Gadzhiev wins U20 World gold; Iran defends team title

Wednesday, August 17, 2022 - 20:53 By Vinay Siwach

SOFIA, Bulgaria (August 17) -- When Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) lost the final at the U20 World Championships final, he wished he had attacked more in the final against Erfan ELAHI (IRI). The 6-5 scoreline pinched him for the next few months.

"I’ve been waiting for it for the whole year," Gadzhiev said. "I was expecting the Iran wrestler to reach the final."

Gadzhiev wanted to avenge his loss from Ufa against Elahi. But the U20 Asian champion lost his quarterfinal against Sagar JAGLAN (IND). Later, Ryunosuke KAMIYA (JPN) beat Jaglan in the semifinal.

While he did not get to settle scores with Elahi, Gadzhiev made sure he doesn't leave anything to chance this time.

Kamiya, who was wrestling in his first World Championships, initiated the first attack. After getting a hold of Gadzhiev's leg, Kamiya tried to lift but Gadzhiev managed to put the Japan wrestler's back on the mat and secured a fall.

Though his celebrations were subdued, Gadzhiev went berserk with his celebrations as he walked back to the warm-up hall. So much so that coach Jabrail HASANOV (AZE) had to calm his ward down.

"I am feeling great. This is a joint victory," he said. "Thanks a lot to all the coaches. It’s all about their hard work. Also, I want to send a huge thanks to all my family, Azerbaijan and to my fellow villagers."

Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) controlling Ryunosuke KAMIYA (JPN) to seure the fall in the final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The 20-year-old's dream run in Sofia means Azerbaijan has a U20 world champion after four years and Gadzhiev now has two career world titles adding to his 2019 U17 gold which was, incidentally, won in Sofia.

"I was expecting another opponent, but the Japanese wrestler made it to the final," he said. "He is strong and you can see he attacked first.

"Anyways, we [Elahi and Gadzhiev] will wrestle each other in the future."

In the last year, Gadzhiev has won the U23 and U20 European titles and the Dan Kolov over teammate Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE). But he missed a chance to be on the senior team after suffering a loss to Bayramov at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series in June.

Gadzhiev reflected on that bout which had turned ugly in the final minute and hoped to be on the team next year.

"I have to work hard and listen to my coaches," he said.

Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) celebrates after scoring a late takedown to win the 61kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Despite Kamiya's loss, Japan had something to cheer about as former U17 world bronze medalist Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) won the 61kg over Armin HABIBZADEH (IRI), 5-3, in one of most clutch performances.

Nishiuchi, who is still in high school, trailed Habibzadeh 3-0 at the break but was undeterred by the scoreline. More so as he had to beat three college wrestlers out of his four wins at the Japan Junior Olympic Cup just to win the spot on the team.

"I wanted to get more points but the first period was hard," Nichiuchi said. "But my mind was under control and went to the second period and tried attacks and scored."

As the second period began Nishiuchi got the single leg but managed to score only a stepout. Habibzadeh was later called passive and during activity time, Nichiuchi scored another pushout. Habibzadeh led 3-3 on criteria but Nichiuchi got a takedown with just 15 seconds left and managed to keep it to win the gold.

"I practiced these situations during training," Nishiuchi said. "For example, if I fall behind in the first period, I trust the skills that I can score in the last 30 seconds or so."

While the final was a close affair, Nishiuchi's semifinal against Mohit KUMAR (IND) was a high-scoring bout that he won 16-8.

"In the semifinal, I was very tired," he said. "But in the last one minute, my body was moving automatically. I don't remember the exact moment how that happened."

Nishiuchi's gold kept Japan's record of winning at least one gold at U20 Worlds since 2018 when Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) ended a 36-year drought for a U20 title.

Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) won his second U20 world title. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Iran wins team title

Habibzadeh was one of the three finalists for Iran. While he lost, the two others dominated their way to gold medals.

Asian champion Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) won the gold medal at 92kg, thus making it two in a row as he won the gold medal at 86kg in Ufa as well.

Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO) initiated all the attacks in the final but such was the defense from Firouzpour that he would end up countering them with exposure. he ultimately secured the gold medal with an 11-0 win.

