#WrestleFaenza

Azerbaijan Reaches Top of European Podium Twice on Day 2

Tuesday, June 18, 2019 - 19:13 By Eric Olanowski

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FAENZA, Italy (June 18) – Azerbaijan, led by Malik ALIYEV (AZE) and Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE), won a pair of Day 2 gold medals and head into the final day of Greco-Roman wrestling trailing first-place Russia by 23 points. 

The first Azerbaijani wrestler to claim the 25 first-place points was Malik Aliyev, who won the 48kg title by scoring five unanswered points against Russia's Damir KALAKUTOK. In the finals, Aliyev surrendered an inactivity point and a gut wrench and trailed his Russian opponent, 3-0. 
The tides quickly turned when the Azeri compiled five quick points. Aliyev scored his first points with an arm drag takedown, then coupled that with a gut wrench to gain the 4-3 lead.  He then racked up another point from a quick stepout and transitioned into the second period with the 5-3 lead. A scoreless second period ended the match with the same score that started the second period, 5-3, giving Aliyev his first continental title. 

The second Azeri to win a gold medal on the second day of wrestling at the Cadet European Championships was 2017 world silver medalist Nihat Mammadli. 

Mammadli quickly ended Hleb MAKARANKA's (BLR) magical European run with an 8-0 victory in the 55kg gold-medal bout. The Belarusian was coming off an opening day performance where he stopped defending European champion Dimitri KHACHIDZE (GEO) from reaching the top of the podium in back-to-back years. 

In the short-lived 55kg finals, Mammadli struck first with a lightning-quick arm drag for the match's first takedown. The action was blown dead, and when the wrestlers got back to their feet, Mammadli secured double underhooks, and threw the Belarusian with a picturesque back arch and picked up four points. Now leading 6-0, Mammadli lifted Makaranka near the out of bounds lines and was awarded two points for the correct throw, and ultimately the gold medal with the 8-0 shutout victory. 

Azerbaijan also collected 15 third-place points after Khasay HASANLI (AZE) bulldozed Nikoloz MARGVELASHVILI (GEO), 9-0 in the 65kg bronze-medal bout. 

Russia entered three wrestlers into the Day 2 finals but Imran BABOCHIEV (RUS) was the only one to reach the top of the podium. He won the 65kg title with an 8-6 over Muslim BARGA (TUR). (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Although Azerbaijan had the most champions on Day 2, they still trail Russia by 23 points heading into the final day of Greco-Roman wrestling. 

Russia, who leads with 88 points, had three wrestlers vying for a gold medal on day two, but Imran BABOCHIEV (RUS) was the only one who came out on the winning end of things. Babochiev trailed Muslim BARGA (TUR) 6-0 before scoring eight unanswered points to take the 65kg title with an 8-6 victory. 

Damir Kalakutok and Said MUSAEV (RUS) fell short in the 48kg and 110kg finals respectively, but still collected 20 second-place points. Russia also received 15 third-place points from Artem KOLESNIK (RUS) after he crushed Varuzhan ANTONYAN (ARM), 9-0 in the 55kg bronze-medal match. 

Armenia rounds out the top-three in the Greco-Roman team race after the second day of wrestling.  Armenia and Azerbaijan both have 65 points, but the Azeris hold criteria because of their two champions. 

Wrestling resumes tomorrow in Faenz, Italy, at 11:30 (local time) and can be followed on www.unitedworldwrestling.org. 

RESULTS

48kg
GOLD - Malik ALIYEV (AZE) df. Damir KALAKUTOK (RUS), 5-3 
BRONZE - Karapet MANVELYAN (ARM) df. Anatoliy KOTYK (UKR), 6-2 
BRONZE - Maksim STUPAKEVICH (BLR) df. Melkamu FETENE (ISR), 3-1 

55kg 
GOLD - Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Hleb MAKARANKA (BLR), 8-0 
BRONZE - Dimitri KHACHIDZE (GEO) df. Eduard STRILCHUK (UKR), 5-1 
BRONZE - Artem KOLESNIK (RUS) df. Varuzhan ANTONYAN (ARM), 8-0 

65kg
GOLD - Imran BABOCHIEV (RUS) df. Muslim BARGA (TUR), 8-6
BRONZE - Dzmitry BONKA (BLR) df. Arman KHACHIKYAN (ARM), 5-1
BRONZE - Nikoloz MARGVELASHVILI (GEO) df. Khasay HASANLI (AZE), 9-0 

80kg
GOLD – Vasile Daniel COJOC (ROU) df. Vigen NAZARYAN (ARM), 
BRONZE - Alexander JOHANSSON (SWE) df. Gabriel LUPASCO (MDA), 9-7 
BRONZE - Jonas Kjeldgaard MOELLER (DEN) df. Umut CELEM (TUR), 10-3 

110kg
GOLD - Mate GOKADZE (GEO) df. Said MUSAEV (RUS), 8-0 
BRONZE - Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) df. Razmik KURDYAN (ARM), via fall 
BRONZE - Omer AYGUL (TUR) df. Adolf BAZSO (HUN), 6-1 

#WrestleBratislava

Young stars make Azerbaijan best team at Europeans

Sunday, April 13, 2025 - 23:03 By Vinay Siwach

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (April 13) -- Azerbaijan is the best team of Europe and its way ahead of others.

