#Grappling

Kazakhstan dominates U17 World Grappling Championships 2024

By United World Wrestling Press

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (October 10) -- Kazakhstan captured all four team titles at the U17 World Grappling Championships held in Astana.

The hosts won the men's and women's U17 Grappling Gi team titles in dominant style with no other country challenging it. However, Ukraine managed to push Kazakhstan in Grappling. Kazakhstan still managed to win the team titles in Grappling.

RESULTS

U17 Men's Grappling Gi

42kg
GOLD: Shapagat SERGAZYULY (KAZ)
SILVER: Sagyndyk AITBAYEV (KAZ)
BRONZE: Denis MURZABAEV (AIN)

46kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail TAVSULTANOV (AIN)
SILVER: Ali AKIMZHAN (KAZ)
BRONZE: Mirkhat IKHLASSOV (KAZ)

50kg
GOLD: Yernar YERALY (KAZ) df. Akhmad KANATULY (KAZ), 6-0

BRONZE: Erasyl MAKHMEDOV (KGZ) df. Julen TRUJILLO (ESP), via submission (2-2)
BRONZE: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Ilia GRISHENKO (AIN), 2-0

54kg
GOLD: Abdusomad TYNCHTYKBEKOV (KGZ) df. Islam MUSKHANOV (AIN), 4-2

BRONZE: Vladimir YERMOSHKIN (KAZ) df. Radmir AN (KAZ), via submission (8-0)

58kg
GOLD: Jose MARTIN SANCHEZ (ESP) df. Mykhailo KAZYMERCHUK (UKR), via submission (3-2)

BRONZE: Andrei LIASHCHENKO (AIN) df. Vanik SARGSYAN (ARM), 12-1
BRONZE: Akhmet IBRASHEV (KAZ) df. Arsen MURATBEKOV (KGZ), via submission (2-2)

63kg
GOLD: Ramazan TIANGUBER (KGZ) df. Imranali KARIMZHANOV (KAZ), via submission (9-4)

BRONZE: Hrachya GHAZAKHYAN (ARM) df. Adil MAIRAMBEK UULU (KGZ), via cautions
BRONZE: Eduard ASATRYAN (ARM) df. Viktor MENEILIUK (UKR), via submission (2-0)

69kg
GOLD:  Aleksei SKOREV (AIN) df. Sultan RUSLANBEKOV (KGZ), 2-2 (overtime)

BRONZE: Oleksii BOLBOCHAN (UKR) df. Bator FARKAS (HUN), 2-1
BRONZE: Oliwier PRZERWA (POL) df. Ivan STANEV (AIN), 6-0

76kg
GOLD: Shamil GUSEINOV (AIN) df. Alinur BEISEN (KAZ), via submission (2-0)

BRONZE: Dmitrii MULIAK (AIN) df. Aidarkhan BURIBAYEV (KAZ), via submission (5-4)
BRONZE: Artem SAVRANSKYI (UKR) df. Heorhi HLAZKO (AIN), 4-1

85kg
GOLD: Georgii GUTIUM (AIN) df. Ivan NARKEVICH (AIN), 5-2

BRONZE: Alberto MENA CRUZ (ESP) df. Yermek OSPANOV (KAZ), 0-0

110kg
GOLD: Kamil DZIKOWSKI (POL) df. Arsenii ERMAKOV (AIN), 2-0

BRONZE: Nursultan NURGALIYEV (KAZ) df. Timur CHAHOVETS (UKR), 6-2

U17 Women's Grappling Gi

40kg
GOLD: Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR)
SILVER: Khadisha NURTAYEVA (KAZ)
BRONZE: Aysu ALIYEVA (AZE)

43kg
GOLD: Iuliia KHOROSHEVA (AIN) df. Symbat IBRAKHIM (KAZ), via submission (9-0)

46kg
GOLD: Nuray ALTYNBEK (KAZ)
SILVER: Daria SERAZETDINOVA (AIN)
BRONZE: Umit YSKAK (KAZ)

49kg
GOLD: Alsu GALIEVA (AIN)
SILVER: Veronika MARUSHCHAK (AIN)
BRONZE: Aizhan YERKOSSAY (BRONZE)

52kg
GOLD: Sana NDIAYE (FRA) df. Daria KHAMETOVA (AIN), 5-2

BRONZE: Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL) df. Anhelina OTROSHCHENKO (UKR), via submission (7-0)

