With Decision to Make, Japan's Women With Olympic Berths All Intend to Enter Belgrade Worlds

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 - 12:30 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO---Given a difficult choice, all five Japanese women who have already secured berths at the Tokyo Olympics would choose to take on the world prior to the 202One Games.

By a twist of fate, the dates for this year's rescheduled World Championships (Dec. 12-20) in Belgrade perfectly overlapped with the traditional slot on the calendar for the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships (Dec. 17-20).

The Japan federation, trying to set a course in the turbulent seas caused by the coronavirus pandemic, would give the wrestlers the option of choosing which competition they would like to appear.

Sara DOSHO_S20E2958.jpg Olympic champion Sara DOSHO (JPN) finishes a shot during the women's team training camp (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

On Wednesday, the opening day of a national women's team training camp at the Ajinomoto National Training Center in Tokyo, defending Olympic champions Risako KAWAI and Sara DOSHO and the three others all said they would decide or are leaning toward appearing at the World Championships.

"I want to take part," said Kawai, who won her third straight world title in September 2019 in Nur-Sultan by winning the gold at 57kg. "I realize the danger with the coronavirus, but thinking about the Olympics, I haven't been in an international tournament since February, so I want to [be in one] once before the Olympics."

This is all contingent, of course, on the World Championships being held in the first place. United World Wrestling is expected to make the final call in early November, a decision that took an additional twist with the recent announcement that the United States will not be sending a team.

For the Japanese wrestlers, it goes even beyond that. The Japanese government currently requires citizens returning from a trip abroad to self-isolate for 14 days. The restriction is about to be relaxed in some cases for business travelers, both Japanese and foreigners, but it is unlikely to apply to the athletes.

"At Narita, they would have to stay at a hotel," said Shigeki NISHIGUCHI, the technical director of the Japan Wrestling Federation, referring to the international airport that services Tokyo. "Or maybe they would wait it out at home. They wouldn't be able to practice."

Nishiguchi said all could be rectified if the government would allow the wrestlers to quarantine at the National Training Center. As a self-contained facility that already operates as an anti-virus bubble, the wrestlers could stay and train as if they were at an extended training camp.

"At the moment, that doesn't look possible," he said. "We're not sure the government will allow it."

The wrestlers themselves are concerned only with what they can control. Normally, the year-ending Emperor's Cup would be the first of two qualifying tournaments for the team to the following year's World Championships. But with all tournaments wiped out by the pandemic, the members of the 2019 team in Nur-Sultan would have the first choice of going to Belgrade.

In Nur-Sultan, Japanese women grabbed Olympic spots in five of the six weight classes, winning one gold, two silvers and one bronze, with one fifth-place finish. The only weight class in which Japan still needs to qualify is 50kg, and two-time world champion Yui SUSAKI will try to make the cut at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in Xi'an, China, on March 26-28.

Susaki was among a number of collegians who were absent from the training camp that started Wednesday due to school commitments. As Susaki's situation is different from the confirmed Olympians, her coach, Shoko YOSHIMURA, said she is undecided which tournament she would enter.

"She hasn't decided," Yoshimura said. "She's not at a stage yet where she knows all of the conditions. When those are decided, we'll talk about it and make a decision."

Mayu MUKAIDA_S20E2937.jpg Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) finishes a double leg takedown. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

For Mayu MUKAIDA, the 2019 world silver medalist at 53kg, there is no debate.

"I'm planning to enter the worlds," Mukaida said. "There was nothing to think about, I'm preparing for the worlds."

Mukaida would have some unfinished business to attend to in Belgrade. She is still stinging from the one-sided loss she was dealt in the final in Nur-Sultan by PAK Yong-Mi (PRK). "I don't know if the North Korean will enter or not, but I'll do what I can to win the gold medal and keep that momentum going up to the Olympics."

Dosho, the Rio Olympic champion and 2017 world champion at 69kg, says she would lean toward entering the World Championships. She finished fifth in Nur-Sultan at 68kg after coming back from a layoff due to shoulder surgery.

In Nur-Sultan, Dosho lost in the third round to eventual champion Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA), but isn't concerned about missing out on a chance to face her again before the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed to July 2021.

"If I can face her, it's OK, if I don't, then I'll focus on preparing to be ready at that level for the Olympics," said Dosho, who recently has recovered from a knee injury. "I don't have any big injury, but I have some small issues here and there. I'm keeping in mind avoiding injury as I train."

