#Bishkek2018

Evloev Gives Host Country 74kg Freestyle Gold

By Ken Marantz

On the night the curtain came down on the Asian Championships in Bishkek, Muslim EVLOEV (KGZ) provided the perfect final act.

Evloev gave the host country a gold medal in 74kg freestyle as the tournament wrapped up its well-supported six-day run at the Kozhomkul Sports Palace with finals in five weight divisions.

Evloev, riding an early 5-point lead, never let up in defeating Mandakhnaran GANZORIG (MGL) by 11-1 technical fall with :24 remaining to give Kyrgyzstan its first Asian freestyle gold since 2015 and fourth in its history.

"It's a great feeling," Evloev said of winning at home to improve on his silver medal he won last year in New Delhi. "The crowd was really supporting me as much as they could and I couldn't fail them, so I did my best."

Iran finished up by capturing two golds, as reigning world and Olympic champion Hassan YAZDANI CHARATI (IRI) cruised to his first Asian title with a victory at 86kg, and Mohammadjavad EBRAHIMIZIVLAEI (IRI) followed by winning the 92kg crown.

In a duel between Georgian-born wrestlers for the 125kg title, Davit MODZMANASHVILI (UZB) defeated Giorgi SAKANDELIDZE (QAT), 5-0, in a tepid match that capped the tournament.

Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ), 61kg champion looking for a gut wrench. Photo Max Rose-Fyne. 

The other gold at stake went to Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ), a New Delhi 2017 bronze medalist who scored two takedowns in the second period of the 61kg final to top Kazuya KOYANAGI (JPN), 6-2.

Uzbekistan, which had won five medals, including two golds, on Saturday, added two bronzes to Modzmanashvili's gold to clinch the team title with 178 points. Iran finished second with 157 and Kazakhstan third with 146.

Evloev acknowledged he was heartened by the Greco victory of compatriot Akzhol MAKHMUDOV on the second day, one of the tournament's iconic moments for the thunderous ovation it elicited from the delirious crowd.

"Of course he did inspire me," Evloev said. "And I also want to say congratulations to Makhmudov because I haven't seen him yet."

In the final, Evloev used a single-leg lift to dump Ganzorig, a two-time world bronze medalist, backwards to the mat for a 4-point move, which became 5 when the Mongolian side's challenge was unsuccessful.

"It made me feel more confident, but I was going to wrestle until the last second," Evloev said of being staked to a big early lead. "That's why I won."

Photo of Hassan YAZDANI CHARATI (IRI) by Max Rose-Fyne. 

Outside of the Kyrgyz wrestlers, the spotlight was squarely on superstar Yazdani Charati.

And he lived up to expectations by overwhelming Uitumen ORGODOL (MGL) in the 86kg final, scoring with a takedown and roll combination right away, and then reeling off three takedowns for a 10-0 technical fall with 36 seconds still left in the first period.

Orgodol added the Asian silver to the one he won in 2016 and his bronze from 2013.

So popular is the Iranian that he had a phalanx of Kyrygz security guards whereever he went, and was whisked pass waiting media and fans without comment after his medal ceremony and completing doping procedures.

In the 92kg final, Ebrahimizivlaei built up a 5-1 lead through the first period against Adilet DAVLUMBAYEV (KAZ), then gave up a passivity point and nothing else to take the gold with a 5-2 victory.

The plodding end to the final bout of the tournament, the 125kg final, belied the historical significance of it.

Modzmanashvili, a London 2012 Olympic bronze medalist for Georgia, took a 4-0 lead with an early takedown to a roll, then gained a point when Sakandelidze was on the activity clock in the second period, when the two giants seemed to have little desire to expend further energy.  

By winning the silver medal, Sakandelidze became Qatar's first-ever medalist at the Asian Championships. The Gulf nation's best previous showing had been fifth place.

Although it took an import to gain a spot on the medal podium, Qatari officials were ecstatic with the result.

