Weekly FIVE! February 12, 2019

Tuesday, February 12, 2019 - 13:35 By Eric Olanowski

Reviewing the Freestyle World Cup draws and Kazakhstan's National Championships. Also looking at results from the Zagreb Open and how they changed the Greco-Roman rankings.

1. Wrestling Announces Groups for 2019 Freestyle World Cup

United World Wrestling has announced the draw for the 2019 Freestyle World Cup in Yakutia, Russia. The annual dual-meet event is a highlight of the international wrestling calendar and features the top eight teams from the 2018 World Championships in Budapest.

The UWW executive board determined this week that all World Cup competitions, including the Greco-Roman and Women’s World Cup, should follow the same competition format for placement of teams in their respective pools, or groups. With the new system, the No. 1 team will be paired with the No.4, No.5, and No.8 teams from the world championships.

The No.2 team will in a group with the No.3, No.6, and No.7.

The groups for the 2019 Freestyle World Cup:

Group A - RUS (1), CUB (4), JPN (5), TUR (8)
Group B - USA (2), GEO (3), IRI (6), MGL (7)

Kerem KAMAL, two-time junior world champion, led Turkey to the Zagreb Open team title with his 60kg gold-medal performance. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

2. First GR Ranking Series Event, Zagreb Open Concludes in Croatia

The first Greco-Roman Ranking Series event of the year, the Zagreb Open, wrapped up in Croatia, and Turkey captured the team title with their solo champion Kerem KAMAL (TUR) and three runner-ups. They finished 31 points ahead of second place Uzbekistan, who had two champions, and one second-place finisher.

Croatia’s hometown wrestler Bozo STARCEVIC capped off his impressive run to a fifth consecutive Zagreb Open title with a tactical 2-1 victory over Turkey’s Yunus BASAR in the 77kg finals.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s Daniel ALEKSANDROV and Russia’s Ilia BORISOV knocked off reigning world runner-up’s Emrah KUS (TUR) and Kiril MILOV (BUL) respectively to with their first Zagreb Open titles.

Daniel Aleksandrov erased a 7-0 opening-period deficit and scored eight unanswered points in the final period to upend returning world runner-up Emrah KUS (TUR), 8-7, in the 82kg Zagreb Open gold-medal bout.

In the 97kg finals, Ilia Borisov also knocked off a returning Budapest world champion to win his Zagreb Open title. Borisov, the lone Russian finalist, tossed around returning world runner-up Kiril MILOV (BUL) with ease and scored the 9-0 technical superiority victory in the opening period.

Click HERE for a full recap of the Zagreb Open.

Team Scores
GOLD - Turkey (132 points)
SILVER - Uzbekistan (101 points)
BRONZE - Croatia (91 points)
Fourth - Bulgaria (85 points)
Fifth - Hungary (83 points)

55kg (Round-Robin)
GOLD - Poya Soulat DAD MARZ (IRI)
SILVER - Ekrem OZTURK (TUR)
BRONZE - Alexandru Vasile BOTEZ (ROU)

60kg - Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Milad Ali REZANEZHAD (IRI), 9-3
63kg - Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Xavier JOHNSON (USA), 10-2
67kg - Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) df. Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU), 4-1
72kg - Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN) df. Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO), via injury default
77kg - Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) df. Yunus BASAR (TUR), 2-1
82kg - Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) df. Emrah KUS (TUR), 8-7
87kg - Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE), 3-1
97kg - Ilia BORISOV (RUS) df. Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL), 9-0
130kg - Oskar MARVIK (NOR) df. Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) , 1-0

3. Kazakhstan National Championships

Kazakhstan, the host nation for this year’s 2019 Astana World Championships, wrapped up their National Championships in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women’s wrestling last weekend.

In freestyle, six of Kazakhstan’s 2018 world representatives captured a medal at last weekend’s Nationals Championships, but only Daulet NIYAZBEKOV and Adilet DAVLUMBAYEV walked away with gold medals. The other five wrestlers who competed in Budapest all took home bronze medals.

Also of note, two of Kazakhstan’s most successful wrestlers from last season, Nurislam SANAYEV and Zhandos ISMAILOV sat out of the competition due to injury.

Sanayev was last year’s world team representative at the Budapest World Championships, where he fell to Russia’s Zaur UGUEV in the 57kg gold-medal bout. Sanayev also had success at the Asian Championships a season ago, capturing the gold medal, though that title-winning performance came at 61kg.

