#wrestlenursultan

Krasnoyarsk to Host 2022 World C’Ships; Bureau Adds Age and Term Restrictions

By United World Wrestling Press

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (September 14) – The United World Wrestling bureau passed a series of decisions yesterday during a meeting before the start of the 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships at the Barys Arena in Nur-Sultan.

Topping the outcomes was the selection of Krasnoyarsk as host of the 2022 Senior Wrestling World Championships. The Russian city is well known to wrestling fans as host city of the prestigious Ivan Yaryiguin Invitational held each January in memory of the two-time Olympic champion.

The 2022 championships will be Krasnoyarsk’s first time hosting the combined world championships and the first world championships since the Siberian city welcomed men’s freestyle in 1997.

The bureau also named several cities as hosts for the 2021 season, highlighted by Guatemala City (Pan-Am) and Katowice (Europe) each set to be senior-level hosts of the continental championships. The Russian city of Ufa was also named the host of the Junior World Championships and Belgrade as host the U23 World Championships.

The full and updated calendar of events can be found at www.unitedworldwrestling.org/events.

In a move meant to better align with established Olympic norms Bureau members approved limiting the age of Bureau members to 75 years old and the term of president to two (2) six-year terms. For consistency across the organization, the bureau also approved a limitation on the term of continental presidents, who may now serve no more than three terms of four years each.

Changes to the UWW constitution require the affirmation of the Congress which will take place in fall of 2020.

In addition to host city allocations and self-governance the bureau also approved the nominees for the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony in Tokyo.

Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) a three-time Olympic champion, Olympic silver medalist and 13-time world champion was nominated to the Hall of Fame in the “Legend” category. She will be joined by former teammate, Olympic champion and eight-time World Champion Hitomi OBARA SAKAMOTO (JPN) who looks to enter the Hall of Fame as a member of women’s wrestling.

The men’s freestyle nominations included twin brothers John PETERSON (USA) and Ben PETERSON (USA). The Peterson’s each won Olympic gold, Olympic silver, world silver and world bronze.

In Greco-Roman, Gheorghe BERCEANU (ROU) - who won Olympic gold, Olympic silver and was a two-time world champion - was nominated alongside Olympic and world gold medalist Pertti UKKOLA (FIN).

Mr. MOLINA (CUB) was nominated as a referee and Yuri SHAKHMURADOV (RUS) as a coach.

Mr. Shakhmuradov was also added to the Women and Sport commission.

The 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships begin at 11am local with action in four Greco-Roman weight categories. Semifinals will begin at 6pm local.

#WrestleTirana

Paris medalists Valiev, Amouzad make golden return in Tirana

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (February 26) -- Three Paris Olympic medalists were in action on day one of the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series event and two returned with medals.

Chermen VALIEV (ALB) and Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI), medalists at 74kg and 65kg, have announced themselves as early contenders for their respective continental championships. Islam DUDAEV (ALB), the third Paris medalist in action on Thursday, lost his 1/8 final at 65g.

Returning to action for the first time since winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, Valiev claimed the gold medal at 74kg in Tirana, Albania. To make the victory sweeter, he defeated four-time European champion Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) in the final at home.

Salkazanov has won gold medal at the European Championships for four straight editions and was expected to win this year, especially with the tournament to be held in Bratislava, Slovakia. But with Valiev beating Salkazanov, the odds have changed.

Chermen VALIEV (ALB)Chermen VALIEV (ALB) and Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) in a tangle during the 74kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The two wrestlers were matched up for similar style of wrestling and were slow off the blocks. Valiev, however, kept his half shots on which forced Salkazanov to be on the activity clock. Valiev was up 1-0 at the break.

Valiev followed a similar strategy in the second period and Salkazanov was again put on the activity clock and Valiev led 2-0. The score was too steep for Salkazanov and his desperate attempts in the end as Valiev won 2-0.

Albania's other Paris Olympic bronze medalist Islam DUDAEV (ALB) did not have a similar luck at 65kg as he lost to Kaisei TANABE (JPN) and finished without a medal.

However, Paris silver medalist at 65kg Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) expectedly made it to the final and won gold medal after a 5-1 win over Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ).

He opened the scoring with a takedown and continued with his attacks. A takedown on the edge made it 4-0 and Zhumashbek Uulu was cautioned for fleeing which made it 5-0. Amouzad took a step back and was content with the lead.

