#WrestleParis

Paris 2024 Wrestling Day 4: Yazdani, Lee, makes semis; Sakurai vs Maroulis set

Thursday, August 8, 2024 - 08:30 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

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PARIS (August 9) -- Freestyle action kicks off in Paris with 57kg and 86kg as Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) and Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) look to change their silver medals from past Olympics to gold. In 57kg, Helen MAROULIS (USA) is trying to do the same but world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) is in her way.

LIVE MATCH ORDER | PARIS 2024 DAY 3

13:31: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) is back in the Olympic semifinals! He got thrown for a huge four from Dauren KURGULIEV (GRE) but he comes back to break Kurguliev and win 9-4 and book a spot against Myles AMINE (SMR)

13:20: A bout for the ages as returning bronze medalist Myles AMINE (SMR) beats Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) 16-14 to book his spot in the semifinal! Nurmagomedov took the lead using a leg lace but Amine hit the same and reclaimed the lead. At 16-12, Amine was happy to keep his distance from Nurmagomedov even if that meant giving up a takedown.

13:08: Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) pins Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) in the second period. What a win for Ramazanov and he moves into the semifinal at 86kg. He will face Aaron BROOKS (USA) for a spot in the final

13:06: Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) with a first-period fall of Giullia PENALBER (BRA) to book her spot in the women's 57kg semifinals. The former 59kg world champion will face Hong.

13:04: Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) gets a 4-point counter and three takedowns in a 12-5 victory over Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) and he's into the freestyle 57kg semifinal and a date with Lee.

13:00: Kexin HONG (CHN) wins a thriller in the women's 57kg quarterfinals over Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR), finishing off the Nigerian with a cradle for a fall with :44 left after she had just surrendered the lead. Adekuoroye strikes first with a pair of takedowns, but Hong responds with a takedown and three lace-lock rolls to go up 8-4. In the second period, Adekuoroye goes ahead on criteria with a takedown and lace lock, but Hong strikes back by getting her into a cradle and securing the fall.

12:55: Aaron BROOKS (USA) is on mission today! He takes out Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) 11-1 at 86kg. The pace of that bout was unreal and completely broke Ishiguro

12:51: Helen MAROULIS (USA) scores three takedowns and she's into the women's 57kg with a 7-4 victory over Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR). She will face Sakurai in a rematch of the semifinals at last year's worlds in Belgrade, which Sakurai won 6-0.

12:49: Spencer LEE (USA) gives up an early takedown to Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) in their freestyle 57kg quarterfinal, but then he gets to work. He twice gets a takedown-exposure combo, then finishes off a 12-2 win with a 4-point takedown with 58 seconds left in the first period.

12:45: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) has been spotted. He begins with a 10-0 win over Jayden LAWRENCE (AUS) who has scored two points over Yazdani at the World Championships.

12:41: AMAN (IND) earns a clash with Higuchi in the freestyle 57kg semis after using the lace lock to chalk up a 12-0 victory over Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB).

12:39: Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) is at her dominating best, piling up the points with both offensive and defensive takedowns and a pair of stepouts against Luisa VALVERDE (ECU). When it hits 11-0, she is in the middle of applying an arm bar that puts Valverde onto her back for a fall at 4:35.

12:28: Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) is coming in hot! He moves into the quarterfinals with an 11-0 win over Ethan RAMOS (PUR). His likely quarterfinal opponent -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)

12:33: Rio Olympic silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) takes the mat for the first time in the freestyle 57kg quarterfinals after his first-round opponent, Alireza SARLAK (IRI), failed to make weight. Higuchi dominates Darian CRUZ (PUR), scoring with some creative exposures to finish off a 12-2 victory early in the second period.

12:30: World silver medalist Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) easily gets past Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER) 9-0 to secure a place in the women's 57kg quarterfinals.

12:26: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) makes his Olympic debut with a win over Bat Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL) at 86kg. A top 12-2 win to advance to the quarterfinals.

12:22: Three-time world bronze medalist Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) grabs the final place in the freestyle 57kg quarterfinals with a 13-3 win over Roman BRAVO (MEX).

12:19: Giullia PENALBER (BRA) makes short work of Rckaela AQUINO (GUM), slamming to her back for a 4-point takedown and securing the fall in 1:02 to advance at women's 57kg.

