All Japan Championships

Susaki Outlasts Rival Irie for Ticket to Olympic Qualifier; Otoguro Clinches Tokyo 2020 Spot

Sunday, December 22, 2019 - 15:48 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO (Dec. 22)—Given the stakes, it hardly produced the fireworks—and points—that were seen in their previous encounters. But a win is a win, and that was all that concerned Yui SUSAKI, who took a major step closer to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Susaki kept her once-faded Olympic dream alive by beating nemesis Yuki IRIE in an intense but ultimately dull 2-1 victory in the women’s 50kg final on the fourth and final day of the All Japan Championships on Sunday at Tokyo’s Komazawa Olympic Park Gym. 

All of the points came on the activity clock, and after Irie received her lone point with a minute to go, Susaki went into solid defense mode to preserve the victory and secure a ticket to the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in Xi’an, China, in February. 

“When she got a point, I kept believing I would win and didn’t panic,” said Susaki, who added to the lone national title she won in 2016. “I was able to wrestle to the end keeping a strong mind.”

Rio 2016 Olympic silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI will also be on the flight to China, after he successfully dropped two weight classes and knocked off former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI in an enthralling freestyle 57kg final with a razor-thin 7-6 win. 

Takuto OTOGURO, the 2018 world champion who secured Japan’s Olympic berth at freestyle 65kg with a fifth-place finish at this year’s World Championships in Nur-Sultan, filled that place himself by cruising to the title in that division. 

Susaki’s victory avenged a devastating loss in a playoff to Irie in July for a place on the team to Nur-Sultan. That not only ended her two-year reign as world champion, but, given the history of success by Japanese women in the lightest weight class, seemed to end her Olympic prospects. 

At Nur-Sultan, any Japanese winning a medal in an Olympic weight automatically filled the berth at Tokyo 2020. Five wrestlers fulfilled that criteria—Mayu MUKAIDA (53kg), Risako KAWAI (57kg), Yukako KAWAI (62kg) and Hiroe MINAGAWA (76kg) among the women, and Greco-Roman champion Kenichiro FUMITA (60kg).

Wrestlers who claimed berths for Japan but did not medal could fill the spot themselves with a victory at the All Japan, also known as the Emperor’s Cup, while a loss would put them in a playoff on Feb. 1 with the gold medalist. Of the three in that category, only Otoguro came out as a winner. 

In Nur-Sultan, Asian champion Irie’s tournament ended with a quarterfinal loss to SUN Yanan (CHN), leaving 50kg as the only women’s weight class in which Japan did not qualify for Tokyo 2020. 

That reopened the door for Susaki, who was determined to take advantage of this second and last chance.

“I’ve had this dream since I was little,” the 20-year-old Susaki said. “All I thought was to get stronger and definitely take advantage of this chance so I can win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.”

Sasaki, who defeated Rio 2016 Olympic champion Eri TOSAKA in Saturday’s semifinals, scored on the activity clock in the first period, then again a minute into the second. Irie gained her point a minute later.

Neither wrestler was able to get in deep with anything resembling an effective attack, as both seemed to be exercising caution against making the kind of mistake that can proved fatal in such a high-level battle.  

“I wanted to score a technical point, but my thoughts got out ahead of me,” Susaki said. “From an emotional viewpoint, it went well. But looking at the wrestling, there is room for improvement and I will work to fix that before the Asian qualifier.”

A tearful Irie, who remains the only wrestler on the planet to have beaten Susaki—she has done it three times—was at a loss for words, so deep was her disappointment. 

“I was only thinking about not giving up points, and trying to get points,” said Irie, 27, who was the two-time defending champion.

Technically, Irie’s Olympic prospects are not zero. Should Susaki get injured, or fail to earn a Tokyo spot in China, Irie could be chosen to enter the final world qualifying tournament. Asked about her future, she said she had not thought about it. 

Rei HIGUCHI, the Rio silver medalist, defeated Yuki TAKAHASHI, 7-6, and punched his ticket to the Asian Olympic Qualifier. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Higuchi makes big weight loss pay off
Should Higuchi ultimately make it to Tokyo 2020, it will have been via a quite circuitous route. After winning a silver at Rio 2016, he moved up to 61kg, then up to 65kg in a bid for a second trip to the Olympics. 

