European Championship Preview

Sunday, February 9, 2020 - 18:20 By Eric Olanowski

ROME, Italy (February 10) --- Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) is on the verge of locking up the No. 1 seed at the Olympic Games if he completes his journey to a sixth European title in as many tries.

Sadulaev is ranked first in the world at 97kg and can add 20 points in Rome with a gold-medal performance, cementing his spot as the top-seeded wrestler at the Olympic Games. He’d have 80 Ranking Series points, which would block a potential comeback by second-ranked Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE), who is sitting out of the European Championships.

Sadulaev will have to get through a loaded pool of top-10 talent to improve on his perfect 21-0 European record.

The three top-ten ranked wrestlers tasked with stopping ‘The Russian Tank” from summiting to the top of the European podium for the sixth time are No. 4 Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD), No. 6 Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) and No. 9 Nicolai CEBAN (MDA). Sadualev heads into the European Championships with at least one career win over the three and has outscored them by a combined 61-0 in their previous seven meetings.

Top-20 Freestyle Entries at 97kg
No. 4 Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD) - 25 points
No. 6 Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) - 20 points
No. 9 Nicolai CEBAN (MDA) - 16 points
No. 12 Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR) - 14 points
No. 14 Abraham CONYEDO RUANO (ITA) - 12 points
No. 15 Pavel OLEJNYIK (HUN) - 12 points

Kayaalp in Search of European Title Number Ten
Riza KAYAALP (TUR) is closing in on winning his tenth European title (European Championships: 8; European Games: 1) and locking up the 130kg top seed at the Olympic Games. The Turkish big man has appeared in ten consecutive European finals, claiming gold in nine of those trips. His lone loss came in 2011 against Khassan BAROEV (RUS).

Kayaalp can cement his spot as the top seed with a win this week and have the luxury of sitting out of the Poland Open.

The reemergence of Mijian LOPEZ (CUB) after a three-year absence is set to play a big role in Kayaalp earning the top spot. Lopez will return to the mat later this year to try to chase a fourth Olympic gold medal. Lopez’s return will eventually knock out fellow Cuban and second-ranked Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) from the 130kg rankings.

Without Hinds in the rankings, and with a max of 40 possible points left to earn over the continental championships and the Poland Open, Kayaalp only needs to claim 12 points at the European Championships to become the No. 1 seed in Tokyo.

That means the man who has reached the European finals in ten straight trips only needs to finish top-seven to sit atop the 130kg when the Olympics roll around. But it’s safe to say, Kayaalp isn’t chasing a top-seven finish, he’s in pursuit of a tenth European gold medal.

Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) could meet fellow two-time world champion Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) in the 74kg bracket. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Two-time World Champions Chamizo and Gazimagomedov Entered at 74kg
A last-second change to the Russian lineup jeopardized a potential 74kg matchup between a pair of two-time world champions. Luckily for wrestling fans, Russia’s depth at the weight allowed them to replace No. 1 Zaurbek SIDAKOV (USA) with Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS).

That last-minute lineup change preserved the likelihood of Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) meeting a fellow two-time world champion in Rome.

Chamizo won the pairs only other meeting, 11-5, at the 2017 Ali Aliev Tournament. But this time around, there's much more at stake for both guys, especially with it being an Olympic year.

For Chamizo, a European title on home soil will push him to the top of the world rankings. He’s ranked second in the world with 40 points. He’ll gain the two-point advantage over Sidakov if he were to win the 22-point gold medal in Rome.

Gazimagomedov won the Ivan Yariguin a few weeks ago and hopes the European Championships will prove that he should be Russia’s Olympic Games representative. After winning the Yariguin, Gazimagomedov said, “In Russia, many understand that I will win against Sidakov, but perhaps we will not be allowed to meet on the mat because we don’t have a very transparent selection system.”

If Gazimagomedov wins in Rome, it’ll prove to the Russian coaching staff that he belongs in the conversations as a top-tier candidate to represent Russia at 74kg in Tokyo.

Top-15 Freestyle Entries at 74kg
No. 2 Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) - 40 points
No. 8 Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) - 16 points
No. 10 Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) - 14 points
No. 11 Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) - 14 points

No. 2 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) can tie Musa EVLOEV (RUS) for the No. 1 ranking at 97kg with a win in Rome. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Aleksanyan Looking to Tie Evloev for World Top Spot at 97kg
The 97kg Greco-Roman rankings will undoubtedly see significant changes after the conclusion of the European Championships.

