#WrestleSkopje

Three Gold, Three Finalists as Russia Close-in on Greco-Roman title

Saturday, May 22, 2021 - 20:18 By Vinay Siwach

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Russia took a step closer to winning the Greco-Roman team title after entering three more wrestlers in the finals apart from winning three gold and two bronze medals on the penultimate day of the U23 European Championships.

The three gold medals are already a better record than the last U23 Euros in which Russia claimed only two gold of 10.

They have a chance to double that on Sunday as Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (RUS), Shamil OZHAEV (RUS) and Artur SARGSIAN (RUS) entered the final at 60kg, 82kg and 97kg.

Ukraine and Hungary also managed to advance two wrestlers each to the finals while Turkey, Armenia and Georgia got one each at the Jane Sansadski Arena in Skopje, North Macedonia.

Led by the senior Russian Championships silver medalist Allakhiarov, Russia had four wrestlers in the semifinal with Sergei KUTUZOV (RUS) falling short.

Allakhiarov wrestled junior World Championships silver medalist Tigran MINASYAN (ARM) in the semifinal at 60kg and made it look easy with his control of the center. Minasyan was the first to attack but Allakhiarov countered with a body lock throw for four points. A stepout made it 5-0.

The Russian performed a takedown in the second period to lead 7-0 and almost had the fall but Minasyan rolled out. A successful challenge from Armernia only delayed the eventual result as Allakhiarov won 7-0.

He will take on Ihor KUROCHKIN (UKR) who defeated Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN) 5-2 in the other semifinal, which saw all the points scored in the first period.

Kecskemeti scored with a stepout before he was awarded a point for Kurochkin's passivity. But during the following par terre position, he lost control and the Ukrainian reversed it and also slammed him for four points lead 5-2, a margin which remained till the end of the bout.

His teammate Andrii KULIK (UKR) also made it to the final on Saturday. In the 72kg semifinal against Martun BADALIAN (BLR), Kulik scored two stepouts before been awarded the passivity point. Leading 3-0, he got a gut and then held the position to win via fall in just 2:19.

From the other semifinal, Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) wrestled accoring to his reputation and reached the semifinal after defeating Kutuzov. The Individual World Cup and European silver medalist opened the scoring with a stepout before the referee called Kutuzov for inactivity.

Amoyan completed a throw from par terre position to lead 4-0. Kutuzov did score a stepout but that was all, Amoyan winning the bout 4-1.

At 82kg, returning bronze medalist Tamas LEVAI (HUN) improved on his performance and made it to the final with a close 2-1 win over senior European bronze medalist Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO).

Levai was the first to be given passive but Rikadze was warned in the seccond period, giving Levai the criteria at 1-1. He scored a stepout with an arm lock in the final few seconds of the bout. The Georgian corner wanted to challenge the call Rikadze refused.

Levai will now take on Ozhaev who took no time to beat Arminas LYGNUGARIS (LTU) 8-0 in the other semifinal. After scoring a stepout, he was awarded a point for Lygnugaris' passivity. From the par terre position, Ozhaev slammed a throw for four points. A takedown later, he pocketed the bout in 2:14.

Another Russian to successfully reach the final was Sargsian as he also won 8-0 against Michail IOSIFIDIS (GRE) at 97kg. He was even quicker than Ozhaev, finishing the bout in just 1:37. He scored via three takedowns and a throw for two to finish the bout with technical superiority.

The other semifinal at this weight was much more closer as Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO) etched out a 4-3 win over Ondrej DADAK (CZE). At the end of the bout, both wrestler took a few seconds to catch there breath.

They were awarded points for passivity but it was Katsanashvili who managed an exposure from the par terre position to lead 3-3. Dadak scored a reversal at this point to reduce the lead to 3-2. He later scored a stepout but Katsanashvili held the criteria 3-3.

With both wrestlers struggling to match the intensity of the bout, it was the Georgian who kept his cool and scored a stepout to lead 4-3 while Dadak, despite his tries, failed to score.

Turkey also had a finalist as Kadir KAMAL (TUR) ended the hopes of Oleksii MASYK (UKR) with a 6-2 win in the 67kg semifinal. Kamal led 1-0 as Masyk was warned for inactivity but he quickly gave it up with a lost challenge as he claimed a gut wrench from par terre position. The judges did not think the same.

But like any smart wrestler, he made sure he has the clear lead. He went big with a shoulder throw and got two points. A stepout gave another point. Just before the break, he scored a takedown by snapping Masyk down to lead 6-1.

Masyk managed only a stepout in the second period but could avoid the defeat.

From the other side of the bracket, Krisztian VANCZA (HUN) entered the final after a agonisingly close 4-3 win against Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE).

In a bout that saw a number of interruptions, mainly for medical attention to Vancza's bleeding, Jafarov had almost pulled of the win but a Hungary challenge denied him.

