#WrestleTirana

U23 Worlds: Masoumi, Firouzpour add more age-group titles

Sunday, October 27, 2024 - 09:24 By Vinay Siwach

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Tirana, Albania (October 26) -- Two years after they won their first U23 world titles, Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) and Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) repeated as U23 world champions in 125kg and 92kg respectively in Tirana, Albania.

Now a six-time age-group world champion, Masoumi showed another dominant performance in the tournament, outscoring his opponents 41-0. A month ago, Masoumi won the U20 world title as well.

Carrying the injured left elbow, Masoumi faced U23 European champion Alen KHUBULOV (BUL) in the final on Saturday and won 11-0 with yet another masterclass in underhooks and aggressive wrestling. Khubulov struggled to find an opening as Masoumi kept an eye on his attempted underhooks.

The gold medal was the 20-year-old's sixth in the age-group World Championships and second at U23 level. However, he has Olympic silver medalist Amirhossein ZARE (IRI) as the biggest domestic competitor, and he will have to beat him next year to be Iran's representative on the senior team.

Iran's second gold as Firouzpour added his second U23 world title to take his total to five. Firouzpour gave up a takedown and turn against Jacob CARDENAS (USA) but looked in control of the 92kg final and won it 11-4.

Firouzpour, who had moved up to 97kg in a bid to be at the Paris Olympics, was back at 92kg at the start of this year and has won all the three tournaments he has participated in.

Defending his gold medal from last year was Bashir MAGOMEDOV (AIN) who defeated rising star from Azerbaijan Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE) in the 61kg. The score was identical to his 4-0 win in the final last year.

"Final match is always different," Magomedov said. "Silver medal for me doesn’t mean anything. I was ready to die. I had a couple of attacks that were needed, scored the points and won the match. I’ve completed the plan that was given to me by my coach."

Abdullayev got on Magomedov's legs a couple of times but failed to finish his attacks. Magomedov, on the other hand, was in no hurry to finish the bout and took his own sweet time to win.

With two U23 gold medals in two years, Magomedov will be moving up to 65kg next season. However, gain weight still remains his biggest challenge.

"I am going to move up to the Olympic weight class of 65kg," he said. "However, my weight is just 66kg, that’s not enough. If I get to 67, 68kg, then I can think of moving to 65kg. I try to wrestle with everyone. Even if there is a chance to wrestle the Japanese guy, I would definitely do that. This kind of experience is very important."

A big result came at 86kg as Arslan BAGAEV (AIN) upgraded his bronze medal from last year to gold in a thrilling final against Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE). After a slow start to the final, Bagaev led 2-1 with two minutes remaining. However, Dzhioev scored a takedownand took a 3-2 lead and kept the pressure on. Dzhioev went for a double-leg attack in the zone but Bagaev countered him with lift and scored four points which were awarded only after Bagaev challenged.

That changed the flow of the bout as Dzhioev needed four points to win and did not get the opening to score any more points, suffering a 6-3 loss.

The win marked the first time Bagaev won a world title and he was relieved. 

"I competed three times at the age-group World Championship, but I couldn’t win in previous years," Bagaev said. "Finally, this year, I managed to win. I probably worked harder than anyone, and luck was on my side."

In the final, wrestling his friend and training partner Dzhioev made it emotional but Bagaev always believed that he will win the final.

"We almost train at the same gym," he said. "Everyone was waiting for this match. I knew I was going to win, I was wrestling till the very end. In the end, we both got a little bit emotional, but this is wrestling, everybody wants to win."

Takahashi's golden run

Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) pulled off one of the most incredible run at the U23 World Championships on one leg, literally. After getting injured against Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA), Takahashi had a heavy strapping on his knee.

In the final, Takahashi pulled out a takedown in the final minute of a tense final against Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) and held on to a 3-1 lead to upgrade his bronze medal from last year to gold.

Takahashi led 1-0 at the break against Toktomambetov was called for passivity in the first period and he failed to score in the activity time. Toktomambetov took a 1-1 criteria lead after Takahashi was put on the activity clock in the second period.

Takahashi kept his attacks and the referee was about to warn Toktomambetov for a second passivity when Takahashi got his takedown on the edge and claimed the lead. He held on to the 3-1 lead, avoiding much contact with Toktomambetov.

