#WrestleAstana

Asian Championships day one finals set

Sunday, April 9, 2023 - 05:33 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

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ASTANA, Kazakhstan (April 9) -- The Asian Championships are underway in Astana. Greco-Roman will kick off the continental championships with five weight classes. The tournament has same-day finals.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

The finals are set. Like always, Greco-Roman threw some stunning bout. Here are the pairs

55kg - RUPIN (IND) vs. Poya DAD MARZ (IRI)
63kg - Iman Hossein Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) vs. Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB) 77kg - Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) vs. Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI)
87kg - Naser Ghasem ALIZADEH (IRI) vs. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
130kg - Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) vs. Lingzhe MENG (CHN) 

14:26: In the final semifinal match, Alikhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) ran out of gas and lost his chance to defend his title after losing with three cautions to Zagreb Open bronze medalist Lingzhe MENG (CHN). Syzydkov was leading 3-0 in the second period when he had no energy to withstand Meng, who would have won anyway by technical fall as the score was 11-3 after Syzdykov received his third caution for fleeing during a stepout.

14:25: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) with a par terre to gut wrench and wins his 130kg semifinal against Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) 9-0.

14:15: Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) has got the home crowd excited. He sends A. AZISBEKOV (KGZ) to two big throws and wins his 87kg semifinal 11-0. He will wrestle Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) for the gold.

14:12: The 7-point lead that Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) built up in the first period provided more than the cushion he needed when he gave up a second-period takedown to Sunil KUMAR (IND), and the 7-2 win gives him the chance a winning a second straight 87kg title. Kumar will have a chance for a second straight bronze.

14:04: World champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) proved too much for Kodai SAKURABA (JPN), storming to a 9-1 technical fall in 2:41 to give him a shot at a third senior Asian title. Sakuraba will be wrestling for a second straight bronze. 

14:01: Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) led 1-0 at the break after the forced par terre position before Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) got the lead 1-1 for his par terre. He managed to roll Zhadrayev and lead 3-1. Kaviyaninejad was called for passivity but did not give up any points. He wins 3-1 to reach the final.

13:58: Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB), the Asian U23 champion, will have a shot at the senior title after coming back with a dramatic victory by fall over Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ) in the other 63kg semifinal. Mamurbek had taken a 5-2 lead before Sharibjanov stormed back.

13:52: No surprises there as Iman Hossein Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) rolls Jinseub SONG (KOR) to a 9-0 win. He uses his gut wrench from par terre to reach the final at 63kg.

13:43: In a replay of the final at the Ranking Series Zagreb Open in February, Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) dispatched Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZ) 8-1 to advance to the 55kg final, assuring that he will improve on his bronze medal from 2021. 

13:40: RUPIN (IND) into the final at 55kg. He gets a gut wrench from par terre and then defends his par terre position to beat Haifeng ZHANG (CHN) 3-1 in the semifinal

We have the semifinals set. Here's how the order will be

Mat B
55kg - RUPIN (IND) vs Haifeng ZHANG (CHN)
63kg - Iman Hossein Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) vs. Jinseub SONG (KOR)
77kg - Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) vs Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI)
87kg - A. AZISBEKOV (KGZ) vs. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
130kg - Amin MIRZAZADEH ((IRI) vs Temurbek NASIMOV (KAZ)

Mat C
55kg - Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) vs. Poya DAD MARZ (IRI)
63kg - Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB) vs Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ)
77kg - Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) vs Kodai SAKURABA (JPN)
87kg - Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) vs. Sunil KUMAR (IND) 
130kg - Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) vs. Lingzhe MENG (CHN)

13:20: 2020 Asian champion Sunil KUMAR (IND) is in the semifinal. He will face defending champion Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) at 87kg on Mat C

13:13: Iran made it a perfect 5-for-5 for getting its wrestlers into the semifinals, but Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) cut it as close as possible at 77kg. Kaviyaninejad, the 2020 Asian champion at 72kg, squeezed out a 1-1 victory over Rui LIU (CHN) by resisting from the bottom of par terre in the final minute.  

13:02: World silver medalist Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) is into the semifinals at 130kg after brushing aside Roman KIM (KGZ) by technical fall. Mirzazadeh is looking to add to the senior Asian title he won in 2020. 

12:56: World U23 champion Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) looked clinical in rolling to an 8-0 technical fall over Taiga ONISHI (JPN) to gain a place in the 55kg semifinals.

