#BuchaWrestU23

Cataraga Becomes First to Win Back-to-Back U23 World Titles

Tuesday, November 13, 2018 - 18:33 By Taylor Miller

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Photo of Daniel CATARAGA (MDA) by Martin Gabor. 

BUCHAREST, Romania – Daniel CATARAGA (MDA) became the first two-time U23 World champion in history, winning the 77 kg weight class on Tuesday night at the U23 World Championships in Bucharest, Romania.

After winning the 2017 U23 World title at 71 kg, Cataraga bumped up to 77 kg to claim his second, putting together a solid tournament to do so.

In gold-medal match, Cataraga faced 2018 U23 European champion Rajbek Alvievich BISULTANOV (DEN).

The Moldova native threw up six quick points on the board before securing a fall and the crown in 2:45.


In the heavyweight finale, Zviadi PATARIDZE (GEO) battled back from a five-point deficit against Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) to win gold at 130 kg.

Yildirim led 5-0 at the break before Pataridze slowly chipped away at the lead, drawing a passivity, two caution-and-twos and a step out point to win his sixth age-group World championship.

In addition to his U23 World gold, Pataridze is a three-time Junior World champion and two-time Cadet World champion. Last year, Pataridze won silver at the U23 Worlds in Poland.


At 55 kg, Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), who won a Senior World bronze medal in Budapest, Hungary, just two weeks ago, topped the U23 World podium with a steady 3-2 win over 2018 Russia Nationals champion Vitalii KABALOEV (RUS).

Tsurtsumia scored all of his points in the first period and held off an aggressive Kabaloev in the second period for his first World title and second World medal of 2018.


After taking 15th at Senior Worlds in Budapest, Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) dominated Alexandru BICIU (MDA) in the 63 kg finals, 8-0. Endo took advantage of a chance on top in par terre, where he scored five points after the initial passivity point. Endo closed out the match with a takedown late in the first period for the technical fall.

Semen NOVIKOV (UKR) claimed the 87 kg World title, besting 2018 Senior Pan American champion Daniel GRGEGORICH (CUB) with a 10-2 technical fall. Early in the second period, Novikov scored four points on a throw attempt from Gregorich, and moments later, the Ukrainian picked up a takedown to end the bout.

Finals results

Greco-Roman, 55 kg
GOLD – Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) dec. Vitalii KABALOEV (RUS), 3-2
BRONZE - Balbai DORDOKOV (KGZ) dec. Norayr HAKHOYAN (ARM), 7-3
BRONZE - Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) tech. fall Shota OGAWA (JPN), 8-0

Greco-Roman, 63 kg
GOLD – Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) df. Alexandru BICIU (MDA), 8-0
BRONZE – Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) df. Turabek TIRKASHEV (UZB), 11-2 
BRONZE – Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) df. Meysam Karamali DALKHANI (IRI), 12-4

Greco-Roman, 77 kg
GOLD – Daniel CATARAGA (MDA) df. Rajbek Alvievich BISULTANOV (DEN), fall 2:45
BRONZE – Fatih CENGIZ (TUR) df. Khalid KERCHIYEV (SWE), 5-1  
BRONZE – Ismail SAIDKHASANOV (RUS) df. Sajan SAJAN (IND), 6-5  

Greco-Roman, 87 kg
GOLD – Semen NOVIKOV (UKR) df. Daniel GREGORICH (CUB), 10-2
BRONZE - Anton KURS (BLR) df. Gazi KHALILOV (RUS), 10-0
BRONZE - Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df. Mohamed METWALLY (EGY), 3-3

Greco-Roman, 130 kg
GOLD – Zviadi PATARIDZE (GEO) df. Osman YILDIRIM (TUR), 6-5
BRONZE - Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) df. Oskar MARVIK (NOR), 2-1
BRONZE – Aliakbar YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI) df. Konsta MAEENPAEAE (FIN), 5-0

Team standings (top-six)
1. Georgia – 58
2. Russia – 51
3. Ukraine – 46
4. Moldova - 45
5. Japan – 35
6. Turkey – 35

#WrestleBaku

European Paris 2024 Freestyle Qualification Bouts Set

Sunday, April 7, 2024 - 06:00 By United World Wrestling Press

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BAKU, Azerbaijan (April 7) -- The final day of the European OG Qualifier in Baku, Azerbaijan with 12 Freestyle quotas to be won for the Paris Olympics. Wrestlers who finish top two in the six weight classes will qualify their countries for the the Games.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 2 REPORT

Paris Olympic Qualification Bout Set

 

57kg
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) vs. Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)
Georgi VANGELOV (BUL) vs. Aryan TSIUTRYN (AIN)

