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Monday's U23 World Championship semifinals set

Monday, October 23, 2023 - 08:42 By Eric Olanowski

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TIRANA, Albania (October 23) --- Welcome, wrestling fans, to Albania's capital city for the 2023 U23 World Championships--the final stop on the world championship calendar.

Day One's action will feature freestyle wrestling at 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg and 125kg.

Here are some of the biggest stars that'll be in action today:
- Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN) - '22 U23 world champ
- Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) - '22 U23 world silver
- Aaron BROOKS (USA) - '22 U23 world bronze  
- Ivan ICHIZLI (MDA) - '22 U23 world bronze 
- Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) - '22 U20 world gold
- Vasile DIACON (MDA) - '22 U23 world bronze
- Keegan Daniel OTOOLE (USA) - '21 U20 world gold

Semifinal Matches (As they come in):
61kg
Assylzhan YESSENGELDI (KAZ) vs. Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)
Ivan HRAMYKA (AIN) vs. Bashir MAGOMEDOV (AIN)

74kg
Imam GANISHOV (AIN) vs. Naveen NAVEEN (UWW)
Sonny SANTIAGO (PUR) vs. Keegan Daniel OTOOLE (USA)

86kg
Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN) vs. Benjamin GREIL (AUT)
Arslan BAGAEV (AIN) vs. Aaron Marquel BROOKS (USA)

92kg
Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO) vs. Ion DEMIAN (MDA)
Muhammed GIMRI (TUR) vs. Pruthviraj Babasaheb PATIL (UWW)

125kg
Adil MISIRCI (TUR) vs. Kumar ANIRUDH (UWW)
Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE) vs. Wyatt Avery HENDRICKSON (USA)

15:02: That'll do it for the morning session. We'll take a break until 18:00 and see you back here for the semifinals. 

14:32: Patil just ruined Vishanov's hopes of winning France their first freestyle U23 world title with a nine-point second period. More importantly, those nine points were unanswered, so after trailing 6-0, he locked up a semifinal spot with a 9-6 victory.

14:26: A sneaky storyline I'm watching is Adlan VISKHANOV's (FRA) success at 92kg. He's looking to become the first French freestyle wrestler to win a U23 world title. He leads 6-0 on Pruthviraj Babasaheb PATIL (UWW).

14:20: Aaron BROOKS (USA) picked up his third dominant win of the day. He's now outscored his opponents 24-1 on his way to the semifinals.

13:50: We're starting the quarters, so I'll update the semifinal matches as the quarter-finals wrap up.

13:39: When the United States desperately needed a freestyle heavyweight, Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA) arrived in Albania to save the day. As if Gable STEVESON (USA) and Mason PARRIS (USA) weren't enough, the Stars and Stripes now have Hendrickson throwing the competition around he's in his own league.

So far today, Hendrickson pinned Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) after scoring 17 offensive points, then just took out Nicolae STRATULAT (MDA), 14-1.

13:29: We'll only run through the quarterfinals before taking a lunch break. Then, for tonight's session, we'll only wrestle through the semifinals. The first set of medal matches won't be until Tuesday night at 18:00 (local time).

13:12: It's a shame that one of those guys had to lose because that was such a hard-fought battle for both guys. Jacob Thomas CARDENAS (USA) was relentless with attacks to both sides of the body and ultimately scored the match-deciding takedown with :30 seconds left to take out Alan BAGAEV (AIN), 4-1.

13:02: The reigning champ Shirai picked up a second win of the day, moving into the quarterfinals after scoring a 4-1 win over Morodion. Shirai picked up two inactivity points and a late takedown against the Canadian.

12:30: Down goes Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) at 74kg. He adopted the strategy of keeping it quiet against NAVEEN (UWW) in the first period. He led 3-1 till the final minute when Naveen got a takedown on the edge. Gadzhiev tries a headpinch to win the bout but Naveen defends to score two points. Naveen beats Gadzhiev 5-3  

12:15: The United States wrestlers remain undefeated so far in the morning! Keegan OTOOLE (USA) roars to life in the second period to get a 12-2 win over Krisztian BIRO (ROU) at 74kg. Then Aaron BROOKS (USA) comes out and completes a 10-0 win over Owen MARTIN (CAN) at 86kg. Unreal athleticism from Brooks in that win. 

11:55: After an opening round 8-0 win over Igor Stefan SZUCKI (POL), reigning U23 world champion Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN) will take on Joshua Philipp David MORODION (GER) in five matches on Mat C.

11:47: Reigning U23 world silver medalist Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) was just assigned to Mat C. He'll take on Andrii DZHELEP (UKR) in Bout 73.

11:36: I'm working on getting the video, but the Ganishov five on Diacon is on the list of top-five throws of the year. It's one of those throws that sends any normal human straight to the hospital.

11:25: Aaron Marquel BROOKS (USA), the top threat in the United States to dethrone David TAYLOR (USA), is up now on Mat B. He's wrestling Turkiye's Ismail KUCUKSOLAK (TUR).

