#WrestleAlexandria

Blades the latest star at 76kg with Alexandria gold

Friday, February 24, 2023 - 20:16 By Vinay Siwach

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ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (February 24) -- Yelena MAKOYED (USA) had just won the Zagreb Open Ranking Series gold medal two weeks ago and talked about the competition she has to navigate in the USA to be a national team member at 76kg

Apart from the well-established name of Adeline GRAY (USA), Makoyed mentioned wrestlers who will be jumping from 72kg to 76kg, calling them "very good."

One of the wrestlers from that bunch is Kennedy BLADES (USA).

After wrestling at 68kg before Tokyo Olympics, Baldes has been at 72kg, winning the U20 World Championships in 2021, her last international competition for a long time.

With just over a year left for the Paris Olympics, Blades has decided to move up to 76kg and made her senior-level debut at a United World Wrestling event on Friday.

And to prove Makoyed right, she won the gold medal at 76kg at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series event in Alexandria, Egypt in dominating fashion.

In the previous three Ranking Series events, Makoyed had dominated the 76kg weight class, winning all three gold medals. But her sitting out of this one meant that a new champion would be crowned. Few would have thought that it would be Blades.

The 19-year-old, who did not give up a single point in the U20 World Championships in 2021, was unfazed by the number of stars in her weight class and went on with her wrestling as if she was a seasoned campaigner, evident in her win over World bronze medalist Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) in the semifinal.

Blades brought varied attacks with her to Egypt. If she used ankle picks to score points at the beginning of the day, she used the double-leg to great effect later in the evening.

In the final against Juan WANG (CHN), Blades displayed signs of maturity but also some inexperience. Like when Wang was not ready to engage and Blades found it difficult to score, she waited patiently. Once Wang got a little comfortable, Blades used a fake and switched to a leg attack, scoring four points.

From there, Baldes never let Wang wrestle her style. Blades' active wrestling proved to be too much for the Chinese as she gave up another takedown. Blades extended her lead to 6-5. With a five-point lead, she maintained her distance from Wang, eliminating the risk of getting countered. Blades wanted Wang to attack.

It was the last anxious moments when Blades slipped. She took her eyes off Wang who managed to score a takedown and add a gut wrench with three seconds left. Blades managed to navigate those and win 6-5 for her first senior-level gold medal.

Her performance in the morning session was far more dominant and assuring. In the semifinal against Medet Kyzy, which Blades won 12-1, she attacked with purpose and completed those low attacks to score quickly. She managed to square up Medet Kyzy on various occasions, scoring takedowns using double-leg attacks. Her quick feet made her extremely superior to the Kyrgyz wrestler.

Blades shut off attacks in the second period which worked well in Alexandria but she will have to be cautious of that approach while facing a more aggressive wrestler in the future.

Kennedy BLADES (USA)Kennedy BLADES (USA) kept off a spirited Genesis REASCO (ECU) in the quarterfinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The first bout of the morning saw Blades run through Qian ZHOU (CHN) with a mix of double-leg attacks and ankle picks. But her quarterfinal against Genesis REASCO (ECU) was an extremely close affair.

Blades used defense as her attack and never let Reasco go behind even in the last moments of the bout. She ended up winning 5-4, thanks to a big double-leg attack she used to score four points.

The gold will also give Blades a lot of confidence after a forgetful outing in the Henri Deglane Grand Priz in January in which she finished fifth. But in less than a month's time, she has managed to turn it around.

With the World Championships in September offering quota places for the Paris Olympics, a USA wrestler winning one of the five available sports is a no-brainer. But who will actually be on the flight to Paris will depend on the outcome of the Olympic trials in the USA with Adeline GRAY (USA), Amit ELOR (USA), Makoyed, Blades, Kylie WELKER (USA), Dymond GUILFORD (USA), Precious BELL (USA) and Skylar GROTE (USA) being some of the names eyeing that coveted ticket.

Forrest MOLINARI (USA)Forrest MOLINARI (USA) scores four points on Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) in a heated 68kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Another USA wrestler who made a switch to an Olympic weight class and won gold was Forrest MOLINARI (USA). Wrestling against three-time world medalist Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), who won the Zagreb Open gold recently, in the final, Molinari dictated proceedings and won 13-2.

The aggression which Molinari brought to the mat complimented her snap and counter style of wrestling. Larroque could never find a way to get out of the ties and kept running out of time.

That turned the final into a heated one but Molinari wrestled with continuous pressure and kept scoring. At one point, she countered Larroque's attempt to score a takedown with a four-pointer which made the score 7-2. She added a roll in the same sequence to lead 9-2.

Larroque was cautioned for fleeing when Molinari scored a stepout and she then gave up a takedown before time to give up the gold.

