Bozkurt joins list of rising Turkey heavyweights with U23 World gold

Tuesday, October 18, 2022 - 21:51 By Vinay Siwach

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 18) -- As if the Turkey super heavyweight class was not already packed, Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) is the latest name to enter the list of successors to five-time world champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR).

Bozkurt won the 130kg gold medal at the U23 World Championships in dominating fashion in Pontevedra, Spain to inch closer to the spot on the senior team.

Apart from Kayaalp, Osman YILDIRIM (TUR), Muhammet BAKIR (TUR), Cemal BAKIR (TUR) and now Bozkurt are the wrestlers trying to fill the spot in the heaviest weight category.

Bozkurt, who finished fifth at the last edition of the U23 Worlds in Belgrade, outscored his opponents 31-2 in five bouts for the gold.

In the final, he wrestled U20 world champion Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) and came out with a technical superiority win, trouncing the Ukrainian at will.

He opened the scoring with a takedown when Vyshnyvetskyi tried a headlock. He also got the par terre position. When he scored the second takedown, he made sure he turns Vyshnyvetskyi and extends his lead.

Desperate to get back in the final with just one point on the board, Vyshnyvetskyi tried a bodylock throw but landed on his back to give two more points to Bozkurt.

Vyshnyvetskyi had used the bodylock to perfection Monday but the same became his undoing a day later.

“The final was a good one,” Bozkurt said. “ A little easy.”

Bozkurt also avenged his loss from the U23 European Championships final which he lost to Dariusz VITEK (HUN) 1-1. In the semifinals Monday, he scored a 6-1 win over Vitek.

“I was expecting to medal here and it's a relief that I was able to win the gold,” he said. “I am very pleased with this performance.”

While he aims to make the senior team in the coming time, Bozkurt is aware that it will be one challenging task.

“The competition in the Turkey national team is always tough, especially at 130kg,” he said. “It's good and that means I have to perform better to win.”

Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) upgraded his silver from 2021 to gold on Tuesday at the U23 Worlds. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

In the other four Greco-Roman gold medal bouts Tuesday, Iran managed to capture two while Armenia and Hungary shared one each.

For Iran, Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) made sure he doesn't return home with silver like last year. He defeated Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) 5-1 at 55kg to win the gold.

In a highly-paced bout, Dad Marz scored the first takedown. He did not let the guard down and got Guluzade to be passive. From par terre he got one gut wrench to lead 5-0 at the break.

In the second period, he was called passive but Guluzade did not get the turn that could have helped him remain in contention.

The former U20 world champion was also at the senior world championships this year but finished eighth. He was relieved that he managed to finish the season on a high.

Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) defeated Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO) 8-0 in the 63kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostandin Andonov)

The second gold medal for Iran was won by Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) at 63kg. He defeated Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO) via technical superiority in the final.

Shotadze was never able to match the high-paced wrestling of Khoon Mohammadi. He was warned for being inactive both in the first and second periods. Khoon Mohammadi then scored using a stepout. Shotadze was cautioned for fleeing.

Khoon Mohammadi then scored a takedown before Shotadze hit a desperate throw but fell on his back, giving Khoon Mohammadi a technical superiority win.

Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) now has three world titles -- U20, U23 and senior. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In a highly anticipated 77kg final, senior world champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) humbled Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) to win his first U23 world title.

Continuing his streak of winning medals in all the tournaments he has wrestled since the Individual World Cup in 2020, Amoyan captured the top medal to complete the set of U20, U23 and senior world gold.

Amoyan, who won the 72kg gold medal at the Oslo World Championships, also continues his smooth transition to 77kg, a weight in which he won bronze at the recent senior World Championships.

His opponent, 20-year-old Gutu was expected to put up a stronger challenge for the gold medal and did so at the start of the bout but was consistently caught off guard by Amoyan.

The first par terre advantage went to Amoyan. Gutu, however, managed to escape from the position before Amoyan caught him midway and exposed him with a high gut wrench. Gutu scored a stepout to cut the lead to 3-1 at the break.

Early in the second period, Gutu was once again caught in his own attack when Amoyan got one of his hands around Gutu's waist and after a little struggle, brought him to the mat for a takedown. He also turned Gutu for two more points.

