#Zagreb2019

Eight Returning World Medalists Headline Loaded Zagreb Open Field

Thursday, February 7, 2019 - 18:25 By Eric Olanowski

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ZAGREB, Croatia (February 7) – The Dom Sportova Arena, located in Croatia’s largest city, Zagreb, is the host site for the Zagreb Open, which is arguably the deepest Ranking Series event that United World Wrestling has ever hosted.

This weekend’s event is stockpiled with talent, boasting an Olympic champion, an Olympic bronze medalist, eight 2018 world medal winners, and nearly 40 past age-level or senior-level world medalists. 

Eight Budapest World Medalists Registered 
Metehan BASAR (TUR), last year’s 87kg world champion, leads a group of eight Budapest world medalists into Zagreb. He’s the lone returning world gold medalist, but the field features two runner-ups and five bronze medalists. 

Furthermore, there will be at least one world medalist in seven of the ten weight classes. 

Budapest World Medalists 
55kg - Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) – bronze medalist 
63kg - Rahman BILICI (TUR) – bronze medalist 
72kg - Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) – bronze medalist
72kg - Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL) – bronze medalist
82kg - Emrah KUS (TUR) – runner-up 
87kg - Metehan BASAR (TUR) – world champion 
97kg - Kiril MILOV (BUL) – runner-up 
130kg - KIM Minseok (KOR) – bronze medalist 


Korea's two-time Olympic medalist KIM Hyeonwoo is one of two Olympic medalists wrestling at the first Ranking Series event of the year, the Zagreb Open. (Photo: Gabor Martin) 

Duo of Olympic Medalists Who Will Compete This Weekend 
KIM Hyeonwoo (KOR) and Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) are the two past Olympic medalists that are traveling to Croatia’s capital city to compete for the eight first-place Ranking Series points. 

Kim, the 2012 Olympic champion and Rio Olympic bronze medalists, will compete in one of the deepest weight classes, 77kg, and Uzbekistan’s Rio bronze medalist Elmurat Tasmuradov is shooting for gold at 67kg. 


Rio bronze medalist Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) is one of two Olympic medalists who will wrestle at the Zagreb Open (Photo: Gabor Martin)  

Weight Class to Watch: 67kg 
Other weight classes have a higher number of world medalists, but in my opinion,  67kg is the most compelling weight class to watch. 

The reason being, it houses Elmurat Tasmuradov, RYU Hansu (KOR), and Radu MIHUT (ROU). These are three of most electrifying Greco-Roman wrestlers entered into this weekend's competition. 

Keeping recent results in mind, the favorite coming into the first Greco-Roman Ranking Series event is Elmurat Tasmuradov. The Uzbek tallied five wins in Budapest before falling to Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS), 6-3 in the 63kg finals and finished with a silver medal. 

It’s no secret that Tasmuradov’s weight has fluctuated over the past three seasons and he's still looking for a consistent home. Since his bronze medal finish at the Rio Olympics, he’s competed at four different weights. This weekend, he’ll be making yet another weight change, when he returns to 67kg for the first time since the 2018 Asian Games where he left with a disappointing seventh-place finish.

Korea's two-time world champion Ryu Hansu and one of the sports brightest rising stars Radu Mihut will join Tasmuradov at 67kg.  

Though Ryu won that 67kg Asian Games bracket where Tasmuradov finished in seventh-place, the multiple-time world champion is trying to rebound after a lackluster 26th-place finish at the 2018 world championships, when he was knocked out after dropping his first match to Ukraine’s Denys DEMYANKOV, 4-2. 

Romania's Radu Mihut rounds out the potential title-contenders at 67kg. The U23 and senior European champion is also looking to rebound after an uninspiring world championship performance. Muhut, one of the favorites coming into Budapest, finished in 13th place after losing to Hungary’s Krisztian VANCZA (HUN) in his first match. 

For Mihut to begin his quest to get back to the top, there's no other place he'd rather do it than Zagreb. 

Mihut joins Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) as the only two returning Zagreb Open champions entered in this year's first Greco-Roman Ranking Series event. Last season, Mihut used the Zagreb Open to kick-start his 2018 hot streak which ultimately helped him reach the top of the podium at two European championships, the Thor Masters, Kristjan Palusalu Memorial, and Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial.

Six Title Contenders at 77kg 
The deepest weight class in terms of world medalists is 77kg. It includes at least three world champions and six world medalists from the cadet through the senior level.

Without a doubt, the two 77kg favorites are Olympic champion Kim Hyeonwoo and 2017 world champion Viktor NEMES (SRB). Both wrestlers are coming off bronze-medal finishes at the 2018 world championships. 

Kim capped off his run to a third overall world medal with a 3-1 win in the bronze-medal bout against Uzbekistan’s Bilan NALGIEV, while Nemes completed his bronze-medal run with a 6-2 win over Sweden’s Michel BJURBERG KESSIDIS. 

