Oslo2021-Day3, Session5 / Sakurai Advances to Semifinals; Nozaki, T. Ishiguro Cling to Hopes in Repechage

Tsugumi SAKURAI

OSLO, October 4 – Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) notched a pair of wins as the women’s wrestling competition got under way at the Oslo 2021 Wrestling World Championships on Monday.

In the semifinals, Sakurai will square off with 2021 European champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RWF) with a chance to face 2019 European Games bronze medalist Nina HEMMER (GER) or Asia champion Pinki PINKI (IND) for the world title.

Results of Japanese entries in Monday’s morning session:

Freestyle

70kg (26 entries)
Jintaro MOTOYAMA, 2019 Jr world silver medalist, 2020 national champion

Qualification Round – Lost to this year’s junior world champion Erfan Mohammad ELAHI (IRI), 8-0, offering little in the way of a competitive spirit.
Elahi later found himself on the short end of an 8-8 decision in the quarterfinals – after repeated video reviews – to 2018 Asian junior silver medalist Enazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ), eliminating Motoyama from the competition.

97kg (22 entries)
Takashi ISHIGURO, 2021 Asian Championships bronze medalist

Round of 16 – Lost to Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF) by technical superiority, 10-0, 1:45
In the quarterfinals, Sadulaev added a 4-3 win over fellow Tokyo 2020 Olympian Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR), leaving the door open to Ishiguro for a berth in repechage.

Women’s Wrestling

55kg (14 entries)
Tsugumi SAKURAI – 2020 Japanese national champion, 2021 All-Japan invitational winner

Qualification Round – Rolled to a 10-4 win over Aleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR), 2021 European junior champion and bronze medal winner in the International Ukrainian Tournament.

Quarterfinals – Defeated Tokyo 2020 Olympian and European championships runner-up Roksana ZASINA (POL), 3-0. Zasina attempted little offensively, while trying to limit Sakurai’s attack with plenty of head-and-collar control.

62kg (17 entries)
Nonoka OZAKI – 2018 Youth Olympic Games gold medalist, 2x cadet world champion (2018, 2019)

Ozaki built up a 4-0 lead against 2019 world champion and Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) over the first three minutes of her senior worlds debut.
Tynybekova, however, rallied for five unanswered points in the second period to hang a first international loss on the suddenly timid university student.

Day 3 Medal Matches

57kg
GOLD – Thomas GILMAN (USA) vs Alireza Nosratolah SARLAK (IRI)
BRONZE – Abubakar MUTALIEV (RWF) v Horst LEHR (GER)
BRONZE – Aryan TSIUTRYN (BLR) v Suleyman ATLI (TUR)

65kg
GOLD – Amirmohammad YAZDANICHERATI (IRI) v Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF)
BRONZE – Rohit ROHIT (IND) v Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)
BRONZE – Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) v Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ)

79kg
GOLD – Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) v Mohammad Ashghar NOKHODILARIMI (IRI)
BRONZE – Radik VALIEV (RWF) v Ryuki YOSHIDA (JPN)
BRONZE – Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) v Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO)

92kg
GOLD – Magomed KURBANOV (RWF) v Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)
BRONZE – Amarhajy MAHAMEDAU (BLR) v Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)
BRONZE – Andril VLASOV (UKR) v J’den COX (USA)