Asian Championships Greco-Roman Preview

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 - 12:34 By Jimmy Pawelski

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (March 29) -- The 2023 Asian Championships kick off April 9 in Astana, Kazakhstan, with Greco-Roman wrestlers being the first to take the mat following the opening whistle. On Sunday, April 9, 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg and 130kg participants will compete, while 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg and 97kg participants compete on Monday, April 10.

The competition schedule for both days is as follows:
11:30 local time: Qualification rounds
13:30 local time: Semifinals
14:15 local time: Repechage
18:00 local time: Finals

This year’s Greco-Roman entries are highlighted by five reigning Asian Championship gold medalists and 17 total returning medalists from 2022. Last year’s world champions Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) and Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) will look to defend their Asian first-place finishes at 60kg and 77kg, respectively.

World silver medalist at 130kg, Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) will be competing in the tournament for the first time since his first-place finish in 2020.

Tournament-host Kazakhstan will attempt to earn back-to-back first-place team finishes with four returning 2022 Asian Championships medalists.

Meanwhile, 2022 third-place team finisher Kyrgyzstan has the most returning medalists registered to compete with five and 2022 second-place team finisher Iran returns four medalists. Despite not having any 2022 Asian Championships medalists registered this year, Japan is sending a talented young team and was the sixth highest-placing Asian country at the 2022 World Championships. Just ahead of them was China, who did not compete in last year’s Asian Championships but will be this year, and Uzbekistan, who were late entries into Astana.

Poya DAD MARZ (IRI), red, will be the favorite to win the 55kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Weight-by-Weight Preview

55kg
Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) is the only wrestler registered at the non-Olympic weight class of 55kg who is a returning 2022 Asian medalist. Bekbolatov is riding an undefeated 2023 streak, winning the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series in February.

Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist at 60kg, Sailike WALIHAN (CHN), will drop to 55kg in hopes of his first Asian Championships podium finish.

Meanwhile, Poya DAD MARZ (IRI), a 2022 U23 world champ and No. 7 in the world at 55kg, will try to win his first Asian Championships gold medal after finishing third in his only appearance in 2021. He began the year with a gold medal finish at the Zagreb Open.

60kg
Reigning world champion and No. 1 ranked Sharshenbekov is a three-time Asian Championships finalist and will look to repeat as champion this year. Two additional returning 2022 Asian medalists are also registered to compete at the lightest Olympic weight, Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) and Yernur FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ), who earned silver and bronze medals, respectively, in 2022.

Fourth-ranked Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) is not registered to compete for Japan. Instead, Maito KAWANA (JPN), who is coming off a third-place finish at the 2023 Zagreb Open Ranking Series event, will be representing the country.

63kg
Though the weight class has just nine wrestlers competing, two returning medalists are returning -- Iran’s Iman Hossein MOHAMMADI and NEERAJ (IND) -- both bronze medalists from 2022. The next highest ranked participant is representing tournament host country Kazakhstan No. 21 Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ).

Mohammadi won the U20 world and Asian titles after the bronze at Asians before ending the year with a U23 World Championships gold. He began this year with a bronze medal finish at the Zagreb Open.

Neeraj, the U23 Asian champion, returns to competition since the World Championships and after recovering from a shoulder injury.

Chiezo MARUYAMA (JPN), a 2022 U20 bronze medalist, will look to make waves on the senior level as another young and rising star for Japan’s Greco-Roman team.

U23 Asian champion at 63kg Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB) will wrestle at 63kg, a weight class he finished fifth in Zagreb.

67kg
Hometown hero Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ), a 2018 Asian gold medal winner and three senior world medals [2015, 2019, 2021], is the star to watch in this year’s 67kg bracket.

He will be challenged by 2022 Asian silver medalist Hansu RYU (KOR), the sole returning Asian Championships medalist set to compete at 67kg. Also, watch for Reza ABBASI (IRI), who will replace No. 2 Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) in Iran’s lineup at 67kg.

Another wrestler to keep an eye on is HUSIYUETU (CHN) who defeated Olympic champion Luis ORTA (CUB) in Zagreb, where he won gold. He added a bronze in Alexandria and is ranked number three in the world. In Asia, he will be the top seed for the competition.

Abror ATABAEV (UZB) will have fond memories of Kazakhstan as he defeated world champion Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup last year. But he is yet to replicate that success further. The Asian Championships could well be that platform.

72kg
Though not highly ranked globally, Adilkhan NURLANBEKOV (KGZ) is the lone returning 2022 Asian medalist registered for this year’s tournament. His competition will be fierce as the bracket also features Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ), who’s coming off a fifth-place finish at the 2022 World Championships.

Magomadov, a 2020 Asian finalist, is the highest-ranked wrestler at this weight, coming in at No. 7. He’s followed by No. 11 Jian TAN (CHN) and No. 13 Sajjad IMENTALABFOUMANI (IRI).

