Soryan, Greco-Roman, World Championships, Gaber

Soryan Eyes Sixth Title, Gaber Readies Run to Rio (Live Updates)

Sunday, September 14, 2014 - 04:39 By William May

TASHKENT (September 14) – London 2012 Olympic Games gold medalist Hamid SORYAN (IRI) seeks his sixth world title and Athens 2004 champion Karam GABER (EGY) prepares a run for Rio 2016 on Sunday, the final day of the wrestling world championships in Tashkent.

Soryan, however, could be looking at a challenge from Asia champion and local favorite Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) in the semifinals at the Gymnastics Palace, and then, in the 59kg final, from 2013 world champion Ivo ANGELOV (BUL).

For his part, even before reaching the semifinals, Angelov will likely have to get by the winner of the match-up between Olympic bronze medalists Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) or Roman AMOYAN (ARM).

The 35-year-old Gaber, meanwhile, wrestling in his first competition since winning a silver medal in London, will be tested early and, if he navigates the bracket successfully, then face world silver medalist Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) in the 98kg championship final.

Aleksanyan, who narrowly missed the title last year in Budapest, is on a mission to win it all this year and follow Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) to the top of the medals podium in Tashkent. Julfalakyan won the world title at 75kg on Friday.

Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE), runner-up to Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) at the European championships and Golden Grand Prix Final, will try to capitalize on the Hungarian’s move to 66kg and close out the year with the world title at 71kg.

MAT A: http://new.livestream.com/unitedworldwrestling/events/3369840

MAT B: http://new.livestream.com/unitedworldwrestling/events/3369848

MAT C: http://new.livestream.com/unitedworldwrestling/events/3369851

Greco-Roman

59kg (36 entries)

Soryan begins his quest for a sixth world title near the bottom of the 36-wrestler bracket. A bump in the road might be European runner-up Victor CIOBANU (MDA), his likely opponent in the quarterfinals.

Asia champion Tasmuradov will have the backing of a boisterous crowd as he opens against Edward BARSEGIAN (POL) and Kristijan FRIS (SEB) on his way to a semifinal berth opposite Soryan.

Angelov starts at the bottom of the upper half of the bracket and in the quarterfinals could meet the winner of the Amoyan-Semenov match-up in the first round.

Peter MODOS (HUN), a 2013 bronze medalist in Budapest, has had a quiet year recuperating from a knee injury suffered in March, but could still navigate to the fourth semifinal berth.

71kg (30 entries)

Chunayev would seem to be the class of this non-Olympic weight category, but will be tested early at the bottom of the bracket by Justin LESTER (USA) in the round of 16 and European bronze medalist Yunus OZEL (TUR) in the quarterfinals.

Varsham BORANYAN (ARM), winner at the German Grand Prix in June, could emerge a challenger to Chunayev from the quarter above.

At the top of the bracket, Poddubny tournament winner Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) and and Afshin BYABANGARD (IRI) could duel for the uppermost semifinal berth, while Aleksandar DZEMYANOVICH (BLR) and Pytlasinski tourney runner-up Mathia MAASCH (GER) battle for the berth opposite.

98kg (30 entries)

European champion Aleksanyan begins the upper half of the bracket and is looking at a potential meeting in the quarterfinals with Aleksander HRABOVIK (BLR), a bronze medalist at the German Grand Prix.

London 2012 gold medalist Ghasem REZAIE (IRI), 2013 junior world champion Musa EVLOEV (RUS) and European bronze medalist Marthin NIELSEN (NOR) make for a crowded top quarter of the bracket in a battle to face Aleksanyan in the semifinals.

At the very bottom of the bracket, Gaber appears ready to make a run for Rio, but first will to battle through a swarm of tough competitors, including European runner-up Cenk ILDEM (TUR).

