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#WrestleOslo Day Six Preview: GR 55kg, 72kg, 77kg and 82kg

Thursday, September 23, 2021 - 14:52 By Eric Olanowski

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 23) – After a grueling weight cut down to 77kg for the Tokyo Games, newly-minted Olympic bronze medalist Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) has his eyes set on etching his name in the Azeri record books -- and an 82kg world title would do just that.
 
In addition to 82kg, the other three weight classes in action on October 7 will be the Olympic weight of 77kg and the non-Olympic weights of 55kg and 72kg.

Huseynov enters Oslo fresh off winning Olympic bronze at 77kg, but after the taxing weight cut in Tokyo, he'll make the ascent back up to 82kg and try to improve on his runner-up finish from the '19 Nur-Sultan World Championships.

"After the '19 World Championships, I started to think about the Olympic Games; I wanted to wrestle at 87kg in Tokyo, but the Federation suggested that I wrestle at 77kg," said the five-language speaking Azeri.

In preparation to make an Olympic run, Huseynov used the early part of '20 to get his weight under control. In early '20, he steadily stepped on the scale weighing just over 78kg. Then, COVID turned the world upside down, and after the Olympics got postponed, Huseynov started to pack on the kilos.

Huseynov's Weight in '20
Rafiq HUSEYNOV (AZE) weight nearly 91kg in '20, but dropped to 77kg and won an Olympic bronze medal. (Photo: Rafiq Huseynov)

"In September '20, I weighed 90.80kg and thought I'd compete at 87kg. Again, our Federation suggested that I wrestle at 77kg." So, thinking back to March '20 when he weighed one kilo over the Olympic weight, Huseynov told himself, "If I can lose it once, I can do it again." He enlisted the help of professional dietitians, dropped the weight the right way, and set his sights on qualifying Azerbaijan for the Olympic Games at 77kg. 

His opening test came in Bulgaria in May '21, where he competed below 80kg for the first time '14.

During that competition, he was arguably the brightest Greco-Roman wrestler of the competition. He was offensive and assertive on his way to punching Azerbaijan's ticket to the Tokyo Olympic Games. He picked up shutout wins over Gurpreet SINGH (IND) and Abd Elkrim OUAKALI (ALG) before locking up his Tokyo spot with a three-point victory over world champion Viktor NEMES (SRB).

Then, Huseynov's success continued into the Olympic Games. The 33-year-old's life forever changed with three victories that ultimately led to an Olympic bronze medal.

"After the Olympics, my life changed a lot. Before Tokyo, two out of ten people knew me, now five or six out of ten people know me. In addition, Mr. President Ilham Aliyev presented me with a large sum of money and awarded me a state medal."


Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) and Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) battle in the first round of the Tokyo Olympic Games. They'll both compete at 82kg at the World Championships. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

If Huseynov wins a world title in Oslo, he'll etch his name in his nation's history books. The list of Azerbaijani wrestlers who've won both world and European titles is extremely short – three wrestlers to be exact -- but Huseynov knows that upgrading his Nur-Sultan '19 world silver would put in him a rarified heir.

"If I become a world champion, I will be the fourth person in the history of Azerbaijan to be both a world and European champion," said Huseynov. "I always say that the silver and bronze medals are for myself, but the gold medal remains in history. This time, I want to go down in history."

But Huseyov knew to get that long-awaited world title, he'd have to cut the Olympic celebration short. He took ten days off before he readjusted his goals to winning a world title. "I know that Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) and Adlan AKIEV (RWF) prepare well, so I started training ten days after arriving home from the Olympics. But now, I have additional motivation -- an Olympic medal."

One of the two guys that Huseynov mentioned as a top threat to block his history-making hopes was Sweden's Alex Kessidis.

Kessidis is on a quest to one-up his Nur-Sultan run, where he scored wins over Daniel CATARAGA (MDA), Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) and Karapet CHALYAN (ARM), and reached the '19 world finals.

"I'm still young and very motivated to achieve my goals which are to become European, world and Olympic champ,' said Kessidis. "I have wrestled and dreamt about becoming a world champion my whole life, and it would be great for Sweden since we have not won a world title since 2003."

Coincidentally, Kessidis and Huseyov have a history against each other, and you only have to go back to the opening round of the Tokyo Olympic Games for the meeting.

Kessidis dropped that match, 1-1, but has his sights on getting revenge at the World Championships.

"Rafiq is, of course, a threat since I lost last time, but this won't happen again. Hopefully, I'm better prepared this time, and now I have the experience with me from the previous world championship final."

Also of note at 82kg, two-time Olympian Bozo STARCEVIC is moving up from 77kg to 82kg, and Daniel CARTARAGA (MDA), a two-time U23 world champion, was expected to compete in Oslo but was late-scratched due to a back injury.

At 77kg, Tokyo Olympians Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) and Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) headline the long list of 36-entries. The two-time world bronze medalists are the favorites to get over the hump and compete for world supremacy.

