Georgia Claim #WrestleBudapest GR Title Despite Two Kyrgyzstan Gold

Sunday, July 25, 2021 - 18:31 By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 25) --- Just like the freestyle and women's wrestling in Budapest, a new nation claimed the Greco-Roman team title for the first time. Georgia, which claimed two bronze medals on the final day of the cadet World Championships, won their first-ever team title in the history of the tournament.

The country did not have any finalists Sunday but it finished with two gold, a silver and three bronze medals to register with 141 points, the most among all the participants.

India had claimed their first-ever freestyle team title on Wednesday while USA won the women's team title on Friday, the first for them as well in the history of the tournament.

Ukraine finished in second position in Greco-Roman with two gold, two silver and a bronze medal, giving them 127 points. Defending champions Russia were third with 124 points that accumulated via two gold, two silver and a bronze medal.

Nuristan SUIORKULOV (KGZ) won the gold at 51kg in Budapest. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

Though they finished fourth in the team title race, Kyrgyzstan won two gold medals Sunday as Nuristan SUIORKULOV (KGZ) and Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) won their weight classes.

Suiorkulov denied Yurii TOVT (UKR) the gold medal at 51kg as he won 3-1. This is the first time in five years that a Kyrgyzstan wrestler won the cadet Worlds. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) had achieved this feat in 2016, becoming the second only for the country.

"I am so glad to become the world champion," Suiorkulov said. "I wasn't worried during they day. I thought I was going to win the match."

Tovt was warned for passivity in the first period which gave Suiorkulov the lead and he scored two more points from the par-terre position to lead 3-0 at the break. Suiorkulov, who was also at the 2019 Worlds, was also penalized for being passive but he defended the par-terre position and the lead to claim the gold medal 3-1.

"Since my World Championship in 2019, I was preparing well," he said. "We had some tough days. During the COVID, I kept training at home."

Asked how he took up the sport of wrestling, he said that his friends made him do wrestling but he has emerged to be the most successful one. "My friends made me start my wrestling training as we were going to the gym together," he said. "Thanks you, my friends! None of them achieve such results in wrestling though."

Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) celebrates after winning the 60kg world title in Budapest. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

At 60kg, Beishekeev overcame Seyyedmostafa REZAEI DARYAKENARI (IRI) 4-1 in the final with ease. While it was the Iranian who led at the break 1-0 but Beishekeev scored four points in the second period for the win.

Rezaei Daryakenari was awarded the point for Beishekeev's passivity but failed to capitalize from the position. In the second period, the Iranian was called passive giving Beishekeev a 1-1 criteria lead. In the par terre position, Rezaei Daryakenari was called for fleeing and cautioned, added two more points to Beishekeev's score.

Iran challenged the call but the judges upheld the referee's decision. The added point for lost challenge made the score 4-1 for Beishekeev's score which remained till the clock expired.

Another Iran wrestler was denied the gold medal as Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) defeated Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) 2-1 at the 71kg final. Solovei was leading on criteria 1-1 but was struggling to match the pace of Abdevali in the final few seconds.

Abdevali tried to score via stepout in the final three seconds but was not awarded by the referee. Iran coaches challenged the call, claiming there was a clear stepout but the judge withheld the referee's call after the replay, giving the Moldovan wrestler the win.

Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) is the world champion at 71kg. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

"Last time I lost to an Iran wrestler, but this time I was confident," Solovei said referring to his loss to Hojat REZAEI (IRI) at the 2019 cadet Worlds. "It's important to wrestle till the last second. Today I got the revenge. I am very happy to get the medal. I hope next year I'll get only the medals like this one."

Solovei has been training in wrestling for the last 10 years and aims to become the Olympic champion one day. "My father was a wrestler as well. He brought me to the sport when I was seven years old. Now I am training in the Olympic village and my biggest dream is to become an Olympic champion. Every day I am thinking only about that."

At 45kg, Ukraine added another gold after the one Saturday with cadet European silver medalist Nikita DEMENTIEV (UKR) denying Ozodbek KHALIMBOEV (UZB) at the 45kg weight. He snatched a close 2-1 win after scored a step out in the second period.

