Youth OIympic Games

Cuba’s Potrille Upends Machuca; Five Nations Win Gold at YOG

Saturday, October 13, 2018 - 23:12 By Tim Foley

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BUENOS AIRES (October 13) – The risers shook, and eardrums ached as Linda MACHUCA (ARG) made her walk to the mat Saturday night for her 73kg gold medal final. The local teen had gone 4-0 in early action and was wrestling for her nation’s first gold on the mats.

Fans at the Asian Pavilion were swaying, dancing, clapping, howling – a moment of pure joy and anticipation for all those in attendance.

But just as enthusiastic as the teens clapping their red thunder sticks, Cuba’s Milaimys MARIN POTRILLE (CUB) was stoic. Taller than Machuca, Potrille glided across the field of play and climbed to the top of the mat. The wrestlers shook hands and as the whistle blew Portrille launched a double leg for four points, landed in a pinning position and put an end to Machuca’s storybook ending.

Though noticeably disappointed the Argentinian fans supported each wrestler as their name was announced, the hall filling with thunderous applause as Machuca left the mat, teary-eyed and head hanging. Machuca and Potrille’s final was the capstone to a night filled with emotion.


Milaimys MARIN POTRILLE (CUB) raises her hands moments after pinning Linda Marilina MACHUCA (ARG) in the 73kg finals (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

The evening’s first gold medal final featured Emily SHILSON (USA) taking on a scrappy Simran SIMRAN (IND). The American opened up a large lead, but conceded six points late in the match, but managed to escape with the 11-6 win.

Stern-faced, Shilson seemed disappointed with her performance and was reluctant to grab her nation’s flag to celebrate the victory. But she quickly relented and made the requisite lap around the mat - a fragile smile cracking through an otherwise resolute face of focus.

“I got sloppy at the end and didn’t wrestle as sharp as I wanted,” said Shilson when asked about her initial reaction. “It was a good experience though, because now I have things to go work on and I can clean up those mistakes and learn to stay on top.”

“And I’m having the best time here,” she added with a smile. With her win, Shilson became the United States’ first-ever YOG gold medalist in wrestling.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) celebrates after winning gold at 57kg over Anna Hella SZEL (HUN) by TF, 10-0 (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN), whose fanbase dressed in gi blue tops adorned with a large flag of Japan on their back, had no problem showing happiness after winning her final. Ozaki dominated Hungary’s Anna Hella SZEL in final, working to a 10-0 technical superiority victory in the second period.

China’s Xinru ZHOU (CHN) was workman like in winning her nation’s first gold medal in wrestling. The rangy wrestler defeated Oksana CHUDYK (UKR) by TF, 10-0 in less than 30 seconds.

"This is the best moment of my life," said Emma MALMGREN (SWE) after winning the 49kg gold medal (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

Sweden’s Emma MALMGREN (SWE) took the 49kg gold medal with a quick pin over Azerbaijan’s Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB). The diminutive Swede erupted in emotion on the mat, realizing that she’d won gold in dominant fashion.

“It feels so good because everybody is a high-class wrestler who comes here with the same goal of winning Olympic gold,” said Malmgren. “I trained very herd and very tough. Wrestling is always about blood, sweat and tears, but I trained even harder and this was even more special.”

“This is the best moment of my life.”

Wrestling resumes tomorrow at 10am local/9am ET with men’s freestyle and continues at 5pm local/4pm ET with the finals.

Women’s Wrestling, 43kg

GOLD: Emily SHILSON (USA) df. Simran SIMRAN (IND), 11-6
BRONZE: Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE) df. Enkhzul BATBAATAR (MGL), 7-6
FIFTH: Justine Fanny VIGOUROUX (FRA) df. Maria LEORDA (MDA), 4-0
SEVENTH: Sara Gouda Farouk MAHMOUD (EGY) df. Heloisa Elena MARTINEZ (BRA) by TF, 10-0
NINTH: Christianah Tolulope OGUNSANYA (NGR) v. Ella Mae DERRY (NZL) via FORFEIT

Women’s Freestyle, 49kg 

GOLD: Emma Jonna Denise MALMGREN (SWE) df. Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) by FALL
BRONZE: Natallia VARAKINA (BLR) df. Zineb ECH CHABKI (MAR) by TF, 12-1
FIFTH: Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN) df. Tiare Lynn Masako Dizon IKEI (USA), 3-0
SEVENTH: Maria Jose MOSQUERA ROJAS (VEN) df. Paulina Jean DUENAS (GUM) by TF, 10-0
NINTH: Nilufar RAIMOVA (KAZ) df. Sopealai SIM (CAM), via forfeit

Women’s Freestyle, 57kg

GOLD: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. Anna Hella SZEL (HUN) by TF, 10-0
BRONZE: Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) df.  Irina RINGACI (MDA), 6-3
FIFTH: Andrea LOPEZ MARTINEZ (MEX) df. Mayra Alejandra PARRA ALVAREZ (VEN), 7-0
SEVENTH: Hala Wael Imbabi AHMED (EGY) df. Mansi MANSI (IND) by FALL
NINTH: Kaetlyn Rae Okada QUINTANILLA (GUM) df. Lydia TOIDA (CMR), via forfeit