He experienced some success, winning the world U-23 gold in 2018, but was ultimately unable to unseat Otoguro. Once Otoguro gained the Olympic berth for Japan in Nur-Sultan, Higuchi concluded it would be too difficult to beat him twice (at the All Japan and the playoff) and thus saw his only option as dropping down to 57kg to challenge Takahashi.

He started the process of cutting weight, having blown up to a lifetime heaviest of 68kg. “The temperance was really hard,” he said. “For three or four months, I had a diet of almost solely vegetables.”

In Sunday’s final against Takahashi, he showed no lack of energy, taking a 4-1 lead in the first period that he padded to 7-1 with a takedown and gut wrench early in the second.

But Takahashi has made a habit of putting on big comebacks, and in a 40-second span, put the pressure on and scored three step-outs. He then cut the gap to a single point with a takedown with :31 left.

At that point, Higuchi made a bold move and went for a single that, while ending in a stalemate, ate up precious time. That gave him some leeway to go into defensive mode and finish out the win for his first title since 2016 and third overall.

“I saw there was 30 seconds left on the clock, and I thought I had to go on the attack to keep him at bay and protect the lead, or he would get points,” Higuchi said. “In the end, it worked out.”

Takahashi had beaten Higuchi in two previous career meetings, but the last had been in 2014. 

Otoguro kept on track to the Olympics by routing 2017 world U-23 champion Rinya NAKAMURA, finishing up a 10-0 technical fall with one second left in the first period.

Otoguro could be joined at Tokyo 2020 by older brother Keisuke, who won the 74kg gold to set up a playoff with Mao OKUI, who clinched the Olympic spot in Nur-Sultan but fell Saturday in the first round.

Keisuke Otoguro used counter lifts and spin-behinds to perfection to outlast spunky Daichi TAKATANI 14-8 in the most entertaining match of the day. Having moved up from 70kg, he landed his third career title in a third different weight class. 

“If I don’t win the playoff [against Okui], this championship will not mean anything,” Otoguro said. 

Takatani had also made a drastic shift in weight classes. He had been among the beaten challengers of Takuto Otoguro at 65kg, then moved all the way up to 74kg for this tournament. His fearless determination spurred him into the final, along with the hope of joining older brother Sosuke, the 86kg champion, at the Asian qualifier.

Miwa MORIKAWA will meet Rio 2016 champion Sara DOSHO for Japan's Tokyo Olympic spot at 68kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Morikawa takes title, gets 2nd shot at Dosho
In a showdown of reigning world junior champions, Miwa MORIKAWA edged Naruha MATSUYUKI 2-1 in the women’s 68kg final, earning her a place in the playoff for the Olympic spot in that weight class against Rio 2016 champion Sara DOSHO.

The playoff will be a rematch after Morikawa, the world 65kg junior champion, soundly defeated Dosho 9-2 in the semifinals on Friday. 

In the final against world 68kg junior champion Matsuyuki, Morikawa scored the winning point with a step-out with 1:29 left to win her first title in a weight class (67-69kg) that Dosho had dominated for the past eight years.

Dosho secured the Olympic spot for Japan in Nur-Sultan, but failed to clinch it for herself when she lost in the bronze-medal match to Anna SCHELL (GER). 

The two Greco-Roman tickets to Xi’an up for the grabs went to world team members. Defending champion Shogo TAKAHASHI defeated 2017 winner Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA 5-3 in the 67kg final, while Shohei YABIKU blanked Kodai SAKURABA 4-0 at 77kg for his first title in two years and fourth overall.

Day 4 results

Freestyle

57kg (25 entries)
Final - Rei HIGUCHI df. Yuki TAKAHASHI, 7-6
3rd Place - Kotaro KIYOOKA df. Taiki ARINOBU, 8-4
3rd Place – Yudai FUJITA def. Kaiki YAMAGUCHI by Def.

65kg (21 entries)
Final - Takuto OTOGURO df. Rinya NAKAMURA by TF, 10-0, 2:59
3rd Place – Shoya SHIMAE df. Ryoma ANRAKU, 3-2
3rd Place – Masakazu KAMOI df. Takuma TANIYAMA, 2-2 

74kg (26 entries)
Final - Keisuke OTOGURO df. Daichi TAKATANI, 14-8
3rd Place – Yuto MIWA df. Ken HOSAKA, 4-3
3rd Place - Jintaro MOTOYAMA df. Ranmaru AKAOGI by TF, 10-0, 2:42

Greco-Roman
67kg (21 entries)
Final - Shogo TAKAHASHI df. Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA, 5-3
3rd Place - Katsuaki ENDO df. Daigo KOBAYASHI by TF, 9-1, 5:02
3rd Place - Yuji UEGAKI df. Ryo MATSUI, 6-1

77kg (17 entries)
Final - Shohei YABIKU df. Kodai SAKURABA, 4-0}
3rd Place - Tomohiro INOUE df. Yudai KOMURO by TF, 9-0, 2:01
3rd Place – So SAKABE def. Takeshi IZUMI by Def.

