#WrestleRome

Dake Dismantles Demirtas in Debut at 74kg; USA Wins Trio of Day Four Golds

Saturday, January 18, 2020 - 20:26 By Eric Olanowski

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ROME, Italy (January 18) --- Kyle DAKE (USA) dismantled Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) in his debut down at the Olympic weight of 74kg and joined two fellow Americans on their way to the top of the freestyle podium at the Matteo Pellicone.

Thomas GILMAN (USA) and Zahid VALENCIA (USA), who claimed gold at 57kg and 86kg, respectively, were the pair of other Americans who closed out the first Ranking Series event of the year with Day 4 golds.

Two-time 79kg world champion Kyle Dake’s debut down at 74kg was a success in terms of his medal color, but as expected, there were a few wrinkles that he still needs to iron out. And although those weren’t apparent in the finals, they were in the opening rounds. Dake said, “I’m a little disappointed in the earlier rounds, but I went out with a bang.”

In his first three matches, Dake scored 18 points, yet he only scored two takedowns. “I was just slapping at the legs and I needed to recognize that sooner,” said Dake.“Kid Dynamite” made the right adjustments at the right time and went back to what worked for him in the past. “The first couple of matches I was just trying new stuff and it wasn’t working so I went back to my old stuff.” 

Dake’s plan for the finals was to get back to that "old stuff," which meant he needed to, “Get through a guy. Go through him, go take him down, turn him, turn him, turn him and get off the mat.” 

That’s exactly what he did in the gold-medal match, as he demolished world and Olympic bronze medalist Soner Demirtas in 35 seconds. Dake led 7-0, 16 seconds into the first period, and after his Turkish opponent was hit with a fleeing-the-hold call, the American went back on top in par terre. A pair of gut wrenches less than 20 seconds laft gave Dake the 11-0 technical superiority victory and a second Ranking Series title.

Thomas GILMAN (USA) defeated fellow American Joseph COLON (USA), 4-2, in the 57kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Thomas Gilman was the first of two American’s who were named champions after they defeated fellow countrymen in the finals.

The all-American final at 57kg featured the pair of past world medalists, Thomas Gilman and Joseph COLON (USA). 

“He was a tough opponent. I felt pretty strong out there. I’m starting to put things together and now is the time,” said Gilman after winning the one-point battle. The 2018 world silver medalist scored first (inactivity point) but surrendered a takedown with 20 seconds left in the first period and trailed 2-1 heading into the closing frame. 

The message from Gilman’s corner heading into the final three minutes was, “He’s feeling it.” Gilman said he agreed with what his corner was projecting, and that’s when the match turned in his favor. “Once I started squeezing so much and faking and releasing, I started to feel him stumble a little bit.” Gilman was able to secure a takedown late in the second period, which pushed him to a second Ranking Series title, 2-1. 

He’s now headed to Krasnoyarsk, Russia, to compete in the Ivan Yariguin. 

When asked what adjustment he needs to be make before the trip to Siberia, Gilman said he doesn’t believe much in adjusting and just needs to sleep. “When I’m tired, I need to sleep. When I’m awake, I need to be doing something. Get the sunlight in my eyes.” 

It'll be his Gilman's second trip to the Ivan Yariguin. Last year, he finished in third place at 57kg.

Zahid VALENCIA (USA) picked up a two-point victory over Alexander DIERINGER (USA) in the 86kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

At 86kg, Zahid VALENCIA (USA) went toe-to-toe with Alexander DIERINGER (USA), and snuck past his fellow American, 7-5, in the gold-medal bout. “It’s pretty awesome. I got to wrestle some good guys, and that guy in the finals I’m going to be battling it out with for the next few years. We have the trials coming up, so that’s a good win for me,” said Valencia after his win.

Valencia now plans to return to Arizona State to compete on the college scene where he's looking to win a third consecutive NCAA title.

Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) scored his second win over Jordan OLIVER (USA) in a Ranking Series final and claimed the 65kg gold medal. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Punia Wins Rematch Against Oliver, Grabs 65kg Gold; Ravi Wins Non-Olympic Gold at 61kg
Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) and Kumar RAVI (IND) handed India a pair of golds on the closing day of wrestling in Rome. Bajrang won the 65kg gold, while Ravi went 3-0 in the 61kg Nordic style bracket.

