#wrestlenursultan

Host Kazakhstan among 6 Nations with 2 Semifinalists each as Greco Gets Underway

Saturday, September 14, 2019 - 10:01 By Ken Marantz

Share this article

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (Sept. 14) --- Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) gave the opening session of the world championships the perfect closing act, thrilling the hometown crowd in the Barys Arena by grabbing the final semifinal spot on tap as Greco-Roman kicked off the competition.

Kebispayev, with a thrilling 7-4 win in the 63kg quarterfinals over Rahman BILICI (TUR), became one of two wrestlers in four weight classes from the host nation to earn places in the semifinals, to be held later in the day.

Kebispayev’s path to the final is blocked by Shinobu OTA (JPN), a Rio 2016 Olympic silver medalist aiming for his first world medal. The other semifinal pits European champion and top seed Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) against Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM).

In the second round, Kebispayev forged out a close 2-2 win over Asian champion TUO Erbatu (CHN). 

Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) was one of two wrestlers from the host nation of Kazakhstan to make the opening day semifinals at the World Championships. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) also made the last four from the host nation, but faces a tough task ahead when he takes on defending world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) for a place in the 55kg final.

In the other bracket, Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) will take on Shota OGAWA (JPN), a fifth-place finisher a year ago in the U23 World Championships who knocked off Asian champion Ilkhom BAKHRAMOV (UZB) in the quarterfinals.

It was tough day all around for the Bakhramov family, as older brother Islomjon, the Asian gold medalist at 60kg who moved up to 63kg, lost minutes later in the quarterfinals to lanky Galstyan, who scored a takedown with :25 left and held on for a 3-3 win.

The medals, to be awarded after the finals on Sunday, will be well spread around, as no country put more than two wrestlers into the semifinals. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Japan, Russia and Uzbekistan joined Kazahstan with two wrestlers each still in the running for gold. 

Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) defeated Raymond  BUNKER III (USA), 6-2 in the quarterfinals, and will wrestle Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) for a spot in Sunday night's finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan) 

Bulgaria and Hungary both have one semifinalist each, and they are in the same weight class, 72kg, and both returning medalists. 

Top seed Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL), a bronze medalist a year ago in Budapest, will meet Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) for a place in the final, while veteran Balint KORPASI (HUN), a former world champion and 2018 silver medalist, has a semifinal date with European champion Abulazid MANTSIGOV (RUS).

Mantsigov advanced with a 4-0 victory over up-and-coming world junior champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM). 

The big upset of the session came at 82kg, when QIAN Haitao (CHN) threw down 2018 world silver medalist and top seed Emrah KUS (TUR) with a headlock and held on for a fall in 2:00. 

That was a harbinger of things to come in a weight class that threw away the form book and saw only one of the four seeds make it to the semifinals. 

Unheralded Nurbek KHASHIMBEKOV (UZB) knocked off European champion and fourth seed Rajbek BISULTANOV (DEN), lifting him from the par terre and dumping him onto his back before securing a fall at 1:43. 

Khashimbekov will next face European silver medalist Lasha GOBADZE (GEO), who had little trouble ousting Qian by technical fall. 

In the other semifinal, Asian champion Saied ABDVALI (IRI) will face Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE). Abvali defeated Adlan AKIEV (RUS), who had ousted 2018 bronze medalist Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) by fall in a thrilling second-round match.

Huseynov quieted the home crowd momentarily when he threw down Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ), who suffered an apparent rib injury and was forced to default. Earlier, Yerezhepov had ousted 2018 world bronze medalist and No. 2 seed Viktor SASUNOVSKI (BLR).  

Day 1 Results

Greco-Roman - Semifinal Pairings
55kg (20 entries)
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) v Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ)
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) v Shota OGAWA (JPN)

63kg (18 entries)
Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) v Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM)
Shinobu OTA (JPN) v Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ)

72kg (25 entries)
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) v Aram VARDANYAN (UZB)
Abulazid MANTSIGOV (RUS) v Balint KORPASI (HUN)

82kg (23 entries)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) v Nurbek KHASHIMBEKOV (UZB)
Saied ABDVALI (IRI) v Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)

#UWWAwards

UWW Comebacks of the Year 2025: Uguev, Maroulis, Amoyan

Friday, December 19, 2025 - 10:30 By Eric Olanowski

Share this article

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 18) -- United World Wrestling’s 2025 Comeback Wrestlers of the Year are three wrestlers who refused to let their careers be defined by defeat and setbacks.

Freestyle Comeback Wrestler: Zaur UGUEV (UWW)

There was a time not too long ago where Uguev career trajectory was pointing him in the direction of becoming the greatest lightweight of this generation, but he hit a slump in 2023 and 2024, finishing fifth at the World Championships.

This year, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist returned to top form. He went from an afterthought to one of the sport's most dominant wrestlers -- reclaiming world gold for a third time in his career and first time since the 2019 World Championships with a 11-2 win over Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) in the 61kg finals.

"This is a very joyful event in my life -- I am once again on the top of the podium," Uguev said. "I am very happy and grateful to my team, my coach, my sparring partners, our national team -- thanks to everyone who played a part in my victory."

Women’s Wrestling Comeback Wrestler: Helen MAROULIS (USA)

For most, 2021 seems like yesterday. But for Maroulis, it’s been a grueling four years of waiting and working to reclaim her spot a top the world ranks. Despite having to completely change her style of wrestling due to lack of conditioning that stemmed from an allergic reaction to antibiotics before the World Championships, Maroulis found a way to bolster her resume with a fourth world title -- adding to her career wins 2015, 2018, and 2021, not to mention her three Olympic medals.

She did so with three quick pins in Zagreb before inside tripping Il-Sim SON (PRK) in dramatic fashion, stealing the world title as the clock expired.

After the match, the 11-time world and Olympic medalist said, "I had to really, really dig deep for that and, I don't know, before the last exchange started, I just had to dig deep and find it. It was just some scramble flurry and just that it came out my way. I'm grateful."

Greco-Roman Comeback Wrestler: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)

Like Maroulis’ four-year battle to get back to the top, Amoyan found himself fighting an uphill battle to regain world gold since his last title-winning run in Oslo in 2021. But after moving up from 72kg to 77kg, he struggled. He fell one match short of his goal at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, and again at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games where he settled for a bronze medal.

But 2025 was different as the 26-year-old put on arguably the greatest Greco-Roman performance of the Zagreb World Championships, capping off his run to a second world title with an unexpected 9-1 thumping of reigning Olympic gold medalist Nao KUSAKA (JPN).

"I became a world champion back in 2021 [at 72kg], but I really wanted to become world champion at 77kg. For two years, I struggled with injuries, and nothing was going as it should. Thankfully, at this World Championships I was prepared -- mentally, physically, and functionally -- and by God's grace I managed to triumph and become a two-time world champion."