Postponed Olympics Day 5: Gold medals scheduled in freestyle at 57 kg (women), 57 kg and 86 kg (men)
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
2016 Olympic champion Helen Maroulis of the United States, shown at the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier, where he won gold. The gold-medal finals at her weight class, 57 kg, would have been held today if the 2020 Games had not been postponed. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers are Warriors.
The competition on the fifth day of the Olympic Games wrestling, had the event not been postponed and rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, would have only featured freestyle wrestling. (All of the four previous days had some Greco-Roman action). The medal match finals on August 6 would have featured these three freestyle weight classes: 57 kg in women’s freestyle, plus 57 kg and 86 kg in men’s freestyle. The United States has qualified in all three of these weight classes, and have high medal hopes in all three brackets.
At this point, half of the field has been determined in every weight class for the 2021 Olympic wrestling competition. We will look at the nations qualified (and the athletes expected to wrestle), as well as those who might be favored to qualify for the Olympics in the Olympic Qualifiers to come in 2021. The United States team will not be determined until April 2021.
Women’s Freestyle 57 kg review
The United States qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games at this weight class, when 2016 Olympic champion Helen Maroulis made the finals at the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Ottawa, Canada in March. Maroulis had to win a wrestle-off to make the Pan Am Qualifier team, and her weight class was stocked, with two-time World silver medalist Alli Ragan and 2019 World Team member Jenna Burkert among those entered. We can expect a big-time battle at the Olympic Trials, and the winner will be expected to be a title contender in Tokyo.
The field so far at 57 kg is led by 2016 Olympic champion Risako Kawai of Japan, a three-time World champion who had to beat four-time Olympic champion Kaori Icho to make the Japanese team. Kawai beat 2018 World champion Ningning Rong of China in the 2019 World finals. Nigeria’s exciting Odunayo Adekuoroye, a three-time World medalist, won a World bronze in 2019. Also winning a 2019 World bronze was Iryna Kurachina of Belarus, who also boasts a 2017 World bronze. Both of the fifth-place finishers at the 2019 Worlds who qualified for Tokyo have never been World medalists, Jowita Wrzesien of Poland and Anastasia Nichita of Moldova. Rounding out the field was the Pan American Olympic Qualifier champion, Alma Valencia of Mexico, who has also never been a Senior-level medalist.
That means there are some heavy hitters who still need to qualify at this weight class. Among these proven stars are 2014ch World champion and 2015 World silver medalist Tserenchimed Sukhee of Mongolia, three-time World medalist Emese Barka of Hungary and two-time World medalist Elif Yeslirmak of Turkey. You can also add 2019 World silver medalist Bilyana Dudova of Bulgaria, 2018 World bronze medalist Pooja Dhanda of India and 2014 World bronze medalist Iryna Khariv of Ukraine to the list of those not qualified. You can count on multiple age-group World champion Grace Bullen of Norway being a factor, as well. This weight is deep and will be a tough battle for those remaining Olympic berths.
Women’s freestyle 57 kg/125.5 lbs. Olympic qualifiers
2019 World champion – Japan (Risako Kawai)
2019 World silver medalist – China (Ningning Rong)
2019 World bronze medalist – Nigeria (Odunayo Adekuoroye)
2019 World bronze medalist – Belarus (Iryna Kurachkina)
2019 World fifth place – Poland (Jowita Maria Wrzesien)
2019 World fifth place – Moldova (Anastasia Nichita
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier champion – Mexico (Alma Valencia Escoto)
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier runner-up – United States (Helen Maroulis)
Men’s freestyle 86 kg review
2018 World champion David Taylor, who missed the 2019 World Championships with an injury, came back in time for the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Ottawa, where he won the gold medal and qualified the USA for the Tokyo Games. Taylor was the 2018 UWW Freestyle Wrestler of the Year, and if he returns to form, he will be tough to beat in the Olympic Trials and would be a top gold-medal challenger in Tokyo.
