#Bishkek2018

China Overshadows Japan, Sends Quartet into Finals as Women's Wrestling Gets Underway

Thursday, March 1, 2018 - 10:31 By Ken Marantz

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A Far Eastern country dominated the opening session of the women's wrestling competition at the Asian Championships and no, it wasn't Japan.

China, led by a pair of Zhous, put four wrestlers into the finals of the five weight classes at stake on the third day at Kozhomkul Sports Palace, while only two Japanese managed to make it to gold-medal matches.

LEI Chun (CHN) stormed into the 50kg final with a pair of technical falls and will face Vinesh VINESH (IND), a silver medalist a year ago in New Delhi who will aim to become the first Indian woman to win an Asian title.

The other Chinese going for gold will be RONG Ningning (59kg), New Delhi 2017 bronze medalist ZHOU Feng (68kg) and ZHOU Qian (76kg).

The Chinese just missed out on making it 5-for-5, but LUO Lannuan (CHN) lost a heartbreaking 6-5 decision in the 55kg quarterfinals to OH Hyemin (KOR). Oh advanced to the final, where she will face Saki IGARASHI (JPN).

China's showing was not such a surprise to Siemon CHTEREV, a former two-time world medalist from Bulgaria hired six months ago to coach the women's team.

"For our team, this is a good result," Chterev said.

Chterev pointed out that the Chinese women outdid their Japanese counterparts at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in January in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, where they came away with five golds, two silvers and a bronze. Among the winners were Rong and Zhou Qian.

Asked if he set a goal for medals in Bishkek, Chterev replied, "I want every time to win a gold medal."

In the finals, Rong will face Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB), while Zhou Feng is pitted against three-time Asian medalist Tumentsetseg SHARKHUU (MGL) and Zhou Qian will take on Paris 2017  world bronze medalist Hiroe MINAGAWA SUZUKI (JPN).

India's Vinesh provided the surprise of the session when she scraped out a 4x-4 win over former Asian champion Yuki IRIE (JPN). That gave her a measure of revenge for a loss in the New Delhi final to Japan's Yui SUSAKI, who went on to win the world gold in Paris.

Irie, an Asian champion in 2015, had pulled a surprise of her own by beating Susaki at the Japan national championships in December.

Irie and Minagawa are the only national champions on the team to Bishkek, as the Japan federation put priority on the Women's World Cup that the nation will host in mid-March and sent obstensibly a young, second-string team.

Against Vinesh, Irie was the dominant wrestler but fell victim to her own impatience and a fatal error. While trying to finish off a takedown, she attempted for force Vinesh over, but the Indian clamped down on her arm and threw her for a 4-point move.

Irie completed two takedowns in the second period to tie the score at 4-4, but Vinesh thwarted her attempts for a third and held on for a win by criteria.

"The Indian wrestler is strong, but she didn't do anything," Japan women's coach Hideo Sasayama said. "There are not many competitors who do those throws like that. It happened to her this time. This gives her something to reflect on and will be good for her in the end."

While Japan was never likely to approach its showing from New Delhi, where it won five of eight golds with a team that included world and Olympic champions, Sasayama said gaining international experience was also an objective.

"We have young wrestlers and they didn't perform so well, but it becomes a good learning experience," he said. "It gives them something to work on for the next time. For the wrestlers who can still get a medal [tonight], we hope they can finish up with a win."

Women's Wrestling
50kg (12 entries)
Gold - LEI Chun (CHN) v Vinesh VINESH (IND)

Bronze –  Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB) v Narangerel ERDENESUKH (MGL)
Bronze – KIM Hyungjoo v Yuki IRIE (JPN)

Semifinal – LEI Chun (CHN) df. Narangerel ERDENESUKH (MGL) by TF, 11-0, 0:34
Semifinal – Vinesh VINESH (IND) df. Yuki IRIE (JPN), 4x-4

55kg (9 entries)
Gold - Saki IGARASHI (JPN) v OH Hyemin (KOR)

Bronze –  Nazgul NURAKHAN (KAZ) v Davaachimeg ERKHEMBAYAR (MGL)
Bronze – LUO Lannuan (CHN) v Amina ALIMBETOVA (UZB)

