#WrestleSkopje

U17 European Championships 2025 Entries

By United World Wrestling Press

SKOPJE, North MACEDONIA (June 6) -- The U17 European Championships will be held in Skopje, North Macedonia from June 9 to 15. More than 550 wrestlers are registered in Freestyle, Women's Wrestling and Greco-Roman.

The competition will begin with Greco-Roman followed by Women's Wrestling and finishing with Freestyle. The full schedule can be accessed here.

Qualification and repechage rounds will begins 1030 hours local time and medal bouts will begin at 1800 hours local time. On June 9, as there is no repechage and medal bouts, semifinals will begin at 1800 hours. On June 15, Sunday, as there are no qualification bouts, the repechage will begin 1600 hours local time.

Note: These are preliminary entries can be changed 72 hours before the draw of respective styles. For final brackets, refer to UWW Arena

45kg
Aren PIRUZYAN (ARM)
Omar USUBOV (AZE)
Stanimir SLAVOV (BUL)
Saba MINDIASHVILI (GEO)
Netanel RAHMISTOV (ISR)
Victor GURIN (MDA)
Andrej MISHEV (MKD)
Yakup KICIK (TUR)
Daniil LUTSYK (UKR)
Daniil NAHAVITSYN (UWW)
Umar RABADANOV (UWW)

48kg
Artak AGHABEKYAN (ARM)
Ravan HASANZADE (AZE)
Leonidas ZAHARIADIS (BUL)
Nikoloz MATCHARASHVILI (GEO)
Adrian AIRICH (GER)
Angelos KAMAGIANNIS (GRE)
Tamir SHIRMAMEDOV (ISR)
Vincenzo GANDOLFO (ITA)
Gheorghi GAIDARJI (MDA)
Leon MANOV (MKD)
Przemyslaw MROZEK (POL)
Yanis MAN (ROU)
Attila HEGEDUS (SVK)
Sadik ATESOGULLARI (TUR)
Mykyta HALAHAN (UKR)
Kiryl NIKITSIK (UWW)
Umar MAGOMEDOV (UWW)

51kg
Vahan AZARYAN (ARM)
Ramal MIRHUSEYNOV (AZE)
Georgi SPASOV (BUL)
Samvel ABRAHAMYAN GORGYAN (ESP)
Giorgi ROSTOMASHVILI (GEO)
Erik HANIKEL (GER)
Michail KOKOLOGIANNIS (GRE)
Kyryl SHUMEIKO (HUN)
Angelo PIRRONE (ITA)
Serghei CAMBUR (MDA)
Miradj MUSTAFA (MKD)
Szymon ROGOWICZ (POL)
Laurentiu FLOREA (ROU)
Bugra KAVAK (TUR)
Robert ALOIEV (UKR)
Nabi ISMAYIL (UWW)
Akhmed NAIBAROV (UWW)

55kg
Ervis BARDHI (ALB)
Armen PAPIKYAN (ARM)
Ruslan ALIZADA (AZE)
Aleksandar DELCHEV (BUL)
Temuri TUTARASHVILI (GEO)
Iannis LUPU (GER)
Ioannis KESIDIS (GRE)
Csaba BODI (HUN)
Ariel FILATOV (ISR)
Jon RAMADANI (KOS)
Sergiu STANILA (MDA)
Dardan BELA (MKD)
Carlos RADULESCU (ROU)
Tim ZUERCHER (SUI)
Ivan JAKSIK (SVK)
Osman KAPLAN (TUR)
Abbas HUSEINOV (UKR)
Hleb PIATROU (UWW)
Makhach ABDULLAEV (UWW)

60kg
Razmik VOSKANYAN (ARM)
Abdullach ITSCHAKAEW (AUT)
Hasan HASANOV (AZE)
Valentin GOSPODINOV (BUL)
Iakovos SOURAILOV (CYP)
Yevhenii PINTI (ESP)
Sacha AUBERT (FRA)
Mate TSINADZE (GEO)
Mark BARNOWSKI (GER)
Pavlos NTIANTIADIS (GRE)
Balint NEMETH (HUN)
Lior SHMULKO (ISR)
Anthony APOLINARIO (ITA)
Valeriu PADURET (MDA)
Mario ANANIEV (MKD)
Witold PAWLIK (POL)
Mark KELEMEN (ROU)
Morris KRON (SUI)
Karl BERGMAN (SWE)
Emirhan CETIN (TUR)
Zorab ALOIEV (UKR)
Pavel HOHINASHVILI (UWW)
Abdulla DELEKOV (UWW)

