#WrestleBelgrade

Women's Wrestling entries announced for 2023 World Championships

Wednesday, August 23, 2023 - 14:36 By Eric Olanowski

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BELGRADE, Serbia (August 23) --- United World Wrestling has released the preliminary women’s wrestling entries for the 2023 World Championships.

The World Championships will be live in Belgrade, Serbia, September 16-24, but women’s wrestling won't start until on Monday, September 18.

Six returning champions—Yui SUSAKI (JPN), Dominique PARRISH (USA), Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN), Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), Amit ELOR (USA) and Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)—are headed to Belgrade eyeing a second consecutive world crown.

The 2023 World Championships hold significant importance for the 2024 Olympic cycle as it marks the initial phase of the six qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 90 Olympic quotas—30 each in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women's wrestling—are up for contention in Belgrade.

The Olympic quotas will be allocated across six weight classes: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg, and 76kg. Additionally, four non-Olympic weights will be contested—55kg, 59kg, 65kg, and 72kg—however, placements in these categories will have no impact on qualification for the Paris Olympics.

Wrestlers who achieve gold, silver, or bronze medals in the six Olympic weight categories will secure a place for their nation in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Additionally, the two wrestlers who fall short in the bronze-medal bouts will compete in a wrestle-off to determine the fifth quota for the Paris Olympics.

Other Olympic Qualification Events:
March 01-03: Pan-American Olympic Qualifier in Acapulco, Mexico
March 22-24: African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Cairo, Egypt
April 04-07: European Olympic Qualifier in Baku, Azerbaijan
April 19-21: Asian Olympic Qualifier in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
May 09-12: World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey

The most dominant wrestler on the planet, Susaki headlines the entries at 50kg. The 24-year-old superstar is looking to win her fourth world title. Her biggest threat will likely be four-time Olympic medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE) or 2022 world medalists Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL), Anna LUKASIAK (POL) and Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA).

Despite the reigning world champion in this weight class being Parrish, the clear route to 53kg world glory will go through Akari FUJINAMI (JPN).

Fujinami, the 2021 world champion, was absent from the 2022 World Championships due to injury, but she's back and striving to extend her remarkable 122-match winning streak that dates back to 2017 when she was in junior high school.

While the 55kg division isn't part of the Olympic lineup, it boasts several remarkable talents. Standouts include past world champions Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) and Haruna OKUNO (JPN). Winchester secured her world gold in 2019, while Okuno returns to the World Championships after a five-year hiatus. Prior to her break, Okuno dominated the scene with world titles in Paris '17 and Budapest '18, though she later yielded her starting position to eventual Olympic champion Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) after winning those back-to-back golds.

At 57kg, two reigning world champions take the spotlight: Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), moving down from 59kg to vie for Moldova's Paris Olympic qualification, and the 2022 title holder Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN).

Other notable contenders include Olympic champion Helen Louise MAROULIS (USA), Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR), and Anhelina LYSAK (POL), who secured silver and bronze medals in 2022.

With Nichita's weight adjustment and 59kg world runner-up Grace BULLEN (NOR) transitioning to 62kg, only one Belgrade medalist is registered in the 59kg category—Jowita Maria WRZESIEN (POL). Her primary rival will be 2014 world champion Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR).

The most stacked women's wrestling division in the competition is 62kg. Beyond Bullen and Kayla Colleen MIRACLE (USA), both of whom were runners-up a year ago, the division showcases Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL), Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), and Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR).

Dudova, Purevdorj, and Tynybekova all boast previous world golds, while Koliadenko secured third place in the Tokyo Olympic Games.

At 65kg, a potential clash for world gold could occur between Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) and Taybe Mustafa YUSEIN (BUL), provided they end up on opposing brackets. Both wrestlers were former world champions in Olympic weight classes, but they lost their wrestle-offs this year and thus transitioned to the non-Olympic weight categories.

With the retirement of reigning world champion Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA), the 68kg category is up for grabs. The standout contenders at this weight include Oslo world champions Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) and Irina RINGACI (MDA), alongside Tokyo Olympic runner-up Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR).

Barring a catastrophic meltdown, the road to the 72kg world title will go through reigning world champion Amit ELOR (USA). Her biggest threat will be Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN), who is up 7kg from her 2023 world-title-winning weight of 65kg.

In the absence of defending world champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR) due to recent back surgery, Adeline Maria GRAY (USA) is a central figure in the 76kg weight class as she returns to world-level competition after giving birth to twins. She aims to secure her seventh world title, a feat no American wrestler--male or female--has achieved.