The final semifinal berth may well go to the Pytlasinski bronze medal winner Miloslav METODIEV (BUL) or Alin ALEX-CIURARIU (ROU), a bronze medalist at the world student championships in July

59kg

GOLD: Hamid Mohammad SORYAN (IRI) v. Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS)
BRONZE: Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) v. Ismael BORRERO (CUB)
BRONZE: Spenser Thomas MANGO (USA) v. Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR)

Semifinal: Hamid Mohammad SORYAN (IRI) df. Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB), 2-1
Semifinal: Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) df. Spenser Thomas MANGO (USA) by TF, 9-1

Repechage: Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) df. Jung-Baik LEE (KOR), 1-0
Repechage: Ismael BORRERO (CUB) df. Haithem Ahmed FAHMY (EGY), 13-9
Repechage: Jung-Baik LEE (KOR) df. Roman AMOYAN (ARM), 4-2
Repechage: Haithem Ahmed FAHMY (EGY) df. Alex Iordache ANECHITEI (ROU) by TF, 9-0

Quarterfinal: Hamid Mohammad SORYAN (IRI) df. Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE), 3-0
Quarterfinal: Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) df. Lumin WANG (CHN) by TF, 9-0
Quarterfinal: Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) df. Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR), 5-0
Quarterfinal: Spenser Thomas MANGO (USA) df. Kazuma KURAMOTO (JPN) by TF, 10-0

1/8: Hamid Mohammad SORYAN (IRI) df. Ismael BORRERO (CUB), 5-0
1/8: Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) df. Tonimir SOKOL (CRO) by TF, 9-0
1/8: Kazuma KURAMOTO (JPN) df. Andres MONTANO (ECU), 2-2
1/8: Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Deniz MENEKSE (GER), 6-3
1/8: Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) df. Ivo Serafimov ANGELOV (BUL), 1-1
1/8: Spenser Thomas MANGO (USA) df. Peter MODOS (HUN), 4-0
1/8: Lumin WANG (CHN) df. Arsen ERALIEV (KGZ) by TF, 12-3
1/8: Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) df. Jung-Baik LEE (KOR) by FALL, 6-0

1/16: Hamid Mohammad SORYAN (IRI) df. Haithem Ahmed FAHMY (EGY), 2-1
1/16: Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Yasin OZAY (FRA), 3-2
1/16: Tonimir SOKOL (CRO) df. Kristian FRIS (SRB), 4-4
1/16: Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) df. Manuel A. LOPEZ (MEX), 5-0
1/16: Kazuma KURAMOTO (JPN) df. Ravinder SINGH (IND), 4-1
1/16: Peter MODOS (HUN) df. Tobias Fonnesbek (DEN), 3-1
1/16: Ismael BORRERO (CUB) df. Goderdzi DAVITADZE (GEO), 7-1
1/16: Arsen ERALIEV (KGZ) df. Ievgen MIAGKYI (UKR), 2-1
1/16: Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) df. Edward BERSEGIAN (POL) by TF, 8-0
1/16: Jung-Baik LEE (KOR) df. Jussi-Pekka NIEMISTOE (FIN) by TF, 13-3
1/16: Andres MONTANO (ECU) df. Andrey TSARYUK (ISR) by TF, 8-0
1/16: Deniz MENEKSE (GER) df. Victor CIOBANU (MDA) by FALL, 6-2
1/16: Lumin WANG (CHN) df. Maksim KAZHARSKI (BLR), 6-2
1/16: Ivo Serafimov ANGELOV (BUL) df. Albert BAGHUMYAN (ESP) by TF, 9-0
1/16: Mingiyan SEMENOV (RUS) df. Roman AMOYAN (ARM), 3-0
1/16: Spenser Thomas MANGO (USA) df. Fatih UCUNCU (TUR), 2-2

Qualification: Haithem Ahmed FAHMY (EGY) df. Suparmanto SUPARMANTO (INA) by TF, 8-0
Qualification: Goderdzi DAVITADZE (GEO) df. Fouad FAJARI (MAR), 5-0
Qualification: Hamid Mohammad SORYAN (IRI) df. Alex Iordache ANECHITEI (ROU) by TF, 8-0
Qualification: Ismael BORRERO (CUB) df. Yerbol KONYRATOV (KAZ), 5-0

