#YasarDogu

India Impresses to the Tune of Three Friday Night Yasar Dogu Golds

By Eric Olanowski

ISTANBUL, TURKEY (July 12) --- India had quite an impressive showing on Friday night at the Yasar Dogu -- going undefeated in their finals matches and winning a trio of gold medals. Rahul AWARE (IND) reached the top of the podium in freestyle, while Seema SEEMA (IND) and Kumari MANJU (IND) won golds in women’s wrestling. 

Aware, an Asian bronze medalist, ascended to his first career Ranking Series title with a tactical 4-1 victory over Munir AKTAS (TUR) in the 61kg finals and improved on his City of Sassari Tournament bronze medal. The Indian wrestler’s slow-paced strategic match was highlighted by a lightning-quick four-point foot sweep that left his Turkish opponent lying flat on his back. 

Aware, who came into the Yasar Dogu as the sixth-ranked wrestler in the world, added 14 Ranking Series points to his previous total of 26 and will be the second-seeded wrestler at the September’s Nur-Sultan World Championships. 

The Indian wrestler, who now has 40 Ranking Series points, would be the fourth seed at the World Championships, but second-ranked Joe COLON (USA) did not make the United States’ world team and third-ranked Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) bumped up to the Olympic weight of 65kg. For these reasons, Aware is the beneficiary and moves up two spots behind top-ranked reigning world champion Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB).  

Seema SEEMA (IND) won her second consecutive Ranking Series title and will be the 50kg second seed at the World Championships. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan) 

India also collected a pair of women’s wrestling golds from Seema Seema and Kumari Manju, who won the 50kg and 59kg titles, respectively. 

In the 50kg finals, Seema only controlled the lead for a little over a minute but scored a late inactivity point and stopped Valeriya CHEPSARAKOVA (RUS) from winning her second career Ranking Series title, 3-2. Seema’s win on Friday night gives her a second straight Ranking Series gold medal after she won May’s City of Sassari Tournament on the Italian island of Sardinia. 

With Seema’s Friday night victory, she cemented her spot as the second-seeded wrestler at 50kg at September’s World Championships. She came into the Yasar Dogu as the eighth-ranked wrestler in the world but added 14 Ranking Series points to her previous total of 28 and sits one point behind European champion Oksana LIVACH (UKR). Though the rankings show Livach as No. 2 in the world at 50kg, she’ll be the top-seeded wrestler in Nur-Sultan because two-time reigning world champion and No. 1-ranked Yui SUSAKI (JPN) lost her starting spot last weekend to Yuki IRIE (JPN). 

Also of note at 50kg, Yasar Dogu bronze medalist Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) also jumped into the top-four of the rankings with her bronze-medal finish. 

Kumari MANJU (IND) defeated Katsiaryna HANCHAR YANUSHKEVICH (BLR), 13-2 in the 59kg finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin) 

The third Indian wrestler to claim Friday night gold was Kumari Manju. She mauled Katsiaryna HANCHAR YANUSHKEVICH (BLR), 13-2 in the 59kg finals. 

The match was fairly close after the first period, but Manju opened the match up in the second period -- ending the match early with a technical superiority victory. 

In the first period, Manju was in front 3-0 after scoring a stepout and a double leg attempt turned into a single leg takedown. Then, in the second period, Manju extended her lead to 5-0 after coming through the middle on a shot – scoring her second takedown on the bout. The Indian wrestler conceded a takedown before hip tossing Hanchar Yanushkevich to her back for four points. Manju allowed the Belarusian wrestler to fight off her back then seamlessly transitioned to three leg laces -- closing out the match, 13-2. 

The Indian (50 points) women enter Saturday trailing first-place Turkey (60 points) by ten points. Russia (48 points) rounds out the top three of the women’s wrestling team standings two points behind India. 

On the freestyle side of the competition, Turkey (55 points) has a 15-point advantage over Azerbaijan (40 points), and a 19-point lead over third place Bulgaria (36 points). 