"After a long period, this is a big success for Qatar wrestling federation, for Qatar," said team leader Vardan Ghazaryan. "For the first time in senior championships, after more than 50 years, we take such success. Qatar is very proud and it will advertise wrestling to include more young schoolboys for developing wrestling in Qatar."

Ghazaryan said the federation has high expectations for Sakandelidze, who he said has lived in Qatar for two years.

"This is, of course, his first match for Qatar, but you will see his success and medals, gold medals, in the future."

Among the bronze-medal matches, Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) overcame an 8-3 deficit with 45 seconds remaining, scoring the winning takedown in the final seconds to defeat KIM Daisung (KOR), 11-8, at 74kg.

Kim, who clearly ran out of gas down the stretch, is a 40-something high school wrestling coach who came out of retirement to make the national team, according to a South Korean federation official.

Azizbek SOLIEV (UZB) also notched a last-second takedown to upend Turtogtokh LUVSANDORJ (MGL), 4-3, in their 92kg third-place match.

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran and China all came away with two bronze medals on the night, while host Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia had one each.

Freestyle
61kg (12 entries)
Gold - Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) df. Kazuya KOYANAGI (JPN), 6-2

Bronze - Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB) df. Sharvan SHARVAN (IND), 6x-6
Bronze - Ulubek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ) df. Iman SADEGHIKOUKANDEH (IRI), 6-0

74kg (12 entries)
Gold - Muslim EVLOEV (KGZ) df. Mandakhnaran GANZORIG (MGL) by TF, 11-1, 0:24

Bronze - Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) df. KIM Daisung (KOR), 11-8
Bronze - Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) df. Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM) by TF, 10-0, 4:12

86kg (12 entries)
Gold - Hassan YAZDANI CHARATI (IRI) df. Uitumen ORGODOL (MGL) by TF, 10-0, 3:24

Bronze - Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) df. Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB), 4-0
Bronze - BI Shengfeng (CHN) df. Deepak PUNIA (IND) by TF, 10-0, 3:41

92kg (10 entries)
Gold - Mohammadjavad EBRAHIMIZIVLAEI (IRI) df. Adilet DAVLUMBAYEV (KAZ), 5-2

Bronze - LIN Zushen (CHN) df. SUE Changjae (KOR), 2-1
Bronze - Azizbek SOLIEV (UZB) df. Turtogtokh LUVSANDORJ (MGL), 4-3

125kg (13 entries)
Gold - Davit MODZMANASHVILI (UZB) df. Giorgi SAKANDELIDZE (QAT), 5-0

Bronze - Zolboo NATSAGSUREN (MGL) df. NAM Koungjin (KOR) by TF, 10-0, 4:43
Bronze - Amin TAHERI (IRI) df. Sohbet BELLIYEV (TKM) by TF, 14-4, 3:02

#WrestleAmman

U17 Worlds: India claims four WW golds after unbeaten run

By Vinay Siwach

AMMAN, Jordan (August 22) -- China's Na HU (CHN) stole a match in the dying seconds but it was India that stole the show at the U17 World Championships in Amman on Thursday. India had four wrestlers in the final in Women's Wrestling and all four won gold medals.

Last year, India had won only one gold, coming at 61kg. But with four golds and five more weight classes remaining, the country is set to register its best at the U17 World Championships.

Hu was the other champion of the day at 49kg, a weight class in which India had no participation as it sent only nine wrestlers in Women's Wrestling to the U17 Asian Championships in June.

NEHA (IND)NEHA (IND) scores a takedown against So TSUTSUI (JPN) during the 57kg final at the U17 World Championships in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Leading the Indian team was returning bronze medalist NEHA (IND) at 57kg. A day before heading to Amman, Neha met VINESH (IND) who had returned from the Paris Olympics. Vinesh had become the first wrestler to beat Yui SUSAKI (JPN) internationally and reach the final at 50kg. She was later disqualified for failing her weigh-in on the second day.