12:51: Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ), looking for his first Asian medal since 2015, showed how experience counts in this sport when he shrugged off an 0-5 deficit and came back for an 11-5 win over 2022 silver medalist Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) in the quarterfinals at 87kg. Turynov topped off the win with a pair of gut-wrenches. 

12:48: Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR) with a stunning head pinch to throw Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) in the first half. But they have called it a foul. A challenge from Kim. Reviews show that he committed a leg foul. A big throw from Kim but it's two each for both the wrestlers. Sakuraba scores another move and it's 7-5 for him. Kim will bow out.

12:38: World champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) begins his title defense at 77kg in style, rolling to a 9-0 technical fall over Jeyhun OVEZDURDYYEV (TKM) to advance to the semifinals. 

12:41: Another defending champion, Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) at 87kg, overcame the challenge of a gutsy Masato SUMI (JPN) to make the semifinals with a 1-1 victory. Neither wrestler could score from par terre, and Alizadeh got the win by last-point criteria. 

12:32: Defending 130kg champion Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) gut-wrenched his way to a technical fall over Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM) to book his place in the semifinals. 

12:26: At 130kg, world U20 bronze medalist Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) fights out of a near go-behind takedown and hangs on for a 5-3 win over NAVEEN (IND) to make the semifinals.  

12:12: World U20 bronze medalist Taiga ONISHI (JPN), looking to keep the 55kg title in Japanese hands for the third straight year following the back-to-back golds by Yu SHIOTANI (JPN), cruised to a 5-0 victory over Mostafa ALQADE (JOR). Next up is world U23 champion Poya DAD MARZ (IRI). 

12:05: Masato SUMI (JPN) begins with a statement win. He moves to the quarterfinals with an 11-0 win over Shyhazberdi OVELEKOV (TKM).

12:01: 2022 bronze medalist Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) gets the big lift to finish off a technical fall over Lai Hsing YAO (TPE) at 77kg. That puts him into a quarterfinal clash with 34-year-old 5-time champion Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR).

11:58: Veteran Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), looking for his fifth career senior Asian medal, gets off to a good start with a technical fall over Amro SADEH (JOR) at 77kg. 

11:48: NEERAJ (IND), a bronze medalist in 2022, gets through his qualification round match at 63kg by holding on for a 7-6 win over Dastan KADYROV (KGZ) to advance to the quarterfinals. 

11:40: We did not expect that start! RUPIN (IND) wrestles back from 7-0 down to a 16-7 win over Sardarbek KONUSHBAEV (KGZ) as Rupin exposes Konushbaev's weak conditioning. 

11:30: Welcome to Astana for the start of the Asian Championships. We're kicking off the six days of action with five weight classes in Greco-Roman -- 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg. There are three defending champions in action today, Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) at 77kg, Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) at 87kg and Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) at 130kg. Makhmudov is also the reigning world champion. 

#WrestleBudapest

Maroulis golden in Budapest; India wins two Ranking Series golds

Friday, July 18, 2025 - 23:55 By Vinay Siwach

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 18) -- Three pins, zero points given and only 10 minutes spend on the mat for four bouts.

Helen MAROULIS (USA) did not show any signs of a one-year break from international wrestling and won the 57kg gold medal at the Budapest Ranking Series on Friday.

The three-time Olympic medal had not wrestled since winning the bronze-medal at the Paris Games but when she stepped on the mat in Budapest, it felt as if Maroulis was never off it.

Maroulis was the lone gold medalist from the United States among the five World Championships team members competing on Friday. India captured two of the five gold medals on offer in Women's Wrestling as ANTIM (IND) won her second straight Ranking Series gold at 53kg while Asian U20 champion HARSHITA (IND) rose above her level to beat three-time world silver medalist Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) at 72kg.

Hosts Hungary also managed to get a gold, its third-ever in Women's Wrestling at Ranking Series events, as Erika BOGNAR (HUN) defeated Elena BRUGGER (GER) in the 59kg final. Turkiye won the 50kg gold medal through Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR).

Maroulis, who was coached by Paris Olympic champion Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA), drew compatriot Amanda MARTINEZ (USA) in the first round. She had beaten Martinez at the Final X last month to make the World Championships team.

It took Maroulis some time to pick up pace but once she did, the bout was over in two minutes as she pinned Martinez using her signature arm-bar technique.

In the only match she failed to pin her opponent, Maroulis defeated Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW), 7-0, keeping her position as solid as possible. In the semifinals, Tamara DOLLAK (HUN) was pinned using the same arm-bar after an 11-0 lead to reach the final.

