#WrestleTallinn

Susaki Shines As Japan Puts Three into Thursday Night’s Finals

Wednesday, August 14, 2019 - 18:31 By Eric Olanowski

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Tallinn, ESTONIA (August 14) – Japan, led by reigning two-time senior-level world champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN), went 12-2 and inserted three wrestlers into Thursday night’s women’s wrestling finals. Susaki will be joined by teammates Sae NANJO (JPN) and Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN), who’ll wrestle for gold at 59kg and 68kg, respectively. 

Last year, Susaki outscored her four junior world opponents 40-0 en route to her first junior world title and outscored her senior-level opponents 37-0 at the Budapest World Championships. Even with her fall in the opening round on Wednesday, she’s still managed to outscore her four opponents 36-0 and remains on pace to shutout her 2019 junior world opponents, 46-0. 

In the opening round, Susaki was up 4-0 before she picked up a fall against 2018 U23 world bronze medalist Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU), then grabbed technical superiority victories over Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) and Neelam NEELAM (IND) – which setup a semifinals match with Lucia YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU). 

In their semifinals match, Susaki was relentless in picking up her third consecutive opening period technical superiority win of the day. She inserted herself into the 50kg finals with another 10-0 victory,  where she’ll take on Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS), who edged Natallia VARAKINA (BLR), 1-1 in the other semifinals match. 

Sae Nanjo was the second Japanese wrestler to lock up a spot in the finals. She nabbed a fall over Morena DE VITA (ITA) in the 59kg semifinals and arranged a rematch of last year’s junior world finals with Anastasia NICHITA (MDA). The Moldovan wrestler, who won the junior world title last year, took down Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR) via fall in her semifinals match. 

The final Japanese wrestler who’ll wrestle for gold on Thursday night is Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN). She mauled Ewelina CIUNEK (POL), 13-2 in the semifinals and will wrestle Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) in the 68kg gold-medal match. Zhumanazarova thumped Jayden Leigh LAURENT (USA), 11-1 to make the finals, but that wasn’t her most impressive win of the day. In the second round, Zhumanazarova defeated four-time age-group world champion Khanum VELIEVA (RUS), 1-1.

Meanwhile, Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS) avenged her 2018 junior world loss against Saki IGARASHI (JPN) by scoring a 4-3 win in then 55kg semifinals. In the finals, Verbina, who’ll be wrestling in her first world title match, will take on Patrycja GIL (POL). The Polish wrestler defeated Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER), 8-4 to make the finals.

The remaining gold medal bout will take place at 76kg between Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) and Milaimys MARIN POTRILLE (CUB). Chang became Chinese Taipei's first-ever junior world finalist with her fall over Bernadett NAGY (HUN) in the semifinals, while Marin Portille has a shot at becoming Cuba's first-ever women's wrestling junior world champion with a win on Thursday night.

The day four women’s wrestling finals begin at 18:00 local time and can be followed live on www.unitedworldwrestling.org.

RESULTS
50kg 
GOLD - Yui SUSAKI (JPN) vs. Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS)
Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Lucia Yamileth YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU), 10-0
Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) df. Natallia VARAKINA (BLR), 1-1

55kg
GOLD - Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS) vs. Patrycja GIL (POL)
Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS) df. Saki IGARASHI (JPN), 4-3 
Patrycja GIL (POL) df. Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER), 8

59kg
GOLD - Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) vs. Sae NANJO (JPN)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)  df. Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR), via fall 
Sae NANJO (JPN) df. Morena DE VITA (ITA), via fall 

68kg
GOLD - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) vs. Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Jayden Leigh LAURENT (USA), 11-1 
Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN) df. Ewelina Weronika CIUNEK (POL), 14-3 

76kg
GOLD - Milaimys de la Caridad MARIN POTRILLE (CUB) vs. Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE)
Milaimys de la Caridad MARIN POTRILLE (CUB) df. Qian JIANG (CHN), 4-0
Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) df. Bernadett NAGY (HUN), via fall 

#WrestleAthens

Olympic legend Icho returns to Athens to lead Japan’s next generation

Sunday, August 3, 2025 - 09:59 By Vinay Siwach

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ATHENS, Greece (August 2) -- In Athens, home of the Olympics, Kaori ICHO (JPN) is already one of the pantheon of greats.

Having once made history as an athlete here -- winning the first of four Olympic gold medals at the 2004 Olympics -- Icho now sets out to carve a new legacy, this time as coach to the next generation of Japanese talent.

In Athens, she is making her international debut as coach of the Japanese women's team at the World U17 Championships as she returns to the Ano Liossia Olympic Sports Hall, the same venue she won the Olympic gold.

"I have returned to this arena for the first time in 21 years," Icho told United World Wrestling. "I won an [Olympic] gold medal in this arena for the first time."

Icho, who ended her wrestling career in 2019, started coaching after the Tokyo Olympics. She has coached Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) domestically as both Morikawa and Icho are recruited with ALSOK.

Japan managed to win only one gold medal in Women's Wrestling at the World Championships and finished third in the team race. While Japan is not used to finishing at that position in Women's Wrestling, the third-place highlighted that even Japan's second-tier team poses a significant challenge to the world.

The presence of Icho definitely helped the wrestlers, who were not only helped by her experience but the presence of the four-time Olympic champion motivated them.

Japan's world champion in Athens, Hanano OYA (JPN), said that watching Icho win her record fourth gold medal in Rio 2016 inspired her to take up wrestling.

"The reason I started wrestling was because of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics," Oya said. "It was when Kaori achieved her fourth consecutive victory, and I saw it on TV. I started wrestling myself, so I was very happy when she accompanied me and acted as my second coach, and I felt that I had to live up to her expectations."

Kaori ICHO (JPN)Kaori ICHO (JPN) coaches one of the members of the Japanese team. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

For Icho, not being on the mat and coaching from the corner was a different experience.

"I feel really strange being able to come back here as a coach," she said. "This tournament is the World Championships for those under 17 years old. I also became an Olympic gold medalist at this venue when I was 20 and I hope that the young athletes will work hard towards their Olympic dreams."

Back in 2004, the first Olympics when Women's Wrestling became part of it, Icho remembered the nervous and the excitement. The enjoyment, however, came only after she had won the gold.

"It was my first Olympics," she said. "I was very nervous and excited. I was here for about two weeks, from the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony. After winning, I went swimming in the Aegean Sea. It was a very enjoyable Olympics."

Kaori ICHO (JPN)Kaori ICHO (JPN) during a warm-up session of the Japanese team in Athens. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

When she landed at the airport in Athens on Monday, memories from the past came rushing back.

"I don't particularly feel it at the airport, but I wondered if it was this hot," she said. "I wondered what the venue will be like. I was reminiscing about 21 years ago."

Once at the venue, Icho was requested for photos from wrestlers and coaches which she obliged. With her first tournament as coach behind her, Icho is determined to work even harder as she prepares the senior Japan team for the World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, this September.

"Coaches and players asked me to take pictures with them," she said. "I felt stronger coming here. I want to work harder as a coach."