Ozaki, Elor win third world title in two months

Saturday, October 22, 2022 - 00:09 By Vinay Siwach

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 21) -- Since the U23 World Championships were introduced in 2017, there were only two wrestlers to win all four world titles till Thursday.

In the space of two days, three more have been added to the group which only had Haruna OKUNO (JPN) and Masako FURUICHI (JPN).

After Yui SUSAKI (JPN) won the 'Grand Slam' on Thursday, Nonoko OZAKI (JPN) and Amit ELOR (USA) won their first U23 world titles to complete the haul.

Both Ozaki and Elor have won three world titles in the last two months with the first coming at the U20 Worlds in Sofia. They won the senior gold in Belgrade last month before winning the U23 gold on Friday in Pontevedra, Spain.

As women's wrestling ended at the U23 World Championships, Japan won the team title with 225 points with the USA finishing second with 107 points. Ukraine was third also with 107 points but fell behind the USA as the latter had a gold medalist [Elor] while Ukraine did not.

Apart from Ozaki and Elor, senior world champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) won the 62kg gold, former senior and U23 world champion Haruna OKUNO (JPN) won the 53kg gold and Sae NANJO (JPN) won the 57kg gold.

Amit ELOR (USA) won the 72kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

While Ozaki and Elor have been very similar in their way of winning the gold at the World Championships, both reflect on their achievements differently.

Ozaki, who has lost only once since her 2018 Inter High School Championships semifinals against Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN), feels that the world titles mean little unless she wins the Olympics.

"I don't really have an actual feeling that I am number one in the world," Ozaki said. "Becoming number one was the goal, but since winning the [senior world] championship, nothing has changed for me. For this tournament, I never thought about my being the world champion. Also, it was my first tournament at U23. I just felt it was a regular international tournament. I didn't feel any pressure."

Ozaki, just 19 years old, spent four minutes and 54 seconds in her four bouts in Pontevedra to win the gold at 62kg. In the final, she defeated Iryna BONDAR (UKR) using the leg lace. She led 8-0 after 37 seconds but dropped the pace of the bout after that and won the final in two minutes and 13 seconds.

In the semifinal, she defeated returning champion Ana GODINEZ (CAN) via technical superiority.

"My style is to finish it [match] off with a single action," she said. "If it doesn't end there, I go to a counterattack. That happened in the semifinal. It wasn't bad to not finish it off all at once, and overall it was a good match."

Despite a 41-0 result in Pontevedra, Ozaki thinks that there are a lot of areas in which she can improve.

"From a mental point of view, the way I dealt with the matches was really good," Ozaki said. "I was in several tournaments over the past year and there were good things and bad things from a mental aspect. Each match was different, and I had to think about how I can ensure my best performance and what should I think about before the match. Over this year, I feel I found a good way to do that. I think this will be useful from now."

For 18-year-old Elor, the tournament was another learning experience as keeps improving with every gold medal.

"With each world championship I've gone a little bit better," Elor said. "Even this summer, each time I wrestled I gained experience and I felt stronger, mentally and physically."

The USA wrestler was up against Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) in the 72kg finals and won 11-0 in four minutes and 12 seconds. She also defeated returning silver medalist Kendra DACHER (FRA) 13-2 in the quarterfinals.

"I can't believe this summer," she said. "This has been the best summer of my life. [At the start of the year] I would not believe that [winning 3 world titles]. I was injured. I had surgery in January this year. It's unbelieve. That [senior world] medal means the world so far and was an amazing experience for me."

With a lot accomplished, a lot remains for the two. Ozaki and Elor want to be Olympic champions and as the next season approaches, both will have to go through a grinding qualification process.

Ozaki will have to win the Emperor's Cup in December this year before the Meiji Cup in June next year to qualify for the 2023 World Championships which offers 2024 Olympic quotas. A medal there will seal the berth for Ozaki.

"I prepared for this [U23] tournament, but my number one objective is the Olympics," Ozaki said. "I went into this [U23] tournament regarding it as the last one to get ready for the Emperor's Cup. At this tournament, a number of new issues to be addressed came up. I want to use that in my final preparations."

Ozaki's win-loss record reads 60-1 dating back to 2018 with that one loss coming at the 2021 World Championships against Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), her first against a non-Japanese opponent in 11 career international tournaments.

Riding on a 26-0 winning streak, Ozaki will be the favorite at the Emperor's Cup especially since she beat Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI (JPN) at the Meiji Cup in June this year to qualify for the 2022 World Championships.

However, Ozaki does not think much of that win.

"I don't think it [win over Kawai] gives me confidence," she said. "More than that, I learned a lot about myself."

Elor will have to first decide which Olympic weight class -- 68kg or 76kg -- she wants to move before attending the Olympic trials for the USA if the country wins the quota for the Paris Olympics.

