#WrestleNoviSad

Russia Increases Overall U23 European Finalist Total to 14

Friday, March 8, 2019 - 18:01 By Eric Olanowski

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NOVI SAD, Serbia (March 8) – The Russian Federation went four-for-four in freestyle semifinal matches on Friday night and increased their overall gold-medal bout participant total to 14. Russia inserted five into the Greco-Roman finals, five into the women’s wrestling finals, and had four wrestlers qualify for the Day 6 freestyle finals. 

The four Russian freestyle finalists are Amirkhan GUVAZHOKOV, Razambek ZHAMALOV, Radik VALIEV, and Alievitch MUSAEV.

Russia's first finalist Amirkhan Guvazhokov will take on Andrii YATSENKO (UKR) in Saturday night’s 57kg finals. 

Guvazhkov trailed 4-0 with under a minute left, but scored a pair of takedowns and gained the 4-4 criteria victory over Georgia’s Roberti DINGASHVILI. 

His Ukranian finals opponent Yatsenko survived a 33 point shootout to Turkey’s Saban KIZILTAS, 18-15. 

In the 70kg finals, Razambek Zhamalov will wrestle Poland's Patryk Krzysztof OLENCZYN. 

Zhamalov was up 8-0 in his semifinals bout against Vasile DIACON (MDA), when he halted a Moldovan throw attempt and closed out the match, 10-0.

His Polish finals opponenet, who led 3-0 after the first three minutes of action, started the second period of his semifinals match with a six-point exchange. He scored on a double leg, then transitioned into a pair of gut wrenches and commanded the 9-1 lead before using two slick headlocks to take the match, 15-2.

The third Russian Day 6 finalist was Radik Valiev, who will wrestle Turkey's Ramazan SARI for the 79kg gold medal. 

Valiev locked up a cradle and stuck Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO) 35 seconds into their semifinal meeting, while the second 79kg finalist Sari controlled Adlan BATAIEV (UKR) and picked up the 5-0 shutout to lock up his finals spot. 

The last Russian to qualify for the Day 6 finals was Alievitch Musae, who will go toe-to-toe with Turkey’s Ibrahim CIFTCI for the 97kg title. 

Musaev easily handled Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR), 11-0, in their semifinals meeting, while Ciftci upset defending U23 world champion Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO), 2-1.

Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO) will wrestle in the Day 6 65kg finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka) 

Meanwhile, The lone finals matchup not featuring a Russian wrestler will happen at 65kg. 

Georgia’s Edemi BOLKVADZE  will take on Armenia’s Vazgen TEVANYAN for the 65kg gold medal. 

Bokvadze scored a pair of takedowns and gut wrenches and carried the 8-0 lead into the closing period of his semifinals match against Fati VEJSELI (MKD). The Georgian quickly stopped the Moldovan wrestlers shot and added two points, closing out the match with a 10-0 technical superiority victory. 

His finals opponent Tevanyan led Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) 1-1 and had the criteria advantage when he grabbed the outright lead with a step out, and ultimately won the bout, 2-1. 

The Day 6 freestyle finals begin on Saturday at 18:00 (local time).

RESULTS
57kg 
GOLD - Amirkhan GUVAZHOKOV (RUS) vs. Andrii YATSENKO (UKR) 
SEMIFINAL - Andrii YATSENKO (UKR) df. Saban KIZILTAS (TUR), 18-15
SEMIFINAL - Amirkhan GUVAZHOKOV (RUS) df. Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO), 4-4 

65kg 
GOLD - Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO) vs. Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
SEMIFINAL - Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) df. Maxim SACULTAN (MDA), 2-1 
SEMIFINAL - Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Fati VEJSELI (MKD), 10-0 

70kg
GOLD - Razambek ZHAMALOV (RUS) vs. Patryk OLENCZYN (POL)
SEMIFINAL - Razambek ZHAMALOV (RUS) df. Vasile DIACON (MDA), 10-0 
SEMIFINAL - Patryk Krzysztof OLENCZYN (POL) df. Daniel CHOMANIC (SVK), 15-2

79kg 
GOLD - Radik VALIEV (RUS) vs. Ramazan Ishak SARI (TUR)}
SEMIFINAL - Radik VALIEV (RUS) df. Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO), via fall. 
SEMIFINAL - Ramazan Ishak SARI (TUR) df. Adlan BATAIEV (UKR), 5-0 

97kg
GOLD -  Shamil Alievitch MUSAEV (RUS) vs. Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR)
SEMIFINAL - Shamil Alievitch MUSAEV (RUS) df. Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR), 11-0 
SEMIFINAL - Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR) df. Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO), 2-1 

#WrestleBelgrade

Japan secures 2 Olympic spots; Elor returns to World Championships final

Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - 23:48 By Vinay Siwach

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BELGRADE, Serbia (September 20) -- The World Championships in Belgrade has seen a number of champions fall to young stars but the biggest of all could have come on Wednesday as Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) scored five points on Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), who entered the tournament with a 122-match winning streak which goes back to her junior high school days.

