#WrestleZagreb

Iran, USA share top honors at Zagreb Open

By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (February 1) -- For those who watched Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) wrestle on Wednesday, the most difficult task would be to find a chink in his armor. Sure, Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) managed to score a takedown on Yazdani using a powerful single leg to go behind. Barring that moment in which he was caught off-guard, Yazdani opened his season with a 44-2 routing of his opponents to win the gold medal at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event.

In his first tournament since the loss to David TAYLOR (USA) in the World Championships final last year, Yazdani was at his usual calm on the mat and managed to run through the 86kg field in Zagreb.

The season-opening Ranking Series event is the first under the new rule of a two-kilogram allowance for wrestlers and offers prize money to the medal winners.

Yazdani, along with five other gold medalists, pocketed 1500 Swiss Francs while the silver medalists got 750 Swiss Francs. The two bronze medalists in each of the six weight classes got 500 Swiss Francs each.

Ishiguro, who surprised many by reaching the final at 86kg, opened the score in the final against Yazdani but as the Iranian continued his high-pressure, underhook dominated game, Ishiguro had no answers.

Yazdani scored via pushouts combined with two takedowns for a 7-2 lead. Ishiguro tried a bodylock, but Yazdani managed to counter it with a four before a double leg to win 13-2.

After the final, Ishiguro said that he tried saving his stamina against Yazdani which stopped him from giving his 100 percent in the final.

Reza ATRI (IRI)Reza ATRI (IRI) won the 61kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

This was Iran's second gold of the night as Reza ATRI (IRI) won the 61kg gold over Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL). While he only led 5-3 at the break, Atri dominated the second period and gave no chance to Narmandakh. He used an underhook to four to secure the fall in the final.

The USA also won two gold medals as Alec PANTALEO (USA) scored his second career win over Haji ALIYEV (AZE) and Jason NOLF (USA) impressed in his 3-3 win over World Championships bronze medalist Yones EMAMI (IRI).

At 70kg, Pantaleo faced Aliyev and rode high on confidence as he defeated Aliyev at the Polan Open Ranking Series event in 2021. Taking lessons from that bout, Pantaleo did not let Aliyev use the snapdown from the wrist and came out on top 5-2.

Alec PANTALEO (USA)Alec PANTALEO (USA) secured his second career win over Haji ALIYEV (AZE). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

While Pantaleo acknowledged the size and strength difference between him and Aliyev, who usually wrestles at 65kg, he said his skill set of Aliyev makes him very dangerous.

Pantaleo scored a takedown before an activity point gave him a 3-0 lead at the break. Aliyev managed to score a takedown early in the second period but his attempts to snap Pantaleo did not work. The American got two more points when Aliyev made a desperate attempt in the final few seconds.

Nolf's final against Emami at 74kg was much closer as his takedown in the second period proved to be the difference in the bout. He also made sure to not give up a takedown when Emami was pressuring him. Emami scored three stepouts which were not enough.

In the post-match interview, Nolf explained that in the past, he missed closing out tight matches so a win in such a bout was a confidence booster.

Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) won the gold medal at 57kg over Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

The first gold medal of the day went to Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE), who ended the dream run of U20 world champion Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) by winning the final 2-0. Rzazade looked like the wrestler to beat in the weight class despite some hiccups on the way to the final.

He began with Wanhao ZOU (CHN) and came out of it with a 14-8 before beating compatriot Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE) 10-0 in the quarterfinal. He did survive a scare against Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO) in the semifinals but managed to win 4-2.

Nishiuchi entered the final from the other side of the bracket with impressive wins over Darian CRUZ (PUR), Zane RICHARDS (USA) and U23 world champion AMAN (IND). He gave up points in all three bouts but scored a lot of his own as well.

But when the 18-year-old met Rzazade in the final, he failed to break the defense of the former U23 world champion. Rzazade got a passivity point in the first period and when Nishiuchi up the ante in the second, Rzazade scrapped out a stepout to win 2-0 in a tight final.

Tulga TUMUR-OCHIR (MGL)Tulga TUMUR-OCHIR (MGL) defeated Joseph MCKENNA (USA) in the 65kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Tumur Ochir wins 65kg

Not much weight is put on Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)'s name but he showed that he is yet another contender in the ever-strong 65kg as he won the gold in Zagreb.

He came out with some nasty finishes using his underhooks, defeating Ismail MUSUKAEV (HUN) in the semifinal and later scoring a 4-1 win over Joseph MCKENNA (USA) in the final.

