U23 Worlds: AIN capture four golds; USA wins team title

Wednesday, October 25, 2023 - 20:44 By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (October 25) -- Most of them were wrestling internationally after years but the Individual Neutral Athletes at the U23 World Championships in Tirana showed no signs of rust, winning four of the five gold medals on Wednesday.

Nachyn MONGUSH (AIN), Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN), Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) and Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN) won a gold medal each and took the tally to five AIN champions as Bashir MAGOMEDOV (AIN) won gold on Tuesday.

The fifth gold medal on Wednesday went to Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) as the United States clinched the Freestyle team title with 148 points. Turkiye finished second with 113 points and Azerbaijan finished third with 87 points.

Trumble was the fourth gold medalist for the U.S. at the U23 World Championships; the first time the country has won multiple gold medals at the tournament. The team title is also the first time the U.S. has managed to win at the U23 Worlds.

Since Individual Neutral Athletes are not part of any team, their points will not be considered for any team and are not part of the team title race.

Mongush, a 2021 European silver medalist, was returning to international competition after two years and looked in stunning form, winning the 57kg gold medal over multiple-time age-group European medalist Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM), 11-0.

The final was over at the break when Mongush scored using exposure for an 11-0 win. The referee called it a fall but Armenia challenged for no exposure as the clock expired. On review, it was confirmed that the final move was scored before the three-minute mark, giving Mongush an 11-0 win.

Mongush was relieved to have won the gold but said that it felt like he was wrestling internationally for the first time.

"The last time I competed internationally was back in 2021, I forgot about the feeling during these two years," Mongush said. "I competed here as if it's my first time wrestling internationally. It's a great pleasure to win."

While he was comfortable in the final, Mongush expressed that the semifinal aganist Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) was the toughest bout. Mongush won the semifinal 6-6 on criteria.

"I wouldn't say I'd shown a perfect performance, there were some mistakes," he said. "Maybe that's why from the side it seemed that it was a bit tough for me. The toughest match here was against Bekzat. However, to qualify for this tournament, we've defeated really strong opponents [back home], so the wrestlers here shouldn't be a problem."

If Individual Neutral Athletes are allowed at the European Olympic Qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan next year, Mongush will have a chance to earn a spot as well if he participates.

"The Olympic Games is the biggest goal I'm working for. Surely, I must be ready to challenge anyone and win," he said referring to Tokyo Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN).

Ibragimov did not clinch a technical superiority win but he left little to luck in his 7-0 win over Azerbaijan's high-flying talent Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE).

The final was a showcase of Ibragimov's counter-attacking even as Bayramov tried his best to find an opening. Bayramov was put on the 30-second must-score activity clock and he got Ibragimov's leg but he slid out of the hold. Once up 1-0, Ibragimov got on his attacks and scored a stepout. Just at the stroke of the break, Bayramov tried a headpinch but failed to expose Ibragimov, giving up two as he landed on his own back. Azerbaijan challenged saying that the time expired before the move but Bayramov's back touched the mat in time.

Ibragimov scored a stepout in the second period and got another point for Bayramov's second passivity to win 7-0, winning gold in his first-ever international tournament.

"I could feel the pressure a bit, it's the U23 Worlds," Ibragimov said. "I was preparing as if it's a usual tournament for me. If I won here today, means I've done a good job, though I could have done even better. It's my first big international event, that's why I tried to be careful."

Magomaev denied another Azerbaijan wrestler the gold medal as he defeated Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE), 9-4, to win the gold medal at 79kg.

The first point was scored in the first 10 seconds of the bout as Ashirov tried defending a double-leg but gave up a stepout. But he could not defend the second and gave up a takedown. As Magomaev tried to turn him, his grip was broken and Ashirov scored two points. Magomaev hit another double and then turned Ashirov to build a 7-2 lead at the break.

In perhaps the highlight of the tournament so far, Magomaev defended a certain four-pointer from Ashirov when the Azerbaijan wrestler lifted with a duckunder and spun him over his head. But Magomaev landed on his feet and then locked Ashirov's leg to score two points of his own. Ashirov got a consolation takedown before Magomaev finished the final 9-4.

The fourth gold won as Individual Neutral Athlete was Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) who defeated Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), 9-3, in the 70kg final.

Sheriev made the first big move of the final, launching a beautiful duckunder, and scored two points. Aoyagi tried scoring exposure but gave up two points as well. As the two wrestlers broke for the break, Sheriev led 5-0.

A scramble in the final minute saw Sheriev score a takedown and then get a cradle exposure to lead 9-0. Aoyagi scored a reversal and then a takedown in the final 10 seconds to bring the score to 9-3 but failed to stop Sheriev from clinching the gold.