65kg
Regis LASKU (ALB)
Davit DAVTYAN (ARM)
Yusuf BEKTEMIROV (AUT)
Tunar NASIBOV (AZE)
Seyko KALINOV (BUL)
Nikos SOURAILOV (CYP)
Beray AHMED NAZIFOV (ESP)
Arshavir DARAKHSHANIFARA (FIN)
Bayssangour BITMURZAEV (FRA)
Saba TKEMALADZE (GEO)
Dario FISCHIETTI (GER)
Konstantinos MICHAILIDIS (GRE)
Vince LANG (HUN)
Dilan GOLOVANEVSKIY (ISR)
Giovanni DANISE (ITA)
Erand FLUGAJ (KOS)
Maxim DIMOV (MDA)
Darijan PAVLEV (MKD)
Michal MACIUK (POL)
Istvan NAGY (ROU)
Mathys SARRASIN (SUI)
Tomas MELAS (SVK)
Mohin KHAROTI (SWE)
Ismail MERTKOLLU (TUR)
Ivan ZALISKO (UKR)
Artsiom HOHINASHVILI (UWW)
Magomed ISAEV (UWW)

71kg
Avetik TUTKHALYAN (ARM)
Rashid BETERGARAEV (AUT)
Isa YUSIBOV (AZE)
Movsar CHUPALAEV (BEL)
Aleks GROZDANOV (BUL)
Kayden HANLON (GBR)
Koba GOGUADZE (GEO)
Jason KEIL (GER)
Ektoras SIZO (GRE)
Zeteny TUGYI (HUN)
Eli SOLTANOV (ISR)
Amin HOTI (KOS)
Stefan MUNTEAN (MDA)
Dimitar ATANASOV (MKD)
Ismail ERZANUKAEV (POL)
Boran ARADIAN (ROU)
Jaroslav ZAREMBA (SVK)
Omer GUL (TUR)
Ihor OLIINYK (UKR)
Artsiom BOLSUN (UWW)
Islam DZHAMALUTDINOV (UWW)

80kg
Avet ENGOIAN (ARM)
Ali HAJIYEV (AZE)
Valentin ILIEV (BUL)
Levan CHERTKOEV (FRA)
Marshall EVERETT JONES (GBR)
Giga OTINASHVILI (GEO)
Abdurrahim SEKMEN (GER)
Konstantinos MOURTZILAKIS (GRE)
Noel SZECSENYI (HUN)
Michael BAGGIANI (ITA)
Aidas SARUNAS (LTU)
Nazar SOLOMON (MDA)
Zoran SHOROV (MKD)
Aleksander BIELSKI (POL)
Luca SALANTA (ROU)
Yasin ERTURK (TUR)
Artur KOSTIUK (UKR)
Yahor DASHKEVICH (UWW)
Magomed ABDUSALAMOV (UWW)

92kg
Narek MARTIROSYAN (ARM)
Said PASHAYEV (AZE)
Stefan STEFANOV (BUL)
Elguja LOMIDZE (GEO)
Tom ULAMEC (GER)
Charilaos CHAITIDIS (GRE)
Levente SZIKSZAI (HUN)
Damiano SPERANDIO (ITA)
Valerij GOLOVATYJ (LTU)
Eugen DOHOTER (MDA)
Hristijan DIMITRIEV (MKD)
Michal IWANSKI (POL)
Magor LORINCZ (ROU)
Patrik URBANEK (SVK)
Said RIZA (TUR)
Davyd LUTSKOV (UKR)
Ivan VARANKO (UWW)
Abdurazak SHABANOV (UWW)

110kg
Laert MOVSESYAN (ARM)
Hakim TAGHIYEV (AZE)
Halil SADAKOV (BUL)
Murtaz BAGDAVADZE (GEO)
Georgios MANAGKANTZE (GRE)
Gyoergy JUHASZ (HUN)
Ernests STABINS (LAT)
Valeri CAPACLI (MDA)
Jovan STEFANOV (MKD)
Piotr GRELA (POL)
Sebastian BRAILESCU (ROU)
Adam KOSC (SVK)
Zekeriya DOGAN (TUR)
Mykyta KRASNOKUTSKYI (UKR)
Daniil ZHYVULA (UWW)
Magomedrasul OMAROV (UWW)