Wrestling resumes Saturday morning at 11:00 (local time) and will be broadcasted live on www.unitedworldwrestling.org.

RESULTS

Freestyle 
57kg 
GOLD - Givi DAVIDOVI (ITA) df. Baris KAYA (TUR), 16-5
BRONZE - Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE) df. Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL), 7 - 2
BRONZE - Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG) df. Minir REDJEPI (MKD), 3-1 

61kg 
GOLD - Rahul Balasaheb AWARE (IND) df. Munir Recep AKTAS (TUR)
BRONZE - Utkarsh Pandharinath KALE (IND) df. David MISHEV (MKD), via forfeit 
BRONZE - Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) df. Cabbar DUYUM (TUR), 2-2 

70kg 
GOLD - Murtazali Raxmatullayevic MUSLIMOV (AZE) df. Mihail Iliev GEORGIEV (BUL), via fall
BRONZE - Ilyas ZHUMAY (KAZ) df. Rajnesh RAJNEESH (IND), 6 - 3
BRONZE - Haydar YAVUZ (TUR) df. Daniel ANTAL (HUN), 11-0 

Women’s Wrestling
50kg 
GOLD - Seema SEEMA (IND) df. Valeriya CHEPSARAKOVA (RUS), 3-2
BRONZE - Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RUS) df. Sarra HAMDI (TUN), 4 - 2
BRONZE - Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) df. Veronika GURSKAYA (RUS), 10-0 

53kg 
GOLD - Bediha GUN (TUR) df. Zulfiya YAKHYAROVA (KAZ), via fall 
BRONZE - Samantha Leigh STEWART (CAN) df. Zalina SIDAKOVA (BLR), via injury default 
BRONZE - Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) df. Sinem KOROGLU (TUR), 10-0 

59kg
GOLD - Kumari MANJU (IND) df. Katsiaryna HANCHAR YANUSHKEVICH (BLR), 13-2 
BRONZE - Sara Johanna LINDBORG (SWE) df. Elif YANIK (TUR), via fall 
BRONZE - Emma JOHANSSON (SWE) df. Gulnora TOSHPULATOVA (UZB), via fall 

65kg
GOLD - Forrest Ann MOLINARI (USA) df. Natalia FEDOSEEVA (RUS), 5-2 
BRONZE - Aina TEMIRTASSOVA (KAZ) df. Rimma RYSSAYEVA (KAZ), via injury default 
BRONZE - Anna SHCHERBAKOVA (RUS) df. Sule KABAK (TUR), 10-0 

#WrestlePontevedra

U20 Worlds: Yevloyev rises to top; Iran wins fifth straight GR title

By Vinay Siwach

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (September 4) -- Last year, Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) watched Alperen BERBER (TUR) win the U20 world title from the stands. Yevloyev believed that it could have been him.

While that title in Amman was not to be, Yevloyev fulfilled his dream of becoming a U20 world champion after beating Berber in the 82kg final at the U20 Worlds in Pontevedra, Spain on Wednesday.

Berber stood no chance against Yevloyev, who took to an attacking approach from the first whistle. Yevloyev's gold along with Kazakhstan's success in other weight classes earned it second place in the team standings dominated by Iran.

With 147 points, Iran won the team title for the fifth time in a row. Kazakhstan followed with 100 points while Türkiye was third with 98 points.

Yevloyev won the U20 Asians last year with a win over Yasin YAZDI (IRI) but lost to him at the U20 Worlds. He then lost his repechage bout as well to finish without a medal.

"Last year at the World Championships, I didn’t have enough time to train well because of the health issues," Yevloyev said. "I had an injury and I could not train. But this year, I’ve done a great job together with the coaches. We had enough time to prepare and show a good result."

The final was a show of how Yevloyev has improved. He got the first par terre position and he tried to turn Berber who stopped the turn and got two points. However, Yevloyev had Berber in danger position and also got two points, leading 3-2 at the break.

