#WrestleBelgrade

Greco-Roman seeds released for Belgrade World Championships

By Vinay Siwach

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (August 26) -- Greco-Roman wrapped up the World Championships in Oslo last year. But in Belgrade, Greco-Roman will kick off the competition on September 10. With just two weeks remaining for the first whistles at the '22 World Championships, United World Wrestling released the tentative top eight Greco-Roman seeds.

The point-based seeds were determined by a wrestler's participation and placement at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, 2021 World Championships, 2022 Continental Championships, 2022 Ranking Series events, and selected Regional Games.

While the seeds may or may not hold in the 10 weight classes, here's how the bracket will look leading up to the gold-medal match according to the top-eight seeded system:

Quarterfinals: 
No. 1 vs. No. 8 (top side)
No. 4 vs. No. 5 (top side)
No. 2 vs. No. 7 (bottom side)
No. 3 vs. No. 6 (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 vs. No. 4 (top side)
No. 2 vs. No. 3 (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 vs. No. 2 

*National Federations were required to submit their world entries by last week but can still update them until 24 hours before the draws. This means these seeds and entries are subject to change.

 

55kg
No. 1 Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)
No. 2 Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
No. 3 Ekrem OZTURK (TUR)
No. 4 Max NOWRY (USA)
No. 5 Fabian SCHMITT (GER)
No. 6 Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ)
No. 7 Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB)
No. 8 Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR)

If seeds hold at 55kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) vs. No. 8 Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR) (top side)
No. 4 Max NOWRY (USA) vs. No. 5 Fabian SCHMITT (GER) (top side)
No. 3 Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) vs. No. 6 Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) (bottom side)
No. 2 Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) vs. No. 7 Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) vs. No. 4 Max NOWRY (USA) (top side)
No. 2 Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) vs. No. 3 Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) vs. No. 2 Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)

Azizli, Tsutsumia best
2021 World Championships bronze medalists Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) and Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) are the top two seeds at 55kg. Azizli went on to win the European Championships in Budapest while Tsurtsumia was second to him.

Three other seeded wrestlers on Azizli's side of the bracket are Koriun Fabian SCHMITT (GER), Max NOWRY (USA) and Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR). The first clash of the seeded wrestlers will be a quarterfinal between Azizli and Sahradian. The other quarterfinal will be Schmitt taking on Nowry.

Azizli will then proceed to a semifinal against Nowry with a win taking him to the gold medal bout.

The lower side has Tsurtsumia along with Ekrem OZTURK (TUR), Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) and Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB). Tsurtsumia will face Asian bronze medalist Ortikboev in the quarterfinals and will face the winner of Ozturk and Bekbolatov in the semifinals.

A rematch of the European final between Azizli and Tsurtsumia is on the cards in Belgrade as well.

 

60kg
No. 1 Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
No. 2 Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
No. 3 Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN)
No. 4 Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)
No. 5 GYANENDER (IND)
No. 6 Kerem KAMAL (TUR)
No. 7 Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY)
No. 8 Helary MAEGISALU (EST)

If the seeds hold at 60kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) vs. No. 8 Helary MAEGISALU (EST) (top side)
No. 4 Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) vs. No. 5 GYANENDER (IND) (top side)
No. 3 Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) vs. No. 6 Kerem KAMAL (TUR) (bottom side)
No. 2 Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. No. 7 Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) vs. No. 4 Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) (top side)
No. 2 Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. No. 3 Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) vs. No. 2 Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)

Sharshenbekov poised to reach third Worlds final
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) has reached the gold medal bout at World Championships twice but finished with silver on both occasions. He has a chance to change that record as he is seeded number one in the 60kg bracket. To reach another world final, he will have to go through Helary MAEGISALU (EST) in the quarterfinal and one of Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) and GYANENDER (IND) in the semifinal as these are the seeded wrestlers on the top side of the bracket.

The Asian champion finished seventh at the Olympics before winning the silver in Oslo. He won the gold at Asian Championships in Mongolia.

On the bottom side, Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) is seeded number two and will face Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY) in the quarterfinal. Barring upsets, the other quarterfinal will be a clash of Olympic silver medalist Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and European champion Kerem KAMAL (TUR) as they are seeded number three and six respectively. The winner will then get Mammadov in the semifinal.

