Ishiguro Brushes Aside Rivals to Earn 1st Ticket to Senior Worlds

Friday, May 28, 2021 - 16:54 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (May 28) --- In 2018, Hayato ISHIGURO became the first Japanese male to capture a world junior title in over three decades. The next year, he added a world U-23 bronze medal. On Friday, he earned his first shot at the big kids.

Ishiguro secured a place on Japan's team to this year's World Championships by taking the freestyle 86kg title at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships on Friday in Tokyo.

Ishiguro scored a takedown and a 4-point move in the second period in posting a 7-1 victory in the final over Taisei MATSUYUKI to follow up on his title run at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships in December.

The Emperor's Cup and Meiji Cup serve as domestic qualifiers for the World Championships, to be held in October in Oslo. Weight classes in which the winners of the two tournaments are different are decided by playoffs, which turned out to be the case in three of the eight divisions on Friday.

None of the 12 Japanese wrestlers who will appear at the Tokyo Olympics entered the qualifying process for the Oslo worlds, opening the door for young prospects like Ishiguro to make the step up to the senior global stage.

Ishiguro, bouncing back from a disappointing fifth-place finish at the Asian Championships in April in Almaty, avoided the playoff route with a solid run at spectator-less Komazawa Gym. Starting with a 9-3 victory over 2020 Asian champion Shutaro YAMADA, he advanced to the final with a 10-0 technical fall of 2019 Asian junior champion Tatsuya SHIRAI.

It all came in a tournament Ishiguro considered skipping beforehand, as well as dropping out midway through, due to problems with weight control.

"After the Asian Championships, I didn't put much thought into maintaining my weight," Ishiguro said. "I had to drop 8 or 9 kilograms all in one week. It had me worried, but I was able to put out a full effort."

Upon returning to Japan from Almaty, Ishiguro had to follow protocols and self-quarantine in a hotel for two weeks. He intended to work out in the single room doing core exercises and push-ups, but ended up "watching Netflix."

"Before the semifinal, I thought of defaulting, because I was feeling the effects of the weight loss and my legs were cramping," Ishiguro admitted. "I talked to my coach and my father and they said to just give it a shot and see what happens."

In Almaty, the luck of the draw matched Ishiguro with world and Olympic champion Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) in the second round, and while the Japanese put up resistance, he went down by technical fall.

That was expected. It was in the bronze-medal match against Mustafa AL OBAIDI (IRQ) that things went awry. As Ishiguro sprawled from a takedown attempt, Al Obaidi locked his arms from below, then twisted the Japanese over and onto his back for a stunning fall in 1:07.

There is speculation that that loss might be behind a new "look" that Ishiguro sported on Friday at Komazawa Gym -- he took the mat with a completely shaven head. Some wondered if it might be some sort of ascetic atonement for his performance in Almaty.

"I thought it could improve my footwork," Ishiguro said tongue-in-cheek when asked about it at the postmatch press conference. "The opponents looked a little scared."

Ishiguro, a two-time national collegiate champion now in his senior year at Nihon University, isn't sure he will keep the shiny dome in Oslo.

"I like it," he said. "but I'll listen to what other people think and decide for the World Championships. Most people don't like it."

Ishiguro competed in Almaty alongside his older brother Takashi ISHIGURO, who won a bronze medal at 97kg. Takashi will aim to join Hayato in Oslo as well when he looks to add to his Emperor's Cup title on Sunday.

Yuta NARA defeated Emperor's Cup champion Masayuki AMANO, 3-1, in a 97kg playoff and earned his fourth berth to the World Championships. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation)

Nara grabs 5th title, world team spot in playoff
In other action, Yuta NARA bounced back from the disappointment of failing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics at both the Asian and world qualifiers by taking his fifth straight title at Greco 97kg, then winning a playoff to earn a fourth career trip to the World Championships.

Nara scored all of his points in the second period in beating Yuri NAKAZATO 6-1 in the final. He then came back for the world playoff an hour or so later and defeated Emperor's Cup champion Masayuki AMANO 3-1.

"The time you have for a wrestling career is limited," Nara said when asked why he entered the tournament so soon after the Olympic qualifiers. "Also, I feel that I'm the one carrying this weight class for Japan."

Nara has dominated the weight class in recent years. He had not lost a domestic match in it since 2016 when he was dealt a stunning defeat in the semifinals at the 2020 Emperor's Cup to Masaaki SHIKIYA, who then lost to Amano in the final.

