#WrestleSofia

Rio Medalist Saritov Keeps Olympic Hopes Alive While Demirtas' Bid Ends

Thursday, May 6, 2021 - 15:37 By Ken Marantz

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SOFIA, Bulgaria (May 6) -- Rio Olympic bronze medalist Albert SARITOV (ROU) moved one win away from qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, while Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) saw his dream of another Olympic medal end when he failed to survive in the cut-throat 74kg division.

Saritov had one close call but managed to advance to the semifinals at 97kg as the freestyle competition opened the final world Olympic qualifying tournament with a marathon morning session on Thursday in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The winners of the semifinals in the night session at the spectator-less Arena Armeec Sport Hall earn tickets to Tokyo for their countries, and in most cases, themselves.

Russia and the United States both kept their bids alive to field a complete lineups at the Tokyo Games. Sergei KOZYREV (RUS) secured a place in the final four at 125kg, the only freestyle weight class the European powerhouse had not yet filled, while Jordan OLIVER (USA) did likewise at 65kg.

Kazakhstan, however, will have to be content with entrants in five of the six weight classes in Tokyo after Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) suffered a heartbreaking 2-2 loss to Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) at 86kg in a clash between former world U23 silver medalists.

Slovenia moved closer to having its first-ever Olympic wrestler when 2017 European bronze medalist David HABAT (SLO) stormed into the 65kg semifinals with a 10-0 technical fall over Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA). He will face Georgios PILIDIS (GRE) for the Tokyo ticket.

"I am happy about my wrestling," Habat said. "Usually I would give a good interview but I am really focused on the next match right now. The past matches were good because I got here [semifinal]. So that's why I can say that I am happy about how I wrestled. It's good to reflect back and say that I am doing the right thing."

Asked about his dominant victory in the quarterfinals, he replied, "I can improve here and there. I am taking a lot of shots and I want to convert all of them. I am good in those positions but against world class-level guys, it's hard to takedown."

The Russian-born Saritov posted a workmanlike 4-0 victory over Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) to advance to the 97kg semifinals, where he will face Valerii ANDRIITSEV (UKR), who placed fifth at the Rio Olympics. Andriitsev barreled into the last four with a 10-0 technical fall over Timofei XENIDIS (GRE) that took less than a minute.

Saritov survived a scare in the second round, when he was losing 6-5 to Radoslaw BARAN (POL) before catching him with a back trip for 4 points wtih 28 seconds left for a 9-6 win.

In the other smeifinal at 97kg, ex-Russian Ahmed BATAEV (BUL), who placed third at last year's Individual World Cup, will face Abraham CONYEDO RUANO (ITA).

Olympic host Japan could add two more to its lineup as 2017 world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) at 57kg and Sohsuke TAKATANI (JPN) at 86kg both advanced to the semifinals.

Yuki TAKAHASHI World Olympic Qualifier

Takahashi, who was dispatched to Sofia after Rio 2016 silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) failed to make weight at last month's Asian Olympic qualifier in Almaty, was hardly challenged as he chalked up a pair of technical falls, including an 11-0 rout of Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) in the quarterfinals.

"I went at my pace from beginning to end [in my two matches]," Takahashi said. "If I win in the
semifinal, it will clinch an Olympic place, so I will go all out."

Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) will face Reineri ANDREU (CUB) with the Olympic ticket on the line, a rematch of the bronze-medal match at the 2018 World Championships won by Takahashi.

If Takahashi wins, he will have to face Higuchi in a playoff later this monty for the Tokyo berth.

In the other 57kg semifinal, three-time European champion Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE) will face 2018 Asian Games champion Bekhbayar ERDENEBAT (MGL) Takatani also won by technical fall in the round-of-8, overwhelming Istvan VEREB (HUN) 12-0, but that came after a nailbiting win in the previous round. Against Taimuraz FRIEV (ESP), he gave up a 4-point takedown at the edge that was awarded on challenge to fall behind on criteria, but scored a stepout with :05 left to win 5-4.

Blocking his path to a third career Olympic appearance is Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL), who defeated Hovhannes MKHITARYAN (ARM) by 12-2 technical fall in the quarterfinals.

Abakarov will take on Boris MAKOEV (SVK), who scored a takedown in the final :10 to eke out a 4-2 win over Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB).

"I needed to reassess my wrestling for this tournament as this is a big one," Abakarov said. "All the bouts were so tough apart from the second one."

At 74kg, Rio 2016 bronze medalist Demirtas met his match in Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (BLR), the 2020 European champion at 79kg who advanced to the semifinals with an 8-4 victory.

"My wrestling is better than ever and now I just want to win the gold medal here," Kadimagomedov said. "Soner is a very nice guy and a good wrestler, his record talks for itself."

Just to set up that match, Demirtas first had to get past Hetik CABOLOV (SRB) in the second round, coming back from a 3-0 deficit against the native Russian by scoring three takedowns and a roll in the second period to win 8-3.

Kadimagomedov will hardly have it any easier in the semifinals, where he will face red-hot Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK), another Russian transplant who is coming off an impressive run to the gold at the European Championships.