He was awarded passivity and led 1-0 but he failed to take advantage of the par terre position. In the seconds period, he scored a stepout with a minute and 18 seconds remaining to extend the lead to 2-0. Khalimboev was awarded point for Dementiev passivity with 34 seconds remaining. It was his chance to reverse the match but he failed to score any points on the par terre position.

Nikita DEMENTIEV (UKR) celebrates after winning the 45kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

"I have been waiting for that belt and for this medal for so long." Dementiev said. "After the unsuccessful European Championships where I got the silver medal, I really wanted to become a champion."

Dementiev won the gold medal for Ukraine and said that while preparing for the final, he was trying to remain positive.

"I was thinking about how to make my parents and my coaches happy," he said. "I wanted to prove myself that I can win. My final match was a bit tough, but we made it. When I was in school, there were wrestling classes and I just decided to give it a try. Little be little I started training and now it's been 6 years."

It could have been two for them and the team title but 2021 cadet European champion Vladyslav LUB (UKR) suffered a shock defeat to cadet Euros bronze medalist Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (BLR).

Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (BLR) avenged his cadet European loss to Vladyslav LUB (UKR) at the cadet Worlds on Sunday. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

Lub's strategy for the 92kg final backfired when he was awarded the passivity in the first period. He thought he would be able to score from the par terre position but Khaslakhanau's defense proved to be too much.

On the other hand, the Belarusian scored a throw for two points from the par terre in the second period to avenge his loss from the cadet European tournament just a couple of months back.

"We have been working so hard to get this medal," Khaslakhanau, who began wrestling when he was in fifth grade, said. "But it's definitely worth it. I can't even describe my emotions, but believe me it's worth it."

In his preparation for the final, the Belarussian took some motivation from the ongoing Olympics in Tokyo to keep his mind off the match.

"I tried not to think about the match," he said. "We we walking and laughing together with the coach, we were watching the Olympics on TV. Then I just came here, and did what I was supposed to do."

Next week, he will cheering for the Belarus wrestling team as wrestling at Tokyo Olympics, which are already underway, begins from August 1.

The cadet World Championships were the first Worlds to be held after 623 days, owing to the global health pandemic. Incidentally, the last World Championships – U23 – were also held in Budapest.

RESULTS GR Medal Bouts

45kg
GOLD: Nikita DEMENTIEV (UKR) df Ozodbek KHALIMBOEV (UZB), 2-1

BRONZE: Nurbolot BERDIKULOV (KGZ) df Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI), 8-0
BRONZE: Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) df Amare FETENE (ISR), 5-0

51kg
GOLD: Nuristan SUIORKULOV (KGZ) df Yurii TOVT (UKR), 3-1

BRONZE: Rahman KARIMOV (AZE) df Hayk LYUDVIGYAN (ARM), 7-1
BRONZE: Malik GIGIEV (RUS) df Beso MAKHARADZE (GEO), 9-1

60kg
GOLD: Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) df Seyyedmostafa REZAEI DARYAKENARI (IRI), 4-1

BRONZE: SUMIT (IND) df Bagdat SABAZ (KAZ), 8-0
BRONZE: Rati KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) df Azizbek YOLDOSHEV (UZB), via fall

71kg
GOLD: Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) df Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI), 2-1

BRONZE: Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) df Tornike MIKELADZE (GEO), 3-1
BRONZE: Dimitar RACHEV (BUL) df Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ), 9-0

92kg
GOLD: Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (BLR) df Vladyslav LUB (UKR), 3-1

BRONZE: Timur CHERNYSHEV (RUS) df Javlon TIRKASHEV (UZB), 11-3
BRONZE: Ali JALALI ABDOLVAND (IRI) df Harutyun KIRAKOSYAN (ARM), via fall

#WrestleBratislava

Valiev tops Sidakov; Uguev, Ramazanov win European golds

Wednesday, April 9, 2025 - 23:16 By Vinay Siwach

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (April 9) -- It took Chermen VALIEV (ALB) five bouts, a tense European Championships final, a challenge decision in his favor and a some incredible skill but he finally managed to beat world champion Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW).

Valiev and Sidakov clashed in the final of the European Championships in Bratislava on Wednesday, and the Albanian came out as a 4-2 winner, winning for the first time against Sidakov in five bouts and becoming a European champion at 74kg.

