#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships Day 5 Greco-Roman Finals Set

Monday, April 15, 2024 - 05:34 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 15) -- The Asian Championships moves on to Greco-Roman with five weight classes in action. All eyes will be on world champion and birthday boy Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) who won his first Asian title in 2018 at the same arena.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 4 REPORT

The finals for the five Greco-Roman weight class

55kg: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) vs. Yu Chol RO (PRK)

63kg: Ayata SUZUKI (JPN) vs. Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ)

77kg: Nao KUSAKA (JPN) vs. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)

87kg: Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) vs. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)

130kg: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) vs. Lingzhe MENG (CHN) 

14:30: Minseok KIM (KOR) denies Lingzhe MENG (CHN) a shot against Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) as he wins the 130kg semifinals 1-1. Kim got the par terre advantage in the second period to lead 1-1 on criteria. Kim was warned for passivity but Meng asked to resume in standing. Meng failed to score despite Kim's extreme passive wrestling.

14:24: Once again, Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) showed the perils of allowing him the first shot at par terre. Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ) seemed helpless as the defending champion reeled off four rolls in succession to win their 130kg semifinal 9-0 in 1:44.

14:20: Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) sets up last year's final rematch with Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) after beating Masato SUMI (JPN) 1-1 in the 87kg semifinals. Alizadeh got the par terre advantage in the second period to take the criteria win.

14:13: Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ), still going strong at 33, will get a chance to win an Asian gold at 87kg a decade after his last after executing two big throws from par terre for a 9-0 victory over Rahimjon UZOKOV (UZB). He will see in a few minutes if he will get a rematch with Naser ALIZADEH (IRI), who beat him in last year's final.

14:05: Nao KUSAKA (JPN) was surprised by Yeonghun NOH (KOR) with a headlock throw for four but he kept his calm and scored nine points via stepouts and fleeing and two takedowns to win 13-4 and set up a final against Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ).

14:04: Reigning champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) gave the packed crowd what they came to see, spectacularly tossing Amir Ali ABDI (IRI) twice for 5 points in a 12-2 victory to make the 77kg final. Makhmudov was trailing 2-0 and in the bottom of par terre when he turned it all around, stepping over on a reverse body lift attempt by Abdi. From there he gained a reverse lock himself, and tossed the Iranian like a rag doll not once, but twice.

13:59: After taking home two bronze medals in 2021 and 2022, Ayata SUZUKI (JPN) will get a chance to fight for a gold after knocking off defending champion Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) with a come-from-behind 11-4 victory in the 63kg semifinals. With Mohammadi leading 2-0, Suzuki attempts a front headlock throw, but Mohammadi isn't fooled and lands on top for 2 to take a 4-0 lead into the second period. Suzuki gets his chance at par terre and takes advantage, scoring three rolls. He later adds a takedown and a stepout, with a fleeing point tacked onto the latter.

13:50: A big arm throw from Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ) to take a 4-0 lead against Chan KIM (PRK) and he adds a stepout in the second period to make it 5-0. Kim with a par terre and roll to cut it to 5-3 but fails to stop Zharlykassyn from winning.

13:42: Defending champion Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) with a gut wrench late in the second period to claim a 3-2 win over Taemin KIM (KOR). The first two par terre were awarded to Kim but Dad Marz got the third which has no points but an advantage on top.

13:39: Yu Chol RO (PRK) manhandles two-time world bronze medalist Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) 10-1 to earn a place in the 55kg final.

The semifinals for the session begin at 13:30

13:17: Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ), the losing finalist at 87kg last year to Alizadeh, makes short work of Seunghwan LEE (KOR), storming into the semifinals with a 9-0 win in 1:31.

13:16: Two reigning champions from Iran post wins on adjacent mats to advance to the semifinals. World champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) scored three quick rolls from par terre to finish off an 8-0 victory Islomjon RAKHMATOV (UZB) in just under two minutes at 130kg, and a few minutes later, Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) topped Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) 8-1 at 87kg.

13:08: Chan KIM (PRK) knocks off world 60kg bronze medalist Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) 3-1 to advance to the 63kg semifinals. Kim gets the gut wrench from par terre, then doesn't budge when he is put on the bottom.

12:58: World bronze medalist Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) moves a step closer to a second straight gold at 55kg, scoring three rolls with a front headlock from par terre in the first period, then hanging on for a 7-2 win when Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ) tries the same technique in the second.

