#WrestlePontevedra

Vyshnyvetskyi, Gutu among young stars to reach U23 Worlds finals

Monday, October 17, 2022 - 20:07 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 17) -- When Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) saw his draw for the U23 World Championships, he had his task cut out.

In his first bout, he was pitted against the 2021 senior world champion Aliakbar YOUSOFI (IRI) and that made Vyshnyvetskyi the underdog. But unfazed by his opponent, the U20 world champion used a headlock throw before piling up the pressure on Yousofi to eke out a 7-1 and pull off the upset on day one of the tournament.

“I was preparing for the match because I knew he is a senior world champion,” Vyshnyvetskyi said. “I knew it wouldn’t be easy. However, his wrestling style quite suited me.”

With half the job done, Vyshnyvetskyi made sure he continued his good form and reached the final in 130kg as five gold-medal pairs were decided in Greco-Roman.

Vyshnyvetskyi wrestled Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE) in the quarterfinal and scored a 6-3 win. He will now wrestle U23 European silver medalist Fatih BOZKURT (TUR), who avenged his Euro loss to Dariusz VITEK (HUN).

“I have never wrestled him [Bozkurt] before, he said. “I hope to win because I came here to win the gold.”

Vitek would have fancied his chances against Bozkurt as he had defeated him in Plovdiv in February but the Turkey wrestler shut Vitek with top-class defense. Bozkurt won 6-1.

Nihad GULUZADE (AZE)Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) scored an 8-0 win over Ken MATSUI at 55kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Another Oslo world champion suffered a loss on day one. Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) stunned Ken MATSUI (JPN) at 55kg with an 8-0 win.

Matsui was called passive in the first period and Guluzade scored two turns from par terre to lead 5-0. In a rare instance, Matsui was called passive in the second period as well and Guluzade made sure he finished the bout by getting a turn.

The returning bronze medalist will now face returning silver medalist Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) in the final.

Dad Marz was up against U20 world silver medalist Denis MIHAI (ROU) and in trouble when the latter raced to a 4-0 lead early in the bout.

But Dad Marz kept his cool and scored two head pinches to lead 4-4 before making it 6-4 at the break. He was awarded the par terre position from which Dad Marz got a turn to secure a 9-4 lead, enough for him to play out the rest of the time.

That loss for Mihai denied him the opportunity to take on Guluzade for the third time this year. Guluzade defeated Mihai at the U20 European and World finals.

Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI)Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) reached the 63kg final after beating Ziya BABASHOV (AZE) 5-1. (Photo: UWW / Kostandin Andonov)

Another Iran wrestler who made it to the final was Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) as he defeated Ziya BABASHOV (AZE) 5-1 in the semifinal.

It was Babashov who opened the score but Khoon Mohammadi scored two stepouts to lead 2-1 at the break. In the second period, he was awarded the passivity call and he scored a turn from par terre to win.

The job is only half done for Khoon Mohammadi as he faces former U20 world champion and U23 European champion Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO), who beat Maksym LIU (UKR), 5-2.

Liu defended from par terre for the longest time when Shotadze tried to gut wrench. But as the referee was about to call neutral, Shotadze lifted Liu and scored four via a suplex, executed very close to the mat rather than the high-flying one.

In the second period, Liu failed to score from par terre and only got a caution.

Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) reached the 77kg gold medal bout. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

In the remaining semifinals, Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) set up an exciting final against senior European champion and world bronze medalist Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM).

Gutu, one of the most active wrestlers this year, ended his long drought of missing out on finals at the World Championships and made it with a technical superiority win over Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR).

The match did not begin in favor of Gutu as he was put in par terre. But Gutu got out of the grip in stunning fashion and scored a four using a front headlock. Vasetskyi was cautioned for a defensive foul which gave two more to Gutu.

The bout restarted in par terre and Gutu scored another four-pointer to claim an 11-1 win with the final point coming off a lost challenge.

But in the final, he will be up against a far more experienced wrestler in Amoyan.

His semifinal opponent was a surprise Nao KUSAKA (JPN) who reached the last four by beating U23 world champion Idris IBAEV (GER) in the quarterfinal.

Kusaka began the semifinal on a strong note leading 5-0 but Amoyan got going with a four before adding a point for passivity and stepouts. A takedown in the second period helped him win 9-5.

Amoyan had an extremely battling day as he opened the day against Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) with a 1-1 win and faced Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ) in the quarterfinal. Talantbekov got the 1-1 lead in the second period but Amoyan scored a stepout and win 2-1.

Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM)Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) came from behind to reach the 87kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostandin Andonov)

At 87kg, Istvan TAKACS (HUN) rallied for a 4-1 win against Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL) in the semifinal. He will now take on Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) in the final.

Tadevosyan was down 4-0 against Maksat SAILAU (KAZ) as the Kazakhstan wrestler used a headlock for four. But Tadevosyan scored a takedown to cut the score to 4-2.

Another takedown and caution against Sailau meant he took the outright lead. Sailau was warned for passivity, adding another point to Tadevosyan's score as he won 6-4.

The U23 World Championships will continue on the second day with the remaining five Greco-Roman weight classes in action.

RESULTS

Greco-Roman

55kg
GOLD:  Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) vs. Nihad GULUZADE (AZE)

SF 1: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Denis MIHAI (ROU), 9-4
SF 2: Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) df. Ken MATSUI (JPN), 8-0

63kg
GOLD: Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) vs. Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Ziya BABASHOV (AZE), 5-1
SF 2: Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO) df. Maksym LIU (UKR), 5-2

77kg
GOLD: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) vs. Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR), 11-1
SF 2: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Nao KUSAKA (JPN), 9-5

87kg
GOLD: Istvan TAKACS (HUN) vs. Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df. Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL), 4-1
SF 2: Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) df. Maksat SAILAU (KAZ), 6-4

130kg
GOLD: Fatih BOZKURT (TUR)  vs. Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR)

SF 1: Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) df. Dariusz VITEK (HUN), 6-1
SF 2: Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) df. Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE), 6-3

#WrestleBudapest

Big-throwing Machado claims debut Ranking Series gold

Monday, July 21, 2025 - 11:08 By Vinay Siwach

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 20) -- Thamires MACHADO (BRA) made brief headlines at the Pan-American Olympic Games Qualifiers in Mexico. She threw Amit ELOR (USA) for a lateral drop for four points. Machado had Elor in trouble which could have seen Elor, the champion in Paris Games, lose early. However, Machado fizzled out and lost her bout 6-4.

A year later on Saturday, the Brazilian won her first major gold medal at the Budapest Ranking Series after a stunning show of strength and big throws at the Ranking Series over the weekend.

"In every practice back home, I try to do the four-point moves. I want to throw," Machado said after receiving the gold medal.

In other weight classes, Grace BULLEN (NOR) had another epic match with Irina RINGACI (MDA) and won gold at 65kg and Kennedy BLADES (USA) won another Ranking Series gold to remain undefeated at 68kg going into the World Championships.

European champion Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) and Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) won at 55kg and 62kg respectively.

Machado, competing in her first-ever Ranking Series event, won the 76kg gold medal with wins over Asian champion Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) and world U20 champion PRIYA (IND) in semifinal and final, respectively.

In the gold-medal bout, Machadofaced former world U17 and U20 champion Priya and used a similar lateral drop like she did against Elor to score a four-pointer over Priya in the first minute.

Priya was pushing for a stepout and Machado used that momentum to drop her for four-points. It was catch-up from there on for Priya who failed to score any points in the first period. She got a stepout in the second get on board. Struggling to get to Machado's legs, Priya forced another stepout to make it 4-2.

Machado was put on the activity clock in the last minute but she was happy to conceded that point than to go for all-out attack during those 30 seconds. Priya also waited for the activity clock to expire before pushing for a point, perhaps a mistake to take her foot of the pedal in the final minute.

During that time, Machado managed to catch her breath and defended all attacks, including one in the last five seconds to win 4-3 and the gold medal.

"I am happy to win this gold medal in Ranking Series," she said. "This is so special for me"

In the semifinals, Machado got the better of Medet Kyzy, who opened the scoring with a double-leg takedown for two points. She led 3-0 at the break as Machado failed to score after being put on the 30-second activity clock.

