#WrestleAmman

U20 World Championships, Day 2 semis set

Tuesday, August 15, 2023 - 06:57 By Vinay Siwach

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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.

#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open: 'Calm' Khaslakhanau creates storm, Hedayati wins 130kg

Monday, January 15, 2024 - 01:54 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (January 14) -- Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) had not wrestled Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) before. But he had watched his World Championships loss in the pre-quarterfinals. A headlock throw saw Savolainen get pinned in Belgrade last year and end his chances of winning a senior World Championships medal and a Paris Olympic quota.

So when the two met in the Zagreb Open Ranking Series final at 97kg on Saturday, Khaslakhanau did not waste any time and hit a headlock for four. While he did not get the pin, he managed to finish the final in a minute and six seconds and claim the gold medal as the tournament came to a close with six Greco-Roman weight classes.

Khaslakhanau, who finished fifth at the World Championships after losing to Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) and Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) in the bronze medal bout, showed why he could be a big medal threat in Paris as he calmly went about business and won five bouts in some fashion.

Beginning with a 13-5 win over Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO), Khaslakhanau scored an 8-1 win over Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA). He defeated Aleksandar STJEPANETIC (SWE) 8-0 in the quarterfinals and faced Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE) in the semifinal which turned out to be a close one.

Ahmadiyev was quick to take an aggressive approach in the bout but Khaslakhanau kept himself calm and got the first par terre advantage. He scored a turn to lead 3-0 against Ahmadiyev who got par terre advantage in the second period but failed to score. Khaslakhanau decided to keep the 3-1 lead and thwarted every Ahmadiyev attack to win. A stepout in the final second of the bout made it 4-1.

In the final, Savolainen was just getting started when Khaslakhanau hit a stunning headlock and held the Finland wrestler on his back. Savolainen had Khaslakhanau on his back to earn two points but he could not do that for long. Khaslakhanau once again went on top, giving him two more points. Savolainen was cautioned for blocking and asked to return in par terre trailing 8-2.

Khaslakhanau lifted Savolainen for a big throw but managed only a two-point throw which ended the bout. Finland challenged that it was only a stepout which was the case but the replays showed Savolainen blocking Khalakhanau again. A second caution and two points were awarded against him, ending the bout 11-2.

Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN)Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) won the 97kg gold medal in Zagreb. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

"Today’s matches went perfect," Khaslakhanau said. "All the five matches were tough apart from the final. I had to prepare for each one in the same way. That’s why I am satisfied with my performance, but it’s not a limit, I should still work more and achieve more."

Despite perfect bouts, the U20 world champion maintained an expressionless face and did not give away much.

"I am a very disciplined wrestler thanks to my coach Kiril FOMENKO," he said. "Being respectful to my opponents doesn’t let me show any emotions. That’s why I am so reserved when I lose and when I win."

Khaslakhanau will now head to the European Championships but a clash with U23 world champion Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN) did not take place after the latter lost his quarterfinal.

"We wrestle together at the training, we also wrestled each other two times at competitions, I lost both times," he said.

Just 19 years old, Khaslakhanau has added two world titles to his name and qualified for the Paris Olympics. But it was only a piece of luck that he ended up being a wrestler.

"I started wrestling when I was 10 years old," he said. "A coach came to school to choose the kids and he invited me and I decided to give it a try. I liked it. I train in the wrestling club “Legend”. I want to say that it’s the best club at least in our country, and soon will be the best one in the world."

Savolainen was satisfied with his wrestling till the final and said that he knows his weakness and will continue to work on it.

"I was quite happy until the evening. In the final, it was the same mistake as the World Championships where I lost because of the same head throw," he said. "It could have been my time on the mat in the second period but we never got there in the final."

Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) defeated Oscar PINO (CUB) 8-2 in the 130kg quarterfinals. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Another U20 world champion had a great day in office as Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) won the gold medal at 130kg after two big wins. His first big test came against world bronze medalist Oscar PINO (CUB) and he passed that with flying colors, winning 8-2.

In the final, Hedayati faced Asian silver medalist Lingzhe MENG (CHN). After giving up the first passivity, Hedayati scored two stepouts before getting a par terre advantage in the second period to win 3-1.

The victory makes Hedayati the real successor behind world champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) at 130kg. Only time will tell when Hedayati will take over the reins from Mirzazadeh who is likely to go to Paris and will have to wrestle Hedayati.

At 60kg, Victor CIOBANU (MDA) pulled out injured and Sadyk LALAEV (AIN) got the gold medal. That was after both Lalaev and Ciobanu had a dominant morning session. Ciobanu defeated Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) 3-3 in an action-packed semifinal.

Nazaryan led 1-1 on criteria after par terre advantage. At one point, he lifted Ciobanu for a suplex but the Moldovan used his hands to avoid landing in danger position, saving him from giving up any points. Moldova challenged the call asking for two points as Ciobanu landed on top of Nazaryan but it was deemed clean with no points to any wrestler.

Ciobanu, trailing on criteria, got Nazaryan in a lock and as he tried to score a takedown, Nazaryan got the exposure and then Ciobanu scored a reversal. The referees ruled it two points only for Ciobanu. Bulgaria challenged the call and the judge ruled it two points each to both wrestlers with Ciobanu scoring later which gave him a 3-3 criteria and the win.

Lalaev defeated two Individual Neutral Athletes before beating Ihor KUROCHKIN (UKR) 9-0 in the semifinal.

Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE)Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) won the 72kg gold medal in Zagreb. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In the two non-Olympic weight classes of 72kg and 82kg, Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) and Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) were the respective gold medalists.

Ganizade took on Levente LEVAI (HUN) and began with a big front headlock throw for four, got another point for par terre and got two more when Levai tried to throw him but landed on his own back. No more points were awarded and Ganizade won 7-0.

In the 82kg final Ezilvassy took on U20 world champion Alperen BERBER (TUR) and never gave the youngster a chance to trouble him. Ezilvassy scored a turn from par terre and added a takedown in the second period to rule out any passivity warning against him. He won 5-0.

Adem UZUN (TUR) and Maksim STUPAKEVICH (AIN) were the only two wrestlers entered in 55kg and Uzun was too good for Stupakevich, winning the gold medal 10-2.

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RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Adem UZUN (TUR) df. Maksim STUPAKEVICH (AIN), 10-2

60kg
GOLD: Sadyk LALAEV (AIN) df. Victor CIOBANU (MDA), via inj. def.

BRONZE: Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN) df. Ihor KUROCHKIN (UKR), 9-0
BRONZE: Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) df. Hafizov ILDAR (USA), 5-1

72kg
GOLD: Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) df. Levente LEVAI (HUN), 7-0

BRONZE: Dominik ETLINGER (CRO) df. Calebe CORREA (BRA), 9-0
BRONZE: Muhammed GOCMEN (TUR) df. Iulian LUNGU (ROU), 9-0

82kg
GOLD: Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) df. Alperen BERBER (TUR), 5-0

BRONZE: Deni NAKAEV (GER) df. Mahmoud SEBIE (USA), 6-2 
BRONZE: Mats AHLGREN (SWE) df. Tornike DZAMASHVILI (GEO), 6-3

97kg
GOLD: Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) df. Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN), 11-2

BRONZE: Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN) df. Alex SZOKE (HUN), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Aleksandar STJEPANETIC (SWE) df. Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE), 3-2

130kg
GOLD: Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) df. Lingzhe MENG (CHN), 3-1

BRONZE: Dariusz VITEK (HUN) df. Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 7-4
BRONZE: Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) df. Laszlo DARABOS (HUN), via inj. def.