Japan Wrestling

Rin-se, Repeat: Unheralded Miyaji Downs Matsuyuki Twice for 68kg Title, Ticket to Worlds

Saturday, May 29, 2021 - 17:10 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO (May 29) --- After coming up short at 62kg, Rin MIYAJI decided she needed to go back to the drawing board and restructure her training to up her game. She also moved all the way up to 68kg, and it paid off.

The unheralded Miyaji pulled off one of the surprises of the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships on Saturday, defeating world junior champion Naruha MATSUYUKI for the women's 68kg title, then beating her again for a place on Japan's team to this year's World Championships.

"First of all, I'm relieved," the 20-year-old Miyaji said.  "It's the first time to make a final and win at an All-Japan, so I'm really happy."

In the gold-medal match, Miyaji trailed early in the second period before storming to an 8-2 victory over Matsuyuki. The two then returned to the mat about an hour later for a playoff for the world team spot, and Miyaji was never in danger as she handily won 7-2.

"In the final, no matter how matter points I gave up, I kept imagining my hand being raised in the end," Miyaji said. "And in the end I won, so it was alright."

Miyaji had finished third at 62kg in December at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships, where Matsuyuki won the 68kg gold. That tournament and the Meiji Cup serve as domestic qualifiers for the World Championships to be held in October in Oslo, with a playoff to decide the entry in weight classes in which the titlists are different.

None of the 12 wrestlers who have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, including Risako KAWAI and Kenichiro FUMITA, entered the tournament at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym, opening the door for others to fill the places in Oslo.

That was the case for Miyaji, who knew that changing weight classes for the Meiji Cup doubled the difficultly of the task facing her. But she had a plan and it entailed being as well prepared as possible by changing her training regimen.

"I'm not the dextrous type and my movement is not very accomplished, so for this tournament, I changed everything in the basics of my training, and today this was the result," Miyaji said.

Asked to be more specific, she replied, "My defense against tackles has always been a problem. To overcome that, I practiced defensive wrestling every day. Also, I am underweight, so I've been working on filling out my body. I believe that I have gotten stronger physically."

Chikara TANABE, the head coach at Nippon Sports Science University and a former Olympic medalist, said the loss at the Emperor's Cup spurred the change in direction. It also helped that one of the coaches at the university is four-time Olympic gold medalist Kaori ICHO.

"She's the type who always goes all out in practice," Tanabe said. "This time, she cut back on running and worked on building strength.

"She worked all the time with Icho, and under her she sharpened her style. Her best point is that she never stops moving. I think her style will be effective in facing the world, no matter who the opponent is."

Miyaji said working with Icho has really made a difference.

"On days off, Kaori or one of my friends will practice with me" Miyaji said. "That extra practice paid off, and it gave me confidence. I really appreciate it."

Miyaji had come into the tournament with a relatively thin international resume among Japanese women, who are the dominant force globally. An Asian cadet champion in 2017, she finished second at both the 2019 Asian juniors and the 2020 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, both at 68kg.

But the prospect of a first-ever appearance at a senior World Championships hardly intimidates her.

"I will be appearing in my first World Championships, but it's not enough just to take part," she said. "I will give again everything in practice starting today to be able to come home with the gold medal."

For a Japanese woman to move to a different weight class, particularly an Olympic one, also means encountering new but equally strong rivals. In Miyaji's case, that could mean eventually battling NSSU teammate Miwa MORIKAWA, who won the 65kg title here and will accompany her on the plane to Oslo.

"Having such a strong rival so close by really motivates me," Miyaji said. "For example, whether it's running or lifting weights, I don't want to lose. I will do what it takes to get to the Paris Olympics."

Ayana GEMPEI defeated Rin TERAMOTO in their opening-round meeting. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation)

Gempei returns from injury with 3rd-place finish
Miyaji's title run overshadowed the return from a lengthy injury absence of Ayana GEMPEI, a 2018 world bronze medalist at 65kg and a two-time world U-23 champion.

