Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! October 1, 2018

Monday, October 1, 2018 - 11:20 By Eric Olanowski

Share this article

Discussing this weeks wrestle-off between Maroulis and Hedrick, and the Beach Wrestling World Championships. Also looking at results from the first Women's Classic International Tournament and next weekend's Youth Olympic Games.

1. Maroulis and Hedrick Wrestle-off Scheduled for October 6
Helen MAROULIS (USA), the three-time world and Olympic champion will wrestle Alex HEDRICK (USA) on October 6 in a Final X special wrestle-off to determine who will represent the United States at 57kg in October’s World Championships. 

The best-of-three series was originally scheduled for June 23 but had to be rescheduled due to an undisclosed Maroulis injury. Though it has not been confirmed, Maroulis is said to have pulled out of the June 23 match after re-aggravating a concussion that she suffered in January while wrestling in the Indian Pro League.

If Maroulis is able to compete and is victorious, it’ll be her thirteenth time (age-level and senior-level) representing the United States at a World Championship or Olympic Games.

2. Wrestling Delivers First-Ever Level 2 Coaches Course
United World Wrestling delivered its first-ever Level 2 Coaching Course last week to a group of coaches in England.

The course was aimed at coaches living in the United Kingdom, an area still working to develop several basics for their wrestlers.

The participants were asked to design and teach skill progression on the 7 Basic Skills of Wrestling, as well as design developing practice sessions on the four training phases. Overall the course included more than 40 hours of instruction and practical assessment.

“I thought the coaches that attended did a phenomenal job throughout the week,’ said Errett. “They came with a great attitude and effort each day.”

Click HERE for full release 

2017 Beach Wrestling World Championships (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne) 

3. Beach Wrestling World Championships Scheduled for this Saturday 
This weekend, 150+ participants from 16 nations will be in the mix for a beach wrestling world title in Sarıgerme-Ortaca (Mugla), Turkey. More importantly, they will be in the mix for a spot at next summer's 2019 Beach Games in San Diego.

Turkey took gold at home last year with Iran taking silver and Russia bringing home bronze. Norway returns this year with a large team hunting for the podium after just missing the mark with a fourth-place finish last year. Frank Are Haugen ANDERSEN (NOR) at 70kg will lead the way for Senior Men’s team. Standing in his way is Konstantine KHABALASHVILI (GEO), a 2014 European Bronze medalist in freestyle. Also, be on the lookout for Semen RADULOV (UKR) to be in the mix for gold at 70kg again this year.

Romania and Turkey will be head to head for team gold in the Senior Women's division. Norway is also a likely team podium finisher. Italy’s Francesca INDELICATO (ITA) will be looking to repeat at 60kg. Always scrappy Brenna STIKKELMAN (USA) may be able to play spoiler at 60kg. Romania's youngest wrestler Adina Ionela IRIMIA (ROU) in +70kg will be one to watch out for.

Click HERE for the full SCHEDULE 

Mohammad Ghorbanali NOSRATI (IRI). (Photo by Sachiko Hotaka)

4. Buenos Aires Hosts Youth Olympic Games, Begins October 12-14 
Wrestlers from 50 nations and all five continents will be represented in Buenos Aires, including several Cadet-level continental and world champions. The Youth Olympic Games, which are held on October 12-14, has been a springboard for some of wrestling’s current senior-level superstars, including European Games medalist Grace BULLEN (NOR) and world champions Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) and Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN).

In an effort to become more gender equitable, wrestling increased the number of female participants in Buenos Aires to 50, which is up from 32 participants in Singapore 2010 and Nanjing 2014. The adjustment was part of a larger effort by the International Olympic Committee to meet its goal to make the 2018 Youth Olympic Games the first-ever gender-equal Games.

Click HERE for the full entry list 
Click HERE for Youth Olympic Games schedule

5. Iran Wins First Women's Classic International Tournament
Iran captured the team title at the first Women's Classic International Tournament in Beirut, Lebanon, winning two gold medals and four medals overall. Meanwhile, Iraq and Syria finished second and third respectively.

