Host Serbia puts two into GR finals on opening day of Worlds

Saturday, September 10, 2022 - 20:16 By Ken Marantz

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 10) -- The opening act of the World Championships was a smash for the home team, as host Serbia saw two wrestlers advance to the finals of the four Greco-Roman weight classes that kicked off the tournament on Saturday in Belgrade.

Defending champion Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) put himself in a position for a repeat of the 87kg gold medal he won last year in Oslo, while Iran-born Ali ARSALAN (SRB) earned a shot at a first world title at 72kg.

Azerbaijan will also have two wrestlers in action on the first night of finals at Stark Arena on Sunday when Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) will look to regain the world 55kg title that he won in 2018, and European bronze medalist Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) will go for gold at 72kg.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) made his first world final at 77kg, earning a clash with surprising Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), who denied Serbia a third finalist when he knocked off former world champion Viktor NEMES (SRB).

Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) won his 87kg semifinal 4-3. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Datunashvili, sporting his trademark cornrow braids, had to scrape his way into the 87kg final, where he will try to prevent European champion Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN) from becoming Denmark's first-ever world champion in Greco-Roman.

"For the Serbian people, for Serbian sports, I want to win it tomorrow," Datunashvili said.

All three of Datsunashvili's matches went the distance, including a 4-3 nail-biter in the semifinals over 2021 world U23 silver medalist David LOSONCZI (HUN). His ability to stay calm under pressure earned the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist a trip back to the finals.

Against Losonczi, Datunashvili barely managed to gain a 2-point exposure from par terre, then managed to hang on after Losonczi scored a stepout that had a one-point fleeing penalty tacked on and cut the gap to a point.

Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN), blue, defeated Ali CENGIZ (TUR) 6-0 in the semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

In the final match of the session, Bisultanov took advantage of a rare second passivity call in his favor against Ali CENGIZ (TUR), scoring a 4-point throw in the second period to secure a 6-0 victory. That made him the first Dane to make a world Greco final since 2015 when Mark MADSEN (DEN) won the fourth and last of his silver medals at 74-75kg.

"I am very looking forward to it [the final]," Bisultanov said. "I was thinking that he or Hungarian will go to the final and yeah, they were both in the semifinals and had a very close match. I don't know, we will see what happens tomorrow, I and my coaches will see what we can do and I will do my best tomorrow."

Bisultanov said the vocal group of Danish fans in the venue will take away some of the home-field advantage of his opponent.

"Of course, every time you are at home you feel more energy, you have to do something for your home, for your fans," he said. "But luckily I got my crazy Danish fans here. I hope my fans will beat the Serbian fans, and I'll beat him as well."

Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) celebrates after scoring a 9-0 win over Max NOWRY (USA) in the 55kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

At 55kg, the final will be a clash between the two bronze medalists from Oslo 2021 -- both former world champions, as well -- although Azizli will seem to have the upper hand on Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), having beaten him six months ago in the final at the European Championships.

Azizli stormed into the final with his third technical fall of the day, overwhelming Max NOWRY (USA) 9-0 in 1:44 in the first semifinal. Put on top in par terre, Azizli went right to work, ripping off a pair of gut wrenches before transitioning to a 4-point throw.

Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) will try to win his second world title on Sunday. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Tsurtsumia, the 2019 world champion, advanced to the final with a 5-3 victory over Asian silver medalist Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ). Tsurtsumia fell behind 3-3 on criteria when he gave up a defensive takedown early in the second period, but he immediately came back with a stepout to regain the lead.

The final will be the third meeting between Azizli and Tsurtsumia in two years. The two also met in the quarterfinals of the 2021 European Championships, with Azizli winning 10-1 en route to a bronze medal.

"I've lost to Azizli around seven or even eight times," Tsurtsumia said. "But it doesn't matter, because tomorrow I will wrestle till the very end. I'm not going to tell you now what exactly I'm gonna do, but you will see it all tomorrow. I'll take revenge."

Ali ARSALAN (SRB) pinned Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) in the 72kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In the 72kg semifinals, Arsalan had the play of the day when he used a slick duck-under to a half-nelson that put Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) onto his back, where he secured a fall at 2:33.

That had come after Arsalan, a 2017 Asian bronze medalist who began competing for Serbia last year, had scored a reversal from the bottom of par terre.

