Bishkek gives peak into intense women's wrestling battles

Friday, June 2, 2023 - 17:31 By Vinay Siwach

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (June 2) -- If Friday's results are anything to go by, expect the women's wrestling competitions in the Paris Olympic cycle to throw more surprises.

Four Olympic weight classes were contested in Bishkek on Friday and three different countries won gold medals with Ukraine winning two of them at the third Ranking Series event of the year.

Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) and Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) were the two gold medalists for Ukraine at 57kg and 62kg respectively while China won the gold at 68kg through Feng ZHOU (CHN) while the host country got the gold through Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) at 76kg.

The most intense weight class was 62kg which included the European Championships finalists Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) and Grace BULLEN (NOR), former U23 world champion Ana GODINEZ (CAN), world silver medalist Jia LONG (CHN), former world champ Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) and Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL).

Among all, to everyone's surprise, Prokopevniuk and Purevdorj reached the final after European champ Koliadenko lost in the first round to Sukhee while Bullen suffered a 15-10 loss to Long in the quarterfinal. But Sukhee met Purevdorj in an-all Mongolian semifinal in which the latter won 6-4.

Prokopevniuk defeated Godinez 8-3 in the opening round, moved past Lydia PEREZ (ESP) 12-1 in the quarterfinals blanked Long 10-0.

In the final, Prokopevniuk managed to hand Prevdorj an 8-3 defeat to win her second Ranking Series gold medal.

For Hrushyna, the 57kg did not offer immense competition but the wrestler still had to go through the process of winning more medals. Hrushyna defeated Emma TISSINA (KAZ) 10-0, moving into the semifinals against ZHUOMALAGA (CHN).

She faced China in the final as Kexin HONG (CHN) also reached the final but Hrushyna won 7-4 and the gold medal.

"My motivation now is my Ukraine, which is fighting now," Hrushyna said. "This is my motherland, that motivates me to go forward and win."

Hrushyna and the team are likely to compete in more Ranking Series events after this.

"We are planning to compete at one more Ranking Series event," she said. "We are also planning to go to a training camp in Japan, that will be a nice preparation and then we will go to another training camp in the mountains of Ukraine."

Feng ZHOU (CHN) launches Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) for a big throw. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 68kg, veteran Feng ZHOU (CHN) rolled back the years and wrestled well to reach the final. Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) was her opponent for the gold medal bout.

Zhou first defeated Xinru ZHOU (CHN) 12-1 in the quarterfinals before she moved on 3-1 against Nesrin BAS (TUR) in the semifinal.

Enkhsaikhan got an extra bout to reach the final as she defeated Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB) 11-0 in the qualification rounds, Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) 6-1 in the quarterfinals and Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) 2-1 in the semifinal.

Zhou was stunned in the final as Enkhsaikhan scored five points before she eked out a clutch performance and won 14-5.

Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) won the 76kg gold medal at home. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Medet Kyzy could not have asked for a better performance in front of the home fans as she captured the gold medal at 76kg. Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN) was close to upsetting Medet Kyzy but fell short in a 5-3 loss.

The qualification round saw some interesting results as Medet Kyzy defeated Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ) 4-1, Genesis REASCO (ECU) won 5-0 against Epp MAE (EST), Martina KUENZ (AUT) won 4-1 over Cynthia VESCAN (FRA) and PRIYA (IND) won 6-0 against Anastasiia OSNIACH (UKR).

Medet Kyzy faced Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) next and won 10-6 before facing QIANDEGENCHAGAN (CHN) in the semifinal which also ended in the favor of Medet Kyzy 6-3. In the other semifinal, Huang moved on after Kuenz suffered an injury.

Geraei stunned

Olympic champion Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) continues to suffer stunning losses in the competition since last year. After losses at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup in June 2022, World Championships in September 2022 and Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking in February, Geraei suffered a shock 11-1 loss to Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) in the 72kg final in Bishkek.

Before Friday, Zoidze had lost thrice to Geraei, at the 2019 World Championships (7-5), 2021 Olympic Games (6-1) and 2021 World Championships (7-6) but was a different wrestler that stepped on the mat in Bishkek.