Miranda KAPANADZE (GEO)Georgia's first-ever European champion in Women's Wrestling Miranda KAPANADZE (GEO) will be at 61kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling

40kg
Christofer KOSAR (EST)
Kaltouma SALISSOU (FRA)
Finja STRAUCH (GER)
Frosina ATANASOVA (MKD)
Valia HARSAN (ROU)
Zehra OZDEMIR (TUR)
Emma TALPA (UKR)
Sviatlana TRUKSHANINA (UWW)
Zamina DUGALEVA (UWW)

43kg
Iliyana DICHEVA (BUL)
Frederika GROSSE (GER)
Aikaterini KATIFORI (GRE)
Reka TELEKI (HUN)
Irina TERZI (MDA)
Julia PALKA (POL)
Nicoleta PASCALAU (ROU)
Emine BARISKAN (TUR)
Martina MODNA (UKR)
Nurana ASADLI (UWW)
Raniia RAKHMANOVA (UWW)

46kg
Nazrin AHMADLI (AZE)
Dayana STOYCHEVA (BUL)
Lara BLAZEKOVIC (CRO)
Madina BAYRAMOVA (GER)
Maria GKIKA (GRE)
Janka SILLEI (HUN)
Mihaela BACOS (MDA)
Spasija VASILEVA (MKD)
Zuzanna PTAK (POL)
Nikoletta TILI (ROU)
Vega MALMGREN (SWE)
Latife SAHIN (TUR)
Kamila KUCHMA (UKR)
Darya NAHORNAYA (UWW)
Irina TSYDEEVA (UWW)

49kg
Khadija GURBANZADA (AZE)
Sheila MONDRAGO GARCIA (ESP)
Rita RANTONEN (FIN)
Lea LINGSCHEIDT (GER)
Dimitra SKOUVAKI (GRE)
Eszter PALMAI (HUN)
Maria CALDIERO (ITA)
Elsa NIKOCI (KOS)
Anastasija JAKOVLEVA (LAT)
Enrika DEVETINAITE (LTU)
Eliza GONTA (MDA)
Angela TRAJKOSKA (MKD)
Kinga JANUSZEK (POL)
Electra GARAIACU (ROU)
Brita NERELL (SWE)
Ecrin SALIK (TUR)
Olena KOLUBAI (UKR)
Anhelina BURKINA (UWW)
Polina BOCHKAREVA (UWW)

53kg
Fatima BAYRAMOVA (AZE)
Nataliya BOYADZHIEVA (BUL)
Mia KOVAC (CRO)
Nadiia ZHOLTIKOVA (ESP)
Anais MARTIN (FRA)
Phoebe COCKER (GBR)
Lisa SHAVADZE (GEO)
Josefine WIDMANN (GER)
Maria VANDOULAKI VANDOULA (GRE)
Mariia ZHYTOVOZ (HUN)
Naomi LIUZZI (ITA)
Kanita SPAHIJA (KOS)
Alexandrina BARBANOUA (MDA)
Bojana KOVACHOVA (MKD)
Mina HANSEN (NOR)
Julia GIBALSKA (POL)
Valeria FLOCEA (ROU)
Miriam MISAKOVA (SVK)
Sally HAMMARBAECK (SWE)
Fatma YILMAZ (TUR)
Alisa SELEZNOVA (UKR)
Maryia KHRUSHCHOVA (UWW)
Margarita IARYGINA (UWW)

57kg
Celestina GJURAJ (ALB)
Ulviyya MUSAYEVA (AZE)
Olga POPOVA (BUL)
Zara PETROVIC (CRO)
Carla CHRISTIANSEN (DEN)
Irama SERENELLI MAGALLON (ESP)
Oona Olivia PEKKARINEN (FIN)
Nini TSITSVIDZE (GEO)
Emma STEUER (GER)
Zoi KAIDOPOULOU (GRE)
Sophie RITTER (ITA)
Sadije DURA (MKD)
Josefien COOMANS (NED)
Liv SANDVIK KLEPPESTO (NOR)
Marta MANKOWSKA (POL)
Luiza GHINDARU (ROU)
Ivana GAJIC (SRB)
Lena MEIJER (SWE)
Asli KOLE (TUR)
Ivanna LUKIANENKO (UKR)
Palina BRAHINETS (UWW)
Alina BAROEVA (UWW)

