WrestleTallinn

Susaki and Okuno Headline Junior World Championship Entries

By Eric Olanowski

TALLINN, Estonia (August 7) -- The 2019 Junior World Championships kick off Monday (August 12) in Tallinn, Estonia, and the pair of reigning two-time senior world champions Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Haruna OKUNO (JPN) headline an entry list of nearly 700 wrestlers from 62 nations. 

This will be Okuno's first trip to the Junior World Championships, but Susaki, who is looking for her seventh overall world title since 2014, will be joined by seven other reigning junior world champions. Women's wrestling returns four gold medalists from last year's Trnava World Championships, while freestyle has a trio of wrestlers looking for back-to-back titles. Finally, Turkey's Kerem KAMAL is the lone returning Greco-Roman junior world champion who is set to make the trip to Estonia.

In addition to the eight returning junior world champs, there will also be seven cadet world gold-medal winners from the 2018 season who are making the leap up to the junior level. 

Though the entries are not official until 24 hours before the start of the competition, here are the early entries for the 2019 Junior World Championships: 

(Reigning junior world champions are listed in bold)

57kg 
Vrezh GEVORGYAN (ARM)
Mahir MAMMADZADA (AZE)
Dzmitry SHAMELA (BLR)
Mehmed Hasan MEHMED (BUL)
Brayden Alexander TODD (CAN)
Weiyu LI (CHN)
Robert Tyson T LIKIAKSA (FSM)
Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS)
Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO)
Horst Justin Junior LEHR (GER)
Ioannis MARTIDIS (GRE)
Gamzatgadzhi KHALIDOV (HUN)
Vijay Bajirao PATIL (IND)
Amir Aliakbar PARASTEH (IRI)
Tommaso FREZZA (ITA)
Toshiya ABE (JPN)
Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ)
Nurdoolot SHAILOOBEK UULU (KGZ)
Hyeonsu CHO (KOR)
Nicu CATAVEICA (MDA)
Akhmed IDRISOV (RUS)
Nino LEUTERT (SUI)
Ahmet DUMAN (TUR)
Kamil KERYMOV (UKR)
Vitali ARUJAU (USA)
Sardor RUZIMOV (UZB)

61kg
Mohamed Al Amine LAKEL (ALG)
Hrachya MARGARYAN (ARM)
Asgar MAMMADALIYEV (AZE)
Dzmitry PRYHOZHY (BLR)
Alibeg ALIBEGOV (BRN)
Jiayun HE (CHN)
Godefroid Kalombo KALUBI (COD)
David KOPRIVA (CZE)
Goderdzi DZEBISASHVILI (GEO)
Nico MEGERLE (GER)
Esteban David PEREZ CASTELLANOS (GUA)
Ravinder RAVINDER (IND)
Mahdi Saeed SHIRAZI (IRI)
Kaiki YAMAGUCHI (JPN)
Daulet TAZHIBAY (KAZ)
Tynchtyk ABASBEKOV (KGZ)
Sangboum HAN (KOR)
Leomid COLESNIC (MDA)
Tugsjargal ERDENEBAT (MGL)
David MISHEV (MKD)
Alik KHADARTSEV (RUS)
Muhammed Mustafa KELES (TUR)
Andrii DZHELEP (UKR)
Gabriel Robert TAGG (USA)
Firuz YOKUBOV (UZB)

Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE), a 2018 cadet world champion, headlines the 65kg weight class. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

65kg
Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Dzianis SALAVEI (BLR)
Dimitar Atanasov ANGELOV (BUL)
Daniel Troy COLES (CAN)
Chao ZHENG (CHN)
Jordan Ngalula KABONGO (COD)
Fathi Tarek Fathi Attia ISMAIL (EGY)
Marwane Ahmed YEZZA (FRA)
Amiran VAKHTANGASHVILI (GEO)
Panagiotis IOAKEIMIDIS (GRE)
Sunny SUNNY (IND)
Amirhossein Azim MAGHSOUDI (IRI)
Kanta TOKURIKI (JPN)
Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ)
Adilet ZHAPARKULOV (KGZ)
Injong HWANG  (KOR)
Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA)
Tengis DARKHANBAYAR (MGL)
Fati VEJSELI (MKD)
Karol Jakub CZEGUS (POL)
Stefan Ionut COMAN (ROU)
Kurban SHIRAEV (RUS)
Ahmet Salim YIGIT (TUR)
Denys BOROHAN (UKR)
Yahya Abdullah THOMAS (USA)
Bobur ISLOMOV (UZB)

70kg
Abdelkader IKKAL(ALG)
Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM)
Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE)
Aliaksandr KURYSHTA (BLR)
Jun ZHAO (CHN)
Kenfield K MIKE (FSM)
Otari BAGAURI (GEO)
Vishal KALIRAMANA(IND)
Mohmmadsadegh Biglar FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI)
Raul ZARBALIEV (ISR)
Ryo YONEZAWA (JPN)
Sanzhar DOSZHANOV (KAZ)
Alinur TAKIROV (KGZ)
Sangho HAN (KOR)
Pjotrs GOLUBEVS (LAT)
Vasile DIACON (MDA)
Byambadorj ENKHBAYAR (MGL)
Szymon WOJTKOWSKI (POL)
Alan KUDZOEV (RUS)
Mohamed SESAY (SLE)
Tobias PORTMANN (SUI)
Omer Faruk CAYIR (TUR)
Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR)
Brayton Edward LEE (USA)

Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) is one of three returning freestyle junior world champions. He'll wrestle at 74kg. Photo: Max Rose-Fyne. 

