Bolat Turlykhanov Cup: India wins WW title; Zare survives scare

Saturday, June 4, 2022 - 17:48 By Vinay Siwach

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (June 4) -- Three months back, the Indian women's team failed to win a single medal at the Ranking Series in Istanbul. But in a stunning turn of events, it won the team title at the second Ranking event in Almaty.

After winning the three gold and a bronze medal Saturday, India added two gold, one silver and one bronze to take their points tally to 192 points, 20 more than second-placed Kazakhstan which finished at 172 points.

Out of the six gold medals on offer in women's wrestling, Kazakhstan and Mongolia won two each as well. But the young Indian team outperformed beyond expectations despite missing a few big names from the line-up.

Two freestyle gold medals were also awarded Saturday with world champion Amir ZARE (IRI) claiming the 125kg title and Batyrbek TCAKULOV (SVK) winning at 97kg.

Sarita MOR (IND) won the 59kg gold medal in Almaty. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

As women's wrestling came to a close, two-time Asian champion Sarita MOR (IND) and MANISHA (IND) won the gold at 59kg and 65kg respectively to propel India to the top.

Over the years, Mor had made a reputation of being one of the strongest defensive wrestlers in India. But with a young crop of wrestling coming up with an aggressive brand of wrestling, she found it difficult to match them. Despite being hailed as a top-level wrestler domestically, she found it difficult to win international medals internationally.

That all changed in 2020 when she won her first Asian gold medal at home in New Delhi. She defended her title in Almaty last year and added a World bronze medal in Oslo at 59kg.

"Earlier, my wrestling was very defensive," Mor said. "But for the last three years, I have managed to make some progress and improve it. I have benefitted from wrestling at numerous competitions and I hope to continue that to rectify my mistakes."

The change, as Mor explains, is brought about by her coach Rahul MANN (IND).

"My coach and husband Rahul has worked a lot on me," she said. "The most important one is to be active at the start of the bout. I used to stand in a lazy position at the start and give up points. But now it's changed. From the start till the final whistle, I have to wrestle."

She executed that plan to perfection in Almaty, dominating her competition as she gave up only two points in her four bouts. In a Nordic bracket, she began the day against Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ), handing her an 11-0 defeat in Round 1. She would have liked to avenge her Asian Championships loss to Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) but the Mongolian forfeited.

Mor had Aizhan ISMAGULOVA (KAZ) in the semifinal and after a slow start, she switched gears and scored takedowns to lead 6-2 at the break. Two minutes into the second period, Mor clinched a spot in the final with a technical superiority win. U23 European champion Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) was the next to fall against Mor as she clinched the gold with a series of exposures.

"I am feeling so good and I have had 4 competitions here. Apart from the Asian qualifiers here I have managed to win a medal here. The best feeling is always when the Indian flag is raised," she said.

After a medalless start to the year in Istanbul, Mor won a bronze at the Asian Championships and now gold in Almaty. She has now set her eyes on winning the title at the World Championships.

"At Worlds, I lost 3-0 in the semifinal, but now I want to win the belt for India," she said. "As I said, I am continuing to improve with every tournament."

Manisha MANISHA (IND) defeated Tokyo Olympian Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) in the 65kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Perhaps it was her performance that rubbed off on her teammates as well. Manisha, who had suffered an 11-0 loss to Tokyo Olympian Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) in the first round, recovered to win the gold at 65kg by beating Manolova.

The Indian was first put on the clock for inactivity but she scored a takedown and a stepout during the activity period to lead 3-0 at the break. Instead of going for attacks, Manisha decided to counter Manolova's attempts and was successful in scoring two go behinds. As the clock ticked, frustration crept in for Manolova as she was warned for negative wrestling, giving the Indian another point.

Apart from the two bouts against Manolova, Manisha outscored her opponents 21-0 and saved the best for the last with a strong counter-attacking game.

