#WrestleTirana

Assetuly wins Kazakhstan's first U23 world title

Saturday, October 28, 2023 - 23:07 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (October 28) -- This year keeps getting better for Kazakhstan wrestling. A month after the country got its first Freestyle senior world champion in Belgrade, Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) on Saturday became the first wrestler from his country to win the U23 World Championships.

The former Asian champion won the gold medal at 63kg by beating Mustafa YILDIRIM (TUR) 2-1 in the 67kg gold medal bout in Tirana, Albania. 

Yildirim got the first par terre advantage which Assetuly managed to defend well. When Assetuly got the activity point in the second period, he lifted Yildirim and tried a throw. Though he did not get a correct throw, Assetuly got Yildirim to stepout of the zone and get one point.

Assetuly's 2-1 lead after that exchange remained the final score of the bout as he clinched the historic title.

"I am very happy to be the first champion from Kazakhstan," Assetuly said. "I am not going to stop here, I will work hard and win the senior world title. I got this medal in a very tough way."

Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ)Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) celebrates after winning the 67kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Ulug Bugra Han Degirmenci)

Out of his five wins for the gold medal, Assetuly's two wins were 1-1. His opening bout against Oleg KHALILOV (UKR) almost ended his run as he survived a close stepout but the match took a toll on him.

"Every single match, every single minute and second were really tough," he said. "The first match was the hardest. I won 1-1, but at the end of the match, I almost stepped out. After that match, I couldn't even walk for 30 minutes."

That win was followed by a 9-0 thrashing of Steve MOMILIA (ITA) to set up a quarterfinal against former U17 world champion Muslim IMADAEV (AIN). Assetuly once again struggled but managed to beat Imadaev 1-1. He humbled Hasan MAMMADLI (AZE) 11-0 in the semifinal.

Despite his golden run, Assetuly did rue the fact that a champion belt is not awarded at the U23 level.

"I want the champion belt, they don't give us belts here though."

Assetuly, a Taraz native, has idolized 1980 Olympic champion Zhaksylyk USHKEMPIROV. He will now look to make it to the Olympics himself as one of the contenders for the 67kg spot on the Kazakhstan team along with Meirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) who recently won the 67kg silver at the Asian Games.

"I still have a chance to qualify for the Olympics," he said. "I will compete at national championships. If I win there, I will get the chance to go to the qualifying event [in Bishkek next April]. If I get the Olympic spot there, I can go. Although, even if I get the Olympic quota, I will have to keep working hard, because the coaches still have the right to change the athlete."

Aues GONIBOV (AIN)Aues GONIBOV (AIN) defeated Alperen BERBER (TUR) 4-0. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

There was more frustration in store for Turkiye as U20 world champion Alperen BERBER (TUR) fell to senior world bronze medalist Aues GONIBOV (AIN) in the 82kg final.

The strength difference between the two wrestlers was visible as Berber could never actually cement himself against Gonibov who got two passivity points and a takedown to score a 4-0 win.

Berber, just 18 years of age, already has U17 and U20 world titles to his name to go along the multiple European medals.

Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN)Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN) defends from par terre against Mustafa OLGUN (TUR). (Photo: UWW / Ulug Bugra Han Degirmenci)

If that was not enough, Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN) denied Mustafa OLGUN (TUR) the gold medal at 97kg in a thrilling final. Hlinkchuk won the gold-medal bout 4-3.

The 2021 U20 world champion was making a return to international competition after two years and showed no signs of rust, dominating his opponents till the final.

After getting the par terre point, Olgun scored a stepout to lead 2-0 but Hlinchuk scored a turn from par terre to claim a 3-2 lead. The Turkish wrestler scored a stepout with eight seconds left but that only made it a 3-3 criteria lead for Hlinchuk. Turkiye challenged, asking for a takedown but was only given a stepout on review. The lost challenge added another point to Hlinchuk's score.

Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN)Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN) scores a four-pointer against Romeo BERIDZE (GEO) in the 60kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Another U20 world champion from 2021 made it to the top of the podium as Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN) put behind the disappointment of the senior World Championships to beat Romeo BERIDZE (GEO), 10-0, and win the 60kg gold medal in Tirana.

The 2021 U230 world champion got the par terre advantage and as he was lifting Beridze, he dropped the Georgian on his back with control to score four points. Georgia challenged the call but saw the original ruling stand. One point was added to Allakhiarov's score for the lost challenge before he finished the bout in two minutes and 37 seconds with a powerful duck-under for another four points.

Dmitrii ADAMOV (AIN)Dmitrii ADAMOV (AIN) won the 72kg final over Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 72kg, Dmitrii ADAMOV (AIN) won the gold medal as he defeated Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR), 9-3, in the final. Mirzoiev was in exceptional form on Friday but could not repeat it against Adamov in the final.

Mirzoiev did start off on a strong note, scoring a counter stepout with caution against Adamov for fleeing. Down 2-0, Adamov was going to get a passivity call but he scored a takedown as the referee signaled for passivity.

That completely changed the final as Adamov got three turns from that takedown to lead 8-2. He scored a stepout in the second period to make it 9-2 and despite a late stepout from Mirzoiev in the final seconds, Adamov won the gold comfortably.