Firouzpour is also a three-time age-group world champion with his U17 world title coming in Sofia in 2019.

Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) won the 125kg gold after beating Mahendra GAIKWAD (IND) 13-2 in the final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

The second gold for Iran was won by Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) as he defeated Mahendra GAIKWAD (IND) 13-2 in the 125kg final. For the second straight year, Masoumi has won a world title as he clinched the U17 gold in Budapest last year.

Masoumi, son of 2009 world silver medalist Fardin, unleashed his attacking style in Sofia and won all his bouts via technical superiority.

In the final, he opened with a huge lift before using a gut wrench to lead 6-0. Gaikwad tried a bear hug but managed only a takedown for two points. Masoumi hit a double leg for four before a stepout and takedown gave him the 13-2 win.

The gold medals for Iran helped it defend the team title won in Ufa. It finished with 159 points, 17 ahead of the USA which was the leader after the first day of the competition. India finished at the top for the first time in the history of U20 Worlds, claiming the third position with 112 points. It won seven medals with six bronze and one silver; the haul being the most for the nation in any edition.

Magamadov wins gold

He suffered a humiliating 10-0 loss to Firouzpour in the 86kg final in Ufa last year, but Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) made sure he did not slip up this year. The France wrestler won the gold medal in Sofia after beating Bennett BERGE (USA), 9-5, in a high-paced final.

Magamadov's gold was the first for France since 2014 and only the second ever in U20 Worlds history.

Like others, Magamadov was also a medalist in 2019 in Sofia and the city proved to be lucky for the France wrestler for the second time.

Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) upgraded his 2021 silver to gold in Sofia. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In the final, it seemed that Berge will stop Magamadov from winning the gold this year as he took a 4-1 lead at the break. But Magamadov hit a double and got the four points. He then scored exposure even though the attacks were initiated by Berge who struggled with his cardio in the second period.

"I love risks," Magamadov said. "I was attacking a lot, risking and it helped me to win the match."

Magamadov accepted that last year he was not at the level to win the gold but believed in himself to win the title this year.

"Last year I failed the final because I didn't have the necessary capabilities," he said. "But this time with continuous training and determination, I reached the final and won."

Umi ITO (JPN) will wrestle for the 50kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Japan sweeps semis

Japan marked its return to the U20 World Championships with total domination of the women's competition, sending all five wrestlers into the finals on day one of women's wrestling.

The first to make the final was 2017 U17 world champion Umi ITO (JPN) at 50kg as she defeated Priyanshi PRAJAPAT (IND) in the semifinal. Using the lethal leg lace, Ito scored a 10-0 win in just 43 seconds.

She will now face Audrey JIMENEZ (USA) in the final. The former U17 world bronze medalist made it past Natalia WALCZAK (POL) with a fall despite Walczak leading 4-0.

At 55kg, Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) used a double leg for four against Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN) before using a cradle to make it 8-0 and trying a fall. But Szenttamasi got the exposure and two points before giving up one herself. Kiyooki finished the bout 12-2 with 4:07 remaining on the clock.

Albina RILLIA (UKR) pinned MANJU (IND) despite trailing in the 55kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Albina RILLIA (UKR) and MANJU (IND) traded stepouts with the latter leading 2-2 on criteria after two minutes. Manju added two more stepouts to lead 4-2 at the break. Another stepout in the second period saw her lead extend to 5-2. Rillia then hit a double leg for four points but gave two points for exposure before using an arm bar to pin Manju.

Ebru DAGBASI (TUR) had Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) in early trouble when she scored a go behind after Motoki let off the grip mistaking the whistle from the other mat as hers. She scored a takedown to lead 2-2 on criteria in the second period. For the final two minutes, Motoki held Dagbasi to that score to win 2-2.

Viktoria BORSOS (HUN) scores the winning takedown against Madina AMAN (KAZ). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In the other semifinal, Madina AMAN (KAZ) latched on the opportunity to score a takedown when Viktoria BORSOS (HUN) lost her balance. Aman led 2-1 at the break but Borsos began the second period with a takedown to reclaim the lead 3-2 before adding a counter to make it 5-2.