74kg
Ishak BOUKHORS (ALG)
Davit GEVORGYAN (ARM)
Simon MARCHL (AUT)
Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE)
Davud ALIZALAU (BLR)
Tu Erxun AHEIYOU (CHN)
Peter Nkisi MUNDONGA (COD)
Saifeldin Shokry Mohamed Mahmoud ELKOUMY (EGY)
Jako KIVIMAEGI (EST)
Keanson A SIGRAH (FSM)
Goga MAMIAURI (GEO)
Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
Parveen MALIK (IND)
Mohammad Ashghar NOKHODILARIMI (IRI)
Jintaro MOTOYAMA (JPN)
Shynggys MUKHAMETKALIYEV (KAZ)
Baianas MAMASALI UULU (KGZ)
Jinwoo MOON (KOR)
Valentin BORZIN (MDA)
Bat-Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL)
Jakub Patryk WLADCZYK (POL)
Devid BETANOV (RUS)
Abdulvasi BALTA (TUR)
Yevhenii DUBOVYI (UKR)
David Aaron CARR (USA)

79kg
Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG)
Arman AVAGYAN (ARM)
Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
Oktay Ruzhdi HASAN (BUL)
Carson Barry LEE (CAN)
Tanggesi TANGGESI (CHN)
Tony Bahati AROKA (COD)
Erik REINBOK (EST)
Bagrati GAGNIDZE (GEO)
Joshua Philipp David MORODION (GER)
Milan MESTER (HUN)
Sandeep Singh MANN (IND)
Abdollah Shahriar SHEIKHAZAMI (IRI)
Max KASPEROVICH (ISR)
Salvatore DIANA (ITA)
Yudai TAKAHASHI (JPN)
Tilek KABYKENOV (KAZ)
Samatbek STANBEK UULU (KGZ)
Taegyu HWANG (KOR)
Cristian PRISACARI (MDA)
Cezary Marek SADOWSKI (POL)
Amkhad TASHUKHADZHIEV (RUS)
Foday KARGBO (SLE)
Omer Faruk KARADENIZ (TUR)
Valentyn BABII (UKR)
Aaron Marquel BROOKS (USA)


Deepak PUNIA (IND) returns to the Junior World Championships with hopes of imroving on his silver medal from last season. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

86kg
Mher MARKOSYAN (ARM)
Benjamin GREIL (AUT)
Magomed ASIYATILOV (AZE)
Aliaksei PARKHOMENKA (BLR)
Hunter Jeffery LEE (CAN)
Teng ZHAO (CHN)
Stallone Wadiayako SIBU (COD)
Vojtech PISKOR (CZE)
Nikita TSEHHONIN (EST)
Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO)
Lars SCHAEFLE (GER)
Gino Tanislado AVILA DILBERT (HON)
Milan Andras KORCSOG (HUN)
Deepak PUNIA (IND)
Sajjad Saeid HABIBIEHSANI (IRI)
Shai Shabtai SHOTASHVILI (ISR)
Shutaro YAMADA (JPN)
Abylay SOVET (KAZ)
Jeongwoo PARK (KOR)
Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT)
Ivan NEDEALCO (MDA)
Bilguun BAYARSAIKHAN (MGL)
Alik SHEBZUKHOV (RUS)
Mohammad Sardar TIMORI (SWE)
Cagri Can BAYRAM (TUR)
Hlib HRYNCHENKO (UKR)
Trent Niemond HIDLAY (USA)
Mukhammadrasul RAKHIMOV (UZB)

92kg
Thomas John Mcglinchey BARNS (AUS)
Askhab HAMZATOV (AZE)
Yaraslau IADKOUSKI (BLR)
Bozhidar Mateev TODOROV (BUL)
Julien CHOQUETTE (CAN)
Tuerdahen AYITUOLIEKE (CHN)
Aron Isomi MBO (COD)
Matous VONDAL (CZE)
Giorgi CHANKSELIANI (GEO)
Ertugrul AGCA (GER)
Richard VEGH (HUN)
Viky VIKY (IND)
Ali Reza Abbasali ABDOLLAHI (IRI)
Takumi TANIZAKI (JPN)
Kuanysh ZHUMASH (KAZ)
Wonhwy CHOI (KOR)
Gheorghe ERHAN (MDA)
Batmagnai ENKHTUVSHIN (MGL)
Machiel Johannes GROBLER (RSA)
Alan BAGAEV (RUS)
Polat POLATCI (TUR)
Vasyl SOVA (UKR)
Lucas John DAVISON (USA)
Ajiniyaz SAPARNIYAZOV (UZB)

