LIVE BLOG: Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series, Day Three

Saturday, March 6, 2021 - 07:56 By United World Wrestling Press

What a day! Victoria ANTHONY (USA) showed what she is capable of to win the gold at 50kg and Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) defended her 53kg title. Kollin Raymond MOORE (USA) stunned the three-time World medalist Alireza Mohammad KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) to win the gold medal at 97kg.

Onto the fourth and final day of Matteo Pellicone event where we wait for men's freestyle action. Watch out for Jordan Borroughs (USA) vs Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) final at 74kg

WATCH: Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series Day Three

A lot of action happened on the third morning of Matteo Pellicone. Our team has put together some of the highlights for you. Head over to our Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to watch and read everything.

2000 hrs: We have out champions on day three of the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event. Stunning stuff from the wrestlers. Here are the winners on day three

50kg: Victoria Lacey ANTHONY (USA)
53kg: Vinesh PHOGAT (IND)
55kg: Jacqueline Del Rocio MOLLOCANA ELENO (ECU)
59kg: Abigail Elizabeth NETTE (USA)
65kg: Gaukhar MUKATAY (KAZ)

Men's freestyle

97kg: Kollin Raymond MOORE (USA)
125kg: Amarveer DHESI (CAN)

1950 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! An anti-climatic finish to the 125kg Round 5 bout as Asian champion Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) completes a technical superiority 11-0 win over Amarveer DHESI (CAN) in just 30 seconds. But it is still Dhesi who wins the gold medal at 125kg in Rome

1948 hrs: Round 5 bout at 125kg! Amarveer DHESI (CAN) is up against Asian champion Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ). Dhesi has been exceptional throughout the day.

1943 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! What a fantastic win for Kollin Raymond MOORE (USA). He downs 92kg world silver Alireza Mohammad KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) 3-3. Karimi waited for too long there to go for the attack. Top defence from Moore

#WrestleRome 97kg FS Medal Match Results:
?Kollin MOORE ?? df. Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI ??, 3-3
?Hayden ZILLMER ?? df. Ibrahim CIFTCI ??, 7-4
?Alisher YERGALI ?? df. Feyzullah AKTURK ??, 6-1
— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) March 6, 2021

1941 hrs: Karimi tries to push Moore out of bounds but Moore keeps it in play. Gets a double and a takedown to lead 3-3 on criteria

1938 hrs: Karimi gets a stepout too and then a takedown off Moore's attack. The Iranian leads 3-1 at the break

1936 hrs: Gold medal bout at 97kg between 92kg World silver medalist Alireza KARIMI (IRI) and U23 World silver Kollin MOORE (USA). Moore with a point for stepout.

1935 hrs: Zillmer was trailing 4-3 with under a minute to go but he gets a takedown from single and then one later in the bout to hang on to a 7-4 win and the bronze medal

1930 hrs: Second bronze medal bout at 97kg between Hayden Zillmer and Ciftci. Zillmer leads 1-0 at the break

1920 hrs: Bronze medal bout at 97kga.Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) and Alisher YERGALI (KAZ). The Kazak wrestler is the attacking wrestlers and completes three takedowns for the lead. He wins 6-1 and captures bronze medal.

1910 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Gaukhar MUKATAY (KAZ) is the champion at 65kg weight category as she beats Veronica BRASCHI (ITA) with a dominant 8-0 win. That concludes our women's wrestling in Rome. Onto men's freestyle

1900 hrs: Final bout of 65kg. Local wrestler Veronica BRASCHI (ITA) is taking on Gaukhar MUKATAY (KAZ). A body lock situation but the Kazak wrestler comes out on top. She leads 2-0

1853 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Abigail Elizabeth NETTE (USA) is the winner at 59kg after she puts up a dominant show against Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ).

1845 hrs: 59kg Round 3 bout between Abigail Elizabeth NETTE (USA) and Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ). Nette with an early takedown. Kayumova tries to get one late in first period but she is not able to. Reversal from Nette and another takedown. 4-0 for her at the break

1838 hrs: Round 3 of 55kg. Ambra CAMPAGNA (ITA) is taking on Jacqueline Del Rocio MOLLOCANA ELENO (ECU). Del Rocio with an early 4-0 lead and then another takedown for 6-0. She is looking for the pin her and will get it after a cradle.