U20 Worlds silver medalist BIPASHA (IND) could have made it three gold medals for India but Asian champion and World silver medalist Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) denied her at 72kg.

The two wrestled in Round 3 which was virtually a gold medal bout after both had one win each in the morning session. Bakbergenova built a 5-0 lead in the first period and extended it to 7-0 within the first 30 seconds of the second.

Bipasha, 20, took some time to understand her opponent and it was only in the fourth minute of the bout that she tried attacking. She managed a takedown and stepout and Bakbergenova was cautioned twice for passive wrestling.

But the Kazakhstan wrestler held off Bispasha and won the gold with a 7-5 scoreline.

Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) held off Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) 4-3 in the 55kg final. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

The second gold medal for Kazakhstan came from Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) who defeated Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB), 4-3 in the 55kg final. She was called for passivity in the first period but hit a four at the start of the second to lead 4-1. Akhmedova managed to get an attack late in the bout and scored two points for danger but failed to get another as the time expired.

Earlier in the day, Asian Championships silver medalist Namuuntsetseg TSOGT-OCHIR (MGL) defeated Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB) via fall in the 50kg final while Tokyo bronze medalist Bolortuya BAT-OCHIR (MGL) won the 53kg gold after Zhuldyz ESHIMOVA (KAZ) pulled out of the final due to injury.

Amir ZARE (IRI) celebrates after beating Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) in the 125kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Zare recovers from 8-0

A stunned Amir ZARE (IRI) stood looking at the big screen at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace. He, like the Iran fans, was hoping that the challenge from Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) turns out to be unsuccessful.

The Kazakhstan wrestler, cheered by almost everyone at the venue, led 8-0 and challenged, asking for four points instead of the two awarded by the referee on his first throw. A successful challenge would mean a 10-0 win for him.

But as luck would have it, Zare had not landed in danger and the move was only worth two points. He got a point for the lost challenge.

With a fresh lease of life and a struggling Batirmurzaev, Zare recovered from 8-0 and then 10-7 to score 14 answered points to win the 125kg gold medal in Almaty 21-10 and silence a hostile crowd.

Amir ZARE (IRI) A scoreline that will be etched in wrestling fans' memory for a long time. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

"Yes [I am still shocked], from the final," Zare said with a smile. "I lost points in the final and earlier as well but I hope to compensate for it in the future and not repeat these mistakes."

It was a far from perfect tournament for the 21-year-old world champion as he struggled to find his rhythm from the start.

Another Kazakhstan wrestler Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ) had him in trouble in the first bout. Boltin used a four-point throw to lead 6-6 on criteria with only 23 seconds remaining but Zare scored three points from there to win 9-7. In the semifinal, world bronze medalist Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) tested his cardio as Zare barely scraped through for a 3-0 win.

"It was my first time wrestling after a long break, after Norway exactly," Zare said. "I also had a minor foot injury that prevented me from training for a long time. But my coaches helped me be ready for wrestling here. I didn’t show a good quality of wrestling here but I hope to do my best in the future, especially in Belgrade."

Batyrbek TCAKULOV (SVK) laced his way to a 10-0 win in the 97kg final. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

While Zare could recover from a bad start, U20 world champion Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) suffered a 10-0 loss against Batyrbek TCAKULOV (SVK) after being caught in a leg-lace as the Slovakia wrestler finished the bout in 1:06.

Throughout the day, Tcakulov dominated his bouts, outscoring his rivals 31-1 including a semifinal win via fall over veteran Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB).

In the final, he used a move that he has not been very successful at but managed to pull off at the right moment.

"I was preparing for six minutes in the final," Tcakulov said. "I practice the leg lace every time in training, but it doesn't usually work at the competition. This time it worked.

"I was preparing for the tournament together with my Slovakian team and with our coach Erik Cap. I am going for only the win at every competition. It also depends on how well I have trained. This time as you can see I prepared well and my wrestling was good."

