ATHENS, Greece (Sept. 6) – Women’s wrestling powerhouse Japan posted a near-perfect morning session on Wednesday, sending four of its five athletes to the semifinals, to open day three of the Cadet World Championships at Ano Liosia Olympic Hall.

Defending Cadet World champion Suzuna YOSHIMURA (JPN) led the Japanese effort with three masterful wins at 49kg. Yoshimura won her opening bout by pin, and followed with two 10-0 technical falls to secure a semifinal berth against past Cadet and Junior World bronze medalist Zeynep YETGIL (TUR).

Also earning semifinal slots for Japan were Umi ITO (JPN) at 43kg, Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) at 56kg and Honoka NAKAI (JPN) at 65kg. Of Japan’s 10 wins seven were decided by shutout technical fall and one came by pin.

Both Ito and Nami will receive top challenges from continental champions in the next round. Ito stares down Cadet European champion Roxana Alexandra TIF (ROU) in her semifinal. Nami’s road to the finals runs through Junior Asian champion Aina TEMIRTASSOVA (KAZ).

Cadet European medalists Mariia TOMYSHCH (UKR) and Tetiana PROFATILOVA (UKR) paved the way for a three-semifinalist day from Ukraine. Tomyshch is matched against Mamata Maruti KELOJI (IND) at 38kg, while Profatilova will face Mariia TIUMEREKOVA (RUS) at 49kg. The third Ukrainian semifinalist, Karina CHORNOMOR (UKR), takes on 2016 Cadet Pan American champion Emily SHILSON (USA) at 43kg.

On top of Shilson, the United States gained a second semifinalist in the form of returning Cadet World bronze medalist Alara BOYD (USA) at 65kg. Boyd’s semifinal opponent is Siyka Todorova IVANOVA (BUL).

Ida Emma Diana JOENSSON (SWE) won a critical quarterfinal bout against Gracie FIGUEROA (USA) at 56kg. Both Joensson and Figueroa were bronze medalists at last year’s Cadet World Championships held in Tbilisi, Georgia. Joensson now faces Cadet Asian bronze medalist Sonam SONAM (IND) for a place in the gold-medal match.

A rematch of the Cadet European finals will take place at 38kg as Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE) and Luchana BEKBAULOVA (RUS) are set to square off once more. Nazrova defeated Bekbaulova 10-0 to take the European crown in July.

Wrestling in conjunction with the women’s tournament were the remaining repechage participants on the Greco-Roman side. All medal matches have now been set for tonight’s Greco-Roman finale.

The competition will resume from Athens at 17:30 with the women’s semifinals. The Greco-Roman finals at 42kg, 46kg, 69kg, 76kg and 85kg will immediately follow.

A live stream of the Cadet World Championships, in addition to schedule, brackets and results, are being provided on the United World Wrestling event page.

Greco-Roman Finals (42-46-69-76-85kg)

42kg (15 entries)

Gold – Hennadii ZAVERTAILO (UKR) vs. Gurban GURBANOV (AZE)

Bronze – Daniel Dimitrov PRAMATAROV (ITA) vs. Aleksei VLASOV (RUS)

Bronze – Yerassyl MAMYRBEKOV (KAZ) vs. Arshad ARSHAD (IND)

46kg (16 entries)

Gold – Vladyslav KUZKO (UKR) vs. Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE)

Bronze – Temur KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) vs. Nurzat KABDYRAKHIMOV (KAZ)

Bronze – Mukremin AKTAS (TUR) vs. Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (RUS)

69kg (25 entries)

Gold – Vladyslav KRAVCHENKO (UKR) vs. Ashu ASHU (IND)

Bronze – Joni Pekka KOMPPA (FIN) vs. Duran TOSUN (TUR)

Bronze – Galymbek NURGALI (KAZ) vs. Davit SOLOGASHVILI (GEO)

76kg (25 entries)

Gold – Mehran Seyed Jafar SAADATIFARD (IRI) vs. Istvan TAKACS (HUN)

Bronze – Nao KUSAKA (JPN) vs. Giorgi TSOPURASHVILI (GEO)

Bronze – Otto Eemeli KETONEN (FIN) vs. Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ)

