#WrestleAmman

U20 Worlds: Red-hot Shapiro wins gold; Nishiuchi repeats

Tuesday, August 15, 2023 - 21:42 By Vinay Siwach

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AMMAN, Jordan (August 15) -- Meyer SHAPIRO (USA) talks about his mental game. Whether it was the lectures from Jonh DIAKOMIHALIS (USA) before coming to Amman or surviving the heat in the city, Shapiro thinks he has managed to keep himself calm despite thinking about his final all day.

"I woke up this morning but it [the final] was always at the back of my mind," Shapiro said. It's hard to think about something all day and not be worried about it. Yesterday [Monday] was a grueling day. The country is hot so that was something I had to add to my mental game. The first session took a lot out of me. Tough matches."

Perhaps with lessons from those tough matches on Monday, Shapiro, on a sweltering day in Amman, kept his cool against Ali REZAEI (IRI) to win his second age-group world title, winning the 70kg gold medal at the U20 World Championships on Tuesday.

After trailing 4-0 and busting his head after a head collision with Rezaei, Shapiro gathered himself and continued his red-hot form to win the final 11-6 and give the United States its first champion of the tournament.

The 2021 U17 world champion entered the competition as one of the favorites and Rezaei, who was a bronze medalist in the 2021 tournament, and over the two days, he proved why his "creative and funky" wrestling was too much to handle for his opponents.

"My wrestling style is creative and I like the flow," Shapiro said. "I envisioned myself wearing this white tracksuit on the podium since they gave it to the senior world team [in 2022] and having that belt."

Shapiro achieved that by wrestling one of the greatest finals in tournament history as he broke Rezaei with his hard wrestling and remained unbeaten internationally. 

Though the final did not positively for Shapiro as he got spun for two before Rezaei scored a trap for two more points, Shapiro headed a hit to the head, literally to regain his focus. Shapiro hit his head against Rezaei's hip and a cut to his took some serious medical attention.

Despite "freaking out", Shapiro returned with a focused mind and opened his scoring with a stepout. He then added two points via exposure by thrusting Rezaei to the mat when he was trying to lift Shapiro.

"Lot of emotions in that match," he said. "I came out hard and he also came out hard. In that exchange, a lot of emotions were going on in my head. I was freaking out a little bit. But that was enough time to reset my mind. It looks hard out there but that was my favorite match of the tournament. I really got to show off my skill. 

Shapiro was a different wrestler in the second period as he used his reach to score via ankle picks. He scored a takedown 10 seconds after the break. A stepout and another counter takedown made it 8-4 for the U.S. wrestler. Rezaei got one back using a lighting double and closed the gap to 8-6. But Shapiro controlled the center of the mat and put Rezaei in uncomfortable positions. He managed one more stepout and takedown to win 11-6.

"I have long arms and legs. I can use that pretty well," he said. "Being able to wrestle into positions, wrestling with Yianni [Diakomihalis] and other guys who push me, I kept being told that put these guys in position, they are not better than you."

Shapiro will try proving that in the domestic college season later this year when he wrestles for Cornell University, home to Diakomihalis and four-time world champion Kyle DAKE (USA). But before that is his introduction where, in most likelihood, Shapiro will reach with a bruised eye and a cut to his head.

"I got a few bruises and cuts but I will be back to training," he said.

Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI)Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI) celebrates after winning the gold medal against Jesse MENDEZ (USA). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

The United States had two more wrestlers in the finals both failed to repeat what Shapiro managed.

At 65kg, Jesse MENDEZ (USA) wrestled Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI) and just could not match Shakeri's level, dropping the final 5-2.

Shakeri, who had finished ninth at last year's U20 World Championships, jumped levels to win the gold medal this year. He put Mendez in strong underhooks and opened the scoring via a steptout before getting a point for the U.S. wrestler's inactivity.

In the second period, Shakeri was put on the shot clock and gave up a point but added a stepout to lead 3-1. He made it 4-1 with a minute left with another stepout. Mendez got on a single leg but only managed to push Shakeri out for a point. As Mendez's desperation grew, Shakeri kept his ground to win 5-2, earning himself a first world medal as he finished fifth at the 2021 U17 World Championships.

Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN)Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) scores a takedown against Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) in the 57kg final. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Last year's U17 world champion Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) was looking to add a U20 world title to his resume to he ran into Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) who won the U20 world title at 61kg in 2022.

