Iran Fills Remaining Freestyle Spots in Tokyo as Uzbekistan Grabs 4

Sunday, April 11, 2021 - 10:42 By Ken Marantz

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (April 11) --- Iran went into the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament with three holes in its freestyle lineup for the Tokyo Olympics. On Sunday, Amir Mohammad YAZDANI (IRI), Yones EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI) and Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) had little trouble filling the gap.

Yazdani secured a ticket to Tokyo for the Middle East powerhouse by easily advancing to the final at 65kg, while Emamichoghaei and Mohammadian did likewise at 74kg and 97kg, respectively, on the final day of the three-day tournament in Almaty that decided two qualifiers in each weight class.

The big winner of the day was Uzbekistan, which, led by Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) at 97kg, picked up four berths in Tokyo -- after having been shut out at the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan, where six spots per weight class were allocated.

China secured two places, while host Kazakhstan, which had four spots to begin with, grabbed one along with Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. India, which had earned three places in Nursultan, failed to add to its tally, despite putting three wrestlers into the semifinals.

But it was Japan that had the most disastrous day. The Olympic host began the day by seeing Rio Olympic silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) fail to make weight at 57kg, then had two-time Olympian Sohsuke TAKATANI (JPN) miss out by suffering a heartbreaking, last-second loss in his semifinal. Japan came looking to add to its two freestyle spots from Nursultan, but will leave empty-handed.

Yazdani, a distant cousin of superstar and 86kg Olympic favorite Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), certainly made the family proud with a dominant performance that he capped with a 10-0 technical fall in 5:21 over a tenacious Haji ALI (BRN).

"All my bouts were good," Yazdani said. "But the semifinal was the best because I won 10-0. That bout the most important."

For Iranians, earning the Olympic place is only the start. Now they have to go through a difficult national trial process to fill the spots.

"I will go back to Iran and the coaches will decide the team," Yazdani said. "I have to be the best."

In the final to be held later in the night session, Yazdani will face Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ), who pulled off a stunning victory by fall over Ilyas BEKBULATOV (UZB), the 2020 Asian champion at 70kg.

Bekbulatov had stormed to an 8-0 lead when Akmataliev clamped on a headlock and threw the Uzbek to his back. Akmataliev then secured a ticket to Tokyo by securing a fall with 8 seconds left in the first period.

"I wasn’t thinking anything when I was down," said Akmataliev, a fifth-place finisher at the 2019 world U-23. "All I had to do was beat him to qualify. He is the best wrestler but I want to win as well. This feeling, there are no words to explain this. I was just confident to do it. Olympics here I come."

Emamichoghaei, a world and Asian bronze medalist in 2019 at 70kg, had no trouble moving up to the Olympic weight of 74kg, chalking up three straight technical falls without surrendering a point. In the semifinals, he needed just 2:13 to put away Sandeep MANN (INDIA).

In the other 74kg semifinal, 2018 world bronze medalist Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) earned a second trip to the Olympics by scoring a takedown with :54 left for a 4-2 victory over Elaman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ).

"Before I came here, I had injured my knee and I was not training 100%, but it was a good day to qualify," said Abdurakhmanov, a two-time Asian champion who placed fifth at the Rio 2016 Olympics. "In the semifinal, he was coming very hard at me so I had to keep him away."

Abdurakhmanov said he feels ready to make the Olympic podium this time. "I was so close to a medal in Rio, so I think I can medal now," he said. "The problem was that before Rio, I was a regular 70kg guy and 74 was big for me. Now my weight is good for 74. My weight training is top class.

"Hopefully I train harder, smarter because that's how I will medal in Tokyo."

At 97kg, Ibragimov and Mohammadian were both totally dominant in setting up a showdown in the final. Ibragimov advanced with an 11-1 technical fall over Symbat SULAIMANOV (KGZ) that he capped with six points off a lace lock, while Mohammadian followed a takedown against Satywart KADIAN (IND) with four straight gut wrenches to end the match in 30 seconds.

