World Champ Fumita Shows Effective Defensive Side in Regaining Asian Gold

Wednesday, February 19, 2020 - 18:30 By Ken Marantz

NEW DELHI (Feb. 19) — Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) was put on the defensive in the final, but it hardly kept the world champion from regaining the Greco-Roman 60kg gold medal at the Asian Championships.

Fumita scored points off a counter to an arm throw attempt by Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) and went on to notch a 4-0 victory in the final as the Greco-Roman competition concluded on the second day in New Delhi.

“He’s really good at throws, and I felt that from the first contact,” Fumita said. “So, I kept firmly in mind not letting him complete a throw.”

Just as he regained the world title that he last won in 2017, Fumita regained the Asian gold that he had previously captured three years ago—also in New Delhi. The victory on Wednesday night also assured he will finish at the top of the UWW rankings and gain the top seed for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“It’s an honor,” Fumita said of the top seed. “It’s a rare thing, as there have hardly been any Japanese No. 1 going the into Olympics. For me, with No. 1 seed comes responsibility, but I will work hard to be worthy of it.”

Fumita said his main objective coming into New Delhi was to score points from the standing position. While he failed to actually do so in any of his three matches, he said he feels he made progress.

“In the end, I didn’t score any points, but in terms of form, I feel my wrestling was very good,” he said. “My coach said it was good and that I [have the basis] for making more progress.”

Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) shutout Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), 4-0, and claimed his second Asian gold medal. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

In the final, Sharshenbekov, the world U-23 silver medalist, came out aggressively and threw caution to the wind with a twisting arm throw. But Fumita reacted perfectly and stopped the move halfway to gain 2 points. When Sharshenbekov got to his feet, Fumita forced him out for a 3-0 lead. At the end of the first period, Sharshenbekov attempted the same move, but came up with nothing but air.

In the second period, Fumita gained a point for passivity, but was unable to pad his lead in the par terre position, despite having scored a combined 14 points from it in his previous two matches. Still, he was never put in danger and fought off all further attempts to secure the gold.

By winning the world gold last September in Nur-Sultan, Fumita secured his place at the Tokyo Olympics, which is where his ultimate goal lies. Prospects are high he can end Japan’s long Greco gold drought at the Olympics—the country has not had a Greco champion since Atsuji Miyahara won the 52kg gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Is that something he keeps in mind?

“That was more than 10 years before I was born, so it’s not something I actually have a sense of,” Fumita said. “It’s sad that there hasn’t been a Japanese Greco champion in all that time. For me, I want to get [a gold] and help make Greco more popular.”

Fumita said he will compete one more time before the Tokyo Games, at the Grand Prix of Germany in Dortmund in June.

RYU Hansu (KOR) scored the 4-1 win over Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) and won his third Asian title. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Ryu preps for Olympic qualifier with continental gold
In other action, former two-time world champion RYU Hansu (KOR) capped his preparatory tournament for next month’s Asian Olympic qualifier by winning hjs second straight 67kg title and third Asian gold overall.

The other three golds at stake all went to Iran, with two of them coming at the expense of Korean opponents.

Ryu, the 2017 world champion who finished eighth in Nur-Sultan and still needs to qualify for Tokyo 2020, chalked up a 4-1 win in the final over Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB), who was coming off a victory at the Matteo Pellicone ranking series event.

Ryu gained a passivity point and a takedown for a 3-0 lead into the second period. Bakhshilloev gained a chance to go ahead when he received a passivity point and the par terre advantage. When he was unable to turn Ryu, his side lost a challenge that Ryu was using his legs to block, giving Ryu a 4-1 lead, which is how the match ended.

“This competition was a check for me ahead of the next competition,” Ryu said. “It was most important to work on my par terre technique. If I can perfect this technique, I can get a medal at the next competition.”

Almin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) ended his finals match early against Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) with an 8-0 technical superiority win. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

In the 72kg final, 2018 world junior champion Almin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) put together a 4-point takedown-roll combination in each period, defeating Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) by 8-0 technical fall in 4:09.

Compatriot Mahdi EBRAHIMI (IRI) followed by adding the senior gold to his Asian U-23 title with a 3-1 win over CHOI Junhyeong (KOR) in the 82kg final.

World U-23 bronze medalist Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) then capped the night by scoring the go-ahead takedown with :57 left to capture the 97kg gold with a 5-2 win over LEE Seyeol (KOR).

Iran, which also picked up a pair of bronze medals from Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) at 60kg and Hossein ASSADI KOLMATI (IRI) at 67kg, easily won the team title with 190 points. The Iranians took home medals in all but one of the 10 weight classes.

Uzbekistan, which captured three bronze medals on the final day, finished second with 146 points, 10 ahead of Kazakhstan in third.

Host India had no finalists on Wednesday, but went 3-for-3 in the third-place matches, much to the delight of the sparse home crowd at K.D. Jadhav Wrestling Stadium. Winning bronzes were Ashu ASHU (IND) at 67kg, Aditya KUNDU (IND) at 72kg and Hardeep HARDEEP (IND) at 97kg.

