#WrestleKyiv21

XXIV Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial Entries

By Eric Olanowski

The XXIV Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial Entries will take place in Kyiv on February 26-28 and will feature nearly 600 participants from 33 different nations.

WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVhm78Vnhay9CDvwKxN6jKq6w5UqNP3TG

57kg
Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG)
Karen ZURABYAN (ARM) 
Afgan KHASHALOV (AZE) 
Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE) 
Aryian TIUTRIN (BLR) 
Dzimchyk RYNCHYNAU (BLR) 
Dzmitry SHAMELA (BLR) 
Mikyay NAIM (BUL) 
Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO) 
Otari GOGAVA (GEO) 
Niklas STECHELE( GER) 
Ali GHOLI ZADEGAN KOLOUKHI (IRI) 
Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ)
Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR (KGZ)
Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ)
Petru CRACIUN (MDA) 
Andrei DUKOV (ROU) 
Razvan-Marian KOVACS (ROU) 
Nils LEUTERT (SUI) 
Andrii YATSENKO (UKR)
Kamil KERYMOV (UKR)
Roman GUTSULIAK (UKR)
Serhii TERZI (UKR)
Taras MARKOVYCH (UKR)
Nodirjon Safarov (UZB)

61kg
Razmik PAPIKYAN (ARM) 
Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE) 
Intigam VALIZADE (AZE) 
Lachinau ASADULLA (BLR) 
Uladzislau KOIKA (BLR) 
Arman ELOYAN (FRA) 
Beka LOMTADSZE (GEO) 
Teimuraz VANISHVILI (GEO) 
Viktor LUZEN (GER) 
Richard VILHELM (HUN) 
Ikromzhon KHADZHIMURADOV (KGZ)
Leonid COLESNIC (MDA) 
Ivan GUIDEA (ROU) 
Nino LEUTERT (SUI) 
Ali KARABOGA (TUR) 
Cabbar DUYUM (TUR) 
Saban KIZILTAS (TUR) 
Andrii DZHELEP (UKR)
Oleksandr EVSEENKO (UKR)
Valentyn BLIASETSKII (UKR)
Volodymyr BURUKOV (UKR)
Angelo RINI (USA) 

Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN), a '19 world bronze medalist, will compete at 65kg. (Photo: Kadir Calisan)

65kg
Amar LAISSAOUI (ALG)
Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) 
Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE) 
Dzabrayil GADZHIEV (AZE) 
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) 
Andre BEKRENEU (BLR) 
Dzianis SALAVEI (BLR) 
Niurgun SKRIABIN (BLR) 
Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) 
Juan Pablo GONZALEZ (ESP) 
Marwane YEZZA (FRA) 
Quentin STICKER (FRA) 
Davit TLASHADZE (GEO) 
Giorgi TCHOLADZE (GEO) 
Shmagi TODUA (GEO) 
Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) 
Aibek TOKTOGUL (KGZ)
Alibek OSMANOV (KGZ)
Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
Maxim SAGULTAN (MDA) 
Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU) 
Stefan-Iounut COMAN (ROU) 
Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) 
Andrii SVYRYD (UKR)
Denys BOROGAN (UKR)
Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR)
Gor OHANNESIAN (UKR)
Ivan BILEICHUK (UKR)
Mykyta GONCHAROV (UKR)
Petro BILEICHUK (UKR)
Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR)
Vitalii GODYNA (UKR)

70kg
Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) 
Aliaksandr PAULIUCHENKA (BLR) 
Dillon WILLIAMS (CAN) 
Mirza SKHULUKHIA (GEO) 
Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) 
Alehander SEMISOROV (GER) 
Daniel ANTAL (HUN) 
Erfan ELAHI (IRI) 
Hertz HOROWITZ (ISR) 
Islambek OROZBEKOV (KGZ)
Gheorghe ROBU (MDA) 
Mihail SAVA (MDA) 
Tobias PORTMANN (SUI) 
Daniel CHOMANIC (SVK) 
Selahattin KILIÇSALLAYAN (TUR) 
Andrii NUGUMANOV (UKR)
Igor NYKYFORUK (UKR)
Ivan KUSYAK (UKR)
Maksym LAVROV (UKR)
Mykhailo GURSKYI (UKR)
Oleksii BORUTA (UKR)
Yegor MURADYAN (UKR)
Connor KIEVMAN (USA) 

