#WrestlePlovdiv

#WrestlePlovdiv: Four Nations Highlight Day 1 with Eight Finalists

Monday, March 7, 2022 - 18:59 By Vinay Siwach

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PLOVDIV, Bulgaria (March 7) -- Four different countries had a pair of finalists each on the first day of the U23 European Championships that got underway in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Home nation Bulgaria and Denmark managed to put one each as well in Tuesday's final as five Greco-Roman weight classes were in action Monday.

Returning bronze medalist Istvan TAKACS (HUN) and junior European champion Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN) set up the summit clash for the 87kg gold medal. The two stars delivered close to perfect performances throughout the day of the competition.

The Hungarian wrestler began with an 8-0 win over Matej MANDIC (CRO) in the morning session before returning to win the semifinal against Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL) 3-1. He was awarded a point for Szymnonowicz's passivity in the first period and he managed to get exposure from par terre.

Some classic defense from Takacs made sure that he only conceded a point when was put in a par terre position in the second period.

Turpan BisultanovTurpan BISULTANOV (DEN) reached the 87kg final in Plovdiv. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Bisultanov wrestled three bouts, outscoring his opponents 28-7 to reach the final. He began with a 10-2 win over Lachin VALIYEV (AZE) before surviving a scare against Muhutdin SARICICEK (TUR) in the quarterfinals. Saricicek managed to throw Bisultanov for a four-pointer but the Denmark wrestler came back and secured the win via fall.

The semifinal was a one-sided affair as returning bronze medalist Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) had to answer to Bisultanov's pressure. After scoring via a stepout, he went up 2-0 and then scored through a gut-wrench to lead 4-0. Another takedown made it 6-0 at the break before a stepout in the second period gave him a 7-0 win.

Hungary's second wrestler to reach the final was U23 World and European bronze medalist Dariusz VITEK (HUN). He denied Georgia's Giorgi TSOPURASHVILI in the semifinal at 130kg, 5-2. Despite the Georgian's continuous attacks, Vitek managed to keep it under control with some tactical defense.

Fatih BOZKURT

Vitek will face Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) in the final as both try to win the gold which they missed last year. Both the bronze medalists have already confirmed a better result from 2021.

Bozkurt had a 19-point slugfest against Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE) in the semifinal. The Azerbaijan wrestler stunned Bozkurt with a four-point throw and then scored a takedown to lead 6-2. But the Turkey wrestler continued to increase the pressure and scored a four-pointer with an arm spin and then scored via takedown to win 13-6.

Another Turkey wrestler who came from behind to enter the final was Emre MUTLU (TUR). He was trailing 7-0 at the break against Artiom DELEANU (MDA) and had lost all hopes for a win. But a passivity call against Deleanu opened a window of hope for him and then he scored four points via a front headlock. He then added six more points for exposure to change the bout.

He will face home wrestler Denis DEMIROV (BUL) in the 55kg final who needed an overhead jump against Denis MIHAI (ROU) in the final five seconds to win the bout 10-6. Trailing 6-5, he jumped over Mihai and kept his hands locked to get confirmed points. He was initially awarded two points but Romanian corner challenged the call. But it backfired and Demirov was awarded four points for the move.

Azerbaijan and Georgia will compete in the remaining two finals at 63kg and 77kg.

At 63kg, former junior World and European champion Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO) will face Ziya BABASHOV (AZE) with an aim to repeat his junior age-group performances at the U23 level. He defeated Mustafa YILDIRIM (TUR) 6-3 in the semifinal.

Babashov ended local hopes of Ilia MUSTAKOV (BUL) to have a second home finalist when he defeated him 6-1 in the other semifinal at 63kg.

Khasay HASANLI (AZE) will face Davit SOLOGASHVILI (GEO) in the 77kg final after both scored close wins in the semifinals.

The Azerbaijan wrestler overcame Aleksa ILIC (SRB) in the semifinal 5-1 after scoring twice via exposure in par terre. When Ilic had the same opportunity, he failed to convert it into any points.

Like his teammate Shotadze, Sologashvili defeated a Turkey wrestler in the semifinal. Abdurrahman KALKAN (TUR) was 17-0 in the two bouts before running into Sologashvili in the semifinal.

The Georgian wrestler scored four points from par terre while Kalkan managed only two which remained the difference in the bout which Sologashvili won 5-3.

The five remaining Greco-Roman weight classes will be in action Tuesday.

#WrestleBratislava

Gatsalov: Satisfied with Euros, will prepare for tougher World Championships

Thursday, April 24, 2025 - 13:29 By United World Wrestling Press

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (April 22) -- Khadzhimurat GATSALOV was in Bratislava, Slovakia for the European Championships as the coach if the UWW wrestlers and returned with five gold, two silver and one bronze medals in 10 weight classes.

United World Wrestling caught up with Gatsalov after the tournament and he reflected on the performance of the wrestlers and his plans for the World Championships which will be held in September in Zagreb, Croatia.

Excerpts:

- On the performance of his wrestlers

Gatsalov: Overall, we are satisfied with the results. We haven’t had a performance like this in a long time -- five gold medals out of ten, plus two silver and one bronze. That means eight out of ten athletes came home with medals. Both the coaching staff and the athletes did a great job and prepared well for this European Championships.

We were counting on four or five gold medals. The guys wrestled really well and followed the instructions. For us coaches, that’s the most important thing that the wrestler steps on the mat and follows the game plan.

- On competition with Iran and the United States

Gatsalov: I believe there’s still room for improvement. This will help strengthen both our technical and physical foundations. When I look at Iranian and American wrestling, they put a lot of emphasis on physical conditioning. We’ve never really focused on that. We’ve always prioritized technique. But moving forward, we’ll also be physically prepared to endure tough matches and handle heavy loads without wearing out.

- On Sidakov's return and performance at 74kg

Gatsalov: Sidakov just couldn’t make it happen this time, maybe it’s because they know each other so well. [Chermen] VALIEV had a very strong motivation to win. You could feel it, it was clear on the mat. But as a coach, I believe this loss will serve as a driving force for Sidakov's future wins. It’s a significant psychological moment. Honestly, it’s better to experience this now than at the World Championships or the Olympics. I think once he recovers from his injury, we’ll get back to training and keep moving forward.

- On former world champion Baev winning gold

Gatsalov: Since 2019, he hadn’t shown any results on an international level. But today, he was better than anyone. He’s been working towards this moment for a long time, training hard, and he showed solid, confident wrestling. He wrestled like a true master — precise, and without mistakes. We were genuinely very happy for him.

- On the 65kg champion Ibragim IBRAGIMOV

Gatsalov: Ibragimov demonstrated a strong performance, despite losing at the Ranking Series in Albania less than a month ago. Today, he came in well-prepared. He was in good form physically, technically, and mentally. That previous loss likely became a stepping stone toward this victory.

Khadzhimurat GATSAKOVKhadzhimurat GATSALOV at the European Championships in Bratislava. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

- On preparations for World Championships

Gatsalov: We have a clear understanding of how we’re going to prepare. I can’t reveal all the secrets of our training plan, but we know exactly who we’re preparing for. That’s why we’ll be focusing on targeted, individual work against specific opponents. Our coaching staff is strong. We have real professionals on board, including experienced coaches from the old Soviet school and younger ones who are stepping up and bringing fresh energy.

I think our wrestlers are also friendly with each other, which is very important. The atmosphere in the team is productive. We are waiting for the World Championships. We want competition on the mat with big countries like Iran, America. The Japanese have also improved a lot. Therefore, we want to compete with the strong ones, and we want to settle things on the mat.

(The interview was conducted by Karina MIRZOIAN)