#WrestleSofia

U20 World Championships day five semis set

Friday, August 19, 2022 - 08:00 By Vinay Siwach

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SOFIA, Bulgaria (August 19) -- The U20 World Championships enter day five and it's time for Greco-Roman wrestling. Five weight classes in action on Friday in Sofia are 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, and 130kg.

MATCH ORDER | WATCH LIVE

Here are the semifinals for the evening session

55kg
Denis Florin MIHAI (ROU) vs. Nuristan SUIORKULOV (KGZ)
Karapet MANVELYAN (ARM) vs. Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) 

63kg
Arman VARDANYAN (ARM) vs. Baiaman KARIMOV (KGZ)
Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) vs. Chiezo MARUYAMA (JPN)

77kg​​​​​​​
Deni NAKAEV (GER) vs. Samandar BOBONAZAROV (UZB)
Yuksel SARICICEK (TUR) vs. Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)

87kg​​​​​​​
Vigen NAZARYAN (ARM) vs. Maksat SAILAU (KAZ)
Lachin VALIYEV (AZE) vs. Abolfazl CHOUBANI (IRI)

130kg
Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) vs. Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)
Aden ATTAO (USA) vs. Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR)

14:00: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) with a fall over Masoud KAVOUSI GHAFI (IRI). Huge win for the returning bronze medalist. He will wrestle in the 77kg semifinals.

13:45: Arman VARDANYAN (ARM) will be thanking his stars for that win over Dinislam SAGITZHAN (KAZ) at 63kg. Sagitzhan got a headlock and secured the fall but Armenia challenged the call and won as the Kazakhstan wrestler was locking the head by holding to his own thigh. Vardanyan defended his 10-7 lead to win

13:37: 2021 U17 world champion Nuristan SUIORKULOV (KGZ) and Emre MUTLU (TUR) on Mat A. Suirkulov with the advantage for par terre and scores one more point with an out of bounds throw. He adds two more takedowns to lead 6-0 at the break. Mutlu gets the par terre position and scores two turns before Suiorkulov gets a reversal to keep a 7-5 lead. Mutlu cannot score another takedown and will lose 7-5.

13:25: Fekry EISSA (EGY) had the U20 European champion Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) in trouble. But with 15 seconds remaining, Vyshnyvetskyi scores a takedown to win 9-7

13:00: The USA team is all for it as Aden ATTAO (USA), trailing 2-8, gets the arm throw and pins U20 European silver medalist Adolf BAZSO (HUN) at 130kg. The big upset of the day.

12:33: Here are the quarterfinals at 87kg

Gabriel LUPASCO (MDA) vs. Lachin VALIYEV (AZE)
Mykyta ALIEKSIEIEV (UKR) vs. Vigen NAZARYAN (ARM)
Maksat SAILAU (KAZ) vs. Robin USPENSKI (EST)
Donghyun YUN (KOR) vs. Abolfazl CHOUBANI (IRI) 

12:15: Senior European bronze medalist and one of the favorites to win the gold in Sofia, Emre MUTLU (TUR) comes back from 2-0 down against Paolo MILKOV (BUL) to win 6-2 at 55kg.

11:55: U20 European champion Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) begins with a fall over Junho PARK (KOR). Second to him in Rome, Adolf BAZSO (HUN) also begins with a fall over Tsotne TSINTSADZE (GEO) at 130kg.

11:35: At 77kg, some of the big results include Khasay HASANLI (AZE) beating Henrik GEVORGYAN (ARM), via fall. U20 European champion Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) with a big 13-5 win over Omar SATAYEV (KAZ)

11:15: We are beginning with 87kg and Vigen NAZARYAN (ARM) begins with a 9-0 win over Nartu ABDURAKHMANOV (KGZ), 9-0.

U20 European silver Lachin VALIYEV (AZE) played out all six minutes to beat Patrik GORDAN (ROU), 5-1.

11:00: Some of the biggest names in Greco-Roman wrestling will be on the mat on Friday. All five weight classes are stacked with young stars

#WrestleTirana

Three nations aim to get first Greco U23 world champs

Monday, October 21, 2024 - 22:48 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (October 21) -- Kyrgyzstan, the United States and Uzbekistan will stand a chance to crown their first-ever U23 world champion in Greco-Roman.