74kg
Ishak BOUKHORS (ALG)
Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM) 
Varuzhan KAJOYAN (ARM) 
Simon MARCHL (AUT) 
Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE) 
Azamat NURIKAU (BLR) 
Ali-Pasha UMARPASHAEV (BUL) 
Miroslav KIROV (BUL) 
Jasmit PHULKA (CAN) 
Jonathan ALVAREZ (ESP) 
Pablo GARCIA(ESP) 
Charles AFA (FRA) 
Giorgi SULAVA (GEO) 
Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) 
Lennard WICKEL (GER) 
Csaba VIDA (HUN) 
Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) 
Mohammadsadegh FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI) 
Mitch FINESILVER (ISR) 
Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ)
Elaman DOGDURBEK (KGZ)
Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA) 
Stanislav NOVAC (MDA) 
Vasile DIASON (MDA) 
Andrzej SOKALSKI (POL) 
Kamil RYBYCKI (POL) 
Marcin MAJKA (POL) 
Mateusz KAMPIK (POL) 
Patrick OLENCZYN (POL) 
Maxim VASILIOGLO (ROU) 
Zurab KAPRAEV (ROU) 
Marc DIETSCHE (SUI) 
Soner DEMİRTAS (TUR) 
Ali ZAKARIIEV (UKR)
Denys PAVLOV (UKR)
Kasum KASUMOV (UKR)
Semen RADULOV (UKR)
Vadym KURYLENKO (UKR)
Yevgenii DYBOVYI (UKR)
Zelimkhan TOGUZOV (UKR)
David BERKOVICH (USA)

79kg
Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) 
Rashad YUSIFLI (AZE) 
Toghrul ASGAROV (AZE) 
Andrei KARPACH (BLR) 
Yahor AKULICH (BLR) 
Oktay HASAN (BUL) 
Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA) 
Nika KENTCHADZE(GEO) 
Tariel GAPHRINDAS HVILI (GEO) 
Zurab ERBOTSONASHVILI (GEO) 
Milan MESTER (HUN) 
Hamidreza ZARINPEYKAR (IRI) 
Narbek IZABEKOV (KGZ)
Saiakbai USUPOV (KGZ)
Andrius MAZEIKA (LTU) 
Omarskhab NAZHMUDINOV (ROU) 
Vasile-Mandalin MINZALA (ROU) 
Jakub SYKORA (SVK) 
Abdullah ARSLAN (TUR) 
Abdulvasi BALTA (TUR) 
Ramazan SARI (TUR) 
Tarik GUR (TUR) 
Maksym BRES (UKR)
Nazar BOHDANETS (UKR)
Valentyn BABII (UKR)
Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR)
Viacheslav KOPOT (UKR)

Ali SHABANAU (BLR), a four-time world bronze medalist, highlights the entries at 86kg. (Photo: Martin Gabor)

86kg
Hovhannes MKHITARYAN (ARM) 
Benjamin GREIL (AUT) 
Ali SHABANAU (BLR) 
Raman CHYTADZE (BLR) 
Rasul TSIKHAYEU (BLR) 
Akhmed MAGAMAEV (BUL) 
Dzhemal ALI (BUL) 
Hunter LEE(CAN) 
Saba CHIKHRADZE (GEO) 
Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO) 
Ahmed DUDAROV (GER) 
Georgios SAVVOULIDIS (GRE) 
Amirhossein FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI) 
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR) 
Mirlan CHYNYBEKOV (KGZ)
Nurtilek KARYPBAEV (KGZ)
Edgaras VOITECHOVSKIS (LTU) 
Piotr IANULOV (MDA) 
Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL) 
Stefan REICHMUTH (SUI) 
Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) 
Boris MAKOEV (SVK) 
Selim YASAR (TUR) 
Demid KARACHENKO (UKR)
Illia ARCHAIA (UKR)
Khasan ZAKARIIEV (UKR)
Mraz DZHAFARIAN (UKR)
Mukhammed ALIIEV (UKR)
Nazar Dod (UKR)
Oleksii SHCHERBAK (UKR)
Rustam DUDAIEV (UKR)
Vladyslav PRUS (UKR)

92kg
Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) 
Amarhaji MAHAMEDAU (BLR) 
Arkadzi PAHASIAN (BLR) 
Haji RAJABAU (BLR) 
Irakli MTSITURI (GEO) 
Mohammad ALITABARFIROUZJAH (IRI) 
Doolotbek ZHAMGYRBEK (KGZ)
Mihai-Nicolae PALAGHIA (ROU) 
Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) 
Arif OZEN (TUR) 
Andrii VLASOV (UKR)
Glib GRYNCHENKO (UKR)
Roman RYCHKO (UKR)

