#WrestleSofia

Iran crowns trio of U20 world champs, wins team title

Sunday, August 21, 2022 - 21:57 By Vinay Siwach

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SOFIA, Bulgaria (August 21) -- When Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) was in Bulgaria last time, he was wrestling at his first senior tournament at the Dan Kolov in Sofia. Mohmadipiani finished with a bronze medal after losing the semifinal to European silver medalist Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) in the semifinal.

Despite the loss, Mohmadipiani took home a lesson from the loss of being on the attack from the word go in a bout.

He used a similar strategy in the 82kg final against '21 U17 world champion Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) to win the gold medal at the U20 World Championships in Sofia.

Mohmadipiani was one of the three gold medalists for Iran on Sunday as the latest edition of the U20 World Championships came to an end with Iran winning the Greco-Roman title with 174 points. Azerbaijan finished second with 119 points while Ukraine managed to jump to third with 93 points.

The two other gold medals on Sunday were captured by wrestlers from Azerbaijan. A historic bronze medal was also won by Richard KARELSON (EST), becoming the first-ever medalist from the country at U20 Worlds.

For Iran, Mohmadipiani had the most convincing victory even though he faced one of the most accomplished wrestlers entered in the competition.

18-year-old Bolkvadze began aggressively against Mohmadipiani but lost some steam as the bout went on. He was called passive and Mohmadipiani failed to get a turn. But 20 seconds later, Mohmadipiani got him into a body lock and pushed him to the mat to get four points.

In the second period, Bolkvadze got the opportunity to level scores but he failed to get any points from par terre.

Bolkvadze struggled to keep up with the pace of the bout and the referee warned him for blocking. On the second warning, he was cautioned with two points. Mohmadipiani got the win when Bolkvadze received his second caution and two points.

"Bolkvadze is a good wrestler and he won a gold medal last year [at U17," Mohmadipiani said. "I won the Asian Championships. So great bout but I won against him at the end."

With the U20 title in the bag, the Iran youngster is hoping to quickly move to seniors from next year onwards. But he knows the challenge that comes with it.

"The weight class has many good wrestlers," he said. "We have Azerbaijan [Rafig HUSEYNOV] and Turkey [Burhan AKBUDAK] but I'm well trained and I think I can win.”

Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI)Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) defeated Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) in the 60kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

At 60kg, Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) had all but lost the gold to Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) as he trailed 6-2 with 22 seconds left in the final. But Esmaeili got his hands around Aghajanyan’s waist before moving into a bearhug and he secured a four-point throw to win 6-6.

Aghajanyan scored exposure from par terre to lead 3-2 before Esmaeili scored a takedown on the edge just before the break.

In the second period, Esmaeili worked more but there was no passivity call as Aghajanyan scored two stepouts to lead 5-2.

Esmaeili tried going for a takedown but his hands moved below the Aghajanyan’s waist and the move was illegal. Iran challenged the call but lost. It seemed that the final was all locked up when the U20 Asian champion stunned Aghajanyan, and the crowd with the throw to take the criteria lead.

Ali ABEDIDARZI (IRI)Ali ABEDIDARZI (IRI) scored six stepout points against Iussuf MATSIYEV (KAZ) in the 97kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

The third gold medal for Iran came in emphatic fashion as Ali ABEDIDARZI (IRI) won the 97kg weight class over Iussuf MATSIYEV (KAZ).

Matsiyev took a 4-0 lead with a stepout and turn from par terre and Abedidarzi was struggling to get going with his attacks. But just before the break, he scored two stepouts and Matsiyev was hit with caution for fleeing.

Abedidarzi scored three more stepouts in the second period to claim the lead 5-4. When Matsiyev was called passive, Abedidarzi continued the bout from standing and scored three points to win 9-4.

Kanan ABDULLAZADE (AZE)Kanan ABDULLAZADE (AZE) won the gold at 67kg after beating Nika BROLADZE (GEO). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Azerbaijan won the remaining two gold medals as Kanan ABDULLAZADE (AZE) won the 67kg weight class while Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) won at 72kg.

Abdullazade wrestled Nika BROLADZE (GEO) in the final and fell when the latter took the 1-1 criteria lead. Broladze planned to keep the lead until the end of the six minutes but Abdullazade scored a stepout with a minute and 13 seconds left.

Broladze, with time running out, tried to throw Abdullazade but both wrestlers fell with no control. But in the same sequence, Abdulladze managed to run around and score a go-behind to extend his lead to 4-1 for the win.

Gurban GURBANOV (AZE)Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) celebrates after emerging as the champion at 72kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Gurbanov had a similar script for his final as he defeated Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA), 4-0, in the 72kg final. Perhaps he did not plan to get the first passivity point but Solovei was called passive and forced into par terre.