Berber got the par terre and a 3-3 lead in the second period but Yevloyev was happy to defend from par terre position. Berber, despite his lead, tried a double-hand-lock throw and fell on his back to give two points to Yevloyev who suplexed Berber for two more.

Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ)Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) scores two points against Alperen BERBER (TUR) in the 82kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

"There are always mistakes that I have to improve on, but as long as I’ve reached the top of the podium today, I am satisfied with myself," he said. "I’ll keep wishing hard on the future, trying to keep winning gold medals.:

Yevloyev hails from a small village about Kokshetau and moved to a sports school in Petropavlovsk when he was in sixth grade. He is the cousin of the popular UFC fighter Mosvar EVLOEV.

"Movsar Evloev is my second cousin," he said. 

Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI)Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) gestures after winning the U20 world gold in the 67kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) was able to repeat as U20 world champion as he won the gold medal at 67kg. Ahmadreza is the younger brother of multiple-time Asian medalist Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI), who finished fifth at the Paris Olympics. The youngest brother, Emad Reza MOHSENNEJAD (IRI) won bronze at 80kg at the recent U17 World Championships in Amman, Jordan.

Wrestling Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ) in the final, Mohsen Nezhad stuck to the basics and controlled the center for the entire bout after scoring a takedown in the first minute of the final.

"A gold medal is much more valuable than other medals, and winning it feels amazing," Mohsen Nezhad said. "The Kazakh wrestler was very skilled, and we both fought hard. I thank God that my hand was raised as the winner."

His switch from 63kg to 67kg from the last U20 World Championships could well be the reason for a contrasting final. He won the gold medal with a 9-0 victory last year.

Talking about Mehdi, Ahmadreza said that he believes that much of his success is because of his older brother.

"My older brother is our role model, and thanks to him, we were able to come here and win medals," he said.

Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI)Servet ANGI (TUR) commits a defensive foul using his hand against Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) in the 60kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

In contrast, the 60kg final was action-packed with Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) winning it in just a minute and 52 seconds over Servet ANGI (TUR). Gholampour was giving the par terre position in the first period and he added a correct throw with a life. After Angi defended the second attempted lift, Gholampour went for a reverse left and got two points to lead 5-0.

Gholampour, however, asked his coaches to challenge him despite the resistance from the corner for it. It proved to be a match-ending challenge. The reverse left was scored for four points on review as it was from standing. Angi was docked for a defensive foul as well, giving two more points to Gholampour.

A surprised Gholampour celebrated even as Angi tried to make sense of the quick end of the final. This was Angi's second silver at a World Championships as he finished second at the 2021 U17 Worlds as well.

Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM)Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM) expresses his displeasure during the 72kg final against Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

A challenge proved critical in the 72kg final as well. Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM) was leading 5-3 against Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) in the second period after scoring a four-pointer and stepout. However, he committed a singlet pull in the fifth minute of the bout for which he was penalized two points. Despite the two points, Khachatryan led 5-5 on criteria for his four-pointer.

Not realizing the criteria lead, Armenia corner challenged and by the time the coaches realized, it was already under review. A 6-5 lead gave Beslekoev a new-found energy and he defended his lead till the end of time. 

The two had a heated exchange at the end of the bout as Khachatryan expressed his displeasure. This was his second loss to Beslekoev in two months, as Beslekoev won at the U20 European Championships with an identical scoreline. In Novi Sad, Khachatryan led 4-4 when Beslekoev was penalized a point for singlet foul and trailed 5-4. Despite leading, Khachatryan attempted an arm-spin but failed to make any contact. Beslekoev got the two points for a takedown to lead 6-5.

Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR)Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) used an arm spin to get four points against Darius KIEFER (GER) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 97kg, Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) became only the second U20 world champion from Ukraine in seven years after beating Darius KIEFER (GER), 6-4, in the final.

The two had met in the U20 European Championships final as well with Yakushenko winning the gold medal in Novi Sad, 1-1, getting the criteria for second par terre advantage.

