#WrestleWarsaw

Kayaalp Wins 10th Euro Title; Evloev Leads 3 Russians Into GR Finals

Saturday, April 24, 2021 - 20:46 By Vinay Siwach

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WARSAW, Poland (April 24) -- Normally, teams wait until the tournament finishes to click their group photos after they finish on the podium. But Saturday was not a normal day for Turkey and no one wanted to wait another day.

As soon as the medal ceremony for 130kg finished, Turkey team jumped on the stage to take pictures, with every member showing the number ten with their hands.

It was a tribute as Riza KAYAALP (TUR) won his 10th senior European Championships title on Saturday at the Sportowa COS Torwar stadium in Warsaw, Poland.

Greco-Roman action continued on day six of the Championships as five gold medals were decided with Russia capturing two of them. Hungary, Serbia and Turkey claimed the remaining three.

Kayaalp had to wait until the final match of the day to claim his historic title. The Turkey legend had dominated his competition on Friday to reach the final against Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO), same wrestler he had defeated to win the 2019 European title.

For the record, Kayaalp won the final 3-1 against Kajaia after scoring a takedown and one point for Kajaia's passivity. He gave up a point for his own inactivity in the second period but that did not mean much as he claimed the gold medal with ease.

The 31-year-old the value of winning a gold medal in an Olympic year, especially given how unpredictable the 130kg weight category is around the world.

“It feels great to win 10 gold medals in 11 [European Championships] finals,” Kayaalp said. “In Greco Roman it is much more difficult to win it. It is good step for Tokyo as well.”

With 90 days still left for the Games, the two-time Olympic medalist feels he can still improve and will return to Warsaw to compete at the Poland Open Ranking series event.

“I will continue to improve. I will compete in Poland to see how well prepared I am for Tokyo,” he said.

Another world champion and Olympic medalist who added to his European Championships count was Tamas LORINCZ (HUN). His last European title came way back in 2014, since then winning two bronze medals at the 2017 and 2018 Championships.

Wrestling in the final of 77kg, Lorincz made little work of one of the three finalists from Turkey on Saturday Yunus BASAR (TUR), completing a technical superiority 8-0 win.

Turkey's Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) also finished with a silver medal at 55kg as Emin SEFERSHAEV (RUS) claimed the gold medal with a 7-0 win.

Beginning on a slow note, Sefershaev waited for Ozturk's passivity but failed to capitilise on the par terre position. He later scored his second point via a pushout to extend his lead to 2-0.

To Ozturk's surprise, he was once again called for passivity in the second period and Sefershaev did not make any mistake this time with a huge four-point throw to make it 7-0. Any tries of Ozturk's were denied as the Russian gave his country the first of the two gold medals.

Russia captured the title at 63kg as well with Zhambolat LOKYAEV (RUS) defeating Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) 5-0 in the final. It was their second bout in four months as the Individual World Cup winner Lokyaev had defeated Mammadov 2-0 in the quarterfinal in Belgrade.

After getting warned for passivity, Mammadov failed to stop Lokayev from a lift from the par terre position and gave up four points. It was enough for the Russian to hold on to the lead until the final whistle.

The surprise of the day came at 87kg as Friday's star performer Kiryl MASKEVICH (BLR) fell in the final against Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) 5-1 as the Serb avenged his 3-10 loss to Maskevich at the Individual World Cup in December.

Maskevich has defeated a world medalist, a world champion and secured a come-from-behind fall on Friday but looked off color a day later. He got the advantage when Datunashvili was warned for inactivity but Belrussian failed to capitalize.

In turn, he gave up four points from par terre when he was warned for passivity, giving the Serb a 5-1 lead.

He got another chance late in the second period when he got Datunashvili in par terre again but could not complete his signature body lock throws, ending his roller-coaster campaign with a silver medal.

Datunashvili, a transfer from Georgia, broke out in a celebration with his coach after winning the gold medal, a first for the country in Greco-Roman after four years.

Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) df Kiryl MASKEVICH (BLR)
Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) defeated Kiryl MASKEVICH (BLR) in the 87kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In the bronze medal bouts at 55kg, former world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) defeated Fabian SCHMITT (GER) 8-0 with two big throws in the first period while Rudik MKRTCHYAN (ARM) claimed the second bronze by beating Artsiom KATSAR (BLR) with a similar scoreline.