Mohammadian also knows he has opened the door to the Olympics, but is not through yet.

"I have to go back to Iran and have a trial and there are two very good wrestlers in Iran," he said. "The coaches will decide the team to Tokyo. I definitely want to go there."

While getting to the Olympics is the objective, Mohammadian relishes the chance of challenging world and Olympic champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS).

"I wanted to wrestle Sadulaev before, but I have not gotten a chance," Mohammadian said. "He is good wrestler obviously. We analyze him a lot. In Tokyo, I don't care if I win a medal or not, but I want to beat Sadulaev. That's my target."

Japan's worst nightmare on the mat came true in the 86kg semifinals, where two-time Olympian Takatani lost 8-7 to unheralded Zushen LIN (CHN), who capped a comeback from a 6-1 deficit by scoring the winning takedown with :23 left.

Lin's biggest move came on a 4-point counter lift in the first period off a Takatani takedown attempt, as that put him ahead on criteria when he tied the score at 7-7. In the final seconds, Takatani came close to scoring a takedown, but couldn't get Lin's knee down for the points. An unsuccessful challenge gave Lin his final point.

"I was ready for this competition," Lin said. "I am 27 years old and I am going to the Olympics for the first time. I was there in Nursultan but failed to qualify so this was my chance."

Lin has come a long way, considering that at the 2014 World Championships, he finished 22nd at 74kg -- the weight class in which Takatani won the silver medal.

In Sunday's final, Lin will face Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB), who denied Kazakhstan a sixth Olympic place by defeating 2018 Asian bronze medalist Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) by fall at the buzzer while leading 5-2.

"The Uzbek team qualified a lot here because we have good trainers and the federation helps a lot," Shapiev said. "You can see this in the results today."

Uzbekistan secured its first Olympic spot at 57kg, when Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) defeated Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ) 8-4 in the semifinals. Opposing him in the final will be Minghu LIU (CHN), a 6-3 winner over Muhammad IKROMOV (TJK).

Japan had one final chance to secure a berth in an unlikely weight class when Tetsuya TANAKA (JPN) made it to the semifinals at 130kg. But his Olympic hopes were dashed when he was overpowered by Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL), who scored six of his points in a 9-0 victory on stepouts.

Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) grabbed the other Olympic berth at 130kg with a 2-0 win over Sumit SUMIT (IND). Both of his points came on stepouts.

Tanaka had been aiming to become the first Japanese wrestler in freestyle to qualify for the Olympics in the heaviest freestyle class since Tamon HONDA (JPN) made it to the Barcelona Games in 1992 at 130kg.

Rio Olympic silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) missed weight on Sunday at the Asian Olympic Qualifier. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Heavy heartbreak for Higuchi

One of the biggest shocks of the day occurred before the action started when Japan's Higuchi failed to make weight in his bid to return to the Olympics at 57kg.

"When we left the hotel for the weigh-in location in the morning, the mood was that we had some leeway," explained Shigeki NISHIGUCHI, the Japan Wrestling Federation general manager.

"After arriving at the weigh-ins, he was 250 grams over. He tried to lose the weight within the alloted 30 minutes, but came up 50 grams short. 'We regret that we didn't support him enough. We could have done more."

After winning the silver at Rio, Higuchi moved up to 61kg and remained at that weight class through 2017. The following year, he moved up to the Olympic weight of 65kg in an attempt to make the Tokyo Games. He won the 2018 world U-23 gold medal, but eventually failing to unseat world senior champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) on the team to Nursultan.

Having never been fully satisfied with his Olympic silver medal, and despite the fact that at one point his weight had ballooned up to 68 kilograms, Higuchi went on a crash diet with the aim of qualifying again at 57kg and going for the gold.

Subsisting on an all-vegetable diet, he dropped the weight, then gained the right to enter the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament by beating former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) at the All-Japan Championships in December 2019. The year's postponement of both the Olympics and qualifying tournament did not work out in his favor.

"I took care of everything, including diet, exercise, and caloric intake," Higuchi said in a statement released by the federation. "I've done everything without compromise. But I didn't lose (the last 50 grams) in extreme conditions. It can't be helped. I have no choice but to accept reality. This is the result, it cannot be overturned. I want to engrave it in my heart."

Freestyle

Semifinal Results

57kg
Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ), 8-4
Minghu LIU (CHN) df. Muhammad IKROMOV (TJK), 6-3

65kg
Amir Mohammad YAZDANI (IRI) df. Haji ALI (BRN) by TF, 10-0, 5:21
Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) df. Ilyas BEKBULATOV (UZB) by Fall, 2:52 (4-8)

74kg
Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) df. Elaman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ), 4-2
Yones EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI) df. Sandeep MANN (INDIA) by TF, 10-0, 3:46

86kg
Zushen LIN (CHN) df. Sohsuke TAKATANI (JPN), 8-7
Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) df. Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) by Fall, 6:00 (5-2)

97kg
Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) df. Symbat SULAIMANOV (KGZ) by TF, 11-1, 3:59
Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) df. Satywart KADIAN (IND) by TF, 10-0, :30

125kg
Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) df. Sumit SUMIT (IND), 2-0
Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) df. Tetsuya TANAKA (JPN), 9-0

#WrestleZagreb

Olympic champ Saravi reclaims world title in stacked 97kg division

Sunday, September 21, 2025 - 00:52 By Ken Marantz

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 19) -- Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) ended a four-year wait to regain the title of world champion. He had his share of triumphs in the meantime -- a gold at the Paris Olympics, to say the least -- just not on this stage.

Saravi ended the drought by scoring an early takedown and going on to defeat Artur SARGSIAN (UWW) 3-1 in the 97kg final at the World Championships in
Zagreb on Saturday night, when three Greco titles were decided.

"In my opinion, this tournament wasn’t easy at all; it was one of the most exciting and diverse competitions I’ve ever been part of," Saravi said. "There were new opponents, and some wrestlers reached the finals and repechage rounds that I honestly hadn’t expected. The level was much higher than I thought it would be."

In other finals, Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) gave Kazakhstan its first Greco world champion since 1999 with a quick victory at 60kg, while Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) defeated Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) in a headache-inducing clash at 72kg that was a repeat of the 2024 world final.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) scores a takedown on Artur SARGASIAN (UWW) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

After winning the world gold in Oslo in 2021, Saravi had to settle for bronze medals at the 2022 and 2023 worlds in Belgrade, falling in the semifinals both times.

But he righted the ship for the Paris Olympics, where he defeated long-time rival Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) in the final to add the gold to the Olympic bronze he won at Tokyo in 2021. And from 2023 to this year, he three-peated as Asian champion.

In Zagreb, while Aleksanyan and Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB), who defeated Saravi in the 2023 world semifinals, fell by the wayside, Saravi marched into the final without pomp or drama, winning his matches by such scores as 4-0, 1-1 and 3-1.

"In this weight class, the champions are among the greats of wrestling: Artur Aleksanyan, the Cuban Rosillo, and of course, my final opponent, Artur Sargsian, who is a very well-known and skillful wrestler," Saravi said. "But with my preparation, I was able to execute my plans and win."

His meeting with Sargsian in the final was a rematch of their first-round match at the 2021 World Championships, which Saravi won 6-4 en route to his first world gold. Sargsian took a bronze.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Olympic Wrestling (@unitedworldwrestling)

On Saturday, the 27-year-old Saravi drew early blood when he used an arm drag to get behind and force Sargsian down at the edge for a 2-0 lead. He made it 3-0 with a passivity point, but was unable to turn Sargsian from par terre.

That left the door open for Sargsian, the winner of the Zagreb Ranking Series event in the same arena in February, when he was put in par terre in the second period. But he also could not budge the Iranian, who then ran out the clock for the win.

"As we had planned with my coaches, even though some of my expected rivals didn’t make it to the later rounds, with the analysis we had done we were able to plan well and make it to the final," Saravi said.