The country claimed the Greco-Roman team title at the European Championships in Bratislava with 151 points, 41 points more than second-placed Turkiye which had 110 points. Hungary managed to put itself on the podium at the third place with 104 points.

After only a silver and bronze medals on Saturday, Azerbaijan bounced back with three gold medals and a bronze medal to finish on the top of the standings.

Starting the gold rush world 63kg champion Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) who downed Geogij TIBILOV (SRB), 7-3, in the 60kg final.

Mammadli got the first par terre advantage and completed a standing to danger suplex for four points and a turn to lead 7-0. He tried one more turn but Tibilov defended the attempt. Tibilov managed to turn Mammadli in the second period when he got the par terre position but that was all the action from him.

The 7-3 win gave Mammadi his second straight European gold medal and confirmed his spot on the Azerbaijan team for the World Championships.

At 67kg, Paris Olympic bronze medalist Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) continued his dominance at the continental event, winning his third straight European gold medal.

Facing Abu AMAEV (BUL), who Jafarov had defeated last European Championships in the quarterfinal, in the final in Bratislava, Jafarov turned him in par terre for two points. At the end of the mat, Jafarov lifted Amaev and completed the throw for four points to lead 7-0.

Amaev failed to break Jafarov's defense from par terre and got only one point as he dropped the bout 7-1. By reaching the final, Amaev earned his best European Championships medal -- a silver. He has two bronze medals from past editions.

Another young star gave Azerbaijan its third gold as Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) won the top medal at 82kg. He defeated world silver medalist Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) 6-0 in the final.

Earning a par terre advantage in the first period, Gurbanov scored from a turn to lead in the first period before blocking an armthrow from Szilvassy to earn two points. Hungary challenged the call for slip throw but lost it, giving one more point to Gurbanov for a 6-0 lead.

The gold medal is Gurbanov's first major senior gold medal as he already has two European U23 golds and one U17 gold. Gurbanov has won the World Championships gold medal at U17, U20 and U23 levels.

Kiril MILOV (BUL) comleted is glorious run at the European Championships with the 97kg gold medal, his second in the continental history. In the final, he beat Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER), 7-1, a day after he defeated seven-time European champion Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM).

Milov scored two gut wrench turns from par terre to lead 5-0 and then was saved by a challenge in the second period. Lazogianis completed a throw from par terre which was blocked by Milov and he never landed in danger. But Lazogianis was awarded four points which gave him a 5-5 criteria lead for a bigger move.

Bulgaria challenged the decision and got two points as he had blocked Lazogianis and made him land in danger instead. He then defended his 7-1 lead for the gold medal.

At 72kg, two gold medals were awarded after a scoreboard glitch gave Levente LEVAI (HUN) a 4-4 criteria win over Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) in the final.

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Georgij TIBILOV (SRB), 7-3

BRONZE: Victor CIOBANU (MDA) df. Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO), 10-0
BRONZE: Sadyk LALAEV (UWW) df. Olivier SKRZYPCZAK (POL), 5-0

67kg
GOLD: Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) df. Abu AMAEV (BUL), 7-1

BRONZE: Arslanbek SALIMOV (POL) df. Yanis GUENDEZ NIFRI (FRA), 5-0
BRONZE: Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) df. Murat FIRAT (TUR), 3-1

72kg
GOLD: Levente LEVAI (HUN) and Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) [NO SILVER]

BRONZE: Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) df. Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (UWW), 2-1
BRONZE: Mehmet SAHIN (TUR) df. Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU), 9-1

82kg
GOLD: Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) df. Erik SZILVASSY (HUN), 6-0

BRONZE: Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) df. Ruslan ABDIIEV (UKR), 5-3 
BRONZE: Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Samvel GRIGORYAN (ARM), 3-1

97kg
GOLD: Kiril MILOV (BUL) df. Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER), 7-1

BRONZE: Kiryl MASKEVICH (UWW) df. Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED), 8-5
BRONZE: Alex SZOKE (HUN) df. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM), via inj. def.