TASHKENT (September 12) – Five finalists will each be seeking historic gold medals or personal bests at the wrestling world championships on Friday, with only Elena PIROZHKOVA (USA) seeking a second world title in the final women’s event.

Pirozhkova, who won her first world title in 2012, emerged from the tightly packed preliminaries of the women’s 63kg bracket with last-second wins over top-ranked Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT) and No.7 SORONZONBOLD Battsetseg (MGL).

In the gold medal final at the Gymnastics Palace, Pirozhkova will meet former junior world champion Yulia TKACH (UKR), whose best finish in three trips to the world meet is a fifth place in 2007.

Also on Friday, action in Greco-Roman got underway with competition in the 75kg and 85kg weight categories.

World and Olympic multi-medalist Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) advanced to the championship bout at 75kg for a chance to win his first-ever world level gold medal. In the previous four years, including the London 2012 Olympic Games, he has gone silver-bronze-silver bronze in the finals.

A gold medal on Friday night would equal the 1987 world title of his father, Levon JULFALAKYAN (URS). The elder Julfalakyan was also a Seoul 1988 Olympic Games gold medalist.

Julfalakyan’s opponent in the 75kg championship will be Neven ZUGAJ (CRO), who is wrestling in his first title match.  Zugaj has won bronze medals in 2010 and 2011 – and win Friday would also be a first for Croatian wrestling.

At 85kg, Saman TAHMASEBI (AZE) gets a shot at the gold medal for a second year in a row, while his opponent, Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) also gets a second chance after finishing with the silver medal in 2009.

In the earlier rounds Friday, Pan American champion Andy BISEK (USA) scored a takedown in the closing seconds of his match with world and Olympic Games champion Roman VLASOV (RUS) for a 6-6 win on criteria.

Bisek lost in the quarterfinals to Zugaj but qualified for one of the bronze medal matches.

WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFZCSpI0Fo4

RESULTS

63kg - Female Wrestling

GOLD: Yuliya TKACH (UKR) df. Elena Sergey PIROZHKOVA (USA), 4-2 
BRONZE: Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT) df. Monika Ewa MICHALIK (POL), 5-1 
BRONZE: Valeriia LAZINSKAYA (RUS) df. Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) by TF, 12-0 

Semifinal: Elena Sergey PIROZHKOVA (USA) df. Monika Ewa MICHALIK (POL), 3-0  
Semifinal: Yuliya TKACH (UKR) df. Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) by FALL, 7-1

Repechage: Valeriia LAZINSKAYA (RUS) df. Agoro PAPAVASILEIOU (GRE) by TF, 13-0  
Repechage: Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT) df. Danielle Suzanne LAPPAGE (CAN), 6-2  
Repechage: Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT) df. Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD (MGL) by FALL, 7-7

Quarterfinal: Elena Sergey PIROZHKOV (USA) df. Danielle Suzanne LAPPAGE (CAN), 2-1  
Quarterfinal: Monika Ewa MICHALIK (POL) df. Maria MAMASHUK (BLR), 8-6  
Quarterfinal: Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) df. Dalma CANEVA (ITA) by TF, 10-0  
Quarterfinal: Yuliya TKACH (UKR) df. Agoro PAPAVASILEIOU (GRE) by TF, 10-0 

1/8: Elena Sergey PIROZHKOV (USA) df. Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD (MGL), 6-4  
1/8: Maria MAMASHUK (BLR) df. Elina Lyubchova VASEVA (BUL), 10-8  
1/8: Yuliya TKACH (UKR) df. Valeriia LAZINSKAYA (RUS), 2-2  
1/8: Danielle Suzanne LAPPAGE (CAN) df. Xiaoqian WANG (CHN), 10-5  
1/8: Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) df. Ragnelta GURBANZADE (AZE) by TF, 11-0  
1/8: Agoro PAPAVASILEIOU (GRE) df. Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) by TF, 16-4  
1/8: Monika Ewa MICHALIK (POL) df. Nadine WEINAUGE (GER), 3-0  
1/8: Dalma CANEVA (ITA) df. Olga KALININA (KAZ) by FALL, 10-1  

Qualification: Danielle Suzanne LAPPAGE (CAN) df. Kaur NAVJOT (IND) by TF, 10-0  
Qualification: Nadine WEINAUGE (GER) df. Wendy MARTINEZ (MEX), 7-3  
Qualification: Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) df. Buse TOSUN (TUR) by FALL, 12-2  
Qualification: Battsetseg SORONZONBOLD (MGL) df. Rio WATARI (JPN) by FALL, 10-4  
Qualification: Xiaoqian WANG (CHN) df. Khalbazar NARBAEVA (UZB) by FALL, 10-2  
Qualification: Elina Lyubchova VASEVA (BUL) df. Lais OLIVEIRA (BRA) by TF, 10-0  
Qualification: Elena Sergey PIROZHKOV (USA) df. Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT), 5-4  
Qualification: Monika Ewa MICHALIK (POL) df. Jasira MENDONKA (GBS), 13-4  
Qualification: Maria MAMASHUK (BLR) df. Jackeline RENTERIA (COL) by FALL, 12-4

