#wrestlenursultan

Amine Makes History by Qualifying San Marino for Tokyo 2020 by Making 86kg Semis

Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 10:10 By Ken Marantz

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NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (Sept. 21)--- Having become San Marino’s first wrestler in history to qualify for the Olympic Games, Myles AMINE (SMR) certainly achieved his goal of making his grandfather back in the small European enclave proud. 

Amine, who was born and raised in the U.S. state of Michigan and holds dual citizenship, clinched a place in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for San Marino in freestyle 86kg when he advanced to the semifinals on Day 8 of the World Championships.

“It just feels incredible,” Amine said. “I know the amount of work I put in, year-round these past few years….I decided my goal was to get to the Olympics here. At first, I went to the European Championships and I had a pretty good tournament, breakout, but I knew I had a lot of work to do. I put all that work in the summer, and it paid off.”

The 22-year-old Amine who finished ninth at the European Championships in April, defeated Ahmed DUDAROV (GER) 4-2 in the quarterfinals to set up a monster task to earn a place in the finals. 

His semifinal opponent will be 2017 world and 2016 Olympic champion Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), who bulldozed his way into the last four with a technical fall and two falls. Amine looks forward to the challenge.

“I live for this kind of stuff,” he said. “To wrestle these guys that I look up to at a point in time. Even now, I still watch a lot of his technique and study him. To be able to go up and compete against a guy like that, that’s a dream of mine. I’m stoked.”

Amine’s run nearly got derailed in the previous round, when he literally scored a takedown off a counter in the last second for a 5-2 victory over 2014 world silver medalist Sosuke TAKATANI (JPN)

“I don’t know what happened there,” Amine said with a smile. “I kind of just took a bad shot and he got in. I honestly thought it would be a miracle to win that match. 

Amine, who is part of the group of wrestlers in Nur-Sultan with dual citizenship who trained at the University of Michigan under Russian legend Sergey BELAGLAZOV, said growing up in the United States and competing in the folkstyle paid off that situation. 

“I’m really good in those scramble positions,” he said. “Wrestling in the United States you learn to scramble really well and it came up big. It’s the reason why I’m going to the Olympics.”

Competing for San Marino, a country with a population of 33,000 completely surrounded by Italy, certainly can be a conversation starter for Amine, who takes great pride in his heritage. 

“I don’t think most people know what San Marino is,” he said. “It’s my heritage and my grandpa is really proud to be from there and talks about it all the time. I just talked to him last night and told him I’d try to make him proud. For this to happen, it’s surreal.”

The other semifinal at 86kg will pit Stefan REICHMUTH (SUI) against Deepak PUNIA (IND), the recently crowned world junior champion.

The day session featured qualification rounds in the final four freestyle weights, with those advancing to the semifinals clinching berths for their country at Tokyo 2020. 

Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) and Kyle SNYDER (USA) both made it to the semifinals and are one match away from wrestling for the 97kg for the third consecutive year. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

The highly-anticipated showdown between 97kg titans Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) and Kyle SNYDER (USA) remained on course as the two advanced to the semifinals in separate brackets. 

Sadulaev, winner over Snyder in last year’s world final in Budapest, will face Alisher YERGALI (KAZ), while Snyder faces a stiff test in European champion and Rio 2016 bronze medalist Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE). 

In the quarterfinals, Snyder fell behind against Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) before getting into gear and storming to a 13-3 technical fall. Sadulaev, who won by technical fall in his opening match, knocked off Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD) 6-0.

Defending champion Kyle DAKE (USA) advanced to the semifinals of the non-Olympic 79kg division, gaining a stepout and a takedown over the final minute to secure a 5-1 victory over Gadzhi NABIEV (RUS). 

He will face Rashid KURBANOV (UZB), while the other semifinal will be a clash between Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) vs Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE)

In the non-Olympic 61kg class, Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI) emerged from a wild-and-wooly encounter with Akhmednabi GVARTZATILOV (AZE) with a 13-12 victory, and will face Magomedrasul IDRISOV (RUS) for a place in the final.