11:18: It's early in the day, but Imam GANISHOV (AIN) beating U23 world bronze medalist Vasile DIACON (MDA) is the leading candidate for Upset of the Day. The Neutral Athlete picked up an 8-0 win in the 74kg qualification round, pushing him to the 1/8 final against  Stas David WOLF (GER).

11:10: Keegan Daniel OTOOLE (USA) of the United States, the '2021 U20 world champion, didn't skip a beat in his return to international competition. The offensive machine picked up five takedowns en route to the 10-0 opening-round win over Vadym KURYLENKO (UKR).

10:53: It's time to close out the 2023 calendar in style! The U23 Worlds is one of my favorite competitions of the season. Today's champions will likely bloom into tomorrow's stars. It's crazy to look back at the photos from the past few years at the U23 World Championships to see how the wrestlers have transitioned into stars and global sensations.

#WrestleTirana

Mohmadi shuts Novikov down to avenge Paris Olympic loss

Friday, February 28, 2025 - 19:23 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (February 28) -- Alireza MOHMADI (IRI) and Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) flexed their achievements in their own ways. Both acknowledged each other but a sense of supremacy also followed.

In a rematch of the 2024 Paris Olympic Greco-Roman 87kg final, Novikov and Mohmadi met in the quarterfinal of the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series to add another chapter to the exciting rivalry. While the stage wasn't as grand as Paris, Mohmadi avenged his loss from the final, blanking Olympic champion Novikov 5-0 and dominating the proceedings in the match.

Mohmadi went on to win the gold medal at 87kg after David LOSONCZI (HUN) pulled out of the final injured but the purpose of getting a match against Novikov and winning was served.

"This match was very important to me," Mohmadi said. "Wrestling against Novikov, who I wrestled in the Olympics, I expected myself to wrestle better than I did in the Olympics. I was able to win and wrestle without mistakes. I hope I can maintain this winning streak against Novikov in the World Championships as well."

Novikov won 7-0 in Paris in a very one-sided final and Mohmadi, perhaps learning from that experience from Paris where he wasn't awarded the forced par terre, began on an aggressive note. He got the par terre but failed to score and led only 1-0 at the break. However, the second period was also saw Mohmadi dominate proceedings as he scored a stepout and takedown to make it 4-0.

The world silver medalist was awarded the par terre in the second period as well which extended his lead to 5-0 but he once again failed to score. He shut Novikov down for the remaining time to win the bout.

He blew a kiss like an archer release the arrow whereas Novikov flexed his biceps, perhaps reminding Mohmadi that he is still the Olympic champion.

"I expected this match to be intense because the wrestler is both an Olympic champion and a world medalist, and a very good wrestler," he said. "But fortunately, I was able to use my opportunities well and get my points in this match."

Alireza MOHMADI (IRI) Alireza MOHMADI (IRI) defeated Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) 5-0 at 87kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Mohmadi seems to have became the mainstay for Iran at 87kg for the foreseeable future but given the international depth at the weight class, Mohmadi knows he cannot let his guard down. 

"The 87 kg weight class has many contenders, even in these competitions," he said. "With the help coaches, I work on each of them individually and plan for each of them. They will do the same because this weight class has many contenders and has always been a busy weight class."

Novikov wasn't the only big win for Mohmadi on Friday. He began with a 8-0 sweep of Tamas LEVAI (HUN) and defeated European champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) 5-1 in the semifinal.

A mouthwatering final against Losonczi was set but the Hungarian injured his elbow in the semifinal against Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) and decided to skip the gold medal match.

"I hurt my right shoulder in the semifinals," Losonczi said. "It is a little swollen. I don’t think it’s too serious and I will be fine for the Europeans, but this is why I made this decision to sit out of the finals, just to make sure it does not get worse."

In the other Greco-Roman weight class that was in action on Friday, Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) defeated Idris IBAEV (GER), 3-2, to win the gold medal at 77kg.

Ibaev raced to a 5-0 lead after getting the first par terre position but Kyrgyzstan challenged the call for a leg-foul that was confirmed on review and Ibaev's lead was cut to 1-0. Maksatbek Uulu scored a takedown just before the break to claim a 2-1 lead.

Maksatbek Uulu got the par terre in second period but did not score any point. He, however, led 3-1 before Ibaev managed to get a stepout to make it 3-2.  However, that was not enough as Maksetbek Uulu defended his one point lead till the end of time to win the gold medal.

RESULTS

77kg
GOLD: Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Idris IBAEV (GER), 3-2

BRONZE: Per Albin OLOFSSON (SWE) df. Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO), 3-3
BRONZE: Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) df. Aleksa ILIC (SRB), 7-4

87kg
GOLD: Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) df. David LOSONCZI (HUN), via inj. def.

BRONZE: Tamas LEVAI (HUN) df. Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB), 3-1
BRONZE: Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) df. Nursultan TURSYNOV (TUR), 3-1