It was after the countries had one finalist each on day one of the U23 World Championships that kicked off in Tirana, Albania on Monday.

The United States and Uzbekistan have already had a historical day, confirming their first-ever U23 World Championships medals in Greco-Roman. Beka MELELASHVILI (USA) reached the 82kg final while Alisher GANIEV (UZB) made it to the 55kg final. Both countries had fifth as their best finishes before Monday in the history of the U23 Worlds, which came into existence only in 2017.

Kyrgyzstan will be banking on Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) to win the first Greco-Roman gold medal at U23 Worlds after he reached the 67kg final. Zholoman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) is the only other Greco wrestler to reach the final in 2019 but lost.

Georgia and Armenia were the only countries with two finalists on day one of the tournament. Surprisingly, Iran managed only one finalists out of the five weight classes that were in action.

Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO)Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) tries to complete at throw. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) and Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) were the two finalists for Georgia at 67kg and 72kg respectively. Both had finished with silver medals at the U20 World Championships in 2021 but will look to win the gold together on Tuesday.

Chkhikvadze defeated Daniial AGAEV (AIN), 4-4, in the semifinal with a correct throw in the last minute to take two points and a criteria lead. He will now take on Beishekeev who defeated Arslanbek SALIMOV (POL) 10-0 to win the other semifinal.

Giorgi was in much more control of his 7-0 win over Adilkhan NURLANBEKOV (KGZ) in the semifinal and will now take on Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM). The two had met in the semifinals of the U20 World Championships in 2021 and Giorgi won that meeting.

Khachatryan took no time to see off Georgios BARBANOS (SWE) 9-0 in the semifinal, his fourth technical superiority in the tournament, including a fall over Danial SOHRABI (IRI).

The second Armenian to reach the final was Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM) at 97kg after he held off senior European silver medalist Magomed MURTAZALIEV (AIN) 3-3 in the semifinal. Both exchanged par terre and one turn in gut-wrench but Khloyan performed it in the second period, keeping the criteria to him.

He will face Paris Olympian Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) in the final. Khaslakhanau won his semifinal Richard KARELSON (EST), 2-1.

Beka MELELASHVILI (USA)Beka MELELASHVILI (USA) confirmed the U.S. first ever Greco medal at U23 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

The U.S. has already achieved its best result ever in U23 Worlds in Greco but Melelashvili would look to make it golden on Tuesday. He will face Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) in the final.

Melelashvili wrestled Elmin ALIYEV (AZE) in the semifinal and fell behind 3-0 at the break. But he returned the favor to Aliyev in the second period. Initially not scored, Melelashvili got the two points for a gut wrench after a challenge. Naghousi defeated former U20 world champion Deni NIKAEV (GER), 6-1, in the semifinal.

Ganiev has already won Uzbekistan's first-ever U23 World Championships medal but will look to win one more bout and get his name in history books in golden. He humbled Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) 9-0 in the semifinals and will now face Dinislam BAMMAPTOV (AIN).

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) vs. Dinislam BAMMATOV (AIN)

SF 1: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) df. Nihad GULUZADE (AZE), 9-0
SF 2: Dinislam BAMMATOV (AIN) df. Pridon ABULADZE (GEO), 4-1

67kg
GOLD: Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) vs. Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) df. Arslanbek SALIMOV (POL), 10-0
SF 2: Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) df. Daniial AGAEV (AIN), 4-4

72kg
GOLD: Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM) vs. Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM) df. Georgios BARBANOS (SWE), 9-0
SF 2: Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) df. Adilkhan NURLANBEKOV (KGZ), 7-0

82kg
GOLD: Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) vs. Beka MELELASHVILI (USA)

SF 1: Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) df. Deni NAKAEV (GER), 6-1
SF 2: Beka MELELASHVILI (USA) df. Elmin ALIYEV (AZE), 3-3

97kg
GOLD: Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM) vs. Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN)

SF 1: Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM) df. Magomed MURTAZALIEV (AIN), 3-3
SF 2: Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) df. Richard KARELSON (EST), 2-1