Molinari's performance on Friday also included a 6-3 win over 2021 world champion Meerim ZHUMANAZAROV (KGZ). Her first two wins of the day were both via fall.

Both Blades and Molinari will take home 1500 Swiss Francs while Wang and Larroque will pocket 750 Swiss Francs each. The four bronze medalists in the two weight classes will get 500 Swiss Francs each as well.

Beginning this year, the Ranking Series awards medal winners with prize money and also a two-kilogram weight tolerance to help wrestlers remain in their preferred weight class.

Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) won the 62kg final to end her gold medal drought. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In two other women's wrestling finals, Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) ended her gold medal drought by winning the 62kg weight class while Alexandria TOWN (CAN) was rewarded for her exceptional run Friday with the 57kg gold after Alina AKOBIIA (UKR) injury defaulted.

Tynybekova last won a gold medal at the 2021 World Championships and has since suffered surprising losses to younger wrestlers with the latest being a first-round loss to Xiaojuan LUO (CHN) at the Zagreb Open.

But Tynybekova rolled back the years and avenged that loss to Luo in a low-scoring but tough final in Alexandria, winning 3-2 for the gold.

Her day began with a solid 7-0 win against Ameline DOUARRE (FRA) and then a 10-0 technical superiority win over Kayla MIRACLE (USA). Tynybekova had beaten Miracle in the final of the 2021 World Championships but the American secured a 9-3 win over Tynybekova at the recent World Cup in Iowa.

The semifinal against Tokyo bronze medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) tested Tynybekova, who won silver in Tokyo. However, her strong defense kept in the bout after Koliadenko's passivity, eventually winning 2-0.

Luo reached the final from the other side of the bracket by beating Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB) via fall, Kriszta INCZE (ROU) 5-1, Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) 6-3 and Johanna LINDBORG (SWE) 6-4 with a last-second takedown in the semifinal.

Luo led 1-1 late into the bout but Tynybekova got a single leg for a takedown to take the lead 3-1. Luo managed to duck and get behind Tynybekova but failed to bring her down, scoring only a stepout.

Alexandria TOWN (CAN)It is a mere coincidence that Alexandria TOWN (CAN), center, won the gold in the town of Alexandria. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 57kg, Town's run included a big victory via fall over Tokyo bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) in the semifinals after she had defeated Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) 14-2 and Elena BRUGGER (GER) 12-4.

Akobiia did not wrestle in the final but looked good throughout the day, winning via fall against Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER), 11-0 against Giullia OLIVEIRA (BRA) and 7-1 against Qi ZHANG (CHN) in the semifinals.

Despite the silver, it would have been an emotional day for Akobiia as exactly a year ago she had to abandon the plan of reaching the Kyiv airport and fly to Istanbul for the Ranking Series event last year after Ukraine came under attack.

Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO)Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) throws Otar ABULADZE (GEO) for four points in the 72kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Georgia wins two GR golds

Three Greco-Roman gold medals were also decided as Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) captured the 72kg gold medal by beating fellow countryman Otar ABULADZE (GEO) in the final.

Abuladze had knocked out Olympic champion Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) 8-0 in the final. Gereaei was wrestling a weight up than his preferred 67kg in which he won an Olympic and world title.

At 77kg, Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) won the gold medal by beating Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) 1-1 after the two wrestlers exchanged passivity points in the final. Mnatsakanian defeated Yunus BASAR (TUR) 3-1 in the quarterfinal and Rui LIU (CHN) 1-1 in the semifinal.

The final gold medal in Greco-Roman went to Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) who breezed past Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ) 10-0 in the final using a strong gut wrench.

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RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

57kg
GOLD - Alexandria TOWN (CAN) df. Alina AKOBIIA (UKR), via inj. def.

BRONZE - Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) df. Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL), 10-5
BRONZE - Qi ZHANG (CHN) df. Giullia OLIVEIRA (BRA), 9-1

62kg
GOLD - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Xiaojuan LUO (CHN), 3-2

BRONZE - Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) df. Johanna LINDBORG (SWE), 9-0
BRONZE - Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) df. Kayla MIRACLE (USA), via fall

68kg
GOLD - Forrest MOLINARI (USA) df. Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), 13-2

BRONZE - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Alexandria GLAUDE (USA), via fall
BRONZE - Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), 6-1

76kg
GOLD - Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Juan WANG (CHN), 6-5

BRONZE - Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Qian ZHOU (CHN), 3-0
BRONZE - Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) df. KIRAN (IND), 11-0

Greco-Roman

72kg
GOLD - Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) df. Otar ABULADZE (GEO), 6-0

BRONZE - Daniyar KALENOV (KAZ) df. Mahmoud ABDELRAHMAN (EGY), 4-1
BRONZE - Ankit GULIA (IND) df. Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI), via inj. def.

