#EmperorsCup

World Bronze Medalist Matsumoto Regains National Title, But Falls Short of Own Standards

Thursday, December 20, 2018 - 14:47 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO---Regaining his national title was not too much of a problem for Atsushi MATSUMOTO. But trying to live up to the high standard he has set for himself as a newly minted world medalist left him feeling less than thrilled with his performance.

Matsumoto captured the only title at stake on the opening day of the four-day All-Japan Championships on Thursday in Tokyo, defeating Ryoichi YAMANAKA 11-4 in the 92kg final for his first freestyle title since 2014 and fourth overall.

Matsumoto, who won a bronze at the Budapest world championships to end a long global medal drought by Japanese men in the upper weights, spotted Yamanaka a 4-point lead before storming back for the victory with a combination of points from both the standing and ground positions.

“I feel a sense of relief, but I can’t be satisfied with my performance,” said Matsumoto. 

Matsumoto had Yamanaka’s leg in the air when his former Nippon Sport Science University teammate executed a twisting flip that sent Matsumoto to his back for 4 points. Later, Matsumoto countered a leg attack with a 2-point lift, then added a takedown to make it 4-4 going in the second period. A nifty ankle pick for a 2-point takedown put him ahead for the first time, and he built on the lead to clinch the victory.

“I had trained almost every day with my opponent at [college],” Matsumoto said of Yamanaka, who is now a high school teacher. “But now, he was finishing up school, went back home and probably didn’t train fully. To have a close match with someone like that, it was pitiful and hard to take. I’m not happy.”

Matsumoto’s bronze in Budapest made him the first Japanese male to win a global medal in a weight class at 90kg or over since Akira OTA won a silver at the Seoul 1988 Olympics. The last world medal was a bronze won by Makoto KAMATA in 1970.  

“After the tournament, the phrase ‘world No. 3’ was in my head,” Matsumoto said. “But I had an injury, and I couldn’t get my mind and body in sync. I couldn’t move like I wanted to, I couldn’t train like I wanted to. To compete in that condition is, in a word, difficult.”

That Matsumoto was competing at 92kg was somewhat of a surprise, as this year’s tournament, also called the Emperor’s Cup, is the first stage of qualifying for what is every Japanese wrestler’s goal---a place on Japan’s team to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He said he will eventually move up to the Olympic division of 97kg. 

“In my mind, I’m not yet ready to compete at 97kg,” said Matsumoto, who spent 1 1/2 years in Greco after failing to make the Rio 2016 Olympics, but returned to freestyle this spring. “That’s my self-analysis. First, I’ll get prepared physically and compete at the next world championships at 92kg.”

Yukako KAWAI, U23 world champion and senior-level world runner-up will wrestle U23 bronze medalist Yuzuru KUMANO for the 62kg gold medal. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka) 

All other top Japanese wrestlers have crammed into the six Olympic weight classes for each of the three styles, leading to potential matchups between world and/or Olympic champions, while conversely, some non-Olympic divisions have just a handful of entries. 

The other weight classes in action Thursday will be held over two days, even the three that have just four entries and are using a round-robin format. The competition ran through the semifinals, or through two rounds in the case of  round-robins.

Yukako KAWAI, the Budapest 2018 silver medalist and world U23 champion, advanced to the women’s 62kg final, where she will face Yuzuru KUMANO, a U23 bronze medalist at 59kg. 

This weight class was expected to feature a clash between Kawai and Ayana GEMPEI, like Kawai a senior world medalist and U23 champion who had dropped down to the Olympic division from 65kg. But Gempei suffered a knee injury in practice five days ago---while sparring with Shigakkan University teammate Kawai, no less---and made a game-day decision to withdraw.

While Gempei absolved Kawai of responsibility for the injury, Kawai said tearfully, “Two years ago, I got hurt just before a tournament and was out for a year. Thinking about that, I really feel I need to apologize. But life is not so easy in this competitive world, so if someone gets injured, you have to try and get over it and not let it steer you away from your goal.” 

Kawai made Friday’s final by beating world 65kg junior champion Miyu Imai by 14-3 technical fall in the semifinals. Kawai had built an 8-0 lead, but a flurry of points delayed her from finishing off the match sooner. 

“At a point where I could end it with 1 or 2 points, I got caught in a wild move,” Kawai said. “I need to stay calmer up to the end.”

