#WrestleZagreb

In season opener, Pino puts on a show

Monday, February 6, 2023 - 10:08 By Vinay Siwach

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When Oscar PINO (CUB) got to know that he will miss the Belgrade World Championships last year, he was heartbroken. Just four days before the tournament, he fell ill with dengue and lost an opportunity to win a world medal, his first since 2019.

Putting that disappointment aside, he decided to begin 2023 with the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event. He flew to Croatia a month before the competition for training around Europe. On Sunday, he put all the training to test and came out successfully.

Winning the gold medal at 130kg was one thing for Pino but doing it effortlessly gave him the confidence to go all the way at the World Championships in September in Belgrade.

"My wrestling today was good. I trained in Norway and Croatia for a month and this was the result of the good training," he said. "I think I had an amazing competition today. This is my way to get the gold medal at the World Championships."

Pino wrestled four bouts and gave up only one point, in the final for passivity. His four wins included three technical superiorities and a one-sided final against Oskar MARVIK (NOR).

He got par terre against Marvik and then got a full roll for four points. A gut wrench gave him two more as he led 7-0. Marvik got a point in the second period but failed to make the most of it.

"Many wrestlers are in good condition but I am ready," he said. "I go back home and train more because this weight class has good wrestlers so I cannot stop training."

Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) defeated Oskar MARVIK (NOR) 7-1 in the 130kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Overall, he began with an 8-0 win against Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB), maintained the same scoreline in the quarterfinal against Matti KUOSMANEN (FIN) and then did the same to Amir GHASEMIMONJEZI (IRI) in the semifinal.

Pino was also happy that he was able to finish all his bouts before time barring one and would like to continue the momentum throughout the season.

"I wrestle at the Granma y Cerro Pelado tournament in Cuba and then the Pan-Am," he said. "Then the staff decides if we compete at Bishkek or Budapest Ranking Series events and if possible to stay and train there."

Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) managed to beat Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) 5-3 in the 55kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Iran dominates

Though it would have liked to have a better result at 130kg, Iran would be satisfied with the performance of other Greco-Roman wrestlers as it won three out of six gold medals on Sunday.

Pino, Selcuk CAN (TUR) and Kiril MILOV (BUL) were the only wrestlers to end Iran's domination in the Croatian capital.

At 55kg, U23 world champion Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) held his nerves in a close encounter against Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), winning the gold medal 5-3.

After getting a takedown, Dad Marz tried to gut wrench Botirov and in one such turn, he got stuck and Botirov put him in danger. But a strong bridge position and defense from Dad Marz saw him throw. He also defended the par terre position in the second period.

Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) dominated his way through to the gold medal at 60kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) was far more dominant at 60kg as he defeated Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) 8-0 in the final after a successful day in which he faced little to no challenge from his opponents.

The Asian Championships silver medalist did go through two strong Japanese wrestlers. In the pre-quarterfinals, he wrestled Kaito INABA (JPN) and faced Maito KAWANA (JPN) in the semifinals. After the bouts, he was surprised by the strength of the young wrestlers.

At 82kg, Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) denied the host country a gold medal as he defeated Filip SACIC (CRO), 3-1, in the final.

In the 72kg final, Can wrestled Sajjad IMENTALABFOUMANI (IRI) and used the par terre position to score an all-important turn and secure the gold medal with a 3-1 win.

He began the 2023 season as he did in 2022, winning a Ranking Series gold medal. But with the World Championships doubling up as the qualifying for the Paris Olympics, Can will have to move down to 67kg to win a spot to Paris.

European champion and World Championships silver medalist Kiril MILOV (BUL) was also at his best, running through a packed field to win the 97kg gold medal.

He began with a 10-1 win against Murat LOKIAYEV (AZE), followed by a blanking of Vinko PRODANOVIC (CRO) before beating Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE) 5-1 in the quarterfinals.

After a walkover in the semifinals, Milov faced an unexpected opponent in Tamas LEVAI (HUN) who had moved up from 77kg in 2021 to 97kg in 15 months.

While he did well to reach the final, Levai was of no competition against Milov who completed a 10-2 win over the Hungarian.

Levai got a challenge wrong to open Milov's account before being called passive. From par terre, Milov used a strong grip to roll him twice. He then got an arm throw four. Levai got Milov in danger in the same sequence but the difference was already eight points, enough for technical superiority.