Salkazanov, a 2019 world bronze medalist at 79kg, survived a scare in the quarterfinals against Ali UMARPASHAEV (BUL). He was still trailing on criteria when he knotted the score at 4-4 late in the second period, then scored a takedown with :25 left for a 6-4 win.

"In the beginning of the quarterfinal, I was not good as I conceded four points but as I continued wrestling, I was able to defeat him," Salkazanov said. "I have wrestled him before and he is very tough. I lost to him in the European qualifiers but this time I defeated him.

"There is no secret to my wins or my good wrestling. I just focus on winning and I fight continuously to defeat my opponent."

For Umarpashaev, it was deja vu all over. At the European Olympic qualifier, he lost after leading 6-0 in the semifinals against 2018 world silver medalist Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO).

American-born Mitchell FINESILVER (ISR), a European bronze medalist who wrestled at Duke University in the U.S., put together three solid matches to earn a clash with Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) in the other semifinal at 74kg.

In the 65kg quarterfinals, Oliver snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when he scored a takedown with :35 left, then held on to edge Gor OGANNESYAN (UKR) 3-3.

Jordan Oliver World Olympic Qualifier

"The Ukrainian is a tough competitor, very good with his hands and hard to penetrate [his defense]," said Oliver, the silver medalist at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone tournament. "If I am being honest with myself I need more attacks, more attempts, put myself in more scoring positions.

"The push was there the whole match, I took it when I needed it. There were a couple of more times I could have put myself in scoring positions."

Oliver said it was particularly difficult to come back on such an opponent.

"These are situations that we go through when we train," he said. "I knew it was coming, I had to make contact. The shot was there to take and I took it. His was very feisty defensively to hold the guy like that in the last 24 seconds. I knew he was bringing everything he had."

Oliver still has a tough hill to get over in semifinal opponent Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL), another former Russian and a two-time former world medalist. Gadzhiev had to get past a formidable foe himself to set up the clash, beating three-time European silver medalist Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) 2-1, with all of the points coming on the activity clock.

"The quarterfinal was definitely a tough fight, but the semifinal is tougher," Gadzhiev said. "So I am going to focus on that."

At 125kg, the young Kozyrev, coming off a silver medal finish at the European Championships, set up a clash in the semifinals with Daniel LIGETI (HUN). Kozyrev topped Robert BARAN (POL) 7-1 in the quarterfinals, while Ligeti made short work of Dilmukhammed NURMUKHAMEDOV (UZB), notching a 10-0 technical fall.

The other semifinal pits Jose DIAZ ROBERTTI (VEN) and Sumit MALIK (IND). Diaz Robertti hanged on for a 3-3 win over Vakhit GALAYEV (AZE), while Malik ousted fellow Asian Rustam ISKANDARI (TJK) 10-5.

With this the last chance for Olympic qualifying, it is understandable that tensions are high, and it caused one wrestler to snap.

In a qualification round bout at 97kg, Minwon SEO (KOR) took exception to being slammed into the matside advertising boards by Altangerel CHINBAT (MGL) as they went out of bounds. Seo kicked out at his opponent, for which he was disqualified.

Freestyle Results

57kg
Semifinals
Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) vs Reineri ANDREU (CUB)
Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE) vs Bekhbayar ERDENEBAT (MGL)

Quarterfinals
Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) by TF, 11-0
Bekhbayar ERDENEBAT (MGL) df. Givi DAVIDOVI (ITA), 3-2
Reineri ANDREU (CUB) df. Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ), 7-5
Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE) df. Muhamad IKROMOV (TJK), 11-4

65kg
Semifinals
Georgios PILIDIS (GRE) vs David HABAT (SLO)
Jordan OLIVER (USA) vs Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL)

Quarterfinals
Georgios PILIDIS (GRE) df. Juan GONZALEZ (ESP) TF, 10-0
Jordan OLIVER (USA) df. Gor OGANNESYAN (UKR), 3-3
Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) df. Beka LOMTADZE (GEO), 2-1
David HABAT (SLO) df. Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA) by TF, 10-0

74kg
Semifinals
Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) vs Mitchell FINESILVER (ISR)
Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) vs Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (BLR)

Quarterfinals
Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. Ali UMARPASHAEV (BUL), 6-4
Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) df. Aimar ANDRUSE (EST) by TF, 11-0
Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (BLR) df. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR), 8-4
Mitchell FINESILVER (ISR) df. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), 9-2

86kg
Semifinals
Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) vs Sohsuke TAKATANI (JPN)
Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) vs Boris MAKOEV (SVK)

Quarterfinals
Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) df. Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ), 2-2
Boris MAKOEV (SVK) df. Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB), 4-2
Sohsuke TAKATANI (JPN) df. Istvan VEREB (HUN) by TF, 12-0
Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) df. Hovhannes MKHITARYAN (ARM) by TF, 12-2

97kg
Semifinals
Abraham CONYEDO RUANO (ITA) vs Ahmed BATAEV (BUL)
Valerii ANDRIITSEV (UKR) vs Albert SARITOV (ROU)