Hailing from the same village -- Balali in Haryana -- as Vinesh, Neha did not take long to announce herself, winning the gold medal by beating So TSUTSUI (JPN) in a show of brute power. In her earlier bouts on Wednesday, Neha won one via fall, one via technical superiority and the semifinal 8-4.

The 16-year-old will have to quickly refocus as she is scheduled to compete at her first U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain from September 2.

Mansi LATHER (IND)Mansi LATHER (IND) works for the pin against Hanna PIRSKAYA (AIN) during the 73kg final at the U17 World Championships in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At 73kg, Mansi LATHER (IND) capped off her dominant run with a gold medal by pinning Hanna PIRSKAYA (AIN) in the final. This was her third fall in four bouts while one was a 6-0 win over returning champion Piper FOWLER (USA).

Lather built a 3-0 lead over Pirskaya at the break and continued her attacks in the second period. She had Pirskaya's back on the mat after a takedown and secured the fall with 1:23 remaining in the four-minute bout. The gold is an addition to her gold at the U17 Asian Championships in 69kg in June.

PULKIT (IND)PULKIT (IND) and Daria FROLOVA (AIN) in a scramble during the 65kg final at the U17 World Championships in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

PULKIT (IND) did not dominate her final but did enough to beat Daria FROLOVA (AIN), 6-3, and win the gold medal at 65kg. She got the first points on board when Frolova tried to score a pushout but Pulkit defended and pushed Frolova out. Frolova fell with Pulkit scoring a takedown to take a 2-0 lead. It became 3-0 when Frolova was called passive.

A missed leg-attack from Frolova gave another takedown to Pulkit who extended her lead to 5-0. Frolova cut the lead to 5-3 when she scored a takedown and Pulkit was cautioned. The next attempt gave her hope but Pulkit defended the attack and came out unscathed. A lost challenge added one point to Pulkit's score.

Aditi KUMARI (IND)Aditi KUMARI (IND) celebrates after winning the 43kg gold medal at the U17 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Aditi KUMARI (IND) was the fourth gold medalist for India as she defeated Maria GKIKA (GRE) 7-0 in the 43kg final. Gkika was hoping to become Greece's first world champion in Women's Wrestling in 22 years.

Kumari got the first point when Gkika was called passive before she added a takedown just before the break to lead 3-0. She added two gut wrenches before the clock expired and raced to a 7-0 lead that she maintained till the end of the match.

Ha, the lone Chinese wrestler in the final, had to bring out a clutch double-leg to score two points and beat Utaha YUI (JPN) 4-3 in the 49kg final and become the first wrestler from China to win gold at U17 Worlds in Women's Wrestling after five years.

Yui led 3-0 at the break but Ha scored a takedown to cut it to 3-2 in the second period. As Yui tried holding on to that lead, Ha made continuous attempts to break the defense. She finally succeeded in the final 10 seconds, using a double-leg attack, completing the takedown with head-outside for two points.

Yuu KATSUME (JPN)Yuu KATSUME (JPN) defeated Morgan TURNER (USA) in the 46kg semifinal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

India eyes team title

With four golds and two more finalists on Friday, India will be favorites to win the Women's Wrestling team title in Amman. This would be the first time it will accomplish the feat after falling short for the last five years.

India has 100 points from the gold medal while Japan, in second spot, has 56 points. Japan has three finalists on Friday and is still looking for its first gold medal. Japan hopes that one of Yuu KATSUME (JPN), Nana KOZUKA (JPN) and Sae NOGUCHI (JPN) end the drought.

Katsume entered the 46kg final by beating returning champion Morgan TURNER (USA) 13-2 in the semifinal. She will take on Shrutika PATIL (IND) for gold after Patil beat Medina KUANYSHBEK (KAZ) in the other semifinals.

Kozuka was also dominant, winning her 53kg semifinal via fall over Lisette BOETTKER (EST) and will take on Kaura COLES (CAN) after she became the first Canadian to reach the U17 Worlds final in Women's Wrestling. Coles beat Isabella GONZALES (USA), 8-3.