 

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RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), 5-3

BRONZE: Mohammad JAVAHERI FARID (IRI) df. Denis MIHAI (ROU), 5-0

60kg
GOLD: Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) df. Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE), 8-0

BRONZE: Maito KAWANA (JPN) df. Kaito INABA (JPN), 4-1
BRONZE: Razvan ARNAUT (ROU) df. Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN), 7-0

72kg
GOLD: Selcuk CAN (TUR) df. Sajjad IMENTALABFOUMANI (IRI), 3-1 

BRONZE: Jamol JUMABAEV (UZB) df. Robert FRITSCH (HUN), 8-0
BRONZE: Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) df. Jian TAN (CHN), 6-2

82kg
GOLD: Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) df. Filip SACIC (CRO), 3-1

BRONZE: Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) df. Marcel HEIN (DEN), 8-0
BRONZE: Peter DOEMOEK (HUN) df. Spencer WOODS (USA), 7-2

97kg
GOLD: Kiril MILOV (BUL) df. Tamas LEVAI (HUN), 10-2

BRONZE: Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED) df. Felix BALDAUF (NOR), 5-4
BRONZE: Murat LOKIAYEV (AZE) df. Mihail KAJAIA (SRB), via inj. def.

130kg
GOLD: Oscar PINO (CUB) df. Oskar MARVIK (NOR), 7-1

BRONZE: Lingzhe MENG (CHN) df. Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU), 3-1
BRONZE: Amir GHASEMI (IRI) df. Matti KUOSMANEN (FIN), 1-1

#Grappling

Grappling: Romanov returns to win 130kg gold; Prendes repeats

Tuesday, October 14, 2025 - 22:41 By Vinay Siwach

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NOVI SAD, Serbia (October 14) -- When the last time Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA) participated in the World Grappling Championships, he was close to completing a double gold in Gi and No-Gi. While he managed to win gold in Gi, Romanov fell short in No-Gi competition and won a bronze medal.

Three years later, the Moldovan has taken the first step towards achieving his dream. On Tuesday, Romanov had a comeback in the World Grappling Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia and won gold in the No-Gi competition at 130kg.

Romanov was in top form winning two bouts via submission and two, including the final, via decision but dominated his opponents to win gold medal.

Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA)Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA), red, defeated Aleksander KOLDOVSKI (UKR) in the 130kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Up against Aleksander KOLDOVSKI (UKR), Romanov stuck to his plan and started off slow. But as Koldovski slowed down after two minutes during the five-minute bout, Romanov hit a footsweep to score two points and controlled his opponent for three more points. Another control gave him two more points as he defeated Koldovski a 7-1 victory.

"I knew the Ukrainian as he is a freestyle wrestler," Romanov said. "I waited for the second half of the bout as they tend to slow down and I hit my favorite move to win."

In other finals, UWW grapplers dominated the finals, winning four golds while Farhad BAGIROV (AZE) defended his 58kg gold medal. In women's competition, Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) also defended his 53kg gold medal while Alycia QUENEE (FRA) won at 71kg. Alena VLASOVA (UWW) won her two bouts to claim the 90kg gold as the weight class had only three participants.

Bagirov maintained his control in the final by using a rear chokehold on Zedginidze who tried escaping a couple of time. But at the two-minute mark of the final, Zedginidze tapped out to give Bagirov his second successive gold medal at 58kg.

Kurban KADIEV (UWW)Kurban KADIEV (UWW) won the 71kg gold medal in Novi Sad. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At 71kg, Kurban KADIEV (UWW) and Nurbek TALBUDIN (KAZ) failed to score any points in the regular five minutes and the final continued in overtime. Due to no technical points scored, a toss was needed to decide who will get the advantageous position. Talbudin won the toss to be on top and needed to score minimum one point in the designated one minute to win the match. However, Kadiev managed to defend his position for one minute to be declared winner.

In contrast, the 77kg final between Gazimagomed GAZIEV (UWW) and Illia SUKHODIEIEV (UKR) ended in just 36 seconds as the former caught Sukhodieiev in a triangle choke to win the final.

Murad ABDULATIPOV (UWW), who was moving up from 84kg to 92kg for this year, did not feel as weight of the jumping up a weight class and defeated Islam TAPPASKHANOV (UWW), 2-0, in the 92kg final to win his second straight gold medal.

Both the points for Abdulatipov were awarded when Tappaskhanov was called passive in the five-minute bout and he failed to score during the 15-second activity clock.