97kg
Temraz ISMAYILOV (AZE)
Yaraslau SLAVIKOUSKI (BLR)
Ikjyot Singh RANDHAWA (CAN)
Reheman RUSIDANMU (CHN)
Yonger Pauli BASTIDA POMARES (CUB)
Kevin AAS (EST)
Givi GOGOBERISHVILI (GEO)
Artur VEGH (HUN)
Akash ANTIL (IND)
Abbas Ali FOROUTANRAMI (IRI)
Takuma OTSU (JPN)
Nurken KOBEISINOV (KAZ)
Mingi CHOI (KOR)
Radu LEFTER (MDA)
Haroon ABID (PAK)
Aslanbek GAZZAEV (RUS)
Viliam OROSS (SVK)
Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR)
Danylo STASIUK (UKR)
Tanner Ryan SLOAN (USA)
Makhsud VEYSALOV (UZB)

125kg
Hovhannes MAGHAKYAN (ARM)
Islam Aslangereyvic ABUEV (AZE)
Jackson Jerome SERNA (CAN)
Buheeerdun BUHEEERDUN (CHN)
Ahmed Mahmoud Elsayed Mohamed KHALIL (EGY)
Vasil KHVISTANI (GEO)
Vishal VISHAL (IND)
Amir Hossein Abbas ZARE (IRI)
Lior ALTSHULER (ISR)
Akiho MOR I(JPN)
Bakdaulet OSSERBAY (KAZ)
Aftandil BOLOTBEK UULU (KGZ)
Ki Bum KIM (KOR)
Gan Erdene SODBILEG (MGL)
Alen KHUBULOV (RUS)
Pasa Ekrem KARABULUT (TUR)
Yurii IDZINSKYI (UKR)
Mason Mark PARRIS (USA)

Kerem KAMAL(TUR) is looking to win his third junior world title. He's the favorite to win the 60kg title. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Greco-Roman

55kg
Tigran MINASYAN (ARM)
Zaur ALIYEV (AZE)
Hleb MAKARANKA (BLR)
Baoyinjiya BAOYINJIYA (CHN)
Antonio Jordan RUIZ MORA (ECU)
Ahmed Fouad Fouad Hussein BAGHDOUDA (EGY)
Pridon ABULADZE (GEO)
Vijay VIJAY (IND)
Poya Soulat DAD MARZ (IRI)
Ken MATSUI (JPN)
Nurzat KABDYRAKHIMOV (KAZ)
Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Donghyeok WON (KOR)
Tuorki Ali M HAZOAZI (KSA)
Artium DELEANU (MDA)
Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (RUS)
Aslamdzhon AZIZOV (TJK)
Mukremin AKTAS (TUR)
Vladyslav KUZKO (UKR)
Dylan Allan RAGUSIN (USA)
Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB)

60kg
Mourtada NAANAA (ALG)
Sahak HOVHANNISYAN (ARM)
Asgar ALIZADA (AZE)
Aliaksandr NIAHODA (BLR)
Alamusi ALAMUSI (CHN)
Moamen Ahmed Rabie MOHAMED (EGY)
Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO)
Sachin RANA (IND)
Milad Ali REZANEZHAD (IRI)
Abere FETENE (ISR)
Kazuki YABE (JPN)
Olzhas SULTAN (KAZ)
Talastan KANZHARBEK UULU (KGZ)
Gunwoo PARK (KOR)
Gytis KULEVICIUS (LTU)
Ion BACALU (MDA)
Georgii TIBILOV (RUS)
Rasul ISRAPILOV (SUI)
Niklas Jan Olov Pontus OEHLEN (SWE)
Azatjan ACHILOV (TKM)
Kerem KAMAL (TUR)
Myroslav SOLOVIAN (UKR)
Mason Alan CARZINO HARTSHORN (USA)
Mukhammadkodir YUSUPOV (UZB)

Shahin Eidi BADAGHI MOFRAD (IRI), the 2018 cadet world finalist, will represent Iran at 63kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

63kg
Abdelmalek MERABET (ALG)
Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
Zaur NURIYEV (AZE)
Aliaksandr PECHURENKA (BLR)
Nikalas Petrov SULEV (BUL)
Delin WANG (CHN)
Godefroid Kalombo KALUBI (COD)
Markos TADOLDER (EST)
Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
Cristian Estuardo MEJIA TEPEN (GUA)
Tibor Sandor GYUERKY (HUN)
Pravesh PRAVESH (IND)
Shahin Eidi BADAGHI MOFRAD (IRI)
Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN)
Assaukhat MUKHAMADIYEV (KAZ)
Marlen ASIKEEV (KGZ)
Sangjun PARK (KOR)
Vilius SAVICKAS (LTU)
Kamil Aleksander CZARNECKI (POL)
Abu Muslim Aptievitch AMAEV (RUS)
Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR)
Dmytro MIROSHNYK (UKR)
Alston Jon NUTTER (USA)
Javokhirbek SAMATOV (UZB)

