U23 Worlds: For Tevanyan, first title worth the wait

Sunday, October 23, 2022 - 00:21 By Vinay Siwach

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 22) -- Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) rarely expresses emotions on the mat. A rather calm personality during the bout, Tevanyan wore a worried look as the referees reviewed a challenge from Hamza ALACA (TUR).

With 20 seconds left in the 65kg gold medal bout at the U23 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, Tevanyan led 7-2 but Alaca got a gut wrench in which he spun Tevanyan 360 degrees hoping to get four points. The referees, however, awarded only two.

Even a successful challenge would only make it 7-6, Tevanyan did not want to be in a situation where the match can see more twists. And though there were no surprises at the end as Alaca lost the challenge and only got two points, it was a relief for Tevanyan than a celebration.

He thanked the small group of Armenian fans that were present in the Municipal Pavillion in Pontevedra before the victory lap as he captured his first-ever world title.

"Only at the end of the match, when there was a challenge, I was worried," Tevanyan said.

If you are wondering why it was such a big deal, Tevanyan remembers the last U23 World Championships in which he finished as the silver medalist. In the final 10 seconds, he gave up a takedown and then Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) spun him for two. And what Alaca did was similar to that.

Akmataliev won the gold last year at 70kg. Tevanyan did not want to finish with silver again.

"I have been waiting for so long to become the world champion," he said. "I was going to Belgrade to win the gold but seems like I wasn’t prepared enough. Last year I was wrestling at 70kg weight class."

Ever since bursting onto the scene for beating Iszmail MUSZUKAJAEV (HUN) in the 65kg final at the 2020 Individual World Cup in Belgrade, Tevanyan has shown the spark but he failed to light it on the big stage.

In March 2021 he defeated Haji ALIYEV (AZE) but failed to win at the Olympics and finished ninth at the 2021 World Championships. But is slowly working out for him in 2022. He won the prestigious Takhti Cup in Iran, and almost reached the bronze medal bout in Belgrade before capping off the season with a world title.

"I have been working hard together with the coaches," he said. "We corrected all the mistakes, and now you can see the result of our hard work."

In Pontevedra, he captured the 65kg gold with the win over Alaca to finally emerge as one of the wrestlers to take over 65kg. In the semifinals, he defeated Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ) 7-6 in an evenly fought bout. Japanese youngster Ryoma ANRAKU (JPN) also troubled Tevanyan but the Armenian managed to win 5-4.

Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) completes an attack on Hamza ALACA (TUR) in the 65kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

In the final, he was leading 3-2 with a minute remaining when he got the arm trap and extended his lead to 7-2. But he still countered later in the bout. Luckily, it was only for two points and not four for Alaca.

"That was an interesting final," he said. "The opponent was very good. I wouldn’t say that the beginning of the match was intense but later during the challenge, I was worried if they will give 2 or 4 points."

The Tokyo Olympian will now try to qualify for the Paris Olympics at the 2023 World Championships next year.

"I will now go back to Armenia, get some rest and start training even harder for the next year because the next year is very important since there will be Olympic qualifying World Championships," he said.

Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) won the U23 World title at 70kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

While Tevanyan ended his title drought, it was yet another silver at World Championships for Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) who lost the 70kg final against U23 European champion Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) in a dramatic manner.

The favorite Yazdani led 2-2 at the break and got involved in a bearhug with Elbakidze which ended in a disaster for him. Elbakidze never let off his grip and Yazdani landed on his back as he tried a big throw. Elbakidze led 6-2 and Yazdani looked desperate.

Elbakidze avoided contact and it was just over a minute left that Yazdani was able to score a takedown, cutting the lead to 6-4. Then he got a lifeline.

Elbakidze was put on the activity clock and Yazdani had to play out the 30 seconds and needed a takedown to win. But Elbakidze shot a double-leg which Yazdani defended for a while but ultimately fell to the pressure, canceling out the activity clock. Nothing worked for him and he ended with his third silver in as many World Championships finals.

Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) reacts after winning the 79kg final against Daulet YERGESH (KAZ). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Georgia got its second world champion as Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) defeated Daulet YERGESH (KAZ), 5-3kg, in the 79kg final.