Semifinal – Saki IGARASHI (JPN) df. Nazgul NURAKHAN (KAZ), 3-0
Semifinal – OH Hyemin (KOR) df. Amina ALIMBETOVA (UZB), 3-1

59kg (10 entries)
Gold - Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB) v RONG Ningning (CHN)

Bronze –  Sangeeta SANGEETA (IND) v UM Jieun (KOR)
Bronze – Phimsuphak AINPHEN (THA) v Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL)

Semifinal – Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB) df. UM Jieun (KOR) by TF, 11-1, 3:36
Semifinal – RONG Ningning (CHN) df. Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) by TF, 10-0, 1:53

68kg (9 entries)
Gold - ZHOU Feng (CHN) v Tumentsetseg SHARKHUU (MGL)

Bronze –  PARK Sujin (KOR) v Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ)
Bronze –  Divya KAKRAN (IND) v Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)

Semifinal – ZHOU Feng (CHN) df. Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ) by TF, 10-0,
Semifinal – Tumentsetseg SHARKHUU (MGL) df. Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ), 2x-2

76kg (9 entries)
Gold - Hiroe MINAGAWA SUZUKI (JPN) v ZHOU Qian (CHN)

Bronze –  Chantsalnyamaa AMGALANBAATAR (MGL) v Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ)
Bronze – Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) v HWANG Eunju (KOR)

Semifinal – Hiroe MINAGAWA SUZUKI (JPN) df. HWANG Eunju (KOR) by TF, 10-0, 1:01
Semifinal – ZHOU Qian (CHN) df. Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ), 2-1

#WrestleBaku, #WrestleParis

Livach stuns Stadnik; Adar, Kurachkina confirm Paris 2024 spots at European qualifier

Saturday, April 6, 2024 - 21:32 By Vinay Siwach

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BAKU, Azerbaijan (April 6) -- Five seconds separated Mariya STADNIK (AZE) and history.

Leading 2-0 against Oksana LIVACH (UKR), Stadnik could have become the first woman wrestler to qualify for five Olympic Games. However, Livach pinned her with five seconds remaining to stun the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Livach did create history, becoming the first wrestler to beat Stadnik in a European event in a career that goes back 20 years. More importantly, Livach earned a Paris Olympic quota for Ukraine at 50kg.

This was the first time that Livach won against Stadnik with her latest loss at the European Championships semifinal in Bucharest in February.

"I just want to wrestle," Livach said. "I don't care about the opponent. This is the first time I have beaten her and it's amazing. She is a legend. It's a long journey to beat her. I worked hard to win here."

Livach trailed 2-0 with 11 seconds remaining in the bout when the referee called for a restart and Livach immediately hit a double-leg attack, putting Stadnik's back on the mat and held her, securing the fall.

"[In the last moments], I tried to keep her [Stadnik's] lead to a low number," she said. "At the last minute, I worked more and needed to attack. It was a tactic."

Ukraine now has two quotas for Paris Olympics as Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) won one in 62kg at the World Championships. The last chance World Qualifier in Istanbul from May 9 to 12 will present another opportunity for the wrestlers to win a quota.

"The Olympic qualification for Ukraine is very important," she said. "It is for my country, for people who support me. It's an unimaginable feeling."

Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (AIN) won the other Paris 2024 spot at 50kg as she defeated Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER), via fall after building a 12-2 lead. She led 2-0 at the break but shifted gears in the second period. She countered Blayvas' attempt to hit a toss and scored four points. She used a cradle to hit another four and secure the fall.

Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN)Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN) defeated Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) to win at 57kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Silver medalist in Tokyo at the 57kg weight class, Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN) pulled off a last-minute takedown to beat Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) and earn a quota.

Kurachkina led Hrushyna 2-2 as she had a takedown against Hrushyna's sequence of one and one points. Hrushyna scored a pushout with 33 seconds left on the clock, forcing Kurachkina to attack more.

With just 10 seconds left, Kurachkina hit a double-leg and lifted Hrushyna to slam her the mat, earning four points and a 6-3 win.

