#WrestleBelgrade

Individual World Cup Entries

By Eric Olanowski

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 9) -- Abdulrashid "The Tank" SADULAEV (RUS), the four-time world champion and Rio Olympic gold medalist, headlines the entry list for the Individual World Cup (December 12-18) that will feature 505 wrestlers from 51 different countries.

Sadulaev is one of 31 returning world medalists -- including five world champions from 2019 -- who will take the mat in Serbia next week. Freestyle and Greco-Roman each include 11 medal winners from Nur-Sultan, while women's wrestling welcomes 9 from the last world championships.

World Medalist By Style
Freestyle: 3 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze = 11
Greco-Roman: 1 gold, 3 silver and 7 bronze = 11
Women's Wrestling: 1 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze = 9

Freestyle ('19 world champions listed in BOLD)

57kg
Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG)
Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)
Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE)
Uladzislau ANDREYEU (BLR)
Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL)
Levan METREVELI VARTANOV (ESP)
Adam Visrailovitch BIBOULATOV (FRA)
Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS)
Niklas STECHELE (GER)
Gamzatgadzsi HALIDOV (HUN)
Kumar RAVI (IND)
Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI)
Givi DAVIDOVI (ITA)
Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ)
Chakir ANSARI (MAR)
Anatolii BURUIAN (MDA)
Petru CRACIUN (MDA)
Minir REDJEPI (MKD)
Richard Antonio GARCIA ANDRADE (PAN)
Razvan Marian KOVACS (ROU)
Zavur UGUEV (RUS)
Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB)
Saban KIZILTAS (TUR)
Andrii YATSENKO (UKR)
Gamal Mohammed Yahya ALSABRI (YEM)

61kg
Abdelghani BENATALLAH (ALG)
Agustin Alejandro DESTRIBATS (ARG)
Razmik PAPIKYAN (ARM)
Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE)
Ayub Muratovitch MUSAEV (BEL)
Georgi Valentinov VANGELOV (BUL)
Arman ELOYAN (FRA)
Nico MEGERLE (GER)
Georgios PILIDIS (GRE)
Richard VILHELM (HUN)
Rahul Balasaheb AWARE (IND)
Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ)
Leomid COLESNIC (MDA)
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD)
Eduard GRIGOREV (POL)
Ivan GUIDEA (ROU)
Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RUS)
Nino LEUTERT (SUI)
Muhamad IKROMOV (TJK)
Recep TOPAL (TUR)
Volodymyr BURUKOV (UKR)

65kg
Isa MERKJA (ALB)
Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
Haji ALIYEV (AZE)
Niurgun SKRIABIN (BLR)
Haji Mohamad ALI( BRN)
Vladimir Vladimirov DUBOV (BUL)
Juan Pablo GONZALEZ CRESPO (ESP)
Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA)
Mbunde CUMBA MBALI (GBS)
Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN)
Amirmohammad Babak YAZDANICHERATI (IRI)
Abdellatif MANSOUR (ITA)
Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
Andrei PERPELITA (MDA)
Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA)
Elmedin SEJFULAU (MKD)
Sixto Miguel AUCCAPINA PEDRAGAS (PER)
Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU)
Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS)
Ahmet DUMAN(TUR)
Gor OGANNESYAN(UKR)
Hussein Abdullah Hussein Abdullah AL AZZANI(YEM)

70kg
Eriglent PRIZRENI (ALB)
Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM)
Gitinomagomed GADZHIYEV (AZE)
Dzianis SALAVEI (BLR)
Nicolae COJOCARU (GBR)
Shamil USTAEV (GER)
Daniel ANTAL (HUN)
Naveen NAVEEN (IND)
Islambek OROZBEKOV (KGZ)
Mihail SAVA (MDA)
Valentin BORZIN (MDA)
Fati VEJSELI(MKD)
Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL)
George BUCUR (ROU)
Chermen VALIEV (RUS)
Daniel CHOMANIC (SVK)
Mustafo AKHMEDOV (TJK)
Haithem DAKHLAOUI (TUN)
Haydar YAVUZ (TUR)
Ihor NYKYFORUK (UKR)