But she is taking one step at a time and not thinking too much ahead.

"I really want to grow and learn more techniques and work on new tactics," she said. "I want to see my body feels at training. For now, I will rest for a while. I am excited for the World Cup this summer."

Three other Japanese wrestlers won gold with Morikawa adding a U23 world gold to her U20 and senior world titles. She also has two U17 silver medals. In the final, Morikawa defeated Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE) 10-0 and won the gold to join her Japanese teammates as the world champion. But like Elor, Morikawa has to quickly make a decision to switch to an Olympic weight class as the Emperor's Cup approaches in two months.

At 57kg, Nanjo added to her 2019 U23 world gold after beating Patrycja GIL (POL) 13-1 in the final. In the quarterfinals, Nanjo defeated senior world bronze medalist and returning champion Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) 10-0.

But Okuno, the first wrestler to win all world titles, won her third U23 world title with another dominant performance. She defeated defending champion Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) 10-0 in the 53kg final.

Okuno was a late replacement for Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) who pulled out due to cellulitis in her knee. Fujinami had to skip the senior World Championships as well due to injury.

The 18-year-old will try to be ready for the Emperor's Cup. Okuno will be one of her competitors along with Olympic champion Mayu SHIDOCHI (JPN).

RESULTS

53kg
GOLD: Haruna OKUNO (JPN) df. Lucia YEPEZ (ECU), 10-0

BRONZE: Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) df. Felicity TAYLOR (USA), 3-3
BRONZE: Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) df. Meng HSIEH (TPE), 7-0

57kg
GOLD: Sae NANJO (JPN) df. Patrycja GIL (POL), 13-1

BRONZE: Alexandra HEDRICK (USA) df. Laura ALMAGANBETOVA (KAZ), 13-2
BRONZE: Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) df. Siwar BOUSETA (TUN), via fall (9-2)

62kg
GOLD: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. Iryna BONDAR (UKR), 11-0

BRONZE: Astrid MONTERO (VEN) df. Ameline DOUARRE (FRA), 3-1
BRONZE: Ana GODINEZ (CAN) df. Paulina DANISZ (POL), 11-0

65kg
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE), 10-0

BRONZE: Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR) df. Asli DEMIR (TUR), via fall
BRONZE: Elena ESPOSITO (ITA) df. Dariga ABEN (KAZ), 5-5

72kg
GOLD: Amit ELOR (USA) df. Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL), 11-0

BRONZE: Sumire NIIKURA (JPN) df. Iryna ZABLOTSKA (UKR), 8-1
BRONZE: Kendra DACHER (FRA) df. Maria NITU (ROU), 12-2

Freestyle

57kg
GOLD: Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) vs. AMAN (IND)

SF 1: Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) df. Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO), 10-0
SF 2: AMAN (IND) df. Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ), 10-4

65kg
GOLD: Hamza ALACA (TUR) vs. Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Hamza ALACA (TUR) df. Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR), 14-8
SF 2: Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) df. Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ), 7-6

70kg
GOLD: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) vs. Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO)

SF 1: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) df. Yahya THOMAS (USA), 4-2
SF 2: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) df. Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ), 10-0

79kg
GOLD: Daulet YERGESH (KAZ) vs. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)

SF 1: Daulet YERGESH (KAZ) df. Carter STAROCCI (USA), 8-7
SF 2: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), 9-6

97kg
GOLD: Tanner SLOAN (USA) vs. Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)

SF 1: Tanner SLOAN (USA) df. Islam ILYASOV (AZE), 10-2
SF 2: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) df. Ertugrul AGCA (GER), 8-0

#WrestleAstana

Makhmudov breaks Iranian gold monopoly on Asian C'ships opening day

Sunday, April 9, 2023 - 16:27 By Ken Marantz

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (April 9) -- World champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) prevented an Iranian sweep of the gold medals on the opening day of the Asian Championships on Sunday, retaining his Greco-Roman 77kg title when his Iranian opponent was forced to default before the final due to injury.

Makhmudov was awarded the gold without a fight against Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI), but it could be said the Iranian would have been hard-pressed to defeat Makhmudov even if he had been in the best of shape.

Makhmudov, who became Kyrgyzstan's first-ever male world champion last year in Belgrade, had stormed into the final with a pair of first-period technical falls. The forfeit gave him a second straight Asian title and third overall.

"I would like to say that this is one of the luckiest tournaments for me," Makhmudov said. "Unfortunately, I couldn’t wrestle against the best ones, I could not wrestle the Korean guy, I thought I would wrestle him in the semifinals," he added, referring to five-time former Asian champion and two-time Olympic medalist Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR), who lost in the quarterfinals to Kodai SAKURABA (JPN). Makhmudov handily defeated Sakuraba in the semis.

