#Zagreb2018

Iran Bookends 2018 Cadet World C’Ships with Freestyle and Greco Team Titles

Sunday, July 8, 2018 - 20:57 By Taylor Miller

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ZAGREB, Croatia – The 2018 Cadet World Championships wrapped up on Sunday night in Zagreb, Croatia, with five wrestlers crowned Greco World champions and Iran awarded the top team prize in the Greco-Roman discipline.

Iran won the team race, putting up 130 points with four finalists and two Greco World champions. Russia took second with 108 points, and rounding out the top five was Turkey in third with 91 points, Georgia in fourth with 89 points and Uzbekistan in fifth with 83 points.

Iran also won the freestyle team title earlier this week.

It was an action-packed title bout at 45 kg as two-time World finalist Hennadii ZAVERTAILO (UKR) took on Cadet European bronze medalist Ilias IANDAROV (RUS).

Iandarov held a 2-0 lead at the break, but the two went back and forth, trading leads in the second period. Eventually Iandarov took down the 2017 Cadet World silver medalist and rattled off three gut wrenches for a technical fall win, 17-7. 

At 51 kg, this year’s two Asian bronze medalists went head-to-head for World gold.

Lazizkhon UZBEKOV (UZB) struck first against Laishram MEITEI (IND) and held onto the lead throughout the bout. The Uzbek used two sets of exposure to win the World title at 51 kg, 6-2.

In the final at 60 kg, points were only scored on passivities, cautions and failed challenges as Serhat KIRIK (TUR), who finished fifth at the European Championships, knocked off Asian silver medalist Shahin BADAGHI MOFRAD (IRI), 4-1.

At 71 kg, Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) became only the second Cadet Greco-Roman World champion for Moldova on Sunday night when he defeated Asian champion Shu YAMADA (JPN) with a dominant 12-2 technical fall.

Gutu, who won silver at 2018 Euros, drew first blood with a duck under for a takedown, followed by a correct throw. Gutu took his momentum and a 6-2 lead into the second period. There, he extended his lead with a throw by and finished off the bout with a big lift for four points to end the match in a tech fall.

The winner at 92 kg was determined in the final 20 seconds of the match.

Aleksei MILESHIN (RUS) held a 3-0 advantage at the break over Asian champion Mohammad NOSRATI (IRI), thanks to a correct throw he executed after Nosrati was put down in par terre.

In the second period, Nosrati got a chance on top after a Mileshin passivity call. With only 20 seconds left, the Iranian scored on a gut wrench and held the Russian off for a 3-3 win on criteria and the gold medal.

That bout concluded the 2018 Cadet World Championships.

Team standings
1. Iran - 130
2. Russia - 108
3. Turkey - 91
4. Georgia - 89
5. Uzbekistan - 83
6. Azerbaijan - 79
7. Kazakhstan - 62
8. India - 57
9. Armenia - 55
10. Ukraine - 48

Finals results
45 kg
GOLD - Ilias IANDAROV (RUS)
SILVER - Hennadii ZAVERTAILO (UKR)
BRONZE - Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL)
BRONZE – Gurban GURBANOV (AZE)

1st - Ilias Iandarov (Russia) TF Hennadii Zavertailo (Ukraine), 17-7
3rd - Edmond Nazaryan (Bulgaria) dec. Amirreza Dehbozorgi (Iran), 2-0
3rd - Gurban Gurbanov (Azerbaijan) dec. Mizuki Araki (Japan), 2-0

51 kg
GOLD - Lazizkhon UZBEKOV (UZB)
SILVER - Laishram MEITEI (IND)
BRONZE - Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
BRONZE – Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ)

1st - Lazizkhon Uzbekov (Uzbekistan) dec. Laishram Sayon Meitei (India), 6-2
3rd - Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) dec. Robert Karapetyan (Armenia), 4-2
3rd - Merey Maulitkanov (Kazakhstan) dec. Baktiiar Akberdiev (Kyrgyzstan), 2-1

60 kg
GOLD - Serhat KIRIK (TUR)
SILVER - Shahin BADAGHI MOFRAD (IRI)
BRONZE - Adam HAJIZADA (AZE)
BRONZE – Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA)

1st - Serhat Kirik (Turkey) dec. Shahin Badaghi Mofrad (Iran), 4-1
3rd - Adam Hajizada (Azerbaijan) dec. Pravesh Pravesh (India), 6-3
s3rd - Gagik Snjoyan (France) dec. Vladyslav Yevtushenko (Ukraine), 6-4

71 kg
GOLD - Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
SILVER - Shu YAMADA (JPN)
BRONZE - Veisal EYUBOV (KAZ)
BRONZE – Giorgi SHPETISHVILI (GEO)

