#BuchaWrestU23

World Champions Gempei and Sukhee advance to U23 Semifinals

By Taylor Miller

Photo of Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) by Sachicko Hotaka.

BUCHAREST, Romania – The semifinals for Thursday at the 2018 U23 World Championships have been set and features two World champions.

Highlighting the semifinalists at 65 kg is returning U23 World champion Ayana GEMPEI (JPN), who is also a 2016 Junior World champion and a 2018 Senior World bronze medalist.

To earn her second spot in the U23 World finals, Gempei will have to go through 2018 Junior World bronze medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR).

The other 65 kg semifinal will feature 2017 U23 World bronze medalist Moa NYGREN (SWE) and two-time Junior World bronze medalist Elis MANOLOVA (AZE).

There are three past age-group World medalists in the semifinals at 57 kg.

On the top side of the bracket, 2014 Senior World champion and 2015 Senior World silver medalist Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) will battle this year’s University World runner-up Alexandria TOWN (CAN).

Meanwhile on the bottom half, 2017 U23 World silver medalist and 2018 Junior World silver medalist Qi ZHANG (CHN) will go head-to-head with 2018 Junior Asian champion Akie HANAI (JPN), who knocked off 2017 Senior World bronze medalist Becka LEATHERS (USA) in the qualification round.

Photo of Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR).

At 53 kg, two-time Cadet World silver medalist Andreea ANA (ROU) will face 2018 University World silver medalist Momoka KADOYA (JPN), while two-time Junior World bronze winner and 2018 Military World champion Milana DADASHEVA (RUS) will battle two-time Junior World medalist Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR).

At 62 kg, we’ll see 2018 Senior World runner-up Yukako KAWAI (JPN) take on home country’s Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU), who is a 2016 University World silver medalist and 2013 Cadet World bronze winner.

Also moving on to the semis at 62 kg was 2017 U23 World silver medalist Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) and two-time age-group World silver medalist Luisa NIEMESCH (GER).

At 72 kg, two-time age-group World bronze medalist Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) will challenge Buse TOSUN (TUR), who won bronze at the 2018 Senior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Tosun is also a 2013 Junior World silver medalist.

In the other 72 kg semi, 2017 Junior World bronze medalist and hometown favorite Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) against Xiaoqian WANG (CHN).

Semifinal matchups

53 kg
Andreea ANA (ROU) vs. Momoka KADOYA (JPN)
Milana DADASHEVA (RUS) vs. Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR)

57 kg
Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) vs. Alexandria TOWN (CAN)
Qi ZHANG (CHN) vs. Akie HANAI (JPN)

62 kg
Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) vs. Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)
Yukako KAWAI (JPN) vs. Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU)

65 kg
Moa NYGREN (SWE) vs. Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
Ayana GEMPEI (JPN) vs. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR)

72 kg
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) vs. Buse TOSUN (TUR)
Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) vs. Xiaoqian WANG (CHN)

#Grappling

Grappling Gi: Kazakhstan, Poland emerge best teams at World Championships

By Vinay Siwach

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (October 12) -- Kazakhstan stole the show in men's Grappling Gi, winning four of the nine gold medals on the final day of the World Grappling Championships.

Alikhan ALSHINBAY (KAZ) won the gold medal at 58kg, Samat AITPANBET (KAZ) claimed a submission victory at 62kg, Sarsen ZHETIBAYEV (KAZ) defeated former world champion Iker CAMARA (ESP) 2-1 at 71kg and Ruslan ISRAILOV (KAZ) held on to a 5-2 win at 92kg.

Kazakhstan won the team title with 185 points, well clear of second-placed United States which could get only 68 points and third-placed Poland 66 points.

In women's grappling gi, Poland continued its dominance with yet another solid performance, earning it the team title. Led by returning champion Justyna SITKO (POL), Poland claimed two gold medals and 110 points overall to finish first. Kazakhstan was second with 43 points and Ukraine was third with 40 points.

Poland had five finalists with two winning the gold medals. Sitko defended her gold medal at 90kg with a 7-1 win over Alena VLASOVA (AIN) while Weronika ROT (POL) defeated Anna REMNEVA (AIN), 10-0, in the 71kg to win gold.

Alicja STYPULKOWSKA (POL) was also in the final but she came up short. Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) defeated her, 6-4, in the 53kg final. Magdalena GIEC (POL) ended up with a silver medal for the second year in a row, dropping the 58kg final 9-5 against Nikolett KIS (HUN).

In the 64kg final, Alsu IANSHINA (AIN) won via submission against Adrianna MAZUR (POL).