"Also, I thought I would be able to wrestle my good friend from Iran, but unfortunately he got injured," Makhmudov said. "I wish him a sooner recovery and a quick comeback on the mat."

Kaviyaninejad, the only unseeded Iranian in action on the first day, suffered a twisted left knee during a tough 1-1 quarterfinal win over Rui LIU (CHN). He had it strapped for his semifinal victory over Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), but felt unable to perform in the final. He now has a silver to go with the Asian gold he won at 72kg in 2020 and a bronze medal won in 2021.

Otherwise, it was as good a day as it gets for Iran at the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace. The Middle East powerhouse swept the four other gold medals at stake with victories by Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) at 55kg, Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) at 63kg, Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) at 87kg and Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) at 130kg. For Alizadeh, it was his third straight title.

Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) won his third Asian Championships title. (Photo: UWW / Assem Shalgumbayeva)

Makhmudov, who will turn 24 on Saturday, stole the spotlight at the 2018 Asian Championships in Bishkek in his native country when he won the 72kg gold at age 18. A serious knee injury soon after that required surgery and a long rehab, which kept him out of action for over two years.

But he made up for the lost time by winning the silver medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, then made his historic run to the world gold last year. He underwent knee surgery after that but opened this year with a victory at the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov tournament in Sofia in early March.

"After the World Championships in Serbia, I had surgery on my knee, recovered and got back to training," he said. "This is a very important year for me, this is the qualifying World Championships [for the 2024 Paris Olympics], and I would like to be there in my best form. I would like to qualify for the Olympics as soon as possible, and spend the rest of the time preparing for the Olympics."

Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) completed his three wins, including the final, with a 9-0 scoreline. (Photo: UWW / Assem Shalgumbayeva)

The most dominant wrestler of the day was Mohammadi, as he won all three of his matches at 63kg by 9-0 technical falls, finishing up with a victory by that scoreline over Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB).

The top-seeded Mohammadi, who completed a world U23 and U20 double last year, scored two takedowns and two stepouts to take a 6-0 lead after the first period. Put in par terre in the second period, he finished the match at 4:09 with a lift and roll.

Mohammadi's victory was a virtual repeat of his 10-0 win over Sharibjanov in a bronze-medal match at the Ranking Series Zagreb Open in early February.

Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) defended his 87kg Asian title in Astana. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Alizadeh was also facing a familiar opponent, and had a similar result, putting away former Asian champion Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) with an 8-0 technical fall 33 seconds into the second period.

Alizadeh used a throw from par terre to take a 3-0 lead, then got three consecutive stepouts to go up 6-0 at the break. The Iranian quickly finished the match in the second period with two more stepouts, the second coming when he slipped out of a headlock throw attempt.

It marks the third year in a row that Alizadeh has defeated Tursynov at the Asian Championships, having beaten him 3-0 in the semifinals last year and by fall in the quarterfinals in 2021.

Tursynov pulled a surprise by knocking off world 82kg silver medalist Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) in the quarterfinals, coming back from five points down to win 11-5.

For the 32-year-old Tursynov, the silver is his first Asian medal in eight years -- he won the silver in 2015, the year after winning his lone gold.

Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) is now unbeaten in four international tournaments since September 2022. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Dad Marz, coming off a victory at the Zagreb Open, got the Iranian gold rush started by taking the 55kg title with a 3-1 win over a scrappy RUPIN (IND), who knocked off 2022 silver medalist and top seed Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) in the quarterfinals.

"Two years ago in the Kazakhstan Asian Championships, I won a bronze medal and now I changed that medal to gold," Dad Marz said. "I hope to represent Iran in the next World Championships and win a gold medal there."

In the final, both wrestlers received a passivity point, but neither could turn the other in par terre. Rupin's came in the second period, putting him ahead on criteria when he was called for passivity and again put on the bottom. As Dad Marz was working for a front headlock, the Indian was assessed a 2-point penalty for locking the Iranian's arm.

"The Indian wrestler was a tough rival and he defeated Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in the previous rounds," Dad Marz said.

The 23-year-old Dad Marz is on an upward trajectory, having won the 2017 world junior gold, a senior Asian bronze in 2021, the world U23 gold last year and the Zagreb Open this year.

"During the last months, I won gold medals in Spain and Zagreb tournaments as well as at the Baku World Cup with the Iran team," he said. "I hope to continue these titles and compensate for my loss last year [at the senior worlds] in Belgrade with the best medal at the 2023 World Championships."

World silver medalist Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) won his second Asian title and first since 2020. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Capping the gold rush was world silver medalist Mirzazadeh, who received a passivity point in each period to defeat Lingzhe MENG (CHN) 2-0 in the 130kg final to wrap up the day's action and add to the Asian gold he won in 2020.

