WORLD CLUBS CUP

Greco-Roman Wold Clubs Cup Semifinals Determined

Friday, December 15, 2017 - 01:16 By Ali Feizasa

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The semifinalists of 2017 Greco-Roman World Clubs Cup were determined in Isfahan, Iran. In the first semifinal match, Sina Sanat Izeh (IRI) will meet the Georgian Club (GEO).  Buyuksehir (TUR) will take on Bimeh Razi Isfahan (IRI) in the second semifinal match-up.

In pool A, defending champions Sina Sanat Izeh (IRI) defeated Dinamo (ARM), 6-4.

2017 world champion, Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) gave the Iranian team a technical superiority victory against his fellow countryman in the 82kg bout. Olympic silver medal winner, Zhan BELENYUK’s (UKR) fall over Gegam TORGOMYAN (ARM) secured the victory for Sina Sanat Izeh(IRI).  

In pool B, the Georgian Club (GEO) edged Shohadaye Modafe Haram Qom (IRI), 8-2, and Tajik Air (TJK), 9-1. They will meet Sina Sanat Izeh (IRI) in tomorrow’s semifinals.

In pool C, it was key victories from 2017 world champion, Metehan BASAR (TUR) and U-23 world champion, Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) that helped 2016 World Clubs Cup runner-up, Buyuksehir (TUR) defeat Samson (UKR), 6-4.

The most exciting match of the tournament came from pool D, as Bimeh Razi (IRI) defeated Moscow (RUS), 10-0.

Led by two-time Olympic and world three-time world champion, Roman VLASOV (RUS), the Iranian side imposed their will heavily on Moscow. Artem SURKOV (RUS) who is competing for the Iranian team gave the host team a 1-0 victory against Pavel SALEEV (RUS). The match between Bimeh Razi’s Vlasov and Ilias MAGAMADOV (RUS) Moscow didn’t happen, as Magamadov was 400g over weight.

Former world champion, Saeid ABDEVALI (IRI) moved up to 82kg and defeated Roman YUSIPOV (RUS),

At 87kg, six-time Olympic and world medal winner, Aleksei MISHIN (RUS) didn’t continue the match in the second period against Mehdi FALLAH (IRI)  due to injury. Fallah was leading after the first period, 3-0.

In the 97kg match, 2017 Asian champion, Seyed Mostafa SALEHIZADEH (IRI) bested 2017 world finalist, Musa EVLOEV (RUS), 5-1. It was three-time junior world champion Zviadi PATARIDZE (GEO) who gave Bimeh Razi their tenth straight win.

The semifinals of the 2017 Greco-Roman World Clubs Cup will be Friday morning.The finals match will be held in the evening.

First day results:

Pool A
Sina Sanat Izeh (IRI) df. Dinamo (ARM), 6-4
55kg- Rudik MKRTCHYAN (ARM) df. Reza KHEDRI (IRI), 2-1
60kg- Shirzad BEHESHTI TALA (IRI) df. Murad HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), 7-4
 63kg- Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM). Pinned Behnam MORADI  (IRI),
67kg- Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) Pinned Aleksan MIKAYELYAN (ARM)
72kg- Ali ARSALAN (IRI) df. Armen HAKOBYAN (ARM), 10-8
77kg- Ruben GHARIBYAN (ARM) df. Keyvan REZAEI (IRI), 10-6
82kg- Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM/ Sina Sanat Team) TF. Argishti ABGARYAN (ARM), 9-0
87kg- Zhan BELENYUK (UKR/ Sina Sanat Team) pinned Gegam TORGOMYAN (ARM)
97kg- Hassan ARYANEJAD (IRI) df. Vagharsak MINASYAN (ARM), 5-2
130kg- Edgar KHACHATRYAN (ARM) pinned Mehdi NOURI (IRI)

Other matches of Pool A:
Sina Sanat Izeh (IRI) df. Dinamo (ARM), 6-4
Sina Sanat Izeh (IRI) df. Paok (GRE), 10-0
Dinamo (ARM) df. Olympic Hopes (ROU), 8-2
Olympic Hopes (ROU) df. Paok (GRE), 7-3
Dinamo (ARM) df. Paok (GRE), 9-1

Pool B
Georgian Club (GEO) df. Shohadaye Modafe Haram Qom (IRI), 8-2
55kg- Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) TF. Mehdi GHORBANI (IRI), 8-0
60kg- Beka BALANCHIVADZE (GEO) TF. Alireza NEJATI (IRI), 9-0
63kg- Dato CHKHARTISHVILI (GEO) df. Mehdi MORAD SALEHI (IRI), 4-3
67kg- Tornike JANGAVADZE (GEO) Pinned Aliakbar PASALARI (IRI)
72kg- Ramazi ZOIDZE (GEO)  TF. Ali SOLEIMANI (IRI), 8-0
77kg- Hadi ALIZADEH (IRI) df. Bakuri GOGOLI (GEO), 3-1
82kg- Varlami KVARATSKHELIA (GEO)- df. Mohammadreza REZAEI (IRI), 4-0
87kg- Mehdi EBRAHIMI (IRI) df. Gurami KHETSURIANI (GEO), 2-0
97kg- Kukuri KIRTSKHSLIA (GEO) df. Omid EFTEKHARIASL (IRI), 2-1
130kg- Levani ARABULI (GEO) df. Parsa NAZARI (IRI), 3-1

Other matches of Pool B:
Shohadaye Modafe Haram Qom (IRI) df. Tajik Air (TJK), 7-3
Georgian Club (GEO) df. Tajik Air (TJK), 9-1

