#WrestleAmman

Iran wins three Greco-Roman golds in Amman

Saturday, August 19, 2023 - 17:40 By Vinay Siwach

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AMMAN, Jordan (August 19) -- A technical superiority, a defensive masterclass and a power show. Iran wrestlers have made a habit of clinching the Greco-Roman team title early at most World Championships and the U20 World Championships in Amman, Jordan was no different as Iran, with its three golds, all but locked up the title.

After sweeping the Freestyle team title earlier this week, Iran got going in Greco-Roman adding 105 points after five weight classes and steering clear of other countries for the team title.

Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI)Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) scores a takedown against Zhantoro MIRZALIEV (KGZ) in the 63kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

The gold rush was led by rising start Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEHZAD (IRI) at 63kg. He wrestled 2022 U17 Asian champion Zhantoro MIRZALIEV (KGZ) in the gold medal bout and came out 9-0 on top.

The technical superiority in the final by Mohsen Nehzad was set up on the basis of an aggressive show by Ahmadreza. Mirzaliev was put in par terre and the Iranian got one turn to lead 3-0. He scored a stepout to lead extend his lead to 4-0 at the break.

Mirzaliev would have hoped to get an advantage of par terre in the second period but in a rare case, Ahmadreza got the second par terre position. On this occasion, Ahmadreza got two gut-wrenches to finish the bout 9-0.

One can be forgiven for mistaken identity as a glance at Ahmadreza would remind them of multiple-time Asian and U23 world medalist Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI), Ahmadreza's elder brother.

The Mohsen Nejad family hails from Kuzestan, Iran and all four siblings are wrestlers. Apart from Mehdi and Ahmadreza, Emarreza and Yasin are also Greco-Roman wrestlers with the former being the U15 Asian champion at 68kg.

As far as world events go, Ahmadreza has already bettered his brother Mehdi's position. Mehdi finished fifth at the 2016 U20 Worlds but Ahmadreza has won gold in his first World Championships experience.

Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI)Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) and Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) battle it out in the 77kg final. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

After completing his final, Ahmadreza took to cheering for Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) against returning silver medalist Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) in the 77kg final. Abdevali, one of the seven siblings, denied Solovei a chance to create history for Moldova, beating him 1-1 in the 77kg final.

Solovei was hoping to become Moldova's first U20 world champion in Greco-Roman but for the second straight year, he will have to be satisfied with a silver medal. Abdevali and Solovei exchanged activity points in the final with Abdevali holding the criteria and despite his best efforts, Solovei failed to score the point needed to win.

By winning the final, Abdevali also avenged his 2021 U17 World Championships final's loss to Solovei. That was also a similar final in which the criteria was with Solovei, giving the Moldovan a gold medal.

Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) defeated Wenhao JIANG (CHN) in the 130kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

The focus then turned to Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) as he wrestled for the 130kg gold for the second straight year. He suffered a heartbreaking loss in Sofia last year but Hedayati made amends and won the gold medal via technical superiority.

It was in Amman a month ago that Hedayati rocked Wenhao JIANG (CHN) 11-1 in the 130kg final of the U20 Asian Championships. Jiang was hoping to at least close the gap but there was no change in the result as Hedayati beat Jiang 8-0 and put behind the disappointment from last year. Hedayati scored four steptous and two takedowns in the 8-0 win over Jiang.

"I’m glad that I was able to change the silver I won in Sofia to gold in Amman and make my people happy," Hedayati said. "I won all the bouts with excellent scores and became the world champion without giving a single score."

In his four bouts in Amman, Hedayati outscored his opponents 32-0 which also means that he was not in par terre for being passive even once. For the final, Hedayati was aware of Jiang's style which made it easier for him to prepare for the gold medal bout.

"I wrestled with him in the finals of the U20 Asian Championships and won 11-1," he said. "I was able to defeat him in less than three minutes with a score of 8-0. Jiang is a good wrestler as well."

Back home in Iran, the 130kg weight class is dominated by world silver medalist Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI). But Hedayati, who hails from the Freestyle hub of Mazandaran, is open to have a go at any wrestler. 