If Kim and Nemes were to meet this weekend, it would be their second overall career meeting. They also met at the 2015 world championships, where Kim knocked off Nemes 3-2 in the second round. 

There are also be four age-level world medalists entered at 77kg. They are Kamal BEY (USA), Fatih CENGIZ (TUR), Ilie COJOCARI (ROU), and Per KURE (NOR). 

Two dark horses to pay close attention to out of the age-level world medal winners are Cengiz and Bey.

Cengiz won the U23 world title two years ago, and also finished with a bronze medal at the Paris World Championships.

Bey, the United States' 2017 world champion and worldwide fan favorite, is coming off a title-winning performance at the Dave Schultz Memorial International where he defeated fellow American Carter NIELSEN (USA) to win his first gold medal since last January's Cerro Pelado International. 

Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL) will move up to 72kg from his world bronze medal weight of 67kg. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne) 

World Bronze Medal Duo Entered at 72kg 
The two championship prospects at 72kg are the pair of returning world bronze medalist, Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) and Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL).

Mnatsakanian rallied off four wins and capped off his 72kg bronze-medal run with a 9-0 routing of Algeria’s Tarek Aziz BENAISSA, while Sahakyan, who was down at 67kg, shutout Danijel JANECIC (CRO) 7-0 and claimed his first world medal. 

The former Armenian Sahakyan is competing at 72kg for only the second time in his career. He competed at 72kg at last year's European Championship and finished in fifth place. His two losses in Dagestan came to eventual world champion Adam KURAK (RUS) and 2018 world runner-up Balint KORPASI (HUN). 

Turkey's two-time junior world champion Kerem KAMAL is trying to win his first senior-level tournament. (Photo: Gabor Martin) 

Can Young Trio at 60kg Take That Next Step?
The 60kg weight class features a trio of young wrestlers who are looking to jump levels and grab their first senior titles. They are Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), Ilkhom BAKHROMOV, and Kerem KAMAL (TUR). 

Of the three, Islomjon Bakhramov, the 2018 Asian Championship bronze medalist, is the most experienced and has the most success in the senior level. Though he reached the finals of the G. Kartozia & V. Balavadze Price and Islamic Solidarity Games, he fell short in each of his two previous finals appearances.

Uzbekistan’s 2018 world team representative Ilkhom Bakhramov is making his third senior appearance. In his two previous tournaments, he’s finished inside the top-10 but has yet to make a final. He finished in fourth place at the G. Kartozia & V. Balavadze Price and ninth place at the 2018 world championships. 

Turkey’s two-time junior world champion Kerem Kamal has seen loads of success at the age-group level, but that success has not transitioned to the senior-level. In his three senior tournaments, Kamal has only medaled once. That medal, a bronze, came at last year’s Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov Tournament. 

Heavy Hitters Entered at 130kg
The gold-medal favorites at 130kg are the pair of world bronze medalists, Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI) and KIM Minseok (KOR). 

Minseok won a bronze at the Budapest world championships, and Acosta Fernandez claimed his bronze at the Paris world championships. 

If Minseok and Acosta Fernandez meet this weekend, it’ll be their second career meeting. The pairs first meeting came at the 2017 world championships where Acosta Fernandez demolished Kim 9-0 in the opening round en route to his history-making bronze-medal finish.

Turkish big man and three-time world champion Riza KAYAALP was on the early entry list but has since pulled out and confirmed that he'd make his season debut at the second Ranking Series event, the Hungarian Grand Prix. 

Turkey will instead be sending U23 world silver medalist Osman YILDIRIM (TUR).

Basar Heavily Favored at 87kg
Turkey's Metehan BASAR (TUR) was one of four non-Russian wrestlers to win a world title in Budapest.  Basar defeated 2015 world champion Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) 2-1 to claim back-to-back world titles. He comes into the Zagreb Open heavily favored to win the 87kg title.

His two biggest competitors will be a pair of Hungarian wrestlers, Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) and Erik SZILVASSY (HUN). 

Lorincz is a two-time world bronze medalist. Lorincz is a Rio Olympian and has represented Hungary at every world championship since 2011. 

His fellow countryman Erik Szilvassy, the 2017 U23 world champion, will use this weekend as an opportunity to try to overthrow the six-time world team representative and take country supremacy before the selection process begins for Hungary's Astana World Championship team.

Mohsen MADHANI is one of ten Iranian's making their senior international debut at the Zagreb Open. (Photo: Gabor Martin) 

Can the Iranian Youth Prevail? 
Iran will be sending a full team to the Zagreb Open, but it surely won’t be the same team they'll be sending to Astana, Kazakhstan for the 2019 World Championships. 

