#BudaWrestle2018

Wednesday's First Session Brings Fireworks at 57kg, Susaki Cruises

Wednesday, October 24, 2018 - 12:19 By Andrew Hipps

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (October 24) -- It didn't take long for the fireworks to start in Wednesday's first session at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

In one of the first women's wrestling qualification matches of the session, Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) stunned reigning world and Olympic champion Helen MAROULIS (USA) at 57kg, earning a second-period fall.

Kolesnik held a narrow 2-2 lead on criteria early in the second period when Maroulis shot a single leg, which was stopped. Maroulis immediately followed up another attack, which Kolesnik stuffed and ran the American over for the fall. 

Maroulis, who did not surrender a point at last year's World Championships in Paris, was eliminated from the tournament when Kolesnik lost by technical fall (10-0) to Ningning RONG (CHN) in her next match. Maroulis has seen limited action this year due to a head injury.

Maroulis' loss was not the only surprising result at 57kg. Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR), a returning world silver medalist at 55kg, fell to Pooja DHANDA (IND) 7-6 prior to the quarterfinal round. Adekuoroye led 6-5 with 10 seconds remaining before getting taken down in the closing seconds to lose the match. 

In the 57kg quarterfinals, Grace BULLEN (NOR) held on to edge In Sun JONG (PRK) 3-3 on criteria. She now faces Ningning RONG (CHN), who won by fall over Dhanda in the quarterfinals. The other semifinal match at 57kg pits two-time world bronze medalist Emese BARKA (HUN) against Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA (BUL). 

Reigning world champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) was dominant in her first two matches at 50kg. She opened with the same wrestler she faced in the finals of last year's World Championships, Emilia VUC (ROU). Susaki scored a four-point takedown a minute into the match and a short time later drove Vuc over for the fall. Susaki continued her dominance in the quarterfinals as she won by technical fall (11-0) over Ritu RITU (IND). She scored three takedowns in the first period to lead 6-0 at the break and then closed the match with a four-point takedown in the final period. It sets up a semifinal meeting with three-time junior world bronze medalist Oksana LIVACH (UKR).

Mariya STADNIK (AZE), a past world champion and multiple-time Olympic medalist, secured a spot in the semifinals at 50kg with a 10-0 technical fall over Yanan SUN (CHN). Stadnik now faces world bronze medalist Sonhyang KIM (PRK).

In the 62kg quarterfinals, Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) gave up the first takedown to Johanna MATTSSON (SWE) before coming back to pick up a fall and earn a spot in the semifinals. It was a battle of returning world medalists as Tkach won silver in Paris and Mattsson claimed a bronze. Her quarterfinals opponent will be Yukako KAWAI (JPN). Kawai trailed Sakshi MALIK (IND) after the opening period in the quarterfinals, but came out strong in the second period and rolled to a 16-2 technical fall. 

Four-time world medalist Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) handled Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) 7-1 in the quarterfinals at 62kg. Yusein now meets Mallory VELTE (USA) in the semifinals. 

Returning world champion Haruna OKUNO (JPN) punched her ticket to the 53kg semifinals with a 9-1 victory over Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE). Her semifinals opponent will be Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL). 

Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) joined teammate Velte as a semifinalist. She claimed a 15-9 victory over Anzhela DOROGAN (AZE). Hildebrandt will now meet Diana WEICKER (CAN), who came back to defeat Nina HEMMER (GER) 10-7. 

The semifinal matches are scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m. local time. 

Semifinal Matchups

Women's Wrestling

50kg
Yui SUSAKI (JPN) vs. Oksana LIVACH (UKR) 
Sonhyang KIM (PRK) vs. Mariya STADNIK (AZE)

53kg
Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) vs. Diana Mary Helen WEICKER (CAN)
Haruna OKUNO (JPN) vs. Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) 

57kg
Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA (BUL) vs. Emese BARKA (HUN) 
Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR) vs. Ningning RONG (CHN)

62kg
Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) vs. Yukako KAWAI (JPN) 
Mallory VELTE (USA) vs. Taybe YUSEIN (BUL)
 

#WrestleTirana

World Championships: Five years after third, Kinjo earns shot at fourth gold

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 - 17:12 By Ken Marantz

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TIRANA, Albania (October 29) -- Two-time Olympic champion Risako KINJO (JPN) earned a shot at a fourth world title and first in five years, but Jia LONG (CHN) denied the powerful Japanese team a potential sweep of the women's golds.

Kinjo broke open a tight semifinal at 59kg against Svetlana LIPATOVA (AIN), scoring eight points in the second period for a 9-0 victory at the Non-Olympic Weight Categories World Championships on Tuesday in Tirana.

Japanese hopes of winning all four of the women's titles on Wednesday ended when Asian champion Long rode a second-period surge to an 11-1 victory over Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) at 65kg, avenging a loss to the Japanese in the final at the 2022 World Championships.

