#kaspeuro2018

Seven of Eight Defending Freestyle Champions Return to European Championships

Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - 23:24 By Eric Olanowski

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KASPIISK, Russia (April 19) - The 2018 European Championships commence in less than two weeks in Dagestan, Russia. Though line-ups are not official, freestyle preliminary line-ups have been submitted to United World Wrestling, and Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS) is the lone champion who does not return from the 2017 Novi Sad European Championships.

The first five weight categories (57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, and 97kg) begin wrestling on Friday, May 4, and the remaining five weight classes (61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, and 125kg) start on Saturday, May 5. 

57kg
Mihran JABURYAN (ARM)
Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE)*
Uladzislau ANDREYEU (BLR)
Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL)
Levan METREVELI VARTANOV (ESP)
Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA)
Otari GOGAVA (GEO)
Yuriy HOLUB (ISR)
Ivan ZAMFIROV (MDA)
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD)
Andrei DUKOV (ROU)
Zavur UGUEV  (RUS)
Ahmet PEKER (TUR)

61kg
Garik BARSEGHYAN (ARM)
Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE)
Niurhun SKRABIN (BLR)
Vladimir Vladimirov DUBOV (BUL)
Beka LOMTADZE (GEO)
Jozsef MOLNAR (HUN)
Viorel BURDUJA (MDA)
Elmedin SEJFULAU (MKD)
Ivan GUIDEA (ROU)
Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS)
Randy Adrian VOCK (SUI)
Recep TOPAL (TUR)

Three-time world champion, Haji ALIYEV (AZE). 

65kg
Valodya FRANGULYAN (ARM)
Gabriel JANATSCH (AUT)
Haji ALIYEV (AZE)
Dzianis MAKSIMAU (BLR)
Filip Stefanov NOVACHKOV (BUL)
Juan Pablo GONZALEZ CRESPO (ESP)
Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA)
Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO)*
Kevin Christopher HENKEL (GER)
Roman ASHARIN (HUN)
Tomas BARACEVICIUS (LTU)
Andrei PERPELITA (MDA)
Masoud NIAZI (NED)
Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS)*
David HABAT (SLO)
Mykola BOLOTNJUK (SVK)
Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR)

70kg
Valter MARGARYAN (ARM)
Maximilian AUSSERLEITNER (AUT)
Murtazali Raxmatullayevic MUSLIMOV (AZE)
Azamat NURYKAU (BLR)
Miroslav Stefanov KIROV (BUL)
Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO)
Norbert LUKACS (HUN)
Emrach GASANOV (ISR)
Dmitrii MALENCOV (MDA)
Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL)
George BUCUR (ROU)
Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS)
Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)
Haydar YAVUZ (TUR)

Two-time world champion, Frank CHAMIZO (ITA). 

74kg
Grigor GRIGORYAN (ARM)
Gadzhimurad OMAROV (AZE)
Andrei KARPACH (BLR)
Ali Pasha Ruslanovich UMARPASHAEV (BUL)
Zelimkhan KHADJIEV  (FRA)
Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Kyrillos BINENMPAOUM (GRE)
Zsombor Istvan GULYAS (HUN)
Hanoc RACHAMIN (ISR)
Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA)*
Alberts JURCENKO (LAT)
Andrius MAZEIKA (LTU)
Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA)
Vasile Madalin MINZALA (ROU
Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS)
Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB)
Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK)
Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR)*

79kg
Varuzhan KAJOYAN (ARM)
Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE)
Ali SHABANAU (BLR)
Jevgeni SOLTRUK (EST)
Henri Aleksi SELENIUS (FIN)
Johnny Just BUR (FRA)
Jumber KVELASHVILI (GEO)
Martin OBST (GER)
Gkeorgki MELETOV (GRE)
Mihaly NAGY (HUN)
Alans AMIROVS (LAT)
Alexandru BURCA (MDA)
Akhmed Shiabdinovitch GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS)
Muhammet Nuri KOTANOGLU (TUR)

86kg
Marzpet GALSTYAN (ARM)
Aleksandr GOSTIYEV (AZE)
Raman CHYTADZE (BLR)
Mehmed Remzi GAZI (BUL)
Taimuraz FRIEV NASKIDAEVA (ESP)
Ville Tapani HEINO (FIN)
Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO)
Ahmed Ruslanovic DUDAROV (GER)
Istvan VEREB  (HUN)
Shamil KUDIIAMAGOMEDOV (ITA)
Denis BALAUR (MDA)
Zbigniew Mateusz BARANOWSKI (POL)
Artur NAIFONOV (RUS)
Stefan REICHMUTH (SUI)
Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
Naib ILALDAYEV ITAYEV (SWE)
Fatih ERDIN (TUR)

Two-time world champion, Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS).