Vancza led 1-0 after Jafarov was passive but was awarded two more points as the referee thought the Azerbaijan wrestler was using his head to hit Vancza. A successful challenge from Azerbaijan reversed the decision.

But soon after, the referee did awarded the Hungarian the two points in the second period. Jafarov again challenged the call. He lost, making the score 4-0. He roared back with a takedown and another one soon to make it 4-4. A step out in the same action made it 5-4.

Hungary challenged the latest takedown saying Jafarov used his legs in the action. The video replays confirmed that and the score was reversed to 4-2 for the Hungarian. A late stepout was not enough for Jafarov in the 4-3 defeat.

Komarov leads Russia to three gold

Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) has medals from cadet, junior and senior level continental championships. On Saturday, he completed his medal cabinet with a gold medal at the U23 level as well.

Making his debut at this age-group, the Russian defeated Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO) 6-1 in the 87kg final to win the gold medal.

Tchkuaselidze was the aggressive wrestler of the two as he pressured Komarov in the first minute. During one such attack, he had the Russian on the edge but Komarov used the Georgian's momentum to reverse the attack and score a takedown.

Another takedown gave him a 4-0 lead before Tchkuaselidze answered with a stepout. Komarov in his composed and laid back wrestling scored another takedown to lead 6-1 at the break. The scorers were not troubled till the six minutes expired.

This was the second of Russia's three golds on Saturday. Junior world champion Sergei STEPANOV (RUS) also claimed his first U23 Euro gold after beating Per OLOFSSON (SWE) 5-2 at 77kg.

A big four point throw and the passivity point were enough for Stepanov to counter Olofsson's opening takedown in the final.

The gold medal at 130kg also went to Russia as Mikhail LAPTEV (RUS) beat David OVASAPYAN (ARM) 5-1 in the final.

Laptev got going after sneaking out of a dangerous position to duck under and put Ovasapyan on his back for two points. A passivity warning against Ovasapyan made it 3-0 for the Russian.

But later, Laptev was warned for passivity to see his lead being reduced to two points. As Ovasapyan was looking for a turn from par terre position, Laptev reversed it to lead 4-1. Armenia challenged the call but lost.

But his teammate Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) had a different ending to his tournament. In the 63kg final, he defeated Niklas OEHLEN (SWE) 4-1 to win the gold medal.

Zaur ALIYEV U23 European Championships

At 55kg, a thrilling final saw junior World Championships silver medalist Zaur ALIYEV (TUR) win the gold medal over Adem UZUN (TUR), thanks to a successful challenge at the beginning of the bout.

Aliyev tried and shoulder throw but failed. Uzun got the takedown and a gut wrench to lead 4-0. Azerbaijan challenged the call and won, reversing the score to 0-0.

The deadlock was broken when Uzun was called passive and Aliyev led 1-0. Later, it was the turn of Aliyev to be in par terre and Uzun managed an exposure to lead 3-1.

With just over a minute left, Aliyev got Uzun in front head lock and looked at his corner, with his coach instructing him for a roll. He did exactly that and rolled Uzun for two points to lead 3-3.

He maintained the criteria, despite desperate attempts from Uzun, for the win.

The final medal bouts of the remaining Greco-Roman weight classes will be held on Sunday, the final day of the U23 event, the first after 592 days of absence.

Results: GR Semifinals

60kg
GOLD: Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (RUS) vs Ihor KUROCHKIN (UKR)

SF 1: Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (RUS) df Tigran MINASYAN (ARM), 7-0
SF 2: Ihor KUROCHKIN (UKR) df Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN), 5-2

67kg
GOLD: Krisztian VANCZA (HUN) vs Kadir KAMAL (TUR)

SF 1: Krisztian VANCZA (HUN) df Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), 4-3
SF 2: Kadir KAMAL (TUR) df Oleksii MASYK (UKR), 6-2

72kg
GOLD: Andrii KULIK (UKR) vs Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Andrii KULIK (UKR) df Martun BADALIAN (BLR), via fall (5-0)
SF 2: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df Sergei KUTUZOV (RUS), 4-1

82kg
GOLD: Tamas LEVAI (HUN) vs Shamil OZHAEV (RUS)

SF 1: Tamas LEVAI (HUN) df Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO), 2-1
SF 2: Shamil OZHAEV (RUS) df Arminas LYGNUGARIS (LTU), 8-0

97kg
GOLD: Artur SARGSIAN (RUS) vs Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO)

SF 1: Artur SARGSIAN (RUS) df Michail IOSIFIDIS (GRE), 8-0
SF 2: Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO) df Ondrej DADAK (CZE), 4-3

GR Medal Results

55kg
GOLD: Zaur ALIYEV (AZE) df Adem UZUN (TUR), 3-3

BRONZE: Bajram SINA (ALB) df Denis DEMIROV (BUL), 12-9
BRONZE: Mavlud RIZMANOV (RUS) df Denis MIHAI (ROU), 16-5

