Oleg Karavaev Preview

Wednesday, July 24, 2019 - 18:04 By Eric Olanowski

MINSK, Belarus (July 24) --- The regular season comes to an end this weekend in Minsk, Belarus, as 175 wrestlers from 19 nations will take part in the final Greco-Roman Ranking Series event of the year, the Oleg Karavaev. The tournament’s entry list is littered with world-level talent, including 24 wrestlers who are ranked inside the top-20 of the latest Greco-Roman rankings, but it’s Emrah KUS (TUR), the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the world at 82kg, who headlines the nearly 200-man field.

The world runner-up’s weight is set to feature six ranked wrestlers -- which is the most top-20 guys entered in one bracket. Kus' most significant competition in Belarus will be Viktar SASUNOUSKI (BLR) and Rajbek BISULTANOV (DEN).

Fourth-ranked Sasunouski won a bronze medal at last year’s World Championships, while sixth-ranked Bisultanov is the reigning 82kg European champion.

Bisultanov will be looking to take down top-ranked Kus and Sasunouski for the second time this season. The Danish wrestler defeated Sasunouski, 8-1 in the European quarterfinals, then followed that up with a 5-5 criteria victory over Kus in the semifinals en route to his first continental title three months ago in Bucharest.

Kus and Sasunouski have been in several brackets together over the past year but have somehow managed to miss wrestling each other. Most recently, they were in the same bracket at the European Championships, where Kus finished in third place and Sasunouski fell to a disappointing seventh-place finish.

Other Ranked Wrestlers at 82kg
No. 7 Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV(UZB)
No. 8 Maxat YEREZHEPOV(KAZ)
No. 16Singh HARPREET (IND)

Four Ranked Wrestlers at 67kg and 130kg
A pair of other stacked weight classes to keep an eye on are 67kg and 130kg. Both weights house a quartet of the world's top-20 competitors.

At 67kg, second-ranked RYU Hansu (KOR) leads a pack of four ranked wrestlers into Minsk. The 2017 world champion is the clear favorite to win the weight -- having already won titles this season at the Asian Championships and the Hungarian Grand Prix, while also finishing in third place at the Sassari City Tournament.

Japan will be sending a pair of top-ten wrestlers who’ll try to halt Ryu’s quest of winning a second 2019 Ranking Series title. The Japanese duo who sits inside the top-ten that are making the trip to Belarus are Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (JPN) and Shogo TAKAHASHI (JPN). They’re ranked ninth and tenth, respectively. Though Shimoyamada is ranked higher, Takahashi, who was this year’s Asian bronze medalist, has already been named Japan’s Nur-Sultan world team representative.

The fourth-ranked wrestler competing at 67kg will be Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY). Elsayed, the reigning U23 world champion, is ranked 17th in the world coming into the Oleg Karavaev.

The third weight with at least four ranked wrestlers entered is 130kg.

The front-runner at 130kg is Korea’s KIM Minseok. He’s currently ranked fourth in the world but is on the verge of locking up the third seed. Kim, the returning world bronze medalists, is only five points away from passing Heiki NABI (EST) for that third slot, and will gain the advantage after collecting the six entry points if he participates this weekend.

But, to do so, he’ll have to battle three heavy hitters in Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI), and MENG Lingzhe (CHN), who are ranked fifth, sixth, and ninth, respectively.

Kim Looking for Third Ranking Series Title
KIM Seunghak (KOR), the third ranked wrestler in the world at 60kg, comes into the Oleg Karavaev with hopes of luring in his third consecutive Ranking Series title.

Kim started his season with a fifth-place finish at the Grand Prix of Zagreb, but has since won back-to-back Ranking Series golds after title-winning performances at the Hungarian Grand Prix and the City of Sassari tournament in Sardinia.

Kim is stationed 14 points behind Victor CIOBANU (MDA), last year’s world runner-up, but could pass the Moldovan wrestler if he reaches the top of the podium for a third consecutive time. A gold medal this weekend would give Kim 16 Ranking Series points -- which would give him the two-point advantage over Ciobanu heading into Nur-Sultan.

Kim’s top competition will be Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB).

The Japanese star has two world titles to his name. His most recent world title coming at the U23 age level last season, while his senior-level world title came back at the 2017 Paris World Championships.

Bakhromov is ranked 15th in the world, but that's down at 55kg.

Top-Two Matchup Brewing at 63kg
A showdown between two of the best 63kg wrestlers in the world could be on the horizon as No. 2 Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) and No. 3 Erbatu TUO (CHN) are both entered into the Oleg Karavaev.

Tasmuradov and Tuo met in Xi’an, China, earlier this year in the gold-medal bout of the Asian Championships with Tuo earning the continental title after Tasmuradov was forced to withdraw from the competition after suffering an apparent hip injury. During the time of the injury, Tasmuradov was leading 3-2 but surrendered two points from a caution-and-two and fell behind, 4-3 -- which is when he conceded the match.

