#WrestleZagreb

LIVE BLOG: European Championships, Day 6

By Eric Olanowski

ZAGREB, Croatia (April 22) -- The sixth day of the European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia will see the second day of Greco-Roman action. We will start off with 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 87kg and 97kg.

Saturday night's semifinals:
60kg
Edmond Armen NAZARYAN (BUL) vs. Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) 
Georgii TIBILOV (SRB) vs. Victor CIOBANU (MDA) 

67kg
Murat FIRAT (TUR) vs. Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) 
Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) vs. Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) 

72kg
Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) vs. Selcuk CAN (TUR) 
Ali Feizollah ARSALAN (SRB) vs. Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamed Hassan GHANEM (FRA) 

82kg
Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) vs. Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) 
Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR) vs. Mihail BRADU (MDA) 

97kg
Artur OMAROV (CZE) vs. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) 
Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL) vs. Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) 

15:17: That was the best Greco match I've ever seen. Ciobanu was up 17-8 before halting a Kamal throw attempt and picking up the fall. 

15:11: Kamal and Ciobanu are in a war over on Mat A. They combined for 17 points in the opening three minutes. This is one you leave your seat and head mat side for.

15:01: We'll start setting our Saturday night semifinals. I'll list them as they come in.

14:41: Since winning his 2021 U23 world champion Tamas LEVAI (HUN), has moved up from 77kg to 97kg. That is not a typo. He's moved up 20kg in under two years.

Levai just beat Laokratis KESIDIS (GRE), 8-0, setting up a match with Olympic champion Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)

14:32: Two reigning world champions are up right now. 

At 97kg, Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) is wrestling Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO), and at 72kg, Ali Feizollah ARSALAN (SRB) is wrestling Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM).

13:47: How about this quarterfinal match at 60kg? Kerem KAMAL (TUR) downed  Bajram SINA (ALB), 8-0, setting up a matchup with 2021 world champion Victor CIOBANU (MDA)

Kamal and Ciobanu have met three times. Ciobanu owns the 2-1 advantage, picking up an 8-0 win at the Olympic Games.

13:33: World and European runner-up Edmond Armen NAZARYAN (BUL) and fellow youngster Nihat Zahid MAMMADLI (AZE) are making their way to Mat C right now. This one should be fun if Mammadli can stay away from giving up the reverse lift in par terre.

12:28:Filip SACIC (CRO) brings the hometown crowd to their feet with a 9-1 win over Ranet KALJOLA (EST). He moves into the 82kg quarterfinals, where he'll meet Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR) and Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE).

13:15: Defending champion Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) tech'd Marc WEBER (SUI), 8-0, and will meet the winner of Samvel GRIGORYAN (ARM) and Exauce MUKUBU (NOR)

12:56: Turkish spark plug and fan favorite Kerem KAMAL (TUR) will be up in five matches on Mat A. 

12:52: Last year's European champion  Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN) is down 7-0 to Selcuk CAN (TUR). They are on Mat B.

12:43: As if one upset wasn't enough for the qualification round, Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED) just knocked off European champion Felix BALDAUF (NOR), 10-3.

12:40: Joergensen knocks off Nad, 4-4. And In my opinion, that ends the debate for who Serbia should put in at 67kg for the World Championships, and that's Mate Nemes. It's a tough decision, but a great problem to have.

12:30: Joergensen and Nad are in a battle over on Mat C. There's a minute left and the Norwegian just took the lead on criteria on the reigning world champion.  

12:00: Reigning 63kg world champion Sebastian NAD (SRB) is back up at 67kg, replacing world champion Mate NEMES (SRB) in the Serbian lineup. He'll wrestle Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR), who is replacing 2020 European champion Morten THORESEN (NOR) in Norway's lineup. 

While talking to someone within the Norwegian Greco-Roman, Joergensen was described as "The most promising wrestler Norway has had in the last decade."

11:35: We'll run through two repechage matches per mat before rolling into Saturday's qualification rounds.

#WrestleBudapest

Mamedov, Aman Dominate to Gold Amid Surprises in Budapest

By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 15) -- On a day that saw multiple surprises at the Budapest Ranking Series, Shamil MAMEDOV (BUL) and AMAN (IND) restored order, winning gold medals at 65kg and 57kg.

The gold medal for Mamedov was significant after his dramatic loss in the 65kg final at the Ulaanbaatar Open to Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI). Though not Amouzad, Mamedov dominated Abbas EBRAHIM (IRI) for a 12-0 technical superiority win.

Wrestling UWW

Mamedov led 4-0 at the break and then scored two counter takedown to double the led to 8-0 in the second. A double-leg attack brought Ebrahim straight to his back as Mamedov earned four points for the win. He outscored his opponents 53-1 in bouts, winning the gold medal via five technical superiorities.

"At this tournament I am very satisfied with my wrestling. I gave my best from beginning to the end," Mamedov said. "I learnt a lesson from Ulaanbaatar Open that I should not stop wrestling even if I have a big lead on the scoreboard."

