BAKU (November 27) – World champion Haji ALIEV (AZE) and a pair of Olympic Games gold medalists led the charge as seven wrestlers from host Azerbaijan advanced to the gold medal finals on the opening day of the Golden Grand Prix Final in Baku.

Aliev (AZE) avenged a loss to Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS), 3-2, in the semifinals to advance to the 61kg finals at Baku Sports Hall. Aliev countered a leg attack by Bogomoev for a 3-2 lead early in the bout and made it stand for the victory.

Bogomoev defeated Aliev in June on his way to the gold medal at the inaugural European Games in Baku, but tumbled out of the world championships in September before having a chance to wrestle Aliev in Las Vegas.

Aliev, who won his second world title in Las Vegas, will meet two-time junior world champion Iman SADEGHIKOUKANDEH (IRI) in the 61kg final.

Along with Aliev, London 2012 Olympic Games gold medalists Togrul ASGAROV and Sharif SHARIFOV also marched into the freestyle finals at 70kg and 97kg, respectively.

Asgarov will take on Asian Games champion Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB), while Sharifov squares off with Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO), the silver medalist at the European Games to Sharifov’s teammate and rival Khetag GAZUMOV (AZE).

Meanwhile, in the evenings finale, world silver medalist at 125kg Jamaladdin MAGOMEDOV (AZE) will see if he can repeat his technical fall win in the Las Vegas quarterfinals over world bronze medal winner Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO).

Also, in Friday’s opening session, world bronze medalist ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar (MGL) muscled his way into the final at 57kg and will meet Ali Aliev winner Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) for the gold medal in one of only two final bouts not to feature a wrestler from the host team.

Logan STIEBER (USA) prevailed in a seesaw struggle with 2013 world champion Soslan RAMONOV (RUS), falling behind 6-11 in the second period only to bounce back with front-headlock and turn for four points and a 14-13 triumph in the closing seconds of the quarterfinals.

Stieber takes on Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS), a 2013 world bronze medalist and 2014 European champion, in the 65kg final.

Pairings for Friday evening’s gold and bronze medal finals and results of the semifinal bouts in the morning session:

Freestyle

57kg (14 entries)

Gold – Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) v ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar (MGL)
Bronze – Makhir AMIRASLANOV (AZE) v Djamal OTARSULTANOV (RUS)
Bronze – Otari GOGAVA (GEO) v Parviz IBRAHIMOV (AZE)

SF – Ismail MUSUKAEV (RUS) df. Djamal OTARSULTANOV (RUS) by TF, 12-2, 4:47
SF – ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar (MGL) df. Parviz IBRAHIMOV (AZE) by Fall, 5:41

61kg (12 entries)

Gold – Iman SADEGHIKOUKANDEH (IRI) v Haji ALIEV (AZE)
Bronze – Andry DAVILA (VEN) v Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ)
Bronze – Shingo ARIMOTO (JPN) v Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS)

SF – Iman SADEGHIKOUKANDEH (IRI) df. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ), 6-5
SF – Haji ALIEV (AZE) df. Aleksander BOGOMOEV (RUS), 3-2

65kg (11 entries)

Gold – Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) v Logan STIEBER (USA)
Bronze – Anthony MONTERO (VEN) v Teymur MAMMADOV (AZE)
Bronze – Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) v Agahueseyin MUSTAFAEV (AZE)

SF – Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) df. Teymur MAMMADOV (AZE), 3-0
SF – Logan STIEBER (USA) df. Agahueseyin MUSTAFAEV (AZE) by Fall, 4:43

70kg (8 entries)

Gold – Togrul ASGAROV (AZE) v Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB)
Bronze – Nobuyoshi TAKOJIMA (JPN) v Mustafa KAYA (TUR)
Bronze – Arkadiusz SZEJA (POL) v Gadjimurad OMAROV (AZE)

SF – Togrul ASGAROV (AZE) df. Mustafa KAYA (TUR) by Fall, 4:22
SF – Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) df. Gadjimurad OMAROV (AZE) by Fall, 4:0

74kg (13 entries)

Gold – Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) v Yabrail HASANOV (AZE)
Bronze – Daisuke SHIMADA (JPN) v Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS)
Bronze – Moustafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) v Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR)

SF – Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) df. Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) by Fall, 2:59
SF –Yabrail HASANOV (AZE) df. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR), 8-8

86kg (11 entries)

Gold – Aleksander GOSTIEV (AZE) v Gazhiev NURMAGOMED (AZE)
Bronze – Patryk DUBLINOWSKI (POL) v Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO)
Bronze – David TAYLOR (USA) v Ehsan LASHGARI (IRI)

SF – Aleksander GOSTIEV (AZE) df. Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO), 4-0
SF – Gazhiev NURMAGOMED (AZE) df. Ehsan LASHGARI (IRI), 9-7

97kg (10 entries)

Gold – Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) v Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE)
Bronze – Yuji FUKUI (JPN) v Pavlo OLIYNIK (UKR)
Bronze – Arslanbek ALBOROV (AZE) v James BERGMAN (USA)

SF – Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) df. Pavlo OLIYNIK (UKR), 2-1
SF – Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) df. James BERGMAN (USA), 2-2

125kg (10 entries)

Gold – Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) v Jamaladdin MAGOMEDOV (AZE)
Bronze – Dom BRADLEY (USA) v Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ)
Bronze – DENG Zhiwei (CHN) v Ibragim SAIDOV (BLR)

SF – Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) df. Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) by Default, 0:01
SF – Jamaladdin MAGOMEDOV (AZE) df.  Ibragim SAIDOV (BLR), 3-0