The second spot at 57kg was earned by Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER) who pinned Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) in the second period to confirm her spot. Paruszewski was leading 1-0 at the break for Kamaloglu's passivity. The Turkish wrestler began the second period with a takedown and took a 2-1 lead. Paruszewski never slowed down and used the underhook to keep Kamaloglu guessing.

She would ultimately use an underhook throw to put Kamaloglu's back on the mat and get the pin along with the Paris 2024 quota. Tokyo Olympian champion and Germany's first women's wrestling champion Aline FOCKEN (GER) would later rush to congratulate her.

Yasemin ADAR (TUR)Yasemin ADAR (TUR) won the Paris 2024 spot for Turkiye at 76kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

European champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR) convincingly defeated former European medalists to qualify Turkiye for the Paris Games at 76kg. She opened the day with a 12-2 win over Epp MAR (EST) and finished it with a 6-2 controlled win over Martina KUNEZ (AUT).

Kuenz was returning to the mat since the Ranking Series in Bishkek in June 2023 and began well, taking a 1-0 lead but Adar countered Kuenz's half-hearted attacks and scored points, ultimately winning 6-2.

Hungary managed to secure the other spot at 76kg as Bernadett NAGY (HUN) won 2-0 against Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA). This marks the fourth straight Olympic in which Hungary qualified in Women's Wrestling. Mariana SASTIN (HUN) was the first woman to qualify for wrestling in London 2012.

At 53kg, Tokyo Olympian Andreea ANA (ROU) moved back to 53kg to qualify Romania and did that by beating Annika WENDLE (GER), 5-4, in the Paris qualification bout.

The bout was not as close as the scoreline suggests but Ana did slow down in the final minute. After taking a 5-0 lead, Ana gave up two stepouts, one point for fleeing and one point for a singlet pull.

"I think after leading 5-0, I became complacent," Ana said. "I will take a break for now and then prepare for the Paris Olympics."

Tokyo Olympian Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) suffered a heartbreaking loss to Natalia MALYSHEVA (AIN) at the 53kg after Malysheva pulled Prevolaraki from the back and pinned her to the mat, securing the fall and the Paris 2024 ticket.

Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) earned a spot at 62kg for Bulgaria. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Former world champion Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) picked up a Paris 2024 ticket for Bulgaria at 62kg after she beat Ameline DOUARRE (FRA), 3-0. Dudova had failed to finish on the podium at the European Championships. However, she did not let that win affect her and easily won the quota.

Alina KASABIEVA (AIN) earned the second quota at 62kg as she defeated Mariana CHERDIVARA ESANU (MDA), 6-1.

Poland will have a representative at 68kg after 72kg regular Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) managed to score exposure in the dying moments of the bout to beat Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), 3-2.

Hanzlickova led 2-1 after she locked both of Choluj's arms and turned her for two points. She was on the verge of pinning Choluj but the Poland wrestler managed to sneak out of that position.

Choluj got on a single-leg and scored exposure to take 3-2 lead that she defended in the last 14 seconds to earn a spot for Paris.

Tokyo Olympian Khanum VELIEVA (AIN) was in no trouble beating Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), 12-0, at 68kg to earn the second spot for the Paris Games.

dfg

RESULTS

50kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Oksana LIVACH (UKR) df. Mariya STADNIK (AZE), via fall (4-2)
SF 2: Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (AIN) df.  Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER), via fall (12-2)

53kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Andreea ANA (ROU) df. Annika WENDLE (GER), 5-4
SF 2: Natalia MALYSHEVA (AIN) df. Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE), via fall (8-0)

57kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER) df. Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR), via fall
SF 2: Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN) df. Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR), 6-3

62kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) df. Ameline DOUARRE (FRA), 3-0
SF 2: Alina KASABIEVA (AIN) df. Mariana CHERDIVARA ESANU (MDA), 6-1

68kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) df. Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), 3-2
SF 2: Khanum VELIEVA (AIN) df. Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), 12-0

76kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Bernadett NAGY (HUN) df. Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA), 2-0
SF 2: Yasemin ADAR (TUR) df. Martina KUENZ (AUT), 6-2