#WrestleBudpest: Bisultanov dominates to 87kg gold; Kayaalp wins 11th title

Saturday, April 2, 2022 - 22:56 By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (April 2) -- Denmark has hosted the World Championships only once -- 2009.

As the world descended in Herning that September, wrestling fans thronged the stadium. Among them was Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN) and his brother Rajbek. And when the tournament ended, the two brothers went home inspired.

12 years after that World Championships in Herning, Bisultanov is a European champion. The 21-year-old switched from taekwondo to wrestling after the Worlds and has been breaking records for Denmark ever since.

Last year, he won the junior championships for Denmark after 17 years and Saturday, he won the gold for Denmark three years after his brother Rajbek won one in 2019. Rajbek's medal ended his country's 93-year wait for a senior continental gold.

The flamboyant 21-year-old outscored his opponents 35-0 over two days and with his crowd-pleasing style became a fan favorite in Budapest.

"I don't know what happened," Bisultanov said. "It's unbelievable. But I am here but I don't know what to say."

Wrestling Nicu OJOG (ROU) in the 87kg final, Bisultanov took only one minute and 13 seconds to finish the bout 8-0. In his four bouts, he did not wrestle the full six minutes in any, spending just over 13 minutes on the mat.

While he expected to wrestle world champion Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) in the final but Islam ABBASOV (AZE) defeated him before himself getting pinned by Ojog. Bisultanov is now waiting for a bout against the Serbian at the next competition.

"Zurabi is a fine wrestler," he said. "I am trying to learn how to fight him and other good wrestlers. But you can't forget the underdogs because they are also here to win the medal."

But no one could trouble Bisultanov here as his low-stance and high-paced wrestling made him a difficult opponent. Bisultanov explains he idolized Islambek ALBIEV (RWF) and Mark MADSEN (DEN) growing up and learned the style from the two.

Incidentally, both Albiev and Madsen won gold at the Herning World Championships.

But growing up, he did not have the same luxury as the two world champions as he had to attend school and travel to different countries if he wanted good partners.

"I have only one partner in Denmark and it's difficult to train," he said. "I have to attend school as well so I can't have more than three days a week for training. Other countries are training every day."

Most of Bisultanov's training is in Sweden or Norway. The members of the two teams were the first ones to congratulate him after the win.

Among them was Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) who wrestled at 82kg in Budapest but is expected to move to 87kg later this year. The two have been training together since childhood and are most likely to meet in an international competition soon.

"I don't know, may the best man win," he said. "We have fought each other since we were little. We were enemies as kids but now only on the mat."

Bisultanov's win in Budapest eased some of his pain from missing out on the medal in Oslo, where he finished fifth and now hopes to win one in Belgrade, hopefully, gold with a win over Datunashvili.

"I either win or learn," he said. "It was so painful to miss out on medals in Oslo and even at the Euros in Warsaw also. But I dream of winning gold at Olympics and Worlds."

Riza KAYAALP (TUR) now has 11 European titles. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Kayaalp wins 11th gold

Riza KAYAALP (TUR) is on a mission to break Alexander KARELIN (RWF) record of 12 European gold medals. He took another step closer to that by winning his 11th gold in Budapest. The four-time world champion defeated Danila SOTNIKOV (ITA), 4-0 in the 130kg final using a head-pinch exposure when the Italian was trying to push him out.

"This is my 12th final and my 11th win, it's an incredible feeling," Kayaalp said. "It always motivates me to be on top of the podium. I want to finish my career at the top. My goal is to break the records of wrestling legend Karelin."

Kayaalp has gold medals beginning from the 2010 European Championships. He missed out on medals in 2011 [silver] and 2020 [seventh]. In 2015, he won the European Games instead of the championships.

But when asked to compare his first and latest European gold, the 32-year-old said that age is catching up to him.

"It's harder to win the title every time," he said. "I feel a little older. I love wrestling and it is a part of my life and I am very happy and proud that I can do this since I was six years old."

He will now be looking to win the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia which will be his fifth.

Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) celebrates after beating Yunus BASAR (TUR) in the final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Two other world champions won gold in Budapest as Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) won the 77kg title while Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) captured the top medal at 55kg.

Amoyan, who won the gold in Oslo at 72kg, was making his debut at the 77kg and wrestled Yunus BASAR (TUR) in the final. He was called passive and gave up a gut wrench to trail 3-0 at the break. But he got the same action using a chest wrap in the second period to lead 3-3 on criteria.

Turkey challenged the call asking for a leg foul but the judges found no negative wrestling which gave another point to Amoyan, extending his lead 4-3 with two minutes remaining.

The silver medalist from Warsaw European Championships was again called passive but this time Basar could not get any exposure from par terre as Amoyan let out a loud scream to celebrate his maiden gold at the continental championships.

"Last year I got second place and it was my fault," Amoyan said. "But here I was focused only on wrestling for the gold and used the instructions of the coaches correctly."

Since he has moved up to an Olympic weight class, Amoyan thinks that winning gold at 77kg is slightly more significant than his gold in Oslo which came at 72kg.

"At the Worlds, I wrestled at 72kg weight class which is not an Olympic weight," he said. "But this gold in Budapest has its Olympic significance. Well, each of them has a special purpose in my life."

The win was even more special as he had beaten 77kg Oslo silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE), 6-5, in the semifinals. It was his first win over the Azerbaijan wrestler in three meetings.

After his semifinal and final wins, Amoyan also got a special pat on the back from the Rio Olympic champion and Tokyo silver medalist Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) who was present during the celebrations.

"Artur helped me a lot, he was always close to our team, and his presence inspired our team to become winners," he said.

Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) won his second European title in Budapest. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Azizli wrestled his rival and world champion from 2019 Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO). Prior to this meeting, the two had wrestled each other four times with Azizli enjoying a perfect 4-0 record over Tsurtsumia. He extended that record to 5-0 when he won 8-2 in the 55kg final.

The two greeted each other with a hug before the final but there was no love on the mat as Azizli went on the offensive straight away. He got the point for his opponent's passivity and a roll gave him a 3-1 lead.

Tsurtsumia tried exposing with a head pinch but in turn, ended up giving two points. In the same action, Azizli scored two more and led 7-1 with two minutes remaining before closing out the bout 8-2.

Leri ABULADZE (AZE) gave Georgia the gold at 63kg. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

Georgia did have a gold medalist Saturday as U23 World champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO) added a European title to his resume. He wrestled Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) in the 63kg final and controlled it well. His one scoring action in par terre in the second period was enough to give him a 3-1 win over Mammadov, his first in two meetings.

"I was well prepared for this championship," Abuladze said. "I was waiting for this moment for quite a long time. I was ready and everything worked out just as I planned it."

Abuladze has also put behind the defeat in the 63kg final in Oslo to Meysam DALKHANI (IRI).

"The next World Championship is ahead and I don’t want to think of that championship in Oslo," he said. "I am 100 percent ready for the next one. There will be different training camps in Georgia."

The final five gold medals of the European Championships will be handed out Sunday.

GR Medal Bouts

55kg
GOLD: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), 8-2

BRONZE: Rudik MKRTCHYAN (ARM) df Denis MIHAI (ROU), 9-1
BRONZE: Emre MUTLU (TUR) df Artiom DELEANU (MDA), via fall

63kg
GOLD: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE), 3-1

BRONZE: Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) df Etienne KINSINGER (GER), 5-2
BRONZE: Ahmet UYAR (TUR) df Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM), 6-5

77kg
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df Yunus BASAR (TUR), 4-3

BRONZE: Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) df Per OLOFSSON (SWE), 5-0
BRONZE: Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) df Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO), 4-0

87kg
GOLD: Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN) df Nicu OJOG (ROU), 8-0

BRONZE: Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df Yoan DIMITROV (BUL), 5-1
BRONZE: Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) df Mirco MINGUZZI (ITA), 3-3

130kg
GOLD: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df Danila SOTNIKOV (ITA), 4-0