67kg
Kevin KUPI (ALB)
Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
Aker AL OBAIDI (AUT)
Adam HAJIZADA (AZE)
Eldar HASANAU (BLR)
Ivo Krasimirov ILIEV (BUL)
Xin HUANG (CHN)
Jordan Ngalula KABONGO (COD)
Denis MERTL (CZE)
Kristo VIIDAS (EST)
Elmer Joakim MATTILA (FIN)
Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO)
Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER)
Krisztian Istvan VANCZA (HUN)
Saurabh SAURABH (IND)
Mohammad Reza Hojatollah MOKHTARI (IRI)
Ignazio SANFILIPPO (ITA)
Gakuyo TAGUCHI (JPN)
Alikhan KOKENOV (KAZ)
Jaewon LEE (KOR)
Ahmed Fawzi M BARAHMAH (KSA)
Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU)
Valentin PETIC (MDA)
Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR)
Aleksander Juliusz MIELEWCZYK (POL)
Sergei KUTUZOV (RUS)
Luka GUMILAR (SLO)
Aleksa ILIC (SRB)
Michael PORTMANN (SUI)
Yan-Kai CHEN (TPE)
Lamjed MAAFI (TUN)
Abdul Samet BASAR (TUR)
Vladyslav KRAVCHENKO (UKR)
Peyton Louis OMANIA (USA)
Umidjon AKHROROV (UZB)

Hassan Hassan Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) was one match away from winning a junior world title last year. He's one of the favorites to make the finals again at 72kg. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne) 

72kg
Samvel GRIGORYAN (ARM)
Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
Andrei SAMETS (BLR)
Guotao ZHANG (CHN)
Pavel PUKLAVEC (CRO)
Hassan Hassan Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY)
Randel UIBO (EST)
Akseli Elias YLI HANNUKSELA (FIN)
Otar ABULADZE (GEO)
Erik LOESER (GER)
Georgios Theodoros SOTIRIADIS (GRE)
Gergely BAK (HUN)
Rahul RAHUL (IND)
Mohammadreza Mahmoud ROSTAMI (IRI)
Radik RAKHMATULIN (ISR)
Kaichi SUGAWARA (JPN)
Galymbek NURGALI (KAZ)
Bekzat MATKABYLOV (KGZ)
Jangsu CHO (KOR)
Deividas SUBOTKEVIC (LTU)
Anatolie POPOV (MDA)
Mihai PETIC (MDA)
Konrad Lukasz KOZLOWSKI (POL)
Vasile Alexandru DOSOFTEI (ROU)
Sergei STEPANOV (RUS)
Mohamed SESAY (SLE)
Elmaz HASANOVIC (SRB)
Rasmus Lilleman AASTROEM (SWE)
Daler REZA ZADE (TJK)
Ismail GUN (TUR)
Ihor BYCHKOV (UKR)
Tyler Adam EISCHENS (USA)
Alijon KHUSEYNOV (UZB)

77kg
Vahe POGHOSYAN (ARM)
Nasir HASANOV (AZE)
Mikita KAZAKOU (BLR)
Teodor Chavdarov DOMOZINOV (BUL)
Bahetijiang KELAN (CHN)
Peter Nkisi MUNDONGA (COD)
Jan CYMOREK (CZE)
Ranet KALJOLA (EST)
Nika SHERBAKOVI (GEO)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
Sajan SAJAN (IND)
Mohammad Aziz NAGHOUSI (IRI)
David ZHYTOMYRSKY (ISR)
Amane SHIMOYAMADA (JPN)
Leonid PROSKUROVICH (KAZ)
Azamat ZHAMGYRCHY UULU (KGZ)
Hyeonjin KANG (KOR)
Arminas LYGNUGARIS (LTU)
Exauce MUKUBU (NOR)
Patryk Adam BEDNARZ (POL)
Damir RAKHIMOV (RUS)
Foday KARGBO (SLE)
Andrija Luka MALETIN (SRB)
Mats Ola Lukas AHLGREN (SWE)
Bing Hong LIN (TPE)
Abdurrahman KALKAN (TUR)
Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR)
Jack Butch ERVIEN (USA)
Dilshod OMONGELDIYEV (UZB)

82kg
Fadi ROUABAH (ALG)
Karen KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
Maksim BANDARENKA (BLR)
Zahari Rosenov ZASHEV (BUL)
Fabian Patricio CASTILLO PAVEZ (CHI)
Talimubieke AYIDINGBIEKE (CHN)
Tony Bahati AROKA (COD)
Karlo KODRIC (CRO)
Hans Uku LEITHAM (EST)
Otto Eemeli KETONEN (FIN)
Beka GURULI (GEO)
Lucas Alexandros LAZOGIANIS (GER)
Ilias PAGKALIDIS (GRE)
Istvan TAKACS (HUN)
Sanjeet SANJEET (IND)
Hosein Jahanbakhsh FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU (IRI)
Satoki MUKAI (JPN)
Stanislav RYLSKIY (KAZ)
Jihyeok SONG (KOR)
Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL)
Nicolae POPA (ROU)
Aues GONIBOV (RUS)
Klemen PODGORELEC (SLO)
Toyly ORAZOV (TKM)
Dogan KAYA (TUR)
Vitalii ANDRIIOVYCH (UKR)
Zachary Kyle BRAUNAGEL (USA)