12:52: Lingzhe MENG (CHN), the losing finalist at 130kg last year, begins his campaign with a 6-0 victory over Ali AL SHARUEE (IRQ).

12:52: Minseok KIM (KOR) with a 5-1 victory over Ganzolboo BUYANTOGTOKH (MGL) to advance to the 130kg semifinals. He will face second seed Lingzhe MENG (CHN) for a spot in the final.

12:47: World 77kg bronze medalist Nao KUSAKA (JPN), aiming to eventually avenge a close semifinal loss to Makhmudov at the World Championships, finishes off a 10-0 victory over Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB) with a 4-point front body lock throw.

12:42: World champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) dodges a bullet and Kyrgyzstan breathes a sigh of relief! In a battle of Asian champions from 2023, Makhmudov scores 2 with a lift in his second time in par terre to pull off a 3-3 victory over Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) in the 77kg quarterfinals. Makhmudov couldn't budge Magomadov, the 72kg champion last year, in par terre in the first period, while Magamadov got a gut wrench when it was his turn.

12:40: Yu Chol RO (PRK) got a huge throw over Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ) for a 10-2 win at 55kg but Kyrgyzstan challenged for a leg four. A review confirms it but Ro ultimately gets a takedown and gut to win 10-2.

12:36: Asian Games silver medalist Ayata SUZUKI (JPN) powers to a 9-0 victory over Asian U23 champion Haodong TAN (CHN) to advance to the 63kg semifinals. Suzuki gets four points from par terre to take a 5-0 lead into the second period, where he scores a takedown and gut wrench to end it.

12:30: World bronze medalist Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) starts his 55kg campaign with a 10-1 against Nurzat KABDYRAKHIMOV (KAZ). A solid show of gut wrenches from par terre in the second period.

12:29: Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) gets the defense of his 63kg title off to a good start,  defeating Karrar ALBIDHAN (IRQ) 9-0 to advance to the semifinals. Mohammadi scores a takedown and gut wrench, a stepout and another takedown to lead 7-0 in the first period. He finishes it off with a takedown in the second.

12:23: Amir Ali ABDI (IRI) with six stepouts in his 8-0 win over SAJAN (IND) at 77kg. Relentless from Abdi!

12:23: Mansur SHADUKAYEV (KAZ) hits a nice lateral drop for such a big man, and comes out a 5-2 winner over Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM) to advance at 130kg.

12:12: 40-year-old Eduard BABENOSHEV (TJK) managed to be on the mat and even lead 9-8 against Ganzolboo BUYANTOGTOKH (MGL) but he injured his foot and was ruled ineligible to continue at 130kg.

12:11: Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), looking to repeat a golden sibling double with brother Ilkhom that they accomplished in 2019, gives up the lead, but comes back with a takedown and stepout in the final minute to beat Dastan KADYROV (KGZ) 8-5 at 63kg. Bakhramov was leading 5-0 when Kadyrov scored a pair of gut wrenches to go ahead 5-5 on criteria.

12:09: Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ), a three-time medalist aiming for his first gold, rolls to a 9-0 victory over Turbold GANBOLD (MGL) at 87kg.  

12:07: Dokyung JUNG (KOR) got two points from par terre in the first period and Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ) managed to throw Jung from par terre in the second for which he got four points. However, Jung challenged the call but lost as the judges confirmed the four-point move. Zharlykassyn led 6-4 with under two minutes left and he held on to that lead till time expired.

11:57: Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ) storms to a quick 8-0 victory over two-time bronze medalist Arjun HALAKURKI (IND) at 55kg. He will next face defending champion Poya DAD MARZ (IRI).

11:55: Nurzat KABDYRAKHIMOV (KAZ) scores all of his points countering throws in a 8-7 victory over  Kagetora OKAMOTO (JPN) at 55kg. That included a 4-pointer that played a role as it was the key criteria when the Japanese came back from an 8-2 deficit but needed more than a stepout to win.

11:43: Yu Chol RO (PRK) comes out all guns blazing in his 55kg qualification bout against Baosheng HUANG (CHN) and gets a 10-2 win. He uses front headlock exposure to score his points

11:41: Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ), the 2023 champion at 72kg, has the opening match on Mat B at 77kg. He fights off a headlock throw by Temuulen ENKHTUYA (MGL) for a takedown, then rolls twice for a 6-0 lead. The Mongolian challenges for a missed throw, but it is denied. There is no score in the second period, and Magamodov wins 7-0 to earn a place in the quarterfinals against defending champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ). 

