Wrestling's 2022-'23 Ranking Series explainer

Friday, February 18, 2022 - 11:37 By Vinay Siwach

ISTANBUL, Turkey (February 18) -- United World Wrestling has updated the point allocations for the '22 Ranking Series events, starting with next week's #WrestleIstanbul Yasar Dogu.

The top eight wrestlers who acquire the most points from the four Ranking Series events and the Continental Championships will earn a seed for September's World Championships, which will be held in Belgrade, Serbia. As of now, wrestlers who competed, and subsequently earned points from the Tokyo Olympic Games and Oslo World Championships, fill out the top-20 in the rankings heading into Istanbul.

Updated Ranking Series Point Distribution:
1st - 8000
2nd - 6400
3rd - 5200
5th - 4000
7th - 3520
8th - 3200
9th - 2800
10th - 2480
11th - 800
12th - 100
13th - 75
14th - 50
15th - 25
16th - 13

Additionally, the number of points awarded at a competition will also be impacted by the number of wrestlers entered in each bracket. In weight categories with 2-5 competitors, ranking points will be reduced in half and only the top three finishers will be awarded points. In brackets that feature 6-12 participants, no additional points will be added. For weight categories with 13-16 entries, an additional 3000 points will be given. For categories with 16+ wrestlers entered, an additional 5000 will be awarded.

Additional points
1 participant - no ranking or additional points
2-5 participants - ranking points reduced in half and only the first three will be awarded
6-12 participants - no additional points
13-16 participants - 3000 additional points to all wrestlers
16+ participants - 5000 additional points to all wresters

*This article is according to the new point structure which will be displayed on the UWW website after the Yasar Dogu tournament.

World champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) can consolidate his top rank at 79kg in Istanbul. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

FS 57kg (18 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 4 Alireza SARLAK (IRI)
No. 8 Horst LEHR (GER)

Alireza SARLAK (IRI) and Horst LEHR (GER) are the two guys who have a shot at making the most noise at 57kg. Currently, Sarlak and Lehr are ranked fourth and eighth, respectively, and both can break into the top three with medal-winning performances in Turkey.

Sarlak heads into the Yasar Dogu with 37000 points from his silver-medal finish in Oslo. A gold medal in Istanbul would give him 8000 points. As the bracket sits, there are more than 16 wrestlers entered, which means he'll get an additional 5000 points.

A total of 13000 points would give Sarlak 50000 points, which is more than the current third-place wrestler, Ravi KUMAR (IND) [41400].

Lehr is in a similar situation, but he'll need to win the competition to move above Sarlak and Kumar. If he wins, he'll jump from 31000 to 44000 points.

65kg (28 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 2 Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF)
No. 3 Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)

It'll be a two-way battle at 65kg.

World champion and No. 2 Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF) can overthrow top-ranked Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) with at least a 10th place finish. Currently, the Russian has 45000 points, and with a 10th-place finish, Shakhiev will get 7480 points, bringing his overall total to 58000 points. That'd be enough to overtake Otoguro, who has 51000.

Third-ranked Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) is at 44500 points and can grab the top-ranking with a 10th-place finish. That will take his tally to 51980 points, while gold will take him to 57500 points.

FS 70kg (21 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 2 Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
No. 3 Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO)

Similar to 65kg, the current second and third-placed 70kg wrestlers can be the top movers. World silver medalist Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) is ranked second with 37000 points. He can fly past top-ranked Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL), who has 45000 points.

A gold medal will take Akmataliev to 50000 points, while silver would be good for 48400. The lowest he can finish and still reach the top spot is 8th. That will give him 8200 points.

Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO), who is also entered, sits third with 31000 points. He can move up to the second rank with a tournament win, as that will take him to 44000 points.

FS 79kg (24 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 1 Jordan BURROUGHS (USA)

Top-ranked world champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) can cement his place further with a medal-winning performance in Istanbul. Burroughs enters the Yasar Dogu with 45000 points. He can add 13000 points for gold, 11400 points for silver and 10200 points for bronze.

FS 86kg (22 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 7 Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ)

David TAYLOR (USA), Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) and Artur NAIFANOV (RWF) have taken an enormous lead at the top from the rest of the field at 86kg. Since the three are not entered, Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) can be the biggest mover if he wins the gold in Istanbul.

The Kazak wrestler is currently in the seventh spot with 25000 points, and a medal in Istanbul can move him to the fourth spot.