71 kg

GOLD: Yunus OZEL (TUR) v. Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS)
BRONZE: Varsham BORANYAN (ARM) v. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE)
BRONZE: Aliaksandr DZEMYANOVICH (BLR) v. Afshim BYABANGARD (IRI)

Semifinal: Yunus OZEL (TUR) df. Varsham BORANYAN (ARM) by forfeit, 5-0
Semifinal: Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) df. Aliaksandr DZEMYANOVICH (BLR) by TF, 8-0

Repechage: Afshim BYABANGARD (IRI) df. Balint KORPASI (HUN), 4-3
Repechage: Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) df. Ionel PUSCASU (ROU) by TF, 9-1
Repechage: Balint KORPASI (HUN) df. Aleksandar MAKSIMOVIC (SRB), 7-2
Repechage: Ionel PUSCASU (ROU) df. Fernando Vicente GOMEZ (MEX) by TF, 8-0

Quarterfinal: Yunus OZEL (TUR) df. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE), 4-1
Quarterfinal: Varsham BORANYAN (ARM) df. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 2-1
Quarterfinal: Aliaksandr DZEMYANOVICH (BLR) df. Shermet PERMANOV (TKM) by FALL, 4-6
Quarterfinal: Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) df. Afshim BYABANGARD (IRI), 4-0

1/8: Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) df. Justin Dashaun LESTER (USA), 9-7
1/8: Shermet PERMANOV (TKM) df. Knut Zakarias TALLROTH (SWE) by FALL, 7-3
1/8: Afshim BYABANGARD (IRI) df. Young-Ha KIM (KOR), 2-0
1/8: Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) df. K.K. YADAV (IND) by TF, 8-0
1/8: Aliaksandr DZEMYANOVICH (BLR) df. Kairat TUGOLBAEY (KGZ), 10-2
1/8: Yunus OZEL (TUR) df. Ionel PUSCASU (ROU), 3-1
1/8: Varsham BORANYAN (ARM) df. Dilshodjon TURDIEV (UZB) by TF, 10-2
1/8: Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) df. Balint KORPASI (HUN), 2-1

Qualification: Justin Dashaun LESTER (USA) df. Mindia TZULUKIDZE (GEO), 5-0
Qualification: Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) df. Ridong ZHANG (CHN) by TF, 9-0
Qualification: Knut Zakarias TALLROTH (SWE) df. Matthias MAASCH (GER), 2-2
Qualification: Aliaksandr DZEMYANOVICH (BLR) df. Tomas SOBECKY (CZE) by TF, 8-0
Qualification: Yunus OZEL (TUR) df. Fernando Vicente GOMEZ (MEX) by TF, 8-0
Qualification: Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) df. Noritomo ETO (JPN) by TF, 8-0
Qualification: Dilshodjon TURDIEV (UZB) df. Kristaps KALNAKARKLIS (LAT) by TF, 8-0
Qualification: Shermet PERMANOV (TKM) df. Franson Rsei GIBBONS (PLW) by FALL, 4-0
Qualification: Chingiz LABAZANOV (RUS) df. Aleksandar MAKSIMOVIC (SRB), 5-2
Qualification: Ionel PUSCASU (ROU) df. Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE), 7-0
Qualification: K.K. YADAV (IND) df. Vojtech JAKUS (SVK) by FALL, 5-3
Qualification: Varsham BORANYAN (ARM) df. Riccardo Vito ABBRESCIA (ITA) by TF, 9-0
Qualification: Kairat TUGOLBAEY (KGZ) df. Joseph Dominic LOPEZ (GUM) by TF, 9-0
Qualification: Balint KORPASI (HUN) df. Armen VARDANYAN (UKR), 2-0

