As World Championships approaches, Tynybekova wins #WrestleBudapest gold

Saturday, July 15, 2023 - 11:58 By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 14) - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) suffered a shocking defeat at the 2022 Yasar Dogu Ranking Series tournament against Lais NUNES (BRA), the last time they wrestled. This loss came three months after Tynybekova won her second world title in Oslo.

Following her world title victory, she lost in the final of the Asian Championships and sustained a foot injury that required surgery. At the World Championships in Belgrade, she placed fifth and at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series in February of this year, Tynybekova finished 13th. It seemed that Tynybekova's prime, during which she won two world titles, an Olympic silver medal, and multiple Asian titles, was behind her.

But as the World Championships approach, Tynybekova seemed to have regained her lost form. And on Friday, she won her second Ranking Series gold of the year in Budapest, a run which included a victory over Nunes.

"Last year, I couldn't win the Asian championships and I also lost at the World Championships and I couldn't compete at most of the international tournaments," she said. "This year began unsuccessfully but from the second international tournament, I was back on top. Then I won the gold at the Asian Championships, defeating the Japanese wrestler, to whom I lost twice last year [at the Asian and World Championships]."

At the Budapest Ranking Series, Tynybekova pinned Nunes in the 62kg semifinal and followed that up with a 2-1 victory over European champion Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL).

This victory, along with her Asian title in Kazakhstan and Ranking Series gold in Alexandria, secured her a top-two seed at 62kg for the World Championships, where she aims to qualify for the Paris Games.

Tynybekova was denied gold at the Tokyo Olympics by Yukako KAWAI (JPN) who beat her in the final. Kawai did not qualify for the 2023 World Championships after losing in Japan's domestic qualifiers.

"I am satisfied with my performance [today]," Tynybekova said. "People know that I am in bad shape now. Even in such conditions, I made it to the final and won it. So, I want to thank all those people, who believe and support me."

In the final, Tynybekova scored a takedown and stuck to her defense to deny Dudova any opening. She was called for activity but that cost her only one point.

"You have witnessed how I became a winner of the Ranking Series in Budapest," she said. "Even though my physical condition is not good, I was able to win. Now we start the preparation for the World Championships, where I can win the Olympic quota."

To prepare for World Championships, Tynybekova will be training at home. She did not rule out wrestling at the Asian Games in October.

"Before the World Championships, we will have a training camp back home in Issyk-Kul," she said. "We may also go to the international training camp in Poland and 10 days after the World Championships, we might also go to the Asian Games."

In other significant results at 62kg, Viktoria VESSO (EST) executed a perfect headlock for four points to pin two-time world silver medalist Kayla MIRACLE (USA) in the pre-quarterfinals. However, she lost to Dudova 9-0 in the quarterfinal.

At 57kg, Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), the reigning 59kg world champion, secured gold in the Ranking Series. This victory marked the beginning of her journey toward the Paris Olympics in Budapest.

Nichita, who wrestled at 57kg in Tokyo, has been a constant at 59kg but has decided to return to the 57kg category in her quest for an Olympic medal. Her performance in Budapest indicates that she is on the right track.

Opening her day with a 7-0 win over Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER), Nichita secured a fall over Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (AIN) in the quarterfinals and then over Hannah TAYLOR (CAN) in the semifinal.

In the final, Kexin HONG (CHN) score two points on the European champion but Nichita held on for a comfortable 8-2 win.

In the 53kg category, Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL), an Olympic bronze medalist, won the gold medal in Budapest after Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) injury defaulted.

Both Bat Ochir and Yepez had impressive victories on their way to the finals. Yepez pinned Vivien MATYI (HUN) in her opening bout and defeated Min ZHANG (CHN) 9-5 to reach the semifinals. Meanwhile, Bat Ochir received a bye in the first round and won 10-0 against Diana WEICKER (CAN) to secure a spot in the semifinals.

Yepez went on to defeat Olympic silver medalist Qianyu PANG (CHN) 3-1 in a surprising victory, while Bat Ochir dominated her matches, including a technical superiority win, on her path to the final.

Zhou FENG (CHN), another experienced wrestler, clinched the gold medal in the 68kg category after a 2-1 victory over Olympic silver medalist Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) in the final. Oborududu had previously defeated Forrest MOLINARI (USA) in the semifinals, while Feng won 10-0 against Xinru ZHOU (CHN) in her semifinal match.

Nokhodi confirms Belgrade spot

Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI), a two-time World Championships silver medalist, won the gold medal in Budapest at 79kg, earning him a spot on the world team.

Iran entered two wrestlers at 79kg to determine their representative. Nokhodi and Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI) were on a collision course to meet in the quarterfinals.

