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Beijing, September 9 (Xinhua) -- The 2022 World Wrestling Championships will kick off in Belgrada, the capital of Serbia, on the 10th. In the absence of four medalists at the Tokyo Olympics, the Chinese wrestling team, which sent a number of young players, may need more experience, but the team that has entered the Paris Olympic preparations with a new look is still expected to usher in a breakthrough at the World Championships, which has been three years away.
External training enhances confidence and strength
The Belgrade Wrestling World Championships will produce 30 gold medals, including 10 levels of men's freestyle wrestling, 10 levels of women's freestyle wrestling, and 10 levels of men's classical wrestling. In addition to the men's classical 72 kg class, Deng Zhiwei and Zhou Feng, as seeded players in the men's freestyle wrestling 125 kg and women's freestyle wrestling 68 kg respectively, will lead the Chinese team to compete with the world's top wrestlers.
In order to prepare more systematically for this World Championship, the Chinese wrestling team participated in two international A-class events in Poland and Romania in mid-to-late July. Subsequently, the Chinese wrestling women's team and the men's team went to the international training camps in Germany and Azerbaijan for targeted training, and the team has now assembled in Belgrade.
"After the two races, the team members have greatly improved their spirits and played more freely and confidently. Everyone is also fully engaged in foreign training, and many high-level European players have been training against each other, and the progress is still very great. Zhang Chongyao, coach of the Chinese women's freestyle wrestling team, said.
The Chinese women's wrestler strives to defend its position as a strong team
Chinese female wrestler Zhou Feng, the No. 7 seed in the 68 kg class, has won consecutive champions and runners-up at the 2021 Wrestling World Championships in Poland in july, and her form is hot, coupled with her rich experience in international competitions, which is highly expected. According to the signing arrangement of the seeded players at this World Championship, if Zhou Feng successfully advances to the quarter-finals, he may meet tamira, the No. 2 seed in this class. Tokyo Olympic champion Tamira is the absolute king of this level, and it is difficult for Zhou Feng to pass this level. In addition, Obrududu, who won nigeria's first wrestling medal in Tokyo, and The defending world champion of the World Championships, Kyrgyzstan's Jumana Zakova, are strong contenders for the gold medal.
On September 25, 2021, Jiangsu's Wang Jiao (left) and Liaoning's Zhou Feng competed in the National Games. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Tao
In the women's other categories, the silver medalist Feng Ziqi of the 2019 U23 World Championships will compete in the 50 kg class, and another young player, Zhang Qi, broke into the 55 kg bronze medal competition at the 2018 World Championships, regrettably rubbing shoulders with the medals, this time she will "upgrade" to participate in the 59 kg competition. In addition, Luo Xiaojuan, a 62 kg player, Long Jia, a 65 kg player, Qian Degen Chagan, a 72 kg player, and Wang Juan, a 76 kg player, are relatively experienced in the international competition and have the strength to compete for medals.
The women's freestyle wrestling supremacist Japan team has sent a strong lineup this time, including two gold medalists at the Tokyo Olympics, Yui Suzaki and Makoto Xiangda. However, the defending champion of the 53 kg class at the World Championships, 18-year-old talented youngster Juri Fujiha, withdrew due to injury before the game, causing the Japanese women's team to lose a tough player.
In addition to the Japanese team, the strength of the players of India, the United States, Ukraine, Moldova and other representative teams should not be underestimated. Chinese female wrestlers need to calm their minds in the strong competition, play their due level, and strive to bring more surprises and defend their position as a strong team.
Deng Zhiwei Eight World Championships Classical wrestling is looking forward to continuing to break through
The 34-year-old veteran Deng Zhiwei won one silver and one bronze at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships respectively. Previously, he said in an interview that the preparation for the World Championships is relatively systematic, and he is not worried about the problem of physical reserves. In July, he won all four matches in the Romanian international wrestling A-division, adding confidence to his eighth world championship journey.
On September 24, 2021, Shandong's Deng Zhiwei (part 2) and Inner Mongolia's Ling and Erdun competed in the National Games. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Tao
In this competition, Deng Zhiwei may meet again with the "old rival" Georgian star Gino and the Iranian young player Zall again. At the Tokyo Olympics, Deng Zhiwei lost to Gino in the quarter-finals, and then successfully broke through the resurrection match, losing to Zal in the bronze medal battle, regrettably finishing fifth. Whether he can cross the obstacles and make a breakthrough this time will be a major attraction in Chinese men's freestyle wrestling.
In men's classical wrestling, a valuable bronze medal won by Vari Khan Serik in the 60 kg competition at the Tokyo Olympics lit a light for the long-dormant team. As a traditional advantage of Chinese classical wrestling, the Chinese team sent Cao Liguo (60 kg class) and Tolbatu (63 kg) and other strong players this time, of which Cao Liguo was the fifth winner in the 55 kg category of the 2018 and 2019 World Championships, and Tolbatu was the 63 kg champion of the 2019 Asian Championships.
What will the Chinese wrestling team look like on the "warm-up stage" of the Paris Olympic Qualification Tournament? With the implementation of the new rules, what will happen to the world of wrestling? The answers will all be revealed on the four wrestling mats at the Stark Arena in Belgrade.