Women’s Wrestling
50kg (25 entries)
Final - Yui SUSAKI df. Yuki IRIE, 2-1 
3rd Place – Miho IGARASHI df. Remina YOSHIMOTO, 4-2
3rd Place - Eri TOSAKA df. Umi ITO, 12-4

68kg (9 entries)
Final - Miwa MORIKAWA df. Naruha MATSUYUKI, 2-1
3rd Place – Rin MIYAJI df. Sara DOSHO by Def. 
3rd Place - Masako FURUICHI df. Hikaru IDE by Fall, 1:53 (8-0)

#WrestleZagreb

Olympic champ Kusaka falls to Amoyan as Mirzazadeh repeats at 130kg

Friday, September 19, 2025 - 22:54 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 19) -- The Zagreb World Championships has seen a number of Paris Olympic medalists humbled over the last six days.

On Friday, it was Greco 77kg champion Nao KUSAKA (JPN) who joined that growing list, after he was dealt a one-sided loss in the final by Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM).

Amoyan's thumping 9-1 victory gave him a second world title and the first at 77kg, a goal he had been working on for two years.

"I became a world champion back in 2021 [at 72kg], and it seemed very difficult for me to move up to this weight class," Amoyan said. "I really wanted to become world champion at 77kg.

"But for two years, I struggled with injuries, and nothing was going as it should. Thankfully, at this World Championships I was prepared -- mentally, physically, and functionally -- and by God's grace I managed to triumph and become a two-time world champion."

The win avenged Amoyan's 3-1 loss to Kusaka in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics, where the Armenian wrestler won a bronze medal.

In the three other weight classes contested, Iran had a wrestler in all three finals and came away with two golds, as Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) defended his title at 130kg while debutant Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) made sure that the 82kg title remained in Iranian hands.

The other gold medal went to Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) at 55kg, giving Georgia its second world title in the last six years.

In the 77kg final, Amoyan, after defending from par terre in the first period, broke open the match in the second period from the par terre position. He lifted Kusaka and moved to the zone, loading to perform a suplex. However, he switched and slammed Kusaka to the mat with a reverse throw in front for four points.

Kusaka was also docked two points for a defensive foul while Amoyan was working on the lift, giving the Armenian a 7-1 lead. As the bout restarted in par terre, Amoyan once again lifted Kusaka and completed a correct throw for two points for a 9-1 technical superiority win over the Olympic champion.

Despite the one-sided final, Amoyan said that Kusaka was one of the strongest wrestlers he has ever faced in his weight class.

"Let me say, the Japanese wrestler I faced is one of the strongest in our weight category," he said. "With him, the only way to get through was by wrestling with full strength and giving everything to win. It seems that today was my day to confidently and firmly become the world champion."

The gold medal adds to two bronze medals the 26-year-old previously won at the Olympic weight class of 77kg. But Amoyan said that the real struggle to remain on top begins now.

"It will be very hard for me to keep it -- for that I must be able to train properly, be disciplined, so that I can keep the title," he said. "Honestly, I don't really understand what I'm feeling; I think when I return to my homeland I'll understand it."

Friday's loss was Kusaka's first since January 2024 which incidentally came in Zagreb at the Ranking Series event. But he said it will only serve as a motivation.

"The last time I lost was also in Croatia. Actually, there is no connection. At the very least, I feel that I am not nearly at my strongest," Kusaka said. "Conversely, instead of a close score, I was teched, so all I can do is acknowledge the defeat. I have to continue to make progress. I'm told there is still room for growth. From now, it will be my motivation to be blessed with such a rival. I can train keeping him in the back of my mind and next time, I will definitely win."

One of the areas of improvement which Kusaka has already identified is the par terre defense from which he gave up six points in the final.

"When it comes to ground defense, I'm a bit insecure, it's a weakness of the mind, a part of me that is a weak point," he said. "I always plan to not give up points. But I gave them up. Then I gave him a bonus by touching the leg during the move. That was the worst possible pattern."