FS 97kg (17 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 9 Mahamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR)

Mahamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR) can break into the top-three at 97kg if he can finish ninth or above. He currently has 31000 points and a ninth-place finish would take him past Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR), who has 38500 points.

Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL), placed 11th with 25000 points, can jump up to fifth in the rankings with a gold medal. That'd put him at 38000 points.

World champion Rafiq HUSEYNOV (AZE), left, and Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) are number one and two at 82kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

GR 63kg (12 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 6 Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)

Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) is currently ranked sixth at 63kg with 25000 points. He can jump up to the third spot with a gold or silver medal in Istanbul.

Since there are only 12 wrestlers are entered at 63kg, no entry points will be awarded.

Mammadov will get 8000 points for winning gold and 6400 points for silver. Both would be good enough to take him past both third-placed Lenur TEMIROV (UKR) and fourth-placed Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN). They both have 31000 points.

GR 72kg (14 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 3 Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU)
No. 6 Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR)

Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) and Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) could be the biggest movers at this weight. Sleiva has 31000 points and is currently ranked third. A gold-medal finish will give him 11000 points [14 participants] and take him to 42000. He'd move ahead of current second-ranked Sergei KUTUZOV (RWF) who has 37000 points. Even if he finishes as low as eighth, the Lithuanian will be ahead of Kutuzov.

Arslan has 25000 points but could jump three spots to third place. A gold-medal finish would take him to 36000 points. That'd move him ahead of Sleiva who needs at least a 10th place finish to remain ahead of Arslan. The Turkish wrestler will be guaranteed fourth if he can finish eighth or above.

GR 77kg (13 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 5 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)

World silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) is currently ranked fifth with 37000 points. He can break into top-three with a medal finish. A bronze would take him past third-placed world champ Roman VLASOV (RWF) who has 45000 points.

GR 82kg (8 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 1 Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
No. 2 Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)

Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) and Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) met in the finals at the World Championships and are ranked first and second, respectively. The two are expected to consolidate their ranks in Istanbul. Huseynov has 45000 points, while Akbudak has 37000 points. Akbudak cannot jump above Huseynov even with a gold medal.

GR 87kg (13 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 1 Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB)
No. 7 Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL)

World champion Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) sits atop the 87kg pile with 79200 points. A win would bring his point total to 90200.

Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) is currently ranked seventh (31000 points) but has a shot at breaking into the top three. He needs to win gold, as that would take his tally to 42000 points, 800 points more than Viktor LORINCZ (HUN).

GR 97kg (21 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 4 G'Angelo HANCOCK (USA)
No. 6 Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL)

Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) has a good chance to be in the top four if he can pull out a gold-medal win at the Yasar Dogu. He's currently ranked sixth with 34200 points, but he could jump to fourth with 13000 points. That will raise his tally to 47200 points.

G'Angelo HANCOCK (USA) also has 47200 points and is ranked fourth. To break the tie, the rank at the Olympics will be the trumping factor. In this scenario, Michalik would prevail over Hancock as he won bronze in Tokyo, while the USA wrestler finished seventh.

GR 130kg (14 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 7 Riza KAYAALP (TUR)

Greco-Roman star and former world champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR) can reach the fourth spot from his current seventh place with a gold-medal finish at his home turf. He has 34200 points, and the addition of an 11000-point gold medal will give him 45200 points. That'd place him 200 points ahead of the current fourth placer, Aliakbar YOUSOFI (IRI).

Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) can well be the top-ranked wrestler at 53kg. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

WW 50kg (25 participants)

Who can be big movers:
No. 5 Miglena SELISHKA (BUL)
No. 7 Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
No. 8 Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RUS)
No. 11 Alina VUC (ROU)

The top three positions at 50kg will remain unchanged, but there are four wrestlers who have a chance to break into the fourth spot of the rankings with a gold medal finish. Miglena SELISHKA (BUL) [31700 points], Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) [31000 points] and Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RUS) [31000 points] can replace SUN Yanan (CHN) [41400 points] with a silver-medal finish.

Depending on how the aforementioned trio of wrestlers finish, Alina VUC (ROU) could move up to fourth. She has 29600 points and is ninth in the rankings.

WW 53kg (20 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 4 Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
No. 6 Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL)
No. 9 Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)

Olympic bronze medalist and currently third-ranked Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) can topple Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) from the top spot if she can finish eighth or better in the 20-wrestler bracket. As of now, she has 43200 points. In any case, she will replace Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), who has 45000 points.

