Kayaalp in Search of European Title Number Ten
Riza KAYAALP (TUR) is closing in on winning his tenth European title (European Championships: 8; European Games: 1) and locking up the 130kg top seed at the Olympic Games. The Turkish big man has appeared in ten consecutive European finals, claiming gold in nine of those trips. His lone loss came in 2011 against Khassan BAROEV (RUS).
Kayaalp can cement his spot as the top seed with a win this week and have the luxury of sitting out of the Poland Open.
The reemergence of Mijian LOPEZ (CUB) after a three-year absence is set to play a big role in Kayaalp earning the top spot. Lopez will return to the mat later this year to try to chase a fourth Olympic gold medal. Lopez’s return will eventually knock out fellow Cuban and second-ranked Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) from the 130kg rankings.
Without Hinds in the rankings, and with a max of 40 possible points left to earn over the continental championships and the Poland Open, Kayaalp only needs to claim 12 points at the European Championships to become the No. 1 seed in Tokyo.
That means the man who has reached the European finals in ten straight trips only needs to finish top-seven to sit atop the 130kg when the Olympics roll around. But it’s safe to say, Kayaalp isn’t chasing a top-seven finish, he’s in pursuit of a tenth European gold medal.
Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) could meet fellow two-time world champion Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) in the 74kg bracket. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)
Two-time World Champions Chamizo and Gazimagomedov Entered at 74kg
A last-second change to the Russian lineup jeopardized a potential 74kg matchup between a pair of two-time world champions. Luckily for wrestling fans, Russia’s depth at the weight allowed them to replace No. 1 Zaurbek SIDAKOV (USA) with Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS).
That last-minute lineup change preserved the likelihood of Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) meeting a fellow two-time world champion in Rome.
Chamizo won the pairs only other meeting, 11-5, at the 2017 Ali Aliev Tournament. But this time around, there's much more at stake for both guys, especially with it being an Olympic year.
For Chamizo, a European title on home soil will push him to the top of the world rankings. He’s ranked second in the world with 40 points. He’ll gain the two-point advantage over Sidakov if he were to win the 22-point gold medal in Rome.
Gazimagomedov won the Ivan Yariguin a few weeks ago and hopes the European Championships will prove that he should be Russia’s Olympic Games representative. After winning the Yariguin, Gazimagomedov said, “In Russia, many understand that I will win against Sidakov, but perhaps we will not be allowed to meet on the mat because we don’t have a very transparent selection system.”
If Gazimagomedov wins in Rome, it’ll prove to the Russian coaching staff that he belongs in the conversations as a top-tier candidate to represent Russia at 74kg in Tokyo.
Top-15 Freestyle Entries at 74kg
No. 2 Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) - 40 points
No. 8 Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) - 16 points
No. 10 Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) - 14 points
No. 11 Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) - 14 points
No. 2 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) can tie Musa EVLOEV (RUS) for the No. 1 ranking at 97kg with a win in Rome. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)
Aleksanyan Looking to Tie Evloev for World Top Spot at 97kg
The 97kg Greco-Roman rankings will undoubtedly see significant changes after the conclusion of the European Championships.
The European bracket will house seven of the world’s top-ten ranked wrestlers. Top-ranked Musa EVLOEV (RUS) and No. 6 Giorgi MELIA (GEO) will not compete in Rome and are the only European wrestlers ranked inside the top-ten that will sit out of the competition.
Evloev’s absence leaves the door wide open for No. 2 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) to close the gap in the rankings. Aleksanyan trails Evloev by 20 points in the latest rankings. He will tie the Russian two-time defending world champion if he wins the 20-point gold medal. But he’ll still trail on criteria because of the Evloev’s higher placement at the World Championships, which could potentially force him to wrestle at the Poland Open.
Outside of Aleksanyan, there are six other worthy competitors at 97kg who are only separated by ten points, which is guaranteed to cause seismic changes in the rankings when the new month rolls around.
Top-Ten Greco-Roman Entries at 97kg
No. 2 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) - 40 points
No. 3 Mélonin NOUMONVI (FRA) - 26 points
No. 4 Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) - 25 points
No. 5 ILDEM Cenk (TUR) - 25 points
No. 7 Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) - 20 points
No. 9 Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) - 18 points
No. 10 Artur OMAROV (CZE) - 16 points
Emilia VUC (ROU) can take over top billing at 50kg with ten Ranking Series points at the European Championships. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)
Vuc Likely to take over Top Billing at 50kg
Barring a catastrophic meltdown, Emilia VUC (ROU) will surpass Mariya STADNIK (AZE) for the top billing at 50kg with a top-eight finish at the European Championships.
Vuc is ranked second in the world and trails Stadnik by six points heading into the continental championships. She started the year with 40 points but tacked on an additional 14 Ranking Series points with her second-place finish at the Matteo Pellicone in mid-January.
The two-time world runner-up needs to finish at least eighth in Rome to collect the all-important ten Ranking Series points. She’ll push herself four points ahead of Stadnik for the top-billing at 50kg heading into the Poland Open.
Top-Ten Women’s Wrestling Entries at 50kg
No. 2 Emilia Alina VUC (ROU) - 54 points
No. 3 Oksana LIVACH (UKR) - 32 points
No. 7 Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) - 18 points
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