#WrestlePontevedra

World Champ Amoyan Ascends to Finals With Heroic Comeback

Tuesday, June 4, 2019 - 18:54 By Eric Olanowski

Share this article

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (June 4) – Armenia’s reigning junior world champion Malkhas AMOYAN trailed for over 5 minutes and 45 seconds in his semifinals bout against 2016 cadet world silver medalist Sergei STEPANOV (RUS), but halted one of the biggest upsets of the tournament by using late heroics to steal a spot in the 72kg junior European finals. 

Amoyan conceded an early takedown just seconds into the first period, but weathered Stepanov’s storm and got out of the first period only trailing 2-0. After the break, and moments into the second period, the Armenian cut his deficit in half with a one-point step out. Shortly after, the Armenian’s deficit grew to three points when Stepanov scored his second takedown of the bout. 

Amoyan picked up his pace and pushed out Stepanov, an­­d trailed 4-2 with 75 second left. 

The world champion transition from an arm drag to a high hip shot and scored a takedown with 20 seconds left, tieing the match at four point apiece; but he still trailed on criteria because Stepanov’s pair of two-point exchanges trumped his takedown and two one-point moves. 

With 11 seconds left, while still on top in the par terre position, Amoyan tossed Stepanov out of bounds and closed out the semifinals match with a 5-4 win, inserting himself into his first junior European finals.l

Though he does have a cadet European title on his resume, Amoyan took third the past two years in the junior division and will be looking for his first junior European gold medal. He’ll wrestle Moldova’s Mihai PETIC in the 72kg gold-medal bout. Petic ended Ihor BYCHKOV’s (UKR) quest to win a European title with a 5-4 semifinals victory. 

The Day 3 finals begin on Wednesday at 18:00 (local time). 

RESULTS

60kg 
GOLD - Asgar ALIZADA (AZE) vs. Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO)
SEMIFINAL - Asgar ALIZADA (AZE) df. Ivo Krasimirov ILIEV (BUL), via fall 
SEMIFINAL – Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) df. Sahak HOVHANNISYAN (ARM), 4-1 

67kg
GOLD - Hayk MELIKYAN (ARM) vs. Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO)
SEMIFINAL - Hayk MELIKYAN (ARM) df. Abdulvakhab ASAINOV
(RUS), 10-0 
SEMIFINAL - Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO) df. Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR), 12-2 

77kg
GOLD - Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) vs. Mihai PETIC (MDA)
SEMIFINAL - Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Sergei STEPANOV (RUS), 5-4 
SEMIFINAL - Mihai PETIC (MDA) df. Ihor BYCHKOV (UKR), 5-4 

82kg
GOLD - Vitalii ANDRIIOVYCH (UKR) vs. Istvan TAKACS (HUN)
SEMIFINAL - Vitalii ANDRIIOVYCH (UKR) df. Stanislav PSEUNOV (RUS), 2-1 
SEMIFINAL - Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df. Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER), 6-5 

97kg
GOLD - Alex SZOKE (HUN) vs. Patrick NEUMAIER (GER)
SEMIFINAL - Alex SZOKE (HUN) df. Gerard Cyprian KURNICZAK (POL), 4-2 
SEMIFINAL - Patrick NEUMAIER (GER) df. Uladzislau PUSTASHYLAU (BLR), 4-0 

#WrestleNoviSad

Mesenbrink takes steady steps to win U23 Worlds gold

Saturday, October 25, 2025 - 17:22 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

NOVI SAD, Serbia (October 25) -- Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) remembers his last year's U23 World Championships campaign. He won a bronze medal, left Tirana a little frustrated and missing his training room in Penn State.

With lessons from that tournament and surrounded by his Penn State teammates and coaches, Mesenbrink made sure he did not return home without a medal. The former U20 world champion became U23 world champion after beating Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2, in the 74kg final.

Mesenbrink was a leg-attack machine in the final and Ozmus did little to defend those, giving up the final in 2:59, just on the stroke of the break.

"It's just about constantly getting better, technically, and emotionally, too," Mesenbrink said. "If I'm just running in there, trying to grab onto his head, he can get in. So just being able to constantly improve. I think that's a strong testament to the people around me and to the coaches that I have and the teammates that I have at Penn State."

Seven wrestler out of the 10 on the United States Freestyle team are part of the same training center -- the Nittany Lions Wrestling Club, Penn State, which Mesenbrink said made a lot of difference this year.

"It's fun, because last year I came by myself. It was just me at the U23s. So it was fun this year that we had seven out of 10 guys," he said. "Last year, I knew the guys, but it wasn't my teammates, right? Now it's my teammates, the guys that I'm literally in the room with every day. We go over and it's almost like, are we even in Serbia right now? It feels like we're in America, because we got so many guys here."

In Tirana, the American wrestler lost to Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) in the quarterfinals but bounced back to win the bronze medal. But in Novi Sad on Friday, Mesenbrink faced Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) in the semifinals and came out on top 6-4, with a buzzer beating takedown.

The win boasted Mesenbrink's confidence who was close to make the U.S. senior team for World Championships in Zagreb where Takahashi won gold, but lost to David CARR (USA) domestically.

However, that loss made Mesenbrink think about his aims and how he wants to improve his wrestling on the mat.

"I think the big thing of not making the world team, it was just, I got to get better in those specific areas," he said. "That's the most fun part. I thought this is all this is, is a title. This is gonna be fading so quick. So I thought I'm going to go out there and I'm going to work on the things that I've been working on and I've been working really hard since Final X to get those improvements."

Mobin AZIMI (IRI)Mobin AZIMI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 92kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In the only other final of Freestyle, Mobin AZIMI (IRI) earned the first gold medal for Iran after beating Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3, in the 92kg final. Azimi broken Khaniev down in the final and scored three stepout points to win the gold medal.

RESULTS

74kg
GOLD: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) df. Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2

BRONZE: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df. PARVINDER (IND), 8-2
BRONZE: Manuel WAGIN (GER) df. Magomed KHANIEV (AZE), 8-4

92kg
GOLD: Mobin AZIMI (IRI) df. Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3

BRONZE: Sherzod POYONOV (UZB) df. Ivan CHORNOHUZ (UKR), 11-1
BRONZE: Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) df. Ion DEMIAN (MDA), 10-0

Semifinals

57kg
GOLD: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) vs. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA)

SF 1: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) df. Nodirbek JUMANAZAROV (UZB), 6-1
SF 2: Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) df. Aiandai ONDAR (UWW), 7-1

70kg
GOLD: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) vs. Sina KHALILI (IRI)

SF 1: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. PJ DUKE (USA), 14-4
SF 2: Sina KHALILI (IRI) df. Alexandr GAIDARLI (MDA), 8-2

79kg
GOLD: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) vs. Levi HAINES (USA)

SF 1: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) df. Nikita DMITRIJEVS MAYEUSKI (UWW), 5-2
SF 2: Levi HAINES (USA) df. Davud DAUDOV (UWW), 11-4

125kg
GOLD: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) vs. Khetag KARSANOV (AZE)

SF 1: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) df. Khabib DAVUDGADZHIEV (UWW), 5-0
SF 2: Khetag KARSANOV (AZE) df. Daniel HERRERA (USA), 12-2