61kg
Sophia MERANER (AUT)
Esra MAMMADLI (AZE)
Andrea NISEVA (BUL)
Karol TAMSON (EST)
Théa ROUSSEL (FRA)
Miranda KAPANADZE (GEO)
Sophia SCHWART (GER)
Ioanna XENIDOU (GRE)
Barbara BAGER (HUN)
Sara SERVEDIO (ITA)
Tamara CVETKOSKA (MKD)
Nadia KOCIA (POL)
Oana DUMITRU (ROU)
Gabrijela BERKEC (SRB)
Ester AIRAKSINEN (SWE)
Ozdenur OZMEZ (TUR)
Oleksandra MALKOVA (UKR)
Varvara ALISEYENKA (UWW)
Zalina TOTROVA (UWW)

65kg
Fidan BABAYEVA (AZE)
Desislava PASKALEVA (BUL)
Lana PEZIC (CRO)
Ani CHACHANIDZE (GEO)
Feenja HERMANN (GER)
Vasiliki KARAVANOU (GRE)
Emese CZEGLEDI (HUN)
Giulia CARRI (ITA)
Greta USINOVIC (LTU)
Cristina ZAPOROJAN (MDA)
Viktorija GJUROVA (MKD)
Tessa SAMSONSEN (NOR)
Zuzanna HORBIK (POL)
Sophia PAIUS (ROU)
Maria JIVENIUS (SWE)
Kiymet TEZCAN (TUR)
Iryna BUKHTINA (UKR)
Anastasiya KOMANAVA (UWW)
Lilia ERMOKHINA (UWW)

69kg
Milana BAGHIRZADE (AZE)
Natalia TASEVA (BUL)
Sihana OMAR (FRA)
Anna GODELASHVILI (GEO)
Ayla SAHIN (GER)
Elli SEITARIDOU (GRE)
Reka BERECZKI (HUN)
Juliana CATANZARO (ITA)
Alexandra MOISEI (MDA)
Nina SLAVEVSKA (MKD)
Aurelia GODZINSKA (POL)
Sophia ANASTASE (ROU)
Zeynep SUCU (TUR)
Solomiia PETRIV (UKR)
Hanna SIUBARAVA (UWW)
Zukhra KAZULAEVA (UWW)

73kg
Tanya IVANOVA (BUL)
Merily VAESTER (EST)
Anni HANHINEVA (FIN)
Lyra LEDERER (GER)
Polyxeni CHRYSIKAKI (GRE)
Bianka BARANY ALMASI (HUN)
Greta TVERSKYTE (LTU)
Eoprahia CAZACU (MDA)
Angjela GLIGOROVA (MKD)
Britt VAN ROOIJEN (NED)
Agnieszka BRYCZEK (POL)
Maria Ioana ROMEGA (ROU)
IRINGO DERI (SRB)
Eylem ENGIN (TUR)
Khrystyna DEMCHUK (UKR)
Sofiya AUCHAROVA (UWW)
Sofia TOLOKNOVA (UWW)

Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM)45kg champion Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM) will wrestle at 51kg in Skopje. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Greco-Roman

45kg
Ararat AVETISYAN (ARM)
Abdurrahman HUSEYNLI (AZE)
Danimir YORDANOV (BUL)
Ibrahim GALBOURAEV (FRA)
Saba ABASHIDZE (GEO)
Stefanos MEMTSAS (GRE)
Kiril VARTANOV (LTU)
Vadim TARELUNGA (MDA)
Oliwier BIALASIK (POL)
David VARGA (SRB)
Mustafa GUVEN (TUR)
Ihor TUTSKANIUK (UKR)
Artem TKACHENKO (UWW)

48kg
Martin MANJIKYAN (ARM)
Gurban MAJNUNOV (AZE)
Stanislav IVANOV (BUL)
Giorgi MUNTCHAVA (GEO)
Samuel PUSCAS (GER)
Nikolaos ZINISA (GRE)
Gergo ZATKO (HUN)
Domantas MERKELIS (LTU)
Ksawier ROSSA (POL)
Matyas GOENCI (SVK)
Baris SOYLU (TUR)
Herman BASARAB (UKR)
Tsimafei SEMIANENKA (UWW)
Matvei GOLOVENCHITS (UWW)