Quarterfinals
Ahmed BATAEV (BUL) df. Satywart KADIAN (IND), 5-5
Albert SARITOV (ROU) df. Samuel SCHERRER (SUI), 4-0
Abraham CONYEDO RUANO (ITA) df. Ulrich MANOUAN (CIV) by TF, 10-0
Valerii ANDRIITSEV (UKR) df. Timofei XENIDIS (GRE) by TF, 10-0

125kg
Semifinals
Sergei KOZYREV (RUS) vs Daniel LIGETI (HUN)
Jose DIAZ ROBERTTI (VEN) vs Sumit MALIK (IND)

Quarterfinals
Jose DIAZ ROBERTTI (VEN) df. Vakhit GALAYEV (AZE) 3-3
Sumit MALIK (IND) df. Rustam ISKANDARI (TJK), 10-5
Daniel LIGETI (HUN) df. Dilmukhammed NURMUKHAMEDOV (UZB) by TF, 10-0
Sergei KOZYREV (RUS) df. Robert BARAN (POL), 7-1

#WrestleNoviSad

U23 Worlds: Fujinami ready for first international test at 57kg

Friday, October 10, 2025 - 10:32 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO, Japan (October 9) -- She already has an Olympic gold and two senior world titles, not to mention a 141-match winning streak that dates back to her junior high school days. And there is that undefeated record against non-Japanese opponents.

So what has compelled Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) to even bother entering the U23 World Championships, a tournament that, on paper at least, she should have no problem winning?

Rest assured there is method to what she would not regard as madness. It is all part of a grand plan, centered on the 21-year-old's much-publicized move from 53kg directly up to the next Olympic weight of 57kg with eyes firmly on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"This will by my first world tournament since I moved up in weight class," Fujinami said in an interview via social media. "I want to try out what I have been practicing, and get an idea of where I stand in terms of my current ability. I also want to identify areas to work on ahead of the All-Japan Championships in December."

Fujinami tops the marquee as she makes her debut at the U23 World Championships, to be held October 20-27 in Novi Sad, Serbia. Currently in her senior year at Nippon Sports Science University, it will be just her third competition since she cruised to the 53kg gold at the Paris Olympics, where she won all four matches by either fall or technical superiority.

The two other outings -- one a collegiate team event in November 2024 and the other the Japan Queen's Cup in April at which she qualified for the U23 Worlds -- did not provide much of a workout. She won a total of four matches in a combined time of 7:11 without giving up a point.

Fujinami expressed no concerns about her extended absence from top-level competition. "This will be my first tournament in six months," she said. "I'm not worried about regaining my match feeling. For the Olympics, I had about a seven-month blank."

Fujinami had at first planned to try for the senior worlds, but decided she would not be ready as she makes the physical adjustment to 57kg. So will we see a bulked-up Fujinami in Novi Sad?

"Compared with the time when I was in the 53kg class, my natural weight is more than then," Fujinami said. "I am also going to have cut weight before the tournament at 57kg. I'm also working hard on weight training, and I'll try to show the effects of that in the matches."

Despite her exalted status, Fujinami knows not to take any opponent lightly – a lesson she learned fully well when she won her second senior world title in 2023. In the quarterfinals, she was stunned when Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) tagged her for five points early in the match and seven overall, marking the most points ever scored upon her by a non-Japanese.

Although Fujinami came back to take the lead and win by fall, it showed any lapse can lead to disaster – which, ironically, makes the sport more appealing for her.

“You never know what will happen in a match,” Fujinami said. “But I think that’s what makes it interesting. For me, a match is like a presentation of yourself, so I will go into it aiming to win while having fun.”

In Novi Sad, Fujinami may have to share some of the spotlight with compatriot, fellow Paris Olympic gold medalist and recently crowned senior world champion Sakura MOTOKI (JPN).

A victory by Motoki at 62kg would make her the third member of the “Golden Grand Slam” club -- those who have combined an Olympic gold with titles on the senior and all three age-group levels. The two current members are Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Amit ELOR (USA).

Ironically, circumstances beyond her control worked against Fujinami ever having a chance to also gain entry into the club.

A world U17 champion in 2018, she was deprived twice of chances to win a U20 world title – first in 2021 when Japan opted to not send a team during the pandemic, and again in 2022 when an injury forced her to withdraw. Those same years she qualified for the U23 worlds, but missed out for the same reasons.

This time, her preparations have gone without a hitch. "I've been able to continue to train and practice without any major injuries," she said.

Prior to securing a second Olympic gold in Los Angeles, Fujinami has a more immediate goal — winning her first at the Asian Games, to be held next October in Nagoya / Aichi Prefecture, which borders her native Mie Prefecture. Because of the early deadline for entries, she needs a victory at the All-Japan Championships in December to make the Japanese squad.

“My goals are to win gold at the Asian Games in Nagoya and at the Los Angeles Olympics,” she said. “To achieve those goals, I’ve dedicated myself to strengthening myself during this period. It’s been a time for me to look inside myself and explore my wrestling. Now the time has come to show the results.”