World silver medalist Iulia LEORDA (MDA) can improve from sixth to second if she wins the gold. But that's a long shot, as Bat Ochir would have to finish outside the top-10. Leorda currently has 37000 points.

Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) [31000 points] can also make a significant jump in rankings -- from ninth to fourth. She has to win a gold medal and hope that Leorda fails to finish in the top-10.

WW 55kg (15 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 3 Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)

Third-ranked Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) can replace Nina HEMMER (GER) with a strong showing in Turkey. Khomenets has 29000 points and an eighth-place or better finish will take her past Hemmer's 35000 points.

WW 57kg (22 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 2 Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL)
No. 4 Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR)

Olympic bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) will consolidate her second position in the ranking. She has 51200 points, but cannot move past Helen MAROULIS (USA) [79200 points] even if she wins a gold medal.

Tokyo silver medalist Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) is currently fifth with 41400 points. She can jump up to the third spot if she finishes with a medal in Istanbul.

WW 59kg (18 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 3 Sarita MOR (IND)

World bronze medalist Sarita MOR (IND) is ranked third with 31000 points. She needs to finish in the top-10 in Istanbul to overtake Akie HANAI (JPN) for the second spot. She, however, won't be able to replace Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) from the top even if she finishes with gold.

WW 62kg (29 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 1 Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)

World champ Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA'S (KGZ) top ranking will remain untouched. She already has 86400 points but is looking to add to that total in Istanbul.

Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), who has 34200 points, can jump to third place from fifth if she manages to at least reach a medal bout at the Yasar Dogu.

Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) is ranked eighth-ranked with 29600 points. However, a fourth rank is realistic if she wins the gold and hope that Yusein fails to finish in top-seven.

WW 65kg (19 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 3 Forrest MOLINARI (USA

Forrest MOLINARI (USA) has a chance to be second-ranked at 65kg if she finishes in the top 10 wrestlers of the weight class. The world bronze medalist currently has 31000 points and can overtake Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN). Top-ranked Irina RINGACI (MDA) won't be affected.

WW 68kg (15 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 2 Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
No. 3 Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) is all set to be the top-ranked wrestler at 68kg. All she has to do is step on the mat in Istanbul. Currently, she's ranked second with 77200 points. The defending world champion will overtake Olympic champion Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA), who has 80000 points.

Olympic silver medalist Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) is ranked third with 56400 points and can only reduce the gap to the top. A gold medal will take her to 67400 points.

WW 72kg (11 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 2 Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
No. 3 Anna SCHELL (GER)
No. 4 Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR)

Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) is ranked number two with 35000 points. If she wins the gold, she will be awarded 8000 points, which would tie her with top-ranked Masako FURUICHI (JPN). As Furuichi finished with gold at the World Championships and Bakbergenova had silver, the Kazak wrestler will remain at the second spot.

World bronze medalist Anna SCHELL (GER) and Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR) both have 29000 points each. If they reach the final and Bakbergenova finishes outside the top-10, the gold winner will take the second spot and the silver medalist will be third.

But in most likelihood, it will be a battle of third-place between Schell and Cavusoglu Tosun.

WW 76kg (22 participants)

Who can improve their ranking the most?:
No. 3 Epp MAEE (EST)
No. 4 Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
No. 5 Samar HAMZA (EGY)

A fact: no wrestler will be able to displace Adeline GRAY (USA) from the top spot in Istanbul.

Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) [54000 points] and Epp MAEE (EST) [52000 points] will battle it out for the second spot at the Yasar Dogu tournament. If Maee reaches the final, Medet Kyzy needs to win at least the bronze medal to retain her second place.

If Maee manages a bronze, the Kyrgyz wrestler needs to finish eighth or above. Maee, a world silver medalist, will not be able to overtake Medet Kyzy if she finishes below the ninth spot. For that, Medet Kyzy needs to be 11th or lower.

World bronze medalist Samar HAMZA (EGY) has 43300 points and can overtake Olympic champion Aline FOCKEN (GER) for the fourth spot if she can finish ninth or above. She, however, cannot go better than fourth even if she wins gold in Istanbul.

#JapanWrestling

Narikuni achieves first Greco-Freestyle double in 52 years

Saturday, December 20, 2025 - 08:01 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (December 20) -- Before stepping down from the mat after his historic victory, Taishi NARIKUNI posed for the cameras with the fingers of one hand spread out in a "5", and the other in a vee for "2".

"I wasn't sure anyone would pick up on what that meant," he acknowledged.

