#development

Indonesia learns tricks of the trade in refereeing, coaching and IT

By United World Wrestling Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (June 29) -- The Indonesia Wrestling Federation recently hosted three comprehensive courses ahead of its national championships in Jakarta. From June 21 to 25, these courses took place at the Gedung Olahraga Universitas Negeri Jakarta.

Conducted in collaboration with United World Wrestling, Olympic Solidarity, Indonesia NOC, and the Indonesia Wrestling Federation, the courses covered different areas of expertise. Vincent AKA led the coaching course, Zach ERRETT conducted the referee course, and Youssef BOUAZIZ organized the IT course.

The Level 1 Course (Introduction to Coaching and Safety), a technical course for coaches, had a total of 42 participants, consisting of 35 men and seven women. Throughout the course, the coaches delved into various topics, including discovery games, introducing new techniques, coaching skills, providing feedback, risk management, and understanding age and developmental stage characteristics. The coaches actively practiced and honed their skills through practical evaluations, establishing a solid foundation for effective coaching methods that can be implemented in their respective provinces.

"The coaches and referees came together to work as a team," Aka said. "We tried to provide the skills that they need to be successful in their jobs and as a federation. Now, it needs to keep moving forward."

Hadi Rizky HANAFIAH, one of the participants, shared his newfound confidence as a coach.

“As a young coach, I feel more confident in managing my athletes and helping them to be the better wrestlers," the West Java coach said. "Hopefully UWW will be able to come to Indonesia so all Indonesian coaches can have valuable knowledge in the future."

IndonesiaParticipants during the Introduction to Referee course in Jakarta. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

The Introduction to Refereeing Course had 19 participants, including 15 men and four women. The course focused on the fundamental aspects of being a referee, covering athlete safety, hold evaluation, referee mechanics, positioning, and bout control. Zach ERRETT commended the referees for their hard work and improvement throughout the course.

“The course went very well," Errett said. "The referees worked hard and showed improvement by the final day. The group was eager to learn and very receptive to feedback. It was great to watch them apply their skills successfully during the competition," he said.

The IT Course, attended by 20 participants, provided insight into the workings of the UWW's IT system during international competitions and continental championships. The participants gained knowledge about BlockChain draw, streaming tools, and the dissemination of public information. They also had the opportunity to design an IT setup for a simulated competition.

"This was my second course as an IT Educator in Southeast Asia," Bouaziz said. "There are many young people around the world, especially in SEA, who want to learn and work in event management. The participants asked many questions about the details of the programs and their functionalities. I was delighted that there were 20 participants in the course and I hope that we can conduct more courses to prepare the next generation for wrestling's future technological advancements."

IndonesiaParticipants of the three courses implementing their skills during the U20 National Championships in Jakarta. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Following the courses, the Indonesia Wrestling Federation organized the U20 national championships, attracting 157 participants who competed in 200 bouts. This competition provided coaches and referees with the opportunity to apply their newly acquired skills. The IT course participants took the lead in organizing the competition system.

“The IT course will help the Indonesia Federation IT Division," Ronny GUNAWAN, IT Chairman of IWF, said. "We were able to share and learn about the latest developments in IT. Sharing knowledge in Indonesia can be challenging because we live in various provinces spread across islands. Hopefully, we can have future courses with UWW to further enhance our capabilities."

#WrestleTirana

U23 Worlds: Japan clinches team title; Ringaci wins gold

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (October 27) -- Japan only sent nine wrestlers, with none of the seven world champions from last year returning, to the U23 World Championships. Yet, it clinched the Women's Wrestling team title comfortably in Tirana on Friday.

With no entries received at 68kg in the domestic selection trials, Japan was forced to skip that weight in Tirana but the second-string team won five gold and one silver to finish at the top with 159 points. Ukraine finished second with 144 points while the United World Wrestling team was third with 132 points.

Out of the five gold medals on offer on Friday, Japan won three with Mako OONO (JPN) winning at 53kg, Sara NATAMI (JPN) winning at 57kg and Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN) winning the 62kg gold medal.

Irina RINGACI (MDA) won the 65kg gold while senior world champion Amit ELOR (USA) repeated as the champion at 72kg, claiming her eighth world title.

Mako OONO (JPN)Mako OONO (JPN) celebrates after winning the 53kg final. (Photo: UWW / Ulug Bugra Han Degirmenci)

Oono got the ball rolling with a 10-0 win over senior world bronze medalist Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) in the 53kg final. Using her quick speed, Oono was able to counter most of Dragutan's attacks and finished the final with 2:17 left on the clock.

While the final was a one-sided affair, Oono was in serious trouble in her quarterfinals against Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR) who scored in the first ten seconds of the bout and took a 2-0 lead. Malanchuk kept coming back with the low single on Oono's left leg but the Japanese defended well to not give up any more points. In the second period, Malanchuk shot a double-leg which Oono defended and scored a go-behind to lead 2-2 on criteria. That remained the winning margin for Oono.

This was Oono's fourth gold medal in international competitions as she has a U17 world title from 2018, an Asian U17 title from 2019 and an Asian U20 gold from 2022.

