#WrestleTokyo

#WrestleTokyo Women's Wrestling Previews

Thursday, June 24, 2021 - 02:31 By United World Wrestling Press

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Women’s Wrestling Previews

50kg
In one of those wild twists of fate that adds to the appeal of sports, Yanan SUN (CHN) and Mariya STADNIK (AZE) can be indirectly credited with helping Yui SUSAKI (JPN) get to the Tokyo Olympics.

Now those two and the rest of the field in the women's 50kg division will have to contend with the unintended result of their largesse. Although unseeded, Susaki will be the prohibitive favorite when they all take to the mat at Makuhari Messe on Aug. 6-7.

FULL PREVIEW

53kg
Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) got over the physical pain she suffered at the Rio 2016 Olympics long before the emotional scars healed. Five years later, that bitter memory is fueling her quest to become India's first-ever Olympic wrestling gold medalist.

FULL PREVIEW

57kg
In her bid for a second straight Olympic title, Risako KAWAI (JPN) had to beat a fellow champion from the Rio 2016 Olympics just to make the Japanese team. At the Tokyo Games, she might have to contend with yet another Rio gold medalist.

Kawai, the top seed and reigning world champion at women's 57kg, faces a possible showdown with unseeded Helen MAROULIS (USA), whose stunning victory over the legendary Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) in the 53kg final made her the first American woman to win an Olympic wrestling gold and was one of the highlights of the Rio competition.

FULL PREVIEW

62kg
Since women's wrestling was added to the Olympic program in 2004, only six countries have won gold medals, with Japan the dominant power by winning 11 of the 18 handed out. At the Tokyo Olympics, the country with the best chance of joining that elite group is a small former Soviet republic in central Asia.

FULL PREVIEW

68kg
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."

FULL PREVIEW

76kg
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.

FULL PREVIEW

#BeachWrestling

Youth Olympic quotas in focus as Katerini hosts U17, U20 BW Worlds

Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - 08:47 By United World Wrestling Press

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KATERINI, Greece (September 23) -- Thirty countries, close to 300 wrestlers, a global glory and a Youth Olympic dream.

Over two days this week, on September 25 and 26, the world’s best age-group beach wrestlers descend upon the scenic Katerini Beach, where the sun sets behind the imposing Mount Olympus. In this postcard-perfect surroundings, they will hope to write their scripts at the U17 and U20 World Championships.

The tournament will be live on the YouTube channel of United World Wrestling's Beach Wrestling channel.

The championships will be taken into consideration for quotas for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games qualifier, adding another layer of significance to the U17 event.

United World Wrestling has received a request for quotas from more than 100 National Olympic Committees with a total of 300 male and 269 female wrestlers. Currently, there are 48 quotas per gender. In this context, the World Championships in Katerini will add excitement to the race for the Youth Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in Dakar.

The U17 and U20 World Championships will be held across eight weight classes each in men’s and women’s categories. Last year, Ukraine and the United States reigned supreme in the men’s and women’s events, respectively, of the U17 World Championships. This year, too, they will be among the favorites to lift the team titles.

Once again, this year, Ukraine has entered a jumbo team with eight wrestlers in the U17 men’s competition. Only hosts Greece (12), Georgia (11), and Moldova (9) have a contingent bigger than theirs. On the women’s side, the USA has fielded the largest delegation among the 24 teams, with 9 wrestlers. In Beach Wrestling, a country can register a maximum of 3 athletes per weight category.

It won’t be so straightforward for both teams to retain their titles, with challengers emerging from other nations, particularly hosts Greece, who would hope to put on a good show in front of their home crowd. Romania, Moldova, Georgia and Iran will remain strong contenders despite Ukraine's legacy in the competition, especially the women's.

Earlier this month, the U15, U17 and U20 African Beach Wrestling Championships were held in Casablanca, where Algeria bagged the U17 men’s and women’s titles. The serene Ain Diab beach in the Moroccan capital hosted the age-group tournaments before the Beach Wrestling World Series, marking the first time the event was held in an African city.

Soon after the U17 and U20 Beach World Championships, the Katerini Beach will host the World Series on September 27 and 28. The penultimate stop of the event is set to be the biggest of the 2025 season so far in terms of participation. There have been a record number of entries, underlining the sport’s continued global growth.

The World Series will return to Africa in October for its final instalment of this season, when the tournament will be held in Alexandria, Egypt, on October 18 and 19.