 

63kg 
No. 1 Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
No. 2 Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)
No. 3 Erik TORBA (HUN)
No. 4 Victor CIOBANU (MDA)
No. 5 Ahmet UYAR (TUR)
No. 6 Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
No. 7 NEERAJ (IND)
No. 8 Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)

If the seeds hold at 63kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Leri ABULADZE (GEO) vs. No. 8 Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) (top side)
No. 4 Victor CIOBANU (MDA) vs. No. 5 Ahmet UYAR (TUR) (top side)
No. 3 Erik TORBA (HUN) vs. No. 6 Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) (bottom side)
No. 2 Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. No. 7 NEERAJ (IND) (bottom side)

Semifinals: 
No. 1 Leri ABULADZE (GEO) vs. No. 4 Victor CIOBANU (MDA) (top side)
No. 2 Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. No. 3 Erik TORBA (HUN) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Leri ABULADZE (GEO) vs. No. 2 Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)

Abuladze locks up top seed
He fell agonizingly short of the gold in Oslo but Leri ABULADZE (GEO) will hope to win the gold this time at 63kg. He locked up the top seed with his silver in Oslo and a gold medal at the European Championships. Abuladze's quarterfinal will be against Asian champion Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) who is seeded number eight.

The other quarterfinal on the top side will feature 60kg world champion Victor CIOBANU (MDA) and Ahmet UYAR (TUR), who are seeded number four and five respectively.

Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE), who was fifth at the World Championships, is seeded number two and will feature on the bottom side of the bracket with a potential quarterfinal against NEERAJ (IND). His semifinal will be against one of Erik TORBA (HUN) or Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM).

An Abuladze-Mammadov final will be a repeat of the European Championships final which the Georgian won.

 

67kg 
No. 1 Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI)
No. 2 Murat FIRAT (TUR)
No. 3 Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
No. 4 Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY)
No. 5 Morten THORESEN (NOR)
No. 6 Mateusz BERNATEK (POL)
No. 7 Hansu RYU (KOR)
No. 8 Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER)

If the seeds hold at 67kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) vs. No. 8 Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER) (top side)
No. 4 Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) vs. No. 5 Morten THORESEN (NOR) (top side)
No. 3 Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) vs. No. 6 Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) (bottom side)
No. 2 Murat FIRAT (TUR) vs. No. 7 Hansu RYU (KOR) (bottom side)

Semifinals: 
No. 1 Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) vs. No. 4 Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) (top side)
No. 2 Murat FIRAT (TUR) vs. No. 3 Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) vs. No. 2 Murat FIRAT (TUR)

Geraei primed for gold
To reach back-to-back World finals, Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) will need to go through an Olympic bronze medalist in the final. Olympic champion Geraei will face Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER) in the quarterfinals before facing Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) in the semifinal if the Egypt wrestler can beat Morten THORESEN (NOR) in the other quarterfinal in the top half.

The bottom half of the bracket has number two seed Murat FIRAT (TUR) facing former world champion Hansu RYU (KOR) in the quarterfinals. Firat finished fifth in Oslo before winning the European Championships and the Mediterranean Games to clinch the second seed.

If he wins against Ryu, U23 world champion and fellow fifth at Worlds Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) awaits Firat. Jafarov has to beat Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) in the quarterfinals to set up a match against Firat.

Geraei will have the winner of the Firat-Jafarov semifinal if he manages to get past Elsayed as both have a similar style.

 

72kg 
No. 1 Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU)
No. 2 Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
No. 3 Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL)
No. 4 Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI)
No. 5 Valentin PETIC (MDA)
No. 6 Selcuk CAN (TUR)
No. 7 Deyvid DIMITROV (BUL)
No. 8 Robert FRITSCH (HUN)

If the seeds hold at 72kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) vs. No. 8 Robert FRITSCH (HUN) (top side)
No. 4 Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) vs. No. 5 Valentin PETIC (MDA) (top side)
No. 3 Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL) vs. No. 6 Selcuk CAN (TUR) (bottom side)
No. 2 Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) vs. No. 7 Deyvid DIMITROV (BUL) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) vs. No. 4 Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) (top side)
No. 2 Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) vs. No. 3 Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) vs. No. 2 Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)

Sleiva eyes history
With both the finalists from Oslo not registered, top seed Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) will hope to improve on his bronze medal from Oslo. Lithuania has never won the gold medal at World Championships but can pin hopes on Sleiva who locked the top seed with bronze in Oslo, fifth place at European Championships, gold at Matteo Pellicone and silver in Istanbul at the start of the season.

But a big quarterfinal against European champion Robert FRITSCH (HUN) will test Sleiva. If he manages to win that, he will have Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) in the semifinal. Sleiva defeated Mokhtari for the bronze in Oslo.

Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) is seeded second and will be in the bottom half with third seed Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL), number six Selcuk CAN (TUR) and number seven Deyvid DIMITROV (BUL). Ganizade finished eighth in Oslo but won bronze at Euros and silver at Matteo Pellicone. He also has a 10th-place finish in Istanbul.

He will face Dimitrov in the quarterfinals before getting one of Sahakyan or Can in the semifinal. A final against Sleiva will be a rematch from the European bronze medal bout in which Ganizade won. But Sleiva won the gold in Rome over Ganizade.

 

77kg 
No. 1 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
No. 2 Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI)
No. 3 Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
No. 4 Viktor NEMES (SRB)
No. 5 Shohei YABIKU (JPN)
No. 6 Yunus BASAR (TUR)
No. 7 Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB)
No. 8 Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)

If the seeds hold at 77kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) vs. No. 8 Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) (top side)
No. 4 Viktor NEMES (SRB) vs. No. 5 Shohei YABIKU (JPN) (top side)
No. 3 Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) vs. No. 6 Yunus BASAR (TUR) (bottom side)
No. 2 Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) vs. No. 7 Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) vs. No. 4 Viktor NEMES (SRB) (top side)
No. 2 Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) vs. No. 3 Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) vs. No. 2 Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI)

Suleymanov top at 77kg
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) will that the top seeding helps him end the misery of missing out on the gold last year. The silver medalist from Oslo finished with a bronze at European Championships and silver in Istanbul to lock up the top seed.

Given the seeds hold, Suleymanov will face Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) in the quarterfinal before moving to the semifinals against Viktor NEMES (SRB) who is seeded fourth. But Nemes will have to beat Olympic bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU (JPN) in the quarterfinals.

The stacked bottoms side has World bronze and Olympic fifth Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) as second seed along with Olympic silver Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) as third, European champion Yunus BASAR (TUR) as sixth and Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB) as the seventh seed.

Geraei will face Flores in the quarterfinal while Makhmudov will take on Basar. According to the seeds, Geraei and Makhmudov will advance to the semifinal, a mouth-watering match-up. The winner will face Suleymanov in the final.

 

82kg
No. 1 Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
No. 2 Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)
No. 3 Pejman POSHTAM (IRI)
No. 4 Mihail BRADU (MDA)
No. 5 Ranet KALJOLA (EST)
No. 6 Harpreet SINGH (IND)
No. 7 Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
No. 8 Dias KALEN (KAZ)

If the seeds hold at 82kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) vs. No. 8 Dias KALEN (KAZ) (top side)
No. 4 Mihail BRADU (MDA) vs. No. 5 Ranet KALJOLA (EST) (top side)
No. 3 Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) vs. No. 6 Harpreet SINGH (IND) (bottom side)
No. 2 Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) vs. No. 7 Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) vs. No. 4 Mihail BRADU (MDA) (top side)
No. 2 Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) vs. No. 3 Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) vs. No. 2 Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)

Huseynov, Akbudak rematch on cards
For long, Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) and Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) have held the top two seeds at 82kg. Heading into the World Championships, the two will remain one and two respectively.

Huseynov won the gold in Oslo and Budapest to add to his bronze in Tokyo and Istanbul to claim the top seed. He faces Dias KALEN (KAZ) in the quarterfinals. A win will take Huseynov to the semifinals against Mihail BRADU (MDA) who is seeded number four. Bradu will have to beat Ranet KALJOLA (EST) in the quarterfinal to wrestle Huseynov.

On the bottom side, Akbudak faces European silver medalist Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) in the quarterfinals. World bronze medalist Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) has Harpreet SINGH (IND) in the other quarterfinal.

Akbudak and Poshtam will clash in the semifinals if they win according to the seeds before a rematch from 2021 Worlds between Huseynov and Akbudak occurs.

 

87kg
No. 1 Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB)
No. 2 Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN)
No. 3 Bachir SID AZARA (ALG)
No. 4 Islam ABBASOV (AZE)
No. 5 Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
No. 6 Mohamed METWALLY (EGY)
No. 7 Sunil KUMAR (IND)
No. 8 Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ)

If the seeds hold at 87kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) vs. No. 8 Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) (top side)
No. 4 Islam ABBASOV (AZE) vs. No. 5 Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) (top side)
No. 3 Bachir SID AZARA (ALG) vs. No. 6 Mohamed METWALLY (EGY) (bottom side)
No. 2 Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) vs. No. 7 Sunil KUMAR (IND) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) vs. No. 4 Islam ABBASOV (AZE) (top side)
No. 2 Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) vs. No. 3 Bachir SID AZARA (ALG) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) vs. No. 2 Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN)

Datunashvili top-seeded at home
Serbia will have its own top seed as Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) hopes to defend his title at 87kg. Olympic bronze and gold in Oslo helped him to be in the top three before silver in Istanbul and eight-place at European Championships pushed him to the top.

