#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Live Blog: Asian Championships day five

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (April 23) -- The Asian Championships move to freestyle on day five. Wrestlers from 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg and 97kg will be in action in Ulaanbaatar.

Ravi KUMAR (IND), Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), Bajrang PUNIA (IND), Rahman AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI), Mohammadhossien MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) will be in action.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

13:50: The semifinals and repechage matches are over, bringing a close to the morning session. The crowd has been great, and we can expect some fireworks in the finals starting at 18:00 local time. 

13:43: Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN), making his first international appearance since 2017, stormed into the final at 70kg with an 11-5 victory over defending champion Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ). Narikuni will face world silver medalist Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) in the final. Interesting to note that Narikuni's mother was a world champion in 1990 and 1991 (as Akiko IIJIMA) and the coach at the kids club where he started wrestling. 

13:42: Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) comes back from 6-3 down and scores a 12-6 win over Temuulen ENKHTUYA (MGL). He added a stepout before launching a gut wrench to secure the win.

13:34: In a rematch of the '20 Asian final, Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ) and Gourav BALIYAN (IND) in a back-and-forth bout and Baliyan avenge that loss with an 8-5 victory. He led 2-1 at the break with a counter. But in the second period, the two changed leads three times. Budazhapov scored a stepout before Baliyan added an exposure for two but gave up the reversal and a roll. Budazhapov needed to defend the 5-4 lead for a minute but he failed to keep up and conceded a takedown with 11 seconds remaining. Baliyan won 8-5, making him the third Indian in the final

13:30: Rahman AMOUDZADKHALILI (IRI) gives Iran a third finalist with an 6-0 victory in the 65kg semifinal over Tsogbadrakh TSEVEENSUREN. He'll face Punia for the gold in the night session. 

13:28: Rakhat KALZHAN (KAZ) pulls off an amazing comeback to make the final at 57kg. Down 5-0 against Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) going into the second period, he cuts the gap with a takedown. With the clock ticking down, he scores a takedown, then muscles Smanbekov over with a gut wrench to go ahead 6-5 with :16 left. He holds on to the end to earn a date in the final against India's defending champion Kumar. 

13:25: Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI) moves into the 79kg final after a 3-0 win over Yudai TAKAHASHI (JPN). He got a point for the passivity of Takahashi in the first period. He was called passive in the second period but he scored a takedown in the activity period.

13:18: Ravi KUMAR (IND) starts out in a 4-0 hole in the 57kg semifinal against a fired-up Zanabar ZANDANBUD (MGL), who scores a takedown and gut wrench in the opening seconds. But the Olympic silver medalist shakes it off and puts on a takedown clinic, reeling off three in a row to go ahead 6-4 at the break. From there he pads the lead and wins 12-5, giving him a shot at a third straight Asian gold.

13:17:Bajrang PUNIA (IND) will make his fourth straight 65kg final at the Asian Championships as he controls his semifinal against Haji ALI (BRN) to win 3-1

13:10: Satywart KADIAN (IND) is wrestling Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) in the semifinal. Mohammadian begins with a stepout before adding a takedown. At the break, he leads 4-0 with a stepout. He wins 10-0 after adding a takedown to gut and another takedown.

13:03: S. TALGAT (KAZ) gets a win by technical superiority and he confirms a semifinal against Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) who beats Mohammademehdi YEGANEHJAFARI (IRI) 6-2 at 70kg

12:56: Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) bounces back from 2-0 down to beat NAVEEN (IND) 6-3 and reach the 70kg semifinal. We will be beginning with the semifinals shortly

12:50: Rahman AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI) fills the final semifinal place at 65kg with a workmanlike 8-0 win over Kaiki YAMAGUCHI (JPN). The match was a  battle between current (Amouzadkhalili) and 2019 (Yamaguchi) world junior champions at 61kg. The semifinals will be Bajrang PUNIA (IND) vs Haji ALI (BRN) and Amoudzadkhalili and Tsogbadrakh TSEVEENSUREN (MGL).