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) is now a two-time world champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Iran doubles up

Defending champion Mirzazadeh made sure there were no more upsets as he defeated Darius VITEK (HUN) 7-2 to win his second gold medal at the World Championships.

A gasp went through Arena Zagreb when Vitek scored a takedown after Mirzazadeh lost his balance after a throw and he quickly gained control. But Mirzazadeh reversed the positions and got one point to make it 2-1.

Mirzazadeh then added two stepouts in the first period to take the lead and go into the break leading 3-2. There were no more surprises in the match as Mirzazadeh scored a takedown soon after the whistle in the second period. Two turns were enough to give him a 7-2 lead which he defended to win the gold medal.

"Winning this gold and standing on top of the world's heavyweight podium makes me really proud," Mirzazadeh said. "I just hope my people are happy, too, because their joy is my joy."

Mirzazadeh brushed aside the opening takedown that Vitek scored on him, saying, "I think that's the nature of wrestling and these things happen. I'm glad I was able to wrestle well and come out on top."

With his second world gold medal, Mirzazadeh has clearly set himself apart from the field at 130kg. The real challenge can come domestically from multiple age-group world champion Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI), but Mirzazadeh is determined to rule the weight class for a long time.

"I'll keep giving it my all to improve every year, to raise my level, and to represent my country again and again," he said.  "My goal is to bring home world and Olympic gold medals and make my people proud."

Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI)Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 82kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

While experienced Mirzazadeh repeated as champion, debutant Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI), who won the Zagreb Open Ranking Series gold in February at the same arena, showed no nerves in blanking Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) to win the 82kg title.

Farokhi went straight to work in the final and was awarded with the first par terre position, from which he scored two points from a correct throw to lead 3-0. A stepout just before the break extended the lead to 4-0.

There were no points or positions in the second period, and Farokhi was happy to defend the four-point lead and claim the gold medal, the first for Iran in Greco at the World Championships.

"Winning a medal in my very first World Championships felt like a dream," Farokhi said. "I had always thought about it and even dreamed of this belt. I was able to put on my best performances and win the gold medal."

Farokhi, who had to beat world champion Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) to make the Iran team, gave up only a single point in five matches at the tournament while scoring 37.

"I managed to win all my matches while giving up only one point," he said. "Geraei is not only one of Iran's greatest champions, but also a close friend of mine. In the qualifiers I was able to beat him. As for the future, it depends on the coaches' decisions, but for now I'll stay at 82kg."

Earlier, Iran missed out on the gold at 55kg when world U20 champion Payam AHMADI (IRI) fell to Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) 9-7 in a thrilling final.

The 18-year-old Lolua, who himself won a bronze medal at 60kg from last month's World U20 Championships, got a turn from par terre in the first period to lead 3-0. But the par terre in the second period saw 10 points scored.

As Ahmadi got the position, it made the score 3-1. He went for the front head lock instead of the preferred gut-wrench and managed to turn Lolua three times to rack up six points, while Lolua blocked him once from the headpinch to earn two points.

When the referees called it neutral, Ahmadi led 7-5 and just 1:52 away from winning a senior world title. However, a third passivity was called by the officials, putting Ahmadi down in par terre.

Lolua made the most of that and used a chestwrap to turn Ahmadi for two points. He then lifted Ahmadi and completed a correct throw for a 9-7 lead with 34 seconds left. Lolua defended the lead without any trouble to win the gold.

"I had prepared well. This was my first time competing at the World Championships, and this year I became a world champion," Lolua said. "The clock never stops, and everyone dreams of becoming a world champion -- now that dream has come true."

The teenager, who has already won a European Championships medal, said he came to Zagreb to fight with all his grit.

"I don't even know what to say -- I feel so many emotions, and it's hard to describe everything," he said. "I came here to fight. Everyone came out to support me. What matters most is that, first of all, you must fight with your own strength and determination."

Karlo KODRIC (CRO)Karlo KODRIC (CRO) celebrates with home fans after winning Croatia's first world medal since 2014. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Host Croatia, Finland end medal droughts

Host Croatia ended a decade-long drought for a World Championships medal when Karlo KODRIC (CRO) won the bronze medal at 82kg with a 5-0 victory over Ramon BETSCHART (SUI).

Kodric became only the third world medalist for Croatia after brothers Neven and Nenad ZUGAJ (CRO). Neven won silver in 2014 and bronze in 2011 while Nenad won bronze in 2010.