Bajrang defeated Jordan Michael OLIVER (USA) in a rematch of the 2019 Dan Kolov finals. And for a second time, it was the Indian superstar who won the 65kg Ranking Series title after falling behind 3-0 to Oliver.

In their first meeting, Bajrang fell behind 3-0 in the first period and stormed back to score 13 unanswered points in the second period. On Saturday, Bajrang surrendered three first-period points but scored a brutality point and a stepout before catching Oliver on his back for over two minutes with an exposure to win, 4-3.

“I am feeling very good. It’s the first tournament of 2020 and I won gold. My progress is going up and up and I’m giving it my 100%,” said Bajrang after downing Oliver.

The final gold of the tournament went to Kumar Ravi, who won the Nordic style bracket at 61kg with a 3-0 record.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD - Thomas GILMAN (USA) df. Joseph COLON (USA), 4-3 
BRONZE - Minghu LIU (CHN) df. Daton FIX (USA), 3-2
BRONZE - Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB) df. Andrii YATSENKO (UKR), 5-2

61kg
GOLD – Kumar RAVI (IND)
SILVER – Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ)
BRONZE – Alexandru CHIRTOACA (MDA)

65kg
GOLD - Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) vs. Jordan OLIVER (USA), 4-3 
BRONZE - Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR) df/. Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR), 12-8
BRONZE - Zain Allen RETHERFORD (USA) df. Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR), via fall 

74kg
GOLD - Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA) df. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR), 11-0
BRONZE - Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR) df. Azamat NURYKAU (BLR), 5-2 
BRONZE - Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) df. Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR), 3-2 

86kg
GOLD - Zahid VALENCIA (USA) df. Alexander DIERINGER (USA), 7-5 
BRONZE - James Patrick DOWNEY III (USA) df. Illia ARCHAIA (UKR), 13-7 
BRONZE - Fatih ERDIN (TUR) df. William RAFFI (ITA), 10-0 

#WrestleTirana

Olympic medalists in strong field set to light up Tirana

Monday, February 24, 2025 - 12:21 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (February 24) -- After he won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) was asked his wrestling journey. He replied that he "had many problems" but will go through it again without second thoughts.

Taking his first step in the new Olympic cycle for 2028 LA Olympic, Novikov won the prestigious Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov tournament in January and is now wrestling his first Ranking Series event of the year -- the Muhamet Malo in Tirana.

Novikov is the only Paris Olympic champion who has returned to a UWW tournament since winning gold in August last year. He will be up against a top 87kg Greco-Roman field at the second Ranking Series of the year.

The tournament will be held in Tirana from February 26 to March 2 with important Ranking Series points up for grabs. The Zagreb Open, held two weeks ago, and Muhamet Malo will be crucial for wrestler hoping to get seeded at the continental championships that begin in March.

Novikov will be expecting rematches with David LOSONCZI (HUN) and Alireza MOHAMADIPIANI (IRI), both of whom he beat in Paris. Losonczi has Istvan TAKACS (HUN) and Tamas LEVAI (HUN) to watch out for as Hungary to second its pick for the European Championships.

Georgia is doing the same with Gurami KHETSURIANI (GEO), Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) and Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) entered at 87kg while other strong contenders include Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) and Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB).

Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI)Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) is hoping to be Iran's mainstay at 60kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake KIRKMAN)

Despite the dropouts in other weight classes across styles just days before the tournament, it still throws quite a strong field.

At 60kg, Iran is pushing for Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) as it's flagbearer after struggling to find a world-beater. His first senior test will see him go up against a few stars including world champion Victor CIOBANU (MDA), Olympian Enes BASAR (TUR) and Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) among others.

Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) was at 60kg earlier and was about to retire after Paris Olympics. However, he is wrestling at 63kg in Tirana and Turkiye's Kerem KAMAL (TUR) is also returning to action.

At 72kg, Levente LEVAI (HUN), who surprisingly won Zagreb Open gold, will look to continue his run but has hurdles in the name of former world champion Ali ARSALAN (SRB) and European champion Selcuk CAN (TUR).

Paris Olympic bronze medalist Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) is warming up for the Asian Championships and will be the favorite to win the gold medal at 130kg. He has Tokyo silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) and age-group world champion Hamza BAKIR (TUR) in the bracket as well.

