Weekly FIVE! August 20, 2019

Tuesday, August 20, 2019 - 11:34 By Eric Olanowski

Discussing Japan's eight gold-medal performance at Junior Worlds and Kamal claiming his third consecutive junior world title. Also looking at Russia's final wrestle-offs, Dake downing Dieringer, and counting down until the first whistle at the World Championships.

1. Japanese Women Win Eight of Ten World Golds
Japan’s women’s wrestling team went eight-for-eight in world title bouts -- claiming an unheard-of eight of ten gold medals at the 2019 Junior World Championships last week in Tallinn, Estonia. They also added on a pair of bronze medals and brought their tournament grand total medal count to ten on their way to doubling Russia’s second place team score. Japan finished the tournament with 230 points, while the Russian Federation, who finished in second place, had 115 points. Ukraine (91 points) rounded out the top three 139 points behind the Japanese women.

The team champions were led by the pair of two-time senior-level world champions Yui SUSAKI (50kg) and Haruno OKUNO (53kg).

Susaki claimed back-to-back junior world titles after seizing a 10-0 victory over 2016 cadet world silver medalist Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) in the 50kg finals.

With her win last week, Susaki brought her grand total to seven overall world gold medals since appearing at her first World Championships in 2014. When asked where this world title stacks up on her list, Susaki said, “My final goal is an Olympic gold medal. I will do my best and I will try to practice towards my final goal.”

Susaki pushed her total world championship record to 31-0 -- with 29 of those wins being shutout victories. Perhaps a more impressive stat is Susaki has now outscored her 31 world championship opponents 290-6 en route to reaching the top of the podium.

She believes the reason she’s so successful is because her strength and mind. She said, “The reason why I get the championships is my own strength and mind.”

Haruno OKUNO was one of Japan's eight wrestlers who won a junior world title. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Japan’s second two-time senior world champ to win junior world gold last week was Haruno Okuno, who won the 53kg title.

Okuno said she keeps all of her world title belts at her parent’s ’house. Well, their house gained an additional world championship belt after their daughter claimed her fifth world title in as many tries. The reigning two-time senior-level world champion added her first junior world title to her list of accomplishments after expelling Anudari NANDINTSETSEG (MGL), 7-2 in the 53kg gold-medal bout.

By watching Okuno’s four matches, where she outscored her opponents 35-2, you would have never been able to tell that she was facing extreme neck pain on her right side. After her finals match, she talked about having to work on her counter offensive attacks because of her pain, saying “Now I feel neck pain, so I didn’t try to (tackle). In this tournament, the counterattack was very nice for me.”

In her finals match, the always calm and stoic Okuno shot a low-level attack and picked up the early two-point lead. Her counter offense came into play when she stopped a Nandintsetseg attack and used a fluid arm-drag to a head outside single leg to pick up four points – improving her lead to 6-0. She then surrendered her first points of the tournament, an inactivity point and a stepout, but was awarded a brutality point after her Mongolian opponent was warned several times for hands-to-the-face. Okuno closed out her run to her first junior world title with a 7-2 victory.

When asked if there’s a difference between a junior world title and a senior world title, Okuno said, “There isn’t difference between junior and senior because it means the same. It a world championship. I’m always feeling very happy to (wrestle) against the world’s wrestlers.”

Japanese Medal Winners:
50kg - Yui SUSAKI (GOLD)
53kg - Haruna OKUNO (GOLD)
55kg - Saki IGARASHI (BRONZE)
57kg - Akie HANAI (GOLD)
59kg - Sae NANJO (GOLD)
62kg - Yuzuka INAGAKI (GOLD)
65kg - Miwa MORIKAWA (GOLD)
69kg - Naruha MATSUYUKI (GOLD)
72kg - Yuka KAGAMI (GOLD)
76kg - Yasuha MATSUYUKI (BRONZE)

2. Kamal Wins Third Straight Junior World Title
Kerem KAMAL (TUR) will represent Turkey in Nur-Sultan in mid-September at the World Championships, but first, he made the journey to Estonia and claimed his third straight junior world title.

Kamal held up three fingers to the crowd, signaling his possession of a third consecutive junior world title after he defeated Sahak HOVHANNISYAN (ARM), 7-2 in the 60kg gold-medal bout. “I’m very happy to win the third gold medal in the junior category. I was before in the cadet finals three times and I lost,” said Kamal.

