#Tokyo2020

Women’s Wrestling at Center Stage as Tokyo 2020 Announces Detailed Competition Schedule

By Tim Foley

TOKYO (April 16) – The Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) has announced the detailed competition schedule for the sport of wrestling at the 2020 Olympic Games. The two-day competition format will feature women’s wrestling as the final gold medal bout on each day of competition. 

Japan is the most dominant women’s wrestling nation in the world having won 11 of 18 Olympic gold medals since 2004, the first year the sport was included on the Olympic programme. The island nation has also won 22 world team titles since the first women’s wrestling world championships in 1987, including 11 of the last 13.

“The schedule announced by Tokyo 2020 will help wrestling ensure high attendance for each day of the competition,” said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. “We saw nice crowds in Brazil and expect that this schedule will help us reach even more fans and create a positive and energetic environment for all our competitors. The stars of women’s wrestling will guarantee that interest-level.”

Greco-Roman will join women for the first half of the schedule, with freestyle set to wrap up the Games alongside the aforementioned women’s weight categories.

Days 1/2: GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg
Days 2/3: GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg
Days 3/4: GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg
Days 4/5: FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg
Days 5/6: FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg
Days 6/7: FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg

Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (IRI) embraces fans after winning the 74kg gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

The full schedule is as follows

Day 1 (Sunday, August 2)
11:00-12:20 – 1/8 action (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg)
12:20-13:00 – Quarterfinals (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg)
18:15-19:15 – Semifinals (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg)

Day 2 (Monday, August 3)
11:00-11:30 – Repechage (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg)
11:30-12:50 – 1/8 action (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg)
12:50-13:30 – Quarterfinals (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg)
18:15-19:15 – Semifinals (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg)
19:30-22:00 – Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg)

Day 3 (Tuesday, August 4)
11:00-11:30 – Repechage (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg)
11:30-12:50 – 1/8 action (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg)
12:50-13:30 – Quarterfinals (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg)
18:15-19:15 – Semifinals (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg)
19:30-22:00 – Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg)

Day 4 (Wednesday, August 5)
11:00-11:30 – Repechage (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg)
11:30-12:50 – 1/8 action (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg)
12:50-13:30 – Quarterfinals (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg)
18:15-19:15 – Semifinals (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg)
19:30-22:00 – Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg)

Day 5 (Thursday, August 6)
11:00-11:30 – Repechage (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg)
11:30-12:50 – 1/8 action (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg)
12:50-13:30 – Quarterfinals (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg)
18:15-19:15 – Semifinals (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg)
19:30-22:00 – Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg)

Day 6 (Friday, August 07)
11:00-11:30 – Repechage (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg)
11:30-12:50 – 1/8 action (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg)
12:50-13:30 – Quarterfinals (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg)
18:15-19:15 – Semifinals (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg)
19:30-22:00 – Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg)

Day 7 (Saturday, August 08)
18:45-19:05 – Repechage (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg)
19:30-22:00 – Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg)

#WrestleTirana

Four Defending Champs Return to European Greco Finals on Day 2

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (April 21) -- Out of the five defending Greco-Roman champion on Tuesday at the European Championships, four will defend their gold medals after reaching the final. The one missing out was Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) at 60kg.

At 67kg, Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) was on the verge of bowling out, down 2-0 against Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) but was awarded the par terre in the second period. Jafarov scored a correct throw on Chkhikvadze, scoring two points to lead 3-2. Georgia challenged but on review, the correct throw call was upheld, giving Jafarov a 4-2 lead that he defended to enter the final.

He will wrestle Murat FIRAT (TUR) on Wednesday with an aim of winning a second straight European Championships title. Firat had one-sided final against Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR), beating the Ukrainian 4-0. He scored a turn from first par terre to lead 3-0 and then got the second par terre as well which gave him one more point.

In perhaps the biggest match of the session, defending champion at 97kg Kiril MILOV (BUL) denied world silver medalist Artur SARGSIAN (UWW) at 97kg with a 7-1 victory. Milov led 1-1 on criteria after par terre positions were exchanged but Sargsian wrapped his arm around Milov and tried scoring a takedown. Milov defended and both wrestlers went out of bounds.

Milov was awarded the point as Sargsian stepped out first. Sargsian challenged but on review, and the difference being a fraction of a second, Sargsian's knee touched outside before Milov's hand. Milov kept his point and got another point for lost challenge, giving him a 3-1 lead.

Sargsian tried a flying squirrel but Milov controlled him before slamming him on the mat for four points and extending his lead to 7-1.

He will defend his title against Alex SZOKE (HUN) who blanked Vladen KOZLIUK (UKR), 3-0, in the other semifinals. He got the two points for the par terre and one for the lost challenge.

The third defending champion to enter the final was Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) after he defeated Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO), 2-1 at 82kg. He will face Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW) in the final after he defeated world bronze medalist Karlo KODRIC (CRO), 7-3.

At 72kg, Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) will look to win his second straight gold medal, reaching the final with a 6-1 victory over Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM). Ghanem opened the scoring with a stepout before losing a challenge to make it 1-1 but held criteria. He was awarded the par terre position from which he turned Terteryan to lead 4-1. Just before the break, he managed a takedown and extend his lead to 6-1, the winning score.

Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) will look to challenge Ghanem after he defeated Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR), 3-2, in the other 72kg semifinal

The one defending champion who did not reach the final, Mammadli, was stunned by former U20 world champion Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) in the 60kg semifinal, pinning the Azerbaijan wrestler after building a 7-1 lead.

Aghajanyan got the par terre in the first period and used a front headlock for a four-point throw and lead 5-0. In the second period, the Armenian got the par terre again to the surprise of Mammadli, who managed to score a reversal to cut the lead to 6-1. However, as he tried to gut-wrench Aghajanyan, he was blocked by the Armenian who kept Mammadli on the mat and got the pin.

Returning silver medalist Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) had no issues reaching his second straight final as he defeated Corneliu RUSU (MDA), 7-1 in the semifinal. Tibilov led 1-1 on criteria but got a third passivity, one without any points, and scored a four-point throw.

Towards the end of the bout, Rusu used an aggressive move on Tibilov which forced the referees to give two caution points to Tibilov, making his score 7-1.

RESULTS

60kg
SF 1: Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) df. Corneliu RUSU (MDA), 7-1
SF 2: Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) df. Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE), via fall (8-1)

67kg
SF 1: Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) df. Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO), 4-2
SF 2: Murat FIRAT (TUR) df. Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR), 4-0

72kg
SF 1: Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) df. Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM), 6-1
SF 2: Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) df. Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR), 3-2

82kg
SF 1: Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) df. Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO), 2-1
SF 2: Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW) df. Karlo KODRIC (CRO), 7-3

97kg
SF 1: Kiril MILOV (BUL) df. Artur SARGSIAN (UWW), 7-1
SF 2: Alex SZOKE (HUN) df. Vladen KOZLIUK (UKR), 3-0