Long Steps Up to Win 68kg Gold as China Grabs 2 World Titles

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (October 29) -- Jia LONG (CHN) seems to need a year or two to get acclimated to a weight class. For the second time, she won a world title after first having won a silver or bronze in the new division.

Long made it to the top of the podium this time at 68kg, edging two-time Olympic medalist and former world champion Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) 4-3 in the final as China won two of the four women’s titles at stake on Thursday at the World Championships in Astana.

Long followed a victory earlier in the night by Zelu LI (CHN) at 72kg by claiming the gold a year after taking home a bronze from Zagreb. It added to the world title she won at 65kg in 2024 -- two years after placing second at that weight class.

“It just means I need to be a bit stricter and put in more training,” Long said of constantly changing weight classes.

In other finals on a day of high drama, it was a mixed night for rival Japan, as Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA) stunned two-time world champion Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) with a last-second takedown at 62kg, while Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) added the 53kg crown to the one she claimed last year at 55kg.

Long’s victory at 68kg came in a final in which all of the points came in the first period, with the majority in one crazy scramble.

After giving up an activity point, Long shot in on double-leg takedown that Zhumanazarova tried to counter by reaching over from a sitting position. Long pressed forward to get a 2-point exposure, but Zhumanazarova rolled through to get 2 of her own.

But the sequence wasn’t finished, as Long then reflipped Zhumanazarova onto her back, not enough for a fall but giving her a 4-3 lead. Long then held off her fellow Asian Games bronze medalist to clinch the gold.

Long came to Astana still stinging from a loss by fall in the semifinals at the recent Asian Games in Japan to Ami ISHII (JPN), whose defense of her world title ended with a stunning loss by fall in the first round to Elizaveta PETLIAKOVA (RUS).

But she safely negotiated her way through her bracket for a clash in the final with Zhumanazarova, who took advantage of the absence of Ishii to make just her second world final. She won the gold in 2021.

Both Long and Zhumanazarova struck gold at this year’s Asian Championships in Bishkek, as Long moved up to 72kg for that tournament and won her second continental title.

The two had previously met twice, with Long winning both matches -- a 4-1 win in the quarterfinals at last year’s World Championships and again 4-0 in the final at the Budapest Ranking Series in July this year.

“Every time I wrestle with her, it feels different,” Long said. “This time, she seemed to be in really good form. Honestly, the win didn’t come easily at all.”

The match of the medal session came at 62kg, in which Nwachukwu held leads of 5-1 and 9-4 before Ozaki went ahead 11-9 by completing a lace-lock roll that was upheld on challenge with :13 to go—only for the U.S. wrestler to strike back with a takedown in the final seconds.

“I feel like I always have to put my coaches on the edge of their seats,” Nwachukwu said. “I know I can get a takedown even though there is only four seconds left on the clock.

“Even after I lost that challenge, I knew that I could go out there, I said, ‘There is 13 seconds, but let’s go get this.’ And that’s what I did.”

Nwachukwu arrived in Astana about a week after winning a silver at the World U23 Championships in Las Vegas. It was there she also hit a monster 5-point back suplex against a Mongolian opponent that went viral. It’s that propensity for the big-point move that allowed her to get a stunning start against Ozaki, the Asian and Asian Games champion who looked out of sorts during her matches in Astana.

“I feel that I am an offensive wrestler, so for you to beat me, you have to be on your offense. But I can also counter-attack,” Nwachukwu said.

In the first period, Ozaki got in deep on a double-leg takedown, only for Nwachukwu to overhook her arms and throw her to her back for a 4-pointer. An activity point gave the U.S. wrestler at 5-0 lead at the break.

Ozaki showed she could give as well as she could take, and opened the second period with a 4-point pancake. But even that went awry when Nwachukwu flipped her over for 2, then added another 2 countering a takedown shot to make it 9-4

Still, Ozaki was down but not out and, with a minute to go, picked up two takedowns over a 30-second span. After the second one, she gained a lace lock, stood up and managed to turn Nwachukwu at the edge. A challenge claiming Nwachukwu’s head was out of bounds was lost.