Every wrestler Iran registered for the first Ranking Series event of the year will be making their senior-level international debuts, and only Abolfazl SEYEDMAHDAVI, who finished in eighth place at the 2019 Takhti Cup in Tehran, Iran, has wrestled domestically on the senior-level. 

Iran’s Zagreb Open Lineup 
55kg - Poya DAD MARZ – 2017 junior world champion 
60kg - Milad REZANEZHAD HOSSEINVAND – 2017 cadet world championships - 17th place 
63kg-  Mohsen MADHANI – 2017 cadet world champion 
67kg - Mohammad Reza Hojatollah MOKHTARI – 2016 cadet world runner-up 
72kg - Yousef Hajiali HOSSEINVAND FATHI – 2016 cadet world champion, 2018 junior world bronze
77kg - Mohammad Aziz NAGHOUSI – 2018 cadet world bronze medalist
82kg - Hosein FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU – 2018 junior world championships - 8th place 
87kg - Hasan FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU
97kg - Abolfazl Naser SEYEDMAHDAVI – 2019 Takhti Cup -  8th place 
130kg - Aliakbar Hossein YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI – 2018 U23 world bronze

Schedule 
Saturday (February 9) 
8:00 - 1st-day Medical examination & Weigh-in, all weight categories (No weight tolerance!) Sport Hall
10:30 - Qualification and elimination rounds, all weight categories (on 3 wrestling mats)

Sunday (February 10)
8:00 - 2nd-day weigh-in, all weight categories (No weight tolerance!) Sport Hall
10:30 - Repechage bouts and bronze medal matches (all categories)
17:30 - Opening ceremony and Final matches (all categories)

#WrestleTirana

World Championships: Azizli wins record fourth title, leads Azerbaijan's golden run

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 - 22:17 By Ken Marantz

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TIRANA, Albania (October 29) -- In leading a golden night for Azerbaijan, Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) became the country's most successful wrestler on the world stage.

Azizli won his fourth consecutive world title at Greco 55kg, one of three golds won by Azerbaijan on the first night of finals at the Non-Olympic Weight Categories World Championships on Tuesday in Tirana.

Azerbaijan also got golds from Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) at 63kg and Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) at 72kg, while Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) took the other Greco title at stake at 82kg to claim an elusive world gold after having previously settled for three bronzes.

In the 55kg final, Azizli defeated 2023 bronze medalist Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) for the fourth time in four career meetings, but this one was the closest as he won 1-1 on last-point criteria after each received a passivity point.

"I have met the Iran wrestler before and we know each other well," Azizli said. "That is why it was close. I have beaten him four times and but this time it was closer."

It was an ironic defeat for Dad Marz, who had been on the winning end of the same scoreline in his two previous matches. In their most recent encounter at the Budapest Ranking Series in June, Azizli had bested the Iranian 6-1.

By winning his fourth world title, the 32-year-old Azizli eclipsed the national record of three held by freestyle great Haji ALIYEV (AZE), who won golds in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Aliyev also has two Olympic medals, a prize that Azizli is unable to attain on the current Olympic program.

Looking ahead, Azizli said he would like to win his fifth world Greco gold, a milestone reached by 16 wrestlers, topped by the 12 of Russian legend Aleksandr KARELIN (RUS).

"I don't know what the future holds, but I would like to win five world gold medals," he said. "I will not be at the Europeans [next year], but I will try to win a fifth world title and finish my career."

In a battle of reigning continental champions, Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) took advantage of some impatience on the part of Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ), scoring twice by stopping throw attempts for a 6-1 victory in the 63kg final.

After keeping Asian champion Zharlykassyn from scoring from par terre in the first period, Mammadli, the European 60kg champion, went ahead by stuffing a back suplex attempt, adding a roll to go ahead 4-1.

When Zharlykassyn tried a front headlock throw at the edge, Mammadli pressed forward and sent him tumbling back for another 2 to put the match out of reach.

At 72kg, Ganizade kept the Azeri juggernaut going and improved on his silver medal from 2022 by dethroning defending champion Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) 3-2.

Ganizade had won a 7-7 nail-biter over Ghanem in the final at the 2023 European Championships, and Tuesday's clash was just as tense. Ganizade was put on the bottom of par terre in the first period, but grabbed Ghanem's head and stopped a roll attempt for a 2-point exposure.

Ghanem received a second passivity point in the second period to make it 2-2, but remained behind on criteria. Perhaps learning a lesson from the first period, he chose to remain standing instead of taking another shot at par terre.

In the end, he could not break down the defenses of Ganizade, who gained a third point when Ghanem unsuccessfully challenged for what he claimed was a grabbed singlet.

In the 82kg final, Geraei was not to be denied in his first chance at world gold, as he stormed to a 9-0 victory over a shell-shocked Erik SZILVASSY (HUN).

