#WrestleBelgrade

Iran Starts Strong With 3 GR Finalists on #WrestleBelgrade Day 1

Monday, November 1, 2021 - 20:56 By Vinay Siwach

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BELGRADE, Serbia (November 1) – A lot of Iran's success is built on high-paced wrestling, enabling them to break down their opponents. A combination of that pace and exceptional ground wrestling was on display as Iran sent three wrestlers to the finals of the U23 World Championships.

A month after their senior Greco-Roman team set a high bar at the Oslo World Championships, the U23 wrestlers were not far behind on the first day of the tournament in Belgrade with Tokyo Olympian Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) leading the way.

Wrestlers from five Greco-Roman weight classes were in action on Monday. Iran took three spots in the final, while Russia and Hungary each grabbed a pair of berths. Turkey, Armenia and Georgia complete Tuesday night's gold-medal match lineup.

Apart from Mirzazadeh at 130kg, Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) and Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) made it to the finals at 55kg and 77kg, respectively.

Kaviyaninejad was undoubtedly the day's outstanding performer, as he outscored his four opponents 33-5. The five points he conceded all came against Erkan ERGEN (TUR) in the quarterfinals. But he scripted a comeback with a series of gut-wrench after trailing by four points to win, 10-5.

In the semifinal, he was up against U23 European champion Sergei STEPANOV (RUS) in what turned out to be a one-sided affair.

The Iranian, who won a bronze medal at '17 U23 Worlds, broke the deadlock with a stepout and then was awarded a point for Stepanov's passivity. From the par-terre, he was able to roll Stepanov twice to lead 6-0.

With the match slipping away, the Russian tried a front headlock but failed to finish and Kaviyaninejad got the exposure and two points to win 8-0 and reach the finals.

With the match slipping away, the Russian tried a front headlock but failed to finish, and Kaviyaninejad got the exposure and two points to win 8-0 and reach the finals.

Tamas LEVAI (HUN) awaits Kaviyaninejad in the final as he was one of the two Hungarian wrestlers who made it to the gold medal bout.

Once again, it was Levai's defense that was the constant throughout the day. It helped him beat Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR), 5-1, in the semifinal.

The other Amin was not so aggressive but still got the job done with a 5-1 win over Fatih BOZKURT (TUR). He began the semifinal with a big four-point throw, earned another point for Bozkurt's passivity before giving up one for his own.

He will face David OVASAPYAN (ARM) in the final, three years after they competed in the final of the Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia.

Mirzazadeh came out on top in that bout, but Ovasapyan would like to avenge that loss and claim the world title this time around.

On his way to the final, Mirzazadeh defeated U23 European champion Mikhail LAPTAEV (RUS) in the highly-anticipated pre-quarterfinals.

Scoring an early stepout, Mirzazadeh gave up that lead when he was called passive. But Laptaev failed to score from par-terre, and the score remained 1-1 at the break. Then, as Mirzazadeh up the ante, the referees were forced to call Laptaev passive which restored a 2-1 lead for the Iranian, which he continued to hold despite being warned for passivity late in the second period.

Leri ABULADZELeri ABULADZE (GEO) defeated Alireza NEJATI (IRI) in the 63kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Iran's big hope to reach the final at 63kg, Alireza NEJATI (IRI) fell short after a heartbreaking semifinal loss to senior world silver medalist Leri ABULADZE (GEO).

The Georgian produced a tactical bout and led 3-3 on criteria until the final seconds. Nejati made a big attempt to score via a head-over jump, but Abuladze was ready for it and slammed the Iranian on the mat for four points, winning 7-3.

Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) had stopped Abuladze from winning the gold in Oslo and that loss motivated the Georgian to win Monday.

"I was really motivated," Abuladze said. "It was kind of revenge for me because I lost to an Iranian wrestler Oslo and now I won against Iran in the semifinal, so it feels like a little revenge."

Abuladze was dominant from the start as he scored two points after Nejati was called passive to lead 3-0. A lost challenge from Georgia put Iran on board as well.

In the second period, Abuladze was called passive, but Nejati failed to score from par-terre, and the Georgian kept the 3-2 lead. He scored a stepout with eight seconds left but that was too little too late.