74kg
Orges LILA (ALB)
Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM)
Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE)
Azamat NURYKAU (BLR)
Ali Pasha Ruslanovich UMARPASHAEV (BUL)
Leon Juan Carlos PERALTA LANAS (CHI)
Jonatan ALVAREZ DIAZ (ESP)
Aimar ANDRUSE (EST)
Charles André AFA (FRA)
Augusto MIDANA (GBS)
Osman Kubilay CAKICI (GER)
Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN)
Narsingh Pancham YADAV (IND)
Mitchell Louis FINESILVER (ISR)
Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA)
Saiakbai USUPOV (KGZ)
Mohammed J M Th A ABDULKAREEM (KUW)
Vasile DIACON (MDA)
Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA)
Riad REDJEPI (MKD)
Andrzej Piotr SOKALSKI (POL)
Maxim VASILIOGLO (ROU)
Razambek ZHAMALOV (RUS)
Malik Michael AMINE (SMR)
Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB)
Marc DIETSCHE (SUI)
Tajmuraz Mairbekovic SALKAZANOV (SVK)
Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR)
Denys PAVLOV (UKR)

79kg
Arman AVAGYAN (ARM)
Rashad YUSIFLI (AZE)
Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (BLR)
Dzhemal Rushen ALI (BUL)
Erik REINBOK (EST)
Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA)
Eduard TATARINOV (GER)
Csaba VIDA (HUN)
Baliyan GOURAV (IND)
Aron CANEVA (ITA)
Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ)
Alans AMIROVS (LAT)
Stanislav NOVAC (MDA)
Astrit ISMAILI (MKD)
Vasile Madalin MINZALA (ROU)
Akhmed USMANOV (RUS)
Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK)
Ayoub BARRAJ (TUN)
Muhammet Nuri KOTANOGLU (TUR)
Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR)
Rashid KURBANOV (UZB)
86kg
Hovhannes MKHITARYAN (ARM)
Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
Rasul TSIKHAYEU (BLR)
Akhmed Adamovitch MAGAMAEV (BUL)
Taimuraz FRIEV NASKIDAEVA (ESP)
Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA)
Bedopassa BUASSAT DJONDE (GBS)
Ahmed Ruslanovic DUDAROV (GER)
Deepak PUNIA (IND)
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR)
Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT)
Roman MANITRA RAHARISON (MAD)
Rachid OURIBI (MAR)
Piotr IANULOV (MDA)
Stole EFTIMOV (MKD)
Pool Edinson AMBROCIO GREIFO (PER)
Zbigniew Mateusz BARANOWSKI (POL)
Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS)
Myles Nazem AMINE (SMR)
Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
Osman GOCEN (TUR)
Mraz DZHAFARIAN (UKR)

92kg
Gadzhimurad MAGOMEDSAIDOV(AZE)
Arkadzi PAHASIAN(BLR)
Alejandro CANADA PANCORBO(ESP)
Ilja MATUHIN(GER)
Georgii RUBAEV(MDA)
Redjep HAJDARI(MKD)
Mihai Nicolae PALAGHIA(ROU)
Alikhan ZHABRAILOV(RUS)
Strahinja DESPIC(SRB)
Samuel SCHERRER(SUI)
Erhan YAYLACI(TUR)
Vasyl SOVA(UKR)

97kg
Shamil ZUBAIROV (AZE)
Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR)
Ahmed Sultanovich BATAEV (BUL)
Ertugrul AGCA (GER)
Satywart KADIAN (IND)
Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA)
Edon SHALA (KOS)
Nicolai CEBAN (MDA)
Samhan JABRAILOV (MDA)
Magomedgadji Omardibirovich NUROV (MKD)
Radoslaw BARAN (POL)
Michael MANEA (ROU)
Abdulrashid SADULAE V(RUS)
Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR)
Valerii ANDRIITSEV (UKR)