51kg
Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM)
Elshad ABBASOV (AZE)
Kaloyan BORISOV (BUL)
Marcos LILLO RANGEL (ESP)
Giorgi AZNAURISHVILI (GEO)
Noah END (GER)
Sotirios NTONTOS (GRE)
Keve KOVACS (HUN)
Nikita CVASIUC (ITA)
Iosif STRATAN (MDA)
Abu SAGA (NOR)
Maciej GRYNIA (POL)
Andrei PELEAN (ROU)
Serkan GULLE (TUR)
Illia VANZHUL (UKR)
Rizvan KAIRBEKOV (UWW)

55kg
Vazgen MNATSAKANYAN (ARM)
Aykhan ASADLI (AZE)
Antoan TSVETANOV (BUL)
David KOIC (CRO)
Raimond PROUS (EST)
Magomed VARAEV (FRA)
Giorgi CHACHUA (GEO)
Ivan SEIBEL (GER)
Grigorios EFTHYMIADIS (GRE)
Balint KAZINCZY (HUN)
Emanuel ISRAILOV (ISR)
Cristian MUSCIANESE (ITA)
Ronaldas POGOZELSKIS (LTU)
Leon RUDNIK (POL)
Patrick MOCAN CROITORU (ROU)
Aleksandar TERZIN (SRB)
Selva THARMALINGAM (SWE)
Osman Ege OZDEMIR (TUR)
Bohdan MAKAROVETS (UKR)
Aliaksandr BELIAKOU (UWW)
Danil LOZHKIN (UWW)

60kg
Rejan OSMAJ (ALB)
Hayk MANUKYAN (ARM)
Ali NAZAROV (AZE)
Zhivko HINKOV (BUL)
Roko CURIC (CRO)
Adrian ROSADO LOPEZ (ESP)
Mauno KAURA (FIN)
Sarkis VOSKANIAN (FRA)
Rezi GUJABIDZE (GEO)
Mika LABES (GER)
Vasileios TSAROUCHAS (GRE)
Imre JUHASZ (HUN)
Tamirlan KHALIMOV (ISR)
Riccardo DELLE CAVE (ITA)
Emilis NEVERAUSKAS (LTU)
Vlad DUMINICA (MDA)
Raffaele HIGHT (NED)
Oliwier ZYSK (POL)
Mihai MARIUTA (ROU)
Kristian DOBI (SRB)
Joel GAECHTER (SUI)
Ismail ISAEV (SWE)
Abdul ARSLANTAS (TUR)
Denys SEREDIN (UKR)
Dzmitry DUDUK (UWW)
Amir KAVLAEV (UWW)

65kg
Sentiljano MEMA (ALB)
Janes NAZARYAN (ARM)
Ramil MUSAYEV (AZE)
Kristiyan PETKOV (BUL)
Stjepan KRALJ (CRO)
Jakub CHARVAT (CZE)
Ramin YOUSEFI (FIN)
Kyliane EDDOUH (FRA)
Erekle TAVBERIDZE (GEO)
Timur DEMIR (GER)
Iason MARGARITIDIS (GRE)
Rego TORDA (HUN)
Yehonatan NEMSADZE (ISR)
Alessio ARANCIO (ITA)
Mangirdas BRAZDZIUNAS (LTU)
Maxim DAMASCHIN (MDA)
Andreas FJELDSTAD (NOR)
Przemyslaw ANDRYCHOWSKI (POL)
Luka ZELIC (SRB)
Tim SCHREIBER (SUI)
Anders THULINDER (SWE)
Mesut SOGUT (TUR)
Yehor TARASENKO (UKR)
Uladzislau SALAUYOU (UWW)
Zelimkhan AZIMOV (UWW)

71kg
Roman USOYAN (ARM)
David SCHOBER (AUT)
Yusif AHMADLI (AZE)
Miroslav RESHOVSKI (BUL)
Bozidar GRBINICEK (CRO)
Vaclav SATRAPA (CZE)
Alvaro VILLAFAINA RECACHA (ESP)
Mardo AERMUS (EST)
Matias ONNENLEHTO (FIN)
Giorgi GOGELASHVILI (GEO)
Joshua BELLSCHEIDT (GER)
Dimitrios SOULIS (GRE)
Imre KOLOMPAR (HUN)
Nicolas DE GRECIS (ITA)
Artur SAVELJEV (LTU)
Ignat MEICO (MDA)
Kacper GOLONKA (POL)
Gabriel MARCEL (ROU)
Balaz UJHELJI (SRB)
Zsombor RAJKOVICS (SVK)
Julian VADELL (SWE)
Ali KILINC (TUR)
Danyil MELNYCHUK (UKR)
Maksim ZENKEVICH (UWW)
Kaimaraz ARBAKHANOV (UWW)

