#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)

#WrestleHangzhou

Asian Games Wrestling: Yazdani vs Punia, Tazhudinov vs Goleij in finals

By Vinay Siwach

LIN'AN, Hangzhou, China (October 7) -- The Asian Games in Hangzhou will see the final day of wrestling at the Lin'an Sports Culture and Exhibition Center. Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) and Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) are wrestling today as wrestlers in Freestyle 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg

LIVE MATCH ORDER | BRACKETS | DAY 3 RESULTS

That's it for the session before repechage begins. Here are the finals for the evening session

74kg
Kirin KINOSHITA (JPN) vs. Yones EMAMI (IRI)

86kg
Deepak PUNIA vs Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)

97kg
Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) vs Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN)

125kg
Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) vs. Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)

12:55: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) returns to the 86kg final at the Asian Games with yet another 10-0 victory in the semifinal. He will take on Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) who manages to score a late exposure against Deepak PUNIA to win 3-2. Wait we have challenge... Punia is asking for two points as well. The jury awards two points to Punia and he wins 4-3 against Shapiev.

12:48: Asian Championships silver medalist Kirin KINOSHITA (JPN) takes out defending champion Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) 6-0 to enter the final at 74kg. A top win for the Japanese. He will face Yones EMAMI (IRI) who defeats Magomet EVLOEV (TJK) 9-3.

12:45: Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) and Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) final set at 97kg. The two wrestled at the Asian Championships with Tazhudinov scoring a 13-8 win over Goleij.

12:33: Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) with a fall over Khusanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB) in the 125kg semifinals. Munkhtur will wait for the winner of Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) and Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) to know his final opponent. 

12:25: Azamat DALUETBEKOV (KAZ) is absolutely livid with his coach who challenged a stepout call with 30 seconds on board. Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) led 2-1 when he forced the stepout to make it 3-1. Kazakhstan corner decided to challenge the call and as Daluetbekov had put his hand out first, it was called a stepout and Kazakhstan lost the challenge, giving Shapiev an extra point. Daluetbekov scored the takedown but that made it only 4-3.

Just two weeks back, Daluetbekov had scored a final-second takedown against Shapiev to win the World Championships bronze medal.

12:15: Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) has still got it. The defending champion puts himself in the 74kg semifinal after beating Darkhan YESSENGALI (KAZ) 3-1. On Mat C, Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) scores the winning takedown to beat Bali SOU (CAM) 5-1 at 125kg.

12:12: A stepout, takedown, stepout, takedown, turn, turn. That's the scoring pattern Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) used to beat in the first period and reach the 86kg semifinal.

12:05: Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) scored a takedown in each of the two periods to beat Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) 4-2 at 97kg. He moves into the semifinals.

12:03: Deepak PUNIA gives up three stepouts against Shota SHIRAI (JPN) but his two takedowns, one stepout and two caution points against Shirai are enough to help him move into the semifinals with a 7-3 win.

11:48: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) takes a minute and 56 seconds to beat Mukhammad ABDULLAEV (KGZ) at 86kg. Yazdani is the defending champion at the Asian Games.

11:40: World champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) on Mat A wrestling BUHEEERDUN (CHN) in the 125kg quarterfinals. Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) wrestling Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN) at 97kg on Mat B. Zare works to a 10-0 win while Yergali holds off Ishiguro for a 4-2 victory.

11:35: Azamat DALUETBEKOV (KAZ), the 86kg world bronze medalist, is made to work hard by Gwanuk KIM (KOR) in the opening bout but he gets the job done 6-0.

11:30: Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) with a go-behind to open the scoring against Kanybek  Abdulkhairov. He adds exposure and an activity period point to lead 5-0. An arm-bar to get the fall just at the break!

11:22: Defending champion Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) with two activity points in either period to win 2-0 against Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN) at 74kg. 

11:15: Yones EMAMI (IRI) will feel the heat of this bout against Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) perhaps later in the day. Emami scores a 7-2 win but Toktomambetov brought the pace with him and Emami looks a little tired here.

10:55: World champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) with a composed 10-0 win over Zaman ANWAR (PAK) at 125kg. He will have a 10-minute break before the next round of matches. 

10:50: Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) and Feng LU (CHN) roll to technical superiority wins on Mat C. The Kazakhstan wrestler beats Farkhod ANAKULOV (TJK) at 125kg while Lu thrills the crowd by beating Inayat ULLAH (PAK) at 74kg.

10:35: Omar SAREM (SYR) got a big four against Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN) to lead 4-4 on criteria but the Japanese wrestler scored a takedown to make it 6-4. A reversal for Sarem but that doesn't change the final result.

10:25: Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) with a 10-0 win over VICKY to advance. Next up on Mat C is Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) and SUMIT at 125kg. Sumit qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in Sofia but was later found to have failed a dope test. His place was awarded to Lazarev.

10:20: Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) built a 2-0 lead over Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) but the Uzbek with a counter four! Goleij with a stepout to lead cut the lead 4-3 at the break. Ibragimov with a takedown in the second period to lead 6-3 now. Both wrestlers are on the edge and it's a stepout for Ibragimov who now leads 7-4. Well, that was it for Ibragimov as Goleij scored a takedown and three turns to make it 13-7 and advance.

10:14: Deepak PUNIA lost to Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) in the Asian Championships in 92kg but he avenged that loss with a 3-2 win at 86kg. Bost wrestlers had a takedown each but Punia with an activity point in the second period to win the bout.

10:00: World champion Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) is on Mat A against Awusayiman HABILA (CHN), a rematch of the Asian Championships final in which Tazhudinov won. The Bahrain wrestler with a big attempted lift but gets only two points. A takedown for Tazhudinov but Habila scores a reversal just before the break. The second period begins with Habila go behind and he cuts Tazhudinov's lead to 5-3. Tazhudinov answers with a takedown to lead 7-3 and is happy to keep it as the clock expires.