Bozkurt joins list of rising Turkey heavyweights with U23 World gold

Tuesday, October 18, 2022 - 21:51 By Vinay Siwach

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 18) -- As if the Turkey super heavyweight class was not already packed, Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) is the latest name to enter the list of successors to five-time world champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR).

Bozkurt won the 130kg gold medal at the U23 World Championships in dominating fashion in Pontevedra, Spain to inch closer to the spot on the senior team.

Apart from Kayaalp, Osman YILDIRIM (TUR), Muhammet BAKIR (TUR), Cemal BAKIR (TUR) and now Bozkurt are the wrestlers trying to fill the spot in the heaviest weight category.

Bozkurt, who finished fifth at the last edition of the U23 Worlds in Belgrade, outscored his opponents 31-2 in five bouts for the gold.

In the final, he wrestled U20 world champion Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) and came out with a technical superiority win, trouncing the Ukrainian at will.

He opened the scoring with a takedown when Vyshnyvetskyi tried a headlock. He also got the par terre position. When he scored the second takedown, he made sure he turns Vyshnyvetskyi and extends his lead.

Desperate to get back in the final with just one point on the board, Vyshnyvetskyi tried a bodylock throw but landed on his back to give two more points to Bozkurt.

Vyshnyvetskyi had used the bodylock to perfection Monday but the same became his undoing a day later.

“The final was a good one,” Bozkurt said. “ A little easy.”

Bozkurt also avenged his loss from the U23 European Championships final which he lost to Dariusz VITEK (HUN) 1-1. In the semifinals Monday, he scored a 6-1 win over Vitek.

“I was expecting to medal here and it's a relief that I was able to win the gold,” he said. “I am very pleased with this performance.”

While he aims to make the senior team in the coming time, Bozkurt is aware that it will be one challenging task.

“The competition in the Turkey national team is always tough, especially at 130kg,” he said. “It's good and that means I have to perform better to win.”

Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) upgraded his silver from 2021 to gold on Tuesday at the U23 Worlds. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

In the other four Greco-Roman gold medal bouts Tuesday, Iran managed to capture two while Armenia and Hungary shared one each.

For Iran, Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) made sure he doesn't return home with silver like last year. He defeated Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) 5-1 at 55kg to win the gold.

In a highly-paced bout, Dad Marz scored the first takedown. He did not let the guard down and got Guluzade to be passive. From par terre he got one gut wrench to lead 5-0 at the break.

In the second period, he was called passive but Guluzade did not get the turn that could have helped him remain in contention.

The former U20 world champion was also at the senior world championships this year but finished eighth. He was relieved that he managed to finish the season on a high.

Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) defeated Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO) 8-0 in the 63kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostandin Andonov)

The second gold medal for Iran was won by Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) at 63kg. He defeated Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO) via technical superiority in the final.

Shotadze was never able to match the high-paced wrestling of Khoon Mohammadi. He was warned for being inactive both in the first and second periods. Khoon Mohammadi then scored using a stepout. Shotadze was cautioned for fleeing.

Khoon Mohammadi then scored a takedown before Shotadze hit a desperate throw but fell on his back, giving Khoon Mohammadi a technical superiority win.

Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) now has three world titles -- U20, U23 and senior. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In a highly anticipated 77kg final, senior world champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) humbled Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) to win his first U23 world title.

Continuing his streak of winning medals in all the tournaments he has wrestled since the Individual World Cup in 2020, Amoyan captured the top medal to complete the set of U20, U23 and senior world gold.

Amoyan, who won the 72kg gold medal at the Oslo World Championships, also continues his smooth transition to 77kg, a weight in which he won bronze at the recent senior World Championships.

His opponent, 20-year-old Gutu was expected to put up a stronger challenge for the gold medal and did so at the start of the bout but was consistently caught off guard by Amoyan.

The first par terre advantage went to Amoyan. Gutu, however, managed to escape from the position before Amoyan caught him midway and exposed him with a high gut wrench. Gutu scored a stepout to cut the lead to 3-1 at the break.