"Of course, I believed in my victory, I was ready for this," Zoidze said. "I had to take revenge after the Olympic Games and after the World Championships. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time and thank God that I was able to take revenge."

Zoidze's final against Geraei could not have been more one-sided as the Georgian defeated him 11-1 with Geraei giving no chance to even fight.

The victory does put him as one of the contenders for the 67kg spot on the Gerogian team but Zoidze said it is still unclear if he can be at 67kg.

"I want to wrestle at 67kg, but at the moment this is still unclear which category I will wrestle," he said. "My main goal is to go down to 67kg and take part in the Olympic Games."

However, Geraei's elder brother Mohammadali won his second Ranking Series gold medal of the year as he captured the 77kg gold medal after beating Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) 8-3.

Geraei won gold in the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event in February this year.

Iran added a fifth gold to its Greco-Roman tally when Alireza MOHAMADPIANI (IRI) defeated upcoming star Alperen BERBER (TUR) 7-5 in the 82kg final.

RESULTS

Greco-Roman

72kg
GOLD: Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) df. Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI), 11-1

BRONZE: Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) df. Yerassyl NURBOSSYNOV (KAZ), 9-0
BRONZE: Otar ABULADZE (GEO) df. VIKAS (IND), via fall

77kg
GOLD: Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) df. Iuri LOMADZE (GEO), 8-3

BRONZE: Yuksel SARICICEK (TUR) df. Samandar BOBONAZAROV (UZB), 8-0
BRONZE: Rui LIU (CHN) df. SAJAN (IND), 7-5

82kg
GOLD: Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) df. Alperen BERBER (TUR), 7-5

BRONZE: Beksultan NAZARBAEV (KGZ) df. Nurbek KHASHIMBEKOV (UZB), 5-4
BRONZE: Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Shamil BATYROV (KAZ), 9-0

Women's wrestling

57kg
GOLD: Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) df. Kexin HONG (CHN), 7-4

BRONZE: ZHUOMALAGA (CHN) df. Emma TISSINA (KAZ), 6-0
BRONZE: Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) df. Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR), 8-4

62kg
GOLD: Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) df. Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL), 8-3

BRONZE: Jia LONG (CHN) df. Ana GODINEZ (CAN), 7-6
BRONZE: Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) df. Luisa NIEMESCH (GER), 8-3

68kg
GOLD: Feng ZHOU (CHN) df. Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL), 14-5

BRONZE: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Xinru ZHOU (CHN), 3-1
BRONZE: Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Olivia DI BACCO (CAN), 2-1

76kg
GOLD: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN), 5-3

BRONZE: QIANDEGENCHAGAN (CHN) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 8-3
BRONZE: Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU) df. Martina KUENZ (AUT), via inj. def.

#WrestleBelgrade

Tokyo silvers Fumita, Aleksanyan book Paris Olympic trip in Belgrade

Friday, September 22, 2023 - 18:12 By Vinay Siwach

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 22) – Two Tokyo Olympic silver medalists will look to win a gold medal in Paris next year after Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) qualified for the Paris Olympics by reaching the final in the respective weight classes at the World Championships in Belgrade.

Fumita, a two-time world champion, reached the final at 60kg while Aleksanyan, a three-time Olympic medalist including gold, reached the gold medal bout at 97kg.

Kyrgyzstan and Cuba earned Paris Olympic quotas as well with world champion Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) reaching the final at 60kg and Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) at 97kg after he stunned Tokyo bronze medalist Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) in the semifinal.

Fumita defeated Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM), who defeated returning silver medalist Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) in the first round, 5-1 in the semifinal as he got two turns from par terre while defending successfully when he was put in the same position.

But the Japan star's biggest test was in the first bout when he faced former world champion Victor CIOBANU (MDA). Fumita was saved by a challenge from the Japan corner after Ciobanu was awarded a takedown and a four-point throw. In the replay, it was seen that Ciobanu blocked Fumita's attack by hands below Fumita's waist. As a result, Fumita was awarded two penalty points.

