#Zagreb2018

Gold Medal Wealth Spread Among Five Nations on First Night of #Zagreb2018 Greco Finals

Saturday, July 7, 2018 - 17:56 By Taylor Miller

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Five different national anthems rang on Saturday night as five countries collected gold medals in the first night of the Greco-Roman finals at the Cadet World Championships in  Zagreb, Croatia.

At 48 kg, Abror ATABAEV (UZB), who took bronze at this year’s Asian Championships, came out on top, defeating Asian gold medalist Sajjad ABBASPOURRAGANI (IRI), 4-4.

Put down for passivity, Atabaev maneuvered his way to a front headlock for a four-point throw, which ultimately gave the Uzbek the win on criteria.

Atabaev became only the third wrestler from Uzbekistan to win a Cadet Greco World title.

2018 Asian bronze medalist Amirhossein KHOUNSARI (IRI) scored seven points in his shutout win over Giorgi PERTAIA (GEO) in the 55 kg finals.

Khounsari only led 2-0 at the break but separated himself in the last minute with a takedown and also capitalizing on an attempted throw by Pertaia for exposure en route to his first World title.

Russia won a World title at 65 kg when 2018 European champion Muslim IMADAEV (RUS) defeated 2016 European champion Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM) in a 3-0 match.

Imadaev scored on a gut when Khachatryan was put down in par terre. It was an early lead that the Russian held on to for the gold.

At 80 kg, Karen KHACHATRYAN (ARM) got behind European champion Giorgi TSOPURASHVILI (GEO) in the first 30 seconds for a takedown, which would be all he needed to win a Cadet World title.

Khachatryan redeems a fifth-place finish from Euros earlier this year.

To close out the night, European champion Muhammet BAKIR (TUR) dominated in the 110 kg final over two-time European bronze medalist Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE).

En route to his 9-0 tech fall, Bakir scored on two takedowns and a gutwrench.

The 2018 Cadet World Championships wrap up tomorrow, starting with repechage action at 10 a.m. ET, followed by medal matches at 12 p.m. ET live on unitedworldwrestling.org.

Greco-Roman team scores going into final day (top 10)
1. Iran – 75
2. Georgia - 54
3. Russia - 51
4. Uzbekistan - 50
5. Armenia - 45
6. Turkey - 33
7. Azerbaijan - 32
8. Kazakhstan - 32
9. Belarus - 25
10. Moldova - 20

Finals results

48 kg
GOLD - Abror ATABAEV (UZB)
SILVER - Sajjad ABBASPOURRAGANI (IRI)
BRONZE - Arshad ARSHAD (IND)
BRONZE – Iskhar KURBAYEV (KAZ)

1st - Abror Atabaev (Uzbekistan) dec. Sajjad Abbaspourragani (Iran),4-4
3rd - Arshad Arshad (India) fall Leonid Moroz (Moldova), 1:09
3rd - Iskhar Kurbayev (Kazakhstan) dec. Islam Aliev (Russia), 4-2

55 kg
GOLD - Amirhossein KHOUNSARI (IRI)
SILVER - Giorgi PERTAIA (GEO)
BRONZE - Amirbek SULTONOV (UZB)
BRONZE – Din KOSHKAR (KAZ)

1st - Amirhossein Khounsari (Iran) dec. Giorgi Pertaia (Georgia), 7-0
3rd - Amirbek Sultonov (Uzbekistan) dec. Manuel Stoica (Romania), 8-7
3rd - Din Koshkar (Kazakhstan) dec. Niklas Oehlen (Sweden), 6-0

65 kg
GOLD - Muslim IMADAEV (RUS)
SILVER - Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
BRONZE - Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER)
BRONZE – Hossein GHASEMI (IRI)

1st - Muslim Imadaev (Russia) dec. Shant Khachatryan (Armenia), 3-0
3rd - Samuel Bellscheidt (Germany) dec. Bin Xu (China), 8-2
3rd - Hossein Ghasemi (Iran) dec. Khvicha Ananidze (Georgia), 7-0

80 kg
GOLD - Karen KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
SILVER - Giorgi TSOPURASHVILI (GEO)
BRONZE - Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI)
BRONZE – Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN)