80kg
Vahe HOVEYAN (ARM)
Christopher SZENTKIRALYI (AUT)
Nijat YEYLAGALIYEV (AZE)
Valentin VALENTINOV (BUL)
Jachym JABUREK (CZE)
Aaron TONISMAA (EST)
Giorgi ORMOTSADZE (GEO)
Noel LOZANCIC (GER)
Stefanos VASDEKIS (GRE)
Dominik KERTESZ (HUN)
Koan VALENTINI (ITA)
Olivers IRKLIS (LAT)
Benediktas BUBELEVICIUS (LTU)
Kyrylo KON (MDA)
Franciszek KOCWIN (POL)
Danilo AKSENTIJEVIC (SRB)
Matti EICHMANN (SUI)
Dominik HERVAI (SVK)
Fredrik ABRAHAMSSON (SWE)
Ismail BEREKET (TUR)
Danylo VUZII (UKR)
Anton KASTSEVICH (UWW)
Senik VARDANIAN (UWW)

92kg
Petros BAGHRAMYAN (ARM)
Niklas OEHLERER (AUT)
Said PASHAYEV (AZE)
Ivan NIKOLOV (BUL)
Andrija MIKULIC (CRO)
Vitezslav ZAK (CZE)
Robert KOVALKOV (EST)
Luka MARTIASHVILI (GEO)
Ioannis MOUTOUSIDIS (GRE)
Zsombor KORODI (HUN)
Elia CAIANIELLO (ITA)
Julius GIKARAS (LTU)
Vladislav VASYLEVSKYI (MDA)
Ismail KADYROV (NOR)
Tomasz MITAL (POL)
Ionut PATRU (ROU)
Todor AKSENTIJEVIC (SRB)
Christofer KOSAR (SVK)
Manfred ALTHEN (SWE)
Enes UZUN (TUR)
Tymur LARIN (UKR)
Kanstantsin KASYAN (UWW)
Vadim DRAGUSHAN (UWW)

110kg
Gor MKHITARYAN (ARM)
Rihad IBRAHIMLI (AZE)
Denis LAZAROV (BUL)
Karel CECH (CZE)
Kahro PALLON (EST)
Temuri SIMSIVE (GEO)
Maximilian LEO (GER)
Vasileios BOUNTOULIS (GRE)
Akos KEREPESI (HUN)
Guy ZANKEVICH (ISR)
Deniss MOISEJENKO (LAT)
Mateusz TOMELKA (POL)
Vlad PETREAN (ROU)
Andrej SIMIC (SRB)
Arda UGUR (TUR)
Anatolii NOVACHENKO (UKR)
Matvei SILICH (UWW)
Artur GABEEV (UWW)

#JapanWrestling

Incoming OSU prospect Sakamoto wins 1st All-Japan title

By Ken Marantz

Rin SAKAMOTO works to turn Daito KATSUME after scoring the lone takedown of the freestyle 57kg final. (Photo: Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

TOKYO (December 22) -- Aside from occasional moves that are ineffective in freestyle, Rin SAKAMOTO was able to make enough of a transition back from American folkstyle to capture his first senior national title in his homeland.

Sakamoto, who has taken the rare path among Japanese wrestlers of heading overseas for college, defeated Daito KATSUME 4-0 in the freestyle 57kg final at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships on Sunday in Tokyo.

"I've been practicing in America up to now and only doing folkstyle," Sakamoto said. "It was tough adjusting back to freestyle. I couldn't do my wrestling, so I'm not very satisfied."

The final day of the four-day tournament, which is serving as the first of two domestic qualifiers for next year's World Championships, also saw world 55kg champion Moe KIYOOKA make an early move down to the Olympic weight of 53kg, where she picked up a third straight title.