12:50: At the 97kg semifinal, Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL) quickly built a 5-0 lead against Mukhammadrasul RAKHIMOV (UZB). On Mat C, Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) is leading NAVEEN (IND) 3-2 at 70kg

12:42: The semifinal in the bottom half of the bracket at 57kg is now set. Rakhat KALZHAN (KAZ) defeated No. 2 seed Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB ) 6-1, and will face Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ), a 4-1 winner over Sunngwon KIM (KOR). 

12:36: Tsogbadrakh Tseveensuren (MGL) is trailing 4-1 when he twists Alibek Osmonov (KGZ) to his back and secures the fall, much to the delight of the home crowd, to advance to the semifinals at 65kg. 

12:35: Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI) and Byambadorj ENKHBAYAR (MGL) wrestled an action-packed second period at 79kg. Savadkouhi was leading 7-4 before Enkhbayar managed to make it 7-6 with 10 seconds remaining. His last attack did not yield any points as he goes down at 79kg

12:32: Olympic silver medalist Ravi KUMAR (IND) faced tough competition from Rikuto ARAI (JPN), but ultimately overpowered the young Japanese with a run of takedowns for a 15-4 technical fall to advance to the semifinals at 57kg. He will face local favorite Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) for a place in the final.

12:31: Olympic bronze medalist Bajrang PUNIA (IND) begins his campaign for a third Asian gold at 65kg win a 3-0 win in the quarterfinals over a cautious Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB ). Punia scored two points on the activity clock and another on a stepout in a match a bit shy of action.

12:30: 2020 champion Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ) gets the small contingent of Kyrgyzstan fans going with an 11-0 win over Bumgue SEO (KOR). A series of gut wrenches to finish the bout

12:20: Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) could not have begun in a better style. He scores a takedown and then Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM) is put in par terre for his forced break for bleeding during the action. Mohammadian scores three gut wrenches before closing out a 10-0 win with a takedown

12:19: 2017 silver medalist Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) gets the crowd roaring as he roars back from a 6-1 deficit to defeat Reza MOMENIJOUJADEH (IRI) 10-6 to advance to the 57kg semifinals. With 1:20 left, Zandanbud starts his comeback with a takedown, followed by two gut wrenches. He adds a stepout, then tackles the Iranian to his back, where he remains as time expires.

12:10: Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL) was trailing 5-5 against Mamed IBRAGIMOV (KAZ) but then got into a bear hug and scored a big four and win 9-5 at 97kg. The home crowds loves it

12:00: At 97kg, Satyawart KADIAN (IND) shuts out Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN) attacks and counters them with go behinds to win 5-0 in the quarterfinals.

11:52: NAVEEN (IND) with an 11-0 win over Perman HOMMADOV (TKM) at 70kg and he gets World silver and U23 world champion Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) in the quarterfinals.

11:50: Jasurbek USMONOXUNOV (UZB) did score two takedowns but that was not enough as Bumgue SEO (KOR) hung on for a 5-4 win at 79kg

11:48: Yudai TAKAHASHI (JPN) begins with a four and then adds two takedowns to lead 8-0 against Shuhrat BOZOROV (TJK). A takedown and stepout in the second period gave him the win 11-1

11:46: Tsogbadrakh TSEVEENSUREN (MGL) gets the home crowd charged up when he finished up an 11-0 win over Sanzhar DOSZHANOV (KAZ) with :28 left in their qualification round match at 65kg. 

11:45: Rahman AMOUZADKHLILI (IRI), the world junior champion at 61kg, started his campaign at 65kg with an 11-0 technical fall over Inayat ULLAH (PAK) in the qualification round. Amouzadkhlili is the favorite to make the final in the bottom half of the bracket. 

11:27: On an overcast morning in Ulaanbaatar, the mat will be shining with Asian's top freestyle wrestlers with competition at 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, and 97kg on Day 5. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

#WrestleTirana

U23 World Championships 2024: Best storylines in Tirana

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (October 14) -- The U23 World Championships will kick off in Tirana next Monday with 661 wrestlers participating. Not only some returning champions are entered, but a few Paris 2024 Olympic wrestlers are also participating in the October 21-27 tournament.

Iran, which missed the tournament last year, will hopefully be there for the U23 World Championships.

Here are a few top storylines to follow from Tirana

Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA)Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) is one of the favorites at 74kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Freestyle

- The 61kg defending champion Bashir MAGOMEDOV (AIN) will be the favorite for the gold medal. After winning the gold medal last year, Magomedov won the U23 European Championships this year. In the seven bouts in the two tournaments, Magomedov has won five bouts via technical superiorities. 