Champions of the first Women Classic International Tournament were Nada MEDANI (EGY) at 50kg, Yana SOROKA (UKR) at 55kg, Fateme NIKBAKHT (IRI) at 60kg, Anastasiia LAVERENCHUK (UKR) at 65kg, Dalma CANEVA (ITA) at 70kg and Masoome KHANLAR PANBE CHOULE (IRI) at 75kg.

Team Standings
1. Iran 
2. Iraq 
3. Syria 
4. Egypt
5. Ukraine
6. Georgia
7. Italy
8. Armenia
9. Lebanon
10. Kyrgyzstan

Click HERE for full release

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 
 

1. Big Move Monday!
Don't Miss the Beach Wrestling Worlds this week, LIVE on unitedworldwrestling.org

2. That Sunday feeling.
3. Interested by The Beach Wrestling?

WATCH Live the Worlds Here: http://ow.ly/uM6F30m2v1j

#beach #wrestling #beachwrestling#sarigerme #turkey
4. The Art Of Wrestling / Images from the Junior World Championships / Photo @thegrappleclub -
5. ??Russian Tank??

Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! March, 3, 2020

Tuesday, March 3, 2020 - 13:17 By Eric Olanowski

Share this article

Discussing Olympic champion Asgarov's comeback at 74kg, Pino Hinds moving to freestyle and former Russian great Gatsalov set to compete under the Armenian flag. Also looking at USA's new-look Pan-Am OG Qualifier team and the cancellation of the Asain OG Qualifier. 

1. Azerbaijan Turning to Asgarov for European Olympic Games Qualifier
Toghrul ASGAROV (AZE) replaced Khadzimurad GADZHIEV (AZE) in Azerbaijan's lineup for this month's European OG Qualifier in Budapest, Hungary.

Azerbaijan inserted Asgarov, a two-time Olympic finalist and London Olympic champion, over Gadzhiev at 74kg after the youngster failed to qualify his nation for the Tokyo Games with a seventh-place finish in Nur-Sultan. Gadzhiev was also Azerbaijan's representative at the 2018 and '19 European Championships, where he finished fifth and tenth, respectively.

Asgarov's return marks the third time he's stepped foot on a mat since dropping the 65kg Rio Olympic finals to Soslan RAMONOV (RUS). He's been plagued by injuries and has competed sparsely since 2016. Asgarov wrestled in the Indian Pro League in 2017 and the Beat the Streets charity event in 2018. In 2019, he fell to a disappointing tenth-place finish in his lone individual competition, which was at August's Tbilisi Grand Prix. The Azeri dropped his first-round match, 9-5, to Columbia's Nestor TAFFFUR, and finished outside the top-ten for only the fifth time in his long career.

Yabrail HASANOV (AZE), Azerbaijan's 74kg Rio bronze medalist and two-time defending 79kg world runner-up, was rumored to be heading down to 74kg, but his Yasar Dogu entry at 86kg indicates otherwise. 

Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB), a Greco-Roman world runner-up, is on a quest to qualify Cuba for the Olympics in both styles. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

2. World Silver Pino Hinds Transitioning from Greco-Roman to Freestyle 
Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) is on a quest to become the second wrestler since 2015 to qualify his nation for the Olympic Games in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. He'd join Bilyal MAKHOV (RUS) as the only wrestlers to master the feat in the past five years if he finishes inside the top-two at the Pan-American OG Qualifiers.

Pino Hinds qualified Cuba for the Tokyo Olympic Games with his 130kg Greco-Roman silver-medal finish in Nur-Sultan. He's moving to freestyle after the reemergence of Mijain LOPEZ (CUB), who is looking to become the first male wrestler ever to win four Olympic titles.

Pino Hinds is wrestling freestyle at 125kg at the Pan-American Championships and the Pan-American Olympic Qualifier. His toughest competition at the Pan-American OG Qualifier is the two-time world bronze medalist, Nicholas Edward GWIAZDOWSKI (USA). The pair met twice last year, with Gwiazdowski scoring a pair of technical superiority victories. 

