Cadet Champ Kagami Strikes Blow Against Veteran Minagawa in Move Up to 76kg

Thursday, June 13, 2019 - 13:18 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (June 13)---World cadet champion Yuka KAGAMI launched the first salvo in her bid to dethrone two-time world bronze medalist Hiroe MINAGAWA at 76kg, while Atsushi MATSUMOTO was dealt a setback in his attempt to move up to an Olympic weight class.

Kagami, coming off a gold-medal run at 72kg at the Asian Championships in April, defeated Minagawa 3-1 in their preliminary group match on the opening day of the All-Japan Invitational Championships, the second of the national qualifying tournaments for Japan’s team to the World Championships known.

Kagami and Minagawa both advanced to the semifinals out of their three-woman group and could clash again in the final on Friday at the tournament known as the Meiji Cup at Tokyo’s Komazawa Gym.

“I knew that she wouldn’t be an opponent who is easy to beat, so I trained really hard,” Kagami said. “We just happened to meet in the first match. But I was prepared mentally and I think that was a factor in my win.”

At 17, Kagami is 14 years Minagawa’s junior, but showed no fear in scoring the winning takedown with 50 seconds left in their match. Both later defeated Rino Abe, the third wrestler in their group, to advance to the semifinals.

In order to better prepare the wrestlers for the World Championships format, the Japan federation is running all weight classes over two days, even those with limited entries.

Minagawa will face the winner of the other group, Yasuha MATSUYUKI, whom she beat 3-0 in the deciding round-robin bout for the title at the All-Japan Championships, known as the Emperor’s Cup, in December.

Winners of the Emperor’s Cup who take the gold at the Meiji Cup clinch a place on Japan’s team to this year’s World Championships in Kazakhstan. If the winners are different, they will meet in a playoff set for July 6.

There is added incentive for making the team to Nur-Sultan---the Japan Wrestling Federation has decreed that winning a medal there brings with it an automatic spot at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the ultimate goal for any Japanese wrestler.

That has caused a scramble into the six Olympic weight classes for each style, bolstering those divisions while depleting the remainder. Kagami had won a watered-down 72kg class at the Emperor’s Cup, but decided to move up to 76kg with the aim of appearing at Tokyo 2020.

MatsumotoWorld bronze medalist Atsushi MATSUMOTO fell to Takeshi YAMAGUCHI, 4-2. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Matsumoto, a world bronze medalist at freestyle 92kg, had the same idea when he decided to take a shot at the Olympic weight of 97kg. But that quest ended, for now, with a 4-2 loss to Takeshi YAMAGUCHI in the semifinals.

Matsumoto, who also won a bronze medal the Asian Championships in Xi’an, China, had a 2-0 lead, with both points coming on the activity clock. But Yamaguchi scored two takedowns in the final minute, the last coming as he fought off Matsumoto’s counter-lift attempt.

“I scored on the activity clock, but didn’t get any technical points, and that’s how I lost,” Matsumoto said. “There wasn’t much I could do when I gave up the first takedown. But the fact that I couldn’t come back, even with a pushout, showed more inferiority in strength.”

Although he cut it close, Yamaguchi said the outcome was no surprise to him.

“The match went just as I imagined and I did what I had planned,” Yamaguchi said. “From the start, Matsumoto is an opponent who goes on the attack. I didn’t want to get stuck in his type of match, where we just lock up arms.

“In the second period, I was confident I could score. That’s what I’ve been working on over the past six months. I knew I would get a chance for a single-leg tackle. I timed it well and when things got tense, I got in on it as I had planned.”

To hone his technique, Yamaguchi, an Asian bronze medalist in 2015 and 2018, paid his own way to compete at the Mongolian Open in April, where he won the silver medal.

In the final, Yamaguchi will renew his rivalry with defending champion Naoya AKAGUMA, who beat him 2-1 for the title at the Emperor’s Cup. A year ago, the two went to a playoff for the ticket to Budapest 2018, which Yamaguchi won 14-8 after trailing 6-2.

Despite the setback, Matsumoto is still eligible as Emperor’s Cup champion to enter the playoff at 92kg for Nur-Sultan 2019. And the door to Tokyo 2020 is not sealed either, although a few more locks have been added that he would have to get through---a process predicated on either Akaguma or Yamaguchi failing to medal at Nur-Sultan.

Sosuke TAKATANI is one win from earning a ticket to Nur-Sultan for the World Championships. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Another top wrestler who is finding success after moving into an Olympic weight class is Sosuke TAKATANI, a former world 74kg silver medalist who is now at 86kg after spending a transition year at 79kg.