Abuladze will now take on Ahmet UYAR (TUR) who took no time to finish his semifinal 11-0 against Corneliu RUSU (MDA).

At 87kg, U23 European champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) survived a 7-7 scare against Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO) in a rematch from the final of the '21 U23 Euros.

Six months back, Komarov had an easy 6-1 win, but Monday, Tchkuaselidze almost pulled it off, and it was only the criteria of Komarov's four-point throw after the Georgian's that let him down.

Komarov expressed his displeasure at his performance, especially in the semifinal, which, according to him, he was lucky to win.

"I made a lot of mistakes in the semifinal," Komarov said. "I wrestled really bad. I don't know what helped me win but I was lucky that I won."

He will hope that the luck continues to shine on him as he takes on David LOSONCZI (HUN) in the 87kg final Tuesday.

Losonczi reached his first-ever World final after a 6-0 win over Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL) in the semifinal.

Mavlud RIZMANOVMavlud RIZMANOV (RUS) outscored his opponents 31-4 on Monday. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Iran and Russia will be up against each other in the 55kg final, a bout which will be huge in the context of the team title race, expected to come down between these two nations.

Mavlud RIZMANOV (RUS) will face Dad Marz in the final after a stunning performance in which he only gave up four points against the 31 he scored.

The four points resulted from a big front-headlock throw from Arslan ABDURAKHMANOV (KAZ) in the semifinal. But Rizmanov looked unfazed as he stamped his authority with a 13-4 win.

"I am happy with my wrestling today," Rizmanov said. "Hopefully, it will keep it the same way."

If it does, Dad Marz will have difficulty winning that gold medal at 55kg and the team race can tilt in favor of Russia.

Greco-Roman will continue Tuesday with the five remaining weight classes – 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg and 97kg.

Results
55kg

GOLD - Mavlud RIZMANOV (RUS) vs. Poya Soulat DAD MARZ (IRI)

SF 1: Mavlud RIZMANOV (RUS) df. Arslan ABDURAKHMANOV (KAZ), 13-4
SF 2: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Taylor Craig LA MONT (USA), 5-1

63kg
GOLD - Ahmet UYAR (TUR) vs. Leri ABULADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df. Ali NEJATI (IRI), 7-4
SF 2: Ahmet UYAR (TUR) df. Corneliu RUSU (MDA), 11-0

77kg
GOLD - Tamas LEVAI (HUN) vs. Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI)

SF 1: Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) df. Sergei STEPANOV (RUS), 8-0
SF 2: Tamas LEVAI (HUN) df. Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR), 5-1

87kg
GOLD - David LOSONCZI (HUN) vs. Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS)

SF 1: Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) df. Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO), 7-7
SF 2: David LOSONCZI (HUN) df. Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL), 6-0

130kg
GOLD - David OVASAPYAN (ARM) vs. Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)

SF 1: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Fatih BOZKURT (TUR), 5-1
SF 2: David OVASAPYAN (ARM) df. Dariusz Attila VITEK (HUN), via fall

#WrestleBelgrade

World Championships day eight semis set

Saturday, September 17, 2022 - 08:35 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

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BELGRADE, Serbia (September 17) -- The World Championships have entered its business day and the final three weight classes will be in action on Saturday. Stars from 61kg, 65kg, and 97kg will take the mat.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

The semifinals are set

61kg
Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) vs. Seth GROSS (USA)
Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL) vs. Reza ATRI (IRI)

65kg
Haji ALIYEV (AZE) vs. Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI)
Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) vs. John DIAKOMIHALIS (USA)

97kg
Kyle SNYDER (USA) vs. Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI)
Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK) vs. Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) 

13:26: European bronze medalist Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK) wins a clash of relocated Russian-born wrestlers when defeats Vladislav BAITSAEV (HUN) 4-2 to make the 97kg semifinals. Tsakulov scores a stepout and activity point in the first period and adds a takedown in the second of a match in which he never trailed.

13:26: Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) gives up a 4-pointer in the opening seconds at 97kg against Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD), but comes back with a back-trip takedown and gut wrench to tie it at 4-4 at the break. Trailing on criteria, Matcharashvili gets the point he needs with a stepout with :56 and, with 1 point for fleeing tacked on, he's into the semifinals with a 6-4 victory.

