Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! March 05, 2018

Monday, March 5, 2018 - 12:17 By Eric Olanowski

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Reviewing Yazdani's Asian debut, a duo of historic performances, hometown favorites, and the Women's World Cup.

1. Yazdani Adds Asian Championship to Resume 

In his continental championship debut, the reigning world and Olympic champion, Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) went 3-0 and defeated two-time Asian medalist Uitumen ORGODOL (MGL) to capture the 86kg Asian championships gold medal.

The Asian Championships was the superstar's first competition since winning gold in Paris at the 2017 World Championships outscoring his opponents 36-2. This weekend, Yazdani only gave up two points and outscored his opponents 35-2. Combining Yazdani's last two tournaments, he’s outscored his opponents by a combined score of 71-4!

What may be more impressive, in his last two finals, Yazdani has picked up 10-0 technical superiority victories. 

2. Navjot Wins Historic Gold For India 

Since 2001, 13 Indian women have made the finals of an Asian Championship, and all 13 women have failed to bring home a gold medal.

This weekend, Kaur NAVJOT (IND) changed India's women's wrestling history when she beat Miyu IMAI (JPN), 9-1 in the finals of the 65kg bout. 

After her historic win, Navjot said: "I have been preparing for this and waiting for this for very long. Today is the best day of my life since I started wrestling." 

3. Host Nations Dynamic Duo 

Muslim EVLOEV (KGZ) and Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) used the hometown crowd as extra motivation on their way to winning Asian gold medals In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. 

Evloev, now a four-time Asian champion captured the Freestyle 74kg title by beating two-time world bronze medalist Mandakhnaran GANZORIG (MGL), 11-1.

In the 72kg Greco-Roman finals, Makhmudov, the 2017 junior  world silver medalist captured the gold medal by defeating 2017 world silver medalist, Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 8-6. 

A topic of discussion from both wrestlers was the support that the Kyrgyzstan fans showed. "The crowd was really supporting me as much as they could and I couldn't fail them, so I did my best," said Evloev. Makhmudov told the Kyrgyz media "The biggest help for me was that the Kyrgyz people screamed for me to be strong and also to do better. When I heard it, I thought, 'I can die here on the floor but I will still win.' This win will be for them!" 

4. Sakandelidze Wins Qatar's First Asian Medal 

This weekend, the Georgian transfer, Giorgi Sakandelidze (QAT) became Qatar's first-ever medalist at an Asian Championships with a second-place finish. In the 125kg finals, Giorgi SAKANDELIDZE (QAT) was defeated by world bronze medalist, Davit MODZMANASHVILI (UZB), 5-0.  

Prior to Sakandelidze 's runner-up finish, Qatar's trio of Ibrahim ADULLARAHMAN(QAT), Bakhit Sharif BADR(QAT) and Abdulqader OMAR (QAT) held the record for Qatar's highest finish at an Asian Championship with fifth place finishes.

5. Two Weeks Away From the Women's World Cup 

Japan, the three-time defending World Cup champions, are set to host the 2018 Women's World Cup March 17-18 in Takasaki, Japan. This will be the fifth time that Japan has hosted the Women's World Cup and the first time since 2014. 

The eight participating teams are separated into two pools. Pool A will consist of Canada, Japan, Sweden and the United States and Pool B will consist of Belarus, China, Mongolia, and Romania. 

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 

The crowd goes crazy after Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) win the host nations first gold medal of the Asian Championships. 

Kumsong KANG (PRK) gets extremely emotional after his amazing victory in the 57kg final!

Highlights from the first day of Freestyle action at the Asian Championships.

#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