125kg
Paris KAREPI (ALB)
Catriel Pehuen MURIEL (ARG)
Hovhannes MAGHAKYAN (ARM)
Jamaladdin MAGOMEDOV (AZE)
Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR)
Islam Timurovich ADIZOV (BUL)
Amarveer DHESI (CAN)
Daniel LIGETI (HUN)
Sumit SUMIT (IND)
Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ)
Radu LEFTER (MDA)
Egor OLAR (MDA)
Boban DANOV (MKD)
Robert BARAN (POL)
Shamil SHARIPOV (RUS)
Oktay GUNGOR (TUR)
Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR)


Roman VLASOV (RUS), a two-time Olympic champion, will wrestle at 77kg. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Greco-Roman ('19 world champion listed in BOLD)

55kg
Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG)
Rudik MKRTCHYAN (ARM)
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)
Nedyalko Petrov PETROV (BUL)
Fabian Bernhard SCHMITT (GER)
Arjun HALAKURKI (IND)
Balbai DORDOKOV (KGZ)
Artiom DELEANU (MDA)
Leonid MOROZ (MDA)
Andre Ricardo CARDOSO OLIVEIRA SILVA (POR)
Cristian Vasile VAGIUNIC (ROU)
Emin Narimanovitch SEFERSHAEV (RUS)
Sebastian KOLOMPAR(SRB)
Serif KILIC (TUR)
Vladyslav KUZKO (UKR)

60kg
Abdennour LAOUNI (ALG)
Armen MELIKYAN (ARM)
Nihat Zahid MAMMADLI (AZE)
Maksim KAZHARSKI (BLR)
Tsvetan Metodiev SIRASHKI (BUL)
Helary MAEGISALU (EST)
Etienne KINSINGER (GER)
Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN)
Gyanender GYANENDER (IND)
Abere FETENE (ISR)
Jacopo SANDRON (ITA)
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
Fouad FAJAR I(MAR)
Victor CIOBANU (MDA)
Joao Marco BENAVIDES ROCHABRUN (PER)
Razvan ARNAUT(ROU)
Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS)
Kristian FRIS (SRB)
Ahmet UYAR (TUR)
Viktor PETRYK (UKR)

63kg
Abdeldjebar DJEBBARI (ALG)
Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)
Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)
Soslan DAUROV (BLR)
Nikalas Petrov SULEV (BUL)
Erik TORBA (HUN)
Sachin RANA (IND)
Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ)
Mohammad F Kh M J ALAJMI (KUW)
Mateusz Radoslaw SZEWCZUK (POL)
Julinho Benjamim CORREIA DJU (POR)
Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU)
Zhambolat LOKYAEV (RUS)
Perica DIMITRIJEVIC (SRB)
Abdurrahman ALTAN (TUR)
Oleksii MASYK (UKR)

67kg
Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM)
Islambek DADOV (AZE)
Konstantin Ivanovich STAS (BUL)
Cristobal Alonso TORRES NUNEZ (CHI)
Gagik Mishai SNJOYAN (FRA)
Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER)
Krisztian Istvan VANCZA (HUN)
Ashu ASHU (IND)
Ruben MARVICE (ITA)
Khalmurat IBRAGIMOV (KGZ)
Donior ISLAMOV (MDA)
Alex Salomon PINEDA MARIN (PAN)
Nilton Gonzalo Marcos SOTO GARCIA (PER)
Roman PACURKOWSKI (POL)
Nazir Rachidovitch ABDULLAEV (RUS)
Davor STEFANEK (SRB)
Atakan YUKSEL (TUR)
Artur POLITAIEV (UKR)

72kg
Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)
Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
Luka MALOBABIC (CRO)
Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamed Hassan GHANEM (FRA)
Idris IBAEV (GER)
Balint KORPAS I(HUN)
Aditya KUNDU (IND)
Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ)
Valentin PETI C(MDA)
Mihai PETIC (MDA)
Narek OGANIAN (RUS)
Mate NEMES (SRB)
Aleksandar MAKSIMOVIC (SRB)
Andreas VETSCH (SUI)
Leos DRMOLA (SVK)
Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR)
Maksym YEVTUSHENKO (UKR)