98kg

GOLD: Oliver Adrian HASSLER (GER) v. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)
BRONZE: Cenk ILDEM (TUR) v. Alin ALEXUC-CIURARIU (ROU)
BRONZE: Ghasem Gholamreza REZAEI (IRI) v. Aliaksandr HRABOVIK (BLR)

Semifinal: Oliver Adrian HASSLER (GER) df. Cenk ILDEM (TUR), 5-0
Semifinal: Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) df. Ghasem Gholamreza REZAEI (IRI), 3-1

Repechage: Aliaksandr HRABOVIK (BLR) df. Adam VARGA (HUN), 6-0
Repechage: Alin ALEXUC-CIURARIU (ROU) df. Miloslav Yuriev METODIEV (BUL) by Injury Default, 0-0
Repechage: Adam VARGA (HUN) df. Arslan SAPARMAMMEDOV (TKM), 5-0
Repechage: Alin ALEXUC-CIURARIU (ROU) df. Radoslaw Pawel GRZYBICKI (POL), 3-0

Quarterfinal: Cenk ILDEM (TUR) df. Ardo ARUSAAR (EST), 1-0
Quarterfinal: Oliver Adrian HASSLER (GER) df. Miloslav Yuriev METODIEV (BUL) by Injury Default, 7-2
Quarterfinal: Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) df. Aliaksandr HRABOVIK (BLR), 1-0
Quarterfinal: Ghasem Gholamreza REZAEI (IRI) df. Marthin Hamlet NIELSEN (NOR), 2-0

1/8: Oliver Adrian HASSLER (GER) df. Alin ALEXUC-CIURARIU (ROU), 3-0
1/8: Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) df. Adam VARGA (HUN), 2-0
1/8: Cenk ILDEM (TUR) df. Timo Antero KALLIO (FIN), 3-1
1/8: Miloslav Yuriev METODIEV (BUL) df. Erwin Jose CARABALLO (VEN) by DQ, 4-0
1/8: Ghasem Gholamreza REZAEI (IRI) df. Musa EVLOEV (RUS), 2-1
1/8: Ardo ARUSAAR (EST) df. Hardeep SINGH (IND), 4-1
1/8: Aliaksandr HRABOVIK (BLR) df. Zhanarbek KABDOLOV (KAZ), 4-2
1/8: Marthin Hamlet NIELSEN (NOR) df. Caylor Ryan WILLIAMS (USA), 3-0

Qualification: Timo Antero KALLIO (FIN) df. Karam Mohamed GABER (EGY) by FALL, 2-0
Qualification: Ardo ARUSAAR (EST) df. Abudurexiti ALIMUJIANG (CHN) by TF, 10-1
Qualification: Miloslav Yuriev METODIEV (BUL) df. Dimitriy TIMCHENKO (UKR), 3-2
Qualification: Zhanarbek KABDOLOV (KAZ) df. Vasil IMERLISHVILI (GEO), 1-0
Qualification: Musa EVLOEV (RUS) df. Evgeniy ACHKASOV (UZB), 6-0
Qualification: Cenk ILDEM (TUR) df. Shalva GADABADZE (AZE), 2-0
Qualification: Oliver Adrian HASSLER (GER) df. Radoslaw Pawel GRZYBICKI (POL), 2-1
Qualification: Erwin Jose CARABALLO (VEN) df. Spyridon KOUNTOURATZIS (GRE), 3-0
Qualification: Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) df. Arslan SAPARMAMMEDOV (TKM) by TF, 10-1
Qualification: Ghasem Gholamreza REZAEI (IRI) df. Carl Fredrik Stefan SCHON (SWE), 3-1
Qualification: Hardeep SINGH (IND) df. Akira OSAKA (JPN), 4-1
Qualification: Alin ALEXUC-CIURARIU (ROU) df. Daniel GASTL (AUT), 2-0
Qualification: Aliaksandr HRABOVIK (BLR) df. Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU) by TF, 11-0
Qualification: Adam VARGA (HUN) df. Robert AVANISYAN (ISR), 3-0

#JapanWrestling

Wrestling prodigy Ono takes big strides, with family's support

Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - 14:23 By Vinay Siwach

JAPAN (January 8) -- Ben ASKREN calls him the 'best wrestler on the planet.' Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) invited him as a special guest to his academy. Kids are lining up to take his autograph. Wrestling social media pages have numerous highlights of him.