Rin SAKAMOTORin SAKAMOTO became the first U.S.-based wrestler to win an All-Japan title since 1995 with a victory at freestyle 57kg. (Photo: Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

The 19-year-old Sakamoto, a two-time Inter-High champion at Tokyo's Jiyugaoka Gakuen High School, has been training for the past fourth months at U.S. powerhouse Oklahoma State University, where next month he will officially enroll and be eligible to compete in matches for the Cowboys, who are now coached by former Olympic champion David Taylor.

Sakamoto is hoping to follow in the footsteps of legendary two-time Olympic champion Yojiro UETAKE, who won three NCAA titles from 1964-66 at Oklahoma State. More recently, Sanshiro ABE won an NCAA title at Penn State in 1996, and was the last U.S.-based wrestler to win the All-Japan, in 1995.

"I think it fits my style of wrestling," Sakamoto said of American folkstyle, which puts more emphasis on control, particularly in its version of par terre or when exposing the opponent's back. "I've always liked the American style. If I make the adjustment, either style is alright for me."

The first sign of difference between the two styles came when Sakamoto stepped onto the mat wearing a headgear, an extremely rare sight in Japan. He explained that at OSU, "we have to wear a headgear all of the time, even in practice. So it's not to get me used to wearing one, but because I'm already used to it."

In his opening match, which he went on to win 15-6, he had been taken down and, instead of just lying flat and resisting being turned, he got up to his knees and grabbed the opponent's wrist -- in folkstyle, the wrestler on bottom must try to escape or reverse.

The referee on Sunday was having none of it, commanding he release the wrist. "I kept getting warned," he said. "I have to work harder to make the change."

He also twice used a counter lift in defending a takedown that put him to his own back, which gave his opponent 2 points before getting 2 for himself. In folkstyle, there would have been no points for his own exposure.

But takedowns and sprawling are pretty much universal, and his cat-like reflexes and natural speed carried him into the semifinals, where he forged out a 10-4 win over two-time Asian bronze medalist Rikuto ARAI.

The final against Katsume, who was hampered by a left knee injury that had him hobbling onto and off the mat, lacked the flamboyance of the first two matches, with Sakamoto limited to an activity point and a stepout in the first period, and a defensive takedown in the second.

"I left too much in the tank and did not dictate the match," Sakamoto lamented. "It became a really boring match."

The two were already acquainted, having split two matches while in high school. Katsume, now a sophomore at Yamanashi Gakuin University, beat Sakamoto 8-0 in the semifinals of the 2021 Inter-High championship, but a year later, Sakamoto gained revenge with a 6-2 victory in the final.

Sakamoto said he will return to the U.S. on January 11, two days before the new OSU semester starts in Stillwater, Oklahoma. From then, it will be full-time folkstyle in a wrestling room where he will face stiff competition to make the lineup at 125 pounds (56.7 kilograms).

"There are quite a few in the lighter weights, and I feel like I'm having to catch up in folkstyle," Sakamoto said. "I'm aiming for [the] Los Angeles [Olympics], but for the next two years, I'll focus on freestyle. One goal is to become a NCAA champion."

Sakamoto will, however, return to Japan in the spring for the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships, the second of the two qualifiers for the World Championships. To help him make the adjustment back to freestyle, he will likely enter the JOC Junior Olympic Cup in April, an U20 tournament in which he placed third this year.

Sakamoto is not the only member of his family with an adventurous streak. Older sister Yu, the world U23 champion at 53kg, is currently a member of the Northern Michigan University team.

Moe KIYOOKA (JPN)Moe KIYOOKA defends against a takedown attempt in the women's 53kg final against Saki YUMIYA. (Photo: Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

Kiyooka gets early start in filling 53kg hole

Four years out from the Los Angeles Olympics, Japanese star and Paris Olympic champion Akari FUJINAMI made a not-so-unexpected announcement that she was moving up to 57kg, starting a scramble to fill the hole at 53kg that she left behind.

Perhaps no one was more affected by the news than Kiyooka, who took no time in staking her claim when she rolled to a 9-0 victory in the 53kg final over Saki YUMIYA on Sunday.

Kiyooka, the younger sister of Paris freestyle 65kg gold medalist Kotaro KIYOOKA, had won the All-Japan title at 55kg the past two years, and mulled over whether it was too early to begin the quest to make Los Angeles at 53kg.

"I considered entering at 55kg right up to the last moment," Kiyooka said. "But consulting with my coach, we decided that because I had won the gold at the World Championships at 55kg, I needed to start thinking about things related to the next Olympics, like cutting weight. It's important to become accustomed to doing that. So I set the goal of winning the title at 53kg here."

