Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! October 1, 2018

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

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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??

'I was destroyed, couldn't sleep': Ghasempour recalls painful loss to Sadulaev

Monday, March 10, 2025 - 10:53 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (March 10) -- "I've thought about it a lot. Of course, it's in the past and thinking about it won't change anything. But I've thought a lot about why I made a mistake in those four seconds and I could have managed the wrestling differently and finished it very easily."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) stares at the empty walls of the interview room as he recalls the heartbreaking and shocking 5-3 loss to Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) in the semifinal of the World Championships last October.

The images of Ghasempour holding his head in hands after the loss went viral on social media. Sadulaev was praised for his champion mindset and his ability to script a remarkable late turnaround. Ghasempour was consoled by his fans, who urged him to not lose heart.

Those comforting words felt hollow at that point and Ghasempour felt 'lost'.

"The reality is that the fighting spirit and the feeling I had on the first day of the competition caused all those feelings to disappear and I was destroyed. I couldn't control myself and I just wanted the competition to end and go back," Ghasmepour says, with his voice breaking as he recollects his thoughts.

For 5 minutes and 55 seconds, Ghasempour controlled the 92kg semifinal against Sadulaev, a two-time Olympic champion known for his must-win attitude. A loss would have reinforced the belief that the Sauldaev aura was fading. A win for Ghasempour, a two-time world champion at 92kg, would make him only the third wrestler to beat Sadulaev.

But with five seconds remaining, Sadulaev snapped the Iranian down, spun behind, then managed to fling him to the mat for a 4-point takedown.

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW), behind, hits the match-winning takedown on Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

"It was also very difficult for me to come to terms with the loss," Ghasempour recalls. "After the match, I felt very bad and didn't sleep all night. I was awake from the intensity of thought and pressure, and it was very difficult for me. Due to the pressure I was under, I took four painkillers after the match."

A few hours of sleep was never going to be enough for Ghasempour to return for his bronze-medal bout against David TAYLOR (USA), which he lost 6-2.

Four months have passed since that day in Tirana, a city Ghasempour returned for the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series last week and captured the gold medal. Though not the World Championships and there was no Sadulaev in the field, Ghasempour managed to bring a smile on his face as he stood on the podium.

However, memories flashed back.

"When I was going up to the podium [after winning gold], I thought again that I could have been standing on the Worlds podium a few months ago, not this tournament," he said. "But that's how sports is, and if a professional athlete wants to continue their path, they must know that winning and losing are part of sports."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) won the 92kg gold medal at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in February. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Ghasempour did take comfort from the messages he received. Yet, he is unable to move on from those five seconds of lapse in concentration.

"People gave me a lot of good energy and praised me constantly, which shows the kindness of the people," he says. "But what I wanted didn't happen and the result wasn't as I wanted. It would have been better if it ended with a good result."

As the new Olympic cycle begins, Ghasempour wants to make amends. There will be many pit stops before he can be at his first Olympics and he wants to capture every gold medal that comes his way.

"There are three more World Championships left before the Olympics [in 2028]," he says. "The World Championships are very important to me, and after that, it's the Olympic medal that I want to have in my medal showcase. In the year leading up to the Olympics, I will make the decision and compete in a weight class so that I can participate in the Olympics."