77kg
GOLD -  Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) df. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 1-1

BRONZE - Yunus BASAR (TUR) df. Rui LIU (CHN), 8-0
BRONZE - Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Per OLOFSSON (SWE), 6-4

82kg
GOLD - Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ), 10-0

BRONZE - Kristoffer BERG (SWE) df. Michael WAGNER (AUT), 1-1
BRONZE - Abd OUAKALI (ALG) df. Roland SCHWARZ (GER), 4-4

#WrestleTirana

U23 Worlds: Iran, Moldova split Greco golds

Thursday, October 24, 2024 - 05:48 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (October 23) -- Iran and Moldova emerged as the top nations on the third day of the U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania with them winning two gold medals each. Iran won the team title with 149 points with yet another incredible performance. Georgia followed with a second-place finish with 121 points and Armenia was third with 93 points.

Iran's first gold medal of the day came from U20 world champion Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) as he added the U23 world title to his growing resume. He won the U17 world title in 2022.

The 19-year-old was up against European silver medalist Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) in the final but apart from par terre in the first period, he never looked in trouble. Mammadov got two points for a correct throw to lead 3-0 at the break.

Ahmadi Vafa got the par terre in the second period and scored two turns to lead 5-3. He went into defensive soon and was hit with the third passivity. But it proved fatal for Mammadov who was stopped in the middle of a turn from Ahmadi Vafa. With a 7-3 lead, Ahmadi Vafa hit a huge four-pointer on the edge to win the bout 11-3 and his third age-group gold medal.

"It was decided by the coaching staff to compete at the U23 World Championships after the U20 one," Ahmadi Vafa said. "Thank God, I was able to participate and return to Iran with a gold medal"

Ahmadi Vafa credits his training this year and his study of his opponents as the major factors for his improvement after suffering close losses in the age-group World Championships last year. 

"I worked really hard this year," he said. "I spent a full year in training camp and put in a lot of effort. A thorough analysis with the coaching staff made me win. I was able to reap the rewards of all my hard work over the past year."

In the 45-day break between the U20 and U23 World Championships, Ahmadi Vafa trained with the senior team. 

"A few days after we returned to Iran, we went to the senior camp," he said. "We were under a lot of physical strain, so the coaching staff decided to make our training sessions a bit lighter than the others.

"Our bodies responded well. I always felt deep inside that I could do it. I always say that I’m the best in my weight class."

To be on Iran's senior team, Ahmadi Vafa would have had to go through Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) who is the senior team member. However, the Iran federation has asked him to move to the 60kg weight class.

"He has a senior medal, and I have a lot of respect for him," he said. "We are from the same hometown. We’ve trained together several times at the senior camp, and he’s a really good opponent for me, and I might be a good opponent for him too.

"But the decision of the coaches is that I have to move up to the new weight category of 60kg, which will be a lot tougher. But I need to work harder to be able to win the gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics."

Multiple-time age-group world champion Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) added the U23 world title with a dominant run in Tirana. With three technical superiority victories, Hedayati won the final 6-0 against Dmitrii BABORYKO (AIN).

Hedayati, in which typical style, began attacking relentlessly and soon scored a couple of stepouts. He was also awarded the par terre but he could not score any points. After leading 6-0, Hedayati scored a takedown to finish the bout 8-0 but Baboryko challenged. On review, Hedayati was warned for pushing and the score was reversed to 6-0.

The 21-year-old managed to hang on to that lead and win the gold medal.

Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) scores two points over Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER) in the 77kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

For Moldova, Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) defended his U23 world title at 77kg and Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) denied Japan's Komei SAWADA (JPN) in the 63kg final to win the gold medal.

Gutu, who has a U17 world title as well, was competing at his fourth U23 World Championships and has won medals in three of them with two golds. Wrestling Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER) in the final on Wednesday, Gutu used his signature front headlock to score exposure. That remained the difference as he clinched a 3-1 victory.

The win gave Gutu something to cherish after a disappointing season in which he failed to qualify for the Olympics and finished with only a bronze medal in four tournaments.

"This championships is very important for me," Gutu said. "As everyone knows, I lost at the Olympic qualifiers. I couldn’t even win the European Championships. This was the last tournament of the year. I needed to show a good performance here. I am really happy that I’ve won."

After dealing with the disappointment of failing just one win short of winning a ticket to the Paris Olympics, Gutu took some time to motivate himself to return to the mat.

"After the qualifiers in Baku, it was difficult to recover," he said. "I can’t even describe it. I was not just one step away, I was one percent away from that spot. It was very disappointing. 

"I’ve always had that motivation. The younger generation looks up to me. My family and my coaches are always there for me. I can’t let them all down. I will keep working until I get what I want."

