#WrestleTokyo

#WrestleTokyo Olympic Games Preview: 68kg

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (July 23) -- Many athletes might cringe at the near-monastic life awaiting them under the harsh pandemic protocols at the Olympics. Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA) can't wait. 

"I'm going to be fine," Mensah-Stock told the Japanese press at the U.S. team's pre-Olympic camp in central Japan. "I'm a homebody. I play video games, I karaoke, I literally stay at home when I'm in the States. This is what I love. This is perfect."

That only spells more trouble for the others in the women's 68kg weight class, where the 28-year-old Mensah-Stock heads into her Olympic debut in Tokyo as the reigning world champion and the No. 1 seed, and on quite a roll. 

Mensah-Stock's main competition looks to come from unseeded opponents -- the two fifth-place finishers at the 2019 World Championships, Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR) and 2016 Rio Olympic champion Sara DOSHO (JPN), as well as Asian qualifier Feng ZHOU (CHN) and two-time former world champion Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD (MGL), a bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics.

Since her triumph at the 2019 worlds in Nur-Sultan, Mensah-Stock has lost just one match in international competition. 

After winning all three of her matches at the 2019 World Cup, she finished second at 2020 Matteo Pellicone tournament. In Rome, Mensah-Stock defeated both Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) and Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) -- who are the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds in Tokyo, respectively -- en route to the final, where she dropped a 8-8 decision to China's Zhou after leading 8-0 with two minutes to go. 

The American rebounded from that setback with titles at the 2020 and 2021 Pan American Championships, which sandwiched golds at the Grand Prix de France and the Matteo Pellicone in 2021.

Although Mensah-Stock goes in as the favorite, she knows she can't take anything for granted. 

"I just have to stay tough and have a strong mindset," she said. "I wouldn't say I'm worried about all of them, but I've got to stay on my guard. Because at any point in time, something can happen." 

Asked what drives her to seek the gold medal, she replied, "I need to showcase what I have. God has given me so much talent, I have to go out there and showcase what he has given me, and I feel like he has given me enough talent to reach gold. So I've got to go and shine my light, just blind everybody with all my talent, if I can."

Naturally optimistic and outgoing, Mensah-Stock took the postponement of the Olympics in stride. 

"I was bummed, but I knew that it was only going to be postponed, I knew it wasn't going to be canceled," she said. "So I was actually kind of happy as well, because I got spend more time with my husband and my dogs, and see my family a lot more. So it was kind of a super-vacation."

Her main rival for the gold at Makuhari Messe will likely be Dosho, who seemed to be cruising toward a succession of global titles when she suffered a serious left shoulder injury during a victory over Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) at the 2018 World Cup that required surgery.

That kept the 26-year-old Japanese from defending the world title she had won the previous year, and even when she came back at the Japan championships at the end of 2018, she was not the force she once was, being reticent to use her left arm. 

At the 2019 World Championships, Dosho hardly looked like an Olympic champion. She was completely overpowered by Mensah-Stock in a 10-1 drubbing in the quarterfinals, then squeaked by Oborududu in the repechage to make it to the bronze-medal match, where she lost 4-1 to Anna SCHELL (GER). 

She could have clinched the Olympic berth she earned for Japan at Nur-Sultan by winning the national title in 2019, but suffered a left knee injury just before the tournament, and was unceremoniously ousted 9-2 by Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) in the semifinals.

Her Olympic fate hung on a playoff between her and Morikawa, held in March 2020, which Dosho managed to win 3-1. Dosho then became one of those athletes who benefitted from the postponement of the Tokyo Games, because it gave her time for all of her injuries to heal. 

"I was able to change my outlook, thinking this is a chance for my injuries to heal and to build up strength for the Olympics," Dosho told the Japan federation website. 

Now healthy and with an expanded repertoire beyond the quick double-leg tackle she learned at the kids wrestling club run by late father of Saori YOSHIDA (JPN), Dosho heads into the Tokyo Olympics with renewed confidence.

"The previous time [in Rio] was my first Olympics and I just rolled with the punches," Dosho said. "I had no problems and I was able to easily qualify. This time, it didn't go like that. I thought, 'This was really tough.' But through my losses, I was able to get a true feel for my weaknesses, and I could think about what I need to do to win the next time. I feel I've really grown."

Prior to her loss in Nur-Sultan, Dosho had not tasted defeat since the 2015 World Championships, where she lost in the quarterfinals to Zhou before taking the bronze medal. She avenged that loss in the semifinals at the 2017 Asian Championships en route to the gold, and again in the final at the 2019 Asian Championships. 

Asked to comment about a possible clash with Dosho, Mensah-Stock deferred. "Let's let the wrestling do all the talking," she said. "I don't really have any comments about any of my competitors. Let's just get out there, wrestle clean, wrestle hard, wrestle smart."