For those who knew, it signified that Narikuni had achieved a seemingly impossible feat, becoming the first wrestler in 52 years to win titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the same Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships.

Narikuni captured the freestyle 70kg gold on Saturday with a 7-2 victory over Yuma TOMIYAMA, a day after taking the Greco 72kg title.

Both weight classes had among the largest fields in the tournament at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym and, as non-Olympic weights, were competed in a single day. That meant Narikuni had to get through a gauntlet of four matches a day on consecutive days.

"I didn't have any concerns about making weight, but after the first day was over, I had to start again from the beginning the next day," the 28-year-old Narikuni said. "It was difficult to get back into the mode. It wasn't the physical aspect. Mentally, it was a tougher two days than I had thought it would be.

"I won collegiate titles in both styles, and I tried to approach this tournament from the same mentality, but it was completely different. I was a bit naive."

The four-day tournament is also serving as Japan's qualifier for the Asian Championships in April, and as one of two qualifiers for both the World Championships and Asian Games in the fall. The Olympic weights use the same format as the worlds and are contested over two days.

In other finals on Day 3, world bronze medalist Arash YOSHIDA stormed to his third straight title at freestyle 97kg, while veteran Sohsuke TAKATANI turned back the clock and triumphed at freestyle 86kg for his first title since 2022, when he won the last of 12 straight over four weight classes.

Taishi NARIKUNI shows off his two medals, one in freestyle and other in Greco. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Narikuni's quest for double glory has its roots in his mother, a two-time world champion who runs the kids club in Tokyo where he got his start. To exceed mom, he set a target of also winning two world golds -- but adding a twist by making it one each in freestyle and Greco.

He accomplished half of his goal in 2022, when he captured the freestyle 70kg gold in Belgrade. But his chance to complete the crusade this year fell flat when he lost his first-round match at the worlds in Zagreb.

Narikuni said he will focus on Greco at the second world qualifier, the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships in the spring, to assure his place on the team to the 2026 worlds. The world gold in Greco now tops his list of holy grails.

"Of course I am aiming for the Olympics," Narikuni said. "But at this time, my main target is to become a world champion in Greco. This is just a point to be passed along the way. I feel I got over one hurdle."

In the final, Narikuni earned an activity point and steoput to take a 2-0 lead into the break. In the second period, he countered a tackle attempt for a 2-point exposure.

When Tomiyama then got in deep on a double-leg, Narikuni went over the top to grab the legs from the back. Tomiyama rose up and dumped Narikuni to the mat and got behind for 2, but never had solid control and Narikuni quickly reversed, then transitioned immediately into a gut wrench to go up 7-2.

Taishi NARIKUNI counters a takedown attempt by Yuma TOMIYAMA for a 2-point exposure in the second period of the freestyle 70kg final. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

The thought that this might be his last opportunity served as strong motivation for Narikuni, overcoming any doubts and pain.

"I thought that this might be my only chance," he said. "If I had put it off, it might not come again. And that influenced my freestyle wrestling today. Instead of the full-out attack that I rely on, I went into a defensive shell. In the end, the result was good, but it wasn't done very well."

Narikuni became the first wrestler to complete the double since Mitsuo YOSHIDA won the 100kg titles in both styles in 1973. Ironically, Kaisei TANABE also had a chance to achieve the feat this week, but after winning the Greco 63kg title on Thursday, he lost in the semifinals at freestyle 65kg on Saturday.

Narikuni has long been a bit of a maverick in the wrestling world, often opting for weight training over live practice sessions. His desire to compete in both styles may have been an act of defiance against the common wisdom of specializing in one.

"People around me said that I had to specialize in one style, but that didn't sit well with me," Narikuni said. "Maybe I had a strong feeling of wanting to show them it could be done, and that's what makes this result so good."

As with Tanabe, there has been an increase in wrestlers doing both styles even up to the college level, a trend that Narikuni finds quite pleasing.

"That really makes me happy," he said. "When it is first tried, they will hear that it will degrade how people see them or that it won't be easy. Of course it isn't easy. Up to now, there was no format for doing both styles. To take up both with its own rules is something to be proud of, and I'm happy that there are wrestlers trying to emulate me."

Arash YOSHIDA dumps Noah LEIBOWITZ to his back for a 4-point takedown in the freestyle 97kg final. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

At 97kg, Yoshida continues to establish himself as the preeminent Japanese wrestler in the heavy weights, easily dismantling high schooler Noah LEIBOWITZ with an 11-0 technical fall in 1:13. That was a repeat of last spring's Meiji Cup final.