BRONZE: Konsta MAEENPAEAE (FIN) df Franz RICHTER (GER), 1-1
BRONZE: Dariusz VITEK (HUN) df Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 4-1

GR Semifinals

60kg
GOLD: Kerem KAMAL (TUR) vs Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL)

SF 1: Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), via fall
SF 2: Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) df Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM), 10-1

67kg
GOLD: Krisztian VANCZA (HUN) vs Murat FIRAT (TUR)

SF 1: Krisztian VANCZA (HUN) df Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM), 4-2
SF 2: Murat FIRAT (TUR) df Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), 2-0

72kg
GOLD: Robert FRITSCH (HUN) vs Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Robert FRITSCH (HUN) df Pavel PUKLAVEC (CRO), 1-1
SF 2: Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) df Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE), 4-1

82kg
GOLD: Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) vs Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) df Mihail BRADU (MDA), 3-1
SF 2: Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df Pascal EISELE (GER), 3-1

97kg
GOLD: Kiril MILOV (BUL) vs Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN)

SF 1: Kiril MILOV (BUL) df Vladlen KOZLIUK (UKR), 7-1
SF 2: Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) df Daniel GASTL (AUT), 4-2

#WrestleAmman

Uzbekistan dominates first day with 3 Greco golds, all at Iran's expense

Tuesday, March 25, 2025 - 20:02 By Ken Marantz

AMMAN, Jordan (March 25) -- While the ageless wonder Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) no longer wreaks havoc on the mat, his influence was strongly felt off it on the opening day of the Asian Championships on Tuesday.

With Assakalov offering encouragement and inspiration from the coach's corner, Uzbekistan came away with three of the five Greco-Roman golds on offer -- all with victories over Iranian opponents -- with teenager Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) joining veterans Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) and Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) on the top of the podium.

"Generally speaking, we’ve been working hard for this," said Assakalov, a three-time Asian champion who retired after placing fifth at the 2024 Paris Olympics three weeks after his 40th birthday. "We were aiming to wrestle in at least four finals. Our 130kg wrestler is still a bit weak, but we will work on it and improve."

Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) kept Iran from being shut out of the gold medals by keeping the 130kg title safely in Iranian hands, while Japan picked up the other title when collegian Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) triumphed at 55kg.

Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) won the 63kg final against Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI), 13-4, in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Khalmakhanov started the gold rush for Uzbekistan in dramatic fashion, coming back from a four-point deficit to stun Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) with a 13-4 win in the 63kg final that included a pair of 4-point throws.

Keshtkar, among a number of young, unproven wrestlers being given a chance by Iran, jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a takedown and 2-point throw. Khalmakhanov responded with a stepout and 2-point arm throw to cut the gap to 4-3 at the break.

In the second period, Khalmakhanov got the first chance at par terre and he took advantage, launching a 4-point throw to take the lead. He then brought an abrupt end to the match with a 4-point hip throw at 4:16.

The victory avenged a 5-4 loss in the quarterfinals at the Zagreb Ranking Series, where Kashtkar finished second and Khalmakhanov, the 2022 world U17 champion, took a bronze medal.

"Khalmakhanov was the first to set the bar high," Assakalov said. "This guy is only 18 years old, which is why all the others followed his example."

In the 77kg final, Vardanyan also needed a comeback to defeat two-time reigning world U20 champion Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI), and he couldn't have cut it any closer, scoring a takedown with one second left on the clock for a dramatic 4-2 victory.

Vardanyan, who placed fifth at the 2024 Paris Olympics following an extended drought of results in major competitions, gave up a first-period takedown and trailed 2-1 with the clock ticking down in the second period.

But he managed to drive in low and secure a body lock, then forced Abdevali backward to the mat for the winning takedown as time expired. An Iran challenge was unsuccessful, tacking on an additional point.

The 29-year-old Vardanyan had failed to make a major podium since winning a world silver medal at 72kg in 2019. His best previous finishes at the Asian Championships were a pair of bronzes back in 2016 and 2017.

Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) won his second career Asian Championships gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Unlike his compatriots, two-time world medalist Berdimuratov never had to play catch-up in defeating Yasin YAZDI (IRI) 7-2 to take the 87kg gold for his fifth Asian medal overall.