Aman managed to pull one back to cut the lead to 5-4 but both wrestlers were running out of breath as the final minute approached. Aman used that to score her takedown but Borsos used a takedown in the final three seconds to win 7-6.

Ami ISHII (JPN) defeated Nesrin BAS (TUR) to reach the 68kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Japan's senior world team member Ami ISHII (JPN) was the fourth wrestler to reach the final as she defeated Nesrin BAS (TUR) in a close semifinal. Bas was called passive in the first period which gave Ishii the 1-0 lead at the break.

Bas took the 1-1 criteria lead when Ishii was warned for passivity in the second period. With a minute left, it looked like Bas will manage to keep her lead but Ishii proved too clutch and won 3-1.

Ishii will now have to beat Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) who defeated Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER) 6-3 in the other semifinal. Schaefle led 3-2 with over a minute left but Nurtaeva hit a four and secured the win.

Ayano MORO (JPN) defeated Daniela TKACHUK (POL) in the 76kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Ayano MORO (JPN) made it a clean sweep for Japan as she won by technical superiority over Daniela TKACHUK (POL). She built a 6-0 lead using a cradle and then used a takedown and lace to win 10-0.

Making the final from the other side of the bracket was two-time U17 world champion Priya MALIK (IND) as she used a late takedown to beat Veronika NYIKOS (HUN) 6-5.

Malik led 3-0 at the break but was called passive in the second period and when she tried to hit a double, Nyikos used a counter to hit a four. Malik finished the sequence with a reversal to make the score 5-4. With two points needed for the win, Malik got on a single and finished it with a takedown to lead 6-5 and defended it till the time expired.

RESULTS

Freestyle

61kg
GOLD: Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) df. Armin HABIBZADEH (IRI), 5-3

BRONZE: Mohit KUMAR (IND) df. Jeyhun ALLAHVERDIYEV (AZE), 7-0
BRONZE: Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA) df. Mykyta ABRAMOV (UKR), 5-3

74kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) df. Ryunosuke KAMIYA (JPN), via fall

BRONZE: Sagar JAGLAN (IND) df. Iliyas YERBOLATOV (KAZ), 10-0
BRONZE: Jafar CHULIBOYEV (UZB) df. Luka CHKHITUNIDZE (GEO), 11-0

86kg
GOLD: Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) df. Bennett BERGE (USA), 9-5

BRONZE: Aref RANJBARI (IRI) df. Sabuhi AMIRASLANOV (AZE), 3-1
BRONZE: Ismail KUCUKSOLAK (TUR) df. Nazar DOD (UKR), 11-1

92kg
GOLD: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) df. Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO), 11-0

BRONZE: Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM) df. Jaxon SMITH (USA), 12-2
BRONZE: Adlan VISKHANOV (FRA) df. Krisztian ANGYAL (HUN), 11-0

125kg
GOLD: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) df. Mahendra GAIKWAD (IND), 13-2

BRONZE: Adil MISIRCI (TUR) df. Namoz ABDURASHIDOV (UZB), 4-0
BRONZE: Merab SULEIMANASHVILI (GEO) df. Nicholas FELDMAN (USA), via fall (7-8)

Iran Iran won the freestyle team title with the USA second and India finishing third. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

WW Semifinals

50kg
GOLD: Umi ITO (JPN) vs. Audrey JIMENEZ (USA)

SF 1: Umi ITO (JPN) df. Priyanshi PRAJAPAT (IND), 10-0
SF 2: Audrey JIMENEZ (USA) df. Natalia WALCZAK (POL), via fall (2-4)

55kg
GOLD: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) vs. Albina RILLIA (UKR)

SF 1: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN), 12-2
SF 2: Albina RILLIA (UKR) df. MANJU (IND), via fall (6-7)

59kg
GOLD: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) vs. Viktoria BORSOS (HUN)

SF 1: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Ebru DAGBASI (TUR), 2-2
SF 2: Viktoria BORSOS (HUN) df. Madina AMAN (KAZ), 7-6

68kg
GOLD: Ami ISHII (JPN) vs. Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ)