"I've faced Zaurbek before," Valiev said. "Until now, he always came out as the winner. Today, I managed to win, and I'm really happy about that. Zaurbek and I have been good friends since childhood, I have a lot of respect for him. But today, I guess luck was more on my side."

The final sequence between Chermen VALIEV (ALB) and Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW) which resulted in a Valiev win. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The two last clashed in the Russian National Championships which Sidakov won 3-2. But Valiev has since moved to Albania, won a bronze medal at 74kg at the Paris Olympics and emerged as one of the biggest names at 74kg.

Sidakov, world champion in 2023 at the weight class, had wrestled at the European Championships once before -- in 2016 at 70kg but did not win a medal.

In the final, Sidakov held the criteria lead 1-1 when Valiev was put on the activity clock again but he managed to drive Sidakov out of bounds during the 30-second period and get a point for a 2-1 lead.

With 50 seconds left on the clock, Sidakov went for a deep ankle pick, but got countered by Valiev for two-point exposure. Both continued the scramble and Sidakov managed to get a reversal for one point. However, it was initially scored two points for Sidakov which made it 3-2 for Sidakov before the referees awarded two for Valiev and a reversal point for Sidakov. That made the score 4-4 with Sidakov leading on criteria with six seconds remaining.

However, Albania challenged the call and on review, the 44-second scramble was awarded as two points for Valiev and a reversal point for Sidakov which gave Valiev a 4-2 lead to defend which he did. Sidakov limped off the mat which was later confirmed as a knee injury.

"The final was really tough for me, very intense match right up until the last second," he said. "Even at the end, it wasn’t clear who would get the score. But the score was given in my favor. I prepared hard and gave it 100 percent, put everything into my training. And today, God rewarded me with a gold medal."

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Valiev, a former world U23 champion, is now focused on winning the senior world title and said that the gold medal in Bratislava will be a motivation to win in the Zagreb event in September.

"I’ll start preparing for the next competition," he said. "The main goal this year is the World Championships, and I hope to get there healthy and ready. I’ll keep that gold medal in my mind and keep pushing forward."

With that loss Sidakov, Tokyo Olympic champion at 74kg, suffered his first since 2018 when he lost Hetik CABALOV (SRB) in the Ivan Yaryguin Ranking Series.

While Sidakov suffered a loss, fellow Tokyo Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (UWW) pulled off another last-second thrilling win over Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) to win his first-ever European gold medal.

Uguev, who was struggling with form in recent past and finished without a medal at the World Championships last year, rebounded with a 7-5 victory in the 61kg final to win gold.

"I’m truly happy," Uguev said. "I had even forgotten what it feels like to be called up to the top of the podium."

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The final got off to a mesmerizing start with Uguev suplexing Harutyunyan during the Armenian's activity period. He was awarded two points for the move but he challenged for four points but lost, making the score 3-1.

In the second period, Uguev tried to pass behind for a takedown but Harutyunyan got hold of his leg and tripped him for four points to claim a 5-3 lead. Uguev was not giving up though. As Harutyunyan tried pushing him out, Uguev hit a underhook throw for two points to make the score 5-5 but Harutyunyan led on criteria for his bigger technique.

This was settled in the final minute when Uguev got on a single leg attack, elevated and finished with a takedown with 25 seconds left. He defended his 7-5 lead to win the gold medal.

"I had said it was going to be an interesting match and it really was," he said. "I got thrown unexpectedly early on and had to catch up. I was working, pushing forward, but I wasn’t worried — I believed I could close the gap, even though I couldn’t at first."

Uguev had three European medals, a bronze and silver, in the past having lost to Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE) in 2017 and 2018. But he came a two-time world and Olympic champion.

"I was lying down and a thought came to me," he said. "I looked back and realized -- I didn’t actually have a European medal yet. And I thought, “Now it’s time. I have to win one.”

Since winning the gold at 57kg at the Tokyo Games, Uguev has two fifth-place finishes at the World Championships internationally. But with the win on Wednesday, Uguev put his hat in the ring for the world title later this year.

Denis TSARGUSH, who was in the corners of both Sidakov and Uguev, said that Sidakov's loss a bit difficult to digest.