Gempei, wrestling pain-free for the first time in 2 1/2 years, saw her bid for a first Meiji Cup crown and possible return to the World Championships end with a dramatic loss to Matsuyuki in the semifinals.

Gempei took a 2-2 lead on criteria with a stepout late in the match, only to have Matsuyuki, a junior teammate during her days at Shigakkan University, hit a 4-point move in the closing seconds for a 6-2 win.

"I'm still far from my ideal wrestling," Gempei said. "I still need to make my movement sharper so I can take the gold the next time."

The sky seemed to be the limit when Gempei won her first Emperor's Cup title in 2017, then defeated longtime rival Ayaka ITO in a playoff for the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, where she took home a bronze medal after suffering a nail-biting 6-6 loss to Petra OLLI (FIN) in the semifinals.

A month later, she picked up her second world U-23 title in Bucharest. But two weeks before that year's Emperor's Cup in December, tragedy struck when she snapped three ligaments in her right knee during practice.

She opted to forego surgery, having been advised that with three ligaments the chances of recurrence were high, and made a long, slow recovery. She attempted a comeback at the 2019 Meiji Cup, as it was serving as an Olympic qualifier, but she was nowhere near her old self and lost in the first round. That would be her last match before Saturday.

"I entered the tournament even though the injury had not healed, and I lost bad," Gempei said. "I didn't qualify for the All-Japan, then with coronavirus, there were no tournaments. I finally got to appear here. Right now I'm back to normal."

Having finished graduate school at Shigakkan, Gempei, who will turn 25 on Tuesday, started a sponsorship deal in April with technology and energy company Aisin that allows her to train full-time.

"A big company took me in and I feel a great sense of responsibility," Gempei said. "And then I lost. They give me a lot of support and I feel I have to win for them."

In the other women's title decided Saturday, Tsugumi SAKURAI repeated her victory from the Emperor's Cup, this time beating 2018 world junior champion Umi IMAI 4-2 in the final by scoring a takedown in each period.

Sakurai, the 2020 Klippan Lady Open champion where she beat veteran Sofia MATTSON (SWE) in the final, has set her sites firmly on winning the gold in Oslo and bringing more glory to her young university.

Her victory at last December's Emperor's Cup made Sakurai the first-ever national champion from Ikuei University, which was founded in 2018 and is aiming to challenge the women's collegiate powerhouses of Shigakkan and NSSU.

Kaiki YAMAGUCHI took down Kei YONEZAWA, 6-2, to earn his spot in Oslo at 65kg. (Photo: Japan Wrestling Federation)

Junior champs Yamaguchi, Abe nab tickets to Oslo
In freestyle action, Kaiki YAMAGUCHI and Toshiya ABE, who won world junior gold medals together in 2019, both earned chances to repeat their success on the senior level.

Yamaguchi, the Emperor's Cup champion at 65kg, scored all of his points in the second period to defeat Kei YONEZAWA 6-2 in the final and clinch his ticket to Oslo.

"It got a little dicey in the beginning, but I managed to turn it around," Yamaguchi said. "At this point, I don't think I am competitive on a global level, so I need to improve both physically and technically."

Yamaguchi, who won the world junior title at 61kg in Tallin, will be making his second trip to the senior worlds. In 2019, he lost 3-2 in the qualification round to Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL).

Moving up to the Olympic weight of 65kg, he knows he will have to contend with former world champion Takuto OTOGURO, one of the Olympic-bound wrestlers who skipped this tournament.

"For now, I plan to stay at 65kg," Yamaguchi said. "If I can't beat Takuto Otoguro, I can't win a world medal, so I will aim to beat him."

Abe captured the 57kg gold with a 3-1 victory in the final over Yudai FUJITA, a 2019 Asian bronze medalist at 61kg, to earn his first trip to the senior worlds in the absence of Emperor's Cup champion Yuki TAKAHASHI.