Mnatsakanian won back-to-back world bronze medals in '18 and '19, while Geraei, known worldwide as 'The Falcon,' claimed his world bronze medalist in '17 and '19. Geraei was unable to be reached, but Mnatsakanian said, "I was dissatisfied with the results at the Olympic Games, but my goal in Oslo is to become a world champion."

As the entries sit now, the Russian Wrestling Federation entered Abuiazid MANTSIGOV (RWF) at 77kg. But don't be surprised to see a last-minute adjustment. Mantsigov, a Nur-Sultan world champion, dropped his early-September gold-medal match at the Ljubomir Ivanovic Gedza International against two-time Olympic champion Roman VLASOV (RWF), so their entry is still up in the air.

National Federations have until three days prior to the start of the Greco-Roman portion of the competition to make updates to their entries.

At 55kg, Russian Wrestling Federation youngster Emin SEFERSHAEV (RWF) is the front runner to win world gold. Earlier this year, he reached the top of the 55kg podium at the European Championships in a bracket that featured world champions Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) and Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), and Ekrem OZTURK (TUR). 

All four guys will compete at 55kg for the World Championships.

Sefershaev won four matches in Warsaw – including wins over Azizli and Ozturk – en route to claiming his first European gold medal. The 23-year-old's win over Azizli was his second victory over the '18 world champion in a four-month span. He also thumped Azizli, 9-1, in the quarterfinals of December's Individual World Cup on his way to winning gold.

Turkey's '18 world bronze medalist Ozturk ended his European campaign with a silver medal, while Azizli won the battle against fellow world champ Tsurtsumia on his way to finishing in third place.


Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) defeated Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM), 4-1, in the gold-medal match at the '21 European Championships. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

The last weight class that'll be contested on Day Six will be 72kg.

Continental finals foes Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) and Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) top the entries, but two others to pay attention to are '14 world champion Chingiz LABAZANOV (RWF)  and Kyrgyzstan's six-time Asian medalist Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ).

The Day Six action in Oslo kicks off on October 7 at 10:30 (local time) and will be streamed live on www.uww.org. 

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#WrestleOslo: Iran Sends Four Wrestlers in Finals to Tighten Grip on Team Title

Sunday, October 3, 2021 - 14:06 By Vinay Siwach

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OSLO, Norway (October 3) -- There was four-time world champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), two-time world champion Jden COX (USA), Turkey's superstar Suleyman ATLI (TUR) and even Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Thomas GILMAN (USA).

But it were the young wrestlers from Iran who stole the limelight on day two of the senior World Championships in Oslo, Norway as they maintained a perfect record and entere four wrestlers in the final out of the four weight classes in action.

Leading them was U23 world champion Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) who stunned two-time defending world champion Cox 3-3 in the 92kg semifinal to the cheers of the Iran fans in the stadium. Alireza SARLAK (IRI) at 57kg, Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) at 65kg and Mohammad NOKHODILARIMI (IRI) at 79kg also reached their respective finals in similar manner -- winning in the final few moments of their semifinals.

Burroughs made his fifth World Championships final, this time at 79kg -- a weight class he is wrestling for the first time in his international career. Wrestling YOSHIDA (JPN) in the semifinals, he gave up a stepout but bounced back with one of his own. A double leg takedown made it 3-1 for the American at the break. A stepout and go-behind combined with an exposure made it 8-1. He finished the bout with another takedown to win 10-1.

He will face the 2021 junior world champion Nokhodilarimi in the final. The Iranian kept him calm in a tense semifinal against Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO) and scored a step out in the final 10 seconds. Kentchadze had taken the lead 4-4 with 30 seconds to go but the Iran wrestler continued the pressure and ultimately got a 6-5 win to make the final in his first trip to the senior Worlds.

At 92kg, Cox defended for his life but Ghasempour managed to break his defence twice to win 3-3. Cox defends the life from quad-pod but Ghasempour managed to finally get the two points. The time used by Cox to defend the position twice came back to bite him as he ran out of time when the score was 3-3 and he got a stepout just when the time expired.

The senior Asian champion at 92kg will have Magomed KURBANOV (RWF) in the final. He began with a 1-0 via a stepout and added one more. But Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) got stepout and then added takedown to make it 4-2. Kurbanov hit a double and then an exposure to lead 6-4. A stepout gave him one more point and the match finished 7-4.

At 57kg, Iran had another close bout as Sarlak stunned world championships silver medalist Suleyman ATLI (TUR). He was called for passivity and gave up one point. Sarlak led 1-0 at the break but in the second period Atli scored a stepout to make it 1-1. The lead increased to 2-1 and then to 4-1 as he got a takedown on the edge. But Sarlak shot for two and then exposed Atli for two more. Atli tried a desperate attempt in the final second but failed and Sarlak got two more and finished the bout 7-4.

But he will face Tokyo bronze medalist Gilman who dismantled Horst LEHR (GER) after an early hiccup. Lehr began with a takedown outside the circle to lead 2-0. Then Gilman tried a stepout but it was Lehr who managed to counter it and lead 3-0. Gilman began the comeback with a takedown and then a four-point move. But a reversal and exposure to make it 5-5. Two stepouts for Gilman made it 7-5 at the break.