The former U17 world champion got the turn using a gut wrench to lead 3-0 at the break. He then continued to wrestle aggressively in the second period and Solovei was again called passive. This time Gurbanov did not get the turn but the score read 4-0.

Solovei got his chance to score when the third passivity was called against Gurbanov but Solovei had nothing left in him to turn the Azerbaijan wrestler.

Richard KARELSON (EST)Richard KARELSON (EST), blue, won Estonia's first-ever medal at U20 World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Estonia’s historic medal

No Estonia Greco-Roman wrestler even won a medal at the U20 Worlds but Richard KARELSON (EST) changed that on Sunday as he won a bronze medal in the 97kg weight class after beating Roman BALCHIVSCHII (MDA), 8-0, in the bronze medal bout.

In June, Karelson had become the first U20 European champion from Estonia in Greco-Roman. He was the second ever Estonian Greco-Roman wrestler to enter the final.

Incidentally, his father is also named Richard.

“It’s a great feeling,” Karelson said. “I hope I can work on this and win at the U23 Worlds as well. I know that the competition will be harder than this.

Karelson's father was the one who forced his son into wrestling after he was growing too fast.

In the previous two U20 Worlds, Karelson had finished 15th in Ufa and 12th in Tallin, his hometown. But with the bronze medal in Sofia, Karelson hopes he can lift his performance moving forward.

"The U20 European gold and this bronze medal will help me get some funds," he said. "Now I hope to continue this performance and train more."

With the U17 and U20 behind, the action now moves on to the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia in two weeks. 

IranIran won the Greco-Roman team title at the U20 World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) df. Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM), 6-6

BRONZE: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Koto GOMI (JPN), 3-3 
BRONZE: SUMIT (IND) df. Mert ILBARS (TUR), 6-3

67kg
GOLD: Kanan ABDULLAZADE (AZE) df. Nika BROLADZE (GEO), 4-1

BRONZE: Din KOSHKAR (KAZ) df. Onur YURTADA (TUR), 3-2
BRONZE: Seyed SOHRABI (IRI) df. Nestori MANNILA (FIN), 11-2

72kg
GOLD: Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) df. Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA), 4-0

BRONZE: Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR) df. Igor BOTEZ (ROU), 7-6
BRONZE: Amir ABDI (IRI) df. Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ), 4-0

 

g

82kg
GOLD: Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) df. Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO), 9-1 

BRONZE: Rohit DAHIYA (IND) df. Ruslan ABDIIEV (UKR), 8-7 (via cautions)
BRONZE: Alperen BERBER (TUR) df. Fares GHALY (EGY), 9-1

97kg
GOLD: Ali ABEDIDARZI (IRI) df. Iussuf MATSIYEV (KAZ), 9-4 

BRONZE: Richard KARELSON (EST) df. Roman BALCHIVSCHII (MDA), 8-0 
BRONZE: Nurmanbet RAIMALY UULU (KGZ) df. Luka KATIC (SRB), 9-0

#WrestleZagreb

Reasco becomes Ecuador's first world champ as Maroulis adds to gold tally

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 - 22:22 By Ken Marantz

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- While Helen MAROULIS (USA) was adding to her mountainous pile of world medals with a fourth career gold, Genesis REASCO (ECU) made history by becoming Ecuador's first-ever world champion.

Reasco reached the pinnacle of the sport with a 4-2 victory in the 76kg final over Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), denying the two-time world medalist her first gold in the last of four women's finals on Wednesday at the World Championships in Zagreb.

"I went in, gave my all, and it worked," Reasco said. "That’s how the gold medal was achieved, because honestly, I have a lot of respect for all my opponents. They gave everything out there on the mat, and they were really good matches -- both yesterday’s and today’s. Everything was very tough, very close."

Maroulis, who will turn 34 on Friday, showed why she has accumulated eight medals overall in 12 trips to the World Championships when she scored a dramatic takedown with :05 left to edge Il Sim SON (PRK) 3-2 in the 57kg final.

In other finals, Myonggyong WON (PRK) gave the DPR Korea its second women's title in two nights -- and just the third in its history -- with an emotional victory at 50kg , while Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) earned her second world gold and fifth medal overall with a dominant run to the 65kg title.

Reasco's historic victory came two years after Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) became the South American country's first-ever world medalist, and a day before Yepez gets a chance to join her as a gold medalist after making the 53kg final earlier in the day.

Reasco had long been seen as having the potential for a breakthrough, but never seemed to be able to make that final step up to the big time. She finished fifth at the 2022 World Championships and 2024 Paris Olympics, and was third at this year's Pan American Championships.

But after knocking off Paris bronze medalist Milaimy MARIN (CUB) in Tuesday's semifinals, the impossible suddenly became possible.

"At the Olympics, I was close to winning bronze, but it didn’t happen," she said. "But now the world medal came, and I’m very happy after all the sacrifices."