Wrestling in the 57kg final this year, Nishiuchi created history by becoming the first wrestler from Japan to win two U20 world gold medals in Freestyle.

A wrestler who has won medals at the senior Ranking Series events, Nishiuchi used his experience to completely shut down Lilledahl who reached the final after a buzzer-beating fall over Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE) in the semifinal.

But there were no comebacks from him in the final as Nishiuchi scored two takedowns and one stepout to win the gold medal 5-0.

"I wanted to go harder, widen the gap in points, and aim for a technical fall win," he said. "My opponents were physically strong and we couldn't attack as much as I wanted."

Nishiuchi was relieved with the gold medal as he had to recover from a knee injury suffered at the Meiji Cup in June in a short period of time.

"I was injured at the Meiji Cup and was worried if I will be able to recover in the short period before this World Championships. But I am in good condition now with taping," he said.

Dropping down from 61kg to 57kg brought its own challenges and the biggest one for Nishiuchi was the weight cut. That caused a few bumps on his way but the Japan wrestler managed to keep things under control.

"The most difficult match was the first one against Uzbekistan because I was cutting weight and I was not moving smoothly," he said."But my condition improved later."

Aware of the fact that he can create history, Nishiuchi felt the pressure of being a defending champion.

"I knew that no Japan wrestler has won two times at the U20 world championships," he said. "Last year I was the challenger but this year I was the champion so I was under pressure and also nervous.

"Even though I won last year, I didn't expect it to be easy because it's a world championship. However, I had been fighting for the Paris Olympics, so I could not afford to lose in the U20 category."

Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI)Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI) defeated Ivan PRYMACHENKO (UKR), 5-0, in the 97kg final. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Iran won its second gold medal of the day when Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI) defeated Ivan PRYMACHENKO (UKR), 5-0, in the 97kg final.

In a remarkable turnaround, Babaloo went from finishing fifth at the U20 Asian Championships in Amman to becoming a U20 world champion in a month. He avenged his losses to Kamil KURGULIYEV (KAZ) and Deepak CHAHAL (IND).In the final, Babaloo got a point for Prymachenko's inactivity before adding two stepouts to lead 3-0 at the break. Any attempt from Prymachenko was easily defended by Babaloo who scored takedown to win 5-0.

Once the best wrestler in the world called him a 'machine', Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) had little choice but to accept the adjective. On Tuesday, he managed to live up to it.

Abdulrashid SADULAEV's one-word description of Kadiev was well on display as the 79kg wrestler clinched the gold medal after beating Sagar JAGLAN (IND) 17-6 in the final.

Kadiev, who trains at the Sadulaev Sports School, exploited Jaglan's open stance and attacked his legs to score the majority of his points. He began with a slide-by takedown but hit a double to score a stepout. Another takedown made it 5-0.

However, Jaglan, who is known to outpace his opponents, opened his scoring with a go-behind before adding a lace to cut the lead to 5-4. Kadiev was warned for an eye-poke and the caution gave Jaglan a 5-5 criteria lead at the break.

But Kadiev made a powerful start to the second period with a stepout and takedown, both using double-leg attacks. Jaglan continued to push the pace and Kadiev was cautioned for fleeing. As the bout restarted in par terre, Jagland tried to turn Kadiev who held Jaglan mid-turn and scored two more points to extend his lead 10-6.

Kadiev followed that up with a four-pointer which India challenge to only see it going against them as Kadiev now led 15-6. In the final scramble, Kadiev scored via exposure to win the gold after a draining bout.

df

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) df. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA), 5-0

BRONZE: Edik HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df. Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE), 8-4
BRONZE: Nodirbek JUMANAZAROV (UZB) df. SAGAR (IND), 10-0

65kg
GOLD: Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI) df. Jesse MENDEZ (USA),

BRONZE: Dalgat ABDULKADYROV (AIN) df. Kaiji OGINO (JPN), 9-2
BRONZE: Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) df. Aden SAKYBAEV (KGZ), 5-3

70kg
GOLD: Meyer SHAPIRO (USA) df. Ali REZAEI (IRI), 11-6

BRONZE: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) df. Omurbek TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ), 3-2
BRONZE: Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN) df. Julian GEORGE (PUR), 12-2

79kg
GOLD: Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) df. Sagar JAGLAN (IND), 17-6

BRONZE: Matthew SINGLETON (USA) df. Ahmet YAGAN (TUR), 9-7
BRONZE: Ali TCOKAEV (AZE) df. Farzad SAFIJAHANSHAHI (IRI), 11-1

