Junior Asian Championships

Iran Bags 3 Greco Golds on Opening Day of Junior Asian C'ships

Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - 15:06 By United World Wrestling Press

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CHON BURI, Thailand (July 9) - Iran claimed three of the five gold medals in Greco-Roman on the opening day of the Junior Asian Championships in Chon Buri, Thailand.

Winning gold medals for Iran were Mohammad NAGHOUSI (77kg), Hasan FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU (87kg) and Aliakbar YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI). The other two gold medals were won by India and Kazakhstan. 

Iran's first champion, Naghousi, came back to defeat Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ) 6-3 at 77kg in a battle of cadet world bronze medalists. Talantbekov controlled the first period, scoring a passivity point and then a gut wrench to grab a 3-0 lead at the break. With just over a minute remaining, Naghousi scored a takedown to cut the deficit to 3-2 before executing a four-point throw to go up by three and eventually give him the victory. Naghousi won a gold medal at the Cadet Asian Championships last year.

Forouzandeh Ghojehbeiglou topped Meirbek KORDABAY (KAZ) 5-1 to earn the gold medal at 87kg. Kordabay scored the first point of the match off a passivity, but the Iranian dominated the rest of the way. He scored a takedown midway through the first period to go up 2-1. Forouzandeh Ghojehbeiglou added to his lead in the second period, scoring a point off a passivity before adding two more points off a gut wrench.  

Yousofiahmadchali, a U23 world bronze medalist, dominated Aawesh AAWESH (IND) in the gold-medal match at 130kg. The Iranian heavyweight scored points off a passivity and a step out to go up 2-0 before throwing Aawesh to his back late in the first period to secure a fall. 

Junior world bronze medalist Vijay VIJAY (IND) improved on his Junior Asian Championships finish from a year ago, winning the gold medal at 55kg after earning a silver last year . He shut out past cadet world bronze medalist Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) 4-0 in the gold-medal match at 55kg. Vijay scored a passivity point in the first period, and then added three step-out points in the final two minutes of the match.

At 63kg, Assaukhat MUKHAMADIYEV (KAZ) held on to edge Saeid ARJMANDDASHTAKI (IRI) 2-2 on criteria in the gold-medal match at 63kg. Arjmanddashtaki scored first with a step out, but Mukhamadiyev responded with a step out of his own and took the criteria lead into the break. The Iranian retook the lead in the second period, scoring off a passivity, but just like in the first period, Mukhamadiyev would respond. He scored off a passivity with just over a minute remaining to take the lead and held on for the criteria win. 

The five remaining Greco-Roman weight categories, 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg and 97kg, will be contested Wednesday at the Junior Asian Championships, with action set to begin at 10 a.m. local time. 

RESULTS

Greco-Roman

55kg
GOLD - Vijay VIJAY (IND) df. Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), 4-0
BRONZE - Donghyeok WON (KOR) df. Koichi TSUTSUMI (JPN), 2-1
BRONZE - Zhanibek ISSAKHANOV (KAZ) df. Sahatsawat PHUANGKAEO (THA), 9-0

63kg
GOLD - Assaukhat MUKHAMADIYEV (KAZ) df. Saeid ARJMANDDASHTAKI (IRI), 2-2
BRONZE - Ryota KOSHIBA (JPN) df. Javokhirbek SAMATOV (UZB), 8-3
BRONZE - Sangjun PARK (KOR) df. Nursultan MAKHMUDOV (KGZ), 5-4

77kg
GOLD - Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) df. Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ), 6-3
BRONZE - Nao KUSAKA (JPN) df. Zhalgasov DAULET (KAZ), 8-0
BRONZE - Dilshod OMONGELDIYEV (UZB) df. Bahetijiang KELAN (CHN), 7-0

87kg
GOLD - Hasan FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU (IRI) df. Meirbek KORDABAY (KAZ), 5-1
BRONZE - Ryohta NASUKAWA (JPN) df. Han LEI (CHN), FALL 
BRONZE - Kumar SUNIL (IND) df. Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ), 10-7

130kg
GOLD - Aliakbar Hossein YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI) df. Aawesh AAWESH (IND), FALL 
BRONZE - Alibek SARSENGALIYEV (KAZ) df. Ilyosbek GULOMJONOV (UZB), 8-0
 

