Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! June 11, 2018

By Eric Olanowski

Reviewing Russia's sweep of the U23 European Championships and Wiebe's World Championship return. Also looking at Final X results, doubling up on European titles and an update to the ranking series events. 

1. Russia Sweeps Team Titles at U23 European C'ships 
On the heels of twelve individual gold medals, Russia captured team titles in freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's wrestling at the 2018 U23 European Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. 

In freestyle, Russia captured six freestyle gold medals and finished with at least a bronze medal in nine out of ten weight categories. 

In Greco-Roman, the Russians grabbed three of the possible ten gold medals and walked away with hardware in seven weight classes. 

The Russian women snagged a trio of U23 Euro gold medals and locked up three other medals, bringing their overall count to six medals. 

Erica WIEBE (CAN), the 2016 Olympic Champion will make her World Championship return in Budapest, Hungary (Photo by Jack Adams) 

2. Canada's Women's Wrestling World Team Set at Olympic Weights 
Canada's women's wrestling Olympic weight world team trials took place this past weekend in Toronto, Canada and four wrestlers reclaimed their world team spot for the 2017 World Championships. 

After sitting out of last years World Championships, Erica WIEBE (CAN), the 2016 Olympic champion will make her return to World-level competition. 

Also of note, at 68kg Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) stopped 2016 Olympian Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) from making her second world team with a 4-1 victory. 

2018 World Team 
50kg – Jessica MACDONALD (CAN) *
53kg – Diana WEICKER (CAN) *
57kg – Alexandria TOWN (CAN)
62kg – Linda MORAIS (CAN) *
68kg – Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) *
76kg – Erica WIEBE (CAN)
* Returning world team members

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) defeated Isaiah MARTINEZ (USA) in two matches to make his sixth world team. (Photo by Tony Rotundo) 

3. Burroughs Makes Sixth World Team, Four Other World Medalists Headed to Budapest
In front of his home crowd, Olympic champion and defending world champion, Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) made his sixth world team after defeating Isaiah MARTINEZ (USA) in two matches (4-1/11-1) at the Finals X in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Returning world medalists Thomas GILMAN (USA), James GREEN (USA), Alli RAGAN (USA) and Kyle SNYDER (USA) were also successful in making back-to-back world teams. 
Freestyle 2018 World Team
57kg – Thomas GILMAN (USA) 
70kg – James GREEN (USA)
74kg – Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) 
97kg – Kyle SNYDER (USA) 

Women's Wrestling 2018 World Team 
55kg – Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) 
59kg – Alli RAGAN (USA) 
68 kg – Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA) 

FINAL X - LINCOLN RESULTS 


Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) added a U23 gold medal to her 2018 senior-level Euro title from Dagestan, Russia. (Photo by Martin Gabor) 

4. Dudova and Mihut Double up on European Titles 
Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) joined 63kg Greco-Roman champion Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) as the only two wrestlers to win both 2018 Senior and U23 European Championships. 

Dudova defeated Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), 3-1 for the 59kg gold medal. 

Dudova nabbed a takedown after being dinged on the activity clock, taking the 2-1 lead after the first three minutes. She would add a step out point in the second period, ultimately winning the gold medal with a 3-1 victory. 

Romania’s Mihut won the 63kg U23 European title with a 5-3 win over Alexandru BICIU (MDA). 

Mihut’s first-period passivity point and two gut wrenches proved to be the difference in fighting off Biciu for the gold medal. 

Olympic champion Taha AKGUL (TUR) is expected to participate at the 2018 Yasar Dogu which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey on July 27-29. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

5. Yasar Dogu Replaces South African Open as Ranking Series Event 
The 46th Annual Yasar Dogu International has been named a Ranking Series event in men’s freestyle wrestling. 

The tournament will be held July 27-29 in Istanbul and replaces the South African Open, which cited a lack of early sign-ups as motivation to cancel its event. 

Freestyle Ranking Series Events
Ivan Yariguin (RUS) -- Completed
Tbilisi GP (GEO), July 3-5                          
Yasar Dogu, July 27-29            
Medved (BLR), September 14-16     

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 

1. Big Move Monday! #wrestlelikeagirl

2. Are you ready for the last day of the U23 Senior European Championships? ??? #UWW#Wrestling #u23euros

3. Big Move from Day 6 of the U23 Senior European C'ships #Istanbul2018 !

4. Thank you so much to all followers, we have reached 200,000.

#UWW #UnitedWorldWrestling #wrestling#followers

5. Day 3 in the warm up room here at the U23 Senior European Championships 2018 ?? #uww #wrestling#u23euros

#WrestleAthens

Wrestling World U17 C'ships: Freestyle Live Results

By Vinay Siwach

ATHENS, Greece (August 1) -- The World U17 Championships will be moving to Freestyle action with 48kg, 55kg, 65kg, 80kg and 110kg.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 4 RESULTS

14:30: The big three at 110kg -- Magomedrasul OMAROV (UWW), Amirhossein NAGHDALIPOUR (IRI) and LACKY (IND) -- win their respective quarterfinals and enter the semifinals.

14:15: Zhakshylyk BOROBAEV (KGZ) thought he had the win at 55kg. But Jinnosuke OKONOGI (JPN) still had something in him and then. He scores a takedown manages to turn Borobaev for two more points and lead 9-8. He is ecstatic! He will wrestle Burnett later.

14:00: Greyton BURNETT (USA) shuts down Jaiveer SINGH (IND) and gets a 3-0 win over Singh at 55kg. Burnett gave no opening to Singh to score.

13:45: Big match on Mat A at 65kg between Asian U17 champion Gaurav PUNIA (IND) and Pan-Am U17 champion Arseni KIKINIOU (USA). Punia tries a leg-attack but Kikinou with a counter and turn for two points. Punia with a reversal. Kikinou led 3-1 at the break. Punia gets the exposure for two points to take a 3-3 criteria lead but Kikinou manages to put Punia in danger in the same scramble which makes it 5-3 for him. Kikinou cautioned for fleeing but he wins 5-4.

13:35: Morteza HAJ (IRI) gets a takedown in the final seconds to beat Ivan ZALISKO (UKR) at 65kg. Zalisko led 4-4 on criteria but Haj makes a  big comeback.

13:10: LACKY (IND) gut-wrenches Hanto HAYASHI (JPN) and wins his 110kg bout 10-0. He is looking to add a world title to his Asian title he won in June

13:06: In a match that saw six stepouts, Amirhossein NAGHDALIPOUR (IR) manages keep his breath and beat Zekeriya DOGAN (TUR) 6-2 at 110kg.

12:56: Aaron STEWART (USA) cuts shorts Marshall EVERETT JONES (GBR) tournament with an 11-0 hammering at 80kg. Stewart just overpowered Everett Jones.

12:55: Jinnosuke OKONOGI (JPN) hands Mohammadreza BARARI (IRI) a 4-1 loss at 55kg. Solid positioning from Okonogi. Barari's tactics of keeping it slow did not work out.

12:45: Nihad SULEYMANLI (AZE) is shocked after Issa ZANGIEV (UWW) gets front roll for two points and wins the 80kg 1/8 final 6-5. Suleymanli did well to keep his lead but failed in the final second. Azerbaijan challenges but it loses it. Zangiev wins 7-5

12:35: Greyton BURNETT (USA) gets a takedown with 20 seconds remaining to lead 3-1 against Armen PAPIKYAN (ARM) who needed a two-point technique to win. He however gets one a stepout. Burnett wins 3-2 at 55kg.

12:27Asian U17 champion Gourav PUNIA (IND) like a workhorse with five takedowns and he defeats Kodai IWASAKI (JPN) 10-0 at 65kg.

12:25: Adisbek ALTYNBEKOV (KGZ) went five on Kiryl PAULIUCHENKA (UWW), not once but twice to win his 65kg match 10-0. Those were some high level throws from the Kyrgyz, a bronze medalist from Asian U17 Championships

12:05: Magomedrasul OMAROV (UWW), European champion at 110kg, begins with a 11-0 win over Yu Chiao CHUANG (TPE), who had his own troubles with bleeding. He needed several medical timeouts

11:45: Marshall EVERETT JONES (GBR), European U17 bronze medalist, comes out with a huge underhook throw for four and then rolls Levan CHERTKOEV (FRA) to win 10-0 at 80kg.

11:40: Mohammadparsa KARAMI (IRI) keeps his strong positions and beats Buyantogtokh BYAMBADORJ (MGL) 7-2 at 80kg to give Iran the third win of the day. Iran is hoping to reclaim the U17 team title.

11:19: European champion Ruslan ALIZADA (AZE) has no trouble seeing off Dan BULGARU (MDA) 10-0 at 55kg. Alizada is one of more exciting prospects in this Azerbaijan team.

11:15: Iran with back-to-back wins! Morteza HAJ (IRI) beats Yandro SOTO RIVERA (PUR) at 65kg and Mohammadreza BARARI (IRI) defends a late attack from Aleksandar DELCHEV (BUL) to win at 55kg.

11:05: Asian U17 champion Gourav PUNIA (IND) slams Changxin WU (CHN) for a big four and then exposes his two times to win 11-0 at 65kg.

10:50: Quick results at 65kg as Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UWW) beats Nikos SOURAILOV (CYP) 10-0, followed by European U17 silver medalist Huseyn ISMAYILOV (AZE) getting a 4-2 win over Liam GORTON (CAN). Pan-Am champion Arseni KIKINIOU (USA) also has a technical superiority win over Nikita KOZICH (ISR).

10:30: Freestyle action will take centerstage at the World U17 Championships in Athens. The United States will once again be favorite to win the team title but Iran will look to challenge them.