#WrestleWarsaw

LIVE BLOG: European C'ships (Day Four)

By Eric Olanowski

WARSAW, Poland (April 22) -- Freestyle is in the rearview mirror, as women's wrestling takes center stage on Day Four at the '21 European Championships.

Thursday's Schedule:
11:30 - Qualification round
16: 45 - Semifinals
18:00 - Finals

WATCH: European Championships 

Finals matchups (as they come in): 
53kg 

GOLD - Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS) vs. Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
SEMIFINAL - Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS) df. Iulia LEORDA (MDA, 9-0 
SEMIFINAL - Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) df. Mariia VYNNYK (UKR), 11-2 

57kg 
GOLD -Anhelina LYSAK (POL) vs. Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) 
SEMIFINAL - Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) df. Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS), 11-0 
SEMIFINAL - Anhelina LYSAK (POL) df. Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR), via fall 

62kg
GOLD - 
Marianna SASTIN (HUN) vs. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) 
SEMIFINAL - Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) df. Valeria KOBLOVA ZHOLOBOVA (RUS), 5-2
SEMIFINAL - Marianna SASTIN (HUN) df. Katarzyna MADROWSKA (POL), via injury

65kg
GOLD - 
Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) vs. Irina RINGACI (MDA)
SEMIFINAL - Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) df. IrIna Petrovna NETREBA (AZE), 11-1 
SEMIFINAL - Irina RINGACI (MDA) df. Aleksandra WOLCZYNSKA (POL), 13-2 

72kg
GOLD - Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Yuliana YANEVA (BUL)

SEMIFINAL - Yuliana Vasileva YANEVA (BUL) df. Dalma CANEVA (ITA), 3-1 
SEMIFINAL - Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Evgeniia ZAKHARCHENKO (RUS), via fall 

17:37: That's a wrap for the women's wrestling semifinals. We'll take a 25-minute break and meet back here for the Day Four finals, which start at 18:00 (local time).

17:07: Marianna SASTIN (HUN), the 37-year-old Hungarian, moved into the 62kg after Katarzyna MADROWSKA (POL) injury defaulted out of the semifinals. She'll take on the winner of Valeria KOBLOVA ZHOLOBOVA (RUS) and Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR). 

17:04: WOW! Down by SEVEN points, Lysak tossed Hrushyna to her back and records the fall to move into the 57kg finals.

16:58: Anhelina LYSAK (POL) will take the mat against European Olympic Games Qualifier champion Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR). Lysak is the first of three wrestlers from Poland who we'll see in tonight's semifinals. 

16:45: We're back with the women's wrestling semifinals. These will take around an hour or so. Once the matches wrap up, we'll roll into the Day Four finals at 18:00. 

13:11: That wraps up the morning session. We'll take a break until 16:45. Semifinal action will be up first, then we'll roll right into the Day Four medal matches. 

Semifinal matches (as they come in): 

53kg 
SEMIFINAL - Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS) vs. Iulia LEORDA (MDA) 
SEMIFINAL - Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) vs. Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) 

57kg 
SEMIFINAL - Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS) vs. Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) 
SEMIFINAL - Anhelina LYSAK (POL) vs. Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) 

62kg
SEMIFINAL - 
Valeria KOBLOVA ZHOLOBOVA (RUS) vs. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) 
SEMIFINAL - Marianna SASTIN (HUN) vs. Katarzyna MADROWSKA (POL) 

65kg
SEMIFINAL - 
IrIna Petrovna NETREBA (AZE) vs. Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) 
SEMIFINAL - Aleksandra WOLCZYNSKA (POL) vs. Irina RINGACI (MDA) 

72kg
SEMIFINAL - Dalma CANEVA (ITA) vs. Yuliana Vasileva YANEVA (BUL)
SEMIFINAL - Alla BELINSKA (UKR) vs. Evgeniia ZAKHARCHENKO (RUS)

12:44: Marianna SASTIN (HUN) made her European debut in '01. She'll wrestle tonight for a spot in the 62kg finals. If he wins, she'd be guaranteed a seventh career European medal.