Huroe MINAGAWA_S20E3019.jpg Hiroe MINAGAWA (JPN) tightens her grip on a head lock. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Another Japanese wrestler who might benefit from the absence of an American presence in Belgrade is Hiroe MINAGAWA, the world silver medalist at 76kg.

"In my weight class, the American is ranked No. 1 and is the world champion," said Minagawa, referring to Adeline GRAY (USA), who beat her in the final in Nur-Sultan. "It's a shame that she won't be entered. But there are many other strong wrestlers besides her, so it's not so much of a shock that she won't be there, and it means I'll be able to face ones from other countries."

It 's that much-needed exposure to foreign competition that compels Minagawa, who underwent knee surgery in the spring while sports where shut down, to opt to participate in the World Championships over the Emperor's Cup.

"In my case, I want to use the World Championships to come up with measures to take on wrestlers from other countries who have more power, and get back the match feeling after such a long layoff," she said. "There is still [the issue of] my knee. Naturally, the Olympics is the No. 1 [priority]. I have to think how to be in peak condition for the Olympics."

Not surprisingly, Yukako KAWAI, the world bronze medalist at 62kg, would commit to joining older sister Risako on the flight to Belgrade as the two look to win Olympic gold medals together next year on home soil.

"If there is a World Championships, I will enter that," Kawai said. "There is no anguishing over it."

She would naturally aim for a gold in Belgrade, but more as a means to an end. "What I want most is the Olympic gold. Of course I will aim for the title at the World Championships, but more than definitely wanting that, I want to have matches that allow me to find out what I need to work on ahead of the Olympics."

Chances are good that the All-Japan Championships will be held as scheduled. Earlier this month, Japan successfully held its first national-level tournament with the National High School Invitational Championships, which was soon followed by the National Collegiate Greco-Roman Championships.

As a footnote to the high school tournament, the Japan federation and the wrestling division of the All Japan High School Athletic Federation recently announced that, after waiting with bated breath in the two weeks following the end of the competition, there were no reported cases of coronavirus infection among the wrestlers, coaches, officials and staff---about 800 people in all.

#WrestleAmman

Olympic champs prevail as Iran bounces back with 4 golds

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 - 19:27 By Ken Marantz

AMMAN, Jordan (March 26) -- With its two Olympic champions in action, it was a pretty sure thing that Iran would do better than its disappointing showing the previous day in Greco-Roman at the Asian Championships.

The wrestling powerhouse sure did, rebounding all the way to the top of four medal podiums. Paris Olympic gold medalists Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) defended their Asian titles in leading a quartet of Iranians who captured titles on Wednesday in Amman, a day after Iran came away with just a single gold.

Danial SOHRABI (IRI) and Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) also emerged victorious as Iran stormed to the team title with 201 points, well ahead of the 168 chalked up by second-place Uzbekistan, which claimed three golds on the opening day Tuesday -- all in head-to-head clashes with Iranian opponents. Japan finished third with 131 points.

Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK) won the other gold on offer on Wednesday with a victory at 60kg after taking silvers in 2018 and 2019.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) wrestles Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Saravi, competing for the first time since Paris, showed again why he has been the dominant force at Greco 97kg in recent years when he easily outclassed 2023 world U23 bronze medalist Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) 8-0 in the final.

"This is my first official appearance after the Olympic Games," Saravi said. "Thank God I was able to put on a good performance and win the gold medal."

Put in par terre, Saravi scored a roll against the gutsy but outmanned Nakazato, then added an arm drag takedown for a 5-0 lead. Just seconds into the second period, Saravi got behind for a takedown during a scramble that landed him out of bounds.

The Japanese side took a risk and challenged the call, even though losing it would give Saravi the winning point. That's just what happened, and Saravi was champion at 3:08 with his third technical fall in three matches without conceding a point.

"After the Olympics, I suffered a knee injury, but thankfully, I’m in much better condition now," Saravi said. "Over the past two or three months, I’ve been able to train at the camp under the supervision of the national team and I’ve reached a decent level of readiness and felt good.

"I hope to reach full readiness by the World Championships and deliver a strong performance there to achieve the best possible result."

The 27-year-old Saravi, who also won a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has not lost since falling 3-0 to Gabriel ROSSILO (CUB) in the semifinals of the 2023 World Championships.

Perhaps more impressively, he has finished in the top-three in every competition he has entered since the 2019 worlds, a streak of 18 tournaments that includes a world gold in 2021 and Asian gold in 2020.

