#WrestlePontevedra

Susaki Slam: Japan star first to win all world and Olympic titles

Friday, October 21, 2022 - 00:25 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 20) -- Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and history will always have Paris.

But before that, the Japanese wonder decided she would get herself all the world titles wrestling could offer.

She entered the U23 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, a month after winning her third senior world title. And wrestling for just four minutes and 47 seconds in four bouts, Susaki completed wrestling 'Grand Slam' – winning all world titles and the Olympics, the first wrestler to achieve the feat.

“I wanted to take the U23 title and become the first to achieve the 'grand slam',” Susaki said. “I'm so happy I was able to achieve it.”

Having won the U17 world titles from 2014 to 2016, Susaki won her first senior and U20 titles in 2017 and the Olympics in 2021. Well aware that this year is the last chance for her to compete at the U23 level, Olympic champion Susaki entered the competition with no concerns and came out with another record to her name.

“I always knew about [the Grand Slam]. There were two of my predecessors who won four [age-group] titles,” Susaki said referring to Haruna OKUNO (JPN) and Masako FURUICHI (JPN) “but no one in the wrestling world had added the fifth title of the Olympics [which Susaki won in 2021]. I wanted to make history, so I was definitely going to enter this year. I knew this would be the first and last time [at U23].”

Yui SUSAKI (JPN)Yui SUSAKI (JPN) pins Ankush PANGHAL (IND) in the 50kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In the 50kg final, Susaki wrestled Ankush PANGHAL (IND) and went for the double-leg. Panghal put up a fight for a brief time and even tried getting exposure to score points on Susaki, something which has not happened for three years.

Susaki improvised quickly and locked Panghal's leg in Figure 4 and secured the fall in a minute and 52 seconds to create history.

“I wanted to create history, a new thing in history, and it's a feat that I could accomplish,” she said. “I wanted to leave my name in wrestling history.”

Wrestling will remember her as one of the most dominant wrestlers of all time if not the most. For some, she is strong while for others she is technically sound. A lot of fellow wrestlers credit Susaki for her mat awareness.

Like the leg lace she launches or the armbar she uses to pin her opponent. She will combine that with the front chest wrap to get the big points. Susaki doesn't wait for her opponent's mistake. She punishes them at the first opportunity she gets.

“Regardless of where the opponent is from, I mainly want to do my wrestling and before the match, I keep in mind to give everything I have,” she said after winning the gold Thursday.

That's only on the mat. Off it, she never lets the smile off her face, greeting her teammates, fans and even fellow wrestlers with the same energy. Nothing bothers her or so she makes it seem.

But there is a photo of her from the World Championships in Belgrade as she is walking out for the gold medal bout, Susaki is happily waving at her teammates in the stands while her opponent waited on the mat with a stern look.

Susaki finished the bout in a minute and 24 seconds with a pin.

Yui SUSAKI (JPN)Yui SUSAKI (JPN) won her first U23 world title. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

But it was not always like that. She used to be a little more human early in her career, feeling the nerves before a big bout of showing emotions after a tense win. She even made mistakes on the mat. Till 2018, Susaki was guilty of going into the defensive late in the second period or getting countered on her double-leg attacks.

It all changed after that famous 2-2 win at the 2018 Klippan Lady Open over four-time Olympic medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE). Susaki has never celebrated as she did after winning that unimportant, yet the most iconic, bout of her career.

Susaki, then 17 years old, entered that tournament as the world champion. But the epitome of 50kg wrestling was Stadnik who did not take part in the 2017 World Championships. Susaki needed to beat her to be undisputed.

Stadnik led 2-1 with 50 seconds left. Susaki launched an attack using a front headlock with just 13 seconds left on the clock. Stadnik defended a takedown but Susaki pushed her out to lead 2-2 on criteria. She won and breached a new territory. She was the new star.

That loss broke Stadnik. She never scored a single point on Susaki in their future meetings.

Apart from Stadnik, SUN Yanan (CHN) is another wrestler who troubled Susaki. In their first meeting at the 2017 Asian Championships, Sun stunned her with a front headlock, and then at the 2017 World Cup, she almost won before Susaki held on for a 4-2 victory.

The 2019 bout at the World Cup was even closer. Susaki won 3-2 but it was the last time she allowed any of her opponents to trouble her. She humbled Sun 11-0 inside two minutes in the Olympic final in Tokyo to claim the gold, a medal which landed in Susaki's lap after drama and help from rivals, namely Sun and Stadnik.

