#kaspeuro2018

Russia Sends Five to Saturday Nights #KaspEuro2018 Finals

Friday, May 4, 2018 - 20:34 By Eric Olanowski

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KASPIISK, Russia (May 4) – Russia ended the semifinals the same way the entered them, undefeated. The host nation put all five wrestlers into the finals on the fifth day of competition at The Palace of Sport and Youth in Dagestan, Russia. 

2018 57kg European finalist, Zavur UGUEV (RUS). (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne) 

57kg 
Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE) will go through Zavur UGUEV (RUS) if he plans on winning back-to-back European titles.

Uguev used three takedowns and two gut wrenches to pick up the 10-0 technical superiority victory on Levan METREVELI VARTANOV (ESP). 

GOLD - Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE) vs. Zavur UGUEV (RUS)

Semifinal - Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE) df. Uladzislau ANDREYEU (BLR), 4-1 Semifinal - Zavur UGUEV (RUS) df. Levan METREVELI VARTANOV (ESP), 10-0 

Russia's Ilias BEKBULATOV is looking to win back-to-back 65kg European titles as he takes on the three-time world champion, Haji ALIYEV (AZE).

65kg
Haji ALIYEV (AZE), the three-time world champion will be tasked with stopping reigning European champion, Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS) in Saturday night’s finals. 

Ilias Bekbulatov, the 2017 65kg European Champion scored two takedowns and a counter exposure to shut out 2016 Olympic champion and reigning 61kg European champion, Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO), 6-0 in the quarterfinals. 

He followed that up with a 12-0 routing of Poland’s Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI in the semifinals. 

GOLD - Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS) vs. Haji ALIYEV (AZE)

Semifinal - Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS) df. Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL), 12-0 Semifinal - Haji ALIYEV (AZE) df. David HABAT (SLO), 3-0   Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) gets his hand raised after defeating Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO), 5-5 in the 70kg semifinals.

70kg 
Poland’s Magomedmurad GADZHIEV, 2017 European runner-up will take on 2016 world champion, Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS). 

Kurbanaliev nearly gave his finals spot away after losing a five-point lead with under two minutes left in his semifinal bout. Murtazali MUSLIMOV (AZE) scored five unanswered points to tie the match at five, but ultimately Kurbanaliev claimed the victory via criteria. 

GOLD - Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) v. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS)

Semifinal - Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) df. Murtazali MUSLIMOV (AZE), 3-2
Semifinal - Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) df. Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO), 5-5

Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS), 79kg finalist. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

79kg
Russia’s Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV will take on Germany’s Martin OBST in the 79kg finals. Obst highest finished before these European Championships came back in 2016 when he placed eleventh. 

Gadzhimagomedov outscored 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE), 6-1 to close his semifinal bout and take the 6-4 victory.


GOLD -Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) vs. Martin OBST (GER)

Semifinal - Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE), 6-4
Semifinal - Martin OBST (GER) df. Mihaly NAGY (HUN), 2-1.

Vladislav BAITCAEV (RUS), finalist at 97kg. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

97kg
Vladislav BAITCAEV (RUS) will look to continue his dominance as he battles Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) for the 97kg European crown. 

Baitcaev, now a three-time European top-three finisher has outscored his opponents 26-0, including a 11-0 semifinal hammering of Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR). This is the first time the Russian has been to a European final since 2011 when he lost to the eight-time world and Olympic medalist, Khetag GOZIUMOV (AZE). 

Hushtyn reached the finals by outlasting U23 European champion, Nurmagomed GADZHIYEV (AZE), 7-7. 


GOLD - Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) vs. Vladislav BAITCAEV (RUS)

Semifinal - Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) df. Nurmagomed GADZHIYEV (AZE), 7-7
Semifinal - Vladislav BAITCAEV (RUS) df. Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR), 11-0

#kaspeuro2018

Kayaalp Wins Eighth Euro Gold, Vlasov Snags Third

Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - 20:07 By Eric Olanowski

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KASPIYSK, Russia (May 1) - Three-time world champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Riza Kayaalp added to his record haul of European titles on Tuesday night in Dagestan, winning his eighth continental gold medal in front a packed house at the Palace of Sport and Youth in Kaspisk.

