#wrestlenursultan

Gray Stays on Track for 5th World Gold at 76kg as Wiebe Falls by Wayside; Kawai advances

Wednesday, September 18, 2019 - 09:52 By Ken Marantz

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NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (Sept. 18)---Defending champion Adeline GRAY (USA) remained on track for a fifth world gold overall by making the semifinals at women’s 76kg, but Rio 2016 Olympic champion Erica WIEBE (CAN) will not be around to challenge her following early action on Day 5 at the World Championships. 

Gray racked up a pair of technical falls, the second a 10-0 thrashing of CHANG Hui Tsz (TPE), to advance to the semifinals to be held at the start of the night session at Barys Arena. She will face Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER), a European bronze medalist and the 2014 world champion at 69kg.

All wrestlers who advanced to the semifinals in the Olympic weight classes of 57kg and 76kg also secured a berth for their country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

In a weight class stacked with current and former world medalists, Epp MAEE (EST) and Hiroe MINAGAWA (JPN) survived in the other 76kg bracket and will meet in the other semifinal.

Maee, a 2015 world bronze medalist looking to avoid a third straight fifth-place finish, scored a takedown in the final seconds for a stunning 4-3 win over Wiebe, a bronze medalist a year ago in Budapest.

Trailing 3-1, Maee had shot in on a tackle, but was stopped by Wiebe, who locked on from above. But Maee twisted under and pressing backwards, forced the Canadian over at the edge with :01 on the clock. An unsuccessful challenge made it 4-3. 

Minagawa, who won her second world bronze a year ago in Budapest, scored a takedown with :33 left for a 3-1 win over ZHOU Qian (CHN), who had knocked off top seed and 2018 silver medalist Yasemin ADAR (TUR).

Olympic champion Risako KAWAI (JPN) will meet 2017 world finalist Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) in the 57kg semifinals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

At 57kg, Rio 2016 and two-time world champion Risako KAWAI (JPN) and reigning champion RONG Ningning (CHN) remained on a possible collision course.

Kawai, the 2018 gold medalist at 59kg who has dropped down to the Olympic weight, will face two-time world medalist Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR), while Rong is pitted against Jowita WRZESIEN (POL).

Adekuoroye earned her place in the final four with a 12-2 technical fall of JONG In Son (PRK), who finished second to Rong at the Asian Championships in April after stunning four-time Olympic champion Kaori ICHO (JPN) in the semifinals. 

Kawai dealt a major blow to Icho’s bid for a fifth Olympic title by beating her for the place on the team to Nur-Sultan. She can clinch Japan’s berth at Tokyo 2020 by winning a medal in the Kazakh capital.

Pooja DHANDA (IND) uses a back trip to defeat Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN), 11-8. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

In the non-Olympic 59kg, Pooja DHANDA (IND) provided the highlight of the session with a slick backward trip for 4 points that gave her an 11-8 victory over newly crowned world junior champion Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN). 

Dhanda, the 2018 world bronze medalist at 57kg who failed to make the Indian team at that weight, was trailing 7-6 in the waning seconds when Inagaki looked to pad her lead by getting a single leg and lifting it into the air.

But Dhanda, going to her bag of tricks as a kid wrestler, used her other leg to trip Inagaki backwards for 4 points. Inagaki got behind for a point, but her efforts to turn the Dhanda were in vain, and an unsuccessful challenge resulted in the final score.

“When I was a child, we were training very hard for this [move],” said Dhanda, adding she had not used it for “a very long time.”

She will face 2017 European champion Luibov OVCHAROVA (RUS) for a place in the final. In the quarterfinals, Ocharova ended a close match with 2018 bronze medalist PEI Xingru with a victory by fall.

In the other semifinal, Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL), the other bronze medalist a year ago, will take on Linda MORAIS (CAN).

At 65kg, European champion Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) will face Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS) for a place in the final, while Forrest MOLINARI (USA) and Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) will meet in the other semifinal.

Following the semifinals, the night session will feature the medal matches at 50kg, 53kg, 55kg and 72kg. 