SF 1: Ami ISHII (JPN) df. Nesrin BAS (TUR), 3-1
SF 2: Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) df. Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER), 6-3

76kg
GOLD: Priya MALIK (IND) vs. Ayano MORO (JPN)

SF 1: Priya MALIK (IND) vs. Veronika NYIKOS (HUN), 6-5
SF 2: Ayano MORO (JPN) df. Daniela TKACHUK (POL), 10-0

#JapanWrestling

Wrestling prodigy Ono takes big strides, with family's support

Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - 14:23 By Vinay Siwach

JAPAN (January 8) -- Ben ASKREN calls him the 'best wrestler on the planet.' Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) invited him as a special guest to his academy. Kids are lining up to take his autograph. Wrestling social media pages have numerous highlights of him.

No wrestler has been talked about as much as Masanosuke ONO (JPN) in recent times, and not because he has a soy sauce named after him.

Two months have passed since he won the World Championships on the first attempt, but Ono remains the hottest topic in wrestling. Currently in the United States for various commitments, Ono first broke out by winning the U20 World Championships in October, and two weeks later, he rocked the world with his run at the World Championships in Tirana.

The 20-year-old, using his speed and a lethal gut wrench, dominated Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN), blanked world champion Vitali ARAJAU (USA) and posted three other technical superiority wins en route to the gold medal at 61kg. All that with a broken ankle.

"One month ago, I broke my ankle, and I couldn't practice at all," Ono had said after winning the gold in Tirana. "The Uguev match was my first live wrestling match after the fracture, and I was very unsure how I would do."

"It's like a dream for us," said Noriko, Ono's mother, who watched her son in the arena in Tirana. She was joined by her husband Masaharu, who was equally elated with his son's success.

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) with his with sister Konami, left and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (center).

This was not the first time the couple had traveled with the Ono for a wrestling tournament. Well before Masanosuke became a world-known wrestler, the Ono household had been traveling for wrestling. In 2015, they traveled to Las Vegas for the World Championships. Photos of Ono with Burroughs and other wrestlers went viral on social media after he won.

Masaharu has several anecdotes of his son Ono's childhood, especially from wrestling tournaments.

"We stayed at the same hotel as the wrestlers in 2015," Masanharu recounts. "One day, he was missing. We searched for him in the hotel and later found that he was eating with Haji Aliyev and going around wrestlers' rooms to get autographs."

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) poses for a picture with Masansuke and Konami ONO in 2015.

Ono's parents were not the only ones surprised. Former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), who was wrestling at 57kg in the 2015 World Championships, heard a rumor that a little wrestler from Japan had come to Las Vegas to watch the World Championships.

"It's very rare in Japan, and he's the only little wrestler I've ever known who has traveled all the way overseas to watch matches like this," Takahashi says. "That was the first time I saw him, in the hotel. I was the same age at the time as he is now, a third-year university student. I don't remember talking to him directly, but I remember feeling very happy watching him running around with a big smile on his face."

Takahashi, a two-time Olympian for Japan, is now a coach at Yamanashi Gakuin University, the school that produced Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) and where Ono is a third-year student now.

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) wrestling in school.

His story, however, begins way back -- when Ono was in kindergarten. Or, more specifically when he was removed from a music class.

Unable to sit still and constantly interrupting his teacher, Ono was asked to leave the class. "The teacher was angry and told him to take up wrestling," Masaharu says.

Turns out, music's loss is wrestling's gain.

Ono's father Masaharu had no experience in wrestling, he practiced Kendo, a form of martial arts that uses sticks. Yet, he trained Ono, and himself fell in love with the sport.

"Wrestling, a sport in which you don't use any equipment, you compete using only your body," he says. "It's a fair competition. Whether you win or lose, you are solely responsible. There are no excuses. The match starts and ends with a handshake. I love that about it. I incorporated elements of Kendo into Masanosuke's wrestling. So I coached him, even though I had no experience."

The Ono siblings with Kenichiro FUMITA(JPN) in 2016.

