#WrestlePlovdiv: Chkhikvadzes Guide Georgia to GR Team Title

Wednesday, March 9, 2022 - 20:09 By Vinay Siwach

PLOVDIV, Bulgaria (March 9) -- When Diego and Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) returned from the Junior World Championships in Ufa, Russia last year, they were upset. The two had to be satisfied with silver medals after losing their finals.

On their way back to Georgia, they promised each other that in the next competition, both are going to take home a gold.

Both Chkhikvadze's kept their promise they won the gold medals at 67kg and 72kg at the U23 European Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

“We have gold together at Junior Euros,” Diego said. “We have silver medals in Ufa but we did not want to win silver here.”

Georgia had five finalists in five weight classes Wednesday and three ascended to the top of the podium. Azerbaijan and Netherlands managed to win a gold each as Greco-Roman came to an end at the first continental championships of the year.

“When we had the camp in Tiblisi before this tournament, we prepared really hard,” Sergo NINUA, coach of the Georgian team, said. “We expected more gold medals but even four is good for now.”

The four gold along with three silver and bronze helped their team win the team title with 183 points. Turkey finished second with 156 points while Azerbaijan was third with 102 points.

But the highlight of the day for Georgia was the two Chkhikvadzes winning back-to-back gold medals.

Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO), red, defeated Kadir KAMAL (TUR) in the 67kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Diego, a Batumi native, began the trend as he eked out a tough win against Kadir KAMAL (TUR), 3-2. He took the lead when Kamal was called passive and extended it with a body lock throw for two points.

In the second period, Kamal got the first point but he could not get a point when he stopped halfway in a gut-wrench. With the score still 3-1 in Diego's favor, Kamal managed to get a stepout from 2-on-1 after Turkey won the challenge.

Kamal tried his best to score in the final 24 seconds but it remained 3-2 as Diego added a U23 Euro title to his two junior Euro titles.

“I had an anke injury,” Chkhikvadze said. “I was not sure of coming here but I wanted to win the gold and it was a tough final but feels good to win it.”

Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO), blue, throws Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) for two points. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Giorgi followed him by winning the second gold of the night for his country. Incidentally, he also beat a Turkey wrestler in Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR).

“The final was one crazy bout because we both wanted to win,” the 21-year-old said. “It was more of a brawl because in wrestling you don't want to give anything to your opponent.”

Wrestling at 72kg, Toprak was called passive in the first period and Giorgi managed to get a throw from par terre to lead 3-0. But a 2-on-1 position resulted in Toprak coming out on top and cutting the lead to just one point, 3-2.

But Giorgi led by three points, 5-2, after Toprak received his second warning for an eye poke. An aggressive open-hand attack resulted in another warning and two points against Toprak.

But after the break, Giorgi was called passive and Toprak scored from a gut wrench to trail 7-5 with 1:52 remaining on the clock.

The final two minutes were filled with several warnings for both wrestlers from the referee but the Georgian managed to hong on for the win.

“My weight had 20 participants including the U23 world champion [Idris BAEV (GER)],” he said. “That is why this gold is a little special.”

Giorgi, who began wrestling when was six years old, had upset Baev Tuesday in the quarterfinal with a 9-3 score.

But as the two posed for photos with kids in the Kolodrom Plovdiv stadium, they did that with a warning that they are not brothers.

“Of course, people confuse us for brothers,” Giorgi said. “When people click photos with us, they tag us wrongly on social media. But we don't mind it because we are best friends and it's okay if someone calls us brothers.”

Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO) celebrates after winning the 97kg gold. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

The third gold for Georgia came at 97kg when Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO) overcame Markus RAGGINGER (AUT), 5-3 in the final.

Katsanashvili scored via a takedown early in the bout but interestingly, he was called passive later. Ragginger, looking for Austria's first gold at U23 level, managed to score from par terre to lead 3-2.

But as the second period began, he was called passive and Katsanashvili once again took the lead, this time 3-3 on criteria. The Georgian was called passive again but the third passivity gave no points to his opponent, who failed to score from par terre this time.

Trailing on criteria, Ragginger went for a pushout but his momentum gave an easy takedown to Katsanashvili who won the bout 5-3.