77kg
Abd Elkrim OUAKALI (ALG)
Karapet CHALYAN (ARM)
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
Pavel LIAKH (BLR)
Rosian Ognyanov DERMANSKI (BUL)
Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO)
Jakub BIELESZ (CZE)
Evrik NIKOGHOSYAN (FRA)
Pascal EISELE (GER)
Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE)
Zoltan LEVAI (HUN)
Sajan SAJAN (IND)
Roman ZHERNOVETSKI (ISR)
Matteo MAFFEZZOLI (ITA)
Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Daniel CATARAGA (MDA)
Igor BESLEAGA (MDA)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
Iwan NYLYPIUK (POL)
Ilie COJOCARI (ROU)
Roman VLASOV (RUS)
Viktor NEMES (SRB)
Denis HORVATH (SVK)
Furkan BAYRAK (TUR)
Yasaf ZEINALOV (UKR)

82kg
Chawki DOULACHE (ALG)
Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM)
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
Radzik KULIYEU (BLR)
Daniel Tihomirov ALEKSANDROV (BUL)
Filip SACIC (CRO)
Oldrich VARGA (CZE)
Ranet KALJOLA (EST)
Roland SCHWARZ (GER)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
Igor PETRISHIN (ISR)
Kairatbek TUGOLBAEV (KGZ)
Zied AIT OUAGRAM (MAR)
Mihail BRADU (MDA)
Gabriel LUPASCO (MDA)
Alvis Albino ALMENDRA JIMENEZ (PAN)
George Vlad MARIEA (ROU)
Milad Valerikovitch ALIRZAEV (RUS)
Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB)
Salih AYDIN (TUR)
Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR)

87kg
Bachir SID AZARA (ALG)
Artur SHAHINYAN (ARM)
Islam ABBASOV (AZE)
Kiryl MASKEVICH (BLR)
Yoan Danielov DIMITROV (BUL)
Vjekoslav LUBURIC (CRO)
Ilias PAGKALIDIS (GRE)
Istvan TAKACS (HUN)
Kumar SUNIL (IND)
Hossein Ahmad NOURI (IRI)
Fabio PARISI (ITA)
Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ)
Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL)
Davit CHAKVETADZE (RUS)
Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB)
Dogan GOKTAS (TUR)
Semen NOVIKOV (UKR)
Luis Eduardo AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN)

97kg
Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG)
Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)
Aliaksandr HRABOVIK (BLR)
Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL)
Artur OMAROV (CZE)
Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA)
Michail IOSIFIDIS (GRE)
Alex Gergo SZOKE (HUN)
Hardeep HARDEEP (IND)
Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI)
Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)
Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ)
Choucri ATAFI(MAR)
Musa EVLOEV (RUS)
Mihail KAJAIA (SRB)
Damian VON EUW (SUI)
Suleyman DEMIRCI (TUR)
Vladlen KOZLIUK (UKR)
Luillys Jose PEREZ MORA (VEN)

130kg
Hemza HALOUI (ALG)
David OVASAPYAN (ARM)
Beka KANDELAKI (AZE)
Radoslav Plamenov GEORGIEV (BUL)
Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI)
Stepan DAVID (CZE)
Eduard POPP (GER)
Nikolaos NTOUNIAS (GRE)
Naveen NAVEEN (IND)
Rafal Andrzej KRAJEWSKI (POL)
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)
Sergey SEMENOV (RUS)
Boban ZIVANOVIC (SRB)
Osman YILDIRIM (TUR)
Mykola KUCHMII (UKR)


Aisuulu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) is the lone returning world champion entered in women's wrestling. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Women's Wrestling ('19 world champion listed in BOLD)

50kg
Turkan NASIROVA (AZE)
Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL)
Julie Martine SABATIE (FRA)
Debora Valeria TURE (GBS)
Lisa ERSEL (GER)
Devi NIRMALA (IND)
Maria LEORDA (MDA)
Emilia CIRICU BUDEANU (MDA)
Gloria Estefanny ASCA VILCAPOMA (PER)
Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
Emilia Alina VUC (ROU)
Ekaterina POLESHCHUK (RUS)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR)