In his gold-medal bout, the Turkish wrestler trailed after the first period, but he expected to be in that position. “The match plan was (to be) safe in the first (period)…Safety first.” The second period was pivotal for Kamal in picking up his third world. After playing it safe in the first period, Kamal said, “In the second period, I go full power.” That’s exactly what he did. In the final three minutes, Kamal got to work quickly, smothering Hovhannisyan with a right-side gut wrench follow by a four-point lift from the right side and commanded the 7-1 lead. He conceded a second-period point but ended up carrying the Turkish flag around the mat at a World Championships for the third consecutive year with a 7-2 victory.

Kamal’s attention now shifts towards the Senior World Championships, where he’ll be Turkey’s 60kg world team representative. The new minted three-time junior world champ begins his quest to win a senior world gold on September 16.

3. Russia’s Freestyle World Team Set
The final wrestle-offs for Russia’s freestyle team took place last weekend, and a trio of world champions will be heading to Nur-Sultan looking to defend their world titles from last year’s Budapest World Championships.

The three world champs who hadn’t locked up their spot until last weekend were Zaur UGUEV (57kg), Zaurbek SIDAKOV (74kg) and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (97kg).

At 57kg, defending world champion Zaur Uguev was excused from the Russian National Championships after a bronze-medal finish at the European Games.

To make his third straight world team, Uguev had to take out Arian TYUTRIN to earn his spot on the world team. There were questions surrounding Ugev’s health coming into the match, but he clearly showed he’s the best 57kg wrestler in the most dominant freestyle nation on earth with a 10-0 win in his wrestle-off.

In the 74kg wrestle-offs, defending world and European Games champion Zaurbek Sidakov, who was also granted a release from the Russian National Championships, earned his spot on this year’s team as he narrowly snuck got past 2016 world champion Magomed KURBANALIEV, 2-1.

Four-time world and Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev was the final wrestler to cement his spot on the world team. The defending European champion and European Games gold medalist pulverized Vladislav BAITSAEV, 10-0 in their wrestle off.

Sadualev’s win last weekend leaves hope for the wrestling community to see the rematch between the three-time world and Olympic champions “The Russian Tank” and Kyle “Captain America” Snyder in the 97kg finals.

Russia’s Freestyle World Team:
56kg – Zaur UGUEV
61kg – Magomedrasul IDRISOV
65kg – Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV
70kg – David BAEV
74kg – Zaurbek SIDAKOV
79kg – Gadzhi NAVIEV
86kg – Artur NAIFONOV
92kg – Alikhan JABRAILOV
97kg – Abdulrashid SADULAEV
125kg – Anzor KHIZRIEV

4. Dake Downs Dieinger in Two Straight Matches, Will Represent USA at 79kg
Reigning 79kg world champion Kyle DAKE (USA) returned from injury and defeated Alex DIERINGER (USA) in two straight matches to make his second consecutive United States world team. Dake scored a tactical 3-2 victory in match one, then opened up a little in the second match and grabbed the 4-1 victory -- booking his ticket to the 2019 World Championships.

Last year, in his World Championships debut, Dake outscored his opponents 37-0 en route to his first world title. After defeating Dierging in two straight matches last weekenk, Dake heads to Kazakhstan as the favorite to repeat in a weight depleted due to Olympic weight changes.

USA’s Freestyle World Team:
57kg - Daton FIX
61kg - Tyler GRAFF
65kg - Yianni DIAKOMIHALIS / Zain RETHERFORD
70kg - James GREEN
74kg - Jordan BURROUGHS
79kg - Kyle DAKE
86kg - Pat DOWNEY
92kg - J'den COX
97kg - Kyle SNYDER
125kg - NickGWIAZDOWSKI

5. The Countdown Begins to the World Championships
We’re officially under a month away from the start of the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Today marks the 25th day until the first whistle at the Barys Arena in Kazakhstan's capital city formally known as Astana.