The European bracket will house seven of the world’s top-ten ranked wrestlers. Top-ranked Musa EVLOEV (RUS) and No. 6 Giorgi MELIA (GEO) will not compete in Rome and are the only European wrestlers ranked inside the top-ten that will sit out of the competition.

Evloev’s absence leaves the door wide open for No. 2 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) to close the gap in the rankings. Aleksanyan trails Evloev by 20 points in the latest rankings. He will tie the Russian two-time defending world champion if he wins the 20-point gold medal. But he’ll still trail on criteria because of the Evloev’s higher placement at the World Championships, which could potentially force him to wrestle at the Poland Open.

Outside of Aleksanyan, there are six other worthy competitors at 97kg who are only separated by ten points, which is guaranteed to cause seismic changes in the rankings when the new month rolls around.

Top-Ten Greco-Roman Entries at 97kg
No. 2 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) - 40 points
No. 3 Mélonin NOUMONVI (FRA) - 26 points
No. 4 Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) - 25 points
No. 5 ILDEM Cenk (TUR) - 25 points
No. 7 Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) - 20 points
No. 9 Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) - 18 points
No. 10 Artur OMAROV (CZE) - 16 points

Emilia VUC (ROU) can take over top billing at 50kg with ten Ranking Series points at the European Championships. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Vuc Likely to take over Top Billing at 50kg
Barring a catastrophic meltdown, Emilia VUC (ROU) will surpass Mariya STADNIK (AZE) for the top billing at 50kg with a top-eight finish at the European Championships.

Vuc is ranked second in the world and trails Stadnik by six points heading into the continental championships. She started the year with 40 points but tacked on an additional 14 Ranking Series points with her second-place finish at the Matteo Pellicone in mid-January.

The two-time world runner-up needs to finish at least eighth in Rome to collect the all-important ten Ranking Series points. She’ll push herself four points ahead of Stadnik for the top-billing at 50kg heading into the Poland Open.

Top-Ten Women’s Wrestling Entries at 50kg
No. 2 Emilia Alina VUC (ROU) - 54 points
No. 3 Oksana LIVACH (UKR) - 32 points
No. 7 Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) - 18 points

Staebler Moving up to 72kg for European Championships
Frank STAEBLER (GER) entered the European Championships at 72kg and not 67kg, the weight in which he qualified Germany for the Olympic Games with a bronze-medal finish in Nur-Sultan.

Staebler has had the most success of his career at 72kg and is extremely familiar with the weight. He’ll move back up to the weight where he won two of his three world titles. Most recently, he won the 72kg world title at the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Davor STEFANEK (SRB) and Adam KURAK (RUS) are the two stars with enough firepower and experience to stop Staebler from winning his second career European title.

Stefanek, a Rio Olympic champion, is returning to competition for the first time since the 2018 World Championships. He dropped his 2018 world finals match against Artem SURKOV (RUS) and sat out the entire 2019 season.

Kurak, a two-time European champion, is also entered at 72kg. He’s returning to the mat for the first time since winning the City of Sassari Ranking Series event in May of last year.

Harutyunyan Moving Back up to 61kg to Challenge Lomtazde
Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) downed Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) in an unforgettable 28-point shootout and stole the European gold medal from the eventual 61kg world champion. The young Armenian fell behind 8-0 midway through the opening period, but outscored Lomtadze 17-3 and claimed his first continental title.

Harutyunyan moved down to the Olympic weight of 57kg after his European title run, but after a disappointing 15th-place finish at the World Championships, he’s moved back up the 61kg. Harutyunyan’s move back up to 61kg could set up a potential rematch between the reigning world champion and the reigning European champion.

Kurban SHIRAEV (RUS) is on a quest to knock off his second Rio Olympic champion in the past three weeks. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Can Shiraev Take Down Second Rio Olympic Champion?
Kurban SHIRAEV (RUS) is on a quest to knock off a Rio Olympic champion for the second consecutive tournament.

Shiraev won the Ivan Yariguin with a last-second takedown over Rio Olympic champion Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) and earned the right to represent Russia at 65kg at the European Championships. The 20-year-old Russian enters his first senior-level European Championships eyeing a second win over an Olympic gold medalist. He’ll share the 65kg bracket with Rio Olympic champion Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO). The European Championships mark the first time that the pair have been in the same bracket as each other.