No wrestler has been talked about as much as Masanosuke ONO (JPN) in recent times, and not because he has a soy sauce named after him.

Two months have passed since he won the World Championships on the first attempt, but Ono remains the hottest topic in wrestling. Currently in the United States for various commitments, Ono first broke out by winning the U20 World Championships in October, and two weeks later, he rocked the world with his run at the World Championships in Tirana.

The 20-year-old, using his speed and a lethal gut wrench, dominated Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN), blanked world champion Vitali ARAJAU (USA) and posted three other technical superiority wins en route to the gold medal at 61kg. All that with a broken ankle.

"One month ago, I broke my ankle, and I couldn't practice at all," Ono had said after winning the gold in Tirana. "The Uguev match was my first live wrestling match after the fracture, and I was very unsure how I would do."

"It's like a dream for us," said Noriko, Ono's mother, who watched her son in the arena in Tirana. She was joined by her husband Masaharu, who was equally elated with his son's success.

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) with his with sister Konami, left and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (center).

This was not the first time the couple had traveled with the Ono for a wrestling tournament. Well before Masanosuke became a world-known wrestler, the Ono household had been traveling for wrestling. In 2015, they traveled to Las Vegas for the World Championships. Photos of Ono with Burroughs and other wrestlers went viral on social media after he won.

Masaharu has several anecdotes of his son Ono's childhood, especially from wrestling tournaments.

"We stayed at the same hotel as the wrestlers in 2015," Masanharu recounts. "One day, he was missing. We searched for him in the hotel and later found that he was eating with Haji Aliyev and going around wrestlers' rooms to get autographs."

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) poses for a picture with Masansuke and Konami ONO in 2015.

Ono's parents were not the only ones surprised. Former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), who was wrestling at 57kg in the 2015 World Championships, heard a rumor that a little wrestler from Japan had come to Las Vegas to watch the World Championships.

"It's very rare in Japan, and he's the only little wrestler I've ever known who has traveled all the way overseas to watch matches like this," Takahashi says. "That was the first time I saw him, in the hotel. I was the same age at the time as he is now, a third-year university student. I don't remember talking to him directly, but I remember feeling very happy watching him running around with a big smile on his face."

Takahashi, a two-time Olympian for Japan, is now a coach at Yamanashi Gakuin University, the school that produced Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) and where Ono is a third-year student now.

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) wrestling in school.

His story, however, begins way back -- when Ono was in kindergarten. Or, more specifically when he was removed from a music class.

Unable to sit still and constantly interrupting his teacher, Ono was asked to leave the class. "The teacher was angry and told him to take up wrestling," Masaharu says.

Turns out, music's loss is wrestling's gain.

Ono's father Masaharu had no experience in wrestling, he practiced Kendo, a form of martial arts that uses sticks. Yet, he trained Ono, and himself fell in love with the sport.

"Wrestling, a sport in which you don't use any equipment, you compete using only your body," he says. "It's a fair competition. Whether you win or lose, you are solely responsible. There are no excuses. The match starts and ends with a handshake. I love that about it. I incorporated elements of Kendo into Masanosuke's wrestling. So I coached him, even though I had no experience."

The Ono siblings with Kenichiro FUMITA(JPN) in 2016.

Soon, Ono's sister Konami joined the training. Konami is two years younger than Ono but is already making a name for herself. She won the Japan Queen's Cup in 2023 and won silver at the U17 World Championships at 61kg after she won the prestigious Klippan Lady Open.

