#WrestleAmman

U20 World Championships Day 1 semis set

By Vinay Siwach

AMMAN, Jordan (August 14) -- The U20 World Championships kick off in Amman, Jordan with freestyle action. Wrestlers from five weight classes -- 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg and 97kg -- will be on the mats with a host of returning medalists and continental champions.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

Here are the semifinals for the evening session

57kg
SAGAR (IND) vs. Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN)
Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE) vs. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA)

65kg
Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) vs. Jesse MENDEZ (USA)
Omurbek TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ) vs. Ali REZAEI (IRI)

70kg
Julian GEORGE (PUR) vs. Meyer SHAPIRO (USA)
Dalgat ABDULKADYROV (AIN) vs. Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI)

79kg
Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) vs. Ali TCOKAEV (AZE)
Matthew SINGLETON (USA) vs. Sagar JAGLAN (IND)

97kg
Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI) vs. Camden MC DANEL (USA)
Ivan PRYMACHENKO (UKR) vs. Uladzislau KAZLOU (AIN)

14:40: U20 European champion Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE) gets Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) in a double-hand lock and gets the fall! Abdullayev moves into the 57kg semifinals.

14:30: Iran puts another one in the semifinals. Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI) with a very strong performance against Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ) 6-1 at 97kg. No openings were given to Kurugliyev, the U20 Asian champion

14:15: Battle of two former U17 world champions and Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN) clearly surprised by Meyer SHAPIRO's (USA) defense. He shoots twice but Shapiro manages to scramble out and lead 6-0 at the break in the 70kg quarterfinal. Shapiro begins the second period with a takedown after Baitukaev hits his head on the mat. 8-0 lead for Shapiro. He blocks Baitukaev for the remaining time to win 8-0. That marks the United States sending five-out-of-five wrestlers into the semifinals today.

14:00: SAGAR (IND) comes back from 5-0 down to beat Herbert AKAPIAN (AIN) 15-5 using his gas tank. Big win for Sagar at 57kg. He faces Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) in the semifinals.

13:40: Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) pins Kamronbek KADAMOV (UZB)! A huge result at 65kg as Toprak takes out former U17 world champion Kadamov. 

13:25: Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) scores a takedown and roll in the activity period against Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ), who won a silver medal last year, to lead 4-0 at the break. He scores another takedown after the break and wins 6-1. 

13:22: At 97kg, 2022 U17 world champion Kamil KURGULIYEV (KAZ) led 5-0 against U20 European bronze medalist Zafar ALIYEV (AZE). He did give up a takedown but was clinical in his 5-2 win over Aliyev.

13:10: U20 European champion Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE) goes 10-0 over David KIEFER (GER). On Mat C, returning gold medalist from 61kg, Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN), now wrestling at 57kg, makes it to the quarterfinals with a 6-1 win over Nodirbek JUMANAZAROV (UZB).

12:50: A back-and-forth bout between Meyer SHAPIRO (USA) and Mirjavad NABIYEV (AZE) but the U.S. wrestler manages to win 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals against Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN).

12:45: Julian GEORGE (PUR) takes out senior Asian silver medalist Zafarbek OTAKHONOV (UZB). Otakhonov managed to get a four-pointer but did not press much in the second period. George was relentless and ultimately claimed an 8-5 win at 70kg.

12:35: Here are the quarterfinals for the 79kg weight class

Otari ADEISHVILI (GEO) vs. Ali TCOKAEV (AZE)
Narek GRIGORYAN (ARM) vs. Matthew SINGLETON (USA)
Ahmet YAGAN (TUR) vs. Sagar JAGLAN (IND)
Alim MIESUVIETOV (UKR) vs. Ibragim KADIEV (AIN)

12:18: Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN) is living up to the hype. The former U17 world champion moves into the 70kg with a 10-0 win over Mikita DZEMCHANKA (AIN). Not the easiest of fields at 70kg and he will face the winner of Meyer SHAPIRO (USA) vs. Mirjavad NABIYEV (AZE).

12:00: At 57kg, returning silver medalist Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ) has made his way to the pre-quarterfinals after beating Ruslan SOLOVEI (UKR) 10-0 in the opening bout. He faces a tough Ahmad JAVAN (IRI)  

11:45: Luke LILLEDAHL (USA), who has two U17 world medals including gold, begins his quest for a U20 world title with a strong 9-2 win over Lev PAVLOV (AIN). The United States have been very successful in the morning with all five wrestlers winning their first bouts.  

11:15: Former U17 world champion Meyer SHAPIRO (USA) with a dominant 10-0 win over Yuma TOMIYAMA (JPN) at 70kg. He wrestles Mirjavad NABIYEV (AZE) in the pre-quarterfinals.

10:55: Quick show from Kaiji OGINO (JPN) at 65kg as he leg laces U20 Asian champion Jaskaran SINGH (IND) 10-0 inside the first minute.