In the final, Reasco scored with a double-leg takedown in the first period, then scored another at the edge in the second. Medet Kyzy, a three-time Asian champion, tried desperately to launch a comeback, but she had to settle for 2 with a late throw attempt and came up short.

The 27-year-old Reasco got a relatively late start to the sport, saying she was not even aware of wrestling's existence until she was introduced to it at age 15.

"At that time, I practically didn’t know what wrestling was," she said. "I was going for another sport, but the coach of that sport took me to wrestling -- it was thanks to his influence. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even known what wrestling was.

"The first day I saw it, I was shocked. Since I was little, I always liked sports -- I liked basketball, football. So I always had that love for sports. Any sport, any other sport, I liked."

But her dedication to training eventually led to the greatest of achievements, which she surmises will be widely celebrated back in her hometown of Esmeraldas and the province of Manabi where she trains.

"When I focus on competition, I even put my phone aside," she said.

In the 57kg final, Maroulis had her work cut out for her with the quick and powerful Son, this year's Asian silver medalist.

"She's an amazing opponent," Maroulis said. "I knew she was going to be tough. I watched all of her film. I'm like, my gosh, she's so good."

Maroulis had to fight out of a double-leg attempt in the first period, in which she received an activity point for the only score. In the second, Son received an activity point, then went ahead 2-1 by scoring a stepout at 1:32.

It looked like it might end that way until Maroulis, using a trip to great effect as she had done all tournament, sent Son reeling backward, then spun behind as Son tried to whip her over with :05 on the clock.

"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," Maroulis said. "It was just some scramble flurry and just that it came out my way. I'm grateful."

The U.S. wrestler added the title to the ones she won in 2015, 2017 and 2021. She also has an Olympic gold from 2016, when she dealt the legendary Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) her lone international loss, and three Olympic medals overall.

Maroulis said that she had to deal with a blood vessel problem that curtailed her training starting in the spring, and did not return to full-fledged practice until about two weeks ago.

With her conditioning limited, she said she aimed to end her matches early, which resulted in her ending all three of her matches leading up to the final by fall.

"I was like, I'm just going to start working on training because I'm not conditioned enough to go six minutes," Maroulis said. "I'm literally not conditioned enough. But if I pin, no one has to know that."

Maroulis said she is currently undecided about continuing her career. But should she go on, it could put her on a collision course with one of the sport's rising stars, Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), the Paris Olympic champion at 53kg who announced that she was moving up to 57kg in the runup to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I would love to wrestle her," she said. "I've been wrestling for so many years, I want to wrestle the best of the best, and she's phenomenal. I've heard and seen great things about her.

Maroulis said the two have never had a chance to work out together. "We message back and forth, actually we were trying to go to a camp together, it just didn't work out in time for the Olympics. I found she was going to 57[kg], I said, 'Oh my gosh.' It's a great opportunity for both of us."

At 50kg, Won dominated her gold-medal showdown with Asian silver medalist Yu ZHANG (CHN) from the start, storming to an eight-point lead in the first period and holding on for an 8-2 victory.

"This medal and the championship belt I’ve won are just the first step in repaying my parents for all their sacrifices," Won said. "From now on, I’ll work even harder to become an Olympic champion."

Her victory came a day after Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) won the 55kg gold to become the second women's world champion in their country's history. They joined Yong-Mi PAK (PRK), who won the 53kg gold in Nur-Sultan in 2019.

Won became so overcome with emotion, she tearfully hugged the referee after the match, then went over and did the same with the side judges. Then she hugged her coaches, and during the medal ceremony, shed tears as the national anthem was played.

"The moment I took first place, all the tough days of training flashed before my eyes and I couldn’t hold back my tears," she said. "And when I thought about sharing the news with my mom and dad, the tears came again."

Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) celebrates after winning the 65kg final at the World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 65kg, Morikawa cruised to an 8-0 victory over Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) to regain the title she won in 2022, capping a year in which she also won the Ranking Series Tirana event and a second career gold at the Asian Championships.

Morikawa scored all of her points by shooting for a single, then fighting off a whizzer by Kasabieva to gain control for a pair of takedowns in each period.

"It's my first time to face her, but comparatively she was easier to wrestle than my semifinal opponent," Morikawa said, referring to her semifinal victory over former world champion Irina RINGACI (MDA), albeit a 10-0 decision.

"I couldn't get in on my tackles, and that part is something that I have to change. I'll be going to a heavier weight class and I want to be able to knock off the top wrestlers."

For Morikawa, competing at 65kg now is part of a process aimed at being competitive in the race to make the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, almost surely at 68kg, after missing out on Paris.

"It was great that I won the championship, but the next step will be starting soon. I can be happy today, but from tomorrow I'll have to start working hard in practice."