53kg
Tatyana VARANSOVA (AZE)
Zalina SIDAKOVA (BLR)
Sezen Behchetova BELBEROVA (BUL)
Marina RUEDA FLORES (ESP)
Hilary Ysaline HONORINE (FRA)
Nina HEMMER (GER)
Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA)
Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
Thalia Jihann MALLQUI PECHE (PER)
Roksana Marta ZASINA (POL)
Andreea Beatrice ANA (ROU)
Anzhelika VETOSHKINA (RUS)
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
Khrystyna Zoryana DEMKO (UKR)

55kg
Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR)
Annika WENDLE (GER)
Pinki PINKI (IND)
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)
Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS)
Bediha GUN (TUR)
Tetyana KIT (UKR)

57kg
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)
Evelina Georgieva NIKOLOVA (BUL)
Maria Victoria BAEZ DILONE (ESP)
Mathilde Hélène RIVIERE (FRA)
Laura MERTENS (GER)
Emese BARKA (HUN)
Anshu ANSHU (IND)
Arianna CARIERI (ITA)
Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)
Patrycja GIL (POL)
Veronika CHUMIKOVA (RUS)
Mehlika OZTURK (TUR)
Antonyna KULAHINA (UKR)

59kg
Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA (BUL)
Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER)
Sarita SARITA (IND)
Mariana CHERDIVARA ESANU (MDA)
Magdalena Urszula GLODEK (POL)
Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS)
Anna FABIAN (SRB)
Elif YANIK (TUR)
Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR)

62kg
Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE)
Lydia PEREZ TOURINO (ESP)
Ameline DOUARRE (FRA)
Luisa Helga Gerda NIEMESCH (GER)
Anna Hella SZEL (HUN)
Sonam SONAM (IND)
Aurora CAMPAGNA (ITA)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU)
Liubov OVCHAROVA(RUS)
Cansu AKSOY (TUR)
Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR)

65kg
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
Mimi Nikolova HRISTOVA (BUL)
Debora LAWNITZAK (GER)
Sakshi MALIK (IND)
Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)
Mariia KUZNETSOVA (RUS)
Asli DEMIR (TUR)
Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)

68kg
IrIna  Petrovna NETREBA (AZE)
Hanna SADCHANKA (BLR)
Sofiya Hristova GEORGIEVA (BUL)
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
Dalma CANEVA (ITA)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Khanum VELIEVA (RUS)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR)

72kg
Gozal ZUTOVA (AZE)
Yuliana Vasileva YANEVA (BUL)
Koumba Selene Fanta LARROQUE (FRA)
Maria SELMAIER (GER)
Preet Kaur GURSHARAN (IND)
Yanet Ursula SOVERO NINO (PER)
Alexandra Nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU)
Evgeniia ZAKHARCHENKO (RUS)
Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK)
Buse TOSUN (TUR)
Alla BELINSKA (UKR)

76kg
Sabira ALIYEVA (AZE)
Vasilisa MARZALIUK (BLR)
Mariya Gerginova ORYASHKOVA (BUL)
Erica Elizabeth WIEBE (CAN)
Pauline Denise LECARPENTIER (FRA)
Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER)
Zsanett NEMETH (HUN)
Kiran KIRAN (IND)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Catalina AXENTE (ROU)
Ekaterina BUKINA (RUS)
Yasemin ADAR (TUR)
Anastasiia OSNIACH SHUSTOVA (UKR)

*Please note that this list is an unoffical list and is subject to change.

#JapanWrestling

Inagaki deals Ozaki shocking loss; Kawai solid at 68kg

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (June 15) -- Among the slew of highly anticipated showdowns at this year's Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, Nonoka OZAKI was looking for revenge against Sakura MOTOKI. She never got the chance, thanks to Yuzuka INAGAKI.

Inagaki stunned world champion Ozaki by rallying to a 6-6 victory on last-point criteria in the quarterfinals at women's 62kg on the opening day of the four-day tournament on Thursday, then later earned a place in Friday's final against Motoki.