11:30: After a memorable day with Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) winning the gold medal, the Kyrgyzstan fans will be cheering for Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) as Greco-Roman kicks off at the Asian Championships.

#WrestleAmman

Shkarin upgrades silver to gold; Iran wins 2 at U17 Worlds

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 - 20:32 By Vinay Siwach

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AMMAN, Jordan (August 20) -- Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) has lost only one bout in his international career. The loss in the U17 World Championships final at 80kg last year was so devasting for Shkarin that he made his goal to win the gold medal this year. He doubled his training time, watched videos of his bouts repeatedly and came to Amman with a mindset of a winner.

It was a similar path to the final this year as he won two close bouts, a 9-0 win in the semifinals and faced an Asian opponent in the final. The only change was that Shkarin wrestled a calculated final and became the U17 world champion.

Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN)Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) celebrates after winning the 80kg final in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Shkarin defeated Yerkebulan ANAPIYA (KAZ) 3-0 in the final to upgrade his silver from last year. He was one of the five world champions crowned in Amman on Tuesday.

"I haven’t changed anything," Shkarin said. "I just kept working hard. This gold medal is so valuable to me because last year I lost the final, which was also against an Asian athlete. The semifinal score was 9-0, just like it was this time. These coincidences distracted me a bit."

Unlike the 2023 final in which he played catch up after falling behind 7-0, Shkarin was in no mood to give points to Anapiya on Tuesday. He maintained a lead throughout the final and defended it well.

The U17 European champion explained that the bouts in Amman were tougher than what he experienced at the European Championships in Novi Sad in July.

"The matches here were tougher than at the European Championships, especially the final match," he said. "Back there, I only wrestled for a little over one minute, while here it took me two periods. I could only score three points at the beginning of the match, and then I had to hold onto that lead."

Shkarin, who hails from Lipsetsk, did not have any high-scoring match apart from the semifinal against Emad Reza MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI). He defeated Dinko NEYKOV (BUL) 5-0 in the first bout and Luka KOCHALIDZE (GEO) 3-1 in the quarterfinals.

"Honestly speaking, I have mixed feelings," Shkarin said. "There is euphoria, but at the same time, there is emptiness. I’ve been working so hard to win this gold. I need 2-3 days to fully realize everything. I am extremely happy -- it's the first time in my career that I’ve felt this way."

In other finals, Jayden RANEY (USA) won at 55kg and Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) got the gold at 110kg. But it was Iran who dominated again as it crowned two champions -- Armin SHAMSIPOUR (IRI) at 48kg and Amir SAEIDI (IRI) at 65kg.

Shamsipour continued his dominant run from Monday and posted another technical superiority win to beat Khusniddin ABDUKARIMOV (UZB), 10-1, in the 48kg final. He outscored his opponents 37-1 in four bouts.

Saeidi won the 65kg gold over Vladyslav POKOTYLO (UKR) after beating him 6-2 in the final. Saeidi launched Pokotylo for a massive four-point throw and never looked in trouble in his win.

Ukraine's gold medalist came at 110kg as Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) handed Zoltan CZAKO (HUN) a 13-4 defeat to win the gold medal. The gold is another addition to his medal collection, which also has the U17 European gold.

"I prepared mentally for each match," Yankovskyi said. "My coaches and I analyzed every opponent. I prepared very professionally for this World Championships. Everything worked out for me. I always train in the gym with people who are older and bigger than me. That's why such training leads to these results."

Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR)Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) won the 110kg gold medal after beating Zoltan CZAKO (HUN) in the final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

Yankovskyi did not give up a single point at the European Championships and finished three bouts via technical superiority.

"This is my life. This is a part of me," he said. "I have been dedicated to this sport for so many years. My father passed away four years ago. During this time, I have gained a lot of physical and moral strength. Now, I want to thank my mother for everything, she works hard and earns money to support me. I want to thank my father for raising me as a person and for getting me involved in wrestling."

With the U17 double done, Yankovskyi now has his eyes set on doing the double at the U20, U23 and senior level. He also wants to win the Olympic gold.

"This is my last year as a cadet. There’s more to come. I want to win the European and World Championships as a junior, and then in the U23 and senior age groups. My goal is to make it to the Olympics. This is the dream of my coaches. I'm very grateful. I want to thank the coaches who raised me from childhood. They replaced my father. How could it have been otherwise? My coaches, Viktor Viktorovich and Oleksandr Mikhailovich, are the two people who gave me a ticket to a better life."