13:25: 97kg quarterfinals with Mohammdhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) wrestling Mahamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR) on Mat C. Mohammadian gets on a double leg attack but Zakariiev pulls off an arm throw to get a huge four. A stepout to make it 5-0. Mohammdian comes back with a stepout and then exposure makes it 5-3. Such is the pace of the match that Zakariiev can't keep up. Mohammdian wins 8-5 for a semifinal against Kyle SNYDER (USA).

13:20: Kyle SNYDER (USA) going full throttle on Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) and he works all takedowns to win 10-0 and is back in the semifinals at 97kg.

13:15: Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL), up 4-1 after the first period, muscles for a takedown and two gut wrenches to go up 10-1 at 65kg against four-time Asian medalist Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ). Zholdoshbekov rallies for 4, but Narmandakh reverses, and after another gut wrench, Zholdoshbekov stops, holding his side. He can't continue, and Narmandakh advances to the semifinals by injury default with 1:41 left and a 13-5 lead.

13:12: Reza ATRI (IRI) saves himself with a pair of takedowns over a 30-second span midway through the second period, propelling him to a 6-3 victory over European bronze medalist Georgi VANGELOV (BUL) and into the 65kg semifinals.

13:09: Seth GROSS (USA) scored a technical superiority over Suleyman ATLI (TUR) in Tunisia and he starts on the offensive in their 61kg quarterfinal here. Gross gets a takedown, stepout and a caution point to lead 4-2 against Atli at the break. Atli with a takedown to lead 4-4 on criteria. But Gross comes back with a takedown and exposure to retake the lead 8-4. A late takedown gives Gross a 10-4 win over Atli.

13:05: Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) absolutely dominates the quarterfinal against Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) and secures a 10-0 technical fall for a place in the semifinals.

13:01: Sebastian RIVERA (PUR), a product of Rutgers University in the U.S., keeps alive his bid to become Puerto Rico's second world medalist in history, scoring all of his points in the second period for an 8-1 victory over Tsogbadrakh TSEVEENSUREN (MGL) to advance to the 65kg semifinals.

12:58: Yianni DIAKOMIHALIS (USA) provides all of the offense in the 65kg quarterfinal clash with Olympic bronze medalist Bajrang PUNIA (IND), and it pays off, pretty much one point at a time. He gets four stepouts in the first period off his tackle attempts to lead 4-0 after one period. In the second period, Punia reaches over after Diakomihalis is in on a single, but the American tips him over for an exposure. A challenge, a proper takedown and one final stepout give Diakomihalis the 10-0 technical fall at 4:57.

12:57: Haji ALIYEV (AZE) and Abbos RAKHMANOV (UZB) were in a close battle at the break with Aliyev leading 4-3. In the second period, Aliyev goes behind and Rakhmanov for a four. A 10-3 win and Aliyev will wrestle Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) in the semifinals.

12:50: Adil OSPANOV (KAZ) had Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) on the back but Amouzad survived the attempted fall. Amouzad then sends a huge four with an underhook and builds a 9-2 lead. Amouzad with a big four and wins 13-2.

12:40: Vladislav BAITSAEV (HUN) puts on a defensive masterclass against Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL) as he hangs on for a 6-0 win and a spot in the 97kg quarterfinals. The final spot at 97kg is filled by Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK) as he wins 10-0 against Mucahit CELIK (TUR).

12:34: 2019 world bronze medalist Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD), trailing 4-2 against Tuerxunbieke MUHEITE (CHN) at 97kg, scores a takedown and a pair of gut wrenches to take the lead in the second period. He gradually adds the three takedowns he needs for a 14-4 technical fall, putting him into the quarterfinals.

12:33: Olympic silver medalist Kyle SNYDER (USA) may have taken it a bit slow against Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL), scoring only stepouts and passivity points. But he does well to win 4-1 for a place in the 97kg semifinals. 

12:31: European champion Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) with a technical superiority win over Erik THIELE (GER) and he moves into the quarterfinals with ease at 97kg.

12:26: Asian champion Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) stays on track for a possible semifinal clash with Kyle SNYDER (USA), cruising to a first-period 10-0 technical in his opening match over Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) to gain a spot in the 97kg quarterfinals.

12:25: Former U23 world champion Ulekbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ) up against Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA) and gives up a takedown. But his unorthodox style is too much for Arsamerzouev as Zholdoshbekov wins 6-2 for a place in the quarterfinal at 61kg. 