97kg
GOLD: Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI) df. Ivan PRYMACHENKO (UKR), 5-0

BRONZE: Deepak CHAHAL (IND) df. Uladzislau KAZLOU (AIN), 9-8
BRONZE: Camden McDANEL (USA) df. Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ), 8-2

Semifinals

61kg
GOLD: Mohit KUMAR (IND) vs. Eldar AKHMADUDINOV (AIN)

SF 1: Mohit KUMAR (IND) df. Besir ALILI (MKD), via fall (8-6)
SF 2: Eldar AKHMADUDINOV (AIN) df. Ali KHORRAMDEL (IRI), 10-9

74kg
GOLD: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) vs. Hossein AGHAEI (IRI)

SF 1: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) df. Zhakshylyk BAITASHOV (KGZ), 10-0
SF 2: Hossein AGHAEI (IRI) df. Anton SUCHKOV (AIN), 9-0

86kg
GOLD: Fumiya IGARASHI (JPN) vs. Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA)

SF 1: Fumiya IGARASHI (JPN) df. Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA), 10-0
SF 2: Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) df. Bennett BERGE (USA), 9-2

92kg
GOLD: Mohammadmobin AZIMI (IRI) vs. Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ)

SF 1: Mohammadmobin AZIMI (IRI) df. Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM), 10-0
SF 2: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) df. Giorgi ROMELASHVILI (GEO), 11-1

125kg
GOLD: Said AKHMATOV (AIN) vs. Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)

SF 1: Said AKHMATOV (AIN) df. Karanveer MAHIL (CAN), 6-3
SF 2: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) df. Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR), 11-0

#WrestleZagreb

Reasco becomes Ecuador's first world champ as Maroulis adds to gold tally

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 - 22:22 By Ken Marantz

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- While Helen MAROULIS (USA) was adding to her mountainous pile of world medals with a fourth career gold, Genesis REASCO (ECU) made history by becoming Ecuador's first-ever world champion.

Reasco reached the pinnacle of the sport with a 4-2 victory in the 76kg final over Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), denying the two-time world medalist her first gold in the last of four women's finals on Wednesday at the World Championships in Zagreb.

"I went in, gave my all, and it worked," Reasco said. "That’s how the gold medal was achieved, because honestly, I have a lot of respect for all my opponents. They gave everything out there on the mat, and they were really good matches -- both yesterday’s and today’s. Everything was very tough, very close."

Maroulis, who will turn 34 on Friday, showed why she has accumulated eight medals overall in 12 trips to the World Championships when she scored a dramatic takedown with :05 left to edge Il Sim SON (PRK) 3-2 in the 57kg final.

In other finals, Myonggyong WON (PRK) gave the DPR Korea its second women's title in two nights -- and just the third in its history -- with an emotional victory at 50kg , while Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) earned her second world gold and fifth medal overall with a dominant run to the 65kg title.

Reasco's historic victory came two years after Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) became the South American country's first-ever world medalist, and a day before Yepez gets a chance to join her as a gold medalist after making the 53kg final earlier in the day.

Reasco had long been seen as having the potential for a breakthrough, but never seemed to be able to make that final step up to the big time. She finished fifth at the 2022 World Championships and 2024 Paris Olympics, and was third at this year's Pan American Championships.

But after knocking off Paris bronze medalist Milaimy MARIN (CUB) in Tuesday's semifinals, the impossible suddenly became possible.

"At the Olympics, I was close to winning bronze, but it didn’t happen," she said. "But now the world medal came, and I’m very happy after all the sacrifices."

In the final, Reasco scored with a double-leg takedown in the first period, then scored another at the edge in the second. Medet Kyzy, a three-time Asian champion, tried desperately to launch a comeback, but she had to settle for 2 with a late throw attempt and came up short.

The 27-year-old Reasco got a relatively late start to the sport, saying she was not even aware of wrestling's existence until she was introduced to it at age 15.

"At that time, I practically didn’t know what wrestling was," she said. "I was going for another sport, but the coach of that sport took me to wrestling -- it was thanks to his influence. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even known what wrestling was.

"The first day I saw it, I was shocked. Since I was little, I always liked sports -- I liked basketball, football. So I always had that love for sports. Any sport, any other sport, I liked."

But her dedication to training eventually led to the greatest of achievements, which she surmises will be widely celebrated back in her hometown of Esmeraldas and the province of Manabi where she trains.

