Men’s Greco-Roman -60kg
The top half saw the two big names make it through to the semi-finals. Zholaman Sharshenbekov (Kyrgyzstan) came through with a combined score of 15-3 whilst Kenichiro Fumita (Japan) was even stronger with a 20-1. In the anticipated semi-final, Sharshenbekov took the early lead but a throw from Fumita in the second round proved to be an unassailable lead despite a late attack from Sharshenbekov. The upsets came on the other side of the draws. Ri Se-ung (North Korea) defeated Victor Ciobanu (Moldova) whilst Rainer Rodriguez (Venezuela) beat Murad Mammadov (Azerbaijan) in the round of sixteen. Se-ung followed up by defeating Islomjon Bakhromov (Uzbekistan) 9-0 but Rodriguez lost to Cao Liguo (China). The run ended with a last-second throw from Liguo in the semi-final which brought him level with Se-ung but he got the win as the last wrestler to score a technical point. In the final, it was the solid defence of Fumita that fired him to gold with a 4-1 victory.
🥇Kenichiro Fumita 🇯🇵
🥈Cao Liguo 🇨🇳
🥉Zholaman Sharshenbekov 🇰🇬
🥉Ri Se-ung 🇰🇵
I thought the top half was tougher and it came down to Fumita vs Sharshenbekov but I went for the wrong man. Se-ung was a tough one to predict
Men’s Greco-Roman -67kg
The big upset in round one saw Parviz Nasibov (Ukraine) beat Mate Nemes (Serbia). Luis Orta (Cuba) was eliminated in the quarter final, in a 9-0 loss to Saeid Esmaeili (Iran) avenging his defeat from the ranking series. In the semi finals, Nasibov would overcome Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) in a 3-3 matchup but be left with a gruesome injury as his eye was swollen shut. Esmaeili would build up a big lead in the semi final but Slavik Galstyan (Armenia) would think he had won the contest after pinning Esmaeili. It was ruled out as he was out of bounds. Esmaeili would go onto seal the win 10-4. It was a close final but the Iranian would do enough to triumph 6-5 having trailed 3-0 at the first break.
🥇Saeid Esmaeili 🇮🇷
🥈Parviz Nasibov 🇺🇦
🥉Hasrat Jafarov 🇦🇿
🥉Luis Orta 🇨🇺
If I noted the right Iranian as competing I think I would have got all four correct. Jafarov losing to Nasibov was still a bit of a surprise to me
Men’s Greco-Roman -77kg
In the top quarter, Nao Kusaka (Japan) came through with two wins totalling 21-2. The big bout would come in the semi-finals as Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia) made his way through without dropping a point. Kusaka would take the 3-1 victory in the semi final. On the other side of the draw, Akhzol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan) was upset by Demeu Zhadrayev (Kazakhstan) 3-1. He would come up against Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) and win 6-1 impressively. In the final he would take a 2-0 lead against Kusaka in the first period but five straight points would take Kusaka to gold as he kept Zhadrayev off with some great defence. Makhmudov would edge Suleymanov for bronze despite a late challenge due to evasion.
🥇Nao Kusaka 🇯🇵
🥈Demeu Zhadrayev 🇰🇿
🥉Akzhol Makhmudov 🇰🇬
🥉Malkhas Amoyan 🇦🇲
Zhadrayev was a surprise medalists to me.
Men’s Greco-Roman -87kg
Maybe the biggest upset in the first round in Greco-Roman wrestling saw Arkadiusz Kulynycz (Poland) beat Ali Cengiz (Turkey) 5-3. There was a tough draw on the other side of the draw but seeded David Losonczi (Hungary) managed to beat Rafig Huseynov (Azerbaijan) 5-2. Semen Novikov (Bulgaria) also beat Turpal Bisultanov(Denmark) 5-1. The quarter finals were less shocking although Kulynycz was beaten 10-1 by Alireza Mohmadi(Iran). In a tactical semi-final Mohmadi edged victory over Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) with a 3-3 score. The other semi-final saw the defence of Novikov get a 3-1 victory. The final was a relatively comfortable affair as Novikov took a 7-0 victory.