12:21: At 61kg, Reza ATRINAGHARCHI (IRI) gets behind for a takedown with Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE) on the activity clock, then seconds later gets the activity point. In the second period, Atrinagharchi is put on the clock and he responds with a stepout. That's all the scoring and the Iranian is through to the quarterfinals with a 4-0 win.

12:10: Olympic bronze medalist Bajrang PUNIA (IND) brings some light to what has been a dark day for India, scoring two takedowns and an activity point in a 5-4 win over Alejandro VALDES (CUB) to advance to the 65kg quarterfinals.

12:08: The U.S. juggernaut continues to roll with back-to-back wins on Mat A. Vianni DIAKOMIHALIS (USA) powers to a 10-0 technical fall over Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) to make the quarterfinals at 65kg, and Seth GROSS (USA) follows with a 7-0 win over Russian-born Eduard GRIGOREV (POL) to advance at 61kg. 

12:07: Sebastian RIVERIA (PUR) shows his win at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series was not a fluke. He beats Ahmet CYAR (TUR) 11-1 and moves into the 65kg quarterfinals.

12:05: 2016 Olympic silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) wrestling Islam DUDAEV (ALB) at 61kg. He has built a 4-0 lead and keeps working on the leg attacks to make it 6-0 before a big double for four confirms his technical superiority.

11:57: Iszmail MUSZUKAJAEV (HUN), who memorably defeated Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) in a contentious world bronze-medal match in Nursultan in 2019, can't get any offense going and falls 6-0 to Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) in the second round at 65kg.

11:57: Olympic silver medalist Haji ALIYEV (AZE) in the 1/8 final against Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG). They exchange stepouts but Aliyev with a takedown to lead 3-1. Destribats with a takedown on the edge but Aliyev challenges for a singlet pull. Aliyev gets on a single leg in the second period and completes it with a stepout. A takedown and he will win 6-1.

11:45: Kaiki YAMAGUCHI (JPN) shows a problem rarely seen in the Japan camp. He led 5-1 against Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB). But he gave up two takedowns in the second period as Rakhmonov took a 5-5 criteria lead and the win.

11:29: 2021 world U23 bronze medalist Assyl AITAKYN (KAZ) leaves it late, scoring a takedown with :05 left to edge Pankaj PANKAJ (IND) 5-4 at 61kg.

11:21: Another Iranian clears the first hurdle as 2019 Asian champion Reza ATRINAGHARCHI (IRI) scores 8 points in the first period, then finishes off an 11-1 technical fall over Besir ALILI (MKD) a minute into the second.

11:15: John DIAKOMIHALIS (USA) found a way when he needed it the most! He avenges his 2021 Oslo loss to Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) with a shutout 4-0 win at 65kg.

11:08: Two-time world bronze medalist Alejandro VALDES (CUB) rolls to a 10-0 technical fall over Shaohua YUAN (CHN) to advance at 65kg. He finishes the match in 1:50 with a series of gut wrenches.

11:05: Vladimir DUBOV (BUL), a world silver medalist in 2013 and bronze medalist in 2015, survives his first test at 65kg with a 3-0 victory over Alexander SEMISOROW (GER). The 34-year-old Dubov gets a takedown in the first period and an activity point in the second.

11:00: A winning start for Asian champion Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI). Junsik YUN (KOR) had no answers to Amouzad's underhooks and gave stepouts. Amouzad fixes a 1/8 final against Izsmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN)

10:50: A start that was a little unexpected! Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) shows he is still working hard to be counted among the best at 65kg. He picks up a 9-1 win over Beka LOMTADZE (GEO)

10:47: In a qualification-round clash at 65kg between two world junior champions from 2019, Asian bronze medalist Kaiki YAMAGUCHI (JPN) puts on a second-period surge, including a 4-point tackle, to top Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) by 12-2 technical fall. In 2019 in Tallin, Yamaguchi won 61kg and Arushanian at 70kg.

10:29: Welcome to all from Belgrade. Today will be the final morning session of the tournament. After a handful of repechage matches, competition will get underway in the three remaining freestyle weight classes, 61kg, 65kg and 97kg, taking us through the quarterfinals.