🌏 日本語版はこちら：【2026世界選手権 アスタナ】男子フリースタイル 吉田アラシ選手が銀、青柳善の輔選手が銅 ― MSWで読み解く全10階級
- Introduction
- What Is MSW? A Metric That Uses Match Time to Measure the Quality of a Win
- MSW Ranking of the Gold Medalists
- Key Takeaways
- 1. No. 1 is Iran’s Zare at 125kg: MSW 6.83
- 2. No. 2 is America’s Lee at 57kg: MSW 6.74
- 3. Japan’s two medals: Yoshida Arash and Aoyagi Yoshinosuke
- 4. Only three countries took gold: USA 5, Russia 3, Iran 2
- 5. Eight of the 10 finals went to a decision
- 6. The lowest MSW: Iran’s Mohammadnezhadjavan at 61kg (2.46)
- Weight-Class Highlights
- Team Japan Results
- Closing
Introduction
The 2026 senior World Championships were held in Astana, Kazakhstan. The men’s freestyle competition ran from October 29 to November 1 and crowned a world champion in each of the 10 weight classes: 57, 61, 65, 70, 74, 79, 86, 92, 97 and 125kg. The finals were held on October 30 (65 and 97kg), October 31 (61, 70, 86 and 125kg) and November 1 (57, 74, 79 and 92kg).
Japan won two medals: one silver and one bronze. Yoshida Arash took silver at 97kg and Aoyagi Yoshinosuke took bronze at 74kg. Japan did not win a gold medal.
This report uses official UWW data to compare how all 10 gold medalists won their titles, using a metric called MSW. We also review the results in every weight class and the performances of Team Japan.
What Is MSW? A Metric That Uses Match Time to Measure the Quality of a Win
MSW (Most Successful Wrestler) is a metric proposed by Dr. Kristijan Slacanac of UWW Performance Data Analysis. Two gold medals can look identical on paper, even though one wrestler may have won fast and by wide margins while another won a string of close decisions. MSW boils that difference down to a single number.
- MSW = WQ + CPdiff
- WQ — technical-point differential per minute: (total TP scored − total TP conceded) ÷ total match time in minutes.
- CPdiff — classification-point differential per bout: (total CP earned − total CP conceded) ÷ number of bouts. CP depends on how a bout is won: VFA (victory by fall) = 5, VSU (victory by technical superiority, a 10-point lead in freestyle) = 4, VPO (victory by points) = 3. A trailing 1, as in VSU1 or VPO1, means the losing wrestler also scored and receives 1 CP.
In short, WQ rewards how large a lead was built, and CPdiff rewards how high-grade the wins were. The more a wrestler builds big leads in little time and finishes with falls or technical superiority, the higher the MSW climbs.
This time, the official UWW bout-by-bout records gave us the match time of all 48 bouts fought by the gold medalists, so we calculated MSW in its original form. Match time is the match-clock time at the end of each bout. A win on points (VPO or VPO1) is recorded as 6:00 in the official data, and we used that figure as it stands. Bouts that end in a withdrawal or disqualification are not truly contested, so they are excluded from the calculation. None of the 48 bouts fought by this year’s 10 gold medalists ended that way.
MSW Ranking of the Gold Medalists
The 10 gold medalists, ranked by MSW from highest to lowest.