Yoshida showed the power that once gave him a victory over world champion Kyle SNYDER by starting off with four straight stepouts, with a fleeing point tacked onto the last. He then bulled Liebowitz over for a 4-point takedown, then used a lace lock to finish off the victory.

"It's a relief," Yoshida said. "A friend told me to go for crushing victories, and in the end, I won without giving up a point, so I think I cleared the level that my friend wanted. I was able to do what I do best from the start by pushing out, and that was a good way to pile up points."

Snyder avenged his earlier loss to Yoshida in the semifinals in Zagreb en route to the gold medal, but Yoshida views that as a positive. He feels that Snyder was not in prime condition when they met in February in Tirana.

"I lost to this year's world champion, but it was good that I faced him," he said. "I will prepare so that I can win at the Meiji Cup and get back to the World Championships."

Sohsuke TAKATANI couldn't finish off this takedown against Yudai TAKAHASHI, but it was good enough to run out the clock for victory in the 86kg final. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

In the freestyle 86kg final, the 36-year-old Takatani added another gold to his bulging collection with a 2-2 victory over 2023 world U23 bronze medalist Yudai TAKAHASHI.

Takahashi scored a relatively easy takedown off a single-leg early in the first period, which was compounded when Takatani suffered a twisted ankle. But the veteran kept his nerves and when the opening came, he grabbed it. In the second period, he responded to a takedown attempt with well-timed counter roll to go up 2-2 on criteria.

In the final seconds, it was Takatani who went on the attack and got in on a single, even getting Takahashi's leg into the air. Although Takahashi squirmed out, it proved just as effective as a scoring move because time ran out.

"When he got the single leg at the beginning, I twisted my ankle and I couldn't put pressure on it," Takatani said. "After that, the opponent stopped pressing, so I thought as long it was only two points [difference], I could come back and I carried on with the match calmly. That's something that gets acquired with age."

Takatani is currently the head coach at his alma mater of Takushoku University, and is also a graduate student at Tsukuba University working on his doctorate.

He said that before his match, he received a message from the university for confirmation regarding the doctoral dissertation he had submitted.

He said he replied, "I have the final now, I'll check it when it's over." A message in response read: "Definitely win the title," so "I have good news for them."

Takatani, a three-time Olympian and a 2014 world silver medalist at 74kg, said his immediate goal is to get to the Asian Games, a competition that he has never experienced and which will be hosted by Japan.

He was unaware that the victory in the Emperor's Cup earned him a ticket to the Asian Championships, to be held in Kyrgyzstan. "But I have my work, and that's a time when there are a lot of tests. It might be hard to work it in. I will ask around."

Koto GOMI works to turn Yu SHIOTANI in the Greco 60kg final. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

In other finals, world U23 and national collegiate champion Koto GOMI pulled off an impressive 8-0 victory over former world bronze medalist Yu SHIOTANI in the Greco 60kg final.

Gomi opened with a nifty 4-point arm throw, maintained control and added a 2-point exposure, then finished off the match with an arm lock roll in 1:46.

"Up to now, I had won on the collegiate level, but at the All-Japan I never even got close to the final," Gomi said. "I'm really happy to win the title."

Gomi and Shiotani had clashed twice previously this year, with Shiotani winning by technical fall at the Meiji Cup and Gomi turning the table with a victory by fall a month ago at the National Games.

At the All-Japan, the weight class was missing two-time defending champion Kaito INABA and Paris Olympic champion Kenichiro FUMITA, who was entered at 63kg but is expected to eventually return to the Olympic weight in the run-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Both pulled out of the tournament due to injuries.

"Those are rivals I don't think I can beat yet," Gomi said. "It's more than just practicing harder, I have to think hard about how to train so that I can win again at the All-Japan."

For now, Gomi can look forward to making his international debut on the senior level at the Asian Championships.

"Going to that will not change what I have to do," he said. "I will be alright by sticking to my firm attacking style of wrestling."

In the women's 53kg final, Moe KIYOOKA won her fourth straight national championship and second in a row at that weight with a 4-0 victory over Umi IMAI.

Kiyooka, who won back-to-back titles at 55kg in 2022 and 2023 as well as the 2024 world gold, took a 3-0 lead in the first period with a takedown and activity point, then added a stepout in the second.