History was created in 63kg weight category as Aleksandrs JURKJANS (LAT) won his country first senior European medal since 1938. He ended the 83-year wait by capturing the bronze medal with a 7-5, come-from-behind victory over Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM).

Leri ABULADZE (GEO) was quick to finish his bronze medal bout against Mihai MIHUT (ROU) 9-1 to claim the third spot.

At 77kg, Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) hung on for 5-1 win over Michael WIDMAYER (GER) and Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) won the bronze medal by beaten Dmytro PYSHKOV (UKR) 6-0.

Former and current world champions at 87kg Milad ALIRZAEV (RUS) and Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) won the bronze medals. The Russian claimed a big win over Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN) 8-1 while Beleniuk had a close bout against fellow world medalist Denis KUDLA (GER), winning it 1-1.

The 130kg bronze medals were settle with just one point difference in both bouts as world medalist Eduard POPP (GER) overcame Oleksandr CHERNETSKYY (UKR) 2-1 and Zurabi GEDEKHAURI (RUS) won 3-2 against Romas FRIDRIKAS (LTU).

Evloev shines as Russia reach 3 finals

After sending two wrestler to the finals on Friday, Russia improved and entered three on Saturday, led by two-time defending world champion Musa EVLOEV (RUS).Just like the freestyle 97kg category is dominated by Russia, the Greco-Roman is no different, thanks to Evloev.

Close to two months after winning the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series in Rome, Evloev was back on the mat, demolishing his opponents in his usual calm and composed manner.

He began with a 4-0 win over Markus RAGGINGER (AUT) and followed it with a technical superiority win over Yevhenii SAVETA (UKR). In the semifinals, he met Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), a silver medalist from last year's European Championships.

Evloev was the first to go into a par terre position and gave a 1-0 lead to Kakhelashvili. But the Italian's flee in gave Evloev two points and a 2-1 lead. He later got another point for Kakhelashvili's inactivity. The 3-1 score was enough to take him to the final.

Evloev will look to reclaim the title he had won in 2019 but skipped the 2020 tournament where the gold medal was won by Armenian legend Artur Aleksanyan (ARM).

Trying to stop him in the final will be 38-year-old Balazs KISS (HUN). He won the semifinal against Mikalai STADUB (BLR) with an identical score of 3-1.

With the entry into the final, Kiss has confirmed atleast a silver medal, a first for him in 11 attempts at the European Championships. His previous three medals have all been bronze.

Saturday was the first time he reached the finals of the tournament since began competing at the senior level dating back to 2003. In the last 18 years he has competed at 11 Championships, including this year, and one Games.

2018 World Champion and 2019 runner-up Sergey EMELIN (RUS) will look to add to Russia's tally of gold medals in Warsaw as he reached the final at 60kg.

Emelin was at his brutal self as he finished all his bout well before time, winning all three of them via technical superiority.

His wins include a 9-0 scoreline over Grzegorz KUNKEL (POL) in the qualification round, 8-0 over Jozsef ANDRASI (HUN) in the quarterfinal and 9-0 over Razvan ARNAUT (ROU) in the semifinal.

But the final may not see the same as he wrestles two-time junior world champion and European silver medalist Kerem KAMAL (TUR) on Sunday. Kamal will like to change the colour of his medal from last year as he finished with a silver and a bronze in 2019.

Kerem KAMAL (TUR) Senior European Championships 2021

His road to the final was unlike Emelin as he had to work harder for his wins. In the quarterfinal he defeated Viktor PETRYK (UKR) 5-1 before beating Hleb MAKARANKA (BLR) 7-2 in a closely contest semifinal.

Kamal scored a point via pushout before Makaranka gave up another for inactivity. He went for big throw but could only get two points after a successful challenge. Makaranka got one for reversal but still trailed 1-4.

The Belarussian was awarded a point for Kamal's passivity but he failed to complete a throw from par terre, instead giving exposure to Kamal for two points. It was challenged by his corner but was unsuccessful as Kama secured a 7-2 win.