Bolat Turlykhanov Cup 97kg champion Batyrbek TCAKULOV (SVK). (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

A former Russian champion at 92kg, Tcakulov switched to Slovakia earlier this year and won a bronze at the European Championships. While he has begun well, he is aware of the competition he is facing at this weight.

"I know that the competition is quite high at 97kg," he said. "But I'll keep working hard. There is not a big difference in kilograms, but the competition is a bit higher. This is my second tournament in this weight class, and now I am getting better and hope for the best."

He now hopes to wrestle at as many tournaments as possible to gain experience and win a medal at the Belgrade World Championships.

"My next tournament will be the Ranking Series Matteo Pellicone in Rome," he said. "I want to compete a lot at the tournaments, not only for improving my rankings but mostly for getting the experience. I haven't been competing for quite a while as I had a one-and-a-half-year break, but I kept training both in Slovakia and Ossetia."

The remaining eight freestyle weights will be in action Sunday, the final day of the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup. World champion Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) and Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) are returning after a seven-month break while Bajrang PUNIA (IND) would look to continue his unbeaten record at Ranking Series events.

European champion Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) is also entered and will wrestle at 74kg.

WW Results

50kg
GOLD: Namuuntsetseg TSOGT-OCHIR (MGL) df. Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB), via fall

BRONZE: Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) df. Svetlana ANKICHEVA (KAZ), 8-4
BRONZE: Turkan NASIROVA (AZE) df. Aigul NURALIM (KAZ), 5-4

53kg
GOLD: Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) df. Zhuldyz ESHIMOVA (KAZ), via inj. def.

BRONZE: Leyla GURBANOVA (AZE) df. Aisha UALISHAN (KAZ), via fall
BRONZE: Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB) df. Buman ENKHBOLD (MGL), via forfeit

55kg
GOLD: Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) df. Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB), 4-3

BRONZE: Sushma SHOKEEN (IND) df. Ainur ASHIMOVA (KAZ), via fall

59kg
GOLD: Sarita MOR (IND) df. Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE), 10-0

BRONZE: Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ) df. Aizhan ISMAGULOVA (KAZ), 11-3

65kg
GOLD: MANISHA (IND) df. Elis MANOLOVA (AZE), 8-0

BRONZE: Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB) df. Gaukhar MUKATAY (KAZ), via fall

72kg
GOLD: Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) df. BIPASHA (IND), 7-5

BRONZE: Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB) df. Davaanasan ENKH-AMAR (MGL), via forfeit

FS Results

97kg
GOLD: Batyrbek TCAKULOV (SVK) df. Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI), 10-0

BRONZE: Akezhan AITBEKOV (KAZ) df. Mukhammadrasul RAKHIMOV (UZB), 4-3
BRONZE: Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) df. Faizi FAIZZODA (TJK), 10-0

125kg
GOLD: Amir ZARE (IRI) df. Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ), 21-10

BRONZE: Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) df Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ), 2-2
BRONZE: Mohit GREWAL (IND) df Sardorbek KHOLMATOV (UZB), 8-2

#WrestleZagreb

World Championships 2025: Day 6 GR 55kg, 77kg, 82kg, 130kg Highlights

Thursday, September 18, 2025 - 08:31 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 18) -- Greco-Roman day at the World Championships in Zagreb. Four weight classes -- 55kg, 77kg, 82kg and 130kg -- are in action with Olympic champion Nao KUSAKA (JPN) and Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) are expected to meet in 77kg quarterfinals.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 5 RESULTS

77kg semifinals
SF 1: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) vs. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI)
SF 2: Nao KUSAKA (JPN) vs. Robert FRITSCH (HUN)

14:55: In the most anticipated match of the session, Nao KUSAKA (JPN) repeated his victory Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) from the final at the Paris Olympics to advance to the 77kg semifinals as he pursues a first world gold. Kusaka got the first chance at par terre, but it was Zhadrayev who came out with the points. Kusaka went to his usual cross body lock, but Zhadrayev used the momentum and timed it perfectly to launch a throw himself. Although Kusaka got behind for reversal, it left Zhadrayev ahead 2-2 on criteria. In the second period, a quick charge at the whistle sees Kusaka gain a stepout that is awarded on challenge. Kusaka adds another stepout, then fends off the pressure from Zhadrayev while avoiding getting flagged for passivity and advances with a 4-2 victory. Next up for Kusaka will be Robert FRITSCH (HUN), from the country where the Japanese went to train prior to his triumph in Paris.