Berdimuratov stormed to a 7-0 lead in the first period with a 4-point throw and 2-point roll from par terre, then held on after giving up a passivity point and a penalty point for grabbing fingers in the second period.

Berdimuratov, the 2023 Asian Games champion, had previously won an Asian gold at 82kg in 2021. He also has a silver and two bronzes in his collection.

"We are on our way to becoming the best team in the world," Assakalov said. "It doesn’t matter if we’re competing against the national teams of Iran, Russia -- every one of our guys gave it their all and wrestled until the very end. Thank God, we showed a good result today."

At 130kg, Hedayati established himself as a rising force in Iran's packed heavyweight corps by cruising to a 7-0 victory over three-time Asian medalist Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ).

"It was a good competition and at a relatively high level," Hedayati said. "I managed to wrestle four matches and become the champion without losing a single point."

Hedayati, last year's world U23 champion and the 2023 world U20 gold medalist, combined two stepouts, an arm-throw takedown and a passivity point for a 5-0 lead in the first period. In the second, he got behind for a takedown while completely neutralizing an attacks by Syzdykov.

Hedayati's victory gave Iran the 130kg gold for the fourth straight year and ninth time in 10 years. The only year in that span that Iran missed out was 2020 -- the winner? Syzdykov.

"I’m grateful to everyone who supported me along the way," Hedayati said. "I hope to keep progressing so I can win the most beautiful medal at the World Championships and the Olympics."

Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) won his first-ever Asian Championships on debut. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Yamagiwa won the first gold of the tournament when he nailed a 4-point back suplex to clinch a 7-1 victory over Iranian-born Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ) in the 55kg final.

Yamagiwa scored his first points from the bottom of par terre in the first period, when he stopped a roll with a headlock for a 2-1 lead.

A scramble that would have put him up 5-3 was wiped out by a challenge that ruled the original move a slipped throw, but Yamagiwa came back by locking up the head and an arm, then tossing Albidhan to his back for 4 with just under a minute left. The Japanese added a late stepout for his final point.

"He suppressed my wrestling and I didn't get a chance in par terre," Yamagiwa said. "To be honest, I have to wonder if I really did enough to win. But I gave it everything I had at the end and scored a 4-point move and I'm glad I was able to win."

Yamagiwa got over his biggest hurdle in the semifinals, when he won an action-packed battle with defending champion Yu Chol RO (PRK) 11-9 in which the lead changed hands several times.

"He was the champion last year, and if I beat him I could see a championship for me," Yamagiwa said. "It was a back-and-forth match, but I came out as the winner."

In winning the Asian gold, Yamagiwa emulated two of his predecessors and role models at powerhouse Nippon Sports Science University, Shinobu OTA (JPN) and Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN), who both won senior Asian golds. The latter, who is still active, is among his training partners.

Now he hopes he can follow in their footsteps to Olympic glory -- Ota was a silver medalist at Rio 2016, while Fumita was the Tokyo 2021 silver medalist before winning the gold at Paris 2024.

Host Jordan denied first medal since 2013

In the bronze-medal matches, Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) completed the collection of Asian medals while denying the host country its first hardware since 2013, making the most of his chance at par terre to storm to an 11-3 victory at 77kg over Amro SADEH (JOR).

Sadeh had raised hopes of becoming the third Asian medalist in Jordanian history when he scored a roll from par terre for a 3-0 first period lead. But in the second period, he had no answer from the bottom as Magomadov ripped of five rolls this way and that to end the match in 4:21.

Magomadov's previous medals had come at 72kg, taking the silver in 2020 in New Delhi and the gold two years ago at home in Astana.

Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ), winner at this year's Zagreb Ranking Series, needed little time to grab the other 77kg bronze, taking down Lai Hsing YAO (TPE) to his back and securing a fall in 1:28.

At 55kg, the DPR Korea's Ro wasn't able to successfully defend his title, but he won't leave Amman empty-handed after muscling to a 5-0 victory over Yun LU (CHN) for a bronze.