After beating 2016 Rio Olympic champion Eri TOSAKA (JPN), Susaki was the favorite to be at the Tokyo Olympics. But Yuki IRIE (JPN) had other ideas.

Since high school, Susaki has only lost thrice -- all three losses to Irie. One of those losses came in the playoff for the 2019 World Championships which was the first qualification step for the Tokyo Olympics. Susaki's hopes were dashed as all Irie needed was to win a medal at 50kg in Nursultan, Kazakhstan. Given the domination of Japan at 50kg, it was a no-brainer that Irie will win one.

But as fate would have it, Irie suffered a 13-12 loss to Sun in the quarterfinals before Stadnik defeated Sun in the semifinals, thus eliminating Irie. That was Susaki's lifeline. She qualified for the Olympics at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Almaty, Kazakhstan and the rest is history.

She made her debut at the U17 World Championships in 2014, and since then Susaki has a 72-0 international record with only 10 of those bouts going the full six minutes. Overall, out of the total 406 minutes [72 bouts], Susaki has spent approximately 190 minutes on the mat, less than half of the full time.

Her first six-minute bout came at the prestigious Ivan Yarigiun Grand Prix in 2017 which was her senior international debut. Former European champion Valeria CHEPSARAKOVA (RWF) managed to keep her at bay but failed to stop her from winning 6-0.

The then 16-year-old Susaki had already won three U17 world gold medals and was yet to concede a point in 17 bouts. She would extend that record to 21 bouts before Anna LUKASIAK (POL) scored four points on her at the Klippan Lady Open in 2017.

But in her 72 bouts, Susaki has scored 663 points [including 10 falls] and given up only 27 points. The last time it happened was at the World Cup in Narita, Japan when Sun had a takedown that ended a 125-0 run for Susaki.

As of Friday, Susaki is on a 158-0 run with a chance to extend it further next year.

While for most wrestlers the season is all but over, for most Japanese wrestlers, December brings the Emperor's Cup. This year's tournament will serve as the first qualification for the 2023 World Championships which offers quotas for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

And the story of Susaki and her struggles to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics are well documented, she does not want to repeat the same for Paris.

“To me, the Paris Olympics is a special tournament,” she said. “I want to see what the scenery looks like when you win a second Olympic gold. I want to know what is the spectacular view. I am looking forward to that. And when I became a senior world champion for the first time, it was in Paris. I feel I have a destiny with the Paris Olympics.”

Tatiana RENTERIA (COL)Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) became Colombia's first ever U23 world champion (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Colombia wins first U23 gold

More history was created in Pontevedra as Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) became Colombia's first-ever U23 world champion after she defeated Dymond GUILFORD (USA), 2-1, in the 76kg final.

Renteria, a returning silver medalist, had lost the final last year to Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) but took home the gold this year with a win that got the local crowd excited.

In the first period, she was called passive and Guilford led 1-0 at the break. Guilford got going in the second period and brought down Tenteria for a takedown. However, the Colombian managed to keep her knees from touching the match to avoid giving up any points.

And when Guilford was pressuring more, Renteria jumped over and forced Guilford on her back, giving her two points and a 2-1 lead which she maintained till the end.

“Last year I won silver so I had to step up here and take home the gold,” Renteria said. “It was a tough final.”

At 68kg, Nesrin BAS (TUR) defeated Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN), 8-0, in the final to claim Turkey's third U23 world title in women's wrestling.

While Matsuyuki began on a good note, it was Bas who controlled the bout for most of the time and ultimately broke Matsuyuki with her high pace.

Apart from Susaki, Japan captured two more gold medals as U20 world champion Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) defeated Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA), 13-0, in the 55kg final while Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN), wrestling at her first World Championships, held off Magdalena GLODEK (POL), 3-2, to win the gold at 59kg.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) defeated returning champion Ana GODINEZ (CAN) in the 62kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Japan has already sealed the team title but will have senior world champions Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) and Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) wrestling for gold at 62kg and 68kg respectively.
Former senior and U23 world champion Haruna OKUNO (JPN) will be going for her third U23 world title Friday as she made it to the 53kg final against defending champion Lucia YEPEZ (ECU).

At 57kg, Sae NANJO (JPN) will look to add to her previous U23 world title as she takes on Patrycja GIL (POL) in the gold medal bout.

