#WrestleRome

18-Year-Old Nazaryan Upsets World Champion Azizli

Monday, February 10, 2020 - 20:26 By Eric Olanowski

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ROME, Italy (February 10) --- The star-studded list of Monday-night semifinalists featured countless Olympic, world and continental medalists. But it wasn't any of the well-known stars who shinned the brightest under the lights at the Pala Pellicone Arena in the seaside town of Ostia, Italy. 

Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL), the barely 18-year-old baby-faced Bulgarian, was the unlikely star who blew the roof of the arena on his way to locking up a trip to the European finals.

Nazaryan rose to the occasion in his senior debut and scored the improbable come-from-behind fall over 2018 world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE). He’ll wrestle for European gold on Tuesday night, two weeks after his 18th birthday. 

Nazaryan, the son of two-time Olympic champion Armen NAZARYAN (BUL), surrendered five first-period points but responded by lighting up the scoreboard with seven unanswered points before pancaking Azizli to his back for the fall.

The youngster will wrestle eighth-ranked Vitalii KABALOEV (RUS) on Tuesday night for the 55kg gold medal.

Kabaloev defeated Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) in the battle of reigning world champion and returning European champion. Kabaloev, the defending European champion, avenged his world quarterfinals loss against top-ranked Tsurtsumia with a 5-2 semifinals win on Monday night. 

Kabaloev will jump from fifth to second in the next rankings after locking up his finals spot. He can earn no less than 18 points, which would give him 41 Ranking Series points. He’ll hold the three-point lead over Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ).

Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) holds one finger up, signifying he'll be the top-ranked wrestler in the world at 87kg after Tuesday night's finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Lorincz Reaches Finals, Set to Take Over No. 1 Spot at 87kg 
Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) gained the No. 1 ranking in the world at 87kg after going 3-0 on Monday and inserting himself into Tuesday night’s finals. He entered the European Championships ranked second in the world with 56 points and added at least 18 points to his total after he reached the European finals for the second time in his career. 

If Lorincz wins gold on Tuesday night, he’ll control a 16-point advantage over Zhan BELENIUK (UKR). And even if he loses in tomorrow night’s finals, he’ll still carry a 14-point lead over Beleniuk, the reigning world champion, heading into the final Ranking Series event.

Lorincz cruised to a 6-1 semifinals victory over Islam ABBASOV (AZE) and will take on Semen NOVIKOV (UKR) for the 87kg European title.

Novikov, who is stepping in for Beleniuk, capped off his run to the finals with wins over two-time world champion Metehan BASAR (TUR) and four-time age-group world champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS). 

Novikov stole his finals appearance from Komarov, who led 1-1 with six seconds left. The Ukranian locked up a front head pinch and transitioned into a gut wrench to steal the match from the Russian, 5-1.

Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) will wrestle Levan ARABULI (GEO) in the 130kg European finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Alexuc Ciurariu’s Win Knocks out Kayaalp from Medal Contention 
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) defeated Mykola KUCHMII (UKR), 2-1, in the semifinals and knocked off four-time world champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR) from European medal contention.

Kayaalp needed Kuchmii to win to pull him back into the repechage round. 

The Turkish big man came into the European Championships searching for his tenth European title. Up until today, Kayaalp never finished lower than second place in his previous 11 trips to the European Championships. But a 5-1 quarterfinals loss to Kuchmii ended his streak of 11 consecutive European finals appearances. 

Alexuc Ciurariu will square off with Levan ARABULI (GEO) in the 130kg finals. Arabuli annihilated Arvi Martin SAVOLAINEN (FIN), 9-0, and will wrestle for European gold for the first time in his career. His previous highest finish came in 2017 when he finished with a bronze medal. 

Zotlan LEVAI (HUN) will be ranked third in the world at 77kg after the European Championships. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Levai to Join “Little Lorincz” in Top-Three of 77kg Rankings  
Thanks to Zotlan LEVAI’S (HUN) run to the European finals, Hungary will occupy two of the top three spots in the 77kg world rankings after the European Championships. Reigning world champion Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) is ranked first, and Levai will climb from 11th to third after the conclusion of the European finals. 