In the end, Gutu, who finished 17th at the '21 U23 Worlds, had to contend with a silver medal as his search for the first world title since the U17 one in 2018 continues.

Istvan TAKACS (HUN) scored a 7-4 win over Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) in the 87kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Another rapidly rising star captured the gold Tuesday. Istvan TAKACS (HUN) added a U23 world gold medal to his already impressive resume which boasts of U20 world and continental gold medals. Takacs also won the U23 European Championships this year.

In the 87kg gold medal bout, he faced Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM), a surprise finalist.

Tadevosyan built a 4-0 lead with a passivity call, a turn and a stepout. But just before the break, Takacs scored a big throw for four to lead on criteria.

The second period saw Takacs add three more points to his score to win the gold medal with no real trouble at the end.

After the medals were decided in five weight classes, Iran leads the team title race in Greco-Roman with Armenia in second and Turkey placed third.

The gold medal bouts of the remaining five weights were also decided Tuesday with eight different countries getting a finalist. Azerbaijan and Croatia were the only countries to have two finalists each.

Women's wrestling will begin at the U23 World Championships Wednesday with 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg and 76kg wrestlers going on the mat.

Olympic and world champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) will be one of the wrestlers in action Wednesday as she begins her quest to win the U23 world gold and complete the Grand Slam in wrestling.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Nihad GULUZADE (AZE), 5-1

BRONZE: Ahmet TASKINOGLU (TUR) df. Denis MIHAI (ROU), 8-3
BRONZE: Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO) df. Ken MATSUI (JPN), 8-0

63kg
GOLD: Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO), 8-0

BRONZE: Ryuto IKEDA (JPN) df. Ziya BABASHOV (AZE), 1-1
BRONZE: Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) df. Maksym LIU (UKR), 3-1

77kg
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), 7-2

BRONZE: Sajan BHANWALA (IND) df. Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR), 10-10
BRONZE: Nao KUSAKA (JPN) df. Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI), 3-1

87kg
GOLD: Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df. Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM), 7-2

BRONZE: Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL) df. Beka MELELASHVILI (GEO), 4-1
BRONZE: Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) df. Maksat SAILAU (KAZ), 9-1

130kg
GOLD: Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) df. Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR), 9-1

BRONZE: Dariusz VITEK (HUN) df. Nikolaos NTOUNIAS (GRE), 12-2
BRONZE: Aliakbar YOUSOFI (IRI) df. Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE), 9-1

Semifinals

60kg
GOLD: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) vs. Kerem KAMAL (TUR)

SF 1: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ), 3-1
SF 2: Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO), 4-4

67kg
GOLD: Seyed SOHRABI (IRI) vs. Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA)

SF 1: Seyed SOHRABI (IRI) df. Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO), 6-3
SF 2: Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA) df. Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN), 9-1

72kg
GOLD: Pavel PUKLAVEC (CRO) vs. Gurban GURBANOV (AZE)

SF 1: Pavel PUKLAVEC (CRO) df. VIKAS (IND), 9-0
SF 2: Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) df. Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR), 7-1

82kg
GOLD: Exauce MUKUBU (NOR) vs. Karlo KODRIC (CRO)

SF 1: Exauce MUKUBU (NOR) df. Mats AHLGREN (SWE), 11-0
SF 2: Karlo KODRIC (CRO) df. Beka GURULI (GEO), 6-5

97kg
GOLD: Markus RAGGINGER (AUT) vs. Alex SZOKE (HUN)

SF 1: Markus RAGGINGER (AUT) df. Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO), 4-1
SF 2: Alex SZOKE (HUN) df. Igor ALVES (BRA), 3-0

#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships Day 3 Women's Wrestling Finals Set

Saturday, April 13, 2024 - 04:33 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 13) -- Women's Wrestling at the Asian Championships with Japan hoping to win all five gold medals. Yui SUSAKI (JPN), Moe KIYOOKA (JPN), Risako KINJO (JPN), Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) and Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN) will be the five Japanese wrestlers in action.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 2 REPORT

Here are the finals for tonight

50kg
Yui SUSAKI (JPN) vs. Ziqi FENG (CHN)

55kg
Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) vs. Kyong Ryong OH (PRK)

59kg
Qi ZHANG (CHN) vs. Anudari BATKHUYAG (MGL)

68kg
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) vs. RADHIKA (IND)

76kg
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) vs. Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN)

14:19: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) avenges a loss from last year's final with a 5-1 victory over Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) in the 76kg semifinals in which she got some help from a Kazakhstan challenge. Medet Kyzy was leading 1-1 on criteria from a pair of activity points when she was put on the clock again. She scores a takedown much to the delight of the home crowd, then goes for a gut wrench. Medet Kyzy gets stopped midway through, and the Kazakh side challenges, thinking they should have gotten 2. Instead, Medet Kyzy is awarded 2 for exposure in a challenge "won" by the opponent.