Top-Ten Freestyle Entries at 65kg
No. 4 Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) - 25 points
No. 5 Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR) - 24 points

Taybe Mustafa YUSEIN (BUL) is one of nine returning women's wrestling European champions. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Nine Women’s Wrestling Champions Returning
There are nine returning women’s wrestling European champions that’ll look to defend their 2019 titles. Emese BARKA (HUN) is the lone returning champion that’ll sit out of the six-day competition in Rome.

2019 European Champions
50kg - Oksana LIVACH (UKR)
53kg - Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS)
53kg - Iryna HUSYAK (UKR)
59kg - Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA (BUL)
62kg - Taybe Mustafa YUSEIN (BUL)
65kg - Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
68kg - Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR)
72kg - Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR)
76kg - Yasemin ADAR (TUR)

SCHEDULE

Sunday (February 9)
17.00 - Technical conference – all GR teams / Draw GR – All weight categories

Monday (February 10)
8:30 - Medical examination & Weigh-in GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
17:15 - Opening Ceremony
18:00 - Semi Final GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg

Tuesday (February 11)
8:30 - Weigh-in GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in GR – 60-67-72-72-82-97kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
11:30 - Repechage GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
15:30 - Technical conference – all WW teams
15:30 -Draw WW – All weight categories
16:45 - Semi Final GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
18: 00 - Finals GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
18: 00 - Award ceremonies

Wednesday (February 12)
8:30 - Weigh-in GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
11:30 - Repechage GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
16:45 - Semi Final WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
18: 00 - Finals GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
18: 00 - Award ceremonies

Thursday (February 13)
8:30 - Weigh-in WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
11:30 - Repechage WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
14:00 - Technical conference – all FS teams
14:00 - Draw FS – All weight categories
16:45 - page4image515539072 Semi Final WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
18: 00 - Finals WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
18: 00 - Award ceremonies

Friday (February 14)
8:30 - Weigh-in WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
11:30 - Repechage WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
16:45 - Semi Final FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
18: 00 - Finals WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
18: 00 -Award ceremonies

Saturday (February 15)
8:30 - Weigh-in FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
8:45 - Medical Examination & Weigh-in FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
11:30 - Repechage FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
16:45 - Semi Final FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
18:00 - Finals FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
18: 00 -Award ceremonies

Sunday (February 16)
8:30 - Weigh-in FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
16:00 - Repechage FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
18: 00 - Finals FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
18: 00 -Award ceremonies
21:30 - Final banquet

#WrestleAmman

Uzbekistan dominates first day with 3 Greco golds, all at Iran's expense

Tuesday, March 25, 2025 - 20:02 By Ken Marantz

AMMAN, Jordan (March 25) -- While the ageless wonder Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) no longer wreaks havoc on the mat, his influence was strongly felt off it on the opening day of the Asian Championships on Tuesday.

With Assakalov offering encouragement and inspiration from the coach's corner, Uzbekistan came away with three of the five Greco-Roman golds on offer -- all with victories over Iranian opponents -- with teenager Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) joining veterans Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) and Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) on the top of the podium.

"Generally speaking, we’ve been working hard for this," said Assakalov, a three-time Asian champion who retired after placing fifth at the 2024 Paris Olympics three weeks after his 40th birthday. "We were aiming to wrestle in at least four finals. Our 130kg wrestler is still a bit weak, but we will work on it and improve."

Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) kept Iran from being shut out of the gold medals by keeping the 130kg title safely in Iranian hands, while Japan picked up the other title when collegian Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) triumphed at 55kg.

Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) won the 63kg final against Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI), 13-4, in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Khalmakhanov started the gold rush for Uzbekistan in dramatic fashion, coming back from a four-point deficit to stun Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) with a 13-4 win in the 63kg final that included a pair of 4-point throws.

Keshtkar, among a number of young, unproven wrestlers being given a chance by Iran, jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a takedown and 2-point throw. Khalmakhanov responded with a stepout and 2-point arm throw to cut the gap to 4-3 at the break.

In the second period, Khalmakhanov got the first chance at par terre and he took advantage, launching a 4-point throw to take the lead. He then brought an abrupt end to the match with a 4-point hip throw at 4:16.

The victory avenged a 5-4 loss in the quarterfinals at the Zagreb Ranking Series, where Kashtkar finished second and Khalmakhanov, the 2022 world U17 champion, took a bronze medal.

"Khalmakhanov was the first to set the bar high," Assakalov said. "This guy is only 18 years old, which is why all the others followed his example."