Ilia ERMOLENKO (RUS), a 2018 junior world bronze medalist, is the lone returning world medalist entered at 87kg. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

87kg
Hakob BAGHDASARYAN (ARM)
Lachin VALIYEV (AZE)
Ihar YARASHEVICH (BLR)
Mariyan Iliyanov MARINOV (BUL)
Han LEI (CHN)
Stallone Wadiayako SIBU (COD)
Filip SMETKO (CRO)
Andreas VAELIS (EST)
Juho Matias PAHIKAINEN (FIN)
Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO)
Nikolaos PAPADOPOULOS (GER)
David LOSONCZI (HUN)
Kumar SUNIL (IND)
Hasan Jahanbakhsh FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU (IRI)
Ryohta NASUKAWA (JPN)
Meirbek KORDABAY (KAZ)
Meder ABYKEEV (KGZ)
Temirlan SHERALI UULU (KGZ)
Hyeonsu KANG (KOR)
Piotr CHUDZIK (POL)
Ilia ERMOLENKO (RUS)
Christian Max ZEMP (SUI)
Jacob Edward LOGAARD (SWE)
Dovran DOVLETGELDIYEV (TKM)
Bedirhan TAN (TUR)
Valentyn SHKLIARENKO (UKR)
Cameron Andrew CAFFEY (USA)

97kg
Markus RAGGINGER (AUT)
Khayal MEHTIYEV (AZE)
Uladzislau PUSTASHYLAU (BLR)
Houzhi HAO (CHN)
Aron Isomi MBO (COD)
Gabriel Alejandro ROSILLO KINDELAN (CUB)
Richard KARELSON (EST)
Lasha TVILDIANI (GEO)
Patrick NEUMAIER (GER)
Apostolos Panagiotis TSIOVOLOS (GRE)
Alex Gergo SZOKE (HUN)
Deepanshu DEEPANSHU (IND)
Abolfazl Naser SEYEDMAHDAVI (IRI)
Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN)
Islam UMAYEV (KAZ)
Jeongyul KWON (KOR)
Ibrahim Mohammed M FALLATAH (KSA)
Arnoldas BARANOVAS (LTU)
Gerard Cyprian KURNICZAK (POL)
Karen TATEVOSOV (RUS)
Beytullah KAYISDAG (TUR)
Oleksandr YEVDOKIMOV (UKR)
Nicholas Allen BOYKIN (USA)
Ismail ASANOV (UZB)

130kg
Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE)
Mikita KAVALSKI (BLR)
Diego Jesus ALMENDRAS RODRIGUEZ (CHI)
Lu ZHANG (CHN)
Marcel ALBINI (CZE)
Youssef Ahmed Hamdy Aly ISSA (EGY)
Uku LAIK (EST)
Robinzon ESADZE (GEO)
Nikolaos NTOUNIAS (GRE)
Dariusz Attila VITEK (HUN)
Aawesh AAWESH (IND)
Aliakbar Hossein YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI)
Shoma SUZUKI (JPN)
Konstantin RAKHIMOV( KAZ)
Minjoon KIM (KOR)
Nikola MILATOVIC (NOR)
Tomasz Jacek WAWRZYNCZYK (POL)
Ciprian Ilie TRUFAN (ROU)
Marat KAMPAROV (RUS)
Muhammet Hamza BAKIR (TUR)
Vladyslav KOVALENKO (UKR)
Cohlton Michael SCHULTZ (USA)
Ilyosbek GULOMJONOV (UZB)

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) enters the Junior World Championships searching for her seventh world title since 2014. She'll wrestle at 50kg. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne) 

Women's Wrestling 

50kg
Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE)
Natallia VARAKINA (BLR)
Alexia Adeline Devalmont SEAL (CAN)
Yuhong ZHONG (CHN)
Lucia Yamileth YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU)
Hala Wael Imbabi AHMED (EGY)
Polina SAHNO (EST)
Taru Marketta VAINIONPAEAE (FIN)
Lisa ERSEL (GER)
Neelam NEELAM (IND)
Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA)
Yui SUSAKI (JPN)
Ayaulym TUGANBAYEVA (KAZ)
Jinhee KIM (KOR)
Maria LEORDA (MDA)
Otgontuya CHINBOLD (MGL)
Amanda TOMCZYK (POL)
Stefania Claudia PRICEPUTU (ROU)
Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS)
Meng Hsuan HSIEH (TPE)
Sarra HAMDI (TUN)
Zehra DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
Alleida MARTINEZ (USA)
Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)

53kg
Yuliya ZHAUNERYK (BLR)
Mariela Zhelyazkova ZHELYAZKOVA (BUL)
Meiduolaji MEIDUOLAJI (CHN)
Pooja POOJA (IND)
Haruna OKUNO (JPN)
Assylzat SAGYMBAY (KAZ)
Yeji MIN (KOR)
Anudari NANDINTSETSEG (MGL)
Andreea Beatrice ANA (ROU)
Mariia TIUMEREKOVA (RUS)
Angelica Mingyue ZETTERVALL (SWE)
Rahime ARI (TUR)
Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR)
Gracie Marie FIGUEROA (USA)
Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)