- Another returning champion is Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN), defending his 65kg gold medal. Last year, Ibragimov gave up only one point in the tournament over five bouts. He is likely to dominate this year too. However, former U20 world champion Mohit KUMAR (IND) will look to avenge the semifinal loss to Ibragimov. Kumar failed to medal and finished fifth.

Another U20 world champion coming to Tirana is Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB). After winning the gold medal in Sofia in 2022, Jalolov is still trying to return to the top. He also suffered a back injury and recovery has been a tough road for him. He tried qualifying for the Paris Olympics but failed to do so. Bilol SHARIP UULU (KGZ) and Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) will be in the medal run as well.

- Perhaps the most competitive category, the 74kg weight class will see Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE), Ali REZAEI (IRI), Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN), Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) and Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) among other stars. The last three U20 world champions are entered. Gadzhiev won the U20 gold in 2022, Mesenbrink in 2023 and Rezaei in 2024. Takahashi is the senior Asian champion and Toktomabetov is the U23 Asian champion.

- Unbeaten at the international level Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) will start as the favorite win the gold medal at 86kg. Kadiev has two U20 world titles, including the 2024 edition. Former U20 world champion Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) will be hoping for a successful run at the U23 level. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), who won bronze last year and participated in the Paris Olympics is competing as well.

- Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) will be in Albania for his third U23 World Championships. He won bronze in 2021 and gold in 2022. He will be the favorite for the gold with Mustafagadzhi MALACHDIBIROV (AIN) offering competition. Malachdibirov won the gold medal at the U20 World Championships this year.

- 92kg world champion Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) continues his successful run at 97kg and will be competing for the U23 world title. He won the U20 World Championships gold in September and this will be his second U23 World Championships, having finishing fifth in 2022.

Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR), a former world silver medalist, will be returning to international after more than a year. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Martin Gabor)

Women's Wrestling

- Defending champion at 50kg Umi ITO (JPN) will be in action after one year. Ito has been behind Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) domestically but has been a force at the international level. She is yet to lose a bout and has won U17, U20 and U23 world titles.

- The return of Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) will be a big news in Tirana. She last competed at the European Championships in 2023 and finished second. However, she has been nursing an injury for the last one year. She competed at the Valamar Cup and won the gold medal. But she will be test in Tirana as Paris Olympian and European champion Emma MALMGREN (SWE) is also competing.

- Irina RINGACI (MDA) will look to defend the gold medal at 65kg. She will also look to put her disappointing campaign at the Paris Olympics where she finished 10th. This will be her fourth U23 World Championships, the first being in 2019. She has two bronze medals and one gold medal.

- Ami ISHII (JPN) will be hoping to win her second career world title. She won the U20 gold in 2022 but finished second at the senior level. She won the Paris Olympic quota for Japan but failed to win the playoff in Japan as Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) beat her. She will be competing at 68kg.

- Croatia's first-ever world champion in wrestling, Veronika VILK (CRO) will be competing at her first U23 World Championships. Volk created history in 2023 when she won the U17 World Championships gold medal, becoming first wrestling world champion in Croatian history.

Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) defeated Riza KAYAALP (TUR) in June. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Greco-Roman

- The only Paris Olympic medalist competing in Tirana is Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN). The bronze medalist at 87kg will be in Tirana hoping to win his first world title at any level. He will be in a strong field with U23 world champion at 82kg Aues GONIBOV (AIN) moving up to 87kg. Former U20 world champion Vigen NAZARYAN (ARM), Joju SAMADOV (AZE),  Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO), Yasin Ali YAZDI (IRI), Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) and Exauce MUKUBU (NOR) also competing.

- The 130kg weight class may throw some interesting competition. Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI), who defeated Riza KAYAALP (TUR) in Budapest in June, will be the favorite to win the gold medal. However, Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR), who defeated Hedayati in the 2022 U20 World Championships final, is also competing. Last year, Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN) won the gold medal at 97kg but is moving up to 130kg, a weight class he won a Paris Olympic quota as well. Muhammet BAKIR (TUR) will also be a big medal threat.