Snyder shows top form ahead of World Championships

Saturday, July 16, 2022 - 21:06 By Vinay Siwach

TUNIS, Tunisia (July 16) -- Two months before the World Championships, Kyle SNYDER (USA) showed what his opponents will be up against. The three-time world and Olympic champion put on an impressive performance at the Zouhaier Sghaier Ranking Series event to win the 97kg gold.

Snyder, who has made it to the 97kg final of every Worlds and Olympics since 2015 barring one, outscored his opponents 32-1, winning his third gold medal of the year. He won the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix and the Pan-Am Championships in January and May respectively.

In Tunis, Snyder was up against two wrestlers from Turkey in Burak SAHIN and Polat POLATCI before beating Mamed IBRAGIMOV (KAZ) in the final.

Against Ibragimov, who got on a single leg attack early in the bout, Snyder displayed his brute strength and conditioning, scoring stepouts with ease against a tired Ibragimov.

He led 2-0 with two stepouts and Ibragimov was warned for fleeing as well. After the Kazakhstan wrestler failed to score in the activity period, Snyder was up 4-0.

Another stepout and three takedowns were enough for Snyder to win 11-0 with all that action happening in just three minutes and 13 seconds.

Snyder will be eyeing his third World title after being denied by Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF) two times in the past four years. But he will still have to go through a strong field with Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) being one of the top opponents.

Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) won the 125kg gold, his second straight at Ranking Series. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

Another freestyle wrestler who will be eyeing a world title in Belgrade is Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO). He was not as convincing as Snyder but did come home with the 125kg gold.

After finishing the group stage with two wins in two bouts, Petriashvili defeated Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) 12-2 in the semifinal, setting up a rematch against Hayden ZILLMER (USA) in the final. The two had met in Round 3 and Petriashvili scored a controlled 8-2 win.

But in the final, Zillmer gave Petriashvili a scare as he led 4-1 after two takedowns. But Petriashvili added a stepout before a takedown and turn which changed the score to 6-4 in his favor. Zillmer tried going behind but as the clock ticked, Petriashvili managed to hold him off and scored another takedown late in the bout to win 8-4.

Last year, the three-time world champion suffered disheartening losses to Gable STEVESON (USA) and Amirhossein ZARE (IRI) in the Olympic and Worlds final respectively in the space of two months.

But with two Ranking Series gold and the European Championships silver in his bag, Petriashvili will try to avenge his loss to Zare in Belgrade.

5 nations win WW gold

Women's wrestling came to a close in Tunis with India winning two gold medals out of the six on offer on day three. It had won two bronze and silver on Friday. ANTIM (IND) and Sarita MOR (IND) added the two golds on Saturday with BIPASHA (IND) winning silver at 72kg and MANISHA (IND) pocketing a bronze at 65kg.

The USA, Germany, Tunisia and Turkey won a gold each.

19-year-old Antim stole the show, defeating two Pan-American champions en route the gold at 53kg. She opened the day with a fall over Nour RAOUAFI (TUN) before an 11-0 win over Pan-Am champ Dominique PARRISH (USA).

Antim then faced Olympian Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) in Round 3 and managed to beat her 4-2 to book a spot in the semifinals against Esra PUL (TUR) who suffered the same fate as Raouafi.

From the other side of the bracket, 55kg Pan-Am champion Karla GONZALEZ (CAN) made her way to the final with wins over Pul, African champion Sarra HAMDI (TUN) and a 3-1 win over Parrish in the semifinal.

Antim began the final on the aggressive and scored a takedown in the zone to lead 2-0. Gonzalez was warned for fleeing during that exchange which extended Antim's lead to 3-0. Before the break, she added a stepout to extend her lead to 4-0.

But the second period saw a passive Antim and she was cautioned for the same as Gonzalez got on the scoreboard with that one point. But she failed to find an opening to score a takedown against Antim.

A final attempt was made by the Canadian wrestler but she was only awarded a point for Antim's negative defense. Canada challenged for a takedown but the reviews confirmed that it was after the time has expired.

The 5-2 win for Antim capped off a stunning run beginning with the U23 Asian Championships in which she was won a silver. Just five days ago, the U17 Worlds bronze medalist won the U20 Asian title in Manama, Bahrain.

