#WrestleAstana

Asian Championships Greco-Roman brackets

Saturday, April 8, 2023 - 14:34 By Vinay Siwach

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ASTANA, Kazakhstan (April 8) -- The nerves of competing are always preceded by the nerves of knowing the brackets. The Greco-Roman wrestlers at the Asian Championships are now aware of the opponents and expected path to the gold medal as the brackets for the Asian Championships were released Saturday.

Here's how the bouts will play out.

55kg
Top seed Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) will wait for his first opponent as he sits in the quarterfinals. RUPIN (IND) and Sardarbek KONUSHBAEV (KGZ) will wrestle in qualification to advance against Bekbolatov. 

Second seed Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) also sits in the quarterfinal and wait for the winner of Taiga ONISHI (JPN) and Mostafa ALQADE (JOR) to know his first opponent.

Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) is seeded third and has Abduvali RAHIMBAYEV (TKM) in the quarterfinals. A win will take him to the semifinals, most likely against Dad Marz.

Bekbolatov, if he wins his quarterfinals, will face the winner of Haifeng ZHANG (CHN) and fourth seed Hyeokjin JEON (KOR).

60kg
World champion and top seed Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) is the favorite to win the weight class. He waits for his first opponent which will be the winner of Umit DURDYYEV (TKM) and U20 world bronze medalist SUMIT (IND). In the other quarterfinal, fourth seed Maito KAWANA (JPN) faces Akmal KHAMROEV (UZB).

On the lower side, second seed Liguo CAO (CHN) will face the winner of Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) and Aslamdzhon AZIZOV (TJK). Third seed and returning silver medalist Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) will also have to wait to see if Yernur FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) or Jui Chi HUANG (TPE) reach the quarterfinals.

It sets up a potential mouth-watering semifinal between Moshen Nejad and Lao.

63kg
With nine wrestlers, only one qualification bout is scheduled with others sitting in the quarterfinals. That bout is between NEERAJ (IND) and Dastan KADYROV (KGZ). The winner will face top seed U23 world champion and top seed Iman Hossein Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) in the quarterfinal.

Second seed Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ) faces Haodong TAN (CHN) in the quarterfinal and a potential semifinal can be against third seed Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB) who faces Chiezo MARUYAMA (JPN) in his quarterfinal.

If Khoon Mohammadi wins, he will get the winner of Jinseub SONG (KOR) and Siyovush ACHILOV (TJK) in the semifinal.

67kg
A weight class with some talented wrestlers will see top seed HUSIYUETU (CHN) face the winner of Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN) and Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) in the quarterfinal. His path to the final includes Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM) and fourth seed Reza Mahdi ABBASI (IRI) as the two face each other in the second quarterfinal of the top half.

The lower side has second seed ASHU (IND) in the quarterfinals waiting for the winner of Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) and Hong Yu CHEN (TPE). Third seed Hansu RYU (KOR) will have the winner of Firuz MIRZORADZHABOV (TJK) and Abror ATABAEV (UZB). If the seeds hold, Ryu and Ashu will wrestle for a spot in the final.

72kg
Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) will be the top seed at home in 72kg and will have Adilkhan NURLANBEKOV (KGZ) or Loiqi AMIRKHONZODA (TJK) in the quarterfinal.

On the same side is Zi LIM (SGP) facing Ali AL ABBOODAH (IRQ) and Taishi HORIE (JPN) facing fourth seed Jamol JUMABAEV (UBZ). The winner of those bouts will face each other in the quarterfinal.

The lower side will see second seed Jian TAN (CHN) will wrestle one of Hekim GURBANMYRADOV (TKM) and JASON BAUCAS (PHI). Fourth seed Sajjad IMENTALABFOUMANI (IRI) will see one of VIKAS (IND) and Jiyeon LEE (KOR).

77kg
World champion and top seed Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) has his opening bout against Gadiel Raid MISSO (SGP) or Jeyhun OVEZDURDYYEV (TKM). The much-anticipated semifinal between Makhmudov and fourth seed Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR) can happen if Kim beats the winner of Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) and Lai Hsing YAO (TPE) who wrestle in the qualification round.

The second seed is held by Rui LIU (CHN) who may have a tough test when he faces one of SAJAN (IND) or Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IR) in the quarterfinal. Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) is seeded third and will face the winner of Amro SADEH (JOR) and Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ).

82kg
Dias KALEN (KAZ) would like to reach the semifinals in front of his home crowd. For that, he needs to beat one of Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) or Sukhrob ABDULKHAEV (TJK) who will wrestle in qualification. And if Kalen wins, he will face one of the fourth seed Sultan EID (JOR) or Yuya MAETA (JPN) who wrestle in the other quarterfinal.

The lower side of the bracket with Rohit DAHIYA (IND) taking on Aryan BIN AZMAN (SGP) and Halishan BAHEJIANG (CHN) facing Sejin YANG (KOR). The winner of the former bout will face third seed Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ) in the quarterfinals. The winner of the latter will have second seed Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI).