Early in the second period, Gutu was once again caught in his own attack when Amoyan got one of his hands around Gutu's waist and after a little struggle, brought him to the mat for a takedown. He also turned Gutu for two more points.

In the end, Gutu, who finished 17th at the '21 U23 Worlds, had to contend with a silver medal as his search for the first world title since the U17 one in 2018 continues.

Istvan TAKACS (HUN) scored a 7-4 win over Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) in the 87kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Another rapidly rising star captured the gold Tuesday. Istvan TAKACS (HUN) added a U23 world gold medal to his already impressive resume which boasts of U20 world and continental gold medals. Takacs also won the U23 European Championships this year.

In the 87kg gold medal bout, he faced Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM), a surprise finalist.

Tadevosyan built a 4-0 lead with a passivity call, a turn and a stepout. But just before the break, Takacs scored a big throw for four to lead on criteria.

The second period saw Takacs add three more points to his score to win the gold medal with no real trouble at the end.

After the medals were decided in five weight classes, Iran leads the team title race in Greco-Roman with Armenia in second and Turkey placed third.

The gold medal bouts of the remaining five weights were also decided Tuesday with eight different countries getting a finalist. Azerbaijan and Croatia were the only countries to have two finalists each.

Women's wrestling will begin at the U23 World Championships Wednesday with 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg and 76kg wrestlers going on the mat.

Olympic and world champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) will be one of the wrestlers in action Wednesday as she begins her quest to win the U23 world gold and complete the Grand Slam in wrestling.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Nihad GULUZADE (AZE), 5-1

BRONZE: Ahmet TASKINOGLU (TUR) df. Denis MIHAI (ROU), 8-3
BRONZE: Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO) df. Ken MATSUI (JPN), 8-0

63kg
GOLD: Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO), 8-0

BRONZE: Ryuto IKEDA (JPN) df. Ziya BABASHOV (AZE), 1-1
BRONZE: Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) df. Maksym LIU (UKR), 3-1

77kg
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), 7-2

BRONZE: Sajan BHANWALA (IND) df. Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR), 10-10
BRONZE: Nao KUSAKA (JPN) df. Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI), 3-1

87kg
GOLD: Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df. Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM), 7-2

BRONZE: Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL) df. Beka MELELASHVILI (GEO), 4-1
BRONZE: Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) df. Maksat SAILAU (KAZ), 9-1

130kg
GOLD: Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) df. Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR), 9-1

BRONZE: Dariusz VITEK (HUN) df. Nikolaos NTOUNIAS (GRE), 12-2
BRONZE: Aliakbar YOUSOFI (IRI) df. Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE), 9-1

Semifinals

60kg
GOLD: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) vs. Kerem KAMAL (TUR)

SF 1: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ), 3-1
SF 2: Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO), 4-4

67kg
GOLD: Seyed SOHRABI (IRI) vs. Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA)

SF 1: Seyed SOHRABI (IRI) df. Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO), 6-3
SF 2: Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA) df. Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN), 9-1

72kg
GOLD: Pavel PUKLAVEC (CRO) vs. Gurban GURBANOV (AZE)

SF 1: Pavel PUKLAVEC (CRO) df. VIKAS (IND), 9-0
SF 2: Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) df. Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR), 7-1

82kg
GOLD: Exauce MUKUBU (NOR) vs. Karlo KODRIC (CRO)

SF 1: Exauce MUKUBU (NOR) df. Mats AHLGREN (SWE), 11-0
SF 2: Karlo KODRIC (CRO) df. Beka GURULI (GEO), 6-5

97kg
GOLD: Markus RAGGINGER (AUT) vs. Alex SZOKE (HUN)

SF 1: Markus RAGGINGER (AUT) df. Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO), 4-1
SF 2: Alex SZOKE (HUN) df. Igor ALVES (BRA), 3-0

#JapanWrestling

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.

Bozkurt joins list of rising Turkey heavyweights with U23 World gold

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