U17 Worlds: AIN, India put 2 wrestlers each in Greco finals

Monday, July 31, 2023 - 17:34 By Vinay Siwach

ISTANBUL (July 31) -- Team Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) and India put two wrestlers each in the Greco-Roman finals on day one of the U17 World Championships in Istanbul on Monday.

Six other nations managed a finalist each including host nation Turkiye which has 110kg defending champion Cemal BAKIR (TUR) going for back-to-back gold medals.

For India, SURAJ (IND), who became the country's first Greco-Roman world U17 champion in 32 years, made it to his second straight final, this time at 55kg. RONAK (IND) joined him at 110kg and the U17 Asia silver medalist will try to upset home favorite Bakir on Tuesday.

AIN rode on Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) and Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) who made it to the gold medal bouts at 65kg and 80kg respectively.

Shakhzod RUZIOKHUNOV (UZB) defeated Edgar PETROSYAN (ARM) 4-1 in the semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Defending team champions Iran put one finalist at 48kg as Payam AHMADI BALOOTKI (IRI), who was a bronze medalist at 45kg last year, made it to the final against Shakhzod RUZIOKHUNOV (UZB) who is a silver medalist at 45kg from last year.

Balootki will be extremely pleased with his performance as he handed U17 European champion Murat KHATIT (AIN) a 3-2 loss to enter the final. Ruziokhunov was clearly the better wrestler against Edgar PETROSYAN (ARM) who suffered a 4-1 loss.

Returning world champion SURAJ (IND) reached the 55kg final after beating Halil CANIR (TUR) in the semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 55kg, Suraj was on track for a U17 Asia final rematch against Mohammadreza GHOLAMI (IRI) as both reached their respective semifinals. However, Ghomali suffered a heartbreaking loss to Jordyn RANEY (USA).

Ghomali led 5-1 with less than 20 seconds on the clock when Raney got a headlock for four, giving the US wrestlers a 5-5 criteria lead. Raney and Gholami exchanged danger positions in the following sequence but it was Raney's which was last, earning him a 7-7 win. A lost challenge from Iran made it 8-7.

Suraj, banking on his experience from last year's gold-medal run, blanked home wrestler Halil CANIR (TUR) in the other semifinal, using a correct throw and his trademark arm throw to win 6-0.

Yusif AHMADLI (AZE), blue, will face Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) in the 65kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Beslekoev will face Yusif AHMADLI (AZE) in the 65kg final after he defeated Giorgi TCHIKAIDZE (GEO) 5-1 in the semifinal. Tchikaidze was giving the first advantage when Beslekoev was called passive. But the Georgian failed to get any turn from par terre. Beslekoev managed to score a takedown before the break to lead 2-1.

When Tchikaidze was called passive in the second period, Beslekoev managed to get a turn from par terre and score a 5-1 victory.

Ahmadli was up against Islambek KARIMJONOV (UZB) for a place in the final and the bout was even poised when the wrestlers exchanged four-point throws. But Ahmadli got a headlock for four and added two turns to make it 12-4 and claim the victory.

At 80kg, Shkarin toyed around with Eleftherios PAPPAS (GRE) in the semifinal and won 9-0 to book a place in the final. He was awarded the passivity in the first period and managed to turn Pappas twice before launching a perfect throw for four.

Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) reached the 80kg final after beating Uladzislau DUBROUSKI (AIN). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

He will face Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) in the final after the Japanese wrestler stopped Uladzislau DUBROUSKI (AIN) in the semifinal. Yoshida began the bout with a four as he drove Dubrouski toward danger before throwing him back first. The AIN team challenged the call but lost, giving Yoshida a 5-0 lead.

A headlock attempt from Dubrouski did not yield any points but gave Yoshida two points as the Japanese used a gut wrench to turn Dubrouski, who managed to pull things back a little when a bearhug ended in a correct throw for two points.

Yoshida, however, kept the pressure in the second period and scored a stepout to lead 8-2 and then added another to make it 9-2. He clinched the victory with another stepout.

Camil BAKIR (TUR) reached second straight U17 Worlds final after beating U17 Asia champion Amirhossein ABDEVALI (IRI). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Bakir, with his hometown's support behind him, rallied to beat U17 Asia champion Amirhossein ABDEVALI (IRI) 4-2 in a heated semifinal. The defending champion scored a hard-fought turn from par terre to lead 3-0 at the break before defending when he was put in par terre.

Iran challenged for a block from Bakir but lost the challenge which added another point to Bakir's score to make it 4-1.

Abdevali had Bakir in danger for a second when he wrapped his around his waist and was about to launch him for a big throw. However, Bakir managed to keep his feet on the mat and gave up only a stepout as the score changed to 4-2. He defended his two-point lead to claim a victory over Abdevalo, one of the five brothers.

He will now face U17 Asia silver Ronak who impressed in a 6-3 victory over Eldar EMIROV (AIN) in the other semifinal. He was behind 3-0 after Emirov scored a turn from par terre.

Ronak need a turn from par terre against Emirov in the second period and he did exactly that. He scored two gut wrenches over Emirov to make it 5-3 in his favor. He survived a score when he tried throwing Emirov in the final two seconds but fell on his back. Emirov challenged for two points but it was clear on review that the time had expired, giving Ronak a 6-3 win.

RESULTS

48kg
GOLD: Shakhzod RUZIOKHUNOV (UZB) vs. Payam AHMADI BALOOTAKI (IRI)

SF 1: Shakhzod RUZIOKHUNOV (UZB) df. Edgar PETROSYAN (ARM), 4-1
SF 2: Payam AHMADI BALOOTAKI (IRI) df. Murat KHATIT (AIN), 3-2

55kg
GOLD: SURAJ (IND) vs. Jordyn RANEY (USA)

SF 1: SURAJ (IND) df. Halil CINAR (TUR), 6-0
SF 2: Jordyn RANEY (USA) df. Mohammadreza GHOLAMI (IRI), 8-7

65kg
GOLD: Yusif AHMADLI (AZE) vs. Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN)

SF 1: Yusif AHMADLI (AZE) df. Islombek KARIMJONOV (UZB), 12-4
SF 2: Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) df. Giorgi TCHIKAIDZE (GEO), 5-1

80kg
GOLD: Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) vs. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN)

SF 1: Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) df. Eleftherios PAPPAS (GRE), 9-0
SF 2: Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Uladzislau DUBROUSKI (AIN), 10-2

110kg
GOLD: RONAK (IND) vs. Cemal BAKIR (TUR)

SF 1: RONAK (IND) df. Eldar EMIROV (AIN), 6-3
SF 2: Cemal BAKIR (TUR) df. Amirhossein ABDEVALI (IRI), 4-2

#WrestleTirana

World Championships: Sadulaev tops two world champs en route 92kg final

Wednesday, October 30, 2024 - 17:14 By Ken Marantz

TIRANA, Albania (October 30) -- The paths of two of the greatest wrestlers of the past decade-plus crossed for the first and only time, and it was Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) who swatted aside David TAYLOR (USA) to stay on course for a sixth world medal.

Sadulaev put up an impregnable defense in posting a 7-0 victory after the luck of the draw pitted the superstars against each other in the first round at freestyle 92kg at the Non-Olympic Weight Categories World Championships on Wednesday in Tirana.

Two-time Olympic champion Sadulaev, who was left off the list of Russian and Belarussian wrestlers eligible for the Paris Olympics, later advanced to Thursday's final with a dramatic, last-second 5-3 victory over 2021 and 2022 world champion Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI).

Two other big names in the tournament did not fare so well, as Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) saw his bid for a seventh career world title end with a quarterfinal loss at 79kg, while Tokyo Olympic and two-time world champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN) fell at the first hurdle at 61kg.

In the most anticipated match of the tournament, Sadulaev was content to sit back and let Taylor go on the offensive, fending off each attack and twice scoring go-behind takedowns, while also adding a counter lift for 2. He also scored a stepout, but otherwise made no legitimate tackle attempts.

The closest Taylor came to scoring came on his first shot, when he got in deep on a single and tried to come out the back door, only for the surprisingly nimble Sadulaev to escape the hold.

Sadulaev and Taylor both won Olympic golds at Tokyo 2021, at 97kg and 86kg, respectively, and Wednesday's match saw them meeting in the middle. It's the first time Sadulaev is wrestling below 97kg since moving up to that weight after winning the 86kg gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Taylor, who won his third world title in 2023 but retired after losing at the U.S. Olympic Trials to Aaron BROOKS (USA), had taken the head coaching job at powerhouse Oklahoma State University but returned to the mat for one last go-round.

Sadulaev followed up his win over Taylor by beating Aslan ABAKAROV (AZE) 3-1 and Lars SCHAEFLE (GER) by a 10-0 technical fall to set up his clash with Ghasempour that turned into another classic victory by the Russian great.

Sadulaev had gone ahead 1-1 on criteria after each received an activity point when Ghasempour finally broke through the defenses and scored a double-leg takedown with 30 seconds left. But with the final seconds ticking down, he snapped the Iranian down, spun behind, then managed to fling him to the mat for a 4-point takedown.

In the final, he will face 2022 world bronze medalist Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), who won an at-times tempestuous semifinal over surprising Benjamin HONIS (ITA) 9-2.

At 79kg, the 36-year-old Burroughs was unable to turn back the clock and fell 6-4 in the quarterfinals to Asian champion and two-time world medalist Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI).

Burroughs' hopes for a 10th world medal overall, however, ended when Nokhodi was dealt a tough 14-8 loss in the semifinals by four-time European bronze medalist Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO).

Nokhodi looked to be cruising to victory when he built up a 6-0 lead in the second period. But Kentchadze secured a takedown that allowed him to wrap up Nokhodi's legs and he ripped off three lace-lock rolls. Nokhodi halted the flow for a moment for a 2-point exposure, but he also appeared to injure his knee during the exchange and the Georgian was able to easily add a pair of late takedowns.

Kentchadze will look to improve on the silver medal he won at 74kg in 2018 when he faces 2023 and 2021 world U23 champion Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN), who defeated 2021 European champion Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) in the other semifinal.

Earlier, Uguev tumbled out at the hands of world U20 champion Masanosuke ONO (JPN), who rode the momentum of that victory into the 61kg final.

Uguev, seemingly hampered by an ankle injury, had no answer for the lightning-quick speed of Ono, who chalked up two takedown-gut wrench combinations in the first period en route to a 10-2 victory.

Ono never let up after the victory, chalking up three straight technical falls without giving up a point, capped with a dominating 12-0 victory in the semifinals over defending champion Vitali ARUJAU (USA). Ono sealed the victory with a slick 4-point front headlock throw.

In Thursday's final, Ono will face Ahmet DUMAN (TUR), the 2022 world U23 silver medalist at 57kg who edged Tsogbadrakh TSEVEENSUREN (MGL) 3-1 in the other semifinal.

Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) joined Ono -- his former teammate at Yamanashi Gakuin University -- in the gold-medal matches when he avenged a loss in last year's world U23 final to Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) with a 6-1 victory in the 70kg semifinals.

Aoyagi, who won a bronze at this year's World U23 Championships held last week at the same Tirana venue, will face 2019 world bronze medalist Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) in an all-Asian final.

Kaipanov rolled to a 13-2 victory over Russian-born Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK), who will still get a chance to become just the second world medalist in any style from Tajikistan.

Freestyle Results

61kg (27 entries)
SF: Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) df. Tsogbadrakh TSEVEENSUREN (MGL), 3-1
SF: Masanosuke ONO (JPN) df. Vitali ARUJAU (USA) by TF, 12-0, 4:20

70kg (25 entries)
SF: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df. Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN), 6-1
SF: Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) df. Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK) by TF, 13-2, 3:47

79kg (33 entries)
SF: Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) df. Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI), 14-8
SF: Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN) df. Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK), 9-3

92kg (29 entries)
SF: Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) df. Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI), 5-3
SF: Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) df. Benjamin HONIS (ITA), 9-2

U17 Worlds: AIN, India put 2 wrestlers each in Greco finals

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World Championships: Sadulaev tops two world champs en route 92kg final