To win gold in front of his home crowd, Datunashvili will have to navigate through eighth seed Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) in the quarterfinal, fourth seed Islam ABBASOV (AZE) in the semifinals and second seed Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) in the final. Abassov in the semifinals is a massive match-up as he has defeated Datunashvili in the previous two meetings.

European champion Bisultanov, who finished fifth in Oslo, is on the bottom side and faces Sunil KUMAR (IND) in the quarterfinals before Bachir SID AZARA (ALG) in the semifinals.

 

97kg 
No. 1 Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI)
No. 2 Alex SZOKE (HUN)
No. 3 Kiril MILOV (BUL)
No. 4 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)
No. 5 Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL)
No. 6 Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)
No. 7 Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU)
No. 8 Mihail KAJAIA (SRB)

If the seeds hold at 97kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) vs. No. 8 Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) (top side)
No. 4 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) vs. No. 5 Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) (top side)
No. 3 Kiril MILOV (BUL) vs. No. 6 Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) (bottom side)
No. 2 Alex SZOKE (HUN) vs. No. 7 Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) vs. No. 4 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) (top side)
No. 2 Alex SZOKE (HUN) vs. No. 3 Kiril MILOV (BUL) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) vs. No. 2 Alex SZOKE (HUN)

Saravi, Szoke rematch at 97kg
Another World Championships final rematch can happen in Belgrade if Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and Alex SZOKE (HUN) can hold their seeds.

Olympic bronze and world champion Saravi locked up the top seed with those two medals and will face Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) in the quarterfinals. Second seed Szoke, a silver medalist from Oslo, has Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU) in his quarterfinal on the bottom side.

The other quarterfinal on the top side will see two Olympic medalists from the Tokyo clash. Silver medalist Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) will return to the competition and will have bronze medalist Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) in the quarterfinals. The bottom side will see Oslo fifth Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), seeded sixth, face European champion and fifth seed Kiril MILOV (BUL) in the quarterfinals.

Saravi will get a chance to avenge his loss from Olympics as he faces Aleksanyan in the semifinal. In the other semifinal, Olympic fifth Szoke will have Milov.

Szoke lost the final in Oslo 3-1 against Saravi but if the two meet again for the gold, he will hope to turn the result in his favor. 

 

130kg
No. 1 Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
No. 2 Riza KAYAALP (TUR)
No. 3 Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI)
No. 4 Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU)
No. 5 Oskar MARVIK (NOR)
No. 6 Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB)
No. 7 Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)
No. 8 Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)

If the seeds hold at 130kg:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) vs. No. 8 Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) (top side)
No. 4 Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) vs. No. 5 Oskar MARVIK (NOR) (top side)
No. 3 Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI) vs. No. 6 Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) (bottom side)
No. 2 Riza KAYAALP (TUR) vs. No. 7 Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) vs. No. 4 Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) (top side)
No. 2 Riza KAYAALP (TUR) vs. No. 3 Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI) (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) vs. No. 2 Riza KAYAALP (TUR)

Kajaia locks top seed at 130kg
Olympic silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) will be seeded number one for the World Championships he won a bronze in Oslo and has ranking points from European Championships and Bolat Turlykhanov Cup.

The top seed puts him on the opposite side of Riza KAYAALP (TUR) who is looking for his fifth world title and first since 2019.

Kajaia will face U23 world champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) in the quarterfinals as he is seeded eighth. Kayaalp on the bottom side will have seventh seed Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU).

The two other quarterfinals will have Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) wrestling Oskar MARVIK (NOR) on the top side and third seed Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI) wrestling Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) on the bottom side.

The semifinals will feature Kajaia and Knystautas from the top side and Kayaalp and Acosta from the bottom with both Kajaia and Kayaalp primed to win according to their seeds.

Kajaia will try to Kayaalp from winning the title one more team and instead win his first.

#WrestleTirana

U23 Euros: Dzhioev stops Magamadov, Khaniev wins 74kg gold

By United World Wrestling Press

TIRANA, Albania (March 10) --  The match wasn’t even over when Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) broke into a jig.

