#wrestlenursultan

Local Hero Zhakansha Uses New Addition to Arsenal to Top Defending Champion, Make Greco 55kg Final

Saturday, September 14, 2019 - 17:53 By Ken Marantz

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NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (Sept. 14) --- Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) figured he needed to add something new to his arsenal. What he came up with worked not only once, but twice against the defending champion, propelling him into the final of the World Championships in his home country.

Zhakansha nailed Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) with a pair of 4-point headlock throws to end his reign as the Greco-Roman 55kg champion by scoring an 11-5 victory in the semifinals before a roaring Barys Arena crowd.

“I can’t explain this feeling because I’ve been working so hard for a long time, for many years,” said Zhakansha, a two-time bronze medalist at the Asian Championships.

The medal matches in the four Greco-Roman weight classes that opened the tournament on Saturday will be held Sunday night. 

In the final, Zhakansha will face world U23 champion Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), who overwhelmed Shota OGAWA (JPN) by 8-0 technical fall in 2:57.

Against Azizli, Zhakansha went ahead 3-0 with a gut wrench off the par terre position, but the Turk scored a takedown to make it 3-2 going into the second period.

Zhakansha then stuck Azizli with his first headlock throw for 4 points. Azizli managed to gain a reversal and a roll to cut the lead to 7-5, but then Zhakansha repeated his awesome throw to clinch the victory.

“I didn’t prepare this, I didn’t think I would do this,” he said of the effective throw. “Before, I would use a back drop, but all of my opponents know that I will do it. So I tried something new.”

Zhakansha credited the partisan crowd for propelling him into the final.

“You can see that so many fans come to support us. It was almost impossible to lose. I felt like I had to win.”

Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) will look to win back-to-back world title when he takes on Rio Olympic silver medalist Shinobu OTA (JPN)   in the 63kg finals on Sunday night. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Russia, which captured six Greco golds at last year’s World Championships in Budapest, earned a shot at two right off the bat when defending champion Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) made the final at 63kg and Abulazid MANTSIGOV (RUS) followed suit at 72kg.

Georgia is the only other country with two finalists, with Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) at 82kg joining Tsurtsumia. Kazakhstan, Japan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan have one finalist each.

Maryanyan survived a tough test in assuring himself of at least a silver medal, scoring all of his points in the second period to slip past Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM), 4-2.

The lanky Galstyan scored a takedown in the first period. But Maryanyan took advantage of the par terre position to go ahead 3-2 in the second period. 

The remainder of the bout consisted mainly of locking arms, which frustrated Galstyan so much he made a challenge after time ran out, looking for a passivity penalty against Maryanyan. The challenge was denied, giving the Russian his final point.

In the gold-medal match, Maryanyan will face Rio 2016 Olympic silver medalist Shinobu OTA (JPN) in a rematch of the final at the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov tournament in February. In that match, Ota took a 3-0 lead in the par terre position, only to see Maryanyan score a reversal, then rip off five straight gut wrenches for a 12-3 technical fall.

Ota said he will be better prepared after denying Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) a place in the final with his third technical fall of the day. 

“If I can defend from the ground position like I did in the semifinal today, I don’t think it will be problem,” Ota said. “I want to go into the final tomorrow with the same feeling that led me to win all of my matches by technical fall.”

In the semifinal, Ota was put in the par terre position in the first period, but fought off Kebispayev’s attempts to turn him, leaving the score 1-0 going into the second period. Ota scored an early takedown, then used a duck under to a bear hug for 4 points. He finished off the match with a similar 4-point move for a 10-1 technical fall in 5:06. 

Abulazid MANTSIGOV (RUS) manhandled returning world runner-up Balint KORPASI (HUN) , 8-0 and moved into the 72kg finals.(Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

At 72kg, Mantsigov was similarly dominant in denying veteran Balint KORPASI (HUN) a second straight trip to the final, posting an 8-0 technical fall at 3:32. The big move was a 4-point counter of a back drop late in the first period.

Korpasi, the 2016 world champion and runner-up last year, had beaten Mantsigov in the only previous meeting between the two, in the semifinals at the 2017 European Championships.

Next up for Mantsigov---the only top seed among the four weight classes to make the final---will be Aram VARDANYAN (UZB), who scored a solid 4-1 win over 2019 world bronze medalist Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL). 

Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) defeated Nurbek KHASHIMBEKOV (UZB), 3-1 in the semifinals and will meet Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) in the 82kg gold-medal bout. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

The 82kg final will be a showdown between European silver medalist Gobadze and 31-year-old Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE), who assured himself of a first-ever medal in his eighth trip to the World Championships.

Gobadze scored a roll from the par terre position, then held on when he was put on the bottom to chalk up a 3-1 win over Nurbek KHASHIMBEKOV (UZB). 

Huseynov came out on top of a very physical struggle with Rio 2016 bronze medalist and 2019 Asian champion Saied ABDVALI (IRI), driving his opponent backward for a 4-point move with :28 left to clinch a 8-5 victory. 

The day session on Sunday will see the qualification rounds in the Greco-Roman weight classes of 67kg, 87kg and 97kg. 

Day 1 Results

Greco-Roman - Semifinals

55kg (20 entries)
Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) df. Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), 11-5 
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) df. Shota OGAWA (JPN) by TF, 8-0, 2:57

63kg (18 entries)
Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) df. Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM), 4-2
Shinobu OTA (JPN) df. Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) by TF, 10-1, 5:06

72kg (25 entries)
Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) df. Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL), 4-1
Abulazid MANTSIGOV (RUS) df. Balint KORPASI (HUN) by TF, 8-0, 3:32

82kg (23 entries)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) df. Nurbek KHASHIMBEKOV (UZB), 3-1
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) df. Saied ABDVALI (IRI), 8-5

#WrestlingHistory

Wrestling History: Who was Ivan Yarygin?

Monday, March 24, 2025 - 11:49 By United World Wrestling Press

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For most, a trip to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia on the last weekend of January each year would sound chilling. Afterall, it is one of the coldest regions on the planet.

But for the past 35 years, wrestlers from around the world attend the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in January, the tournament which kicks off the season for most countries.

The prestigious tournament sees close to 1000 wrestlers vying for the gold medals in Freestyle and Women's Wrestling. But who was Ivan Yarygin after whom the tournament is named?

Born in Kemerovo, Soviet Union on November 7, 1948, Yarygin was a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a world champion who went on to became the coach of the Soviet Union team and later the Russian national team.

In 1966, aged 18, Yarygin was stationed in Krasnoyarsk with the army and began training with legendary coach Dmitry MINDIASHVILI to polish his technique.

Famous for winning his Olympic bouts via fall, Yarygin won seven bouts at the 1972 Games in just over seven minutes. Those were days when a bout could extend till nine minutes. He pinned all seven wrestlers before time and no one has come close to matching that record.

How did Yarygin begin training in wrestling?

Yarygin played football in his village. His big built made him a perfect goalkeeper, a position he continued to play during his driving school training in Abakan. Vladimir CHARKOV, a wrestling club trainer, saw Yarygin and asked him to try wrestling. And just by chance, Yarygin began his wrestling career.

The Freestyle wrestler primarily competed at 100kg and was known for his dynamic training and ditching traditional methods in wrestling. He quickly rose through the ranks in Soviet wrestling circles. He debuted internationally in 1970 at the European Championships and finished with a silver medal. Ahmet AYIK (TUR) defeated him in the 100kg final. But Yarygin won the European gold in 1972, the first of his three continental titles.

Later that year, Yarygin participated in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and won gold medal in 100kg without giving up a single point in seven bouts. He defeated Khorloo BAYANMUNKH (MGL) and Jozsef CSATARI (HUN) in the finals round.

His results dipped after the Munich Olympics, with 1974 being a humbling year, Yarygin moved back to village. "I trained in the village every day like a peasant," Yarygin had famously said. "I chopped enough firewood for three winters ahead."

Yarygin returned and made sure he was still the winner. The gold medal in Montreal was not as simple as Munich but there was still no match for Yarygin. He went on to win the gold medal in 1976, his second in Olympic Games.

In the first bout of the 1976 Games, Yarygin faced Harald BUTTNER who had defeated him in the European Championships. However, Yarygin managed to keep Buttner at bay and won 13-5.

Yarygin's results soon declined and he failed to top the standings in USSR. He would finally make way for younger generation before the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

After his retirement, Yarygin tried his hand at coaching and administration. Yarygin was the coach of the Soviet Freestyle team from 1982 to 1992 and later became the president of the wrestling federation from 1993 to 1997. Russia hosted the 1997 World Championships in Krasnoyarsk which Yarygin led in organization.

Yarygin died on October 11, 1997 in a car accident. United World Wrestling inducted him into the UWW Hall of Fame in 2010.