The underhook was the lethal weapon that his opponents had no counter to. McKenna was toe-to-toe with Tumur Ochir but could not stop him from scoring takedowns on either side of the break. McKenna scored a stepout late in the bout but it was not enough.

ALL PHOTOS: DAY 1 Zagreb Open

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) df. Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN), 2-0

BRONZE: AMAN (IND) df. Zane RICHARDS (USA), 10-4
BRONZE: Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO) df. Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE), 4-4

61kg
GOLD: Reza ATRI (IRI) df. Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL), via fall

BRONZE: Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) df. Adam BIBOULATOV (FRA), 10-0
BRONZE: Gamzatgadzhi KHALIDOV (HUN) df. Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO), 8-2

65kg
GOLD: Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) df. Joseph MC KENNA (USA),  4-1

BRONZE: Evan HENDERSON (USA) df. Ismail MUSUKAEV (HUN), via fall (10-14)
BRONZE: Ali RAHIMZADA (AZE) df. Ryoma ANRAKU (JPN), 12-1

70kg
GOLD: Alec PANTALEO (USA) df. Haji ALIYEV (AZE), 5-2

BRONZE: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) df. Temuulen ENKHTUYA (MGL), 8-2
BRONZE: Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) df. Vishal KALIRAMANA (IND), 10-0

74kg
GOLD: Jason NOLF (USA) df. Yones EMAMI (IRI), 3-3

BRONZE: Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) df. Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN), 5-0
BRONZE: Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR) df. Joseph LAVALLEE (USA), 6-4

86kg
GOLD: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) df. Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN), 13-2 

BRONZE: Zahid VALENCIA (USA) df. Myles AMINE (SMR), 6-0
BRONZE: Mark HALL (USA) df. Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE), 7-3

#WrestleZagreb

World Championships 2025 Women's Wrestling Entries

By United World Wrestling Press

ZAGREB, Croatia (August 16) -- The Women's Wrestling entry list for the World Championships sees 230 wrestlers participating in the September 13-21 event in Zagreb.

Women's Wrestling will be held on September 15, 16, 17 and 18. For full schedule of the World Championships, click here.

Out of the 18, 11 Paris Olympic medalists are competing in Zagreb with one gold medalist - Sakura MOTOKI (JPN).

FREESTYLE ENTRIES

 

Zagreb

Note: The entries are subject to change and will be updated regularly.

50kg
Cheima CHEBILA (ALG)
Kamila BARBOSA (BRA)
Madison PARKS (CAN)
Yu ZHANG (CHN)
Jacqueline MOLLOCANA (ECU)
Aintzane GORRIA GONI (ESP)
ANKUSH (IND)
Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA)
Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN)
Svetlana ANKICHEVA (KAZ)
Jinhee KIM (KOR)
Gabija DILYTE (LTU)
Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL)
Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR)
Myonggyong WON (PRK)
Chahrazed AYACHI (TUN)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Oksana LIVACH (UKR)
Audrey JIMENEZ (USA)
Natalia PUDOVA (UWW)
Natallia VARAKINA (UWW)
Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB)
Nohalis LOYO (VEN)

53kg
Oleksandra KOGUT (AUT)
Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN)
Jin ZHANG (CHN)
Laura HERIN AVILA (CUB)
Lucia YEPEZ (ECU)
Carla JAUME (ESP)
Annika WENDLE (GER)
Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
ANTIM (IND)
Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN)
Zeinep BAYANOVA (KAZ)
Seoyoung PARK (KOR)
Laura STANELYTE (LTU)
Namuuntsetseg TSOGT OCHIR (MGL)
Christianah OGUNSANYA (NGR)
Roksana ZASINA (POL)
Hyo Gyong CHOE (PRK)
Andreea ANA (ROU)
Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR)
Felicity TAYLOR (USA)
Kseniya STANKEVICH (UWW)
Natalia MALYSHEVA (UWW)
Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)

55kg
Karla GODINEZ (CAN)
Mengyu XIE (CHN)
Nogona BAKAYOKO (CIV)
Yaynelis SANZ VERDECIA (CUB)
Maria BAEZ (ESP)
Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA)
Amory ANDRICH (GER)
NISHU (IND)
Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN)
Zulfiya YAKHYAROVA (KAZ)
Hyerim LEE (KOR)
Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA)
Zeltzin HERNANDEZ (MEX)
Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL)
Kyong Ryong OH (PRK)
Beatrice FERENT (ROU)
Tuba DEMIR (TUR)
Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)
Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA)
Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW)

57kg
Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE)
Samantha STEWART (CAN)
Kexin HONG (CHN)
Luisa VALVERDE (ECU)
Graciela SANCHEZ (ESP)
Jenna HEMIAE (FIN)
Tamara DOLLAK (HUN)
TAPSYA (IND)
Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN)
Laura ALMAGANBETOVA (KAZ)
Youngjin KWON (KOR)
Bertha ROJAS (MEX)
Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL)
Magdalena GLODEK (POL)
Il Sim SON (PRK)
Nethmi PORUTHOTAGE (SRI)
Evelina HULTHEN (SWE)
Pei Ying LIAO (TPE)
Chahd JELJELI (TUN)
Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)
Helen MAROULIS (USA)
Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW)
Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW)

59kg
Victoria CHHEN (AUS)
Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE)
Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN)
Yuqi LIU (CHN)
Lydia PEREZ (ESP)
Elena BRUGGER (GER)
Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
NEHA (IND)
Aurora RUSSO (ITA)
Sakura ONISHI (JPN)
Viktoriia KHUSAINOVA (KAZ)
Hyeonju KWON (KOR)
Altjin TOGTOKH (MGL)
Jumoke ADEKOYE (NGR)
Othelie HOEIE (NOR)
Arian CARPIO (PHI)
Pyol HONG (PRK)
Bediha GUN (TUR)
Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA)
Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (UWW)
Nadzeya BULANAYA (UWW)
Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB)

62kg
Birgul SOLTANOVA (AZE)
Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)
Ana GODINEZ (CAN)
LILI (CHN)
Nikolett SZABO (HUN)
MANISHA (IND)
Aurora CAMPAGNA (ITA)
Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)
Tynys DUBEK (KAZ)
Hanbit LEE (KOR)
Melanie JIMENEZ (MEX)
Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)
Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Alicja NOWOSAD (POL)
Ok Ju KIM (PRK)
Amina CAPEZAN (ROU)
Johanna LINDBORG (SWE)
Selvi ILYASOGLU (TUR)
Iryna BONDAR (UKR)
Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA)
Amina TANDELOVA (UWW)
Veranika IVANOVA (UWW)
Astrid MONTERO (VEN)

65kg
Miki ROWBOTTOM (CAN)
Virginia JIMENEZ (CHI)
Qi ZHANG (CHN)
Vaishnavi PATIL (IND)
Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)
Subeen JO (KOR)
Elma ZEIDLERE (LAT)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)
Alexis GOMEZ (MEX)
Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL)
Grace BULLEN (NOR)
Aylah MAYALI (PLE)
Natalia KUBATY (POL)
Beyza AKKUS (TUR)
Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR)
Macey KILTY (USA)
Dinara KUDAEVA (UWW)

68kg
Albina DRAZHI (ALB)
Aniseta ACOSTA (ASA)
Grabriela PEDRO (BRA)
Yuliana YANEVA (BUL)
Meile ZHANG (CHN)
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER)
Noémi SZABADOS (HUN)
RADHIKA (IND)
Ami ISHII (JPN)
Beibit SEIDUALY (KAZ)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Hyeonyeong PARK (KOR)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Hannah RUEBEN (NGR)
Sol Gum PAK (PRK)
Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU)
Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE)
Buse TOSUN (TUR)
Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR)
Kennedy BLADES (USA)
Khanum VELIEVA (UWW)
Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB)

72kg
Zelu LI (CHN)
Rosie TABORA (COD)
Veronika VILK (CRO)
Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA)
Jyoti BERWAL (IND)
Masako FURUICHI (JPN)
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ)
Jiseon LEE (KOR)
Auguste GENDVILAITE (LTU)
Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL)
Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU)
Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Alla BELINSKA (UKR)
Alexandria GLAUDE (USA)
Kseniia BURAKOVA (UWW)
Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB)

76kg
Thamires MACHADO (BRA)
Vanesa GEORGIEVA (BUL)
Brianna FRASER (CAN)
YANGLA (CHN)
Milaimy MARIN POTRILLE (CUB)
Genesis REASCO (ECU)
PRIYA (IND)
Enrica RINALDI (ITA)
Nodoka YAMAMOTO (JPN)
Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Seoyeon JEONG (KOR)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)
Damola OJO (NGR)
Elmira YASIN (TUR)
Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)
Kylie WELKER (USA)
Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (UWW)
Kristina SHUMOVA (UWW)
Ozoda ZARIPBOEVA (UZB)