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Commonwealth Games, Birmingham Day 2 finals set

Saturday, August 6, 2022 - 09:13 By Vinay Siwach

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COVENTRY, England (August 6) -- The second day of the Commonwealth Games is live from the Coventry Arena. Three freestyle and three women's wrestling weight classes will be in action again. Ravi KUMAR (IND) and Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) are the big stars in action.

MATCH ORDER

13:05: Madison PARKS (CAN) with an underhook for four in the final second to win 9-6 against Pooja GEHLOT (IND) who was leading 6-0 at one point of the bout. Parks will wrestle for the gold

12:55: Nishant RANDHAWA (CAN) shuts out Tayab RAZA (IND) 7-0 to make it to the 97kg final. He will wrestle U20 world bronze medalist Nicolaas DE LANGE (RSA) for the gold.

12:50: Ravi KUMAR (IND) is into the final at 57kg and he will wrestle Ebikewenimo WELSON (NGR).

12:40: Muhammad TAHIR (PAK) will wrestle NAVEEN (IND) for the gold at 74kg after he beats Cole HAWKINS (NZL) 11-0.

12:35: The first finalist at 74kg is NAVEEN (IND). He beats Charlie BOWLING (ENG) 12-1 in just over three minutes to reach the gold medal bout

12:30: Justina DI STASIO (CAN) with a solid 6-0 win over Pooja SIHAG (IND) to enter the final at 76kg. She will wrestle Hannah RUEBEN (NGR) who defeated Georgina NELTHORPE (ENG) 6-1 in the other semifinal.

12:15: Nishan RANDHAWA (CAN) and Deepak NEHRA (IND) with a thrilling bout. Nehra had a 4-4 criteria lead at the break but Randhawa scored a takedown to lead 6-6 before Nehra made it 6-6 with 22 seconds left. Randhawa then scored a stepout with three seconds left to win 7-6

11:55: Muhammad TAHIR (PAK) and Jasmit PHULKA (CAN) with a top battle at 74kg. Phulka got awarded the point for Tahir's passivity and Tahir scored a stepout to lead 1-1. With less than 30 seconds left, Tahir moved Phulka to the zone from where he was warned for fleeing. Canada challenged the call and lost which gave Tahir a 3-1 lead. Phulka was forced into par terre from where Tahir managed two more to win 5-1

11:25: Huge bout at 53kg in Round 2. Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) up against Mercy ADEKUOROYE (NGR). Phogat with an early takedown using a go behind. She then goes for a leg cross and gets two more to lead 4-0 at the break. Phogat with underhook to put Adekuoroye on the back and she is looking for the pin. The two remain in danger for the remaining time. Phogat wins 6-0

11:13:  Madison PARKS (CAN) scores a huge 12-0 win over Shriyanthika NIROSHANI (SRI) to book her semifinal berth against Pooja GEHLOT (IND)

11:03: What a bout we had on Mat A at 74kg. Jasmit PHULKA (CAN) and Nicolae COJOCARU (SCO) continued some high-paced wrestling. Cojocaru led 5-5 on criteria with 30 seconds left but Phulka used his experience to score a takedown and ran the clock down to 4 seconds. He wins 7-4

10:50: Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) with a fall over world bronze medalist Samantha STEWART (CAN). Her second bout will be against Mercy ADEKUOROYE (NGR) who won 10-0 against Chamodya KESHANI (SRI) at 53kg 

10:45: Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR) with a 9-0 win over Madison PARKS (CAN) and Pooja GEHLOT (IND) defeats Christelle LETCHIDJIO (SCO) 12-2 and both reach the semifinals at 50kg

10:30: Welcome to day two of the Commonwealth Games. Big names in the competition here with India and Canada expected to dominate the day. Women's 50kg and 53kg will follow the Nelson system

2026 Muhamet Malo

'Important Gold’: Sadulaev Relishes Successful 97kg Return

Thursday, February 26, 2026 - 21:58 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (February 26) -- World champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) could have challenged him. Up-and-coming Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW) could have caused trouble. Or maybe Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) would have caused an upset.

None of that happened. A calm and composed Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) marked his return to the mat with yet another gold medal, winning the 97kg weight class at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series event on Thursday in Tirana, Albania.

READ MORE: Khaniev Beats Snyder, Iran Wins 2 FS Golds

It has become increasingly rare to see Sadulaev wrestle internationally, but when he does, the results tend to be a foregone conclusion. Sadulaev last wrestled at a global event at the same Feti Borova Arena in Tirana in October 2024 when he claimed his sixth world title, stunningly dropping to 92kg.

After 15 months, he was back -- at 97kg and, the top of the podium.

"Thank you to everyone who supported me, those in the arena and those watching on TV and smartphones," Sadulaev said. "Everyone who cheered, worried, and prayed for me. I want to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to all of you."

When Sadulaev stepped on the mat on Thursday, he rolled back the years. Right hand on his opponent's forehand, circling while standing tall. He would throw himself back if someone tried to attack his legs and then get a front headlock to score.

A true throwback in Tirana would have been a Sadulaev and Snyder clash but Khaniev decided to postpone that for now by beating the United States wrestler in the quarterfinals. Sadulaev got Khaniev in the final.

He was the first on board with a double-leg attack which gave him four points. He then made Khaniev toil to find an opening and when he did, Sadulaev defended like a rock. Khaniev was able to score only through stepouts -- managing four points from it while Sadulaev added three more takedowns to finish the final 10-4.

While the gold medal was a satisfactory result for Sadulaev, there was an added incentive that he was chasing.

"For me, this gold means qualifying for the European Championships, which will take place here in this same arena in two months, in April. It was very important for me to qualify there," he said.

Sadulaev, if he competes, will be at the European Championships after six years having last competed at the tournament in 2020. He won gold medal at 97kg in Rome.

Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW)Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) scores on Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW) in the 97kg final in Tirana. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

The final against Khaniev was a virtual wrestle-off to win the spot for the continental championships, to be held from April 20 to 26. And despite beating Khaniev, Sadulaev was all praise for the youngster.

"Khaniev is young and promising," he said. "I thought we might meet before the final, but [because of the bracket] we faced each other only in the final.

"I know him well, we train in the same region, we’ve been at training camps together and worked side by side. He’s very tough, with a really good stamina. He hasn’t gained that much experience yet, but I believe he has everything ahead of him."

Khaniev, making his debut at 97kg internationally, sprung a surprise when he defeated Snyder 10-4, using some crafty counters in the second period. He also defeated Magomedov in the semifinals.

 Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW)Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) completes a fireman's carry move. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

However, Sadulaev isn't reading much into Snyder's loss as the U.S. wrestler had lost to Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) in Tirana but went on to win the world gold in September.  

"At tournaments like this, he [Snyder] usually doesn’t come in at peak form the way he does for the World Championships or the Olympic Games, where he’s been in his best shape," Sadulaev said. "So this loss doesn’t really say much. Maybe he will win the next World Championships."

The World Championships in Manama, Bahrain is scheduled in October and there is a good chance that both Sadulaev and Snyder will be there. But Sadulaev is hoping for a more decorated field.

"If everything goes well and I make it for the World Championships, four Olympic champions could compete in this weight class [in Bahrain] -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), Kyle [SNYDER] and Ahmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) and myself, and other medalists," he said. "I think it will be the most competitive and exciting weight category."

Sadulaev, in his subtle humor, would go on.

"It’s hot enough there [Bahrain], but I think at the World Championships, it will be even hotter."