Kazakhstan’s 57kg Asian Championship bronze medalist Zhandos Ismailov sat this weekend due to injury.

Both of these guys were expected to compete for the 61kg title. Instead, it was Kazakhstan’s U23 world representative Bauirzhan TOREBEK who grabbed the gold medal.

Though a win last weekend puts most of the championship wrestlers into the continental championships, it does not guarantee them a spot on the 2019 Astana World Championship team. That decision won't come after several international tournaments.

Freestyle Results

57kg
GOLD - Meirambek KARTBAY
SILVER - Akbar KURBANOV
BRONZE - Rakhat KALZHAN
BRONZE - Berdakh PIRIMBAYEV

61kg
GOLD- Bauirzhan TOREBEK
SILVER - Rasul KALIYEV
BRONZE - Kuat AMIRTAYEV
BRONZE - Vladidmir KUDRIN

65kg
GOLD - Daulet NIYAZBEKOV
SILVER - Sayatbek OKASSOV
BRONZE -Ilyas ZHUMAY
BRONZE - Meirzhan ASHIROV

70 kg
GOLD - Nurgozha KAIPANOV
SILVER - Azhikul NURDAULET
BRONZE - Kanat MUSABEKOV
BRONZE - Amandik BAKEYEV

74 kg
GOLD - Daniyar KAISANOV
SILVER - Nurlan BEKZHANOV
BRONZE - Bolat SAKAYEV
BRONZE - Azamat OMIRZHANOV

79 kg
GOLD - Galymzhan USSERBAYEV
SILVER - Shamil MURTAZOV
BRONZE - Zhaksibek KARABALAYEV
BRONZE - Abilay NURSULTANOV

86 kg
GOLD - Adilet DAVLUMBAYEV
SILVER - Azamat DAULETBEKOV
BRONZE - Zhiger ZAKIROIV
BRONZE - Elkhan ASADOV

92 kg
GOLD - Yerali ABDRASHEV
SILVER - Abdumanap BAIKENZHEYEV
BRONZE - Abubakr TORGAYEV
BRONZE - Shamil MAGOMEDOV

97 kg
GOLD - Alisher YERGALI
SILVER - Bakdaulet ALMENTAY.
BRONZE - Mamed IBRAGIMOV
BRONZE - Bakhitkhanov SERIK

125kg
GOLD - Oleg BOLTIN
SILVER - Yusup BATYRMIRZAYEV
BRONZE - Duman BOLTIRIKOV
BRONZE - Daulet SHABANBAY

*Kazakhstan's 2018 national team members listed in bold.

Click HERE to review Kazahkstan's Greco-Roman and women's wrestling results.

4. Vlasov and Staebler Train Together in Sochi

The Russian Federation welcomed teams from Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Switzerland, and Uzbekistan, to attend their first training camp of the 2019 season in Russia’s Olympic host city of Sochi.

The camp in Sochi brought together two Greco-Roman superstars in two-time Olympic champion Roman VLASOV (RUS) and three-time world champion Frank STAEBLER (GER), who was a part of a German squad that brought ten wrestlers to train with Russia’s No. 1 Greco-Roman National Team.

Staebler told United World Wrestling that a highlight of the camp was training with Vlasov. “It’s been very hard, but great fun and we both learn from each other and get stronger together. Staebler hopes to one day return to Russia to train, saying, “There’s a great respectful friendship between Germany and Russia, and I hope we can return as soon as possible.”

Staebler, who trained out of a barn for the finals three months leading up to Budapest after he got kicked out of his previous gym, reflected on how improbable his run to a third world title was. The German said he now realizes “How incredible it is that I’ve achieved what I have with my opportunities in Germany. My options compared to what Russia has are ridiculous. Thus, I learned to be even more proud of my German success.”

Oskar MARVIK (NOR) won the 125kg title at the Zagreb Open and moved up to No. 4 in the rankings. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

5. New Greco-Roman Rankings Released

The first set of updated Greco-Roman rankings have been updated after the Zagreb Open and are up on United World Wrestling’s homepage.

The biggest movers in the first set of Greco-Roman rankings were:

55kg - Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) takes sole ownership of the No. 3 spot after a runner-up finish at the Zagreb Open. Ozturk now has 37 points after the Zagreb Open and fifth place finish at the world championships.

67kg - Danijel JANECIC (CRO) leaps Budapest bronze medalists Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) (25 points) and Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL) (25 points) with his fifth-place finish at the Zagreb Open. He now has 30 points.