The two also met in the quarterfinals at the 2019 World Championships, with Fumita notching a wild 12-5 win en route to his second career gold.

“In the first round, more than my ability, it was the decision of the gods,” Fumita said. “I didn't feel like he touched my leg. But it was definitively shown and I went on to win. If there is a wrestling god, I thought I can't waste the opportunity it gave me.”

As per Japan federation rules, a wrestler who earns the Paris Olympic quota with a medal at the World Championships automatically secures a spot on the Japanese team to Paris.

For Fumita, the trip to Paris will be extra special as his father, who was also his high school coach, and his wife will join him on the trip.

“My condition is not at the very best,” he said. “I went through various things to get here. But my feeling is strong that I have to return with [the Paris berth]. My father also really wants me to take him to Paris. My wife, too. I'm really happy that I can proudly bring them with me to the arena in Paris.”

The 3-1 win over Ciobanu and the 5-1 victory in the semifinal were unlike the Fumita of old. The Japanese star was known for his big moves, which even cost him a few bouts in the past, but he has made peace with his subdued way of wrestling to earn wins.

“Last year was really disappointing,” he said. “But if that's the way world wrestling is, instead of doing spectacular moves, to win I can just be very basic. I've spent the past year thinking about it. It's really plain now. Honestly speaking, it's not interesting for me to do it. And it's probably not interesting to watch.”

Fumita will hope to continue his form in the final against defending champion Sharshenbekov who he defeated in the Asian Championships final 4-0 in 2020 in New Delhi.

“He's the defending champion and I'll be the one as the challenger. I'll try to do like I did four years ago,” Fumita said referring to his gold-medal run in Astana in 2019.

Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) won his semifinal against Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) 4-3. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Sharshenbekov has since improved significantly, winning the World and Asian Championships last year along with the world silver in 2021.

He was in a league of his own, making it to the semifinal against Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) with three technical superiority wins.

Mohsen Nejad was on his way to upset the world champion but Sharshenbekov scored a stepout to earn a 4-3 lead and defended it to beat the Iranian.

Sharshenbekov led 3-0 after a front roll from par terre but gave up a takedown when failing to get through a headlock. Mohsen Nejad got the criteria 3-3 lead when Sharshenbekov was called passive in the second period but that was short-lived as Sharshenbekov scored a stepout for one point.

At 97kg, Aleksanyan showed unreal par terre game winning three of his four bouts when his opponent was put in the par terre. He took only a minute and 57 seconds to beat Artur OMAROV (CZE) in the quarterfinal and five seconds more to beat Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU) in the semifinals.

Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) works a gut-wrench against Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU). (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Aleksanyan will look to win his fifth world title on Saturday against former U20 world champion and Tokyo Olympian Rossilo who secured a 3-0 win over 2021 world champion and returning bronze medalist Saravi in the semifinal.

Rosillo got the 1-0 lead when Saravi was called passive in the first period. But he used an arm drag to body-lock Saravi and get two points for a correct throw. Saravi never got going after that.

Rosillo's win brings Peter OHLER (GER), Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB), and U20 world champion Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) to the repechage. One of them will wrestle Saravi for the bronze medal.

In the only non-Olympic weight class in action on Friday, 72kg, returning world champion Ali ARSALAN (SRB), silver medalist Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) and bronze medalist Selcuk CAN (TUR) failed to reach the final.

Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) became the first French Greco-Roman wrestler since 2014 to reach the final of the World Championships after he defeated Can 4-0 in the semifinals while Robert FRITSCH (HUN) managed to see off Shingo HARADA (JPN) 3-1 in the other semifinal.

Fritsch, who lost to Arsalan last year, was trailing 9-5 in the quarterfinal against Arsalan but scored a pin over the Serb who seemed to have given up due to exhaustion.

With Arsalan's loss, U20 world champion Daniel SHORABI (IRI) will return to Iran without a medal as he lost to Arsalan 7-7.

Bishkek gives peak into intense women's wrestling battles

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Tokyo silvers Fumita, Aleksanyan book Paris Olympic trip in Belgrade