But the final in Pontevedra was different with Kiefer scoring a stepout from par terre and then a takedown to lead 4-0 in the final period. However, Yakushenko used an arm spin to get a big four-point throw and a correct throw later to lead 6-4.

No wrestler was giving the par terre advantage in the second period and Yakushenko defended his 6-4 lead to win the final.

"I have only positive emotions," Yakushenko said. "Not everyone gets the chance to experience this moment. I am holding this belt and very thankful to God."

The final in Novi Sad was still fresh in Yakushenko's memory, and he was surprised by Kiefer's change in wrestling style on Wednesday.

"At the European final, the opponent didn’t know me well," he said. "He was better prepared here. He scored two points from par terre. Thankfully, they didn’t score it as a four-pointer. I immediately scored back all those points."

Ukraine won two medals in Greco-Roman at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) winning the silver medal at 67kg and Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) winning bronze at 87kg. Yakushenko said he was motivated to win in Pontevedra after watching the Olympics.

"I would like to congratulate our athletes," he said. "They motivated me a lot. Congratulations to Nasibov and Belebiuk for winning their Olympic medals.

df

 

RESULTS

Greco-Roman

60kg
GOLD: Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) df. Servet ANGI (TUR), 9-0

BRONZE: Papik DZHAVADIAN (AIN) df. Tural AHMADOV (AZE), 2-0
BRONZE: Ongdassyn KHAMITOV (KAZ) df. Kohaku KANAZAWA (JPN), 9-0

67kg
GOLD: Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) df. Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ), 2-0 

BRONZE: Grair OGANESIAN (AIN) df. Rati KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO), 9-0
BRONZE: Kojiro HASEGAWA (JPN) df. Ramazan AKTAS (TUR), 8-7

72kg
GOLD: Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) df. Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 6-5

BRONZE: Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) df. Wenhao HU (CHN), 6-5
BRONZE: Muhammed GOCMEN (TUR) df. Illia VALEUSKI (AIN), 4-3

82kg
GOLD: Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) df. Alperen BERBER (TUR), 7-3 

BRONZE: Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Anri DAVITADZE (GEO), 6-1
BRONZE: Shichang ZHENG (CHN) df. Abdurakhman ABDULKADYROV (AIN), via inj. def.

97kg
GOLD: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) df. Darius KIEFER (GER), 6-4

BRONZE: Anatolii AVERIN (AIN) df. Branko DUKIC (SRB), 7-3
BRONZE: Ahmet EREMEKTER (TUR) df. Rakhat BERZHANOV (KAZ), 5-1

Women's Wrestling Semifinals 

50kg
GOLD: Yu ZHANG (CHN) vs. Haruna MORIKAWA (JPN)

SF 1: Yu ZHANG (CHN) df. Aida KERYMOVA (UKR), 13-2
SF 2: Haruna MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Laura GANIKYZY (KAZ), via fall

55kg
GOLD: Khaliun BYAMBASUREN (MGL) vs. Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA)

SF 1: Khaliun BYAMBASUREN (MGL) df. Karina HONDA (JPN), 1-1 
SF 2: Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA) df. Tuba DEMIR (TUR), via fall

59kg
GOLD: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) vs. Alexis JANIAK (USA)

SF 1: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) df. Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE), 10-0
SF 2: Alexis JANIAK (USA) df. Uladzislava KUDZIN (AIN), 10-2
 
68kg
GOLD: Alina SHEVCHENKO (AIN) vs. Ayse ERKAN (TUR)

SF 1: Alina SHEVCHENKO (AIN) df. Viktoryia RADZKOVA (AIN), 5-2
SF 2: Ayse ERKAN (TUR) df. Karolina DOMASZUK (POL), 14-2

76kg
GOLD: Jyoti BERWAL (IND) vs. Mariia ORLEVYCH (UKR)

SF 1: Jyoti BERWAL (IND) df. Elmira YASIN (TUR), 7-0
SF 2: Mariia ORLEVYCH (UKR) df. Chisato YOSHIDA (JPN), 5-0