Leading the qualifiers from the 2019 World Championships field is 2016 Olympic champion Hassan Yazdanicharati of Iran, who became a three-time Senior World champion as well with his victory last year. Yazdani lost to Taylor in the first round of the 2018 Worlds and came back to secure the bronze medal. The rest of the 86 kg field for the Olympics does not have the kind of resumes that Taylor and Yazdani have earned. 2019 World silver medalist Deepak Punia of India’s top claim to fame had been a 2019 World gold medal. Both of the 2019 World bronze medalists, Artur Naifonov of Russia and Stefan Reichmuth of Switzerland, had not been Senior World medalists before. The fifth place finishers were also unheralded, University of Michigan wrestler Myles Amine of San Marino and Carlos Izquierdo of Colombia. Amine became the wrestler from San Marino to qualify for the Olympics. Add in Pan American Olympic Qualifier runner-up Pool Ambrocio of Peru, and the Tokyo field has some interesting new names.
That means athletes such as 2018 World silver medalist Fatih Erdin of Turkey and 2017 World silver medalist Boris Makoev of Slovakia are not yet qualified. 2012 Olympic silver medalist Jaimie Espinal of Puerto Rico is not yet in the field. Three-time World bronze medalist Ali Shabanau of Belarus is on this list, as well as 2014 World silver medalist Sohsuke Takatani of Japan. Others in the hunt for Olympic qualification are 2018 World bronze medalist Taimuraz Friev of Spain, 2015 World bronze medalist Sandro Aminashvili of Georgia, 2013 World bronze medalist Istvan Vereb of Hungary and 2019 Pan American Games champion Yurieski Torreblanca of Cuba.
Men’s freestyle 86 kg/189 lbs. Olympic Games qualifiers
2019 World champion – Iran (Hassan Yazdanicharati)
2019 World silver medalist – India (Deepak Punia)
2019 World bronze medalist – Switzerland (Stefan Reichmuth)
2019 World bronze medalist – Russia (Artur Naifonov)
2019 World fifth place – Colombia (Carlos Izquierdo Mendez)
2019 World fifth place – San Marino (Myles Amine)
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier champion – United States (David Taylor)
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier runner-up – Peru (Pool Edinson Ambrocio Greifo)
Men’s Freestyle 57 kg review
The USA joined the Tokyo Olympic field when 2017 World silver medalist Thomas Gilman went up to Ottawa for the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier and won the title at 57 kg. Gilman, who has competed on two Senior World Teams, is expected to have a tough battle with 2019 World Team member Daton Fix and two-time Junior World champion and two-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee and other tough challengers at the Olympic Trials. Whoever emerges for the United States will be a serious contender for Olympic gold at this weight class.
Zaur Uguev of Russia, who has won the last two Senior World gold medals at this weight, comes in as a strong favorite among the Olympic Games qualifiers. Uguev defeated Turkey’s Suleyman Atli in the World finals in 2019. Atli also boasts a 2018 World bronze medal. Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Sanayev, who wrestled earlier in his career for Russia under the name Artas Sanaa, has won a 2018 World silver medal and a 2019 World bronze medal and also competed in the 2016 Olympics. India’s 2019 World bronze medalist Kumar Ravi has won silver medals at the U23 Worlds and Junior Worlds in the past. Serbia’s Stevan Micic, who competes for the University of Michigan, placed fifth in the 2019 Worlds. Micic was a Junior World bronze medalist for the USA in 2015, then switched to compete for Serbia. The other wrestler to qualify with a fifth-place World finish in 2019 is Reza Atrinagharchi of Iran, who wrestled in the last three Senior Worlds. Oscar Tigeros of Columbia, second to Gilman at the Pan American Qualifier, was ninth at the 2019 Senior World Championships.
The group still needing to qualify is led by 2017 World champion and 2018 World bronze medalist Yuki Takahashi of Japan and two-time World bronze medalist Bekhbayar Erdenbat of Mongolia. Other past World medalists still seeking a berth are 2017 World bronze medalist Andrey Yatsenko of Ukraine and 2014 World bronze medalist Vladislav Andreev of Belarus. Others capable of making the grade are 2019 U23 World champion Reineri Andreu of Cuba, 2015 Junior World champion Makhir Amiraslanov of Azerbaijan and three-time African champion Abdelhak Kherbache of Algeria, plus Givi Davidovi of Italy, who has placed in the top 10 of the World three times.