"First of all, I am so glad that I made it to the final, it's really good for me," Arsalan said, "but it's not enough for me. I should recover myself and my body and my mind. Tomorrow I should be myself on the mat."

Earlier in the day, Arsalan defeated Robert FRITSCH (HUN) 7-3 to avenge a loss in the quarterfinals of the European Championships in June, where he won a bronze medal.

Ganizade made the final by edging Selcuk CAN (TUR) 4-3 in a battle of 2020 European bronze medalists. Both scored 2-point throws from par terre, but Ganizade added a stepout after his to provide the margin of difference.

Olympic silver medalist Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ), red, defeated Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR) 4-1 in the 77kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

At 77kg, Makhmudov and Levai made it through a grueling gauntlet of 33 entries which saw three world medalists from 2021, including the champion at 72kg, and an Olympic bronze medalist fall by the wayside.

"Tomorrow there will be revenge against Zoltan Levai," Makhmudov said. "I already lost to him once and I defeated him once as well. I want to do my best to show the Kyrgyz soul, to show what our wrestlers are capable of."

Makhmudov once again confirmed a changing of the guard in Asia when the 23-year-old knocked off veteran Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR) 4-1 in the semifinals. After a successful defense from the bottom of par terre, Makhmudov scored with a roll during his turn on top.

"I am really satisfied with today's performance," said Makhmudov, who beat Kim in the semifinals of the Asian Championships in April, where he won his second continental title.

Kim won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) celebrates after beating Viktor NEMES (SRB) 3-1 in the 72kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Levai finished off a long and exhausting day by beating Nemes 3-1 in the other semifinal. It was his fifth match of the day, which started with a 3-3 win over 2021 world 72kg champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM).

It's been a good year for Levai. He came into Belgrade having won international tournaments in Rome, Warsaw and Mladenovac, Serbia, over a three-month span through August.

At least Amoyan still has a shot at a bronze medal. Among those who didn't make it to the repechage were 2021 silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE), 2021 bronze medalist Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) and Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU (JPN).

On Sunday, competition through the semifinals will be held in Greco 63kg, 67kg, 82kg and 97kg.

Day 1 Greco-Roman Results

55kg (18 entries)

Semifinals
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Max NOWRY (USA) by TF, 9-0, 1:44
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) df. Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ), 5-3

72kg (25 entries)

Semifinals
Ali ARSALAN (SRB) df. Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) by fall, 2:33 (5-1)
Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) df. Selcuk CAN (TUR), 4-3

77kg (33 entries)

Semifinals
Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) df. Viktor NEMES (SRB), 3-1
Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR), 4-1

87kg (30 entries)

Semifinals
Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) df. David LOSONCZI (HUN), 4-3
Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN) df. Ali CENGIZ (TUR), 6-0

#WrestleBudapest

Which wrestlers can move in rankings before Paris Olympics?

Monday, June 3, 2024 - 11:39 By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (June 3) -- The final Ranking Series before the 2024 Paris Olympics will begin this week in Budapest. With Paris 2024 qualified countries entering their wrestlers, the tournament will see a change in ranking and eventually in the seeds for the Games in August.

Freestyle, Women's Wrestling and Greco-Roman have six Olympic weight classes with ranking points awarded to wrestlers competing in these weights in Budapest. Since it's a Level C event, gold medalists will get 8000 points, silver medalists will get 6400 points and bronze medalists will be awarded 5200 points. If it's a Nordic system with only one bronze medalist, the fourth-placed wrestler will receive 4640 points. For details of how the Ranking Series points system works, click here.

Ranking points will also awarded based on the number of participants in a weight class. If a weight category has between two and five participants, the points will be reduced in half and only the first three wrestlers will be awarded. If a weight class has six to 12 participants, no additional point will be given.

Furthermore, if a weight class has 13 to 16 participants, 3000 additional points will be given to all wrestlers except those who were not ranked previously. If a weight class has more than 16 wrestlers, 5000 additional points will be given to all wrestlers barring the ones who did not have ranking points previously.

Here's a breakdown of which wrestlers can improve their ranking in Budapest.

Freestyle

57kg (9 entries)

World Championships silver medalist and currently ranked third in rankings Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) will have a chance to move to the second spot by winning the gold medal in Budapest. He currently has 37000 points and will be tied with number one ranked and world champion Stevan MICIC (SRB) at 45000 points. However, Micic's gold will keep him at the top spot.