🥇Semen Novikov 🇧🇬
🥈Alireza Mohmadi 🇮🇷
🥉Zhan Beleniuk 🇺🇦
🥉Turpal Bisultanov 🇩🇰
I described this as a tough division to predict and so it proved
Men’s Greco-Roman -97kg
The top half would go to seeding which meant a monster clash between Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) and Gabriel Rosillo (Cuba). At halfway, Aleksanyan led 5-3 with an impressive gut-wrench. No more points were scored and Aleksanyan moved onto the final. Mohammad Hadi Saravi (Iran) would cruise through to the final, in three bouts achieving a combined score of 24-1. In the final, Saravi would get a late takedown to go up 3-1 despite a challenge. A fourth point would seal the gold. Rosillo would take a bronze as Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan) couldn’t continue due to an injury. Uzur Dzhuzupbekov (Kyrgyzstan) would defeat Mohamed Gabr (Egpyt) 2-1 in an exhausting bout to take the other.
🥇Mohammad Hadi Saravi 🇮🇷
🥈Artur Aleksanyan 🇦🇲
🥉Uzur Dzhuzupbekov 🇰🇬
🥉Gabriel Rosillo 🇨🇺
I got the final right and even Rosillo losing in the semi final. I think those three were clear from the rest. I mentioned it could be too soon for Khaslakhanau and so it proved
Men’s Greco-Roman -130kg
This was all about Mijain Lopez (Cuba) and his quest to be the first to win five consecutive gold medals in the same individual event. He would come through Lee Seung-Chan (South Korea) 7-0 to set up a clash with number one seed Amin Mirzazadeh (Iran). A point for inactivity and a two-point gut-wrench would see Lopez take a 3-1 win. It was a similar story in the semi-final as he defeated Sabah Shariati (Azerbaijan). In the final he would take on former Cuban Yasmani Acosta (Chile). It would start again with an inactivity point before a turn from Lopez. Soon it was a 6-0 lead and Acosta could not do anything to score. Lopez would take gold and leave his shoes on the mat, signifying retirement. Acosta had upset Kiril Milov (Bulgaria) and Abdellatif Mohamed (Egypt) on his way to the semi finals where he beat Meng Lingzhe (China).
🥇Mijain Lopez 🇨🇺
🥈Yasmani Acosta 🇨🇱
🥉Amin Mirzazadeh 🇮🇷
🥉Meng Lingzhe 🇨🇳
Trust in legends! Lopez was there and I trusted Mitzazadeh given his form over recent years.
Men’s Freestyle -57kg
This division got a shakeup as Steven Micic (Serbia) withdrew due to injury prior to day one. The first round mainly went as expected. The quarter-finals were high scoring with each winner scoring twelve points. The upsets came as Aman Sehrawat (India) beat Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) and Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) beat Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) in the quarter finals. In the semi-final Rei Higuchi (Japan) would quickly wrap up his bout with Sehrawat before the first break. Spencer Lee (United States) would manage the same to set up an intriguing final. Lee would take the early lead, twice driving Higuchi out of the ring. Higuchi would score with a double leg and as Lee attacked looking to get back into the lead, Higuchi was able to score another couple of points to take gold. Sehrawat won a fast-paced bronze medal matchup 13-5. Abdullaev got the victory in the other slower-paced contest.
🥇Rei Higuchi 🇯🇵
🥈Spencer Lee 🇺🇸
🥉Aman Sehrawat 🇮🇳
🥉Gulomjon Abdullaev 🇺🇿
I mentioned Higuchi as the solid consistent performer and the threat of Lee and Sehrawat without going for any to medal. Micic pulling out also did not help
Men’s Freestyle -65kg
Tomor-Ochiryn Tulga (Mongolia) would come through the top quarter, beating Alejandro Valdes (Cuba) and Vazgen Tevenyan (Armenia). In the semi final he would come up against Kotaro Kiyooka (Japan) who had upset Sebastian Rivera (Puerto Rico) in the quarter finals. In the semi-final, Tulga would lead 1-0 at the break but Kiyooka would score five unanswered points including an impressive reversal to make the final. On the other side of the draw. It was Rahman Amouzad (Iran) who would make the final. He beat Zain Retherford (United States) 8-0 and Islam Dudaev (Albania) 11-0. In the semi-final he beat Ismail Musukaev (Hungary) in 2.27. The final saw Kiyooka go 10-1 up at the break and although Amouzad would score a takedown, it was nowhere near enough. The bronze medal match-ups saw late drama. Dudaev led 12-8 only for Musukaev to go level and lead on criteria. With three seconds to go Dudaev scored a reversal to take bronze. Rivera would also lead only for Tulga to tie the scores and lead on criteria. This time Rivera was not given the score at first but got the score on a challenge.
