Emperor's Cup

Tosaka's Shocking Withdrawal Puts Showdown with Susaki on Hold; Mukaida Takes 55kg Title

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (Dec. 22) - The highly anticipated clash of the lightweight titans, Rio 2016 gold medalist Eri TOSAKA and reigning world champion Yui SUSAKI, will have to wait for another day. 

Tosaka won her opening match in the women's 50kg class at the All Japan  championships on Friday, but then in a shocking development, suddenly pulled out of the tournament due to lingering knee and ankle injuries suffered in October.

Tosaka, who underwent foot surgery after the Rio Olympics and only returned to competition in September, struggled to defeat Miho IGARASHI 6-4 in their quarterfinal match on day three of the four-day tournament at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym.

The win, in which Tosaka scored four points in the final minute, put her into the semifinals. But while speaking to the press after her match, her coach and national technical director Kazuhito SAKAE came by and urged her to pull out, saying it was not worth the risk of worsening the injuries. 

"I think you should stop," Sakae said. "I'm stopping you. You might want to still go out there, but it will be a problem if you make things worse."

Tosaka tearfully agreed it was the right decision.

Tosaka made a victorious return at the Japan Women's Open in September, where she won the 53kg title while admittedly looking rusty. She was working out the kinks at a national team training camp when, while sparring with rival Susaki, Tosaka suffered injuries to her left knee and ankle during a lift attempt.

"She was looking good, and I thought she would be able to beat the world champion Susaki," Sakae said. He added that after the injury, "We didn't know until up to the weigh-in here whether or not she would wrestle."

In Tosaka's absense, the 19-year-old Susaki has emerged as the premier lightweight in the world, capturing the 48kg world title that Tosaka had held since 2012. 

Susaki was as surprised as anyone to hear of Tosaka's withdrawal, and disappointed as well. Susuki won her first national title in 2016 while Tosaka was sidelined, and she was determined to defeat the star and prove she was the "true national champion."

"Now I want to win the tournament, and I'll take on Tosaka the next time," Susaki said.

Susaki advanced safely with a 10-0 technical fall in 4:22 over Miyu NAKAMURA, setting up a semifinal against 2015 national champion Yuki IRIE. The winner will take on Miho IGARASHI, who will receive the default from Tosaka.

The semifinals in the 10 remaining weight classes will be held on the final day Saturday morning, with the nationally televised finals in the afternoon. Dec. 23 is a national holiday for the Emperor's birthday, which is why the tournament is also referred to as the Emperor's Cup. 

In other action, world 53kg silver medalist Miyu MUKAIDA withstood a back injury and a late charge by Saki IGARASHI to notch a 4-2 victory in the women's 55kg final and win a second national title in a row. 

Mukaida picked up four early points with a takedown and a roll, but soon after felt pain in her right lower back. It was all she could do to hold off Igarashi, who scored a takedown with :05 left. 

Still feeling the sting of her stunning loss in the final at Paris 2017, when she blew a 6-0 lead and lost the gold to Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR), Mukaida has made it her mission to fight to the finish of every match. 

"After I scored to take the lead, I injured my back," Mukaida said. "I couldn't attack, so I have regrets about that. One issue I've been dealing with is not staying on the attack until the end, so it's disappointing that I couldn't work on that."

Mukaida said she moved up to 55kg, the division in which she won the world gold in 2016, because the two-day format for each weight class means having to weigh in each day. It meant having to deal with cutting less weight.

"For this tournament, I entered 55kg, which isn't my usual weight class. But no matter what weight class I enter, I always aim to win the title. In the end, I won so I'm happy."

Mukaida, who won all four of her matches at 53kg in helping Japan win the Women's World Cup, said she will consult with her coaches and others on whether to aim for Tokyo 2020 at 53k or 57kg. 

High schooler Naruha MATSUYUKI beat her more heralded twin sister Yasuha  to the title of "national champion" when she broke open a close match with four points in the last minute to defeat Masako FURUICHI, 6-1, in the women's 72kg final.