| Rank | Weight | Country | Wrestler | Bouts | Total time | TP (for-against) | CP (for-against) | MSW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 125kg | IRI | ZARE Amir Hossein | 4 | 14:51 | 42-0 | 16-0 | 6.83 |
| 2 | 57kg | USA | LEE Spencer | 5 | 13:31 | 49-12 | 21-1 | 6.74 |
| 3 | 74kg | RUS | SHERIEV Inalbek | 6 | 21:47 | 47-5 | 23-2 | 5.43 |
| 4 | 65kg | USA | BASSETT Bowen | 5 | 18:26 | 50-16 | 19-3 | 5.04 |
| 5 | 79kg | USA | HAINES Levi | 5 | 22:05 | 30-7 | 18-3 | 4.04 |
| 6 | 86kg | USA | DAKE Kyle | 6 | 30:27 | 45-14 | 20-5 | 3.52 |
| 7 | 70kg | RUS | IBRAGIMOV Ibragim | 5 | 26:54 | 29-6 | 16-3 | 3.46 |
| 8 | 97kg | USA | SNYDER Kyle | 4 | 22:17 | 23-8 | 13-2 | 3.42 |
| 9 | 92kg | RUS | GADZHIMAGOMEDOV Amanula | 4 | 23:58 | 28-9 | 13-4 | 3.04 |
| 10 | 61kg | IRI | MOHAMMADNEZHADJAVAN Ahmad | 4 | 24:00 | 25-14 | 12-4 | 2.46 |
Note: TP is the total of technical points scored, and CP is the total of classification points earned through the manner of each win. MSW is calculated from the bout-by-bout records in the official UWW data and rounded to two decimal places.
Key Takeaways
1. No. 1 is Iran’s Zare at 125kg: MSW 6.83
Iran’s ZARE Amir Hossein finished first with an MSW of 6.83, about 0.1 points ahead of No. 2 LEE (6.74). Across four bouts he scored 42 technical points and conceded none, with a CP line of 16-0, and all four bouts ended in technical superiority (VSU). His four bouts lasted 14 minutes 51 seconds in total. Of the 10 gold medalists, he is the only one who did not concede a single point. In the final he beat KURBANOV (RUS) 11-0 by technical superiority in 3:56.
2. No. 2 is America’s Lee at 57kg: MSW 6.74
America’s LEE Spencer took second place with an MSW of 6.74. Across five bouts he scored 49 technical points and conceded 12, with a CP line of 21-1. Every one of his five bouts ended in a fall (VFA) or technical superiority (VSU or VSU1), and his total time was 13 minutes 31 seconds.
In the final he beat BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) 10-0 by technical superiority in just 0:25. That is a very short time, but the bout ended neither in a withdrawal nor in a disqualification and was actually contested, so we calculated it as it stands. In the semifinal he trailed 5-10 and came back to win by fall at 4:16.
3. Japan’s two medals: Yoshida Arash and Aoyagi Yoshinosuke
At 97kg, Yoshida Arash tied the final 4-4 with SNYDER Kyle (USA) and lost on the decision, taking silver. According to reports, the decision went to Snyder on big points. In the semifinal he trailed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) 3-6 and won by fall at 2:38.
At 74kg, Aoyagi Yoshinosuke lost his semifinal 1-3 to KAIPANOV (KAZ), then won his bronze-medal match 11-0 by technical superiority over BAYRAMOV (AZE) in 2:37.
4. Only three countries took gold: USA 5, Russia 3, Iran 2
The United States won five weight classes (57, 65, 79, 86 and 97kg), Russia three (70, 74 and 92kg) and Iran two (61 and 125kg). In total medals, the United States and Russia won nine each, Iran six and Japan two.
5. Eight of the 10 finals went to a decision
Eight of the 10 finals went the full six minutes and were decided on points (VPO1). The only exceptions were two technical-superiority wins: LEE at 57kg (10-0 in 0:25) and ZARE at 125kg (11-0 in 3:56). Three finals were decided by a single point: 4-3 at 79kg, and 3-2 at 86kg and at 92kg. The 97kg final ended 4-4 and was decided on the decision.
6. The lowest MSW: Iran’s Mohammadnezhadjavan at 61kg (2.46)
All four of MOHAMMADNEZHADJAVAN Ahmad’s bouts went the full six minutes and ended in decisions (VPO1), for a total time of 24:00. The scores were 10-9, 3-2, 3-1 and 9-2, so every bout except the final was decided by two points or fewer.