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RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN) df. Romeo BERIDZE (GEO), 10-0

BRONZE: SUMIT (UWW) df. Yonaiker MARTINEZ (VEN), 4-3
BRONZE: Mert ILBARS (TUR) df. Aibek SABYRBEKOV (KAZ), 9-1

67kg
GOLD: Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) df. Mustafa YILDIRIM (TUR), 2-1

BRONZE: Muslim IMADAEV (AIN) df. Hasan MAMMADLI (AZE), 12-10
BRONZE: HARUTO YABE (JPN) df. Artur JEREMEJEV (EST), 8-0

72kg
GOLD: Dmitrii ADAMOV (AIN) df. Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR), 9-3

BRONZE: Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) df. Michael PORTMANN (SUI), 3-1
BRONZE: Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM) df. Adilkhan NURLANBEKOV (KGZ), via fall (9-0)

82kg
GOLD: Aues GONIBOV (AIN) df. Alperen BERBER (TUR), 4-0 

BRONZE: Karlo KODRIC (CRO) df. Ruslan ABDIIEV (UKR), 3-0
BRONZE: Emad ABOUELATTA (EGY) df. Karen KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 3-2

97kg
GOLD: Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN) df. Mustafa OLGUN (TUR), 4-3

BRONZE: Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER) df. Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM), 5-3
BRONZE: Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) df. Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE), 3-1

Semifinals

55kg
GOLD: Iskhar KURBAYEV (KAZ) vs. Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO) df. Farid SADIKHLI (AZE), 10-0
SF 2: Iskhar KURBAYEV (KAZ) df. Adem UZUN (TUR), 9-1

63kg
GOLD: Rakhman TAVMURZAEV (AIN) vs. Hleb MAKARANKA (AIN)

SF 1: Hleb MAKARANKA (AIN) df. Chiezo MARUYAMA (JPN), 3-3
SF 2:Rakhman TAVMURZAEV (AIN) df. Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA), 7-5

77kg
GOLD: Khasay HASANLI (AZE) vs. Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)

SF 1: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ), 12-2
SF 2: Khasay HASANLI (AZE) df. Khvicha ANANIDZE (GEO), 9-0

87kg
GOLD: Matej MANDIC (CRO) vs. Magomed MURTAZALIEV (AIN)

SF 1: Magomed MURTAZALIEV (AIN) df. Exauce MUKUBU (NOR), 7-2
SF 2: Matej MANDIC (CRO) df. Waltteri LATVALA (FIN), 11-0

130kg
GOLD: Muhammet BAKIR (TUR) vs. Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR)

SF 1: Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) df. Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE), 1-1
SF 2: Muhammet BAKIR (TUR) df. Razmik KURDYAN (ARM), 4-2

#SportsDepartment

UWW organizes fourth edition Event Organizing Workshop

Wednesday, October 23, 2024 - 13:32 By United World Wrestling Press

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TIRANA, Albania (October 23) — Over the last decade, United World Wrestling (UWW) has focused on improving the quality of its events. To keep this improvement on track, UWW organized its fourth edition of the Event Organizing Workshop from October 17 to 22 in Tirana, within the framework of the U23 World Championship.

Nine countries, including China, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Namibia, participated in the workshop, which was held before the U23 World Championships.

Led by UWW Sports and Development Officer Yuri MAIER (ARG) and Senior Competition Manager Ramil AHMADOV (AZE), the workshop provided valuable insight into the complexities of organizing international wrestling events.

Participants arrived in Albania on October 17 and engaged in four theoretical sessions on October 18 and 19. On October 20 and 21, they had the opportunity to apply their knowledge practically by observing key event functions such as the technical meeting, draw, and weigh-in.

In addition to covering many relevant topics, the workshop featured contributions from UWW staff members specializing in Accreditation, Photography, Technology & Results, and Marketing and Communications. These sessions, which were held with the support of local organizing committees, helped participants understand the role of various departments in delivering a successful event.

KAKadir CALISKAN (GER), UWW's Photo Manager, presents at the Event Organizing Workshop. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Participants gave overwhelmingly positive feedback, praising the workshop’s structure and content. One attendee highlighted, "The level of engagement and interaction during the sessions was fantastic. The facilitators were knowledgeable, and the practical exercises were crucial in helping us understand how to apply the concepts in real-world scenarios."

Another participant added, "The networking opportunities were invaluable. Meeting professionals from different countries allowed us to exchange ideas and best practices, which will certainly help in future event organization."

Maier emphasized the importance of continuous learning, stating, "Workshops like this allow us to strengthen our network of event organizers across the world. By sharing experiences and knowledge, we ensure that every event is better than the last."

Ahmadov echoed this sentiment, adding, "The practical experience of seeing the U23 World Championship preparation up close is invaluable. It’s one thing to discuss logistics in theory but seeing them unfold in real time makes all the difference."

Overall, the Event Organization Workshop provided an excellent learning platform for participants, empowering them to organize events more efficiently and effectively in the future. It contributed to the growth and be capable of delivering better wrestling events worldwide.

United World Wrestling will continue to support and organize such Workshop in the years to come and already welcome all the interested Federations for the next editions.