How hurt Takahashi was could be judged by the fact that he failed to perform the victory lap with the flag. After he won, the Japan team cheered for Takahashi and was proud that he managed to win the gold medal on one knee.

"I'm very happy and relieved that I won," Takahashi said. "I'm a tackler. I was good at attacking wrestling, and my opponent was very defensive, but I thought I could break down that defense by wrestling like I normally do, so I just did what I always do."

Takahashi threw some light on his style and said that countering is the way of wrestling he has been following since he began the sport.

"What I love most is winning," he said. "I've been doing tackles and attacking wrestling since I was little, so it's fun and I like it when I can make a tackle on my opponent."

Takahashi is registered for the World Championships in Non-Olympic Weight Classes at 79kg but with an injured knee, it will be interesting to see if Takahashi goes on to compete. But if he does, he is ready to challenge the pros.

"In the 79kg weight class, my opponent will be a bit bigger and bigger," he said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how well my speed and attacking wrestling will work against that opponent."

RESULTS

61kg
GOLD: Bashir MAGOMEDOV (AIN) df. Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE), 4-0

BRONZE: Abhishek DHAKA (IND) df. Mykyta ABRAMOV (UKR), 3-1
BRONZE: Ebrahim KHARI (IRI) df. Levik MIKAYELYAN (ARM), 4-3

74kg
GOLD: Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ), 3-1

BRONZE: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) df. Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN), 6-0
BRONZE: Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) df. Ismail KHANIEV (AIN), 8-6

86kg
GOLD: Arslan BAGAEV (AIN) df. Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE), 6-3

BRONZE: Yudai TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Joshua MORODION (GER), 9-2
BRONZE: Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA) df. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), 6-5

92kg
GOLD: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) df. Jacob CARDENAS (USA), 11-4

BRONZE: Ion DEMIAN (MDA) df. Fatih ALTUNBAS (TUR), via fall (8-6)
BRONZE: Mustafagadzhi MALACHDIBIROV (AIN) df. Musza ARSUNKAEV (HUN), 10-1

125kg
GOLD: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) df. Alen KHUBULOV (BUL), 11-0

BRONZE: Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR) df. Aydin AHMADOV (AZE), 11-0
BRONZE: Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) df. Lucas STODDARD (USA),

Semifinals

57kg
GOLD: Abdymalik KARACHOV (KGZ) vs. CHIRAG (IND)

SF 1: Abdymalik KARACHOV (KGZ) df. Ali MOMENI (IRI), 4-3
SF 2: CHIRAG (IND) df. Allan ORALBEK (KAZ), 8-0

65kg
GOLD: Kaiji OGINO (JPN) vs. Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN)

SF 1: Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN) df. Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB), 3-0
SF 2: Kaiji OGINO (JPN) df. Abbas EBRAHIM (IRI), 11-5

70kg
GOLD: Magomed KHANIEV (AZE) vs. Magomed ELTEMIROV (AIN)

SF 1: Magomed ELTEMIROV (AIN) df. Ali KHORRAMDEL (IRI), 5-3
SF 2: Magomed KHANIEV (AZE) df. SUJEET (IND), via fall (8-4)

79kg
GOLD: Mahdi YOUSEFI (IRI) vs. Feng LU (CHN)

SF 1: Feng LU (CHN) df. Arsen BALAIAN (AIN), 4-2
SF 2: Mahdi YOUSEFI (IRI) df. Masaki SATO (JPN), 12-1

97kg
GOLD: Mahdi HAJILOUEIAN (IRI) vs. Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ)

SF 1: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) df. Shamil GADZHIALIEV (AIN), 7-2
SF 2: Mahdi HAJILOUEIAN (IRI) df. VICKY (IND), 11-8

#WrestlePontevedra

U20 Worlds: Yevloyev rises to top; Iran wins fifth straight GR title

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 - 23:09 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (September 4) -- Last year, Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) watched Alperen BERBER (TUR) win the U20 world title from the stands. Yevloyev believed that it could have been him.

While that title in Amman was not to be, Yevloyev fulfilled his dream of becoming a U20 world champion after beating Berber in the 82kg final at the U20 Worlds in Pontevedra, Spain on Wednesday.

Berber stood no chance against Yevloyev, who took to an attacking approach from the first whistle. Yevloyev's gold along with Kazakhstan's success in other weight classes earned it second place in the team standings dominated by Iran.