Men’s freestyle 57 kg/125.5 lbs. Olympic Games qualifiers
2019 World champion – Russia (Zavur Uguev)
2019 World silver medalist – Turkey (Suleyman Atli)
2019 World bronze medalist – Kazakhstan (Nurislam Sanayev)
2019 World bronze medalist – India (Kumar Ravi)
2019 World fifth place – Serbia (Stevan Micic)
2019 World fifth place –Iran (Reza Ahmadali Atrinagharchi)
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier champion – United States (Thomas Gilman)
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier runner-up – Colombia (Oscar Eduardo Tigeros Urbano)
The competition on the fifth day of the Olympic Games wrestling, had the event not been postponed and rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, would have only featured freestyle wrestling. (All of the four previous days had some Greco-Roman action). The medal match finals on August 6 would have featured these three freestyle weight classes: 57 kg in women’s freestyle, plus 57 kg and 86 kg in men’s freestyle. The United States has qualified in all three of these weight classes, and have high medal hopes in all three brackets.
At this point, half of the field has been determined in every weight class for the 2021 Olympic wrestling competition. We will look at the nations qualified (and the athletes expected to wrestle), as well as those who might be favored to qualify for the Olympics in the Olympic Qualifiers to come in 2021. The United States team will not be determined until April 2021.
Women’s Freestyle 57 kg review
The United States qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games at this weight class, when 2016 Olympic champion Helen Maroulis made the finals at the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Ottawa, Canada in March. Maroulis had to win a wrestle-off to make the Pan Am Qualifier team, and her weight class was stocked, with two-time World silver medalist Alli Ragan and 2019 World Team member Jenna Burkert among those entered. We can expect a big-time battle at the Olympic Trials, and the winner will be expected to be a title contender in Tokyo.
The field so far at 57 kg is led by 2016 Olympic champion Risako Kawai of Japan, a three-time World champion who had to beat four-time Olympic champion Kaori Icho to make the Japanese team. Kawai beat 2018 World champion Ningning Rong of China in the 2019 World finals. Nigeria’s exciting Odunayo Adekuoroye, a three-time World medalist, won a World bronze in 2019. Also winning a 2019 World bronze was Iryna Kurachina of Belarus, who also boasts a 2017 World bronze. Both of the fifth-place finishers at the 2019 Worlds who qualified for Tokyo have never been World medalists, Jowita Wrzesien of Poland and Anastasia Nichita of Moldova. Rounding out the field was the Pan American Olympic Qualifier champion, Alma Valencia of Mexico, who has also never been a Senior-level medalist.
That means there are some heavy hitters who still need to qualify at this weight class. Among these proven stars are 2014ch World champion and 2015 World silver medalist Tserenchimed Sukhee of Mongolia, three-time World medalist Emese Barka of Hungary and two-time World medalist Elif Yeslirmak of Turkey. You can also add 2019 World silver medalist Bilyana Dudova of Bulgaria, 2018 World bronze medalist Pooja Dhanda of India and 2014 World bronze medalist Iryna Khariv of Ukraine to the list of those not qualified. You can count on multiple age-group World champion Grace Bullen of Norway being a factor, as well. This weight is deep and will be a tough battle for those remaining Olympic berths.
Women’s freestyle 57 kg/125.5 lbs. Olympic qualifiers
2019 World champion – Japan (Risako Kawai)
2019 World silver medalist – China (Ningning Rong)
2019 World bronze medalist – Nigeria (Odunayo Adekuoroye)
2019 World bronze medalist – Belarus (Iryna Kurachkina)
2019 World fifth place – Poland (Jowita Maria Wrzesien)
2019 World fifth place – Moldova (Anastasia Nichita
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier champion – Mexico (Alma Valencia Escoto)
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier runner-up – United States (Helen Maroulis)
Men’s freestyle 86 kg review
2018 World champion David Taylor, who missed the 2019 World Championships with an injury, came back in time for the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Ottawa, where he won the gold medal and qualified the USA for the Tokyo Games. Taylor was the 2018 UWW Freestyle Wrestler of the Year, and if he returns to form, he will be tough to beat in the Olympic Trials and would be a top gold-medal challenger in Tokyo.
Leading the qualifiers from the 2019 World Championships field is 2016 Olympic champion Hassan Yazdanicharati of Iran, who became a three-time Senior World champion as well with his victory last year. Yazdani lost to Taylor in the first round of the 2018 Worlds and came back to secure the bronze medal. The rest of the 86 kg field for the Olympics does not have the kind of resumes that Taylor and Yazdani have earned. 2019 World silver medalist Deepak Punia of India’s top claim to fame had been a 2019 World gold medal. Both of the 2019 World bronze medalists, Artur Naifonov of Russia and Stefan Reichmuth of Switzerland, had not been Senior World medalists before. The fifth place finishers were also unheralded, University of Michigan wrestler Myles Amine of San Marino and Carlos Izquierdo of Colombia. Amine became the wrestler from San Marino to qualify for the Olympics. Add in Pan American Olympic Qualifier runner-up Pool Ambrocio of Peru, and the Tokyo field has some interesting new names.
