Egypt claims GR title despite Algeria fightback

Saturday, May 21, 2022 - 22:20 By Vinay Siwach

EL JADIDA, Morocco (May 21) -- Algeria's spirited fightback ended in heartbreak as Egypt claimed the Greco-Roman team title by two points.

Egypt had 205 points while Algeria finished with 203. Hosts Morocco finished third with 134 points despite not winning any gold.

Out of the 10 weights, Egypt and Algeria faced each other in five finals. The two nations were equal on team points in eight weight classes having claimed four gold, two silver and two bronze medals for 170 points.

Algeria claimed an extra gold than Egypt to lead by five points and yet lost due to an eight-point finish to Egypt's 15 at 77kg. Emad ABOUELATTA (EGY) defeated Tarek BENAISSA (ALG) 3-1 in the 77kg quarterfinal and as the Egypt wrestler lost his semifinal, Benaissa contributed only eight points while Abouelatta managed to win bronze for 15 points.

Emotions ran high between the two camps at the African Championships in El Jadida and the five head-to-head finals between Egypt and Algeria produced high-flying action. One such bout was the 60kg final which kept the fans on the edge of their seats.

Last year's African champion at 63kg Abdeldjebar DJEBBARI (ALG) stunned Ahmed BAGHDOUDA (EGY) with a late takedown in the 60kg final. Trailing 8-8 on criteria, he got Baghdouda's back to the mat to get two points.

The bout began with the Egypt wrestler getting the par terre advantage. He scored four points from the position before Djebbari added a late point as the first period ended 5-1 for Baghdouda.

When Djebbari got the par terre position in the second period, he gave up a reversal and another two points. He managed to score two points for himself as well but trailed 8-4. He then added six answered points against a tiring Baghdouda to clinch the gold medal.

Algeria's other gold medals came at 63kg, 82kg, 87kg and 97kg.

Tokyo Olympian at 60kg Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG) had little trouble winning his fourth African title as Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) had to contend with a second silver in three days. He lost the 63kg final 7-3. Fergat had finished 13th at the Olympics and has three continental titles at 55kg.

In two Algeria-Tunisia finals, 77kg defending champion Abd OUAKALI (ALG) moved up to 82kg this year and claimed his second African title by beating Hakim TRABELSI (TUN) 4-0 in the final.

Ouakali was once a promising wrestler for Algeria before a doping offense so saw getting banned from 2014 to 2018. He returned in 2019 and claimed the silver medal at the African Championships before winning the title in 2020.

Bachir SID AZARA (ALG) won his third African Championships title after a close 2-1 win over Mohamed MISSAOUI (TUN) in the 87kg final.

Sid Azara, who finished 7th at the Tokyo Games, gained a 2-0 lead in the period. He gave up a passivity point in the second period but Missaoui could not take advantage from par terre.

Algeria's final gold came at 97kg, another weight class where the final saw wrestler from Algeria and Eygpt. Two-time Olympian Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG) overcame Mohamed GABR (EGY), 5-1, in a repeat of the '19 African final. The win propelled Algeria to the team title. The 97kg gold was the was Boudjemline's fifth African title.

Egypt had its fair share of success in such finals beginning with 55kg.

Abdalla SHAABAN (EGY) claimed two gold medals in three days. He won the U20 title Thursday and added the senior title Saturday after remaining undefeated in the five-man bracket. His toughest competitor was the U20 African champion and another young star Mohamed DRIDI (ALG) but he won the Round 3 bout 1-1.

Abdelrahman OMAR (EGY), 19, scored five points in the first period and managed to comfortably beat Ishak GHAIOU (ALG) for the 67kg title. Ghaiou finished with a silver medal for a second straight year at 67kg. In 2020, Mohammed EL SAYED (EGY) ended his hopes of becoming the African champion and now it was a young star from the country.

Mohamed KHALIL (EGY) dropped to 72kg from 77kg and claimed his first African title after beating Radhwen TARHOUNI (TUN) in a frantic final. The two went off from the start and scored six points each in the first period. Tarhouni attacked first and the sequence resulted in two points for each wrestler. But at the break, Tarhouni led 6-6 on criteria as he hit a four-pointer. Khalil got a point for reversal and later added a takedown before the break. The second period saw only one action in which Khalil banked on a four-point move and scored as well which gave him the win.

At 130kg, Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) once again defeated Amine GUENNICHI (TUN) to win the 130kg title. For the last three years, the Tokyo Olympians have developed a rivalry but Guennichi is yet to win a bout over Mohamed.

He came close Saturday after getting a roll from par terre to lead 3-1 at the break in the Round 1 bout. But Mohamed scored three points in the second period, including one for Guennichi's passivity, to win 4-3.