In the 53kg quarterfinal, Yepez scored raced to a 5-0 lead against Fujinami, who admitted that she felt anxious after giving up the lead, but composed herself and pinned the Ecuadorian.

Fujinami recovered from that shock match and defeated Maria PREVALORAKI (GRE) to secure a spot for Japan for the Paris Olympics next year. According to Japan Wrestling Federation rules, a wrestler who qualifies the weight for Paris with a medal in Belgrade automatically secures a spot on the Japan team as well.

"In the match against Ecuador, it's something that's never happened up to now," Fujinami said. "It ended up being a good match. Right now, I don't know, it really hasn't sunk in."

Yepez opened the bout with a double leg for two then hit a single leg which Fujinami defended before Yepez grabbed her around the waist and threw the Japanese, earning two more points. A stepout made it 5-0. Fujinami then got back to doing what she does best and locked up a lace to lead 14-5.

She gave up two more points but Fujinami locked the arm and got the fall with 1:10 remaining on the clock. The 2021 world champion explained that she will try to win her second world gold medal on Thursday.

"I came for the Olympic berth and to become the world champion and I want it to carry over to tomorrow," she said. "In the third-round match, I got a little anxious at one point, but I just thought, it's OK, just do what I always do. It was a tough match, but I was able to pull out the win."

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) will join Fujinami on that trip to Paris as she entered the final at 62kg, securing her spot on the Japan team.

However, Ami ISHII (JPN), returning silver medalist, will have to slog it out in the bronze medal bouts to secure her spot after she was stunned by Buse TOSUN (TUR) 11-1 in the 68kg semifinals.

Fujinami will now face Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN) for the gold medal after the Individual Neutral Athlete snatched a victory from U20 world champion ANTIM (UWW) in the final second of the semifinal.

Antim scored a takedown with an ankle pick and led 4-3 with three seconds remaining and got her grip loose. The willy Kaladzinskaya locked Antim's elbow and scored an exposure with 0.3 seconds on the clock for a remarkable 5-3 win.

Motoki had to dig deep to beat world silver medalist at 59kg Grace BULLEN (NOR) as she etched out a 2-1 win. Motoki will now face Olympic silver medalist Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ).

Motoki will look to join the list of Japanese wrestlers who have denied Tynybekova a world or Olympic gold medal in the last two years. The Kyrgyz wrestler lost to Yukako KAWAI (JPN) in the Tokyo Olympics final and then to teenage star Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) in the World Championships last year.

Tynybekova has bounced back, beating Ozaki in the Asian Championships and will have her hands full as she takes on Motoki for her third world gold medal.

Kyrgyzstan's first world champion, Tynybekova defeated Tokyo bronze medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), 2-2, in the quarterfinal, a completely contrasting win than her 10-0 win in Tokyo over the Ukrainian. Tynybekova then defeated Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) 4-2 in the semifinal.

At 68kg, Tosun did not let Ishii settle down after giving up a stepout, using a headlock when Ishii was going for an underhook for four points. Tosun tried pinning Ishii but the Japanese survived and as she was trying to escape, Tosun put her on the back for two more points to lead 6-1 with four minutes left. And as Ishii tried calming herself, Tosun scored another takedown on the edge.

Ishii tried an underhook again and Tosun hit another headlock, this time getting only two points. But that made the score 10-1 and Tosun managed to push Ishii out to win 11-1 with 3:19 left on the clock.

Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) reached the final from the other side of the bracket as she pinned Emma BRUNTIL (USA) in the other semifinal. She defeated Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

In the non-Olympic weight class 72kg, defending world champion Amit ELOR (USA) entered the final with another dominant display, winning her semifinal against Kendra DACHER (FRA) 12-2. Elor took out 65kg world champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) in the quarterfinals.

Chasing her second straight title, Elor will take on Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL) in the final after the Mongolian defeated two-time returning world silver medalist Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) 6-2.