Kayaalp came into the 130kg finals bout outscoring his opponents 18-0 but ceded a point early in the first period against Vitalii SHCHUR’s (RUS) when the Turk was hit with a one-point passivity. Kayaalp shook off the disappointment and stopped Shchur’s gut wrench attempts from the top position.

The second period was all Kayaalp as he outpaced Shchur 2-0 to earn the 2-1 win and his record eighth European title, the most of any Turkish wrestler.

Roman VLASOV (RUS) uses a four-point throw to beat 2017 world champion Victor NEMES (SRB). (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

Not to be outshone at home, two-time Olympic champions Roman VLASOV (RUS), dominated in his finals match to capture a third European title. Vlasov went into the 77kg gold-medal on a tear, racking up 18 points in his first three matches, all without giving up a point. However, after an accidental head-butt in the first minute of his finals against 2017 world champion Viktor NEMES (SRB) opened up a gash above his left eye Vlasov ceded his first point.

Facing the Russian with his first deficit of the tournament. Up to that point, the two-time Olympic champion had outscored his first three opponents by a combined score of 18-0.

After increasing his pace in the second period, when the clock neared the two-minute mark, the two-time world champion got his opportunity to go in the par terre position. With the cheers of “Roman” throughout the Palace of Sport and Youth, the Russian locked up a highlight-reel belly-to-belly four-point throw on Nemes, giving him the 5-1 victory and returning himself to the top of the 77kg weight class.

 “When you win,” Vlasov said after winning his match, “It always feels like it’s the first time.”

Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) celebrates after winning his first European title. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

At 87kg, 2017 world bronze medalist Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) scored the first point of the bout by earning a passivity point. The Georgian picked up two additional points off a gut wrench, giving him the 3-0 lead. Bekkhan OZDOEV (RUS) finally got on the board after picking up a pushout. He would earn a one-point passivity call, bringing the score to 3-2 with just over a minute left.

Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) gets his hands raised after beating 2016 Olympic bronze medalists, Stig Ande BERG (NOR), 3-2.

Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) kicked off the 63kg gold-medal bout with a pair of pushouts to take the 2-0 lead over 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, Stig Ande BERG (NOR) and never looked back, Mihut, who was competing in his second senior-level European championships, improved on his eighth-place finish from a year ago with the 3-2 win over Berge.

Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), the winner of the 55kg gold-medal bout picked up the 8-0 technical superiority victory over Estonia’s Helary MAEGISALU. 

RESULTS
55kg
GOLD: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Helary MAEGISALU (EST), 8-0 

BRONZE: Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) df. Nedyalko Petrov PETROV (BUL), 12-4
BRONZE: Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) df. VasilII TOPOEV (RUS), 6-6

63kg
GOLD - Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) df. Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR), 3-2 

BRONZE - Zaur KABALOEV (RUS) df. Nikolay Ivanov VICHEV (BUL), 9-0
BRONZE - Donior ISLAMOV (MDA) df. Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO), 2-1

77kg
GOLD - Roman VLASOV (RUS) df. Viktor NEMES (SRB), 5-1 

BRONZE -  Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) df. Alex BJURBERG KESSIDIS (SWE), 7-2
BRONZE - Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) df. Tornike DZAMASHVILI (GEO), 6-2

87kg
GOLD - Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) df. Bekkhan OZDOEV (RUS)

BRONZE - Denis KUDLA (GER) df. Islam ABBASOV (AZE), 3-1
BRONZE - Kristoffer BERG (SWE) df. Mikita KLIMOVICH (BLR), 9-0

130kg
GOLD -  Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Vitalii SHCHUR (RUS), 2-1

BRONZE – Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) df. Miloslav Yuriev METODIEV (BUL), 5-0
BRONZE - Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) df. Balint LAM (HUN), 3-1