Asian Championships freestyle brackets breakdown

Wednesday, April 12, 2023 - 13:29 By Vinay Siwach

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (April 12) -- If freestyle is exciting on the mat, the draws paint an even better picture. The freestyle draws for the Asian Championships concluded Wednesday with wrestlers from 10 weight classes receiving them. Freestyle begins Thursday with 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg and 97kg wrestlers going on the mat and the wrestlers from the remaining five on Friday.

Wrestling will begin at 11:00 am on Thursday and Friday instead of the regular 11:00 am. The timing for the medal bouts remains the same -- 18:00 hours.

57kg
Wanhao ZOU (CHN) gets the number seed and he will be waiting for the winner of Nodirjon SAFAROV (UZB) and Sunggwon KIM (KOR) to meet in the quarterfinal. If he wins, he will reach the semifinals which will be a tough battle.

The top half has Alireza SARLAK (IRI) wrestling Rikuto ARAI (JPN) in the qualification and the winner will take on AMAN (IND) in the quarterfinal as he is the fourth seed.

The bottom half of this bracket has Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) as the second seed and he faces the winner of Gayan KATHURANGANA (SRI) and Sunatullo BOBOEV (TJK).

Rakhat KALZHAN (KAZ) is seeded third and already in the quarterfinals. He has to wait for the winner of Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) and Muhammad BILAL (PAK) to know his opponent.

61kg
PANKAJ (IND) gets the top seed in this weight class and a direct quarterfinal spot. He will face the winner of Sardor RUZIMOV (UZB) and Ibrahim GUZAN (YEM).

Two qualification bouts will be held to know the other quarterfinalists in the top half. Muhamad IKROMOV (TJK) will take on Tokyo Olympian Minghu LIU (CHN) in the first bout and Nurbolat ABDUALIYEV (KAZ) will face Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL) to decide the quarterfinalists.

In the bottom half, U23 world champion Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) gets the winner of Kodai OGAWA (JPN) and Myrat HOJANEPESOV (TKM). Third seed Yasin REZAEI (IRI) will wait for the winner of Hyeonsik SONG (KOR) and Eddy BIN KHIDZER (SGP) in the quarterfinal.

65kg
World champion Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) will be hoping to defend his Asian title as he is the top seed for the competition. He sits in the quarterfinal with Sanzhar MUKHTAR (KAZ) and Mohammed KAREEM (IRQ) trying to earn the spot to wrestle him.

Others will go through qualification to fill the quarterfinal spot. Changsu KIM (KOR) will wrestle Gurbanmuhammet CHARYYEV (TKM) for a spot in the last eight. Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK) has fourth seed Ryoma ANRAKU (JPN) in the other bout.

The lower side of the bracket has second seed Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) in the quarterfinal with the winner of Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ) and Chlovelle ADOLFO (PHI) wrestling him.

U20 world champion Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) will be wrestling Charles FERNANDO (SRI) for a spot in the quarterfinal while Shaohua YUAN (CHN) has Anuj KUMAR (IND).

70kg
Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) will be the top seed for the weight class and as the weight class has 16 wrestlers, it will kick off with the 1/16 finals.

Toktomambetov wrestles Perman HOMMADOV (TKM) in the first bout while the second one sees Sanzhar DOSZHANOV (KAZ) take on Suhyeon PARK (KOR).

Mohamed BIN ABDULLAH (SGP) will be up against Mustafo AKHMEDOV (TJK) for a spot in the quarterfinal while Inayat ULLAH (PAK) has Morteza GHIASI CHEKA (IR) in the other 1/16 final.

The bottom half will have second seed AGUDAMU (CHN) take on Anil PELI GEDARA (SRI). Ali AL OBAIDI (IRQ) faces Orts ISAKOV (JOR) for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) gets Khanburged GANKHUYAG (MGL) and U20 bronze medalist Mulaym YADAV (IND) will be up against third seed Zafarbek OTAKHONOV (UZB).

74kg
While the big names are missing, 74kg will not be short of action. The top seed will be Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) and he will face Abdullrahman IBRAHIM (QAT) in his 1/16 final. Magomet EVLOEV (TJK) and Jumadurdy MAMISHOV (TKM) will be the second face-off before former Asian champion Byungmin GONG (KOR) faces Udayantha FERNANDO (SRI). Fourth seed Kirin KINOSHITA (JPN) has YASH (IND) in his 1/16 finals.

In the bottom half, Darkhan YESSENGALI (KAZ) will face HONG YEOW LOU (SGP) and Jafar CHULIBOYEV (UZB) gets to take on Adilet ZHAPARKULOV (KGZ). Hossein ABOUZARIPASHKOLAEI (IRI) will be up against Erzo ISAKOV (JOR). Third seed Shengsong XIA (CHN) will be facing Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN).

