Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! September 4, 2018

By Eric Olanowski

Reviewing rosters for #Budapest2018 and #Trnava2018 and Richard Perry's recent accident. 

1. Junior World Championship Freestyle Rosters Released 
Daton FIX (USA) and Gable STEVESON (USA), the duo of American returning champions lead a freestyle #Trnava2018 field that boasts 245 wrestlers from 40 different nations. 

Fix, the 55kg champion from a year ago enters the Junior World Championships at 57kg, while Steveson, the 120kg gold-medal winner enters at 125kg. 

Steveson will be looking for his fourth age-level world title. Since stepping on the international scene in 2015, Steveson has yet to drop a match on his way to claiming two Cadet World titles, and a Junior World gold medal. 

Fix, the three-time world medalist will be trying to win back-to-back Junior World titles while competing in his fifth age-level World Championship. Since taking tenth place at the 2014 Cadet World Championships, Fix has rallied to win two bronzes, and most recently, a gold medal. 

Freestyle action begins on Friday, September 21 and will close the Junior World Championships.

Click HERE to see freestyle entries 

Gadshimurad RASHIDOV (RUS), 2017 world runner-up. Photo by Max Rose-Fyne.

2. Russia to Finalize #Budapest2018 Roster at This Weekends Poland Open
Warsaw, Poland will host the Poland Open on September 7-9, and Russia's two final freestyle World Team spots will be up for grabs. The two remaining weight classes that have not been cemented are 61kg and 65kg. 

Gadshimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) (61kg) and Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS) (65kg) were relieved from participating at Russian Nationals and will compete alongside Russian National champions Magomedrasul IDRISOV (RUS) (61kg) and Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) (65kg) at the Poland Open.

The highest placer in these two weight classes at the Ziolkowski (Poland Open) will represent Russia at the 2018 World Championships.

Click HERE for Poland Open homepage.

3. Richard Perry Suffers Horrific Accident, Go-Fund Me Created 
Richard Perry, the No. 3 ranked 86kg American freestyle wrestler suffered a horrific injury during a recent national training camp. It has been reported that Perry’s eye was impaled, causing brain injury. 

Per the Go-Fund Me that was created, “The Perry family will need help with the expenses from traveling, time off from work that both Rich and Gina will have to take, as well as day to day life expenses.” 

Please click HERE if you would like to contribute to the Perry Family Go-Fund Me page. 

Peter BACSI (HUN), 2014 world champion. Photo by Martin Gabor.

4. #Budapest2018 Host Nation, Hungary Announces World Championship Roster 
Seven Hungarian Greco-Roman wrestlers from last year’s squad will again represent Hungary at the World Championships. The only difference, this year it’ll be on Hungarian soil. 

Tamas LORINCZ (HUN), the 2017 world runner-up and Paris bronze medalists Balazs KISS (HUN) and Balint KORPASI (HUN) are the three returning medalists that will represent Hungary at the World Championships. 

The three remaining wrestlers that made the Hungarian squad are 2014 world champion Peter BACSI (HUN), and first-time representatives Jozsef ANDRASI (HUN) and Krisztian VANCZA (HUN).

Another interesting note regarding the Hungarian World Team, Tamas and Viktor Lorincz have competed on Hungary's Greco-Roman team at twenty World Championships and Olympic Games.

Hungry’s GR #Budapest2018 Squad 
55kg - Jozsef ANDRASI  
60kg - Erik TORBA 
63kg - Krisztian VANCZA 
67kg - Mate KRASZNAI 
72kg - Balint KORPASI 
77kg - Tamas LORINCZ 
82kg - Peter BACSI 
87kg - Viktor LORINCZ 
97kg - Balazs KISS  
130kg - Balint LAM  

Yui SUSAKI (JPN), 2017 world champion. Photo by Max Rose-Fyne.

5. #Trnava2018 Women's Wrestling, Greco-Roman Lineups Submitted 
The final women's wrestling and Greco-Roman entries for the #Trnava2018 World Championships have been submitted and the most surprising entry comes from reigning senior-level world champion, Yui SUSAKI (JPN).

Susaki, Japan's 19-year-old superstar won three straight Cadet World Championships before heading to Paris last year to claim her first senior-level World Championship, defeating current world No.1 Alina VUC (ROU), 14-4. 

The 2018 Junior World Championships will be Susaki's first junior-level competition ever. 

Another surprising entry comes from France's U23 world champion and 2017 world bronze medalist, Koumba LARROQUE. Larroque enters her first junior-level competition since winning the 2016 Junior World Championship gold medal. 

Reigning champions Sae NANJO (JPN) and Khanum VELIEVA (RUS) also make their return to the Junior World Championships with hopes of winning back-to-back gold medals.

In Greco-Roman, three reigning champions in Kamal BEY (USA), Kerem KAMAL (TUR) and Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) are registered to defend their titles from last years Tampere Junior World Championships. 

Aleksander KOMAROV (RUS), the three-time age-level world champion and most dominant age-level wrestler in the world was expected to compete for Russia at 82kg but is not registered for the Junior World Championships. Instead, Russia has entered Shamil OZHAEV (RUS) at GR 82kg.

Click HERE to see women's wrestling entries.

Click HERE to see Greco-Roman wrestling entries.

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media

1. Big Move Monday! Don't Miss the #grappling #world#championships in #astana #kazakhstanfrom the 6th of september.

2. Serbia’s ?? first-ever European medalist, Stevan MICIC (SRB) / @stevanandrijamicic has registered for #Budapest2018 at FS 57kg.