🥇Kotaro Kiyooka 🇯🇵
🥈Rahman Amouzad 🇮🇷
🥉Sebastian Rivera 🇵🇷
🥉Islam Dudaev 🇦🇱
I got the correct final but the result the wrong way round. I mentioned Dudaev but Rivera was a bit of a surprise to me
Men’s Freestyle -74kg
Kyle Dake (United States) would cruise through the top quarter with two dominant victories. Frank Chamizo (Italy) was beaten by Younes Emami (Iran). Daichi Takatani (Japan) won both of his bouts 10-0 to advance to the semi-final. Dake would take an early 4-3 but Takatani put together two big series to take a 20-12 victory. Victor Rassadin (Tajikstan) would come through the third quarter and fight Razambek Zhamalov (Uzbekistan). En-route to the semi final he would beat Mahamedkhabib Kadzamihamedau (Belarus), Taljmuraz Salkazanov (Slovakia) and Chermen Valiev (Albania). Zhamalov would defend well after building up an 8-2 lead. In the final, Zhamalov would secure a vice-grip neck chokehold controversially given as a pin. Dake beat Tsabolov after being 4-3 down with thirty seconds to go, landing an impressive suplex.
🥇Razambek Zhamalov 🇺🇿
🥈Daichi Takatani 🇯🇵
🥉Kyle Dake 🇺🇸
🥉Chermen Valiev 🇦🇱
I mentioned Takatani and Valiev as possible medalists. Zhamalov was not someone I really considered a threat.
Men’s Freestyle -86kg
David Brooks (United States) would be drawn against the number one seed Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan). He would get a 4-3 victory, landing two takedowns. He would then beat Hayato Ishiguro (Japan) to make the semi-final. His opponent would be Magomed Ramazanov (Bulgaria) who pinned Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan). Brooks would lead the bout until the last ten seconds, where Ramazanov would counter with a crotch lift to seal a 4-3 victory. Hassan Yadzani (Iran) would make his way through to the final with a bit more comfort. In the semi-final he beat Myles Amine (San Marino) who had engaged in a thirty point quarter-final with Osman Nurmagomedov(Azerbaijan). In the final, Yazdani was clearly struggling with an injury to his right arm and Ramazanov would take a 7-1 victory. Brooks dominated Shapiev, never looking in danger. Amine would lose to the counter-wrestling of Dauren Kurugliev (Greece).
🥇Magomed Ramazanov 🇧🇬
🥈Hassan Yadzani 🇮🇷
🥉David Brooks 🇺🇸
🥉Dauren Kurugliev 🇬🇷
You had to feel for Yadzani in the final as he looked unable to perform to anywhere near his best.
Men’s Freestyle -97kg
This was the crowning of Akhmed Tazhudinov (Bahrain). His closest bout was his first. He trailed Amir Ali Azarpira (Iran) 3-0 but Tazhudinov was able to get the 4-3 victory. He would beat Alisher Yergali (Kazakhstan) 14-2. Against Kyle Snyder (United States) it was a cagey opening. He would score the first takedown to lead 2-1 at the break. He would increased the lead to 6-1 after the break and although Snyder would score three late points, it was not enough. In the final, it only took him two minutes to get the victory against Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia). Matacharashvili had only conceded two points on his way to the final.