After getting a point for passivity, Gamkrelidze scored a takedown right before the break to lead 3-0. Yergesh was more active in the second period but Gamkrelidze did not want to engage and it was with just 35 seconds remaining that Yergesh got a stepout.

Yergesh needed two more points for criteria and went for a duck under but as he tried getting up, Gamkrelidze slammed him on the mat, earning himself two more points. He did give up a takedown but it was too little too late as the Georgian won 5-3.

Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) defeated Tanner SLOAN (USA) in the 97kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) successfully defended his 97kg gold with a tense 5-3 win over Tanner SLOAN (USA).

Azarpira got a single leg against Sloan and almost managed to take him down but Sloan defended, before scoring a takedown. But in the second period, Azarpira scored a stepout in the activity period before adding one more to take a 3-2 lead with a minute and 30 seconds remaining. He extended it to 4-2 with less than a minute remaining.

In the dying seconds of the bout, Sloan launched an attack and got hold of Azarpira's legs. But at no time did Azarpira make three-point contact with the mat and Sloan did not receive a point.

"The final match was a hard match," Azarpira said. "I pretty much knew it would be a tough match. I put in a lot of effort for this tournament after the U20 Worlds in Bulgaria. I had a bad experience in Bulgaria and couldn't get the medal that I wanted, I ended up in third place.

"After that, I tried very hard and was very organized in my preparation for this tournament and thank god I was successful."

At the U20 Worlds in Sofia, Azarpira suffered a surprising 6-4 loss to Rifat GIDAK (TUR) and returned home with a bronze. It was a wake-up call for Azarpira who went there thinking that he would return as a champion.

"Before Sofia, I went in thinking I was guaranteed the gold," he said. "I ended up not getting what I expected. After that, I gathered myself and trained hard and with discipline in order to get the gold here and thank god that happened."

Aman SEHRAWAT (IND) became India's first U23 world champion. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

India's first U23 champion

India entered only one wrestler in freestyle and he is returning home with a gold and history. Aman SEHRAWAT (IND) won the 57kg gold medal in Pontevedra, becoming the first Indian to be crowned a U23 world champion.

In the final, he faced Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) and started as the underdog as Duman enjoyed a field day Friday, winning all three of his bouts via technical superiority.

He began on a similar note, scoring a stepout in the first 15 seconds. Sehrawat was called passive as Duman led 2-0 at the break.

It all changed after the 30-second interval as Sehrawat's relentless attacks, with a shade of Olympic silver medalist Ravi KUMAR (IND) in them, stunned Duman.

Attack per attack, the two-time U17 world bronze medalist racked up points and led 6-2. Duman got an opportunity to turn it around but failed to get a lace going after scoring a takedown. Sehrawat never gave him a chance again.

A 12-4 win sealed the deal for the Indian, who was orphaned at the age of 11 years. He won the first gold after seven silver medals across all styles for the country.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Aman SEHRAWAT (IND) df. Ahmet DUMAN (TUR), 12-4

BRONZE: Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) df. Hansana GANEGODAGE (SRI), via walkover
BRONZE: Kamil KERYMOV (UKR) df. Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO), 17-7

65kg
GOLD: Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) df. Hamza ALACA (TUR), 8-4

BRONZE: Ryoma ANRAKU (JPN) df. Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ), 7-7
BRONZE: Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) df. Kianhossein MAHMOUD (IRI), 11-8

70kg
GOLD: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) df. Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI), 8-4

BRONZE: Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Yahya THOMAS (USA), 4-0
BRONZE: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ), 8-5

79kg
GOLD: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Daulet YERGESH (KAZ), 5-3

BRONZE: Carter STAROCCI (USA) df. Valentyn BABII (UKR), 11-0
BRONZE: Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) df. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), 6-4

97kg
GOLD: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) df. Tanner SLOAN (USA), 5-3

BRONZE: Vasyl SOVA (UKR) df. Ertugrul AGCA (GER), 5-3
BRONZE: Islam ILYASOV (AZE) df. Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO), 7-0

Semifinals

61kg
GOLD: Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) vs. Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)

SF 1: Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df. Ramaz TURMANIDZE (GEO), 13-4
SF 2: Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR), 5-0