"I had wrestled [Sargsian] twice before, and with the strategies we had, I managed to beat him. Thankfully, this time, too, I was able to execute my plans perfectly on
the mat and win the match."

Saravi reflected on coming up short at the two previous World Championships.

"I think in the two World Championships where I won bronze, I had some technical weaknesses," Saravi said. "I was able to fix those before the Olympics and
keep that level through this year’s worlds.

"I hope I can keep improving for the upcoming tournaments and continue winning big medals."

Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) scores a four-pointer on Alisher GANIEV (UZB) in the 60kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

At 60kg, Sultangali, who won two world bronze medals over the five-year span between 2018 and 2022, snared his first gold with a masterful 9-0 win over Asian silver medalist Alisher GANIEV (UZB).

"Today is a historic day for our country because the last gold medal for Kazakhstan came in 1999, 26 years ago," said Sultangali, who also beat the reigning Asian
champion, Se Ung RI (PRK), in the quarterfinals. "I am happy that my country is happy."

Sultangali started the rout in the final by spinning behind for a takedown against Ganiev, then adding a roll for a 4-0 lead.

He used an arm drag to great effect to score two more takedowns to finish off the victory in 1:07. The Uzbekistan challenged the final move, but it failed, making the
final score 9-0.

"I didn’t plan to win the final match so easily and quickly," Sultangali said. "But it happened."

It was a much more fortuitous outcome for Sultangali than in their previous meeting at the Budapest Ranking Series event in July. Ganiev was leading that match 5-1 when Sultangali hit an arm throw, then continued to spin while clamping on the arm. That caused an injury to Ganiev's shoulder and got Sultangali automatically disqualified.

The 72kg final evolved into a messy affair when Ganizade was head-butted by Ghanem in the second period, a painful clash that not only drew blood, but induced a 2-point penalty that would be instrumental in the Ganizade's 4-2 victory.

The Egyptian-born Ghanem received the first passivity point in the first period, but could not score. In the second period, Ganizade was put on top in par terre, but he missed on an attempted throw, then was low on a second attempt at the edge.

The Azerbaijan side challenged the call on the second throw, but it was deemed "not a total lift," giving Ghanem a point for a 2-1 lead.

Had Ghanem just rode out the rest of the match, the gold would have been his. Instead, with :42 left, he rammed Ganizade's head, sending Ganizade sprawling to the mat in pain with blood spurting from the cut. The 2-point penalty gave him a 3-2 lead.

As if to add insult to injury, at the restart Ghanem flopped backwards, allegedly from a head to the chin from Ganizade. He challenged, but the match chairman was having none of his shenanigans, saying there was no contact and nixing the challenge to put Ganizade up 4-2.

"The competition was very tough," said Ganizade, a four-time European medalist. "Even though it was difficult, we had prepared a lot for this event and had attended many training camps. Because of the effort I put in, I believed I could become the champion at this competition -- and that is how I became champion."

It was Ganizade's third straight win in four career meetings with Ghanem, who won the world title in 2023. Previous to last year's 3-2 win in the world final, Ganizade pulled out a close 7-7 victory in the final at the 2023 European Championships.

In their first meeting, Ghanem came out on top, winning 2-1 in the first round of the Individual World Cup in 2020, a tournament set up during the pandemic.

"I have now become world champion for the second time," Ganizade said. "I also hope that after this, I will become world champion a third time and make our nation and people proud. For that reason, I will do my best."

As for what lies ahead, he said, "I’m not thinking about anything else yet. I plan to go rest first. After resting, I’ll decide what comes next."

Se Ung RI (PRK) won a bronze medal at the 60kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Ri earns 1st Greco medal since 2015 for DPR Korea

In the bronze-medal matches, Paris Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK) gave the DPR Korea its first world Greco medal since 2015 and fourth overall with a victory by fall at 60kg over Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO).