12:16: Returning bronze medalist Myles AMINE (SMR) shows why he is a threat. Top defense as he beats Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) 7-4 to move into the quarterfinals at 86kg.

12:15: Kexin HONG (CHN), a winner this year in Budapest and Zagreb, wins a lively clash with Khongorzul BOLDSAIKHAN (MGL), advancing at women's 57kg with a 16-12 victory. Hong takes an 8-0 lead, but Boldsaikhan cuts the lead to 2 in the second period. Hong puts up 6 with a takedown-lace lock combination, only for Boldsaikhan to get 4 with a counter lift. But Hong gets a final 2-point exposure to notch the win.

12:11: Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) gets a 4-point throw in the first period, then gets a pair of exposures countering a front headlock roll in the second in an 11-4 win over Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) at freestyle 57kg.

12:04: World bronze medalist Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR), looking for her first Olympic medal in a thrid appearance, advances at women's 57kg by injury default when Chaimaa AOUISSI (ALG) suffers a head gash and is unable to continue.

12:02: Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL) pulls out his 'A' game to beat Alexander MOORE (CAN) 12-2 in the opening round. He will face Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) who defeated Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) 5-2 in the other bout.

12:00: Spencer LEE (USA), competing on a top world stage for the first time since winning back-to-back world junior titles in 2015-16, scores a takedown and activity point in the first period, and holds on for a 3-2 win over Wanhao ZOU (CHN) at freestyle 57kg. Zou gets a pair of stepouts late in the second period but just ran out of time.

11:59: In a wild clash of 2022 world bronze medalists, Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) rallies out of an eight-point hold to defeat Anhelina LYSAK (POL) 16-13 at women's 57kg. Lysak had three 4-point moves and led 13-5 when Hrushyna Akobiia hit a 4-pointer of her own. In the final 30 seconds, she picked up a takedown and a stepout to go ahead, then added a late takedown. Whew!

11:47: Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) scores a second-period takedown with Asian bronze medalist Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) on the activity clock to take a 3-1 lead, then adds a stepout for a 4-1 victory at freestyle 57kg.

11:45: Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) has no trouble disposing of Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG) via technical superiority and sets up a 86kg quarterfinal with Aaron BROOKS (USA).

11:41: Helen MAROULIS (USA), looking for her second Olympic gold and third medal overall, repeats her victory from the 2021 world final over ANSHU (IND) to advance to the women's 57kg quarterfinals 7-2. Maroulis uses an effective single-leg attack to score three takedowns

11:38: Aaron BROOKS (USA), who defeated David TAYLOR (USA) in the U.S. trials, gave up an early stepout but bounced back with two takedowns and beat top seed Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) 4-1 in the opening round at 86kg. 

11:36: Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS), only the third wrestler in Guinea-Bissau history to appear in the Olympics, looks like a seasoned pro in taking a 6-0 lead against world bronze medalist Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) at freestyle 57kg. But the match is six minutes, and Abakarov comes back with two takedowns, adding a lace lock after the second. An unsuccessful challenge adds a point as Abakarov advances 7-6.

11:33: An impressive start for Luisa VALVERDE (ECU), who opens with a 4-point takedown against Aurora RUSSO (ITA) at women's 57kg, then scores a takedown to the back and secures the fall at 2:34.  

11:27: Two-time reigning world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) opens her Olympic debut at women's 57kg with an activity point, then a slick ankle pick for a takedown against Hannah TAYLOR (CAN), but gets reversed going for a lace lock. She adds a stepout and another takedown in the second period for a hard-fought 6-1 win.

11:26: 2023 Asian champion AMAN (IND) uses a shrug-by to get behind Russian-born 2021 European champion Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) for the clinching takedown in a 10-0 win at freestyle 57kg.

11:17: Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) spots Dominique PARRISH (USA) a four-point lead in their women's 53k repechage, then storms back to go ahead 10-4 with a back trip before latching onto a cradle for a fall.

11:14: Darian CRUZ (PUR) picks up a big win for the Caribbean nation, locking up Gamal MOHAMED (EGY) in a cradle and securing the fall in their freestyle 57kg opener.

11:09: Luis ORTA (CUB), denied in his bid for a second straight Olympic gold, will get a chance for a bronze after storming to a 9-0 victory over Ishak GHAIOU (ALG) in the 67kg repechage.