A couple of feet away, Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) sunk to his knees and Dzhioev thumped his chest, kneeled on the mat and said a silent prayer.

Before he stepped on the mat on Monday, Dzhioev had seen four of his compatriots falling short at the final hurdle over the first two medal days of the U23 European Championships. Had he lost, Azerbaijan would have returned without a gold despite a solid overall show.

But Dzhioev, the U23 worlds silver medalist, ensured that did not happen. In a stunning performance, the 23-year-old defeated Magamadov -- the silver medalist from the 2024 U23 European Championships -- 9-2 to rule the 86kg weight class.

Dzhioev needed a little more than a minute to open his account with a push-out, followed by a passivity penalty on Magamadov. He doubled his lead with two more push-outs, but his French opponent halved the lead with a reversal just before the break. However, that was the only time Magamadov challenged his rival.

When they returned after the break, Dzhioev – with his trunk-like thighs – used all the force he could summon to overpower Magamadov, who kept going out of bounds. He thus kept conceding points and two fleeing cautions and Dzhioev wrapped up the match with a fine two-pointer to capture his first U23 title – and his nation’s first of the tournament.

Ismail KHANIEV (UWW)Ismail KHANIEV (UWW) held on to a 5-4 win against Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Minutes earlier, in an epic 74 kg title bout, Ismail KHANIEV (UWW) defeated Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE) 5-4 but not before surviving a massive scare.

It was a match of two halves. In the first, Khaniev, 18, constantly hassled and harried his opponent with wily leg attacks and faster reactions. A minute into the bout, Khaniev and Novruzov were locked arm-in-arm in the center of the mat. With his lightning quick hand speed, Khaniev hit a single-leg attack and earned a brilliant takedown for two points.

With the clock ticking down -- and Novruzov on activity clock -- Khaniev initiated another similar attack. This time, the Azerbaijani wrestler seemed prepared for it and tried to counter-attack. Novruzov tried a counter-lift but Khaniev controlled his legs and scored two points for exposure. Earning one more point from activity clock, Khaniev had a comfortable 5-0 cushion at the break.

After the 30-second interval, Novruzov did most of the attacking against a tired-looking Khaniev. He reduced the deficit by two points with 37 seconds left on the clock after a single-leg takedown. Khaniev tried to take evasive action in the closing moments but right at the final whistle, Novruzov earned another two-point takedown.

His valiant attempt, however, counted for nothing as a breathless Khaniev won the bout 5-4.

Georgi IVANOV (BUL)Georgi IVANOV (BUL) is now a two-time U23 European champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Georgi IVANOV (BUL) regained the 125 kg title he won in 2023 by making a short work of Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR). The 23-year-old, who spent most of 2024 playing on the senior circuit, didn’t give Kochanov the slightest of chances as he needed only five seconds to launch his first attack, an arm throw, for a two-point takedown.

He made it 4-0 with another arm-throw to go-behind before Kochanov was put on the activity clock. A point for the clock and a stepout for Ivanov made it 6-0 and a takedown and stepout later, he led 9-0 at the break. He blocked a trip attempt from Kochanov to win 11-0 and claim the U23 European crown for the second time.

Levik MIKAYELYAN (ARM)Levik MIKAYELYAN (ARM) celebrates after winning the 61kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Mikayelyan wins first-ever gold

Twice before in his nascent career, Levik MIKAYELYAN (ARM) came agonizingly close to winning a gold medal. The first time was at the U20 European Championships four years ago, and then again in 2023 at the U20 continental competition. Both times, he settled for a silver.

On Monday, the 22-year-old won his first-ever title in a defensive final where all points were won via activity clock warnings. Mikayelyan defeat Jeyhun ALLAHVERDIYEV (AZE) 2-1 to clinch the gold medal in the 61kg category.

Allahverdiyev led 1-1 on criteria when the match entered its final minute, having got the latest point from activity time. But he was put on activity time in the final minute and he failed to score, giving Mikayelyan a 2-1 advantage with only 30 seconds remaining in the bout.

Allahverdiyev threw the kitchen sink at his rival in the final few seconds but Mikayelyan defended like his life depended on it to take home the gold medal.

Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW)Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW) scored a 12-1 technical superiority over Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM) in the 92kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

In the 92kg category, Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW) took a while to get going but when he did -- with 2:45 left on the clock and him leading 1-1 on criteria -- he didn’t give Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM) a chance to come back.

