#kaspeuro2018

Olympic Champions Collide to Close Out #KaspEuro2018

Sunday, May 6, 2018 - 07:47 By Eric Olanowski

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KASPIISK, Russia (May 6) – Olympic champions Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) and Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) are set to collide on Sunday night at 6:00 PM (local time) in Dagestan, Russia for the 2018 European gold medal at 92kg. 

Russia claimed three gold medals, while Azerbaijan claimed the remaining two on the sixth day of competition at The Palace of Sport and Youth. The host nation has three wrestlers competing for gold, while Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey each have a pair of day seven finalists. France claims the remaining finalist spot to close out the 2018 European Championships. 

Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) will take on Georgia’s Beka LOMTADZE for the 61kg European gold medal.

61kg
Reigning European champion, Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) will take on Georgia’s Beka LOMTADZE in the 61kg gold medal bout on Saturday night.

Rashidov, the 2017 world finalist took down Recep TOPAL (TUR) in their semifinal bout, 4-0. The 2016 European champion will be making his second European finals appearance. 

Lomtadze, the 2015 European Games runner-up stopped Azerbaijan’s Mirjalal ZADA by a technical superiority in the second semifinal at 61kg.

GOLD - Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) vs. Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) 

Semifinals - Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) df. Recep TOPAL (TUR), 4-0
Semifinals - Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) df. Mirjalal ZADA (AZE), 12-0

Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) will look to win back-to-back 74kg European titles. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

74kg 
Reigning 74kg European champion Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) will wrestle France’s Zelimkhan KHADJIEV for the gold medal at 74kg. 

Demirtas locked up his finals birth by scoring a step out on 2017 world champion, Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA) as time expired. This one-point action gave the Turkish wrestler the 3-3 lead on criteria after outscoring the Italian 3-0 in the final minute of the bout. 

GOLD - Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) v. Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA)

Semifinals - Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) df. Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA) 
Semifinals - Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA) df. Andrei KARPACH (BLR)

86kg 
Russia’s Artur NAIFONOV will compete against Aleksandr GOSTIYEV (AZE) in the 86kg gold-medal bout. 

This will be the Russian’s first time in the finals of a European Championship, while the Azerbaijani is making his third consecutive trip. 

Though he’s made three consecutive trips, Gostiyev is still looking for his first continental gold medal. 

GOLD - Aleksandr GOSTIYEV (AZE) vs. Artur NAIFONOV (RUS)

Semifinals - Artur NAIFONOV (RUS) df. Fatih ERDIN (TUR), 4-2
Semifinals - Aleksandr GOSTIYEV (AZE) vs. Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO), 6-0 

Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) will be looking for his fourth European title. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

92kg 
At 92kg, 2016 Olympic champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) and 2012 Olympic champion Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) will collide for the top spot. These two met in the semifinals of the 2016 Olympic Games where Sadualev was the victor, 8-1. 

A victory for Sadulaev, the two-time world champion, would give the hometown favorite his fourth European Championship, while a victory for Sharifov would give him his first. 

GOLD - Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) vs. Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE)

Semifinals - Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) df. Irakli MTSITURI (GEO), 12-2 
Semifinals - Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) vs. Serdar BOKE (TUR), 10-0 

Taha AKGUL (TUR) and Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) will wrestle in a rematch of the 2017 world championships where the Georgian claimed his world first gold medal. 

125kg 
The 125kg superstar duo of Taha AKGUL (TUR) and Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) will again close out the European Championships. 

The pair has accounted for every European gold medal dating back to 2012, and every world or Olympic gold medal dating back to 2014.

They last met in the 2017 world finals where the Georgian defeated the Turkish wrestler in what is considered one of the greatest freestyle heavyweight wrestling matches in history.