The 32-year-old Cherkasova, who will be appearing in her second Olympics, won the 2018 world title that Dosho missed, defeating Larroque in the final as Zhou and Mensah-Stock shared the bronze medals.

From 2017 up to the 2019 World Championships, Cherkasova medaled at 12 consecutive tournaments, but missed a bronze medal in Nur-Sultan when Soronzonbold scored a defensive takedown with 45 seconds left for a 2-2 win. 

She has had mediocre run-up to Tokyo, however, as all she has to show from four tournaments is a bronze medal at the 2020 European Championships. At the 2020 Matteo Pellicone tournament, she lost to Zhou in the quarterfinals and Lappage in the repechage. 

The 31-year-old Soronzonbold's better days appear to be behind her, but experience means she can never be fully discounted. Her world titles came back in 2010 and 2015, the latter with a win in the final over Risako KAWAI (JPN) who would go on to win the Olympic gold the following year. 

China's Feng, 27, qualified for her second Olympics by winning the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in April, which she preceded with a gold at the 2019 World Military Games and her victory over Mensah-Stock in the 2020 Matteo Pellicone final. She has two world medals, a bronze in 2018 and a silver in 2015. 

Larroque, 22, is also a two-time world medalist. Having earned her ticket to Tokyo at the European Olympic qualifying tournament, she heads there on a bit of a roll, having won the European and Poland Open titles this year, the latter coming in a field that included eight entries at the Tokyo Olympics. 

68kg
No. 1 Tamyra Mariama STOCK MENSAH (USA)
No. 2 Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)
No. 3 Koumba Selene Fanta LARROQUE (FRA)
No. 4 Anna Carmen SCHELL (GER)
Agnieszka Jadwiga WIESZCZEK KORDUS (POL)
Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD (MGL)
Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR)
Sara DOSHO (JPN)
Enas Mostafa Youssef Khourshed AHMED (EGY)
Danielle Suzanne LAPPAGE (CAN)
Yudari SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ (CUB)
Khanum VELIEVA (RUS)
Feng ZHOU (CHN)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL)
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)

#WrestleTokyo

With Kyrgyzstan Watching, Tynybekova Ready to Conquer Tokyo

By Vinay Siwach

CHIBA, Japan (August 3) --- When Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) steps on the mat Tuesday at the Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba, Japan, the whole of Kyrgyzstan will be watching her quest for a historic medal at Olympics.

No Kyrgyzstan wrestler has ever won a medal in women's wrestling at the Olympics. Forget that, no other woman had qualified for Olympics other than Tynybekova before Tokyo. Five years ago, she came agonizingly close to winning a medal in Rio Olympics but lost the bronze medal bout against Sakshi MALIK (IND) in the final seven seconds.

But in Tokyo, she is expected to win the gold medal. Such has been her aura in the last Olympic cycle that she is considered the best, is seeded top and has wins over almost all her opponents.

"We have been going at this for a very long time," Tynybekova was quoted as saying in a January 2020 interview with Sputnik. "I have already participated in two Olympic Games -- in London and Rio de Janeiro. I didn't manage to win medals in them because of my mistakes. The only thing missing from my piggy bank is an Olympic medal. I want not just a medal, but a gold one."

On Tuesday, she begins her campaign with a rematch of the Individual World Cup 2020 final against veteran Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT) and a win will give her the winner of the Marianna SASTIN (HUN) and Kriszta INCZE (ROU) bout in the quarterfinal.

But she wants to make it to the final and a step closer to history, she will have to go through one of Aminat ADENIYI (NGR), Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), LONG Jia (CHN) and Kayla MIRACLE (USA). Last year, Long ran her close and Tynybekova was able to pull off a 6-6 criteria win in Rome, Italy.

"Since Kyrgyzstan gained independence, we have not had a gold medal in Olympic sports," Tynybekova said. "I want to make history by winning a gold at the Olympic Games."

She did not have those dreams a kid. The 29-year-old did not even know about wrestling till was 16 years old.

Tynybekova WorldsAisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) became her country's first wrestling world champion. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Born in Mailuu-Suu in the Jalal-Abad oblast of Kyrgyzstan. Tynybekova helped her parents at home and in the farm but was part was always finding a way to play sport.

That led her to basketball but when she discovered a wrestling program has begun in Bishkek, she left home to train in the new sport. Despite the reservations from her family, Tynybekova was sure that she wanted to do this.

She became so good at wrestling in such a short time that in 2012, she qualified for the London Olympics, the first woman wrestler from her country. Unfortunately, she failed to advance after her opening round loss.