85kg (28 entries)

Gold – Muhammed Furkan DURSUN (TUR) vs. Mukhammad EVLOEV (RUS)

Bronze – Alex Gergo SZOKE (HUN) vs. Luka ZAKARIADZE (GEO)

Bronze – Mohammad Ghorbanali NOSRATI (IRI) vs. Juho Matias PAHIKAINEN (FIN)

Women’s Wrestling Results (38-43-49-56-65kg)

38kg (12 entries)

Semifinal – Mariia TOMYSHCH (UKR) vs. Mamata Maruti KELOJI (IND) 

Semifinal – Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE) vs. Luchana BEKBAULOVA (RUS) 

Quarterfinal – Mamata Maruti KELOJI (IND) df. Le Giang LUC (VIE) by VFA, 4-3 

Quarterfinal – Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE) df. Karin UEMATSU (JPN) by VSU, 10-0 

Quarterfinal – Mariia TOMYSHCH (UKR) df. Julieta Esperanza MARTINEZ GONZALEZ (MEX) by VPO1, 8-7 

Quarterfinal – Luchana BEKBAULOVA (RUS) df. Dimitrinka Georgieva SERGEEVA (BUL) by VFA, 12-1

43kg (16 entries)

Semifinal – Umi ITO (JPN) vs. Roxana Alexandra TIF (ROU) 

Semifinal – Emily King SHILSON (USA) vs. Karina CHORNOMOR (UKR)

Quarterfinal – Emily King SHILSON (USA) df. Ayazhan MARKASHEVA (KAZ) by VSU1, 12-2 

Quarterfinal – Roxana Alexandra TIF (ROU) df. Enkhzul BATBAATAR (MGL) by VFA, 4-2 

Quarterfinal – Karina CHORNOMOR (UKR) df. Thi Oanh NGUYEN (VIE) by VPO1, 8-7 

Quarterfinal – Umi ITO (JPN) df. Neelam NEELAM (IND) by VFA, 12-0

49kg (19 entries)

Semifinal – Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) vs. Suzuna YOSHIMURA (JPN) 

Semifinal – Mariia TIUMEREKOVA (RUS) vs. Tetiana PROFATILOVA (UKR)

Quarterfinal – Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) df. Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA) by VFA, 6-2 

Quarterfinal – Tetiana PROFATILOVA (UKR) df. Shu Fen TSAI (TPE) by VFA, 4-0 

Quarterfinal – Suzuna YOSHIMURA (JPN) df. Natallia VARAKINA (BLR) by VSU, 10-0 

Quarterfinal – Mariia TIUMEREKOVA (RUS) df. Thi Phuong NGUYEN (VIE) by VSU, 10-0

56kg (23 entries)

Semifinal – Ida Emma Diana JOENSSON (SWE) vs. Sonam SONAM (IND) 

Semifinal – Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) vs. Angelika Agnieszka MYTKOWSKA (POL)

Quarterfinal – Sonam SONAM (IND) df. Irina RINGACI (MDA) by VPO1, 9-6 

Quarterfinal – Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) df. Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) by VPO1, 10-2 

Quarterfinal – Ida Emma Diana JOENSSON (SWE) df. Gracie Marie FIGUEROA (USA) by VFA, 4-2 

Quarterfinal – Angelika Agnieszka MYTKOWSKA (POL) df. Laura GOMEZ VIZCAINO (ESP) by VFA, 12-2

65kg (23 entries)

Semifinal – Siyka Todorova IVANOVA (BUL) vs. Alara Lea BOYD (USA) 

Semifinal – Aina TEMIRTASSOVA (KAZ) vs. Honoka NAKAI (JPN)

Quarterfinal – Alara Lea BOYD (USA) df. Nyla Raeleen BURGESS (CAN) by VSU, 11-0 

Quarterfinal – Honoka NAKAI (JPN) df. Viktoryia Alesia DZEHTSIARENKA (BLR) by VPO1, 4-2 

Quarterfinal – Siyka Todorova IVANOVA (BUL) df. Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK) by VPO1, 4-2 

Quarterfinal – Aina TEMIRTASSOVA (KAZ) df. Tina TINA (IND) by VPO, 8-0