11:08: Hyogyong CHOE (PRK) stays on track to give the DPR Korea its first-ever women's Olympic medal with an 11-0 repechage victory over European champion Andreea ANA (ROU) at 53kg. Choe will take on Annika WENDLE (GER).

11:04: In the opening match on Mat A, Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) uses an arm throw for a quick 4-pointer, then lifts and throws Mate NEMES (SRB) for 4 more and an 8-0 win in their Greco 67kg repechage. He will face Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) in a bid for Kyrgyzstan's third bronze medal in Greco later tonight.

10:45: We are beginning with Freestyle at Paris 2024 in two weight classes and women's wrestling will continue with 57kg.

#WrestleTirana

World Championships: Azizli wins record fourth title, leads Azerbaijan's golden run

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 - 22:17 By Ken Marantz

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TIRANA, Albania (October 29) -- In leading a golden night for Azerbaijan, Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) became the country's most successful wrestler on the world stage.

Azizli won his fourth consecutive world title at Greco 55kg, one of three golds won by Azerbaijan on the first night of finals at the Non-Olympic Weight Categories World Championships on Tuesday in Tirana.

Azerbaijan also got golds from Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) at 63kg and Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) at 72kg, while Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) took the other Greco title at stake at 82kg to claim an elusive world gold after having previously settled for three bronzes.

In the 55kg final, Azizli defeated 2023 bronze medalist Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) for the fourth time in four career meetings, but this one was the closest as he won 1-1 on last-point criteria after each received a passivity point.

"I have met the Iran wrestler before and we know each other well," Azizli said. "That is why it was close. I have beaten him four times and but this time it was closer."

It was an ironic defeat for Dad Marz, who had been on the winning end of the same scoreline in his two previous matches. In their most recent encounter at the Budapest Ranking Series in June, Azizli had bested the Iranian 6-1.

By winning his fourth world title, the 32-year-old Azizli eclipsed the national record of three held by freestyle great Haji ALIYEV (AZE), who won golds in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Aliyev also has two Olympic medals, a prize that Azizli is unable to attain on the current Olympic program.

Looking ahead, Azizli said he would like to win his fifth world Greco gold, a milestone reached by 16 wrestlers, topped by the 12 of Russian legend Aleksandr KARELIN (RUS).

"I don't know what the future holds, but I would like to win five world gold medals," he said. "I will not be at the Europeans [next year], but I will try to win a fifth world title and finish my career."

In a battle of reigning continental champions, Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) took advantage of some impatience on the part of Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ), scoring twice by stopping throw attempts for a 6-1 victory in the 63kg final.

After keeping Asian champion Zharlykassyn from scoring from par terre in the first period, Mammadli, the European 60kg champion, went ahead by stuffing a back suplex attempt, adding a roll to go ahead 4-1.

When Zharlykassyn tried a front headlock throw at the edge, Mammadli pressed forward and sent him tumbling back for another 2 to put the match out of reach.

At 72kg, Ganizade kept the Azeri juggernaut going and improved on his silver medal from 2022 by dethroning defending champion Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) 3-2.

Ganizade had won a 7-7 nail-biter over Ghanem in the final at the 2023 European Championships, and Tuesday's clash was just as tense. Ganizade was put on the bottom of par terre in the first period, but grabbed Ghanem's head and stopped a roll attempt for a 2-point exposure.

Ghanem received a second passivity point in the second period to make it 2-2, but remained behind on criteria. Perhaps learning a lesson from the first period, he chose to remain standing instead of taking another shot at par terre.

In the end, he could not break down the defenses of Ganizade, who gained a third point when Ghanem unsuccessfully challenged for what he claimed was a grabbed singlet.

In the 82kg final, Geraei was not to be denied in his first chance at world gold, as he stormed to a 9-0 victory over a shell-shocked Erik SZILVASSY (HUN).

"After eight years, I finally got to experience the world finals," Geraei said. "I’m truly happy from the bottom of my heart because I could make my fans and family happy, especially my dear wife 
who stood by me in tough times and understood me, as well as my parents and all my fans.

"I'm grateful to them; they have always been there for me and supported me, and I dedicate this medal to them."

Geraei, normally a 77kg wrestler who was competing at the heaviest weight of his career, encountered no problems handling the extra bulk against Szilvassy, a winner of international tournaments this year in Zagreb and Budapest.

