Poland Prise Pair of Women's Golds at #PolandOpen

Saturday, September 8, 2018 - 20:09 By Eric Olanowski

WARSAW, Poland (September 8) – Roksana ZASINA (POL) and Agnieszka WIESZCZEK-KORDUS (POL) helped the host nation, Poland, capture two of the possible five women’s wrestling gold medals that were up for grabs on the second day of the final Ranking Series event of the year.

Roksana Zasina, the No. 8 ranked wrestler in the world, gave Poland their first gold medal of the day after scoring a 6-2 win over U23 world bronze medalist Tetyana KIT (UKR) in the 55kg gold-medal match.

Zasina won her second straight Poland Open title, but more importantly, she stopped Kit from capturing her first Ranking Series gold medal. Kit has competed in three of the four Ranking Series events and has finished with two silvers and a bronze medal.

At 72kg, Wieszczek-Kordus handed Poland their second women’s wrestling gold medal after sticking WANG Kunming (CHN) in the gold-medal match. It took Wieszczek-Kordus four tries, but she finally grabbed the gold medal that she’s been chasing since 2012.

Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) knocked off the No.1 ranked wrestler in the world to win the Poland Open title at 65kg. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN), Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS), and Mariya STADNIK (AZE) won the final women’s wrestling gold medals.

In the 65kg finals, Danielle Lappage stunned the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the world, Petra OLLI (FIN), 3-2. Lappage handed Olli her first loss since January’s Ivan Yarygin. Since January, Ollie has won gold medals at the Klippan Lady Open, the International Ukrainian Tournament, and the European Championships.

Stadnik gabbed her second gold medal of the season, defeating Ilona SEMKIV (UKR) in the 50kg gold-medal bout. Stadnik, the Klippan Lady Open runner-up, and European Championship gold medalist scored her fifth technical superiority victory of the tournament, improving her 2018 record to 12-1. Her only loss in 2018 was against reigning world champion, Yui SUSAKI (JPN).

Svetlana Lipatova claimed the final gold medal with an injury default win over 2017 world runner-up, Marwa AMRI (TUN).

RESULTS
Women's Wrestling
50kg
GOLD - Mariya STADNIK (AZE) df. Ilona SEMKIV (UKR), 13-2

BRONZE - Whitney CONDER (USA) df. Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RUS), 6-4
BRONZE - Jessica Anne Marie MACDONALD (CAN) df. Emilia Alina VUC (ROU), via injury default

55kg
GOLD - Roksana ZASINA (POL) df. Tetyana KIT (UKR), 6-2

BRONZE - Zalina SIDAKOVA (BLR) df. Olga SHNAIDER (UKR), 4-0
BRONZE - Sofia MATTSSON (SWE) df. Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA), 10-0

59kg
GOLD - Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS) df. Marwa AMRI (TUN), 0-0

BRONZE - Olena KREMZER (UKR) df. Hanna VAHER (BLR), 4-0
BRONZE - Lingling BAO (CHN) df. Laura Sofia AAK (NOR), via fall

65kg
GOLD - Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) df. Petra Maarit OLLI (FIN), 3-2

BRONZE - Forrest Ann MOLINARI (USA) df. Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), via fall
BRONZE - Moa NYGREN (SWE)df. Chuying TANG (CHN), 6-2

72kg
GOLD - Agnieszka Jadwiga WIESZCZEK-KORDUS (POL) df. Kunming WANG (CHN), via fall

BRONZE - Catalina AXENTE (ROU) df. Patrycja SPERKA (POL), 3-1
BRONZE - Alexandra Nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU) df. Nikoletta Renata SZMOLKA (HUN), 10-0

Freestyle
57kg
GOLD - Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB) df. Givi DAVIDOVI (ITA), 10-0

BRONZE - Georgios PILIDIS (GRE) df. Frank Vincent PERRELLI IV (USA), 12-6
BRONZE - Nurislam (Artas) SANAYEV (SANAA) (KAZ) df. Adrian Jakub WAGNER (POL), via fall.

65kg
GOLD - Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) df. Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO), via injury default

BRONZE - Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) df. Jordan OLIVER (USA), , via forfeit
BRONZE - Dimitar Lyubomirov IVANOV (BUL) df. Hasibagena HASIBAGENA (CHN), 6-2

74kg
GOLD - Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) df. Wei WU (CHN), 12-2

BRONZE - Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ) df. Nurlan BEKZHANOV (KAZ), 7-1
BRONZE - Andrzej Piotr SOKALSKI (POL) df. Jonatan ALVAREZ DIAZ (ESP), via forfeit.

86kg
GOLD - Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) df. Samuel BROOKS (USA), 2-2

BRONZE - Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA) df. Lars SCHAEFLE (GER), 10-0
BRONZE - Piotr IANULOV (MDA) df. Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ), 8-3

97kg
GOLD - Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) df. Mamed IBRAGIMOV (KAZ), 10-0

BRONZE - Chaoqiang YANG (CHN) df. Pavlo OLIINYK (HUN), via injury default

Greco-Roman
63kg
GOLD - Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) df. Nikolay Ivanov VICHEV (BUL), 4-0

BRONZE - Hassan Hassan Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) df. Virgil Alexander BICA (SWE), 8-0

72kg
GOLD - Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) df. Denis HORVATH (SVK), 9-0