"I have very good opponents in Iran including Amin Mirzazadeh and other dear friends," he said. "I respect all of them. I’m doing my best to be a good representative for my country in the 2024 Olympics. I want to become a champion in Paris and having good opponents motivates me to increase my training and be able to pass these champions and reach the top of an Olympics."

Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO)The throw that gave Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) a win over Ali CHOUBANI (IRI). (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Iran could have had another gold medalist if Ali CHOUBANI (IRI) had found a way to beat Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) in the 87kg final.

Last year, Choubani suffered a dramatic 2-1 final's loss at the 2022 U20 World Championships but Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) added insult to injury as he scored two points via correct throw on third passivity to take a 3-1 lead. Choubani could not score the takedown needed to win the gold medal and for the second successive year, he will go home with a silver medal.

After exchanging activity points, Choubani had the criteria but the referees called him inactive. Bolkvadze asked for par terre and got the lift but Choubani stood his ground. From the bear-hug, Bolkvade managed to implement a correct throw to get two points. Iran challenged the call but lost on review.

As Bolkvadze celebrated his exception win, Choubani lay on may in disbelief after losing the final for the second straight year. 

The fifth gold medal on Saturday was won by Iskhar KURBAYEV (KAZ) who defeated Farid SADIKHLI (AZE), 5-1, in the 55kg final. This was Kazakhstan's first gold medal in Greco-Roman at U20 Worlds in seven years.

 

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RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Iskhar KURBAYEV (KAZ) df. Farid SADIKHLI (AZE), 5-1

BRONZE: Nuristan SUIORKULOV (KGZ) df. Emre MUTLU (TUR), 2-1
BRONZE: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) df. Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI), 9-0

63kg
GOLD: Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) df. Zhantoro MIRZALIEV (KGZ), 9-0

BRONZE: Dinislam SAGITZHAN (KAZ) df. Landon DRURY (USA), 9-0
BRONZE: Komei SAWADA (JPN) df. SANDEEP (IND), 4-0

77kg
GOLD: Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) df. Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA), 1-1

BRONZE: Deepak PUNIA (IND) df. Tornike MIKELADZE (GEO), 4-2
BRONZE: Abdulmasih ABDULMASIH (AIN) df. Erlan MARS UULU (KGZ), 11-2

87kg
GOLD: Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Abolfazl CHOUBANI (IRI), 4-1

BRONZE: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) df. Tourpal MAGAMADOV (FRA), 13-4
BRONZE: Vigen NAZARYAN (ARM) df. Wyatt VOELKER (USA), 7-0

130kg
GOLD: Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) df. Wenhao JIANG (CHN), 8-0

BRONZE: Achilleas CHRYSIDIS (GRE) df. Aleksandr MELEKHOV (AIN), 5-0
BRONZE: Fekry EISSA (EGY) df. Talip CIFTCI (TUR), 3-2 

GR Semifinals

60kg
GOLD: SUMIT (IND) vs. Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM)

SF 1: SUMIT (IND) df. Amirreza DEHBOZORGI (IRI), 10-0
SF 2: Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) df. Emirlan DUISHENALIEV (KGZ), 

67kg
GOLD: Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) vs. Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) df. Ahoura BOUVEIRI PIANI (IRI), 9-4
SF 2: Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM) df. Nestori MANNILA (FIN), 5-2

72kg
GOLD: Imran ALIEV (AIN) vs. Levente LEVAI (HUN)

SF 1: Imran ALIEV (AIN) df. Anri PUTKARADZE (GEO), 9-0
SF 2: Levente LEVAI (HUN) df. Aaron BELLSCHEIDT (GER), 5-1

82kg
GOLD: Alperen BERBER (TUR) vs. Yasin YAZDI (IRI)

SF 1: Alperen BERBER (TUR) df. Data CHKHAIDZE (GEO), 8-0
SF 2: Yasin YAZDI (IRI) df. Ruben GEVORGYAN (ARM), 4-0

97kg
GOLD: Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) vs. Gor AYVAZYAN (GEO)

SF 1: Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) df. Kevin USPENSKI (EST), 14-4
SF 2: Gor AYVAZYAN (GEO) df. Rostislav COVALI (MDA), 3-1

#WrestleAmman

Shkarin upgrades silver to gold; Iran wins 2 at U17 Worlds

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 - 20:32 By Vinay Siwach

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AMMAN, Jordan (August 20) -- Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) has lost only one bout in his international career. The loss in the U17 World Championships final at 80kg last year was so devasting for Shkarin that he made his goal to win the gold medal this year. He doubled his training time, watched videos of his bouts repeatedly and came to Amman with a mindset of a winner.