Khaniev launched a venomous leg-attack after a snapdown. He rolled him over in one swift move to go 5-1 up. He scored a counter throw-by, a stepout before a go-behind and gut wrench to win the gold medal via 12-1 technical superiority against Iboyan.

Nesrin BAS (TUR)Nesrin BAS (TUR) secured a fall in the semifinals. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Bas leads three into WW finals

Paris Olympian and senior European champion Nesrin BAS (TUR) led from the front as three Turkish wrestlers entered the Women's Wrestling finals.

Bas, a U23 world and European champion, scored a fall in the semifinal over Viktoryia RADZKOVA (UWW) and will face returning silver medalst Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), also  three-time U20 European champion, in the final.

After winning the U17 and U20 European Championships last year, Tuba DEMIR (TUR) will hope to win the U23 gold on Tuesday to complete her full set of age-group medals. Demir, who beat Amory Olivia ANDRICH (GER) 11-6, will face multiple-time age-group world and European medalist Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA) in the 55kg gold medal bout.

U20 European champion Elmira YASIN (TUR) also made it to the final after beating Veronika NYIKOS (HUN), 6-1, and set up the 76kg gold medal bout against former U17 world champion Olga KOZYREVA (UWW), the returning bronze medalist.

Former U20 world champion and Paris Olympian Aurora RUSSO (ITA) set up a mouth-watering 59kg final against 17-year-old Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) who recently won the Zagreb Open in February.

Photo

RESULTS

Freestyle

61kg
GOLD: Levik MIKAYELYAN (ARM) df. Jeyhun ALLAHVERDIYEV (AZE), 2-1

BRONZE: Mykyta ABRAMOV (UKR) df. Simone PIRODDU (ITA), 10-0 
BRONZE: Tolga OZBEK (TUR) df. Besir ALILI (MKD), via fall (10-0)

74kg
GOLD: Ismail KHANIEV (UWW) df. Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE), 5-4

BRONZE: Luka CHKHITUNIDZE (GEO) df. Bohdan OLIINYK (UKR), 2-1
BRONZE: Ion MARCU (MDA) df. Manuel WAGIN (GER), 11-4

86kg
GOLD: Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) df. Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA), 9-2

BRONZE: Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA) df. Radomir STOYANOV (BUL), 7-2
BRONZE: Arslan BAGAEV (UWW) df. Alperen ATAR (TUR), 7-4

92kg
GOLD: Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW) df. Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM), 12-1 

BRONZE: Sadig MUSTAFAZADE (AZE) df. Sandro KURASHVILI (GEO), 5-3 
BRONZE: Denys SAHALIUK (UKR) df. Artsiom IHNATSIUK (UWW), 10-0

125kg
GOLD: Georgi IVANOV (BUL) df. Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR), 11-0

BRONZE: Yusif DURSUNOV (AZE) df. Efe Anil AL (TUR), 10-3 (via fall)
BRONZE: Khachatur KHACHATRYAN (ARM) df. Michal DUBOWSKI (POL), 10-0

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Natalia PUDOVA (UWW) vs. Anastasiya YANOTAVA (UWW)

SF 1: Natalia PUDOVA (UWW) df. Natalia WALCZAK (POL), 11-0
SF 2: Anastasiya YANOTAVA (UWW) df. Asmar JANKURTARAN (AZE), via fall

55kg
GOLD: Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA) vs. Tuba DEMIR (TUR)

SF 1: Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA) df. Anastasiia IANDUSHKINA (UWW), via fall (10-4)
SF 2: Tuba DEMIR (TUR) df. Amory ANDRICH (GER), 11-6

59kg
GOLD: Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) vs. Aurora RUSSO (ITA)

SF 1: Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) df. Yuliia PAKHNIUK (UKR), 11-1
SF 2: Aurora RUSSO (ITA) df. Evgeniia OGORODNIKOVA (UWW), via fall

68kg
GOLD: Nesrin BAS (TUR) vs. Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR)

SF 1: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Viktoryia RADZKOVA (UWW), via fall
SF 2: Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR) df. Maria PANTIRU (ROU), 10-0

76kg
GOLD: Olga KOZYREVA (UWW) vs. Elmira YASIN (TUR)

SF 1: Olga KOZYREVA (UWW) df. Laura KUEHN (GER), via fall (7-5)
SF 2: Elmira YASIN (TUR) df. Veronika NYIKOS (HUN), 6-1