"This is the first time to make the podium at an All-Japan tournament, so everything is the first for me," said Abe, a student at Kokushikan University. "I had thought about the World Championships, but first I had to focus on winning each and every match."

Abe overcame a scare in the semifinals, when he needed a decisive stepout with :03 left to defeat Yuto TAKESHITA, a bronze medalist at this year's Asian Championships. An unsuccessful challenge gave Abe a 3-2 win.

Takahashi, a former world champion, did not enter the Meiji Cup after he secured an Olympic place for Japan at the final world qualifying tournament in April. He will instead by preparing for a playoff for the Olympic spot with Rio Olympic silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI, to be held June 12.

There was one other world team playoff on Saturday, and it was won by Emperor's Cup champion Ryuki YOSHIDA, who denied Yudai TAKAHASHI a second straight trip to the senior worlds with a dramatic 3-2 victory.

Yoshida's bid to win the world place outright went off the rails at the first stage, as he was dealt a stunning loss by fall in the quarterfinals by Yuta ABE. Yoshida had led 6-0, only to see Abe storm back with 10 straight points before ending the match with :29 left.

Takahashi, who was still a high schooler when he competed at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, crushed Abe in the final with a 10-0 technical fall to set up the playoff with Yoshida, a first-round loser at this year's Asian Championships.

Takahashi scored with a stepout and an activity clock point in the first period, and the gap was closed to one when Yoshida gained an activity point in the second. With the clock ticking down, Yoshida scored a stepout off a single leg with :04 left to take the lead on criteria. An unsuccessful challenge added the final point.

Asian bronze medalist Ayata SUZUKI captured the Greco-Roman 60kg title, giving him the ticket to Oslo because world champion Fumita, who won the Emperor's Cup title, was not entered.

#WrestleZagreb

Komarov upends Mohamadi to make history, spoil Iran celebrations

Sunday, September 21, 2025 - 20:47 By Ken Marantz

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 21) -- Olympic silver medalist Alireza MOHAMADI (IRI) was set to put the cherry on top of Iran's dominant performance in Zagreb, but Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) had a recipe for disaster.

Komarov pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory in the 87kg final that left Mohamadi inconsolable, while earning himself a unique place in wrestling history as the curtain came down on the World Championships on Sunday with the last three Greco titles decided.

"I’m very happy," Komarov said. "The final was really tough, and I believed I could succeed. In the end I managed it, and I’m very glad about that."

In other finals, teenager Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) gave Uzbekistan just its second world Greco title -- more than two decades after the first -- with a victory at 63kg, while Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) triumphed at 67kg to become the Iran's second Olympic champion in two nights to add the senior world gold.

Iran easily won the team title with 180 points, nearly twice as much as the runner-up, to complete the freestyle-Greco double for the first time. The Asian powerhouse finished with four golds and eight medals overall in Greco. Azerbaijan placed second with 89 points, followed by Uzbekistan with 72. Both nations had one champion.

With his triumph in Zagreb, the Russian-born Komarov became the first male wrestler to complete the "Grand Slam" of world titles -- winning all three age-group titles as well as the senior gold.

Komarov, who began competing for Serbia in 2024, previously won the first of two cadet (U17) titles in 2015, the world junior (U20) in 2017 and 2018, then added the world U23 in 2021.

A handful of women, including Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Amit ELOR (USA), have achieved the slam. Up to now, three males have come close but had a silver at either the U17 or U20 levels -- Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) in freestyle and Leri ABULADZE (GEO) in Greco.

"I’ve collected the whole set of medals," said Komarov, who has also completed the Grand Slam on a European level. "My coach, my journey -- everything I did was right. I have success, so I’m very happy. My goal and my dream are the Olympic Games. I think about it. It’s too early to talk about that now, but I hope everything works out."

Even with his past glory, not everything had worked out for Komarov in his run-up to Zagreb. In fact, it was less than spectacular.