Takatani, who won the Emperor’s Cup in his debut at 86kg, moved one win from earning a ticket to Nur-Sultan when he advanced to the final, where he will face 2017 champion Masao MATSUSAKA.

After a technical fall victory in his opening match, Takatani scored a 10-2 win the semifinal over Hayato ISHIGURO, the 2018 world junior champion at 79kg.

“This is my second tournament since moving up to 86kg,” said Takatani, who also competed at the World Cup in March, where he beat the world silver medalist. “I won the last time, but I still go into the matches thinking of myself as the challenger. In tomorrow’s final, I’ll also go in as the challenger.”

Matsusaka’s semifinal victory over defending champion Shoto SHIRAI ended on a sad note. With Matsusaka leading 1-0 early in the second period, Shirai appeared to suffer a neck injury in a clash at the edge that caused him to default the match. As a precautionary measure, Shirai was taken off the mat on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital.

Takatani did not yet know his final opponent when he was asked about his prospects.

“Both of them have been to the world championships and are strong wrestlers, and even as someone who has moved up a weight class, I was an Olympian and can hold my own,” Takatani said.

“I want to show that Sosuke Takatani can be a winner at any weight class and I’ll do everything I can to win a medal at the world championships.”

Competition got underway in three Olympic weights in Greco-Roman, and all three Emperor’s Cup champions stayed on track to complete the national double.

Naotsugu SHOJI will take on Shohei YABIKU in the 77kg finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Naotsugu SHOJI squeezed into the 77kg final with a 4-4 semifinal win over Takeshi IZUMI, and will face two-time defending champion Shohei YABIKU, who avenged a loss at the Emperor’s Cup to Kodai SAKURABA with a 5-2 win in the quarterfinals.

Masato SUMI posted a pair of 7-0 victories in his group matches at 87kg to make the semifinals, while Yuta NARA, aiming for a fourth straight Meiji Cup title, cruised into the 97kg final with back-to-back technical fall victories.

Day 1 Results

Freestyle

79kg (4 entries)
Round-robin (through 2 rounds)
1. Yudai TAKANASHI (2-0); 2. Yuto IZUTSU (1-1); 3. Komei KAWABATA (1-1); 4. Toshiki AKACHI (0-2).

86kg (12 entries)
Semifinals
Sosuke TAKATANI df. Hayato ISHIGURO, 10-2
Masao MATSUSAKA df. Shota SHIRAI, by Injury Def., 2:04 (1-0)

97kg (12 entries)
Semifinals
Naoya AKAGUMA df. Keiwan YOSHIDA, 5-2
Takeshi YAMAGUCHI df. Atsushi MATSUMOTO, 4-2

125kg (12 entries)
Semifinals
Taiki YAMAMOTO df. Nobuyoshi ARAKIDA, 3-2
Katsutoshi NAKAZAWA df. Tetsuya TANAKA, 2-1

Greco-Roman

63kg (9 entries)
Semifinals
Yoshiki YAMADA df. Naoki GODA by TF, 8-0, :44
Ichito TOKUHIGA df. Masaki ISHIKAWA by TF, 10-0, 1:43

77kg (11 entries)
Semifinals
Naotsugu SHOJI df. Takeshi IZUMI, 4-4
Shohei YABIKU df. Shoma YAMASAKI by TF, 9-0, 1:43

87kg (7 entries)
Semifinal Pairings
Takahiro TSURUDA vs Ryota NASUKAWA
Masato SUMI vs Kanta SHIOKAWA

97kg (9 entries)Semifinals
Yuta NARA df. Naoki MATSUMOTO by TF, 10-0, 2:41
Masaaki SHIKIYA df. Taichi OKA by TF, 9-0, 3:32

Women’s Wrestling

55kg (6 entries)
Semifinal Pairings
Saki IGARASHI vs Mizuki ISHIMORI
Kana HIGASHIKAWA vs Hikari HIGUCHI

59kg (6 entries)
Semifinal Pairings
Kiwa IWASAWA vs Sena NAGAMOTO
Yumeka TANABE vs Ayami SUGIYAMA

65kg (5 entries)
Round-Robin (through 3 rounds)
1. Mei SUZUKI (2-0); 2. Miki KAWAUCHI (2-0); 3. Yuki KIMURA (1-2); 4. Saki KAWAUCHI (1-1) and Misuzu ENAMOTO (1-2)

76kg (6 entries)
Semifinal Pairings
Yuka KAGAMI vs Miki SAITO
Yasuha MATSUYUKI vs Hiroe MINAGAWA

#WrestleTirana

U23 Euros: Dzhioev stops Magamadov, Khaniev wins 74kg gold

Monday, March 10, 2025 - 20:19 By United World Wrestling Press

TIRANA, Albania (March 10) -- The match wasn’t even over when Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) broke into a jig.