14:54: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) blocks Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) as the Turkiye tries to turn Amoyan from par tarre to get the two points for danger position. There is no way back for Yilmaz as Amoyan, the Olympic bronze medalist, wins 3-1 to enter the semifinals at 77kg.

14:53: The Iranian win-rush continues as the country puts all four wrestlers in the semifinals with Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) beating Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE), 3-1, at 77kg. Abdevali turned Suleymanov from par terre to take the lead and the win.

14:50: Robert FRITSCH (HUN) spoils the bid of local hero Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) to make the 77kg semifinals, scoring a stepout in the first period that proves the difference in a 2-1 victory.

55kg semifinals
SF 1: Emin CAKIR (TUR) vs. Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO)
SF 2: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) vs. Payam AHMADI (IRI)

14:42: European bronze medalist Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) is into the world semifinals with a 3-2 victory over Denis MIHAI (ROU). A stepout from Lolua made the difference as he held criteria at 2-2. A lost challenge from Mihai gives another point to Lolua

14:40: In a battle between a 30-something and a teenager, experience wins out, which is not surprising given it involves four-time 55kg world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE). Azizli scores a takedown and gut wrench in the first period against 18-year-0ld Jayden RANEY (USA), who gets his chance on top in par terre in the second, but cannot budge the Azeri, who wins 5-1 to advance to the semifinals.

14:35: Emin CAKIR (TUR) upsets former world bronze medalist Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) at 55kg, with a 9-0 technical superiority win.

14:31: Payam AHMADI (IRI) quickly joins the Iranian parade into the semifinals, needing just 25 seconds to bull Artiom DELEANU (MDA) down to the mat and execute three quick-fire rolls for an 8-0 victory at 55kg.

82kg semifinals
SF 1: Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) vs. Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
SF 2: Karlo KODRIC (CRO) vs. Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI)

14:28: A match for the ages as Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), a former world U17 champion and recent world U20 bronze medalist, beats European champion Gurban GURBANOV (AZE), who is cautioned out of the match. Gurbanov had a 6-2 lead but Yoshida, a powerhouse, keeps pressuring Gurbanov who is struggling with conditioning. A slew of stepouts and Yoshida makes it 8-6. On the stepout with 16 seconds left, Gurbanov receives his third caution and is disqualified from the match, giving Yoshida the win.

14:22: Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW) thought he had it covered but Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) scores two turns from the third passivity par terre to beat Tiuliubaev 5-4 and enter the semifinals at 82kg.

14:20: Karlo KODRIC (CRO), perhaps charged up by a vocal block of home fans in the stands nearby, steps over for 2 on a gut wrench attempt by Mihail BRADU (MDA), giving him a 4-1 lead midway through the second period of their 82kg quarterfinal. Kodric gives up a late stepout, but walks off a 4-2 winner.

14:15: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) fights off a whizzer by Ramon BETSCHART (SUI) to secure a takedown, then traps an arm and executes four exposures to advance to the 82kg semifinals with an 8-0 victory in 1:05.

130kg semifinals
SF 1: Darius VITEK (HUN) vs Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW)
SF 2: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) vs Wenhao JIANG (CHN)

14:07: Wenhao JIANG (CHN) with a pair of stepouts and he's into the 130kg quarterfinals with a 4-1 win over Jello KRAHMER (GER).

14:05: Darius VITEK (HUN) is the beneficiary of the new Greco-Roman rule in which the wrestler with first passivity point win. He beats Mykola KUCHMII (UKR), 1-1, at 130kg.