In the 77kg final, Vardanyan also needed a comeback to defeat two-time reigning world U20 champion Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI), and he couldn't have cut it any closer, scoring a takedown with one second left on the clock for a dramatic 4-2 victory.

Vardanyan, who placed fifth at the 2024 Paris Olympics following an extended drought of results in major competitions, gave up a first-period takedown and trailed 2-1 with the clock ticking down in the second period.

But he managed to drive in low and secure a body lock, then forced Abdevali backward to the mat for the winning takedown as time expired. An Iran challenge was unsuccessful, tacking on an additional point.

The 29-year-old Vardanyan had failed to make a major podium since winning a world silver medal at 72kg in 2019. His best previous finishes at the Asian Championships were a pair of bronzes back in 2016 and 2017.

Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) won his second career Asian Championships gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Unlike his compatriots, two-time world medalist Berdimuratov never had to play catch-up in defeating Yasin YAZDI (IRI) 7-2 to take the 87kg gold for his fifth Asian medal overall.

Berdimuratov stormed to a 7-0 lead in the first period with a 4-point throw and 2-point roll from par terre, then held on after giving up a passivity point and a penalty point for grabbing fingers in the second period.

Berdimuratov, the 2023 Asian Games champion, had previously won an Asian gold at 82kg in 2021. He also has a silver and two bronzes in his collection.

"We are on our way to becoming the best team in the world," Assakalov said. "It doesn’t matter if we’re competing against the national teams of Iran, Russia -- every one of our guys gave it their all and wrestled until the very end. Thank God, we showed a good result today."

At 130kg, Hedayati established himself as a rising force in Iran's packed heavyweight corps by cruising to a 7-0 victory over three-time Asian medalist Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ).

"It was a good competition and at a relatively high level," Hedayati said. "I managed to wrestle four matches and become the champion without losing a single point."

Hedayati, last year's world U23 champion and the 2023 world U20 gold medalist, combined two stepouts, an arm-throw takedown and a passivity point for a 5-0 lead in the first period. In the second, he got behind for a takedown while completely neutralizing an attacks by Syzdykov.

Hedayati's victory gave Iran the 130kg gold for the fourth straight year and ninth time in 10 years. The only year in that span that Iran missed out was 2020 -- the winner? Syzdykov.

"I’m grateful to everyone who supported me along the way," Hedayati said. "I hope to keep progressing so I can win the most beautiful medal at the World Championships and the Olympics."

Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) won his first-ever Asian Championships on debut. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Yamagiwa won the first gold of the tournament when he nailed a 4-point back suplex to clinch a 7-1 victory over Iranian-born Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ) in the 55kg final.

Yamagiwa scored his first points from the bottom of par terre in the first period, when he stopped a roll with a headlock for a 2-1 lead.

A scramble that would have put him up 5-3 was wiped out by a challenge that ruled the original move a slipped throw, but Yamagiwa came back by locking up the head and an arm, then tossing Albidhan to his back for 4 with just under a minute left. The Japanese added a late stepout for his final point.

"He suppressed my wrestling and I didn't get a chance in par terre," Yamagiwa said. "To be honest, I have to wonder if I really did enough to win. But I gave it everything I had at the end and scored a 4-point move and I'm glad I was able to win."

Yamagiwa got over his biggest hurdle in the semifinals, when he won an action-packed battle with defending champion Yu Chol RO (PRK) 11-9 in which the lead changed hands several times.

"He was the champion last year, and if I beat him I could see a championship for me," Yamagiwa said. "It was a back-and-forth match, but I came out as the winner."

In winning the Asian gold, Yamagiwa emulated two of his predecessors and role models at powerhouse Nippon Sports Science University, Shinobu OTA (JPN) and Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN), who both won senior Asian golds. The latter, who is still active, is among his training partners.

Now he hopes he can follow in their footsteps to Olympic glory -- Ota was a silver medalist at Rio 2016, while Fumita was the Tokyo 2021 silver medalist before winning the gold at Paris 2024.

Host Jordan denied first medal since 2013

In the bronze-medal matches, Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) completed the collection of Asian medals while denying the host country its first hardware since 2013, making the most of his chance at par terre to storm to an 11-3 victory at 77kg over Amro SADEH (JOR).

Sadeh had raised hopes of becoming the third Asian medalist in Jordanian history when he scored a roll from par terre for a 3-0 first period lead. But in the second period, he had no answer from the bottom as Magomadov ripped of five rolls this way and that to end the match in 4:21.

