World Champion Spotlight

Meet Yui Susaki, Japan's 20-Year-Old Six-Time World Champion

Friday, January 4, 2019 - 15:52 By Eric Olanowski

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (January 4) - At just 20 years of age, Yui SUSAKI (JPN) has reached the top of the world stage six times across all age-levels. Her international resume remains unblemished and includes a trio of cadet world titles, a junior world championship and a pair of senior-level world gold medals. 

Susaki’s international debut came at the 2014 Cadet World Championships in Snina, Slovakia, where she went undefeated and claimed the 43kg world title. She ultimately went on to win back-to-back-to-back cadet world titles, claiming the 46kg and 49kg world titles in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Surprisingly, in 2017, the Waseda University freshman (who's studying Sports Science) bypassed the junior-circuit and made her senior-level debut at the “Toughest Wrestling Tournament in the World,” the Ivan Yarygin, where she outscored her five opponents 48-0 and grabbed her first-ever senior-level gold medal. 

Susaki continued her dominance through 2017, winning the Klippan Lady Open and the Asian Championships before heading to Paris, France to make her World Championship debut. In her rookie debut, Susaki went 5-0, finished four of those five matches early with technical superiority victories and outscored her opponents 53-8. 

In 2018, Susaki failed to make Japan’s Asian Games and Asian Championship teams and decided to circle back and compete at the 2018 Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia. The Japanese superstar won her first junior world title and fifth overall world championship with a quartet of 10-0 wins before booking her trip to Budapest, Hungary, to defend her senior-level world title. 

Susaki proved that she belongs in the discussion as one of the most dominant wrestlers across all styles, in all divisions after successfully defending her world title in Budapest. To win back-to-back senior-level world titles, Susaki shutout reigning world finalist Emilia VUC (ROU), world bronze medalist Oksana LIVACH (UKR), and the eight-time world and Olympic medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE). 

After winning her second straight world title, Susaki was forced to withdraw from Japan's Emperor's Cup due to a dislocated elbow suffered at the national team training camp last month. This means that Susaki will have to win the All-Japan Invitational Championships, also known as the Meiji Cup, next spring, then defeat the winner of this tournament (known as the Emperor’s Cup) in a playoff. 

Click here to follow Yui on Instagram! 

#WrestleAthens

Fernandez earns shot at second world U17 title in Athens

Thursday, July 31, 2025 - 14:51 By Vinay Siwach

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ATHENS, Greece (July 31) -- Returning world champion Tania FERNANDEZ (USA) earned herself a shot to win second title in a row after making the 61kg final in Athens, Greece.

Fernandez was one of the two United States wrestlers who reached the Women's Wrestling finals on Thursday in the Greek capital.

The two semifinal wins were after two semifinal losses but Fernandez and Epenesa ELISON (USA) kept the U.S. in the race for team title, making the final at 53kg and 61kg respectively.

Elison, who dominated her way to semifinals, was no different there as well. She caught Farida ABDRAKHMANOVA (KAZ) in a lace and led 6-0. She then scored two takedowns and won 10-0.

Jiaqing JIANG (CHN) scored a late takedown to beat Rion OGAWA (JPN), 4-4, and book a place in the final against Elison.

Fernandez went one step better and pinned Miranda KAPANADZE (GEO) using an arm-bar and returned to the finals. She will take on YASHITA (IND) in the final after the Indian blanked Barbara BAGER (HUN), 5-0.

Uzbekistan had its second Women's Wrestling finalist in Athens as Asian U17 champion Shokhista SHONAZAROVA (UZB) blanked Maisei ELLIOTT (USA), 9-0 in the semifinals.

She will face An NAKANISHI (JPN) for the gold medal after the Japanese defeated Asema ASANGARYEVA (KGZ) 11-0 in the other semifinal, in typical Japanese style using a leg lace.

Japan got one more finalist, at 46kg, after Hanano OYA (JPN) denied returning bronze medalist Jaclyn BOUZAKIS (USA), 6-4, in the semifinals. Bouzakis was not able to cover the 6-0 lead Oya had built in the first period.

Oya will now face Janka SILLEI (HUN) in the gold-medal bout on Friday. Sillei dashed hopes of the hosts Greece by beating silver medalist Maria GKIKA (GRE), 10-4 which was eventually called a pin.

European U17 champion Ayla SAHIN (GER) held off Linda MARTINEZ (MEX), 6-0, in the semifinals at 69kg to earn a shot at the world title against Min ZHAO (CHN) who came from behind to beat MANISHA (IND) 6-4.

RESULTS

40kg
GOLD: Shokhista SHONAZAROVA (UZB) vs. An NAKANISHI (JPN)

SF 1: Shokhista SHONAZAROVA (UZB) df. Maisie ELLIOTT (USA), 9-0
SF 2: An NAKANISHI (JPN) df. Asema ASANGARYEVA (KGZ), 11-0

46kg
GOLD: Janka SILLEI (HUN) vs. Hanano OYA (JPN)

SF 1: Janka SILLEI (HUN) df. Maria GKIKA (GRE), via fall (10-4)
SF 2: Hanano OYA (JPN) df. Jaclyn BOUZAKIS (USA), 6-4

53kg
GOLD: Epenesa ELISON (USA) vs. Jiaqing JIANG (CHN)

SF 1: Epenesa ELISON (USA) df. Farida ABDRAKHMANOVA (KAZ), 10-0
SF 2: Jiaqing JIANG (CHN) df. Rion OGAWA (JPN), 4-4

61kg
GOLD: Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) vs. YASHITA (IND)

SF 1: Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) df. Miranda KAPANADZE (GEO), via fall
SF 2: YASHITA (IND) df. Barbara BAGER (HUN), 5-0

69kg
GOLD: Ayla SAHIN (GER) vs. Min ZHAO (CHN)

SF 1: Ayla SAHIN (GER) df. Linda MARTINEZ (MEX), 6-0
SF 2: Min ZHAO (CHN) df. MANISHA (IND), 6-4