#WrestleLondon

Five London 2012 Events to Have Medals, Diplomas Reallocated

By United World Wrestling Press

Earlier today, the International Olympic Committee announced the updated list of placements from the 120kg bracket at the '12 London Olympic Games. The article, which was posted on www.olympics.org, laid out the top eight finishers after the removal of Artur TAYMAZOV (UZB) and Davit MODZMANASHVILI (GEO).

The decision was taken during today’s meeting of the International Olympic Committee Executive Board, following the previous disqualification of a number of athletes and the results of their events being adjusted accordingly by the International Federations involved.

The reallocations concern five events in three sports.

See the new rankings for these events below:

Olympic Games London 2012 - Wrestling – Men’s Freestyle 120kg

The following athletes have been disqualified from this event:
- Artur TAYMAZOV (UZB – 1st place, gold medal), by the IOC Disciplinary Commission in the decision dated 17 July 2019. 
- Davit MODZMANASHVILI (GEO – 2nd place, silver medal), by the IOC Disciplinary Commission in the decision dated 16 January 2019

Therefore, the new ranking for the athletes placed from first to eighth is as follows: 

1. Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) 
1. Bilyal MAKHOV (RUS)*
3. Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ) 
3. Tervel Ivaylov DLAGNEV (USA) 
5. Chuluunbat JARGALSAIKHAN (MGL) 
6. Aleksei SHEMAROV (BLR) 
7. Taha AKGUL (TUR) 
8. Rares Daniel CHINTOAN (ROU)

*Additional Information

The reallocation of the medals, diplomas and medallist pins can be undertaken provided that the athletes concerned are not currently under suspension for an ADRV and/or no anti-doping proceedings are currently initiated against them.

Bilyal MAKHOV (RUS) is currently suspended for an ADRV until 27 January 2024. 

No immediate arrangements will  be made to present the gold medal to this athlete before the end of his suspension.

Athletics and canoeing also saw medals, diplomas and medallist pins reallocated. To read the full release, visit www.olympics.org.

#WrestleNoviSad

Mesenbrink takes steady steps to win U23 Worlds gold

By Vinay Siwach

NOVI SAD, Serbia (October 25) -- Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) remembers his last year's U23 World Championships campaign. He won a bronze medal, left Tirana a little frustrated and missing his training room in Penn State.

With lessons from that tournament and surrounded by his Penn State teammates and coaches, Mesenbrink made sure he did not return home without a medal. The former U20 world champion became U23 world champion after beating Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2, in the 74kg final.

Mesenbrink was a leg-attack machine in the final and Ozmus did little to defend those, giving up the final in 2:59, just on the stroke of the break.

"It's just about constantly getting better, technically, and emotionally, too," Mesenbrink said. "If I'm just running in there, trying to grab onto his head, he can get in. So just being able to constantly improve. I think that's a strong testament to the people around me and to the coaches that I have and the teammates that I have at Penn State."

Seven wrestler out of the 10 on the United States Freestyle team are part of the same training center -- the Nittany Lions Wrestling Club, Penn State, which Mesenbrink said made a lot of difference this year.

"It's fun, because last year I came by myself. It was just me at the U23s. So it was fun this year that we had seven out of 10 guys," he said. "Last year, I knew the guys, but it wasn't my teammates, right? Now it's my teammates, the guys that I'm literally in the room with every day. We go over and it's almost like, are we even in Serbia right now? It feels like we're in America, because we got so many guys here."

In Tirana, the American wrestler lost to Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) in the quarterfinals but bounced back to win the bronze medal. But in Novi Sad on Friday, Mesenbrink faced Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) in the semifinals and came out on top 6-4, with a buzzer beating takedown.

The win boasted Mesenbrink's confidence who was close to make the U.S. senior team for World Championships in Zagreb where Takahashi won gold, but lost to David CARR (USA) domestically.

However, that loss made Mesenbrink think about his aims and how he wants to improve his wrestling on the mat.

"I think the big thing of not making the world team, it was just, I got to get better in those specific areas," he said. "That's the most fun part. I thought this is all this is, is a title. This is gonna be fading so quick. So I thought I'm going to go out there and I'm going to work on the things that I've been working on and I've been working really hard since Final X to get those improvements."

Mobin AZIMI (IRI)Mobin AZIMI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 92kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In the only other final of Freestyle, Mobin AZIMI (IRI) earned the first gold medal for Iran after beating Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3, in the 92kg final. Azimi broken Khaniev down in the final and scored three stepout points to win the gold medal.

RESULTS

74kg
GOLD: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) df. Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2

BRONZE: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df. PARVINDER (IND), 8-2
BRONZE: Manuel WAGIN (GER) df. Magomed KHANIEV (AZE), 8-4

92kg
GOLD: Mobin AZIMI (IRI) df. Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3

BRONZE: Sherzod POYONOV (UZB) df. Ivan CHORNOHUZ (UKR), 11-1
BRONZE: Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) df. Ion DEMIAN (MDA), 10-0

Semifinals

57kg
GOLD: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) vs. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA)

SF 1: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) df. Nodirbek JUMANAZAROV (UZB), 6-1
SF 2: Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) df. Aiandai ONDAR (UWW), 7-1

70kg
GOLD: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) vs. Sina KHALILI (IRI)

SF 1: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. PJ DUKE (USA), 14-4
SF 2: Sina KHALILI (IRI) df. Alexandr GAIDARLI (MDA), 8-2

79kg
GOLD: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) vs. Levi HAINES (USA)

SF 1: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) df. Nikita DMITRIJEVS MAYEUSKI (UWW), 5-2
SF 2: Levi HAINES (USA) df. Davud DAUDOV (UWW), 11-4

125kg
GOLD: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) vs. Khetag KARSANOV (AZE)

SF 1: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) df. Khabib DAVUDGADZHIEV (UWW), 5-0
SF 2: Khetag KARSANOV (AZE) df. Daniel HERRERA (USA), 12-2