#Trnava2018

Susaki, Larroque Headline Trnava World C'ships

Thursday, September 13, 2018 - 13:52 By Eric Olanowski

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TRNAVA, Slovakia (September 13) - Yui SUSAKI (JPN), the reigning 48kg senior-level world champion, will head to Trnava, Slovakia for her first-ever junior-level competition before putting her Paris World title on the line at the Budapest World Championships. 

Susaki, Japan's 19-year-old superstar won three straight Cadet World Championships before heading to Paris last year to claim her first senior-level World gold medal. 

The Junior World Championships will be Susaki’s second individual international tournament of the year after she suffered a devastating 10-0 loss to Asian Championship/ Asian Games representative, Yuki IRIE (JPN) at Japan’s Emperor’s Cup. That loss ultimately kept Susaki off of Japan’s continental championship teams. 

To make up for the Asian Championships and Asian Games absence, the Waseda University freshman traveled to Klippan, Sweden to wrestle in the first Ranking Series Event of the year, the Klippan Lady Open.

At the Klippan Lady Open, Susaki defeated current World No. 2, Mariya STADNIK (AZE), 2-2 in the gold-medal bout. She handed Stadnik her only defeat of the season. In 2018, Stadnik is 12-1, with 12 technical superiority victories while outscoring her opponents 128-5, and has gold medals at the Poland Open and the European Championships. 

Fast forward to July, Susaki avenged her loss to Irie, rallying from a four-point deficit with 30-seconds left to win the special wrestle-off, 6-4, ultimately making Japan’s Budapest World Team for the second straight year. 

If Susaki, the clear favorite at 50kg was to make the finals, she’d wrestle on Thursday night for the gold medal.


Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) looks to finish a single-leg in the bronze medal bout of the Paris World Championships. (Photo by Martin Gabor) 

Another superstar that’ll be in attendance will be France’s Koumba LARROQUE. 

Since 2015, Larroque has reached the top of the podium at the Cadet World Championships, Junior World Championships, and U23 World Championships. 

In addition, Larroque bumped up to the senior-level in her home country a season ago and captured a bronze medal at the Paris World Championships. 

Larroque is entered at 72kg and will compete on Thursday, with the potential to make Friday nights finals. 

Reigning Tampere champions Sae NANJO (JPN) and Khanum VELIEVA (RUS) also make their return to the Junior World Championships with hopes of winning back-to-back gold medals.

Nanjo is entered at 59kg, while Velieva is registered at 68kg. 


Cadet World champion, Anshu ANSHU (IND) will wrestle at 62kg. (Photo by Martin Gabor) 

Other World Medalists in Action 
50kg 
Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU)  - Junior World bronze 

53kg
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) - Junior World bronze

57kg  
Viktoriia VAULINA (RUS) - Junior World bronze

59kg
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)  - Junior World runner-up 
Erika BOGNAR (GER) – Cadet World bronze 

62kg 
Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) – Junior World runner-up 
Anshu ANSHU (IND)  - Cadet World champion 
Krystsina SAZYKINA (BLR) – Cadet World bronze 

65kg 
Alena TIMOFEEVA (RUS) – Cadet World runner-up
Wiktoria CHOLUJ   (POL) – Cadet World bronze

72kg 
Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) - Junior World bronze

76kg 
Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN) -  Junior World runner-up
Denise MAKOTA STROEM (SWE)  – Junior World bronze 
Bernadett NAGY (HUN) – Cadet World bronze 


In addition to their gold medal, each World Champion will receive a belt. (Photo by Justin Hoch)

SCHEDULE 
Wednesday 
10:30 - Qualification rounds WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
17:15 - Semifinal WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg

Thursday 
10:30 - Qualification rounds WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
10:30 - Repechage WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
17:15 - Semifinal WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
18:00 - Finals WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg

Friday 
10:30 - Repechage WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
18:00 - Finals WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg

#WrestleZagreb

Maroulis returns to Worlds final after three years

Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 20:38 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- Helen MAROULIS (USA) wrestled three bout on Tuesday at the World Championships and secured three pins. She spent only 6 minutes and 28 seconds in those three pins to reach the 57kg final at the World Championships on Tuesday in Zagreb.

Maroulis, a two-time world champion, will now wrestle for gold against Il Sim SON (PRK), one of the two wrestlers from the DPR Korea to make it to the final on Tuesday.

In all three of her pins, Maroulis used the iconic foot-sweep to get the fall. The first victim was Emine CAKMAK (TUR) who was pinned in a minute. Japan's world U23 champion Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN) held her fort for some time but Tokuhara missed a shot and Maroulis got the two-on-one before sweeping her for the fall in 2 minutes and 17 seconds.

In the semifinals, Maroulis wrestled European champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) and took a 1-0 lead for the latter's inactivity. But as soon as the second period began, Maroulis went straight to work and hit the sweep to get the fall and a place in the final.

She will face an unfamiliar challenge in the final as  Il Sim SON (PRK) who defeated Olympic bronze medalist Kexin HONG (CHN), 12-2, in the other semifinal. Son was one of the two finalist for the DPR Korea, a country which won its gold at 55kg on Tuesday.

The other wrestler from the DPR Korea to reach the final was Asian bronze medalist Myonggyong WON (PRK) who handed 2021 world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) her first international loss.

Yoshimoto, Asian champion in 2025, had it under control for the most the match before conceding a takedown with just 23 seconds left on the clock. Won was relentless in her attacks to break Yoshimoto in the final 20 seconds.

For the gold, she will face 2024 world U20 champion Yu ZHANG (CHN) who secured a fall over Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL) after taking a 9-0 lead.

At 65kg, former world champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) defeated another world champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) in the semifinal, 10-0. Morikawa impressed with her attacks and scored five different takedowns to finish the match via technical superiority.

World U23 silver medalist Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) will look to stop Morikawa from winning her second world title after a dream run to the final at 65kg. She defeated two-time world bronze medalist Macey KILTY (USA) in the morning session and completed a 13-3 technical superiority Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) in the semifinals.

Asian champion Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) booked a final against Genesis REASCO (ECU) after she handed a 10-5 defeat to European champion Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) in the semifinals.

In an all South American semifinal, Reasco scored a takedown in the last minute to stun Milaimy MARIN POTRILLE (CUB), 5-3. Potrille was leading 3-3 on criteria with a minute left but Reasco scored the two-point takedown and held on to her lead for the win, becoming the first Ecuadorian wrestler to reach a World Championships final.

RESULTS

50kg
GOLD: Myonggyong WON (PRK) vs. Yu ZHANG (CHN)

SF 1: Yu ZHANG (CHN) df. Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL), via fall (9-0)
SF 2: Myonggyong WON (PRK) df. Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN), 3-2

57kg
GOLD: Helen MAROULIS (USA) vs. Il Sim SON (PRK)

SF 1: Il Sim SON (PRK) df. Kexin HONG (CHN), 12-2
SF 2: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW), via fall (5-0)

65kg
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) vs. Alina KASABIEVA (UWW)

SF 1: Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) df. Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL), 13-3
SF 2: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Irina RINGACI (MDA), 10-0

76kg
GOLD: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) vs. Genesis REASCO (ECU)

SF 1: Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU) df. Milaimy MARIN POTRILLE (CUB), 5-3
SF 2: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 10-5