Live From Tokyo: Day 1 Olympic Updates
Live From Tokyo: Day 1 Olympic Updates
Andy Hamilton and Christian Pyles are in Tokyo for FloWrestling and will be providing observations and updates throughout the week.
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Good morning from Tokyo. It’s been an arduous pandemic-altered journey, but we’ve finally made it to the opening day of wrestling at the Olympic Games.
Andy Hamilton and Christian Pyles are in Tokyo for FloWrestling and will be providing observations and updates throughout the week. You can watch all of NBC's coverage and follow along here and we’ll keep you apprised to the top developments in Tokyo.
The most-decorated women’s freestyle Olympic Team in American begins its quest for a huge medal haul with five-time World champ Adeline Gray leading things off for the United States. She’ll take on 19-year-old Zaineb Sghaier of Tunisia, the African Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament finalist.
Ildar Hafizov, the other American on the Day 1 card, takes on Cuba’s Luis Alberto Orta Sanchez at 60 kilos in the seventh match on Mat A.
Gray Cruises Into Quarters
Adeline Gray made quick work of Tunisia''s Zaineb Sghaier in the opening round at 76 kilos, registering a first-period fall. Gray scored a pair of takedowns and a turn before running Sghaier over for the fall. She'll take on 2017 World champ Yasemin Adar in the quarterfinals, a rematch of the 2018 World final that Gray won by technical superiority. Adar took care of fellow World champ Aline Silva of Brazil.
Kayaalp Moves On
Turkey's Riza Kayaalp has one of the most impressive resumes in Greco-Roman wrestling with four World titles, a pair of Olympic medals and four other World medals. There's a massive obstacle in his path to Olympic gold this week — three-time Olympic gold medalist Mijain Lopez of Cuba.
Kayaalp started his run towards Lopez with a casual 5-1 win over Knystautas of Lithuania. Two guts in forced par terre in the first period were the difference. In the second, Riza seemed content to hold onto his lead and advance to the quarters.
Lopez Rolls
Vorobieva Survives
Wiebe Falls
Hafizov Drops Opener
Ildar Hafizov couldn't crack through Cuba's Luis Alberto Orta Sanchez in a 5-0 opening-round loss at 60 kilograms. Orta went ahead on a first-period passivity call and Hafizov fought to prevent a turn, getting to his feet, only to get taken down seconds later. The Cuban tacked on two more points on a late caution against Hafizov.
Hafizov was an Olympian for Uzbekistan in 2008, when he lost in the opening round against Russia's Nazyr Mankiev, who went on to win Olympic gold. This time, Hafizov will need hep from the Cuban to get pulled back into the repechage. But Orta has a tall task ahead. He faces Russia's Sergey Emelin, who tore through the tournament at the 2018 World Championships, outscoring his opponents by a combined 44-1 count. Emelin survived a first-round scare, scoring in the closing seconds to beat Egypt's Haithem Mahmoud 7-6.
Adeline Dodges Bullet Late To Reach Semis
Adeline Gray controlled things for the vast majority of her quarterfinal bout against 2017 World champ Yasemin Adar, but things got dicey late for the five-time World champ from Colorado. Gray scored three takedowns to build a 6-0 lead. But Adar scored a late takedown, tacked on a lace and threatened to turn Gray once again before they went out of bounds with 11 seconds remaining. Adar fired off a shot and Gray countered for a late takedown to advance 8-4.
Medet Kyzy Throttles Vorobieva To Set Up Semi With Gray
Kyrgyzstan's Aiperi Medet Kyzy dusted three-time World champ Natalia Vorobieva 12-0 in the other top-side quarterfinal. The 22-year-old will be Adeline Gray's opponent in tonight's semifinals.
Orta Knocks Off Emelin
A pair of World champs from Russia went down in a matter of minutes when Georgia's Iakob Kajaia downed Sergey Semeov at 130 kilograms and Cuba's Luis Alberto Orta Sanchez toppled Sergey Emelin at 60 kilograms. Orta's win keeps Ildar Hafizov in the tournament for the time being. The Cuban will face 2018 World silver medalist Victor Ciobanu in tonight's semis.
Lopez vs. Kayaalp Is On
Cuban megastar Mijain Lopez will tangle with four-time World champ Riza Kayaalp of Turkey in the most-anticipated match of the day (and perhaps the tournament) in the 130-kilogram semis. Lopez scored a pair of technical superiority wins in Sunday's first two rounds.
Fumita To The Finals
Japan has had four Olympic Greco-Roman champions, two of whom won titles in 1964, the last time the Olympics were held here in Tokyo. Kenichiro Fumita has a chance to add to the gold collection tomorrow evening. The two-time World champ secured a spot in the finals with a 5-1 victory against Ukraine's Lenur Temirov. Fumita trailed on criteria before opening things up on a takedown and turn midway through the second period.
Ildar Is Back In
Cuba's Luis Orta Sanchez is headed to the finals after an 11-0 demolition of Moldova's Victor Ciobanu in the 60-kilogram semis. The Orta win pulls Ildar Hafizov back into the tournament.
Lopez Wins Clash Of Heavyweight Titans
Colossal Cuban heavyweight Mijain Lopez will take aim at Olympic history Monday night when he attempts to win his fourth Greco gold. Lopez defeated four-time World champ Riza Kayaalp of Turkey 2-0, scoring both of his points on passivity calls. Lopez initially took a 3-0 lead after gutting Kayaalp after his first turn on top, but the Turkish corner tossed in the brick and the call on the mat was overturned when it was deemed that Lopez committed an offensive leg foul.
Leading 1-0 at the break, Lopez picked up the pace in the second period and scored another passivity point. Kayaalp got turn on top and couldn't make Lopez budge. Kayaalp has three career losses now at the Olympics, all of which have come against Lopez.
Lopez will wrestle for gold against Georgia's Iakob Kajaia, who beat Chile's Yasmani Acosta Fernandez 1-1 in the other semi.
Gray (One Win) To Gold
It hasn't been easy for Adeline Gray today, but the five-time World champ is one win from adding an Olympic gold to her medal collection.
Gray prevailed in another nail biter, defeating Kyrgyzstan's Aiperi Medet Kyzy 3-2 in the 76-kilogram semis. Gray scored an activity clock point, a step-out and tacked on another for a lost challenge that came when the Kyrgyzstan corner tossed in the brick after an edge-of-the-mat flurry netted no points. It proved to be a pivotal call after Medet Kyzy scored a takedown with roughly 30 seconds left to cut the lead to 3-2. Gray then fended off a leg-lace attempt and held on to become the first American medalist of the week.
She's also the sixth Olympic medalist in American women's freestyle history, joining Helen Maroulis (gold in 2016), Sara McMann (silver in 2004), Clarissa Chun (bronze in 2012), Randi Miller (bronze in 2008) and Patricia Miranda (bronze in 2004).
Adeline will wrestle Germany's Aline Rotter Focken in tomorrow night's gold medal bout. Rotter Focken, a 2014 World champ, scored on the edge late to beat Japan's Hiroe Minagawa 3-1.
Gray's path to a fifth World title included a 5-2 semifinal win against Rotter Focken two years ago in Nur-Sultan.