At the restart, Nwachukwu immediately went on the attack and chased down a retreating Ozaki for the winning takedown, which was upheld on a frivolous challenge. Ozaki later revealed she had a hip injury that had limited her mobility.

Nwachukwu said she took the mat without fear against the Paris Olympic 68kg bronze medalist.

“Before I first stepped on the mat, coach Terry [STEINER] was like, ‘Don’t be scared, you’re here to compete, and that’s what you’re going to go do,’ and that’s what I did,” she said. “I ain’t scared of nobody. Anybody that wants to wrestle me, come on, let’s step on the mat.”

At 53kg, Kiyooka took another big step toward filling the hole at 53kg left when Paris Olympic champion Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) moved up to 57kg, relegating Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) to a second straight silver medal with a well-executed 6-0 victory.

Yepez lost to Fujinami in the Paris Olympic final, but memorably gave her trouble at the 2023 World Championships, scoring seven points in their quarterfinal match before Fujinami stormed back to victory.

“I’ve seen Fujinami face her and I thought it might be difficult facing an opponent with such drive and power,” Kiyooka said. “But I thought I would have to face her some time, and I went into the match feeling really excited.”

In the first period, Kiyooka shot in on a single-leg and, when Yepez tried to counter lift, Kiyooka landed on top of the Paris Olympic silver medalist for a 2-point exposure. She added a single-leg takedown to take a 4-0 lead at the break.

Another single-leg takedown in the second period completed the scoring as Kiyooka safely kept Yepez at bay, avoiding the kind of mistake that cost her in the semifinals at the Asian Championships, where Jin ZHANG (CHN) pancaked her for a fall to avenge a loss in the 2024 world 55kg final.

“After having gone through all that hardship, this is still just the beginning,” Kiyooka said. “I had a very strong desire to win here and use it as a stepping stone toward the Olympics. I’m glad I could achieve my goal.”

Kiyooka, the younger sister of Paris freestyle 65kg gold medalist Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN), acknowledges the significance of winning the world title in an Olympic weight, with the qualifying process for the Los Angeles Games about to get going.

“I won a world title in a non-Olympic weight, but to make my Olympic dream come true, I have become a world champion in an Olympic weight,” Kiyooka said. “I’m really glad that I was able to successfully achieve that.”

Yepez, meanwhile, may be hearing Japanese in her sleep. In last year’s final in Zagreb, she lost to Haruna OKUNO (JPN).

At 72kg, Li clinched a 4-3 victory over Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) with a second period takedown to improve on her world bronze medal from last year, when she also captured the Asian gold at 68kg.

“I was quite nervous at the start,” Li said. “I realized that if I picked up the pace, I’d be more likely to get taken down. It felt like a mental battle, and I think I managed to exert some psychological pressure on my opponent.”

Choluj started the scoring by countering an arm drag attempt by Li and bowling her over the edge, which was rewarded with a 2-point takedown. Li came back with a stepout off a single-leg shot, and the period ended with Choluj up 2-1.

“My coach told me not to panic: ‘Stay low, keep it steady, no need to rush,’” Li said of their conversation during the break. “So, I waited for the right moment, looking for an opening in our hand-fighting, and when that opportunity finally came, I seized it and held my position.”

Li started the second period with another stepout, leaving her trailing on criteria, but a takedown put her ahead with 1:20 left. She fended off a late attack, yielding only a stepout in the final second to secure the world title.

Ironically, Li set off on the path to a world championship only because the sport in which she was participating at her sports school, a Chinese form of kickboxing, was dropped from the provincial games.

“So I was forced to switch to wrestling,” she said. “I never imagined I’d become a world champion.”

Choluj came one point from becoming just the third Polish woman to win a world title and the first since 2001.

Kolawole Crumbles

In the bronze-medal matches, Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR) was seconds from becoming just the third wrestler in Nigerian history to win a world medal when it all came tumbling down as she landed on the mat with a splat.

Amina TANDELOVA (RUS) completed a dramatic 4-point takedown in the last second to secure a 7-3 victory over Kolawole and claim her second straight world bronze at 62kg.

