#WrestleAmman

U20 World Championships, Day 2 semis set

By Vinay Siwach

AMMAN, Jordan (August 15) -- The second day of the U20 World Championships will see the remaining five Freestyle weight classes in action. After the United States and Iran dominated day one, it will interesting to see if they can sustain their momentum.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

Semifinals

61kg
Besir ALILI (MKD) vs. Mohit KUMAR (IND)
Ali KHORRAMDEL (IRI) vs. Eldar AKHMADUDINOV (AIN)

74kg
Anton SUCHKOV (AIN) vs. Hossein AGHAEI (IRI)
Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) vs. Zhakshylyk BAITASHOV (KGZ)

86kg
Bennett BERGE (USA) vs. Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA)
Fumiya IGARASHI (JPN) vs. Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA)

92kg
Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) vs. Giorgi ROMELASHVILI (GEO)
Mohammadmobin AZIMI (IRI) vs. Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM)

125kg
Said AKHMATOV (AIN) vs. Karanveer MAHIL (CAN)
Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) vs. Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR) 

Iran ended the first session on day two of the U20 World Championships slightly better than the United States. Iran managed to send four wrestlers in the semifinal while the U.S. managed only two. That makes Iran the favorite for the Freestyle team title.

15:01: U20 Pan-Am champion Karanveer MAHIL (CAN) with two big double-leg attacks for four to beat Levan LAGVILAVA (FRA) 11-0 in the 125kg quarterfinals. He will take on Said AKHMATOV (AIN) in the semifinals.

14:55: U17 world champion Yusif DURSUNOV (AZE) feels the heat of U20 competition and drops his quarterfinal at 125kg against Said AKHMATOV (AIN) 5-1. Akhmatov never allowed Dursunov to complete his attacks.

14:40: Mohammadmobin AZIMI (IRI) is right up there. In complete control of his 11-0 win against Mustafagadzhi MALACHDIBIROV (AIN) in the 92kg quarterfinals. Nothing seems to trouble him.

14:35: Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA) may have pulled off the upset of the tournament as he beats Amirhossein ALIZADEHSHAHKOLAEI (IRI) 5-3 in the 86kg quarterfinals. The Iran wrestler looked solid as he avenged his U20 Asian finals lost to Mukul DAHIYA (IND) but could not score a decisive takedown against Mihalcean who was ecstatic after the win. 

14:31: No stopping Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) at 125kg. He makes short work of Christian CARROLL (USA) in the quarterfinals. Next up on Mat A is the supremely talented Mohammadmobin AZIMI (IRI) who takes on Mustafagadzhi MALACHDIBIROV (AIN) at 92kg.

14:28: Incredible action from both Mohit KUMAR (IND) and Nicholas BOUZAKIS (USA) at 61kg. Bouzakis raced to a 4-0 lead before Kumar made it 4-4. Bouzakis continued his attacks and led 8-6. In the second period, Bouzakis began with a takedown but Kumar, with his slightly better gas tank, scored three and led 12-10. Bouzakis however got a foul from Kumar and a par terre position with 19 seconds remaining. However, he failed to turn Kumar who won 12-11 to return to the semifinals at 61kg

14:15: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) absolutely dominates JAIDEEP (IND) to win 11-0 and move into the 74kg semifinals. He is looking to reach his second straight U20 World Championships final.

13:40: The United States suffered its first defeat in this tournament on the second day. Giorgi ROMELASHVILI (GEO) beats Jack DARRAH (USA) at 92kg.

13:20: U17 world champion Yusif DURSUNOV (AZE) continues his winning run at U20 World Championships as well. He blanks Teodor GJORGIEV (MKD) 10-0 at 125kg.

12:50: The U.S. continues the good show as Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) rolls through 12-1 against Elkhan GARAYEV (AZE) at 74kg.

12:45: Defending champion Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) with a fall! Shakjir BISLIMI (MKD) was no match for the France wrestler who scored 10 points before getting the win.

12:35: Bennett BERGE (USA) is on the mat now for his 86kg pre-quarterfinals against Ivan CHORNOHUZ (UKR). Berge was the silver medalist last year. He takes a 3-2 lead against Chornohuz who adds a stepout before the two wrestlers scores two-and-two. Berge leads 5-5 on criteria with a minute left. He gets the job done 7-5 

12:15: Ryunosuke KAMIYA (JPN) suffers a heartbreaking loss in the pre-quarterfinals at 74kg. The silver medalist from last year scored a takedown in the final minute against Anton SUCHKOV (AIN) but the AIN wrestler managed to hold on for a 3-2 win.

12:00: Defending champion Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) with a solid 9-1 win over Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR) at 125kg. That strong underhook is still his go-to win bouts.

11:45: Rin SAKAMOTO (JPN) with a fall over  Musa AGHAYEV (AZE) and on Mat A, Besir ALILI (MKD) wins a 14-11 slugfest against Mykola TASHOHLO (UKR).

11:30: The 61kg weight class in action and returning bronze medalist Mohit KUMAR (IND) begins with a 12-2 technical superiority win over Zoltan MIZSEI (HUN). He will face Dmitri CARASTOIANOV (MDA) in the next round.

10:50: U20 Asian champion Yerkhan BEXULTANOV (KAZ) uses a strong leg lace to beat U20 Pan-Am silver medalist Amaan GULACHA (CAN) via technical superiority at 74kg.

10:40: Ryunosuke KAMIYA (JPN), who won the silver medal at 74kg last year, begins on a strong note and beats Tanner PEAKE (PUR) 10-0. Kamiya is looking to upgrade his medal.

10:30: Returning silver medalist at 70kg Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) has begun his quest for another world medal with a 10-0 win over Ion MARCU (MDA). A thoroughly controlled bout as he moves up to 74kg in Amman.

10:00: After the United States and Iran dominated day one, sending three wrestlers each in the finals, Iran will look to take the lead in the team title race as the U.S. looks for an upset.

Obituary

U.S. Greco-Roman star Alan Vera passes away

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 24) -- United States Greco-Roman wrestler and Pan-Am champion Alan VERA (USA) passed away Monday. Vera suffered a sudden cardiac arrest earlier this year and had been hospitalized since then in recovery from his serious health challenges.

Vera was born in Cuba and won a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games and a gold medal at the 2016 Pan American Championships, while competing for Cuba. He immigrated to the United States and lived in Florida for a number of years. He continued to train and compete in Greco-Roman and various international events for a few years.

Vera qualified the U.S. for the Paris Olympics in 97kg at the 2024 Pan-American Olympic Qualification Tournament in Acapulco, Mexico.

Very saddened to hear about Alan Vera’s passing. In my limited time around him he was always willing to help on the mat, and offer a laugh at a terrible joke I made

— Kyle Dake (@kyledake444) September 24, 2024
 

Domestically, Vera claimed his first U.S. national title in 2020, and won four national titles during his career.

Vera was married to Elena PIROZKHOVA (USA), a two-time Olympian and former world champion.

United World Wrestling mourns the death of Vera and stands with the Vera family.