14:16: Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN) with takedowns in each period to see off Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN) 4-0 and reach the 76kg final.

14:04: RADHIKA (IND) into the final at 68kg a fall over local star Gulnura TASHTANBEKOVA (KAZ). She gets Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) as her opponent for the gold medal.

14:04: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) is having no trouble with the extra weight at 68kg, storming to a 10-0 victory in 1:28 over world silver medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) to make the final. She will be looking to add to the Asian gold she won at 62kg in 2022.

13:58: While the 14-3 score doesn't show it, Anudari BATKHUYAG (MGL) and Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ) had a wild match in which the Kazakh wrestler kept trying to hit a four-pointer but it was Batkhuyag who got the big throws and points. The Mongolian wins 14-3 and advances to the 59kg final.

13:55: World champion Qi ZHANG (CHN) follows up her victory over Japanese star Risako KAWAI (JPN) with a 10-0 rout of Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB) to advance to the 59kg final. Zhang shrugs by Aimbetova for a takedown, which she follows with two gut wrenches. A snap-down takedown then sets her up for another gut wrench that ends the match after 1:06.

13:51: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) advances to her first senior Asian final with a 10-0 win over Dulguun BOLORMAA (MGL) at 55kg. Kiyooka opens with a low single-leg takedown for the lone score of the first period. She continues to attack at ankle level and chalks up four more takedowns to finish off the match with 23 seconds to spare.

13:44: Into the final at 55kg is Kyong Ryong OH (PRK). She rolls to an 11-0 win over Zulfiya YAKHYAROVA (KAZ) and will face Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) for the gold medal.

13:36: Ziqi FENG (CHN) sets up a final against Yui SUSAKI (JPN) at 50kg after destroying world silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) 11-0 in the semifinal. A strong statement from Feng who lost 8-2 against Susaki in the World Championships semifinal.

13:33: World and Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) will get a shot at her first Asian title since 2017 after cruising to a 10-0 win over Thi NGUYEN at 50kg. Susaki opens with a front headlock roll for 2, then adds a double-leg takedown. From there she applies a lace lock, and three quick rolls and it's all over in just over a minute.

The semifinals in the women's wrestling will begin at 13:30 local time

13:00: Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN), a 2022 world U23 bronze medalist, scores a takedown with 20 seconds left to defeat Zagardulam NAIGALSUREN (MGL) 4-4 on criteria in their 76kg quarterfinal. Naigalsuren had gone ahead with a takedown just over a minute earlier.

12:51: World silver medalist and three-time Asian medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) wastes little time in disposing of Hyeongyeong PARK (KOR), scoring a takedown and arm-barring her over for a fall in 48 seconds and meeting with Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) in the 68kg semifinals.

12:48: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN), the 2023 world U23 champion, takes out the reigning Asian U23 champion Min ZHANG (CHN) 5-1 to make the 55kg semifinals. Kiyooka gets an activity point in the first period. In the second, Zhang gets in deep on a single, but Kiyooka forces a stalemate. The Japanese comes back with a double-leg takedown, and Zhang responds with a stepout with a minute left. Kiyooka spins behind on a poor shot by Zhang to make it 5-1.

12:39: Dulgunn BOLORMAA (MGL), who completed the full set of Asian medals by winning the gold in 2021, posts a 4-0 victory over Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB) to advance to the 55kg semifinals.

12:39: Returning from her injury at the World Championships, Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) with a solid showing in the quarterfinal against Priya MALIK (IND) at 76kg. Malik was put on the activity clock in the first period before Medet Kyzy got the takedown to lead 3-0 at the break. Malik did get close to scoring a takedown thrice but failed to finish the move. Medet Kyzy moves into the semifinal with a 3-1 win.