The other playoff winners were in freestyle, Jintaro MOTOYAMA at 70kg and Masaki SATO at 74kg.

For Motoyama, the 2019 world junior silver medalist and 2018 world U-23 bronze medalist, his playoff victory over Ayumu SUZUKI avenged a loss to the fellow collegian earlier in the day.

Suzuki forged out a 6-4 win over Motoyama in the quarterfinals en route to winning the gold by beating Hirotaka ABE 6-3 in the final.

But Motoyama took his game up a notch in the playoff, scoring four stepouts in building up an 8-0 first-period lead before going on to win 10-1.

Sato's road to Oslo meant beating Emperor's Cup champion Kirin KINOSHITA twice, and he did it by the narrowest of margins.

First Sato won the Meiji Cup gold with a 2-2 win in the final, with his second-period takedown trumping the two single points scored by Kinoshita. Then in the playoff, a second-period takedown gave Sato a 2-1 win and the ticket to Oslo.

At 70kg, the spotlight was more on the return of Taishi NARIKUNI, a former collegiate champion who has competed just twice -- back in 2019 -- since being hit with a two-year doping ban in 2017 after a doctor mistakenly prescribed a cold medication containing a banned substance.

After starting off with a fall, Narikuni saw his dreams of making it to the World Championships shattered with a come-from-behind 8-3 loss to Abe in the semifinals. A late stepout put him behind before a failed throw attempt in desperation gave Abe his final points.

It was reminiscent of his loss at the Emperor's Cup in 2019, where he wrestled at 74kg because it was the first domestic qualifier linked to the Tokyo Olympics.

"It was the same at the Tokyo Olympic qualifier, at the end I lost the same way," he said. "At the 5-minute mark, I was the one attacking, only to be pushed out for the decisive point. It's a waste and shameful to lose the same way."

Narikuni came back to win the bronze medal by fall over Hidetaka SAKANO, but the damage was done.

"It's like it wasn't worth coming, it was so shameful," Narikuni said. "After the Tokyo Olympics qualifiers, I have been aiming for the World Championships for the past 1 1/2 years. I think I put more into this than I did for the Tokyo Olympics."

Narikuni won national collegiate titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman in 2017 while at Aoyama Gakuin University. He has a goal of achieving the rare feat of winning world titles in both styles -- a sort of Shohei Ohtani of wrestling, referring to the Japanese baseball star who is a rarity by being both a pitcher and a slugger.

Upon graduating, Narikuni became a staff member at the Gold Kids wrestling club in Tokyo run by his mother, a two-time world champion under her maiden name of Akiko IIJIMA. As for what lies ahead, he's still too stunned to think about it.

"My goal was to win the title, win the playoff, then win the world title," Narikuni said. "There were nearly 100 people backing me up from Gold Kids, and I have a real sense of loss. My mind is a blank right now, I can't think of anything."

Reminded that the World Championships are held every year so it won't be long until the next one, he replied, "That's what everyone around me says. But inside, I really can't think of anything. I had only thought of this tournament."

Akie HANAI snuck past Yumeka TANABE by one point in the 59kg gold-medal match. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation)

There was one women's title up for grabs, which went to 2019 world junior champion Akie HANAI after edging Yumeka TANABE 2-1 in the 59kg final, with all of the points coming on the activity clock.

Combined with her Emperor's Cup victory, it gives Hanai a place on her first senior world team. She missed out on a first appearance at the Asian Championships in April when Japan withdrew its women's team due to contact with a person infected with the coronavirus.

In the semifinals, Tanabe scored a last-gasp victory by fall over fellow 2019 world U-23 champion Yuzuka INAGAKI. Trailing 3-2 in the final minute, Tanabe used a nifty inside leg hook to trip Inagaki backwards, then clamped down for the fall.

#wrestlebishkek

Badaghimofrad Claims Historic Asian Gold for Qatar

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 - 18:37 By Ken Marantz

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 8) -- Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) continued to make history for his adopted homeland, and this time it came at the expense of his real one.

Iranian-born Badaghimofrad gave Qatar its first-ever gold medal at the Asian Championships, coming from behind for a 4-3 victory over Amin HOSSEINI (IRI) in the Greco 82kg final on Wednesday in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

“I won a bronze medal at last year's Asian Championships, and this year I'm very happy that I managed to take a bigger step and win a gold medal,” Badaghimofrad said.

