#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)

#wrestlebishkek

Susaki 2.0 Ready to Rumble at Asian Championships

Saturday, March 28, 2026 - 07:14 By Vinay Siwach

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Yui SUSAKI (JPN) at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (March 27) -- In what has become a lasting photo of wrestling from the 2024 Paris Olympics, a wide-eyed Yui SUSAKI (JPN) is seen staring blankly into nothing.

The photo was taken after Susaki suffered her first-ever international loss. Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) had just defeated her in the opening round of the Paris Games. It was not a familiar feeling for Susaki. Not in international wrestling at least.

Yui SUSAKI (JPN)Yui SUSAKI (JPN) lost her first bout at the Paris Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

It was only after she walked off the mat and faced the cameras waiting for her in the field of play mixed zone that Susaki realized what had happened. She burst into tears.

Almost two years after that after that loss, a 'new' Susaki is returning to action at next week's Asian Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in a bid to re-establish herself as the dominant force she was before Paris.

"The defeat at the Paris Olympics and the year-and-a-half that followed were an incredibly difficult and painful time," Susaki says.

Susaki went on to win a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, a downgrade from the gold medal she won in Tokyo where she outscored her opponents 41-0. The loss shocked the world as Susaki was considered unbeatable. She was a three-time world champion boasting of a 96-0 winning streak, never lost an international bout and was the first wrestler to win the Golden Grand Slam, winning the Olympic gold and all age-group world titles including senior.

A second Olympic title seemed inevitable. There was no stopping.

While the loss was on the mat, Susaki believes that things off the mat may have contributed to her loss as well.

"In recent years, my desire to give back and do things for those around me had grown stronger," she says. "My focus had shifted toward others. When my focus is on others, I feel pressure, my mind gets cluttered with distractions, and doubts arise, leading me to overthink things."

Yui SUSAKI (JPN)Yui SUSAKI (JPN) celebrates after winning the world title in 2023. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

She is relieved that she did not overthink the loss in Paris after she returned to Japan.

"There were moments when I lost faith in myself [after that Paris loss]," she says. "But since then, I’ve focused more than ever on self-reflection and self-dialogue in my personal life, as well as on developing my character as a person. I’ve gained a deeper understanding of myself, and I feel I’ve developed a firm sense of self."

The version that Susaki has been working on over the last year did not begin just after the Olympics. There was one more bump before she made an important career decision.

Susaki was finding it incredibly difficult to reduce weight to continue wrestling at 50kg. So in September 2025, she decided to wrestle at 53kg at the National Sports Festival in Japan. It did not go as planned.

She suffered her first domestic loss in six years when world champion Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) defeated her at the festival. What was more alarming was that Susaki failed to finish a takedown in the final minute despite getting control over Kiyooka.

The 26-year-old returned to the drawing board with a sense of urgency as the Emperor's Cup was looming. The 2025 December tournament was the first step towards making the Japan team for the 2026 Asian Championships, World Championships and the Asian Games.

"The answer I arrived at after overcoming it all was simple: I wrestle because I love it and because I want to become an Olympic champion," she said. "I wrestle not for anyone else, but for myself -- to make my dream come true."

Susaki, along with her team, devised a better plan to reduce weight and remain at 50kg. She ate precise and molded her training in a way in which she managed to contain the weight.

In December, she won the Emperor's Cup at 50kg without much trouble and earn a spot on the Japan team for the Asian Championships which only be her third in her 12-year international career.

Yui SUSAKI (JPN)Yui SUSAKI (JPN) defeated Ziqi FENG (CHN) in the 50kg final at the Asian Championships in 2024. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Incidentally, her last Asian Championships was also in Bishkek in 2024, and she won gold after beating Ziqi FENG (CHN) in the final. She is likely to face Feng again as the Paris Olympic bronze medalist is among a strong field at 50kg this year.

One of the challenges that Susaki will be keen on taking on is a bout against Son Hyang KIM (PRK), a wrestler Susaki has beaten before. The two met in the 48kg final of the 2017 Asian Championships, Susaki's first, and the Japanese wrestler won 10-0.

Then in the same year, the two met at the World Championships and Kim managed to keep it tighter but failed to stop Susaki from winning, 5-2. Susaki went on to win her first senior world title.

While the matches against formidable opponents are something she is looking forward to, Susaki is more excited to return to an international tournament after a break and kick start her new Olympic cycle.

"I’m incredibly excited to be competing in a UWW international tournament for the first time in a year and eight months," she said. "I want to win this tournament to get off to a strong start, so that I can compete in the Los Angeles Olympics and reclaim the gold medal. I also want wrestling fans to see how much stronger Yui Susaki has become.

"I think you’ll get to see a whole new Yui Susaki!"