"When I focus on competition, I even put my phone aside," she said.

In the 57kg final, Maroulis had her work cut out for her with the quick and powerful Son, this year's Asian silver medalist.

"She's an amazing opponent," Maroulis said. "I knew she was going to be tough. I watched all of her film. I'm like, my gosh, she's so good."

Maroulis had to fight out of a double-leg attempt in the first period, in which she received an activity point for the only score. In the second, Son received an activity point, then went ahead 2-1 by scoring a stepout at 1:32.

It looked like it might end that way until Maroulis, using a trip to great effect as she had done all tournament, sent Son reeling backward, then spun behind as Son tried to whip her over with :05 on the clock.

"I had to really, really dig deep for that and, I don't know, before the last exchange started, I just had to dig deep and find it," Maroulis said. "It was just some scramble flurry and just that it came out my way. I'm grateful."

The U.S. wrestler added the title to the ones she won in 2015, 2017 and 2021. She also has an Olympic gold from 2016, when she dealt the legendary Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) her lone international loss, and three Olympic medals overall.

Maroulis said that she had to deal with a blood vessel problem that curtailed her training starting in the spring, and did not return to full-fledged practice until about two weeks ago.

With her conditioning limited, she said she aimed to end her matches early, which resulted in her ending all three of her matches leading up to the final by fall.

"I was like, I'm just going to start working on training because I'm not conditioned enough to go six minutes," Maroulis said. "I'm literally not conditioned enough. But if I pin, no one has to know that."

Maroulis said she is currently undecided about continuing her career. But should she go on, it could put her on a collision course with one of the sport's rising stars, Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), the Paris Olympic champion at 53kg who announced that she was moving up to 57kg in the runup to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I would love to wrestle her," she said. "I've been wrestling for so many years, I want to wrestle the best of the best, and she's phenomenal. I've heard and seen great things about her.

Maroulis said the two have never had a chance to work out together. "We message back and forth, actually we were trying to go to a camp together, it just didn't work out in time for the Olympics. I found she was going to 57[kg], I said, 'Oh my gosh.' It's a great opportunity for both of us."

At 50kg, Won dominated her gold-medal showdown with Asian silver medalist Yu ZHANG (CHN) from the start, storming to an eight-point lead in the first period and holding on for an 8-2 victory.

"This medal and the championship belt I’ve won are just the first step in repaying my parents for all their sacrifices," Won said. "From now on, I’ll work even harder to become an Olympic champion."

Her victory came a day after Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) won the 55kg gold to become the second women's world champion in their country's history. They joined Yong-Mi PAK (PRK), who won the 53kg gold in Nur-Sultan in 2019.

Won became so overcome with emotion, she tearfully hugged the referee after the match, then went over and did the same with the side judges. Then she hugged her coaches, and during the medal ceremony, shed tears as the national anthem was played.

"The moment I took first place, all the tough days of training flashed before my eyes and I couldn’t hold back my tears," she said. "And when I thought about sharing the news with my mom and dad, the tears came again."

Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) celebrates after winning the 65kg final at the World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 65kg, Morikawa cruised to an 8-0 victory over Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) to regain the title she won in 2022, capping a year in which she also won the Ranking Series Tirana event and a second career gold at the Asian Championships.

Morikawa scored all of her points by shooting for a single, then fighting off a whizzer by Kasabieva to gain control for a pair of takedowns in each period.

"It's my first time to face her, but comparatively she was easier to wrestle than my semifinal opponent," Morikawa said, referring to her semifinal victory over former world champion Irina RINGACI (MDA), albeit a 10-0 decision.

"I couldn't get in on my tackles, and that part is something that I have to change. I'll be going to a heavier weight class and I want to be able to knock off the top wrestlers."

For Morikawa, competing at 65kg now is part of a process aimed at being competitive in the race to make the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, almost surely at 68kg, after missing out on Paris.

"It was great that I won the championship, but the next step will be starting soon. I can be happy today, but from tomorrow I'll have to start working hard in practice."

In between her two world titles, Morikawa took a world bronze at 72kg in 2023, then returned to 65kg in 2024, only to have to settle for a bronze again.

"It was a long time [between titles], and there was the time that I missed out on the Olympics, but I will use this victory as inspiration for what is coming next. It will be the start of a much more difficult fight than up to now, so I have to renew my determination."