Gvartzatilov had handily ousted defending champion and top seed Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUES (CUB) 7-0.

Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) will square off with Rahul AWARE (IND) in the 61kg semifinals. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

The other semifinal will be a clash between 2016 world silver medalist Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) and Asian bronze medalist Rahul AWARE (IND). Aware prevailed 10-7 in a back-and-forth quarterfinal over Rassul KALIYEV (KAZ). 

In the repechage rounds to fill the bronze-medal matches in the four weight classes that started competition on Friday, Mao OKUI (JPN) secured a place for the host country at Tokyo 2020 at 74kg when he scored a takedown and two rolls in the last 30 seconds to defeat Kamil RYBICKI (POL) 6-2.

Okui, who defeated 2017 world 70kg bronze medalist Yuhi FUJINAMI (JPN) to make the Japanese team to Nur-Sultan, will face a tall task in his bid to win a bronze medal, which would have further ramifications for the 2018 world university silver medalist

A victory would clinch the Olympic spot for himself without further domestic qualifying, according to Japan federation criteria. His opponent in the third-place playoff? Four-time world champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), who will be aiming for his seventh world medal overall. 

At 70kg, Nicolae COJOCARU (GBR) will try to give his country its first-ever men’s world medal when he faces Yones EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI). The Romanian-born Cojocaru defeated Joshua RILEY (AUS) by fall in the repechage. 

Two wrestlers from the host country earned chances to add to its medal haul when Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) advanced at 74kg and Nurgali NURGAIPULY (KAZ) at 92kg. 

Badzha KHUTABA (SYR) assured he would have the highest finish in freestyle in Syrian history when he advanced at 125kg. He will look to become the first medalist when he faces Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR).

Day 8 Pairings

Freestyle

61kg (25 entries)
Semifinal – Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI) vs Magomedrasul IDRISOV (RUS) 
Semifinal – Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) vs Rahul AWARE (IND)

70kg (30 entries)
Gold – David BAEZ (RUS) vs Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) 
Bronze –Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) vs Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL)
Bronze – Nicolae COJOCARU (GBR) vs Yones EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI) 

74kg (39 entries)
Gold – Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) vs Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) 
Bronze –Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) vs Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA)
Bronze – Mai OKUI (JPN) vs Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) 

79kg (23 entries)
Semifinal – Kyle DAKE (USA) vs Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) 
Semifinal – Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) vs Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE)

86kg (43 entries)
Semifinal – Stefan REICHMUTH (SUI) vs Deepak PUNIA (IND) 
Semifinal – Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) vs Myles AMINE (SMR)

92kg (18 entries)
Gold – J’den COX (USA) vs Alireza KARAMIMACHIANI (IRI)  
Bronze –Nurgali NURGAIPULY (KAZ) vs Irakli MTSITURI (GEO)
Bronze – Georgii RUBAEV (MDA) vs Alikhan ZHABRAILOV (RUS) 

97kg (26 entries)
Semifinal – Kyle SNYDER (USA) vs Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) 
Semifinal – Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) vs Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS)

125kg (28 entries)
Gold – Geno PETRAIASHIVILI (GEO) vs Taha AKGAL (TUR) 
Bronze –Badzha KHUTABA (SYR) vs Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR)
Bronze – Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB) vs DENG Zhiwei (CHN)

#WrestleTirana

Kayaalp's 13: New Golden Standard Set in Europe

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 - 15:27 By United World Wrestling Press

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TIRANA, Albania (April 20) -- On Tuesday evening in Tirana, Riza KAYAALP (TUR) did something that for years existed and was expected to continue to exist only as a hypothetical.

