Day 1 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is in the books and some great wrestling was on display.
Let’s meet the finalists.
Greco-Roman 60 KG
The first finalist at 60 KG is Knichiro Fumita of Japan. In Fumita’s first match he cruised to an 8-0 tech fall over Fergat in the Round of 16. He then met China’s Sailike Walihan in the Quarterfinals where it was a really tough match. It ended in a 1-1 tie and Fumita won the match on criteria. In the Semis Fumita took on Lenur Temirov where they were tied 1-1 with 1:30 to go but with a nifty take down by Fumita and 2 exposure points shortly after and took the match and advance to the finals 5-1.
Fumita’s opponent in the finals will be Cuba’s Luis Alberto Orta Sanchez. Probably the surprise of the tournament so far just based on who Orta Sanchez beat. His first match was against USA Ildar Hafizov and it was all Orta Sanchez in this one were he took it 5-0. Now to the Quarters were he took on the Russian Sergey Emelin which was the shocker at this weight with the exception if Temirov making the Semi-Finals. Orta Sanchez took the lead late in the match winning 4-3 and advancing to the Semi-Finals. Now to the Semis where he took on Moldova’s Victor Ciobanu who dominated his part of the bracket with 2 tech falls but it was Ciobaun’s turn to get tech falled. Orta Sanchez dominated the match and advanced to the finals winning 11-0.
Matchups:
Gold – Knichiro Fumita (Japan) vs Luis Alberto Orta Sanchez (Cuba)
Repechage – Abdelkarim Fergat (Algeria) vs Sailike Walihan (China)
Repechage – Ildar Hafizov (United States) vs Sergey Emelin (ROC)
Bronze – Lenur Temirov (Ukraine) vs TBD
Bronze – Victor Ciobanu (Moldova) vs TBD
Greco-Roman 130 KG
The GOAT, yeah I said it, Mijan Lopez Nunez of Cuba advanced his way to the finals to compete for a 4th Olypic Gold Medal. It started out with Alin Alexuc Cirariu of Romania in the Round of 16 where Lopez Nunez dominated the match. It was an 8-0 tech fall to advance to the Quarters. In the Quarterfinals Lopez Nunez took on the Iranian Amin Mirazadeh were the dominance continued as Lopez Nunez advanced to the Semis by winning by tech fall 8-0. In the Semis he faced Turkey’s Riza Kayallp were he won 2-0 and it probably should have been 4-0 but oddly a successful Lopez Nunez gut-wrench got challenged and taken off the board that I cannot really explain how it did. Nonetheless Lopez Nunez is going for his 4th Gold Medal.
His opponent will Jakobi Kajaia of Georgia. Kajaia started off in the Round of 16 against Matti Elias Kuosmanen of Finland. The match ended in a fall setting up a Quarterfinal match against Sergei Semenov of Russia. In the Quarters Kajaia won a hard fought match that came down to a takedown. Kajaia had a date with Chile’s Yasmani Acosta Fernandez were the only separate was criteria as Kajaia scored last and held off Acosta Fernandez’s efforts to advance to the Gold Medal Match.
Matchups:
Gold – Mijain Lopez Nunez (Cuba) vs Iakobi Kajaia (Georgia)
Repechage – Alin Alexuc Ciurariu (Romania) vs Amin Mirzazdeh (Iran)
Repechage – Matti Elias Kuosmanen (Finland) vs Sergei Semenov (ROC)
Bronze – Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) vs TBD
Bronze – Yasmani Acosta Fernandez (Chile) vs TBD
Women’s Freestyle 76 KG
Let’s start off with 2019 World Champion Adeline Gray from the United States. Gray started in the Round of 16 where she took on Zaineb Sghaier of Tunisia and won the match in dominant fashion pinning Sghaier in 3:49. To the Quarterfinals we go were Gray took on Yasemin Adar form Turkey. Gray started out hot leading 6-0 but Adar started to come back get a takedown and 2 exposure and Gray being out if bounds saved her from giving up another 2 exposure late in the match. Gray took the match 6-4. In the Semi-Finals Gray took on Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan. Gray was in control of the match fir most of it and had a 2-0 lead. After action went out of bounds Kyrgyzstan challenged and failed to overturn the call which proved pivotal as Medet Jyzy got a takedown which if it was not for the lost challenge, Medal Kyzy would have won on criteria.
Gray will be taking on Germany’s Aline Rotter Focken in the Gold Medal Match. Focken recently announced that she will be retiring after the Olympics and she is making the most of the final opportunity. Focken started off with Vasilisa Marzaliuk of Belarus and it was a close one were Focken took the match 2-1. Then in the Quarterfinals Focken took on China’s Qian Zhou and was mostly in control of this one taking it 8-3. Now to the Semi-Finals where she faced Hiroe Minagawa of Japan. This one was tight all the way to the finish were it took a late takedown by Focken to advance to the finals winning 3-1.
Matchups:
Gold – Adeline Gray (United States) vs Aline Rotter Focken (Germany)
Repechage – Zaineb Sghaier (Tunisia) vs Yasemin Adar (Turkey)
Repechage – Vasilisa Marzaliuk (Belarus) vs Qian Zhou (China)
Bronze – Aiperi Medet Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan) vs TBD
Bronze – Hiroe Minagawa (Japan) vs TBD
Repechage matches will be held tonight at 10:00 pm Eastern and Medal Matches for these 3 weights will be tomorrow morning at 5:15 am.
You can find full results here (Greco-Roman) and here (Women’s Freestyle)
Tonight at 10:00 pm we see Greco-Roman (77 KG, 97 KG) and Women’s Freestyle (68 KG) kick off with the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals and tomorrow morning at 5:15 am will be the Semi-Finals.