#WrestleCoralville

World Cup: All-World, Mongolia win bronze

By Vinay Siwach

CORALVILLE, Iowa (December 11) -- The All-World team and Mongolia won bronze medals at the freestyle and women's World Cup respectively. The All-World team defeated Georgia 8-2 while Mongolia defeated the USA 7-3.

WATCH

14:30: All over in this dual! The All-World team beats Georgia 8-2 to capture the bronze at this World Cup. Batyrbek TSAKULOV (UWW) won his 97kg bout 7-7 while Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UWW) was injured.

14:15: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (UWW) scores after being put on the clock against Mirani MAISURADZE (GEO). Both are bronze medalists from the World Championships. Nurmagomedov leads the bout 3-0 and it will end that way.

14:00: Azamat DAULETBEKOV (UWW) led 2-1, all three points for passivity, and scores a takedown at the end to win 4-1 against Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO) and wins the bronze for the All-World team. This was the sixth win for the team.

13:45: 15th straight loss for Georgia as Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (UWW) beats Giorgi SULAVA (GEO) 10-0 at 74kg. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) vs Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (UWW) at 79kg now. A good start for Gamkrelidze as he slowly builds up his lead. A takedown and two turns as he leads 8-2. A takedown and gut to win 12-2. He ends the drought for Georgia.

13:30: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) was so close to beating Ernazar AKMATALIEV (UWW). He scored a takedown in the second period to make it 4-3 and kept shooting to get that point but Akmataliev with very solid defense to win at 70kg. 

13:10: Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) was up 4-0 but has no gas left in him. Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (UWW) uses that to his advantage and wins 14-4 at 65kg. The All-World team now leads 3-0

12:55: Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (UWW) and Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO) at 57kg. Abakarov gets a takedown after giving up a passivity point. He goes to an easy 4-1 win. At 61kg, Teimuraz VANISHVILI (GEO) is injured and Georgi VANGELOV (UWW) will get a walkover.

Now it's time for the men's bronze medal bouts between Georgia and All-World team.

12:50: Solin PIEARCY (USA) and Dymond GUILFORD (USA) won their respective bouts but Mongolia claims the bronze medal at the World Cup by winning this dual 7-3. What a weekend for them.  

12:15: Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) and Mallory VELTE (USA) go back and forth with takedowns and Purevdorj holds the criteria 6-6 and adds one more at the end to make it 9-6. That is the sixth win for Mongolia and it is the bronze medal for Mongolia.

12:05: Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) with two unorthodox takedowns against Kayla MIRACLE (USA) to lead 8-5. Sukhee caught Miracle in an arm-to-foot bow position. Miracle seems very disturbed by the early injury on her hand. But Sukhee with lace and finishes the bout 16-5.

12:00: Davaachimeg ERKHEMBAYAR (MGL) is up 2-0 as Lexie BASHAM (USA) was called passive twice. Erkhembayar with a headlock for four but Basham is also awarded two. She does it again and leads 11-2. A takedown to win 13-2. Mongolia leads 4-1 now.  

11:45: That was a crazy bout! Erdenesuvd BAT ERDENE (MGL) scored a suplex for four over Alexandra HEDRICK (USA) but the American kept the pressure and scored two takedowns. Trailing 4-4 on criteria and 31 seconds remaining, she lifts Bat Erdene and gets the stepout with less than one second remaining. Mongolia challenges but the stepout is in time. The USA win its first bout. Mongolia still leads 3-1.

11:25: Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) gives up a stepout against Jenna BURKERT (USA) but then gets a takedown and lace to make it 4-1. Burkert gets her takedown to close the gap to 4-3 and then shoots for the legs and almost got it but Bat Ochir with exposure to win 6-4. The USA challenges the call and it is 6-6 for Burkert but the jury says the challenge lost which means Bat Ochir will win 7-6  

11:10: At 50kg, Erin GLOSTON (USA) will take on world silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL). Gloston puts up a fight but Dolgorjav wins via fall. The Otgonjargal GANBAATAR (MGL) vs Felicity TAYLOR (USA) bout at 53kg goes the distance but Taylor can't bring the USA back in this. Ganbaatar with a strong game to win 12-1.

10:50: Welcome to day two of the World Cup. It was non-stop action on Saturday and expect nothing less today as the USA takes on Mongolia for the third place in women's before the All-World team takes the mat against Georgia for the same in men's.

#WrestleSamokov

Japan defends U20 Worlds women's team title

By Vinay Siwach

SAMOKOV, Bulgaria (August 22) -- Japan defended its Women's Wrestling team title at the World U20 Championships in Samokov, Bulgaria with two more gold medals on Friday.

The Women's Wrestling competition came to a close in Bulgaria with three weight classes, 50kg, 53kg and 72kg, and Japan won the first two gold medals while India won 72kg. India finished second in the team race with 140 points, 25 less than Japan which had 165 points.

Rinka OGAWA (JPN) won the 50kg gold medal with 9-3 win over three-time age-group world medalist Audrey JIMINEZ (USA) in the final. Ogawa gave up the first takedown but she hit a single-leg and turn to lead 4-2 at the break.

The second period was more scrappy but Ogawa gave up just a reversal while four points to win 8-3. The United States challenged at the end of match but there was no points for Jiminez and one more point to Ogawa's score for the lost challenge.

This was Jiminez's third loss to a Japanese wrestler in finals of World Championships. She lost to Umi ITO (JPN) in the World U20 and U23 finals in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Her one other loss came to Yanrong LI (USA) in 2023 at the World U20 Championships. She will now look to change her fortunes at the senior World Championships in Zagreb next month.

Japan's second gold cane with Natsumi MASUDA (JPN) who defeated European U20 champion Anastasiia POLSKA (UKR) in controlled 6-0 final. She scored three takedowns in six minutes for the win and earn herself the gold medal.

At 72kg, world U17 silver medalist last month, KAJAL (IND) managed to survive a fall attempt and a threating Yuqi LIU (CHN) in the final and win her first world U20 title to go with her world U17 gold from 2024.

Kajal used snapdowns to pressure Liu and score three takedowns and lead 6-0 but as the match progressed Liu hit a leg-attack and scored a takedown, and cradle Kajal who barely managed to get out off the lock and keep the 6-4 lead.

Both traded a takedown each in the remainder of the bout but Kajal held on for an 8-6 lead and win the gold medal.

RESULTS

50kg
GOLD: Rinka OGAWA (JPN) df. Audrey JIMENEZ (USA), 9-3

BRONZE: SHRUTI (IND) df. Josephine WRENSCH (GER), 6-0
BRONZE: Na HU (CHN) df. Diana RYSOVA (UKR), 7-5

53kg
GOLD: Natsumi MASUDA (JPN) df. Anastasiia POLSKA (UKR), 6-0

BRONZE: SAARIKA (IND) df. Ilona VALCHUK (POL), 11-0
BRONZE: Kseniya KOSTSENICH (UWW) df. Abigale COOPER (USA), 11-10

72kg
GOLD: KAJAL (IND) df. Yuqi LIU (CHN), 8-6

BRONZE: Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (UWW) df. Haticenur SARI (TUR), 17-12
BRONZE: Kaiyrkul SHARSHEBAEVA (KGZ) vs. Jasmine ROBINSON (USA), via inj. def.