🥇Akhmed Tazhudinov 🇧🇭
🥈Givi Matcharashvili 🇬🇪
🥉Amir Ali Azarpira 🇮🇷
🥉Magomedkhan Magomedov 🇦🇿
I called Azarpira the dangerous floater in the draw and so it proved. I mentioned Matcharashvili as well but didn’t pick him
Men’s Freestyle -125kg
Amir Hossein Zare (Iran) and Taha Akgul (Turkey) would both make their way through to the semi-final in the top half without dropping a point. The semi-final was a far closer affair. Zare would take the first point due to the passivity of Akgul. It would soon be returned. Zare would take a second passivity point to win the match. On the other side of the draw Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan) beat Monkhtoriin Lkhagvagerel (Mongolia) by superiority. He would come up against Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) in the semi-final. It was a 7-0 win for Petriashvili, meaning he made the final only dropping two points. In the final, Petriashvili went 12-1 up and celebrated his victory on for it to be changed to a 10-1 lead on appeal. Zare would claw his way back to 10-9 but couldn’t get Petriashvili off of his legs in the dying seconds. Akgul would win bronze against Aiaal Lazarev (Kyrgyzstan) after taking a 7-0 lead before the first break and holding on. Both men would retire post-match. Meshvildishvili would come from behind to defeat Baran.
🥇Geno Petriashvili 🇬🇪
🥈Amir Hossein Zare 🇮🇷
🥉Taha Akgul 🇹🇷
🥉Giorgi Meshvildishvili 🇦🇿
Parris went out early, with a tough draw against Akgul. I didn’t want to go chalk, hence going against Petriashvili but knew he was more than strong enough to medal.
Women’s 50kg Freestyle
Another massive Olympic upset came in the round of sixteen as Vinesh Phogat (India) beat Yui Susaki (Japan) for her first international loss. Phogat started defensively and was penalised early for passivity. Two points down with seven seconds to go Phogat threw Susaki and held her to seal a 3-2 victory. She then beat Oksana Livach (Ukraine) scoring four points in the last twenty seconds. She beat Yusneylys Guzman (Cuba) with her stout defence despite the lots of early shots from the Cuban. One of the most controversial stories of the game would emerge as she would not make weight for the final the next day, disqualifying her from the tournament. Guzman would go on to face Sarah Hildebrandt (United States) in the final who would neutralise Guzman after scoring three points in the first half of the bout. She used a similar tactic to beat Otgonjargql Dolgorjav (Mongolia) and Ziqi Feng (China) en route to the final, taking a lead into the break and holding on in a low-scoring contest.
🥇Sarah Hildebrandt 🇺🇸
🥈Yusneylys Guzman 🇨🇺
🥉Yui Susaki 🇯🇵
🥉Feng Ziqi 🇨🇳
Did anyone pick Susaki to lose? Hildebrandt was the first name I left of the podium.
Women’s -53kg Freestyle
With one Japanese legend losing, another stepped up. Akari Fujinama (Japan) only conceded two points to take her win streak to 137 matches despite only being 20. In the final, against Lucia Yepez (Ecuador) the match ended at 3.37 as she landed takedown after takedown. She was handed a tough draw in the opening round against Dominique Parrish (United States) but Fujinama won by pinfall after 2.05. She would secure another victory by pin against Batkhuyagiin Khulan (Mongolia) despite trailing early. In the semi, it took four minutes to defeat Pang Qianyu (China). Yepez was almost as impressive as Fujinama on her way to the final. She won by fall against Andreaa Ana (Ecuador) and superiority against Annika Wendle (Germany). The only opponent to take points off her was Choe Hyo-gyong (North Korea) who lost 7-4. Hype-gyong would show that to be no mean feat as in the repechage rounds she took 11-0 and 10-0 victories over Fujinama’s other fallen foes. Antim Panghal (India) would have expected to do better, but was upset in the round of sixteen by Zeynep Yetgil (Turkey).
🥇Akari Fujinama 🇯🇵
🥈Lucia Yepez 🇪🇨
🥉Choe Hyo-gyong 🇰🇵
🥉Pang Qianyu 🇨🇳
I referenced Fujinama going through the tournament without dropping a point. She did not quite manage that but was incredibly impressive.
Women’s -57kg Freestyle
The early rounds mainly went to form leading to big matchups in the quarter-final. Three out of four were won by pin-fall. Helen Maroulis (United States) would beat Alina Hrushyna (Ukraine) after taking a 7-0 lead and holding out to win 7-4. The other winners were Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan), Kexin Hong (China) and Anastasia Nichita(Moldova). In the semi-finals, Maroulis went 2-0 up but Sakurai would score ten consecutive points. Hong would lead 7-0 in the other but Nichita would step over on a turn and pin Hong to get the win from a perilous position. Hong won a bronze in under two minutes whilst I took Maroulis only 24 seconds to score a pin. In the final, Sakurai took a 4-0 lead into the break. She would complete the victory by going 6-0 up and remaining defensively stout against a tired Nichita.