#WrestleRome 53kg Medal Match Results:
?Vinesh VINESH ?? df. Diana WEICKER ??, 4-0
?Samantha STEWART ?? vs. Nandini SALOKHE ??, via inj. def.
— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) March 6, 2021

1832 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) shows some strong defence against Diana WEICKER (CAN) to defend her gold medal at 53kg. Weicker gets hold of the single and is trying for the far leg. Cannot get to it and strong defence to get Vinesh Phogat. 4-0 win for the Indian

1830 hrs: Weicker trying to find that opening against Vinesh Phogat but the Indian is strong in her defence, not letting Weicker take control of her arm. Vinesh Phogat gets deep and a double leg from her. But Weicker this time was ready for it. Reverses it and no points for either wrestler

1827 hrs: Weicker did get to Phogat's legs in the dying seconds of first period but she is unable to score. Phogat will go into the break leading 4-0

1825 hrs: Snap single from Vinesh after being warned for passivity. She completes the takedown and leads 2-0. Then goes double leg and two more for her

1822 hrs: Samantha STEWART (CAN) gets the bronze medal with victory by fall in 2 minutes and 30 seconds against Nandini SALOKHE (IND). Final of 53kg now between Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) and Diana WEICKER (CAN)

1820 hrs: Bronze medal bout at 53kg between Samantha Stewart and Nadini SALOKHE (IND). Stewart is the first to break the deadlock with a takedown and then an exposure to lead 4-0

#WrestleRome 50kg Medal Match Results:
?Victoria ANTHONY ?? df. Miglena SELISHKA ??, 15-10
?Emilia VUC ?? df. Valentina ISLAMOVA ??, via. Inj. def.
— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) March 6, 2021

1818 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Victoria ANTHONY (USA) wins the gold medal at 50kg after beating Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL). An excellent of wrestling for Anthony as she powers her way to the top

1816 hrs: Challenge lost and Selishka will have another point. Anthony is quick to shoot for the legs. Defend by Selishka but as they are getting back on their feet, Anthony uses her typical trip to get a four. She leads 13-10

1814 hrs: A single takedown from Selishka and she brings down the difference to just two points. Anthony still leads 9-7. A trap from the Bulgaria and she gets a exposure over her shoulder. 9-9 for Selishka. Challenge from USA

1810 hrs: Unsure what the challenge was about. Judges seem to say that challenge won but the score remains 9-3. Bulgaria are challenging again. Now they have changed the score to 9-5 Bulgaria

1807 hrs: Anthony is continously looking to attack and she gets a single. Reaches to the far leg and gets the two points. Looking for the pin but the time runs out in the first period. She leads 9-3 at the break. Bulgaria corner challenge the call

1801 hrs: Gold medal bout at 50kg. Victoria ANTHONY (USA) takes on Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL). She starts with a single takedown and two exposures. Georgieva has a reversal. Anthony leads 6-1.

1800 hrs: Bronze medal for Emilia Alina VUC (ROU) after Valentina Ivanovna BRIK ISLAMOVA (KAZ) cannot wrestle due to injury. However, Vuc will not be happy with her performance here as she was the silver medalist last year in Rome

1750 hrs: All the medal bouts will take place on Mat B starting with Valentina Ivanovna BRIK ISLAMOVA (KAZ) taking two-time World and returning silver medalist Emilia Alina VUC (ROU). Check out the match order here

1745 hrs: Welcome back to yet another session of top quality wrestling. The medal bouts in Rome are about to begin in 15 minutes

1305 hrs: That will do for the morning session in Rome! We had some great action and moves but a couple of wrestlers had to pull out injured. We are set for our medal matches in the evneing.

1300 hrs: Anthony Robert NELSON (USA) is the winner on Mat B as he beats Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ) 7-1. A big double from Nelson gave him a 5-0 lead before a takedown made it 7-0. A stepout at the buzzer for Kazak but too little too late.

1300 hrs: Batirmurzaev was leading 1-0 at the break but return to finish a 11-0 win over Sumit after a takedown and 5 guts.

