#WrestleSassari

Lorincz Wins Third RS Gold of the Year; Kim Locks up No.1 Seed

By Eric Olanowski

SASSARI, Italy (May 23) – Hungary's Viktor LORINCZ won his third Ranking Series gold medal of the year, while Korea's Olympic champion KIM Hyeonwoo locked up the No. 1 seed at the World Championships after winning the 77kg Greco-Roman gold medal at the Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial on the Italian island of Sardinia.

Lorinz continued to further assert himself into the discussion as one of the most dominant Greco-Roman wrestlers in the world right now. Lorinz picked up four wins on Thursday, including a convincing 5-1 victory over Turkey's Dogan GOKTAS in the gold-medal match. The one point Lorinz conceded against Gorktas was the lone point the Hungarian surrendered through his four matches on the day. 

With his four victories on Thursday, Lorinz improved his 2019 record to 13-0. Maybe more impressive, in those 13 matches this season, Lorinz has pitched eight shutouts and outscored his opponents 76-9.

Lorinz entered the tournament as the fifth-ranked wrestler in the world at 87kg but leaped Azerbaijan's Islam ABBASOV for the fourth spot with his 52 points. The Hungarian now has the world's top-ranking in his sights, as he sits 10 points behind first-ranked Zhan BELENIUK (UKR). 

KIM Hyeonwoo locked up the No. 1 seed at the World Championships after winning the 77kg Greco-Roman gold medal. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Another wrestler who has the resume to be considered one of the top Greco-Roman wrestlers in the world right now is Korea's London Olympic champion Kim Hyeonwoo. After a pair of Ranking Series bronze-medal finishes earlier this season, and his title-winning performance three weeks ago the Asian Championships in Xi'an, China, Kim reached the top of the podium in Sardinia on Thursday. 

The Korean title-winning efforts cemented him the No. 1 seed at the World Championships. Kim, who had a ten point lead over Serbia's Viktor NEMES coming into the Sassari, grabbed 18 additional points and extended his lead to 26 points heading into the final Greco-Roman Ranking Series event of the year, the Oleg Karavaev (July 26-28).

En route to Thursday's gold, Kim kicked off his day off with an impressive 8-0 destruction of returning world runner-up Tamas LORINCZ (HUN). He followed that up with a 10-2 technical superiority win over Roman ZHERNOVETSKI (ISR), which set up the gold-medal match against Hungary's Zotlan LEVAI (HUN). 

In the finals, Kim defensively threw Levai to his back and picked up four points while stuck in a Russian tie -- but that's not how the Hungarian corner saw it. Levai's coaches disagreed with the call on the mat and threw in the challenge brick. The challenge failed and gave Kim the 5-0 lead, and ultimately the match after a scoreless second period. 

Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) defeated Balint LAM, 3-0 to win the 130kg gold medal. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Turkey Wins Team Title WIth Three Champions 
Turkey finished atop the team leaderboard that featured 18 other nations. 
The Turkish squad inserted six into Thursday night's finals and walked away with three titles – which was good enough to push them 56 points ahead of second place Hungary. 

Turkey's trio of champions was Hakan CANKAYA (55kg), Mehmet CEKER (63kg), and Osman YILDIRIM (130kg). 

In the 63kg gold-medal bout, Mehmet Ceker used a spectacular throw in the closing seconds to erase a four-point deficit and steal the gold medal from Erik TORBA (HUN). 

Ceker broke the ice in the first period with a stepout and led 1-0, but surrendered four unanswered points and trailed 4-1 heading into the final 15 seconds of the bout. In the closing seconds, the Turkish wrestler left his feet in what looked like a "flying squirrel" attempt, desperately trying to reach for a front headlock. With his feet dangling in the air, Ceker locked around Torba's body and tossed the Hungarian with a reverse lift. Though the mat official asked for five points, only four were awarded, and Ceker grabbed the one-point win as time expired.

Osman Yildirm, the heir apparent to nine-time European champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR), grabbed the 130kg title, scoring three one-point moves against Hungary's Balint LAM. 

In the 55kg round-robin competition, Hakan Cankaya came out on top of a bracket where the trio of wrestlers went 1-1, but each gave up a fall in their losing efforts. Cankaya snuck past Giovanni FRENI (ITA) and Murat CANKAYA (TUR) on classification points after canning the Italian in the opening round and falling to his fellow Turkish teammate by technical superiority. 

KIM Seunghak (KOR) was one of two Korean wrestlers who won a gold medal on the first day of wrestling in Sardinia. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Kim Moves up to No. 2 After Winning His Second Ranking Series Title 
KIM Seunghak (KOR) blanked Ahmet UYAR (TUR), 5-0 in the 60kg and claimed his second Ranking Series title of the year. His first Ranking Series title came in Gyor, Hungary, at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He also received points from a fifth-place finish at the Zagreb Open, where he lost to Croatia's Ivan LIZATOVIC, 4-3 in the bronze medal bout. 

In the finals, Kim carried the 5-0 lead into the second after scoring a four-point throw and an inactivity point. After a scoreless second period, Kim walked away with the gold, 5-0. 

Kim enters the final Ranking Series event as the second-ranked wrestler in the world with 46 points. He sits 14 points behind European champion Victor CIOBANU (MDA). 

Adam KURAK (RUS) shutout world runner-up Balint KORPASI (HUN), 3-0 in the 72kg gold-medal bout. (Photo: Gabor Martin) 

Akhmedov and Kurak Give Russia Pair of Sassari Titles 
Russia's Azamat AKHMEDOV (67kg) and Adam KURAK (72kg) made sure the defending Greco-Roman world champions didn't go home without a gold medal. 

To win his second Ranking Series title, Akmedov stopped Turkey's Haci KARAKUS, 7-1. 

The Russian fell behind 1-0 after giving up an inactivity point in the first 90 second - but he stopped a gut wrench attempt and fell into a pair of front-head pinches to take the 4-1 lead. Akhmedov closed the match out with a stepout, followed by a takedown, and reached the top of the podium for the first time since winning the Haparanda Cup back in 2017.

In a rematch from last year's European Championships, Adam Kurak again came out on top against 2018 world runner-up Balint KORPASI (HUN). This time, it was with a 72kg gold medal on the line. In a somewhat one-sided match, Kurak, the 2018 European champion, picked up a takedown and an inactivity point, and shutout the third-ranked wrestler in the world, 3-0.

Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) gave the host nation their long gold medal with a 5-0 win over Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA) in the 97kg finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin) 

Italy and India With Solo Gold Medalist 
The host nation of Italy and Indian each had a wrestler win gold on the opening day of wrestling at the Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial. Italy's Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI won the 97kg gold medal, while India's Gurpreet SINGH was the top man of the 82kg bracket. 

In the 97kg finals, Kakhelashvili closed out his day with a 5-0 shutout win over No. 3-ranked  Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA). The Italian picked up three one-point scores (inactivity, stepout, and a failed challenge) and two points from a guy wrench to win, 5-0. 

At 82kg, Gurpreet Singh and Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) traded takedowns in the first period – but the Indian wrestler trailed on criteria heading into the closing period. In the second period, Singh scored a pair of takedowns, one of which he tacked on an additional point for after the Turkish corner threw in the challenge brick, and ultimately won the bout, 7-2. 

Wrestling resumes tomorrow at 10:00 and can be followed live on www.unitedworldwrestling.org. 

RESULTS 

Team Scores
GOLD - Turkey (184 points)
SILVER - Hungary (124 points) 
BRONZE - Korea (104 points)

55kg 
GOLD – Hakan Murat CANKAYA (TUR)
SILVER – Giovanni FRENI (ITA) 
BRONZE – Dogus AYAZCI (TUR) 

60kg
GOLD - Seunghak KIM (KOR) df. Ahmet UYAR (TUR), 5-0 
BRONZE - Gyanender GYANENDER (IND) df. Florin TITA (ROU), 9-0 
BRONZE - Jacopo SANDRON (ITA) df. Latuf MADI (FRA), 2-1 

63kg
GOLD – Mehmet CEKER (TUR) df. Erik TORBA (HUN), 5-4 
BRONZE – Kadir KAMAL (TUR) df. Kyunghoon KIM (KOR), 2-0 
BRONZE – Andres Roberto MONTANO ARROYO (ECU) df. Eunbin KIM (KOR), 8-4 

67kg
GOLD – Azamat AKHMEDOV (RUS) df. Haci KARAKUS (TUR), 7-1
BRONZE – Hansu RYU (KOR) df. Yasin OZAY (FRA), 9-1 
BRONZE – Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) df. Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA), 2-1 

72kg (Single bronze) 
GOLD – Adam KURAK (RUS) df. Balint KORPASI (HUN), 3-0 
BRONZE – Selcuk CAN (TUR) df. Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR), 3-1 

77kg
GOLD – KIM Hyeonwoo (KOR) df. Zotlan LEVAI (HUN), 5-0 
BRONZE – Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE) df. Gil NUGUES (FRA), 10-0 
BRONZE – Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) df. Roman ZHERNOVETSKI (ISR), 7-0 

82kg (Single bronze)
GOLD – Gurpreet SINGH (IND) df. Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), 7-2 
BRONZE – George Vlad MARIEA (ROU) df. Matteo MAFFEZZOLI (ITA), 4-3 

87kg
GOLD – Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Dogan GOKTAS (TUR), 5-1 
BRONZE –  Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) df. Singh HARPREET (IND), 8-0
BRONZE –  Gadzhimurad DZHALALOV (RUS) df. Ramon Rainer BETSCHART (SUI), 3-1 

97kg
GOLD – Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) df. Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA), 5-0 
BRONZE –  Balazs KISS (HUN)  df. Armen GRIGORYAN (RUS), 2-0 
BRONZE – Mihail KAJALA (SRB) df. Daigoro TIMONCINI (ITA), 3-1 

130kg
GOLD – Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) df. Balint LAM (HUN), 3-0 
BRONZE – Minseok KIM (KOR) df. Constantin HUTULEAC (ROU), 2-1
BRONZE – Yongmin KIM (KOR) vs. Lenard Istvan BEREI (ROU), via DSQ 

#WrestleZagreb

World C'ships Day 5 WW 53kg, 62kg, 68kg and 72kg Highlights

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 17) -- Women's Wrestling will continue at the World Championships in 53kg, 62kg, 68kg and 72kg in Zagreb.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 6 RESULTS

62kg semifinals
SF 1: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) vs. Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)
SF 2: Ok Ju KIM (PRK) vs. Amina TANDELOVA (UWW)

13:40: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) worked on five different takedowns before securing the fall over Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR) and reach the 62kg semifinals. Motoki, the Paris Olympic champion, is cashing her first world title.

13:45: Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL), a world champion in 2017, with two big headlocks in her 5-1 victory over Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA). She returns to the World Championships semifinals to face Olympic champion Motoki.

13:42: Ok Ju KIM (PRK) not only advances to the 62kg semifinals, she avenges her loss in the final of this year's Asian Championships MANISHA (IND) with a solid 8-0 victory. Kim accumulates all of her points in the first period, topping each of her two takedowns with a 2-point roll or exposure.

13:37: The activity clock is just about to run out on Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) when she not only gets a score, her 4-point arm throw sends Ana GODINEZ (CAN) sailing onto her back in their 62kg quarterfinal. Tandelova doesn't let the opportunity get away and she secures the fall at 2:02.

53kg semifinals
SF 1: Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) vs. ANTIM (IND)
SF 2: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) vs. Hyongyong CHOE (PRK)

13:32: In a battle of young stars, Jin ZHANG (CHN) and ANTIM (IND) square off in the 53kg quarterfinals. Antim gets on board with a go-behind before powering her way to another takedown for a 4-0 lead. A similar takedown for Antim and she races to a 6-0 lead. Zhang fires one back and catch Antim off guard to score two points and cut the lead to 6-2 at the break. Zhang with high pressure and gets the reward with a takedown and two lace turns for an 8-6 lead. Antim gets a reversal for an 8-7 score but she has only 18 seconds to score two points for a win. She remains calm and scores the takedown to win 9-8 for a place in the semifinals at 53kg.

13:30: Olympic silver medalist Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) gets the first takedown against Emma MALMGREN (SWE) and then turns her for a 4-0 lead. Malmgren tries hard in the second period but she can only score a takedown to make it 4-2 as Yepez wins 4-2.

14:29: Haruna MURAYAMA OKUNO (JPN) wrestles tentatively to start against a defensive opponent, Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), gaining just an activity point without taking a shot in the first period of their 53kg quarterfinal. But the three-time world champion finds an opening in the second, scoring with a single leg. She then gets behind twice as Yetgil starts to show fatigue and the Japanese advances with a 7-0 victory.

14:28: Hyogyong CHOE (PRK) continues her impressive run, storming to an 11-0 victory over Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) in their 53kg quarterfinal. Choe goes ahead in the first period with a takedown and two lace-lock rolls -- albeit the referee gave her more than ample time to execute them -- then added a takedown and exposure in the second.

68kg semifinals
SF 1: Buse TOSUN (TUR) vs. Ami ISHII (JPN)
SF 2: Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) vs. Jia LONG (CHN)

13:20: Buse TOSUN (TUR) gets the first passivity call against Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) and the Czechia wrestler leads 1-0 at the break. Tosun on board in the second period with a point before a takedown helps her take a 3-1 lead with a minute remaining. Hanzlickova gets stepout but it's too little too late as Tosun wins 3-2 for a place in the 68kg semifinal.

13:18: Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) scores two takedowns in the last two minutes of the second period, giving her a come-from-behind 8-4 victory over Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU) and a place in the 68kg semifinals. Yaneva opened the scoring with a takedown and gut wrench, only to fall behind on criteria when Zelenkykh scored a takedown on each side of the break.

13:18: Ami ISHII (JPN) and Kennedy BLADES (USA) in a big quarterfinals at 68kg. Ishii blasts with a takedown and then exposure for two more to lead 4-0 against Kennedy BLADES (USA). She uses the arm-dram to score another takedown and lace for an 8-0 lead inside the first two minutes. Blades gets on board with a stepout to make it 8-1. Both scramble but Ishii scores a takedown for a 10-1 lead at the break. Ishii takes some time but manages to power her way to the match winning takedown. A 12-1 victory for Ishii as she reaches the semifinal.

13:17: In an high-profile all-Asian clash in the 68kg quarterfinals with little action, Jia LONG (CHN) scores a takedown in the final seconds to finish off a 4-1 victory over two-time Olympic medalist Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ).

72kg semifinals
SF 1: Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) vs. Alla BELINSKA (UKR)
SF 2: Nesrin BAS (TUR) vs. Zelu LI (CHN)

13:05: Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) with four takedowns against Alexandria GLAUDE (USA) to secure a place in the 72kg semifinals with an 8-4 win.

13:03: After Nesrin BAS (TUR) receives an activity point, Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) goes on the attack as the first-period clock in winding down. Can she finish it off in time? Instead, Bas whizzers her over onto her back and completes the fall with one second to go to earn the spot in the 72kg semifinals.

13:01: Zelu LI (CHN), the Asian champion at 68kg, barges into the 72kg semifinals with a 10-0 victory over Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL). Li takes Zorigt directly to her back and, although she can't complete the fall, she adds a gut wrench. Another takedown and two more turns and she's the winner in 1:45.

13:00: Alla BELINSKA (UKR) steps over and catches Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA) flat on the mat to secure the fall at 72kg and advance to the semifinal.

12:55: In the last match before the quarterfinals, Asian champion MANISHA (IND) keeps Astrid MONTERO (VEN) at bay at 62kg. Manisha got two points for two passivity calls against Montero who scored one point for the same. But Manisha hangs on for a 2-1 victory. This also means that European champion Iryna BONDAR (UKR) will return empty-handed.

12:45: Olympic champion Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) had just made a leg attack when Nikolett SZABO (HUN) called out injured. She seemed in a lot of pain having injured her knee. She had to carried off the mat on a stretcher. Motoki advances to quarterfinals at 62kg.

12:37: Veteran Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL), eight years removed from her lone world championship, stays on track at 62kg with a comprehensive 10-0 victory over three-time European bronze medalist Veranika IVANOVA (UWW).

12:31: European champion Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) makes short work of Kseniya STANKEVICH (UWW) to advance to the 53kg quarterfinals, taking her straight to her back and recording a fall at 1:26.
 
12:28:
Jin ZHANG (CHN), last year's world silver medalist at 55kg, looks impressive in posting her second straight one-sided win at 53kg when she takes out Natalia MALYSHEVA (UWW) with a 10-1 victory. Only an activity point early on kept her from keeping a perfect sheet, but she quickly followed it with a takedown as she took a 6-1 lead at the break.

12:27: Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) scored one takedown to lead 2-1 against Roksana ZASINA (POL) and then held her fort with that lead. Zasina tried desperately for an attack but failed to score and gave up a takedown. Malmgren wins 5-1 at 53kg.

12:25: Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) cannot find a way to break the defenses of Ok Ju KIM (PRK) who scores four different takedowns in their 62kg bout to win 8-0

12:18: Jia LONG (CHN), the 2024 world champion at 65kg, gives up the big points to Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) in their 68kg match, but she piles up more than enough for a 12-6 victory.

12:17: Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA) gives up a 4-point takedown early in her 62kg clash with Johanna LINDBORG (SWE), then erupts for 13 points in the second period, including a pair of 4-pointers of her own, for a 13-6 victory. 

12:05: Ami ISHII (JPN), gunning for a second straight world title after winning last year at 72kg, continues her quest at 68kg by rolling to a 10-0 victory over Noemi SZABADOS (HUN) to advance to the quarterfinals. Ishii scores a single-leg takedown just as she receives an activity point to go up 3-0. After a second similar takedown, she goes to laces and finishes off the win ni 2:42.

12:04: Defending 68kg champion Buse TOSUN (TUR) gets the fall over Grabriela DA ROCHA (BRA) when she put her back on the mat in the second period and held on till the fall was called.

12:03: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) takes a 3-0 lead at the break in her 53kg bout against Annika WENDLE (GER). In the second period, she works a takedown and roll to make it 7-9. Another takedown on the edge puts her at 9-0 before she finishes the bout 11-0.

11:57: An upset on Mat C, as Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ), aiming for her fifth world medal but first gold at 72kg, will have to settle for bronze at best after falling 3-3 on criteria to Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ). Nurtaeva trails 2-1 after giving up a second activity point, but scores a single-leg takedown with :51 left. Bakbergenova gains a stepout to tie, but trails on criteria, and Nurtaeva fends off a final attack to clinch the win.

11:56: Asian champion Hyogyong CHOE (PRK) goes to the lace lock after a second takedown, and three rolls later she advances at 53kg with a 10-0 victory over Namuuntsetseg TSOGT OCHIR (MGL) in 2:20.

11:55: Olympic silver medalist Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) comes from 4-1 down to get a fall over Laura HERIN AVILA (CUB) and advance at 53kg. Yepez is looking to add to her bronze medal from 2023. 

11:51: A takedown and four quick lace-lock rolls and two-time Asian bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) advances at 53kg with a 10-0 win over Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP).

11:49: Sol Gum PAK (PRK) tries to score the one point she needs to beat Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) at 68kg but Yaneva defends everything that is thrown at her to win 7-6 and advance.

11:49: Two-time Olympic medalist and 2021 world champion Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) opens her campaign with a 10-0 win over Aniseta ACOSTA (ASA) at 68kg. Zhumanazarova had a pair of 4-point moves, the second coming with a hip throw that made it a 10-point difference. The match ended when Acosta fought off her back.

11:45: Kennedy BLADES (USA), the Paris Olympic silver medalist at 76kg who has dropped down to 68kg, gets off to rousing start, overwhelming RADHIKA (IND) for an 11-0 victory in 1:38. Blades gets a 4-point takedown thwarting a Radhika counter to take a 7-0 lead within the first minute. She then bulls her opponent over for a takedown, then caps the proceedings with a classic gut wrench.

11:40: Six-time Asian medalist Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL) is trailing 2-1 against Jyoti BERWAL (IND) in the second period of their 72kg bout when she does what Mongolian's do best -- hit her opponent with a headlock throw, giving her a victory by fall.

11:39: In a case of anything you can do, I can do better, LILI (CHN), a 2023 world bronze medalist at 65kg, scores three exposure tilts after a takedown to give her a 9-7 win over Birgul SOLTANOVA (AZE) at 62kg. Lili's sequence came after Soltanova had gone ahead with three consecutive 2-point lifts to counter a single-leg attempt by Lili.

11:35: After a longish defense from Hyeonyeong PARK (KOR), Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) secures the fall as Park runs out of steam.

11:28: Three-time world champion Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN), looking to fill the 53kg spot following the move up to 57kg by compatriot and Paris Olympic gold medalist Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), opens with an 11-0 victory over Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB). Murayama leads 3-0 in the second period when she scores with a snapdown takedown, then reels off four gut wrenches.

11:32: Ok Ju KIM (PRK) with a fall over Aurora CAMPAGNA (ITA) in her opening bout at 62kg. Kim just too strong for Campagna

11:30: Alexandria GLAUDE (USA) opened the scoring against Masako FURUICHI (JPN) with a stepout before getting a point for inactivity of Furuichi. The Japanese bounces back with a takedown but gives up a reversal as Glaude leads 3-2. She hangs on to that lead to upset Furuichi

11:16: World 55kg silver Jin ZHANG (CHN) works on five different takedowns to beat Felicity TAYLOR (USA), 10-0, at 53kg with 31 seconds left on the clock.

11:11: In a battle of former European champions at 68kg, 2021 world silver medalist Khanum VELIEVA (UWW) gets a stepout just moments after giving up an activity point to Yuliana YANEVA (BUL). But Yaneva dominates the second period, scoring a takedown-gut wrench combination, then putting Velieva onto her back and securing a fall at 4:31.

11:09: Nice win for South America as Astrid MONTERO (VEN) scores two takedowns in the second period to knock off European champion Iryna BONDAR (UKR) 6-4 at 62kg. Montero gets behind for an early takedown, only to see Bondar come back with a takedown and quick exposure to lead 4-2 at the break.

10:50: Two-time Asian silver medalist RADHIKA (IND) gives up a 4-point takedown to the back to Laura GODINO (ITA) at the start of their 68kg qualification bout. That appears to wake up the Indian, who comes back with a takedown and stepout to cut the gap at the break. Another takedown puts Radhika ahead 5-4, then she ends the match by muscling Godino down and over for a fall with just over a minute left.

10:45: World 72kg champion Ami ISHII (JPN), back down at 68kg, starts her bid to win her second world title with a 10-0 victory over Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR) in a minute and 31 seconds.