72kg - Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) was tied with fellow world bronze medalist Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) for the third spot with 25 points, but broke that tie with his bronze-medal finish at the Zagreb Open. MNatsakanian now has 39 points.

77kg - KIM Hyeonwoo (KOR) took possession of the No. 3 ranking with his third-place finish at the Zagreb Open. Kim has 37 points.

125kg - Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI) and Oskar MARVIK (NOR) moved up to the third and fourth spot after being eighth and tenth respectively. Marvik won the gold medal, while Acosta finished in third place.

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media

1. Big Move Monday -- RUBAEV G. (MDA) -- 2018 Dan Kolov
2. Here are some of our favorite shots of @kadircaliskan ‘s from the #Zagreb2019.
3. Two time World Champion Geno Petriashvili training with the national team in the mountains of Bakuriani @petro700
4. Images from the historic wrestling room in Gori, Georgia.
5. Best match of FR Takhti Cup- 79kg final: Bahman Teymouri (IRI) df. Jabrayil Hasanov (AZE), 6-4

#WrestleTirana

U23 Worlds: AIN capture four golds; USA wins team title

Wednesday, October 25, 2023 - 20:44 By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (October 25) -- Most of them were wrestling internationally after years but the Individual Neutral Athletes at the U23 World Championships in Tirana showed no signs of rust, winning four of the five gold medals on Wednesday.

Nachyn MONGUSH (AIN), Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN), Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) and Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN) won a gold medal each and took the tally to five AIN champions as Bashir MAGOMEDOV (AIN) won gold on Tuesday.

The fifth gold medal on Wednesday went to Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) as the United States clinched the Freestyle team title with 148 points. Turkiye finished second with 113 points and Azerbaijan finished third with 87 points.

Trumble was the fourth gold medalist for the U.S. at the U23 World Championships; the first time the country has won multiple gold medals at the tournament. The team title is also the first time the U.S. has managed to win at the U23 Worlds.

Since Individual Neutral Athletes are not part of any team, their points will not be considered for any team and are not part of the team title race.

Mongush, a 2021 European silver medalist, was returning to international competition after two years and looked in stunning form, winning the 57kg gold medal over multiple-time age-group European medalist Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM), 11-0.

The final was over at the break when Mongush scored using exposure for an 11-0 win. The referee called it a fall but Armenia challenged for no exposure as the clock expired. On review, it was confirmed that the final move was scored before the three-minute mark, giving Mongush an 11-0 win.

Mongush was relieved to have won the gold but said that it felt like he was wrestling internationally for the first time.

"The last time I competed internationally was back in 2021, I forgot about the feeling during these two years," Mongush said. "I competed here as if it's my first time wrestling internationally. It's a great pleasure to win."

While he was comfortable in the final, Mongush expressed that the semifinal aganist Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) was the toughest bout. Mongush won the semifinal 6-6 on criteria.

"I wouldn't say I'd shown a perfect performance, there were some mistakes," he said. "Maybe that's why from the side it seemed that it was a bit tough for me. The toughest match here was against Bekzat. However, to qualify for this tournament, we've defeated really strong opponents [back home], so the wrestlers here shouldn't be a problem."

If Individual Neutral Athletes are allowed at the European Olympic Qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan next year, Mongush will have a chance to earn a spot as well if he participates.

"The Olympic Games is the biggest goal I'm working for. Surely, I must be ready to challenge anyone and win," he said referring to Tokyo Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN).

Ibragimov did not clinch a technical superiority win but he left little to luck in his 7-0 win over Azerbaijan's high-flying talent Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE).

The final was a showcase of Ibragimov's counter-attacking even as Bayramov tried his best to find an opening. Bayramov was put on the 30-second must-score activity clock and he got Ibragimov's leg but he slid out of the hold. Once up 1-0, Ibragimov got on his attacks and scored a stepout. Just at the stroke of the break, Bayramov tried a headpinch but failed to expose Ibragimov, giving up two as he landed on his own back. Azerbaijan challenged saying that the time expired before the move but Bayramov's back touched the mat in time.

Ibragimov scored a stepout in the second period and got another point for Bayramov's second passivity to win 7-0, winning gold in his first-ever international tournament.

"I could feel the pressure a bit, it's the U23 Worlds," Ibragimov said. "I was preparing as if it's a usual tournament for me. If I won here today, means I've done a good job, though I could have done even better. It's my first big international event, that's why I tried to be careful."