3. Tamas and Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) will represent Hungary ?? at the #Budapest2018 World Championships. Combined, the brothers have competed on Hungary's Greco-Roman team at TWENTY World Championships and Olympic Games. 
@lorincztomi12 
@lorinczviktor

4. Turkey’s ?? GR #Trnava2018 World C’Ship Lineup.
‪55kg - C. LIMAN ‬
‪60kg - ? K. KAMAL‬
‪63kg - A. TOPRAK ‬
‪67kg - I. GUN‬
‪72kg - E. ERGEN ‬
‪77kg - A. ERDURAN‬
‪82kg - M. SARICICEK‬
‪87kg - B. TAN‬
‪97kg - B. KAYISDAG ‬
‪130kg - F. BOZKURT‬

5. ‪Kyrgyzstan’s ?? Junior GR World C’ship Team. #Trnava2018‬. @akjol_mahmudov .
55kg - N. KERIMBERDI UULU‬
‪60kg - D. KADYROV‬
‪63kg - E. BAKIROV‬
‪67kg - K. IBRAGIMOV‬
‪72kg - I. BILIMOV‬
‪77kg - ? - A. MAKHMUDOV ‪82kg - I. BILIMOV‬
‪87kg - A. TALANTBEK UULU‬

#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Weights to watch at Ulaanbaatar Open 2025

By Vinay Siwach

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (May 27) -- Among all the names entered for the Ulaanbaatar Open Ranking Series, a few will be involved in mini-battles in the tournament which begins Thursday.

After the continental championships had a few interesting match-ups, the Ranking Series always has more contrasting matches with mix of continental styles and bouts that otherwise may not happen at continental or World Championships.

Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) has previously defeated Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At the Ulaanbaatar Open, here are three weight classes that are must-watch:

Women's Wrestling: 62kg [May 31, Saturday]

Current Asian champion, former world champions, former Asian champions and world medalists make up for the six-wrestler bracket at 62kg in Women's Wrestling.

MANISHA (IND), who impressed with a gold-winning performance at the Asian Championships in Amman, will be looking to rake up more Ranking Series points. She has a tough bracket in Ulaanbaatar with former world champions Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) and Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL). Mongolia has named a third wrestler in the weight class -- Saruul ERDENEBILEG (MGL).

World U23 silver medalist Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) and 2024 European U23 silver medalist Ekaterina KOSHKINA (UWW) will also be part of the bracket and challenge the Asian wrestlers.

An all-Mongolian clash between Sukhee and Purevdorj will certainly give the local fans an exciting match-up. The winner will have the upper hand when the nation selects its team for the World Championships.

Sukhee has lost to Purevdorj before and finished seventh at the Asian Championships. But she also won a silver medal at 59kg at the World Championships last year.

For Manisha, it will be a big test against big throwing Mongolian wrestlers and Kasabieva, who will look to put behind her fifth-place finish at the European Championships in Bratislava. She has struggled against the Asian style but can use this tournament to improve her skills.

Koshkina did not win a medal at the U23 Europeans this year but Ulaanbaatar will be an important stop in her senior level journey.

Freestyle: 70kg [June 1, Sunday]

A world champion from four years ago is trying to find his way to the top in international wrestling. And his first stop is the Ulaanbaatar Open. Zagir SHAKHIEV (UWW), who won gold at 65kg in 2021 World Championships, hopes to restart his career with the Ranking Series and is entered at 70kg.

Shakhiev won the European Championships as well in 2021 before the Worlds but in 2022, he was pinned by Shamil MAMMEDOV (UWW) in the Yasar Dogu final and Shakhiev never made it to international tournament again.

Despite his talent, Shakhiev won't have it easy in Ulaanbaatar. Asian silver medalist at 70kg Viktor RASSADIN (TJK) is coming to improve his ranking. Rassadin has had a few good wins in past one year including one over Chermen VALIEV (ALB), the Olympic bronze and European champion. He also had the Asian gold in his hands but Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) scored late to snatch the medal.

The hosts have three wrestlers at this weight class but the most eager to compete against Shakhiev will be Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL). At the 2021 World Championships, Tumur Ochir suffered a 4-4 loss to Shakhiev. The Mongolian contested the scoring but to no avail. He won the bronze medal.

Iran has two wrestlers at this weight class -- Mohammadali AMOUZAD (IRI) and Aliakbar FAZLI (IRI). Amouzad is the twin brother of Olympic silver medalist Rahman. If he can replicate the conditioning and underhook of his brother, Amouzad can well upset a few names.

Enes BASAR (TUR)Enes BASAR (TUR) was at the Paris Olympics at 60kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Greco-Roman: 60kg [May 30, Friday]

Three young stars will be challenging a skillful Olympian at 60kg. Enes BASAR (TUR), who surprised most by qualifying for the Paris Olympics, is at 60kg for the Ulaanbaatar. Basar has a defense that frustrates his opponents and his experience will give him the edge in the Nelson bracket of 60kg.

Former world U17 champion SURAJ (IND), Asian U23 champion Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ) and Kurmanbek ZHAPAROV (KGZ) will be the challengers to Basar in the weight class.

Suraj won historic age-group medals for India but has not been able to replicate the same at the senior level though he has been the best nationally for India. The Ranking Series will be a big test for him.

Kyrgyzstan two youngsters will be looking to make a mark in a weight class reserved for Olympic bronze medalist and world champion Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ). Sulaimanov has won age-group medals in Asia but finished fifth at the Asian Championships recently. Zhaparov, an Asian U20 silver medalist, will be returning to international competition after three years.