#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

#WrestleIstanbul

Spencer Lee one step closer to Olympic dream

Friday, May 3, 2024 - 12:37 By Vinay Siwach

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ISTANBUL, Turkiye (May 3) -- The world will finally see the return of Spencer LEE (USA) on a big stage. The one-time phenom is coming to Istanbul in a bid to qualify the United States for the Paris Olympics at 57kg.

Lee is a former U17 and U20 world champion and was primed to be the next superstar from the U.S. However, he could never get going at the international stage and only participated in an international tournament in 2024, eight years after his U20 world title. At the Pan-Am Championships this year, Lee won the gold medal at 57kg.

Despite his three NCAA titles and a college record a few can dream of, Lee hasn't returned to the international scene partly due to injuries and partly due to his college commitments. After two surgeries, battles with health, a heartbreaking loss in NCAAs, a long return and wins over former Iowa teammate Thomas GILMAN (USA) at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Lee is finally here.

"I’ve had such a tough time trying to stay healthy and trying to compete to the best of my ability,” Lee said after winning the trials. "I’m still not healthy but I’m healthy enough to wrestle hard against really, really good opponent.”

That's what he will have to do in Istanbul. In the 57kg bracket, Lee will be unseeded and can be drawn against any of the big names in the first round. Tokyo Olympian Georgi VANGELOV (BUL), former U23 world champion AMAN (IND), world silver medalist Alireza SARLAK (IRI) and local star Muhammet KARAVUS (TUR) are a few names he will have to keep an eye on.

The field also includes world bronze medalists Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) and Horst LEHR (GER) along with former European champion Vladimir EGOROV (MGL), Asian Games silver medalist Chong Song HAN (PRK) and Andrii YATSENKO (UKR).

If his opponents need a form check, Lee won four bouts at the trials, outscoring his opponents 35-11 with wins over Tokyo bronze medalist Gilman and Zane RICHARDS (USA). And his attacks are solid as ever as Gilman found out in the best-of-three series.

Three wrestlers in each Olympic weight class will receive Paris 2024 quotas in Istanbul, two being the winners of the semifinals and the third will be decided with a playoff between the two bronze medal winners. Lee would hope to secure it as the winner of the semifinal and avoid going, if fortunate, through repechage.

Apart from qualifying the U.S. in Istanbul, there is extra motivation for Lee to win in Istanbul. Lee's mother, Carry, is from France where she met Lee's father, Larry, both judokas. And, he can become the first Olympic champion for the U.S. in the lowest weight class since 2008.

Lee is aware that the road to Paris is still 'long and hard'. But the 25-year-old is ready.

"I have work to do."