Another big mover can be AMAN (IND) who is currently eighth with 20000 points. A bronze medal will push him to sixth spot pushing Zavur UGUEV (AIN) down. Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), currently ninth with 18200 points, can also jump to sixth by winning gold. Any lower position will only take him to the seventh spot.

65kg (7 entries)

Only world champion Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN), and Haji ALIYEV (AZE) have a chance to move up the ladder. Muszukajev, ranked fourth with 45000 points, can jump all the way to the top with a gold medal. A silver, bronze or fourth-place finish in Budapest will make him second-ranked. Any other result for Muszukajev will take him to the third spot.

Aliyev will only move from 10th place to ninth, irrespective of where he finishes in the tournament.

74kg (11 entries)

With certainty that he will win gold, Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) will remain at his current third rank even if he does win. His 36500 points will become 44500 if he wins gold, still 500 less than second-ranked Zaurbek SIDAKOV (AIN).

A top-eight finish from Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN), currently ranked 13th with 20200 points, will disrupt the other ranked wrestlers and eventually the seeds at the Olympics.

86kg (12 entries)

Top-ranked Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) can be relieved that he will go into the Olympics as the number one-ranked wrestler. With 52500 points, no other wrestler can replace him even by winning gold medal in Budapest.

Third-ranked Myles AMINE (SMR) is the closest with 44000 points but a gold medal in Budapest will only take him to 52000 points. But he will move to second spot with a 10th place or better finish. Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) will remain fourth even if he wins the gold medal in Budapest.

No other wrestler entered at 86kg will affect the seedings.

97kg (10 entries)

Third-ranked Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) is all set to become the top-ranked wrestler at 97kg heading into the Olympics. He will achieve that rank by finishing on the podium irrespective of the color of his medal.

Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR), currently ranked fifth with 44700, can move to third spot with a gold medal in Budapest. However, he is set to be fourth irrespective of his result in Budapest.

Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) will also move up in the rankings. Currently ranked 11th, Yergali can move to eighth with a bronze medal or better finish. Mostafa ELDERS (EGY) can also break into the top 10 with a medal but is unlikely to change the seeds for the Olympics.

125kg (12 entries)

With world champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) locking up the top spot with 68000 points, the battle will be between Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Mason PARRIS (USA) for the second spot. Petriashvili is currently second with 57000 points while Parris is third with 54200 points.

To be second, Parris will have to win gold and hope that Petriasvili finishes outside the podium. If Parris wins gold and Petriasvili wins bronze, both wrestlers will be tied at 52200 points but Petriashvili will remain second due to his silver medal at the World Championships to Parris' bronze.

Nao KUSAKA (JPN) has a chance to become the top ranked wrestler at 77kg in Budapest. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Greco-Roman

60kg (11 entries)

Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) currently sits fourth with 37000 points but is expected to be third with a medal of any color in Budapest. He, however, cannot overtake the top two -- Zholoman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) and Ligua CAO (CHN).

Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) may not be going to Paris 2024 but he will certainly change the current rankings. With 29025 points, he is seventh but any medal will put him at fifth. Ninth-ranked Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) will also improve his ranking but cannot move above seventh even if he wins the gold medal.

67kg (12 entries)

Not much will change at 67kg as Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) has locked up the top spot. He is entered for the Budapest tournament at 72kg. That means world champion and second-ranked Luis ORTA (CUB) will have a chance to close the gap but cannot overtake Jafarov whose lead is 17200 points.

Fourth-placed Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) will jump to third spot with a fifth-place finish or better as he is currently fourth with 31000 points.

Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) and Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA) will move up as well if they finish on the podium which eventually with affect the Olympic seeds.

77kg (18 entries)

World champion silver medalist and top-ranked Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) and Asian champion Nao KUSAKA (JPN), currently ranked third, will be battling for the top rank at 77kg. Suleymanov has 58100 points while Kusaka has 54200 points. For Kusaka to overtake Suleymanov, he will have to win the gold medal and hope that the Azerbaijan wrestler does not finish on the podium or finish three places better than Suleymanov.

Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) is set to improve his rank from sixth to fifth unless Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) wins a medal and Lomadze loses in the first round. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) will also move up from seventh if he can finish better than Lomadze.

Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB) can also be a top-five ranked wrestler if he can finish on the podium. It will depend on where Zhadrayev, Levai and Robert FRITSCH (HUN) finish in the tournament.

87kg (18 entries)

The shared world champions Ali CENGIZ (TUR) and David LOSONCZI (HUN) are set to consolidate the top two spots in the rankings. Cengiz has 58000 points and Losonczi has 45000 points with no chance of the latter overtaking the former.

Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) and Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) are currently ranked sixth and seventh with 33000 points and 31000 points. Both will certainly take the fourth and fifth spots at the end of the tournament but can be third as well. Tursynov will have to win a medal to be third while Novikov will have to win the gold medal and hope that Tursynov doesn't reach the final.

Bachir SID AZARA (ALG), currently 13th with 15800 points will finish in top ten by the end of this tournament and depending on his finish, can reach as high as the eighth spot.

97kg (11 entries)

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) is ranked fourth with 41000 points and can only improve to third with a bronze medal or better finish. But he will have to also hope that Artur OMAROV (CZE), ranked fifth with 39520 points, doesn't finish better than him.

130kg (14 entries)

Second-ranked Riza KAYAALP (TUR) is set to overtake Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) and move to the top spot. Kayaalp has 50000 points and needs to finish 10th or better to get more than Mirzazadeh's 55000 points. A medal for Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) will move him from fifth place to third.

Sixth-placed Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) will keep his spot unless eighth-ranked Heiki NABI (EST), 10th-ranked Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) or Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) win gold medal.

Grace BULLEN (NOR) and Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) will look to improve their rankings at 62kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Women's Wrestling

50kg (16 entries)

Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) is ranked second with 55200 points but Ziqi FENG (CHN), third ranked with 53400 points, will hope to overtake her. Feng will have to finish better than Dolgorjav especially if both win medals. Feng has to finish on the podium if she hopes to overtake Dolgorjav.

Fourth-ranked Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) has 45000 points but is unlikely to move up just like Alisson CARDOZO (COL) who is fifth with 27000 points.

53kg (11 entries)

Lucia YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU) will have her eyes on the top spot as she tries to jump from the second spot. Yepez, who has 46100 points, will have to finish fifth or better to overtake Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN).

Jonna MALMGREN (SWE), who has 46013 points at the fourth spot, can be third if she wins a bronze medal or a better finish. She can also be second by winning gold and Yepez finishes ninth or lower.

ANTIM (IND), ranked seventh with 31000 points, can jump to fifth if she wins the gold or silver medal.

57kg (10 entries)

Third-ranked with 47200 points, Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) will be eyeing the top spot. All she has to do is reach the final of the Budapest tournament. This will help her overtake Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN), the top-ranked wrestler with 53000 points.

Anhelina LYSAK (POL), ranked fourth with 42700 points, is unlikely to improve but Helen MAROULIS (USA), with 41000 points, is all set to overtake Lysak.

62kg (13 entries)

In the most closely contested weight class, Grace BULLEN (NOR) will have a chance to change her rank. She is ranked third with 44000 points but a gold medal can help her get 11000 points and move past Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) who is ranked second with 54000 points.

Fourth-ranked Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), fifth-ranked Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) and sixth-ranked Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) will have a chance to move around in rankings. Dudova, at 36575 points, leads Niemesch by only 575 points while Koliadenko has 39520 points.

Kayla MIRACLE (USA) is seventh with 28000 points but will have to be careful as Ana GODINEZ (CAN) with 24400 points, Lais NUNES (BRA) with 23500 points and Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR) with 23400 points can overtake her.

68kg (11 entries)

Buse TOSUN (TUR), who is ranked number one with 68200 points, will consolidate her position as will Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) who is second with 52500 points.

There will not be a change of position for third-ranked Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) but she can gain more points. Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) can move from sixth spot to fourth by reaching the final and to fifth by winning a bronze medal.

76kg (7 entries)

Three Pan-American wrestlers will be looking to improve their rankings. Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) can gain the most as the fourth-ranked wrestler has 39000 points and can be third by winning gold or silver. Milaimy MARIN POTRILLE (CUB) can also improve on her sixth spot. She can move to fifth by reaching the medal matches.

Justina DI STASIO (CAN), ranked 11th with 22075 points, can move as high as seventh by reaching the final.

Host Serbia puts two into GR finals on opening day of Worlds

Comments

Which wrestlers can move in rankings before Paris Olympics?