Shamil MAMEDOV (BUL)Shamil MAMEDOV (BUL) scores a takedown on Abbas EBRAHIM (IRI) during the 65kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

A month ago at the Ulaanbaatar Open, Mamedov took an 8-0 lead over world champion Amouzad but suffered a stunning collapse, dropping the final 17-10.

"I started very well and I was well prepared," he said. "When I took the lead, I stopped attacking and just defended my lead. There was lot of time left and in the end I got very tired because I had to defend a lot and gave up more points."

One of the major talking points after the loss was Mamedov's conditioning, as he slipped further as Amouzad built the pressure.

"One of the reasons I got so tired against Amouzad because I gave up a lot head control to Amouzad, who kept me in head pinch position," he said. "On the way to the World Championships, we will have three stages of preparations. We will have training camps and start getting ready for the World Championships."

AMAN (IND)AMAN (IND) tries to complete a takedown against Robert DINGASHVILI (GEO) during the 57kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Olympic bronze medalist Aman, wrestling at 57kg for the first time this year, won the gold medal with similar domination, giving himself a birthday gift as he turns 23 on Thursday.

Up against Robert DINGASHVILI (GEO) in the final, Aman did give up three stepouts but piled up takedowns to complete a 13-3 technical superiority win in the 57kg final. In his four bouts, he outscored his opponents 44-6. In the semifinals, Aman blanked European champion Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE), 11-0.

"The gold medal has given me confidence before some busy months later in the year," Aman said. "This gold is also special because tomorrow [Thursday] is my birthday."

Feng LU (CHN)Feng LU (CHN) scores the match-winning takedown against Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) to win gold at 74kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

The surprise of the day came at 74kg as Feng LU (CHN) scored a takedown in the last 15 seconds to complete a 3-3 criteria win over former world champion Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) in the final. Kaipanov, leading 1-0, scored a takedown right off the whistle after the break to lead 3-1, with the one point for Lu coming from a reversal.

Lu did quick level change, pushing Kaipanov and then bringing him down for two points to take the criteria lead. Lu defended his lead to claim the gold medal.

Ridge LOVETT (USA)Pan-American champion Ridge LOVETT (USA) won gold at 70kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Pan-American champion Ridge LOVETT (USA), who pinned U23 world champion Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) in the semifinal at 70kg, finished his day with the gold medal after he secured a controlled 6-0 win over Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO) in the final.

The weight class did throw a few surprises as Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) defeated Islam DUDAEV (ALB), 4-4, but then he lost to Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL). The Mongolian looked good to win the gold medal but Kemertelidze stunned him 3-2 in the semifinal.

Silver medalist at the Ulaanbaatar Open in June, Assyl AITAKYN (KAZ) upgraded the colour of his medal to gold in Budapest after a 2-2 criteria win over U23 world bronze medalist Tolga OZBEK (TUR) in the 61kg final.

Ozbek led 1-1 on criteria after both wrestlers finished their activity periods. But the Türkiye wrestler took the a 2-1 lead with a minute remaining with a stepout. He tried to defend this lead but Aitakyn managed to push Ozbek's head outside to get a point and take the 2-2 criteria lead with 12 seconds remaining and clinch the gold medal.

At 86kg, Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) won the gold medal after Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) pulled off due to a knee injury he suffered while performing a leg lace in the semifinal that he won.

Wrestling Photo

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: AMAN (IND) df. Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO), 13-3

BRONZE: Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) df. Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE), 6-1
BRONZE: Nurdanat AITANOV (KAZ) df. Timothy LEVINE (CAN), 6-2

61kg
GOLD: Assyl AITAKYN (KAZ) df. Tolga OZBEK (TUR), 2-2

BRONZE: Adilet ALMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) df. Giorgi GONIASHVILI (GEO), 6-5
BRONZE: DEEPAK (IND) df. Nuraddin NOVRUZOV (AZE), 9-8

65kg
GOLD: Shamil MAMEDOV (BUL) df. Abbas EBRAHIM (IRI), 12-2

BRONZE: Nachyn KUULAR (KAZ) df. Mohit KUMAR (IND), 12 -2
BRONZE: Vishal KALIRAMANA (IND) df. Ossimzhan DASTANBEK (KAZ), 8-2

70kg
GOLD: Ridge LOVETT (USA) df. Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO), 6-0

BRONZE: Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) df. Sanzhar DOSZHANOV (KAZ), 8-2
BRONZE: Ebrahim ELAHI (IRI) df. Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE), 6-5

74kg
GOLD: Feng LU (CHN) df. Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ), 3-3

BRONZE: William LEWAN (USA) df. Muhammed BESIR (TUR), via fall
BRONZE: Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) df. Ibragim VELIEV (BEL), 11-0

86kg
GOLD: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA), via inj. def.

BRONZE: Tornike SAMKHARADZE (GEO) df. Abylaikhan UZEMBAYEV (KAZ), 12-2
BRONZE: Alperen ATAR (TUR) df. Nan CAO (CHN), 5-3