At the Olympic weight category of 67kg, Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) delighted the home country as he reached the final with a thrilling 5-4 win over Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM).

By assuring himself atleast a silver medal, Bernatek claimed his first European medal at the senior level, and deservedly so.

Galstyan ran to a 4-0 lead with a slip by and roll within the first period of the bout. But he was warned for passivity and Bernatek got him him in a front headlock lift for two points. While going for the second one, he was failed and Galstyan grabbed the opportunity to pin him.

Poland corner challenged the call for a leg foul and they did it successful. That gave Bernatek two more points and a 5-4 lead over Galstyan which stayed till the end.

Mateusz Lucjan BERNATEK (POL) Senior European Championships 2021
Mateusz Lucjan BERNATEK (POL) after winning his semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

He will wrestle Mate NEMES (SRB) who defeated Murat FIRAT (TUR) 3-3 on criteria in the other semifinal at 67kg.

Firat was leading 3-1 after a passivity and gut wrench points but committed a leg foul in the second period which gave Nemes a 3-3 lead, based on the caution Firat had received.

Junior World and European champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) made it to the final at 72kg and will face Olympic bronze medalist Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO).

The Armenian defeated Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series gold medalist this year Robert FRITSCH (HUN) 3-1 while the Georgian was quick to stop another local wrestler from reaching the final by beating Roman PACURKOWSKI (POL) 6-0.

With Pacurkowski's defeat, world medalist Selcuk CAN (TUR) and former world champion Frank STAEBLER (GER) will return empty-handed from Warsaw. Can lost 3-11 in the quarterfinal after he had defeated Staebler 6-6 in the pre-quarters.

At 82kg, Adlan AKIEV (RUS), who is participating in a European Championships after four years, reached the final against Radzik KULIYEU (BLR).

The finals of 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg, and 97kg will be held on Sunday, the final day of the 2021 senior European Championships in Warsaw.

Greco-Roman Finals Matches

63kg
GOLD - Sergey EMELIN (RUS) vs. Kerem KAMAL (TUR)

SEMIFINAL - Sergey EMELIN (RUS) df. Razvan ARNAUT (ROU), 9-0
SEMIFINAL - Kerem KAMAL (TUR) vs. Hleb MAKARANKA (BLR), 7-2

67kg
GOLD - Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) vs. Mate NEMES (SRB)

SEMIFINAL - Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) df. Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM), 5-4
SEMIFINAL - Mate NEMES (SRB) df. Murat FIRAT (TUR), 3-3

72kg
GOLD - Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) vs. Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)

SEMIFINAL - Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN), 3-1
SEMIFINAL - Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) Roman PACURKOWSKI (POL), 6-0

82kg
GOLD - Adlan AKIEV (RUS) vs. Radzik KULIYEU (BLR)

SEMIFINAL - Adlan AKIEV (RUS) df. Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO), 6-1
SEMIFINAL - Radzik KULIYEU (BLR) df. Rajbek Alvievich BISULTANOV (DEN), 1-1

97kg
GOLD - Musa EVLOEV (RUS) vs. Balazs KISS (HUN)

SEMIFINAL - Musa EVLOEV (RUS) df. Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), 3-1
SEMIFINAL - Balazs KISS (HUN) df. Mikalai STADUB (BLR), 3-1

Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) Senior European Championships 2021
Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) won his fourth European title on Saturday. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman Medal Bouts Day 6

55kg
GOLD - Emin SEFERSHAEV (RUS) df Ekrem OZTURK (TUR), 7-0

BRONZE - Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Fabian SCHMITT (GER), 8-0
BRONZE - Rudik MKRTCHYAN (ARM) df. Artsiom KATSAR (BLR), 8-0

63kg
GOLD - Zhambolat LOKYAEV (RUS) df. Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE), 5-0

BRONZE - Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df. Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU), 9-1
BRONZE - Aleksandrs JURKJANS (LAT) df. Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM), 7-5

77kg
GOLD - Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) df. Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR), 6-0

BRONZE - Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) df. Michael Felix WIDMAYER (GER), 5-1
BRONZE - Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) df. Dmytro PYSHKOV (UKR), 6-0

87kg
GOLD - Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) vs. Kiryl MASKEVICH (BLR), 5-1