Eighth at the Paris Olympics, this year the 26-year-old relinquished the European title he had won in 2024, having to settle for a bronze, and placed fifth at all three Ranking Series events he entered, in Zagreb, Tirana and Budapest.

In fact, it was in Tirana that he clashed with Mohamadi, who handed him a 5-1 defeat in the semifinals en route to the gold.

"It was a very hard road to get here -- it’s been a very difficult year and I lost all the ranking series. I lost at the Europeans," Komarov said. "Of course I had doubts in myself, but I believed I could do it and I succeeded. I’m always mentally ready -- I didn’t change anything, just worked a lot and tried to wrestle without mistakes and give my best."

But Komarov made all the right moves in Zagreb to beat Mohamadi, who reluctantly settled for his second world silver, adding to one at 82kg in 2023.

The difference came down to what each wrestler did from par terre. Mohamadi, who won the Tirana Ranking Series title, could only manage a stepout on a throw
attempt. Komarov, on the other hand, got the traditional roll, which put him up 3-2 in the second period.

The key moment of the match came in the final minute, when Mohamadi pressed forward in a tackle position and had Komarov backpedaling out of the ring.

But the stepout -- nor a potential fleeing point -- was not awarded when it was determined on a lost Iranian challenge that Mohamadi's hands had dropped below Komarov's waist, which made it 4-2.

Mohamadi needed a takedown to win, but could only manage a late stepout. At the final whistle, he dropped to the mat in total despair, and had be propped up as he
walked dejectedly from the main floor.

Meanwhile, Komarov's celebrations took a odd twist when it was discovered there was no Serbian flag for him to hoist for his victory lap. Instead, he circled the mat on the shoulders of his coaches.

"Nobody believed I would win," Komarov said with a smile. "Many Serbians came to support me, but nobody brought a flag."

While Komarov chose to relocate his life to Serbia and has a Serbian wife, his family remains in Russia. His younger brother, Ilya KOMAROV (UWW), won a bronze medal at the U20 World Championships in August.

At 63kg, Khalmakhanov's victory on the senior stage came just over a month after winning the gold at the World U20 Championships in Samokov, Bulgaria.

Khalmakhanov, who also won the senior Asian title in March, looked like a seasoned veteran in the final against Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), dominating in a 6-0
victory.

Khalmakhanov wasn't able to turn in par terre in the first period, but added a stepout to take a 2-0 lead at the break. In the second, he shrugged Chung down for a takedown, then added another stepout while attempting a throw.

The Korean side challenged the original takedown, but it was denied, giving Khalmakanov a 6-0 lead that he defended to the end. 

Perhaps the only person more ecstatic over Khalmakanov's victory was his coach, the indefatigable Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB), who finally retired at age 40 after the Paris Olympics, having won two world medals but no golds.

Uzbekistan's only previous gold in Greco came in 2001, when Dilshod ARIPOV (UZB) won the 58kg title in Petras, Greece.

Chung was denied in his bid to give Korea its first world Greco gold since his senior teammate and longtime training partner at Kyungsung University, the now-retired Hansu RYU (KOR), won the second of his two world golds in Paris in 2017.

At 67kg, Esmaeili got a stepout to start the match, and that proved the difference in a 2-1 victory over reigning European champion and Paris Olympic bronze medalist Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE).

"With a smart plan, I beat him 2–1 and became the champion of this weight class," said Esmaeili, who won the gold in his senior world debut.

Each wrestler had a chance in par terre, but neither could turn the other, giving Esmaeili his closest victory of the tournament. He had cruised into the final with four consecutive wins by technical superiority.

"Anyone who makes it to the final is obviously a good wrestler, but I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks in the final," Esmaeili said. "We had a clear plan to win, and thank God it worked out -- we came out on top."

Esmaeili has been on quite a run in recent years. He has suffered just one loss since 2021, a 9-7 defeat at the hands of Luis ORTA (CUB) in the semifinals of the Budapest Ranking Series event in June 2024.