Pool C
Buyuksehir (TUR) df. Samson (UKR), 6-4
55kg- Muslum ALINLI (TUR) pinned Sergii STOROZHENKO (UKR)
60kg- Andriy MARTYNYUK (UKR) df. Hammet RUSTEM (TUR), 4-2
63kg- Fatih UCUNCU (TUR) df. Anton KUTSENKO (UKR), 6-0
67kg- Fevzi MAMUTOV (UKR) TF. Atakan YUKSEL (TUR), 12-4
72kg- Yunus OZEL (TUR) df. Artur POLITAIEV (UKR), 9-2
77kg- Serkan AKKOYUN (TUR) df. Pavlo MOLNAR (UKR), 7-1
82kg- Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) df. Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR), 3-1
87kg- Metehan BASAR (TUR), Iurii SHKRIUBA (UKR), 3-2
97kg- Mykola KRYSOV (UKR) df. Irfan METE (TUR), 8-5
130kg- Mykola KUCHMII (UKR) df. Fatih BASKOY (TUR), 4-0

Other matches of pool C:
Samson (UKR) df. Budapest SC (HUN), 8-2
Buyuksehir (TUR) df. Budapest SC (HUN), 10-0

Pool D
Bimeh Razi (IRI) df. Moscow (RUS), 10-0
55kg- Moslem NADERI KHADEM (IRI) df. Aleksei KINZHIGALIEV (RUS) 4-2
60kg- Mehrdad MARDANI (IRI) df. Sergey EMELIN (RUS), 3-2                 
63kg- Saman ABDEVALI (IRI) df. Sanal SEMENOV (RUS), 5-1
72kg- Mohammad Ali GERAEI (IRI) df. Denis MURTAZIN (RUS), 4-1
77kg- Roman VLASOV (RUS/ Bimeh Team) won by forfeit. Ilias MAGAMADOV (RUS) failed in weigh in.
82kg- Saeid ABDEVALI (IRI) df. Roman YUSIPOV (RUS), 4-0
87kg- Mehdi FALLAH (IRI) df. Aleksei MISHIN (RUS), 3-0 (MISHIN didn’t continue in second round)
97kg- Seyed Mostafa SALEHIZADEH (IRI) df. Musa EVLOEV (RUS), 5-1
130kg- Zviadi PATARIDZE (GEO/ Bimeh Team) df. Zurabi GEDEKHAURI (RUS), 3-1

Other matches of Pool D:
Moscow (RUS) df. Sport Club Physical Academy (KGZ), 9-1
Bimeh Razi (IRI) df. Sport Club Physical Academy (KGZ),10-0

 

'I was destroyed, couldn't sleep': Ghasempour recalls painful loss to Sadulaev

Monday, March 10, 2025 - 10:53 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (March 10) -- "I've thought about it a lot. Of course, it's in the past and thinking about it won't change anything. But I've thought a lot about why I made a mistake in those four seconds and I could have managed the wrestling differently and finished it very easily."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) stares at the empty walls of the interview room as he recalls the heartbreaking and shocking 5-3 loss to Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) in the semifinal of the World Championships last October.

The images of Ghasempour holding his head in hands after the loss went viral on social media. Sadulaev was praised for his champion mindset and his ability to script a remarkable late turnaround. Ghasempour was consoled by his fans, who urged him to not lose heart.

Those comforting words felt hollow at that point and Ghasempour felt 'lost'.

"The reality is that the fighting spirit and the feeling I had on the first day of the competition caused all those feelings to disappear and I was destroyed. I couldn't control myself and I just wanted the competition to end and go back," Ghasmepour says, with his voice breaking as he recollects his thoughts.

For 5 minutes and 55 seconds, Ghasempour controlled the 92kg semifinal against Sadulaev, a two-time Olympic champion known for his must-win attitude. A loss would have reinforced the belief that the Sauldaev aura was fading. A win for Ghasempour, a two-time world champion at 92kg, would make him only the third wrestler to beat Sadulaev.

But with five seconds remaining, Sadulaev snapped the Iranian down, spun behind, then managed to fling him to the mat for a 4-point takedown.

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW), behind, hits the match-winning takedown on Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

"It was also very difficult for me to come to terms with the loss," Ghasempour recalls. "After the match, I felt very bad and didn't sleep all night. I was awake from the intensity of thought and pressure, and it was very difficult for me. Due to the pressure I was under, I took four painkillers after the match."

A few hours of sleep was never going to be enough for Ghasempour to return for his bronze-medal bout against David TAYLOR (USA), which he lost 6-2.

Four months have passed since that day in Tirana, a city Ghasempour returned for the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series last week and captured the gold medal. Though not the World Championships and there was no Sadulaev in the field, Ghasempour managed to bring a smile on his face as he stood on the podium.

However, memories flashed back.

"When I was going up to the podium [after winning gold], I thought again that I could have been standing on the Worlds podium a few months ago, not this tournament," he said. "But that's how sports is, and if a professional athlete wants to continue their path, they must know that winning and losing are part of sports."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) won the 92kg gold medal at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in February. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Ghasempour did take comfort from the messages he received. Yet, he is unable to move on from those five seconds of lapse in concentration.

"People gave me a lot of good energy and praised me constantly, which shows the kindness of the people," he says. "But what I wanted didn't happen and the result wasn't as I wanted. It would have been better if it ended with a good result."

As the new Olympic cycle begins, Ghasempour wants to make amends. There will be many pit stops before he can be at his first Olympics and he wants to capture every gold medal that comes his way.

"There are three more World Championships left before the Olympics [in 2028]," he says. "The World Championships are very important to me, and after that, it's the Olympic medal that I want to have in my medal showcase. In the year leading up to the Olympics, I will make the decision and compete in a weight class so that I can participate in the Olympics."