Zhumashbek Uulu got a point at the end for negative wrestling from Amouzad but that did not stop the Iranian from winning 5-1.

The second gold medal for Iran was won by Ali MOMENI (IRI), who was in Tirana last year for the U23 World Championships and won bronze medal. He earned gold at 57kg with a fall over Aiaal BELOLYUBSKII (TJK) in the second period.

Momeni was down 2-1 at the break but never looked worried about the match up against Belolyubskii. A half whipover from Momeni in the second period caught Belolyubskii unbalanced and Momeni was quick to hold him on the mat and get the fall.

Momeni's gold more or less confirms his spot on the Asian Championships team as he also defeated Hadi REZAEI (IRI) in the first match who could have made a claim for the spot if he had won.

Despite the loss, Belolyubskii can take heart from the fact that he became the first Tajik wrestler to win a medal at a Ranking Series event. He opened his day with a 4-1 win over Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO), dominated Weiyu LI (CHN) for an 8-1 win and defeated Sultan KURMANALIYEV (KAZ) 10-4 in semifinals.

Japan won two gold medals as well, another example of the serious depth it has in wrestling.

Asian silver medalist Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) was up against former European champion Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) but remained unfazed in his 4-1 victory at 70kg. Tevanyan would be upset with his approach in the final as he defended a little too much.

As Aoyagi led 1-0 after the break, Tevanyan got the criteria 1-1 lead for Aoyagi's passivity. However, the referees deemed Tevanyan passive one more time and Aoyagi kept Tevanyan from scoring to lead 2-1. Any further attempts from Tevanyan were also thwarted by Aoyagi who got two more points for a throw at the end.

Takara SUDA (JPN)Takara SUDA (JPN) defeated Nachyn MONGUSH (UWW) in the 61kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 61kg, Takara SUDA (JPN) upset former U23 world champion Nachyn MONGUSH (UWW) in a thrilling final.

Suda was quick off the blocks and scored a stepout and then hit a double leg for a 3-0 lead. Mongush stopped Suda with a chestwrap and then exposed him for two points. A reversal made it 4-2 before Suda got a takedown to lead 6-2 at the break.

Mongush began the second period with an attempted headpinch but Suda blocked it and pinned Mongush on the mat for two points to lead 8-2. Just when it seemed like he will run away with the gold medal, Mongush mounted a comeback. He scored a stepout and Suda was cautioned for fleeing.

With the score 8-4, Mongush scored another stepout and managed a takedown with 31 seconds left on the clock. A stepout without fleeing made it 8-8 but Suda kept the criteria lead for four two-point moves. He held on for the remaining 11 seconds and won the gold medal.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Ali MOMENI (IRI) df. Aiaal BELOLYUBSKII (TJK), via fall

BRONZE: Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) df. Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ), 3-2
BRONZE: Sultan KURMANALIYEV (KAZ) df. Weiyu LI (CHN), 9-9

61kg
GOLD: Takara SUDA (JPN) df. Nachyn MONGUSH (UWW), 8-8

BRONZE: Mukhamed BALGABAY (KAZ) df. Stilyan ILIEV (BUL), 7-0
BRONZE: Artem GOBAEV (UWW) df. Leomid COLESNIC (MDA), 3-0 

65kg
GOLD: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) df. Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ), 5-1

BRONZE: Bilol SHARIP UULU (KGZ) df. Kaisei TANABE (JPN), 3-1
BRONZE: Real WOODS (USA) df. Kaiji OGINO (JPN), 9-1

70kg
GOLD: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM), 4-1

BRONZE: Vasile DIACON (MDA) df. Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO), 10-0 
BRONZE: William LEWAN (USA) df. James GREEN (USA), 4-3

74kg
GOLD: Chermen VALIEV (ALB) df. Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK), 2-0

BRONZE: Yones EMAMI (IRI) df. Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ), 6-1
BRONZE: Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) df. Magoma DIBIRGADZHIEV (UWW), 1-1

86kg
GOLD: Chandler MARSTELLER (USA) df. Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ), 2-0

BRONZE: Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO) df. Mukhammad ABDULLAEV (KGZ), via fall (4-8)
BRONZE: Rustem MYRZAGALIYEV (KAZ) df. Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL), 8-1