2020 Olympic Qualifier Update, Greco-Roman Edition
2020 Olympic Qualifier Update, Greco-Roman Edition
An update on the nations who have successfully qualified for the 2020 Olympics in Greco-Roman from the 2019 world championships.
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The 2019 world championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, serve as the first qualifier for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
While no athlete can guarantee their own spot in the Olympics, placing top-six here and wrestling for a medal earns their nation a qualification to compete in Tokyo next year.
In Greco-Roman, the six Olympic weights are: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg, and 130kg. The final medals have yet to be awarded at every weight, and six more spots will be up for grabs tomorrow, but here is an update on who has earned a quota so far.
Breaking it down by continent, Europe has earned 23 of the 36 qualifying spots, with Asia winning 10, Pan-Am getting two, and Africa getting one. Country-wise, Russia, Iran, and Germany each earned three, but Russia probably feels they left some on the table since their two-time Olympic champ at 77kg and defending world champ at 130kg did not qualify.
60kg
- Iran
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
Three of the four nations to net an Olympic license are from Asia, and accounts for nearly half of Asia's qualified spots so far. Additionally, defending world champ Sergey Emelin (RUS) made the semis to ensure Russia is represented in Tokyo. Alirez Nejati was an unlikely pick to make Iran's team since he lost the Takthi Cup in January, but the 2014 Cadet world bronze and 2018 Junior world bronze got it done. Japan sent Kenichiro Fumita, a 2017 world champ and last year's U23 world champ. The guy Fumita beat in 2017 Mirambek Ainagulov was responsible for qualifying Kazakhstan.
Qualifying today out of the repechage was 2018 world bronze Lenur Temirov (UKR) with a 3-2 win over Romania. How about this one: Rio bronze Elmurat Tasmuradov (UZB) techs last year's world silver Victor Ciobanu (MDA) to earn the final spot.
67kg
- Cuba
- Denmark
- Egypt
- Germany
- Russia
- Serbia
The 67kg medal matches will be later tonight, but all of the qualification places were earned with the completion of this morning's repechage. The finals will be against Ismael Borrero Molina (CUB), a 2015 world and 2016 Olympic champ, against reigning gold medalist Artem Surkov (RUS). The Pan-Am region only qualified two spots thus far, with both being Cubans.
Serbia sent Euro Games bronze Mate Nemes, and he had a 3-0 win over Switzerland in repechage to make the bronze medal match. Perhaps the most surprising qualifier was Nemes bronze opponent, Fredrik Bjerrehuus (DEN). The Egyptian Mohamed El Sayed had an excellent day, knocking off Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, and Poland in that order to make the semis. Three-time world champ Frank Staebler (GER) had to repeat his 2015 world finals win over Han-su Ryu to qualify the spot in repechage.
77kg
- Armenia
- Hungary
- Iran
- Kazakhstan
- Sweden
- Uzbekistan
Perhaps the most interesting grouping of semifinalists. It took Karapet Chalyan (ARM) a little bit to get rolling, but the Euro Games finalist seems to be hitting his stride. He had a good draw in Japan and Venezuela to start, then knocked off the four seed from Belarus. In the semis he lost to Alex Kessidis (SWE), who also had a good draw to the quarters. He hit a big 4 to defeat Mohammadali Geraei of Iran, who had just knocked off Kim Hyeon-Woo and Elvin Mursaliyev.
On the bottom side, three seed Tamas Lorincz (HUN) cruised to the semis, and will likely get another shot at Olympic glory after his silver in London in 2012. Lorincz beat upstart and local favorite Askhat Dilmukhamedov (KAZ) to make the finals. The 33-year-old Kazakh upset two-time Olympic gold medalist Roman Vlasov in the quarters and then won a barnburner over 2017 champ Viktor Nemes to secure his country a spot in Tokyo. He gave up a four in the first, but Mohamed Geraei (IRI) hit a four of his own in the second to win on criteria. Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV teched Lithuania to earn Uzbekistan's third spot.
87kg
- Belarus
- Germany
- Hungary
- Kyrgyzstan
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
In 2015, Zhan Beleniuk (UKR) won the gold medal in Vegas at 85kg and carried that into silver in Rio. Another medalist from 2016 in Denis Kudla (GER) won bronze once again. Although he fell short of a medal in Brazil, Viktor Lorincz (HUN) made it to the finals opposite Beleniuk here, ensuring his country, and likely himself, one last crack at Olympic gold.
Veteran Rustam Assakalov (UZB) made the finals opposite Beleniuk, but hadn't medaled before or since. He went on an insane run to the semis here, beating the two-time defending world champ from Turkey in the first round, then wunderkind Aleksandr Komarov of Russia in the round of 16, before earning his qualification with a win over U23 world silver Daniel Gregorich Hechavarria of Cuba. Assakalov beat Azamat Kustubayev (KGZ) for bronze, who had to go through Turkmenistan and China in the repechage to qualify. Lastly there is Mikalai Stadub (BLR), who ended Joe Rau's tournament and kept America from qualifying.
97kg
- Armenia
- Georgia
- Poland
- Russia
- Serbia
- Turkey
We were unfortunately denied an opportunity to see four-time world/Olympic champ Artur Aleksanyan (ARM) take on reigning gold medalist Musa Evloev (RUS), but we should see them both in next year's Games. Winning a bronze yesterday was 2016 Rio bronze Cenk Ildem (TUR), beating 2016 JR world champ Giorgi Melia (GEO) in the medal match. Earning the second qualifying spot for Serbia was Mihail Kajaia, who beat Tadeusz Michalik (POL) for bronze.
130kg
- Cuba
- Estonia
- Germany
- Georgia
- Iran
- Turkey
Making the finals were Riza Kayaalp (TUR), now a 10-time medalist seeking his fourth world title, and Oscar Pino Hinds (CUB), who despite being Mijain Lopez's backup has two world medals. In the semis, Pino Hinds beat Amir Ghasemimonjezi (IRI) and Kayaalp beat Eduard Popp (GER). Two-time world champ and 2012 silver Heiki Nabi (EST) beat KGZ 3-1 in the repechage to qualify. A late passive gave Iakobi Kajaia (GEO) the win over world bronze from Chile to qualify.
The complete list of nations who have qualified weights, and how many they have qualified.
- Belarus
- Armenia, 2
- Cuba, 2
- Denmark
- Egypt
- Estonia
- Georgia, 2
- Germany, 3
- Hungary, 2
- Iran, 3
- Japan
- Kazakhstan, 2
- Kyrgyzstan
- Poland
- Russia, 3
- Serbia, 2
- Sweden
- Turkey, 2
- Ukraine, 2
- Uzbekistan, 3