Mor won her second straight Ranking Series gold after winning it in Almaty in June. Wrestling Siwar BOUSETA (TUN) in Round 3, Mor brushed off a 4-0 deficit to win 14-4 and capture the 59kg gold. In her three bouts, she scored 30 points while giving up only four in the bout against Bouseta.

The top-ranked wrestler has now confirmed the top seed at 59kg for the World Championships.

Khadija JLASSI (TUN) won the lone gold medal for the home country. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

India had the chance to pick up a third gold of the night had Manisha won her 65kg Round 3 bout against Khadija JLASSI (TUN).

Manisha had defeated Emma BRUNTIL (USA) in the morning session while the USA wrestler had eked out a 7-6 win against Jlassi. Manisha now needed an outright win to claim the gold or a loss by a five-point difference after scoring seven or more points.

On the other hand, Jlassi not only needed a win, but she also had to do it with more than four points. But she took an 8-0 lead using a beautiful figure-4 move early in the bout. As Manisha played catch up, Jlassi managed to defend her lead and win 8-6 even as she struggled to keep up with the pace of the bout.

All three had a win and four classification points each but Jlassi had 14 technical points which help her win the gold. Both Manisha and Bruntil had eight technical points but the USA wrestler had conceded only seven while Manisha had given up nine points which cost her the silver as well.

World bronze medalist Buse TOSUN (TUR) dashed India's hope of another gold by beating U20 World silver medalist BIPASHA (IND), 10-5, in the 72kg final.

Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) tackles Emily SHILSON (USA) in the 50kg final in Tunis. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

At 50kg, Olympic bronze medalist Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) showed that she is all set for the World Championships by picking up gold.

She began with a victory via fall against Patricia BERMUDEZ (ARG) before battling it out with NEELAM (IND) in the semifinal. She had a slender lead of 2-1 against Neelam but managed to score late in the bout to make it 4-2.

She faced U23 world champion and compatriot Emily SHILSON (USA) in the final. But it was a one-sided affair as Hildebrandt used the snap to a great effect and scored an 11-0 win over Shilson.

At 55kg, World silver medalist Nina HEMMER (GER) defeated Lobna ICHAOUI (TUN) via fall in the one-off match.

Sunday will see the remaining eight freestyle weight categories in action with Iran hoping to finalize their World Championships with a selection trial at 57kg and 79kg.

Day 3 Results

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) df. Emily SHILSON (USA), 11-0

BRONZE: Patricia BERMUDEZ (ARG) df. NEELAM (IND), via fall
BRONZE: Lisa ERSEL (GER) df. Zehra DEMIRHAN (TUR), 3-2

53kg
GOLD: ANTIM (IND) df. Karla GONZALEZ (CAN), 5-2

BRONZE: Esra PUL (TUR) df. Dominique PARRISH (USA), via injury default

55kg
GOLD: Nina HEMMER (GER) df. Lobna ICHAOUI (TUN), via fall

59kg
Round 3: Elena BRUGGER (GER) df Diana WEICKER (CAN), via injury default
Round 3: Sarita MOR (IND) df. Siwar BOUSETA (TUN), 14-4

Final standing
GOLD: Sarita MOR (IND)
SILVER: Elena BRUGGER (GER)
BRONZE: Siwar BOUSETA (TUN)

65kg
Round 3: Khadija JLASSI (TUN) df. MANISHA (IND), 8-6

Final standing
GOLD: Khadija JLASSI (TUN)
SILVER: Emma BRUNTIL (USA)
BRONZE: MANISHA (IND)

72kg
GOLD: Buse TOSUN (TUR) df. BIPASHA (IND), 10-5

BRONZE: Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN) df. Amit ELOR (USA), via forfeit
BRONZE: Skylar GROTE (USA) df. MANJU (IND), 10-0

Freestyle

97kg
GOLD: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Mamed IBRAGIMOV (KAZ), 11-0

BRONZE: Deepak NEHRA (IND) df. Oktay CIFTCI (TUR), 16-6
BRONZE: Burak SAHIN (TUR) df. Polat POLATCI (TUR), 5-4

125kg
GOLD: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) df. Hayden ZILLMER (USA), 8-4

BRONZE: Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) df. Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ), 2-1

#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Ranking Series: Ulaanbaatar Open 2025 Preview

Monday, May 26, 2025 - 06:43 By Vinay Siwach

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (May 23) -- While most Paris Olympic medalist have returned to action in either the first two Ranking Series or the recent continental championships, there are still who will be wrestling for the first time since Games in August 2024.