On a night when five different countries struck gold to finish up the Greco competition, Alisher GANIEV (UZB) ended a recent run of runner-up finishes with a victory at 60kg, and world and Olympic champion Hadi SARAVI (IRI) won his third straight title and fourth overall at 97kg.

Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), who had settled for the silver medal the past two years, made it to the top step of the podium at 67kg to give the host nation its fourth gold, and Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) handed Iran another defeat in a final to take the 72kg crown.

Despite going two for seven in gold-medal matches, Iran cruised to the team title by medaling in every weight class for the first time since 1983. The wrestling powerhouse finished with 195 points to outdistance host Kyrgyzstan, which had four champions and compiled 153 points. Uzbekistan, with two gold medalists, was third with 136.

Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) turns Amin HOSSEINI (IRI) during the 82kg final at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Badaghimofrad, who had been a world cadet (U17) silver medalist and world junior (U20) bronze medalist, was competing for Iran when he first appeared at the Asian Championships three years and 15 kilograms ago, placing fifth in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

A native of Khuzestan Province in southeast Iran, he changed his allegiance after 2023 and debuted for Qatar in February 2025 at the Tirana Ranking Series, where he could only manage a seventh-place finish. But a month later, he placed third at the Asian Championships in Amman, Jordan, marking Qatar’s first ever medal in Greco and just its second overall.

Badaghimofrad’s more recent results were not exactly awe-inspiring – an 11th place at the World Championships in Zagreb, then back-to-back seventh places at Ranking Series tournaments in February this year.

And the outlook did not appear much better in Wednesday’s final when Hosseini, the winner of this year’s Tirana Ranking Series tournament, opened the scoring with a gut wrench for a 3-0 lead in the first period.

In the second period, Badaghimofrad got his chance in par terre and, breaking down stiff resistance from Hosseini, managed to roll him over. An Iranian challenge for a potential leg foul was unsuccessful, putting the Qatari up 4-3, which is how it ended.

“I had wrestled my opponent before, so we were both familiar with each other’s styles,” Badaghimofrad said. “Knowing I could apply my move on the ground, I approached the match without any stress. When the referee gave the passivity warning, I was able to execute my move and emerge as the winner.”

Badaghimofrad knows he still has a way to go if he wants to achieve similar success on the bigger global stages.

“My wrestling isn’t perfect yet, and I’m gradually trying to improve it … so I can get thebest result at the World Championships and the Olympics,” he said.

Alisher GANIEV (UZB) defeated Se Ung RI (PRK) in the 60kg final to claim his first-ever Asian title. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Ganiev finally got the result he was looking for, escaping from second-place purgatory by avenging a loss in last year’s 60kg final with a victory by fall over world and Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK).

Ganiev went up 2-1 when he stepped over and gained an exposure on Ri’s gut-wrench attempt from par terre. In the second period, he increased the lead with a passivity point and a challenge point, but made the score moot when he pancaked Ri to the mat and held on for a fall at 5:06.

“The plan was not to rush, to wrestle patiently, wait for the right moment in par terre,” Ganiev said. “However, during the match, things changed. I managed to score points [from bottom] in par terre. In the second period, I continued with my approach. We prepared specifically for this opponent.”

Ganiev finished second at the Zagreb Ranking Series in February 2025, and again at this year’s. In between, he lost in last year’s Asian final to Ri and in the final of the World Championships to Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ).

“I had been waiting for a long time,” Ganiev said. “This is my second Asian Championship. In the first one, I finished in second place. Now in 2026 I finally took first place. Today, all the hard work paid off. In the 2025 final, I made mistakes, but this time I corrected them.”

Hadi SARAVI (IRI) defended his Asian title with a 7-1 win over NITESH (IND). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

While a number of Saravi’s teammates faltered at the final hurdle, the two-time Olympic medalist proved to be a rock of stability in claiming the 97kg gold with a solid albeit not overwhelming 7-1 win over NITESH (IND).

“I managed to finish the competition with the gold medal,” Saravi said. “After the World Championships, I set aside some time for recovery to get my body back in shape. The coaches decided to send me to the Asian Championships. I arrived at this competition with only a relative level of readiness, but thankfully I managed to achieve the best result and claim gold.”

Saravi, whose long list of laurels also includes four world medals, reeled off two rolls from par terre in the first period to lead 5-0. After being put on the bottom in the second but never budging, Saravi added a pair of stepouts to beat Nitesh for the third time in as many career meetings and clinch his fourth Asian gold over a seven-year span.