The victory by Matsuyuki, who usually wrestles at 69kg, came a day after Yasuha lost 2-0 in the 76kg final to world silver medalist Hiroe SUZUKI. 

"Always, in matches up to now, I was told that the reason I lost was in my head," Matsuyuki said. "From the beginning, I wanted to make sure I didn't lose mentally. That's what I was able to do."

The sisters, Aichi Prefecture natives who both attend wrestling powerhouse Shigakukan High School, are being touted as future prospects for Japan in the heavyweight divisions. 

Of the two, Yasuha has had the better results. At the world under-23 in November, Yasuha took the 75kg gold, while Naruha settled for silver at 69kg; at the world juniors, Yasuha was a silver medalist, while Naruha was fifth.

"Yasu has had better results, and the coaches and others have said she would win the All Japan first," Matsuyuki said. "But I was able to make the most of this chance, so I'm really happy."

Both sisters are being tapped for Tokyo 2020, but it is not year clear how they will fit into the picture. 

"This is not an Olympic weight class, so to go the Olympics, I will have to change," Matsuyuki said. "I will talk it over with our coaches and Yasu, and we'll try to work out a way that both of us can make it."

As for the touranment at the wrestling venue for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the family is not yet finished. Older brother Taisei MATSUYUKI has been assured of at least a bronze medal after advancing to the semifinals of the freestyle 86kg class.

In the other women's final Friday, Katsuki SAKAGAMI overwhelmed former world champion Chiho HAMADA at 57kg with a 12-2 technical fall in 5:35.

Among the other wrestlers who found success at a heavier weight class were world 70kg bronze medalist Yuji FUJINAMI and former world 74kg silver medalist Sosuke TAKATANI.

Fujinami built up a big lead in the 74kg final against Ken HOSAKA, then in a flurry of action caught him on his back and recorded a fall in 1:53 for his first national crown. 

"My body is still light [for 74kg]," Fujinami said. "Even if I win at 74kg in Japan, the world level is very high. Right now my ability is not enough, my strength is not enough. I'll work hard to be competitive on that level."

Takatani, who won six consecutive Japan titles at 74kg, picked up No. 7 overall with a victory in the 79kg division, which for him is a stepping stone to the Olympic weight class of 86kg.

Takatani showed he could handle the extra weight by forging a 10-0 technical fall in 5:59 over Tsubasa ASAI, a student at Takatani's alma mater of Takushoku University and with whom he often trains.

Takatani, who celebrated his victory with a dance and some preening of his chiseled physique for the matside cameras, said he has started an intense program to add weight through muscle mass. 

"To get the body I need, I've cut down on my running and focused mostly on weight training," he said. "Right now, my normal weight is 85, 86kg. To wrestle at 86kg, my aim is to gain weight up to 90kg by building up muscle.

"In general, I've put on one or two kilos every three months. It's been a good pace. Now I want to build strength that will allow me to compete overseas."

The other freestyle gold at stake went to Takeshi YAMAGUCHI at 97kg. He picked up his first title since winning four straight from 2012 to 2015 by edging Taira SONODA, 3-2. 

Sonoda's loss kept him and older brother Arata from becoming the first siblings since 2011 to win titles at the same All Japan championships.  

In the previous match, Arata SONODA capped the most dominating performance to date of the tournament when he needed just 1:49 to notch an 8-0 technical fall victory over Masahiro TANITA in the Greco-Roman 130kg final.

Sonoda had scored lightning-quick technical falls in his first two matches, winning in :28 and :31. 
 
In other Greco finals, Tomohiro INOUE claimed his first title in two years and fourth overall when he rallied to a 7-3 win over Kazuhiro HANAYAMA at 72kg.

Inoue spotted Hanayama a 3-0 lead in the first period, but came back in the second, knotting the score before going ahead with a pair of rolls from the par-terre position. 

In a tight battle between former champions for the 87kg gold, Masato SUMI edged Taichi OKA, 2-1, with all points scored for passivity. 

Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA, winner at the Dave Schultz Memorial in November, overcame a 5-0 deficit with a second-period rampage that included a big 5-point throw to defeat Katsuyoshi KAWASE, 10-5, at 67kg.