London Olympic champion Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) will wrestle at 97kg. (Photo: Martin Gabor)

97kg
Mohammed FARDJ (ALG)
Marzpet GALSTYAN (ARM) 
Islam ILYASOV (AZE) 
Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) 
Vasil PAULIUCHENKA (BLR) 
Ahmed BATAEV (BUL) 
Elisbar ODIKADZE (GEO) 
Zuriko URTASHVILI (GEO) 
Wladimir REMEL (GER) 
Timofei XENIDIS (GRE) 
Symbat SULAIMANOV (KGZ)
Lukas KRASAUSKAS (LTU) 
Radu LEFTER (MDA) 
Albert SARITOV (ROU) 
Michael MANEA (ROU) 
Suleyman KARADENİZ (TUR) 
Daniil PIDLYPINETS (UKR)
Danylo STASIUK (UKR)
Ivan MALIN (UKR)
Magamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR)
Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR)
Valerii ANDRIITSEV (UKR)
Vasyl SOVA (UKR)

125kg
Djahid BERRAHAL (ALG)
Hovhannes MAGHAKYAN (ARM) 
Yuri PATRIKEEV (ARM) 
Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT) 
Vaxid GALAYEEV (AZE) 
Vitali PIASNIAK (BLR) 
Islam ADIZOV (BUL) 
Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) 
Asghar LAGHARI (GER) 
Daniel LIGETI (HUN) 
Lior ALTSHULER (ISR) 
Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ)
Samhan JABRAILOV (MDA) 
Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL) 
Enes KAAN SÖKELEN (TUR) 
Hüseyin SOGUKOGLU (TUR) 
Oktay GUNGOR (TUR) 
Paşa EKREM KARABULUT (TUR) 
Artem GASHENKO (UKR)
Danylo KARTAVYI (UKR)
Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKII (UKR)
Oleksandr KOLDOVSKYI (UKR)
Vazha DAIAURI (UKR)
Yurii IDZINSKII (UKR)

'19 world champion Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) will compete at 55kg. (Sachiko Hotaka)

Greco-Roman

55kg
Rudik MKRTCHYAN (ARM) 
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) 
Ramaz SILAGAVA (GEO) 
Sajjad ABBASPOURRAGANI (IRI) 
Nurmukhmmet ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR)
Taras KRUPSKYI (UKR)
Viacheslav BAYRAKTAR (UKR)
Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) 
Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) 

60kg 
Abdeldjebbar DJEBBARI (ALG)
Abdelkrim FERGAT (ALG)
Armen MELIKYAN (ARM) 
Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) 
Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) 
Ivo ANGELOV (BUL) 
Adam MACFADYEN (CAN) 
Andy JUAN (ESP) 
Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO) 
Dato CHKHARTISHVILI (GEO) 
Gizo MELADZE (GEO) 
Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO) 
Ali Reza NEJATI (IRI) 
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
Andrii SEMENCHUK (UKR)
Andriy MARTYNYUK (UKR)
Ihor KUROCHKIN (UKR)
Mykhaylo STUPIN (UKR)
Mykola YAKHONTOV (UKR)
Viktor PETRYK (UKR)
Vladyslav KUZKO (UKR)

63kg
Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) 
Murad HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) 
Yasin OZAY (FRA) 
Leri ABULADZE (GEO) 
Levan KAVJARADZE (GEO) 
Armin MOHEB SABET (IRI) 
Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ)
Kerem KAMAL (TUR) 
Hevorh ARZUMANIUAN (UKR)
Maksym LIU (UKR)
Myroslav SOLOVIAN (UKR)
Nasrullakh NASIBOV (UKR)
Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR)
Vasyl VASYLKIVSKYI (UKR)

67kg
Abdelmalek MERABET (ALG)
Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) 
Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) 
Deivid DIMITROV (BUL) 
Ivo ILIEV (BUL) 
Daniel COLES (CAN) 
Marcos SANCHEZ-SILVA (ESP) 
Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) 
Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO) 
Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) 
Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) 
Mohammad ELYASI (IRI)  
Seyed Danial SOHRAB I(IRI) 
Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ)
Marlen ASIKEEV (KGZ)
Anton KUTSENKO (UKR)
Dmytro MIROSHNYK (UKR)
Edem SALIIEV (UKR)
Oleksandr DERKACH (UKR)
Oleksii MASYK (UKR)
Ruslan KUDRYNETS (UKR)
Serhii HRUSHYN (UKR)
Vitaliy FUGLAYEV (UKR)
Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) 
Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) 
Mirzobek RAKHMATOV (UZB)