92kg
Shamir ATYAN (ARM)
Dominic Klaus PETER (AUT)
Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE)
Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR)
Irakli MTSITURI (GEO)
Georg Gabriel STARK (SEREGELYI) (GER)
Pavlo OLIINYK (HUN)
Edgaras VOITECHOVSKIS (LTU)
Nicolai CEBAN (MDA)
Boban SAVEV  (MKD)
Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL)
Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS)
Albin Viking FRID (SWE)
Serdar BOKE  (TUR)

97kg
Georgii KETOEV (ARM)
Nurmagomed GADZHIYEV (AZE)
Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR)
Ragnar KAASIK (EST)
Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO)
Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER)
Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA)
Georgy RUBAEV (MDA)
Magomedgadji Omardibirovich NUROV (MKD)
Vladislav BAITCAEV (RUS)
Riza YILDIRIM (TUR)*

2017 world champion, Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO). 

125kg
Levan BERIANIDZE (ARM)
Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT)
Jamaladdin MAGOMEDOV (AZE)
Ibrahim SAIDAU (BLR)
Jose CUBA VAZQUEZ (ESP)
Jere Tapani HEINO (FIN)
Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)
Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA)
Robert BARAN (POL)
Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS)
Taha AKGUL (TUR)*

* Notes returning champions

#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open Best Move: Blades Suplex

Friday, February 14, 2025 - 15:22 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (February 14) -- Kennedy BLADES (USA) is making the suplex her own. After thrilling a packed Champs de Mars Arena with a majestic suplex at the Paris Olympics, the 21-year-old star began her 2025 season with two of them at the Zagreb Open last week.

"When I get behind, in my mind, I am like I have to execute this because it's so rare to hit a suplex," Blades said in Zagreb. "So every time I get behind in matches or big stages, I try to hit the suplex. I want to do it at the world stage because I know it will be on the highlights."

At the Zagreb Open, Blades was at 68kg, two weight classes down from 76kg, in which she won the silver medal at the Paris Games. She debuted at 68kg with a fall over Kendra DACHER (FRA) and another fall over world bronze medalist Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE).

The first glimpse of her suplex in the match against Noémi SZABADOS (HUN). Close to a minute had gone in the bout when Blades used her reach for a outside single-leg. Instead of going for a takedown, she stood up and locked Szabados from behind and out came the throw.

However, the perfect arch was missing and it was awarded four points.

Blades wasn't satisfied. In Round 5 and leading 7-0, Blades countered Karolina POK (HUN) in a perfect set up for a suplex. Pok made a half-hearted attempt for a headlock but Blades snuck out and moved behind.

Pok knew it was coming. She did not resist and Blades did not relent. A picture-perfect arch, a beautiful throw, safe landing and a cheeky smile at the end. Blades was content.

"I just feel like when someone gets a headlock, they probably have to throw it really hard because growing up, I used to wrestle Greco in the summer," she said. "So my coach always taught us how to set up the suplex if they grab your head for a headlock and they don't go. When someone gets in a headlock position and they don't go super hard, then the suplex is there. If I would ever be in that position, I just go flat because I know that they can probably throw me. "

While it has become relatively easy for Blades to throw her opponents at 68kg, she still needs to tackle their speed and movement.

"I think at 68kg, the girls just feel lighter and that's what makes it a tiny bit easier," she said. "The difference though is that they wrestle a little bit more so my conditioning and footwork needs to be better. Whereas at 76kg, they're kind of hand fighting. It's more like strength. But at 68kg, it's speed and technique. It's hard to distinguish if it's easier or not, but I think the fact that I was able to lift the girls up easy was the best thing ever."

The suplex isn't new to Blades. She performed one at the U20 World Championships back in 2021, then at the Olympics and now in Zagreb. However, Blades picks the one in Paris as the best one so far.

"The best suplex is probably my Olympic one because that was straight back on her neck, on the Olympic stage, first match." she said. "I was on fire. I kind of want to see that the suplex I just hit because I think it was pretty nice. But the Olympic one is so hard to beat and I was in a pink singlet."