While fans have been deprived of a Tosaka-Susaki duel, there is still the possibility of another installment of the long-running feud between Greco-Roman stars Kenichiro FUMITA and Shinobu OTA.

Fumita, the reigning world champion, and Ota, the silver medalist at Rio 2016, both made the semifinals at 60kg. 

Japan's other male world champion, Yuki TAKAHASHI, had no trouble making the semifinals in freestyle 57kg, although Rei HIGUCHI, the Rio 2016 silver medalist in that division, was an early casualty at 65kg as his struggles continue with the added weight.

Higuchi rallied from a 5-1 deficit to tie his second-round match with Takuto OTOGURO, only to allow a tilt with :10 left and fall 8-5. 

Higuchi's slump started with a semifinal loss at 61kg at the Asian Championships in May, and continued when he lost to Rinya NAKAMURA in the final at the national invitational championships in June, then again to Nakamura in a playoff for a spot on the team to Paris 2017.   

"I have to fundamentally change my style of wrestling," Higuchi said. "At 65kg, power is not the problem, but my size (163cm) is a minus. After the Rio Olympics, everyone has studied my single-leg tackles and I can't do anything."

Results of Day 3 Finals

Freestyle

74kg (14 entries)
Yuhi FUJINAMI def. Ken HOSAKA by Fall, 1:53
Bronze medals: Momojiro NAKAMURA and Mao OKUI

79kg (11 entries)
Sosuke TAKATANI def. Tsubasa ASAI by TF, 10-0, 5:59 
Bronze medals: Yuta ABE and Hayato ISHIGURO

97 kg (13 entries)
Takeshi YAMAGUCHI def. Taira SONODA, 3-2 
Bronze medals: Naoya AKAGUMA and Hiroto NINOMIYA

Greco-Roman

67kg (15 entries)
Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA def. Katsuyoshi KAWASE, 10-5
Bronze medals: Shogo TAKAHASHI and Taiki KOBAYASHI

72kg (19 entries)
Tomohiro INOUE def. Kazuhiro HANAYAMA, 7-3
Bronze medals: Muuto SAWADA and Takahiro YAMAMOTO

87kg (12 entries)
Masato SUMI def. Taichi OKA, 2-1 
Bronze medals: Atsushi MATSUMOTO and Kanta SHIOKAWA 

130kg (13 entries)
Arata SONODA def. Masahiro TANITA by TF, 8-0, 1:49
Bronze medals: Naoto YAMAGUCHI and Yuya FUJITA

Women

55kg (6 entries)
Mayu MUKAIDA def. Saki IGARASHI, 4-2
Bronze medals: Arisa TANAKA and Momoka KADOYA

57kg (7 entries)
Katsuki SAKAGAMI def. Chiho HAMADA by TF, 12-2, 5:35
Bronze medals: Akie HANAI and Sae NANJO

72kg (4 entries)
Naruha MATSUYUKI def. Masako FURUICHI, 6-1
Bronze medals: Mei SHINDO and Rin MIYAJI

Pairings for Day 4 Semifinals

Freestyle

57kg (23 entries)
Yuki TAKAHASHI vs Kaiki YAMAGUCHI
Yasuhiro MORITA vs Toshihiro HASEGAWA

65kg (22 entries)
Shoya SHIMAE vs Daichi TAKATANI
Kiryu KINJO vs Kei YONEZAWA

86kg (8 entries)
Masao MATSUSAKA vs Taisei MATSUYUKI
Takahiro MURAYAMA vs Shota SHIRAI

Greco-Roman

60kg (11 entries)
Kenichiro FUMITA vs Kiyoshi KAWAGUCHI
Hayanobu SHIMIZU vs Shinobu OTA

77kg (15 entries)
Shohei YABIKU vs Kenryu KUZUYA
Ryosho KAMEI vs Takeshi IZUMI

82kg (16 entries)
Yuya MAETA vs Tatsuya FUJII
Yuya OKAJIMA vs Nobuaki TESHIGAWARA