Saki IGARASHI (JPN) is one of two Japanese wrestlers looking to win back-to-back junior world golds. (Photo: Gabor Martin) 

55kg
Darya SINKAVETS (BLR)
Sezen Behchetova BELBEROVA (BUL)
Virginie KAZE GASCON (CAN)
Antonia Alejandra VALDEZ ARRIAGADA (CHI)
Silangwangmu SILANGWANGMU (CHN)
Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER)
Anna Hella SZEL (HUN)
Anju ANJU (IND)
Saki IGARASHI (JPN)
Sandugash DYUSSENGALIYEVA (KAZ)
Eunyoung PARK (KOR)
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
Enkhtsetseg BATBAATAR (MGL)
Patrycja GIL (POL)
Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS)
Ya Ling PENG (TPE)
Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Veronika RYABOVOLOVA (UKR)
Alexandra Wray HEDRICK (USA)

57kg
Maryia HULIDA (BLR)
Ana Luiza PEREIRA FRANCA (BRA)
Tanya Dobromirova TENEVA (BUL)
Jolie Donna Elizabeth BRISCO (CAN)
Youmei WU (CHN)
Bharti BAGHEL (IND)
Akie HANAI (JPN)
Laura ALMAGANBETOVA (KAZ)
Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ)
Magdalena Urszula GLODEK (POL)
Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (RUS)
Ozge FINDIKCI (TUR)
Alina AKOBIIA (UKR)
Cameron Jaylynn GUERIN (USA)

Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) is searching for her second world title. She'll wrestle at 59kg. (Photo: Marion Stein)

59kg
Krystsina SAZYKINA (BLR)
Emma Janelle PARKER (CAN)
Zhuomalaga ZHUOMALAGA (CHN)
Maria Victoria BAEZ DILONE (ESP)
Anne Beatrice NUERNBERGER (GER)
Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
Anshu ANSHU (IND)
Morena DE VITA (ITA)
Sae NANJO (JPN)
Dariga ABEN (KAZ)
Nazira MARSBEK KYZY (KGZ)
Hwa Young SUNG (KOR)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)
Angelika Agnieszka MYTKOWSKA (POL)
Kristina MIKHNEVA (RUS)
Elmas CELIK (TUR)
Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR)
Michaela Hope BECK (USA)

62kg
Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE)
Tatsiana PAULAVA (BLR)
Ana Paula GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN)
Yaru WU (CHN)
Tiia Triin TOMSON (EST)
Radhika RADHIKA (IND)
Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN)
Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ)
Haeyeong IM (KOR)
Alina Aleksandra ANTIPOVA (LAT)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)
Purevsuren ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL)
Magdalena Weronika KISIELINSKA (POL)
Mariia LACHUGINA (RUS)
Cansu AKSOY (TUR)
Antonyna KULAHINA (UKR)
Alara Lea BOYD (USA)
Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB)

65kg
Jeyla NAGHIZADE (AZE)
Hanna SADCHANKA (BLR)
Katie Nichole MULKAY (CAN)
Yue ZHANG (CHN)
Nerea PAMPIN BLANCO (ESP)
Viktoria VESSO (EST)
Noémi SZABADOS (HUN)
Tina TINA (IND)
Elena ESPOSITO (ITA)
Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)
Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ)
Chaewon LEE (KOR)
Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)
Amina Roxana CAPEZAN (ROU)
Daria BOBRULKO (RUS)
Hsin Ping PAI (TPE)
Yagmur CAKMAK (TUR)
Oksana CHUDYK (UKR)
Macey Ellen KILTY (USA)
Dinora RUSTAMOVA (UZB)

Khanum VELIEVA(RUS) has a shot at winning her third consecutive junior world title. She'll compete at 68kg. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

68kg
Natallia BELSKAYA (BLR)
Thamires MARTINS MACHADO (BRA)
Siyka Todorova IVANOVA (BUL)
Berit Ilise Musey JOHNSON (CAN)
Xin LI (CHN)
Marta PAJULA (EST)
Tuende Emese ELEKES (HUN)
Priyanka PRIYANKA (IND)
Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN)
Gulsezim BUKHAYEVA (KAZ)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Jisu KIM (KOR)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Ewelina Weronika CIUNEK (POL)
Khanum VELIEVA (RUS)
Tindra Linnea SJOEBERG (SWE)
Kadriye AKSOY (TUR)
Khrystyna MALIAVKA (UKR)
Jayden Leigh LAURENT (USA)

72kg
Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (BLR)
Shuiyan CHENG (CHN)
Johanna MEIER (GER)
Anshu GUJJAR (IND)
Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)
Gulnaz ZHAPPAROVA (KAZ)
Dokyung (Hyerim) YUN (KOR)
Khulan TSERMAA (MGL)
Kamila Czeslawa KULWICKA (POL)
Maria larisa NITU (ROU)
Evgeniia ZAKHARCHENKO (RUS)
Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK)
Merve PUL (TUR)
Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)
Alyvia Nicole FISKE (USA)
Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB)

76kg
Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR)
Dejah Aniela SLATER (CAN)
Qian JIANG (CHN)
Milaimys de la Caridad MARIN POTRILLE (CUB)
Lilly SCHNEIDER (GER)
Bernadett NAGY (HUN)
Karuna KARUNA (IND)
Eleni PJOLLAJ (ITA)
Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN)
Alexandra ZAITSEVA (KAZ)
Soeun KIM (KOR)
Raivita TIMOFEJEVA (LAT)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Marina SUROVTSEVA (RUS)
Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE)
Mehtap GULTEKIN (TUR)
Romana VOVCHAK (UKR)
Korinahe Jacquia BULLOCK (USA)
Mukhlisa NORMUMINOVA (UZB)

Click HERE for the full 2019 Junior World Championships schedule. 