Levai, who won the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event three weeks ago, was ranked 11th with 16 points. But after making the finals, Levai will depart Rome with no less than 20 Ranking Series points, moving him ahead of Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) for the third spot in the rankings.

Levai shutout Volodymyr YAKOVLIEV (UKR), 9-0, in the semifinals, and will take on Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) on Tuesday night. The Azeri also picked up a shutout win in his semifinals match. He blanked Karapet CHALYAN (ARM), 3-0. 

Labazanov and Nehoda Stop 2018 European Finals Rematch from Happening
Ibragim LABAZANOV (RUS) and Maksim NEHODA (BLR) scored wins in their semifinal matches and stopped the 2018 European finals rematch between Mihai MIHUT (ROU) and Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) from happening. 

Labazanov collected an inactivity point and a pair of exposures from the par terre position and did his part in stopping the potential continental finals rematch from taking place. He defeated Mihut, 5-1, after trailing 1-0. 

Nehoda blocked Berge from reaching the European finals for the third consecutive year. He scored a second-period inactivity point and a two-point exposure after trailing 1-0 and claimed the 3-1 victory over the 2016 Rio Olympic bronze medalist. 

RESULTS 

55kg
GOLD - Vitalii KABALOEV (RUS) vs. Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL)
SEMIFINAL - Vitalii KABALOEV (RUS) df. Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), 5-2 
SEMIFINAL - Edmond Armen NAZARYAN (BUL) df. Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), via fall 

63kg
GOLD - Ibragim LABAZANOV (RUS) vs. Maksim NEHODA (BLR)
SEMIFINAL - Maksim NEHODA (BLR) df. Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR), 3-1 
SEMIFINAL - Ibragim LABAZANOV (RUS) df. Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU), 5-1 

77kg 
GOLD - Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) vs. Zotlan LEVAI (HUN)
SEMIFINAL - Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)  df. Karapet CHALYAN (ARM), 3-0 
SEMIFINAL - Zotlan LEVAI (HUN) df. Volodymyr YAKOVLIEV (UKR), 7-0 

87kg
GOLD - Semen NOVIKOV (UKR) vs. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN)
SEMIFINAL - Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Islam ABBASOV (AZE), 6-1
SEMIFINAL - Semen NOVIKOV (UKR) df. Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS), 5-1 

130kg
GOLD - Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) vs. Levan ARABULI (GEO)
SEMIFINAL - Levan ARABULI (GEO) df. Arvi Martin SAVOLAINEN (FIN), 9-0 
SEMIFINAL - Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) df. Mykola KUCHMII (UKR), 2-1 

SCHEDULE 

Tuesday (February 11)
8:30 - Weigh-in GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in GR – 60-67-72-72-82-97kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
11:30 - Repechage GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
15:30 - Technical conference – all WW teams
15:30 -Draw WW – All weight categories
16:45 - Semi Final GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
18:00 - Finals GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
18:00 - Award ceremonies

Wednesday (February 12)
8:30 - Weigh-in GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
11:30 - Repechage GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg 
16:45 - Semi Final WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
18:00 - Finals GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
18:00 - Award ceremonies

Thursday (February 13)
8:30 - Weigh-in WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
11:30 - Repechage WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
14:00 - Technical conference – all FS teams
14:00 - Draw FS – All weight categories
16:45 - page4image515539072Semi Final WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg 
18:00 - Finals WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
18:00 - Award ceremonies

Friday (February 14)
8:30 - Weigh-in WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg 
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
11:30 - Repechage WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg 
16:45 - Semi Final FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg 
18:00 - Finals WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
18:00 -Award ceremonies 

Saturday (February 15)
8:30 - Weigh-in FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg 
8:45 - Medical Examination & Weigh-in FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg 
11:30 - Repechage FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg 
16:45 - Semi Final FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
18:00 - Finals FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
18:00 - Award ceremonies 

Sunday (February 16)
8:30 - Weigh-in FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
16:00 - Repechage FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg 
18:00 - Finals FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
18:00 - Award ceremonies
21:30 - Final banquet

#WrestleAthens

Wrestling U17 World Championships: Day 6 Freestyle Live

Saturday, August 2, 2025 - 07:46 By Vinay Siwach

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ATHENS, Greece (August 2) -- The final full day of the U17 World Championships will see the final five weight classes in Freestyle. Wrestling will continue in 45kg, 51kg, 60kg, 71kg and 92kg.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 5 RESULTS

The semifinals of these weight classes will begin at 17:00 hours local time and medal bouts in 48kg, 55kg, 65kg, 80kg and 110kg will begin at 18:00 hours local time.