While two world golds is no small accomplishment, Morikawa joked that it still leaves her well behind her coach, who was in her corner on Wednesday and accompanied her on the victory lap on the mat.

"I still only have two titles, so I'm about 10 behind the coach who was in my corner," Morikawa said of Kaori ICHO (JPN), the four-time Olympic and 10-time world champion.

Smirnova stuns Yoshimoto for 50kg bronze

Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) pulled off the surprise of the bronze-medal matches, stunning former world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) at 50kg with a stepout in the final seconds for a 3-3 win on criteria.

Yoshimoto, a two-time Asian champion, received an activity point, then gave up a takedown when Smirnova countered and got behind to a 2-1 lead. In the second period, Yoshimoto finally got through, scoring a takedown with :54 left. But she failed to hold off Smirnova's final push, leaving her devastated and in tears.

Prior to coming to Zagreb, Yoshimoto's only losses in any competition since 2019 were to compatriot and Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN), whom she lost to four times. That limited her to a single previous appearance at the World Championships in 2021, when she won the gold.

The other 50kg bronze went to Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), who also needed a late score in posting a 3-2 victory over Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL) and adding to the world bronze she won back in 2017.

Byambasuren scored a takedown while on the activity clock to take a 2-0 lead into the second period, and it looked like that might hold up when Demirhan gained a 2-point exposure off an inner thigh block with :15 left. Byambasuren came close to getting behind in the final seconds, but fell short and an unsuccessful challenge handed Demirhan her final point.

The victory took some of the sting out a serious knee injury that Demirhan suffered in the final exchange. She limped off the mat and was taken from the main floor in a wheelchair, then was carried by two fellow medalists to the podium during the medal ceremony wearing a walking cast.

Japan was dealt another set back a short time later in the 57kg bronze-medal bouts, when three-time European champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) scored a takedown and exposure in the second period to upend Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN) 4-1.

As with Demirhan, Khoroshavtseva's victory ended a long medal drought -- her previous bronze had come in 2019.

Paris Olympic bronze medalist Kexin HONG (CHN) picked up her first world medal, surging to a 10-0 victory over Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) in the other 57kg match.

Moldova's national hero Ringaci earned a fourth career world medal by beating Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) 6-3 for a 65kg bronze, scoring a takedown in the first period and two in the second.

Two-time Asian silver medalist Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) had the lead on criteria when she scored an exposure at the edge while holding off an attack by Macey KILTY (USA) to clinch a 4-2 win for the other 65kg bronze.

At 76kg, another Olympic bronze medalist added a world bronze when Marin stormed to a 10-0 victory over PRIYA (IND), setting the mood when she scored the first of her five takedowns by lifting the Indian in the air and dumping her to the mat.

Kylie WELKER (USA) added to the bronze she won last year at 72kg by holding on for a 6-2 victory over Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) for the other 76kg bronze. Welker scored a takedown and gut wrench in the first period, then after Alpyeyeva came back with two stepouts,

clinched the win with a takedown with :14 left. 

Day 5 Results

Women's Wrestling

50kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Myonggyong WON (PRK) df. Yu ZHANG (CHN), 8-2

BRONZE: Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) df. Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN), 3-3
BRONZE: Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) df. Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL), 3-2

53kg (23 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) df. ANTIM (IND), 5-3
SEMIFINAL: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) df. Hyongyong CHOE (PRK), 2-1

57kg (22 entries)
GOLD: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Il Sim SON (PRK), 3-2

BRONZE: Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) df. Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN), 4-1
BRONZE: Kexin HONG (CHN) df. Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) by TF, 10-0, 2:22

62kg (22 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) by TF, 14-1, 4:15
SEMIFINAL: Ok Ju KIM (PRK) df. Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) by TF, 14-3, 6:00

65kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Alina KASABIEVA (UWW), 8-0

BRONZE: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), 6-3
BRONZE: Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) df. Macey KILTY (USA), 4-2

68kg (24 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Ami ISHII (JPN) df. Buse TOSUN (TUR) by TF, 11-0, 2:34
SEMIFINAL: Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) df. Jia LONG (CHN), 6-1

72kg (17 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) by Fall, 5:00 (11-6)
SEMIFINAL: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Zelu LI (CHN), 9-6

76kg (19 entries)
GOLD: Genesis REASCO (ECU) df. Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), 4-2

BRONZE: Kylie WELKER (USA) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 6-2
BRONZE: Milaimy MARIN (CUB) df. PRIYA (IND) by TF, 10-0, 4:07