75kg - Greco-Roman

GOLD: Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) v. Neven ZUGAJ (CRO), 4-0
BRONZE: Andrew Thomas BISEK (USA) df. Hiroyuki SHIMIZU (JPN) by TF, 8-0 
BRONZE: Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) df. Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO), 1-1 

Semifinal: Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) df. Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO), 1-0  
Semifinal: Neven ZUGAJ (CRO) df. Hiroyuki SHIMIZU (JPN), 2-0  

Repechage: Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) df. Juan ESCOBAR (MEX), 4-1  
Repechage: Andrew Thomas BISEK (USA) df. Veli-Karri SUOMINEN (FIN), 6-5  
Repechage: Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) df. Florian MARCHL (AUT) by FALL, 5-0  
Repechage: Veli-Karri SUOMINEN (FIN) df. Hadi Asadollah ALIZADEHPOURNIA (IRI), 6-2

Quarterfinal: Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) df. Gurpreet SINGH (IND), 7-5  
Quarterfinal: Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) df. Juan ESCOBAR (MEX) by TF, 11-2  
Quarterfinal: Neven ZUGAJ (CRO) df. Andrew Thomas BISEK (USA), 1-0  
Quarterfinal: Hiroyuki SHIMIZHU (JPN) df. Dmytro PYSHKOV (UKR), 5-5

1/8: Juan ESCOBAR (MEX) df. Xifeng LI (CHN) by TF, 8-0  
1/8: Neven ZUGAJ (CRO) df. Hadi Asadollah ALIZADEHPOURNIA (IRI), 8-3  
1/8: Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) df. Yavor Dimitrov YANAKIEV (BUL), 2-2  
1/8: Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) df. Florian MARCHL (AUT) by TF, 12-1  
1/8: Dmytro PYSHKOV (UKR) df. Laszlo SZABO (HUN), 4-4  
1/8: Gurpreet SINGH (IND) df. Petr NOVAK (CZE) by FALL, 9-2  
1/8: Andrew Thomas BISEK (USA) df. Roman VLASOV (RUS), 6-6  
1/8: Hiroyuki SHIMIZHU (JPN) df. Igor BESLEAGA (MDA), 4-1  

1/16: Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) df. Valery PALENSKI (BLR), 4-2  
1/16: Gurpreet SINGH (IND) df. Ricardo GIL (ESP) by TF, 12-4  
1/16: Florian MARCHL (AUT) df. Ciro RUSSO (ITA) by TF, 11-0  
1/16: Andrew Thomas BISEK (USA) df. Petros MANOUILIDIS (GRE), 5-0  
1/16: Dmytro PYSHKOV (UKR) df. Nurullo KHASANOV (TJK) by TF, 11-0  
1/16: Hiroyuki SHIMIZHU (JPN) df. Seref TUFENK (TUR), 4-2  
1/16: Yavor Dimitrov YANAKIEV (BUL) df. Yorgen Jose COVA (VEN), 5-0  
1/16: Juan ESCOBAR (MEX) df. Robert Patrik ROSENGREN (SWE), 7-1  
1/16: Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) df. Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) by TF, 9-0  
1/16: Neven ZUGAJ (CRO) df. Veli-Karri SUOMINEN (FIN), 3-1  
1/16: Laszlo SZABO (HUN) df. Florian NEUMAIER (GER), 4-0  
1/16: Petr NOVAK (CZE) df. Dae-Seung PARK (KOR), 9-3  
1/16: Xifeng LI (CHN) df. Maximiliano Daniel PRUDENZANO (ARG), 2-1  
1/16: Roman VLASOV (RUS) df. Richard RICO (SVK) by TF, 10-0  
1/16: Hadi Asadollah ALIZADEHPOURNIA (IRI) df. Nurbek KHASHIMBEKOV (UZB), 4-0  
1/16: Igor BESLEAGA (MDA) df. Damian DIETSCHE (SUI), 13-6  