79kg
Veteran Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) will be the top seed for this weight class and will be in the quarterfinals. The winner of Gunwoo LEE (KOR) and Shuhrat BOZOROV (TJK) will be his first opponent.

Peilong LI (CHN) and Byambadorj BAT ERDENE (MGL) will be wrestling for a spot in the quarterfinal against DEEPAK (IND) who will be the fourth seed.

Second seed Amirhossein KAVOUSI (IRI) will be in the quarterfinal as well with one of Adilet MARATBAEV (KGZ) or Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN) to be his opponent.

Yajuro YAMASAKI (JPN) will face Vepa HEMENEKOV (TKM) and the winner earning a spot in the quarterfinal against Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ) who is the third seed.

86kg
Defending champion Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) will be the top seed for the competition and he is placed in the quarterfinal. He will face the winner of Noman ZAKA (PAK) and Weng CHOW (SGP).

The second quarterfinal will be between the winner of Jointy KUMAR (IND) and Nurtilek KARYPBAEV (KGZ). Though he is the fourth seed Bobur ISLOMOV (UZB) will have to wrestle Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM) for a place in the quarterfinal against the previous winner.

Second seed Zushen LIN (CHN) will be in the quarterfinal and his opponent will be decided by a bout between Gwanuk KIM (KOR) and Alireza KARIMI (IRI). In the other quarterfinal of the bottom half, third seed Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) will wait for Mustafa AL OBAIDI (IRQ) or Bat Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL).

92kg
The top seed and a quarterfinal spot at 92kg go Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL). He will face the winner of Arashk MOHEBI (IRI) and Arash YOSHIDA (JPN). In the other quarterfinal, fourth seed Abdul ABUIDAIJ (JOR) will wait for the winner of Ajiniyaz SAPARNIYAZOV (UZB) and Woomin JANG (KOR).

In the bottom half, Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) is the second seed and will face one of Mirlan CHYNYBEKOV (KGZ) or Issa AL OBAIDI (IRQ). The third seed Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) will have a test against Xiao SUN (CHN) or Deepak PUNIA (IND).

97kg
Awusayiman HABILA (CHN) is the top seed and will have a spot in the quarterfinal. He will face the winner of DEEPAK (IND) and Arslanbek TURDUBEKOV (KGZ). The second quarterfinal of the top half will see fourth seed Makhsud VEYSALOV (UZB) take on Juhwan SEO (KOR).

Going to the bottom half, Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN) is seeded second and will face the winner of Ulziisaikhan BAASANTSOGT (MGL) and Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI).

Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) enjoys the third seed and will be in the quarterfinals. He will wait for the winner of Bekzat URKIMBAY (KAZ) and Shatlyk HEMELYAYEV (TKM).

125kg
World silver medalist Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) will be the top seed for the weight class and will face one of BUHEEERDUN (CHN) and Ahmed AL JAMIE (IRQ). U23 world champion Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) will be in the quarterfinal against fourth seed Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM).

The bottom half has second seed Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) in the quarterfinal. He has to wrestle the winner of Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN) and Anirudh KUMAR (IND).

Sardorbek KHOLMATOV (UZB) is third seed and will be facing the winner of Muzafar ZHAPPUEV (KGZ) and Yeihyun JUNG (KOR).

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U23 Worlds: Ganiev, Beishekeev end title droughts for Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan

Tuesday, October 22, 2024 - 23:31 By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (October 22) -- Alisher GANIEV (UZB) was a little harsh on himself when he failed to win gold at the U20 Asian Championships in July. He even called it a 'painful defeat'. Little did he know that three months later, he would be creating history for Uzbekistan.

The 19-year-old Ganiev became the first U23 world champion for Uzbekistan in any style. The country did not have a medalist at the U23 World Championships in Greco-Roman until Ganiev changed that with a gold medal.

"Last year, I finished third at the U20 World Championships," Ganiev said. "That loss gave me a lot of motivation. This is my first Worlds gold. I lost at the U20 Asian championships this year. That was a painful defeat. I guess those losses hugely influenced the way I prepared for this World championships."

Ganiev won all his bouts on Monday via technical superiority and on Tuesday, he defeated Dinislam BAMMATOV (AIN) 8-4 in the 60kg final to clinch the first-ever gold medal for his country.

"The final was the most difficult one," he said. "But the right plan and technique made my dream come true."

Ganiev was off to a flyer and finished the final in the first period when he tossed Bammatov for four points and the referees called a foul on Bammatov to give a 9-0 lead for Ganiev. However, on challenge, Bammatov received a lifeline as he had not committed a foul and the scored was reversed to 7-0.