She knows she will have plenty of competition ahead, notwithstanding speculation that Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Yui SUSAKI might move up from 50kg to 53kg.

"Including the opponents here, there will be even more strong wrestlers," Kiyooka said. "I need to train to get better so I can be confident when I face them and come out on top."

Kiyooka never has to look far for motivation to seek Olympic glory. She was in Paris as a training partner for Ikuei University teammate Tsugumi SAKURAI, who went on to win the 57kg gold.

"I was glad I could help, but there was also the pain of not being in the Olympics," she said. "But seeing people so close to me succeed has shown me that it's not impossible, which has given me strong motivation."

One shortcoming of her wrestling that she addressed on Sunday was her tendency to be a slow starter. She came firing out in her opening match, winning 10-0.

"As I always say, I never move well in the first match," Kiyooka said. "To overcome that, I concentrated on the opening match. As the matches continued, I got used to it and the final was my most solid match of the day."

In the final, Kiyooka scored two takedowns in each period in outclassing Yumiya, a world U20 bronze medalist this year.

Sara NATAMI (JPN)Sara NATAMI became a three-time national champion by winning the women's 57kg title, her first at an Olympic weight. (Photo: Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

Natami catches up to younger sister with 57kg title

Sara NATAMI has quite a sibling rivalry going on, and Sunday she finally caught up to younger sister Ruka when it comes to competing in an Olympic weight class.

Natami, the 2023 world U23 champion, dominated Ichika ARAI 10-2 in the 57kg final to add to two previous All-Japan titles at 59kg.

"At the Meiji Cup [last June], my younger sister won this weight class," said Natami, who had to skip that tournament due to a knee injury. "I was determined to win the next one and that led to this win.

"I had never won [a national title] at an Olympic weight. My sister beat me to it, and that was frustrating. That was the feeling as I prepared for this."

Natami said the two, an alumni and current student at Shigakkan University, respectively, sometimes practice together, "but it ends up becoming a fight."

Natami's biggest win, however, came in the semifinals, when she stuck two-time reigning champion Sae NANJO for a fall that marked her first-ever victory over her fellow Shigakkan alum and avenged a loss in the same round last year.

"We've faced each other since elementary school and I had never beaten her," Natami said. "Beating Sae was among my goals."

Last year, Natami was leading 5-0 when Nanjo, a two-time world U23 champion, suddenly turned the tide and scored a fall in the final minute.

Kaito INABA (JPN)Kaito INABA celebrates after successfully defending his Greco 60kg title. (Photo: Takeo YABUKI / JWF)

In the other final of the day, Asian silver medalist Kaito INABA successfully defended his Greco 60kg title, scoring a victory by fall with the first scoring move of the final against Yu SHIOTANI.

Shiotani, a world 55kg bronze medalist in 2022, attempted a spinning arm throw that ended with him on his back and Inaba's arm wrapped around his throat. The mat referee was not in a position to see what might be construed as a choke hold and called the fall at 1:24.

Day 4 Results

Freestyle

57kg (24 entries)
GOLD -- Rin SAKAMOTO df. Daito KATSUME, 4-0
BRONZE -- Rikuto ARAI df. Isami TAKATA by TF, 10-0, 1:47
BRONZE -- Kento YUMIYA df. Taketo NINOMIYA, 9-7

Greco-Roman

60kg (14 entries)
GOLD -- Kaito INABA df. Yu SHIOTANI by Fall, 1:24 (3-0)
BRONZE -- Koto GOMI df. Kosei TAKESHITA by TF, 11-1, 4:02
BRONZE -- Keijiro SONE df. Yasuhito MORI, 5-3

Women's Wrestling

53kg (9 entries)
GOLD -- Moe KIYOOKA df. Saki YUMIYA, 9-0
BRONZE -- Haruna MORIKAWA df. Miwa MAGARA, 3-1
BRONZE -- Narumi NAKAMURA df. Mihoko TAKEUCHI, 7-5

57kg (9 entries)
GOLD -- Sara NATAMI df. Ichika ARAI, 10-2
BRONZE -- Ibuki TAMURA df. Iroha FUJIYAMA by Inj. Def., :01
BRONZE -- Sae NANJO df. Miuna KIMURA by Fall, 5:50 (7-4)