#WrestleDortmund

U23 World Champ Bayramov Headlines Tuesday’s Finals

By Eric Olanowski

DORTMUND, Germany (June 28) --- U23 world champion Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) blitzed his way to Tuesday’s junior European championship finals, while Russia inserted four of five wrestlers into gold-medal matches.

Bayramov, the reigning senior-level European runner-up, went unscathed en route to the 70kg finals match. The 20-year-old outscored his three opponents on Monday 26-0 and will wrestle Stanislav NOVAC (MDA) tomorrow night for a second junior European title.

Meanwhile, Russian freestylers Said KHUNKEROV (57kg), Turpal Ali KHATUEV (65kg), Rasul ASLUEV (79kg) and Ali ALIEV (97kg) earned finals berths and are one match away from winning a continental title.

Khunkerov, a tenth-place finisher at this year’s prestigious Ivan Yariguin, reached the finals with a pair of technical superiority wins. First, he picked up the convincing 18-8 win over three-time cadet world medalist Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO), then shut out Ahmet KARAVUS (TUR), 10–0, to reach his first European finals.


Said KHUNKEROV (RUS) finishes a shot on Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO) during Monday's opening day of wrestling at the Junior European Championships. (Photo Kadir Caliskan)

Khunkerov and Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM) will square off tomorrow for the 57kg title. Khndzrtsyan outscored his three opponents 31-0 – including a 10-0 win over cadet European champion Simone Vincenzo PIRODDU (ITA) – and will try to improve on his ’18 cadet European silver-medal finish.

Turpal Khatuev (RUS) was Russia’s second finalist. He punched his ticket to the finals with a two-point victory in a 24-point shootout with ’19 cadet European champion Sabir JAFAROV (AZE). Khatuev will meet Mykyta HONCHAROV (UKR) tomorrow night for gold. The Ukrainian breezed into the finals with a 7-2 win over Hungarian senior-level National runner-up Marcell BUDAI KOVACS (HUN).

Rasul Asluev nearly shut out Otari ADEISHVILI (GEO) in their semifinal meeting, but ultimately walked away with a 5-1 win and a final meeting against ’18 cadet world runner-up Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE). The Greek wrestler, who won U23 European bronze earlier this year, reached the finals with three wins on the day, which was capped off by a 9-2 throttling of Viktor KRUPA (UKR).

The fourth Russian Day 2 finalist was Ali Aliev. He beat Danylo STASIUK (UKR), 6-2, in the semifinals and will wrestle Polat POLATCI (TUR) in the 97kg finals.

Tomorrow’s wrestling resumes at 11:30 (local time) and can be followed on www.uww.org.

RESULTS
57kg
GOLD - Said KHUNKEROV (RUS) vs. Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM)
SEMIFINAL - Said KHUNKEROV (RUS) df. Ahmet KARAVUS (TUR), 10 - 0
SEMIFINAL - Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM) df. Thomas EPP (SUI), 10 – 0

65kg
GOLD - Turpal Ali KHATUEV (RUS) vs. Mykyta HONCHAROV (UKR)
SEMIFINAL - Turpal Ali KHATUEV (RUS) df. Sabir JAFAROV (AZE), 13-11
SEMIFINAL - Mykyta HONCHAROV (UKR) df. Marcell BUDAI KOVACS (HUN), 7-2

70kg
GOLD - Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) vs. Stanislav NOVAC (MDA)
SEMIFINAL - Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) df. Davit PATSINASHVILI (GEO), 11-0
SEMIFINAL - Stanislav NOVAC (MDA) df. Mevlut OZDEMIR (TUR), 4-3

79kg
GOLD - Rasul ASLUEV (RUS) vs. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
SEMIFINAL - Rasul ASLUEV (RUS) df. Otari ADEISHVILI (GEO), 5-1
SEMIFINAL - Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) df. Viktor KRUPA (UKR), 9-2

97kg
GOLD - Ali ALIEV (RUS) vs. Polat POLATCI (TUR)
SEMIFINAL - Polat POLATCI (TUR) df. Danylo STASIUK (UKR), 6-2
SEMIFINAL - Ali ALIEV (RUS) df. Milan KORCSOG (HUN), 4-0

#WrestleZagreb

Maroulis returns to Worlds final after three years

By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- Helen MAROULIS (USA) wrestled three bout on Tuesday at the World Championships and secured three pins. She spent only 6 minutes and 28 seconds in those three pins to reach the 57kg final at the World Championships on Tuesday in Zagreb.

Maroulis, a two-time world champion, will now wrestle for gold against Il Sim SON (PRK), one of the two wrestlers from the DPR Korea to make it to the final on Tuesday.

In all three of her pins, Maroulis used the iconic foot-sweep to get the fall. The first victim was Emine CAKMAK (TUR) who was pinned in a minute. Japan's world U23 champion Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN) held her fort for some time but Tokuhara missed a shot and Maroulis got the two-on-one before sweeping her for the fall in 2 minutes and 17 seconds.

In the semifinals, Maroulis wrestled European champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) and took a 1-0 lead for the latter's inactivity. But as soon as the second period began, Maroulis went straight to work and hit the sweep to get the fall and a place in the final.

She will face an unfamiliar challenge in the final as  Il Sim SON (PRK) who defeated Olympic bronze medalist Kexin HONG (CHN), 12-2, in the other semifinal. Son was one of the two finalist for the DPR Korea, a country which won its gold at 55kg on Tuesday.

The other wrestler from the DPR Korea to reach the final was Asian bronze medalist Myonggyong WON (PRK) who handed 2021 world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) her first international loss.

Yoshimoto, Asian champion in 2025, had it under control for the most the match before conceding a takedown with just 23 seconds left on the clock. Won was relentless in her attacks to break Yoshimoto in the final 20 seconds.

For the gold, she will face 2024 world U20 champion Yu ZHANG (CHN) who secured a fall over Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL) after taking a 9-0 lead.

At 65kg, former world champion Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) defeated another world champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) in the semifinal, 10-0. Morikawa impressed with her attacks and scored five different takedowns to finish the match via technical superiority.

World U23 silver medalist Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) will look to stop Morikawa from winning her second world title after a dream run to the final at 65kg. She defeated two-time world bronze medalist Macey KILTY (USA) in the morning session and completed a 13-3 technical superiority Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) in the semifinals.

Asian champion Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) booked a final against Genesis REASCO (ECU) after she handed a 10-5 defeat to European champion Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) in the semifinals.

In an all South American semifinal, Reasco scored a takedown in the last minute to stun Milaimy MARIN POTRILLE (CUB), 5-3. Potrille was leading 3-3 on criteria with a minute left but Reasco scored the two-point takedown and held on to her lead for the win, becoming the first Ecuadorian wrestler to reach a World Championships final.

RESULTS

50kg
GOLD: Myonggyong WON (PRK) vs. Yu ZHANG (CHN)

SF 1: Yu ZHANG (CHN) df. Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL), via fall (9-0)
SF 2: Myonggyong WON (PRK) df. Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN), 3-2

57kg
GOLD: Helen MAROULIS (USA) vs. Il Sim SON (PRK)

SF 1: Il Sim SON (PRK) df. Kexin HONG (CHN), 12-2
SF 2: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW), via fall (5-0)

65kg
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) vs. Alina KASABIEVA (UWW)

SF 1: Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) df. Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL), 13-3
SF 2: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Irina RINGACI (MDA), 10-0

76kg
GOLD: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) vs. Genesis REASCO (ECU)

SF 1: Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU) df. Milaimy MARIN POTRILLE (CUB), 5-3
SF 2: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 10-5