Kodric got both par terre positions in the match. While he failed to score in the first period, he scored two points via forward exposure instead of rolling Betschart. The Switzerland corner challenged the call, but it was upheld and Kodric got one more point for the lost challenge to win 5-0.

"It's the best feeling in the world," Kodric said. "Before the match, I felt a lot of pressure. It's the biggest I've ever felt. But I beat him. This is all I do, training and thinking of every medal possible to take. That is all my life."

The second bronze at 82kg went to Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), a month after he won bronze at the World U20 Championships, by rallying to edge Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW) 3-3.

Yoshida gave up a turn from par terre and fell 3-0 behind at the break, and was in further trouble when he failed to score from par terre in the second period. But he powered his way to a takedown with 45 seconds left when he dragged Tiuliubaev and quickly got behind for two points, giving him a 3-3 criteria lead to win the bronze medal.

At 19 years 4 months and 24 days, Yoshida became the youngest Japanese male wrestler to win a medal at the World Championships. Before Yoshida, it was Yuji TAKADA (JPN) who won bronze at the 1973 World Championships in Freestyle 52kg at the age of 19 years 6 months and 20 days.

Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN)Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) wins the bronze medal bout against Wenhao JIANG (CHN). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Another country that ended a medal drought at the World Championships was Finland, as Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) scored a late stepout to beat Wenhao JIANG (CHN) 3-3. It was Finland's first medal since 2011, when Rami HIETANIEMI (FIN) won bronze at 84kg.

Kousmanen led 1-1 on criteria thanks to an early stepout. His lead became 2-1 when he got the par terre position in the second period. But he failed to completely turn Jiang from par terre and gave up a stepout to fall behind 2-2 on criteria, and then lost the challenge to give one more point to Jiang.

Kousmanen, however, kept the pressure on and managed to get a stepout with 33 seconds left in the match. He defended his 3-3 criteria lead to win bronze, a first for Finland in any weight class above 90kg.

Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) won a bronze medal at 130kg after he rolled to a 9-1 technical superiority win over Mykola KUCHMII (UKR). Hlinchuk, a world U23 champion at 97kg, jumped to 130kg last year and despite being only 110kg, managed to win a medal in the heaviest weight class.

At 77kg, Robert FRITSCH (HUN) upset Paris silver medalist Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 6-5, to capture the bronze medal.

Fritsch trailed 5-0 at the break but launched a big four at the start of the second period to make it 5-4. A stepout made it 5-5 with Fritsch leading on criteria before he got the par terre which put him ahead 6-5.

 

Turkiye finally won its first medal of the World Championships from a male wrestler when Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) defeated world U20 champion Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) 6-3 for the the other 77kg bronze.

 

Four-time world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) returned to win a bronze medal at 55kg by beating Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ), 9-0, using turns from par terre to win his seventh world medal overall.

 

The other bronze went to China as Huoying SHI (CHN) used the third passivity to score two turns on Emin CAKIR (TUR) for a 5-1 win.

Day 7 Results

Greco-Roman

55kg (18 entries)
GOLD: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) df. Payam AHMADI (IRI), 9-7

BRONZE: Huoying SHI (CHN) df. Emin CAKIR (TUR), 5-1
BRONZE: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ) by TF, 9-0, 1:53

60kg (25 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) df. Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO) by TF, 10-2, 5:57
SEMIFINAL: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) df. Georgij TIBILOV (SRB), 5-5

72kg (30 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) df. Abdullo ALIEV (UZB), 5-0
SEMIFINAL: Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) df. Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ) by Fall, 5:49 (7-2)

77kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Nao KUSAKA (JPN) by  TF, 10-1, 4:23

BRONZE: Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) df. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI), 6-3
BRONZE: Robert FRITSCH (HUN) df.  Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 6-5

82kg (26 entries)
GOLD: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) df. Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO), 4-0  

BRONZE: Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW), 3-3
BRONZE: Karlo KODRIC (CRO) df. Ramon BETSCHART (SUI), 5-0

97kg (29 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Kiryl MASKEVICH (UWW), 3-1
SEMIFINAL: Artur SARGSIAN (UWW) df. Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE), 1-1

130kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Darius VITEK (HUN), 7-2

BRONZE: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) df. Mykola KUCHMII (UKR) by TF, 9-1, 4:09
BRONZE: Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) df. Wenhao JIANG (CHN), 3-3