10:50: A huge match-up between Jesse MENDEZ (USA) and U20 European champion Mykyta ZUBAL (UKR) at 65kg. Mendez leads 1-0 at the break after Zubal's inactivity. Zubal takes the lead in the second period. He heeps holding criteria until Mendez scores a stepout with four seconds remaining. Referees call it neutral. A challenge from the United States and a stepout and fleeing are confirmed on review. Mendez pulls off a stunning 3-1 win.

10:40: U20 Asian champion Sagar JAGLAN (IND), who won a bronze medal at 74kg last year, trailed 4-2 against Radomir STOYANOV (BUL) but like always, unleash his attacks. Stoyanov feels the heat and is caught in a leg lace. 15-4 win for Jaglan at 79kg

10:15: First big match of the day with Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) blanking Farzad SAFIJAHANSHAHI (IRI) 10-0 at 79kg. A statement win from Kadiev here to begin the proceedings.

10:00: Welcome to day one of the U20 World Championships from the capital of Jordan, Amman. A hot day here and no doubt the action will be different.

#WrestleAmman

Shkarin upgrades silver to gold; Iran wins 2 at U17 Worlds

By Vinay Siwach

AMMAN, Jordan (August 20) -- Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) has lost only one bout in his international career. The loss in the U17 World Championships final at 80kg last year was so devasting for Shkarin that he made his goal to win the gold medal this year. He doubled his training time, watched videos of his bouts repeatedly and came to Amman with a mindset of a winner.

It was a similar path to the final this year as he won two close bouts, a 9-0 win in the semifinals and faced an Asian opponent in the final. The only change was that Shkarin wrestled a calculated final and became the U17 world champion.

Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN)Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) celebrates after winning the 80kg final in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Shkarin defeated Yerkebulan ANAPIYA (KAZ) 3-0 in the final to upgrade his silver from last year. He was one of the five world champions crowned in Amman on Tuesday.

"I haven’t changed anything," Shkarin said. "I just kept working hard. This gold medal is so valuable to me because last year I lost the final, which was also against an Asian athlete. The semifinal score was 9-0, just like it was this time. These coincidences distracted me a bit."

Unlike the 2023 final in which he played catch up after falling behind 7-0, Shkarin was in no mood to give points to Anapiya on Tuesday. He maintained a lead throughout the final and defended it well.

The U17 European champion explained that the bouts in Amman were tougher than what he experienced at the European Championships in Novi Sad in July.

"The matches here were tougher than at the European Championships, especially the final match," he said. "Back there, I only wrestled for a little over one minute, while here it took me two periods. I could only score three points at the beginning of the match, and then I had to hold onto that lead."

Shkarin, who hails from Lipsetsk, did not have any high-scoring match apart from the semifinal against Emad Reza MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI). He defeated Dinko NEYKOV (BUL) 5-0 in the first bout and Luka KOCHALIDZE (GEO) 3-1 in the quarterfinals.

"Honestly speaking, I have mixed feelings," Shkarin said. "There is euphoria, but at the same time, there is emptiness. I’ve been working so hard to win this gold. I need 2-3 days to fully realize everything. I am extremely happy -- it's the first time in my career that I’ve felt this way."

In other finals, Jayden RANEY (USA) won at 55kg and Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) got the gold at 110kg. But it was Iran who dominated again as it crowned two champions -- Armin SHAMSIPOUR (IRI) at 48kg and Amir SAEIDI (IRI) at 65kg.

Shamsipour continued his dominant run from Monday and posted another technical superiority win to beat Khusniddin ABDUKARIMOV (UZB), 10-1, in the 48kg final. He outscored his opponents 37-1 in four bouts.

Saeidi won the 65kg gold over Vladyslav POKOTYLO (UKR) after beating him 6-2 in the final. Saeidi launched Pokotylo for a massive four-point throw and never looked in trouble in his win.

Ukraine's gold medalist came at 110kg as Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) handed Zoltan CZAKO (HUN) a 13-4 defeat to win the gold medal. The gold is another addition to his medal collection, which also has the U17 European gold.

"I prepared mentally for each match," Yankovskyi said. "My coaches and I analyzed every opponent. I prepared very professionally for this World Championships. Everything worked out for me. I always train in the gym with people who are older and bigger than me. That's why such training leads to these results."

Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR)Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) won the 110kg gold medal after beating Zoltan CZAKO (HUN) in the final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

Yankovskyi did not give up a single point at the European Championships and finished three bouts via technical superiority.

"This is my life. This is a part of me," he said. "I have been dedicated to this sport for so many years. My father passed away four years ago. During this time, I have gained a lot of physical and moral strength. Now, I want to thank my mother for everything, she works hard and earns money to support me. I want to thank my father for raising me as a person and for getting me involved in wrestling."