This year’s World Championships will hold immense weight because the top-six wrestlers in each weight category will qualify their nation's spot for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

The schedule for this year’s Worlds is much different than that of the Budapest World Championships. Unlike last year, where Greco-Roman closed out the 2018 World Championships, Greco-Roman will instead kick things off this year -- beginning on September 14. Women’s wrestling will be sandwiched in between Greco-Roman and freestyle -- starting on September 17. Finally, freestyle will close out the World Championships, with the potential third match-up between the three-time world and Olympic champions Abdulrashid Sadualev and Kyle Snyder squaring off the 97kg gold medal. The pair have split the last two world titles at 97kg, with Snyder winning in Paris and Sadualev exacting revenge in Budapest by picking up the 70-second fall.

Here is the World Championships SCHEDULE.

#WrestleBelgrade

Snyderlaev slayer Tazhudinov storms to historic world gold for Bahrain

Tuesday, September 19, 2023 - 22:19 By Ken Marantz

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 19) -- Having slayed the Snyderlaev beast, Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) completed his historic and mind-boggling run to a world title with one final display of domination.

The 20-year-old Tazhudinov overwhelmed Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) in the freestyle 97kg final at the World Championships on Tuesday, giving Bahrain its first-ever world gold and just its second medal overall.

"On my way to Belgrade, I knew I could become the world champion," Tazhudinov said. "If I didn’t believe in myself, I wouldn’t have even come here."

It was also a historic day for Hungary, as Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) became the Greco-loving nation's first freestyle world champion since 1979 with a victory at 65kg while denying Puerto Rico its first-ever gold medalist.

The United States, with three champions, won the freestyle team title for the second year in a row with 133 points, followed by Iran with 104 and Georgia, with 80 points, was third. Kazakhstan, which got its first-ever freestyle world champion, was fourth with 74 points and Azerbaijan was fifth with 66 points.

Meanwhile, Haruna OKUNO (JPN) started what is expected to be a Japanese women's gold rush by claiming the 55kg title for her third career gold and first since 2018, while China's Qi ZHANG (CHN) captured the other women's crown at stake at 59kg.

The 20-year-old Tazhudinov followed up his stunning victories on Monday over titans Kyle SNYDER (USA) and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) by defeating Magomedov by fall before a shocked and appreciative crowd at Belgrade's Stark Arena.

Tazhudinov started off with a single-leg takedown, then added a 4-point takedown. Magomedov, a bronze medalist last year, showed some life with a stepout, but Tazhudinov responded by securing a cradle and finishing off the Azeri with 11 seconds left in the first period.

Tazhudinov's triumph marked the first time since 2015 that neither Snyder nor Sadulaev made the top of the podium at 97kg at a World Championships or Olympics. Their head-to-head showdowns, dubbed Snyderlaev, became among the sport's most anticipated matches.

The way that Tazhudinov manhandled both may indicate a changing of the guard and definitely puts a target on his back in Paris. Against Snyder, Tazhudinov had a pair of 4-point counter lifts, while he built a 9-2 lead when Sadulaev was forced to default their semifinal with a neck injury.

"I was sure I would win [against Snyder], I’ve been watching his matches almost every day, I’ve studied all his techniques," Tazhudinov said. "We prepared the right technique and I won.

"It was very difficult to prepare for the match [against Sadulaev]. He had a neck injury, I didn’t even wrestle my best, because of that injury. I wish him a quick recovery and I hope we will wrestle each other again when he is ready."

Tazhudinov was born in the wrestling hotbed of Dagestan, and ironically is a product of Sadulaev's wrestling club. He began wrestling for Bahrain last year, and this year won gold at the Asian Championships and the Bishkek Ranking Series tournament.

He joins Adam BATIROV (BRN), who won the freestyle 70kg silver in 2018, as the lone world medalist representing Bahrain.

"Definitely, I feel great, I don’t even know how to explain what I feel, thanks a lot to my coaches and my parents for bringing me up," Tazhudinov said. "If they weren’t there for me, I wouldn’t have been here today."

Tazhudinov credited his coach Shamil Omarov, who is also personal coach of Sadulaev, in particular for his success. "He’s been training with me every day, he’s been going to every single training camp with me. He spent more time with me than with his own kids."

Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) captured the 65kg gold medal over Sebastian RIVERA (PUR). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Muszukajev also took his share of big scalps before crushing Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) by a 10-0 technical fall in the 65kg final to capture an elusive gold after finishing third in both 2019 and 2022.

