KRASNOYARSK, Russia (January 29) – It’s official. Hell has frozen over. And, with temperatures sinking to -30C and more in this south central Siberian city, three-time Olympic Games gold medalist Kaori ICHO (JPN) has lost.
After notching three wins by technical fall in the early session at the Yarygin Sports Palace, Icho could not find her rhythm or range in the evening against PUREVDORJ Orkhon (MGL) and crashed to a 10-0 technical fall loss on the opening day of this midwinter freestyle classic.
Purevdorj, a bronze medalist at the 2013 junior world championships, forced Icho into a passivity point and then drove the 31-year-old legend out of bounds for a second.
Shaken, Icho became hurried in her attack as Purevdorj drove over one takedown attempt and the slipped behind another. With a quick gut wrench, the 21-year-old student from Ulanbaatar stretched her lead to 9-0 before adding the force-out for the technical fall.[[{"fid":"8721","view_mode":"wysiwyg","type":"media","attributes":{"height":800,"width":1200,"style":"width: 300px; height: 200px; float: right;","class":"media-element file-wysiwyg"},"link_text":null}]]
As news traveled quickly back to Japan, national team director Kazuhito SAKAE (JPN) said, “We’re lucky it wasn’t the Olympic Games. We have some time before the Olympics to correct some things.”
“She knows what needs to be done and I’m convinced that she is an athlete who can correct herself, so I’m not worried,” Sakae said.
Since her forfeit loss at the 2007 Asian championships, Icho had won 108 straight bouts before Friday evening’s meeting with Purevdorj. That loss aside, Icho’s last loss on the mat was to Sara McMANN (USA) at the Klippan Open in March 2003 and she had won 189 bouts in a row.
Meanwhile, Purvedorj’s triumph was the highlight for Mongolia on a day in which their wrestlers also grabbed four bronze medals.
Icho was the last of a slew of world champions who fell at Ivan Yarygin Sports Palace on Friday beginning with three-time world champ Denis TSARGUSH (RUS) and newly minted world champ Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS), who both lost in the men’s 74kg competition.
2014 world champion at 60kg SUKHEE Tserenchimed (MGL) lost her opening bout to Icho before rebounding for a bronze medal 58kg. And, Chiho HAMADA (JPN), another 2014 world champion, lost in the 53kg final to Lyubov SALNIKOVA (RUS).
In the semifinals at 53kg, Hamada edged Irina OLOGONOVA (RUS), 4-3, in a replay of their 2014 world championship final in Tashkent.
In the other two women’s events, Yulia PRONTSEVICH (RUS) earned her best finish in Krasnoyarsk since a bronze medal in 2014 with a 6-1 win over Ayaulaylm KASYMOVA (KAZ) at 60kg.
At 69kg, Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ), who narrowly missed qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, stopped Dalma CANEVA (ITA), 6-4, as she looks ahead to the Asian championships next month and the Asian Olympic Games qualifier in Kazakhstan in March.
In the men’s events, European Games gold medalist Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS) defeated 2014 Yarygin champion Rustam AMPAR (RUS), 5-1, in the 57kg final.
At 74kg, Zaur MAKIEV (RUS) edged Muslim DADAEV (RUS), 1-1, after he stopped Tsargush, defending Yarygin champion Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS), and last year’s runner-up Andrew HOWE (USA) in his march to the final.
Wrestling at the Sports Palace continues Saturday with the remaining women’s events – 48kg, 55kg, 63kg and 75kg – as well as the next three weight categories in freestyle – 61kg, 65kg, and 70kg.
Results
Freestyle
57kg (35 entries)
Gold – Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS) df. Rustam AMPAR (RUS), 5-1
Bronze – Gadshimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) df. Vladimir FLEGONTOV (RUS), 2-1
Bronze – Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) df. Nariman ISRAPILOV (RUS), 7-3
74kg (23 entries)
Gold – Zaur MAKIEV (RUS) df. Muslim DADAEV (RUS), 1-1
Bronze – Kakhaber KHUBEZHTY (RUS) df. Khabib BATYROV (RUS), 6-0
Bronze – Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. Andrew HOWE (USA), 9-0
Women’s Wrestling
53kg (17 entries)
Gold – Lyubov SALNIKOVA (RUS) df. Chiho HAMADA (JPN), 8-1
Bronze – ERDENECHIMEG Sumiya (MGL) df. KHATANTUUL Buunveibaatar (MGL) by Fall, 1:54 (7-4)
Bronze – Mariya GUROVA (RUS) df. Irina OLOGONOVA (RUS), 2-2
58kg (13 entries)
Gold – PUREVDORJ Orkhon (MGL) df. Kaori ICHO (JPN) by TF, 10-0, 5:09
Bronze – BATAARJAV Shoovdov (MGL) df. Ekaterina BALDANOVA (RUS), 6-1
Bronze – SUKHEE Tserenchimed (MGL) df. ENKHBAT Gantuya (MGL) by TF, 12-1, 5:00
60kg (8 entries)
Gold – Yulia PRONTSEVICH (RUS) df. Ayaulaylm KASYMOVA (KAZ), 6-1
Bronze – Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS) df. Elizaveta SOROKINA (RUS), 3-3
Bronze – Natalya FEDOSEEVA (RUS) df. Yoshimi KAYAMA (JPN) by Fall, 5:59 (6-1
69kg (12 entries)
Gold – Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) df. Dalma CANEVA (ITA), 6-4
Bronze – Arina BABKINA (RUS) df. TSERENDORJ Bayarzaya (MGL) by Fall, 4:46 (4-6)
Bronze – SHARKUU Tumentsetseg (MGL) df. Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ), 14-6