74kg
GOLD: Mohmmadsadegh FIROUZPOUR (IRI) vs. Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE)

SF 1: Mohmmadsadegh FIROUZPOUR (IRI) df. Temuri BERUASHVILI (GEO), via inj. def.
SF 2: Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) df. Vasile DIACON (MDA), 4-3

86kg
GOLD: Trent HIDLAY (USA) vs. Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN)

SF 1: Trent HIDLAY (USA) df. Ivan ICHIZLI (MDA), 11-1
SF 2: Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN) df. Evsem SHVELIDZE (GEO), 4-3

92kg
GOLD: Jacob CARDENAS (USA) vs. Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI)

SF 1: Jacob CARDENAS (USA) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 8-0
SF 2: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) df. Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR), 17-6

125kg
GOLD: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) vs. Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO)

SF 1: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) df. Alisher YERGALI (KAZ),
SF 2: Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) df. Yurii IDZINSKYI (UKR), 10-0

#WrestlePontevedra

Susaki Slam: Japan star first to win all world and Olympic titles

Friday, October 21, 2022 - 00:25 By Vinay Siwach

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 20) -- Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and history will always have Paris.

But before that, the Japanese wonder decided she would get herself all the world titles wrestling could offer.

She entered the U23 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, a month after winning her third senior world title. And wrestling for just four minutes and 47 seconds in four bouts, Susaki completed wrestling 'Grand Slam' – winning all world titles and the Olympics, the first wrestler to achieve the feat.

“I wanted to take the U23 title and become the first to achieve the 'grand slam',” Susaki said. “I'm so happy I was able to achieve it.”

Having won the U17 world titles from 2014 to 2016, Susaki won her first senior and U20 titles in 2017 and the Olympics in 2021. Well aware that this year is the last chance for her to compete at the U23 level, Olympic champion Susaki entered the competition with no concerns and came out with another record to her name.

“I always knew about [the Grand Slam]. There were two of my predecessors who won four [age-group] titles,” Susaki said referring to Haruna OKUNO (JPN) and Masako FURUICHI (JPN) “but no one in the wrestling world had added the fifth title of the Olympics [which Susaki won in 2021]. I wanted to make history, so I was definitely going to enter this year. I knew this would be the first and last time [at U23].”

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) pins Ankush PANGHAL (IND) in the 50kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In the 50kg final, Susaki wrestled Ankush PANGHAL (IND) and went for the double-leg. Panghal put up a fight for a brief time and even tried getting exposure to score points on Susaki, something which has not happened for three years.

Susaki improvised quickly and locked Panghal's leg in Figure 4 and secured the fall in a minute and 52 seconds to create history.

“I wanted to create history, a new thing in history, and it's a feat that I could accomplish,” she said. “I wanted to leave my name in wrestling history.”

Wrestling will remember her as one of the most dominant wrestlers of all time if not the most. For some, she is strong while for others she is technically sound. A lot of fellow wrestlers credit Susaki for her mat awareness.

Like the leg lace she launches or the armbar she uses to pin her opponent. She will combine that with the front chest wrap to get the big points. Susaki doesn't wait for her opponent's mistake. She punishes them at the first opportunity she gets.

“Regardless of where the opponent is from, I mainly want to do my wrestling and before the match, I keep in mind to give everything I have,” she said after winning the gold Thursday.

That's only on the mat. Off it, she never lets the smile off her face, greeting her teammates, fans and even fellow wrestlers with the same energy. Nothing bothers her or so she makes it seem.

But there is a photo of her from the World Championships in Belgrade as she is walking out for the gold medal bout, Susaki is happily waving at her teammates in the stands while her opponent waited on the mat with a stern look.

Susaki finished the bout in a minute and 24 seconds with a pin.

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) won her first U23 world title. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

But it was not always like that. She used to be a little more human early in her career, feeling the nerves before a big bout of showing emotions after a tense win. She even made mistakes on the mat. Till 2018, Susaki was guilty of going into the defensive late in the second period or getting countered on her double-leg attacks.

It all changed after that famous 2-2 win at the 2018 Klippan Lady Open over four-time Olympic medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE). Susaki has never celebrated as she did after winning that unimportant, yet the most iconic, bout of her career.