The most exciting bronze-medal match came at 82kg, in which world 77kg bronze medalist Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) was losing 2-1 to Yevgeniy POLIVADOV (KAZ), only to execute a nifty duck-under tackle that sent his opponent to his back for a fall with :12 left.

The competition continues Thursday with five weight classes (50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg, 76kg) in women’s wrestling.

Day 2 results

Greco-Roman

60kg (10 entries)
GOLD – Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) df. Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), 4-0
BRONZE - Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Gyanender GYANENDER (IND), 6-0
BRONZE - Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) df. Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ), 4-3

67kg (11 entries)
GOLD – RYU Hansu (KOR) df. Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB), 4-1
BRONZE - Ashu ASHU (IND) df. Abdulkarim ALHASAN (SYR), 8-1
BRONZE - Hossein ASSADI KOLMATI (IRI) df. Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (JPN), 5-3

72kg (9 entries)
GOLD – Almin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) df. Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) by TF, 8-0, 4:09
BRONZE - Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ) df. CHEN Yan Kai (TPE) by Fall, :41 (8-0)
BRONZE - Aditya KUNDU (IND) df. Nao KUSAKA (JPN) by TF, 8-0, 1:46

82kg (7 entries)
GOLD – Mahdi EBRAHIMI (IRI) df. CHOI Junhyeong (KOR), 3-1
BRONZE - Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) df. Yevgeniy POLIVADOV (KAZ) by Fall, 5:48 (8-2)

97kg (10 entries)
GOLD – Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. LEE Seyeol (KOR), 5-2
BRONZE - Muhammadali SHAMSIDDINOV (UZB) df. Ponlawat SIAMMAI (THA) by Fall, :24 (4-0)
BRONZE - Hardeep HARDEEP (IND) df. Beksultan MAKHMUDOV (KGZ), 3-1

#WrestleTirana

Berber adds to growing reputation with U23 Euro gold

Thursday, March 13, 2025 - 20:16 By United World Wrestling Press

TIRANA, Albania (March 13) -- Alperen BERBER (TUR) came jogging on the mat, gave the umpire a high-five and shook hands with his opponent Vladimeri KARCHAIDZE (FRA). Once the niceties were out of the way, he put his mean game face on, completely transforming himself.

As the reigning senior European champion and a world U23 medalist, Berber’s reputation of being a serial winner precedes him. And perhaps that also plays a role in the minds of his opponents. Karchaidze, at times, looked like giving too much respect to his opposite number. And so, when the moment presented itself, he couldn’t show the killer instinct.

Threatening to go off script, after a minute and 27 seconds, Berber – the odds-on favorite to win the 87kg gold medal bout – was put in a par terre position. But the young Frenchman, only in his second year of international wrestling, could not make the most of it as Berber returned to his feet without conceding a point from that position, except for the one penalty point for passivity.

Immediately after restart, he put Karchaidze under pressure. As Karchaidze tried a bear-hug throw, he fell back-first on the mat. Berber reacted fast as he got on top of his opponent and pinned him. In a blink of the eye – 20 seconds in the second period – the 19-year-old pocketed his first U23 European title.

Evgenii BAIDUSOV (UWW) won the gold medal in the 77kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

He wasn’t the only wrestler to win this crown for the first time.

For four years after winning the U20 World Championship gold medal, in 2021, Evgenii BAIDUSOV (UWW) may have been away from action. But on his comeback, he hasn’t shown any signs of rustiness.

The 23-year-old dropped just one point en route to the 77kg final, showing he was the one to beat. And if Aaron BELLSCHEIDT (GER) harbored any hopes of scripting an upset, he was dealt a harsh reality check only 20 seconds into the match.

Starting aggressively, Baidusov got a firm grip on his opponent in the first big move of the gold medal bout and used an underhook throw for a takedown. He gripped Bellscheidt's elbow to turn and race to a 4-0 lead. Bellscheidt challenged for a stepout before the action but it was deemed continuous action and the lost challenge made it 5-0.

It set the tone for the rest of the bout and with 45 seconds still left in the first period, Bellscheidt lost his balance while defending. Baidusov leapt on his opponent’s mistake and closed the tie with a simple takeover, winning by technical superiority.

Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) won his third U23 European gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 130kg, Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) won his third U23 European Championship gold medal, beating Magomed ALICHUEV (UWW) on technical superiority.

The semifinal against Saba CHILASHVILI (GEO) was the only major hurdle on his way to a dominant gold medal. Vyshnyvetskyi executed a big four-point throw using double-arm locks inside the opening 90 seconds. From that moment onwards, it was always going to be a daunting task for Alichuev. So much so that he did not even get time to regroup.

Within seconds of his first big move, Vyshnyvetskyi launched another locked-arm throw send Alichuev over his head and slamming him on his back for four more points, which settled the gold medal bout in just two minutes and six seconds.