He won his 13th European title in Tirana on Tuesday, beating Darius VITEK (HUN), 7-1, in the 130kg European Championships. 2026 joined 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2010.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR)Riza KAYAALP (TUR) turns Darius VITEK (HUN) in the 130kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

As the referee raised his powerfully sculpted right arm in triumph, Kayaalp raised the ceiling in Greco-Roman. He moved past the legendary Aleksandr KARELIN’s 12 European gold medals, the last of which he had won in 2000. Generations of wrestlers had competed, won and lost, knowing all the while that that number would outlast them. Until Kayaalp finally eclipsed it.

The moment itself wasn’t dramatic in the way history is often expected to be. Just a raised hand, a nod and a lap of honor around the mat with the Turkish flag around his shoulders. That’s been the story of Kayaalp’s career.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR)Riza KAYAALP (TUR) speaks to the media after winning the gold medal at the European Championships. (United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Born in Yozgat, in central Turkey, Kayaalp would have inherently understood the role of wrestling in Turkish sporting heritage and the place champions of the sport have historically held in the nation. He would have grown up in the shadow of two-time Olympic and eight-time European champion Hamza YERLIKAYA, who defined Turkish wrestling in the 1990s and like everyone else in the sport, under the global shadow of Karelin.

Slowly and methodically Kayaalp would try to match them. His career has been relentless and consistent rather than spectacular. Since his first European gold in 2010, won as a twenty-year old, Kayaalp has claimed titles across two decades. He’s adapted through rule changes, generations of opponents, and brutal physical wear and tear of time itself.

Apart from his European titles, he has five World Championships gold medals, and three Olympic medals -- a bronze in London 2012, silver in Rio 2016, bronze again in Tokyo 2020. Every time a major medal was to be decided over the past decade and a half, Kayaalp would with almost absurd reliability be counted in the mix.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR)Riza KAYAALP (TUR) with Taha AKGUL (TUR) at the medal ceremony in Tirana. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

For all of Kayaalp’s longevity, his career has always carried the one obvious gap compared to Karelin or Yerlikaya -- no Olympic gold. That absence will still be there. That gap is unlikely to close any time soon. As such the European mark became a milestone within his grasp. Or in the last few years, a milestone just out of grasp.

Indeed, for Kayaalp the title will provide a sense of closure. He had equalled Karelin’s record at the 2023 European championships in Zagreb. Prior to that tournament, he had in an interview with Anadalou Agency spoken of equalling Karelin’s record, breaking it at the 2024 European Championships and finally finishing his career on a high note with a gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But things would not go as planned. At the 2024 European Championships, Kayaalp was pinned in the final by Sergey SEMENOV (UWW) -- only the second final he had ever lost in Europe. A few months later despite qualifying for the Olympics he was unable to compete due to a medication issue linked to treatment for persistent tinnitus. His appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was upheld, clearing the way for his return. He would describe the period as the toughest of his career.

But the ordeal had left him with a new purpose and a desire to exit the stage on his own terms.

“For an athlete with so many titles, this was the worst thing that could happen,” he said. “Because of a simple issue, we faced a huge problem. But I always believed I would overcome it, return to my job and leave the sport on my own terms,” he had told Anadalou Agency at the start of 2026 when he made his return to international competition at the Zagreb Ranking series earlier this year.

“There was fatigue before. In this 18-month period, my desire to work came back stronger. I was already motivated to be champion. Now it is even greater. I feel renewed,” he had said.

While Kayaalp has said he would compete until the 2028 Olympics, he had also spoken of the unfinished business he had had in Europe. “I was so close,” he said. “Fourteen finals, 12 European titles, one more for the record, and then something unwanted happens. But everything is resolved. To bring that record to my country would mean a lot,” he had said then.

He had come close once and fallen short. That could have been the ending -- a near miss against an immortal number. Instead, with his 13th European title, Kayaalp gets to tell his story. He stands alone as the most decorated European wrestler of all time.

Records though exist to be broken. At some point, inevitably, another wrestler will look at Kayaalp's number and decide to chase it. But at least for some time, records exist to define limits. For over a quarter of a century that limit was Karelin’s 12. Now it’s Kayaalp’s 13.