87kg
Nasir ALIZADEH (IRI) will look to defend his Asian title as he is the top seed for the weight class. He begins in the quarterfinals with the winner of Masato SUMI (JPN) vs. Shyhazberdi OVELEKOV (TKM) set to advance.

The other quarterfinal will be between fourth seed Sunil KUMAR (IND) and Saidislomiddin ASLAMOV (TJK).

The second seed goes to Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) and he will face the winner of Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) and Chengwu WANG (CHN). The other quarterfinal on the lower side will be between third seed A. AZISBEKOV (KGZ) and Byeongcheol SHIN (KOR).

97kg
Out of the 10 participants, Olzhas SYRLYBAY (KAZ) gets the top seed. Seyeol LEE (KOR) and U. DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) will wrestle off to earn a place in the quarterfinal against Syrlybay.

Fourth seed Narinder CHEEMA (IND) faces Azizdzhon ZARIPOV (TJK) in the other quarterfinal.

Yiming LI (CHN) is seeded third and will get the winner of Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM) and Abrorbek NURMUKHAMMEDOV (UZB) as his quarterfinal opponent. If he wins, the semifinal will feature one of Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI) or Yuta NARA (JPN).

130kg
World silver medalist and favorite Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) is top-seeded in 130kg. He can reach the semifinal if he wins against Sota OKUMURA (JPN) or Roman KIM (KGZ). The two will wrestle in the qualification to reach the quarterfinal against Mirzazadeh. One of NAVEEN (IND) and fourth seed Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) will try to stop Mirzazadeh in the semifinals.

Second seed Lingzhe MENG (CHN) wrestles Minseok KIM (KOR) or Timothy Yu LOH (SGP) in the quarterfinal. If he wins, he is likely to face third seed Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) as the Kazakhstan wrestler has to beat the winner of Ali AL SHARUEE (IRQ) and Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM).

#WrestleAlexandria

Wrestling World's Attention on Dunia after Golden Show

Sunday, May 3, 2026 - 09:50 By United World Wrestling Press

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ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (May 2) -- Dunia SIBOMANA (COD) was six years old when, in an instant, his childhood was shattered.

While playing with his brother and cousin at the Virunga National Park in the Congo, the three boys were attacked by chimpanzees. His brother and cousin did not survive. Dunia did, but just barely. The attack left him with devastating injuries to his lips, face, and right ear. Much of the muscle in his face was destroyed, and he lost the middle finger of his left hand. Yet from that unimaginable tragedy, a story of resilience began to take shape - one that saw rise to claim two golds at the African Championships in Alexandria.

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At just eight years old, Dunia was brought to the United States for a chance at rebuilding what had been taken from him. What followed was a long and gruelling journey through 14 intensive surgeries, where doctors painstakingly grafted tissue and muscle in an effort to reconstruct his lips and restore basic function to his face. Each procedure was another battle, each recovery another test of endurance.

During his time in the United States, Dunia lived with two host families before finding a permanent home with Long Beach assistant wrestling coach Miguel Rodriguez and his wife, Marissa. What began as care turned into something deeper. They adopted him, giving him not just stability but a family. In 2019, Dunia officially became a permanent U.S. resident.

That possibility found its outlet on the wrestling mat. Dunia emerged as a force in middle school and continued to rise through the ranks at Long Beach High School. His determination, forged through years of hardship, translated into a relentless drive. At just 14 years old, he captured the New York State Division 1 wrestling championship title in 2022, a stunning achievement that marked him as one of the sport’s brightest young talents.

On Saturday, Dunia’s journey reached another defining moment. Competing at 57kg for his birth nation, Congo, he claimed the gold medal with commanding authority. He opened with a tense 3-2 victory over Alaa ELSAYED (EGY), then surged past Mouadh CHIBANI (ALG) with a dominant 12-2 semifinal win. In the final, he needed just 51 seconds to overwhelm Roland NFORSONG (CMR), sealing a 10–0 technical superiority victory.

Dunia’s march to the top of the podium was even more remarkable because he was one of the two wrestlers in Freestyle not from Egypt or Algeria to win the gold medal. The other wrestler who put the brakes on Egypt’s dominance was Harrison ONOVWIOMOGBOHWO (NGR), who defeated Mohamed SALAHELDIN (EGY) 10-4 to win the gold medal in the 97kg category.

These two results, however, did not stop Egypt from running away with the team title. The host-nation wrestlers reigned supreme in six out of the 10 categories, winning gold medals in the 61kg, 65kg, 70kg, 74kg, 92kg and 125kg weight classes. Algeria were second best, claiming top-of-the-podium finishes at 79kg and 86kg divisions.

Hassan ELSAYED (EGY) started the fireworks for the hosts by defending his title at 61kg. He started with a flawless 12-0 win over Saviour EGOLI (NGR), then beat Rabby KILANDI (COD) on superiority in the second round. He maintained his unbeaten record by defeating Tadeu DE DEUS (ANG) in the third round and entering the semifinals, where he defeated Mustapha BATNINI (TUN) 11-0. In the final, Elsayed beat Abdelghani AID (ALG) 9-1 to win the title.