That means athletes such as 2018 World silver medalist Fatih Erdin of Turkey and 2017 World silver medalist Boris Makoev of Slovakia are not yet qualified. 2012 Olympic silver medalist Jaimie Espinal of Puerto Rico is not yet in the field. Three-time World bronze medalist Ali Shabanau of Belarus is on this list, as well as 2014 World silver medalist Sohsuke Takatani of Japan. Others in the hunt for Olympic qualification are 2018 World bronze medalist Taimuraz Friev of Spain, 2015 World bronze medalist Sandro Aminashvili of Georgia, 2013 World bronze medalist Istvan Vereb of Hungary and 2019 Pan American Games champion Yurieski Torreblanca of Cuba.
Men’s freestyle 86 kg/189 lbs. Olympic Games qualifiers
2019 World champion – Iran (Hassan Yazdanicharati)
2019 World silver medalist – India (Deepak Punia)
2019 World bronze medalist – Switzerland (Stefan Reichmuth)
2019 World bronze medalist – Russia (Artur Naifonov)
2019 World fifth place – Colombia (Carlos Izquierdo Mendez)
2019 World fifth place – San Marino (Myles Amine)
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier champion – United States (David Taylor)
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier runner-up – Peru (Pool Edinson Ambrocio Greifo)
Men’s Freestyle 57 kg review
The USA joined the Tokyo Olympic field when 2017 World silver medalist Thomas Gilman went up to Ottawa for the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier and won the title at 57 kg. Gilman, who has competed on two Senior World Teams, is expected to have a tough battle with 2019 World Team member Daton Fix and two-time Junior World champion and two-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee and other tough challengers at the Olympic Trials. Whoever emerges for the United States will be a serious contender for Olympic gold at this weight class.
Zaur Uguev of Russia, who has won the last two Senior World gold medals at this weight, comes in as a strong favorite among the Olympic Games qualifiers. Uguev defeated Turkey’s Suleyman Atli in the World finals in 2019. Atli also boasts a 2018 World bronze medal. Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Sanayev, who wrestled earlier in his career for Russia under the name Artas Sanaa, has won a 2018 World silver medal and a 2019 World bronze medal and also competed in the 2016 Olympics. India’s 2019 World bronze medalist Kumar Ravi has won silver medals at the U23 Worlds and Junior Worlds in the past. Serbia’s Stevan Micic, who competes for the University of Michigan, placed fifth in the 2019 Worlds. Micic was a Junior World bronze medalist for the USA in 2015, then switched to compete for Serbia. The other wrestler to qualify with a fifth-place World finish in 2019 is Reza Atrinagharchi of Iran, who wrestled in the last three Senior Worlds. Oscar Tigeros of Columbia, second to Gilman at the Pan American Qualifier, was ninth at the 2019 Senior World Championships.
The group still needing to qualify is led by 2017 World champion and 2018 World bronze medalist Yuki Takahashi of Japan and two-time World bronze medalist Bekhbayar Erdenbat of Mongolia. Other past World medalists still seeking a berth are 2017 World bronze medalist Andrey Yatsenko of Ukraine and 2014 World bronze medalist Vladislav Andreev of Belarus. Others capable of making the grade are 2019 U23 World champion Reineri Andreu of Cuba, 2015 Junior World champion Makhir Amiraslanov of Azerbaijan and three-time African champion Abdelhak Kherbache of Algeria, plus Givi Davidovi of Italy, who has placed in the top 10 of the World three times.
Men’s freestyle 57 kg/125.5 lbs. Olympic Games qualifiers
2019 World champion – Russia (Zavur Uguev)
2019 World silver medalist – Turkey (Suleyman Atli)
2019 World bronze medalist – Kazakhstan (Nurislam Sanayev)
2019 World bronze medalist – India (Kumar Ravi)
2019 World fifth place – Serbia (Stevan Micic)
2019 World fifth place –Iran (Reza Ahmadali Atrinagharchi)
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier champion – United States (Thomas Gilman)
2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier runner-up – Colombia (Oscar Eduardo Tigeros Urbano)
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