Neha SANGWAN (IND), world U20 bronze medalist and Mongolia Open winner, reached the other side of the bracket with good wins. She got the taste of elite wrestling when Maroulis foot-swept her on the mat and then secured the fall in just 31 seconds.

Maroulis did her punch in the air celebrations after the final and felt ready for the World Championships in September when she can win her fourth world title.

Twin golds for India

Antim and Harshita were the two gold medal winners for India, the only country to achieve two golds on Friday in Women's Wrestling.

Antim picked up from where she had left off in Ulaanbaatar and won three of her four bouts via technical superiority including a 10-0 opening round victory over Zeynep YETGIL (TUR). Antim had lost 10-0 to Yetgil in the first round of Paris Olympics and left the mat in tears.

But Budapest was entirely different as she did not even let Yetgil reach her legs, forget scoring points on her. In the semifinal, she blanked Felicity TAYLOR (USA), 10-0, and booked a place in final against Natalia MALYSHEVA (UWW).

In Ulaanbaatar, Antim had beaten Malysheva twice, both via technical superiority. While the final did not go how she planned, Antim still beat Malysheva 7-4 to win the gold medal for India.

Malysheva was on the activity clock after avoided a few attacks from Antim who scored a takedown soon after the activity period to lead 3-0 in the final. But she got a misdirection takedown in the second period to cut the lead to 3-2.

Antim performance a slide to go-behind and score another takedown and stretch the lead to 5-2. An ankle pick made it 7-2 before a last-second takedown from Malysheva cut the lead to 7-4.

But Antim would the win, two months before the World Championships where she is already has a bronze medal.

Harshita was a little more dominant at 72kg as she won gold over Bakbergenova by blanking the Kazakhstan wrestlers 10-0 in the Round 5 bout as this weight class had five wrestlers.

She opened the day with a fall over Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA) in the first round. Lecarpentier was not happy with the fall and pushed Harhista as the Indian was trying to stand up after the whistle. Lecarpentier was disqualified for her actions.

Harshita was unfazed by that incident and continued her progress, winning the next bout against Kseniia BURAKOVA (UWW), again via fall. She got a walkover by Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (UWW) in Round 4.

The Round 5 bout against Bakbergenova became a virtual final and Harshita was the underdog against the former Asian champion.

Bakbergenova was put on the activity clock and after getting the one point, Harshita scored a double-leg takedown to make it 3-0. In the second period, Harshita got Bakbergenova in trouble using a double-leg attack but the Kazakhstan wrestler throw her using chest-wrap. Harshita defended it well and kept control on Bakbergenova which ultimately got her four points.

In the same sequence, Harshita rolled Bakbergenova for two more points to lead 9-0. A stepout finished the bout 10-0.

Hosts Hungary celebrated the gold medal at 59kg after Bognar defeated Brugger 2-1 in the 59kg final, with all three points begin activity clock points. Brugger got a passivity against her t o give Bognar the lead. Brugger took a 1-1 criteria lead when Bognar was called passive and put on the activity clock.

There was third passivity it was Brugger who was put on an activity clock. She once again failed to score and Bognar took a 2-1 lead and the victory.

Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) needed a late counterattack against Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) to win 50kg gold medal.

RESULSTS

50kg
GOLD: Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) df. Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW), 9-6

BRONZE: Natalia PUDOVA (UWW) df. Erin GOLSTON (USA), 10-0
BRONZE: NEELAM (IND) df. Kseniya STANKEVICH (UWW), 6-3

53kg
GOLD: ANTIM (IND) df. Natalia MALYSHEVA (UWW), 7-4

BRONZE: Felicity TAYLOR (USA) df. Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), 11-0
BRONZE: Seoyoung PARK (KOR) df. Vestina DANISEVICIUTE (LTU), 5-0

57kg
GOLD:  Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. NEHA (IND), via fall

BRONZE: Nilufar RAIMOVA (KAZ) df. Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN), 7-4
BRONZE: Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) df. Tamara DOLLAK (HUN), 10-3

59kg
GOLD: Erika BOGNAR (HUN) df. Elena BRUGGER (GER), 2-1

BRONZE: Nadzeya BULANAYA (UWW) df. Arian CARPIO (PHI), via fall
BRONZE: Abigail NETTE (USA) df. Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (UWW), 7-1

72kg
GOLD: HARSHITA (IND)
SIILVER: Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
BRONZE: Kseniia BRATCHIKOVA (UWW)