina YOSHIMOTO took advantage of the absence of nemesis Susaki to win the 50kg gold and earn a shot at adding to the world title she won in 2021.

Yoshimoto went into the second period trailing 2023 world U23 champion Umi ITO, but got back on track and went ahead before ending the match by fall. It was the same pairing as the Emperor's Cup final, which Yoshimoto won 3-2.

Ito, who had lost all nine previous matches with Yoshimoto, took the lead with a takedown in the first period, countering a shot by getting on top and putting in a grapevine.

In the second period, Yoshimoto responded with a single-leg takedown, then used an arm bar to turn Ito over. Ito righted herself at one point, but Yoshimoto turned her over again and secured the fall at 4:19.

"At the start, Ito set the flow of the match and I didn't feel I was in control," Yoshimoto said. "This was the 10th time I've faced her, so we know each other and have each done our homework, and that made for a tough match. It was good that I kept my composure in the second period."

Since 2019, Yoshimoto has never been beaten either domestically and internationally by a wrestler not named Susaki, who has handed her all four of her losses in that span.

"It was frustrating that I couldn't get to the World Championships for four years," said Yoshimoto, who won a fourth Asian title this year. "I'm going to take advantage of this chance to get the gold medal. With the Los Angeles Olympics in mind, I want to practice so I can have a tournament that gives me confidence."

Himeka TAKUHARA (JPN) Himeka TOKUHARA launches a 4-point back suplex during her victory over Sae NANJO in the Meiji Cup final. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

At 57kg, 2022 world U23 champion Himeka TOKUHARA earned a ticket to her first senior worlds when she hit a 4-point roll through in defeating Emperor's Cup champion Sara NATAMI 7-1 in the playoff.

Tokuhara also had a 4-pointer with a masterful back suplex in the Meiji Cup final, in which she edged two-time former world U23 champion Sae NANJO 6-5. Tokuhara had defeated Natami, this year's Asian champion, 3-1 in the semifinals on Saturday.

Day 4 Results

Women's Wrestling

50kg (9 entries)
GOLD: Remina YOSHIMOTO df. Umi ITO by Fall, 4:19 (6-2)

BRONZE: Rinka OGAWA df. Mai OGAWA by TF, 10-0, 5:03
BRONZE: Miyu NAKAMURA df. Mako ONO by Def.

57kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Himeka TOKUHARA df. Sae NANJO, 6-5

BRONZE: Sara NATAMI df. Kanon YAMASHITA by Fall, 5:26 (6-7)
BRONZE: Ichika ARAI df. Momiji KIMURA, 8-0

World Team Playoff: Tokuhara df. Natami, 7-1

62kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Sakura MOTOKI df. Nonoka OZAKI, 3-3

BRONZE: Misuzu ENOMOTO df. Kiwa IWASAWA, 6-2
BRONZE: Yuzuka INAGAKI df. Shirin TAKEMOTO, 11-2

World Team Playoff: Motoki df. Ozaki, 6-5

Eight Returning World Medalists Headline Loaded Zagreb Open Field

Comments

Motoki stuns Ozaki with last-second win in Japan's world team playoff