Trumble denies Lefter, Moldova

Radu LEFTER (MDA) was in the U23 World Championships final for the second time in his career and a gold medal would have made him the first Moldovan to win the Freestyle title.

Unfortunately, Wednesday was not that day as Trumble denied Lefter and Moldova a historic gold medal. The American won the 97kg gold medal 12-2.

Trumble got the first takedown when he stopped Lefter from a headlock throw. He then tried to arm-bar Lefter for a fall but could manage only two points to lead 4-0. Lefter remained inactive for most of the bout and Trumble scored a stepout which the referee called fleeing, giving Trumble a 6-0 lead. He added a go-behind to lead 8-0 at the break.

Lefter did score a takedown in the second period but Trumble never looked in trouble, finishing the bout 12-2 with 43 seconds left on the clock.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Nachyn MONGUSH (AIN) df. Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM), 11-0

BRONZE: Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL) df. Niklas STECHELE (GER), 7-5
BRONZE: Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) df. Yerassyl MUKHTARULY (KAZ), 6-3

65kg
GOLD: Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN) df. Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE), 7-0

BRONZE: Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) df. Mohit KUMAR (UWW), 11-6
BRONZE: Brock HARDY (USA) df. Goga OTINASHVILI (GEO), 8-5

70kg
GOLD: Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) df. Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), 9-3

BRONZE: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. Douglas ZAPF (USA), 9-2
BRONZE: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) df. Burak SININ (TUR), via injury (5-0)

79kg
GOLD: Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN) df. Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE), 9-4

BRONZE: Sagar JAGLAN (UWW) df. Shamsat TAIR (KAZ), 12-7
BRONZE: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Dzmitry DZENISENIA (AIN), 10-0

97kg
GOLD: Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) df. Radu LEFTER (MDA), 12-2

BRONZE: Oktay CIFTCI (TUR) df. Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Sergei KOZYREV (AIN) df. SAHIL (UWW), 10-0

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Umi ITO (JPN) vs. Audrey JIMENEZ (USA)

SF 1: Audrey JIMENEZ (USA) df. Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE), 7-4
SF 2: Umi ITO (JPN) df. Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA), 10-0

55kg
GOLD: Neha SHARMA (UWW) vs. Umi IMAI (JPN)

SF 1: Umi IMAI (JPN) df. Mariia VYNNYK (UKR), 13-2
SF 2: Neha SHARMA (UWW) df. Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN), 2-1

59kg
GOLD: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) vs. Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN)

SF 1: Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) df. Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (AIN), 5-2
SF 2: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Michaela RANKIN (CAN), 10-0

68kg
GOLD: Nesrin BAS (TUR) vs. Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN)

SF 1: Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN) df. Vanessa KEEFE (CAN), 10-0
SF 2: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Vusala PARFIANOVICH (AIN), 3-1

76kg
GOLD: Kennedy BLADES (USA) vs. REETIKA (UWW)

SF 1: REETIKA (UWW) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 5-0
SF 2: Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU), 10-0

#JapanWrestling

Paris champ Kiyooka sets up clash with Tanabe, Motoki faces Ozaki

Saturday, June 21, 2025 - 12:44 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (June 21) -- Before his astonishing run to an unlikely Olympic title, Kotaro KIYOOKA was the one doing the chasing. Now at the forefront and looking over his shoulder, he sees a familiar face bearing down on him whom he now has to confront.

Paris Olympic champion Kiyooka advanced to the freestyle 65kg final at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships on Saturday, where he will face former Nippon Sport Science University teammate Kaisei TANABE with a ticket to this year's World Championships on the line.

Kiyooka is one of three Paris gold medalists, along with Sakura MOTOKI at women's 62kg and Nao KUSAKA at Greco 77kg, who are making their full-fledged returns to the mat at the Meiji Cup, the second of Japan's two domestic qualifiers for the World Championships in Zagreb in September.

Both Motoki and Kusaka advanced with little trouble to Sunday's finals at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, with Motoki setting up a highly anticipated clash with Paris 68kg bronze medalist Nonoka OZAKI -- whom she beat out for the spot in Paris at 62kg but is intent on reclaiming that weight class.

Kotaro KIYOOK (JPN) Kotaro KIYOOKA, left, ended up scoring 4 points off this scramble in his semifinal match at freestyle 65kg with Yuto NISHIUCHI. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Unlike the other two, Kiyooka has never been to a senior World Championships. Standing in his way is a formidable opponent in Tanabe, two years his junior who is coming off an impressive victory at the Asian Championships in March in Amman, Jordan. Tanabe only moved up to 65kg last year, and the two had not crossed paths before.

Following the Olympics, Kiyooka spent some time (with Kusaka) competing in the German Bundesliga. But the Meiji Cup marks his first high-level competition since Paris.