Chermen VALIEV (ALB)Chermen VALIEV (ALB) is a Paris Olympic medalist at 74kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Freestyle

Albania's star Freestyle trio of Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB), Islam DUDAEV (ALB) and Chermen VALIEV (ALB) are wrestler in front of their home crowd. All three are returning to action since the Paris Games in which Dudaev and Valiev won bronze medals.

Abakarov will be tested by former European champion Nachyn MONGUSH (UWW) and Artem GOBAEV (UWW) at 61kg.

Dudaev will have tougher challenges at 65kg. He is likely to have a Paris rematch with silver medalist Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) who is expected to be Iran's representative at the Asian Championships.

U23 world champion Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (UWW) is also entered and is always the biggest threat for the gold medal. Amouzad and Dudaev will be cautious of the rising star.

For Valiev, Yones EMAMI (IRI) and Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) could be the trouble-makers at 74kg, a weight class he is expected to dominate. Valiev and Salkazanov match for styles but Valiev seems to always find a way to score points while Salkazanov is more of a tactical wrestler who can play the clock well.

Naychn KUULAR (KAZ)Nachyn KUULAR (KAZ), a former U23 world champion, wrestling in Bundesliga. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 70kg, former U23 world champion Nachyn KUULAR (KAZ) is turning up for UWW competition after six years, this time for Kazakhstan. Kuular, who represented Russia previously, has kept himself in the news with a win over Olympic champion Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) in the Bundesliga, albeit at 71kg.

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) won't have great memories of Tirana as he lost the World Championships semifinal to Abdulrashid SADULAEV in the last second and returned empty-handed. But he is back in Tirana with less expectations and pressure at 92kg as he begins an Olympic cycle in which he may finally get to be at the Olympics.

At 125kg, Olympic silver medalist Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) will be in action and the favorite to win gold medal as well.

Kyle SNYDER (USA) will be wrestling at back-to-back Ranking Series events. He won the gold medal in Zagreb and is expected to be in Tirana as well. A second gold medal this year will push him to the top of the ranking at 97kg.

Moe KIYOOKA (JPN)Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) is the world champion at 55kg but wrestling at 53kg in Tirana. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling

Japan is sending its six Emperor's Cup winners to Tirana. The six include two world champions from last year as Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) and Ami ISHII (JPN) return to Tirana for another trip.

Others include former age-group world champion Umi ITO (JPN) who finished with a bronze at the U23 World Championships, will also be returning to Tirana. Former world champion Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) [nee OKUNO], is registered at 55kg, U20 world champion Sakura ONISHI (JPN) is at 59kg, world bronze medalist Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) at 65kg and Nodoka YAMAMOTO (JPN) is at 76kg.

China too is sending a strong but a relatively new team. It will be led by former 59kg world champion Qi ZHANG (CHN) who is moving up to 62kg for this tournament. She will be wrestling for the Asian Championships spot as well against teammate LILI (CHN) who won world bronze medal in 2023.

Grace BULLEN (NOR)Grace BULLEN (NOR) is returning to action at 62kg after Paris. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

However, Paris Olympic bronze medalist Grace BULLEN (NOR) will be the favorite in this weight class which also Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA) and Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL). Bullen will be wrestling at her first competition since winning the first Olympic medal for Norway in Women's Wrestling in Paris.

62kg silver medalist at Paris Olympic Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) is wrestling at 65kg for the Ranking Series. She will be up against former world champions Irina RINGACI (MDA) and Morikawa in her bracket which will be divided into two groups as the weight class has only seven wrestlers. There is a chance that all three wrestler end up in the same group.

Another loaded weight class is the 55kg in which Zagreb Open champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) will be looking to add a second gold medal of the Ranking Series. In Zagreb, she wrestled only one match -- final -- but Albania has a bigger bracket which also includes Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW), Okuno, Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) and Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR).

At 72kg, three-time world silver medalist Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) will hope to win gold in Tirana as she lost the World Championships final here last year despite leading it at one point. 

Her compatriot and former Asian champion Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) is registered at 76kg but her path to gold medal may not be as easy. The weight class also has Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) and Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) who will look to confirm her spot at 76kg for Ukraine in the new Olympic cycle.