14:45: Samuel SANCHEZ (USA) is back in the semifinals, at 51kg, after taking out Temuri TUTARASHVILI (GEO) 12-1. Sanchez is chasing his second straight world title.

14:40: Mirjalol MUKAMMILOV (UZB), down 1-1 on criteria, spins behind and gets Riku FURUSAWA (JPN) down for a two-point takedown and a 3-1 win at 45kg. He will wrestle in the semifinals.

14:35: Keegan BASSETT (USA) breaks Bakdaulet AGABEK (KAZ) and gut wrenches Agabek for 15-4. He celebrates like he is breaking a stick with his knee

14:25: Yeghishe MOSESYAN (ARM) hits a front headlock in the final second to beat Omer GUL (TUR) 9-8 and enter the 71kg semifinals. Mosesyan never gave up attacking and got his win.

14:10: SITENDER (IND) with a counter attack for four and sends Arian MEHRALIZADEH (IRI) flying for four points and wins his 60kg bout 5-5. Mehralizadeh is devasted and runs off the mat.

13:30: Ulugbek RASHIDOV (UZB) is into the quarterfinals at 51kg! He blanks Ramal MIRHUSEYNOV (AZE) 11-0 using a lace. Comfortable win for the world champion!

13:20: Samuel SANCHEZ (USA) is looking extremely good at 51kg. The world 45kg champion gets past Bugra KAVAK (TUR) 9-3 and is now into the quarterfinals.

13:00: Yeghishe MOSESYAN (ARM) stuns Zubair BAGILOV (UWW) at 71kg, 8-3! Bagilov could never finish his shots and Mossyan had a huge four-pointer in the second period which changed the momentum of the match. 

12:45: In a battle of European silver medalist and bronze medalist, Omer GUL (TUR) takes out silver medalist Ihor OLIINYK (UKR) at 71kg. Gul was trailing 4-0 but front headlock for four and later another headpinch for four to win 9-4. 

12:40: Not to be for European silver medalist Hasan HASANOV (AZE) at 60kg. Rihito HIURA (JPN) blanks him 7-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. Hiura looks the one to beat at this weight class.

12:25: Nathan NASH (CAN) is absolutely ecstatic after getting a fall over Hamlet ANTONYAN (ARM) at 60kg! Nash is a Pan-Am bronze medalist this year.

11:45: European U17 champion Said PASHAYEV (AZE) must have been struggling off the mat otherwise there is no reason to explain his 5-4 win against Abderrahmane MEZITI (ALG) at 92kg. He was down 4-3 with five seconds remaining but manages to get a takedown on the edge to win 5-4.

11:30: Two world champions and two dominating wins! World 45kg champion Samuel SANCHEZ (USA) smashes Georgi SPASOV (BUL), 10-0 and then Ulugbek RASHIDOV (UZB) gut-wrenches Dhanraj JAMNIK (IND), 10-0, as well. Both Sanchez and Rashidov are at 51kg.

11:15: Hasan HASANOV (AZE), European silver medalist, keeps Fakhriddin NASRIDDINOV (UZB) at bay and wins his 51kg bout 6-2. Nasriddinov made several attempts to score points but Hasanov was solid in defense.

11:00: Arian MEHRALIZADEH (IRI) takes out returning silver medalist Frederick BACHMANN (PUR) at 51kg, 8-4. Bachmann got two takedowns in the match but Mehralizadeh was never looked in trouble.

10:50: Bekassyl ASSAMBEK (KAZ), Asian U17 champion, uses the gut-wrench and wins his 60kg bout Ashton BESMER (USA)

10:30: Welcome to another day of U17 World Championships in Athens, Greece. The five Freestyle weight class in action are 45kg, 51kg, 60kg, 71kg and 92kg.