Eriomenco added to the party with the 63kg gold as he defeated Swada in a very one-sided final. He got two turns from par terre to lead 5-0 at the break. Swada opened the second period with a stepout and then a point for par terre. As he was trying the gut-wrench, Eriomenco got out of the hold and scored a reversal to make it 6-2. Two easy turns made it 10-2, ending the match with technical superiority.

"I’ve been working so hard to reach this," Eriomenco said. "I’ve finished third three times at the European Championships and last year I was third at the Worlds. I was motivated to win this gold. I’ve never won even the European championships, but now I have won the World gold. I came here only for gold."

The difference between the physicality of the two wrestlers stood out and Eriomenco acknowledged that it worked to his advantage.

"From the beginning, I could feel that I was physically stronger," he said. "That’s when I got the confidence that I could win. The first match was the toughest one, then it was a bit easier. The final match was the most difficult. It was mentally tough to get ready for that match, because I really wanted the gold medal and no less."

Eriomenco is scheduled to compete at the Non-Olympic Weight Classes World Championships and is keen to leave an impression.

"It’s definitely going to be difficult to compete at two competitions in a raw," he said. "I won’t let the weight go up a lot. I will keep it down. I think everything is going to be ok. I know all my competitors. We’ve been training together at camps, we’ve been wrestling each other at competitions."

Fellow gold medalist Gutu also praised his compatriot and friend for his gold medal. 

"Eriomenco is my best friend," Gutu said. "I am so happy for him, because he was always so close, but he could never win. He became the World champion, I am really happy for him and it motivated me a lot to win my gold medal as well."

Anes GONIBOV (AIN)Anes GONIBOV (AIN) defeated Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) in the 87kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) had the chance to add a second title to his U20 one from 2021. However, he fell short and dropped his 87kg final against Anes GONIBOV (AIN) 4-0.

Gonibov got par terre position in both the periods which made his lead 2-0. Sterkenburg tried desperately for a takedown but failed and Gonibov managed to score and lead 4-0. The win for Gonibov gives him his second world tittle to along with his gold medal at the U23 World Championships at 82kg.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) df. Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE), 11-3

BRONZE: Vishvajit MORE (IND) df. Adam ULBASHEV (AIN), 14-10
BRONZE: Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) df. William SULLIVAN (USA), 11-1

63kg
GOLD: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) df. Komei SAWADA (JPN), 10-2

BRONZE: Erfan JARKANI (IRI) df. Arman VARDANYAN (ARM), 8-0
BRONZE: Mairbek SALIMOV (POL) df. Bekir ATES (TUR), via fall

77kg
GOLD: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER), 3-1

BRONZE: Khasay HASANLI (AZE) df. Temuri ORJONIKIDZE (GEO), 
BRONZE: Ali OSKOU (IRI) df. Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB), 6-4

87kg
GOLD: Aues GONIBOV (AIN) df. Marcel STERKENBURG (NED), 4-0

BRONZE: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) df. Payton JACOBSON (USA), 9-0
BRONZE: Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Yasin YAZDI (IRI), 4-4

130kg
GOLD: Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) df. Dmitrii BABORYKO (AIN), 6-0

BRONZE: Giorgi TSOPURASHVILI (GEO) df. Albert VARDANYAN (ARM), 1-1
BRONZE: Koppany LASZLO (HUN) df. Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN), 9-1

Women's Wrestling Semifinals

50kg
GOLD: Natalia PUDOVA (AIN) vs. Sage MORTIMER (USA)

SF 1: Natalia PUDOVA (AIN) df. Natallia VARAKINA (AIN), 8-2
SF 2: Sage MORTIMER (USA) df. Umi ITO (JPN), via fall (4-12)

55kg
GOLD: Zeltzin HERNANDEZ GUERRA (MEX) vs. Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)

SF 1: Zeltzin HERNANDEZ GUERRA (MEX) df. Amani JONES (USA), via fall (4-5)
SF 2: Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) df. Ekaterina KARPUSHKINA (AIN), 7-0

59kg
GOLD: ANJLI (IND) vs. Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)

SF 1: ANJLI (IND) df. Aurora RUSSO (ITA), via fall (4-0)
SF 2: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN), 5-2

68kg
GOLD: Aues GONIBOV (AIN) vs. Marcel STERKENBURG (NED)

SF 1: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN), via fall (3-0)
SF 2: Ami ISHII (JPN) df. Xinze DU (CHN), 10-0

76kg
GOLD: Shuiyan CHENG (CHN) vs. Yelena MAKOYED (USA)

SF 1: Shuiyan CHENG (CHN) df. Zsofia VIRAG (HUN), 10-0
SF 2: Yelena MAKOYED (USA) df. Nodoka YAMAMOTO (JPN), via fall (13-2)