Noguchi will look to stop the United States from having a U17 world champion as she faces Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) in the 61kg final. Noguchi beat Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) 5-0 while Fernandez pinned Zhaidar MUKAT (KAZ) in the semifinals.

At 69kg, Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) will face KAJAL (IND) after she stunned Ilayda CIN (TUR) with a fall. Cin was leading 4-0 when Rybak rolled over and pinned her. Kajal defeated Rahma BEDIWY (EGY), 4-3, in a close semifinal.

Ukraine's second finalist was Kamila KUCHMA (UKR) who won her semifinal at 40kg against Nazrin AHMADLI (AZE) 5-0. She will take on Aleksandra FEDOROVA (AIN) who defeated Raj BALA (IND) 4-3, thanks to a challenge to give her the win instead of Bala, who was winning 3-2 before the challenge.

https://photo.uww.org/Wrestling/2024/U17-World-Championships/Womens-Wrestling

RESULTS

43kg
GOLD: Aditi KUMARI (IND) df. Maria GKIKA (GRE), 7-0 

BRONZE: Aleksandra BEREZOVSKAIA (AIN) df. Mareim ABDELAAL (EGY), 7-0
BRONZE: Gabriela PALACIOS (MEX) df. Xin HUANG (CHN), 6-4

49kg
GOLD: Na HU (CHN) df. Utaha YUI (JPN), 4-3

BRONZE: Kseniya KOSTSENICH (AIN) df. Dounia ZITOUNI (ALG), via fall
BRONZE: Polina BOCHKAREVA (AIN) df. Esra MAMMADLI (AZE), 9-0

57kg
GOLD: NEHA (IND) df. So TSUTSUI (JPN), 10-0

BRONZE: Anna STRATAN (KAZ) df. Mairi MANI (GRE), 5-1
BRONZE: Palina BRAHINETS (AIN) df. Barbara BAGER (HUN), 7-3

65kg
GOLD: PULKIT (IND) df. Daria FROLOVA (AIN), 6-3

BRONZE: Uldana TILEUKHAN (KAZ) df. Anastasiya KOMANAVA (AIN), via fall (13-2)
BRONZE: Maram ALY (EGY) df. Ling CAI (CHN), via fall (11-0)

73kg
GOLD: Mansi LATHER (IND) df. Hanna PIRSKAYA (AIN), via fall

BRONZE: Lotta ENGLICH (GER) df. Khrystyna DEMCHUK (UKR), via fall (5-2)
BRONZE: Diana TITOVA (AIN) df. Makia KIMURA (JPN), 6-0

Women's Wrestling Semifinals

40kg
GOLD: Kamila KUCHMA (UKR) vs. Aleksandra FEDOROVA (AIN)

SF 1: Aleksandra FEDOROVA (AIN) df. Raj BALA (IND), 4-3
SF 2: Kamila KUCHMA (UKR) df. Nazrin AHMADLI (AZE), 5-0

46kg
GOLD: Shrutika PATIL (IND) vs. Yuu KATSUME (JPN)

SF 1: Yuu KATSUME (JPN) df. Morgan TURNER (USA), 13-2
SF 2: Shrutika PATIL (IND) df. Medina KUANYSHBEK (KAZ), 3-1

53kg
GOLD: Nana KOZUKA (JPN) vs. Kaura COLES (CAN)

SF 1: Kaura COLES (CAN) df. Isabella GONZALES (USA), 8-3
SF 2: Nana KOZUKA (JPN) df. Lisette BOETTKER (EST), via fall (10-0)

61kg
GOLD: Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) vs. Sae NOGUCHI (JPN)

SF 1: Sae NOGUCHI (JPN) df. Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE), 5-0
SF 2: Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) df. Zhaidar MUKAT (KAZ), via fall (6-0)

69kg
GOLD: Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) vs. KAJAL (IND) 

SF 1: KAJAL (IND) df. Rahma BEDIWY (EGY), 4-3
SF 2: Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) df. Ilayda CIN (TUR), via fall (2-4)