Day 5 Results

Women’s Wrestling Pairings

50kg (29 entries)
Gold – Alina VUC (ROU) vs Mariya STADNIK (AZE) 
Bronze – Oksana LIVACH (UKR) vs Valentina ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ)
Bronze – Ekaterina POLESHCHUK (RUS) vs SUN Yanan (CHN)

53kg (30 entries)
Gold – Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) vs PAK Yong Mi (PRK)
Bronze –Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) vs Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
Bronze – Roksana ZASINA (POL) vs PANG Qianyu (CHN)

55kg (18 entries)
Gold – Nanami IRIE (JPN) vs Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA)
Bronze –Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS) vs Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ)
Bronze – Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) vs Bediha GUN (TUR)

57kg (31 entries)
Semifinal – RONG Ningning (CHN) vs Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) 
Semifinal – Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) vs Risako KAWAI (JPN)

59kg (18 entries)
Semifinal – Pooja DHANDA (IND) vs Luibov OVCHAROVA (RUS)
Semifinal – Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) vs Linda MORAIS (CAN)  

65kg (17 entries)
Semifinal – Forrest MOLINARI (USA) vs Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) 
Semifinal – Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) vs Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS) 

72kg (12 entries)
Gold – Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) vs Alina MAKHYNIA (UKR)
Bronze –Masako FURUICHI (JPN) vs Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
Bronze – Victoria FRANCIS (USA) vs Paliha PALIHA (CHN)

76kg (31 entries)
Semifinal – Hiroe MINAGAWA (JPN) vs Epp MAEE (EST) 
Semifinal – Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER) vs Adeline GRAY (USA) 

#WrestleAthens

U17 Worlds: Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan put two each in Greco finals

Monday, July 28, 2025 - 16:33 By Vinay Siwach

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ATHENS, Greece (July 28) -- Athens and Olympics are incomplete without each other. The Olympic flame is lit in Athens, as a mark of ancient Olympics and modern Olympic restarting in Athens in 1896.

So as the World U17 Championships kicked off in Athens on Monday, the opening ceremony had to be about the fire of the flame. The wrestlers too were fired up in action on the mat.

Wrestlers from seven different countries made it to the Greco-Roman finals on day one of the tournament which began with 48kg, 55kg, 65kg, 80kg and 110kg. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Georgia entered two wrestlers each in Tuesday's finals.

Kazakhstan's run began with 48kg as Asian U17 champion Nurdaulet KUMARULY (KAZ) earned himself a chance to win a world title after he defeated Kaisei YAMAMOTO (JPN), who was 12th last year at the World U17 Championships, in a back-and-forth semifinal at 48kg.

Yamamoto led 2-0 but Kumaruly hit a headlock throw for four points on the edge and got a 4-2 lead. But the Japanese was not one to give up. He scored a takedown and turn to reclaim the lead, 6-4. Kazakhstan challenged the scoring and won it as the first throw from Yamamoto was not considered as control.

Kumaruly led 4-4 on criteria and then executed a similar throw for four points and won the semifinal 8-4. He will face Asian U17 bronze medalist Bunyod HASANOV (UZB) in the final after the Uzbekistan wrestler defeated Baris SOYLU (TUR) in the semifinal.

Soylu began with a two-pointer counter to get on the scoreboard but failed to turn Hasanov from par terre. He led 3-0 going into the break and then defended his par terre position in the second period to give himself a good chance to reach the final.

However, Hasanov mounted a comeback with a front headlock throw four points to lead 5-3, and later added a takedown and a turn to win 11-3.

Alkham ABDIRASULOV (KGZ)Asian U17 champion Alkham ABDIRASULOV (KGZ) reached the World U17 Championships final at 55kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Another Asian U17 champion reached the final in Athens as Alkham ABDIRASULOV (KGZ) defended a pushing Aditya GUPTA (IND) in the 55kg semifinals. He booked a place in the final against Nurali ASKAR (KAZ), who finished fifth at the Asian U17 Championships, in what will be a rematch of the semifinal from Vietnam.

Abdirasulov had a big four-point throw and raced to a 6-0 lead in the semifinal against Gupta who managed to get one on board with a stepout. Gupta then got lucky as Abdirasulov tried an arm-spin but landed on his back and Gupta completed the control for four points. However, Abdirasulov kept his 6-5 lead for the remaining 90 seconds to win the semifinal.

Aksar turned Makhdi BAROTOV (TJK) from par terre to lead 3-0 in the other semifinal and gave up just a stepout when he was put in par terre to win 3-2. Barotov was hoping to becoming just the second wrestler from Tajikistan to reach a World Championships final in Greco-Roman.

Erekle TAVBERIDZE (GEO)Erekle TAVBERIDZE (GEO), European U17 champion, reached the 65kg final in Athens and will taken on Janes NAZARYAN (ARM), an opponent he defeated in Euro final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

A rematch of the European U17 Championships will be played at 65kg after Erekle TAVBERIDZE (GEO) and Janes NAZARYAN (ARM) made it to Tuesday's gold-medal bout. Tavberidze had humbled Nazaryan 9-0 in the final in Skopje in June.