“It's great for us that we win the team title in 2017, 2018, 2019 and now 2022,” Ninua said. “Being a small country, you can understand how happy we are.”

The only two wrestlers managed to stop Georgia from having a perfect night.

The match-winning four-point throw from Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE), blue. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 60kg, Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) needed just over two minutes to go past Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO), 9-0 in the final.

The former cadet World and European champion showed some crafty wrestling, throwing his opponent twice to secure the win. He started with a takedown and then a big throw for two more points. The referees called it a leg-foul but Azerbaijan challenged the call and won, extending Mammadli's lead to 4-0.

In just one minute and 37 seconds, he finished with a gut wrench but this time, he made a leg foul. But he needed just 36 seconds more to finish the bout, executing a four-pointer.

Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) celebrates after winning the 82kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Junior world champion Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) was the other wrestler to win the gold. He defeated Beka GURULI (GEO), 6-2 in the 82kg final.

After a slow start in the first period in which he was called passive, Sterkenburg up the tempo and just before the break, he scored via a pushout.

He led 2-1 after Guruli's passivity in the second period but failed to score from par terre. With just 36 seconds remaining, Sterkenburg managed to get a headlock and four points to win 6-1.

His brother Tyrone, who was a silver medalist at 87kg at the Junior Worlds, jumped up to 97kg and won a bronze medal.

Wednesday also saw women's wrestling and world champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) and defending champion Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) made it to the 68kg and 59kg gold medal bout respectively.

Gerogia

RESULTS

GR Medal Bouts

60kg
GOLD: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO), 9-0

BRONZE: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) df Mukremin AKTAS (TUR), 6-4
BRONZE: Tigran MINASYAN (ARM) df Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN), 7-6

67kg
GOLD: Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) df Kadir KAMAL (TUR), 3-2

BRONZE: Sahak HOVHANNISYAN (ARM) df Ignazio SANFILIPPO (ITA), 5-3
BRONZE: Niklas OEHLEN (SWE) df Konstantinas KESANIDI (LTU), 9-0

72kg
GOLD: Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) df Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR), 7-5

BRONZE: Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM) df Attila TOESMAGI (HUN), via fall
BRONZE: Idris IBAEV (GER) df Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR), 2-1

82kg
GOLD: Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) df Beka GURULI (GEO), 6-2

BRONZE: Semion BREKKELI (MDA) df Vasile COJOC (ROU), 1-1
BRONZE: Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB) df Erik LOESER (GER), 6-3

97kg
GOLD: Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO) df Markus RAGGINGER (AUT), 5-3

BRONZE: Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED) df Marcus WORREN (NOR), 5-1
BRONZE: Mustafa OLGUN (TUR) df Richard KARELSON (EST), 9-0

WW Semifinals

50kg
GOLD: Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN) vs Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA)

SF 1: Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN) df Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE), via fall
SF 2: Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA) df Zehra DEMIRHAN (TUR), 5-2

55kg
GOLD: Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE) vs Andreea ANA (ROU)

SF 1: Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE) df Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA), 11-4
SF 2: Andreea ANA (ROU) df Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), 2-1

59kg
GOLD: Magdalena GLODEK (POL) vs Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)

SF 1: Magdalena GLODEK (POL) df Morena DE VITA (ITA), 10-9
SF 2: Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) df Anna SZEL (HUN), via inj. def.

68kg
GOLD: Irina RINGACI (MDA) vs Asli DEMIR (TUR)

SF 1: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER), 10-0
SF 2: Asli DEMIR (TUR) df Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE), via fall

76kg
GOLD: Bernadett NAGY (HUN) vs Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)

SF 1: Bernadett NAGY (HUN) df Mehtap GULTEKIN (TUR), 11-0
SF 2: Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU) df Marion BYE (NOR), 3-0

#WrestleZagreb

Rising Star Hendrickson Aims to Make Splash in Senior Worlds Debut

Friday, September 12, 2025 - 17:23 By Ken Marantz

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 12) -- Sitting on the opposite end of the dais from the reigning world champion, Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA) expressed confidence that they will be meeting again soon, but in much closer quarters.

If all goes according to plan for both wrestlers, Hendrickson will face Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) in the semifinals of freestyle 125kg when the World Championships get started on Saturday in Zagreb.