Sara NATAMI (JPN)Sara NATAMI (JPN) defeated Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) 18-8 in the 57kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Senior Asian champion at 59kg in 2022, Natami was wrestling at 57kg and had to work hard for the gold against European silver medalist Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE). Natami won the gold by beating Aliyeva 18-8.

Natami opened the scoring with a takedown and rolled Aliyeva to lead 6-0. As she scored another takedown, Aliyeva got her hold over Natami and sprung her on the side to score two points. That cut Natami's lead to 8-2. Aliyeva then locked Natami's hands and flung her for a four. Though she survived the pin, Natami gave up a stepout and saw her lead cut to 8-7 at the break.

All that action had taken a toll on Aliyeva as she broke down in the second period and gave up easy takedowns as Natami's lead swelled to 12-8. With a minute still left on the clock, Natami, with six more points, completed an 18-8 victory. The win also denied Aliyeva and Azerbaijan their first gold medal at the U23 World Championships.

Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN)Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN) won the world title at 62kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 62kg, Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN) did not take that much time as she pinned Iryna BONDAR (UKR) in the final. Inagaki first blocked an attempted lift from Bondar to score two points and once the wrestlers were in neutral, she got Bondar by the arm and pinned her with 4:17 left on the clock.

Inagaki is now a two-time U23 world champion, four years after she won her first in 2019. She also has the U17 and U20 world titles to her name.

Irina RINGACI (MDA)Irina RINGACI (MDA) pins Amina TANDELOVA (AIN) in the 65kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

After two bronze medals at the U23 Worlds (2019 and 2022), Ringaci won the gold medal in some style, pinning Amina TANDELOVA (AIN) in a minute and 28 seconds.

Ringaci won a bronze medal at 68kg at the senior Worlds last month but returned to 65kg for the Tirana tournament.

"I feel better at 65kg because I weigh around 67kg," Ringaci said. "When I am wrestling at 65kg, I have to cut only around two kilograms but for 68kg, I am underweight."

In the semifinal, Ringaci had a fierce battle with world silver medalist Macey KILTY (USA), winning 5-4 with her defense helping her sail.

"The semifinal opponent is a strong wrestler," she said. "I knew it was going to be a tough match. I am always getting ready to wrestle for six minutes."

Defending champion at 72kg Elor came to Tirana chasing her eighth world title and returned with it. She defeated Jyoti BERWAL (UWW) 10-0 in just 21 seconds to become a two-time U23 world champion, her third world title this year.

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RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

53kg
GOLD: Mako OONO (JPN) df. Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), 10-0

BRONZE: Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR) df. Ekaterina VERBINA (AIN), 10-8
BRONZE: Altyn SHAGAYEVA (KAZ) df. Beatrice FERENT (ROU), 12-1

57kg
GOLD: Sara NATAMI (JPN) df. Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE), 18-8

BRONZE: REENA (UWW) df. Mia FRIESEN (CAN), 8-2
BRONZE: Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) df. Xochitl MOTA PETTIS (USA), 4-3

62kg
GOLD: Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN) df. Iryna BONDAR (UKR), via fall

BRONZE: Alina KASABIEVA (AIN) df. Viktoria VESSO (EST), 11-0
BRONZE: Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ) df. Bhagyashree FAND (UWW), 10-6

65kg
GOLD: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df. Amina TANDELOVA (AIN), via fall

BRONZE: Yuliia LESKOVETS (UKR) df. Elma ZEIDLERE (LAT), 3-1
BRONZE: MONIKA (UWW) df. Macey KILTY (USA), 5-4

72kg
GOLD: Amit ELOR (USA) df. Jyoti BERWAL (UWW), 10-0

BRONZE: Iryna ZABLOTSKA (UKR) df. Bukrenaz SERT (TUR), 12-2
BRONZE: Viktoryia RADZKOVA (AIN) df. Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL), 3-3

Greco-Roman

60kg
GOLD: Romeo BERIDZE (GEO) vs. Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN) 

SF 1: Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN) df. SUMIT (UWW), 9-4
SF 2: Romeo BERIDZE (GEO) df. Mert ILBARS (TUR), 3-1

67kg
GOLD: Mustafa YILDIRIM (TUR) vs. Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ)

SF 1: Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) df. Hasan MAMMADLI (AZE), 11-0
SF 2: Mustafa YILDIRIM (TUR) df. HARUTO YABE (JPN), 3-3

72kg
GOLD: Dmitrii ADAMOV (AIN) vs. Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR)

SF 1: Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR) df. Michael PORTMANN (SUI), 9-2
SF 2: Dmitrii ADAMOV (AIN) df. Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 15-6

82kg
GOLD: Alperen BERBER (TUR) vs. Aues GONIBOV (AIN)

SF 1: Aues GONIBOV (AIN) df. Ruslan ABDIIEV (UKR), 11-0
SF 2: Alperen BERBER (TUR) df. Emad ABOUELATTA (EGY), 3-1

97kg
GOLD: Mustafa OLGUN (TUR) vs. Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN)

SF 1: Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN) df. Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM), 9-0
SF 2: Mustafa OLGUN (TUR) df. Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN), 7-4