Day 3 Results

Freestyle

65kg (15 entries)
SF 1: Kotaro KIYOOKA df. Kaiji OGINO, 3-2
SF 2: Takara SUDA df. Kaisei TANABE, 5-4

70kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Taishi NARIKUNI df. Yuma TOMIYAMA, 7-2

BRONZE: Taishin HONNA df. Takeru KOZUKA, 7-6
BRONZE: Ariya YOSHIDA df. Kaito MORITA by Inj. Def.

SF 1: Taishi NARIKUNI df. Taishin HONNA, 10-2
SF 2: Yuma TOMIYAMA df. Kaito MORITA by TF, 10-0, :37

74kg (11 entries)
SF 1: Kota TAKAHASHI df. Toki OGAWA by TF, 11-0, 3:49
SF 2: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI df. Hikaru TAKATA, 7-1

86kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Sohsuke TAKATANI df. Kodai TAKAHASHI, 2-2

BRONZE: Natsura OKAZAWA df. Daichi AKIHO by TF, 11-1, 4:00
BRONZE: Tatsuya SHIRAI df. Ryonosuke KAMIYA, 5-1

97kg (8 entries)
GOLD: Arash YOSHIDA df. Noah LEIBOWITZ by TF, 11-0, 1:13

BRONZE: Toyoki HAMADA, no opponent
BRONZE: Ryusei TAKAHASHI df. Keita KOBAYASHI, 4-0

Greco-Roman

60kg (16 entries)
GOLD: Koto GOMI df. Yu SHIOTANI by TF, 8-0, 1:46

BRONZE: Keijiro SONE df. Takuma NAKASHIMA, 6-4
BRONZE: Ayata SUZUKI df. Maito KAWANA, 9-5

67kg (13 entries)
SF 1: Kyotaro SOGABE df. Kensuke SHIMIZU, 8-1
SF 2: Katsuaki ENDO df. Kojiro HASEGAWA, 4-0

77kg (13 entries)
SF 1: Nao KUSAKA df. Naoki KADODE by TF, 11-0, 1:41
SF 2: Isami HORIKITA df. Kodai SAKURABA, 6-1

82kg (16 entries)
GOLD: Tatsuya FUJII df. Reon KAKEGAWA, 6-6

BRONZE: Tesshin HIGUCHI df. Hisashi KONISHI, 8-6
BRONZE: Daizo TANIZAKI df. Yudai KOBORI by TF, 11-1, 4:51

SF 1: Reon KAKEGAWA df. Tesshin HIGUCHI by TF, 8-0, :28
SF 2: Tatsuya FUJII df. Daizo TANIZAKI by TF, 11-3, 4:43

130kg (9 entries)
GOLD: Yuta NARA df. Shion OBATA, 6-1

BRONZE: Kosei YAMADA df. Ayumu IWASAWA by TF, 9-0, 2:16
BRONZE: Sota OKUMURA df. Kosei MIYAKE by TF, 8-0, 1:47

Women's Wrestling

50kg (17 entries)
SF 1: Yui SUSAKI df. Mako ONO by TF, 10-0, 2:48
SF 2: Haruna MORIKAWA df. Rinka OGAWA by Fall, 4:47 (3-1)

53kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Moe KIYOOKA df. Umi IMAI, 4-0

BRONZE: Mayu SHIDOCHI df. Miwa MAGARA by TF, 10-0, 2:53
BRONZE: Saki YUMIYA df. Futaba UCHINO, 9-0

55kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Sowaka UCHIDA df. Nagisa HARADA, 2-0

BRONZE: Nana KOZUKA df. Natsumi MASUDA, 10-6
BRONZE: Karina HONDA df. Yuna SAWATANI, 6-5

SF 1: Sowaka UCHIDA df. Nana KOZUKA, 11-10
SF 2: Nagisa HARADA df. Yuna SAWATANI, 4-2

57kg (10 entries)
SF 1: Himeka TOKUHARA df. Rin KINOSHITA by TF, 10-0, 1:48
SF 2: Akari FUJINAMI df. Sara NATAMI, 7-4

62kg (9 entries)
SF 1: Sakura MOTOKI df. Yuzuka INAGAKI, 8-2
SF 2: Nonoka OZAKI df. Sakura ONISHI, 4-1

Wrestling's 2022-'23 Ranking Series explainer

Comments

Narikuni achieves first Greco-Freestyle double in 52 years