U23 world champion Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) won U23 European gold after silver and two bronzes in previous attempts. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

For three years, Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) has been striving to step on to the top of the podium at the U23 European Championships. In 2022 and 2023, the 22-year-old won bronze medals. Last year, he upgraded to silver, faltering at the final hurdle but the U23 World Championship title softened that blow.

On Thursday, as he returned to the arena where he won his only international title -- the U23 Worlds last year -- Eriomenco looked like a man on a mission. Having reached the final largely trouble free, the Moldovan wrestler didn’t allow Ziya BABASHOV (AZE) a sniff of the gold in the 63kg final as he won his first-ever U23 European title at fourth attempt.

During the first period, Babashov was put in par terre and Eriomenco managed to get a turn for a 3-0 lead. In the second round, Eriomenco was handed passivity but he defended from par terre position to escape Babashov’s tight grip and emerge unscathed from the position of disadvantage. He controlled the remainder of the bout masterfully to be crowned the champion.

He, thus, avenged his 3-2 loss against Babashov in the final of the U23 Europeans last year.

Alibek AMIROV (UWW) celebrates after winning the 55kg final in Tirana. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 55kg, Alibek AMIROV (UWW) ended his gold medal bout via technical superiority at the start of the finals session, beating Koba KARUMIDZE (GEO) 8-0 to win the U23 European title.

Amirov led 2-0 at the break but he scored arm throw for four which stunned Karumidze and Amirov finished the bout with two stepouts and win 8-0.

Historic final day

On the final day of the competition, Ukraine could add more gold medals to its tally when 19-year-old Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) takes on Richard KARELSON (EST) in the 97 kg final. Yakushenko won the U20 World Championships last year and is competing in this age category for the first time. A win for Karelson will make him the first winner from Estonia in Greco at U23 European Championships.

Melkamu FETENE (ISR), too, will be eyeing his first gold medal at U23 Europeans when he faces Dimitri KHACHIDZE (GEO) in the 60kg final. A win for Fetene will make him only second Israel wrestler to win an European Championships title in Greco at any level.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Alibek AMIROV (UWW) df. Koba KARUMIDZE (GEO), 8-0

BRONZE: Elmir ALIYEV (AZE) df. Filip BARTOSIK (CZE), 8-0
BRONZE: Arayik TOPALYAN (ARM) df. Hanifi SARP (TUR), 10-1

63kg
GOLD: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) df. Ziya BABASHOV (AZE), 3-1

BRONZE: Alexander VAFAI (SWE) df. Miroslav EMILOV (BUL), 5-2
BRONZE: Romeo BERIDZE (GEO) df. Davit JOTYAN (ARM), 8-2

77kg
GOLD: Evgenii BAIDUSOV (UWW) df. Aaron BELLSCHEIDT (GER), 8-0

BRONZE: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Karl BAFF (SWE), 5-1
BRONZE: Khasay HASANLI (AZE) df. Michal ZELENKA (CZE), 9-1

87kg
GOLD: Alperen BERBER (TUR) df. Vladimeri KARCHAIDZE (FRA), via fall (3-1)

BRONZE: Vigen NAZARYAN (ARM) df. Hamza SERTCANLI (SWE), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Baskhan SAIDOV (UWW) df. Ivan CHMYR (UKR), 3-1

130kg
GOLD: Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) df. Magomed ALICHUEV (UWW), 8-0

BRONZE: Cemal BAKIR (TUR) df. Artur SARKISJAN (CZE), 8-3
BRONZE: Saba CHILASHVILI (GEO) df. Razmik KURDYAN (ARM), 1-1

Semifinals

60kg
GOLD: Melkamu FETENE (ISR) vs. Dimitri KHACHIDZE (GEO)

BRONZE: Dimitri KHACHIDZE (GEO) df. Bohdan HRYSHYN (UKR), 10-0
BRONZE: Melkamu FETENE (ISR) df. Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM), 7-5

67kg
GOLD: Hleb MAKARANKA (UWW) vs. Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO)

SF 1: Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) df. Azat SARIYAR (TUR), 6-5
SF 2: Hleb MAKARANKA (UWW) df. Daniial AGAEV (UWW), 5-5

72kg
GOLD: Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) vs. Danil GRIGOREV (UWW)

SF 1: Danil GRIGOREV (UWW) df. Vasile ZABICA (MDA), 8-7
SF 2: Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) df. Oleh KHALILOV (UKR), 4-2

82kg
GOLD: Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) vs. Gamzat GADZHIEV (UWW)

SF 1: Gamzat GADZHIEV (UWW) df. Frederik MATHIESEN (DEN), 7-1
SF 2: Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) df. Elmin ALIYEV (AZE), 8-0

97kg
GOLD: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) vs. Richard KARELSON (EST)

SF 1: Richard KARELSON (EST) df. Luka GABISONIA (GEO), 9-0
SF 2: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) df. Muhittin HELVACI (TUR), 5-2

World Champ Fumita Shows Effective Defensive Side in Regaining Asian Gold

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Berber adds to growing reputation with U23 Euro gold