65kg
Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) vs. Goderdzi DZEBISASHVILI (GEO)
Haji ALIYEV (AZE) vs. Islam DUDAEV (ALB)

74kg
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) vs. Frank CHAMIZO (ITA)
Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (AIN) vs. Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)

86kg
Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) vs. Artur NAIFONOV (AIN)
Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) vs. Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)

97kg
Alikhan ZHABRAILOV (AIN) vs. Illia ARCHAIA (UKR)
Radoslaw BARAN (POL) vs. Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (AIN)

125kg
Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL) vs. Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (AIN)
Alen KHUBULOV (BUL) vs. Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE)

14:15: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) puts himself in the 86kg semifinal with a 6-2 win over Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL). Nurmagomedov led 4-0 when Ramazanov scored a takedown and tried to turn Nurmagomedov who blocked Ramazanov during the turn and got two more points.

14:05: Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) fails to break Artur NAIFONOV (AIN) defense and suffers a 2-1 loss against Naifonov who has dominated Kurugliev. Naifonov will wrestle for the Paris Olympic quota while Kurguliev will have to fight it out in Istanbul.

13:55: Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (AIN) and Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) put on a show. The two wrestlers scrambled for the lead and on the mat but it was Kadimagomedov who managed to beat Demirtas 6-1. He will take on Salkazanov for a place in Paris Olympics

13:50: Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) survives an attempted pin from Miroslav KIROV (BUL) as the clock expires for the break. Kirov leads 3-1 with two minutes remaining. A stepout for Salkazanov to cut the lead to 3-2. Another one makes it 3-3 with Kirov holding criteria. With 25 seconds remaining, Salkazanov manages to push Kirov out and takes a 4-3 lead and the win at 74kg.

13:40: Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) with a 2-0 victory to enter the semifinals at 74kg. He will take on Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) to win a spot for the Paris Olympics.

13:15: Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) with a solid 6-0 win over Suleyman ATLI (TUR) at 57kg to move into the semifinals. Tokyo Olympian Georgi VANGELOV (BUL) pins Kamil KERYMOV (UKR)

13:00: Haji ALIYEV (AZE) hangs on! He moves into the 65kg semifinals with a 4-2 win over Niurgun SKRIABIN (AIN). The National Gymnastics Arena here in Baku is overjoyed with that.

12:45: Artur NAIFONOV (AIN) and Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) post contrasting wins in their 1/8 finals at 86kg. Naifonov beats  Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT) 10-0 while Kurguliev wins 2-0 against Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL). Naifonov and Kurguliev will clash in the quarterfinals.

12:30: Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) wins 11-0 over Aron CANEVA (ITA) at 86kg. On Mat C, Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) beats Osman GOCEN (TUR) 9-3 at 86kg. A big win for the Georgian wrestler who is moving up from 79kg.

12:10: Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) continues the winning start for Azerbaijan wrestlers by winning 10-0 at 74kg. Bayramov took only two minutes and 10 seconds to beat Tobias PORTMANN (SUI).

12:00: Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) marches on at 74kg. He beats Simon MARCHL (AUT) 7-1 to make his place in the quarterfinal.

11:40: Alikhan ZHABRAILOV (AIN), who replaced Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN), for Baku, starts with a 12-2 win over Benjamin HONIS (HUN) at 97kg.

11:35: Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) entertains the home crowd with a technical superiority 11-0 win over Simone PIRODDU (ITA) at 57kg. Azerbaijan wrestlers are unbeaten so far in Baku

11:25: European champion Islam DUDAEV (ALB) begins his 65kg campaign with a 10-0 win over Dominik JAGUSZ (POL). He will wrestle Joshua FINESILVER (ISR) next

11:10: Two-time Olympic medalist Haji ALIYEV (AZE) felt the burn in the final minute but he does well to keep Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA) at bay and win 5-2 at 65kg. On Mat A, Erik ARUSHUNIAN (UKR) beats Andre CLARKE (GER) 7-1 at 65kg. 

11:00: Artur NAIFONOV (AIN), wrestling internationally for the first time since the 2021 World Championships, gets going with a technical superiority 10-0 win over Aimar ANDRUSE (EST).

10:45: Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (AIN) uses a big throw for four in an 11-0 win over Stas David WOLF (GER) to move into the quarterfinals at 74kg.

10:40: In the first bout of the day, Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) is up on Mat C facing Patryk OLENCZYN (POL). He leads 6-0 at the break, scoring three takedowns in counters. He adds two more in the second period and gives up three points to win 10-3 and advance at 74kg.

10:30: Day three of the European OG Qualifier in Baku with Freestyle weight classes competing for 12 Paris 2024 spots.