Both wrestlers had no trouble winning their remaining matches as Mohamed, a former U23 World medalist, won the gold while the Tunisian finished with silver.

The lone gold medal which did not go to either Algeria or Egypt was the 77kg gold. Tunisia's Olympic representative in Tokyo Lamjed MAAFI (TUN) won the gold medal at 77kg after thrashing Aziz BOUALEM (MAR) 10-0 in the final. He had earlier defeated Emad ABOUELATTA (EGY) in the semifinal.

Abouelatta, a U20 Worlds fifth-placer, could not match Maafi's strength. Maafi scored a takedown in the first 10 seconds of the bout and added three points from stepouts to claim a 5-1 in the semifinal.

The African Championships will see freestyle action in all 10 weight classes Sunday.

GR Results

55kg
GOLD: Abdalla SHAABAN (EGY)
SILVER: Mohamed DRIDI (ALG)
BRONZE: Rabby KILANDI (COD)

Key match: Abdalla SHAABAN (EGY) df. Mohamed DRIDI (ALG), 1-1 (Round 3)

60kg
GOLD: Abdeldjebar DJEBBARI (ALG) df. Ahmed BAGHDOUDA (EGY), 10-8

BRONZE: Salim HAMDI (TUN) df. Aymane LAKHFIF (MAR), 8-0

63kg
GOLD: Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG) df. Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY), 7-3

BRONZE: Fouad FAJARI (MAR) df. Hamed TCHOUFON (RSA), 9-0

67kg
GOLD: Abdelrahman OMAR (EGY) df. Ishak GHAIOU (ALG), 6-1

BRONZE: Bilal EL BAHJA (MAR) df. Jason AFRIKANER(NAM), 10-1

72kg
GOLD: Mohamed KHALIL (EGY) df. Radhwen TARHOUNI (TUN), 10-6

BRONZE: Khalid AMAGHDOUR (MAR) df. Reangan NDOMBASI (COD), 4-0
BRONZE: Walid GHAIOU (ALG) df. Shafaihuuna BENHARD (NAM), 5-1

77kg
GOLD: Lamjed MAAFI (TUN) df. Aziz BOUALEM (MAR), 10-0

BRONZE: Jean ATONGUI (CGO) df. Brian OLOO (KEN), 8-0
BRONZE: Emad ABOUELATTA (EGY) df. Redy MUPOMPA (COD), 8-0

82kg
GOLD: Abd OUAKALI (ALG) df. Hakim TRABELSI (TUN), 4-0

BRONZE: Fares GHALY (EGY) df. Mohamed FAIQ (MAR), 8-0

87kg
GOLD: Bachir SID AZARA (ALG) df. Mohamed MISSAOUI (TUN), 2-1

BRONZE: Barthelemy TSHOSHA (COD) df. Edward LESSING (RSA), 10-7
BRONZE: Noureldin HASSAN (EGY) df. Guma BASHIR (SUD), 10-0

97kg
GOLD: Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG) df Mohamed GABR (EGY), 5-1

BRONZE: Oussama ASSAD (MAR) df. Aron MBO (COD), 16-12

130kg
GOLD: Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY)
SILVER: Amine GUENNICHI (TUN)
BRONZE: Hichem KOUCHIT (ALG)

Key match: Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) df. Amine GUENNICHI (TUN), 4-3 (Round 1)

#WrestleHangzhou

In comeback, Mun makes Asian Games golden for DPR Korea

Friday, October 6, 2023 - 11:34 By Vinay Siwach

LIN'AN, Hangzhou, China (October 6) -- After two heartbreaking losses to Japan in the finals of Women's Wrestling, DPR Korea finally got the better of arguably the best wrestlers in the world.

Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK) stunned world champion Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) with a comeback victory in the 62kg in the final at the Asian Games to make sure that her country finished Women's Wrestling with at least a gold medal.

A day before, wrestlers from the country suffered final-second losses to Japanese wrestlers. In the 50kg final, Son Hyang KIM (PRK) lost 5-4 to Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) while In Sun JONG (PRK) fell to world champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) 7-6.

But Mun changed the script, giving DPR Korea something to cheer about on their comeback after four years. The country has not wrestled globally since the 2019 World Military Games.

In the 62kg final, Mun, down 6-0 at the break, came alive in the second period. She scored a counter exposure to make it 6-2 before an arm-lock throw in the final minute saw Ozaki, who wrestled like a world champion till then, fall on her back.

Though Ozaki kept her one shoulder from touching the mat, Mun was happy to hold her in danger for the remainder of the clock to win 6-6 as she had a four-point move over Ozaki's two-pointers.

A stunned Ozaki took her own time to get up from the mat while Mun jumped around in joy and finished her celebrations with a somersault.

Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK) in action against Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) in the 62kg final. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

"I was in a situation where I didn't know anything about the DPR Korean wrestler," Ozaki said after the final. "In that context, the biggest thing is the mentality. I felt that I was prepared. After I beat Tynybekova, I knew that the job wasn't finished. I got my mind focused on the final. I wasn't feeling overconfident. I didn't think about being defensive. The problem was that I didn't get off to a good start that I wanted to."

This is not the first time Mun has troubled a Japanese wrestler. Back in 2019 at the Asian Championships in Xi'an, Mun led 4-3 against Yukako KAWAI (JPN) in the semifinal and with 12 seconds left, she tried a headlock throw which Kawai defended and scored a takedown. Mun would go on to lose that semifinal 5-4.

Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) defeated Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) 3-1 in the 62kg quarterfinals. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

While the 20-year-old Ozaki could not win her first Asian Games gold, she did have a mini-achievement in Hangzhou. Ozaki defeated Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) 3-1 in the quarterfinals, their fifth career meeting in two years. A takedown from Ozaki in the second remained the difference between the two wrestlers after passivity points. Ozaki now leads the head-to-head 3-2. The two exchanged titles in 2021 and 2022 and Asian titles in 2022 and 2023.

Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) scores a takedown against Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) in the 76kg final. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

While Tynybekova, the Asian Games champion from 2018, could not defend her title, bronze medalist from Jakarta Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) improved to gold after beating the Asian champion at 72kg Zhamila BAKBERGENOV (KAZ) in the 76kg final.

Medet Kyzy had injured her knee in the final of the World Championships in Belgrade two weeks ago but showed little signs of injury winning the final 7-4. Not only was her offense on point, but the Kyrzgy wrestler was up to the mark in defense as well.

"After the World Championships, my goal was this tournament," Medet Kyzy said. "After Belgrade, I thought that I would not wrestle in the Asian Games but we discussed with the coaches and they said you can win the Games with one leg and decided to wrestle."

Feng ZHOU (CHN) defended her Asian Games title at 68kg. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

The third gold medal in Women's Wrestling was captured by home favorite and defending champion Feng ZHOU (CHN) at 68kg. After Greco-Roman and Women's Wrestling, Zhou was the only wrestler to defend the title from Jakarta.

Zhou was up against a surprise finalist in Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) who defeated world silver medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) in the semifinal. The former Asian champion launched a barrage of high gut wrenches to beat Nurtaeva 13-2.

"I feel quite emotional right now," Zhou said. "I did better in the second round. I was quite nervous in the first and was a big tight. But I was able to let things go from there. I took my chance and successfully extended the gap."

The gold medal is Zhou's third of the Asian Games as she won the title in 2014 as well at 75kg as only four weight classes were included in the Games back then.

"I never thought about the two previous Asian Games gold. I just took it one bout at a time," she said. "I overcame myself. I didn't do well at the World Championships just before the Asian Games. To b able to recover from that, pick myself up and regain confidence, wasn't that easy to do."

The 30-year-old two-time world medalist was wrestling at home for the first time in a while and expressed that the cheers from the crowd was the extra motivation she needed.

"It's definitely more motivation," she said. "It's so different competing at home. I hear everyone cheering for me and that helps drive me. It's so much nicer to compete at home."

Tynybekova wins bronze

World champion Tnynbekvoa returned to win the bronze medal at 62kg, beating Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ) 2-1. The three-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist relied on her strong defense to see off Kuznetsova.

"I weighed around 60kg as I fell sick when I came here," Tynybekova said. "I have not eaten in three days. I am a little tired and I think I need a holiday."

The other bronze medal went to SONAM who defeated the world silver medalist from 2022 Jia LONG (CHN) 7-5 with a takedown in the last 30 seconds.

At 68kg, Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN) completed a fall over KANHA CHEA (CAM) to win the medal while Enkhsaikhan pinned 2010 Asian Games champion Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ) after an action-packed bout in which Enkhsaikhan led 10-6 before getting the fall.

The bronze medals at 76kg went to KIRAN who managed to beat Ariunjargal GANBAT (MGL), 6-3, and Juan WANG (CHN) who won 6-0 against Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE).

RESULTS

62kg
GOLD: Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK) df. Nonoka OZAKI (JPN), 6-6

BRONZE: SONAM df. Jia LONG (CHN), 7-5
BRONZE: Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ), 2-1

68kg
GOLD: Feng ZHOU (CHN) df. Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ), 13-2

BRONZE: Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN) df. KANHA CHEA (CAM), via fall
BRONZE: Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) df. Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ), via fall

76kg
GOLD: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ), 7-4

BRONZE: KIRAN df. Ariunjargal GANBAT (MGL), 6-3
BRONZE: Juan WANG (CHN) df. Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE), 6-0

Egypt claims GR title despite Algeria fightback

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In comeback, Mun makes Asian Games golden for DPR Korea