🥇Tsugumi Sakurai 🇯🇵
🥈Anastasia Nichita 🇲🇩
🥉Kexin Hong 🇨🇳
🥉Helen Maroulis 🇺🇸
I mentioned the four medalists as part of the seven contenders. Unfortunately, I didn’t go for Maroulis or Hong.
Women’s -62kg Freestyle
Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) came through the top quarter but she was not without her challenges. Kayla Miracle (United States) was 3-0 up at the break. A step out and a takedown put her 5-3 up. Miracle would appeal and although she would score three more points, she went out on the largest single score. She would come up against Iryna Koliadenko (Ukraine) in the semi-final. Koliadenko led 2-0 at the break and at Tynybekova closed, she got a great reversal with a minute to go and took a 9-2 victory. On the other side of the draw Grace Bullen (Norway) and Sakura Motoki (Japan) won their opening two bouts inside the distance. In their semi-final clash it was 2-2 at halfway. Bullen went 7-2 up but an incredible reversals and pin for Motoki would take her into the final. Motoki would win the final by superiority with just over a minute remaining. Tynybekova came from 6-0 down in the bronze-medal matchup against Purevdorjiin Orkhan (Mongolia). Bullen would win her matchup in under a minute to win a bronze.
🥇Sakura Motoki 🇯🇵
🥈Iryna Koliadenko 🇺🇦
🥉Grace Bullen 🇳🇴
🥉Aisuluu Tynybekova 🇰🇬
I mentioned six names as likely medalists and the four come from there. Miracle was my one miss but given the draw I’d have picked against it.
Women’s -68kg
The draw brought together some difficult draws and only two of the eight seeds went through to the quarter-finals. Amit Elor (United States) dominated number one seed Buse Tosun Cavusoglu (Turkey) 10-2. Eighteen year-old Pak Sol-gum (North Korea) beat Irina Ringaci (Moldova) 10-6 and Enkhsaikhan Delgermaa (Mongolia) was beaten 8-3 by Meerim Zhumanazarova (Kyrgyzstan). In the quarter-final Nisha Dahiya (India) led 8-1 with ninety seconds to go, only to suffer an injury to her right hand. Sol-gum would rebound to win 10-8 as Dahiya was unable to keep her off. Zhumunazarova also upset Nonoka Ozaki (Japan). She went into the break 6-0 only for Ozaki to come back to 6-6 but Zhumunazarova would score a takedown to take the win. Elor would make the finals with two massive victories conceding no points. In the other semi-final Zhumanazarov would go behind Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria) but came back to win 3-1. In the final, Elor would score three quick points and control the bout with her strong ties.
🥇Amit Elor 🇺🇸
🥈Meerim Zhumanazarov 🇰🇬
🥉Nonoka Ozaki 🇯🇵
🥉Buse Tosun Cavusoglu 🇹🇷
I called this an open division but that Elor should win and she obliged. I mentioned Ozaki as a potential danger. Zhumanazarov was someone I overlooked
Women’s -76kg
Aiperi Medet Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan) edged through the top quarter, beating Reetika Hooda (India) in a quarter-final. She would come up against Kennedy Blades (United States) in the semi-final after she beat Milaimy Marin (Cuba). Tatiana Renteria (Colombia) came through the third quarter. Yuka Kagami (Japan) would reach the semi-final without dropping a point, including beating Yasemin Adar (Turkey) in the quarter-final. Blades would beat Kyzy 8-6 in an enthralling semi-final. Renteria would go 2-0 up before the break. Kagami would score a reversal and win 4-2. The final was a tense affair as the pair felt eachother out. It was 1-1 at halfway but Kagami scored a takedown to go 3-1 up. Blades would continue to shoot but was unable to penetrate the defence of Kagami.
🥇Yuka Kagami 🇯🇵
🥈Kennedy Blades 🇺🇸
🥉Milaimys Marin 🇨🇺
🥉Tatiana Renteria 🇨🇴
Again, it would have helped if I got the American entrant correct. I stated I couldn’t be sure on the level of Kagami.
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