Magomadov's previous medals had come at 72kg, taking the silver in 2020 in New Delhi and the gold two years ago at home in Astana.

Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ), winner at this year's Zagreb Ranking Series, needed little time to grab the other 77kg bronze, taking down Lai Hsing YAO (TPE) to his back and securing a fall in 1:28.

At 55kg, the DPR Korea's Ro wasn't able to successfully defend his title, but he won't leave Amman empty-handed after muscling to a 5-0 victory over Yun LU (CHN) for a bronze.

Ro secured an underhook, dropped down and pancaked Lu to his back for a quick 4, then added a passivity point. Lu did a good job to keep from getting turned in par terre, but in a scoreless second period, Ro kept the enough pressure and never had to go on bottom.

Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) picked up the other bronze at 55kg and the second of his career with an 8-4 come-from-behind victory over 2023 Asian U23 champion Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ).

Botirov had scored a gut wrench from par terre in the first period, only to fall behind in the second when Kamaliyev returned the favor using a front body lock. But Botirov rolled through and reversed Kamaliyev to his back, then added a gut wrench for good measure.

At 63kg, Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) really earned his third Asian bronze and fourth medal overall, scoring three takedowns in the second period for a 6-3 victory over Godai MITANI (JPN), who was making his international debut in Amman.

Chung trailed 3-0 in the second period when he countered a throw attempt for a takedown, then went ahead with a hip throw that, on challenge, was degraded from 4 points to 2 because Mitani skillfully avoided landing on his back. A third takedown clinched the win for the Korean.

Chan KIM (PRK) won his second straight Asian bronze with a dominant 7-0 win over 2021 Asian champion Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ). Kim ripped off two rolls from par terre in the first period, then added an arm spin in the second for a takedown to ice the victory.

At 87kg, Russian-born Shamil OZHAEV (KAZ), a former world U23 bronze medalist, unleashed a 4-point throw from par terre and was never really challenged the rest of way in posting a 5-1 victory over Sanghyeok PARK (KOR).

It was the same scoreline in the other match at 87kg, as Sunil KUMAR (IND) captured his fifth Asian medal by defeating Jiaxin HUANG (CHN) 5-1. Sunil, the 2020 gold medalist, piled up the points with a pair of rolls from par terre.

At 130kg, Ali AL SHARUEE (IRQ) prevented Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) from joining the Uzbek parade to the medal podium, rebounding after giving up a 4-point move to triumph 6-4.

After scoring a stepout, Al Sharuee gave up a 4-point arm throw, but reversed Nasimov and added a 2-point exposure to trail 4-4 on criteria. He rectified that by scoring a stepout in the final second of the first period to take a 5-4 lead. An unsuccessful challenge gave the Iraqi his lone point of the second period as he went on to capture Iraq's second medal of the night.

Yuta NARA (JPN) won the other 130kg bronze in spectacular fashion, scoring a 4-point amplitude throw with :05 left to stun Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ) 7-3 and deny him a second straight bronze medal.

Nara, a 2023 bronze medalist at 97kg who moved up to the heaviest weight last year, appeared to go ahead with a gut wrench from par terre, but Manatbekov managed to stop the Japanese in mid-roll for 2 and a 3-3 lead on last-point criteria.

Day 1 Results

Greco-Roman

55kg
GOLD: Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) df. Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ), 7-1

BRONZE: Yu Chol RO (PRK) df. Yun LU (CHN), 5-0
BRONZE: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) df. Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ), 8-4

63kg
GOLD: Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) df. Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) by TF, 13-4, 4:16

BRONZE: Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) df. Godai MITANI (JPN), 6-3
BRONZE: Chan KIM (PRK) df. Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ), 7-0

77kg
GOLD: Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) df. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI), 4-2

BRONZE: Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) df. Amro SADEH (JOR) by TF, 11-3, 4:21
BRONZE: Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Lai Hsing YAO (TPE) by Fall, 1:28 (2-0)

87kg
GOLD: Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) df. Yasin YAZDI (IRI), 7-2

BRONZE: Shamil OZHAEV (KAZ) df. Sanghyeok PARK (KOR), 5-1
BRONZE: Kumar SUNIL (IND) df. Jiaxin HUANG (CHN), 5-1

130kg
GOLD: Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) df. Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ), 7-0

BRONZE: Ali AL SHARUEE (IRQ) df. Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB), 6-4
BRONZE: Yuta NARA (JPN) df. Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ), 7-3

European Championship Preview

Comments

Uzbekistan dominates first day with 3 Greco golds, all at Iran's expense