A couple of feet away, Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) sunk to his knees and Dzhioev thumped his chest, kneeled on the mat and said a silent prayer.

Before he stepped on the mat on Monday, Dzhioev had seen four of his compatriots falling short at the final hurdle over the first two medal days of the U23 European Championships. Had he lost, Azerbaijan would have returned without a gold despite a solid overall show.

But Dzhioev, the U23 worlds silver medalist, ensured that did not happen. In a stunning performance, the 23-year-old defeated Magamadov -- the silver medalist from the 2024 U23 European Championships -- 9-2 to rule the 86kg weight class.

Dzhioev needed a little more than a minute to open his account with a push-out, followed by a passivity penalty on Magamadov. He doubled his lead with two more push-outs, but his French opponent halved the lead with a reversal just before the break. However, that was the only time Magamadov challenged his rival.

When they returned after the break, Dzhioev – with his trunk-like thighs – used all the force he could summon to overpower Magamadov, who kept going out of bounds. He thus kept conceding points and two fleeing cautions and Dzhioev wrapped up the match with a fine two-pointer to capture his first U23 title – and his nation’s first of the tournament.

Ismail KHANIEV (UWW) held on to a 5-4 win against Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Minutes earlier, in an epic 74 kg title bout, Ismail KHANIEV (UWW) defeated Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE) 5-4 but not before surviving a massive scare.

It was a match of two halves. In the first, Khaniev, 18, constantly hassled and harried his opponent with wily leg attacks and faster reactions. A minute into the bout, Khaniev and Novruzov were locked arm-in-arm in the center of the mat. With his lightning quick hand speed, Khaniev hit a single-leg attack and earned a brilliant takedown for two points.

With the clock ticking down -- and Novruzov on activity clock -- Khaniev initiated another similar attack. This time, the Azerbaijani wrestler seemed prepared for it and tried to counter-attack. Novruzov tried a counter-lift but Khaniev controlled his legs and scored two points for exposure. Earning one more point from activity clock, Khaniev had a comfortable 5-0 cushion at the break.

After the 30-second interval, Novruzov did most of the attacking against a tired-looking Khaniev. He reduced the deficit by two points with 37 seconds left on the clock after a single-leg takedown. Khaniev tried to take evasive action in the closing moments but right at the final whistle, Novruzov earned another two-point takedown.

His valiant attempt, however, counted for nothing as a breathless Khaniev won the bout 5-4.

Georgi IVANOV (BUL) is now a two-time U23 European champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Georgi IVANOV (BUL) regained the 125 kg title he won in 2023 by making a short work of Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR). The 23-year-old, who spent most of 2024 playing on the senior circuit, didn’t give Kochanov the slightest of chances as he needed only five seconds to launch his first attack, an arm throw, for a two-point takedown.

He made it 4-0 with another arm-throw to go-behind before Kochanov was put on the activity clock. A point for the clock and a stepout for Ivanov made it 6-0 and a takedown and stepout later, he led 9-0 at the break. He blocked a trip attempt from Kochanov to win 11-0 and claim the U23 European crown for the second time.

Levik MIKAYELYAN (ARM) celebrates after winning the 61kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Mikayelyan wins first-ever gold

Twice before in his nascent career, Levik MIKAYELYAN (ARM) came agonizingly close to winning a gold medal. The first time was at the U20 European Championships four years ago, and then again in 2023 at the U20 continental competition. Both times, he settled for a silver.

On Monday, the 22-year-old won his first-ever title in a defensive final where all points were won via activity clock warnings. Mikayelyan defeat Jeyhun ALLAHVERDIYEV (AZE) 2-1 to clinch the gold medal in the 61kg category.

Allahverdiyev led 1-1 on criteria when the match entered its final minute, having got the latest point from activity time. But he was put on activity time in the final minute and he failed to score, giving Mikayelyan a 2-1 advantage with only 30 seconds remaining in the bout.

Allahverdiyev threw the kitchen sink at his rival in the final few seconds but Mikayelyan defended like his life depended on it to take home the gold medal.

Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW) scored a 12-1 technical superiority over Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM) in the 92kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

In the 92kg category, Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW) took a while to get going but when he did -- with 2:45 left on the clock and him leading 1-1 on criteria -- he didn’t give Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM) a chance to come back.