After a quick stepout, Geraei stopped an attempted throw by Szilvassy for a takedown, then transitioned immediately to a gut wrench. An unsuccessful challenge by the Hungary side padded Geraei's lead to 6-0 just a minute into the match.

Geraei, who finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics but missed the Paris Games due to a suspension, then completed a snap-down, go-behind takedown to finish the match in 1:35 and add the world gold to the bronzes he won at 71kg in 2017 and at 77kg in 2019 and 2021.

"I thought this competition would be really tough, but thank God it ended up being easy," Geraei said. "These past two or three years have been difficult for me, and due to certain circumstances, I couldn't participate in the Olympics and missed out on it. But I hope with this medal I won, I can pave my way to the [next] Olympics and achieve the best medal and my dream."

Serbia's Arsalan takes bronze in 30-point thriller

In the bronze-medal matches, Iranian-born Ali ARSALAN (SRB) picked up his third straight world medal, and he certainly earned it when he rallied to a wild 16-14 win over Hayk MELIKYAN (ARM) at 72kg.

In a thriller filled with big throws and slick counters, Arsalan fell behind 10-5 in the first period. But the 2021 world champion came back in the second with a pair of 4-pointers, the second with 12 seconds to go that was enough for the victory even after Melikyan reversed him for 2.

The other 72kg match was not as high-scoring but was just as entertaining, as Otar ABULADZE (GEO) connected on a pair of 4-point headlock hip throws to defeat Asian bronze medalist Ji LENG (CHN) 9-5 for his first major medal since winning a world cadet bronze in 2017.

Two-time European bronze medalist Denis MIHAI (ROU) added a world bronze by holding on to defeat Haifeng ZHANG (CHN) 8-5 at 55kg. Mihai scored two stepouts and two rolls from par terre for a 7-0 lead, then survived a second-period surge from the Chinese.

Emin SEFERSHAEV (AIN), a silver medalist in 2021, picked up the other 55kg bronze after scoring six points in the first period and holding on for a 7-5 victory over European bronze medalist Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM).

At 63kg, Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) sent Abu AMAEV (BUL) flying all over the mat before he knew what hit him, throwing him four times with a front headlock for an 8-0 victory in 30 seconds. A challenge negated one throw but revised two others to 4-pointers to produce the same result.

Aslanyan, who defeated reigning champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO) and newly crowned world U23 champion Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) before losing to Mammadli in the semifinals, had seen little international action since placing ninth at 67kg at the Tokyo Olympics. But now he has a world bronze to go with three European ones he won from 2018 to 2020.

Sadyk LALAEV (AIN), a European bronze medalist at 60kg, took home the other 63kg bronze without a fight as Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) was forced to default due to injury.

At 82kg, Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) prevented Azerbaijan from medaling in every weight class, denying two-time European U23 champion Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) a senior world bronze with a solid 8-1 victory.

Yilmaz, who normally competes at 77kg, started off with three stepouts before clinching the deal with a classic 4-point throw from par terre for his first major medal on any level.

European bronze medalist Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) gave Japanese teenager and senior Asian champion Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) a lesson on the big stage, rolling to a 10-2 victory for the other 82kg bronze.

Yoshida, the 2023 world U17 champion, got an opening takedown, but could offer little resistance when Bolkvadze got behind for a takedown and added a gut wrench. The Georgian then used an arm drag for another takedown, and two gut wrenches ended the match at 2:40.

Greco-Roman Results

55kg (16 entries)
GOLD: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Poya DAD MARZ (IRI), 1-1

BRONZE: Denis MIHAI (ROU) df. Haifeng ZHANG (CHN), 8-5
BRONZE: Emin SEFERSHAEV (AIN) df. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 7-5

63kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ), 6-1

BRONZE: Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) df. Abu AMAEV (BUL) by TF, 8-0, :30
BRONZE: Sadyk LALAEV (AIN) df. Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) by Inj. Def.

72kg (28 entries)
GOLD: Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) df. Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), 3-2

BRONZE: Ali ARSALAN (SRB) df. Hayk MELIKYAN (ARM), 16-14
BRONZE: Otar ABULADZE (GEO) df. Ji LENG (CHN), 9-5

82kg (28 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) df. Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) by TF, 8-0, 1:35

BRONZE: Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) df. Gurban GURBANOV (AZE), 8-1
BRONZE: Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) by TF, 10-2, 2:40