In the Ono household, wrestling became a way of life. Masaharu would take his kids to most domestic competitions in Japan. If not competing, they would travel to watch. He even made a "Save Olympic Wrestling" banner in 2013 when wrestling was dropped from the Olympic program.

At the 2012 Japan Championships, Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) made a stunning debut, winning the gold medal. Later that day, Ono recognized Fumita outside the arena and ran to get his first autograph.

Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), center, a coach at the Yamanashi Gakuin University, pictured with Masanosuke ONO (JPN), second from right.

Ono would join Yamanashi Gakuin University, and Takahashi would see him again since the 2015 World Championships.

"He had grown bigger since I came to watch the World Championships, but he looked like he was having fun practicing, and his attitude seemed the same as it was back then," Takahashi says. "My first impression was that he was stronger in defense than in attack. I remember it was hard to score points. We had a lot of sparring, and watching him wrestling with pure joy made me feel young again."

Takahashi says that he expected Ono to be dominant once he is free of injuries and begins competing internationally.

"He had a lot of injuries and was unable to participate in many domestic tournaments for a long time, but when he is not injured and can train normally, he is really strong," he says. "He does not lose to fighters in higher weight classes. When he first entered the school, he was very weak even when sparring with me, but now he is really strong and has good natural ability, so I can feel his strength."

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Ono made his international debut at the 2024 Asian Championships in 65kg and returned with a bronze medal from the Asian Championships after he was pinned by Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) who used a perfect arm throw. He dropped back to 61kg, a weight class more suited to him, and Ono was a menace.

"He doesn't change his wrestling style depending on his opponent but sticks to his own style. I expected him to win both the World Championships, but I didn't expect him to win so overwhelmingly."

The reason for Ono's ability to be the best on the mat comes from his speed. Takahashi explained that Ono researches a lot on his opponent and is quick to understand their gameplan.

"After he returned to Japan, I asked him about his impressions of Uguev. He said that he had done a lot of research and was able to understand what he was going to do just by moving a little," he says. "In terms of technique, it's not flexibility, but his speed that is so fast. There is always an initial movement before a technique, but he can perform the technique right there, so the opponent's reaction is delayed. Also, he predicts this and still performs the technique, so the opponent cannot even react."

Masanosuke ONO (JPN)
Soy sauce named Masanosuke, after Ono.

While Ono is away in the United States, his father Masaharu is planning for a long 2025 season. He wants to continue his travels with Masanosuke and Konami, which he has done since 2015. An owner of a soy sauce brewing factory in the Shimane Prefecture, Masaharu has even launched a soy sauce named after his son.

"I would be happy if people in the wrestling world around the world liked Masanosuke's interesting character," Masaharu says. "I am happiest when I travel the world to attend wrestling matches with Masanosuke and Konami."

Masaharu has documented his children's journey and is enjoying the love his son is getting so far in wrestling. Whether fans or his opponents, Ono is celebrated. Ono's walk after winning the gold was similar to what Connor McGregor did during his career; it went viral, adding to his celebrations like a fictional character from the manga series Attack on Titan (Shingekino Kyojin).

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) The Ono family in Budapest for the 2018 World Championships.

Masaharu also documented his family's trip to the 2018 World Championships in Budapest. Ono, then 14 years old, would run around to get pictures clicked. He got a few with Kyle SNYDER (USA), Sadulaev, Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), Taha AKGUL (TUR) and other stars.

And Masaharu has no plans to stop capturing his children on and off the wrestling mat. And then tell the stories of his travels.

"The viral photo with Burroughs was by chance," Masaharu says. "Ono had wandered off in the hotel and took his autograph. I did not believe that it was Burroughs's autograph. So he took me to his room and asked me to click a photo with Burroughs as evidence. That's how we got the photo. Later that night he won the gold medal at 74kg."

Soryan Eyes Sixth Title, Gaber Readies Run to Rio (Live Updates)

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Wrestling prodigy Ono takes big strides, with family's support