GOLD - Taha AKGUL (TUR) vs. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)

Semifinals - Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS), 3-0. 
Semifinals - Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) df. Robert BARAN (POL), 10-0 

#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar Open 2025: Day 1 highlights and recap

Thursday, May 29, 2025 - 02:33 By Vinay Siwach

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ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (May 29) -- The third Ranking Series event, Ulaanbaatar Open, gets underway in the Mongolian capital. Seven Greco-Roman weight classes will be in action on Thursday.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | ULAANBAATAR OPEN PREVIEW

13:05: Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) goes big from par terre and scores eight points before getting two points for a leg foul from Sumiyabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) to win 11-0. He will take on Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) in the final. Yilmaz had beaten Maksatbek Uulu 11-3 in the round-robin bout earlier

13:02: Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) takes just a minute to beat Nishant PHOGAT (IND) 9-0 in the first semifinal at 77kg. He will wrestle for gold.

13:00: The semifinals, only two in 77kg, will begin now. Nishant PHOGAT (IND) vs Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) and Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) vs. Sumiyabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) 

12:20: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) gets the par terre and then turn Mustafa SAHIN (TUR) for a 3-0 lead in his Round 5 bout at 72kg. He then defends his position from par terre and wins 3-1. He will take home 8000 ranking points.

12:05: NITESH (IND) reverses the par terre position to get a point after Uzur DZHUZUPEKOV (KGZ) scores two turns from par terre. Nitesh gets a turn from par terre to make it 5-3. A par terre position in second period for Nitesh but no points scored. With the score 5-4, Dzhuzupekov defends his lead and wins at 97kg

11:50: Asian champion Danial SOHRABI (IRI) with a big suplex and beats Ankit GULIA (IND) to top his group at 72kg. He will have his Round 5 match against Mustafa SAHIN (TUR) which will be a virtual gold medal bout.

11:40: Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) with an 11-1 win over Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) at 77kg to confirm his semifinal spot. Yilmaz is a bronze medalist from the European Championships.

11:25: Asian silver medalist Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) holds off Murat FIRAT (TUR) 5-1 at 67kg. Solid win for Beishekeev. His compatriot Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) rolls to a 9-0 win over Lkhagvasuren DASHJAMTS (MGL) at 77kg.

11:20: Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) with another injury pull out at 82kg. Shahin BADAGHI (QAT) gets the victory.

11:10: Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) waits for the second period to unleash the gut-wrench as he beats  Bat-Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL) 9-1 in the 97kg Round 2 bout.

11:05: Yryskeldi KHAMZAEV (KGZ) was down 3-2 against Ankit GULIA (IND) but bounces back with takedowns and two rolls to win 8-3 in Round 2.

11:00: Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) comes on the mat but pulls out of the bout against PRINCE (IND) at 82kg. But he doesn't submit the injury report so we may see him again in later rounds.

10:50: Paris Olympic bronze medalist at 97kg Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) starts off a little rusty against Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) and gives up six points. But he manages to score at the right time using gut-wrenches and wins 10-6.

10:48: World U23 champion Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) with two front throws to stun NEERAJ (IND) 9-0 at 67kg. Remember these are round-robin matches and not eliminations.

10:45: Injury scare for Turkiye as Alperen BERBER (TUR) pulls out of his match against Karan KAMBOJ (IND) at 87kg. Berber got the par terre and got two front rolls for a 5-0 lead before a reversal and roll made it 5-3 as Berber held his hamstring in pain. He tried continuing but Kamboj pushed him for a stepout and Turkiye coach called to pull out due to injury.

10:40: Another quick finish at 72kg as Asian champion Danial SOHRABI (IRI) rolls to a technical superiority win over Zandanbat BATSAIKHAN (MGL). Sohrabi looking to gather those points for a better seed at the World Championships.

10:35: Mehmet SAHIN (TUR) with a 9-0 win over Yryskeldi KHAMZAEV (KGZ) in Round 1 of the competition. Six weight classes have round-robin competition while 77kg has Nelson system with two groups.

10:30: Welcome to day one of the competition at the Ulaanbaatar Open with seven Greco-Roman weight classes -- 55kg, 67kg, 72kg, 77kg, 82kg, 87kg and 97kg.