His accolades, in addition to the Paris gold, include back-to-back Asian titles in 2024 and 2025. Having already won golds at the world U17 and U20, he needs just the world U23 to complete a "Golden Grand Slam," which includes the Olympics.

His victory came a day after fellow Paris champion Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) won the title at 97kg.

"This was my first time competing in the [senior] world championships," Esmaeili said. "Before this, I had competed in the Olympics, where thankfully I won gold, and here I was able to repeat that Olympic gold to prove myself once again."

Keshtkar tops Emelin for 63kg bronze

In the bronze-medal matches, Asian silver medalist Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) stormed out a big lead, then fought fatigue to hold off a late surge from former world champion Sergey EMELIN (UWW) to take his first world medal with a 6-4 victory at 63kg.

Keshtkar used an arm spin for an opening takedown, then added a stepout off a whizzer. Another stepout, combined with an unsuccessful challenge, put him up 5-0 at the break.

After Keshtkar padded his lead with another stepout, Emelin went on the offensive as the Iranian began to run out of gas. A stepout, takedown and fleeing penalty point cut the gap to two points, but the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist couldn't apply the coup de grace and fell short of a third world medal.

European bronze medalist Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA), last year's world U23 champion, was able to complete his comeback to defeat Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) 6-5 for the other 63kg bronze.

Hrushyn, a two-time European medalist, had two stepouts and led 3-0 in the second period when Eriomenco gained a stepout, then was put in par terre. He took full advantage, executing a trap arm roll, then going back the other way to go ahead 6-3.

Hruyshyn scored a takedown with :37 left to pull within one, but Eriomenco conceded nothing the rest of the way to secure the medal.

At 67kg, lanky Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) fell into a five-point hole early against Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), but used his elongated limbs to maximum advantage in ground wrestling to rally to a big lead before securing a late fall.

Two-time Asian silver medalist Beishekeev uncorked a 4-point throw from par terre in the first period to lead 5-0, with Galstyan picking up a stepout before the break.

Galstyan started his comeback by shrugging Beishekeev to the mat for a takedown, then getting behind again to tie the score at 5-5, although he still trailed on criteria. But he wrapped his long arms around Beishekeev and scored two exposures to go ahead 9-5.

An arm spin gave him another takedown, then he stopped an attack for another 2. That would have ended the match, but Galstyan put an exhausted Beishekeev on his back for a fall with :18 left.

At 87kg, Asian U23 champion Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) defeated David LOSONCZI (HUN) 4-2 to deny the former world champion a third career world medal.

Zhanyshov stopped a lateral drop attempt in the first period for a 2-point score, then added a passivity point to lead 3-0 at the break.

Losonczi, who took silver medals at three ranking series events this year, had a chance at par terre, but could not turn Zhanyshov. He did manage a stepout to cut the gap, but Zhanyshov shut him down the rest of the way, while a late caution point added to his tally.

Milad ALIRZAEV (UWW) stepped over on a gut wrench attempt by Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) and secured a fall to take home the other 87kg bronze.

Alirzaev took a 3-0 lead with an exposure from par terre in the first period. In the second, he was on the bottom when he deftly stuck Yevloyev for the fall in 4:08.

Day 8 Results

Greco-Roman

63kg (26 entries)
GOLD: Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) df. Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), 6-0

BRONZE: Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) df. Sergey EMELIN (UWW), 6-4
BRONZE: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) df. Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR), 6-5

67kg (34 entries)
GOLD: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) df. Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), 2-1

BRONZE: Daniial AGAEV (UWW) df. Sebastian NAD (SRB), 7-1
BRONZE: Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) df. Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) by Fall, 5:42 (15-5)

87kg (30 entries)
GOLD: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) df. Alireza MOHAMADI (IRI), 4-3

BRONZE: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) df. David LOSONCZI (HUN), 4-2
BRONZE: Milad ALIRZAEV (UWW) df. Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) by Fall, 4:08 (5-1)