Nokhodi defeated Chandler MARSTELLER (USA) 10-0 in his first bout, while Savadkouhi lost 5-4 to Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) after giving up exposure in the dying moments., denying a direct match against Nokhodi.

Nokhodi secured a 6-2 victory over Kentchadze in the semifinals and went on to win 3-0 against Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) in the final.

Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) also secured his place on Iran's world team at 70kg despite not winning the gold medal.

In the 70kg quarterfinals, Joseph MC KENNA (USA) defeated Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ) to set up a semifinal against Yazdani who won his quarterfinal 7-7 against Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ).

On the other side of the bracket, Amr HUSSEN (EGY) defeated Mohammad BAKHSHISHIRKOLAEI (IRI) 11-7, and Ihor NYKYFORUK (UKR) secured a fall against Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ).

Yazdani looked comfortable in the semifinal after taking a 6-0 lead but McKenna stormed back with a big four-pointer. Yazdani scored a two to lead 8-4. But the final 40 seconds saw McKenna get five points, two via challenges, to win 9-8.

Nykyforuk pinned Hussen in the semifinal and went on to win the gold with a 4-2 victory over McKenna.

Yazdani lost his bronze medal bout but Iran's coaching staff decided to conduct a wrestle-off between Yazdani and Bakshishirkolaei which the former won to confirm his spot for Belgrade.

At 61kg, Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB), the world champion at 57kg, won the gold with a 4-1 victory in the final over Ossimzhan DASTANBEK (KAZ).

RESULTS

Women's wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) df. Ziqi FENG (CHN), 4-2

BRONZE: Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) df. Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (AIN), 16-5
BRONZE: Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR) df. Jiang ZHU (CHN), via inj. def.

53kg
GOLD: Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) df. Lucia YEPEZ (ECU), via inj. def.

BRONZE: Diana WEICKER (CAN) df. Dominique PARRISH (USA), 10-0
BRONZE: Qianyu PANG (CHN) df. Min ZHANG (CHN), 10-0

57kg
GOLD: Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) df. Kexin HONG (CHN), 8-2

BRONZE: Hannah TAYLOR (CAN) df. Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER), 11-2
BRONZE: Qi ZHANG (CHN) df. Giullia OLIVEIRA (BRA), 11-0

62kg
GOLD: Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), 2-1

BRONZE: Alina KASABIEVA (AIN) df. Lais NUNES (BRA), 7-0
BRONZE: Xiaojuan LUO (CHN) df. Viktoria VESSO (EST), via fall (9-1)

68kg
GOLD: Feng ZHOU (CHN) df. Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR), 2-1

BRONZE: Forrest MOLINARI (USA) df. Olivia DI BACCO (CAN), 8-7
BRONZE: Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) df. Xinru ZHOU (CHN), via fall

Freestyle

61kg
GOLD: Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) df. Ossimzhan DASTANBEK (KAZ), 4-1

BRONZE: Assylzhan YESSENGELDI (KAZ) df. Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO), 19-9
BRONZE: Vitali ARUJAU (USA) df. Vladimir KUDRIN (KAZ), via inj. def.

70kg
GOLD: Ihor NYKYFORUK (UKR) df. Joseph MC KENNA (USA), 4-2

BRONZE: Sanzhar DOSZHANOV (KAZ) df. Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI), 5-0
BRONZE: Amr HUSSEN (EGY) df. Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ), 9-8

79kg
GOLD: Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) df. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), 3-0

BRONZE: Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) df. Nurdaulet KUANYSHBAY (KAZ), 7-4
BRONZE: Chandler MARSTELLER (USA) df. Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO), 4-3

#WrestleBudapest

Five must-watch WW bouts at #WrestleBudapest European C'ships

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 - 18:27 By Eric Olanowski

BUDAPEST, Hungary (March 24) -- The first-class women's wrestling field at the European Championships will feature four podium toppers and 18 total returning medalists from last year's Warsaw Championships.

With the level of talent that'll be in the Hungarian capital, there's bound to be an endless list of top-tier matches. We've picked the five matches that wrestling fans need to see in Budapest next week.

5. Miglena SELISHKA (BUL) vs Emilia VUC (ROU)
When you look at the 50kg European landscape over the last few years, Mariya STADNIK (AZE) has sat atop the tier one field on her way to eight continental titles. But without the future Hall of Famer in Budapest, two of the weight's best European athletes, Miglena SELISHKA (BUL) and Emilia Alina VUC (ROU), gain control of the 11-woman 50kg bracket.

Selishka will be competing in her 14th European Championships across all styles. Over the last three seasons, she's 8-2 at the event. Her two losses came in the '19 and '21 finals against Oksana LIVACH (UKR) and Stadnik respectively.

But the road for Selishka to win her second European title since the gold at the '20 Rome European Championships will likely go through two-time world runner-up Vuc. These two have met twice over the last two years, with the Bulgarian coming out on top on both occasions. Selishka shut out Vuc, 6-0, at the Olympic Games and scored an 8-1 win over the Romanian at the '21 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event.

Vuc and Selishka will be seeded first and second, respectively, which means if they meet, it would be for the European title.

Andreea ANA (ROU) is a U23 World and European champion. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

4. Andreea ANA (ROU) vs Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)
Since late last year, Romania's Andreea ANA (ROU) has been on an absolute tear. She's won gold medals at the U23 World and European Championships and the Dan Kolov. Considering her last three performances, Ana comes into the European Championships as one of the favorites at 55kg. But if she wants to upgrade her '19 and '21 continental bronze medals to gold, she'll have to get through Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR).

Khomenets won last year's U20 European title and will be making her senior-level continental debut in Budapest. The Ukrainian's sample size at the senior level consists of International Ukrainian Tournament and the World Championships, where she finished with bronze medals at both events.

At the World Championships, Khomenets dropped her opening round match against eventual champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) but scored huge upset wins against Tokyo Olympians and world bronze medalists Roksana ZASINA (POL) and Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RWF) en route to the bronze.

Khomenets and Ana hold the top two seeds at 55kg and wouldn't meet until the gold-medal match.

Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) is a Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

3. Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) vs Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR)
When the 57kg bracket comes out, the first name wrestling fans should look for is Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL). Over the last year, the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist became world-famous for her trademark move to pick up pins when the stakes are the highest, earning her nickname Evelina "Pinolova."

"Pinolova," who is ranked No. 2 globally, is fresh off winning gold at the Yasar Dogu. She stuck four of her five opponents en route to gold – including a finals-punching pin over Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Iryna KURACHKINA (BWF).

One of the biggest roadblocks on Nikolova's quest for the first European gold medal will be Ukraine's rising star Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR).

Hrushyna Akobiia is carrying a six-tournament podium-finishing streak into Budapest. Most recently, she won the '21 U23 European and World gold medals. Those wins came after she won a bronze medal at the '21 European Championships and qualified Ukraine for the Olympic Games through continental qualifiers.

Despite earning Ukraine its 57kg berth for the Tokyo Games, Hrushyna Akobiia could not make her debut at the Olympics after a hand injury ruled her out.

On paper, Nikolova and Hrushyna Akobiia met for gold at the European Olympic Qualifier but the Ukrainian injury defaulted out of the finals after punching her country's ticket to the Olympic Games.

Nikolova will sit atop the bracket in the No. 1 slot while Hrushyna Akobiia heads into Budapest unseeded.

Irina RINGACI (MDA) is a world champion at 65kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

2. Irina RINGACI (MDA) vs Alla BELINSKA (UKR)
There are 18 returning European medalists from last year's Championships that'll compete in Hungary. At 68kg, returning champions Irina RINGACI (MDA) and Alla BELINSKA (UKR) will compete in the same bracket.

Ringaci won World Championships gold at the non-Olympic weight of 65kg last year but moved up to 68kg in a quest for the '24 Paris Olympic Games medal. Over her last four competitions, the Moldovan history-maker has straight ones across the board. Dating back to last season, she's won consecutive golds at the Junior and Senior World Championships, the Dan Kolov and the U23 European Championships.

Belinska, who won European gold at 72kg last season, will be making her way down to 68kg for the first time since the '18 U23 World Championships, where she finished 10th.

With both wrestlers changing weights this season, neither will garner a top-four seed, meaning they can meet at any point during the competition.

1. Yasemin ADAR (TUR) vs Epp MAEE (EST)
Since '16, Yasemin ADAR (TUR) has been in a class of her own on the continental level. She sat out of last year's European Championships to focus on qualifying Turkey for the Olympic Games but won four European titles and reached the gold-medal match a handful of times in her previous five European appearances.

In absence of the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist in 2021, Epp MAEE (EST) rose to the top of the podium and became Estonia's first-ever woman to win the European title with shocking criteria win over two-time Olympic finalist Natalia VOROBEVA (RWF).

Despite being in countless brackets together, Adar and Maee haven't squared off against each other since the '18 edition of the event. The Turkish wrestler won that quarterfinal meeting, 10-0, in Kaspisyk, Dagestan. Prior to that meeting, Adar won their previous two meetings at the '17 World and European Championships.

Maee and Adar will be seeded first and second, respectively, which means that the European title will be on the line in their match.

As World Championships approaches, Tynybekova wins #WrestleBudapest gold

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Five must-watch WW bouts at #WrestleBudapest European C'ships