12:39: Prevolaraki shuts out Wendle, 6-0, and moved into the semifinals. She'll take on the winner of  Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) and Zeynep YETGIL (TUR). 

12:35: Tokyo Olympian Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) is taking on European bronze medalist Annika WENDLE (GER) on Mat B.

12:21: Kurachkina and Mathilde RIVIERE (FRA) had to wait ten minutes for their quarterfinals match but they are wrestling on Mat B.

12:14: And just like that, we're rolling into the quarterfinals.

11:57: Three-time European medalist Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS) is making her return to the Russian lineup for the first time since winning gold at the '20 Individual World Cup. Although she has three European medals, Lipatova is still looking for her first continental gold. She has a pair of silver medals and a bronze. Her most recent medal came in '19, when she dropped her finals match to Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL). 

*Dudova is wrestling for gold in tonight's finals, which start at 18:00!

11:45: '18 Eurpean champion Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) starts her day of with a massive 10-0 win over Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL). The Bulgarian just won the European Olympic Qualifier and qualified her nation for the Olympic Games at 57kg.

11:43: Looking out the bout sheet, it looks like we have around 30 matches during this morning's session so it'll be a quick one.

#Grappling

Grappling Gi: Kazakhstan, Poland emerge best teams at World Championships

By Vinay Siwach

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (October 12) -- Kazakhstan stole the show in men's Grappling Gi, winning four of the nine gold medals on the final day of the World Grappling Championships.

Alikhan ALSHINBAY (KAZ) won the gold medal at 58kg, Samat AITPANBET (KAZ) claimed a submission victory at 62kg, Sarsen ZHETIBAYEV (KAZ) defeated former world champion Iker CAMARA (ESP) 2-1 at 71kg and Ruslan ISRAILOV (KAZ) held on to a 5-2 win at 92kg.

Kazakhstan won the team title with 185 points, well clear of second-placed United States which could get only 68 points and third-placed Poland 66 points.

In women's grappling gi, Poland continued its dominance with yet another solid performance, earning it the team title. Led by returning champion Justyna SITKO (POL), Poland claimed two gold medals and 110 points overall to finish first. Kazakhstan was second with 43 points and Ukraine was third with 40 points.

Poland had five finalists with two winning the gold medals. Sitko defended her gold medal at 90kg with a 7-1 win over Alena VLASOVA (AIN) while Weronika ROT (POL) defeated Anna REMNEVA (AIN), 10-0, in the 71kg to win gold.

Alicja STYPULKOWSKA (POL) was also in the final but she came up short. Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) defeated her, 6-4, in the 53kg final. Magdalena GIEC (POL) ended up with a silver medal for the second year in a row, dropping the 58kg final 9-5 against Nikolett KIS (HUN).

In the 64kg final, Alsu IANSHINA (AIN) won via submission against Adrianna MAZUR (POL).

RESULTS

Men's Grappling Gi

58kg
GOLD: Alikhan ALSHINBAY (KAZ) df. Jerzy IZDEBSKI (POL), 4-2

BRONZE: Zhyldyzbek ABYLBEKOV (KGZ) df. Vahid ALAKBAROV (AZE), via submission (3-2)
BRONZE: Nurbek SATYBALDY (KAZ) df. Jad HERZHAFT (FRA), 12-5

62kg
GOLD: Samat AITPANBET (KAZ) df. Nurbek MYRZALINOV (KAZ), via submission (0-2) 

BRONZE: Sultan SHARIPOV (AIN) df. Guillermo GUTIERREZ (ESP), via submission (4-0) 
BRONZE: Joseph DIEHL (USA) df. Daniiar ZHAMANKULOV (KGZ), 8-3

66kg
GOLD: Giorgi RAZMADZE (GEO) df. Mayis NERSESYAN (ARM), 6-4

BRONZE: Anthony DE OLIVEIRA (FRA) df. Yurii CHERKALIUK (UKR), via submission (9-0)
BRONZE: Daulet ZHUMADULLAYEV (KAZ) df. Zack ZINZOW (USA), 3-2