The only final Friday which does not feature a Japanese is at 72kg as senior world champion Amit ELOR (USA) reached the gold medal bout against U23 European champion Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL).

Elor will join the select club of wrestlers with world titles at U17, U20, U23 and senior levels if she wins Friday.

Ozaki will also join the club by winning the 62kg gold while Okuno was the first wrestler to win world titles at four different levels.

Freestyle wrestling will begin in five weight classes – 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg and 97kg.

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RESULTS

50kg
GOLD: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. ANKUSH (IND), via fall

BRONZE: Nada MOHAMED (EGY) df. Lisa ERSEL (GER), 4-2
BRONZE: Sarra HAMDI (TUN) df. Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA), 8-5

55kg
GOLD: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA), 13-0

BRONZE: Alisha HOWK (USA) df. Ahinsa FERNANDO (SRI), 13-5
BRONZE: Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) df. Virginie KAZE (CAN), 8-4

59kg
GOLD: Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN) df. Magdalena GLODEK (POL), 3-2

BRONZE: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Lexie BASHAM (USA), 10-0
BRONZE: Mansi AHLAWAT (IND) df. Ramina MAMEDOVA (LAT), via injury default

68kg
GOLD: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN), 8-0

BRONZE: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df. Sienna RAMIREZ (USA), via fall
BRONZE: Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR) df Noemi SZABADOS (HUN), 6-2

76kg
GOLD: Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) df. Dymond GUILFORD (USA), 2-1

BRONZE: Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) df. Mehtap GULTEKIN (TUR), via fall
BRONZE: Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN) df. Inkara ZHANATAYEVA (KAZ), 7-0

Semifinals

53kg
GOLD: Haruna OKUNO (JPN) vs. Lucia YEPEZ (ECU)

SF 1: Haruna OKUNO (JPN) df. Felicity TAYLOR (USA), 9-1
SF 2: Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) df. Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), 10-0

57kg
GOLD: Sae NANJO (JPN) vs. Patrycja GIL (POL)

SF 1: Sae NANJO (JPN) df. Siwar BOUSETA (TUN), via fall
SF 2: Patrycja GIL (POL) df. Laura ALMAGANBETOVA (KAZ), via fall

62kg
GOLD: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) vs. Iryna BONDAR (UKR)

SF 1: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. Ana GODINEZ (CAN), 10-0
SF 2: Iryna BONDAR (UKR) df. Astrid MONTERO (VEN), 10-0

65kg
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) vs. Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE)

SF 1: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR), 6-2 
SF 2: Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE) df. Elena ESPOSITO (ITA), 3-2

72kg
GOLD: Amit ELOR (USA) vs. Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)

SF 1: Amit ELOR (USA) df. Maria NITU (ROU), via fall 
SF 2: Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) df. Sumire NIIKURA (JPN), 3-1

#WrestleZagreb

Olympic champ Saravi reclaims world title in stacked 97kg division

Sunday, September 21, 2025 - 00:52 By Ken Marantz

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 19) -- Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) ended a four-year wait to regain the title of world champion. He had his share of triumphs in the meantime -- a gold at the Paris Olympics, to say the least -- just not on this stage.

Saravi ended the drought by scoring an early takedown and going on to defeat Artur SARGSIAN (UWW) 3-1 in the 97kg final at the World Championships in
Zagreb on Saturday night, when three Greco titles were decided.

"In my opinion, this tournament wasn’t easy at all; it was one of the most exciting and diverse competitions I’ve ever been part of," Saravi said. "There were new opponents, and some wrestlers reached the finals and repechage rounds that I honestly hadn’t expected. The level was much higher than I thought it would be."

In other finals, Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) gave Kazakhstan its first Greco world champion since 1999 with a quick victory at 60kg, while Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) defeated Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) in a headache-inducing clash at 72kg that was a repeat of the 2024 world final.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI)Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) scores a takedown on Artur SARGASIAN (UWW) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

After winning the world gold in Oslo in 2021, Saravi had to settle for bronze medals at the 2022 and 2023 worlds in Belgrade, falling in the semifinals both times.

But he righted the ship for the Paris Olympics, where he defeated long-time rival Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) in the final to add the gold to the Olympic bronze he won at Tokyo in 2021. And from 2023 to this year, he three-peated as Asian champion.

In Zagreb, while Aleksanyan and Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB), who defeated Saravi in the 2023 world semifinals, fell by the wayside, Saravi marched into the final without pomp or drama, winning his matches by such scores as 4-0, 1-1 and 3-1.