#WrestleTirana

Ghasempour buries ghosts of past to win Tirana gold; Yoshida stuns Snyder

Thursday, February 27, 2025 - 20:14 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (February 27) -- "Today when I was standing on the podium, I remembered it."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) replays the match in his mind as he speaks. He remembers the move and the loss clearly. At the World Championships in October last year, Ghasempour was four seconds away from upsetting Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) but the latter pulled off an incredible move to beat Ghasempour in the semifinal. While Sadulaev won the gold, Ghasempour returned empty-handed after losing his bronze-medal bout to David TAYLOR (USA).

Ghasempour may not be able to completely erase the memories of that loss with the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series gold medal he won on Thursday, but he says it will help him move on.

"Last year, in this very hall, it was a very bad scene for me," Ghasempour said. "Even today when I was standing on the podium, I remembered it. I should have gone to the Championship podium [at the World Championships]. The regret remained. But well, it's wrestling, and that's part of the events in sports. I tried to forget it and continue on my path."

On Thursday, Ghasempour returned to Tirana at 92kg and showed once again why he is one of the best at 92kg in the world. Wrestling in three bouts, he did not give up a single point [28-0], and scored two technical superiority wins including the final.

"The competition went well," he said. "I was able to wrestle with three good opponents in this tournament and fortunately, I managed to achieve first place. The wrestler [in the final] was a good competitor. I had watched his matches beforehand and planned well. My goal was to put on a good performance, and thankfully, I succeeded."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) sees off Alan BAGAEV (UWW) in the 92kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

In his first bout against world silver medalist Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), Ghasempour ran to an 8-0 lead before moving to defense. He then gut-wrenched Feyzulla AKTURK (TUR) and in the final, he broke Alan BAGAEV (UWW) with ease to win with two minutes remaining.

"I've been wrestling in the 92 kg weight class for several years," he said. "Despite that unfortunate result [last year], this arena was a good field for me. I'm trying to increase my readiness and participate in the next competitions."

Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) defeated Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV (UWW) 10-0 in the 125kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Paris Olympic silver medalist Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) added a second gold medal to Iran's tally on Thursday as he defeated Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV (UWW) in the 125kg final.

Leading up to the final Zare, who had his elbow tapped, looked shaky in his movements on the mat but come the final, he made sure Khizriev wasn't much of a problem.

Zare scored a step out to open the final and then got a point for Khizriev's passivity. A takedown and turn later, Zare was up 6-0 and by the break, Zare had Khizriev struggling with conditioning. As soon as the second period began, Zare was not having any of Khizriev's flamboyance and scored a takedown and a gut to finish it in no time.

Arash YOSHIDA (JPN)Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) blocks an attack from Erfan ALIZADEH (IRI) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

A third Iranian wrestler could have won gold medal but Arash YOSHIDA (JPN), who had perhaps his biggest day in international wrestling, denied Erfan ALIZADEH (IRI) in the 97kg final.

Yoshida led 1-1 on criteria at the break in the final after he scored the stepout after Alizadeh's stepout. In the second period, Yoshida got the point for Alizadeh's passivity and then scored a stepout to lead 3-1 with 90 seconds left on the clock.

Alizadeh managed to score a stepout with seven seconds on the clock but Yoshida closed it out to win 3-2 to cap off a remarkable day of wrestling for him.

"I can say that it was a great day because I won at 97kg category," Yoshida said.

Arash YOSHIDA (JPN)Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) scores a takedown against Kyle SNYDER (USA). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

This final, however, was not Yoshida's biggest win of the day. Earlier in the semifinals, he defeated former world and Olympic champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) 5-5, his biggest win of the career.

Yoshida, however, dismissed that.

"That was kind a win by luck," he said. "Good technique at good timing but it was by chance I think."

Yoshida, who seems small for 97kg, was in all sorts of trouble for five minutes and 30 seconds of the match. Snyder clearly overpowered Yoshida and scored a takedown on the edge and as Yoshida was trying to sneak out of the hold, Snyder scored a pushout, all while Yoshida was on activity time.

Snyder led 4-0 before giving up a stepout and as both wrestlers maintained the intensity in the second period, Snyder's strength and positioning didn't let Yoshida get his on his attacks.

