#WrestleAlmaty

Tasmuradov, Assakalov Fall as Iran Puts 4 into Greco Finals on First Day

Tuesday, April 13, 2021 - 10:02 By Ken Marantz

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ALMATY, Kazakhstan (April 13) --- Uzbek greats Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) and Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) saw their bids to add to extensive continental gold medal collections quashed at the hands of Iranians, as the Asian Championships opened Tuesday with the first half of the Greco-Roman competition in Almaty.

Meysam DALKHANI (IRI), avenging a loss to Tasmuradov at last year's championships in New Delhi, held on for a 9-7 victory over the defending champion in the quarterfinals at 63kg.

"I had wrestled him before at the Delhi Asian Championships, but he defeated me," Dalkhani said. "I was thinking about how to avenge that loss. Obviously training harder and being smarter on the mat was important."

Dalkhani followed up that victory with an 8-5 win over Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) to become the first of four Iranians who advanced to the finals, to be held in the night session at the Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports.

Dalkhani, who is already assured of improving on his third-place finish from last year, will look to make it to the top of podium when he faces Matteo Pellicone silver medalist Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ).

In their semifinal, Tasmuradov, a Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist who was seeking a sixth Asian gold medal, caught Dalkhani with a 4-point headlock. But Dalkhani worked out of it for a reversal and came back with a big 4-point throw of his own, before taking a 9-6 lead into the second period.

The 29-year-old Tasmuradov, who secured a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics at 60kg when he finished fifth at the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan, had a chance from the par terre position, but couldn't turn the determined Iranian. After desperate attempts to score at the end, Tasmuradov collapsed to the mat.

"I did not train in the lockdown, so I am coming to mat straight after the break," said Tasmuradov, who added he is nursing a knee injury. "I began training again 10 days ago."

Tasmuradov abandoned a chance to pick up at least a bronze when he defaulted his repechage match. Last year, he relegated Dalkhani to the bronze-medal match with a technical fall victory in the semifinals.

"Iran has good wrestlers and Dalkhani is very good," Tasmuradov said. "But he was very dirty in the bout and he trash-talked a lot during the bout. I did not even touch his fingers and he acting if I broke them. Good actors."

In the other semifinal, Assetuly saw Muhamad FWAZ (SYR) roll out of two headlocks before finally clamping down on a third and securing a fall at 2:23 with a 12-4 lead.

At 87kg, Assakalov, who will be heading to a second Olympics by virtue of his bronze medal at the Nursultan worlds, knocked off defending Asian champion Kumar SUNIL (IND) 3-1 in his opening match, but had no answer for Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) in the semifinals.

Alizadeh led 3-1 after the first period, then added a number of stepouts and a gut wrench from the par terre position en route to a 10-4 victory.

"I am happy that he could perform so well and reach the final," said Alizadeh's coach, Adel Baei TABAR. "In his own way, he has proved that he a good wrestler for Iran and hopefully he will be the champion."

Alizadeh set up the clash with three-time Asian champion Assakalov by defeating Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) 3-1 in the quarterfinals. Four days  earlier, Tursynov earned a place for Kazakhstan at the Tokyo Olympics at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament, held April 9-11 at the same venue.

It marked the second straight year that Assakalov was ousted by an Iranian. Last year in New Delhi, he fell to Behrouz HEDAYAT (IRI) and left the Indian capital empty-handed.

"I had no plans for Iran or anyone else," Assakalov said. "I only planned to win the gold medal at the Asian Championships and represent my country at the Olympics with the dignity of Asian champion. But God had other ideas."

Still, he said he was content with the result. "I will fight for the bronze medal in the evening and we will see. I am happy with everything."

Standing in Alizadeh's path to the gold is Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ), who will be looking for his first Asian title after twice coming away with silver medals. He defeated Seunghwan LEE (KOR) 6-3 in the other semifinal.

Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) will get a chance to improve on his 2020 silver medal at 77kg after a 4-point arm throw early in the match proved to be the difference when criteria decided a tight 7-7 semifinal win over Singh GURPREET (IND).

Gurpreet, who had also wrestled in the Olympic qualifier but came up one victory short of a ticket to Tokyo, advanced to the semifinals with a nail-biting 11-8 win over Bilan NALGIEV (UZB)  in which he rallied from a 6-1 deficit.

"The qualifier and championships were too close and I could not recover," Gurpreet said. "My body is tired and my muscles have become weak after frequent weight cutting."

Poshtam noticed the fatigue in the Indian, who was unable to convert in the par terre position in the second period.

"He was tired from his last bout," Poshtam said. "I had to plan a lot for Gurpreet because he is good in all positions. The par terre position is where the match changes and it was good."

In the final, Poshtam will face Daler REZA ZADE (TJK), who topped Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) 6-1 in the other semifinal. He will try to become the first-ever Asian gold medalist in Greco from Tajikistan, and the second overall after Yusup ABDUSALAMOV (TJK) won at freestyle 74kg in 2003.

As for Iran's opening-day performance, Poshtam commented: "Iran has done well to make four finals. We have been training for the last five months for the Asian Championships. And I think we were prepared to win at this  championships."

The fourth Iranian finalist Aliakbar YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI), who wore down Sukhrob FATTOEV (UZB) and won by disqualification on cautions with 1:29 left and a 14-5 lead. He will face Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ), a fifth-place finisher in 2019 who advanced by fall over 2020 bronze medalist Minseok KIM (KOR).

At 55kg, Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) ended Iran's chance for a sweep of the opening-day golds -- and earned a chance to regain the title he won in 2019 --when he knocked off Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) 3-1 in the semifinals.

In the final, he will face Yu SHIOTANI (JPN), who stormed to a 9-0 technical fall in 4:15 over Sandeep SANDEEP (IND).

Shiotani was the runner-up at the All-Japan Championships last December to Takushoku University teammate Hiromu KATAGIRI (JPN), who lost to Bakhromov in the 2019 Asian final. Katagiri has ostensibly retired after joining a general Japanese company that does not have an affiliated wrestling team.

Day 1 results

Greco-Roman

Semifinals

55kg (10 entries)
Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) df. Sandeep SANDEEP (IND) by TF, 9-0, 4:15
Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) df. Poya DAD MARZ (IRI), 3-1

63kg (12 entries)
Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) df. Muhamad FWAZ (SYR) by Fall, 2:23 (12-4)
Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) df. Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), 8-5

77kg (12 entries)
Daler REZA ZADE (TJK) df. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 6-1
Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) df. Singh GURPREET (IND) 7-7

87kg (10 entries)
Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) df. Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB), 10-4
Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) df. Seunghwan LEE (KOR), 6-3

130kg (8 entries)
Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) df. Minseok KIM (KOR) by Fall, 1:04 (8-3)
Aliakbar YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI) df. Sukhrob FATTOEV (UZB) by Disq., 4:31 (14-5).

#WrestleTirana

World Championships: Azizli wins record fourth title, leads Azerbaijan's golden run

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 - 22:17 By Ken Marantz

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TIRANA, Albania (October 29) -- In leading a golden night for Azerbaijan, Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) became the country's most successful wrestler on the world stage.

Azizli won his fourth consecutive world title at Greco 55kg, one of three golds won by Azerbaijan on the first night of finals at the Non-Olympic Weight Categories World Championships on Tuesday in Tirana.

Azerbaijan also got golds from Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) at 63kg and Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) at 72kg, while Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) took the other Greco title at stake at 82kg to claim an elusive world gold after having previously settled for three bronzes.

In the 55kg final, Azizli defeated 2023 bronze medalist Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) for the fourth time in four career meetings, but this one was the closest as he won 1-1 on last-point criteria after each received a passivity point.

"I have met the Iran wrestler before and we know each other well," Azizli said. "That is why it was close. I have beaten him four times and but this time it was closer."

It was an ironic defeat for Dad Marz, who had been on the winning end of the same scoreline in his two previous matches. In their most recent encounter at the Budapest Ranking Series in June, Azizli had bested the Iranian 6-1.

By winning his fourth world title, the 32-year-old Azizli eclipsed the national record of three held by freestyle great Haji ALIYEV (AZE), who won golds in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Aliyev also has two Olympic medals, a prize that Azizli is unable to attain on the current Olympic program.

Looking ahead, Azizli said he would like to win his fifth world Greco gold, a milestone reached by 16 wrestlers, topped by the 12 of Russian legend Aleksandr KARELIN (RUS).

"I don't know what the future holds, but I would like to win five world gold medals," he said. "I will not be at the Europeans [next year], but I will try to win a fifth world title and finish my career."

In a battle of reigning continental champions, Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) took advantage of some impatience on the part of Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ), scoring twice by stopping throw attempts for a 6-1 victory in the 63kg final.

After keeping Asian champion Zharlykassyn from scoring from par terre in the first period, Mammadli, the European 60kg champion, went ahead by stuffing a back suplex attempt, adding a roll to go ahead 4-1.

When Zharlykassyn tried a front headlock throw at the edge, Mammadli pressed forward and sent him tumbling back for another 2 to put the match out of reach.

At 72kg, Ganizade kept the Azeri juggernaut going and improved on his silver medal from 2022 by dethroning defending champion Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) 3-2.

Ganizade had won a 7-7 nail-biter over Ghanem in the final at the 2023 European Championships, and Tuesday's clash was just as tense. Ganizade was put on the bottom of par terre in the first period, but grabbed Ghanem's head and stopped a roll attempt for a 2-point exposure.

Ghanem received a second passivity point in the second period to make it 2-2, but remained behind on criteria. Perhaps learning a lesson from the first period, he chose to remain standing instead of taking another shot at par terre.

In the end, he could not break down the defenses of Ganizade, who gained a third point when Ghanem unsuccessfully challenged for what he claimed was a grabbed singlet.

In the 82kg final, Geraei was not to be denied in his first chance at world gold, as he stormed to a 9-0 victory over a shell-shocked Erik SZILVASSY (HUN).

"After eight years, I finally got to experience the world finals," Geraei said. "I’m truly happy from the bottom of my heart because I could make my fans and family happy, especially my dear wife 
who stood by me in tough times and understood me, as well as my parents and all my fans.

"I'm grateful to them; they have always been there for me and supported me, and I dedicate this medal to them."

Geraei, normally a 77kg wrestler who was competing at the heaviest weight of his career, encountered no problems handling the extra bulk against Szilvassy, a winner of international tournaments this year in Zagreb and Budapest.

After a quick stepout, Geraei stopped an attempted throw by Szilvassy for a takedown, then transitioned immediately to a gut wrench. An unsuccessful challenge by the Hungary side padded Geraei's lead to 6-0 just a minute into the match.

Geraei, who finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics but missed the Paris Games due to a suspension, then completed a snap-down, go-behind takedown to finish the match in 1:35 and add the world gold to the bronzes he won at 71kg in 2017 and at 77kg in 2019 and 2021.

"I thought this competition would be really tough, but thank God it ended up being easy," Geraei said. "These past two or three years have been difficult for me, and due to certain circumstances, I couldn't participate in the Olympics and missed out on it. But I hope with this medal I won, I can pave my way to the [next] Olympics and achieve the best medal and my dream."

Serbia's Arsalan takes bronze in 30-point thriller

In the bronze-medal matches, Iranian-born Ali ARSALAN (SRB) picked up his third straight world medal, and he certainly earned it when he rallied to a wild 16-14 win over Hayk MELIKYAN (ARM) at 72kg.

In a thriller filled with big throws and slick counters, Arsalan fell behind 10-5 in the first period. But the 2021 world champion came back in the second with a pair of 4-pointers, the second with 12 seconds to go that was enough for the victory even after Melikyan reversed him for 2.

The other 72kg match was not as high-scoring but was just as entertaining, as Otar ABULADZE (GEO) connected on a pair of 4-point headlock hip throws to defeat Asian bronze medalist Ji LENG (CHN) 9-5 for his first major medal since winning a world cadet bronze in 2017.

Two-time European bronze medalist Denis MIHAI (ROU) added a world bronze by holding on to defeat Haifeng ZHANG (CHN) 8-5 at 55kg. Mihai scored two stepouts and two rolls from par terre for a 7-0 lead, then survived a second-period surge from the Chinese.

Emin SEFERSHAEV (AIN), a silver medalist in 2021, picked up the other 55kg bronze after scoring six points in the first period and holding on for a 7-5 victory over European bronze medalist Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM).

At 63kg, Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) sent Abu AMAEV (BUL) flying all over the mat before he knew what hit him, throwing him four times with a front headlock for an 8-0 victory in 30 seconds. A challenge negated one throw but revised two others to 4-pointers to produce the same result.

Aslanyan, who defeated reigning champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO) and newly crowned world U23 champion Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) before losing to Mammadli in the semifinals, had seen little international action since placing ninth at 67kg at the Tokyo Olympics. But now he has a world bronze to go with three European ones he won from 2018 to 2020.

Sadyk LALAEV (AIN), a European bronze medalist at 60kg, took home the other 63kg bronze without a fight as Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) was forced to default due to injury.

At 82kg, Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) prevented Azerbaijan from medaling in every weight class, denying two-time European U23 champion Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) a senior world bronze with a solid 8-1 victory.

Yilmaz, who normally competes at 77kg, started off with three stepouts before clinching the deal with a classic 4-point throw from par terre for his first major medal on any level.

European bronze medalist Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) gave Japanese teenager and senior Asian champion Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) a lesson on the big stage, rolling to a 10-2 victory for the other 82kg bronze.

Yoshida, the 2023 world U17 champion, got an opening takedown, but could offer little resistance when Bolkvadze got behind for a takedown and added a gut wrench. The Georgian then used an arm drag for another takedown, and two gut wrenches ended the match at 2:40.

Greco-Roman Results

55kg (16 entries)
GOLD: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Poya DAD MARZ (IRI), 1-1

BRONZE: Denis MIHAI (ROU) df. Haifeng ZHANG (CHN), 8-5
BRONZE: Emin SEFERSHAEV (AIN) df. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 7-5

63kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ), 6-1

BRONZE: Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) df. Abu AMAEV (BUL) by TF, 8-0, :30
BRONZE: Sadyk LALAEV (AIN) df. Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) by Inj. Def.

72kg (28 entries)
GOLD: Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) df. Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), 3-2

BRONZE: Ali ARSALAN (SRB) df. Hayk MELIKYAN (ARM), 16-14
BRONZE: Otar ABULADZE (GEO) df. Ji LENG (CHN), 9-5

82kg (28 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) df. Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) by TF, 8-0, 1:35

BRONZE: Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) df. Gurban GURBANOV (AZE), 8-1
BRONZE: Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) by TF, 10-2, 2:40