"This is my first senior-level World Championships and I'm very grateful for that," Hendrickson said at a press conference on Friday that was also attended by Zare. "But I also think that the opportunity presented itself because I have grown as a wrestler. I've risen to the level of my competition, and I'm ready to test myself against the best in the world."

It doesn't get much better than Zare when talk of the heavyweights comes up. The two-time Olympic medalist is gunning for his second straight world title and third overall, all still at the tender age of 24.

Hendrickson, also 24 (in fact, he is three days older than Zare), may lack the experience on the senior level, but in recent years, he has raised his game enough to join the handful of foes with the potential to knock of the great Zare.

The American said his aim is to "continue to not only just wrestle at the highest level, but prove I'm meant to be here. Wrestling is something I've been doing since I was 5 years old and all that wrestling has brought me to be here today in Zagreb."

After placing fifth at the 2021 world juniors (U20), Hendrickson struck gold at the world U23 in 2023. In May this year, he capped his senior-level debut with a victory at the Pan-Am Championships.

But his most impressive triumph, and one that made the world take notice, came in a different format of the sport. In March, he stunned Tokyo Olympic champion Gable STEVESON (USA) in the final of the NCAA Championships, denying him a third title and ending his 70-match winning streak.

Even Zare said he was aware of the upset. "I would like to congratulate you for the win over Gable, he's one of the best in this weight category," Zare said. "Some of the seconds of your match are in my mind, I remember that. But originally, I don't have too much information about this American wrestler."

Hendrickson acknowledges he has been cultivated in the American folkstyle. But he feels confident of the transition he has made to freestyle.

"I've been training to wrestle foreign styles," he said. "The majority of my wrestling has been in [American] folkstyle. But the transition I've been able to make the past couple of months has shown that I'm prepared for this. I'm ready to wrestle the best in the world."

Helping in Hendrickson's preparations has been one of the sport's legends. Hendrickson originally attended and competed collegiately at the Air Force Academy, but transferred last year to Oklahoma State, where he came under the wing of former Olympic and three-time world champion David TAYLOR (USA).

Hendrickson is one of three USA wrestlers who are members of the Cowboy RTC, the wrestling club affiliated with Oklahoma State. (Five others will be wrestling in Zagreb with three of them for other nations.)

"Coach David Taylor is very, very excited to be coaching and share with us the knowledge he has learned in the great sport of wrestling," Hendrickson said. "The knowledge that he has been able to bring to me, it's just day and night. I never understood some parts of wrestling and he filled in all of the gaps. Where I maybe have fallen short in the past at some of these tournaments, those gaps are now filled. And I just have nothing but confidence."

The draw for the freestyle weight classes came out a short time before the press conference, and Hendrickson was asked about a possible clash with Zare in the semifinals.

"I love it," he said. "Zare is an excellent wrestler. But -- I don't want to brag on myself -- but I'm also a pretty great wrestler. That's most likely the match we're going to see tomorrow evening."

Hendrickson, however, is not one to get ahead of himself, and contends that he does not concern himself with such details as his opponents in the draw. Nor does he have a certain foe whom he particularly looks forward to facing.

"I'm excited to go through every single person in this bracket," he said. "Obviously there's no one specific because I don't care what my placement is in the bracket. That's not what I look at.

"What I look at is the next opponent ahead of me. One match at a time, one point at a time, one second at a time on the wrestling mat. I'm prepared, I'm ready and tomorrow I'm going to make a splash at the World Championships."

Zare, who has taken over the leadership mantle of the Iranian team in the absence of injured star Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), has competed just once this year, winning the Tirana Ranking Series title in February.

"I have done my best during the last 13 months to be prepared and I am focused on my goal, which is to be champion of this competition," Zare said.

And should Hendrickson or any of the other top competitors, such as European champion Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) or two-time world medalist Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL), make things difficult, then all the better.

"Finally, I want to say that when the competition is tough, it's going to be more joyful for everyone," Zare said.

#WrestlePlovdiv: Chkhikvadzes Guide Georgia to GR Team Title

Comments

Rising Star Hendrickson Aims to Make Splash in Senior Worlds Debut