The Ulaanbaatar Open, the third stop of the Ranking Series, will see two such wrestlers -- AMAN (IND) and Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ).

Aman, the bronze medalist at 57kg in Paris, will mark his return to competition after dropping out from first two Ranking Series tournaments. Dzhuzupekov, who won bronze at Greco-Roman 97kg in Paris, will also be returning for the first time.

Barring those, a few world medalists are also wrestling in Ulaanbaatar. The tournament, which will see more than 200 wrestlers, throws up some top match-ups despite a several nations preparing for their domestic trials or national championships.

The tournament will run through May 29 to June 1 and will be live on UWW+ on uww.org and UWW App.

Freestyle

In a hugely viral clip of United World Wrestling, Zagir SHAKHIEV (UWW) is getting pinned by Shamil MAMMEDOV (UWW) who has Shakhiev in a cradle. That was January 2022 at the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series.

More than three years after his last international bout, Shakhiev is making a comeback. The 2021 world 65kg champion will take the mat at 70kg at the Ulaanbaatar Open as he tries to find a way back to the top in international wrestling.

However, it's won't be an easy journey. The 70kg in Ulaanbaatar will se Shakhiev clash with Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL), Mohammadali AMOUZAD (IRI), Aliakbar FAZLI (IRI) and Viktor RASSADIN (TJK).

Tumur Ochir will be looking avenge his 4-4 loss to Shakhiev from that 2021 World Championships, a match which had all the drama in the final minute. How Shakhiev comes out now is yet to be seen.

Asian silver medalist Viktor RASSADIN (TJK) can trouble Shakhiev and so can Mohammadali AMOUZAD (IRI) and Aliakbar FAZLI (IRI) with their gas-tanks.

For Tumur Ochir, it will be a perfect opportunity to perform in front of his home crowd and regain some form before the World Championships in September.

Mongolia will be keen on its wrestlers finishing on podium at the home tournament. Their biggest hope, apart from Tumur Ochir, will be Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) at 125kg.

The Asian silver medalist will have DINESH (IND),Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR), Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (UWW) and Abdulla KURBANOV (UWW) as some of his opponents but is expected to finish better than them.

At 57kg, Aman may be the only Olympic medalist entered but the field seems challenging for anyone. European U23 champion Lev PAVLOV (UWW) brings a lot of craft with him and Aman will like face him if he wants to win another Ranking Series gold medal. Then there is Pan-Am champion Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) who too is coming off a good run in Monterrey.

Kyrgyzstan is sending two wrestlers -- Abdymalik KARACHOV (KGZ) and Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) -- and both can trouble their opponents. The hosts Mongolia is banking on Davaabandi MUNKH ERDENE (MGL).

Asian silver medalist UDIT (IND) will be another top name in Freestyle but his weight class also has quite a few challengers. Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) and Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ) will be there from Kyrgyzstan along with Artem GOBAEV (UWW), who won the European U23 Championships gold last year.

Another Asian silver medalist Deepak PUNIA (IND) will continue to be at 92kg and not 86kg, his previous weight class. Punia made his return from surgery at the Asian Championships and won silver medal at 92kg, only dropping the final to Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI).

He will be put to further test in Ulaanbaatar and Askhab SAADULAEV (UWW) may emerge as his biggest competitor.

At 74kg, Iran is sending three wrestlers in the hope of finding the best for the World Championships. Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI), who recently moved up from 70kg and won the Takhti Cup, will be challenged by Yones EMAMI (IRI) and Hossein ABOUZARI (IRI).

To win gold, Yazdani will also face competition from JAIDEEP (IND), Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) and former world medalist Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR), who Yazdani defeated in a club competition in Iran recently.

European bronze medalist Osman GOECN (TUR) will be Türkiye chance to win gold medal at the Ranking Series. Gocen will largely be unchallenged at 86kg given his experience and style.