Ri scored a takedown and 2-point throw for a 4-0 lead, then got in deep on a bear hug. When Shavadze tried to counter by lifting up and back, Ri just pressed forward and drove Shavadze to his back for a 4-pointer that would have ended the match anyway by technical superiority. The end came at 2:11 and the scenario was confirmed on challenge.

The other 60kg bronze went to Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM), a two-time world U23 bronze medalist who outlasted Georgij TIBILOV (SRB), winning 1-1 by earning the first of the two passivity points awarded in the match.

Both 72kg bronze-medal matches came to early and similar conclusions, with two-time Asian medalist Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) and reigning Asian champion Danial SOHRABI (IRI) both cruising to 8-0 victories for their first senior world medals.

Aliev defeated Yeonghun NOH (KOR), with the decisive points coming from an odd twist in a challenge following a 4-point throw by Aliev.

After scoring an early stepout, Aliev launched his 4-point throw from par terre. The Korean side issued a challenge, which it won -- except that the change was a 2-point leg foul against Noh, which made it an 8-point difference and ended the match at 1:40.

Sohrabi went the more traditional route in defeating Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ). The Iranian scored only a stepout on a throw attempt while in par terre, but rebounded to put on a six-point spree, finishing with a gut wrench to win in 2:51.

The 97kg bronze-medal matches proved to be wild affairs, with one having the rare occurrence of a fall being nullified on challenge, while the other had a fall confirmed.

Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE) came out on top in a 5-5 decision over Alex SZOKE (HUN) in which the Azeri thought he had reversed to a fall, but was instead flagged for a foul that kept the bout going.

Ahmadiyev started the match with a 4-point arm throw, then stepped over to keep Szoke on his back and nearly secure a fall. The Hungarian side challenged, it was denied and Ahmadiyev led 5-0 going into the second period.

Szoke put the pressure on and gained an activity point, then executed a roll from par terre. But as he tried another, Ahmadiyev suddenly turned to face him and knocked him backward to the mat.

The referee called a fall, but on challenge, a leg foul was detected and Szoke was awarded a 2-point penalty that tied the score, but left him trailing on criteria. Due to the caution, Szoke got another chance at par terre, but couldn't turn Ahmadiyev.

Kiryl MASKEVICH (UWW) saw his fall of Giorgi MELIA (GEO) in the other 97kg bronze-medal match held up after, like Ahmadiyev, he used a stepover to get Melia onto his back.

Melia was on top in passivity, but when he attempted a roll, Maskevich stepped over to put him into a danger position. Melia temporarily spun out, but Maskevich reeled him back in and secured the fall in 1:54. The action was all upheld on challenge.

Day 8 Results

Greco-Roman

60kg (25 entries)
GOLD: Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) df. Alisher GANIEV (UZB) by TF, 9-0, 1:07

BRONZE: Se Ung RI (PRK) df. Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO) by Fall, 2:11 (9-0)
BRONZE: Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) df. Georgij TIBILOV (SRB), 1-1

63kg (26 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) df. Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI), 5-3
SEMIFINAL: Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) df. Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) by TF, 8-0, :36

67kg (34 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) df. Daniial AGAEV (UWW) by TF, 10-0, 1:44
SEMIFINAL: Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) df. Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), 3-1

72kg (30 entries)
GOLD: Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) df. Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), 4-2

BRONZE: Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) df. Yeonghun NOH (KOR) by TF, 8-0, 1:40
BRONZE: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ) by TF, 8-0, 2:50

87kg (30 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Alireza MOHAMADI (IRI) df. David LOSONCZI (HUN), 6-3
SEMIFINAL: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) df. Milad ALIRZAEV (UWW), 1-1

97kg (29 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Artur SARGSIAN (UWW), 3-1

BRONZE: Kiryl MASKEVICH (UWW) df. Giorgi MELIA (GEO) by Fall, 1:54 (5-1)
BRONZE: Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE) df. Alex SZOKE (HUN), 5-5

Iran Fills Remaining Freestyle Spots in Tokyo as Uzbekistan Grabs 4

Comments

Olympic champ Saravi reclaims world title in stacked 97kg division