Qualification: Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) df. Arkadiusz Marcin KULYNYCZ (POL) by TF, 8-0  
Qualification: Dae-Seung PARK (KOR) df. Jure KUHAR (SLO), 2-2  
Qualification: Yorgen Jose COVA (VEN) df. Rashid KOCHIYEV (KAZ), 5-0  
Qualification: Petr NOVAK (CZE) df. Aleksandrs VISNAKOVS (LAT), 4-0  
Qualification: Valery PALENSKI (BLR) df. Tarek Mohamed ABDELSALAM (EGY) by TF, 10-1  
Qualification: Yavor Dimitrov YANAKIEV (BUL) df. Viktor NEMES (SRB), 3-0  
Qualification: Gurpreet SINGH (IND) df. Amanaly ATAYEV (TKM), 8-6  

85kg - Greco-Roman

GOLD: Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) df. Saman TEHMASEBI (AZE), 3-0
BRONZE: Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Kristofer Alf Ragnar JOHANSSON (SWE), 3-0
BRONZE: Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) df. Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER), 3-0

Semifinal: Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) df. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN), 1-0  
Semifinal: Saman TEHMASEBI (AZE) df. Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) by DQ, 4-0  

Repechage: Kristofer Alf Ragnar JOHANSSON (SWE) df. Masayuki AMANO (JPN), 6-4  
Repechage: Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER) df. Vladimer GEGESHIDZE (GEO), 2-0  
Repechage: Kristofer Alf Ragnar JOHANSSON (SWE) df. Amer HRUSTANOVIC (AUT), 5-0  
Repechage: Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER) df. Liang KONG (CHN), 6-0

Quarterfinal: Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Javid HAMZATAU (BLR), 2-0  
Quarterfinal: Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) df. Masayuki AMANO (JPN), 2-0  
Quarterfinal: Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) df. Ahmed mohamed IBRAHIM (EGY) by TF, 10-1  
Quarterfinal: Saman TEHMASEBI (AZE) df. Vladimer GEGESHIDZE (GEO), 4-0 

1/8: Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Artur OMAROV (CZE), 2-0  
1/8: Ahmed mohamed IBRAHIM (EGY) df. Laimutis ADOMAITIS (LTU), 2-1  
1/8: Saman TEHMASEBI (AZE) df. Liang KONG (CHN), 2-0  
1/8: Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) df. Kristofer Alf Ragnar JOHANSSON (SWE), 2-2  
1/8: Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) df. Pablo Enrique SHOREY (CUB), 6-1  
1/8: Javid HAMZATAU (BLR) df. Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB), 6-0  
1/8: Masayuki AMANO (JPN) df. Damian JANIKOWSKI (POL) by TF, 8-0  
1/8: Vladimer GEGESHIDZE (GEO) df. Isfandiyor LATIPOV (TJK) by TF, 10-1  

1/16: Javid HAMZATAU (BLR) df. Aman TOKTOGONOV (KGZ) by TF, 9-0  
1/16: Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) df. Amer HRUSTANOVIC (AUT), 5-0  
1/16: Masayuki AMANO (JPN) df. Alexander Jose BRAZON (VEN), 3-1  
1/16: Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) df. Rami Antero HIETANIEMI (FIN), 1-0  
1/16: Vladimer GEGESHIDZE (GEO) df. Hristo Diyanov MARINOV (BUL), 4-3  
1/16: Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Nenad ZUGAJ (CRO), 3-0  
1/16: Kristofer Alf Ragnar JOHANSSON (SWE) df. Attila Gheza TAMAS (ROU) by TF, 9-0  
1/16: Ahmed mohamed IBRAHIM (EGY) df. Alfonso YEPEZ (MEX) by TF, 12-4  
1/16: Pablo Enrique SHOREY (CUB) df. Azamat Izubaevitch BIKBAEV (RUS), 6-3  
1/16: Liang KONG (CHN) df. Andrey SAMOKHIN (KAZ), 3-1  
1/16: Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) df. Mojtaba Ali KARIMFAR (IRI), 8-4  
1/16: Artur OMAROV (CZE) df. Metehan BASAR (TUR), 2-2  
1/16: Damian JANIKOWSKI (POL) df. Nae-Koo KANG (KOR), 5-3  
1/16: Laimutis ADOMAITIS (LTU) df. Manoj KUMAR (IND) by TF, 8-0  
1/16: Isfandiyor LATIPOV (TJK) df. Fanolua FANOLUA (ASA) by FALL, 7-0  
1/16: Saman TEHMASEBI (AZE) df. Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER), 3-2  

Qualification: Javid HAMZATAU (BLR) df. Rasmus Nes TJORSTAD (NOR), 3-0  
Qualification: Mojtaba Ali KARIMFAR (IRI) df. Artur SHAHINYAN (ARM), 3-0  
Qualification: Aman TOKTOGONOV (KGZ) df. Dimitrios PAPADOPOULOS (GRE), 12-7  
Qualification: Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) df. Jordan Robert HOLM (USA), 5-0