Women’s Freestyle, 65kg

GOLD: Xinru ZHOU (CHN) v. Oksana CHUDYK (UKR) by TF, 10-0
BRONZE: Oyun Erdene TAMIR (MGL) v. Sunmisola Idowu BALOGUN (NGR) by TF, 15-4
FIFTH: Viktoria VESSO (EST) df. Amina Roxana CAPEZAN (ROU), 6-2
SEVENTH: Yetzis Camila RAMIREZ MARQUEZ (CUB) v. Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)
NINTH: Sandra Elena ESCAMILLA MENCHACA (MEX) v. Natacha Véronique NABAINA (CMR)

Women’s Freestyle, 73kg

GOLD: Milaimys MARIN POTRILLE (CUB) df. Linda Marilina MACHUCA (ARG) via FALL
BRONZE: Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) df. Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR), 8-0
FIFTH: Julia Hanna Ellinor FRIDLUND (SWE) v. Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB) by FALL
SEVENTH: Khadija JLASSI (TUN) df. Anika Elizabeth WHITE (CAN) via FALL
NINTH: Vahide Nur GOK (TUR) v. Ioana Penina Nicole Uputaua LUDGATE (ASA) via Forfeit

 

#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Kamal survives scare in Ulaanbaatar amid Turkiye gold rush

Friday, May 30, 2025 - 13:58 By Vinay Siwach

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ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (May 30) -- Turkiye captured all three Greco-Roman gold medals on offer on Friday with European champion Kerem KAMAL (TUR) surviving a tough final to win at 63kg, and Paris Olympians Enes BASAR (TUR) and Hamza BAKIR (TUR) winning at 60kg and 130kg respectively.

Kamal, who won European Championships gold in dominant fashion, could not replicate that performance from April but still managed to win gold. In the final, he survived a scare against Asian Championships bronze medalist Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), winning 6-6 on criteria, thanks to a foul from Chung.

Both had wrestled in the group stages as well as this weight category only had seven wrestlers and were divided into two groups. Kamal came out on top 6-3 in that match.

But the final began with Chung scoring a takedown in the first minute and then adding another point when he was given the par terre advantage. However, he failed to score from that position.

In the second period, Kamal scored a push from par terre and had Chung's back on the mat for two points. He then lifted Chung upside down and completed a throw during which Chung committed a defensive leg foul.

Korea challenged the call but lost which gave Kamal a 6-4 lead. Chung tried to score and during the final 10 seconds, he pushed Kamal to the zone and the Turkish wrestler lost his balance, giving up a takedown.

Chung tied it 6-6 but Kamal led on criteria as Chung had committed the leg foul earlier. Chung realized it later that he was losing the final.

"I think it was a bit of a misjudgment because I thought I was winning and I didn't try hard for last 7 seconds at the end," Chung said. "I'm training hard with [former world champion] Hansu RYU (KOR) as my role model, and I'm trying to copy his style a lot."

For Kamal, the tournament was an eye-opener, especially for his performance against the Asian wrestlers.

"It was a very difficult tournament," Kamal said. "From the first round to the final match, I had very strong and very tough opponents. It was one of the hardest matches I've had this year. Winning is important, but in this tournament I realized that I have many mistakes. I'm thinking that I'm going to watch all my matches over and over again and analyze them and try to wrestle in a way that is more error-free and less pointless."

As he gears up to win his first senior world title in Zagreb later this September, Kamal is now wary of his opponents from Asia and wants to tackle them with more conviction.

"All my opponents are Asian," he said. "Kyrgyz, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Iranian. These are my strongest opponents. When you look at it, most of my opponents are from Asia, so I try to wrestle like Asians. I try to train like them, because they are very difficult to keep up with, they are very active. But as I said, as much as I can stop them, as much as I can do, as long as I can, I will continue to wrestle with them and wrestle like him."

Despite his close matches against Chung, Kamal looked in supreme form, especially while defending on par terre, as he captured his second Ranking Series gold medal of the year. His first gold was in Tirana, Albania.

"I don't think about it there [on the mat], to be honest, because I'm in a completely negative position," he said. "I'm trying to get out of it by doing all the weird things I can. The important thing is that I don't get scored there. It doesn't matter how I do it, what I do, the important thing is not to give points to my opponent and to continue in that way. So I'm very happy that I was able to do that."

Enes BASAR (TUR)Enes BASAR (TUR), blue, won gold medal at 60kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Basar, who was at the Paris Olympics at 60kg, won four bouts in the day to claim the gold medal. He began with an 8-3 win over Kurmanbek ZHAPAROV (KGZ) but his second against Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ) tested him to the limits. He made two comebacks to win 16-5, using a strong gut-wrench.

He followed that win by beating SURAJ (IND), 8-0, in a minute and 13 seconds before finishing his campaign with a 10-2 win over Ganbayar NAMSRAI (MGL).

Hamza BAKIR (TUR)Hamza BAKIR (TUR) claimed the 130kg gold medal in Ulaanbaatar. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

The most dominant run of the day came from Hamza BAKIR (TUR) at 130kg, as he won all his four bouts via technical superiority.

In his first bout, he gave up a point for passivity but still managed to win 9-1 against Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ). That was the only point he gave in the competition, winning his next three bouts via technical superiority.

He defeated Turbat BATBAYAR (MGL), 8-0, in Round 2, PREM (IND) with identical scoreline in Round 3 and in Round 5, he won against Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL), 8-0.

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Enes BASAR (TUR)
SILVER: SURAJ (IND)
BRONZE: Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ)

63kg
GOLD: Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), 6-6

BRONZE: Aref MOHAMMADI (QAT) df. Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI),

130kg
GOLD: Hamza BAKIR (TUR)
SILVER: Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL)
BRONZE: Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ)