#WrestleBelgrade

Maskevich Stuns Chakvetadze, Russia Bags 3 Gold Medals

By Andrew Hipps

Links:
Day 2 Photos
Interview with Davor STEFANEK (SRB)

BELGRADE, Serbia (December 13) -- Russia made a strong statement Sunday at the Individual World Cup, winning three of the first five gold medals, but it was a young star from Belarus who stole the show in the final match of the night in Belgrade, Serbia.

After Russia started the night 3-for-3 in Sunday's Greco-Roman finals, Kiryl MASKEVICH (BLR), a decided underdog, stepped on the mat to face Russian Olympic champion Davit CHAKVETADZE (RUS).

The 22-year-old Belarusian was poised and confident, scoring the match's first point off a passivity. He extended his lead to 3-0 when Chakvetadze did not get set in the par terre position. Maskevich then lifted Chakvetadze from par terre and executed a five-point suplay before turning him for good measure to claim a 10-0 technical superiority in the first period.

Winning gold medals for Russia on Sunday were Roman VLASOV (77kg), Emin SEFERSHAEV (55kg) and Nazir ABDULLAEV (67kg).

Roman VLASOV (RUS) after winning gold at 77kg (Photo: Kadir Caliskan, UWW)

Vlasov, a two-time Olympic champion, hit a big throw on his way to a 6-1 victory over Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) in the 77kg finals. Vlasov scored first off a passivity and then executed a five-point throw to take a commanding 6-0 lead in the first period. Levai would get one the scoreboard in the second period off a passivity but was never able to threaten Vlasov.

Emin SEFERSHAEV (RUS) became the first champ at Individual World Cup, winning gold at 55kg (Photo: Gabor MARTIN, UWW)

Sefershaev, a U23 world silver medalist, claimed the gold at 55kg with an 8-0 technical superiority over Serif KILIC (TUR), a past junior world champion. The first period saw one only one point scored as Sefershaev earned a passivity point. The Russian turned it up in the second period. He scored another point off a passivity and then used a two-point throw to go up 6-0. Sefershaev scored two takedowns in the final 25 seconds to earn the technical superiority.


Nazir ABDULLAEV (RUS) raises his arms after winning gold at 67kg (Photo/Gabor MARTIN, UWW)

Abdullaev, a 2020 European silver medalist, needed a late score to edge 2014 Youth Olympic champion Islambek DADOV (AZE) 2-1 in the gold-medal match at 67kg. The two wrestlers traded passivity points, with Dadov scoring the second one in the final period to take a criteria lead. Abdullaev kept the pressure on and earned a step-out point with 23 seconds remaining, which proved to be the difference.

Champion Balint KORPASI (HUN) and the other 72kg medalists on the award stand (Photo/Gabor MARTIN, UWW)

Balint KORPASI (HUN), a 2016 world champion and  four-time world medalist, captured the gold at 72kg with a won a hard-fought 1-1 criteria win over world No.10 Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM). Amoyan scored the first point of the match off a passivity and led 1-0 at the break. In the second period, Korpasi scored a point off passivity to take the lead and held on for the victory.

Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) and Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG) won the bronze medals at 55kg. Azizli shut out Balbai DORDOKOV (KGZ) 3-0, while Fergat topped Artiom DELEANU (MDA) 6-4.

Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) won by fall over Artur POLITAIEV (UKR) to claim a bronze medal at 67kg. Roman PACURKOWSKI (POL) defeated Khalmurat IBRAGIMOV (KGZ) 6-3 to earn the other bronze at 67kg.

Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) and Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ) won the bronze medals at 72kg.

Host nation Serbia earned two bronze medals on Sunday, with Viktor NEMES taking bronze at 77kg and Zurabi DATUNASHVILI winning bronze at 87kg. 

Also claiming bronze medals on Sunday were Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) at 77kg and Semen NOVIKOV (UKR) at 87kg.

Greco-Roman Medal Match Results

55kg
GOLD: Emin SEFERSHAEV (RUS) df. Serif KILIC (TUR) by VSU, 8-0
BRONZE: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Balbai DORDOKOV (KGZ) by VPO, 3-0
BRONZE: Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG) df. Artiom DELEANU (MDA) by VPO1, 6-4

67kg
GOLD: Nazir ABDULLAEV (RUS) df. Islambek DADOV (AZE) by VPO1, 2-1
BRONZE: Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) df. Artur POLITAIEV (UKR) by VFA, 4-4
BRONZE: Roman PACURKOWSKI (POL) df. Khalmurat IBRAGIMOV (KGZ) by VPO1, 6-3

72kg
GOLD: Balint KORPASI (HUN) df. Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) by VPO1, 1-1
BRONZE: Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) df. Valentin PETIC (MDA) by VPO1, 5-1
BRONZE: Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ) df. Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) by VPO1, 3-1

77kg
GOLD: Roman VLASOV (RUS) df. Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) by VPO1, 6-1
BRONZE: Viktor NEMES (SRB) df. Karapet CHALYAN (ARM) by VPO1, 4-1
BRONZE: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Yasaf ZEINALOV (UKR) by VPO1, 6-4

87kg
GOLD: Kiryl MASKEVICH (BLR) df. Davit CHAKVETADZE (RUS) by VSU, 10-0
BRONZE: Semen NOVIKOV (UKR) df. Hossein Ahmad NOURI (IRI) by VSU1, 12-4
BRONZE: Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) df. Fabio PARISI (ITA) by VPO1, 3-1
 

#WrestleBelgrade

Preliminary freestyle World Championship seeds announced

By Eric Olanowski

BELGRADE, Serbia (August 31) --- United World Wrestling has released the preliminary freestyle seeds for the 2023 World Championships.

The point-based seeds were determined by a wrestler's participation and placement at the 2022 World Championships, 2023 Continental Championships and 2023 Ranking Series events.

Although it's highly unlikely that the brackets play out exactly how their seeded, but if the seeds were to hold true through the finals in the top-eight seeded system, here's how the bracket will look leading up to the gold-medal match:

Quarterfinals: 
No. 1 vs. No. 8 (top side)
No. 4 vs. No. 5 (top side)

No. 2 vs. No. 7 (bottom side)
No. 3 vs. No. 6 (bottom side)

Semifinals: 
No. 1 vs. No. 4 (top side)
No. 2 vs. No. 3 (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 vs. No. 2 

*The seeds are based on the current entries provided by National Federations and are subject to change.

Freestyle seeds:

57kg
No. 1 - Wanhao ZOU (CHN)
No. 2 - Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB)
No. 3 - Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL)
No. 4 - Darian CRUZ (PUR)
No. 5 - Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ)
No. 6 - Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB)
No. 7 - Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)
No. 8 - Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO)

61kg
No. 1 - Reza Ahmadali ATRINAGHARCHI (IRI)
No. 2 - Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL)
No. 3 - Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO)
No. 4 - Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)
No. 5 - Pankaj PANKAJ (IND)
No. 6 - Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR)
No. 7 - Jahongirmirza TUROBOV (UZB)
No. 8 - Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU)

65kg
No. 1 - Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI)
No. 2 - Sebastian C RIVERA (PUR)
No. 3 - Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)
No. 4 - Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN)
No. 5 - Agustin Alejandro DESTRIBATS (ARG)
No. 6 - Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
No. 7 - Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO)
No. 8 - Bajrang BAJRANG (IND)

70kg
No. 1 - Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
No. 2 - Zain Allen RETHERFORD (USA)
No. 3 - Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM)
No. 4 - Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO)
No. 5 - Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL)
No. 6 - Servet COSKUN (TUR)
No. 7 - Ihor NYKYFORUK (URK)
No. 8 - Sanzhar DOSZHANOV (KAZ)

74kg
No. 1 - Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR)
No. 2 - Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA)
No. 3 - Tajmuraz Mairbekovic SALKAZANOV (SVK)
No. 4 - Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI)
No. 5 - Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL)
No. 6 - Mitchell Louis FINESILVER (ISR)
No. 7 - Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN)
No. 8 - Sagar JAGLAN (IND)

79kg
No. 1 - Mohammad NOKHODILARIMI (IRI)
No. 2 - Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)
No. 3 - Arman AVAGYAN (ARM)
No. 4 - Chandler MARSTELLER (USA)
No. 5 - Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ)
No. 6 - Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK)
No. 7 - Deepak DEEPAK (IND)
No. 8 - Peilong LI (CHN)

86kg
No. 1 - Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL)
No. 2 - Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
No. 3 - Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ)
No. 4 - Myles Nazem AMINE (SMR)
No. 5 - Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (IRI)
No. 6 - Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
No. 7 - David Morris TAYLOR III (USA)
No. 8 - Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO)

92kg
No. 1 - Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO)
No. 2 - Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)
No. 3 - Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)
No. 4 - Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR)
No. 5 - Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ)
No. 6 - Matthew Phillip FINESILVER (ISR)
No. 7 - Zahid VALENCIA (USA)
No. 8 - Ermak KARDANOV (SVK)

97kg
No. 1 - Kyle SNYDER (USA)
No. 2 - Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE)
No. 3 - Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO)
No. 4 - Vladislav BAJCAJEV (HUN)
No. 5 - Benjamin HONIS (ITA)
No. 6 - Awusayiman HABILA (CHN)
No. 7 - Erik THIELE (GER)
No. 8 - Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN)

125kg
No. 1 - Taha AKGUL
No. 2 - Geno PETRIASHVILI
No. 3 - Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR
No. 4 - Daniel LIGETI
No. 5 - Amir Hossein Abbas ZARE
No. 6 - BATIRMURZAEV Yusup
No. 7 - Robert BARAN (POL)
No. 8 - Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR)