Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! July 16, 2018

Monday, July 16, 2018 - 15:21 By Eric Olanowski

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Discussing Olympic champ Wiebe defeating three-time world champ Gray and Mattsson's return. Also taking a look at Fix making his third Junior World team and much more! 

1. Olympic Champ Wiebe Defeats Three-time World Champ Gray 
Erica WIEBE (CAN), the 2016 Olympic champion defeated three-time world champion Adeline GRAY (USA), 6-5, seizing the 76kg Spanish Grand Prix title. 

Though these two were in the same bracket at the first Ranking Series event of the year, the Klippan Lady Open, they did not meet as Wiebe was “knocked off” by reigning world champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR) in the opening round. Gray went on to claim the gold medal, defeating Adar, 9-6. 

Assuming 2018 European champion Adar makes Turkey’s world squad, with its combined five world and Olympic titles from Adar, Gray, and Wiebe, 76kg may be the deepest weight class of the tournament. 

Spanish Grand Prix Results

Sofia MATTSSON (SWE), Olympic bronze medalist made her return last weekend and claimed the Spanish Grand Prix title. (Photo by Gabor Martin) 

2. Mattsson Makes Return, Wins Spanish Grand Prix 
Sofia MATTSSON (SWE), who gave birth in November made her international return after an 18-month layoff, winning the 55kg Spanish Grand Prix gold medal. 

“The toughest part (about the layoff) has been the struggle to adjust my life to new routines and realize that my life has changed forever….But, I can still be an elite wrestler, I just need to do it in a different way.” 

Since grabbing the bronze medal at the Rio Olympic Games, Mattsson's only competition was the 2017 Indian Pro League. The seven-time world and Olympic medalist made her return this weekend and capped off her gold medal run by beating Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ), grabbing her first gold medal since the 2016 European Championships. 

“Of course I was nervous stepping out on the mat. Normally when I compete, I expect a lot from myself. But this week, I went here without any expectations and was just happy to be back on the mat to get a couple of matches. With these thoughts in my head, I think it gave me a very relaxed and positive mindset which worked out in a very good way!” 

3. Reigning World Champion Fix makes Third Consecutive World Team 
Daton FIX (USA), the reigning junior world champion stormed through Brandon COURTNEY (USA) in two straight matches of the special wrestle-off to lock up his third consecutive Junior World team spot.

Fix, the two-time junior world medalist is coming off a Final X second-place finish after losing to 2017 world runner-up, Thomas GILMAN (USA). USA Wrestling said Fix was awarded a special wrestle-off  “Because Fix is a returning World Team member, placed top-three at the Senior U.S. Open and earned a spot in Final X, he was afforded the opportunity for a delayed wrestle-off for the world team spot.” 

4. India Set to Host Asian Junior Championships July 17-22 
The I.G. Sports Complex in New Delhi, India is set to host the 2018 Junior Asian Championships starting on July 17. 

This is the second junior continental championship (Junior African Championships) but is the first of three that will take place over the next month. 

The Junior European Championships begin July 30 and will be followed by the Junior Pan-American Championships which take place August 17-19.

FULL SCHEDULE

Turkey's Olympic champion, Taha AKGUL (TUR). (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne) 

5. Yasar Dogu, the Third Freestyle Ranking Series Event Begins Next Weekend 
Istanbul, Turkey is set to host the 46th Annual Yasar Dogu International on July 27-29. 

On June 8, United World Wrestling announced that the tournament has been named a Ranking Series event in men’s freestyle wrestling after the South African Open was canceled due to a lack of early sign-ups. 

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 

1. ? ? ? ? ?

2. It takes SIX full minutes. #kaspeuro2018

3. Lots of great training and fun at the 2018 More Than Medals training camp here in Zagreb, Croatia ??.
#unitedworldwrestling #wrestling#trainingcamp #fitness #uww

4. Inside look at Team Iran ?? training! Notice anything about the colors of the five circles around the mats? نگاهی به کمپ تمرینی ایران. به رنگ پنج دایره تشکهای کشتی دقت کرده اید؟

5. We’re 98 days out from the #Budapest2018 World Championships. We highlight today with this memorable throw from reigning 98kg world champion, Artur ALEKSANYAN ??.

Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! May 7, 2019

Tuesday, May 7, 2019 - 14:48 By Eric Olanowski

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Discussing results from Beat the Streets and the 50th Annual Ali Aliyev. Also looking at the latest world rankings and David Taylor suffering a right knee injury. 

1. Burroughs Bullies Askren at Beat the Streets 
A star-studded crowd that featured Kelly Rippa and Neil deGrasse Tyson, among many others, showed up to see Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) bully Ben ASKREN, 11-0 in Beat the Streets’ featured bout of the night at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City. 

The London Olympic champion Burroughs was up 9-0 after the opening period and used a second-period takedown to close out the match against the 2008 Olympian and current UFC fighter Ben Askren. 

In the co-main event of the night, American youngster Yianni DIAKOMIHALIS (USA) pulled off the shocking upset over India’s No. 1-ranked Bajrang PUNIA (IND), 10-8. 

The pair traded takedowns in the opening period, but it was Bajrang who led 2-2 on criteria heading into the second period. In the closing three minutes, the American scored eight points from two takedowns off his own shots, and a pair of counter-offensive maneuvers to stun the reigning world silver medalist by two points.

Another young wrestler who picked up a win over a returning world medalist was Nick SURIANO (USA). Suriano, the third year college student, scored a second-period takedown and grabbed the 3-1 upset victory over Budapest world bronze medalist Joe COLON (USA). 

Other stars that were victorious on the night were J'den COX (USA), James GREEN (USA), Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (USA), and Kyle SNYDER (USA). 

RESULTS
57kg - Jack MUELLER (USA) df. Nick PICCININNI (USA), 11-0
62kg (WW) - Mallory VELTE (USA) df. Linda MORAIS (CAN), 10-0
70kg - James GREEN (USA) df. Anthony ASHNAULT (USA), 8-4 
97kg - Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Nishan RANDHAWA (CAN), 15-1
125kg - Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (USA) df. Derek WHITE( USA), 9-0
57kg (WW) - Becka LEATHERS (USA) df. Diana WEICKER (CAN), 10-6
61kg - Nick SURIANO (USA) df. Joe COLON (USA), 3-1
86kg - Drew FOSTER (USA) df. David TAYLOR (USA), via injury default (0:31)
92kg - J'den COX (USA) df. Patrick BRUCKI (USA), 10-0
65kg - Yianni DIAKOMIHALIS (USA) df. Bajrang PUNIA (IND), 10-8
74kg - Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) df. Ben ASKREN (USA), 11-0

Reiniging 57kg world champion Zaur UGUEV (RUS)  made his return to the mat for the first time since his run to a world title and won the 50th Annual Ali Aliyev 57kg gold medal. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

2. 50th Annual Ali Aliyev Wraps up in Dagestan 
The Russian Federation reeled in seven of ten gold medals at the 50th annual Ali Aliyev Memorial tournament - which was held in Kaspiisk, Dagestan at the namesake arena, the Ali Aliyev Palace of Sport and Youth.

The biggest storylines from Russia’s seven-gold-medal performances came at 57kg and 125kg where Zaur UGUEV (RUS) and Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS) respectively reached the top of the podium. 

Uguev, the reigning 57kg world champion, made his return to the mat for the first time since last October’s World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, when he went 4-0 and capped off his world title run with a 4-3 win over Kazakhstan’s Nurislam (Artas) SANAYEV (SANAA) (KAZ) in the gold-medal bout. 

In the Ali Aliyev finals, Uguev completed his gold-medal run with a 3-0 win over fellow Russia Azamat TUSKAEV to win his first Ali Aliyev title. His previous highest finish came in 2016 when he finished in fifth place. 

At 125kg, Vladislav Baitsaev easily handled Pavel KRIVTSOV (RUS), 11-1 and also won his first Ali Aliyev title. This was Baitsaev’s first competition up from his normal weight of 97kg. The Russian won the European title last year at 97kg before surrendering his spot to eventual 97kg world champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS).

Instead of trying to upend “The Russian Tank,” Baitsaev will move up to 125kg with hopes of making the Russian World Team for the first time in his career. To represent the Russian Federation in Nur-Sultan, Baitsaev will have to beat two-time world fifth-place finisher Anzor KHIZRIEV, who has held the 125kg spot since 2017. 

The three non-Russian gold medals weight to Bajrang PUNIA (IND), Sharip SHARIPOV (AZE), and Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB). 

Bajrang scored a 13-8 come-from-behind win over Viktor RASSADIN (RUS) in the 65kg finals. 

Azerbaijan’s Olympic champion Sharip Sharipov picked up a 7-4 victory over Alikhan ZHABRAILOV (RUS) in the 92kg finals, and Uzbekistan’s Magomed Ibragimov stuck Cuba’s Reineris SALAS PEREZ to win the 97kg title. 

RESULTS 
57kg – Zaur UGUEV (RUS) df. Azamat TUSKAEV (RUS), 3-0
61kg – Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (RUS) df. Magomedrasul IDRISOV (RUS),4-0
65kg – Bajrang PUNIA (IND) df. Viktor RASSADIN (RUS), 13-8
70kg – Razambek ZHAMALOV (RUS) df. Gitinomagomed GADZHYEV (AZE), 8-0 
74kg – Darsan DSHAPAROV (RUS) df. Akhmed USMANOV (RUS), 5-2
79kg – Magomed RAMAZANOV (RUS) df. Artur BICHENOV (RUS), via fall
86kg – Artur NAIFONOV (RUS) df. Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS), 2-2
92kg –Sharip SHARIPOV (AZE) df. Alikhan ZHABRAILOV (RUS),7-4
97kg – Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) df. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB), via fall
125kg – Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS) df. Pavel KRIVTSOV (RUS),11-1

3. Punia and Atli Ascend to Top of Freestyle World Rankings After Continental Title Runs
Six European wrestlers own a No. 1-ranking in the latest set of United World Wrestling’s point-based freestyle world rankings. Pan-American countries boast a trio of wrestlers who are ranked No. 1, while Asia has the remaining wrestler sitting atop of the world rankings heading into the final set of freestyle Ranking Series events.

The most significant changes atop this month’s rankings came at 57kg and 65kg where Suleyman ATLI (TUR) and Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) respectively gained control of the world No. 1 ranking with their continental title-winning performances.

Click HERE for a full breakdown of freestyle world rankings. 

4. Nine World Champions Hold onto Top Ranking
In the lastest women’s wrestling rankings nine gold medalists from last year’s Budapest World Championships sit atop of their respective weight classes. Asia has four top-ranked wrestlers, while Europe and Pan-American countries each have three. 

Japan has three of the four top-ranked Asian wrestlers. Their trio of No.1’s are Yui SUSAKI (JPN) (50kg), Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) (55kg), and Risako KAWAI (JPN) (59kg). The fourth Asian wrestler who owns a top ranking is China’s RONG Ningning (CHN)(57kg). 

Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) (62kg), Petra Maarit OLLI (FIN) (65kg), and Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR) (68kg) are the three European No.1-ranked wrestlers. 

Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) (86 points), Justina DI STASIO (CAN) (72kg), and Adeline GRAY (USA) (76kg), who are all from Pan-American nations, round out the first-ranked wrestlers in this month’s rankings. 

Of the ten wrestlers sitting atop of the rankings, the lone non-returning world champion that owns a No.1-ranking is the United States’ Sarah Hildebrandt. She started the season with 40 points from her world silver medal, then earned 20 points for her Pan-American gold, 14 points for her Ivan Yariguin title, and 12 points for her third-place finish at the Dan Kolov. 

Click HERE for a full breakdown of women's wrestling world rankings. 

5. Taylor Goes Down at Beat the Streets 
The reigning 86kg world champion and one of the pound-for-pound best wrestlers in the world David TAYLOR (USA) injury defaulted out of his Beat the Streets match against Drew FOSTER (USA) after going down with an apparent right knee injury, 31 seconds into the match. 

In the opening sequence of the bout, Foster got to a low-level shot to the right leg of Taylor and came up through the middle. Foster peaked out the back door and isolated the right leg of Taylor. Foster, who was posted on his right hand, threw his left hip to the mat, which is when Taylor stopped wrestling and immediately grabbed his right knee. 

The reigning world champion tried to continue, but his right knee buckled the first time he put his body weight on it, and ultimately forced him to injury default out of the match. 

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 
1. Big Move Monday -- TASMURADOV E. (UZB) -- 2015 Senior Asian C'ships
2. Reigning world champion @magomedrasul_gazimagomedov70(92 points) has locked up the 70kg No.1 seed at the #WrestleNurSultanWorld Championships after building a commanding 52 point lead over the rest of the weight class. ?: @sachikohotaka
3. @sadulaev_abdulrashid (80 points) and @snyderman45 (78 points) are guaranteed a top-three seed (97kg) at the #WrestleNurSultan World Championships.
4. Bajrang Never Stops Wrestling!
5. Saturday smiles with SUN Yanan ?? during her visit to Switzerland ??for the UWW Athletes Commission. ?: @flo_wrestling_uww