However, Yoshida managed to get a cut-back and a turn to lead 5-5 on criteria with 30 seconds on the clock. Despite Snyder's efforts, Yoshida managed to remain in contact and not get scored on to complete a top-class win.

"I compete in Bulgaria. I tried my best to prepare perfectly for this tournament also, but yeah I can say I still have tiredness from that," he said.

Despite the win over Snyder, Yoshida will continue training in his usual style to remain calm for big tournaments.

"I train like I always do," he said. "When I’m preparing for tournaments I become nervous but I think it’s important to do usual things to keep calm"

 

At 79kg, Gadzhimurad ALIKHMAEV (UWW) managed a perfect final to beat Paris Olympian Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), 4-1, and claim the gold medal.

Alikhmaev as wrestling only at the his second Ranking Series event of the career, having wrestling last at the Yasar Dogu in 2022. Since, he has been out of action for three years.

Japan dominated Women's Wrestling as usual winning two golds on offer on Thursday.

Umi ITO (JPN), who suffered her first international loss at the U23 World Championships in Tirana last year, made sure she took home better memories, winning the gold medal at 50kg.

Wrestling Paris Olympian Oksana LIVACH (UKR) in the final, Ito needed just 33 seconds to get a 10-0 technical superiority win, her fourth of the day.

Barring the quarterfinal against Nadezha SOKOLOVA (UWW) who threw Ito for a four-pointer using a headlock, the Japanese was in complete control of her bouts.

"In October, I lost at the U23 World Championships in Tirana and I felt extremely frustrated," Ito said. "But I'm very happy to be able to talk about that frustration on the same stage. After the U23s ended, I learned that I make small mistakes and give chances to my opponents, and that those kind of mistakes can affect the outcome of a match."

Despite her impeccable record internationally, Ito has not representated Japan at the senior World Championships as she is stuck behind Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN).

"Both Sasaki and Yoshimoto are opponents I have to defeat in order to participate in the Olympics," she said. "I believe that if I don't win at home first, we won't be able to win at the World Championships. So even after I return to Japan, I'll continue to practice and overcome the challenges so that I can win the Meiji Cup next June."

Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN)Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) defeated Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) in the 55kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Japan won its second gold medal in Women's Wrestling through three-time world champion Haruna MURAYAMA OKUNO (JPN) defeated Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) 5-0 in the 55kg final.

She opened the day on a slow note, winning only 2-0 against Karla GODINEZ (CAN) but blanked former world silver medalist Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) 10-0.

In the final, Khoroshavtseva was cautioned when Maruyama scored a stepout. With a 2-0 lead, Maruyama was content to keep the lead but Khoroshavtseva used open hands on the face and was cautioned again which gave one more point to the Japanese. A takedown late in the bout made it 5-0 for Maruyama.

RESULTS

Freestyle

79kg
GOLD: Gadzhimurad ALIKHMAEV (UWW) df. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), 4-1

BRONZE: Ahmad MAGOMEDOV (MKD) df. Evan WICK (USA), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN) df. Hayk PAPIKYAN (ARM), 5-2

92kg
GOLD: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) df. Alan BAGAEV (UWW), 11-0

BRONZE: Michael MACCHIAVELLO (USA) df. Ahmed BATAEV (BUL), 3-1
BRONZE: Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), via inj. def.

97kg
GOLD: Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Erfan ALIZADEH (IRI), 3-2

BRONZE: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Dato PIRUZASHVILI (GEO), 10-0
BRONZE: Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD) df. Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK), 4-0

125kg
GOLD: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) df. Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV (UWW), 10-0

BRONZE: Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL) df. Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO), 4-0
BRONZE: Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (UWW) df. Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR), via inj. (8-6)

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Umi ITO (JPN) df. Oksana LIVACH (UKR), 10-0

BRONZE: Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (UWW) df. Katie DUTCHAK (CAN), 10-0
BRONZE: Erin GOLSTON (USA) df. MEIDUOLAJI (CHN), 4-2

55kg
GOLD: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) df. Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW), 5-0 

BRONZE: Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) df. Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), 10-0
BRONZE: Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) df. Karla GODINEZ (CAN), 3-1