It was a similar path to the final this year as he won two close bouts, a 9-0 win in the semifinals and faced an Asian opponent in the final. The only change was that Shkarin wrestled a calculated final and became the U17 world champion.

Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN)Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) celebrates after winning the 80kg final in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Shkarin defeated Yerkebulan ANAPIYA (KAZ) 3-0 in the final to upgrade his silver from last year. He was one of the five world champions crowned in Amman on Tuesday.

"I haven’t changed anything," Shkarin said. "I just kept working hard. This gold medal is so valuable to me because last year I lost the final, which was also against an Asian athlete. The semifinal score was 9-0, just like it was this time. These coincidences distracted me a bit."

Unlike the 2023 final in which he played catch up after falling behind 7-0, Shkarin was in no mood to give points to Anapiya on Tuesday. He maintained a lead throughout the final and defended it well.

The U17 European champion explained that the bouts in Amman were tougher than what he experienced at the European Championships in Novi Sad in July.

"The matches here were tougher than at the European Championships, especially the final match," he said. "Back there, I only wrestled for a little over one minute, while here it took me two periods. I could only score three points at the beginning of the match, and then I had to hold onto that lead."

Shkarin, who hails from Lipsetsk, did not have any high-scoring match apart from the semifinal against Emad Reza MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI). He defeated Dinko NEYKOV (BUL) 5-0 in the first bout and Luka KOCHALIDZE (GEO) 3-1 in the quarterfinals.

"Honestly speaking, I have mixed feelings," Shkarin said. "There is euphoria, but at the same time, there is emptiness. I’ve been working so hard to win this gold. I need 2-3 days to fully realize everything. I am extremely happy -- it's the first time in my career that I’ve felt this way."

In other finals, Jayden RANEY (USA) won at 55kg and Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) got the gold at 110kg. But it was Iran who dominated again as it crowned two champions -- Armin SHAMSIPOUR (IRI) at 48kg and Amir SAEIDI (IRI) at 65kg.

Shamsipour continued his dominant run from Monday and posted another technical superiority win to beat Khusniddin ABDUKARIMOV (UZB), 10-1, in the 48kg final. He outscored his opponents 37-1 in four bouts.

Saeidi won the 65kg gold over Vladyslav POKOTYLO (UKR) after beating him 6-2 in the final. Saeidi launched Pokotylo for a massive four-point throw and never looked in trouble in his win.

Ukraine's gold medalist came at 110kg as Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) handed Zoltan CZAKO (HUN) a 13-4 defeat to win the gold medal. The gold is another addition to his medal collection, which also has the U17 European gold.

"I prepared mentally for each match," Yankovskyi said. "My coaches and I analyzed every opponent. I prepared very professionally for this World Championships. Everything worked out for me. I always train in the gym with people who are older and bigger than me. That's why such training leads to these results."

Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR)Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) won the 110kg gold medal after beating Zoltan CZAKO (HUN) in the final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

Yankovskyi did not give up a single point at the European Championships and finished three bouts via technical superiority.

"This is my life. This is a part of me," he said. "I have been dedicated to this sport for so many years. My father passed away four years ago. During this time, I have gained a lot of physical and moral strength. Now, I want to thank my mother for everything, she works hard and earns money to support me. I want to thank my father for raising me as a person and for getting me involved in wrestling."

With the U17 double done, Yankovskyi now has his eyes set on doing the double at the U20, U23 and senior level. He also wants to win the Olympic gold.

"This is my last year as a cadet. There’s more to come. I want to win the European and World Championships as a junior, and then in the U23 and senior age groups. My goal is to make it to the Olympics. This is the dream of my coaches. I'm very grateful. I want to thank the coaches who raised me from childhood. They replaced my father. How could it have been otherwise? My coaches, Viktor Viktorovich and Oleksandr Mikhailovich, are the two people who gave me a ticket to a better life."