Saravi said he looks forward to renewing his rivalry with four-time Olympic medalist Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM), whom he defeated in the final in Paris.

"Artur Aleksanyan is a great wrestler and someone I have a lot of respect for," Saravi said. "I see it as motivation for myself to face him several times in the coming years.

"I hope Aleksanyan can achieve the best results in the European Championships, and that we can put on a great match together at the World Championships so that the fans can enjoy it."

Saied ESMAEILI (IRI) sets up to throw Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) during the 67kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Earlier, Esmaeili, also making his first appearance since the Olympics, had to work a bit harder than Saravi to prevail 3-0 in the 67kg final over world U23 champion Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), a repeat of the outcome of last year's final.

"This edition of the Asian Championships had a high level of competition, with renowned wrestlers from Japan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan," Esmaeili said. "The Kyrgyz wrestler was the world U23 champion and a strong competitor. The Japanese wrestler was the Asian Games champion and showed a high level of performance."

Esmaeili got a 2-point throw from par terre in the first period, then held his ground to avoid giving up a passivity point in a scoreless second to relegate Beishekeev to the silver medal again.

"In the final, I fought for those six minutes, but my opponent wasn’t really there to wrestle with me," Esmaeili said. "I attacked him during those six minutes, and in the second period, he kept stopping the match to catch his breath. Honestly, the final was the toughest match."

Esmaeili said he had to make the tough transition that comes with the notoriety of becoming an Olympic champion.

"After becoming an Olympic champion, people expect a lot from me, and because of the matches I’ve had, their expectations have increased," he said. "Every competition we enter is more stressful than before because people say, 'He’s an Olympic champion, so he has to perform well.'

"That’s why we have to be careful not to lose. The pressure of competition has become much heavier for us since the Olympics."

The loss was Beishekeev's first since last year's final in Bishkek, after which he won titles at the 2024 World U23 Championships and at this year's Tirana Ranking Series tournament. He also has bronze medals from both the Asian Games and Asian Championships in 2023.

Danial SOHRABI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 72kg final against Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 72kg, Sohrabi completed a dominant run to the title by putting away 2024 bronze medalist Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) 8-0 in the final for his fourth technical fall in four matches -- all without giving up a point.

Sohrabi, the 2023 world U23 champion, took advantage of the first shot at par terre by scoring consecutive rolls for a 5-0 lead, added a stepout, then finished the match with a takedown at 2:38.

Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) wrestles Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) in the 82kg final at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

World U23 champion Naghousi had his work cut out for him in forging a 3-1 victory over Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) in the 82kg final.

Naghousi used a body lock throw to score from par terre in the first period, then defended well from the bottom in the second period, avoiding giving up points on a rolling throw attempt by Satayev, whose silver marks his first senior-level medal.

Se Ung RI (PRK) celebrates after winning the gold medal at the 60kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 60kg, Ri used his agility to step over and gain a 2-point exposure on a takedown attempt by world U23 champion Alisher GANIEV (UZB) in the second period, giving him a 6-4 win and his first victory in three trips to the Asian final.

"I trained really hard to make sure I would win first place here," Ri said. "In the match against the Uzbekistan athlete, since I was stronger overall, I tried my best to overpower him tactically and secure the gold medal."

Ri took the early lead with an arm drag takedown and gut wrench to go up 4-0, but Ganiev came back with a lateral drop for 2, then spun behind after stopping an arm throw to make it 4-4 with the criteria in his favor.

In the second period, Ganiev got in tight on a takedown attempt on the mat, but Ri stepped over the top to wrench Ganiev temporarily onto his back for the 2 that would give him the title.

Ri, who prevented Iran from having finalists in all five weight classes when he defeated Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI) 8-4 in the semifinals, said he prepared well for what he knew would be a tough competition in the Olympic weight class.

"The 60kg category is an Olympic category, that's why I studied all of the opponents carefully, watched a lot of match footage and worked hard to win," Ri said.

Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) edged Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 6-5 in the 82kg bronze-medal bout. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Qatar gains 2nd-ever Asian medal, with an Iranian tint

In the bronze-medal matches, Qatar picked up just its second-ever medal -- again thanks to the efforts of an import -- when Iranian-born Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) edged two-time bronze medalist Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 6-5 at 82kg.