"Deep down, I'm glad I could beat Ozaki today, but tomorrow is for all the marbles, so I see this as a step along the way," said Inagaki, a world U23 and junior champion in 2019.

The Meiji Cup is serving as the second domestic qualifier for this year's World Championships in Belgrade, where winning a medal will also earn a Japanese wrestler a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics. So the competition is fierce.

Winners of the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships, the first qualifier held last December, can automatically clinch a place on the team to Belgrade with a victory at the Meiji Cup. In Olympic weight classes, if the champions are different, they will meet in a playoff on July 1.

Motoki, a world bronze medalist at 59kg who moved up to the Olympic weight with an eye on Paris, won the title at the Emperor's Cup by beating Ozaki in the final. She can secure the world team spot with a win over Inagaki; a loss will set up a playoff between the two.

One wrestler who had left the 62kg picture after a loss at the Emperor's Cup was Tokyo Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI, who made the surprise move all the way up to the next Olympic weight of 68kg. She kept her hopes of a second straight Olympic gold alive by making the semifinals on Thursday.

In the tournament at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, the Olympic weight classes are being run over two days, while the non-Olympic divisions are completed in a single day.

Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN)Yuzuka INAGAKI completes a takedown against Nonoka OZAKI in their 62kg quarterfinal. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

The fact that the 20-year-old Ozaki -- who last year completed a trifecta of world senior, U23 and U20 titles -- will not be around for finals on the second day at 62kg sent shock waves through the arena. But credit has to go to a determined Inagaki, who was looking for some revenge of her own.

The two had been rivals since their junior high school days, and in their most recent meeting, at last year's Meiji Cup, Ozaki came away with a 2-1 win.

"I've faced Ozaki a number of times," said the 21-year-old Inagaki. "I lost to her recently, but I seriously studied her and trained for this match. In the end, I had a strong determination to win."

Ozaki jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a takedown and an activity point in the first period. In the second period, Inagaki got on the scoreboard with a takedown, but as she was trying for a gut wrench, Ozaki stepped over for a 1-point reversal. She then added a takedown to go up 6-2.

As the taller Ozaki tried to keep Inagaki at arm's length, Inagaki fought to create an opening and scored a takedown with :48 left. As the clock was ticking down, Inagaki got in deep on a single and as she tried to finish off the move, Ozaki went out of bounds. Inagaki was awarded a stepout and a point for fleeing, giving her the last point for a 6-6 victory.

"In practice, we work on finishing off a scoring move in the final seconds, and I was glad I could do it today," Inagaki said.

"It all came down to the last 30 seconds," Ozaki said. "When I am winning, I want to stay on the attack and not give the opponent an opening. I had practiced for when it comes down to a battle of wills at the end, but more than losing because of heart, I felt like it was because I kept my hips up. Also, my heart and body weren't in sync."

Of course, there is no assurance that whoever wins out at 62kg will win a medal in Belgrade, so Ozaki still has a chance to get to Paris, however slim. But she would prefer to have her fate in her own hands.

"I came into this tournament in the situation where there was nothing else and I had to win," Ozaki said. "But I lost before the final, and it is very difficult to make the Olympics. Right now I don't know what to think."

Ozaki, a rarity among top Japanese wrestlers in that she attends academically elite Keio University, said that whatever happens in the upcoming months, she remains dedicated to the sport.

"I am still in college, and I will continue wrestling," she said. "My big goal of getting to the Olympics and winning a gold medal has not changed. Each year, I will aim at making the World Championships and becoming No. 1 in the world. I want to be a wrestler who can win, whether it is in Japan or in the world."

Yukako KAWAI (JPN)Yukako KAWAI defeated Miwa MORIKAWA 4-4 at 68kg. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

In women's wrestling, it is perhaps only in Japan that an Olympic champion -- and two-time world medalist to boot -- can be regarded as the underdog. But that was the situation that Kawai, who won the Tokyo gold along with older sister Rikako, placed herself in with her bold move up two weight classes.