BRONZE - Milad Valerikovitch ALIRZAEV (RUS) df. Turpan Ali Alvievich BISULTANOV (DEN), 8-1
BRONZE - Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) df. Denis Maksymilian KUDLA (GER), 1-1

130kg
GOLD -Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO), 3-1

BRONZE - Eduard POPP (GER) df. Oleksandr CHERNETSKYY (UKR), 2-1
BRONZE - Zurabi GEDEKHAURI (RUS) df. Romas FRIDRIKAS (LTU), 3-2

#WrestleAmman

Masoumi: Young star's quest for wrestling glory

Wednesday, March 19, 2025 - 15:56 By Vinay Siwach

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AMMAN, Jordan (March 18) — Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) already has his eyes set on next week’s Asian Championships in Amman. His goal is clear: gold. But the path to the podium runs through two opponents he knows all too well — Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) and BUHEEERDUN (CHN).

Two years ago at the Asian Championships in Astana, the then 18-year-old Masoumi suffered his only international losses to non-Iranian wrestlers. A semifinal defeat to Munkhtur was followed by a bitter loss to Buheeerdun in the bronze-medal bout at 125kg. Now, as a more focused and confident 20-year-old, Masoumi is eager to avenge those setbacks.

Masoumi has grown immensely since then. He is now a six-time world champion in various age groups, with two more titles added in 2024. In those competitions, he didn’t allow a single point to be scored against him. He continued his flawless form at the 2025 Zagreb Open, outscoring his opponents 42-0 in four matches. His elbow, which had once been a source of discomfort, is now fully healed, and Masoumi shows no signs of slowing down.

"I hope to use this experience and return to win the World Championships in Zagreb," he says after claiming gold in the Croatian capital.

Masoumi is on phone with his family, showing them the new sneakers he has bought in Zagreb. Not one but three pairs.

He loves shoes.

"I have a sneaker collection myself, and I really love shoes," he said. "I always carry a lot of them with me. For example, in this tournament alone, I brought five pairs. I mostly try to wear special brands and new collections. I think I have around 100 pairs of shoes."

That's where he spends most his money.

"I don't have to spend money on my face because it's perfect."

That is one way of easing off before the interview. Masoumi settles down with a big bar of chocolate which he finishes by the first two questions into the interview.

Masoumi has just won the Zagreb Open gold medal in a dominating manner and began the new Olympic cycle with a bang.

"The ultimate dream for every athlete is definitely an Olympic gold, and that’s mine as well," he says. "I want to stand on the podium in Los Angeles in four years."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by AM125 (@amirrezamasoumi125)

Masoumi is the most exciting heavyweight wrestling on the planet. He isn't your regular teenager of 125kg. Masoumi is a very quick for 125kg who destroys his opponents with a smile. He has six age-group world titles in three years.

He can gut-wrench, switch to the typical Iranian underhook pushouts and even wore down the opponents with his heavy-hands.

Masoumi was 16 when made his international debut at the 2021 U17 World Championships in Budapest at 110kg. He outscored his opponents 35-1 in four bouts and won gold. Then came the U20 World Championships next year. He won gold at 125kg and followed it with a gold medal at the U23 Worlds the same year. He was 17.

His senior debut came in 2022 at the World Cup in Coralville, Iowa, where he won all three of his bouts as Iran finished second to the United States.

The year 2023 wasn’t as fruitful, with Masoumi suffering losses at the Asian Championships and domestically. However, he was given the chance to challenge Zare for a spot in the Iranian team for the Paris Olympics. The match-up took place at the 2024 Zagreb Open, but Masoumi came up short.

Since then, he has bounced back with gold medals at five international tournaments, and now he is aiming for a sixth in Amman.

So, how did a wrestler from Gilan, a province not traditionally known for freestyle wrestling, rise to prominence so quickly?

“There’s no rivalry between us and Mazandaran,” Masoumi says. "It feels good to beat a province known for producing many wrestlers like Mazandaran, but I don’t feel good about defeating a specific city or village. There’s no animosity."

Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) with his father Fardin. (Photo courtesy Amirreza Masoumi) 

Masoumi was born in Masal village of the Gilan town in northern Iran. His father, Fardin, is a two-time World Championships medalists and the one who pushed him into wrestling.

