#Zagreb2018

Japan Dominates Team Race Collecting Six Champions Overall

By Taylor Miller

ZAGREB, Croatia – Japan won the Cadet World women’s freestyle team title for the eighth-consecutive year, scoring 99 points more than second-place India, thanks to six World champions over the course of the tournament.

Countries winning World titles on Friday night included Japan, Russia, Ukraine and USA.

Japan won two gold medals coming from Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) at 46 kg and Mako OONO (JPN) at 53 kg.

Motoki defeated Asian bronze medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) with a 6-2 decision before Oono edged out Meenakshi MEENAKSHI (IND), 2-1.

At 40 kg, 2017 Cadet World bronze winner Luchana BEKBAULOVA (RUS) stopped Japan from a third title, taking out Karin UEMATSU (JPN) with a 5-2 victory.

Taking the top spot at 61 kg was European champion Antonyna KULAKHINA (UKR), who dominated for gold with a 12-2 tech fall against Qin ZHAO (CHN), who took sixth at the 2018 Asian Championships.

In the final bout of the night, 2016 Cadet World bronze medalist Macey KILTY (USA) eased past European bronze medalist Julia FRIDULUND (SWE) with a decisive 7-3 win.

With Emily SHILSON (USA) winning a title for the U.S. last night, this marks the first time in history the United States has had two Cadet women’s freestyle World champions.

Rounding out the top five was China in third with 110 points, Russia in fourth with 109 points and USA in fifth with 108 points.

Final team results
1. Japan - 210
2. India - 111
3. China - 110
4. Russia - 109
5. USA - 108
6. Ukraine - 99
7. Mongolia - 65
8. Belarus - 63
9. Azerbaijan - 36
10. Hungary - 30

Final results
40 kg
GOLD - Luchana BEKBAULOVA (RUS)

SILVER - Karin UEMATSU (JPN)
BRONZE - Sterling DIAS (USA)
BRONZE - Sweety SWEETY (IND)

1st - Luchana Bekbaulova (Russia) dec. Karin Uematsu (Japan), 5-2
3rd - Sterling Dias (United States) fall Elif Iskin (Turkey), 0:58
3rd - Sweety Sweety (India) dec. Munojatkhon Samieva (Uzbekistan), 6-4

46 kg
GOLD - Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)
SILVER - Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
BRONZE - Xiaomin XIE (CHN)
BRONZE – Devi SANJU (IND)

1st - Sakura Motoki (Japan) dec. Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia) 6-2
3rd - Devi Sanju (India) dec.
Olivia Shore (United States), 5-4
3rd - Xiaomin Xie (China) dec. Kalmira Bilimbek Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan), 8-7

53 kg
GOLD - Mako OONO (JPN)
SILVER - Meenakshi MEENAKSHI (IND)
BRONZE - Zhaojing SHI (CHN)
BRONZE – Erdenesuvd BAT ERDENE (MGL)

1st - Mako Oono (Japan) dec. Meenakshi Meenakshi (India), 2-1
3rd - Zhaojing Shi (China) TF Hanna Frotscher (Germany), 10-0
3rd - Erdenesuvd Bat Erdene (Mongolia) dec. Leilah Castro (United States), 6-0

61 kg
GOLD - Antonyna KULAHINA (UKR)
SILVER - Qin ZHAO (CHN)
BRONZE - Anshu ANSHU (IND)
BRONZE – Riko TAKAYAMA (JPN)

1st - Antonyna Kulahina (Ukraine) TF Qin Zhao (China), 12-2
3rd - Anshu Anshu (India) TF  Zhala Aliyeva (Azerbaijan), 10-0
3rd - Riko Takayama (Japan) dec. Alina Maksimava (Belarus), 5-4

69 kg
GOLD – Macey KILTY (USA)
SILVER – Julia FRIDULUND (SWE)
BRONZE – Rin TERAMOTO (JPN)
BRONZE –Sonika HOODA (IND)

1st - Macey Kilty (United States) dec.  Julia Fridlund (Sweden), 9-3
3rd - Rin Teramoto (Japan) TF Marta Pajula (Estonia), 10-0
3rd - Sonika Hooda (India) TF Mengwei Zhang (CHINA), 12-0

Obituary

Olympic champion Tediashvili passes away at 75

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 19) -- Two-time Olympic champion and United World Wrestling Hall of Fame wrestler Levan TEDIASHVILI passed away on Saturday. He was 75 years old.

Tediashvili won the Freestyle gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics and repeated as the Olympic champion at the 1976 Montreal Games. The two Olympic gold medals were won in 82kg and 90kg weight classes respectively.

Born on March 15, 1948, Tediashvili was a four-time world champion, winning the gold medal in 1971, 1973, 1974 and 1975. His world title and two Olympic medals resulted in him remaining unbeaten internationally from 1971 to 1977.

Levan TEDIASHVILI
Levan TEDIASHVILI

In 1978, he jumped to the 100kg weight class and won a silver medal at the World Championships that year. He also won European titles three times.

Georgia awarded him with Vakhtang Gorgasali First Degree Medal and the title of Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi. The wrestling legend was inducted into the UWW Hall of Fame in 2005. He also acted in awarded winning films including Brighton 4th.

UWW mourns the passing of Tediashvili and expresses its deepest sympathies to the Tediashvili family.