The 68kg division has just seven entries, but most are current or former world champions or medalists. Kawai won all three of her round-robin matches in her Nordic group, including a thrilling 4-4 victory over world 65kg champion Miwa MORIKAWA.

Either of the resulting semifinals could be a world final in their own right. World silver medalist Ami ISHII will face Morikawa in a rematch of the Emperor's Cup final won by Ishii, while Kawai will take on Masako FURUICHI, whose three world medals at 72kg include a 2021 gold.

Kawai, who said she remained at her normal weight of 63kg for the tournament, said she is feeling the burden of the extra poundage of her opponents.

"All of my opponents seemed so heavy, but despite that, I got this far," Kawai said. "I didn't think I would be unbeaten. I think I really gave a good effort. My first match was my first [at 68kg] and I was nervous. While my opponents were heavy and I gave up points, they came off technical mistakes on my part, so it doesn't bother me."

Facing Morikawa in her second match, Kawai trailed after giving up a stepout and an activity point in the first period. In the second, she scored with a double-leg takedown, which she followed with a 2-point exposure to go up 4-2. Morikawa scored a takedown with :38 left, but it was not enough as Kawai won on big-point criteria.

"In that match, more than victory or defeat, I just wanted to give everything I had," Kawai said.

"When I got the tackle and went ahead, I thought, 'If it goes like this, I can definitely win.' I put it all out there and, even though it turned into a close match, it made me believe I can hold my own at 68kg."

Looking ahead, Kawai is ready for the challenge and force a playoff.

"I'm coming up from a lower weight class, so I am absolutely the challenger," she said. "It's no sure thing that I can win. All of the opponents are really strong. Giving everything I have is No. 1 and I will fight my hardest for the remaining matches."

Ishii won both of her group matches but was taken to the limit in a 3-2 victory over Furuichi. After receiving an activity point in the first period, Ishii scored a single-leg takedown for a 3-0 lead. Furuichi battled to the end and notched a takedown with :20 left, but Ishii held on for the win.

In a non-Olympic weight, world U20 champion Mahiro YOSHITAKE followed up her Emperor's Cup triumph at 65kg by beating Rin TERAMOTO 7-1 in the final, putting her on the inside track to Belgrade.

The Japan federation will allow the second-place finishers in Olympic weights at both the Emperor's Cup and Meiji Cup to enter the playoffs in non-Olympic weights, so it remains to be seen whether or not Yoshitake will have competition for her place.

Katsuaki ENDOKatsuaki ENDO hits a five-point suplex on Taishi NARIKUNI in the 67kg semifinal. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation / Takeo Yabuki)

Narikuni meets match in Greco

In the men's competitions, world 70kg freestyle champion Taishi NARIKUNI's bold bid to pick up a world title in Greco-Roman came crashing down with a pair of flashy throws by Katsuaki ENDO in the semifinals at 67kg.

Narikuni, looking to join his mother as a two-time world champion but with a twist, looked out of his league against technician Endo, a 2022 Asian bronze medalist. Endo had a 2-0 lead when put on top in par terre, he put on a master performance, first scoring a 4-point throw, then adding the coup de grace with a spectacular 5-point back suplex.

"There was a difference in technical ability, but it was really how the match progressed," Narikuni said. "Endo really knows how to control the flow of a match. I took that too lightly."

Asked if he had any regrets about attempting the difficult crossover of styles, he replied. "I regret nothing, of course. This is something I decided to do on my own. I had people around me providing their support. I have one more match tomorrow [for the bronze medal], so I want to finish up with a solid win."

In the final, Endo will face Asian silver medalist Kyotaro SOGABE in a rematch of the Emperor's Cup final won by Sogabe.

Meanwhile, Emperor's Cup-winning brothers Hayato and Takashi ISHIGURO kept alive their hopes of making the trip to Belgrade together by advancing to their respective finals in freestyle.