But the gap was too big got Bammatov to make a comeback in the second period. He managed to score four points over Ganiev but he failed to change the outcome of the final.

"It might have looked so easy but it was definitely tough," he said. "We have been preparing the tactics for every single opponent. That’s why it worked out."

Kyrgyzstan too crowned its first U23 world champion in Greco-Roman as Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) clinched the 67kg with a 6-1 victory over European bronze medalist Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) in the final. Beishekeev got the early advantage as he used an arm-throw to get four points and since, Chkhikvadze was only playing catch-up.

In the last few years, Kyrgyzstan has got its first senior world champion, a U23 world champion and more recently a U20 world champion. The last time it won a U17 world title was won by Kyrgyzstan wrestler, was in 2018. Incidentally, Beishekeev was the last U17 world champion.

Another wrestler chasing a first for his country fell short as Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) defeated Beka MELELASHVILI (USA), 4-3, in the 82kg final.

Melelashvili was the first Greco-Roman wrestler from the United States to secure a medal at the U23 World Championships and had the chance to become the first champion. However, Naghousi kept his cool and managed to eke out a 4-3 win.

At 97kg, Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM), who has never placed on a podium before, won the gold medal by beating Paris Olympian Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN), 11-6, in the final.

Prior to the World Championships, Khloyan had finished 14th and fifth. But none of that mattered on Tuesday as he built a 7-0 lead over Khaslakhanau. Khloyan got the first par terre advantage and to everyone's surprise, managed to turn Khaslakhanau three times to lead Iran. Khaslakhanau got his opportunity in the second period but he failed to get even a single turn.

Georgia was also crowned a champion at 72kg after Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) defeated Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 3-1, in the gold medal bout.

Chkhikvadze was leading 1-1 on criteria but the referees awarded a third passivity to Khachatryan who went for a par terre position. As he tried to turn Chkhikvadze, Khachatryan was blocked during the turn and Chkhikvadze scored two points for exposure.

This was Chkhikvadze's first world title as he had finished with a silver at the U20 World Championships in 2021. He had defeated Khachatryan in the semifinals of that tournament. However, Khachatryan leveled the head-to-head score by beating Chkhikvadze in the opening round of the U23 World Championships.

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) df. Dinislam BAMMATOV (AIN), 8-4

BRONZE: Pridon ABULADZE (GEO) df. SURAJ (IND), 9-1
BRONZE: Denis MIHAI (ROU) df. Nihad GULUZADE (AZE),

67kg
GOLD: Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) df. Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO), 6-1

BRONZE: Daniial AGAEV (AIN) df. Yanis GUENDEZ NIFRI (FRA), 2-1
BRONZE: Arslanbek SALIMOV (POL) df. Farid KHALILOV (AZE), 8-4

72kg
GOLD: Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) df. Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 3-1

BRONZE: Imran ALIEV (AIN) df. Adilkhan NURLANBEKOV (KGZ), 11-1
BRONZE: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. Georgios BARBANOS (SWE), 9-0

82kg
GOLD: Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) df. Beka MELELASHVILI (USA), 4-3

BRONZE: Data CHKHAIDZE (GEO) df. Elmin ALIYEV (AZE)
BRONZE: Deni NAKAEV (GER) df. Emad ABOUELATTA (EGY), 5-1

97kg
GOLD: Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM) df. Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN), 11-6

BRONZE: Shayan HABIBZARE (IRI) df. Richard KARELSON (EST), 8-5
BRONZE: Magomed MURTAZALIEV (AIN) df. Anton VIEWEG (GER), 11-0

Semifinals

55kg
GOLD: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) vs. Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE)

SF 1: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) df. Vishvajit MORE (IND), 14-5
SF 2: Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN), 12-2

63kg
GOLD: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) vs. Komei SAWADA (JPN)

SF 1: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) df. Arman VARDANYAN (ARM), 14-5
SF 2: Komei SAWADA (JPN) df. Bekir ATES (TUR), 7-0

77kg
GOLD: Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER) vs. Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)

SF 1: Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER) df. Temuri ORJONIKIDZE (GEO), 2-1
SF 2: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB), 6-1

87kg
GOLD: Aues GONIBOV (AIN) vs. Marcel STERKENBURG (NED)

SF 1: Aues GONIBOV (AIN) df. Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ), 2-1
SF 2: Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) df. Yasin YAZDI (IRI), 5-1

130kg
GOLD: Dmitrii BABORYKO (AIN) vs. Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)

SF 1: Dmitrii BABORYKO (AIN) df. Albert VARDANYAN (ARM), via fall
SF 2: Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) df. Koppany LASZLO (HUN), 8-0

Asian Championships freestyle brackets breakdown

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U23 Worlds: Ganiev, Beishekeev end title droughts for Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan