#GC2018

Sushil Snags Third Commonwealth Games Gold, Wiebe Wins Second

Thursday, April 12, 2018 - 12:11 By Eric Olanowski

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GOLD COAST, Australia (April 12) - Olympic gold medalist Erica WIEBE (CAN) and two-time Olympic medalist Kumar SUSHIL (IND) capped off day one at the Commonwealth Games with yet another gold medal. For Wiebe, this is her second time grabbing gold while this is Sushil's third championships performance. 

In the final bout at 76kg, Wiebe found herself fighting back after Blessing Joy ONYEBUCHI (NGR) struck first to take the early 2-0 lead. But it was Wiebe who remained disciplined and used an arm spin to put Onyebuchi on her back, picking up the first-period fall. 

At 74kg, 34-year-old Kumar Sushil made quick work of Johannes Petrus BOTHA (RSA). He started the match off double legging Botha to his back for four. After three gut-wrenches, Sushil was awarded his third Commonwealth Games gold medal. 

The first bronze-medal bout at 74kg saw Ebimienfaghe ASSIZECOURT (NGR) take the 8-0 lead over Curtis DODGE (WAL) after a takedown and three turns off a trapped arm gut. Dodge, the former Judo player remained composed and used a Judo throw to pick up a fall shortly after the start of the second period. This was Dodge's first Commonwealth Games wrestling medal. 

In the second bronze-medal match, Connor EVANS (AUS) picked up the first takedown, but Jevon BALFOUR (CAN) went on an 8-2 run to end the first period. At one point during the first period, Balfour was in on a single leg when Evans tried a backflip only to land directly on his head, giving Balfour four points. Balfour’s two additional takedowns in the second period secured his bronze medal as he beat Evans, 14-4. 

The 57kg final was a battle of two-time world team representatives in Steven TAKAHASHI (CAN) and Rahul AWARE (IND). 

Aware took the first points with a takedown, but that was followed by a four-point throw from Takahashi, giving him the 4-2 lead. Aware ended the first period on a 4-0 run and took the 6-4 lead. 

In period two, it was Aware who opened the match up, outscoring Takahashi 9-3, ultimately giving him the 15-7 victory in the gold-medal bout. 

The first bronze-medal bout at 57kg was a rematch of the African championships gold-medal match where Jan Louwrens COMBRINCK (RSA) defeated Ebikewenimo WELSON (NGR). Welson's two takedowns were enough to scoop up his third Commonwealth Games medal and avenge his loss from earlier in the year.  

Muhammad BILAL (PAK) used three takedowns to beat George Anthony RAMM (ENG), 6-1 in the second bronze medal bout at 57kg. 

In the 53kg ‘Nordic tournament’ gold-medal match, Diana Helen WEICKER (CAN) took the 1-0 lead after returning champion Kumari BABITA (IND) failed to score while being placed on the activity clock. After a two-and-two exchange and a chest wrap, Weicker was victorious by a score of 5-2.  Weicker, the mother of two outscored her opponents 36-2 on her way to her first Commonwealth Games championship. 

Freestyle
57kg 
GOLD - Rahul AWARE (IND) df. Steven TAKAHASHI (CAN), 15-7.

BRONZE - Muhammad BILAL (PAK) df. George Anthony RAMM (ENG), 6-1. 
BRONZE - Ebikewenimo WELSON (NGR) df. Jan Louwrens COMBRINCK (RSA), 5-2. 

74kg 
GOLD - Kumar SUSHIL (IND) df. Johannes Petrus BOTHA (RSA), 10-0. 

BRONZE - Jevon BALFOUR (CAN) df.. Connor EVANS (AUS), 14-4
BRONZE - Curtis DODGE (WAL) df. Ebimienfaghe ASSIZECOURT (NGR), via fall. 

Women’s Wrestling 
53kg - Nordic Tournament - Only one bronze  
GOLD - Diana Helen WEICKER (CAN) df.  Kumari BABITA (IND), 5-2. 

BRONZE - Bose SAMUEL (NGR) df. Deepika WEERABAHU MUDIYANSELAGE (SRI), via fall. 

76kg 
GOLD - Erica Elizabeth WIEBE (CAN) vs. Blessing Joy ONYEBUCHI (NGR), via fall. 

BRONZE - Kiran KIRAN (IND) df.  Katouskia PARIADHAVEN (MRI), via fall. 
BRONZE - Georgina NELTHORPE (ENG) df. Hajaratu KAMARA (SLE), via fall.

SCHEDULE
April 13 (10:30am LOCAL TIME) 
Freestyle - 65kg and 97kg 
Women's Wrestling - 57kg and 68kg 

April 14 (10:30am LOCAL TIME) 
Freestyle - 86kg and 125kg 
Women's Wrestling - 50kg and 62kg

#WrestleZagreb

Tazhudinov in search for answers despite bronze medal

Thursday, September 18, 2025 - 08:45 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- A World Championships medal might be a career milestone for most wrestlers, but for Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN), the bronze he won in Zagreb is a prize he hopes to forget.

Coming into the tournament in Zagreb, Tazhudinov was considered as the best wrestler in the world and the favorite to win the gold medal at the 97kg. He had built a reputation of a wrestler who bulldozes anyone who stands in his path, as he did to win the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But Tazhudinov was anything but an Olympic and world champion in Zagreb.

He almost dropped his quarterfinal match with Mogomed KURBANOV (UWW), needing a front headlock roll to survive. The thrill of victory was short lived, as Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) showed that Tazhudinov is indeed human, winning their semifinal 5-2 to end Tazhudinov's golden run.

"My initial goal was the gold medal," Tazhudinov said. "I wanted to become a two-time world champion. Unfortunately, it didn't happen -- maybe it was meant to be this way. It's very painful to lose."

As he searched for answers for his performance, Tazhudinov said that recent shoulder surgery may have affected his wrestling at the World Championships.

"I was coming back after surgery, after a serious injury," Tazhudinov said. "Maybe that had an effect, I don't even know. It took me a very long time to get myself together. At the beginning, training sessions were very difficult."

Tazhudinov returned from surgery to win two gold medals in a one-month span -- first at the Spain Grand Prix and then at the Budapest Ranking Series in June.

After the semifinal loss to Azarpira, Tazhudinov returned the next night for the bronze-medal bout with 34-year-old Akhmed MAGAMAEV (BUL), which only further put Tazhudinov under the scanner despite winning the match.

Magamaev was on the activity clock when he bodylocked Tazhudinov and slammed him for four points just before the 30 seconds elapsed. Tazhudinov rebounded with a takedown to make it 4-2 at the break.

He began the second period with another takedown to make it 4-4, but Magamaev continued the scramble and both wrestlers were awarded two exposure points each, putting the Bulgarian ahead 6-6 on criteria.

A counter lift to exposure gave Tazhudinov the lead for the first time, 8-6, and as Magamaev tried doing the counter lift, he gave up two as Tazhudinov blocked him. The final scramble, which gave Tazhudinov an 11-10 win, was challenged by Bulgaria. Eventually, it was scored 13-10.

Despite winning the bout, Tazhudinov shook his head as he left the mat, perhaps surprised himself by his lackluster performance.

"Honestly, I don't even know what went wrong," he said. "It means I wasn't well enough prepared. It means I wasn't in my best shape. It means I need to work even more."

Tazhudinov said he had difficulty preparing mentally for the bronze-medal bout after the loss to Azarpira.

"After the semifinal loss, I couldn't motivate myself at all for the bronze-medal match," he said. "I don't even know how I stepped onto the mat. I wasn't mentally ready to wrestle at all, and that's why the match was so difficult.

"But I will not give up -- I'll go home, work on my mistakes, and train even harder to come back stronger."