1256 hrs: Round 4 of the 125kg category is the final set of bouts for the morning session. Anthony Robert NELSON (USA) is up against Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ) on Mat B and Asian champion Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) is wrestling SUMIT (IND) on Mat C

1256 hrs: Alireza Mohammad KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) will face Kollin Raymond MOORE (USA) in the 97kg final in Rome. Both wrestlers were dominant in their semifinal wins with the Iranian winning 10-0 while Moore notched up a 9-0 win

1255 hrs: Moore with a exposure and then a duck under to lead 6-0 against Yergali in the semifinal

1255 hrs: Karimimachiani is leading Ciftci 7-0 at the break. In the other semifinal, Moore is leading Yergali 2-0 after a single leg takedown

1250 hrs: Moving on to the 97kg semi-finals. World silver medalist Alireza Mohammad KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) is wrestling Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR). He gets a quick start with step out

1245 hrs: Victoria ANTHONY (USA) with a big double for four points and a technical superiority 10-0 win over two-time World silver medalist Elina Amilia VUC (ROU)

1242 hrs: Semi-final at the 50kg weight category. Victoria ANTHONY (USA) is wrestling Elina Amilia VUC (ROU). Anthony with ankle pick and gut wrench to take a 4-0 lead. She then gets one more to lead 6-0

The winner of other semifinal is Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL) as Valentina Ivanovna BRIK ISLAMOVA (KAZ) is injured

1240 hrs: Diana Mary Helen WEICKER (CAN) is the winner in the semi-final as she completes a takedown in the second period to beat Nandini SALOKHE (IND) 12-2. She will wrestle the defending champion Vinesh PHOGAT (IND)

1235 hrs: Weicker gets going a takedown but Salokhe gets into a scramble which results in a 10-1 score for Weicker. India challenge the call and win it as well. The score is 10-2 for Weicker1230 hrs: A 42-second pin for Vinesh PHOGAT (IND)! Stewart shoots for Phogat's legs but the Indian is quick to defend and counters with a cradle and gets the pin to march into her second consecutive finals at Matteo Pellicone

1225 hrs: We are rolling into the semi-final bout on day three. First up on Mat C is Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) vs Samantha STEWART (CAN) at 53kg. Incidentally, other semi-final at 53kg on Mat B is also and India vs Canada bout. Diana Mary Helen WEICKER (CAN) will take on Nandini Bajirao SALOKHE (IND)

1220 hrs: Karimimachiani was warned for his second passivity but he gets a takedown, gut wrench and another to win the bout at 97kg 6-3

1215 hrs: 92kg World silver medalist Alireza Mohammad KARIMIMACHIANI'S (IRI) much-awaited debut at ranking series event at 97kg on Mat B. He is wrestling Hayden ZILLMER (USA)

1215 hrs: Kollin Raymond MOORE (USA) with a huge win at 97kg and Asian bronze medalist Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) also pulls out a technical superiority win

1207 hrs: U23 World Championships silver medalist Kollin Rayomd MOORE (USA) is wrestling Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR). On Mat C, Vinesh PHOGAT rolls in the semi-final at 53kg as Luisa Elizabeth VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU) pulls out due to injury

1205 hrs: Diana Mary Helen WEICKER (CAN) wins the all-Canadian match-up. She beats Samantha Leigh STEWART (CAN) 9-4 at 53kg

1202 hrs: Victoria ANTHONY (USA) is the winner as Valentina Ivanovna BRIK ISLAMOVA (KAZ) pulls out due to her shoulder injury.

Stewart got a takedown after body lock but Weicker gets a reversal and a gut wrench to lead 7-4

1200 hrs: On Mat C, an all Canadian bout between Samantha Leigh STEWART (CAN) and Diana Mary Helen WEICKER (CAN). They exchange a takedown each before Weicker pulls one just before the break. She will lead 4-2 at the break

Anthony with a sick inside trip and to get a 4 points. She will go into the break with a 4-2 lead

1158 hrs: World bronze medalist Valentina Ivanovna BRIK ISLAMOVA (KAZ) is up against Victoria ANTHONY (USA). Huge match this in the 50kg category. Islamova gets the first takedown and tries to get an exposure but let's out a loud cry in pain. The medical team is checking her. She is ready to wrestle after that break

