Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! February 12, 2018

Sunday, February 11, 2018 - 15:08 By Eric Olanowski

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Reviewing the African Championships and Taha in Ohio. Also reviewing this weeks ranking series events, and much more. 

1. Diatta and Obroududu Crowned For Eighth Time 
Adama DIATTA (SEN) and Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) made the trek to Port Harcourt, Nigeria with hopes of returning home with their eighth African gold medals.

Diatta outscored his opponents 34-4 and picked up his eighth African gold by defeating Firstman VICTOR (NGR), 7-1 in the semifinals and Chedli METHLOUTHI (TUN), 5-2 in the finals.

In the finals, Oborududu trailed 2017 African third-place finisher Anta SAMBOU (SEN) 3-0 halfway through the first period. She flipped the offensive switch and finished the match on a 14-0 run, winning her eighth African crown. 

FINAL RESULTS
Freestyle
Results:  http://uww.io/l82RM
Medal Summary: http://uww.io/4Su8r

Women's Wrestling 
Results: http://uww.io/2D8B6
Medal Summary: http://uww.io/cCGUX

2. Boudjemline Shocks Africa 
Zied AIT OUAGRAM (MAR), the nine-time African champion was the most heavily favored wrestlers competing in the African Championships. Before last weekend, it had been over a decade since AIT OUAGRAM had faced defeat at an African championship.

In the 77kg Greco-Roman finals, Akrem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG) was leading 1-0 when Ait Ouagram was forced to go down in par terre. Boudjemline extended his lead to 5-0 after picking up a huge four-point throw before the end of the first period. 

Ait Ouagram would fight back and tie the score at five, but Boudjemline's four-point move was the differentiating factor in the match, giving Boudjemline his second African gold medal. 

Greco-Roman 
Results: http://uww.io/rhunL
Medal Summary: http://uww.io/Tti9V

3. Taha Takes Ohio
Last week, Kyle SNYDER (USA), the two-time world and Olympic champion announced on his  Instagram that Taha AKGUL (TUR), another two-time world and Olympic champ will be headed to the Ohio RTC to train for the month of February. 

This week, Snyder posted updates of the world championship duo training, even tagging Akgul in a photo with the caption "This guy is a monster." 

4. Iran Wins Four Golds At Tahkti Cup
The Freestyle Tahkti Cup wrapped up this weekend in TABRIZ, Iran.

The host nation, Iran closed out the 2018 Freestyle Tahkti Cup by winning four of the final five weight classes.

Iran’s gold medal run started at 79kg when Omid HASSANTABAR (IRI) knocked off Mihály NAGY (HUN), 8-0. Prior to the 2017 Tahkti Cup, Hassantabar's highest Tahkti Cup finished was fifteenth place.

In his first senior-level event, Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) claimed the 86kg title by defeating Ahmet BILICI (TUR), 5-4

At 97kg, Amir MOHAMMADI (IRI) beat Riza YILDIRIM (TUR), 6-1 giving him his second title in as many years. In the gold medal bout at 125kg, Parviz HADI (IRI) outscored Jafar SHAMS NATERI (IRI), 3-0 to win his fourth title.

Mongolia and Turkey each won a pair of gold medals as two-time world bronze medalist ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar (MGL), TUMUR-OCHIR Tulga (MGL), 2016 junior world champion Enes USLU (TUR) and 2016 Olympian Ibrahim BOLUKBASI (TUR) were all successful in their final bouts. 

In the most shocking finals match, Ali-Pasha UMARPASHAEV defeated 2016 world silver medalist, Nurlan BEKZHANOV (KAZ), 10-0 to take the 74kg title. 

The Remaining gold medals went to Niurhun SKRABIN (BLR) and Ali-Pasha UMARPASHAEV (BUL).

5. Klippan and Cerro Pelado
The wait is almost over the first women's wrestling ranking event of the year. We're a little under a week away from the start of The Klippan Lady Open, which begins February 16 in Klippan, Sweden.

The second ranking event that's taking place this week is the Granma y Cerro Pelado, which begins on February 15 in Havana, Cuba.

Here are the current Greco-Roman rankings that were released on February 1. 

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Wrestling History: Who was Ivan Yarygin?

Monday, March 24, 2025 - 11:49 By United World Wrestling Press

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For most, a trip to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia on the last weekend of January each year would sound chilling. Afterall, it is one of the coldest regions on the planet.

But for the past 35 years, wrestlers from around the world attend the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in January, the tournament which kicks off the season for most countries.

The prestigious tournament sees close to 1000 wrestlers vying for the gold medals in Freestyle and Women's Wrestling. But who was Ivan Yarygin after whom the tournament is named?

Born in Kemerovo, Soviet Union on November 7, 1948, Yarygin was a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a world champion who went on to became the coach of the Soviet Union team and later the Russian national team.

In 1966, aged 18, Yarygin was stationed in Krasnoyarsk with the army and began training with legendary coach Dmitry MINDIASHVILI to polish his technique.

Famous for winning his Olympic bouts via fall, Yarygin won seven bouts at the 1972 Games in just over seven minutes. Those were days when a bout could extend till nine minutes. He pinned all seven wrestlers before time and no one has come close to matching that record.

How did Yarygin begin training in wrestling?

Yarygin played football in his village. His big built made him a perfect goalkeeper, a position he continued to play during his driving school training in Abakan. Vladimir CHARKOV, a wrestling club trainer, saw Yarygin and asked him to try wrestling. And just by chance, Yarygin began his wrestling career.

The Freestyle wrestler primarily competed at 100kg and was known for his dynamic training and ditching traditional methods in wrestling. He quickly rose through the ranks in Soviet wrestling circles. He debuted internationally in 1970 at the European Championships and finished with a silver medal. Ahmet AYIK (TUR) defeated him in the 100kg final. But Yarygin won the European gold in 1972, the first of his three continental titles.

Later that year, Yarygin participated in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and won gold medal in 100kg without giving up a single point in seven bouts. He defeated Khorloo BAYANMUNKH (MGL) and Jozsef CSATARI (HUN) in the finals round.

His results dipped after the Munich Olympics, with 1974 being a humbling year, Yarygin moved back to village. "I trained in the village every day like a peasant," Yarygin had famously said. "I chopped enough firewood for three winters ahead."

Yarygin returned and made sure he was still the winner. The gold medal in Montreal was not as simple as Munich but there was still no match for Yarygin. He went on to win the gold medal in 1976, his second in Olympic Games.

In the first bout of the 1976 Games, Yarygin faced Harald BUTTNER who had defeated him in the European Championships. However, Yarygin managed to keep Buttner at bay and won 13-5.

Yarygin's results soon declined and he failed to top the standings in USSR. He would finally make way for younger generation before the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

After his retirement, Yarygin tried his hand at coaching and administration. Yarygin was the coach of the Soviet Freestyle team from 1982 to 1992 and later became the president of the wrestling federation from 1993 to 1997. Russia hosted the 1997 World Championships in Krasnoyarsk which Yarygin led in organization.

Yarygin died on October 11, 1997 in a car accident. United World Wrestling inducted him into the UWW Hall of Fame in 2010.