Weight-Class Highlights
Gold, silver and bronze in all 10 weight classes, with the score and type of each final. Scores list the winner’s points first, and countries are UWW codes.
| Weight | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57kg | LEE (USA) | BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) | MUTALIEV (RUS) / HAN (PRK) | 10-0 VSU (0:25) |
| 61kg | MOHAMMADNEZHADJAVAN (IRI) | UGUEV (RUS) | BLAZE (USA) / KIM (PRK) | 9-2 VPO1 |
| 65kg | BASSETT (USA) | TEVANYAN (ARM) | MAGOMEDOV (RUS) / AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI) | 9-1 VPO1 |
| 70kg | IBRAGIMOV (RUS) | AKMATALIEV (KGZ) | RETHERFORD (USA) / TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) | 5-2 VPO1 |
| 74kg | SHERIEV (RUS) | KAIPANOV (KAZ) | AOYAGI Yoshinosuke (JPN) / YAZDANICHERATI (IRI) | 10-4 VPO1 |
| 79kg | HAINES (USA) | NOKHODILARIMI (IRI) | KHANIEV (RUS) / KADZIMAHAMEDAU (BLR) | 4-3 VPO1 |
| 86kg | DAKE (USA) | DZHIOEV (AZE) | SHAVAEV (KGZ) / GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) | 3-2 VPO1 |
| 92kg | GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) | HIDLAY (USA) | MAISURADZE (GEO) / TCOKAEV (AZE) | 3-2 VPO1 |
| 97kg | SNYDER (USA) | YOSHIDA Arash (JPN) | YAZDANI (IRI) / SADULAEV (RUS) | 4-4 VPO1 |
| 125kg | ZARE (IRI) | KURBANOV (RUS) | HENDRICKSON (USA) / MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) | 11-0 VSU (3:56) |
Highlights from each weight class:
- 57kg (34 entries): LEE took the title. All five of his bouts ended in a fall or technical superiority, and the final was a 10-0 win in 0:25. His MSW of 6.74 ranks second.
- 61kg (27 entries): MOHAMMADNEZHADJAVAN took the title, beating UGUEV (RUS) 9-2 in the final. His MSW of 2.46 ranks tenth.
- 65kg (32 entries): BASSETT took the title with a 9-1 decision over TEVANYAN (ARM) in the final. His quarterfinal was a 14-13 win over MAGOMEDOV (RUS). His MSW of 5.04 ranks fourth.
- 70kg (24 entries): IBRAGIMOV took the title with a 5-2 decision over AKMATALIEV (KGZ) in the final. In the quarterfinal he beat Japan’s Tomiyama Yuma 5-0. His MSW of 3.46 ranks seventh.
- 74kg (37 entries): SHERIEV took the title. Over six bouts he opened with three technical-superiority wins and a fall, then won the final 10-4 on points over KAIPANOV (KAZ). His MSW of 5.43 ranks third. Japan’s Aoyagi Yoshinosuke lost to KAIPANOV in the semifinal and went on to win bronze.
- 79kg (30 entries): HAINES took the title with a 4-3 decision over NOKHODILARIMI (IRI) in the final, a single-point margin. He won his first two bouts by fall and by technical superiority. His MSW of 4.04 ranks fifth.
- 86kg (41 entries, the largest field of the 10 classes): DAKE took the title. Over six bouts his total time came to 30:27, the longest of the 10 gold medalists. He won the final 3-2 over DZHIOEV (AZE), a single-point margin. His MSW of 3.52 ranks sixth.
- 92kg (23 entries, the smallest field of the 10 classes): GADZHIMAGOMEDOV took the title. Both his semifinal and final were 3-2 decisions, single-point margins, and his opponent in the final was HIDLAY (USA). His MSW of 3.04 ranks ninth.
- 97kg (29 entries): SNYDER took the title, tying the final 4-4 with Japan’s Yoshida Arash and winning on the decision. His quarterfinal against SADULAEV (RUS) was also a 4-4 decision win. His MSW of 3.42 ranks eighth.
- 125kg (30 entries): ZARE took the title with four straight technical-superiority wins, including an 11-0 win over KURBANOV (RUS) in 3:56 in the final. His MSW of 6.83 ranks first.
Team Japan Results
Nine Japanese wrestlers competed, and no Japanese wrestler competed at 79kg. Scores list the Japanese wrestler’s points first.
- 57kg, OGAWA Yamato: He beat BELOLYUBSKII (TJK) 3-1 in the round of 32 and STECHELE (GER) 4-0 in the round of 16. He lost the quarterfinal 2-12 by technical superiority (VSU1, 4:29) to BAZARGANOV (AZE). Because BAZARGANOV did not reach the final, OGAWA did not get a place in the repechage.