With the U17 double done, Yankovskyi now has his eyes set on doing the double at the U20, U23 and senior level. He also wants to win the Olympic gold.

"This is my last year as a cadet. There’s more to come. I want to win the European and World Championships as a junior, and then in the U23 and senior age groups. My goal is to make it to the Olympics. This is the dream of my coaches. I'm very grateful. I want to thank the coaches who raised me from childhood. They replaced my father. How could it have been otherwise? My coaches, Viktor Viktorovich and Oleksandr Mikhailovich, are the two people who gave me a ticket to a better life."

Raney, who came back from 6-0 down in the semifinals to win via fall, saw himself leading 6-0 against Alpamys BOLATULY (KAZ) before the Kazakhstan wrestler mounted a comeback. That was short-lived as Raney posted a 7-5 win.

"It was a little bit under control," Raney said." After the first, I had him on his back and he got really tired. I don't know why."

Wrestling in his first international event, Raney never let the inexperience hurt him. In his five bouts, he won two via fall, one via superiority and one 4-3.

Jayden RANEY (USA)Jayden RANEY (USA) tries to score using an arm-bar in the 55kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

"It's super hard," he said. "These other countries, they do Freestyle and Greco-Roman. So they are extremely good at it. In America, we do Folkstyle too. To do all of them at the same time is different and hard."

Raney's brother, Jordyn won the U17 gold medal last year and will wrestle for bronze this year.

"I wish him luck," he said. "Last year, I was here watching him and he won gold. For him to medal again, even if bronze, super excited to watch him."

sd

RESULTS

48kg
GOLD: Armin SHAMSIPOUR (IRI) df. Khusniddin ABDUKARIMOV (UZB), 10-1

BRONZE: Amrah AMRAHOV (AZE) df. Yedige TOLEUTAYEV (KAZ), 3-1
BRONZE: Nikolai KRISTOV (AIN) df. Laszlo SZUROMI (HUN), 10-0

55kg
GOLD: Jayden RANEY (USA) df. Alpamys BOLATULY (KAZ), 7-5

BRONZE: Yurik MKHITARYAN (ARM) df. Amirali HEYDARI (IRI), via fall (4-5)
BRONZE: Sardor KHOLMURZAEV (UZB) df. Petro ZHYTOVOZ (HUN), 1-1

65kg
GOLD: Amir SAEIDI (IRI) df. Vladyslav POKOTYLO (UKR), 6-2

BONZE: Dzhabrail UMKHADZHIEV (AIN) df. Emil ABDULLAYEV (AZE), 9-4
BRONZE: Narek GRIGORIAN (ARM) df. Fayozbek ESHMIRZAEV (UZB), 1-1

80kg
GOLD: Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) df. Yerkebulan ANAPIYA (KAZ), 3-0

BRONZE: Emad Reza MOHSENNEJAD (IRI) df. Dinko NEYKOV (BUL), 6-0
BRONZE: Vladyslav SOLODCHUK (UKR) df. Orkhan HAJIYEV (AZE), 9-6

110kg
GOLD: Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) df. Zoltan CZAKO (HUN), 13-4

BRONZE: Aliasghar DADBAKHSH (IRI) df. Haorui WANG (CHN), 3-1
BRONZE: RONAK (IND) df. Emrullah CAPKAN (TUR), 6-1

Semifinals

45kg
GOLD: Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM) vs. Aslanbek KOSTOEV (AIN) 

SF 1: Aslanbek KOSTOEV (AIN) df. Damir ABILDA (KAZ), 5-1
SF 2: Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM) df. Umidjon KAROMOV (UZB), 8-0

51kg
GOLD: Kutman KALBAEV (KGZ) vs. Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE)

SF 1: Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE) df. Yerassyl MUSSAN (KAZ), 4-1
SF 2: Kutman KALBAEV (KGZ) df. Abolfazl KARAMIEGAEI (IRI), 8-7

60kg
GOLD: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) vs. Aykhan JAVADOV (AZE)

SF 1: Aykhan JAVADOV (AZE) df. Jordyn RANEY (USA), 2-1
SF 2: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) df. Ilias LAAOUINA (NED), 8-0

71kg
GOLD: Vladislav BYRLIA (AIN) vs. Kiryl VALEUSKI (AIN)

SF 1: Kiryl VALEUSKI (AIN) df. Behruzbek VALIEV (UZB), 7-4
SF 2: Vladislav BYRLIA (AIN) df. Giorgi ALADASHVILI (GEO), 3-1

92kg
GOLD: Danial IZADI (IRI) vs. Ole STERNING (GER)

SF 1: Ole STERNING (GER) df. Serkan BAKIR (TUR), 3-1
SF 2: Danial IZADI (IRI) df. Lyova SHUKHYAN (ARM), 5-0