#WrestleAlmaty

Kyrgyzstan's Akmataliev Adds Wild Win for 65kg Gold to Elation Over Olympic Ticket

Sunday, April 11, 2021 - 15:43 By Ken Marantz

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ALMATY, Kazakhstan (April 11) --- The wild victory that gave Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) the freestyle 65kg gold seemed more appropriate for an Olympic final than a  low-stakes clash between wrestlers who had already achieved their goal of securing Olympic spots.

Akmatiev's counter style of wrestling trumped the attacking of Amir Mohammad YAZDANI (IRI) in a rough-and-tumble 15-13 victory on the final day of the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament on Sunday in Almaty.

The fact that nothing was at stake other than the color of the medal that they would be taking home failed to dissuade the two from going all out in a match that produced 20 points in the first period alone.

While Yazdani was putting on a takedown clinic -- he scored five in the first period -- Akmataliev effectively used counters to keep the match from getting away from him. A 4-point counter lift off a tackle attempt and a 2-point counter at the edge helped him end the first period trailing only 12-8.

In the second period, Akmataliev came close to finishing the match when he used a front headlock to put Yazdani onto his back, but the Iranian managed to escape the predicament. Still trailing by 2 points, Akmataliev converted a double-leg tackle attempt into a pair of 2-point exposures with 30 seconds left to take the lead.

"In those final 30 seconds, my mind was blank and I was only thinking of winning the gold medal," Akmataliev said.

A challenge sorted out the confusing flurry, with Yazdani awarded a point for a reversal but Akmataliev gaining one himself because the challenge was lost, resulting in the final score of 15-13.

"This was the second time I have wrestled him," Akmataliev said. "I wrestled him before in Iran and I was young back then. I lost 6-16. He got me in a gut wrench. But now we are tied 1-1."

The 65kg class was the most open at the tournament, as Asian wrestlers had secured four berths at the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan. Akmataliev, a silver medalist at the International Ukrainian Tournament in February, took advantage and took the title with three hard-fought wins.

In another entertaining final, Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) scored a takedown in each period to offset three stepout points for each wrestler in a 7-3 victory at 86kg over Zushen LIN (CHN).

The Russian-born Shapiev, who began competing for Uzbekistan in 2017, missed a chance to qualify for Tokyo when he finished 12th at Nursultan, but showed he was prepared for Almaty by placing third at the Ukrainian Tournament.

In the 57kg final, Ukrainian Tournament champion Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) made short work of 2019 Asian silver medalist Minghu LIU (CHN), hitting a 4-point fireman's carry to finish off a 10-0 technical fall in 3:46.

The final gold of the tournament went to the host nation's 2020 Asian champion Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ), who outmuscled Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) for a 4-2 victory at 125kg. All but one point in the match were scored on stepouts.

"To win a medal in the Olympics, I need to train and there is a lot of work to do to achieve a medal there," Batimurzaev said. "This is one of the best days in my career."

Batirmurzaev's victory was a repeat of the Asian U-23 final in 2019, the year they both won bronze medals at the World U-23 Championships.

"This is a second time I have wrestled Munkhtur in a final and thankfully it went my way," he said.

Munkhtur's disappointment with the defeat was tempered by the reality he will be going to the Olympics for the first time.

"I think I made a lot of mistakes in the final, the second period especially," Munkhtur said. "A lot of things were going on in my mind and I lost focus.

"I began wrestling when I was 10 years old. This will be my first Olympics and I am feeling awesome."

Iran's two other finalists came away with golds, although without a fight as their opponents are nursing injuries and opted not to risk making things worse.

Yones EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI) was one of three Iranian wrestlers who qualified their nation for the Olympic Games on Sunday in Almaty. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Yones EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI) took the 74kg title when Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) defaulted, and Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) received a forfeit from Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) at 97kg.

"There is now no pressure on me," said Abdurakhmonov, who will be making his second Olympic appearance. "It’s easier to wrestle at the Olympics than qualifying, so I am done with the hard part. I'll definitely work a lot on my mistakes."

As for what lies ahead after Tokyo, the 31-year-old said, "I will continue wrestling as long as I am healthy. We have Asian Games, Asian Indoor Games, World Championships, Paris Olympics."

Mohammadian, who returned from a four-year doping ban, said he will try to live up to the Iranian tradition of excellence in the 97kg class set by the legendary two-time world champion Reza YAZDANI (IRI).

"Definitely I feel the pressure of replicating what Reza Yazdani did for Iran at 97," Mohammadian said. "I have forgotten about the bad times when I was banned for four years and now I am only training to win gold at the Olympics. That is the only thing that will satisfy me after what happened."

Meanwhile, although Muhammad INAM (PAK) was unable to secure Pakistan's first Olympic freestyle spot since 1996, his performance in winning a bronze medal at 97kg epitomized how a wrestler can still make a solid effort regardless of what is at stake.

Taking on Symbat SULAIMANOV (KGZ), Inam never gave up in fighting back from 6-0 and 7-4 deficits as his opponent became winded. The two-time Commonwealth Games champion came through with a 4-point takedown-roll combination with just under a minute left for well-earned victory.

Freestyle Results

57kg
GOLD - Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Minghu LIU (CHN) by TF, 10-0, 3:46
BRONZE - Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ) df. Sunggwon KIM (KOR) by TF, 11-0, 3:53
BRONZE - Muhammad IKROMOV (TJK) df. Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL), 7-6

65kg
GOLD - Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) df. Amir Mohammad YAZDANI (IRI), 15-13
BRONZE - Kerim HOJAKOV (TKM) df. Ilyas BEKBULATOV (UZB) by Default
BRONZE - Haji ALI (BRN) df. Mohammed ABDULKAREEM (KUW) by TF, 10-0, :58

74kg
GOLD - Yones EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI) df. Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) by Default
BRONZE - Elaman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Bat Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL), 2-2
BRONZE - Menghejigan MENGHEJIGAN (CHN) df. Sandeep MANN (INDIA) by TF, 14-4, 3:40

86kg
GOLD - Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) df. Zushen LIN (CHN), 7-3
BRONZE - Sohsuke TAKATANI (JPN) df. Nurtilek KARYPBAEV (KGZ), 6-1
BRONZE - Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) df. Bakhodur KODIROV (TJK), 6-3

97kg
GOLD - Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) df. Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) by Default
BRONZE - Muhammad INAM (PAK) df. Symbat SULAIMANOV (KGZ), 10-7
BRONZE - Satywart KADIAN (IND) df. Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM), 5-0

125kg
GOLD - Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) df. Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL), 4-2
BRONZE - Sumit SUMIT (IND) df. Donghwan KIM (KOR), 5-0
BRONZE - Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) df. Tetsuya TANAKA (JPN) by Default

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

Monday, March 10, 2025 - 10:53 By Vinay Siwach

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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."