Among Gray's formidable opponents are 2022 world medalists Samar HAMZA (EGY), Epp MAE (EST), and Yuka KAGAMI (JPN). Hamza clinched second place in Belgrade, while Mae and Kagami secured third place.

The 2023 World Championships begin September 16-24 in Belgrade, Serbia. Fans can follow all the action live on www.uww.org or on 'The Home of Wrestling,' United World Wrestling's new app.

*Please note these entries are preliminary and are subject to change.

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
Kseniya STANKEVICH (AIN)
Mariya STADNIK (AZE)
Kamila BARBOSA (BRA)
Madison PARKS (CAN)
Ziqi FENG (CHN)
Alisson CARDOZO (COL)
Yusneylis GUZMAN (CUB)
Jacqueline MOLLOCANA (ECU)
Julie SABATIE (FRA)
Paulina DUENAS (GUM)
Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN)
Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA)
Yui SUSAKI (JPN)
Maral TANGIRBERGENOVA (KAZ)
Emma WANGILA (KEN)
Miseon KWON (KOR)
Gabija DILYTE (LTU)
Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
Veronika RYABOVOLOVA (MKD)
Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR)
Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
Emilia GRIGORE VUC (ROU)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Oksana LIVACH (UKR)
Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA)
NEELAM (UWW)
Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)

53kg
Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN)
Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE)
Samantha STEWART (CAN)
Diana WEICKER (CAN)
Qianyu PANG (CHN)
Nogona BAKAYOKO (CIV)
Sandy PARRA (COL)
Lucia YEPEZ (ECU)
Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA)
Annika WENDLE (GER)
Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
Mia AQUINO (GUM)
Sztalvira ORSUS (HUN)
Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)
Altyn SHAGAYEVA (KAZ)
Jeongbin OH (KOR)
Vestina DANISEVICIUTE (LTU)
Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
Karla ACOSTA (MEX)
Otgonjargal GANBAATAR (MGL)
Christianah OGUNSANYA (NGR)
Roksana ZASINA (POL)
Andreea ANA (ROU)
Mama SAMBOU (SEN)
Ahinsa PORUTHOTAGE (SRI)
Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)
Tuba DEMIR (TUR)
Liliya HORISHNA (UKR)
Dominique PARRISH (USA)
ANTIM (UWW)
Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB)
Betzabeth ARGUELLO (VEN)

55kg
Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN)
Karla GODINEZ (CAN)
Min ZHANG (CHN)
Tetiana PROFATILOVA (FRA)
Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER)
Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
Haruna OKUNO (JPN)
Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ)
Emily WANYAMA (KEN)
Laura STANELYTE (LTU)
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
Otgontuya CHINBOLD (MGL)
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)
Melda DERNEKCI (TUR)
Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA)
Neha SHARMA (UWW)
Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)

57kg
Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN)
Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (AIN)
Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE)
Giullia PENALBER (BRA)
Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL)
Hannah TAYLOR (CAN)
Kexin HONG (CHN)
Andrea GONZALEZ (COL)
Luisa VALVERDE (ECU)
Jacqueline HERNANDEZ (ESA)
Graciela SANCHEZ (ESP)
Mathilde RIVIERE (FRA)
Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER)
Rckaela AQUINO (GUM)
Ramona GALAMBOS (HUN)
Aurora RUSSO (ITA)
Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)
Ainur ASHIMOVA (KAZ)
Mary NALIAKA (KEN)
Kalmira BILIMBEKOVA (KGZ)
Youngjin KWON (KOR)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)
Alma VALENCIA (MEX)
Erdenesuvd BAT ERDENE (MGL)
Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR)
Anhelina LYSAK (POL)
Nes RODRIGUEZ (PUR)
Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (ROU)
Marija IGNJATOVIC (SRB)
Evelina HULTHEN (SWE)
Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR)
Helen MAROULIS (USA)
SARITA (UWW)
Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB)
Betzabeth SARCO (VEN)

59kg
Krystsina SAZYKINA (AIN)
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)
Dzhanan MANOLOVA (BUL)
Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN)
Qi ZHANG (CHN)
Maria BAEZ (ESP)
Elena BRUGGER (GER)
Laralei GANDAOLI (GUM)
Tamara DOLLAK (HUN)
Sae NANJO (JPN)
Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ)
Susana LOZANO (MEX)
Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL)
Othelie HOEIE (NOR)
Jowita WRZESIEN (POL)
JOVANA RADIVOJEVIC (SRB)
Siwar BOUSETA (TUN)
Mehlika OZTURK (TUR)
Yuliia TKACH (UKR)
Jennifer PAGE (USA)
ANJLI (UWW)