Hayato, coming off a bronze medal at this year's Asian Championships, defeated 2022 world U23 champion Tatsuya SHIRAI 3-0 in the semifinals at 86kg, setting up a gold-medal clash with three-time Olympian Sohsuke TAKATANI.

Takatani, who had spent the past two years at 92kg, won the Emperor's Cup at that weight but has dropped down in an attempt to make a fourth Olympics.

Takashi Ishiguro advanced to the 97kg final with a 12-3 victory over Keivan YOSHIDA, and will face Taira SONODA in the final.

In the final match of the day, Yoshida's younger brother Arash won the 92kg title. The Asian champion won all three of his matches by technical fall, including a 10-0 rout of Satoshi MIURA in the final.

Day 1 Results

Freestyle

86kg (12 entries)
Semifinal -- Hayato ISHIGURO df. Tatsuya SHIRAI, 3-0
Semifinal -- Sohsuke TAKATANI df. Yudai TAKAHASHI, 6-4

92kg (6 entries)
GOLD -- Arash YOSHIDA df. Satoshi MIURA by TF, 10-0, 3:12

BRONZE -- Kuya MOCHINAGA df. Akinobu TAKEUCHI, 4-1

Semifinal -- Arash YOSHIDA df. Kuya MOCHINAGA by Fall, 1:46 (8-0)
Semifinal -- Satoshi MIURA df. Akinobu TAKEUCHI by TF, 10-0, 2:29

97kg (9 entries)
Semifinal -- Takashi ISHIGURO df. Keivan YOSHIDA, 12-3
Semifinal -- Taira SONODA df. Hibiki ITO by TF, 10-0, 1:05

Greco-Roman

55kg (9 entries)
GOLD -- Taiga ONISHI df. Kohei YAMAGIWA, 7-3

BRONZE -- Mizuki ARAKI df. Sosuke MASUDA, by TF, 9-0, 4:10
BRONZE -- Taketo NINOMIYA df. Shu HIRATA by TF, 8-0, 2:01

Semifinal -- Taiga ONISHI df. Mizuki ARAKI, 2-0
Semifinal -- Kohei YAMAGIWA df. Taketo NINOMIYA by TF, 11-1, 2:03

67kg (13 entries)
Semifinal -- Kyotaro SOGABE df. Kensuke SHIMIZU, 6-3
Semifinal -- Katsuaki ENDO df. Taishi NARIKUNI by TF, 12-0, 1:55

Women

55kg (12 entries)
GOLD -- Rino TAKAOKA df. Ruka NATAMI, 4-2

BRONZE -- Karina HONDA df. Narumi NAKAMURA, 3-2
BRONZE -- Neon GOMI df. Riko TAKAYAMA, 2-1

Semifinal -- Rino TAKAOKA df. Narumi NAKAMURA, 2-1
Semifinal -- Ruka NATAMI df. Neon GOMI by Fall, 5:00 (3-0)

62kg (13 entries)
Semifinal -- Sakura MOTOKI df. Naomi RUIKE by Fall, 4:19 (10-0)
Semifinal -- Yuzuka INAGAKI df. Suzu SASAKI by TF, 10-0, 4:47

65kg (9 entries)
GOLD -- Mahiro YOSHITAKE df. Rin TERAMOTO, 7-1

BRONZE -- Nagisa ITO df. Momoko Kitade by TF, 5:39, 13-3
BRONZE -- Kaede HIRAI df. Kaede MATSUYAMA by Fall, 4:50 (7-0)

Semifinal -- Mahiro YOSHITAKE df. Nagisa ITO by TF, 10-0, 3:40
Semifinal -- Rin TERAMOTO df. Kaede MATSUYAMA, 4-1

72kg (6 entries)
GOLD -- Mei SHINDO df. Sumire NIIKURA, 4-3

BRONZE -- Yuka FUJIKURA df. Kokona TAKADA, 2-0

Semifinal -- Sumire NIIKURA df. Kokona TAKADA by TF, 10-0, 5:58
Semifinal -- Mei SHINDO df. Yuka FUJIKURA, 2-2