“The final was tougher [than the previous matches] because I’d suffered a knee injury before arriving, which was bothering me a bit and meant I couldn't keep up with my training properly or come to the competition fully prepared,” Saravi said. “Because of that I was a bit unsettled.”

Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) tries to pin Javad REZAEI (IRI) during the 72kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 72kg, Amanbek capped his senior Asian debut with a stunning victory by fall over Javad REZAEI (IRI), which more than avenged a 3-2 loss to the Iranian in the quarterfinals of the Tirana Ranking Series that Rezaei won.

“It’s the first time I’ve taken first place in the 72-kilogram category,” said Amanbek, who moved up from 67kg this year. “It’s been an incredibly emotional day.

“I’d give myself a ten out of ten. I did really well. Everything went exactly as I’d planned. I can give myself a pat on the back.”

The quick succession of moments that led to Amanbek’s victory started with him on the bottom of par terre. When Rezaei tried to force a gut wrench, Amanbek stepped over, scooped Rezaei’s head and held him down for a fall in 1:50.

“I know that Iranian wrestler, we faced each other at a ranking tournament in Albania,” Amanbek said. “I lost there. Today I got my revenge. I was in good spirits. We went out there and stuck to our tactics and our game plan. That’s why we won.”

Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) scores a four-point throw on Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN) during the 67kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 67kg, Beishekeev wrapped up a strong Greco outing for the home team by soundly defeating former world bronze medalist Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN) 8-2.

“I can say that this victory means a lot to me,” Beishekeev said of triumphing in front of the home crowd at Zhastyk Arena. “I truly felt the strong support of my people, it gave me strength and motivation. Thanks to that, everything came together today and I became a champion.”

Beishekeev all but put the match away in the first period, when he not only completed a gut wrench from par terre, but added a 4-pointer by lifting Shimizu and dumping him onto this back.

In the second period, Beishekeev gave up a passivity point but nothing from the bottom of par terre, and received a point himself when the Japanese side unsuccessfully challenged for a leg foul. A late stepout by Shimizu only changed the margin of victory.

In the three previous Asian Championships, Beishekeev’s results had been: bronze, silver, silver.

“Behind this success is a lot of hard work,” he said. “I worked patiently, step by step, never forgetting my goal and constantly pushing forward. If we continue working with the same determination, I believe a gold medal at the World Championships is also possible. “

Iran Iran won the team title in Greco-Roman at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Entire Iranian team comes away with medals

In the bronze-medal matches, Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) and Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) both picked up their first major senior medals and assured that nobody on the Iranian Greco team would be leaving Bishkek empty-handed.

Ahmadi Vafa, who won world titles at each of the three age-group levels from 2022 to 2024, secured a bronze medal at 60kg with a 10-0 rout of Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ).

After a 4-point throw from par terre, Ahmadi Vafa tossed Kamaliyev again, although he didn’t get the necessary exposure and it was ruled a 2-pointer. But the Iranian continued the move and forced Kamaliyev to his back for 2 more to end it at 1:49.

The other bronze at 60kg went to Yu SHIOTANI (JPN), who was back on the Asian scene for the first time since winning the 55kg gold in 2022, the same year he won a world bronze.

Shiotani hit a 4-point throw from par terre, good enough for a 5-1 win over two-time former Asian U23 champion Haodong TAN (CHN).

At 67kg, Mohsen Nezhad, a 2025 world U23 bronze medalist, gained his bronze without a fight, as he received a victory by default from world silver medalist Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), who had suffered an elbow injury in his quarterfinal loss to Beishekeev on Tuesday.

Sachin SAHRAWAT (IND) captured his second career 67kg bronze when he fought back from behind three times to eventually come away with a 6-5 win over Abdumalik AMINOV (UZB).

A drag-by takedown in the final 30 seconds finally put Sahrawat over the top, after he had trailed 1-0, 3-2 and 5-3 during the match.

At 72kg, Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) saw his bid for a place in wrestling history harshly ended by Shakhzod KUCHKOROV (UZB), who needed less than a minute to uncork a pair of 4-point throws in a 9-0 romp.

Narikuni, the 2022 champion at Freestyle 70kg, was looking to join the select group of wrestlers with Asian medals in both styles – a group that compatriot Kaisei TANABE (JPN) joined the previous day by taking a bronze at 63kg.