"When I was three or four years old, when my father wrestled and I went to the competition hall to watch his practice, my childhood was intertwined with wrestling right there," he says. "I was able to get to know the wrestling environment much better in my childhood."

But it was a third-place finish, Masoumi's first medal at a national tournament, which resulted in congratulatory message and reception for Masoumi which he loved.

"I was 12 or 13 years old at the time," he said. "When I came third, I saw everyone come to our house and congratulate me, and I saw what a good feeling it was. So I tried to continue this process until now that I am here."

Standing tall at two metres, Masoumi is lanky for 125kg. More Geno than Zare. But he has to continuously monitor his weight which he does not want to go too high.

"My mother is almost 180cm tall and my father is 186cm," he said. "We're a tall family overall. However, I still control myself a lot to keep my weight down, especially since my mom tries not to feed me too much. I'm right on the edge for the 125 kg weight class, and if I gain any more weight, I'll have to cut it. That's why I'm very careful. My physique is also more similar to my mom and dad's."

Fardin was his first coach and Masoumi would watch his father's bouts against different competitors. While he kept a few techniques of his father, Masoumi was impressed with the others as well. Like the double underhooks he uses to drive his opponents out-of-bounds. Masoumi says he picked that from former world champion Bilyal MAKHOV (RUS).

"I mostly learned this from Makhov and his techniques in the World Championship final -- how he would get under his opponent’s armpit and drive them backward," he said. "I really liked how he was always moving forward. He was physically huge and kept attacking non-stop."

Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) with former world champion Reza YAZDANI (IRI). (Photo courtesy Amirreza Masoumi)

As he kept putting Gilan on the wrestling map, Masoumi was now being known. People will come to his home, farm and his father's business to congratulate. Being a successful Iran has its share of challenges. Growing up in Gilan and around wrestling, Masoumi wasn't unaware of the pressure it brings. There are fans who become your coach from stands, or even warm-up partners. Iran wrestlers are in the public eye most of their lives.

"I don't know about other countries, but in Iran, it's like that," Masoumi says. "It's the love."

Masoumi's first experience of "stardom" came after he former Asian champion Yadollah MOHEBI (IRI) at the selection trials in Iran.

"When I came out [of the stadium], there was a huge crowd, and a lot of spectators had come for the wrestling," Masoumi recalls ."I noticed many fans were coming up to take pictures with me. That’s when I felt like I was slowly entering an environment with a lot of pressure, and I realized I was growing in this kind of atmosphere."

Masoumi's personality clicks with the fans. He is humble yet celebrates his wins, he acknowledges the fans and doesn't shy away from being cheeky with his opponents after winning the bouts. He also witty.

"I think this comes down to my personality. I’m a bit hyperactive and always try to have my own unique style without being afraid," he says.

He expects them in Amman as well.

For Masoumi, the Asian Championships hold major significance -- not just for this year, but for his entire career. While world champion and Olympic silver medalist Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) holds the top spot for Iran at 125kg, Masoumi is gunning for that position.

A gold medal in Amman would give Masoumi the chance to challenge Zare for a spot on Iran team for the 2025 World Championships.

"My opponent, Zare, is a tough competitor," Masoumi says. "I’ve been wrestling against him in Iran’s national team trials for three years now. I believe I can secure my spot on the national team this year and win gold at the World Championships."

Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) defeated Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) in the 125kg final at the Zagreb Open in 2024. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Zare is also in top form, having won gold at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in similar dominant fashion. The world waits for their third meeting, likely at the Takhti Cup, Iran’s premier tournament, at the end of April. The winner of the best-of-three series will secure a spot at the World Championships.

"I need to compete in the Asian Championships," Masoumi says. "Any wrestler who wants to start in Iran should begin with the Takhti Cup and then move on to the 2025 World Championships."

Masoumi believes his unique wrestling style will give Zare trouble.

"I feel that match will be a great one for all wrestling fans. I think my wrestling style in the heavyweight category is quite unique. I don’t think there’s anyone in Iran’s heavyweight division with a six-pack. Naturally, in my mind, I aim to defeat Amirhossein to make up for my two previous losses."