1150 hrs: Amar DHESI (CAN) is the winner on Mat B as he beats Anthony Robert NELSON (USA) 5-0 at 125kg. Dhesi with some top-level defence and continued action to get the win

1142 hrs: Nelson won the gold in Ottawa last year after Dhesi withdraw citing injury in the final. Nelson finding it difficult to get an opening here in the first period. Dhesi leads 3-0 at the break

1140 hrs: Huge match on Mat B! A repeat of the 2020 Pan Am Championships final at 125kg. Anthony Robert NELSON (USA) and Amar DHESI (CAN) are wrestling their Round 3 bout in Rome. Dhesi is quick to get a pushout and then a takedown to lead 3-0

1135 hrs: A 28 second technical superiority win for World bronze medalist Valentina Ivanovna BRIK ISLAMOVA (KAZ). A takedown and four chest wraps to finish her bout

1130 hrs: Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL) upsets two-time world silver medalist Emilia Alina VUC (ROU) with a stunning 6-1 win at 50kg. Vuc left too much for the second period to cover and her opponent was in total control throughout the bout

1125 hrs: Vuc has been warned for passivity and put on the shot clock. She is trailing 0-4 against Selishka. Makes that 5-0 as Vuc fails to score in the activity period

1122 hrs: Emilia Alina VUC (ROU) is up against European champion Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL). Georgieva is leading 4-0 at the break

1120 hrs: Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) gets her second win of the day as Asian champion Tatyana AMANZHOL AKHMETOVA (KAZ) pulls out by injury default.

1110 hrs: Anthony Robert NELSON (USA) completely broke down Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) to win an entertaining bout 14-4. Nelson with his second win of the day

1103 hrs: European champion Miglena Georgieva (BUL) scores a technical superiority win over MEENAKSHI (IND) in her first round bout at 50kg

1100 hrs: Anthony Robert NELSON (USA) and Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) are involved in a high-action match on Mat B. The US wrestler scored a takedown and two leg laces to lead 8-4. He goes into the break leading 9-4 after a step out point

1047 hrs: World and returning silver medalist starts her day with a complete shutout win over Luisa Elizabeth VALVERDE MELENDRES (BRA) 10-0

1045: Returning champion at 53kg Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) starts her day with huge win via fall against Nandini Bajirao SALOKHE (IND). Sheer dominance from Phogat

World No. 1 Emilia VUC ?? and '20 European champion Miglena SELISHKA ?? will square off in five matches (Bout 185) on Mat C. #WrestleRome https://t.co/zpwxopXS8d
— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) March 6, 2021

1040 hrs: Anthony Robert NELSON (USA) holds on to a 2-0 win against SUMIT (IND). Both points against Sumit for passivity. Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) pulls off a couple of takedowns late to win 4-2 against Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ)

1030 hrs: Sumit is put on shot clock after inactivity. Nelson leads 1-0 at the break. A similar situation on Mat C as Bolton leads 1-0 at the break

1025 hrs: Beginning with SUMIT (IND) taking on Anthony Robert NELSON (USA) on Mat B and Asian champion at 125kg Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) wrestling his teammate Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ) on Mat C

1015 hrs: Day three in Rome. We have some exciting bouts coming up in freestyle. Mat B and Mat C will see all the action for the day

#WrestleZagreb

Ex-Japan champ Shimoyamada trying to put Australia on wrestling map

Friday, September 5, 2025 - 05:49 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (Sept. 3) -- When Tsuchiku SHIMOYAMADA (AUS) decided to relocate from his native Japan to Australia, he wasn't showered with gifts from a grateful federation looking for an established wrestler to give the country a global boost.

He was more interested in golden beaches than bringing his new homeland gold medals.

"I was in Cairns, and I was feeling like, 'I want to move to Australia,'" Shimoyamada said during a trip back to Japan in July for a tournament. "I like this place. It's good for me. The lifestyle is easy."

Four years after announcing his retirement and three years after making the bold move to Land Down Under, the 31-year-old is back in the game, hoping to put a country more known for its swimmers and rugby players onto the world wrestling map.

