​Chinese Women Flex Muscles, Advance Five to Finals at Golden Grand Prix Final

BAKU (November 25) – Rio 2016 bronze medal winners SUN Yanan (CHN) and ZHANG Fengliu (CHN) along with three teammates muscled their way into the championship finals at the Golden Grand Prix Final as the women’s events got under way on Friday.

Sun and Zhang will be joined by Rio 2015 teammate XU Rui (63kg), Asia champion PANG Qianyu (53kg) and Asian bronze medal winner QIANDEGENCHAGAN Qiandegenchagan (75kg) in the women’s gold medal finals Friday evening.

Zhang and Qiandegenchagan square off in the evening’s finale at 75kg while Sun takes on two-time junior world champion Miho IGARASHI (JPN) in the 48kg final to kick off the women’s gold medal matches.

Pang follows at 53kg with Momoka KADOYA (JPN), in her first year as a senior wrestler, while Xu meets up with 2014 world champion Yulia TKACH (UKR) in a rematch of their round-of-16 encounter in Rio de Janeiro. Xu won that bout 3-1.

Three-time junior world champ Masako FURUICHI (JPN) advanced to the 69kg final after defeating 2013 world champion Alina MAKHINYA (UKR) in the quarterfinals. Furuichi, who won the Klippan Open in February, is paired in the final with Tamyra MENSAH (USA).

Mensah stunned Rio bronze medalist Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ), 12-4, in the semifinals to book her place opposite Furuichi.

And while the young Japanese squad advanced three into the gold medal matches, 2014 world champion Chiho HAMADA (58kg) was stunned, 5-4, by European junior champ Grace BULLEN (NOR) in the semifinals.

Bullen takes on Pan American champion Yacquelin ESTORNELL (CUB) in the gold medal final while Hamada meets university world champion Veronika CHUMIKOVA (RUS) for one of the bronze medals at 58kg.

Another world champion from Ukraine, Oksana HERHEL (UKR) found her way to the 60kg final with a 4-3 win over Asian silver medalist Ayaka ITO (JPN) in the semifinals and will meet European under-23 champion Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE).

In the 55kg final, 2015 world bronze medalist Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) takes on Nina MENKENOVA (RUS), a silver medalist from the university world championships in October.

48kg (13 entries)

Gold – Miho IGARASHI (JPN) v SUN Yanan (CHN)
Bronze – Irina BORISSOVA (KAZ) v Valeriya CHEPSARAKOVA (RUS)
Bronze – Victoria ANTHONY (USA) v Alina VUC (ROU)

Semifinal – Miho IGARASHI (JPN) df. Valeriya CHEPSARAKOVA (RUS), 3-2
Semifinal – SUN Yanan (CHN) df. Alina VUC (ROU) by TF, 13-2, 1:23

53kg (15 entries)

Gold – Momoka KADOYA (JPN) v PANG Qianyu (CHN)
Bronze – Samantha STEWART (CAN) v Anzhela DOROGAN (AZE)
Bronze – Nina HEMMER (GER) v Natalia MALYSHEVA (RUS)

Semifinal – Momoka KADOYA (JPN) df. Anzhela DOROGAN (AZE), 4-2
Semifinal – PANG Qianyu (CHN) df. Natalia MALYSHEVA (RUS), 1-1

55kg (12 entries)

Gold – Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) v Nina MENKENKOVA (RUS)
Bronze – Tetiana KIT (UKR) v Aiym ABDILDINA (KAZ)
Bronze – Shabnam AHMADOVA (AZE) v Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)

Semifinal – Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) df. Aiym ABDILDINA (KAZ), 5-2
Semifinal – Nina MENKENKOVA (RUS) df. Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE), 11-9

58kg (8 entries)

Gold – Yacquelin ESTORNELL (CUB) v Grace BULLEN (NOR)
Bronze – Rim AYARI (TUN) v ZHOU Zhangting (CHN)
Bronze – Veronika CHUMIKOVA (RUS) v Chiho HAMADA (JPN)

Semifinal – Yacquelin ESTRONELL (CUB) df. ZHOU Zhangting (CHN) by TF, 11-0, 2:46
Semifinal – Grace BULLEN (NOR) df. Chiho HAMADA (JPN), 6-4

60kg (9 entries)

Gold – Oksana HERHEL (UKR) v Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE)
Bronze – Lilia MEJRI (TUN) v Ayaka ITO (JPN)
Bronze – Madina BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) v HAN Yingyan (CHN)

Semifinal – Oksana HERHEL (UKR) df. Ayaka ITO (JPN), 4-3
Semifinal – Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE) df. HAN Yingyan (CHN), 3-3

63kg (16 entries)

Gold – XU Rui (CHN) v Yulia TKACH (UKR)
Bronze – Elmira GAMBAROVA (AZE) v Ayana GEMPEI (JPN)
Bronze – Marianna SASTIN (HUN) v RIM Jong-Sim (PRK)

Semifinal – XU Rui (CHN) df. Ayana GEMPEI (JPN), 2-1
Semifinal – Yulia TKACH (UKR) df. RIM Jong-Sim (PRK) by TF, 11-0,

69kg (12 entries)

Gold – Masako FURUICHI (JPN) v Tamyra MENSAH (USA)
Bronze – Alina MAKHINYA (UKR) v Anastasia BRATCHIKOVA (RUS)
Bronze – Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) v Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ)

Semifinal – Masako FURUICHI (JPN) df. Anastasia BRATCHIKOVA (RUS), 4-2
Semifinal – Tamyra MENSAH (USA) df. Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ), 12-4

75kg (14 entries)

Gold – QIANDEGENCHAGAN Qiandegenchagan (CHN) v ZHANG Fengliu (CHN)
Bronze – Anzhela KATAEVA (RUS) v Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ)
Bronze – Alena PEREPELKINA (RUS) v Andrea OLAYA GUTIERREZ (COL)

Semifinal – QIANDEGENCHAGAN Qiandegenchagan (CHN) df. Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ) by Fall, 5:11 (6-1)
Semifinal – ZHANG Fengliu (CHN) df. Andrea OLAYA GUTIERREZ (COL) by TF, 10-0, 5:44