Raney, who came back from 6-0 down in the semifinals to win via fall, saw himself leading 6-0 against Alpamys BOLATULY (KAZ) before the Kazakhstan wrestler mounted a comeback. That was short-lived as Raney posted a 7-5 win.

"It was a little bit under control," Raney said." After the first, I had him on his back and he got really tired. I don't know why."

Wrestling in his first international event, Raney never let the inexperience hurt him. In his five bouts, he won two via fall, one via superiority and one 4-3.

Jayden RANEY (USA)Jayden RANEY (USA) tries to score using an arm-bar in the 55kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

"It's super hard," he said. "These other countries, they do Freestyle and Greco-Roman. So they are extremely good at it. In America, we do Folkstyle too. To do all of them at the same time is different and hard."

Raney's brother, Jordyn won the U17 gold medal last year and will wrestle for bronze this year.

"I wish him luck," he said. "Last year, I was here watching him and he won gold. For him to medal again, even if bronze, super excited to watch him."

sd

RESULTS

48kg
GOLD: Armin SHAMSIPOUR (IRI) df. Khusniddin ABDUKARIMOV (UZB), 10-1

BRONZE: Amrah AMRAHOV (AZE) df. Yedige TOLEUTAYEV (KAZ), 3-1
BRONZE: Nikolai KRISTOV (AIN) df. Laszlo SZUROMI (HUN), 10-0

55kg
GOLD: Jayden RANEY (USA) df. Alpamys BOLATULY (KAZ), 7-5

BRONZE: Yurik MKHITARYAN (ARM) df. Amirali HEYDARI (IRI), via fall (4-5)
BRONZE: Sardor KHOLMURZAEV (UZB) df. Petro ZHYTOVOZ (HUN), 1-1

65kg
GOLD: Amir SAEIDI (IRI) df. Vladyslav POKOTYLO (UKR), 6-2

BONZE: Dzhabrail UMKHADZHIEV (AIN) df. Emil ABDULLAYEV (AZE), 9-4
BRONZE: Narek GRIGORIAN (ARM) df. Fayozbek ESHMIRZAEV (UZB), 1-1

80kg
GOLD: Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) df. Yerkebulan ANAPIYA (KAZ), 3-0

BRONZE: Emad Reza MOHSENNEJAD (IRI) df. Dinko NEYKOV (BUL), 6-0
BRONZE: Vladyslav SOLODCHUK (UKR) df. Orkhan HAJIYEV (AZE), 9-6

110kg
GOLD: Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) df. Zoltan CZAKO (HUN), 13-4

BRONZE: Aliasghar DADBAKHSH (IRI) df. Haorui WANG (CHN), 3-1
BRONZE: RONAK (IND) df. Emrullah CAPKAN (TUR), 6-1

Semifinals

45kg
GOLD: Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM) vs. Aslanbek KOSTOEV (AIN) 

SF 1: Aslanbek KOSTOEV (AIN) df. Damir ABILDA (KAZ), 5-1
SF 2: Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM) df. Umidjon KAROMOV (UZB), 8-0

51kg
GOLD: Kutman KALBAEV (KGZ) vs. Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE)

SF 1: Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE) df. Yerassyl MUSSAN (KAZ), 4-1
SF 2: Kutman KALBAEV (KGZ) df. Abolfazl KARAMIEGAEI (IRI), 8-7

60kg
GOLD: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) vs. Aykhan JAVADOV (AZE)

SF 1: Aykhan JAVADOV (AZE) df. Jordyn RANEY (USA), 2-1
SF 2: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) df. Ilias LAAOUINA (NED), 8-0

71kg
GOLD: Vladislav BYRLIA (AIN) vs. Kiryl VALEUSKI (AIN)

SF 1: Kiryl VALEUSKI (AIN) df. Behruzbek VALIEV (UZB), 7-4
SF 2: Vladislav BYRLIA (AIN) df. Giorgi ALADASHVILI (GEO), 3-1

92kg
GOLD: Danial IZADI (IRI) vs. Ole STERNING (GER)

SF 1: Ole STERNING (GER) df. Serkan BAKIR (TUR), 3-1
SF 2: Danial IZADI (IRI) df. Lyova SHUKHYAN (ARM), 5-0