Susaki, then 17 years old, entered that tournament as the world champion. But the epitome of 50kg wrestling was Stadnik who did not take part in the 2017 World Championships. Susaki needed to beat her to be undisputed.

Stadnik led 2-1 with 50 seconds left. Susaki launched an attack using a front headlock with just 13 seconds left on the clock. Stadnik defended a takedown but Susaki pushed her out to lead 2-2 on criteria. She won and breached a new territory. She was the new star.

That loss broke Stadnik. She never scored a single point on Susaki in their future meetings.

Apart from Stadnik, SUN Yanan (CHN) is another wrestler who troubled Susaki. In their first meeting at the 2017 Asian Championships, Sun stunned her with a front headlock, and then at the 2017 World Cup, she almost won before Susaki held on for a 4-2 victory.

The 2019 bout at the World Cup was even closer. Susaki won 3-2 but it was the last time she allowed any of her opponents to trouble her. She humbled Sun 11-0 inside two minutes in the Olympic final in Tokyo to claim the gold, a medal which landed in Susaki's lap after drama and help from rivals, namely Sun and Stadnik.

After beating 2016 Rio Olympic champion Eri TOSAKA (JPN), Susaki was the favorite to be at the Tokyo Olympics. But Yuki IRIE (JPN) had other ideas.

Since high school, Susaki has only lost thrice -- all three losses to Irie. One of those losses came in the playoff for the 2019 World Championships which was the first qualification step for the Tokyo Olympics. Susaki's hopes were dashed as all Irie needed was to win a medal at 50kg in Nursultan, Kazakhstan. Given the domination of Japan at 50kg, it was a no-brainer that Irie will win one.

But as fate would have it, Irie suffered a 13-12 loss to Sun in the quarterfinals before Stadnik defeated Sun in the semifinals, thus eliminating Irie. That was Susaki's lifeline. She qualified for the Olympics at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Almaty, Kazakhstan and the rest is history.

She made her debut at the U17 World Championships in 2014, and since then Susaki has a 72-0 international record with only 10 of those bouts going the full six minutes. Overall, out of the total 406 minutes [72 bouts], Susaki has spent approximately 190 minutes on the mat, less than half of the full time.

Her first six-minute bout came at the prestigious Ivan Yarigiun Grand Prix in 2017 which was her senior international debut. Former European champion Valeria CHEPSARAKOVA (RWF) managed to keep her at bay but failed to stop her from winning 6-0.

The then 16-year-old Susaki had already won three U17 world gold medals and was yet to concede a point in 17 bouts. She would extend that record to 21 bouts before Anna LUKASIAK (POL) scored four points on her at the Klippan Lady Open in 2017.

But in her 72 bouts, Susaki has scored 663 points [including 10 falls] and given up only 27 points. The last time it happened was at the World Cup in Narita, Japan when Sun had a takedown that ended a 125-0 run for Susaki.

As of Friday, Susaki is on a 158-0 run with a chance to extend it further next year.

While for most wrestlers the season is all but over, for most Japanese wrestlers, December brings the Emperor's Cup. This year's tournament will serve as the first qualification for the 2023 World Championships which offers quotas for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

And the story of Susaki and her struggles to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics are well documented, she does not want to repeat the same for Paris.

“To me, the Paris Olympics is a special tournament,” she said. “I want to see what the scenery looks like when you win a second Olympic gold. I want to know what is the spectacular view. I am looking forward to that. And when I became a senior world champion for the first time, it was in Paris. I feel I have a destiny with the Paris Olympics.”

Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) became Colombia's first ever U23 world champion (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Colombia wins first U23 gold

More history was created in Pontevedra as Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) became Colombia's first-ever U23 world champion after she defeated Dymond GUILFORD (USA), 2-1, in the 76kg final.

Renteria, a returning silver medalist, had lost the final last year to Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) but took home the gold this year with a win that got the local crowd excited.

In the first period, she was called passive and Guilford led 1-0 at the break. Guilford got going in the second period and brought down Tenteria for a takedown. However, the Colombian managed to keep her knees from touching the match to avoid giving up any points.