62kg
Veranika IVANOVA (AIN)
Angelina LELO (ANG)
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
Jessica DERRELL (BAR)
Lais NUNES (BRA)
Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)
Ana GODINEZ (CAN)
Xiaojuan LUO (CHN)
Angelina RODRIGUES (CPV)
Leonela AYOVI (ECU)
Lydia PEREZ (ESP)
Viktoria VESSO (EST)
Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)
Elena ESPOSITO (ITA)
Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)
Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ)
Eunice MBURU (KEN)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Subeen JO (KOR)
Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT)
Mariana CHERDIVARA (MDA)
Alexis GOMEZ (MEX)
Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)
Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Grace BULLEN (NOR)
Aleksandra WOLCZYNSKA (POL)
Kriszta INCZE (ROU)
Sara LINDBORG (SWE)
Selvi ILYASOGLU (TUR)
Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR)
Kayla MIRACLE (USA)
MANISHA (UWW)
Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB)
Nathaly GRIMAN (VEN)
Thi My Hanh NGUYEN (VIE)

65kg
Tatsiana PAULAVA (AIN)
Birgul SOLTANOVA (AZE)
Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL)
Aleah NICKEL (CAN)
Lili LILI (CHN)
Iva GERIC (CRO)
Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA)
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)
Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ)
Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL)
Masa PEROVIC (SRB)
Kadriye AKSOY (TUR)
Oksana KUKHTA HERHEL (UKR)
Macey KILTY (USA)
ANTIM (UWW)

68kg
Hanna SADCHANKA (AIN)
Albina DRAZHI (ALB)
Grabriela PEDRO (BRA)
Yuliana YANEVA (BUL)
Olivia Grace DI BACCO (CAN)
Katie Nichole MULKAY (CAN)
Feng ZHOU (CHN)
Nicoll PARRADO (COL)
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
Nerea PAMPIN (ESP)
Koumba LARROQUE (FRA)
Noémi SZABADOS (HUN)
Ami ISHII (JPN)
Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Jeumeun KWON (KOR)
Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)
Alejandra RIVERA (MEX)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)
Yanet SOVERO (PER)
Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)
Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU)
Emilija JAKOVLJEVIC (SRB)
Patricia ELNOUR (SUD)
Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK)
Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE)
Khadija JLASSI (TUN)
Buse TOSUN (TUR)
Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)
Emma BRUNTIL (USA)
PRIYANKA (UWW)
Firuza ESENBAEVA (UZB)
Dieu Thuong LAI (VIE)

72kg
Sofiya GEORGIEVA (BUL)
Shauna KUEBECK (CAN)
QIANDEGENCHAGAN (CHN)
Kendra DACHER (FRA)
Ilana KRATYSH (ISR)
Dalma CANEVA (ITA)
Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ)
Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)
Natalia Iwona STRZALKA (POL)
Fanni NAGY NAD (SRB)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Alina RUDNYTSKA LEVYTSKA (UKR)
Amit ELOR (USA)
Jyoti BERWAL (UWW)

76kg
Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (AIN)
Justina DI STASIO (CAN)
Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN)
Amy YOUIN (CIV)
Tatiana RENTERIA (COL)
Milaimys MARIN POTRILLE (CUB)
Genesis REASCO (ECU)
Samar HAMZA (EGY)
Epp MAE (EST)
Cynthia VESCAN (FRA)
Francy RAEDELT (GER)
Enrica RINALDI (ITA)
Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)
Inkara ZHANATAYEVA (KAZ)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Jimin BAEK (KOR)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Atzimba LANDAVERDE (MEX)
Zagardulam NAIGALSUREN (MGL)
Hannah RUEBEN (NGR)
Marion BYE (NOR)
Catalina AXENTE (ROU)
Mehtap GULTEKIN (TUR)
Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)
Adeline GRAY (USA)
Divya KAKRAN (UWW)
Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB)
Maria ACOSTA (VEN)
Thi Linh DANG (VIE)

#JapanWrestling

Ozaki denies Onishi in 62kg semis, sets up clash with Motoki

Saturday, December 20, 2025 - 08:01 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO (December 20) -- Nonoka OZAKI gave Sakura ONISHI a less-than-cordial welcome to the women’s 62kg weight class.

Ozaki, a two-time former world champion who has hit a wall of late amid Japan’s incredible depth in women’s wrestling, defeated world 59kg champion Onishi 4-1 in the semifinals at 62kg at the Emperor’s Cup All-Japan Championships on Saturday.