#WrestlePontevedra

Zhang twins continue growth with U20 Worlds golds

By Vinay Siwach

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (September 6) -- A year after winning the U17 continental titles, the Zhang twins are winning world titles together.

Yu ZHANG (CHN) won the 50kg gold medal on Thursday and cheered for her sister Jin who clinched the 53kg gold medal on Friday to give China the second gold medal in Women's Wrestling at the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain.

The twins, who turn 18 on September 26, dominated their matches on their way to gold with Jin winning her final in just a minute and five seconds over Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP), who is Spain's first wrestler to reach a World Championships at any level or style.

"I felt very nervous at the beginning, but after I came on the mat, I relaxed and I just showed my usual level," Zhang said.

Jin ZHANG (CHN)Jin ZHANG (CHN) pins Carla JAUME (ESP) in the 53kg final at the U20 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Zhang scored a takedown using a double-leg and kept Jaume on her back on the mat. Despite Jaume's efforts to avoid the fall, Zhang secured the fall by moving Jaume's head towards the center of the mat than going outside.

This was Zhang's second fall of the tournament while she had won her first two bouts via technical superiority. At the U20 Asian Championships in May, Zhang won two bouts via superiority and two via fall. However, Zhang said she was not satisfied with her performance on Thursday.

"I don’t think it reached the level I expected," she said. "There were some actions where I made a lot of mistakes. I have to go back and summarize them before practicing again."

The sisters have been exchanging notes about wrestling during the competition as they have done in previous competitions. Yu helped Zhang prepare for the final against Jaume.

"We sometimes participate in competitions together," she said. "We can learn from each other, tell yourself or her what shortcomings you have, and teach her how to practice some actions."

Hailing from Shuyang County, Suqian, Jiangsu, the Zhang sisters began wrestling in primary school. It was Yu who was picked by a coach of her school who picked her randomly to participate in the sports meet. Yu liked wrestling and continued her practice.

"When Yu was a child, she was selected by the coach of the city sports school because she was trying to participate in the sports meet," Zhang explained. "Then she started wrestling. Later, she gradually learned more about wrestling, and fell in love with wrestling."

Both have not disappointed so far, winning the U17 Asian golds, U20 Asian gold and bronze and now the U20 world title. Yu Zhang has won senior-level medals as well and continues to support Jin at competitions.

"We usually sit together and have a good chat about the good and bad aspects of our game," Yu Zhang said.

Jasmine ROBINSON (USA)Jasmine ROBINSON (USA) reacts after winning the 72kg final against Yuqi LIU (CHN). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Despite two gold medals, a silver and a bronze medal, China failed to finish on the podium in team rankings. It finished fourth with 99 points, two less than third-placed United States.

The race for the third spot came to the final match of the day as Jasmine ROBINSON (USA) and Yuqi LIU (CHN) clashed in the 72kg final and the winner would have helped its team finish third. The two were unmatched on Thursday, finishing their matches well before time.

Liu began the final with a double-leg takedown and tried a leg lace that she was not able to perform. She continued her attacks but Robinson used a whizzer to get four points. While the pin was not called, Robinson added four more points with a headlock but Liu rolled over for two points.

Just when it looked like Liu would come back in the final after scoring a go-behind to cut the lead to 9-6, Robinson scored exposure and held Liu to win the gold medal.

"My coaches told me to watch out for the leg lace and I am very proud that I did not give that up," Robinson said.

JapanJapan won the Women's Wrestling team title with 149 points. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

Japan returned to the top of Women's Wrestling rankings by winning the team title with 149 points. After a record-breaking 230 points in 2022, Japan lost its title to India last year. India finished second in Pontevedra with 130 points and the United States was third with 101 points.

After Sakura ONISHI (JPN) gold on Thursday, Japan added two more to its tally on Friday. Sokawa UCHIDA (JPN) continued her unbeaten international run, winning her third age-group world title. She won the U17 word titles in 2022 and 2023. Her 12-2 win to win gold against Bertha ROJAS (MEX) on Friday was her fourth technical superiority win of the tournament.

Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN)Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) celebrates after winning the 57kg final at the U20 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Uchida won the 57kg gold medal while the other was added by Anana IKEHATA (JPN) who won the gold medal at 65kg. 

Uchida, 18, gave no chance to Rojas in the final, using singles and doubles to score the points on takedowns. It was only in the last move that Uchida was turned over by Rojas for exposure and gave up two points.