At 100kg, Mukhamed URUSOV (UWW) blanked Aleksandre TEVZADZE (GEO), 4-0, to win his first world title. He earned his first two points after a back-mount position after a scramble and later scored another similar takedown for two more points.

Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP)Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) grapples in the 53kg final that she won. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Prendes Larios repeats

Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) won two of three bouts, including the final, via submission to capture her second straight world title at 53kg. She began by controlling Viktoriia ISAIEVA (UKR) right off the whistle for two points before scrambling herself in a triangle choke position which gave her two more points.

Isaieva tried defended different position but after a couple of failed attempts to get out of the triangle choke, she tapped with Prendes Larios winning the bout in one minute and 56 seconds.

In a thrilling 71kg final, Alycia QUENEE (FRA) managed to capture her first world title after beating Anna REMNEVA (UWW), 3-1. Quenee finished with a silver medal in 2022 and bronze last year.

But there was no one stopping Quenee this year. She began the final with a stepout and took a 1-0 lead. Remneva tried to control her with a triangle hold but Quenee never came in a position to gave up points.

The French grappler kept her position and controlled Remneva on the mat for two points, extending her lead to 3-0. During the same position, Quenee was called passive and she gave a point but that did not stop her from winning 3-1.

At 90kg, Alena VLASOVA (UWW) upgraded her bronze from last year to gold after winning both her bouts via submission. She defeated Tatiana KABANOVA (UWW) in the first bout and then submitted Justyna SITKO (POL).

RESULTS

Men's Grappling

58kg
GOLD: Farhad BAGIROV (AZE) df. Daviti ZEDGINIDZE (GEO), via submission (6-0)

BRONZE: Bohdan CHORNEI (UKR) df. Jaden SOSA (USA), via submission (0-2)
BRONZE: Alikhan ALSHINBAY (KAZ) df. Razmik MISAKYAN (ARM), 8-2

71kg
GOLD: Kurban KADIEV (UWW) df. Nurbek TALBUDIN (KAZ), overtime (0-0)

BRONZE: Apandi AMAGAEV (UWW) df. Zhassulan ZHETPISBAY (KAZ), via submission
BRONZE: Dzhimsher RAZMADZE (GEO) df. Nico PULVERMUELLER (GER), 2-0

77kg
GOLD: Gazimagomed GAZIEV (UWW) df. Illia SUKHODIEIEV (UKR), via submission

BRONZE: Sam SCHWARTZAPFEL (USA) df. Angelos NIKOLOPOULOS (GRE), 10-2
BRONZE: Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UWW) df. Dumitru CEBAN (MDA), 2-1

92kg
GOLD: Murad ABDULATIPOV (UWW) df. Islam TAPPASKHANOV (UWW), 2-0

BRONZE: Anthony ROBINSON (USA) df. Reda MEBTOUCHE (FRA), via submission (1-2)
BRONZE: Mateusz MAZUR (POL) df. Antonio SALTUPS CARETTO (ITA), 4-2

100kg
GOLD: Mukhamed URUSOV (UWW) df. Aleksandre TEVZADZE (GEO), 4-0

BRONZE: Saba DJAVAKHICHVILI (FRA) df. Khasan ZAPIROV (UWW), 1-0
BRONZE: Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA) df. Herve REDON (FRA), via submission (0-2)

130kg
GOLD: Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA) df. Aleksander KOLDOVSKI (UKR), 7-1

BRONZE: Umar GAISUMOV (UWW) df. Abraham COBY MARTINEZ (ESP), via submission (2-0)
BRONZE: Nikita LOBOIKO (UWW) df. Nizami GAFAROV (AZE), 5-1

Women's Grappling

53kg
GOLD:  Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) df. Viktoriia ISAIEVA (UKR), via submission (4-0)

BRONZE: Evelina FLORIAK (UKR) df. Giulia ANGIOLINI (ITA), via submission (0-3)
BRONZE: Anorbi GRISHINA (UWW) df. Valeriia SHUVALOVA (UWW), 2-2

71kg
GOLD: Alycia QUENEE (FRA) df. Anna REMNEVA (UWW), 3-1

BRONZE:  Maja SALAMON (POL) df. Daniella SANTANA FABELO (ESP), 13-4
BRONZE: Valentina PAVLOVA (UWW) df. Anna KOTIUK (UKR), 4-1

90kg
GOLD: Alena VLASOVA (UWW)
SILVER: Tatiana KABANOVA (UWW)
BRONZE: Justyna SITKO (POL)