1st - Alexandrin Gutu (Moldova) TF Shu Yamada (Japan), 12-2
3rd - Veisal Eyubov (Kazakhstan) dec. Petar Gornyashki (Bulgaria), 5-0
3rd - Giorgi Shpetishvili (Georgia) TF Abdullah Ates (Turkey), 13-2

92 kg
GOLD - Mohammad NOSRATI (IRI)
SILVER - Aleksei MILESHIN (RUS)
BRONZE – Jacob KAMINSKI (USA)
BRONZE – Osman AYAYDIN (TUR)

1st - Mohammad Nosrati (Iran) dec. Aleksei Mileshin (Russia), 3-3
3rd - Jacob Kaminski (United States) TF Richard Karelson (Estonia), 9-1
3rd - Osman Ayaydin (Turkey) TF Lasha Tvildiani (Georgia), 9-0

Esmaeili survives Jafarov shock to win ISG 2025 gold

Tuesday, November 18, 2025 - 18:51 By Vinay Siwach

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (November 18) -- He needed some strong defense to win the world title and on Tuesday, Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) needed some clutch offense to beat Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) for the second time in two one month.

Esmaeili and Jafarov clashed in the final of the 67kg weight class at the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 in Riyad, Saudi Arabi and it seemed that the latter was on his way to upset the Olympic champion and avenge his loss from the World Championships final.

Down 3-3 on criteria, all seemed to be over for Esmaeili as the clock ticked down. In the last 10 seconds, Esmaeili worked on a double-arm lock and then managed to throw Jafarov in danger from standing for four points which changed the result and gave him the win.

Azerbaijan challenged the call but there was no change in the result and Esmaeili defeated Jafarov 8-3, to capture yet another gold medal this year after Asian and World Championships.

In Zagreb, Esmaeili was put in par terre for third passivity call. Jafarov, down 2-1, needed a point to turn the result but he failed to score any points as Esmaeili defended the par terre position and captured his first world title.

Jafarov blamed a lapse in concentration in the final seconds that costed him the gold medal in Riyadh.

Iran's other world champion from Zagreb, Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) made it seem a little easier as he defeated former world U20 champion Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ), 6-0, winning his third gold in one month.

Farokhi, who won gold at 82kg at the World Championships, moved to 87kg for U23 World Championships and won gold without giving up a point in Novi Sad. Just two weeks later, he now gold at 87kg on Tuesday.

Against Yevloyev in the final, Farokhi was awarded both par terre position which gave him a 2-0 lead. From the second par terre, he managed to score a point as he threw Yevloyev for a stepout. The Kazakhstan wrestler was docked two points for defensive foul making it 5-0.

Kazakhstan challenged the foul call but Yevloyev had clearly blocked Farokhi using his elbow on the Iranian's face. The lost challenged made it 6-0 for Farokhi, giving him the win.

Farokhi had a tough match in semifinals against world bronze medalist Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) and needed a takedown in the final minute to win 7-6, first time he has shown some difficulty winning bouts.

Two other gold medals were awarded on Tuesday with former U23 world champion Alisher GANIEV (UZB) winning the 60kg one and two-time Olympic medalist Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) marking his comeback with gold medal at 77kg.

Makhmudov, who has not wrestled in a full tournament since winning bronze in Paris, was in some form as he made no mistake in his run to the gold medal. In the final, he wrestled Amir ABDI (IRI) and performed a reverse lift throw for five points before securing the fall in the second period.

Abdi got the par terre position in the first period but Makhmudov defended the position, giving only a 1-0 lead to the Iranian. When he got the par terre position, he jumped to the front before performing the lift and holding Abdi on the mat for fall.

Ganiev, who defeated European champion Nihad MAMMADLI (AZE) in the quarterfinal, defeated Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) in the semifinal and humbled Ekrem OZTURK (TUR), 8-0, in the final.

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) df. Ekrem OZTURK (TUR), 8-0

BRONZE: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) df. Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE), 3-2
BRONZE: Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ) df. Fergat ABDELKRIM (ALG), 5-1

67kg
GOLD: Saeid ESMAEILI LEIVESI (IRI) df. Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), 8-3

BRONZE: Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) df. Aref MOHAMMADI (QAT), 5-2
BRONZE: Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) df. Hassan ABDELREHIM (EGY), via fall (9-0)

77kg
GOLD: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Amir ABDI (IRI), via fall (6-1)

BRONZE: Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) df. Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE), 2-2
BRONZE: Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) df. Sami SLAMA (TUN), via fall (8-1)

87kg
GOLD: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) df. Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ), 6-0

BRONZE: Sid BACHIR (ALG) df. Sukhrob ABDULKHAEV (TJK),
BRONZE: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) df. Islam ABBASOV (AZE),