Machado got her first points when she defended a leg attack from Medet Kyzy and scored a go-behind takedown. She then launched a powerful gut-wrench and turned her three times to lead 8-3. Two stepouts in quick succession for Medet Kyzy cut Machado's lead to 8-5 but the Kyrgyzstan wrestler had only a minute left to score more points and secure the win.

As they scrambled for the final minute, Machado and Medet Kyzy locked each other at the edge but it was the latter who fell outside of the zone first which gave another point to Machado with 33 seconds left. Machado held her positions better than Medet Kyzy and managed to score another stepout to lead 10-5 and win the bout.

Born in one of the favellas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Machado was part of one of the social project by the local council which taught wrestling to young kids. She joined the program and managed to learn wrestling.

In 2019, she won gold medal at the Pan-Am U20 Championships, her second ever competition. For five years, she was away from wrestling, but in 2024, she returned and won the Henri Deglane Grand Prix and was second at the 2025 Pan-Am Championships.

Bullen survives Ringaci

If both remain at the same weight class in the future, the Bullen-Ringaci rivalry can be the most fearsome in Women's Wrestling. The latest example was their 65kg final in Budapest where Bullen, down 16-8, pinned Ringaci was claim her second win over the former world champion in four months.

Ringaci, who needed one more turn from par terre or just survive the pin from Bullen, was frustrated with yet another loss and pushed aside Bullen after the bout.

The match began with a wonderful counter from Ringaci, who hit a cut-back after a Bullen snap to pass-by and got four points. Watch above. While Bullen survived the fall attempt, she fell behind 6-0.

A little later, it was Ringaci's chance survive a pin attempt from Bullen who lifted Ringaci well over her waist-level and slammed her for four. The first period ended with Bullen leading 6-6 on criteria.

Bullen tried the exact move of snap to pass-by in the second period and this time she succeeded, scoring two points and taking a clear 8-6 lead. Ringaci scored a takedown 30 seconds into the second period and scored six more points using three gut-wrenches. As she was going for the final turn to win the bout, Bullen blocked and got the headlock to pin Ringaci.

An aghast Ringaci was left in tears as Bullen herself was shocked to have won the bout, having snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

At 68kg, Kennedy BLADES (USA) had a fine tournament, winning her second Ranking Series event and third tournament of 2025. In the final, she defeated Noemi SZABADOS (HUN), 13-2, a wrestler she had defeated 10-0 at the Zagreb Open in February.

The only bout she was not able to win via technical superiority was her semifinal against Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) as the Bulgarian was able to stop Blades to a 6-2 win. Blades had little injury scare in the final few seconds of the match but managed to continue.

Verbina captured the 55kg gold medal after a controlled 6-1 win over Karla GODINEZ (CAN) in the final while Tandelova blanked Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) 3-0 in the 62kg final.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) df. Karla GODINEZ (CAN), 6-1

BRONZE: Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA) df. Amory ANDRICH (GER), 10-0

62kg
GOLD: Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) df. Alina KASABIEVA (UWW), 3-0

BRONZE: Ana GODINEZ (CAN) df. Nikolett SZABO (HUN), 10-0
BRONZE: MANISHA (IND) df. Krystsina SAZYKINA (UWW), via fall (9-0)

65kg
GOLD: Grace BULLEN (NOR) df. Irina RINGACI (MDA), via fall (10-16)

BRONZE: Eniko ELEKES (HUN) df. Ekaterina KOSHKINA (UWW), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Macey KILTY (USA) df. Kadriye KOCAK AKSOY (TUR), 10-4

68kg
GOLD: Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Noemi SZABADOS (HUN), 13-2

BRONZE: Brooklyn HAYS (USA) df. Hyeonyeong PARK (KOR), 5-4
BRONZE: Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) df. Alina SHEVCHENKO (UWW), 11-1

76kg
GOLD: Thamires MACHADO (BRA) df. PRIYA (IND), 4-3

BRONZE: Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) df. Valeriia TRIFONOVA (UWW), 11-0
BRONZE: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Seoyeon JEONG (KOR), 12-1