"We performed well overall. It’s just that the final match with Zarubek left a bit of a bitter aftertaste," he said. "He could have won but Chermen also wrestled really well."

Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL), Paris 2024 Olympic champion was also in action on Wednesday and he scored a thrilling 9-5 win against Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (UWW) in the 86kg final.

Kadzimahamedau was leading in 5-1 after he had scored two takedowns and Ramazanov got going only in the final minute. He scored a takedown with a leg-hold before turning Kadzimahamedau four times to make it 9-5. Ramazanov got Kadzimahamedau.

"All my thoughts were about winning — I really didn’t want to lose," Ramazanov said. "If the match had ended like that, without me giving it my all, it would’ve been incredibly disappointing. That’s why I switched into full gear — I wasn’t thinking about tactics anymore, I was just pushing forward. I would rate my performance around 6 out of 10. There were a lot of strong athletes."

Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) gut wrenches Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (UWW) for the win in the 86kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

With the win, Ramazanov won his second European title and he also avenged his 2019 79kg final loss at the European Championships.

"I wanted to avenge for past losses, but it wasn’t about proving anything," he said. "I just always try to choose the toughest opponents — especially the ones I’ve lost to before."

Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) won his fourth European Championships gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 92kg, three-time European champion Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) added a fourth after he sneaked through the final against Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), 6-5.

Kurugliev, who also has a European Games gold medal, opened the final with an ankle pick for a takedown in the first thirty second of the bout and maintained till the break. There was no points scored in the bout until the last 25 seconds.

Nurmagomedov asked for a takedown but he lost the challenge which gave Kurugliev another point. He soon scored a stepout to cut the lead to 3-1 and as he tried to score another, Kurugliev circled and scored a go-behind as Nurmagomedov thought he completed the stepout.

A challenge would have helped Nurmagomedov at this point but he had already used it and Kurugliev's lead swelled to 5-1.

Nurmagomedov got a takedown with a ankle pick for two point and he got another point for Kurugliev's fleeing, making the score 5-4. The bout resumed in par terre with four seconds on the clock but Nurmagomedov failed to score a turn and lost the final.

Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) scores the winning throw against Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) during the 125kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

The European Championships had a different winner at 125kg in 13 years as Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) needed a buzzer-beating front body throw for four to defeat Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO), 7-7, in the final.

Meshvildishvili thus became the first wrestler not named Taha AKGUL (TUR) or Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) to win the 125kg gold medal since 2012.

Manashvili was leading 7-3 with seven seconds remaining when Meshvildishvili scored a reverse exposure throw for four, awarded only after the Azerbaijan side challenged.

Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) with Taha AKGUL (TUR) during the European Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

The win also captured the Freestyle team title for Azerbaijan over Georgia. The two countries were tied at 94 points and the winner of 125kg would take his country to the top of the podium.

Meshvildishvili's win gave Azerbaijan 119 points for the top spot while Georgia was second with 114 points. Turkiye finished third with 73 points.

RESULTS

61kg
GOLD: Zavur UGUEV (UWW) df. Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), 7-5

BRONZE: Andrii DZHELEP (UKR) df. Dzmitry SHAMELA (UWW), 3-1
BRONZE: Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) df. Leomid COLESNIC (MDA), 11-0

74kg
GOLD: Chermen VALIEV (ALB) df. Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW), 4-2

BRONZE: Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE) df. Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL), 6-4
BRONZE: Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN), 3-0

86kg
GOLD: Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) df. Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (UWW), 9-5

BRONZE: Osman GOCEN (TUR) df. Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL), 4-2
BRONZE: Artur NAIFONOV (UWW) df. Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA), 10-0

92kg
GOLD: Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) df. Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), 6-5

BRONZE: Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) df. Yaraslau IADKOUSKI (UWW), 5-0
BRONZE: Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) df. Ahmed BATAEV (BUL), 8-6

125kg
GOLD: Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) df. Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO), 7-7

BRONZE: Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (UWW) df. Vlagyiszlav BAJCAJEV (HUN), 5-2
BRONZE: Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL) df. Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE), 8-0

Georgia Claim #WrestleBudapest GR Title Despite Two Kyrgyzstan Gold

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Valiev tops Sidakov; Uguev, Ramazanov win European golds