Ro secured an underhook, dropped down and pancaked Lu to his back for a quick 4, then added a passivity point. Lu did a good job to keep from getting turned in par terre, but in a scoreless second period, Ro kept the enough pressure and never had to go on bottom.

Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) picked up the other bronze at 55kg and the second of his career with an 8-4 come-from-behind victory over 2023 Asian U23 champion Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ).

Botirov had scored a gut wrench from par terre in the first period, only to fall behind in the second when Kamaliyev returned the favor using a front body lock. But Botirov rolled through and reversed Kamaliyev to his back, then added a gut wrench for good measure.

At 63kg, Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) really earned his third Asian bronze and fourth medal overall, scoring three takedowns in the second period for a 6-3 victory over Godai MITANI (JPN), who was making his international debut in Amman.

Chung trailed 3-0 in the second period when he countered a throw attempt for a takedown, then went ahead with a hip throw that, on challenge, was degraded from 4 points to 2 because Mitani skillfully avoided landing on his back. A third takedown clinched the win for the Korean.

Chan KIM (PRK) won his second straight Asian bronze with a dominant 7-0 win over 2021 Asian champion Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ). Kim ripped off two rolls from par terre in the first period, then added an arm spin in the second for a takedown to ice the victory.

At 87kg, Russian-born Shamil OZHAEV (KAZ), a former world U23 bronze medalist, unleashed a 4-point throw from par terre and was never really challenged the rest of way in posting a 5-1 victory over Sanghyeok PARK (KOR).

It was the same scoreline in the other match at 87kg, as Sunil KUMAR (IND) captured his fifth Asian medal by defeating Jiaxin HUANG (CHN) 5-1. Sunil, the 2020 gold medalist, piled up the points with a pair of rolls from par terre.

At 130kg, Ali AL SHARUEE (IRQ) prevented Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) from joining the Uzbek parade to the medal podium, rebounding after giving up a 4-point move to triumph 6-4.

After scoring a stepout, Al Sharuee gave up a 4-point arm throw, but reversed Nasimov and added a 2-point exposure to trail 4-4 on criteria. He rectified that by scoring a stepout in the final second of the first period to take a 5-4 lead. An unsuccessful challenge gave the Iraqi his lone point of the second period as he went on to capture Iraq's second medal of the night.

Yuta NARA (JPN) won the other 130kg bronze in spectacular fashion, scoring a 4-point amplitude throw with :05 left to stun Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ) 7-3 and deny him a second straight bronze medal.

Nara, a 2023 bronze medalist at 97kg who moved up to the heaviest weight last year, appeared to go ahead with a gut wrench from par terre, but Manatbekov managed to stop the Japanese in mid-roll for 2 and a 3-3 lead on last-point criteria.

Day 1 Results

Greco-Roman

55kg
GOLD: Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) df. Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ), 7-1

BRONZE: Yu Chol RO (PRK) df. Yun LU (CHN), 5-0
BRONZE: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) df. Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ), 8-4

63kg
GOLD: Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) df. Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) by TF, 13-4, 4:16

BRONZE: Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) df. Godai MITANI (JPN), 6-3
BRONZE: Chan KIM (PRK) df. Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ), 7-0

77kg
GOLD: Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) df. Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI), 4-2

BRONZE: Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) df. Amro SADEH (JOR) by TF, 11-3, 4:21
BRONZE: Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Lai Hsing YAO (TPE) by Fall, 1:28 (2-0)

87kg
GOLD: Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) df. Yasin YAZDI (IRI), 7-2

BRONZE: Shamil OZHAEV (KAZ) df. Sanghyeok PARK (KOR), 5-1
BRONZE: Kumar SUNIL (IND) df. Jiaxin HUANG (CHN), 5-1

130kg
GOLD: Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) df. Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ), 7-0

BRONZE: Ali AL SHARUEE (IRQ) df. Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB), 6-4
BRONZE: Yuta NARA (JPN) df. Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ), 7-3

#WrestleBudpest: Bisultanov dominates to 87kg gold; Kayaalp wins 11th title

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Uzbekistan dominates first day with 3 Greco golds, all at Iran's expense