#WrestleRome

Lorincz Locks up Sixth Career Ranking Series Gold Medal

Wednesday, January 15, 2020 - 20:01 By Eric Olanowski

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ROME, Italy (January 15) --- Coming into the Matteo Pellicone, Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) already owned a Ranking Series title for every finger on one hand. The 2019 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year now has to move to a second hand to count his Ranking Series gold medals after he captured his sixth career Ranking Series title on Wednesday night in the Roman seaside town of Ostia.

The Hungarian tallied 19 wins in his previous five Ranking Series appearances. With his quartet of wins on Wednesday, Lorincz improved his Ranking Series record to a perfect 23-0 with a 2-1 win over last year’s Asian silver medalist Kumar SUNIL (IND) in the 87kg finals.

“I am very happy to win this tournament. I want to continue this very good series for me. I want to win the last two qualifications (European Championships and Poland Open) because it helps my seed for the Olympic Games,” said Lorincz.

In the finals, Lorincz, last year's world runner-up, picked up an inactivity point and a stepout in the first period. He had his lead cut to a single point when he was dinged for an inactivity point himself. But the Hungarian Hammer relied on his world-renound defensive skills and hung on to win an unprecedented sixth Ranking Series title, 2-1.

“I came here to win. I had some hard matches, and I’m not where I want to be. I want to (build) my strength and power for the other tournaments.” 

Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) won his second Ranking Series title on home soil with a 5-4 win over Felix BALDAUF (NOR).(Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Kakhelashvili Wins Second Ranking Series Gold on Home Soil
Last year’s City of Sassari champion Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) edged Felix BALDAUF (NOR) in the 97kg finals and seized his second Ranking Series title on home soil. “I’m so happy that I won in my country,” Kakhelashvili said. “Today was a big tournament. I think it’s good that I won, and I felt very strong. Now I hope to win the European Championships.”

In the 97kg gold-medal bout, Kakhelashvili jumped out to a five-point opening-period lead, but surrendered four unanswered points against his Norwegian opponent and narrowly won, 5-4. “I was a little bit nervous. I thought it was a touché, but I won the match, so everything is okay.”

Sailike WALIHAN (CHN) won his first Ranking Series gold medal after dropping his two previous trips to the finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Walihan, Bakhshilloev and Mohamed Claim Remaining Three Olympic Weight Golds
The remaining trio of Olympic weight gold medals of the day went to Sailike WALIHAN (CHN), Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) and Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY), who topped the podium at 60kg, 67kg and 130kg, respectively.

At 60kg, Walihan was 70 seconds away from seeing his hopes of winning a first Ranking Series gold disappear after he allowed a three-point second-period lead dwindle to nothing against Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB). But in the end, the Chinese wrestler capitalized on a late stepout and scooped up the one-point victory. 

Walihan, a 2018 world bronze medalist, scored an inactivity point and a gut wrench and carried the 3-0 lead late into the closing frame. That all changed when Walihan’s opponent, Bakhramov, a four-time Ranking Series finalist, scored an inactivity point that was quickly followed by a two-point tight low-level gut wrench and stole the 3-3 lead on criteria.

But like the savvy veteran he is, Walihan responded when it was needed the most. He scored a stepout with just under a minute left and hung on to win his first Ranking Series gold medal, 4-3.

Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) gut wrenched Abouhalima ABOUHALIMA (EGY) and won the 67kg title, 3-1. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

In the finals at 67kg, junior world champion Bakshilloev sealed up a 3-1 win over Rio Olympian Abouhalima ABOUHALIMA (EGY) by scoring a first-period inactivity point and gut wrench.

Abdellatif Mohamed, a two-time Ranking Series finalist, only needed 83 seconds to pick up the fall against Moises Salvador PEREZ HELLBURG (VEN) in the 130kg finals. Mohamed's Wednesday night fall put him in rare company, as he joined Mohamed EL SAYED as the only other Egyptian Greco-Roman wrestler to win a Ranking Series gold medal. 

Andres Roberto MONTANO ARROYO (ECU) took down Rio Olympic bronze medalist Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR), 11-0, on his way to the 63kg title. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan) 

Ayazci and Montano Arroyo Win Nordic Golds
Dogus AYAZCI (TUR) and Andres Roberto MONTANO ARROYO (ECU) claimed the final two opening-day golds, which both came in Nordic-style brackets. Their wins came in the non-Olympic weight classes of 55kg and 63kg, respectively.