Commenting on her selection as the UWW U23 Wrestler of the Year, Kawai said, “At first, I thought it was a mistake. I was tagged on Instagram and that’s how I found out, but I thought it was a mistake that I was tagged. When I realized that it was me, I was surprised.”

Yuka KAGAMI, the 17-year-old cadet, defeated the top-seed Naruha MATSUYUKI to make the 72kg gold-medal bout. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka) 

Japan’s other UWW award winner, Cadet Wrestler of the Year Yuka KAGAMI, got off to a good start in her Emperor’s Cup debut, winning both of her matches in the round-robin at 72kg. The 17-year-old will win the gold Friday with a victory over winless Mai HAYAKAWA.

“I had two matches today and I won both, so I’m happy,” said Kagami, a two-time world cadet champion who put herself in line for the gold with a 2-1 victory over top-seed Naruha MATSUYUKI, a Budapest 2018 team member.

Kagami said she is motivated by the memory of a loss at the Youth Olympics in October in Buenos Aires, where she had to settle for the bronze medal. “The Youth Olympics was really disappointing,” she said. “I don’t want to feel that again, so I remind myself before every match of that memory.”


Sosuke TAKATANI, 2014 74kg world silver medalist bumped up to 86kg and made the finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Meanwhile, Sosuke TAKATANI, the 2014 world silver medalist at freestyle 74kg, made a solid start in his debut at the next Olympic weight of 86kg by advancing to the final. 

Takatani, who spent last year at 79kg as a stepping stone to 86kg, scraped out a 2-1 win in the semifinals over last year’s runner-up Masao MATSUSAKA. Both of Takatani’s points were scored with Matsusaka on the activity clock, and he had to survive a step-out in the final seconds that was overturned by video review. 

“I didn’t really feel the difference in weight,” said Takatani, who will face defending champion Shota SHIRAI in the final as he bids for an eighth straight national title.

Takatani has practiced with Shirai, and even had his nose broken by him during a sparring session in October. “I beat him in practice matches, but tomorrow I will be nervous, so I’ll go in regarding myself as the challenger,” he said.

Day 1 Results

Freestyle
86kg (15 entries)
Semifinals
Shota SHIRAI df. Hayato ISHIGURO, 4-3
Sosuke TAKATANI df. Masao MATSUSAKA, 2-1 

92kg (11 entries)
Final: Atsushi MATSUMOTO df. Ryoichi YAMANAKA, 11-4
3rdPlace: Keiwan YOSHIDA df. Kazuma SHIBATA by TF, 10-0, 1:41 
3rdPlace: Takuma OTSU df. Akinobu TAKEUCHI by TF, 11-0, 2:37

Semifinals
Matsumoto df. Yoshida, 7-2
Yamanaka df. Otsu, 10-1

97kg (12 entries)
Semifinals
Takeshi YAMAGUCHI df. Yuji FUKUI, 3-2
Naoya AKAGUMA df. Takashi ISHIGURO, 5-0

125kg (14 entries)
Semifinals
Katsutoshi KANAZAWA df. Tetsuya TANAKA, 2-1 
Nobuyoshi ARAKIDA df. Takuya HIGUCHI, 4-2 

Greco-Roman

63kg (18 entries)
Semifinals
Katsuaki ENDO df. Ryota KOSHIBA by TF, 8-0, 1:06
Yoshiki YAMADA df. Shintaro YOSHINAGA, 2-2 

72kg (16 entries)
Semifinals
Tomohiro INOUE df. Nao KUSAKA, 5-0
Takuya TOMIZUKA df. Masaki KONDO, 5-4 

87kg (13 entries)
Semifinals
Masato SUMI df. Shuhei SAKANO by TF, 8-0, :30
Takahiro TSURUDA df. Ryota NASUKAWA, 4-0 

97kg (15 entries)
Semifinals
Yuta NARA df. Masayuki AMANO, 7-0
Masaaki SHIKIYA df. Takuya YAMASHITA by TF, 8-0, 2:40 

130kg (13 entries)
Semifinals
Arata SONODA df. Shoma SUZUKI by TF, 8-0, :29
Ryota KONO df. Keita BANCHI by Fall, :44 (4-0)

Women’s Wrestling
 

55kg (4 entries)
Round-Robin Group (through 2 rounds)
1. Nao TANIYAMA (2-0, 6 pts); 2. Saki IGARASHI (1-1, 6); 3. Sena NAGAMOTO (1-1, 3); 4. Kana HIGASHIKAWA (0-2, 1)