The Oleg Karavaev marks the first time that Tasmuradov has competed since facing that hip injury. He comes into Minsk with a six-point advantage over Tuo, and could lock up the second seed by collecting 10 Ranking Series points.

Kuliyeu Eyeing the Fourth Seed at 87kg
Radzik KULIYEU (BLR) comes into Minsk as the sixth ranked wrestler in the world at 87kg but is in perfect position to grab the fourth seed with a podium finish this weekend.

The reason being, Hungary’s Erik SZILVASSY and Viktor LORINCZ are ranked third and fourth, respectively, but will have to forfeit one of the top-four spots because each nation can only enter one wrestler per nation into the World Championships. Hungary’s forfeiture of one of their top-four seeds will slide Islam ABBASOV (AZE) into the fourth seed, but since he’s not competing this weekend, Kuliyeu just needs nine points to overthrow the Azeri for the fourth spot.

Kuliyeu will be joined by two other top-ten wrestlers at 87kg. They are ninth-ranked Mikalai STADUB (BLR) and tenth-ranked Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB).

The first set of brackets will be released on Thursday at 17:00 and wrestling will begin on Friday at 10:30 (local time).

Austria Develops Wrestling Future at UWW Performance Centre A.C. Wals

Wednesday, June 17, 2026 - 08:50 By Jörg Richter

WALS-SIEZENHEIM, Austria (June 16) -- Anyone in Wals-Siezenheim, Austria, looking for the local wrestling centre is directed towards the fire station. Standing in front of it, you look up at the tall tower where the hoses are hung up to dry after call-outs, and at the garages housing the emergency vehicles. But the floor above the firefighters belongs to the wrestlers.

The training centre of wrestling champions A.C. Wals was inaugurated in 1994, completely renovated in 2022 and, a year later, declared the sixth United World Wrestling training centre worldwide by UWW President Nenad LALOVIC.

The former mayor of Wals-Siezenheim, Ludwig BIERINGER, visits the training centre almost daily and can recount stories about the development of the wrestling venue, as well as the sporting stronghold of Wals-Siezenheim, home to the Red Bull family.

His words, "if, by building the wrestling centre, we manage to keep even one young person away from drugs, then this investment will have been worth it,” are likely to hold just as much significance today as they did 32 years ago, when the training hall was completed.

h In Austria, wrestlers are battling against the dominance of winter sports; whilst every child knows the ski jumpers, downhill and slalom skiers, wrestlers have to work incredibly hard to also make it into the spotlight of the mainstream media.

In Toni MARCHL, the Austrian Wrestling Federation has a dedicated and passionate leader who has given himself fully to the growth of the sport. His extensive network spans business, politics, and the highest levels of international sport, including UWW European Council President Karl Martin Dittmann and UWW President Lalovic, with whom he has built a strong and trusted relationship.

AC Wals Fitness centre at A.C. Wals. (Photo: Austrian National Wrestling Centre)

Back to the training centre in Wals, which was designated a UWW higperformance centre in 2022, wrestlers from all over the world now come together to train. This naturally also benefits the ORSV wrestlers, who can now train alongside the world’s best on a selective basis – and do so at home, on their own mats. What’s more, thanks to the efforts of ORSV wrestlers can now be found in positions supported by the sports programme within the army, as well as in the police, judiciary and customs services.

A small boarding school accommodates male and female athletes from all over Austria who combine school, vocational training or work with the demands of competitive sport in Wals-Siezenheim, whilst also travelling there on an ad hoc basis for centralised training sessions.

A large team of coaches has also been established to pass on their experience to the wrestlers. Georg MARCHL (Freestyle), Jeno BODI and Amer HRUSTANOVIC (Greco-Roman), and Elena PITTL (Women's Wrestling) lead a well-trained and dedicated team of coaches, supported and supervised by sports director Benedikt ERNST, and trained in collaboration with former German heavyweight wrestler Sven THIELE. The medical sector is also well-equipped in Wals-Siezenheim, with physiotherapy and sports medicine staff.

AC Wals A.C. Wals

The UWW Performance Centre is having an impact on the larger Austrian clubs and federations, which are following its example in developing talent under ever-improving conditions, so that an ever-stronger elite is emerging from the existing base. But no champion falls from the sky, no talent becomes a world champion overnight; everything takes time.

The ORSV is firmly committed to the long-term development of its athletes, investing in homegrown talent and building a sustainable future for Austrian wrestling. This philosophy is reflected in the growth of wrestlers such as Markus RAGGINER, Daniel GASTL, Simon MARCHL, Benjamin GREIL, Johannes LUDESCHER, Aker ACHMIDT and, last but not least, 10-time international medallist Martina KUENZ.

Projects like the UWW Performance Centre in Wals-Siezenheim represent exactly the kind of investment that nurtures the next generation, creates lasting foundations for the sport, and ensures that Austria's wrestling future is built from within.

- by Jorg RITCHER, Ringsport Magazine

Oleg Karavaev Preview

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Austria Develops Wrestling Future at UWW Performance Centre A.C. Wals