56kg
GOLD: Ekaterina KONSTANTINOVA (AIN) df. Varvara SHKUROPAT (KAZ), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Sara CICIO (ROU) df. Carmina GUILLEN (ESP), via submission (6-0)
BRONZE: Iris GARCIA (ESP) df. Kseniia POLIAK (UKR), via walkover

60kg
GOLD: Malgorzata SALAMON (POL) df. Milana MURGUZOVA (KAZ), 8-2

BRONZE: Sofiia FYLYPCHUK (UKR) df. Aitana LOOR (ESP), 10-1
BRONZE: Daiana HOTIU (ROU) df. Alisa GOLUB (AIN), 13-2

65kg
GOLD: Anastasiia SHAROVA (AIN) df. Olesia ILKINA (AIN), 7-4

BRONZE: Miruna BABAN (ROU) df. Yana MELNYCHUK (UKR), 6-2

90kg
GOLD: Nargiz YAKHYP (KAZ)
SILVER: Tetiana TKACHYK (UKR)
BRONZE: Nuray ARYSTANOVA (KAZ)

U17 Men's Grappling

42kg
GOLD: Adam MISRIEV (AIN)
SILVER: Nurislam KUATBAIULY (KAZ)
BRONZE: Sagyndyk AITBAYEV (KAZ) 

46kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail TAVSULTANOV (AIN) df. Jakub BARDEN (POL), 5-4

BRONZE: Osman SHAKHBANOV (AIN) df. Ualikhan ABDRAZAK (KAZ), via submission

50kg
GOLD: Yerkebulan ISLAMGALI (KAZ) df. Eldar ELDAROV (AIN), via submission (6-2)

BRONZE: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Daniz HASANOV (AZE), 7-0
BRONZE: Erasyl MAKHMEDOV (KGZ) df. Julen TRUJILLO (ESP), via submission

54kg
GOLD: Islam MUSKHANOV (AIN) df. Yehor TARASENKO (UKR), via submission

BRONZE: Vladimir YERMOSHKIN (KAZ) df. Saulo HERNANDEZ (ESP), 5-2
BRONZE: Aleksandr MAKAROV (AIN) df. Lohan DURANDET (FRA), 5-1

58kg
GOLD: Jose MARTIN SANCHEZ (ESP) df. Artem SHALAEV (AIN), via submission (4-2)

BRONZE: Andrei LIASHCHENKO (AIN) df. Maxim POTAPOV (GER), 12-1
BRONZE: Mykhailo KAZYMERCHUK (UKR) df. Abai DOOLOTOV (KGZ), via submission

63kg
GOLD: Nazir KHAPSIROKOV (AIN) df. Nurdaulet ESSENULY (KAZ), via submission

BRONZE: Ramazan TIANGUBER (KGZ) df. Dorian ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL), 7-0
BRONZE: Viktor MENEILIUK (UKR) df. Hrachya GHAZAKHYAN (ARM), 3-3

69kg
GOLD: Davlet FIZIKOV (AIN) df. Zhalgas TURALIYEV (KAZ), via submission (9-1)

BRONZE: Marcin CHMIELEWSKI (POL) df. Bator FARKAS (HUN), 4-4
BRONZE: Aleksandr KARPENKOV (AIN) df. Oliwier PRZERWA (POL), 7-3

76kg
GOLD: Mukhammad EMINOV (AIN) df. Artem SAVRANSKYI (UKR), 6-0

BRONZE: Shamil GUSEINOV (AIN) df. Mateusz KUCA (POL), 5-1
BRONZE: Csaba SZABO (HUN) df. Heorhi HLAZKO (AIN), 3-2

85kg
GOLD: Georgii GUTIUM (AIN) df. Ivan NARKEVICH (AIN), via submission (2-0)

BRONZE: Oleh STRATIICHUK (UKR) df. Benjamin HENCZI (HUN), 12-0

110kg
GOLD: Kiliaskhan DZHAMALUTDINOV (AIN) df. Mukhammad KHAIRUEV (AIN), 10-0

BRONZE: Kamil Konrad DZIKOWSKI (POL) df. Dias YESPAYEV (KAZ), via submission

U17 Women's Grappling

40kg
GOLD: Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR)
SILVER: Aysu ALIYEVA (AZE)
BRONZE: Khadisha NURTAYEVA (KAZ)

46kg
GOLD: Nuray ALTYNBEK (KAZ)
SILVER: Umit YSKAK (KAZ)
BRONZE: Nikol BATHORI (ROU)

49kg
GOLD: Alsu GALIEVA (AIN)
SILVER: Aikunim RUSLANKYZY (KAZ)
BRONZE: Aizhan YERKOSSAY (KAZ)

52kg
GOLD: Daria KHAMETOVA (AIN) df. Sana NDIAYE (FRA), 5-2

BRONZE: Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL) df. Sylwia WELC (POL), 6-0

56kg
GOLD: Sara CICIO (ROU) df. Ekaterina KONSTANTINOVA (AIN), 9-4

BRONZE: Varvara SHKUROPAT (KAZ) df. Kseniia POLIAK (UKR), via submission (0-2)
 
60kg
GOLD: Alisa GOLUB (AIN) df. Malgorzata SALAMON (POL), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Yuliia MELNYCHUK (UKR) df. Aitana LOOR (ESP), 15-3
BRONZE: Olena RYBALCHENKO (UKR) df. Milana MURGUZOVA (KAZ), 5-2

65kg
GOLD: Olesia ILKINA (AIN) df. Angelica NIETO (ESP), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Karina GARIFULLINA (KAZ) df. Yana MELNYCHUK (UKR), 6-2

90kg
GOLD: Mercedes GARCIA (ESP)
SILVER: Tetiana TKACHYK (UKR)
BRONZE: Nargiz YAKHYP (KAZ)

'I was destroyed, couldn't sleep': Ghasempour recalls painful loss to Sadulaev

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (March 10) -- "I've thought about it a lot. Of course, it's in the past and thinking about it won't change anything. But I've thought a lot about why I made a mistake in those four seconds and I could have managed the wrestling differently and finished it very easily."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) stares at the empty walls of the interview room as he recalls the heartbreaking and shocking 5-3 loss to Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) in the semifinal of the World Championships last October.

The images of Ghasempour holding his head in hands after the loss went viral on social media. Sadulaev was praised for his champion mindset and his ability to script a remarkable late turnaround. Ghasempour was consoled by his fans, who urged him to not lose heart.

Those comforting words felt hollow at that point and Ghasempour felt 'lost'.

"The reality is that the fighting spirit and the feeling I had on the first day of the competition caused all those feelings to disappear and I was destroyed. I couldn't control myself and I just wanted the competition to end and go back," Ghasmepour says, with his voice breaking as he recollects his thoughts.

For 5 minutes and 55 seconds, Ghasempour controlled the 92kg semifinal against Sadulaev, a two-time Olympic champion known for his must-win attitude. A loss would have reinforced the belief that the Sauldaev aura was fading. A win for Ghasempour, a two-time world champion at 92kg, would make him only the third wrestler to beat Sadulaev.

But with five seconds remaining, Sadulaev snapped the Iranian down, spun behind, then managed to fling him to the mat for a 4-point takedown.

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW), behind, hits the match-winning takedown on Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

"It was also very difficult for me to come to terms with the loss," Ghasempour recalls. "After the match, I felt very bad and didn't sleep all night. I was awake from the intensity of thought and pressure, and it was very difficult for me. Due to the pressure I was under, I took four painkillers after the match."

A few hours of sleep was never going to be enough for Ghasempour to return for his bronze-medal bout against David TAYLOR (USA), which he lost 6-2.

Four months have passed since that day in Tirana, a city Ghasempour returned for the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series last week and captured the gold medal. Though not the World Championships and there was no Sadulaev in the field, Ghasempour managed to bring a smile on his face as he stood on the podium.

However, memories flashed back.

"When I was going up to the podium [after winning gold], I thought again that I could have been standing on the Worlds podium a few months ago, not this tournament," he said. "But that's how sports is, and if a professional athlete wants to continue their path, they must know that winning and losing are part of sports."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) won the 92kg gold medal at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in February. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Ghasempour did take comfort from the messages he received. Yet, he is unable to move on from those five seconds of lapse in concentration.

"People gave me a lot of good energy and praised me constantly, which shows the kindness of the people," he says. "But what I wanted didn't happen and the result wasn't as I wanted. It would have been better if it ended with a good result."

As the new Olympic cycle begins, Ghasempour wants to make amends. There will be many pit stops before he can be at his first Olympics and he wants to capture every gold medal that comes his way.

"There are three more World Championships left before the Olympics [in 2028]," he says. "The World Championships are very important to me, and after that, it's the Olympic medal that I want to have in my medal showcase. In the year leading up to the Olympics, I will make the decision and compete in a weight class so that I can participate in the Olympics."