Shehabeldin MOHAMED (EGY) took just two minutes to pin Stephen AKINTEWE (NGR) in the 65kg final to claim the title. He used a perfect over-under to throw Akintewe and secure the fall. Soon after, Mohamed AHMED (EGY) was even quicker to win the 70kg final against Wotna NDOC (GBS), 12-1, rolling him using the gut-wrench to win in just 1:02 minutes and upgrading his 2025 silver to gold.

Defending champion at 74kg Omar MOURAD (EGY) managed to retain his gold medal after winning the final against Ebierelayefa ANDREW (NGR) in just 1:13. Mourad used a counter front headlock to throw Andrew over and then pinned the Nigerian used a double-arm lock.

Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) added the fifth gold medal, beating Walid CHEIKH LAHLOU (MAR), 12-0, in the 92kg final. He used an arm-throw to score four points, then a fireman carry to get two more and lead 6-0. He could not pin Lahlou but got two more points for exposure. A second arm-throw gave him four more points and win the final via technical superiority.

In the round-robin bracket at 125kg, Abdelrahman SHEYATAN (EGY) won all four of his bouts in dominant fashion to claim the gold medal. He won his first bout against Joel TOKAI (KEN), 10-0, pinned Issah FUSEINI (GHA), got a forfeit in Round 4 and then pinned Laid KHELIF (ALG), the eventual silver medalist, in Round 5.

At 79kg, Abdelkader IKKAL (ALG) managed to defended his gold medal at the expense of Mohamed ABDELHADY (EGY), winning the final 10-0. A stepout opened the scoring for Ikkal who then scored a takedown using a leg-attack before lacing Abdelhady for a turn to lead 5-0. He tripped the Egyptian for two more points before an easy takedown made it 9-0. He finished the final with a stepout to win just before the break.

Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG) reclaimed the 86kg title after three years, beating Gabriel MC DUFFIE (SLE), 12-0 in the final. He used two beautiful arm throws to score eight points and two turns for two points each. Despite the loss to Benferdjallah, McDuffie can be proud that he is the first-ever Freestyle silver medalist for Sierra Leone at the African Championships.

Photo

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Dunia SIBOMANA (COD) df. Roland TAMBI NFORSONG (CMR), 10-0

BRONZE: John LEOPOLD (MRI) df. Makaya KATENDI (ANG), 9-1
BRONZE: Mouadh CHIBANI (ALG) df. Alaa ELSAYED (EGY), 11-7

61kg
GOLD: Hassan ELSAYED (EGY) df. Abdelghani AID (ALG), 9-1

BRONZE: Saviour EGOLI (NGR) df. Mustapha BATNINI (TUN), 5-5

65kg
GOLD: Shehabeldin MOHAMED (EGY) df. Stephen AKINTEWE (NGR), via fall

BRONZE: Raby BAPELEKIA (CGO) df. Gilbert MWAMBA (ZAM), 11-0
BRONZE: Oussama LARIBI (ALG) df. Gabriel YANGA (COD), 10-0

70kg
GOLD: Mohamed AHMED (EGY) df. Wotna NDOC (GBS), 12-1

BRONZE: Khaireddine BEN TLILI (TUN) df. Mourad SAAD (MAR), via forfeit
BRONZE: Dideikemei EREFAGHA (NGR) df. Elie DJEKOUNDAKOM DJERAYOM (CHA), 12-0

74kg
GOLD: Omar MOURAD (EGY) df. Ebierelayefa ANDREW (NGR), via fall

BRONZE: Abderrahmane BENAISSA (ALG) df. Jacques MONTY MBOUGOU (CMR), 5-2
BRONZE: Caetano ANTONIO SA (GBS) df. Omar LAMBARRAA (MAR), 7-5

79kg
GOLD: Abdelkader IKKAL (ALG) df. Mohamed ABDELHADY (EGY), 10-0

BRONZE: Solomon ULABO (NGR) df. Totiana RAZAFINJATO (MAD), via fall
BRONZE: Andy MUKENDI (COD) df. Mohammed BOUAZOUNI (MAR), 10-0

86kg
GOLD: Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG) df. Gabriel MC DUFFIE (SLE), 12-0

BRONZE: Mohamed EL MEKKAOUI (MAR) df. Persy BAMONA (COD), via fall
BRONZE: Matteo MONTEIRO FURTADO TRESSE (CPV) df. Bouba SALEH (CHA), 10-3

92kg
GOLD: Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) df. Walid CHEIKH LAHLOU (MAR), 12-0

BRONZE: Kevin MOSSE (BUR) df. Tiwisna BAMBA (CHA), via fall

97kg
GOLD: Harrison ONOVWIOMOGBOHWO (NGR) df. Mohamed SALAHELDIN (EGY), 10-4

BRONZE: Wali KEBIR (ALG) df. Cedric ABOSSOLO (CMR), via inj. def.

125kg
GOLD: Abdelrahman SHEYATAN (EGY)
SILVER: Laid KHELIF (ALG)
BRONZE: Issah FUSEINI (GHA)