"I’ve been going for this gold for so long," Muszukajev said. "I was the third at two World Championships and finally, I’ve won this belt. I’ve been dreaming to try it on for so long. It’s been very difficult. My side of the bracket was really tough."

En route to the final, Muszukajev defeated Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), albeit the Japanese was hampered by a foot injury, and defending world champion Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) in a semifinal thriller.

Otoguro later forfeited his repechage bout due to the foot injury.

Muszukajev said he knew he was in for a challenge when he saw the brackets. "What can I do, I came here to win," he said. "I was ready to wrestle anyone.

"One of the most emotional matches was against the Iranian wrestler. I took a last-second win, and I felt that weight off my shoulders."

Against the American-raised Rivera, who became the second world medalist in Puerto Rican history, the lightning-quick Muszukajev started out with a takedown and stepout in the first period. In the second, the Hungarian blasted Rivera for a pair of 4-point takedowns, the second of which ended the match at 4:27.

Haruna OKUNO (JPN) won her third world title in Belgrade. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Okuno, who failed to displace star Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) for a spot on the Japanese team at the Olympic weight of 53kg, scored two takedowns in the first period and made that hold up in a 4-2 victory over 2019 world champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA).

She acknowledged that she would have preferred to compete in an Olympic weight class, but was glad to get the ball rolling for the Japanese women's team by becoming its first champion of the tournament. Earlier, Japan put wrestlers into all four of Wednesday's finals.

"I wanted to get a solid win and get the momentum going for those who will be wrestling [in the finals] tomorrow," Okuno said. "I'm glad I was able to do that."

Okuno, one of only a handful of wrestlers who have won the "Grand Slam" of world titles in all four age groups, won her first senior gold at 55kg in 2017 before moving down to 53kg and triumphing again the following year.

"Five years has passed," she said. "I've realized again how difficult it is to get to the World Championships and how big a thing it is. I will never forget that."

Qi ZHANG (CHN) won China's first gold medal at the World Championships since 2019. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

In the women's 59kg final, Zhang, a silver medalist on the world junior (U20) and U23 levels, picked up her first senior gold with a 4-1 victory over veteran Yuliia TKACH (UKR).

Zhang, who had three third-place finishes in international tournaments this season, was trailing 1-1 on criteria when she scored the winning takedown with an arm drag with 1:15 left. Tkach got in on a single in the dying seconds, but Zhang kept her from turning it into points. An unsuccessful challenge added the final point.

Tkach, the European silver medalist this year, had been aiming to win her second world gold, nine years after winning the first in 2014 at 63kg. Instead, she can be proud knowing she will be taking home her fifth world medal and first since 2018.

Kyle SNYDER (USA) defeated Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) in the repechage to reach the bronze-medal bout at 97kg. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Snyder gains bronze by default

In the bronze-medal matches, Snyder claimed his seventh world medal and second bronze without a fight when Sadulaev defaulted their bronze-medal match. Sadulaev had reportedly already flown back to Moscow.

The forfeit also means that the United States gained another quota for the Paris Olympics.

European champion Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) will leave Belgrade with a bronze medal for the second straight year after topping Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR) 6-2 in the other third-place match at 97kg.

Shamil MAMEDOV (AIN) made sure Amouzad would leave Belgrade without a medal after notching an 8-6 win at 57kg in an entertaining bout between two young wrestlers.

After Mamedov went ahead 2-0 with a stepout and a fleeing point tacked on, Amouzad came back with his silky smooth duck-under takedown. But Mamedov came up with the big move, a counter whizzer to the back for 4 to go up 6-2 going into the second period.

Amouzad came back with a stepout, then charged ahead with his underhook for a takedown to cut the lead to 6-5. Mamedov, the 2021 world U20 champion, never wavered and clinched the win and the bronze medal with a takedown with 43 seconds left.

The other 65kg bronze went to European champion Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM), who scored two stepouts and a late takedown in the second period to top Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) 5-1.

Both Mamedov and Tevanyan grabbed Paris Olympic quotas with the former winning it as an Individual Neutral Athlete and Tevanyan for Armenia.

Othelie HOEIE (NOR) won Norway's second world medal since 2005. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

It was a red-letter day for the Norwegian women's team and its Japanese coach Yurie YONEOKA when young Othelie HOEIE (NOR) defeated Elena BRUGGER (GER) 5-1 for a women's 59kg bronze -- just the Nordic nation's second world medal since 2005.

Othelie, a European bronze medalist, was on the activity clock and about to go behind on criteria in the second period when she nailed Brugger with a pancake to go ahead 3-1. She then added a snapdown takedown to seal the deal.

Yoneoka, who wrestled and coached collegiately in the U.S., was hired by the Norwegian federation to turn around a program that won 11 gold medals in the late 1980s and early 90s -- including three by Hoeie's mother Gudrun -- but has had none since and only one finalist.

Jennifer PAGE (USA) assured she will be taking home a momento of her senior world debut at the ripe age of 30, pancaking Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) to her back and securing a fall in 1:41 to win the other 59kg bronze medal.

At 55kg, Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) avenged a loss to Karla GODINEZ (CAN) in last year's bronze-medal match, securing the winning takedown at the edge with 35 seconds left for a 3-2 victory that put her on a world podium for the first time on any age level.

Godinez had received an activity point in each period but was unable to keep her knee from hitting the mat and make the takedown a stepout instead. The Canadian side made a specious challenge after the buzzer, which added the final point as Dragutan became the fourth Moldovan woman in history to win a world medal.

Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) added senior world bronze to the U23 one she won last year, scoring a stepout with 22 seconds left to edge teenager Neha SHARMA (UWW) on last-point criteria 2-2 for the other 55kg bronze.

Amouzad gains Paris ticket

In the fifth-place playoff for an Olympic berth held later, Amouzad shrugged off the acrobatic antics of Sacultan and charged to a 10-0 victory in 4:27 at 65kg.

After gaining an activity point, Amouzad got Sacultan's leg in the air and managed to not only hold on when the Moldovan twice executed a spinning back flip, but he finished off the takedown. In the second period, Amouzad scored a 4-point takedown and ended the match with a powerful double-leg takedown.

At 97kg, Turkey received the berth when Ciftci was awarded an injury default over Sadulaev.

Day 4 Results

Freestyle

65kg (45 entries)
GOLD: Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) df. Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) by TF, 11-0, 4:27

BRONZE: Shamil MAMEDOV (AIN) df. Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI), 8-6
BRONZE: Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) df. Maxim SACULTAN (MDA), 5-1

5th-Place Playoff: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) df. Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) by TF, 10-0, 4:27

97kg (35 entries)
GOLD: Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) df. Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) by Fall, 2:49 (8-1)

BRONZE: Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) df. Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR), 6-2
BRONZE: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) by Inj. Def.

5th-Place Playoff: Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR) df. Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) by Inj. Def.

Women's Wrestling

50kg (28 entries)
GOLD: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) vs. Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)

Semifinal: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Ziqi FENG (CHN), 8-2
Semifinal: Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) df. Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA), 7-5

55kg (19 entries)
GOLD: Haruna OKUNO (JPN) df. Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA), 4-2

BRONZE: Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) df. Karla GODINEZ (CAN), 3-2
BRONZE: Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) df. Neha SHARMA (UWW), 2-2

57kg (36 entries)
GOLD: Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) vs. Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)

Semifinal: Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) df. Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) by TF 10-0, 4:14
Semifinal: Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) df. Helen MAROULIS (USA), 6-0

59kg (22 entries)
GOLD: Qi ZHANG (CHN) df. Yuliia TKACH (UKR), 4-1

BRONZE: Jennifer PAGE (USA) df. Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) by Fall, 1:40 (4-0)
BRONZE: Othelie HOEIE (NOR) df. Elena BRUGGER (GER), 5-1

65kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Macey KILTY (USA) vs. Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)

Semifinal: Macey KILTY (USA) df. Tatsiana PAULAVA (AIN) by TF, 10-0, 2:29
Semifinal: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. Lili LILI (CHN) by TF, 10-0, 1:01

76kg (29 entries)
GOLD: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) vs. Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)

Semifinal: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) by Fall, 2:32 (4-2)
Semifinal: Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) df. Milaimys MARIN (CUB), 5-2

Weekly FIVE! August 20, 2019

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Snyderlaev slayer Tazhudinov storms to historic world gold for Bahrain