With 147 points, Iran won the team title for the fifth time in a row. Kazakhstan followed with 100 points while Türkiye was third with 98 points.

Yevloyev won the U20 Asians last year with a win over Yasin YAZDI (IRI) but lost to him at the U20 Worlds. He then lost his repechage bout as well to finish without a medal.

"Last year at the World Championships, I didn’t have enough time to train well because of the health issues," Yevloyev said. "I had an injury and I could not train. But this year, I’ve done a great job together with the coaches. We had enough time to prepare and show a good result."

The final was a show of how Yevloyev has improved. He got the first par terre position and he tried to turn Berber who stopped the turn and got two points. However, Yevloyev had Berber in danger position and also got two points, leading 3-2 at the break.

Berber got the par terre and a 3-3 lead in the second period but Yevloyev was happy to defend from par terre position. Berber, despite his lead, tried a double-hand-lock throw and fell on his back to give two points to Yevloyev who suplexed Berber for two more.

Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ)Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) scores two points against Alperen BERBER (TUR) in the 82kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

"There are always mistakes that I have to improve on, but as long as I’ve reached the top of the podium today, I am satisfied with myself," he said. "I’ll keep wishing hard on the future, trying to keep winning gold medals.:

Yevloyev hails from a small village about Kokshetau and moved to a sports school in Petropavlovsk when he was in sixth grade. He is the cousin of the popular UFC fighter Mosvar EVLOEV.

"Movsar Evloev is my second cousin," he said. 

Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI)Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) gestures after winning the U20 world gold in the 67kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) was able to repeat as U20 world champion as he won the gold medal at 67kg. Ahmadreza is the younger brother of multiple-time Asian medalist Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI), who finished fifth at the Paris Olympics. The youngest brother, Emad Reza MOHSENNEJAD (IRI) won bronze at 80kg at the recent U17 World Championships in Amman, Jordan.

Wrestling Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ) in the final, Mohsen Nezhad stuck to the basics and controlled the center for the entire bout after scoring a takedown in the first minute of the final.

"A gold medal is much more valuable than other medals, and winning it feels amazing," Mohsen Nezhad said. "The Kazakh wrestler was very skilled, and we both fought hard. I thank God that my hand was raised as the winner."

His switch from 63kg to 67kg from the last U20 World Championships could well be the reason for a contrasting final. He won the gold medal with a 9-0 victory last year.

Talking about Mehdi, Ahmadreza said that he believes that much of his success is because of his older brother.

"My older brother is our role model, and thanks to him, we were able to come here and win medals," he said.

Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI)Servet ANGI (TUR) commits a defensive foul using his hand against Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) in the 60kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

In contrast, the 60kg final was action-packed with Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) winning it in just a minute and 52 seconds over Servet ANGI (TUR). Gholampour was giving the par terre position in the first period and he added a correct throw with a life. After Angi defended the second attempted lift, Gholampour went for a reverse left and got two points to lead 5-0.

Gholampour, however, asked his coaches to challenge him despite the resistance from the corner for it. It proved to be a match-ending challenge. The reverse left was scored for four points on review as it was from standing. Angi was docked for a defensive foul as well, giving two more points to Gholampour.

A surprised Gholampour celebrated even as Angi tried to make sense of the quick end of the final. This was Angi's second silver at a World Championships as he finished second at the 2021 U17 Worlds as well.

Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM)Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM) expresses his displeasure during the 72kg final against Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

A challenge proved critical in the 72kg final as well. Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM) was leading 5-3 against Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) in the second period after scoring a four-pointer and stepout. However, he committed a singlet pull in the fifth minute of the bout for which he was penalized two points. Despite the two points, Khachatryan led 5-5 on criteria for his four-pointer.

Not realizing the criteria lead, Armenia corner challenged and by the time the coaches realized, it was already under review. A 6-5 lead gave Beslekoev a new-found energy and he defended his lead till the end of time. 

The two had a heated exchange at the end of the bout as Khachatryan expressed his displeasure. This was his second loss to Beslekoev in two months, as Beslekoev won at the U20 European Championships with an identical scoreline. In Novi Sad, Khachatryan led 4-4 when Beslekoev was penalized a point for singlet foul and trailed 5-4. Despite leading, Khachatryan attempted an arm-spin but failed to make any contact. Beslekoev got the two points for a takedown to lead 6-5.

Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR)Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) used an arm spin to get four points against Darius KIEFER (GER) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 97kg, Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) became only the second U20 world champion from Ukraine in seven years after beating Darius KIEFER (GER), 6-4, in the final.

The two had met in the U20 European Championships final as well with Yakushenko winning the gold medal in Novi Sad, 1-1, getting the criteria for second par terre advantage.

But the final in Pontevedra was different with Kiefer scoring a stepout from par terre and then a takedown to lead 4-0 in the final period. However, Yakushenko used an arm spin to get a big four-point throw and a correct throw later to lead 6-4.

No wrestler was giving the par terre advantage in the second period and Yakushenko defended his 6-4 lead to win the final.

"I have only positive emotions," Yakushenko said. "Not everyone gets the chance to experience this moment. I am holding this belt and very thankful to God."

The final in Novi Sad was still fresh in Yakushenko's memory, and he was surprised by Kiefer's change in wrestling style on Wednesday.

"At the European final, the opponent didn’t know me well," he said. "He was better prepared here. He scored two points from par terre. Thankfully, they didn’t score it as a four-pointer. I immediately scored back all those points."

Ukraine won two medals in Greco-Roman at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) winning the silver medal at 67kg and Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) winning bronze at 87kg. Yakushenko said he was motivated to win in Pontevedra after watching the Olympics.

"I would like to congratulate our athletes," he said. "They motivated me a lot. Congratulations to Nasibov and Belebiuk for winning their Olympic medals.

df

 

RESULTS

Greco-Roman

60kg
GOLD: Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) df. Servet ANGI (TUR), 9-0

BRONZE: Papik DZHAVADIAN (AIN) df. Tural AHMADOV (AZE), 2-0
BRONZE: Ongdassyn KHAMITOV (KAZ) df. Kohaku KANAZAWA (JPN), 9-0

67kg
GOLD: Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) df. Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ), 2-0 

BRONZE: Grair OGANESIAN (AIN) df. Rati KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO), 9-0
BRONZE: Kojiro HASEGAWA (JPN) df. Ramazan AKTAS (TUR), 8-7

72kg
GOLD: Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) df. Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 6-5

BRONZE: Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) df. Wenhao HU (CHN), 6-5
BRONZE: Muhammed GOCMEN (TUR) df. Illia VALEUSKI (AIN), 4-3

82kg
GOLD: Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) df. Alperen BERBER (TUR), 7-3 

BRONZE: Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Anri DAVITADZE (GEO), 6-1
BRONZE: Shichang ZHENG (CHN) df. Abdurakhman ABDULKADYROV (AIN), via inj. def.

97kg
GOLD: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) df. Darius KIEFER (GER), 6-4

BRONZE: Anatolii AVERIN (AIN) df. Branko DUKIC (SRB), 7-3
BRONZE: Ahmet EREMEKTER (TUR) df. Rakhat BERZHANOV (KAZ), 5-1

Women's Wrestling Semifinals 

50kg
GOLD: Yu ZHANG (CHN) vs. Haruna MORIKAWA (JPN)

SF 1: Yu ZHANG (CHN) df. Aida KERYMOVA (UKR), 13-2
SF 2: Haruna MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Laura GANIKYZY (KAZ), via fall

55kg
GOLD: Khaliun BYAMBASUREN (MGL) vs. Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA)

SF 1: Khaliun BYAMBASUREN (MGL) df. Karina HONDA (JPN), 1-1 
SF 2: Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA) df. Tuba DEMIR (TUR), via fall

59kg
GOLD: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) vs. Alexis JANIAK (USA)

SF 1: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) df. Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE), 10-0
SF 2: Alexis JANIAK (USA) df. Uladzislava KUDZIN (AIN), 10-2
 
68kg
GOLD: Alina SHEVCHENKO (AIN) vs. Ayse ERKAN (TUR)

SF 1: Alina SHEVCHENKO (AIN) df. Viktoryia RADZKOVA (AIN), 5-2
SF 2: Ayse ERKAN (TUR) df. Karolina DOMASZUK (POL), 14-2

76kg
GOLD: Jyoti BERWAL (IND) vs. Mariia ORLEVYCH (UKR)

SF 1: Jyoti BERWAL (IND) df. Elmira YASIN (TUR), 7-0
SF 2: Mariia ORLEVYCH (UKR) df. Chisato YOSHIDA (JPN), 5-0