At 65kg, Kyrgyzstan is trying to find its best bet for a medal at the World Championships as both Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) and Ikromzhon KHADZHIMURODOV (KGZ) are entered.

Greco-Roman

Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye are bringing strong teams for the Ranking Series. Kyrgyzstan will be led by Olympic bronze medalist Dzhuzupbekov while Turkiye has European champion Kerem KAMAL (TUR) and former world champion Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR). Barring those, only India is sending a full team for the tournament.

Iran has two wrestlers namely Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) and Danial SOHRABI (IRI) at 63kg and 72kg respectively.

Kamal, who has found a lifeline since switching to 63kg from 60kg, won the European Championships gold medal in spectacular fashion and is now out to win his second Ranking Series gold of the year.

He has Keshtkar in his weight class along with Doolotbek CHOIBEKOV (KGZ), Asian medalist Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) and Aref MOHAMMADI (QAT). However, Kamal remains the favorite. Akbudak should have an easy path to gold at 82kg.

European silver medalist Hamza BAKIR (TUR) at 130kg is also unlikely to face much challenge in the competition at the highest weight class.

The Kyrgyzstan vs Turkiye may emerge as the theme of the tournament in Greco-Roman for the rest of the weight classes.

Paris Olympian Enes BASAR (TUR) may have to navigate a stronger field at 60kg with former world U17 champion SURAJ (IND) and two of Kyrgyzstan's rising stars Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ) and Kurmanbek ZHAPAROV (KGZ).

Kyrgyzstan's Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), who won gold at Muhamet Malo and silver at Asian Championships, will be the favorite at 67kg despite the presence of Murat FIRAT (TUR).

Same goes for Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) who won gold at 77kg in Albania and later a bronze medal at the Asian Championships. His battle with European bronze medalist Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) will be one to watch out for.

At 87kg, two former age-group world champions will be fighting it out. Former world U20 champion Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) had a rather disappointing Asian Championships as he finished seventh and will be looking to win gold in Ulaanbaatar to regain confidence.

Alperen BERBER (TUR), who has all age-group world titles, has not wrestled this year in any Ranking Series or Championships and will be test at 87kg.

Sohrabi, who won the Asian title at 72kg in Amman, will start as the favorite but has to be careful with Yryskeldi KHAMZAEV (KGZ) who can upset the Iranian.

Women's Wrestling

India, Turkiye and Mongolia are in a three-way battle in Women's Wrestling. A few UWW wrestlers are also in the fray in the tournament but not in all weight classes. The Indian and Turkish teams have some of their continental medalists and will make for an exciting clash in the respective weight classes.

No weight class in Women's Wrestling is expected to have eight wrestlers and will be competed in Nelson or round-robin format. That throws big match ups in most weight classes.

At 62kg, Asian champion MANISHA (IND) will be clashing with Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL), Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL), Saruul ERDENEBILEG (MGL) and Alina KASABIEVA (UWW).

Sukhee, a former world champion, is known for her big moves and can easily reach the top of the podium in Ulaabaatar. But Purevdorj, who surprisingly missed the Asian Championships, will be keen on displaying her skills and reclaim the top spot in the weight class.

Kasabieva, world silver medalist at 65kg, has to face the Asian challenge and style and a good performance in Ulaabaatar can work wonders for her future tournaments.

Asian bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) will be the favorite at 53kg but has to step up against the likes of Namuuntsetseg TSOGT OCHIR (MGL) andNatalia MALYSHEVA (UWW).

Similarly, NEELAM (IND) may find it tough against European silver medalist Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) and European U23 champion Natalia PUDOVA (UWW). A direct India-Turkiye battle is expected at 57kg as European silver medalist Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) will be tested by world U20 bronze NEHA (IND).

In most other weight classes, Mongolia is likely to have podium finishes as it has three wrestlers in each weights.

Former world silver medalist Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) is at 55kg along with Dulguun MUNKHBOLD BOLORMAA (MGL) and 2023 world silver medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) is the favorite at 68kg despite her bronze-medal finish at the Asian Championships.

At 72kg, European U23 champion Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (UWW) will test herself against the Asian style of wrestling. Former U17 world champion HARSHITA (IND) will be her biggest test.

Snyder shows top form ahead of World Championships

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Ranking Series: Ulaanbaatar Open 2025 Preview