#WrestleTokyo Olympic Games Preview: 76kg

Friday, July 23, 2021 - 20:41 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (July 23) -- Although the question from a Japanese reporter was clumsily translated as: "You didn't place in Rio, now this time is revenging against your loss...?", Adeline GRAY (USA) got the drift. But the normally outgoing, media-accommodating American only responded curtly, "Next question. We can move on."

Even with an American-record five world titles to her name, the mention of her quarterfinal loss at the 2016 Rio Olympics still manages to hit a nerve. Conversely, it also motivates Gray to rectify the lack of an Olympic gold when she takes the mat at the upcoming Tokyo Games.

Gray, the reigning world champion and No. 1 seed, is the favorite in win the women's 76kg class and finally claim that elusive gold, but she will have to do it in a stacked field just as determined to keep that from happening.

Looking to deny Gray will be the three other medalists from the 2019 World Championships -- silver medalist Hiroe MINAGAWA (JPN) and bronze-medal winners Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER) and Epp MAEE (EST) --as well as defending Olympic champion Erica WIEBE (CAN), former Olympic gold medalist Natalia VOROBIEVA (RUS), former world champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR)....the list goes on. It's not going to be easy.

Gray secured her ticket to Tokyo with a 4-2 win over Minagawa in the final at the 2019 worlds in Nur-Sultan, giving her a second straight. Her previous world golds had come in 2012 and back-to-back in 2014 and 2015.

Going into the 2016 Olympics, Gray hadn't lost a match in two years dating back to July 2014, when she lost in final of the Golden Grand Prix in Baku to Minagawa, who ended up not making Japan's team to Rio.

But then the impossible happened in Rio. In the quarterfinals, Gray admittedly wrestled too conservatively and gave up a late takedown to come out on the short end of a 4-1 decision to Vasilisa MARZALIUK (BLR), an opponent she had handily beaten a number of times.

"I haven’t had a loss in a long time," Gray was quoted as saying at the time. "I don’t even know what this is supposed to feel like."

Fast forward five years and Gray is again at the top of the field, now 30 years old and wiser. Soon after the 2019 worlds, she defeated Minagawa again at the World Cup, but knows she can't take the No. 2 seed for granted.

"I'm glad that Minagawa and I are on the separate sides of the bracket," Gray said during a recent interview with the Japanese media at the U.S. team base in central Japan. "We'll meet in the final hopefully.

"We wrestled in the final at the last world championships, and it was awesome to wrestle against Japan. Such a legacy within wrestling, especially women's wrestling, and it would be an honor to compete with her on home soil. Hopefully I'll come out on top."

The fact that there will be no spectators at the competition in Makuhari Messe somewhat nullifies the homecourt advantage for Minagawa. But Gray would certainly have welcomed even a partisan crowd.

"I was really looking forward to spectators," she said. "Japan always brings great crowds and great energy, and always a very respectful crowd as well. So I was looking forward to a kind of an enjoyment of sport.

"But I'm still happy that we get to have it on TV, and have the event, and I know people will be cheering from home. It will be just as exciting, it just won't have the same energy and buzz in the stadium."

Following the World Cup, Gray's pre-Olympic outings were limited to last two Pan American Championships, where she lost to Justine DI STASIO (CAN) in the 2020 final and won the tournament in 2021.

Di Stasio will not be in Tokyo after being beaten out by Wiebe at the Canadian trials to compete at the Pan American Olympic qualifier, which Wiebe won to keep alive her hopes of defending her Olympic crown.

Wiebe's bid to qualify for Tokyo at the 2019 worlds ended with a 4-3 loss in the quarterfinals to Maee. The 2018 world bronze medalist came back to triumph at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone tournament in a field that included no less than nine other wrestlers who will be in Tokyo.

The 32-year-old Wiebe defended her Matteo crown this year, and also took a bronze at the Poland Open, where she lost 1-1 in the semifinals to Rotter Focken.

Minagawa won her third career gold at the Asian Championships in 2020, then used the year delay of the Tokyo Games to take care of an old injury, undergoing surgery on her right knee in June 2020.

During the pandemic, she would spar with her husband, a former wrestler, in their garden to stay in shape and worked on building strength. "Compared to a year ago, I feel I've gained power," Minagawa said.

Minagawa is one example of the rare athlete who blooms late in their career. She did not win the first of her three consecutive world medals from 2017-19 until she was 30, and she will be making her Olympic debut at the matronly age of 33.

According to the JWF website, Minagawa had become disappointed with her lack of progress at one point and told her family in 2016 that she was going to retire. That took her parents by surprise. They had obtained passports for the first time in their lives for the express purpose of watching her at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, which she ended up missing due to injury.

A little while later, Minagawa suggested that since they got the passports anyway, maybe they all could take a vacation to Hawaii. Nothing doing, her father said, "We got these passports to go watch you."

That flipped a switch in Minagawa, as her father had never been the demanding type of parent when it came to her wrestling. She became further motivated when her father said: "The best thing is to give everything you've got and win. The next best thing is to give everything you've got and lose."

Vorobieva, 30, won the gold medal at 72kg at the 2012 London Olympics, then added a silver four years later in Rio at 68kg, losing in the final to Sara DOSHO (JPN).

After taking three years off for motherhood, she returned in 2019 and won a second world title, but in the non-Olympic weight of 72kg. She secured her place at a third Olympics by moving up to 76kg and winning the European Olympic qualifying tournament.

This year, Vorobieva placed second to Epp at the European Championships, then finished third at the Poland Open after losing to Epp again in the quarterfinals. She beat Tokyo-bound Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) for the bronze.

One wrestler who may not be regarded as a medal contender but deserves attention is Burmaa OCHIRBAT (MGL). She stands out not because she will be competing in her third Olympics, but because of which Olympics she has appeared in.

The 39-year-old Ochirbat is one of only two wrestlers from among the 48 who took part when women's wrestling made its Olympic debut with four weight classes at the 2004 Athens Games who were still active in 2020.

Ochirbat, who also appeared at the 2012 London Olympics, placed second to Medet Kyzy at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament to earn a ticket to her Tokyo.

A three-time world medalist with a silver in 2009 and bronzes in 2013 and 2014, Ochirbat had left the sport for three years after failing to qualify for Rio 2016. At the 2019 World Championships, she lost her opening match to Qian ZHOU (CHN).

For the record, the other Athens alumnus still going in 2020 was Svetlana SAENKO (MDA), who appeared at the European Championships that year. In Athens, Saenko finished fourth and Ochirbat 10th.

76kg
No. 1 Adeline Maria GRAY (USA)
No. 2 Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER)
No. 3 Hiroe MINAGAWA SUZUKI (JPN)
No. 4 Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ)
Epp MAEE (EST)
Qian ZHOU (CHN)
Samar Amer Ibrahim HAMZA (EGY)
Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)
Erica Elizabeth WIEBE (CAN)
Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA)
Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS)
Vasilisa MARZALIUK (BLR)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Burmaa OCHIRBAT (MGL)
Alla BELINSKA (UKR)
Yasemin ADAR (TUR)

#WrestleTokyo

With Kyrgyzstan Watching, Tynybekova Ready to Conquer Tokyo

Monday, August 2, 2021 - 23:13 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 Worlds Aisuluu 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 Kawai Yukaki 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.”

#WrestleTokyo Olympic Games Preview: 76kg

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With Kyrgyzstan Watching, Tynybekova Ready to Conquer Tokyo