Ironically, last December, Narikuni had pipped Tanabe in each’s bid to become the first wrestler in 52 years to complete the Freestyle-Greco double at the All-Japan Championships. Narikuni did it by also winning the Freestyle 70kg title, while Tanabe fell short by finishing third at 65kg.

Narikuni will be returning to the Bishkek mat on Friday for the Freestyle 70kg qualification rounds as he attempts to bounce back from his Greco disappointment. Narikuni also won the world gold in Freestyle in 2022, but his attempt to repeat that feat in Greco last year in Zagreb ended in the first round.

Dongyu LI (CHN) took the other bronze at 72kg on Wednesday with a somewhat odd victory by fall over Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ).

After breaking out to a 5-0 lead with two rolls from par terre, Li secured double underhooks and pancaked Ismailov to his back for 4 points.

Having achieved a win by technical superiority, Li stood up and thrust his fists in the air in triumph, only to notice that Ismailov was still lying on his back. Li then hopped on top of his prone opponent for an easy fall in 2:40.

At 82kg, Kakabay KAKABAYEV (TKM) became the third wrestler from Turkmenistan to make it to a bronze-medal match in Greco and have a chance to become the country’s first medalist since 2018, and the third to come up short.

Kakabayev never really had a chance against PRINCE (IND), who reeled off four rolls in a row from par terre en route to a 10-1 victory. That gave Prince a senior Asian bronze a year after winning one on the U20 level.

The other 82kg match saw veteran and former Asian champion Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) earn his fourth straight Asian medal and second straight bronze with a 5-3 victory over Rui LIU (CHN).

Magomadov, the 2023 champion at 72kg and a bronze medalist last year at 77kg, hit a 4-point throw from par terre in the first period, then held on after giving up a 2-point penalty in the second.

At 97kg, Zagreb Ranking Series silver medalist Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ), the 2024 world U20 champion at 82kg, never gave Minho LEE (KOR) a chance, spinning behind for a takedown then chalking up a combination of exposures and rolls for a 9-0 victory in 1:27.

Zegang WANG (CHN) was equally dominant in taking the other 97kg bronze with an 11-1 victory over Melis AITBEKOV (KGZ) in his Asian debut.

Day 3 Results

Greco-Roman

60kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) df. Se Ung RI (PRK) by Fall, 5:06 (6-1)

BRONZE: Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) df. Haodong TAN (CHN), 5-1
BRONZE: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) df. Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ) by TS, 10-0, 1:49

67kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) df. Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN), 8-2

BRONZE: Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) df. Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) by Inj. Def.
BRONZE: Sachin SAHRAWAT (IND) df. Abdumalik AMINOV (UZB), 6-5

72kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) df. Javad REZAEI (IRI) by Fall, 1:50 (2-1)

BRONZE: Dongyu LI (CHN) df. Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) by Fall, 2:40 (9-0)
BRONZE: Shakhzod KUCHKOROV (UZB) df. Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) by TS, 9-0, :48

82kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) df. Amin HOSSEINI (IRI), 4-3

BRONZE: Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) df. Rui LIU (CHN), 5-3
BRONZE: PRINCE (IND) df. Kakabay KAKABAYEV (TKM) by TS, 10-1, 2:06

97kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Hadi SARAVI (IRI) df. NITESH (IND), 7-1

BRONZE: Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) df. Minho LEE (KOR) by TS, 9-0, 1:27
BRONZE: Zegang WANG (CHN) df. Melis AITBEKOV (KGZ) by TS, 11-1, 4:11

Women’s Wrestling

50kg (11 entries)
SF 1: Son Hyang KIM (PRK) df. Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB), 12-8
SF 2: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Maral TANGIRBERGENOVA (KAZ) by TS, 8-0, 2:00

55kg (8 entries)
SF 1: Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) df. Ariunzaya ODONCHIMEG (MGL) by TS, 10-0, 1:33
SF 2: Yuxuan LI (CHN) df. Hansika LAMBA (IND) by TS, 11-1, 5:54

59kg (8 entries)
SF 1: Mengyu XIE (CHN) df. NEHA (IND), 12-5
SF 2: Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) df. Ulmeken ESENBAEVA (UZB) by TS, 10-0, 4:00

68kg (10 entries)
SF 1: Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Zelu LI (CHN), 1-1
SF 2: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL), 7-0

76kg (9 entries)
SF 1: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) by TS, 11-0, 1:03
SF 2: Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL) df. Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ), 7-2

Ishiguro Brushes Aside Rivals to Earn 1st Ticket to Senior Worlds

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Badaghimofrad Claims Historic Asian Gold for Qatar