72kg
Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) 
Vladislav MANKEVICH (BLR) 
Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) 
Otar ABULADZE (GEO) 
Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) 
Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) 
Atakan YUKSEL (TUR) 
Andrii KULYK (UKR)
Dmytro PYNKOV (UKR)
Ihor BYCHKOV (UKR)
Mykyta POLITAIEV (UKR)
Vladyslav KRAVCHENKO (UKR)

Two-time world medalist Mohammadali "The Falcon" GERAEI (IRI) is entered at 77kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

77kg
Abdelkrim OUAKALI (ALG)
Karapet CHALYAN (ARM) 
Varuzhan GRIGORYAN (ARM) 
Mikita KAZAKOU (BLR) 
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) 
Stoyan KUBATOV (BUL) 
Jair Alexis CUERO MUNOZ (COL) 
Yuisralembert CARRION (ESP) 
Johnny BUR (FRA) 
Bakuri GOGOLI (GEO) 
Sachino DAVITAIA (GEO) 
Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) 
Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) 
Roman ZHERNOVETSKI (ISR) 
Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Kairatbek TUGOLBAEV (KGZ)
Marcel STERKEUBURG (NED) 
Dmytro PYSHKOV (UKR)
Elmar NURALIIEV (UKR)
Oleksandr KUKHTA (UKR)
Pavlo MOLNAR (UKR)
Volodymyr YAKOVLIEV (UKR)
Yasaf ZEINALOV (UKR)

82kg
Artavazd VARDANYAN (ARM) 
Rosian DERMANSKI (BUL) 
Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO) 
Demuri KAVTARADZE (GEO) 
Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) 
Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ)
Artem MATIASH (UKR)
Dmytro GARDUBEI (UKR)
Hlib SKOROFATOV (UKR)
Iurii SKRIUBA (UKR)
Ivan KRAICHEV (UKR)
Oleksii OSNIACH (UKR)
Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB)

Reigning European champion Semen NOVIKOV (UKR) highlights the entries at 87kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

87kg
Bachir SID AZARA (ALG)
Gevorg TADEVOSIYAN (ARM) 
Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) 
Svetoslav NIKOLOV (BUL) 
Tarek ABDELSLAM (BUL) 
Yoan DIMITROV (BUL) 
Yiannis NARLIDIS (CAN) 
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) 
Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) 
Tornike DZAMASHVILI (GEO) 
Ramin TAHERISARTANG (IRI) 
Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ)
Tyrone STERKENDURG (NED) 
Andrii ANTONIUK (UKR)
Davyd SHADT (UKR)
Dmytro KIYASHOK (UKR)
Ruslan KONIEV (UKR)
Ruslan MAHOMEDOV (UKR)
Semen NOVIKOV (UKR)
Serhii OMELIN (UKR)
Vitalii ANDRIIOVYCH (UKR)

97kg
Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG)
Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) 
Artur SHAHINYAN (ARM) 
Kiril MILOV (BUL) 
Jesus GASCA (ESP) 
Giorgi MELIA (GEO) 
Irakli KAJAIA (GEO) 
Revazi NADAREISHVILI (GEO) 
Mehdi BALIHAMZEDEN (IRI) 
Beksultan MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ)
Metehan BASAR (TUR) 
Andrii DEHTIAROV (UKR)
Oleksandr YEVDOKIMOV (UKR)
Valentyn SHKLIARENKO (UKR)
Vladlen KOZLUYK (UKR)
Yevhenii SAVETA (UKR)
Zielimkhan DZIHASOV (UKR)
Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB)

130kg
Hichem KOUCHIT (ALG)
David OVASAPYAN (ARM) 
Radoslav GEORGIEV (BUL) 
Jakob KAJAIA (GEO) 
Levani ARABULI (GEO) 
Zviadi PATARIDZE (GEO) 
Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) 
Amir GHASEMIMONJEZI (IRI) 
Roman KIM (KGZ)
Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR)
Oleksandr CHERNETSKYY (UKR)
Sviatoslav KALASHNIKOV (UKR)
Vladyslav KOVALENKO (UKR)
Vladyslav VORONYI (UKR)
Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) 

'19 world champion Aiusuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) will make her first appearance since winning gold at the '20 Individual World Cup. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling

50kg 

Ibtissem DOUDOU (ALG)
Turkan NASIROVA (AZE) 
Natallia VARAKINA (BLR) 
Viyaleta REBIKAVA-CHYRYK (BLR) 
Madison PARK (CAN) 
Jekaterina JERMALONOKA (LAT) 
Kamile SERNAUSKATE (LTU) 
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) 
Ramona ERIKSEN (NOR) 
Agata WALERZAK (POL) 
Anna ŁUKASIAK (POL) 
Iwona MATKOWSKA (POL) 
Emilia-Alina VUC (ROU) 
Stefania-Claudia PRICEPUTU (ROU) 
Aynur ERGE (TUR) 
Bohdana YASHCHUK (UKR)
Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR)
Oksana LIVACH (UKR)
Veronika MOSKALOVA (UKR)
Yana SOROKA (UKR)
Dauletbike YAKHSHIMURATOVA (UZB) 
Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)

53kg 
Lamia CHEMLAL (ALG)
Leyla GURBANOVA (AZE) 
Tatyana VARANSOVA (AZE) 
Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) 
Sezen BELBEROVA (BUL) 
Diana WEICKER (CAN) 
Samanta STEWART (CAN) 
Marina RUEDA (ESP) 
Iulia LEORDA (MDA) 
Silje Knutsen KIPPERNES (NOR) 
Alicja CZYŻOWICZ (POL) 
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) 
Roksana ZASINA (POL) 
Andreea-Beatrice ANA (ROU) 
Esra PUL (TUR) 
Zeynep YETGİL (TUR) 
Iryna HUSYAK (UKR)
Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR)
Liliya HORISHNA (UKR)
Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB) 

55kg
Othelie Annette HOEIE (NOR) 
Anastasiia KRAVCHENKO (UKR)
Anna VOITOVA (UKR)
Khrystyna-Zoryana DEMKO (UKR)
Nataliia KLIVCHUTSKA (UKR)
Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)
Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB)

Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) will compete for the first time since closing out the year with gold at the '20 Individual World Cup. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

57kg
Rayan HOUFAF (ALG)
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) 
Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) 
Giullia RODRIGUES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) 
Biliana DUDOVA (BUL) 
Tianna KENNETT (CAN) 
Graciela SANCHEZ (ESP) 
Maria Victoria BAEZ (ESP) 
Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ)
Sezim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) 
Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR) 
Angelina ŁYSAK (POL) 
Jowita WRZESIEŃ (POL) 
Magdalena GŁODEK (POL) 
Patrycja GIL (POL) 
Bediha GUN (TUR) 
Mehlika OZTURK (TUR) 
Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR)
Iryna KHARIV (UKR)
Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)
Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB) 
Sevara ESHMURATOVA (UZB) 
Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) 

59kg
Ineta DANTAITE (LTU) 
Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR)
Laura Sofia AAK (NOR) 
Mariana CHERDIVARA (MDA) 
Nazira MARSBEK KYZY (KGZ)
Oksana MOSKALOVA (UKR)
Sofiia BODNAR (UKR)
Yuliia LISOVSKA (UKR)

62kg 
Amel HAMMICHE (ALG)
Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE) 
Krystsina SAZYKINA (BLR) 
Tatsiana PAULAVA (BLR) 
Veranika IVANOVA (BLR) 
Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) 
Jessica BROUILLETTE (CAN) 
Michelle FEZZARI (CAN) 
Jackeline CASTILLO (COL) 
Lydia PEREZ (ESP) 
Aiusuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Alina Aleksandra ANTIPOVA (LAT) 
Aleksandra WÓLCZYŃSKA (POL) 
Katarzyna MĄDROWSKA (POL) 
Natalia KUBATY (POL) 
Kriszta-Tuende INCZE (ROU) 
Asli TUGCU (TUR) 
Cansu AKSOY (TUR) 
Antonyna KULAHINA (UKR)
Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR)
Tetiana RІZHKO (UKR)
Yuliia TKACH (UKR)
Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB) 
Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB) 
Rushana ABDIRASULOVA (UZB) 

65kg
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) 
Irina RINGACI (MDA) 
Henna JOHANSSON (SWE) 
Anastasia OSTAPYK (UKR)
Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR)
Mariia ILCHYSHYN (UKR)
Oksana KUKHTA (UKR)

'20 Individual World Cup champ Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) will compete at 68kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

68kg
Irina NETREBA (AZE) 
Hanna SADCHANKA (BLR) 
Maria MAMASHUK (BLR) 
Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) 
Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) 
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Elma ZEIDLERE (LAT) 
Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU) 
Agnieszka WIESZCZEK –KORDUS (POL) 
Natalia STRZAŁKA (POL) 
Alexandra-Nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU) 
Asli DEMİR (TUR) 
Buse TOSUN (TUR) 
Nesrin BAS (TUR) 
Alina BEREZHNA (UKR)
Alina RUDNYTSKA (UKR)
Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR)
Anna MAZURKEVYCH (UKR)
Oksana CHUDYK (UKR)
Oryna BILOUS (UKR)
Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB) 

72kg
Gozal ZUTOVA (AZE) 
Alla BELINSKA (UKR)
Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)
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#JapanWrestling

Kinjo earns shot at 4th world title, but it won't be part of sister act

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (May 26) -- It may not be Paris, but given what it took for Risako KINJO to get there, the Albanian capital of Tirana will do just fine.