Women

50kg (13 entries)
Yui SUSAKI vs Yuki IRIE
Miho IGARASHI vs Eri TOSAKA

53kg (8 entries)
Haruna OKUNO vs Kana HIGASHIKAWA
Yuka YAGO vs Yu MIYAHARA

62kg (7 entries)
Risako KAWAI vs Honoka IMAGAWA
Aika YAGO vs Yurika ITO

68kg (4 entries)
Sara DOSHO vs Umi FUKUSHIMA
Mai HAYAKAWA vs Chiaki IIJIMA

#WrestleZagreb

Motoki works her magic to snatch elusive world gold

By Ken Marantz

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 17) -- Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) finally has a world gold to go with the one she won at the Paris Olympics. And she did it with another
dramatic victory, this time in the final.

As is becoming her forte, Motoki snatched a victory in the dying seconds of a match, beating Asian silver medalist Ok Ju KIM (PRK) 5-4 in the 62kg final at the World Championships on Thursday, as the women's competition concluded with a banner day for Japan.

"Just like at the Olympics, I went from a point where I thought I would lose, then the outcome suddenly changed and I was able to win," Motoki said. "It's the same feeling of happiness and feeling of relief, and brought me to tears."

Japan won two of the three other golds at stake, with Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) winning at 53kg for her fourth career world gold, and Ami ISHII (JPN) triumphing
at 68kg to become a two-time world champion.

The fourth and final gold of the night went to Alla BELINSKA (UKR), who repeated her victory over Nesrin BAS (TUR) from the final of the European Championships -- right down to winning by fall.

The three golds padded Japan's total in the team race, as the Asian powerhouse had clinched the title before the night began. Japan, which won five of the 10 golds, finished on top with 162 points, followed by the DPR Korea with 115 points. China edged the United States for third, 87-83.

Motoki made a name for herself around the world at the Paris Olympics, where her hopes of a gold seemed to be over in the semifinals, when she was trailing Grace BULLEN (NOR) 7-2 and was being tripped backwards for what might end the match.

But Motoki suddenly locked Bullen's arms and bridged, then turned her over and recorded a stunning fall to the shock of those in the Champ de Mars Arena and around the world. The next day she defeated Irina KOLIADENKO (UKR) for the gold.

Motoki had to survive a grueling qualifying process just to get to Paris. A world bronze medalist at 59kg, she moved up to the Olympic weight and had to win out among a domestic field that included Tokyo Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI (JPN) and world champion Nonoka OZAKI (JPN).

And she basically had to repeat the process to get to Zagreb. As she did in Paris, Motoki pulled a rabbit out of the hat and defeated Ozaki by scoring a takedown literally in the final second of a playoff for Japan's team.

On Thursday, Kim became the latest to fall victim to the Motoki magic. The Japanese took a 3-0 lead in the first period on an activity point and a sweeping single-leg takedown.

Trying to defend in the second period, Motoki gave up a single-leg takedown to Kim, which the Japanese was willing to concede. But she wasn't prepared for being
gut-wrenched over to suddenly fall behind 4-3 with :35 left.

"I had a three-point lead and when she got in on a single leg, I thought it would be alright to give up two [points]," Motoki said. "But then when I was rolled, I thought, 'This is bad. Once again I'm going to get this far and not win?'"

Ok Ju KIM (PRK)Ok Ju KIM (PRK) turns Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) to take a 4-3 lead in the 62kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In her two previous trips to the World Championships, Motoki fell short of the gold, taking the bronze in 2022 and the silver in 2023, losing to Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) in the final. Would she miss out on the gold again?

With 12 seconds left, she launched her attack, transitioning from one thing to another in a desperate attempt. First a low single, then an arm throw, then back to
a single. All were defended. Then she tried a headlock throw, and that sent Kim sideway to the mat as time ran out.

The referee gave no points, but on challenge, it was determined that Kim's shoulders broke the 90-degree plane -- with :00.3 seconds on the clock.

"In the last 12 seconds, I launched an attack, and when the tackles failed, I thought, 'Oh no, that's the end,'" Motoki said. "When I looked back, she was on my back. I thought if I threw her, I could make it. I just put everything into the throw, but I didn't know if I turned her. Really, it was lucky."