"In this weight class, the champions are among the greats of wrestling: Artur Aleksanyan, the Cuban Rosillo, and of course, my final opponent, Artur Sargsian, who is a very well-known and skillful wrestler," Saravi said. "But with my preparation, I was able to execute my plans and win."

His meeting with Sargsian in the final was a rematch of their first-round match at the 2021 World Championships, which Saravi won 6-4 en route to his first world gold. Sargsian took a bronze.

On Saturday, the 27-year-old Saravi drew early blood when he used an arm drag to get behind and force Sargsian down at the edge for a 2-0 lead. He made it 3-0 with a passivity point, but was unable to turn Sargsian from par terre.

That left the door open for Sargsian, the winner of the Zagreb Ranking Series event in the same arena in February, when he was put in par terre in the second period. But he also could not budge the Iranian, who then ran out the clock for the win.

"As we had planned with my coaches, even though some of my expected rivals didn’t make it to the later rounds, with the analysis we had done we were able to plan well and make it to the final," Saravi said.

"I had wrestled [Sargsian] twice before, and with the strategies we had, I managed to beat him. Thankfully, this time, too, I was able to execute my plans perfectly on
the mat and win the match."

Saravi reflected on coming up short at the two previous World Championships.

"I think in the two World Championships where I won bronze, I had some technical weaknesses," Saravi said. "I was able to fix those before the Olympics and
keep that level through this year’s worlds.

"I hope I can keep improving for the upcoming tournaments and continue winning big medals."

Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ)Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) scores a four-pointer on Alisher GANIEV (UZB) in the 60kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

At 60kg, Sultangali, who won two world bronze medals over the five-year span between 2018 and 2022, snared his first gold with a masterful 9-0 win over Asian silver medalist Alisher GANIEV (UZB).

"Today is a historic day for our country because the last gold medal for Kazakhstan came in 1999, 26 years ago," said Sultangali, who also beat the reigning Asian
champion, Se Ung RI (PRK), in the quarterfinals. "I am happy that my country is happy."

Sultangali started the rout in the final by spinning behind for a takedown against Ganiev, then adding a roll for a 4-0 lead.

He used an arm drag to great effect to score two more takedowns to finish off the victory in 1:07. The Uzbekistan challenged the final move, but it failed, making the
final score 9-0.

"I didn’t plan to win the final match so easily and quickly," Sultangali said. "But it happened."

It was a much more fortuitous outcome for Sultangali than in their previous meeting at the Budapest Ranking Series event in July. Ganiev was leading that match 5-1 when Sultangali hit an arm throw, then continued to spin while clamping on the arm. That caused an injury to Ganiev's shoulder and got Sultangali automatically disqualified.

The 72kg final evolved into a messy affair when Ganizade was head-butted by Ghanem in the second period, a painful clash that not only drew blood, but induced a 2-point penalty that would be instrumental in the Ganizade's 4-2 victory.

The Egyptian-born Ghanem received the first passivity point in the first period, but could not score. In the second period, Ganizade was put on top in par terre, but he missed on an attempted throw, then was low on a second attempt at the edge.

The Azerbaijan side challenged the call on the second throw, but it was deemed "not a total lift," giving Ghanem a point for a 2-1 lead.

Had Ghanem just rode out the rest of the match, the gold would have been his. Instead, with :42 left, he rammed Ganizade's head, sending Ganizade sprawling to the mat in pain with blood spurting from the cut. The 2-point penalty gave him a 3-2 lead.

As if to add insult to injury, at the restart Ghanem flopped backwards, allegedly from a head to the chin from Ganizade. He challenged, but the match chairman was having none of his shenanigans, saying there was no contact and nixing the challenge to put Ganizade up 4-2.

"The competition was very tough," said Ganizade, a four-time European medalist. "Even though it was difficult, we had prepared a lot for this event and had attended many training camps. Because of the effort I put in, I believed I could become the champion at this competition -- and that is how I became champion."

It was Ganizade's third straight win in four career meetings with Ghanem, who won the world title in 2023. Previous to last year's 3-2 win in the world final, Ganizade pulled out a close 7-7 victory in the final at the 2023 European Championships.

In their first meeting, Ghanem came out on top, winning 2-1 in the first round of the Individual World Cup in 2020, a tournament set up during the pandemic.

"I have now become world champion for the second time," Ganizade said. "I also hope that after this, I will become world champion a third time and make our nation and people proud. For that reason, I will do my best."