Badaghimofrad, who finished fifth for Iran at the 2023 Asian Championships and made his debut for Qatar earlier this year, had fallen behind 5-4 from a scramble that was started from a nice 4-point fireman's carry by Rasulov. But Badaghimofrad used an arm drag for a takedown to go ahead before the break, then held off Rasulov in a second period that saw no passivity points assessed.

Qatar's only previous medal was a silver won at freestyle 125kg by Georgian-born Giorgi SAKANDELIDZE (QAT) in 2018 in Bishkek. There have been a handful of fifth-place finishes by native Qataris.

In the other 82kg match, Boseong KANG (KOR) pulls a surprise with a 6-6 victory over dethroned defending champion Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), using an effective arm throw to build a six-point lead before holding off a late charge from the Japanese teen.

At 60kg, Kaito INABA (JPN) added a bronze to the silver he won last year in Bishkek, defeating Iran's Naserpour 1-1 on last-point criteria in a match limited to passivity points.

With Inaba on top in the second period, Naserpour did an amazing job of preventing being thrown, but Inaba clinched the win when he wriggled out of a Naserpour arm spin late in the match.

The second bronze-medal match at 60kg was also decided on last point, as Ziyue XI (CHN) used a high-chest wrap to turn over Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ) from par terre and secure a 3-3 victory for the first major medal of his career.

Sulaimanov, who won an Asian U23 bronze here last year, converted a reverse body roll in his turn from par terre in the first period.

At 67kg, Man Gwang SON (PRK) scored a stepout with :43 second left, giving him the criteria advantage and a 2-2 victory over Nozimjon BOYKUZIEV (UZB). Boykuziev had gone ahead with a stepout during a throw in par terre to go up 2-1.

Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) won the 67kg bronze medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Asian Games champion Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) hit a rolling 4-point throw from par terre in the first period and that was more than enough to defeat NEERAJ (IND) 5-0 in a battle between the 2022 bronze medalists. The loss denied Neeraj a third career Asian bronze.

In a bizarre finish at 72kg, Ji LENG (CHN) was on his way to a victory over Omar AL DARAGHMEH (JOR) when a misguided challenge from the Jordan side gave the Chinese the points he needed for an 11-3 technical fall.

Leng had a pair of stepouts and a takedown-roll combination in the second period to build up a 9-3 lead when Al Daraghmeh attempted a pancake that was stopped and originally scored as 2 for Leng. The call was overturned as a slipped throw, but Jordan challenged anyway -- and "won" the challenge because Al Daraghmeh was instead assessed a 2-point leg foul penalty which ended the match.

Issei HONNA (JPN) earned the other 72kg bronze for his first international medal, ripping off three rolls from par terre en route to a 10-0 victory over Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM) in 2:13.

At 97kg, NITESH (IND), a two-time Asian U23 medalist, earned his first senior medal with a one-sided 9-0 victory over Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM). Nitesh scored three gut wrenches from par terre, then ended the match with an arm drag takedown with :04 left in the first period.

Youfang ZHANG (CHN) snatched the other 97kg bronze in impressive fashion, reversing Jewoo PARK (KOR) during a gut wrench and securing a fall at 2:00.

Day 2 Results

Greco-Roman

60kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Se Ung RI (PRK) df. Alisher GANIEV (UZB), 6-4

BRONZE: Kaito INABA (JPN) df. Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI), 1-1
BRONZE: Ziyue XI (CHN) df. Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ), 3-3

67kg (13 entries)
GOLD: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) df. Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), 3-0

BRONZE: Man Gwang SON (PRK) df. Nozimjon BOYKUZIEV (UZB), 2-2
BRONZE: Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) df. NEERAJ (IND), 5-0

72kg (14 entries)
GOLD: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) by TF, 8-0, 2:38

BRONZE: Ji LENG (CHN) df. Omar AL DARAGHMEH (JOR) by TF, 11-3, 5:14
BRONZE: Issei HONNA (JPN) df. Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM) by TF, 10-0, 2:13

82kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) df. Omar SATAYEV (KAZ), 3-1

BRONZE: Boseong KANG (KOR) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), 6-6
BRONZE: Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) df. Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB), 6-5

97kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) by TF, 8-0, 3:08

BRONZE: NITESH (IND) df. Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM) by TF, 9-0, 2:56
BRONZE: Youfang ZHANG (CHN) df. Jewoo PARK (KOR) by Fall, 2:00 (3-3)

With Decision to Make, Japan's Women With Olympic Berths All Intend to Enter Belgrade Worlds

Comments

Olympic champs prevail as Iran bounces back with 4 golds