"It was my first time competing in the U20 level," Uchida said. "I was feeling really nervous, but my excitement was stronger, I was glad that I was able to compete in my own way. It was a great competition, and I am happy to have won."

Comparing her three medals at the World Championships, Uchida picked the one from Friday being the best. "All of them are great, but this one is the best,"

A product of the JOC Elite Academy, Uchida has been trying hard to break into the senior team. However, her third-place finishes in Emperor's and Meiji Cups have not helped her earn that spot.

"This year I will do my best to win the Emperor's Cup," she said. "I'd like to try more types of fake attacks, transitions and tackle speed, and more. There are so many things we need to do. But on the other hand, if I improve on that, I definitely think I can win, so I want to work even harder."

Nana IKEHATA (JPN)Nana IKEHATA (JPN) defeated Beyza AKKUS (TUR) to win the 65kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Ikehata, a two-time age-group Asian champion, took more time to finish her 65kg final against Beyza AKKUS (TUR). She won the gold medal after beating Akkus 8-1.

After giving up a point for passivity, Ikehata scored a takedown using a snap and added one more before the break to lead 4-1. In the second period, Akkus showed some fake attacks on Ikehata who countered them and scored two more takedowns to win 8-1.

Continuing her incredible year, Iryna BONDAR (USA) added a U20 world title to her U23 European and Budapest Ranking Series gold medals. She defeated U20 Asian champion NITIKA (IND) 4-1 in the final.

Nitika initiated most attacks and even got various opportunities to score but Bondar had a solid defense and did not get a single point on her.

Bondar has two silver medals from the U23 World Championships and a bronze medal from the U20 Worlds. The gold medal on Friday was her first-ever title at the World Championships.

Nethmi AHINSA (SRI)Nethmi AHINSA (SRI), Sri Lanka's first-ever World Championships medalist in wrestling. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Sri Lanka history

Sri Lanka won its first-ever wrestling medal on the world stage after Nethmi AHINSA (SRI) won the bronze medal at 53kg against Valeryia MIKITSICH (AIN), 6-1. The win makes Ahinsa the first Sri Lanka wrestler to win a medal at any World Championships

Earlier in June, she won a bronze medal at the U20 Asian Championships, becoming the first Sri Lanka to win a medal at any championships in wrestling.

RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

53kg
GOLD: Jin ZHANG (CHN) df. Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP), via fall

BRONZE: Nethmi AHINSA (SRI) df. Valeryia MIKITSICH (AIN), 6-1
BRONZE: Saki YUMIYA (JPN) df. JYOTI (IND), 6-4

57kg
GOLD: Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) df. Bertha ROJAS CHAVEZ (MEX), 12-2

BRONZE: Marta HETMANAVA (AIN) df. Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR), 6-1
BRONZE: NEHA (IND) df. Gerda TEREK (HUN), 10-8

62kg
GOLD: Iryna BONDAR (UKR) df. NITIKA (IND), 4-1

BRONZE: Melanie JIMENEZ (MEX) df. Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE), via fall
BRONZE: Nagisa ITO (JPN) df. Selvi ILYASOGLU (TUR), 10-9

65kg
GOLD: Nana IKEHATA (JPN) df. Beyza AKKUS (TUR), 8-1

BRONZE: Margarita SALNAZARIAN (AIN) df. Yuliia PAKHNIUK (UKR), 8-5
BRONZE: Zaixue RUI (CHN) df. SARIKA (IND), 7-3

72kg
GOLD: Jasmine ROBINSON (USA) df. Yuqi LIU (CHN), via fall (11-6)

BRONZE: Elvira ERSSON (SWE) df. Iryna ZABLOTSKA (UKR), 7-1
BRONZE: Noemi OSVATH NAGY (HUN) df. Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (AIN), 9-0

Freestyle Semifinals

57kg
GOLD: Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) vs. Lev PAVLOV (AIN)

SF 1: Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) df. Hayko GASPARYAN (ARM), 4-1
SF 2: Lev PAVLOV (AIN) df. Luka GVINJILIA (GEO), 5-2

65kg
GOLD: Ali KHORRAMDEL (IRI) vs. Makoto HOSOKAWA (JPN)

SF 1: Ali KHORRAMDEL (IRI) df. Adam ARKHIEV (AIN), 6-4 
SF 2: Makoto HOSOKAWA (JPN) df. Bowen BASSETT (USA), 10-0

70kg
GOLD: Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN) vs. Ryoya YAMASHITA (JPN)

SF 1: Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN) df. Peter DUKE (USA), 5-5
SF 2: Ryoya YAMASHITA (JPN) df. Ali KARAMPOUR (IRI), 13-2

79kg
GOLD: Alp BEGENJOV (TKM) vs. Zackary RYDER (USA)

SF 1: Alp BEGENJOV (TKM) df. AMIT (IND), via fall (11-0)
SF 2: Zackary RYDER (USA) df. Said SAIDULOV (AIN), 6-3

97kg
GOLD: Khetag KARSANOV (AZE) vs. Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ)

SF 1: Khetag KARSANOV (AZE) df. Adam JAKSIK (SVK), via fall
SF 2: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) df. Justin RADEMACHER (USA), 9-1