59kg (4 entries)
Round-Robin Group (through 2 rounds)
1. Yuzuka INAGAKI (2-0, 6 pts) 2. Kiwa IWASAWA (1-1, 4); 3. Kumi IRIE (1-1, 4); 4. Yumeka TANABE (0-2, 2)

62kg (11 entries)
Semifinals
Yukako KAWAI df. Miyu IMAI by TF, 14-3, 4:57
Yuzuru KUMANO df. Yurika ITO, 3-2 

72kg (4 entries)
Round-Robin
Through 2 rounds
1. Yuka KAGAMI (2-0, 6 pts); 2. Mei SHINDO (1-1, 5); 3. Naruha MATSUYUKI (1-1, 4); 4. Mai HAYAKAWA (0-2, 0)

#WrestleZagreb

Olympic champ Kusaka falls to Amoyan as Mirzazadeh repeats at 130kg

Friday, September 19, 2025 - 22:54 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 19) -- The Zagreb World Championships has seen a number of Paris Olympic medalists humbled over the last six days.

On Friday, it was Greco 77kg champion Nao KUSAKA (JPN) who joined that growing list, after he was dealt a one-sided loss in the final by Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM).

Amoyan's thumping 9-1 victory gave him a second world title and the first at 77kg, a goal he had been working on for two years.

"I became a world champion back in 2021 [at 72kg], and it seemed very difficult for me to move up to this weight class," Amoyan said. "I really wanted to become world champion at 77kg.

"But for two years, I struggled with injuries, and nothing was going as it should. Thankfully, at this World Championships I was prepared -- mentally, physically, and functionally -- and by God's grace I managed to triumph and become a two-time world champion."

The win avenged Amoyan's 3-1 loss to Kusaka in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics, where the Armenian wrestler won a bronze medal.

In the three other weight classes contested, Iran had a wrestler in all three finals and came away with two golds, as Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) defended his title at 130kg while debutant Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) made sure that the 82kg title remained in Iranian hands.

The other gold medal went to Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) at 55kg, giving Georgia its second world title in the last six years.

In the 77kg final, Amoyan, after defending from par terre in the first period, broke open the match in the second period from the par terre position. He lifted Kusaka and moved to the zone, loading to perform a suplex. However, he switched and slammed Kusaka to the mat with a reverse throw in front for four points.

Kusaka was also docked two points for a defensive foul while Amoyan was working on the lift, giving the Armenian a 7-1 lead. As the bout restarted in par terre, Amoyan once again lifted Kusaka and completed a correct throw for two points for a 9-1 technical superiority win over the Olympic champion.

Despite the one-sided final, Amoyan said that Kusaka was one of the strongest wrestlers he has ever faced in his weight class.

"Let me say, the Japanese wrestler I faced is one of the strongest in our weight category," he said. "With him, the only way to get through was by wrestling with full strength and giving everything to win. It seems that today was my day to confidently and firmly become the world champion."

The gold medal adds to two bronze medals the 26-year-old previously won at the Olympic weight class of 77kg. But Amoyan said that the real struggle to remain on top begins now.

"It will be very hard for me to keep it -- for that I must be able to train properly, be disciplined, so that I can keep the title," he said. "Honestly, I don't really understand what I'm feeling; I think when I return to my homeland I'll understand it."

Friday's loss was Kusaka's first since January 2024 which incidentally came in Zagreb at the Ranking Series event. But he said it will only serve as a motivation.

"The last time I lost was also in Croatia. Actually, there is no connection. At the very least, I feel that I am not nearly at my strongest," Kusaka said. "Conversely, instead of a close score, I was teched, so all I can do is acknowledge the defeat. I have to continue to make progress. I'm told there is still room for growth. From now, it will be my motivation to be blessed with such a rival. I can train keeping him in the back of my mind and next time, I will definitely win."

One of the areas of improvement which Kusaka has already identified is the par terre defense from which he gave up six points in the final.

"When it comes to ground defense, I'm a bit insecure, it's a weakness of the mind, a part of me that is a weak point," he said. "I always plan to not give up points. But I gave them up. Then I gave him a bonus by touching the leg during the move. That was the worst possible pattern."