The two other Japanese in action, Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) at 55kg and Ami ISHII (JPN) at 72kg, had little trouble advancing to the finals of their respective weight classes.

At 59kg, Kinjo earned just an activity point in the first period against Lipatova, but came out firing in the second, scoring a takedown off a low-ankle shot that she topped off with an exposure and gut wrench for a 7-0 lead. Kinjo then added a double-leg takedown.

Kinjo, who needed a dramatic last-second victory in a domestic playoff with 18-year-old Sakura ONISHI (JPN) to earn her ticket to Tirana, will be aiming to add to her consecutive world titles from 2017 to 2019 in Wednesday's final against veteran Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL).

Sukhee, a world champion in 2014 and silver medalist in 2015, scored a late takedown to clinch a 4-1 victory over MANSI (IND) in the other semifinal. Both Kinjo and Sukhee were bronze medalists this year at the Asian Championships, with the Mongolian's coming at 62kg.

Kinjo could have been expected to retire after failing to make Japan's team to Paris 2024 in a bid for an Olympic three-peat, but she has often said that she wants her daughter, now 2 1/2, to see
how good her mother was, not just hear about it.

The 30-somethings Kinjo and Lipatova's careers had crossed paths before, meeting in the semifinals at the 2018 World Championships. Kinjo won that one 10-0 en route to the second of her three consecutive gold medals.

Kiyooka, winner of both the world U23 and U20 golds in 2022, will be aiming to capture her first senior global title, after seeing her brother Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) and Ikuei University teammates Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) and Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) all strike gold at the Paris Olympics.

She got the parade into the final started by scoring a takedown in each period for a 4-0 victory over reigning European champion Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN), who was the losing finalist to Kinjo in the 57kg final at the Tokyo Olympics.

In the final, Kiyooka will face world U20 champion Jin ZHANG (CHN), who advanced with a victory by fall over Areana VILLAESCUSA (USA). Zhang got in on a deep single for a takedown that led to two quick exposures, then levered the American over before securing the fall.

At 65kg, Morikawa was ahead 1-1 on criteria in the second period when Long used a counter lift for 2 points (originally ruled 4, but later changed on the challenge). She had Morikawa's arm locked and used that for three rolls. After the match was resumed following the challenge, Long ended it with 43 seconds left with another counter lift.

In the final, Long will face European silver medalist Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU), who scored a second-period fall over Valeriia DONDUPOVA (AIN) after building up an 11-6 lead.

Morikawa and Long were meeting for the second time, but one round earlier than before. Morikawa edged the Chinese 2-0 in the final at the 2022 World Championships.

The two finalists at 62kg at the World U23 Championships held last week at the same venue, champion Iryna BONDAR (UKR) and runnerup Macey KILTY (USA), lost to Morikawa and Zelenykh, respectively.

Ishii, the 2022 world 68kg silver medalist, won a battle of newly crowned world U23 champions by overwhelming Kylie WELKER (USA) with a 12-1 technical fall that she concluded in the final seconds. Ishii had won the U23 68kg title, while Welker had triumphed at 72kg.

In the final, Ishii will face three-time former Asian champion Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ), who will be looking to take home a first world gold after winning two silvers and a bronze over the past three years.

Bakbergenova prevailed in an entertaining 8-6 victory over Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL), scoring 4 points in a first-period scramble and clinching the win with a late takedown in the second.

Both Morikawa and Ishii lost out on the place at the Paris Olympics at 68kg to Nonoka OZAKI (JPN), who ended up with a bronze medal.

For Ishii, the pain of missing out on Paris was particularly sharp, as she had earned the quota for Japan by placing fifth at the 2023 World Championships, only to lose in the last second of a playoff against Ozaki.

Morikawa rebounded from her disappointment by making the team at 72kg to the 2023 worlds, from which she took home a bronze. Now she is back at her normal weight class, in which she won the world gold in 2022 and finished second in 2021.

Women's Wrestling Results

55kg (18 entries)
SF: Jin ZHANG (CHN) df. Areana VILLAESCUSA (USA) by Fall, 1:28 (8-0)
SF: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN), 4-0

59kg (22 entries)
SF: Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) df. MANSI (IND), 4-1
SF: Risako KINJO (JPN) df. Svetlana LIPATOVA (AIN), 9-0

65kg (19 entries)
SF: Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU) df. Valeriia DONDUPOVA (AIN) by Fall, 1:59 (11-6)
SF: Jia LONG (CHN) df. Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) by TF, 11-1, 5:17

72kg (18 entries)
SF: Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) df. Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL), 8-6
SF: Ami ISHII (JPN) df. Kylie WELKER (USA) by TF, 12-1, 5:58