"After eight years, I finally got to experience the world finals," Geraei said. "I’m truly happy from the bottom of my heart because I could make my fans and family happy, especially my dear wife 
who stood by me in tough times and understood me, as well as my parents and all my fans.

"I'm grateful to them; they have always been there for me and supported me, and I dedicate this medal to them."

Geraei, normally a 77kg wrestler who was competing at the heaviest weight of his career, encountered no problems handling the extra bulk against Szilvassy, a winner of international tournaments this year in Zagreb and Budapest.

After a quick stepout, Geraei stopped an attempted throw by Szilvassy for a takedown, then transitioned immediately to a gut wrench. An unsuccessful challenge by the Hungary side padded Geraei's lead to 6-0 just a minute into the match.

Geraei, who finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics but missed the Paris Games due to a suspension, then completed a snap-down, go-behind takedown to finish the match in 1:35 and add the world gold to the bronzes he won at 71kg in 2017 and at 77kg in 2019 and 2021.

"I thought this competition would be really tough, but thank God it ended up being easy," Geraei said. "These past two or three years have been difficult for me, and due to certain circumstances, I couldn't participate in the Olympics and missed out on it. But I hope with this medal I won, I can pave my way to the [next] Olympics and achieve the best medal and my dream."

Serbia's Arsalan takes bronze in 30-point thriller

In the bronze-medal matches, Iranian-born Ali ARSALAN (SRB) picked up his third straight world medal, and he certainly earned it when he rallied to a wild 16-14 win over Hayk MELIKYAN (ARM) at 72kg.

In a thriller filled with big throws and slick counters, Arsalan fell behind 10-5 in the first period. But the 2021 world champion came back in the second with a pair of 4-pointers, the second with 12 seconds to go that was enough for the victory even after Melikyan reversed him for 2.

The other 72kg match was not as high-scoring but was just as entertaining, as Otar ABULADZE (GEO) connected on a pair of 4-point headlock hip throws to defeat Asian bronze medalist Ji LENG (CHN) 9-5 for his first major medal since winning a world cadet bronze in 2017.

Two-time European bronze medalist Denis MIHAI (ROU) added a world bronze by holding on to defeat Haifeng ZHANG (CHN) 8-5 at 55kg. Mihai scored two stepouts and two rolls from par terre for a 7-0 lead, then survived a second-period surge from the Chinese.

Emin SEFERSHAEV (AIN), a silver medalist in 2021, picked up the other 55kg bronze after scoring six points in the first period and holding on for a 7-5 victory over European bronze medalist Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM).

At 63kg, Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) sent Abu AMAEV (BUL) flying all over the mat before he knew what hit him, throwing him four times with a front headlock for an 8-0 victory in 30 seconds. A challenge negated one throw but revised two others to 4-pointers to produce the same result.

Aslanyan, who defeated reigning champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO) and newly crowned world U23 champion Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) before losing to Mammadli in the semifinals, had seen little international action since placing ninth at 67kg at the Tokyo Olympics. But now he has a world bronze to go with three European ones he won from 2018 to 2020.

Sadyk LALAEV (AIN), a European bronze medalist at 60kg, took home the other 63kg bronze without a fight as Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) was forced to default due to injury.

At 82kg, Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) prevented Azerbaijan from medaling in every weight class, denying two-time European U23 champion Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) a senior world bronze with a solid 8-1 victory.

Yilmaz, who normally competes at 77kg, started off with three stepouts before clinching the deal with a classic 4-point throw from par terre for his first major medal on any level.

European bronze medalist Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) gave Japanese teenager and senior Asian champion Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) a lesson on the big stage, rolling to a 10-2 victory for the other 82kg bronze.

Yoshida, the 2023 world U17 champion, got an opening takedown, but could offer little resistance when Bolkvadze got behind for a takedown and added a gut wrench. The Georgian then used an arm drag for another takedown, and two gut wrenches ended the match at 2:40.

Greco-Roman Results

55kg (16 entries)
GOLD: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Poya DAD MARZ (IRI), 1-1

BRONZE: Denis MIHAI (ROU) df. Haifeng ZHANG (CHN), 8-5
BRONZE: Emin SEFERSHAEV (AIN) df. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 7-5

63kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ), 6-1

BRONZE: Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) df. Abu AMAEV (BUL) by TF, 8-0, :30
BRONZE: Sadyk LALAEV (AIN) df. Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) by Inj. Def.

72kg (28 entries)
GOLD: Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) df. Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), 3-2

BRONZE: Ali ARSALAN (SRB) df. Hayk MELIKYAN (ARM), 16-14
BRONZE: Otar ABULADZE (GEO) df. Ji LENG (CHN), 9-5

82kg (28 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) df. Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) by TF, 8-0, 1:35

BRONZE: Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) df. Gurban GURBANOV (AZE), 8-1
BRONZE: Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) by TF, 10-2, 2:40