That earned Ozaki yet another shot at reigning world and Olympic champion Sakura MOTOKI, who advanced with an 8-2 victory over Yuzuka INAGAKI.

The Olympic weight classes are being contested over two days, and organizers saved a bevy of world and Olympic champions and medalists for the third day of the four-day tournament at Tokyo’s Komazawa Gym.

In other semifinals, a clash of champions from this year’s World Championships in Zagreb was set up at freestyle 74kg, in which reigning champion Kota TAKAHASHI will square off with Yoshinosuke AOYAGI, the victor at 70kg who has moved up to the Olympic division.

Takahashi easily disposed of Toki OGAWA by 11-0 technical fall, while Aoyagi posted a 7-1 victory over Hikaru TAKATA.

Meanwhile, Paris Olympic champions Akari FUJINAMI, Kotaro KIYOOKA and Nao KUSAKA all advanced to their respective finals with varying degrees of ease or difficulty, along with Paris bronze medalist Yui SUSAKI.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka OZAKI will wrestle Sakura MOTOKI in the 62kg final. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Ozaki had been forced to watch the World Championships from the sidelines after losing out Motoki at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, which, along with Emperor’s Cup, serves as a domestic qualifier for major international competitions.

The last thing Ozaki needed was another interloper in the weight class, and she determinedly fended off the challenge from the 19-year-old Onishi.

“It was my first time facing her,” Ozaki said. “She’s a young, upcoming wrestler who hasn’t yet experienced the Olympics, just like I had been. But this is not a weight class that can be taken lightly.”

After giving up an activity point, Ozaki scored a late takedown in the first period, then added another in the second to earn a spot in Sunday’s final.

“There are many videos of her out there that I have watched, so I had an image of how she wrestles in mind,” Ozaki said. “I had to think of what form my wrestling should take.”

Asked if she has come up with a strategy to handle Motoki, Ozaki said, “I’ve faced her twice now, and I watched her at the World Championships. There is a ‘Motoki way’ of wrestling, and that’s implanted in my mind.”

Takara SUDA (JPN)Takara SUDA, left, works for a takedown in the first period against Kaisei TANABE during their 65kg semifinal. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Suda spoils Tanabe’s bid for two-style double

The stacked freestyle 65kg division saw the match of the day, in which Takara SUDA spoiled Kaisei TANABE’s bid for a historic Greco-freestyle title double with dramatic last-second takedown in their semifinal.

Suda had taken the lead with a takedown with 1:10 left, only to see Tanabe come back with a takedown of his own with five seconds left. But Suda shot for all he’s
worth and managed to score in time for a 5-4 victory.

“There was still five seconds left and I just kept calm,” Suda said. “I thought if I kept cool, I could score.”

Tanabe had won the Greco 63kg gold on Thursday, and was aiming to become the first to double in two styles at the same tournament since 1973.

“I had lost to him twice before, both by technical fall,” Suda said. “This time I just wanted to avoid losing by technical fall. But those matches were two years ago, and I think I’ve gotten better over these two years.”

Suda’s victory earns him a shot at Paris gold medalist Kiyooka, who managed to hold on for a 3-2 victory over Kaiji OGINO that ended with a wild scramble in
the final 15 seconds.

“He’s an opponent on another level,” Suda said of Kiyooka. “I’ll have to keep moving and give everything I got."

Yui SUSAKI (JPN)Yui SUSAKI throws Mako ONO en route to a technical fall in their 50kg semifinal. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Susaki stormed into the women’s 50kg final with three straight technical falls without surrendering a point, the last one a 10-0 rout of Mako ONO. In the final, she will face world U23 53kg champion Haruna MORIKAWA.

Susaki’s path to a fourth national title and first since 2022 was made slightly easier by the absence of rival Remina YOSHIMOTO and the late withdrawal of
Umi ITO.

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)Akari FUJINAMI, left, squares off with Sara NATAMI in the 57kg semifinals. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Fujinami, the Paris champion at 53kg, continued her transition to 57kg with solid victories, although with all of her points being scored from her feet, save
for an activity point.

In the semifinal, she built up a 7-0 lead over defending champion Sara NATAMI before her opponent twice countered single-leg attempts to score exposures, leaving Fujinami with a 7-4 victory. She will face Himeka TOKUHARA in the final.

Kusaka was clearly the most dominant of the Olympians on the day, winning his two matches by 11-0 scores -- both topped off with 4-point throws. He will face
Isami HORIKITA in the final.