Khaniev launched a venomous leg-attack after a snapdown. He rolled him over in one swift move to go 5-1 up. He scored a counter throw-by, a stepout before a go-behind and gut wrench to win the gold medal via 12-1 technical superiority against Iboyan.

Nesrin BAS (TUR) secured a fall in the semifinals. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Bas leads three into WW finals

Paris Olympian and senior European champion Nesrin BAS (TUR) led from the front as three Turkish wrestlers entered the Women's Wrestling finals.

Bas, a U23 world and European champion, scored a fall in the semifinal over Viktoryia RADZKOVA (UWW) and will face returning silver medalst Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), also three-time U20 European champion, in the final.

After winning the U17 and U20 European Championships last year, Tuba DEMIR (TUR) will hope to win the U23 gold on Tuesday to complete her full set of age-group medals. Demir, who beat Amory Olivia ANDRICH (GER) 11-6, will face multiple-time age-group world and European medalist Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA) in the 55kg gold medal bout.

U20 European champion Elmira YASIN (TUR) also made it to the final after beating Veronika NYIKOS (HUN), 6-1, and set up the 76kg gold medal bout against former U17 world champion Olga KOZYREVA (UWW), the returning bronze medalist.

Former U20 world champion and Paris Olympian Aurora RUSSO (ITA) set up a mouth-watering 59kg final against 17-year-old Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) who recently won the Zagreb Open in February.

RESULTS

Freestyle

61kg
GOLD: Levik MIKAYELYAN (ARM) df. Jeyhun ALLAHVERDIYEV (AZE), 2-1

BRONZE: Mykyta ABRAMOV (UKR) df. Simone PIRODDU (ITA), 10-0
BRONZE: Tolga OZBEK (TUR) df. Besir ALILI (MKD), via fall (10-0)

74kg
GOLD: Ismail KHANIEV (UWW) df. Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE), 5-4

BRONZE: Luka CHKHITUNIDZE (GEO) df. Bohdan OLIINYK (UKR), 2-1
BRONZE: Ion MARCU (MDA) df. Manuel WAGIN (GER), 11-4

86kg
GOLD: Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) df. Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA), 9-2

BRONZE: Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA) df. Radomir STOYANOV (BUL), 7-2
BRONZE: Arslan BAGAEV (UWW) df. Alperen ATAR (TUR), 7-4

92kg
GOLD: Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW) df. Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM), 12-1

BRONZE: Sadig MUSTAFAZADE (AZE) df. Sandro KURASHVILI (GEO), 5-3
BRONZE: Denys SAHALIUK (UKR) df. Artsiom IHNATSIUK (UWW), 10-0

125kg
GOLD: Georgi IVANOV (BUL) df. Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR), 11-0

BRONZE: Yusif DURSUNOV (AZE) df. Efe Anil AL (TUR), 10-3 (via fall)
BRONZE: Khachatur KHACHATRYAN (ARM) df. Michal DUBOWSKI (POL), 10-0

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Natalia PUDOVA (UWW) vs. Anastasiya YANOTAVA (UWW)

SF 1: Natalia PUDOVA (UWW) df. Natalia WALCZAK (POL), 11-0
SF 2: Anastasiya YANOTAVA (UWW) df. Asmar JANKURTARAN (AZE), via fall

55kg
GOLD: Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA) vs. Tuba DEMIR (TUR)

SF 1: Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA) df. Anastasiia IANDUSHKINA (UWW), via fall (10-4)
SF 2: Tuba DEMIR (TUR) df. Amory ANDRICH (GER), 11-6

59kg
GOLD: Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) vs. Aurora RUSSO (ITA)

SF 1: Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) df. Yuliia PAKHNIUK (UKR), 11-1
SF 2: Aurora RUSSO (ITA) df. Evgeniia OGORODNIKOVA (UWW), via fall

68kg
GOLD: Nesrin BAS (TUR) vs. Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR)

SF 1: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Viktoryia RADZKOVA (UWW), via fall
SF 2: Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR) df. Maria PANTIRU (ROU), 10-0

76kg
GOLD: Olga KOZYREVA (UWW) vs. Elmira YASIN (TUR)

SF 1: Olga KOZYREVA (UWW) df. Laura KUEHN (GER), via fall (7-5)
SF 2: Elmira YASIN (TUR) df. Veronika NYIKOS (HUN), 6-1

Cadet Champ Kagami Strikes Blow Against Veteran Minagawa in Move Up to 76kg

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U23 Euros: Dzhioev stops Magamadov, Khaniev wins 74kg gold