71kg
GOLD: Sarsen ZHETIBAYEV (KAZ) df. Iker CAMARA (ESP), 2-1

BRONZE: Jedrzej LOSKA (POL) df. Cole MORRISON (USA), via submission (0-2)
BRONZE: Oleksandr HULIAIEV (UKR) df. Nico PULVERMUELLER (GER), 2-2

77kg
GOLD: Imam AMAGAEV (AIN) df. Adlan MADAYEV (KAZ), 6-4

BRONZE: Dmitriy MIKHAILIDI (KAZ) df. Pierre MANZO (FRA), 5-1
BRONZE: Arthur LEROY (FRA) df. Jakub NAJDEK (POL), 4-2

84kg
GOLD: Ruslan VALIEV (FRA) df. Hajimurad PURTIYEV (AZE), 6-0

BRONZE: Jeremie BLAIN (CAN) df. Bekarys SHYNGGYSBEK (KAZ), in overtime (1-1)
BRONZE: Igor DZIAG (POL) df. Samy MEZACHE (FRA), via submission (6-2)

92kg
GOLD: Ruslan ISRAILOV (KAZ) df. Mantas DAUBLYS (LTU), 5-2

BRONZE: Ramazan KUSSAINOV (KAZ) df. Borja ALVAREZ (ESP), via submission (6-0)
BRONZE: Pablo ESTEPA NIETO (ESP) df. Julian VANDERLINDEN (USA), 4-3

100kg
GOLD: Kristof SZUCS (HUN) df. Ramazan ABDRAKHIMOV (KAZ), via submission (10-2)

BRONZE: Ivan MALIN (UKR) df. Konstantin LI (KGZ), 6-1
BRONZE: Roman LUKASHEVICH (AIN) df. Pavlos VLACHOS (GRE), via submission (5-0)

130kg
GOLD: Abu GUDANATOV (AIN) df. Saulet ABUSSALIKHOV (KAZ), 2-1

BRONZE: John HANSEN (USA) df. Ioannis KARGIOTAKIS (GRE), 3-2
BRONZE: Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA) df. Akhmed GAIRBEKOV (AIN), via submission (0-4)

Justyna SITKO (POL)Justyna SITKO (POL), center, defended her gold medal at 90kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Women's Grappling Gi

53kg
GOLD: Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) df. Alicja STYPULKOWSKA (POL), 6-4

BRONZE: Zuzanna KOWALSKA (POL) df. Alina KASKINOVA (KAZ), via submission (2-2)
BRONZE: Polina KRUPSKAIA (AIN) df. Anna BEZHENAR (UKR), 3-2

58kg
GOLD: Nikolett KIS (HUN) df. Magdalena GIEC (POL), 9-5

BRONZE: Tetiana ASTAKHOVA (UKR) df. Rachel GUTIERREZ (USA), via submission (5-2)
BRONZE: Breanna STIKKELMAN (USA) df. Joanna ZABULEWICZ (POL), 4-4

64kg
GOLD: Alsu IANSHINA (AIN) df. Adrianna MAZUR (POL), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Fariza KULYNTAY (KAZ) df. Raluca ROSCA (ITA), 7-2
BRONZE: Veronika KARAKHONOVA (AIN) df. Sylwia WIERZBOWSKA (POL), via submission (5-0)

71kg
GOLD: Weronika ROT (POL) df. Anna REMNEVA (AIN), 10-0

BRONZE: Kateryna SHAKALOVA (UKR) df. Valeriia PROKOPIUK (UKR), 7-1
BRONZE: Emily GUENZLER (GER) df. Tatiana KABANOVA (AIN), via submission (0-4)

90kg
GOLD: Justyna SITKO (POL) df. Alena VLASOVA (AIN), 7-1

BRONZE: Tammy GRIEGO (USA) df. Vlada BOIAKHCHIEVA (AIN), via submission (2-2)