"It's my second gold in the Asian Championships after the first appearance in 2020 in New Delhi and I am glad about that," Mirzazadeh said. "It was also my first competition after the Belgrade World Championships and I had a good performance in the new year.

"It's five months until the 2023 World Championships and I should prepare myself better to change the 2022 silver medal to gold."

Meng, a bronze medalist at the Zagreb Open, made it to the final with a victory by cautions over defending champion Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ). Syzdykov, who led 5-0 early on, became visibly winded in the second period and three times sheepishly gave up a stepout, after which he received a caution. Meng was leading 11-3 when the bout ended.

Hosts pick up 3 bronzes

In addition to Tursynov's silver medal, host Kazakhstan came away with three bronze medals from Bekbolatov at 55kg, Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ) at 63kg and Syzdykov, who mustered the energy to win his third-place match at 130kg.

Bekbolatov needed just 1:38 to notch a 9-0 technical fall over Haifeng ZHANG (CHN), while Mamurbek took only slightly less time (1:28) to beat Chiezo MARUYAMA (JPN) by the same score.

Syzdykov defeated Minseok KIM (KOR) 5-3 in a rematch of last year's gold-medal showdown in Mongolia that the Kazakh won by fall.

Neighboring Uzbekistan was one of two countries with two bronze-medal winners, as Zagreb Open silver medalist Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) rolled over Taiga ONISHI (JPN) with a 9-0 technical fall in 3:23 at 55kg, and Berdimuratov edged Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) 2-2 at 87kg.

Maruyama and Onishi -- both world U20 bronze medalists -- were among four Japanese wrestlers in bronze-medal matches, but only Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) made it to the medal podium, which he did for the second straight year at 77kg.

Sakuraba, a 2019 world U23 silver medalist, overwhelmed Jeyhun OVEZDURDYYEV (TKM) by a 9-0 technical fall in 1:38 as he tries to solidify his place in the weight class that Shohei YABIKU (JPN) won a bronze medal in at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Ovezdurdyyev fell short in his bid to become Turkmenistan's fourth-ever Asian medalist in Greco-Roman and first since 2018.

Masato SUMI (JPN), who gave Alizadeh a tough fight in a 1-1 loss in the 87kg quarterfinals, failed to follow that up and lost 4-1 to Sunil KUMAR (IND), who earned his second straight bronze medal.

India also won two bronze medals, as NEERAJ (IND) preceded Kumar's win by beating Jinseub SONG (KOR) 5-2 at 63kg.

The other bronze at 77kg went to unheralded Rui LIU (CHN), who scored a takedown and gut wrench in the first 15 seconds and held on for a 5-2 win over Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), which denied him a fifth senior Asian medal.

Roman KIM (KGZ) won his second straight Asian bronze and third overall at 130kg with a 10-1 technical fall in 4:06 over world U20 bronze medalist Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB).

Day 1 Results

Greco-Roman

55kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. RUPIN (IND), 3-1

BRONZE: Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) df. Haifeng ZHANG (CHN) by TF, 9-0 (1:38)
BRONZE: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) df. Taiga ONISHI (JPN) by TF, 9-0 (3:23)

Semifinal: RUPIN (IND) df. Haifeng ZHANG (CHN), 3-1
Semifinal: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), 8-1

63kg (9 entries)
GOLD: Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB) by TF, 9-0 (4:09)

BRONZE: NEERAJ (IND) df. Jinseub SONG (KOR), 5-2
BRONZE: Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ) df. Chiezo MARUYAMA (JPN) by TF, 9-0 (1:28)

Semifinal: Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Jinseub SONG (KOR) by TF, 9-0 (5:03)
Semifinal: Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB) df. Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ) by Fall, 4:41 (6-5)

77kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) by Inj. Def.

BRONZE: Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) df. Jeyhun OVEZDURDYYEV (TKM) by TF, 9-0 (1:38)
BRONZE: Rui LIU (CHN) df. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 5-2

Semifinal: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) by TF, 9-1 (2:41)
Semifinal: Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) df. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 3-1

87kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) df. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) by TF, 8-0

BRONZE: Sunil KUMAR (IND) df. Masato SUMI (JPN), 4-1
BRONZE: Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) df. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ), 2-2

Semifinal: Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) df. Sunil KUMAR (IND), 7-2
Semifinal: Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) df. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) by TF, 12-0 (1:43)

130kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Lingzhe MENG (CHN), 2-0

BRONZE: Roman KIM (KGZ) df. Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) by TF, 10-1, 4:06
BRONZE: Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) df. Minseok KIM (KOR) 5-3

Semifinal: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) by TF, 9-0 (2:34)
Semifinal: Lingzhe MENG (CHN) df. Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) by Cautions, 4:30 (11-3)

Ozaki, Elor win third world title in two months

Comments

Makhmudov breaks Iranian gold monopoly on Asian C'ships opening day