RESULTS

Men's Grappling Gi

58kg
GOLD: Alikhan ALSHINBAY (KAZ) df. Jerzy IZDEBSKI (POL), 4-2

BRONZE: Zhyldyzbek ABYLBEKOV (KGZ) df. Vahid ALAKBAROV (AZE), via submission (3-2)
BRONZE: Nurbek SATYBALDY (KAZ) df. Jad HERZHAFT (FRA), 12-5

62kg
GOLD: Samat AITPANBET (KAZ) df. Nurbek MYRZALINOV (KAZ), via submission (0-2) 

BRONZE: Sultan SHARIPOV (AIN) df. Guillermo GUTIERREZ (ESP), via submission (4-0) 
BRONZE: Joseph DIEHL (USA) df. Daniiar ZHAMANKULOV (KGZ), 8-3

66kg
GOLD: Giorgi RAZMADZE (GEO) df. Mayis NERSESYAN (ARM), 6-4

BRONZE: Anthony DE OLIVEIRA (FRA) df. Yurii CHERKALIUK (UKR), via submission (9-0)
BRONZE: Daulet ZHUMADULLAYEV (KAZ) df. Zack ZINZOW (USA), 3-2

71kg
GOLD: Sarsen ZHETIBAYEV (KAZ) df. Iker CAMARA (ESP), 2-1

BRONZE: Jedrzej LOSKA (POL) df. Cole MORRISON (USA), via submission (0-2)
BRONZE: Oleksandr HULIAIEV (UKR) df. Nico PULVERMUELLER (GER), 2-2

77kg
GOLD: Imam AMAGAEV (AIN) df. Adlan MADAYEV (KAZ), 6-4

BRONZE: Dmitriy MIKHAILIDI (KAZ) df. Pierre MANZO (FRA), 5-1
BRONZE: Arthur LEROY (FRA) df. Jakub NAJDEK (POL), 4-2

84kg
GOLD: Ruslan VALIEV (FRA) df. Hajimurad PURTIYEV (AZE), 6-0

BRONZE: Jeremie BLAIN (CAN) df. Bekarys SHYNGGYSBEK (KAZ), in overtime (1-1)
BRONZE: Igor DZIAG (POL) df. Samy MEZACHE (FRA), via submission (6-2)

92kg
GOLD: Ruslan ISRAILOV (KAZ) df. Mantas DAUBLYS (LTU), 5-2

BRONZE: Ramazan KUSSAINOV (KAZ) df. Borja ALVAREZ (ESP), via submission (6-0)
BRONZE: Pablo ESTEPA NIETO (ESP) df. Julian VANDERLINDEN (USA), 4-3

100kg
GOLD: Kristof SZUCS (HUN) df. Ramazan ABDRAKHIMOV (KAZ), via submission (10-2)

BRONZE: Ivan MALIN (UKR) df. Konstantin LI (KGZ), 6-1
BRONZE: Roman LUKASHEVICH (AIN) df. Pavlos VLACHOS (GRE), via submission (5-0)

130kg
GOLD: Abu GUDANATOV (AIN) df. Saulet ABUSSALIKHOV (KAZ), 2-1

BRONZE: John HANSEN (USA) df. Ioannis KARGIOTAKIS (GRE), 3-2
BRONZE: Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA) df. Akhmed GAIRBEKOV (AIN), via submission (0-4)

Justyna SITKO (POL)Justyna SITKO (POL), center, defended her gold medal at 90kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Women's Grappling Gi

53kg
GOLD: Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) df. Alicja STYPULKOWSKA (POL), 6-4

BRONZE: Zuzanna KOWALSKA (POL) df. Alina KASKINOVA (KAZ), via submission (2-2)
BRONZE: Polina KRUPSKAIA (AIN) df. Anna BEZHENAR (UKR), 3-2

58kg
GOLD: Nikolett KIS (HUN) df. Magdalena GIEC (POL), 9-5

BRONZE: Tetiana ASTAKHOVA (UKR) df. Rachel GUTIERREZ (USA), via submission (5-2)
BRONZE: Breanna STIKKELMAN (USA) df. Joanna ZABULEWICZ (POL), 4-4

64kg
GOLD: Alsu IANSHINA (AIN) df. Adrianna MAZUR (POL), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Fariza KULYNTAY (KAZ) df. Raluca ROSCA (ITA), 7-2
BRONZE: Veronika KARAKHONOVA (AIN) df. Sylwia WIERZBOWSKA (POL), via submission (5-0)

71kg
GOLD: Weronika ROT (POL) df. Anna REMNEVA (AIN), 10-0

BRONZE: Kateryna SHAKALOVA (UKR) df. Valeriia PROKOPIUK (UKR), 7-1
BRONZE: Emily GUENZLER (GER) df. Tatiana KABANOVA (AIN), via submission (0-4)

90kg
GOLD: Justyna SITKO (POL) df. Alena VLASOVA (AIN), 7-1

BRONZE: Tammy GRIEGO (USA) df. Vlada BOIAKHCHIEVA (AIN), via submission (2-2)