Magomaev denied another Azerbaijan wrestler the gold medal as he defeated Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE), 9-4, to win the gold medal at 79kg.

The first point was scored in the first 10 seconds of the bout as Ashirov tried defending a double-leg but gave up a stepout. But he could not defend the second and gave up a takedown. As Magomaev tried to turn him, his grip was broken and Ashirov scored two points. Magomaev hit another double and then turned Ashirov to build a 7-2 lead at the break.

In perhaps the highlight of the tournament so far, Magomaev defended a certain four-pointer from Ashirov when the Azerbaijan wrestler lifted with a duckunder and spun him over his head. But Magomaev landed on his feet and then locked Ashirov's leg to score two points of his own. Ashirov got a consolation takedown before Magomaev finished the final 9-4.

The fourth gold won as Individual Neutral Athlete was Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) who defeated Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), 9-3, in the 70kg final.

Sheriev made the first big move of the final, launching a beautiful duckunder, and scored two points. Aoyagi tried scoring exposure but gave up two points as well. As the two wrestlers broke for the break, Sheriev led 5-0.

A scramble in the final minute saw Sheriev score a takedown and then get a cradle exposure to lead 9-0. Aoyagi scored a reversal and then a takedown in the final 10 seconds to bring the score to 9-3 but failed to stop Sheriev from clinching the gold.

Trumble denies Lefter, Moldova

Radu LEFTER (MDA) was in the U23 World Championships final for the second time in his career and a gold medal would have made him the first Moldovan to win the Freestyle title.

Unfortunately, Wednesday was not that day as Trumble denied Lefter and Moldova a historic gold medal. The American won the 97kg gold medal 12-2.

Trumble got the first takedown when he stopped Lefter from a headlock throw. He then tried to arm-bar Lefter for a fall but could manage only two points to lead 4-0. Lefter remained inactive for most of the bout and Trumble scored a stepout which the referee called fleeing, giving Trumble a 6-0 lead. He added a go-behind to lead 8-0 at the break.

Lefter did score a takedown in the second period but Trumble never looked in trouble, finishing the bout 12-2 with 43 seconds left on the clock.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Nachyn MONGUSH (AIN) df. Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM), 11-0

BRONZE: Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL) df. Niklas STECHELE (GER), 7-5
BRONZE: Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) df. Yerassyl MUKHTARULY (KAZ), 6-3

65kg
GOLD: Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN) df. Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE), 7-0

BRONZE: Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) df. Mohit KUMAR (UWW), 11-6
BRONZE: Brock HARDY (USA) df. Goga OTINASHVILI (GEO), 8-5

70kg
GOLD: Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) df. Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), 9-3

BRONZE: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. Douglas ZAPF (USA), 9-2
BRONZE: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) df. Burak SININ (TUR), via injury (5-0)

79kg
GOLD: Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN) df. Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE), 9-4

BRONZE: Sagar JAGLAN (UWW) df. Shamsat TAIR (KAZ), 12-7
BRONZE: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Dzmitry DZENISENIA (AIN), 10-0

97kg
GOLD: Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) df. Radu LEFTER (MDA), 12-2

BRONZE: Oktay CIFTCI (TUR) df. Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Sergei KOZYREV (AIN) df. SAHIL (UWW), 10-0

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Umi ITO (JPN) vs. Audrey JIMENEZ (USA)

SF 1: Audrey JIMENEZ (USA) df. Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE), 7-4
SF 2: Umi ITO (JPN) df. Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA), 10-0

55kg
GOLD: Neha SHARMA (UWW) vs. Umi IMAI (JPN)

SF 1: Umi IMAI (JPN) df. Mariia VYNNYK (UKR), 13-2
SF 2: Neha SHARMA (UWW) df. Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN), 2-1

59kg
GOLD: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) vs. Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN)

SF 1: Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) df. Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (AIN), 5-2
SF 2: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Michaela RANKIN (CAN), 10-0

68kg
GOLD: Nesrin BAS (TUR) vs. Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN)

SF 1: Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN) df. Vanessa KEEFE (CAN), 10-0
SF 2: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Vusala PARFIANOVICH (AIN), 3-1

76kg
GOLD: Kennedy BLADES (USA) vs. REETIKA (UWW)

SF 1: REETIKA (UWW) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 5-0
SF 2: Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU), 10-0

Weekly FIVE! February 12, 2019

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U23 Worlds: AIN capture four golds; USA wins team title