#WrestleBudapest19

Furuichi Wins Seventh World Gold, Paliha Defends U23 World Title at #WrestleBudapest

Thursday, October 31, 2019 - 22:19 By Taylor Miller

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Photo of Masako FURUICHI (JPN) by Sachiko Hotaka.

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Masako FURUICHI (JPN) won her seventh World title on Thursday in convincing fashion at the 2019 U23 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Wrestling at 68 kg, Furuichi, a 2019 Senior World bronze medalist, wrestled 2018 Cadet World champion and two-time Junior World silver medalist Macey KILTY (USA) in the gold-medal finals.

Furuichi used three takedowns to give her a 7-2 victory and another World gold medal, which she added to her three Junior World titles and three Cadet World titles.

Japan won two other U23 gold medals on Thursday, coming from Kika KAGATA (JPN) at 50 kg and Yumeka TANABE (JPN) at 59 kg.

2017 Junior World champion and two-time Cadet World champion Kagata edged out Ziqi FENG (CHN) in a nail biter. Feng led by one point with less than a minute left, but Kagata pulled out a clutch takedown and held on for a 7-6 win.

At 59 kg, Tanabe, a two-time Cadet World champion, shut down 2018 Junior World champion and two-time Junior World silver medalist Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) in the gold match, 4-0.

Tanabe used a second-period takedown to separate herself from Nichita to win the title.

Photo of Paliha PALIHA (CHN) by Kadir Caliskan. 

China claimed gold medals at the other two weights.

Paliha PALIHA (CHN) defended her 2018 U23 World title with a 1-1 win on criteria in the 76 kg finals over Yuka KAGAMI (JPN), who was the 2019 Junior World champion and two-time Cadet World champion.

Paliha and Kagami traded passivity points, and it was Pahlia who earned the win on criteria by scoring the last point. She finishes off a successful international season with a Senior World bronze and a second-straight U23 World championship.

At 55 kg, 2018 Senior World bronze medalist Lannuan LUO (CHN) knocked off returning U23 World champion Saki IGARASHI (JPN) in a 2-2 criteria bout.

Luo struck first with a takedown near the edge from a single and took a 2-0 lead into the break. In the second period, Igarashi scored on passivity and caution-and-one against Luo, but it was not enough as Luo won on criteria, scoring a two-pointer.

Women’s freestyle action continues on Friday at 10:30 a.m. local time live on unitedworldwrestling.org.

Finals matchups                                                                              
50 kg
GOLD - Kika KAGATA (JPN) df. Ziqi FENG (CHN), 7-6
BRONZE - Jade DUFOUR (CAN) df. Mariia VYNNYK (UKR), 7-4
BRONZE - Nadezhda SOKOLOVA df. (RUS) Jyoti JYOTI (IND), 10-0

55 kg
GOLD - Lannuan LUO (CHN) df. Saki IGARASHI (JPN), 2-2
BRONZE - Andreea ANA (ROU) df. Khrystyna DEMKO (UKR), 8-6
BRONZE - Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) df. Karla GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN), 5-0

59 kg
GOLD - Yumeka TANABE (JPN) df. Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), 4-0
BRONZE - Tianna KENNETT (CAN) df. Yuliya PISARENKA (BLR), 6-5
BRONZE - Anhelina LYSAK (UKR) df. Alena SANGADIEVA (RUS), 3-1

68 kg
GOLD - Masako FURUICHI (JPN) df. Macey KILTY (USA), 7-2
BRONZE - Natalia STRZALKA (POL) df. Albina KAIRGELDINOVA (KAZ), fall
BRONZE - Yingying WANG (CHN) df. Alina RUDNYTSKA LEVYTSKA (UKR), 10-3

76 kg
GOLD - Paliha PALIHA (CHN) df. Yuka KAGAMI (JPN), 1-1
BRONZE - Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) df. Bernadett NAGY (HUN), fall
BRONZE - Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Ariunjargal GANBAT (MGL), 12-8

 

#development

South Africa Coaches Complete DNSS Phase 3, UWW Level 1 Course

Tuesday, July 28, 2026 - 12:16 By United World Wrestling Press

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PRETORIA, South Africa (July 27) -- The third phase of South Africa's Development of the National Sport System (DNSS) concluded successfully in Pretoria after five intensive days of learning, collaboration and practical coaching, reinforcing the country's commitment to building a new generation of qualified wrestling coaches.

Organised in partnership with United World Wrestling (UWW) and the South African Wrestling Federation (SAWF), the programme brought together coaches from across South Africa to complete the UWW Level 1 Coaching Course, combining theoretical knowledge with practical application.

Throughout the week, participants followed a comprehensive programme covering the foundations of modern wrestling coaching. Topics included athlete safety, risk assessment, communication, teaching methodology, discovery games, youth coaching, the GROW coaching model, safeguarding, environmental responsibility and anti-doping, before concluding with written and practical assessments.

Wrestling South Africa

The course was delivered by UWW Development Officer for Africa Vincent AKA, whose international experience provided valuable insight into athlete development and coach education. Earlier in the week, Aka also visited the Sonic Wrestling Tournament in Glencoe, where he encouraged young wrestlers and highlighted the essential role coaches play in the growth of wrestling.

"Without dedicated wrestling coaches, we will not be able to grow this ancient sport," Aka reminded the participants.

Beyond the classroom and the wrestling mat, the course fostered strong relationships among participants. Coaches exchanged experiences, challenged one another through practical exercises and created a collaborative environment that reflected the values promoted by UWW: Respect, Excellence, Friendship and Integrity.

As the programme came to a close, Louise JANSE VAN RENSBURG praised the commitment shown by every participant and encouraged them to become ambassadors of wrestling development within their own provinces.

She thanked Aka and also encouraged every coach to share their newly acquired knowledge, support fellow coaches and contribute to the long-term development of South African athletes.

Chairperson of Coaches Council Markus DEKKER reminded participants that the friendships, professional relationships and memories created during the course should continue well beyond Pretoria, strengthening the national wrestling community for years to come.

The final day concluded with the written examination, course evaluation and the presentation of UWW Level 1 Coaching certificates, marking another important milestone in the implementation of the DNSS programme and South Africa's long-term coach education pathway.