77kg
In the weight class with the most registrations, Greco superstar, Tokyo Olympic finalist and reigning world champion Makhmudov will attempt to make it two straight Asian championship victories after winning the tournament a season ago.

Meanwhile, Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR) will seek to avenge two previous 4-1 losses to Makhmudov in tournaments where he fell just one match short of the podium, the 2022 Asian Championships and 2022 World Championships.

Since Makhmudov will be seeded first and Kim will be fourth, the two are most likely to meet in the semifinal.

Also in the mix at 77kg will be fifth-ranked Rui LIU (CHN) and former 72kg Asian champion Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI), trying to make space on the national team at 77kg. World number 20 SAJAN (IND) is also registered along with returning bronze medalist Kodai SAKURABA (JPN).

82kg
In the heaviest non-Olympic weight class of 82kg, Dias KALEN (KAZ) will look to update his 2022 Asian Championships second-place finish in this year’s tournament.

As the only top-10 ranked Greco-Roman wrestler registered for the 2023 Asian Championships at 82kg, Kalen will be up against two top-20 ranked wrestlers in No. 13 rank Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) and No. 17 Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ).

87kg
A whopping one-third of registrants at 87kg are returning Asian Championships medalists despite being only one of two weight classes with less than 10 registrants.

Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) will try to repeat his 2022 Asian gold-medal finish, carrying some extra motivation after being just a win short of a podium finish at the 2022 World Championships.

But second to him last year, Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) will be returning seeking his second Asian title. Berdimuratov was second at the World Championships at 82kg but has jumped a weight class in pursuit of Olympic dreams.

Both returning bronze medalists Sunil KUMAR (IND) and Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) will attempt to repeat as 2023 podium finishers.

97kg
Returning Asian gold medalist Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI) went undefeated at the Greco-Roman World Cup in November 2022 and would be keen to take that form into the Asian Championships.

One of those World Cup victories, a 3-3 criteria win, was over Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ). The two are familiar foes having faced off in last year’s Asian Championships semifinal match at 97kg, where Balihamzehdeh etched out a 4-1 victory.

Dzhuzubekov will look to earn his fifth Asian Championships podium finish. He’s already earned gold in 2019 and bronze medals in ‘16, ‘18 and '22.

130kg
In a stacked 130kg bracket, Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) is returning to the Asian Championships for the first time since winning the tournament in 2020. Since then, he’s amassed a fifth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, a U23 World Championships gold (‘21) and a senior World Championships silver (‘22).

Other Greco-Roman superstars to watch at heavyweight will be Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ), Minseok KIM (KOR), and Roman KIM (KGZ), who are the returning 2022 Asian Championships top three finishers.

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Olympic Champs Fumita, Higuchi Emerge Unscathed on Return Since Paris 2024

Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 15:09 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (May 21) -- They both were returning to the mat for the first time since winning gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and both moved up a weight class, for now, with the next Olympic qualifiers still far off.

And each was watched and cheered on for the first time by their most precious fan.

Kenichiro FUMITA and Rei HIGUCHI shook off the rust and emerged unscathed on Thursday to advance to their respective finals at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym.

Fumita, the Paris gold medalist at Greco 60kg, handily won two matches to secure a spot in the 63kg final on Friday, where he will face 2025 world team member Manato NAKAMURA in a bid for his first Meiji Cup title since 2022 and fifth overall.

Higuchi, who struck gold in Paris at freestyle 57kg, needed three wins to set up a showdown in the 61kg final with defending champion and former world bronze medalist Toshihiro HASEGAWA.

Arash YOSHIDA, coming off winning a second straight freestyle 97kg gold at the Asian Championships, also advanced to the finals on the opening day of the four-day Meiji Cup, which is serving as the second of two domestic qualifiers for both this year's World Championships and, in the Olympic weight classes, the Asian Games that will be hosted by Japan.

Winners from the first qualifier, the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships held in December, can clinch a spot with a victory at the Meiji Cup; if the two champions are different, a playoff will be held at the end of the day.

Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) hits a four-point throw in his round one bout. (Photo: wrestling-spirits.jp / Ikuo Higuchi)

Fumita, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion, had planned to return to competition at the Emperor's Cup, but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

As for the move up to 63kg, he said, "Looking at the competitions and my own personal objectives, and my current physical ability, I decided to enter at 63kg. I've really on been on edge up to this point leading up to the competition. It's quite a few years since I've had a match at Komazawa. But I feel great, and was able to enjoy myself."

The return from a long layoff can be as testing mentally as it is physically, and Fumita used the experiences of others to guide him through it.

"I thought I would feel more pressure," said Fumita, who advanced to the final with a 7-1 victory over Kensho NATAMI in the semifinals. "After Paris, I watched [fellow gold medalists] Kotaro [KIYOOKA] and Nao [KUSAKA] up close before their [comeback] matches, and both said they were very nervous.

