#WrestleTokyo

Rivals Japan, China Split Head-To-Head Finals on Final Day of Tokyo 2020 Test Event

By Ken Marantz

CHIBA, Japan (Oct. 5)—Host Japan and rival China each came up with a victory in head-to-head duels as the last three gold medals were awarded to bring a close to the three-day Tokyo 2020 Olympic test event in women’s wrestling at Makuhari Messe in neighboring Chiba city. 

LEI Chun (CHN) defeated teenager Miu SHIMIZU (JPN) 5-2 in the 50kg final, before 2018 world junior champion Umi IMAI (JPN) struck back for the host nation by edging LUO Lannuan (CHN) 3-2 for the 53kg gold.

In an all-Japan final at 57kg, Yumeka TANABE (JPN) gained the winning points on a late challenge to top Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) 6-4.

With no spectator seating and only the set-up of the mats offering a glimpse of what the actual venue will look like during the Tokyo Games, the tournament served mostly to test the newly developed integrated scoring system and to give volunteers and staff experience with the flow of matches.

“It was definitely good to organize such an event, to see the small problems and to coordinate before the Olympic Games,” UWW technical delegate Peter BACSA said after the tournament in the six Olympic weight classes.

“It’s hard to imagine that in this hall it’s going to be an Olympic tournament, but I think when they put in the stands and podium and nice equipment, it’s going to be much different. So we’re looking forward to that.”

The tournament used just one hall in Makuhari Messe’s expansive International Convention Center. During the Olympics, the dividers to the two adjacent halls will be taken down, tripling the space to accommodate stands at the mat ends for a seating capacity of 8,000 to 10,000. 

The final day of competition was delayed slightly by a malfunction in the scoreboard, but that was soon fixed and the medal matches got underway in the final three weight classes.

“In the Olympic Games, we will use the Omega system, which is different than Athena, so it has to be implemented together and matched together, and the two systems have to be parallel, so that was the first task,” Basca said.

In the day’s first final, Lei, the 2018 Asian champion, scored a first-period takedown, then added an activity point and a takedown off a slick ankle pick in the second to lead 5-0. 

Shimizu, a 2017 Asian cadet champion, gained 2 points with a front headlock roll, but that’s all she could muster as the Chinese clinched the victory. 

“I feel so-so,” Lei said of winning the gold. “I understand the opponent from Japan is not on the top level.”

To Shimizu’s credit, she boldly fought off Lei’s gut wrench attempts to limit the damage from the takedowns. Lei, however, chalked that up to fatigue from her semifinal match the previous day, in which she trailed Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) before a spree of lace-lock rolls gave her a 14-4 technical fall.

“The semifinal was the most difficult one,” Lei said. “I still tried my best to perform, but after that match, my condition was not very well. Although the opponent was weaker than in the semifinal, I understand it was the final match and I didn’t want to take a risk.”

Yoshimoto bounced back in her bronze-medal match to defeat Daria LEKSINA (RUS) by fall after building up a 10-4 lead, while Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) scored a late takedown against Chihiro SAWADA (JPN) for a 4-4 win on last-point criteria.

Umi IMAI (JPN) escaped the 53kg finals with a 3-2 win over LUO Lannuan (CHN) (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

In the 53kg final, Imai trailed Luo 2-1 going into the second period, but scored a takedown midway through the period and held on for a 3-2 victory over the 2018 Asian champion at 55kg.

Imai said she was determined to uphold Japanese pride against the Asian rival.

“China has recently become strong so I thought I have to win, and I fought hard,” Imai said. “I myself won’t be going to the Olympics, but to be given the chance to compete in this arena, I thought I want to go home with the title.”

The match ended with Imai clinging to a single leg and Luo desperately trying to lever her over. “I wanted to win by more points, but my opponent didn’t let me score that easily,” Imai said. 

In the bronze-medal matches, Saki IGARASHI (JPN) received a victory by default from world bronze medalist PANG Qianyu (CHN), who was one of several top Chinese wrestlers from the recent World Championships in Kazakhstan who were entered in the tournament but did not compete. 