14:03: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) with an over-under throw for four over Hamza BAKIR (TUR) in the 130kg quarterfinals. Bakir tries to come back with a double-arm lock throw but Hlinchuk blocks and secures the fall.

14:01: Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) surprisingly throws world champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) for 4 with an arm throw in their 130kg quarterfinal, but any joy is gone in milliseconds as the Iranian rolls through the move and puts Kuosmanen on his back. Mirzazadeh doesn't waste the opportunity and secures the fall in 1:13.

Quarterfinals will begin at the same time

13:47: Olympic champion Nao KUSAKA (JPN) books an Olympic final rematch with Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) with a 7-0 victory over Ihor BYCHKOV (UKR) at 77kg. He scored all his points in the first period and somehow there were no points in the second period.

13:43: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) caps a one-sided 10-0 victory over Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) with a 4-point throw in the second period to secure his berth in the 77kg quarterfinals.

13:37: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) used his head, and not in a good way, and it cost him a shot at a gold medal. Gutu was leading FRITSCH (HUN) 2-0 in their 77kg bout when he was hit with a 2-point penalty for a head butt, which also put him behind on criteria. Fritsch then received a passivity point, and he held on for a 3-2 victory. Ironically, Gutu suffered a head cut from his own action and had to have treatment, including a bandage around his head, which he ripped off and tossed in anger after the match.

13:30: Aleksa ILIC (SRB) almost pulls off a huge upset over Olympic silver medalist Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) at 77kg. Ilic led 5-1 at the break but Zhadrayev, who for the par terre, scored a turn to make it 5-4 but a stepout gave a point to Ilic. Zhadrayev hits a big four-pointer against a tired Ilic his place in the quarterfinal with an 8-6 win.

13:21: World bronze medalist Denis MIHAI (ROU) with a takedown and roll, then a 4-point takedown against an overmatched Alexander CUEVAS (SGP) and he's into the 55kg quarterfinals with an 8-0 victory in just over a minute.

13:10: World U20 champion Payam AHMADI (IRI) gets his debut on the senior level off to an impressive start, manhandling Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ) in a 9-0 win to advance to the 55kg quarterfinals.

13:07: Young Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), the 2024 Asian champion, extricates himself from a 4-point hole, scoring five points in the second period to top Alexander JOHANSSON (SWE) 6-5 at 82kg. Yoshida, who gave up a 4-point arm throw in the first period, pressures Johansson down for two takedowns, then gets a stepout with :54 left to take the lead for the first time.

13:05: Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) gets the first of the two passivity calls, and with no other scoring, that makes him a 1-1 winner over Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) at 82kg.

13:04: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) with powerpacked 8-0 technical superiority win over world silver medalist Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) at 82kg. Szilvassy was never allowed to settle down by Farokhi

13:00: Four-time world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) with a 22-second technical superiority over Anil MOR (IND) at 55kg.

12:58: A stepout with 33 seconds left, Hamza BAKIR (TUR) beats Oscar PINO (CUB) 3-1 at 130kg. Bakir led 1-1 on criteria as he was given the first par terre position. But As Pino tried to score a stepout late in the second period, Bakir turned it around and managed to force Pino to put the hand before Bakir himself did. Cuba challenged the call but lost it.

12:52: With calls of 'Karlo! Karlo!' and the banging of drums reverberating throughout the arena, Karlo KODRIC (CRO) is through to the 82kg quarterfinals with a 5-0 victory over Bekzat ORUNKUL UULU (KGZ).

12:45: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) comes back from 3-1 down to beat Razmik KURDYAN (ARM) 4-3, thanks for a successful challenge from Hlinchuk at the end.

12:42: Defending 130kg champion and Olympic bronze medalist Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) gets two gut wrenches off par terre for a 5-0 lead over Marko KOSCEVIC (CRO), much to the dismay of the home crowd. In the second period, Mirzazadeh adds a stepout, then scores a takedown for an 8-0 win with just over two minutes left.