Raney, who came back from 6-0 down in the semifinals to win via fall, saw himself leading 6-0 against Alpamys BOLATULY (KAZ) before the Kazakhstan wrestler mounted a comeback. That was short-lived as Raney posted a 7-5 win.

"It was a little bit under control," Raney said." After the first, I had him on his back and he got really tired. I don't know why."

Wrestling in his first international event, Raney never let the inexperience hurt him. In his five bouts, he won two via fall, one via superiority and one 4-3.

Jayden RANEY (USA)Jayden RANEY (USA) tries to score using an arm-bar in the 55kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

"It's super hard," he said. "These other countries, they do Freestyle and Greco-Roman. So they are extremely good at it. In America, we do Folkstyle too. To do all of them at the same time is different and hard."

Raney's brother, Jordyn won the U17 gold medal last year and will wrestle for bronze this year.

"I wish him luck," he said. "Last year, I was here watching him and he won gold. For him to medal again, even if bronze, super excited to watch him."

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RESULTS

48kg
GOLD: Armin SHAMSIPOUR (IRI) df. Khusniddin ABDUKARIMOV (UZB), 10-1

BRONZE: Amrah AMRAHOV (AZE) df. Yedige TOLEUTAYEV (KAZ), 3-1
BRONZE: Nikolai KRISTOV (AIN) df. Laszlo SZUROMI (HUN), 10-0

55kg
GOLD: Jayden RANEY (USA) df. Alpamys BOLATULY (KAZ), 7-5

BRONZE: Yurik MKHITARYAN (ARM) df. Amirali HEYDARI (IRI), via fall (4-5)
BRONZE: Sardor KHOLMURZAEV (UZB) df. Petro ZHYTOVOZ (HUN), 1-1

65kg
GOLD: Amir SAEIDI (IRI) df. Vladyslav POKOTYLO (UKR), 6-2

BONZE: Dzhabrail UMKHADZHIEV (AIN) df. Emil ABDULLAYEV (AZE), 9-4
BRONZE: Narek GRIGORIAN (ARM) df. Fayozbek ESHMIRZAEV (UZB), 1-1

80kg
GOLD: Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) df. Yerkebulan ANAPIYA (KAZ), 3-0

BRONZE: Emad Reza MOHSENNEJAD (IRI) df. Dinko NEYKOV (BUL), 6-0
BRONZE: Vladyslav SOLODCHUK (UKR) df. Orkhan HAJIYEV (AZE), 9-6

110kg
GOLD: Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) df. Zoltan CZAKO (HUN), 13-4

BRONZE: Aliasghar DADBAKHSH (IRI) df. Haorui WANG (CHN), 3-1
BRONZE: RONAK (IND) df. Emrullah CAPKAN (TUR), 6-1

Semifinals

45kg
GOLD: Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM) vs. Aslanbek KOSTOEV (AIN) 

SF 1: Aslanbek KOSTOEV (AIN) df. Damir ABILDA (KAZ), 5-1
SF 2: Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM) df. Umidjon KAROMOV (UZB), 8-0

51kg
GOLD: Kutman KALBAEV (KGZ) vs. Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE)

SF 1: Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE) df. Yerassyl MUSSAN (KAZ), 4-1
SF 2: Kutman KALBAEV (KGZ) df. Abolfazl KARAMIEGAEI (IRI), 8-7

60kg
GOLD: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) vs. Aykhan JAVADOV (AZE)

SF 1: Aykhan JAVADOV (AZE) df. Jordyn RANEY (USA), 2-1
SF 2: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) df. Ilias LAAOUINA (NED), 8-0

71kg
GOLD: Vladislav BYRLIA (AIN) vs. Kiryl VALEUSKI (AIN)

SF 1: Kiryl VALEUSKI (AIN) df. Behruzbek VALIEV (UZB), 7-4
SF 2: Vladislav BYRLIA (AIN) df. Giorgi ALADASHVILI (GEO), 3-1

92kg
GOLD: Danial IZADI (IRI) vs. Ole STERNING (GER)

SF 1: Ole STERNING (GER) df. Serkan BAKIR (TUR), 3-1
SF 2: Danial IZADI (IRI) df. Lyova SHUKHYAN (ARM), 5-0