Ibuki TAMURA (JPN) scored three takedowns in the second period, fighting off counter-lift attempts by lanky Katherine SHAI (USA) to win 7-3 and take home the other bronze.

Yumeka TANABE (JPN) used a late challege to gain the 6-4 advantage over Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) in the 57kg finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Capping the event was Tanabe’s knife-edge victory over 2018 Asian junior champion Nagamoto for the 57kg gold. 

Tanabe, the daughter of Athens 2004 Olympic freestyle bronze medalist Chikara TANABE and a two-time world cadet champion, took a 4-2 lead into the second period, and seemed on the verge of padding it when she got behind Nagamoto in the standing position.

But in her haste to pull Nagamoto backward to the mat in the final 20 seconds, she allowed Nagamoto to grab onto a leg and stop her motion, momentarily putting her on her back. The original call was 2 points for Nagamoto, which would have put her ahead on criteria. But a successful challenge by Tanabe’s side gave 2 points to each wrestler, and Tanabe held on for the win.

“She’s an opponent I had faced before, but this time she pushed me harder,” Tanabe said. “She prepared a strategy against me. In the end, it’s good that I came away with the win, but I thought I had lost by the one challenge.

“The way I wrestled, I feel like I was the loser. But I’ll be ready for the world U23 and World Cup and will go in with the feeling that I am the challenger,” she added.

Hanako SAWA (JPN) added to the host country’s medal haul by gaining a takedown and stepout in the second period for a 3-2 win in the bronze-medal match over Khadizhat MURTUZALIEVA (RUS), while ZHANG Qi (CHN) took the other bronze by default. 

Wrapping things up, the UWW’s other technical delegate on site, Theodoros HAMAKOS, commented, “I am sure that next year everything will be be OK.”

Basca added he expects Japan’s well-known organizational skills to ensure a successful Olympics. 

“They are taking care of all small details—even too much care—but that’s how they do it,” he said, “so I’m sure that at the Games everything will be in the right place.”

Day 3 Results
Women’s Wrestling

50kg (8 entries)
Gold – LEI Chun (CHN) df. Miu SHIMIZU (JPN), 5-2
Bronze – Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) df. Daria LEKSINA (RUS) by Fall, 4:10 (10-4) 
Bronze – Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Chihiro SAWADA (JPN), 4-4

53kg (9 entries)
Gold – Umi IMAI (JPN) df. LUO Lannuan (CHN), 3-2
Bronze – Saki IGARASHI (JPN) df. PANG Qianyu (CHN) by Def. 
Bronze – Ibuki TAMURA (JPN) df. Katherine SHAI (USA), 7-3

57kg (8 entries)
Gold – Yumeka TANABE (JPN) df. Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) 6-4 
Bronze – ZHANG Qi (CHN) df. RONG Ningning (CHN) by Def. 
Bronze – Hanako SAWA (JPN) df. Khadizhat MURTUZALIEVA (RUS), 3-2

#WrestleAthens

Wrestling World U17 C'ships: Freestyle Live Results

By Vinay Siwach

ATHENS, Greece (August 1) -- The World U17 Championships will be moving to Freestyle action with 48kg, 55kg, 65kg, 80kg and 110kg.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 4 RESULTS

14:30: The big three at 110kg -- Magomedrasul OMAROV (UWW), Amirhossein NAGHDALIPOUR (IRI) and LACKY (IND) -- win their respective quarterfinals and enter the semifinals.

14:15: Zhakshylyk BOROBAEV (KGZ) thought he had the win at 55kg. But Jinnosuke OKONOGI (JPN) still had something in him and then. He scores a takedown manages to turn Borobaev for two more points and lead 9-8. He is ecstatic! He will wrestle Burnett later.

14:00: Greyton BURNETT (USA) shuts down Jaiveer SINGH (IND) and gets a 3-0 win over Singh at 55kg. Burnett gave no opening to Singh to score.