BRONZE - Daniel Mattias SOINI (SWE) df. Shogo TAKAHASHI (JPN), 7-1
BRONZE - Mikko Petteri PELTOKANGAS (FIN) df. Joilson DE BRITO RAMOS JUNIOR (BRA), 5-1

82kg
GOLD - Emrah KUS (TUR) df. Oleksii OSNIACH (UKR), 6-4

BRONZE - Daniel Tihomirov ALEKSANDROV (BUL) df. Edgar BABAYAN (POL), 6-2
BRONZE - Jarno Krister AALANDER (FIN) df. Petr NOVAK (CZE), 4-3

97kg
GOLD - Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA) df. Nikolay Nikolaev BAYRYAKOV (BUL), 7-0

BRONZE - Suleyman ERBAY (TUR) df. Mathias BAK (DEN), 13-6
BRONZE - Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) df. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM), via injury default

#WrestleZagreb

Azarpira ends Tazhudinov's two-year dream run in Zagreb

Monday, September 15, 2025 - 16:07 By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 15) -- Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) burst on to the wrestling scene with stunning victory over Kyle SNYDER (USA) and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) and eventually becoming world champion in 2023.

He followed that up with gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Unbeaten since 2023, it seemed Tazhudinov will dominate the weight classes for the coming years.

Enter Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI).

The Paris Olympic bronze medalist ended Tazhudinov's two-year dream run with victory in the semifinal of the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb on Monday.

During this two-year reign, Azarpira was the only wrestler who came close to beating Tazhudinov. The two faced each other in the Paris Olympics and the Iranian had a 3-0 lead before giving up four points in the second period to lose 4-3.

There were no such comeback in the second period on Monday. Azarpira took a 2-0 lead with two stepouts but Tazhudinov took criteria lead with a takedown. But Azarpira kept his calm and scored a stepout to make it 3-2.

Tazhudinov tried reaching for Azarpira's legs with his long reach but the Iranian seemed in no trouble at all defending his lead. After one of Tazhudinov's attack, he scored a go-behind and won the bout 5-2.

It is after 12 year that an Iran wrestler has reached the final of the 96/97kg weight class. Reza YAZDANI (IRI) won gold at 96kg at the 2013 World Championships in Budapest.

Azarpira will try to match with Yazdani when he takes on Kyle SNYDER (USA) in the final on Tuesday after the United States wrestler defeated upcoming star Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) in the other semifinal.

Snyder, who had lost to Yoshida at the Tirana Ranking Series, dominated the semifinal, winning 9-1. He scored four different takedowns and looked liked the Snyder of old. Since 2015, Snyder has won a medal at all World Championships including gold in 2015, 2017 and 2022.

Azarpira has two wins over Snyder in the past, the first coming in Zagreb in 2023 at the Ranking Series. The second win came at the Paris Olympics in the bronze-medal bout.

In the other Freestyle weight class -- 65kg -- on Monday, the Olympic final will be replayed after champion Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) and silver medalist Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) made it to the final at the World Championships.

Amouzad saw off Paiman BIABANI (CAN), 5-0, scoring three stepouts and a takedown while Kiyooka managed to score two takedowns in his 5-0 win over Umidjon JALALOV (UZB).

Onishi on track for first gold

A month after winning gold at the U20 World Championships, Sakura ONISHI (JPN) is on the verge of winning her first senior world title after she made it to the final at 59kg.

Like the age-group World Championships, Onishi has not given up a point so far in three bouts in Zagreb. In the semifinals, she wasted no time to secure a fall over Altjin TOGTOKH (MGL).

"While keeping in mind what the opponent would do, I made it clear what I wanted to do," Onishi said. "I was able to execute and that [pin] was the result. I think it creates good momentum going into tomorrow [for final]."

In the final, Onishi will face European U23 silver Maria VYNNYK (UKR) who used a big four-pointer in her 9-5 victory over Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN).

"From the warmup before the first match, I felt like my legs were moving well," she said. "The way I dictated the flow of the matches also was pretty good, so I think I can do it my own way. I feel peace of mind to make it to the final. I came here to become the senior world champion and tomorrow, I want to win and set off on a winning run (around the mat)."

At 55kg, Asian 53kg champion Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) reached the final after pinning Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN), who was making her senior debut. Oh scored a huge under-over and kept Uchida on the mat until the fall was called.

The DPR Korea is returning to the World Championships after six years; last appearance coming in 2019. The nation had one champion in women's wrestling in Astana.

For a gold medal on Tuesday, Oh will face European champion Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) who survived a late attack from Andreea ANA (ROU) to beat the Romanian 5-3.

RESULTS

Freestyle

65kg
GOLD: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) vs. Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN)

SF 1: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) df. Peiman BIABANI (CAN), 5-0
SF 2: Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Umidjon JALALOV (UZB), 5-0

97kg
GOLD: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) vs. Kyle SNYDER (USA)

SF 1: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) df. Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN), 5-2
SF 2: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Arash YOSHIDA (JPN), 9-1

Women's Wrestling

55kg
GOLD: Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) vs. Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW)

SF 1: Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) df. Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN), via fall
SF 2: Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) df. Andreea ANA (ROU), 5-3

59kg
GOLD: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) vs. Maria VYNNYK (URK)

SF 1: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) df. Altjin TOGTOKH (MGL), via fall
SF 2: Maria VYNNYK (URK) df. Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN), 10-5

Poland Prise Pair of Women's Golds at #PolandOpen

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Azarpira ends Tazhudinov's two-year dream run in Zagreb