Already denied a chance at winning a third Olympic gold medal, Kinjo created her own chance for some consolation by earning a shot at a fourth career world title by qualifying for Japan's team to this fall's Non-Olympic Weight Class World Championships.

The only downside for Kinjo is that younger sister Yukako TSUNEMURA won't be accompanying her as a competitor, meaning there would be no repeat of their sibling double at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics where they won golds together under their maiden name of KAWAI.

Kinjo needed a dramatic, last-second victory in a playoff over 18-year-old Sakura ONISHI to secure a ticket at women's 59kg to the non-Olympic worlds to be held October 28-31 in Tirana.

jpnRisako KINJO celebrates her victory in the 59kg playoff over teenager Sakura ONISHI. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

That win avenged a loss earlier in the day to 2023 world U17 champion Onishi during the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships -- the second of two domestic qualifiers for Tirana held May 23-26 in Tokyo -- to set up the playoff.

"My desire to go to the World Championships was so strong," Kinjo said. "If I didn't do it, I would be regretting it for the next year. It was a desperate situation."

Tsunemura, whose marriage on New Year's Day got off to an ominous start when a devastating earthquake struck her home prefecture hours later, saw her bid at 65kg end with a quarterfinal loss to Miwa MORIKAWA, who went on to win the title and a playoff to get the chance to regain the world gold she won in 2022.

Japan will also have strong representation in the two other women's weight classes, with newly crowned Asian champion Moe KIYOOKA at 55kg and 2022 world 68kg silver medalist Ami ISHII at 72kg -- teammates at Ikuei University -- also making it through the playoff route.

The former Kawai sisters have been through hard times since their dual triumph in Tokyo, where Risako captured the 57kg gold and Yukako triumphed at 62kg.

Both took time off after the Olympics, with Risako getting married, then giving birth to a daughter in May 2022. By the time both returned to the mat, formidable newcomers had emerged in the race to the Paris Olympics.

Both fell in the qualifying process -- Kinjo to world 57kg champion Tsugumi SAKURAI and Tsunemura to world 62kg bronze medalist Sakura MOTOKI (notably also Ikuei wrestlers). Tsunemura also made a long-shot attempt at 68kg, but came up short there as well.

"After the Tokyo Olympics, I couldn't win for awhile," Kinjo said. "It made me realize just what a big deal it is to win at the Olympics."

After giving birth, Kinjo returned to the mat in late 2022 at 59kg in preparation for a run to Paris at 57kg. She won the title at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships that year, but her bid for Paris ended at the 2023 Meiji Cup. She also lost a playoff at 59kg for the 2023 World Championships.

In December last year, Kinjo retained her 59kg title at the Emperor's Cup, which earned her a ticket to the Asian Championships last April in Bishkek. She would take home a bronze after being dealt a tough 1-1 loss by world champion Qi ZHANG (CHN) in a quarterfinal limited to activity points.

As Emperor's Cup champion, Kinjo would have automatically clinched a place on the team to the non-Olympic worlds with a victory at the Meiji Cup. But Kinjo was dealt an 8-4 loss in the semifinals by Onishi, in which she gave up a 4-point front body lock throw. When Onishi won the title, it set up a rematch in the playoff.

Kinjo was emboldened by recalling the grueling qualifying process that she went through to get to the Tokyo Olympics when she had to endure classic battles with four-time Olympic champion Kaori ICHO to earn the spot.

"Before the playoff, I thought, 'The qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics was a hundred times tougher. To have gone through that, nothing seems difficult."

jpn2Risako KINJO fights off a takedown attempt by Sakura ONISHI in the 59kg playoff. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Onishi, currently a freshman at Nippon Sports Science University where Icho is among her coaches, made it as hard as she could, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first period with a pair of takedowns, the second off a nice ankle pick, and a penalty point for an illegal knee hold.