Lehr kept shooting in the second period but it was never enough as Gilman kept scoring and ended the bout 15-5 with 32 second remaining.

Yazdani will be going up against Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF) in the 65kg final after he beat Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ) in the semifinal. In another close bout, Yazdani scored a stepout with five seconds remaining to win 5-4. He led 4-0 but Osmonov scored via a headlock exposure and then  a takedown to lead 4-4 with 32 seconds remaining. But gave up a feeling and caution to lose the semifinal.

The other semifinal was equally thrilling as Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) thought he should have won it but it was the RWF wrestler who managed win 4-4 on criteria. Tumur Ochir was exceptional in his defence again but after second a stepout and then a point for Shakhiev's passivity, he gave up a takedown and a exposure to trail 4-2.

But Tumur Ochir scored a takedown but was trailing on criteria which the Mongolian coaching staff did not agree with. They did challenge the call but it was little too late.

Final two freestyle weight classes plus two women's wrestling weights will be in action on the third day of the World Championships in Oslo with all eyes on Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF) and Kyle SNYDER (USA) at the 97kg.

Qualification Recap

Over the years, Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) has faced quite a few Russian Wrestling Federation wrestlers. He enjoys a great head-to-head record but since the onset of Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RWF) in 2018, he hasn't managed to win against them at the World Championships.

But Sunday was different. Burroughs managed to get past Radik VALIEV (RWF), thanks to his iconic double leg which he used to get four points in the second period. That gave him a 8-3 lead and the scores changed to 9-4 in Burroughs' favor at the end of the match, as he reached the semifinal of the 79kg weight class. The American four-time world champion is wrestling at the new weight for the first time in his career but nothing seemed to change in the way he wrestled and dominated throughout the competition.

Apart from him, two other American wrestlers reached the semifinals -- Thomas GILMAN (USA) at 57kg and two-time defending world champion J'den COX (USA) at 92kg.

Iran had the best morning session with four-out-of-four in the semifinals led by U23 world champion and senior Asian champion Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) at 92kg. He has set up a semifinal against Cox who can well end his run here in Oslo. Alireza SARLAK (IRI) at 57kg, Amirmohammad YAZDANICHERATI (IRI) at 65kg and Mohammad NOKHODILARIMI (IRI) at 79kg also reached the semifinals to complete a perfect session for their country.

The Russian Wrestling Federation would be disappointed in their performance as only two wrestlers out of four on Sunday managed to reach the last four after Abubakr MUTALIEV (RWF) and Valiev suffered losses at 57kg and 79kg respectively. Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF) at 65kg survived a scare against Rohit KUMAR (IND) in the pre-quarters winning 5-4 while Magomed KURBANOV (RWF) had a rather smooth sailing at 92kg. He will face Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) in the semifinal.

World Championships silver medalist Suleyman ATLI (TUR) put the disappointing first-round Tokyo Olympic exit behind him to reach the semifinal against Sarlak and now would like to make his second straight Worlds final. From the other side at 57kg, Gilman will face Horst LEHR (GER) with the former beginning as a big favourite.

Gilman faced Mutaliev in the first bout of the day and it was expected to be a slugfest but the American dumped Mutaliev with a quick pin in an anti-climatic finish. Gilman was close to winning his first bout against Zaur UGUEV (RWF) at the Olympics as well but gave up a takedown in the dying moments and ended up with a bronze. He will be looking to claim his second World medal as he has a silver from the 2017 World Championships. He lost to Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) in the final four years ago.

Atli had a great day as he began with a 10-0 win over PANKAJ (IND) before beating junior world champion Toshiya ABE (JPN) in the quarterfinals 5-2. He will be facing Sarlak after the Iran wrestler made a huge comeback from 6-2 to beat Aryan TSIUTRYN (BLR) 7-6 in the quarterfinals. Tsiutryn's loss ended the campaign for two-time World bronze medalist Bekhbayar ERDENEBAT (MGL) as he had lost 3-1 in the pre-quarters.

At 65kg, Shakhiev looks the favorite to win the Worlds now despite his close bout against Rohit. He had built a 4-0 lead but gave up two takedown to trail 4-4 on criteria. But he got a stepout when Rohit got his second takedown and claimed the lead 5-0. He managed to keep the lead and win.

He will face Tokyo Olympian Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) in the semifinal after the Mongolian defeated another Tokyo Olympian in Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) 2-1 in what was a solid display of defence from the Mongolian. He scored via a penalty point against the Armenian then scored a stepout. Tevanyan also got a point for Erdenebat's passivity but it was not enough.

USA's hopes at 65kg Yianni DIAKOHAMALIS (USA) will return home without a medal after he suffered a 5-1 loss to Tevanyan. The USA wrestler was looking for his attacks but the Armenian blocked everything that was thrown at him.

In the other semifinal, Yazdani will be up against Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ). The Iran wrestler was less than clinical in his bouts but managed to beat Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) 4-2 in the quarterfinal. Osmonov defeated Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) 5-3 in the quarterfinal.