Tavberidze outperformed ANUJ (IND) in the semifinal, scoring eight points from gut-wrench in the semifinal period to win 9-1 while Nazaryan had to work a little harder against Yehor TARASENKO (UKR) in the other semifinal.

He got the first par terre position and scored a drop on Tarasenko for four but Ukraine challenged and the call was overturned. With a 1-0 lead, Nazaryan defended the position from par terre in the second period. As Tarasenko let off of the hold, Nazaryan scored a takedown and won 3-1.

Tavberidze took out Dosbol SHAMIL (KAZ) in his opening bout 5-3 before beating Maxim DAMASCHIN (MDA) in the 1/8 final. He blanked Shohijahon BOBOEV (TJK) in the quarterfinals.

Nazaryan had an equally good run to the final as he defeated Pan-American U17 champion Arseni KIKINOU (USA), Huseyn ISGANDAROV (AZE) and Kyliane EDDOUH (FRA).

Abdulaziz KHOLMIRZAEV (UZB)Abdulaziz KHOLMIRZAEV (UZB) pinned Nurislam OSKONBAEV (KGZ) in the 80kg semifinal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Abdulaziz KHOLMIRZAEV (UZB) showed why he is one of the top upcoming wrestlers as he slammed Nurislam OSKONBAEV (KGZ) with a bodylock four and then secured the fall in the 80kg semifinal. He is now one win away from winning the world title.

But standing between him and gold medal is Luka MARTIASHVILI (GEO) who needed a late stepout to beat Ismail BEREKET (TUR), 2-1 in the other semifinal. The Georgian finished fifth at the European U17 Championships but in 92kg.

In what turned out be a poor day for Iran, the defending team champions, Yazdan DELROUZ (IRI) gave it something to cheer about after making the 110kg final. That was the finalist for Iran on Monday.

Taking on Temuri SIMSIVE (GEO) in the semifinals, Delrouz had a takedown sandwiched between his two par terre points to win 4-0.

HARDEEP (IND)Asian U17 champion HARDEEP (IND) defeated Emrullah CAPKAN (TUR) in the 110kg semifinals. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

He will take on Asian U17 champion HARDEEP (IND) who denied Emrullah CAPKAN (TUR) another chance to be in the final. The Turkiye wrestler had finished fifth last year.

Capkan got the 1-0 lead in the semifinal but Hardeep bounced back with a stepout. Capkan managed to get one back and take a 2-1 lead but that was the last point he scored.

Hardeep came back with a takedown and then got the par terre point in the second period and won the semifinal 4-2.

RESULTS

48kg
GOLD: Nurdaulet KUMARULY (KAZ) vs. Bunyod HASANOV (UZB)

SF 1: Bunyod HASANOV (UZB) df. Baris SOYLU (TUR), 12-3
SF 2: Nurdaulet KUMARULY (KAZ) df. Kaisei YAMAMOTO (JPN), 8-4

55kg
GOLD: Alkham ABDIRASULOV (KGZ) vs. Nurali ASKAR (KAZ)

SF 1: Nurali ASKAR (KAZ) df. Makhdi BAROTOV (TJK), 4-2
SF 2: Alkham ABDIRASULOV (KGZ) df. Aditya GUPTA (IND), 6-5

65kg
GOLD: Erekle TAVBERIDZE (GEO) vs. Janes NAZARYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Janes NAZARYAN (ARM) df. Yehor TARASENKO (UKR), 3-1
SF 2: Erekle TAVBERIDZE (GEO) df. ANUJ (IND), 9-1

80kg
GOLD: Luka MARTIASHVILI (GEO) vs. Abdulaziz KHOLMIRZAEV (UZB)

SF 1: Abdulaziz KHOLMIRZAEV (UZB) df. Nurislam OSKONBAEV (KGZ), via fall (4-2)
SF 2: Luka MARTIASHVILI (GEO) df. Ismail BEREKET (TUR), 2-1

110kg
GOLD: Yazdan DELROUZ (IRI) vs. HARDEEP (IND)

SF 1: HARDEEP (IND) df. Emrullah CAPKAN (TUR), 4-2
SF 2: Yazdan DELROUZ (IRI) df. Temuri SIMSIVE (GEO), 4-0