Pino Hinds led 1-1 on criteria in the second period but gave up two takedowns and four leg laces before ultimately finishing the tournament with a bronze medal. He also fell 10-0 in the Pan-American Games finals. 

Olympic champion Khadzhimurat GATSALOV (ARM) will return to the mat for the first time since 2016. (Gabor Martin)

3. Gatsalov to Compete under Armenian Flag at European OG Qualifier 
Khadzhimurat GATSALOV (ARM) is returning to the mat for the first time since 2016, but it won't be under the Russian flag where he won five world titles and an Athens Olympic gold medal. 

The former Russian great will compete under the Armenian flag for the first time in his storied career at the European Olympic Qualifier on March 19-22, where he'll have to finish top-two to qualifier Armenia for the Tokyo Olympic Games. 

The 38-year-old's return comes after a four-year lay-off when he finished in fifth place at the 2016 Poland Open. Before that, he fell to Anzor BOLTUKAEV (RUS) in the 2016 Russian National finals. 

Gatsalov's insertion into the weight brings the total of Olympic champions to four, joining Rio Olympic champions Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) and Kyle SNYDER (USA), and London Olympic gold medalist, Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE). 

Olympic Champions at 97kg
Khadzhimurat GATSALOV (ARM)
Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) 
Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE)
Kyle SNYDER (USA)

Helen MAROULIS (USA) is returning to the mat with hopes of defending her Rio Olympic gold medal. (Photo: Tony Rotundo) 

4. New-Look USA Team Entered into Pan-Am OG Qualifier 
The United States entered a new-look squad into the Pan-American Olympic Games Qualifier with hopes of adding to their pair of Olympic qualified weights (68kg and 76kg). Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) and Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) are dropping from their Nur-Sultan world championship weights of 53kg and 55kg, respectively, while Olympic champion Helen MAROULIS (USA) is returning to international competition for the first time since the 2018 World Championships.

Hildebrandt moved down to 50kg from her Budapest world silver medal-winning weight of 53kg. She gained control of the spot with two straight wins over Whitney CONDER (USA) in their special wrestle-off. 

The Pan-American Olympic Games Qualifier is Hildebrant's second international competition down at the new weight. In her first showing at 50kg, Hildebrandt defeated second-ranked Alina VUC (ROU) with a last-second takedown to win the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series title.

Winchester dropped to 53kg from the non-Olympic weight of 55kg, where she's the reigning world champion. She earned her shot to be USA's 53kg representative by downing Katherine SHAI (USA) in two straight matches in the pair's special wrestle-off last month. 

Rio Olympic champion Helen Maroulis is returning to USA's lineup for the first time since falling to a 21st-place finish at the 2018 World Championships. She's faced difficulties with concussions over the last two seasons but locked up her spot on the Pan-American Qualifer team with two straight pins against Nur-Sultan world team member, Jenna BURKERT (USA). 

USA'S Pan-American OG Qualifier Team 
50kg - Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA)
53kg - Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA)
57kg - Helen MAROULIS (USA)
62kg - Kayla MIRACLE (USA)

Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) tosses Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) at the 2018 Asian Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

5. Kyrgyzstan Cancels Asian Olympic Qualifier
The State Agency for Youth, Physical Culture and Sports under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic has informed United World Wrestling that Kyrgyzstan will no longer host the 2020 Asian Olympic Qualifier due to the spread of the coronavirus. The event was slated for March 27-29 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

United World Wrestling is now considering other solutions, and discussions with the International Olympic Committee which will be continued next week.

Click HERE for full release.

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 
1. Big Move Monday -- Ismael BORRERO @borreromolina (CUB)
2. Happy Friday, wrestling fans.
3. Who are the wrestlers to watch at the #WrestleOttawa Pan-American Championships (March 6-9)?
4. #WrestleNewDelhi Top Performer: Kumar RAVI (IND)
5. Big Move Monday -- Winchester J. @jacarra016(USA)