In between her two world titles, Morikawa took a world bronze at 72kg in 2023, then returned to 65kg in 2024, only to have to settle for a bronze again.

"It was a long time [between titles], and there was the time that I missed out on the Olympics, but I will use this victory as inspiration for what is coming next. It will be the start of a much more difficult fight than up to now, so I have to renew my determination."

While two world golds is no small accomplishment, Morikawa joked that it still leaves her well behind her coach, who was in her corner on Wednesday and accompanied her on the victory lap on the mat.

"I still only have two titles, so I'm about 10 behind the coach who was in my corner," Morikawa said of Kaori ICHO (JPN), the four-time Olympic and 10-time world champion.

Smirnova stuns Yoshimoto for 50kg bronze

Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) pulled off the surprise of the bronze-medal matches, stunning former world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) at 50kg with a stepout in the final seconds for a 3-3 win on criteria.

Yoshimoto, a two-time Asian champion, received an activity point, then gave up a takedown when Smirnova countered and got behind to a 2-1 lead. In the second period, Yoshimoto finally got through, scoring a takedown with :54 left. But she failed to hold off Smirnova's final push, leaving her devastated and in tears.

Prior to coming to Zagreb, Yoshimoto's only losses in any competition since 2019 were to compatriot and Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN), whom she lost to four times. That limited her to a single previous appearance at the World Championships in 2021, when she won the gold.

The other 50kg bronze went to Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), who also needed a late score in posting a 3-2 victory over Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL) and adding to the world bronze she won back in 2017.

Byambasuren scored a takedown while on the activity clock to take a 2-0 lead into the second period, and it looked like that might hold up when Demirhan gained a 2-point exposure off an inner thigh block with :15 left. Byambasuren came close to getting behind in the final seconds, but fell short and an unsuccessful challenge handed Demirhan her final point.

The victory took some of the sting out a serious knee injury that Demirhan suffered in the final exchange. She limped off the mat and was taken from the main floor in a wheelchair, then was carried by two fellow medalists to the podium during the medal ceremony wearing a walking cast.

Japan was dealt another set back a short time later in the 57kg bronze-medal bouts, when three-time European champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) scored a takedown and exposure in the second period to upend Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN) 4-1.

As with Demirhan, Khoroshavtseva's victory ended a long medal drought -- her previous bronze had come in 2019.

Paris Olympic bronze medalist Kexin HONG (CHN) picked up her first world medal, surging to a 10-0 victory over Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) in the other 57kg match.

Moldova's national hero Ringaci earned a fourth career world medal by beating Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) 6-3 for a 65kg bronze, scoring a takedown in the first period and two in the second.

Two-time Asian silver medalist Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) had the lead on criteria when she scored an exposure at the edge while holding off an attack by Macey KILTY (USA) to clinch a 4-2 win for the other 65kg bronze.

At 76kg, another Olympic bronze medalist added a world bronze when Marin stormed to a 10-0 victory over PRIYA (IND), setting the mood when she scored the first of her five takedowns by lifting the Indian in the air and dumping her to the mat.

Kylie WELKER (USA) added to the bronze she won last year at 72kg by holding on for a 6-2 victory over Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) for the other 76kg bronze. Welker scored a takedown and gut wrench in the first period, then after Alpyeyeva came back with two stepouts,

clinched the win with a takedown with :14 left. 

Day 5 Results

Women's Wrestling

50kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Myonggyong WON (PRK) df. Yu ZHANG (CHN), 8-2

BRONZE: Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) df. Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN), 3-3
BRONZE: Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) df. Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL), 3-2

53kg (23 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) df. ANTIM (IND), 5-3
SEMIFINAL: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) df. Hyongyong CHOE (PRK), 2-1

57kg (22 entries)
GOLD: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Il Sim SON (PRK), 3-2

BRONZE: Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) df. Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN), 4-1
BRONZE: Kexin HONG (CHN) df. Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) by TF, 10-0, 2:22

62kg (22 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) by TF, 14-1, 4:15
SEMIFINAL: Ok Ju KIM (PRK) df. Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) by TF, 14-3, 6:00

65kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Alina KASABIEVA (UWW), 8-0

BRONZE: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), 6-3
BRONZE: Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) df. Macey KILTY (USA), 4-2

68kg (24 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Ami ISHII (JPN) df. Buse TOSUN (TUR) by TF, 11-0, 2:34
SEMIFINAL: Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) df. Jia LONG (CHN), 6-1

72kg (17 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) by Fall, 5:00 (11-6)
SEMIFINAL: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Zelu LI (CHN), 9-6

76kg (19 entries)
GOLD: Genesis REASCO (ECU) df. Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), 4-2

BRONZE: Kylie WELKER (USA) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 6-2
BRONZE: Milaimy MARIN (CUB) df. PRIYA (IND) by TF, 10-0, 4:07