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) won her first world gold medal in Zagreb. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Motoki said her earlier losses at the worlds served as incentive to work harder and always give everything up to the final whistle. She told the Japanese press earlier this year that she uses the UWW music played during the medal ceremony as her morning alarm -- a constant reminder of the agony she never wanted to experience again.

"Three years ago and two years ago, I lost on this stage, and the feeling of disappointment and of being inferior, even after winning at the Olympics, did not go away," Motoki said. "But by losing, it made me stronger and made me what I am now. To win here makes me so happy."

Motoki will embark on another quest in a month's time when she competes at the World U23 Championships on October 20-27. Already a world U17 and U20 champion, a victory in Novi Sad, Serbia, will make her just the third member -- along with Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Amit ELOR (USA) -- of the elite "Golden Grand Slam" club, those who have won on the senior and all three age-group levels as well as at the Olympics.

"One might think that winning on the age-group level would put you at the forefront, but that's not the case," Motoki said. "After I won the U17, I had an injury and became weaker. I lost in the first round at the Inter High. Then I went to college and thought I had progressed, only to have a major injury.

"To achieve the Grand Slam would be due to overcoming the hard times with the support of many others."

Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN)Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) controls Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) during the 53kg final at the World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 53kg, Murayama established herself as the frontrunner in the weight class in the runup to the 2028 Los Angeles, following the decision by Paris gold medalist Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) to move up to 57kg.

Murayama scored takedowns in each period to defeat Paris silver medalist Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) 5-0 and add to her world golds from 2017, 2018 and 2023, all won under her maiden name of OKUNO.

It marks the continuation of a remarkable turnaround for Murayama, who sank into the depths of despair after losing out on the berth for the Tokyo Olympics to collegiate teammate and eventual gold medalist Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN).

"I had half given up on the idea of competing at events like the World Championships in an Olympic weight class," Murayama said. "So just being able to stand on this stage and leave this kind of result behind -- it’s something that two or three years ago, I couldn’t even have imagined."

It was Yepez who famously scored seven points off Fujinami in the quarterfinals at the 2023 World Championships, albeit the Japanese came back and scored 16 of
her own before winning by fall. But the Ecuadorean, her country's first-ever world and Olympic medalist, established herself as a dangerous foe.

In the final, Murayama wrestled cautiously but methodically, using a front headlock to spin behind for a takedown just as she was receiving an activity point in the first period. She added a second takedown by getting behind again in the second period.

Murayama and Yepez had met once before, with the Japanese winning 10-0 in the final of the U23 World Championships in October 2022.

Ami ISHII (JPN)Ami ISHII (JPN) tries to score on Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) in the 68kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 68kg, Ishii had plowed through the field to make the final, where she met stiff resistance from four-time European medalist Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) and needed a second-period takedown to secure a 4-2 victory.

It was Yaneva who struck first when she adroitly used a counter lift for a two-point lead. Ishii came back with a stepout, but an apparent takedown was wiped out on challenge as having been completed after the buzzer.

Down by a point, Ishii warily avoided the counter and went with an arm drag to get behind for a takedown to go ahead 3-2. A short time later, Yaneva shot in for a single, but Ishii slipped under and grabbed Yaneva's leg, then clung on to force a stalemate. An unsuccessful challenge at the end gave Ishii her final point.

"I thought I might get countered again," Ishii said of her strategy for the second period. "Still, I had to get points. It would be the end if I lost my nerve. Even if I couldn't get in [on a tackle], I had to find a way to get points."

Ishii has been a workhorse since missing out on the Paris Olympics when she suffered a heartbreaking, last-second loss for the 68kg spot to Ozaki. She won the 72kg gold at last year's Non-Olympic World Championships as a sort of consolation, so winning at 68kg holds more significance.

"Without a doubt, it's getting to a place closer to the Olympics," Ishii said, adding that her mission now will be staying at the top of the division in Japan. "It's tough to be at this level, and I can't just keep going as I am now. I need to raise my level, so I have to train even harder."