Kolawole took the early lead with an activity point and a 2-point exposure after countering an arm throw. Tandelova came back in the second period with a stepout and activity point to cut the gap to a single point before hitting her big move.

In the other 62kg match, Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) defeated Johanna LINDBORG (SWE) 5-2 to earn her third world medal and first since winning the 59kg gold in 2021. 

Dudova, a four-time former European champion, scored an activity point and stepout in the first period, then added a counter-lift for 2 in the second. Lindborg scored a late takedown, and a lost challenge provided Dudova’s final point.

At 53kg, Andreea ANA (ROU) claimed a world bronze for the second year in a row when she rallied from a listless first period to a 6-3 victory over Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA).

Ana had seemed like an observer when Rodriguez opened the match with a pair of stepouts in the first period to lead 2-0 at the break. But then Ana got in gear and reeled off three single-leg takedowns for the victory that added to the bronze she won at 55kg last year.

The other 53kg bronze went to two-time former European champion Jonna MALMGREN (SWE), who scored a takedown in each period to defeat Asian champion and 2024 world 55kg silver medalist Jin ZHANG (CHN) 5-2.

At 68kg, veteran Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) picked up her second world bronze in dramatic fashion, reaching back and flinging Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR) to mat for 2 with :06 left for a 6-6 victory on big-point criteria.

Skobelska had opened the match with a pair of takedowns in the first period, but Hanzlickova came back in the second with a 4-point headlock throw. However, her criteria lead didn’t last long, as Skobelska went ahead with a takedown with :38 left -- only for the Czechia wrestler to pull the rabbit out of the hat.

Kennedy BLADES (USA), the Paris Olympic silver medalist at 76kg, will take home a 68kg bronze for the second year in a row after notching a victory by fall over 2o23 world silver medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL).

Trailing 2-0 in the second period, Blades came alive with a driving 4-point takedown and lace-lock roll, then added a takedown for an 8-2 lead. After Enkhsaikhan scored a stepout, Blades used a counter to pick up 2 points, but didn’t need them after securing the fall at 5:15.

At 72kg, Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN) denied Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) a fifth world medal, scoring a 2-point counter lift and a stepout in the last 45 seconds for a 6-4 win in a battle of former Asian champions. 

Tanu SHARMA (IND) nearly squandered a 7-0 lead that included a 4-point headlock throw in the other 72kg match, but held on for a 9-5 win over Precious BELL (USA).

Day 6 Results

Women’s Wrestling

53kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Lucia YEPEZ (ECU), 6-0

BRONZE: Andreea ANA (ROU) df. Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA), 6-3
BRONZE: Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) df. Jin ZHANG (CHN), 5-2

55kg (17 entries)
SF1: Nataliia KLIVCHUTSKA (UKR) df. Tuba DEMIR (TUR) by Fall, 2:23 (6-0)
SF2: Everest LEYDECKER (USA) df. Nagisa HARADA (JPN), 6-1

59kg (18 entries)
SF1: Abigail NETTE (USA) df. Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) by Fall, 2:13 (6-0)
SF2: MANISHA (IND) df. Altyn SHAGAYEVA (KAZ) by Fall, 4:26 (10-0)

62kg (20 entries)
GOLD: Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA) df. Nonoka OZAKI (JPN), 12-11

BRONZE:: Amina TANDELOVA (RUS) df. Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR), 7-3
BRONZE: Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) df. Johanna LINDBORG (SWE), 5-2

68kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Jia LONG (CHN) df. Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ), 4-3

BRONZE: Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) by Fall, 5:15 (10-3)
BRONZE: Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) df. Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), 6-6

72kg (15 entries)
GOLD: Zelu LI (CHN) df. Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL), 4-3

BRONZE: Tanu SHARMA (IND) df. Precious BELL (USA), 9-5
BRONZE: Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN) df. Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ), 6-4

Freestyle

65kg (32 entries)
SF1: Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) df. Shamil MAMEDOV (BUL), 2-1
SF2: Bo BASSETT (USA) df. Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK) by TS, 12-2, 3:41

97kg (29 entries)
SF1: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL), 5-0
SF2: Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) by Fall, 2:38 (3-6)