"Having seen that, it gave me an image of what to expect. I stayed calm and, staying aware of what was going on around me, I felt I was able to control the matches."

Helping calm his nerves was the lilty voice of a child clearly heard amid the sparse crowd on the opening day as she yelled, "Papa, ganbatte (fight hard)!" For the first time, the oldest of his two
daughters, now 3, was old enough to see him compete and understand what he was doing.

Fumita related the emotions he went through seeing fellow Nippon Sport Science University alumnus Shota TANOKURA being inspired by his son loudly yelling that set phrase as he ended his career at the Meiji Cup two years ago.

"I was very moved seeing how he responded," Fumita said. "To continue my career and win with my children with me is really a special feeling. Here, I am wholeheartedly determined to perform for them."

Fumita said there are still aspects of his job about which his daughter is blissfully oblivious.

"Sometimes I take [my daughter] to practice. For her, it is really a fun place. So she thinks I go to a fun place every day and I'm just someone who plays all the time," he said with a laugh.

Fumita already has a memento from his first competition in over two years -- a gash over his left eye that was treated with tape wrapped around his head.

"It happens a lot in practice and in matches," Fumita said. "I have many photos of me in the past with my head taped. It gave me a feeling of going back to my roots, which I thought was great."

Higuchi, who like Fumita is 30, an alumnus of NSSU and is sponsored by children's clothing giant Miki House, was wrestling for the first time in front of his 2-year-old daughter (and like Fumita, he has a second infant daughter).

"She kind of knows what's going on," said Higuchi, who defeated world U23 bronze medalist Akito MUKAIDA 12-1 in the semifinals.

Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) reached the 61kg final at the Meiji Cup. (Photo: wrestling-spirits.jp / Ikuo Higuchi)

For Higuchi, a battle with weight loss proved more daunting than any opponent he faced on the mat on Friday. He normally should have had no trouble making weight at 61kg, but said he didn't manage it correctly.

"It was my first competition in awhile, and my preparation did not go so well," he said. "There are parts that I have to work on. All went well in practice, but I need to do better at conditioning and cutting weight or I won't be able to win out in December [at the Emperor's Cup]."

A notoriously slow starter, Higuchi said he gradually began to find his groove, culminating in his one-sided win over Mukaida.

"My first match, my movement was not very good," he said. "The water loss as a I cut weight didn't go so well either, so the first and second matches were touch and go.

"During the second match, I was able to get in gear. In the third match in the semifinals, my opponent was third at the world U23, which normally should have been a close match. But I was able to put on a fairly good performance, which I give a grade of 80 [out of 100]."

Higuchi is looking forward to mixing it up with another high-level opponent, one he knows quite well. Hasegawa is yet another NSSU alumnus who still trains at the facility.

"From an emotional viewpoint, I was really excited about facing tough opponents," Higuchi said. "Tomorrow, Hasegawa is world-class wrestler. I don't know if I will win or lose, but I'm really happy to be able to have such a showdown on this big stage."

Asian champion Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) returned to the final of Meiji Cup at 97kg. (Photo: wrestling-spirits.jp / Ikuo Higuchi)

At 97kg, defending champion Yoshida stormed to a pair of 10-0 victories, defeating Satoshi MIURA, a 2025 world U23 bronze medalist at 86kg, in the semifinals to advance to the final against teenager Noah LEIBOWITZ.

The final will be a repeat of the gold-medal match at the Emperor's Cup, which Yoshida won 11-0.

Leibowitz is now a freshman at Nihon University, from which Yoshida just graduated in March. Since then, he began living on his own for the first time.

"I have to prepare my own meals," Yoshida said on how his life has changed. "Instead of always being with a group, I am living a life on my own. My father brings over dinner every Friday, but other than that, I prepare it myself. My specialty is pork kimchi; actually that's all I can make."

Meanwhile, Taishi NARIKUNI, who attempted a rare freestyle-Greco double at the Asian Championships in Bishkek, advanced to the freestyle 70kg final, where he will face collegiate champion Yuma TOMIYAMA.

In women's action, world U20 bronze medalist Shirin TAKEMOTO pulled an upset of sorts at 72kg, knocking off Asian silver medalist Mahiro YOSHITAKE 11-6 in the semifinals. She will face Chisato YOSHIDA in the final.

At 65kg, Asian silver medalist Nana IKEHATA scored a takedown and stepout in the final 1:10 to edge Misuzu ENAMOTO 4-3 and set up a gold-medal clash with Hiyori MOTOKI, the younger sister of Paris Olympic champion Sakura MOTOKI.

Asian Championships Greco-Roman Preview

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Olympic Champs Fumita, Higuchi Emerge Unscathed on Return Since Paris 2024