- 61kg, HASEGAWA Toshihiro: He beat GANKHULEG (MGL) 8-4 in the qualification round and KERYMOV (UKR) 10-5 in the round of 16. He lost the quarterfinal 1-8 to ABAKAROV (ALB). Because ABAKAROV did not reach the final, HASEGAWA did not get a place in the repechage.
- 65kg, TANABE Kaisei: He lost his first-round bout, in the round of 32, to DUMAN (TUR) on a decision after a 3-3 tie. Tanabe also competed in men’s Greco-Roman at 63kg.
- 70kg, TOMIYAMA Yuma: He beat AKHMEDOV (TJK) 3-0 in the qualification round and KEMERTELIDZE (GEO) 11-0 by technical superiority in 2:45 in the round of 16. He lost the quarterfinal 0-5 to IBRAGIMOV (RUS), who went on to win gold, then lost the repechage 1-13 by technical superiority (VSU1, 3:55) to VASILE DIACON (MDA).
- 74kg, AOYAGI Yoshinosuke (bronze): He beat BATUQINGGELE (CHN) 10-0 by technical superiority in 3:37 in the round of 32, MOTTAGHINIA (ESP) 4-1 in the round of 16 and ASLUEV (BRN) 5-2 in the quarterfinal. He lost the semifinal 1-3 to KAIPANOV (KAZ), who went on to win silver, then won his bronze-medal match 11-0 by technical superiority in 2:37 against BAYRAMOV (AZE).
- 79kg: No Japanese wrestler competed.
- 86kg, OKAZAWA Natsura: He lost his first-round bout, in the round of 32, 3-9 to KADIEV (RUS).
- 92kg, KANAZAWA Sorato: He lost his qualification bout (first round) 5-13 to SHARIPOV (BRN).
- 97kg, YOSHIDA Arash (silver): In his first bout, the round of 16, he beat YAZDANI (IRI), who went on to win bronze, 7-5. He won the quarterfinal 12-2 by technical superiority (VSU1, 4:33) over VICKY (IND). In the semifinal he trailed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) 3-6 and won by fall at 2:38. He lost the final 4-4 to SNYDER (USA) on the decision. According to reports, the decision went to Snyder on big points.
- 125kg, YAMAMOTO Taiki: He won his qualification bout by forfeit. In the round of 16 he lost 1-12 by technical superiority (VSU1, 4:51) to BARAN (POL).
Closing
Japan won two medals in men’s freestyle at the 2026 World Championships: one silver and one bronze. Yoshida Arash at 97kg let the final slip away on a 4-4 tie, but he is the world’s number two. Aoyagi Yoshinosuke at 74kg lost his semifinal and then won his bronze-medal match 11-0 by technical superiority to take the bronze.
Across men’s Greco-Roman, women’s freestyle and men’s freestyle, Japan won 10 medals at this World Championships: three gold, three silver and four bronze. You can find our MSW reports on the other two events here.
- 2026 World Championships in Astana: Japan’s Gomi Koto Wins Greco-Roman Gold – All 10 Weight Classes Through the MSW Lens
- 2026 World Championships in Astana: Japan’s Susaki Yui and Kiyooka Moe Win Women’s Freestyle Gold – All 10 Weight Classes Through the MSW Lens
MSW is one yardstick for understanding the substance of a win. We hope you will use it not to decide who is better, but to learn how each bout was won.
Let’s give Team Japan a big round of applause!
About the Book
The author, ITO SHO (Lecturer at Nanzan University), revisits wrestling through three lenses — mat experience, scientific research, and coaching — in his new book Exploring Wrestling: An Anatomical Atlas of the Sport Without a Definitive Answer, Drawn by Science and the Field (Japanese edition, released September 23, 2026). The book brings together, in one volume, the fitness components and ways of thinking that wrestling requires. If you want to reflect on your own wrestling, or support your child’s growth in the sport, please pick up a copy.
View on Amazon → https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0HHQ1FDPG
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