12:36: Four-time Asian medalist Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) rns out of a gas about two minutes to soon, giving Mykola KUCHMII (UKR) two easy takedowns in the second period and a 6-4 win at 130kg.

12:35: Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) pulls off the biggest surprise of the session so far, scoring a late takedown to topple Sergei SEMENOV (UWW) 3-3 at 130kg. In the first period, Semenov counters a throw attempt for a 2-point takedown, with an additional point for an unsuccessful challenge, but Kuosmanen strikes back with a stepout to make it 3-1 at the break. In the second period, a mighty shove sends Semenov down to the mat, and Kuosmanen pounces to secure the takedown and the shocking victory.

12:12: Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN) gets the first par terre position in the 77kg bout against Olympic silver medalist Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) and he scores from a throw in which the Kazakhstan wrestlers lands outside the zone. Sarkkinen leads 2-0. Just before the break, Zhadrayev gets a stepout to make it 2-1 Zhadrayev got the par terre in the second period to take a 2-2 criteria lead before getting a exposure for two points. Finland challenges the call. The two points are confirmed and Zhadrayev lead grows to 5-2, which remains the winning score.

12:09: Paris Olympic bronze medalist Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM), a former world champion with three world medals, was about to become the beneficiary of the new rule giving the wrestler who scores the first point in a Greco bout that ends 1-1 the victory, but a late challenge over a last-second move instead makes him a 2-1 winner over Kamal BEY (USA).

12:05: Two-time world U23 champion Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) gets off to an awesome start, throwing Lai Hsing YAO (TPE) twice with spectacular four and five pointers to start his campaign at 77kg with a 12-0 win.

11:57: A welcome win for the home team. Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) rips off four rolls from par terre and he advances with a 9-0 victory over Hyeonjin KANG (KOR) at 77kg.

11:55: Olympic champion Nao KUSAKA (JPN) warms up with an 8-0 technical superiority win over AMAN (IND) at 77kg. He is expected to meet Olympic silver medalist Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) in the quarterfinals if the seeds hold.

11:40: Taiga ONISHI (JPN), whose younger sister Sakura won the women's 59kg gold on Tuesday night, gets a quick takedown, only to have Huoying SHI (CHN) reverse in their opening match at 55kg. Shi goes ahead in the second period with an exposure off an arm throw attempt, then hits a back suplex that is good for another 2. Shi resists a throw attempt and gets another 2, giving him a 7-2 win.

11:19: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI), winner of the Ranking Series event here in Zagreb, has no need to go to par terre. He alternates three takedowns with two stepouts, then gets a point for a denied challenge to defeat Qingzhe LI (CHN) 9-0 in precisely two minutes at 82kg.

11:15: Four-time world medalist Oscar PINO (CUB), his nation's heir apparent at 130kg to legendary five-time Olympic champion Mijain LOPEZ (CUB), easily executes a gut wrench from par terre, then is a rock when put on the bottom and he's through with a 3-1 victory over Jacob LOGAARD (SWE).

11:05: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW), who won 2023 world u23 gold at 97kg, is now at 130kg. He begins his first World Championships at this weight with a 9-0 victory over Sulkhan BUIDZE (GEO).

11:00: Sergei SEMENOV (UWW), a two-time former Olympic bronze medal who has a world gold from 2018, gets a pair of rolls from par terre and, although Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA) managed a reversal after the second one, safely posts a 5-2 victory at 130kg to start the Greco action on Mat D.

10:55: Alexander JOHANSSON (SWE) gets a big win for Sweden as he defeats former European champion and young star Alperen BERBER (TUR) 2-1, at 82kg. Berber is coming back after an injury he suffered at the Mongolian Ranking Series.

Bolat Turlykhanov Cup: India wins WW title; Zare survives scare

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World Championships 2025: Day 6 GR 55kg, 77kg, 82kg, 130kg Highlights