#WrestleBelgrade

#WrestleBelgrade Day Two GR Finals Preview

Sunday, September 11, 2022 - 14:05 By Eric Olanowski

Share this article

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 11) --- Sunday night at 18:00 (local time), we’ll hand out 2022 world title belts at 55kg, 72kg, 77kg and 87kg. 

At 55kg, fellow world champions Eldaniz AZIZLI ?? and Nugzari TSURTSUMIA ?? will meet in a rematch from the 2022 European Championships.

At 72kg, Ali ARSALAN ?? will have to get through Ulvi GANIZADE ?? to win gold on home soil and become Serbia’s fourth-ever GR world champion.

In the 77kg finals, Olympic silver medalist Akzhol MAKHMUDOV ?? will wrestle Hungary's rising star Zoltan LEVAI ??.

Defending world champion Zurabi DATUNASHVILI ?? will have his hands full in the 87kg finals as he’ll take on ’22 European Turpal BISULTANOV ??, who is undefeated on the year. He's outscored his opponents 52-1 during his ’22 campaign. 

The Day 2 finals from Belgrade begin at 18:00

Join the conversation on all social channels @UnitedWorldWrestling and use the #WrestleBelgrade. 

Finals matchups:
55kg - Nugzari TSURTSUMIA ?? vs. Eldaniz AZIZLI ?? 
72kg - Ulvi GANIZADE ?? vs. Ali ARSALAN ?? 
77kg - Akzhol MAKHMUDOV ?? vs. Zoltan LEVAI ??
87kg Turpal BISULTANOV ?? vs. Zurabi DATUNASHVILI ??

#JapanWrestling

Ozaki, Tanabe take special wrestling trip to Iran

Monday, April 28, 2025 - 12:22 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

TEHRAN, Iran (April 28) — While most Paris Olympic medalist from Japan are preparing for June’s Meiji Cup at their base universities in Japan, world champion Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) and Asian champion Kaisei TANABE (JPN) have managed to squeeze in a educational trip to Iran despite their busy training schedule.

Ozaki, who won bronze medal at the Paris Olympics at 68kg, returned to international competition recently won a silver medal at 62kg at the Asian Championships in March. She is expected to compete at the Meiji Cup which will be held in Tokyo from June 19 to 22.

“I am in Iran right now,” Ozaki told UWW. “It’s a place I always wanted to visit. I am really happy.”

Ozaki visited Tehran as part of her education trip and exchanged wrestling notes with few of the Iranian wrestlers who are part of the team.

“Iran has many world and Olympic champions and I wanted to study wrestling here,” she said. “I stayed for a week and this experience will help me learn me about wrestling.”

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)Nonoka OZAKI (JPN), left, and Kaisei TANABE (JPN), third from left, in Iran. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Tanabe won the gold medal at the Asian Championships at 65kg and also attended the training camp with Iran wrestlers.

The Nippon Sports Science University wrestler is also expected to compete at the Meiji Cup and if he wins, he will book his ticket to the World Championships in September where he can meet Paris Olympic silver medalist Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) who was present at the training camp in Tehran.

Amouzad lost the 65kg final in Paris to Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) who is a teammate of Tanabe at NSSU.