As for what lies ahead, he said, "I’m not thinking about anything else yet. I plan to go rest first. After resting, I’ll decide what comes next."

Se Ung RI (PRK)Se Ung RI (PRK) won a bronze medal at the 60kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Ri earns 1st Greco medal since 2015 for DPR Korea

In the bronze-medal matches, Paris Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK) gave the DPR Korea its first world Greco medal since 2015 and fourth overall with a victory by fall at 60kg over Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO).

Ri scored a takedown and 2-point throw for a 4-0 lead, then got in deep on a bear hug. When Shavadze tried to counter by lifting up and back, Ri just pressed forward and drove Shavadze to his back for a 4-pointer that would have ended the match anyway by technical superiority. The end came at 2:11 and the scenario was confirmed on challenge.

The other 60kg bronze went to Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM), a two-time world U23 bronze medalist who outlasted Georgij TIBILOV (SRB), winning 1-1 by earning the first of the two passivity points awarded in the match.

Both 72kg bronze-medal matches came to early and similar conclusions, with two-time Asian medalist Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) and reigning Asian champion Danial SOHRABI (IRI) both cruising to 8-0 victories for their first senior world medals.

Aliev defeated Yeonghun NOH (KOR), with the decisive points coming from an odd twist in a challenge following a 4-point throw by Aliev.

After scoring an early stepout, Aliev launched his 4-point throw from par terre. The Korean side issued a challenge, which it won -- except that the change was a 2-point leg foul against Noh, which made it an 8-point difference and ended the match at 1:40.

Sohrabi went the more traditional route in defeating Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ). The Iranian scored only a stepout on a throw attempt while in par terre, but rebounded to put on a six-point spree, finishing with a gut wrench to win in 2:51.

The 97kg bronze-medal matches proved to be wild affairs, with one having the rare occurrence of a fall being nullified on challenge, while the other had a fall confirmed.

Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE) came out on top in a 5-5 decision over Alex SZOKE (HUN) in which the Azeri thought he had reversed to a fall, but was instead flagged for a foul that kept the bout going.

Ahmadiyev started the match with a 4-point arm throw, then stepped over to keep Szoke on his back and nearly secure a fall. The Hungarian side challenged, it was denied and Ahmadiyev led 5-0 going into the second period.

Szoke put the pressure on and gained an activity point, then executed a roll from par terre. But as he tried another, Ahmadiyev suddenly turned to face him and knocked him backward to the mat.

The referee called a fall, but on challenge, a leg foul was detected and Szoke was awarded a 2-point penalty that tied the score, but left him trailing on criteria. Due to the caution, Szoke got another chance at par terre, but couldn't turn Ahmadiyev.

Kiryl MASKEVICH (UWW) saw his fall of Giorgi MELIA (GEO) in the other 97kg bronze-medal match held up after, like Ahmadiyev, he used a stepover to get Melia onto his back.

Melia was on top in passivity, but when he attempted a roll, Maskevich stepped over to put him into a danger position. Melia temporarily spun out, but Maskevich reeled him back in and secured the fall in 1:54. The action was all upheld on challenge.

Day 8 Results

Greco-Roman

60kg (25 entries)
GOLD: Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) df. Alisher GANIEV (UZB) by TF, 9-0, 1:07

BRONZE: Se Ung RI (PRK) df. Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO) by Fall, 2:11 (9-0)
BRONZE: Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) df. Georgij TIBILOV (SRB), 1-1

63kg (26 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) df. Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI), 5-3
SEMIFINAL: Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) df. Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) by TF, 8-0, :36

67kg (34 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) df. Daniial AGAEV (UWW) by TF, 10-0, 1:44
SEMIFINAL: Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) df. Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), 3-1

72kg (30 entries)
GOLD: Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) df. Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), 4-2

BRONZE: Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) df. Yeonghun NOH (KOR) by TF, 8-0, 1:40
BRONZE: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ) by TF, 8-0, 2:50

87kg (30 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Alireza MOHAMADI (IRI) df. David LOSONCZI (HUN), 6-3
SEMIFINAL: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) df. Milad ALIRZAEV (UWW), 1-1

97kg (29 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Artur SARGSIAN (UWW), 3-1

BRONZE: Kiryl MASKEVICH (UWW) df. Giorgi MELIA (GEO) by Fall, 1:54 (5-1)
BRONZE: Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE) df. Alex SZOKE (HUN), 5-5