But it sowed the seeds of a women's wrestling in the country. National team head coach Nurbek Izabekov has been trying to lift the standard of women's wrestling in Kyrgyzstan for close to two decades now. But when Tynybekova qualified for the Olympics in London, it worked as a catalyst.

Work began to prepare Tynynbekova to become the first Olympic medalist from her country. She claimed silver medals at the Asian Championships, bronze medal at the Asian Games but by the time Olympics came, she became Kyrgyzstan's first Asian champion in women's wrestling.

That fueled the ambition of winning a medal in Rio. But it was a heartbreak and left Tynybekova battling depression.

“After the 2016 Games, I had been in a long depression,” she says. “I couldn’t get over it for a long time. I had been analyzing a lot, I had been thinking a lot. I didn’t show tears in front of people, but after the loss I was ready to cry. I couldn't face my coach, who hadn't been home with his family for months to prepare me. Everything was burning inside me, and I was ready to sink. After returning to the village, I went into the room and cried alone.”

No one knew how to cheer her up. But it was the passion for wrestling and a unique gesture from the public in Kyrgyzstan that made her return to the mat. Using the loss in Rio as a motivation, she decided to train again and  leave nothing to fate.

“My sister sent me a post and comments that Kyrgyzstanis wrote to me,” she says. “She said that I united the Kyrgyz people, that this had never happened before, that everyone supported me as a native.”

The loss in Rio made Tynybekova a mature wrestler and human being. Her style of forcing an attack changed to tactical wrestling of playing the clock. She even manages to pull of the last second takedowns which make her dangerous. Just like on that in 2019.

Tynybekova ran through a strong field to claim the world title in Nursultan, Kazakhstan. That too was the first time a wrestler, male or female, from the central Asian country had won the gold.

That lifted her to celebrity status in the country. Gifts were showed, film crews rushed to her village to get some footage of the childhood, she was on every TV channel. But missing out the medal in Olympic always remained a thorn in her heart.

Nothing has mattered to her more than winning the gold in Tokyo. Even when the Games were postponed because of COVID, she did not care. She kept training. Her quality is world class and she wants her competition to be the same. During her fourth Asian Championships title winning run in Almaty in 2021, she was very honest about her opponents.

“I know I can beat these wrestlers, so the emotions are not that strong as they would have been against Japan and China,” she said. “None of the opponents were as strong as those countries and it was not that enjoyable for me to wrestle."

Japan and China had pulled out of the tournament because of the COVID-19 related complications in travel and competition. In Almaty, Kyrgyzstan qualified two more wrestlers for the Olympics, the first time they had someone other than Tynybekova wrestling in the women's Olympics.

“The reason of the success of our women wrestlers is very simple,” she says. “We have an amazing coach. For the past 10 years he has been proving that the woman in Kyrgyzstan can achieve great results even on the international level.”

But it's not Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) or Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) who are projected to win the gold. It's Tynybekova, the girl who had to wrestle a court case as a teenager just before London. Then faced the painful truth that she missed a medal in Rio.

But Tuesday, she has a chance to rewrite history and put Kyrgyzstan on the world map of wrestling. A chance that she missed in Rio.

But local hope and her biggest rival Yukao KAWAI (JPN) is also chasing history. Youngster sister of Olympic champion Risako, Yukako is confident of winning the gold.

"Right now, I don't have the inferiority in strength with foreign opponents that I had in the past," Kawai recently told the Japanese press. "There are also those coming from non-[Olympic] weight classes, so everyone will be strong. I think the matches will be tough, but I've done a lot of hard training. I want the effects of that training to come out in the tournament. If I do that, I can definitely win."

Tynybekova KawaiYukaki KAWAI (JPN), right, won for the first time against Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) in February, 2020. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The rivalry has seen Tynybekova win their first encounter 8-6 in the final at the 2019 Asian Championships. Five months later, Tynybekova ended a close match with a fall in the third round at the World Championships. Another five months later, Kawai reduced the gap. The 23-year-old eked out a 6-1 at the 2020 Asian Championships in 2020.

But Tynybekova has experience on her side. She won title at the Yasur Dogu, Matteo Pellicone, Poland Open and Individual World Cup in 2020, and Asian Championships (in the absense of Japan and China) and Poland Open this year.

However, none of that will matter when she wrestle on Mat B at the Makuhari Messe Hall. Tynybekova has to start fresh, and she is motivated because of that loss in Rio.

“I am very grateful to those seven seconds,” Tynybekova told UWW. “If I hadn’t lost that match at the Olympics,  I wouldn’t have become the World Champion. Together with my coach, we wouldn’t have been able to write the history of Kyrgyzstan. In other words, I am thankful to that defeat, that’s the good side if it. If there hadn’t been the loss, there wouldn’t have been a victory.”