In the last match of the night, two-time European champion Belinska, who had received an activity point in the first period, came out in the second and caught Bas in a headlock before securing the fall in 4:25.

"The final was tense, but I had prepared my throw, and I’m very happy that I managed to execute it," Belinska said. "In the first period, I couldn’t make that move, and the tension started to build -- but even in a stressful situation, I was still able to pull it off."

Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) defeated Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR) to win bronze at 62kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Purevdorj captures bronze 8 years after striking gold

Eight years after winning a world gold, Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) finally picked up her another medal, taking a 62kg bronze by rallying to a nail-biting 6-5 victory over Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR).

After Purevdorj received an activity point in the first period, she fell into a large hole by giving up a 4-point takedown at the edge to open the second period. Purevdorj picked up a 2-point exposure on a scramble, which, after a scramble, revealed a foul by Kolawole. That gave Purevdorj a point and, significantly, put her on top in par terre.

She took advantage by executing a gut wrench and, even though Kolawole reversed, it left the Mongolian with a 6-5 advantage that she maintained through the end.

Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) earned her first world medal when she scored a duck under takedown in the final minute to defeat Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) 4-2 for the other 62kg bronze.

Asian champion Hyongyong CHOE (PRK) added the senior world bronze to her Olympic bronze from Paris with a victory at 53kg by second-period fall over Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) after building up an 8-0 lead.

Choe went for the kill at all times, scoring two exposures off a head lock, then ending the match when she scored a takedown and immediately applied a half-nelson to turn Akhmedova over.

Two-time Asian bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) gave India its first medal through six days in Zagreb, capping a 9-1 victory over Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) with a 4-point takedown for the other 53kg bronze.

Kennedy BLADES (USA), the Paris silver medalist at 76kg who made the drop all the way down to 68kg but couldn't get past Ishii, assured she wouldn't leave empty-handed when she routed Buse TOSUN (TUR) 12-1 for the bronze medal.

Jia LONG (CHN), last year's champion at 65kg at the Non-Olympic Worlds, defeated Sol Gum PAK (PRK) 6-1 for the other 68kg bronze. Long scored all of her points in the first period, with a takedown-roll combo followed by a go-behind takedown.

China also picked up a bronze at 72kg, when Zelu LI (CHN) fought off her back after a 4-point headlock by Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) to start the match, gradually chipping away until she came away with a 7-4 victory with three takedowns.

Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) scored a takedown in each period to top Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA) 5-0 for the other 72kg bronze.

Day 6 Results

Women's Wrestling

53kg (23 entries)
GOLD: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) df. Lucia YEPEZ (ECU), 5-0

BRONZE: ANTIM (IND) df. Jonna MALMGREN (SWE), 9-1
BRONZE: Hyongyong CHOE (PRK) df. Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) by Fall, 4:00 (8-0)

62kg (22 entries)
GOLD: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Ok Ju KIM (PRK), 5-4

BRONZE: Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) df. Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR), 6-5
BRONZE: Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) df. Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), 4-2

68kg (24 entries)
GOLD: Ami ISHII (JPN) df. Yuliana YANEVA (BUL), 4-2

BRONZE: Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Buse TOSUN (TUR) by TF, 12-1, 5:22
BRONZE: Jia LONG (CHN) df. Sol Gum PAK (PRK), 6-1

72kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Nesrin BAS (TUR) by Fall, 4:25 (5-0)

BRONZE: Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) df. Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA), 5-0
BRONZE: Zelu LI (CHN) df. Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU), 7-4

Greco-Roman

55kg (18 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) df. Emin CAKIR (TUR) 2-2
SEMIFINAL: Payam AHMADI (IRI) df. Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) 3-1

77kg (33 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI), 5-1
SEMIFINAL: Nao KUSAKA (JPN) df. Robert FRITSCH (HUN), 3-1

82kg (26 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), 8-5
SEMIFINAL: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) df. Karlo KODRIC (CRO), 7-1

130kg (27 entries)
SF 1: Darius VITEK (HUN) df. Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW), 3-1
SF 2: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Wenhao JIANG (CHN), 3-1