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) is now a two-time world champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Iran doubles up

Defending champion Mirzazadeh made sure there were no more upsets as he defeated Darius VITEK (HUN) 7-2 to win his second gold medal at the World Championships.

A gasp went through Arena Zagreb when Vitek scored a takedown after Mirzazadeh lost his balance after a throw and he quickly gained control. But Mirzazadeh reversed the positions and got one point to make it 2-1.

Mirzazadeh then added two stepouts in the first period to take the lead and go into the break leading 3-2. There were no more surprises in the match as Mirzazadeh scored a takedown soon after the whistle in the second period. Two turns were enough to give him a 7-2 lead which he defended to win the gold medal.

"Winning this gold and standing on top of the world's heavyweight podium makes me really proud," Mirzazadeh said. "I just hope my people are happy, too, because their joy is my joy."

Mirzazadeh brushed aside the opening takedown that Vitek scored on him, saying, "I think that's the nature of wrestling and these things happen. I'm glad I was able to wrestle well and come out on top."

With his second world gold medal, Mirzazadeh has clearly set himself apart from the field at 130kg. The real challenge can come domestically from multiple age-group world champion Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI), but Mirzazadeh is determined to rule the weight class for a long time.

"I'll keep giving it my all to improve every year, to raise my level, and to represent my country again and again," he said.  "My goal is to bring home world and Olympic gold medals and make my people proud."

Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI)Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 82kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

While experienced Mirzazadeh repeated as champion, debutant Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI), who won the Zagreb Open Ranking Series gold in February at the same arena, showed no nerves in blanking Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) to win the 82kg title.

Farokhi went straight to work in the final and was awarded with the first par terre position, from which he scored two points from a correct throw to lead 3-0. A stepout just before the break extended the lead to 4-0.

There were no points or positions in the second period, and Farokhi was happy to defend the four-point lead and claim the gold medal, the first for Iran in Greco at the World Championships.

"Winning a medal in my very first World Championships felt like a dream," Farokhi said. "I had always thought about it and even dreamed of this belt. I was able to put on my best performances and win the gold medal."

Farokhi, who had to beat world champion Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) to make the Iran team, gave up only a single point in five matches at the tournament while scoring 37.

"I managed to win all my matches while giving up only one point," he said. "Geraei is not only one of Iran's greatest champions, but also a close friend of mine. In the qualifiers I was able to beat him. As for the future, it depends on the coaches' decisions, but for now I'll stay at 82kg."

Earlier, Iran missed out on the gold at 55kg when world U20 champion Payam AHMADI (IRI) fell to Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) 9-7 in a thrilling final.

The 18-year-old Lolua, who himself won a bronze medal at 60kg from last month's World U20 Championships, got a turn from par terre in the first period to lead 3-0. But the par terre in the second period saw 10 points scored.

As Ahmadi got the position, it made the score 3-1. He went for the front head lock instead of the preferred gut-wrench and managed to turn Lolua three times to rack up six points, while Lolua blocked him once from the headpinch to earn two points.

When the referees called it neutral, Ahmadi led 7-5 and just 1:52 away from winning a senior world title. However, a third passivity was called by the officials, putting Ahmadi down in par terre.

Lolua made the most of that and used a chestwrap to turn Ahmadi for two points. He then lifted Ahmadi and completed a correct throw for a 9-7 lead with 34 seconds left. Lolua defended the lead without any trouble to win the gold.

"I had prepared well. This was my first time competing at the World Championships, and this year I became a world champion," Lolua said. "The clock never stops, and everyone dreams of becoming a world champion -- now that dream has come true."

The teenager, who has already won a European Championships medal, said he came to Zagreb to fight with all his grit.

"I don't even know what to say -- I feel so many emotions, and it's hard to describe everything," he said. "I came here to fight. Everyone came out to support me. What matters most is that, first of all, you must fight with your own strength and determination."

Karlo KODRIC (CRO)Karlo KODRIC (CRO) celebrates with home fans after winning Croatia's first world medal since 2014. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Host Croatia, Finland end medal droughts

Host Croatia ended a decade-long drought for a World Championships medal when Karlo KODRIC (CRO) won the bronze medal at 82kg with a 5-0 victory over Ramon BETSCHART (SUI).

Kodric became only the third world medalist for Croatia after brothers Neven and Nenad ZUGAJ (CRO). Neven won silver in 2014 and bronze in 2011 while Nenad won bronze in 2010.