1st - Karen Khachatryan (Armenia) dec. Giorgi Tsopurashvili (Georgia), 2-1
3rd - Mohammad Naghousi (Iran) dec. Bekzod Akhmedov (Uzbekistan), 6-1
3rd - Turpan Bisultanov (Denmark) dec. David Zhytomyrsky (Israel), 7-1

110 kg
GOLD - Muhammet BAKIR (TUR)
SILVER - Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE)
BRONZE - Tomasz WAWRZYNCZYK (POL)
BRONZE – Mikita KAVALSKI (BLR)

1st - Muhammet Bakir (Turkey) TF Sarkhan Mammadov (Azerbaijan), 9-0
3rd - Tomasz Wawrzynczyk (Poland) dec. Marcel Albini (Czech Republic), 7-1
3rd - Mikita Kavalski (Belarus) dec. Aleksandr Shaposhnikov (Russia), 3-1

 

#WrestleZagreb

Maroulis returns to Worlds final after three years

Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 20:38 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- Helen MAROULIS (USA) wrestled three bout on Tuesday at the World Championships and secured three pins. She spent only 6 minutes and 28 seconds in those three pins to reach the 57kg final at the World Championships on Tuesday in Zagreb.

Maroulis, a two-time world champion, will now wrestle for gold against Il Sim SON (PRK), one of the two wrestlers from the DPR Korea to make it to the final on Tuesday.

In all three of her pins, Maroulis used the iconic foot-sweep to get the fall. The first victim was Emine CAKMAK (TUR) who was pinned in a minute. Japan's world U23 champion Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN) held her fort for some time but Tokuhara missed a shot and Maroulis got the two-on-one before sweeping her for the fall in 2 minutes and 17 seconds.

In the semifinals, Maroulis wrestled European champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) and took a 1-0 lead for the latter's inactivity. But as soon as the second period began, Maroulis went straight to work and hit the sweep to get the fall and a place in the final.

She will face an unfamiliar challenge in the final as  Il Sim SON (PRK) who defeated Olympic bronze medalist Kexin HONG (CHN), 12-2, in the other semifinal. Son was one of the two finalist for the DPR Korea, a country which won its gold at 55kg on Tuesday.

The other wrestler from the DPR Korea to reach the final was Asian bronze medalist Myonggyong WON (PRK) who handed 2021 world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) her first international loss.

Yoshimoto, Asian champion in 2025, had it under control for the most the match before conceding a takedown with just 23 seconds left on the clock. Won was relentless in her attacks to break Yoshimoto in the final 20 seconds.

For the gold, she will face 2024 world U20 champion Yu ZHANG (CHN) who secured a fall over Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL) after taking a 9-0 lead.

At 65kg, former world champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) defeated another world champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) in the semifinal, 10-0. Morikawa impressed with her attacks and scored five different takedowns to finish the match via technical superiority.

World U23 silver medalist Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) will look to stop Morikawa from winning her second world title after a dream run to the final at 65kg. She defeated two-time world bronze medalist Macey KILTY (USA) in the morning session and completed a 13-3 technical superiority Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) in the semifinals.

Asian champion Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) booked a final against Genesis REASCO (ECU) after she handed a 10-5 defeat to European champion Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) in the semifinals.

In an all South American semifinal, Reasco scored a takedown in the last minute to stun Milaimy MARIN POTRILLE (CUB), 5-3. Potrille was leading 3-3 on criteria with a minute left but Reasco scored the two-point takedown and held on to her lead for the win, becoming the first Ecuadorian wrestler to reach a World Championships final.

RESULTS

50kg
GOLD: Myonggyong WON (PRK) vs. Yu ZHANG (CHN)

SF 1: Yu ZHANG (CHN) df. Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL), via fall (9-0)
SF 2: Myonggyong WON (PRK) df. Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN), 3-2

57kg
GOLD: Helen MAROULIS (USA) vs. Il Sim SON (PRK)

SF 1: Il Sim SON (PRK) df. Kexin HONG (CHN), 12-2
SF 2: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW), via fall (5-0)

65kg
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) vs. Alina KASABIEVA (UWW)

SF 1: Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) df. Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL), 13-3
SF 2: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Irina RINGACI (MDA), 10-0

76kg
GOLD: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) vs. Genesis REASCO (ECU)

SF 1: Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU) df. Milaimy MARIN POTRILLE (CUB), 5-3
SF 2: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 10-5