Ayazci outscored his three opponents 22-0 en route to the 55kg gold medal, while Montano Arroya’s 11-0 thumping of Rio Olympic bronze medalist Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) highlighted his run to the 63kg title.

RESULTS
50kg 
GOLD - Dogus AYAZCI (TUR) 
SILVER - Max NOWRY (USA)
BRONZE - Andrii SEMENCHUK (UKR)

60kg 
GOLD - Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) vs. Sailike WALIHAN (CHN)
BRONZE - Erbatu TUO (CHN) vs. Kerem KAMAL (TUR), 7-1 
BRONZE - Firuz TUKHTAEV (UZB) df. Sachin RANA (IND), 9-0 

63kg 
GOLD – Andres Roberto MONTANO ARROYO (ECU)
SILVER – Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR)
BRONZE – Erik TORBA (HUN)

67kg 
GOLD - Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) df. Abouhalima ABOUHALIMA (EGY), 3-2
BRONZE - Qiye TIAN (CHN) df. Ashu ASHU (IND), 9-0 
BRONZE - Anthony PALENCIA PUENTES (VEN) df. Ruben MARVICE (ITA), 10-1

87kg
GOLD - Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Kumar SUNIL (IND), 2-1 
BRONZE - Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. Josef Patrick RAU (USA), 9-0 
BRONZE - Luis Eduardo AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN) df. Patrick Anthony MARTINEZ (USA), 4-1 

97kg
GOLD - Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)df. Felix BALDAUF (NOR), 5-4
BRONZE - Mélonin NOUMONVI (FRA) df. Matti Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN), 3-2
BRONZE - Gangelo HANCOCK (USA) df. Semen NOVIKOV (UKR), 10-0

130kg
GOLD - Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) vdf Moises PEREZ HELLBURG (VEN), via fall (4:37)
BRONZE - Lingzhe MENG (CHN) df. Adam Jacob COON (USA), 4-2 
BRONZE – Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Oskar MARVIK (NOR), 3-3

#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar Open 2025 Freestyle Live Blog

Sunday, June 1, 2025 - 02:15 By Vinay Siwach

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ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (June 1) -- The fourth and final day of the Ulaanbaatar Open 2025 will see seven weight classes in Freestyle with Olympic bronze medalist AMAN (IND) returning as well.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER

14:15: Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (UWW) has a rematch with Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) after beating Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR) 12-1 in the 125kg semifinal. Mukhtur defeated Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL) 5-0.

14:05: Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) makes it to the final at 97kg and the small crowd here is all for it. He defeated VICKY (IND) 4-2 in the semifinal, a match the Indian complained of wrong score on the scoreboard.

He will face Ahmad BAZRI (IRI) in the final after the Iranian won 8-0 over Resul GUNE (TUR) in the other semifinal.

13:50: In the 79kg semifinals, Magomet EVLOEV (TJK) with a fall over Dalaitseren JAVKHLANKHUU (MGL) and Fariborz BABAEIR (IRI) with a controlled win over AMIT (IND).

13:33: Mohammadali AMOUZAD (IRI) with a last-ditch attempt to win against Aliakbar FAZLI (IRI) but his head pinch is only worth two points as he goes down 10-6 in the 70kg semifinal. Fazli trailed 4-1 but scored consistently to make it 9-4 before Amouzad got two points to exposure, too little too late. 

Konstantin KAPRYNOV (UWW) needs only two minutes and 26 seconds to finish his semifinal against Usukhbayar BAATARKHUU (MGL) and win 10-0.

13:20: Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) holds off Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) for a 3-3 win in the 65kg semifinal and enter the final in which he will face Dzhambulat KIZINOV (UWW) who proved extremely strong for Ikromzhon KHADZHIMURODOV (KGZ) and won 9-3.

13:11: Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL) takes out compatriot Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) 9-1 in the other 61kg semifinal and he will wrestle UDIT (IND) in the final.

13:10: UDIT (IND) reaches the final at 61kg with a 2-1 win over Artem GOBAEV (UWW). A takedown in the first period the difference between the two. The one point for Gobaev came from a lost challenge from India.

13:00: Another disappointing semifinal loss for India at 57kg as RAHUL (IND) falls to Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL) 6-3 after the Mongolian scored three takedowns in the first period and defended his lead.