12:30: World silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) trailed Irina ZHANIBEKOVA BORISSOVA (KAZ) 4-4 on criteria but Dolgorjav hits a four to take an 8-4 lead. Borissova with a reversal but loses her steam in the match to go down 12-5 at 50kg

12:29: Thi NGUYEN (VIE) scores a victory by fall over Miseon KWON (KOR) in their 50kg quarterfinal. Her reward is a clash with Susaki in the semifinals.

12:25: Another thriller involving a Kyrgyz wrestler revs up the crowd, but ends up going the opposite way. In a back-and-forth match, Tancholpon KYBALBEKOVA (KGZ) scores a stepout against Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB) with 10 seconds left for what appears to be a 6-6 win on criteria. But a challenge overturns the call and gives Aimbetova the point.

12:22: Did Yui SUSAKI (JPN) just survive a scare there? The world champion got a 2-0 lead after Yong Ok HWANG (PRK) was called passive in both periods. Hwang got attacking in the last minute but Susaki kept her at bay. With 12 seconds remaining on the clock, Hwang got a stepout and got Susaki in the zone but the Japanese got on her knees and stopped Hwang. A desperate attempt from Hwang for a front roll but Susaki blocks it to win 4-1 at 50kg.

12:21: Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) gets the defense of her 76kg title started by using a headlock trip to throw Seoyeon JONG (KOR) onto her back and score a quick fall to advance to the semifinals.

12:17: Returning bronze medalist and world bronze medalist Ziqi FENG (CHN) advances to the 50kg semifinals with a victory by fall over Shivani PAWAR (IND). She is in the opposite bracket as Yui SUSAKI (JPN).

12:13: RADHIKA (IND), a silver medalist at 65kg in 2022, rolls into the 68kg semifinals with a 12-2 victory over Albina KAIRGELDINOVA (KAZ)

12:12: Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) with a 10-0 win at 55kg against Aruuke KADYRBEK KYZY (KGZ). Next up on Mat C is Yui SUSAKI (JPN) at 50kg against Yong Ok HWANG (PRK)

12:08: In the marquis match of the session, two-time Olympic champion Risako KINJO (JPN) faces reigning world champion Qi ZHANG (CHN) in their opening match at 59kg. Kinjo (formerly KAWAI) gets an activity point for the lone score of the first period as neither takes any risks. In the second period, Zhang gets an activity point and then fends off Kinjo's attacks for a 1-1 victory. It was Kinjo's first international match since winning the 57kg gold at the Tokyo Olympics, after which she got married and gave birth. She moved up to 59kg after failing to make Japan's team to the Paris Olympics.

12:03: Gulnara TASHTANBEKOVA (KGZ) thrills the home crowd when trailing 6-1 to Po Gyong RI (PRK), she throws her to her back with a whirling back trip and records the fall for a spot in the 68kg semifinals.

12:00: A minute and seven seconds to win her international debut bout at 68kg for Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)! She rolls to a 10-0 win over Zelu LI (CHN).

11:58: Anudari BATKHUYAG (MGL) with a pin over Pushpa YADAV (IND) at 59kg. Yadav left it too late and broke down in the second period.

11:52: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN), the 2022 world U20 and U23 champion at 55kg, gets her campaign started in her first senior Asian Championships with a 9-0 victory over TAMANNA (IND), last year's Asian U23 silver medalist at 53kg. Kiyooka will next face the reigning Asian U23 champion Min ZHANG (CHN).

11:48: Priya MALIK (IND), the U20 world champion and returning bronze medalist, starts her Asian Championships with a 10-0 win over Valentina TORENIYAZOVA (UZB) at 76kg in just two minutes.

11:43: Shivanee PAWAR (IND), a 2021 world U23 silver medalist, falls into a surprising six-point hole against Samnang DIT (CAM) in her opening match at 50kg, but fights back to tie the score, then records a fall to advance to the quarterfinals.

11:40: On her comeback after five years, Yong HWANG (PRK) wins 4-0 against Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB) at 50kg. Hwang is looking to better on the bronze medal she won at the 2019 Asian Championships in Xi'an.

11:30: A late start to the third day of the Asian Championships as the number of matches is less today. Some of the biggest names in wrestling will be on the mat in a short while.

Bozkurt joins list of rising Turkey heavyweights with U23 World gold

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Asian Championships Day 3 Women's Wrestling Finals Set