While a longshot at best, Shimoyamada, a two-time Japan national champion and two-time Asian medalist, will get a chance to become Australia's first-ever world medalist when he takes the mat at Greco 67kg next week in Zagreb.

It will be the third World Championships of his career and first since 2021, when he nearly knocked off the Olympic champion and symbolically left his shoes on the mat after a repechage-round loss as a sign of his retirement. He finished ninth in his only other appearance in 2018.

Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (AUS) had left his shoes on the mat during the 2021 World Championships to mark his retirement. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Martin Gabor)

Success breeds success, and Australian wrestling officials are hoping that Shimoyamada, in addition to helping cultivate a new generation of wrestlers, can produce results that will spark more interest in the sport. Getting through the rounds, even if he falls short of a medal, would have a positive effect, says one official.

"That would be a very good achievement for us," says Aryan Negahdari, president of New South Wales Wrestling Federation, who accompanied him and several wrestlers to Japan. "For many, many years, we haven't a wrestler making it into the semifinals, or even the quarterfinals of the World Championships. Even that itself would be a good achievement."

While Australia has never won a world medal, it may be surprising to learn that the country has actually brought home three Olympic medals -- although it has been nearly eight decades since the most recent one.

Eddie SCARF broke the ice with a bronze medal at freestyle 87kg at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Australia then got two at the 1948 London Games, a silver from Richard GARRARD at freestyle 73kg and a bronze from Joseph ARMSTRONG at freestyle over-87kg. The closest the country has come since then was a fourth place at Freestyle 62kg by Cris BROWN at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

On the world stage, the highest finishes by Australians were fifth places by Jackie BRYDON at women's 50kg in 1993 at Stavern, Norway, and Macedonian-born Lila RISTEVSKA at women's 47kg at Moscow 1995. There have been three men who have placed sixth, all in freestyle, with the most recent being Uzbekistan-born Talgat ILYASOV at 74kg at New York 2003.

Tsuchika SHIMOYAMA (JPN) Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA advances to the semifinals at the All-Japan Non-Student Championships in July with a 52-second win over Kokoro GOTO. (Photo: Koji Fuse / wrestling-spirits.jp)

As a Greco wrestler, Shimoyamada will be trying to beat even longer odds. Up to now, Australia has entered only a total of three wrestlers in Greco, and none have placed higher than 18th.

Following his graduation from Nippon Sports Science University, which also produced Paris Olympic champions Kenichiro FUMITA and Nao KUSAKA as well as Tokyo bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU, Shimoyamada joined the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department team. He stayed on the force after ending his wrestling career, but found it wasn't for him.

"When I was back in Japan, I started working for the police," he says. "To be honest, it was stressful. It was not for me."

A trip to Australia opened his eyes to a place where he could start a new life. At first, he planned to only go into coaching, but a practical reason arose that led him to decide to return to the mat -- it helped him get the visa he needed to live in the country.

"I didn't think about wrestling by myself, I thought I could help as a coach," he says. "But for the visa condition, it's better to keep active."

In 2023, he received a residence visa as a "global talent," and in January 2024, United World Wrestling approved his switch of national affiliation to Australia.

Unfortunately, the approval did not come in time for him to try to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He is still working on gaining citizenship. His need to find a way to make a living proved harder than he expected as he settled in Sydney.

"I'm teaching wrestling, and I'm working as a lifeguard at a swimming pool," he said. "Life is not easy. It's expensive, everything, rent, bills, car."

Shimoyamada's need for gainful employment produced a symbiotic relationship with his hosts, who suddenly found themselves blessed with a world-class competitor to help raise the level of the sport.

"I really think we're super lucky to have him because not only is he a high-level athlete, but he has been helping us a lot as a coach, especially Greco-Roman coach," Negahdari says. "So because of him, we have a lot more athletes doing Greco-Roman, training under Tsuchika."

Shimoyamada's arrival also gave Australia a bonus of sorts -- a connection with an established power in the sport. Through Shimoyamada's ties with his alma mater NSSU, there have been numerous exchanges of wrestlers between the two countries.

Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (AUS) Tsuchika SHIMOYAMA faces Keitaro ONO in his opening match at the All-Japan Non-Student Championships in July. (Photo: Koji Fuse / wrestling-spirits.jp)

In the early summer, Paris Olympic silver medalist Daichi TAKATANI and former women's U23 world champion Yu SAKAMOTO went to Australia to put on clinic. In July, Shimoyamada led a contingent of Australian wrestlers who participated in the All-Japan Non-Student Championships (a second-tier national tournament) before training at NSSU.

"He's also been very good for us to build connections with Japan," Nagahdari says. "We've been coming [to Japan] for four years now, like twice a year, training with the Japanese teams. We've had a lot of Japanese athletes coming over to Australia to do seminars for us, to do training with us...It has been very, very beneficial for us in many different ways."

Shimoyamada entered the Non-Student meet at 72kg to give him the high-level competition he needed as preparation for the World Championships, and which is sorely lacking back in Australia. Aside from the low-level Oceania Championships and tournaments in Australia, it was his first outing since the 2021 World Championships.

He held his own, although he lost in the semifinals to Yamato HAGIWARA before winning his bronze-medal match over Rintaro SOGABE, the younger brother of Paris Olympian Kyotaro SOGABE, a fellow NSSU alum who will be Japan's entry at 67kg and a potential opponent of Shimoyamada in Zagreb.

Shimoyamada made his international debut at the 2016 Asian Championships in Bangkok, placing eighth. He won his first All-Japan title in December 2017, earning a return to the continental meet in 2018 in Bishkek, where he took home the silver medal after losing in the final to Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ).

Just when it looked like he had lost his edge after losing back-to-back All-Japan finals to Shogo TAKAHASHI in 2018 and 2019, Shimoyamada rebounded to claim his second title in 2020 with a victory over rising NSSU star Katsuaki ENDO. After Shimoyamada left the scene, Endo and Kyotaro Sogabe would battle ruthlessly for supremacy at 67kg.

His final year wrestling for Japan may have been his most productive. At the 2021 Asian Championships in Almaty, he avenged his loss to Kebispayev from three years before to capture the elusive gold. He followed that with a victory at the All-Japan Invitational Championships, known as the Meiji Cup, to clinch his ticket to the World Championships in Oslo.

Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (AUS) was dominating Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) in their match at the 2021 World Championships before being pinned. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Martin Gabor)

In the second round, Shimoyamada encountered Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI), one of the few gold medalists from the Tokyo Olympics two months earlier who were entered at the worlds. It would probably be the most impressive loss of his career.

Shimoyamada was dominating the Iranian, scoring with a 4-point arm throw to build up a 6-1 lead. But disaster struck with just over a minute to go. Geraei caught Shimoyamada in a lapse and bear-hugged him backward directly to his back for a shocking victory by fall.

Shimoyamada then lost his repechage match to teenager Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), and the last we saw of him was him walking off the mat, leaving his shoes behind.

Fast forward four years, and Shimoyamada is now competing for himself and his adopted homeland. While he would like to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, age and opportunity might be too big hurdles to get over.

"I think that's a last challenge, for the Olympics, because I'm not young," Shimoyamada said. "If I can make it for Australia, that's good. Everyone will get interested in wrestling. That's what I should do."

Looking long range, Australian officials are hoping to develop talent to make a good showing when the country hosts the Olympics in Brisbane in 2032. They are hoping that Shimoyamada can spark enough interest and help raise the level in time.

"I think we're in the very early stages, compared to international standards," Nagahdari says. "But I think we can definitely see a very huge improvement, like in the last few years. We have a lot more members now, the number of our wrestlers. For example, compared to only three or four years ago, it has doubled. It's growing slowly, but at a good pace.

"It's a very slow progress, because you know that wrestling is super hard. It takes like a decade to build an athlete to that level. And we're really focusing our efforts toward the Brisbane Olympics in 2032."

Shimoyamada is determined to do whatever he can to make it happen.

"It's hard to get a gold medal at the World Championships and the Olympics, to be honest," he says. "If I make the Olympics, the next generation can become interested in getting to the Olympics or World Championships and they will practice hard."

LIVE BLOG: Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series, Day Three

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Ex-Japan champ Shimoyamada trying to put Australia on wrestling map