Kodric got both par terre positions in the match. While he failed to score in the first period, he scored two points via forward exposure instead of rolling Betschart. The Switzerland corner challenged the call, but it was upheld and Kodric got one more point for the lost challenge to win 5-0.

"It's the best feeling in the world," Kodric said. "Before the match, I felt a lot of pressure. It's the biggest I've ever felt. But I beat him. This is all I do, training and thinking of every medal possible to take. That is all my life."

The second bronze at 82kg went to Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), a month after he won bronze at the World U20 Championships, by rallying to edge Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW) 3-3.

Yoshida gave up a turn from par terre and fell 3-0 behind at the break, and was in further trouble when he failed to score from par terre in the second period. But he powered his way to a takedown with 45 seconds left when he dragged Tiuliubaev and quickly got behind for two points, giving him a 3-3 criteria lead to win the bronze medal.

At 19 years 4 months and 24 days, Yoshida became the youngest Japanese male wrestler to win a medal at the World Championships. Before Yoshida, it was Yuji TAKADA (JPN) who won bronze at the 1973 World Championships in Freestyle 52kg at the age of 19 years 6 months and 20 days.

Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN)Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) wins the bronze medal bout against Wenhao JIANG (CHN). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Another country that ended a medal drought at the World Championships was Finland, as Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) scored a late stepout to beat Wenhao JIANG (CHN) 3-3. It was Finland's first medal since 2011, when Rami HIETANIEMI (FIN) won bronze at 84kg.

Kousmanen led 1-1 on criteria thanks to an early stepout. His lead became 2-1 when he got the par terre position in the second period. But he failed to completely turn Jiang from par terre and gave up a stepout to fall behind 2-2 on criteria, and then lost the challenge to give one more point to Jiang.

Kousmanen, however, kept the pressure on and managed to get a stepout with 33 seconds left in the match. He defended his 3-3 criteria lead to win bronze, a first for Finland in any weight class above 90kg.

Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) won a bronze medal at 130kg after he rolled to a 9-1 technical superiority win over Mykola KUCHMII (UKR). Hlinchuk, a world U23 champion at 97kg, jumped to 130kg last year and despite being only 110kg, managed to win a medal in the heaviest weight class.

At 77kg, Robert FRITSCH (HUN) upset Paris silver medalist Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 6-5, to capture the bronze medal.

Fritsch trailed 5-0 at the break but launched a big four at the start of the second period to make it 5-4. A stepout made it 5-5 with Fritsch leading on criteria before he got the par terre which put him ahead 6-5.

 

Turkiye finally won its first medal of the World Championships from a male wrestler when Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) defeated world U20 champion Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) 6-3 for the the other 77kg bronze.

 

Four-time world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) returned to win a bronze medal at 55kg by beating Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ), 9-0, using turns from par terre to win his seventh world medal overall.

 

The other bronze went to China as Huoying SHI (CHN) used the third passivity to score two turns on Emin CAKIR (TUR) for a 5-1 win.

Day 7 Results

Greco-Roman

55kg (18 entries)
GOLD: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) df. Payam AHMADI (IRI), 9-7

BRONZE: Huoying SHI (CHN) df. Emin CAKIR (TUR), 5-1
BRONZE: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ) by TF, 9-0, 1:53

60kg (25 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) df. Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO) by TF, 10-2, 5:57
SEMIFINAL: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) df. Georgij TIBILOV (SRB), 5-5

72kg (30 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) df. Abdullo ALIEV (UZB), 5-0
SEMIFINAL: Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) df. Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ) by Fall, 5:49 (7-2)

77kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Nao KUSAKA (JPN) by  TF, 10-1, 4:23

BRONZE: Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) df. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI), 6-3
BRONZE: Robert FRITSCH (HUN) df.  Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 6-5

82kg (26 entries)
GOLD: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) df. Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO), 4-0  

BRONZE: Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW), 3-3
BRONZE: Karlo KODRIC (CRO) df. Ramon BETSCHART (SUI), 5-0

97kg (29 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Kiryl MASKEVICH (UWW), 3-1
SEMIFINAL: Artur SARGSIAN (UWW) df. Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE), 1-1

130kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Darius VITEK (HUN), 7-2

BRONZE: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) df. Mykola KUCHMII (UKR) by TF, 9-1, 4:09
BRONZE: Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) df. Wenhao JIANG (CHN), 3-3