12:55: Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) two huge four-pointers which set up his 14-11 win over AMAN (IND), the Paris Olympic bronze medalist from India. Aman maintained continued pressure and scored at regular intervals. However, Bravo Young never let the lead swell too much. Aman led 11-10 in the final 20 seconds when Bravo Young scored a takedown and turn to win 14-11, ultimately called a pin.

Semifinals begins straightaway on Mat A and B

12:45: In the final match of the qualifications round, Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) wins 6-2 against Narantulga DARMAABAZAR (MGL) in Round 3 at 125kg.

12:35: Aliakbar FAZLI (IRI) with a takedown with less than 30 seconds left in the match to claim a 5-1 win over Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) at 70kg. Fazli got a point for stepout during his activity period to take a 1-0 lead. Tumur Ochir took the 1-1 criteria lead after Fazli was called passive in the second period. However, Fazli got behind and then scored a takedown. Tumur Ochir was cautioned for fleeing but Mongolia challenged the call which was upheld and it lost the challenge making the score 5-1.

12:23: Mohammadali AMOUZAD (IRI), the twin brother of Paris Olympic silver medalist Rahman, with a clutch takedown over Vishal KALIRAMANA (IND) from disadvantageous position to win 3-2 at 70kg.

12:10: Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) with a bodylock throw for four and then laces ROHIT (IND) for an 11-0 victory at 65kg to enter the semifinals.

11:55: Iran's Ahmad BAZRI (IRI) opens his campaign at 97kg with a 4-0 win against Irbeg TAVGAZOV (UWW). Bazri will wrestle Resul GUNE (TUR) in the semifinal after he defeated Bady SAMDAN (UWW) via fall.

11:46: Magomet EVLOEV (TJK), silver medalist from Asian Championships, gets his first win of the day with a 6-0 shutout of AMIT (IND) at 79kg.

11:40: Asian silver medalist UDIT (IND) with a solid 11-0 win over Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ) in the quarterfinals at 61kg. Great defense whenever Myrzanazar Uulu tried attacks.

11:30: Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL) beats compatriot Davaabandi MUNKH ERDENE (MGL) 7-3 to book a semifinal spot at 57kg against RAHUL (IND) who defeated Abdymalik KARACHOV (KGZ).

11:20: Pan-Am champion Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) starts off at 57kg with a 12-2 win over Bekir KESER (TUR). With the win, he gets a shot at Paris bronze AMAN (IND) in the semifinals.

11:13: Zagir SHAKHIEV (UWW), the 2021 world champion at 65kg and hoping to make a comeback to international wrestling at 70kg, drops his opening bout to Konstantin KAPRYNOV (UWW). He gives up two stepouts and a takedown and scores only one stepout as Kaprynov wins 5-1. Kaprynov was silver medalist at the Yarygin tournament to David BAEV (UWW) this year.

11:10: Paris bronze medalist AMAN (IND), wrestling first time since the Games in August 2024, starts off with an 11-1 win over Almaz SAMABEKOV (KGZ). Typical Aman win where he wears his opponents out and then scores his takedowns. 

10:52: In 125kg Round 1, Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (UWW) started off well with two stepouts but world medalist Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) rallies his attacks and wins 9-1.

10:48: Olympian Georgii OKOROKOVV (AUS) was almost pulling off a huge upset against Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ), taking a 6-0 lead but his conditioning gave up on him and Myrzanazar Uulu wins 13-6 at 61kg. As it is a round-robin bracket, Okorovv will wrestle again.

10:40: RAHUL (IND) with an upset win over European U23 champion Lev PAVLOV (UWW) at 57kg. Pavlov was warned for being passive in the first period which gave Rahul the 1-0 lead. But there was no change in Pavlov's intent in the second period and was warned again which made it 2-0 for Rahul. A beautiful duck under from Rahul for a takedown extended his lead 4-0. Pavlov, who had been warned for finger-grabbing before, was cautioned again and Rahul got one point. That was all as Rahul won 5-0.

10:36: Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) begins his 57kg campaign with a 12-2 win over Jiguur SARANTUYA (MGL) which included a huge arm throw for four points.

10:30: The Ulaanbaatar Open enters its last day with Freestyle action in 57kg, 61kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, 97kg and 125kg.