Onishi added a stepout to start the second period before Kinjo finally made her presence known, going behind for a takedown and adding a 2-point exposure to cut the lead to 6-4. From there, experience kicked in for the 29-year-old who captured back-to-back golds at the 2016 Rio and 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

"With a minute left, I thought that even if I was the aggressor, it would be to my disadvantage against an opponent who is a student and very lively," Kinjo said. "When 30 seconds, 20 seconds left, I put it all on the line for going to the World Championships."

With :15 on the clock, Kinjo got in on a single and managed to lift up the leg and expose Onishi's back with 8 seconds left, putting her ahead 6-6 on criteria. But Onishi squirmed back to her feet and with a mighty charge, went for a double-leg takedown that forced Kinjo out just as time expired. The referee gave her 1 for a stepout, but after an agonizing wait for the challenge review, it was nullified as Kinjo's foot was just centimeters from the edge when the clock hit all zeroes.

"I didn't have a strategy," Kinjo said. "Having wrestled for over 20 years, at my age, more than what move should I use, or how should I attack, the most important thing is being mentally ready."

jpn3Miwa MORIKAWA, right, keeps the pressure on Yukako TSUNEMURA in the 65kg playoff. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Two days earlier, her sister pulled off a similar miracle to start her bid at 65kg, but couldn't make the magic last.

Tsunemura avenged a loss at the Emperor's Cup to Miyu YOSHIKAWA when, like Kinjo, she scored an exposure off a single leg in the final seconds for a 5-4 victory, after having given up a go-ahead takedown with :45 remaining.

But Tsumemura said she heard her knee pop in the match, and the subsequent pain hampered her in a 5-1 quarterfinal loss to Morikawa, who scored three stepouts in the first period and stopped a late front headlock roll attempt for a 2-point exposure. Morikawa went on to win the title, then defeated Emperor's Cup and Asian champion Mahiro YOSHITAKE 8-0 in the world playoff.

"Of course I wanted to go the World Championships, but this tournament was more about erasing the disappointing memories from the last year," Tsunemura said.

New Year of celebration, calamity

Like families throughout Japan, the Kawai clan had gathered for the New Year's holidays at the family home in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on the snowy northern coast of Japan.

On January 1, Yukako and mixed martial arts fighter Toshinori TSUNEMURA went to the municipal office in the nearby city of Tsubata and registered their marriage.

Four hours later, the ground began to shake violently.

The major earthquake that measured 7 on the Japanese intensity scale left over 200 dead and caused massive damage to homes, buildings and infrastructure, exacerbated by a tsunami and fires. Even now, thousands remain in temporary shelters.

"I'm not going to be so flippant as to say to people, 'I'm fighting hard, so please keep fighting,'" Kinjo said. "Their hardship is completely different. Many homes were destroyed and they can't go back. Someone near us had just finished construction of their house and it was damaged.

"But if [my winning] can give them some good news and it warms their hearts even a little, that would be good."

Tsunemura also was hoping to boost the spirits of her hometown.

"The big earthquake hit in January, but there are many people who suffered much more than me," she said. "Even if I lose, I think there are people who are heartened by seeing me give my best."

The sisters, who both went to then-powerhouse Shigakkan University in central Japan, currently reside in Tokyo. They train at Nihon University, where they are taking online graduate school classes.

Tsunemura said that in her studies of sports psychology, she uses her own notes on her mindset that she kept up to and during the Tokyo Olympics. She also said the program is giving her a broader outlook on life.

"Of course, I credit Shigakkan for making me strong in wrestling," she said. "But the daily schedule at Nihon University allows me to grow as a person. It has widened my view of the world.

"Wrestling is only something you can do when you're young, and the day is going to come when you call it quits. Your life after retirement will be longer. With that in mind, it makes me think that little by little I have to start looking ahead."

For now, the question of when -- or if  -- she will return to competition remains unanswered.

"I don't know when I will enter a tournament," Tsunemura said. "After the Olympics, I had come to despise wrestling, but I really like it. I don't intend to stop any time soon. I will let the injury heal and get back to practice, and if I want to compete again, I'll do it. I don't know whether I will have a match again, but I still like wrestling."

Kinjo, of course, has her dance card filled for October, when she will attempt to win her first world title since winning three straight from 2017 to 2019. (She also has a silver from 2015.)

Her appearance at the Asian Championships in April marked her first international match since the Tokyo Olympics, and as fate would have it, she was paired with China's Zhang right off the bat. The closeness of the loss reassured her that she could still be competitive.