"It's been awhile since I've been in an official tournament," the 24-year-old Kiyooka said. "Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics, I'm still a long way away. What's important at this tournament is to come out with a victory.

"I have to make adjustments and prepare mentally for tomorrow. It's not just a one-and-done final, there is also a playoff so I can make it to the World Championships."

Tanabe, the son of NSSU coach and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Chikara TANABE, captured the title at the first domestic qualifier for the world team, the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships in December, in Kiyooka's absence.

As such, Kiyooka will not only have to beat him on Sunday in the final, but again in a playoff to be held at the end of the session.

As an indication of the depth of Japan in the weight class, even with the retirement of Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO, both Kiyooka and Tanabe had to get over tough hurdles to make the championship match.

In the semifinals, Kiyooka struggled to break through the defenses of two-time world U20 champion and current NSSU star Yuto NISHIUCHI. In the end, he used counters to great effect in an 8-1 win, scoring 4 by stepping over during a scramble and 2 more defending against a single leg.

"I'm not usually the type who scores big points," Kiyooka said. "But I have built myself up physically after the Olympics and I think the result was that I could get the big point."

In his opening match, Tanabe needed a stepout with 20 seconds left to get past Shinnosuke SUWAMA 5-4, before topping Ryuto SAKAKI 5-0 to make the final.

While Kiyooka is a bit unsettled about having a target on his back, he seems ready to face whatever comes his way.

"Up to now, it's always been the reverse situation," he said. "I never had the feeling that I was being chased. But I don't want to lose. As being among those who is aiming for the Los Angeles Olympics, I want to be a big barrier for the others. If you give them an opening, they will use it. I don't want to show them any gaps."

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) Sakura MOTOKI pries over Shirin TAKEMOTO en route to a 10-0 win in their women's 62kg semifinal. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

As surprising as Kiyooka's run to gold in Paris was, the bigger shock likely came during the qualifying process when an underrated Motoki, who was "only" a world bronze medalist at 59kg, had the audacity to move up and challenge the highly touted Ozaki at 62kg.

But the 2022 world U20 champion believed in herself, and keeps making believers of others. She returned to competition earlier this year in order to qualify for the World U23 Championships.

Victories at the U23 and senior worlds will make her just the third person in history to achieve the "Golden Grand Slam" of Olympic gold combined with all four world age-group titles.

On Saturday, Motoki's toughest test in advancing to the final came in the opener, when she used a low single to score a takedown in each period of a 5-0 win over two-time world U23 champion Yuzuku INAGAKI.

"She has a good defense," Motoki said. "Being able to get through a tough match really boosts my confidence. When you're an Olympic champion, it's only natural that [opponents] try to come up with a strategy against you.

"In that light, I have to figure out a way to become stronger from the start of Olympic qualifying. That's still under development."

Like Kiyooka, Motoki will have to beat the Emperor's Cup champion twice to secure a place on the world team, and Ozaki won't make it easy.

"She's a really strong wrestler," Motoki said. "I will have to summon up all of my power and try my best."

Nao KUSAKA (JPN) Nao KUSAKA sets up a 4-point overhead lift of Naoki KADODE during their semifinal at Greco 77kg. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

At Greco 77kg, Kusaka chalked up a pair of technical falls to advance to the final, where he will face the Emperor's Cup champion in Kodai SAKURABA, a 2022 Asian bronze medalist whom he aced out in the qualifying for Paris.

In the semifinals, Kusaka romped to a 12-1 victory over Naoki KADODE. After giving up a stepout, he came back with three of his own. Then he got behind and dropped backwards for 4, then ended the match with a 4-point lift at 2:04.

In other weight classes that will finish with medal matches on Sunday, longtime rivals and former NSSU teammates Katsukai ENDO and Kyotaro SOGABE set up their latest clash in the final at Greco 67kg.

Asian bronze medalist Endo, the Emperor's Cup champion, defeated 2021 world bronze 63kg medalist Kensuke SHIMIZU 7-3 in the semifinals, while Paris Olympian Sogabe rallied for a 13-6 win over 2023 world U23 bronze medalist and fellow NSSU alum Haruto YABE.

With Paris bronze medalist Yui SUSAKI still on post-Olympic hiatus, Remina YOSHIMOTO remained on track for a shot at a second world title at women's 50kg when she stormed to 10-0 victories over a pair of teenagers. She will face Umi ITO in a repeat of the Emperor's Cup final, which she won 3-2.

Emperor's Cup champion Rin SAKAMOTO, who has taken the rare collegiate path of going to the United States to compete at Oklahoma State University, advanced to the final at Freestyle 57kg and a showdown with Kento YUMIYA.

U23 Worlds: AIN capture four golds; USA wins team title

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Paris champ Kiyooka sets up clash with Tanabe, Motoki faces Ozaki