Soon, Ono's sister Konami joined the training. Konami is two years younger than Ono but is already making a name for herself. She won the Japan Queen's Cup in 2023 and won silver at the U17 World Championships at 61kg after she won the prestigious Klippan Lady Open.

In the Ono household, wrestling became a way of life. Masaharu would take his kids to most domestic competitions in Japan. If not competing, they would travel to watch. He even made a "Save Olympic Wrestling" banner in 2013 when wrestling was dropped from the Olympic program.

At the 2012 Japan Championships, Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) made a stunning debut, winning the gold medal. Later that day, Ono recognized Fumita outside the arena and ran to get his first autograph.

Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), center, a coach at the Yamanashi Gakuin University, pictured with Masanosuke ONO (JPN), second from right.

Ono would join Yamanashi Gakuin University, and Takahashi would see him again since the 2015 World Championships.

"He had grown bigger since I came to watch the World Championships, but he looked like he was having fun practicing, and his attitude seemed the same as it was back then," Takahashi says. "My first impression was that he was stronger in defense than in attack. I remember it was hard to score points. We had a lot of sparring, and watching him wrestling with pure joy made me feel young again."

Takahashi says that he expected Ono to be dominant once he is free of injuries and begins competing internationally.

"He had a lot of injuries and was unable to participate in many domestic tournaments for a long time, but when he is not injured and can train normally, he is really strong," he says. "He does not lose to fighters in higher weight classes. When he first entered the school, he was very weak even when sparring with me, but now he is really strong and has good natural ability, so I can feel his strength."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Olympic Wrestling (@unitedworldwrestling)

Ono made his international debut at the 2024 Asian Championships in 65kg and returned with a bronze medal from the Asian Championships after he was pinned by Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) who used a perfect arm throw. He dropped back to 61kg, a weight class more suited to him, and Ono was a menace.

"He doesn't change his wrestling style depending on his opponent but sticks to his own style. I expected him to win both the World Championships, but I didn't expect him to win so overwhelmingly."

The reason for Ono's ability to be the best on the mat comes from his speed. Takahashi explained that Ono researches a lot on his opponent and is quick to understand their gameplan.

"After he returned to Japan, I asked him about his impressions of Uguev. He said that he had done a lot of research and was able to understand what he was going to do just by moving a little," he says. "In terms of technique, it's not flexibility, but his speed that is so fast. There is always an initial movement before a technique, but he can perform the technique right there, so the opponent's reaction is delayed. Also, he predicts this and still performs the technique, so the opponent cannot even react."

Masanosuke ONO (JPN)
Soy sauce named Masanosuke, after Ono.

While Ono is away in the United States, his father Masaharu is planning for a long 2025 season. He wants to continue his travels with Masanosuke and Konami, which he has done since 2015. An owner of a soy sauce brewing factory in the Shimane Prefecture, Masaharu has even launched a soy sauce named after his son.

"I would be happy if people in the wrestling world around the world liked Masanosuke's interesting character," Masaharu says. "I am happiest when I travel the world to attend wrestling matches with Masanosuke and Konami."

Masaharu has documented his children's journey and is enjoying the love his son is getting so far in wrestling. Whether fans or his opponents, Ono is celebrated. Ono's walk after winning the gold was similar to what Connor McGregor did during his career; it went viral, adding to his celebrations like a fictional character from the manga series Attack on Titan (Shingekino Kyojin).

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) The Ono family in Budapest for the 2018 World Championships.

Masaharu also documented his family's trip to the 2018 World Championships in Budapest. Ono, then 14 years old, would run around to get pictures clicked. He got a few with Kyle SNYDER (USA), Sadulaev, Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), Taha AKGUL (TUR) and other stars.

And Masaharu has no plans to stop capturing his children on and off the wrestling mat. And then tell the stories of his travels.

"The viral photo with Burroughs was by chance," Masaharu says. "Ono had wandered off in the hotel and took his autograph. I did not believe that it was Burroughs's autograph. So he took me to his room and asked me to click a photo with Burroughs as evidence. That's how we got the photo. Later that night he won the gold medal at 74kg."

Gadzhiev wins U20 World gold; Iran defends team title

Comments

Wrestling prodigy Ono takes big strides, with family's support