"In the first round, I met the world champion from last year," Kinjo said. "Even though I lost, it was my first international tournament in three years since the Olympics, and it may be rude to say it, but I think it went better than expected. It made me think that I can still do it."

In hindsight, the defeat may have been a blessing in disguise, which was reinforced by her mother Hatsue, a member of Japan's team at the 1989 World Championships.

"Truthfully, if I had won the Asian title, it would have been a good way to go out. But I lost. I talked it over with my mother, and she said, 'You're going to keep going, right?' I felt that way, too."

Japan Wrestling Federation President Hideaki TOMIYAMA, a gold medalist at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, surmises that while motherhood may be an added burden for Kinjo, it is indirectly keeping her in the sport.

"It's likely that she wants her child to be able to see her mother during her career," Tomiyama said. "The Olympics was before she was born. Probably she wants to give the child something to remember. She can see with her own eyes and remember 'Mama was strong.' I think that's what keeps her going."

From the federation's perspective, having a past Olympic champion remain active is always a positive thing.

"Of course, her [making the national team] draws the attention for wrestling from the mass media," Tomiyama said. "Wrestling doesn't usually make the news. Becoming a topic of conversation is important. We're really happy to see her fighting on, and it will help in the spread of wrestling."

jpn4Moe KIYOOKA, right, works for a takedown in the 55kg playoff against world champion Haruna MURAYAMA. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Kiyooka inspired by Paris-bound brother

Like Kinjo, Kiyooka went into the tournament as the Emperor's Cup champion, only to lose her opening match -- also to a high schooler -- and have her fate decided in a playoff. One big difference was the level of her opponent.

Having bounced back from an 11-9 loss to 17-year-old Sowaka UCHIDA, Kiyooka proceeded to defeat reigning world champion Haruna MURAYAMA (nee OKUNO) 3-2 in the playoff, thanks to a second-period takedown.

Kiyooka's win over Murayama was a repeat of the Emperor's Cup final in December and allowed her to join Ikuei teammate Ishii on the plane to Tirana.

In Albania, Kiyooka will get a chance to join the small group of wrestlers who have won world titles on all four age levels. She won the U17 gold in 2019, and then captured both the U20 and U23 titles in 2022.

Kiyooka, a winner at the Zagreb Open in 2023, made her major senior debut at the Asian Championships, where her gold-medal performance came a week before brother Kotaro won the Asian Olympic qualifier at freestyle 65kg at the same venue in Bishkek.

"Recently, my brother's accomplishments have been a source of inspiration for me," Kiyooka said. "I believe that if I keep fighting to the end, I know I can definitely win."

Ishii was coming off a heartbreaking, last-second playoff loss in January to Nonoka OZAKI for the 68kg spot in Paris -- which she herself had won for Japan by placing fifth at the 2023 World Championships.

Ishii swept to the Meiji Cup gold at 72kg with a 10-0 victory in the final over former world champion Masako FURUICHI. That gave her the ticket to Tirana as there was no playoff because Emperor's Cup champion Ayano MORO did not enter.

jon4High schooler Taizo YOSHIDA, top, tries to turn Yuji OKAJIMA in the Greco 82kg final of the Meiji Cup. (Takeo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Most noteworthy in the men's styles was the victory at Greco 82kg by 18-year-old Taizo YOSHIDA, who followed up his historic gold-medal run at the Asian Championships by becoming just the third male high school champion in Meiji Cup history.

One year removed from winning the world U17 gold, Yoshida defeated three-time former champion Yuji OKAJIMA 8-0 in the final, then earned the place at the non-Olympic worlds when Hayato TAKAOKA -- who beat Yoshida in the Emperor's Cup final -- defaulted the playoff.

Yoshida will be 18 years and 10 months old when the non-Olympic worlds starts, making it possible for him to eclipse Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Takuto OTOGURO as Japan's youngest-ever male world champion. Otoguro was 19 years and 10 months old when he won the freestyle 65kg gold in 2018.

"At the World Championships, I will give everything I have and aim for a medal," said Yoshida, who will precede that by also appearing at the world U20 in September. "I will be a senior in college at the time of the Los Angeles Olympics. I feel like the fight has just begun."

Three Asian medalists in freestyle also made the cut -- Masanosuke ONO, a bronze medalist at 65kg, earned the spot at 61kg; Yoshinosuke AOYAGI will go at 70kg, where he was the silver medalist in Bishkek; and 74kg champion Kota TAKAHASHI will aim to strike gold at 79kg.

Takahashi will be heading to Tirana early, as he will also compete at 74kg at the world U23 to be held there the previous week.