13:45: Big match on Mat A at 65kg between Asian U17 champion Gaurav PUNIA (IND) and Pan-Am U17 champion Arseni KIKINIOU (USA). Punia tries a leg-attack but Kikinou with a counter and turn for two points. Punia with a reversal. Kikinou led 3-1 at the break. Punia gets the exposure for two points to take a 3-3 criteria lead but Kikinou manages to put Punia in danger in the same scramble which makes it 5-3 for him. Kikinou cautioned for fleeing but he wins 5-4.

13:35: Morteza HAJ (IRI) gets a takedown in the final seconds to beat Ivan ZALISKO (UKR) at 65kg. Zalisko led 4-4 on criteria but Haj makes a  big comeback.

13:10: LACKY (IND) gut-wrenches Hanto HAYASHI (JPN) and wins his 110kg bout 10-0. He is looking to add a world title to his Asian title he won in June

13:06: In a match that saw six stepouts, Amirhossein NAGHDALIPOUR (IR) manages keep his breath and beat Zekeriya DOGAN (TUR) 6-2 at 110kg.

12:56: Aaron STEWART (USA) cuts shorts Marshall EVERETT JONES (GBR) tournament with an 11-0 hammering at 80kg. Stewart just overpowered Everett Jones.

12:55: Jinnosuke OKONOGI (JPN) hands Mohammadreza BARARI (IRI) a 4-1 loss at 55kg. Solid positioning from Okonogi. Barari's tactics of keeping it slow did not work out.

12:45: Nihad SULEYMANLI (AZE) is shocked after Issa ZANGIEV (UWW) gets front roll for two points and wins the 80kg 1/8 final 6-5. Suleymanli did well to keep his lead but failed in the final second. Azerbaijan challenges but it loses it. Zangiev wins 7-5

12:35: Greyton BURNETT (USA) gets a takedown with 20 seconds remaining to lead 3-1 against Armen PAPIKYAN (ARM) who needed a two-point technique to win. He however gets one a stepout. Burnett wins 3-2 at 55kg.

12:27Asian U17 champion Gourav PUNIA (IND) like a workhorse with five takedowns and he defeats Kodai IWASAKI (JPN) 10-0 at 65kg.

12:25: Adisbek ALTYNBEKOV (KGZ) went five on Kiryl PAULIUCHENKA (UWW), not once but twice to win his 65kg match 10-0. Those were some high level throws from the Kyrgyz, a bronze medalist from Asian U17 Championships

12:05: Magomedrasul OMAROV (UWW), European champion at 110kg, begins with a 11-0 win over Yu Chiao CHUANG (TPE), who had his own troubles with bleeding. He needed several medical timeouts

11:45: Marshall EVERETT JONES (GBR), European U17 bronze medalist, comes out with a huge underhook throw for four and then rolls Levan CHERTKOEV (FRA) to win 10-0 at 80kg.

11:40: Mohammadparsa KARAMI (IRI) keeps his strong positions and beats Buyantogtokh BYAMBADORJ (MGL) 7-2 at 80kg to give Iran the third win of the day. Iran is hoping to reclaim the U17 team title.

11:19: European champion Ruslan ALIZADA (AZE) has no trouble seeing off Dan BULGARU (MDA) 10-0 at 55kg. Alizada is one of more exciting prospects in this Azerbaijan team.

11:15: Iran with back-to-back wins! Morteza HAJ (IRI) beats Yandro SOTO RIVERA (PUR) at 65kg and Mohammadreza BARARI (IRI) defends a late attack from Aleksandar DELCHEV (BUL) to win at 55kg.

11:05: Asian U17 champion Gourav PUNIA (IND) slams Changxin WU (CHN) for a big four and then exposes his two times to win 11-0 at 65kg.

10:50: Quick results at 65kg as Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UWW) beats Nikos SOURAILOV (CYP) 10-0, followed by European U17 silver medalist Huseyn ISMAYILOV (AZE) getting a 4-2 win over Liam GORTON (CAN). Pan-Am champion Arseni KIKINIOU (USA) also has a technical superiority win over Nikita KOZICH (ISR).

10:30: Freestyle action will take centerstage at the World U17 Championships in Athens. The United States will once again be favorite to win the team title but Iran will look to challenge them.