And when Guilford was pressuring more, Renteria jumped over and forced Guilford on her back, giving her two points and a 2-1 lead which she maintained till the end.

“Last year I won silver so I had to step up here and take home the gold,” Renteria said. “It was a tough final.”

At 68kg, Nesrin BAS (TUR) defeated Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN), 8-0, in the final to claim Turkey's third U23 world title in women's wrestling.

While Matsuyuki began on a good note, it was Bas who controlled the bout for most of the time and ultimately broke Matsuyuki with her high pace.

Apart from Susaki, Japan captured two more gold medals as U20 world champion Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) defeated Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA), 13-0, in the 55kg final while Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN), wrestling at her first World Championships, held off Magdalena GLODEK (POL), 3-2, to win the gold at 59kg.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) defeated returning champion Ana GODINEZ (CAN) in the 62kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Japan has already sealed the team title but will have senior world champions Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) and Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) wrestling for gold at 62kg and 68kg respectively.
Former senior and U23 world champion Haruna OKUNO (JPN) will be going for her third U23 world title Friday as she made it to the 53kg final against defending champion Lucia YEPEZ (ECU).

At 57kg, Sae NANJO (JPN) will look to add to her previous U23 world title as she takes on Patrycja GIL (POL) in the gold medal bout.

The only final Friday which does not feature a Japanese is at 72kg as senior world champion Amit ELOR (USA) reached the gold medal bout against U23 European champion Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL).

Elor will join the select club of wrestlers with world titles at U17, U20, U23 and senior levels if she wins Friday.

Ozaki will also join the club by winning the 62kg gold while Okuno was the first wrestler to win world titles at four different levels.

Freestyle wrestling will begin in five weight classes – 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg and 97kg.

RESULTS

50kg
GOLD: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. ANKUSH (IND), via fall

BRONZE: Nada MOHAMED (EGY) df. Lisa ERSEL (GER), 4-2
BRONZE: Sarra HAMDI (TUN) df. Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA), 8-5

55kg
GOLD: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA), 13-0

BRONZE: Alisha HOWK (USA) df. Ahinsa FERNANDO (SRI), 13-5
BRONZE: Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) df. Virginie KAZE (CAN), 8-4

59kg
GOLD: Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN) df. Magdalena GLODEK (POL), 3-2

BRONZE: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Lexie BASHAM (USA), 10-0
BRONZE: Mansi AHLAWAT (IND) df. Ramina MAMEDOVA (LAT), via injury default

68kg
GOLD: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN), 8-0

BRONZE: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df. Sienna RAMIREZ (USA), via fall
BRONZE: Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR) df Noemi SZABADOS (HUN), 6-2

76kg
GOLD: Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) df. Dymond GUILFORD (USA), 2-1

BRONZE: Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) df. Mehtap GULTEKIN (TUR), via fall
BRONZE: Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN) df. Inkara ZHANATAYEVA (KAZ), 7-0

Semifinals

53kg
GOLD: Haruna OKUNO (JPN) vs. Lucia YEPEZ (ECU)

SF 1: Haruna OKUNO (JPN) df. Felicity TAYLOR (USA), 9-1
SF 2: Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) df. Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), 10-0

57kg
GOLD: Sae NANJO (JPN) vs. Patrycja GIL (POL)

SF 1: Sae NANJO (JPN) df. Siwar BOUSETA (TUN), via fall
SF 2: Patrycja GIL (POL) df. Laura ALMAGANBETOVA (KAZ), via fall

62kg
GOLD: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) vs. Iryna BONDAR (UKR)

SF 1: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. Ana GODINEZ (CAN), 10-0
SF 2: Iryna BONDAR (UKR) df. Astrid MONTERO (VEN), 10-0

65kg
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) vs. Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE)

SF 1: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR), 6-2
SF 2: Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE) df. Elena ESPOSITO (ITA), 3-2

72kg
GOLD: Amit ELOR (USA) vs. Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)

SF 1: Amit ELOR (USA) df. Maria NITU (ROU), via fall
SF 2: Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) df. Sumire NIIKURA (JPN), 3-1

U23 Worlds: For Tevanyan, first title worth the wait

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Susaki Slam: Japan star first to win all world and Olympic titles