63kg
GOLD: Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) df Niklas Jan Olov Pontus OEHLEN (SWE), 4-1

BRONZE: Aliaksandr PECHURENKA (BLR) df Abdulkadir SAYDAM (TUR), 8-2
BRONZE: Rakhman TAVMURZAEV (RUS) df Leri ABULADZE (GEO), 4-2

77kg
GOLD: Sergei STEPANOV (RUS) df Per OLOFSSON (SWE), 5-2

BRONZE: Erkan ERGEN (TUR) df Mikita KAZAKOU (BLR), 7-2
BRONZE: Samvel GRIGORYAN (ARM) df Nikoloz TCHIKAIDZE (GEO), 11-2

87kg
GOLD: Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) df Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO), 6-1

BRONZE: Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df Muhutdin SARICICEK (TUR), 1-1
BRONZE: Svetoslav NIKOLOV (BUL) df Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM), 4-1

130kg
GOLD: Mikhail LAPTEV (RUS) df David OVASAPYAN (ARM), 5-1

BRONZE: Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) df Delian ALISHAHI (SUI), 9-0
BRONZE: Dariusz VITEK (HUN) df Franz RICHTER (GER), 5-4

#WrestleZagreb

Reasco becomes Ecuador's first world champ as Maroulis adds to gold tally

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 - 22:22 By Ken Marantz

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- While Helen MAROULIS (USA) was adding to her mountainous pile of world medals with a fourth career gold, Genesis REASCO (ECU) made history by becoming Ecuador's first-ever world champion.

Reasco reached the pinnacle of the sport with a 4-2 victory in the 76kg final over Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), denying the two-time world medalist her first gold in the last of four women's finals on Wednesday at the World Championships in Zagreb.

"I went in, gave my all, and it worked," Reasco said. "That’s how the gold medal was achieved, because honestly, I have a lot of respect for all my opponents. They gave everything out there on the mat, and they were really good matches -- both yesterday’s and today’s. Everything was very tough, very close."

Maroulis, who will turn 34 on Friday, showed why she has accumulated eight medals overall in 12 trips to the World Championships when she scored a dramatic takedown with :05 left to edge Il Sim SON (PRK) 3-2 in the 57kg final.

In other finals, Myonggyong WON (PRK) gave the DPR Korea its second women's title in two nights -- and just the third in its history -- with an emotional victory at 50kg , while Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) earned her second world gold and fifth medal overall with a dominant run to the 65kg title.

Reasco's historic victory came two years after Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) became the South American country's first-ever world medalist, and a day before Yepez gets a chance to join her as a gold medalist after making the 53kg final earlier in the day.

Reasco had long been seen as having the potential for a breakthrough, but never seemed to be able to make that final step up to the big time. She finished fifth at the 2022 World Championships and 2024 Paris Olympics, and was third at this year's Pan American Championships.

But after knocking off Paris bronze medalist Milaimy MARIN (CUB) in Tuesday's semifinals, the impossible suddenly became possible.

"At the Olympics, I was close to winning bronze, but it didn’t happen," she said. "But now the world medal came, and I’m very happy after all the sacrifices."

In the final, Reasco scored with a double-leg takedown in the first period, then scored another at the edge in the second. Medet Kyzy, a three-time Asian champion, tried desperately to launch a comeback, but she had to settle for 2 with a late throw attempt and came up short.

The 27-year-old Reasco got a relatively late start to the sport, saying she was not even aware of wrestling's existence until she was introduced to it at age 15.

"At that time, I practically didn’t know what wrestling was," she said. "I was going for another sport, but the coach of that sport took me to wrestling -- it was thanks to his influence. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even known what wrestling was.

"The first day I saw it, I was shocked. Since I was little, I always liked sports -- I liked basketball, football. So I always had that love for sports. Any sport, any other sport, I liked."

But her dedication to training eventually led to the greatest of achievements, which she surmises will be widely celebrated back in her hometown of Esmeraldas and the province of Manabi where she trains.

"When I focus on competition, I even put my phone aside," she said.

In the 57kg final, Maroulis had her work cut out for her with the quick and powerful Son, this year's Asian silver medalist.

"She's an amazing opponent," Maroulis said. "I knew she was going to be tough. I watched all of her film. I'm like, my gosh, she's so good."

Maroulis had to fight out of a double-leg attempt in the first period, in which she received an activity point for the only score. In the second, Son received an activity point, then went ahead 2-1 by scoring a stepout at 1:32.

It looked like it might end that way until Maroulis, using a trip to great effect as she had done all tournament, sent Son reeling backward, then spun behind as Son tried to whip her over with :05 on the clock.

"I had to really, really dig deep for that and, I don't know, before the last exchange started, I just had to dig deep and find it," Maroulis said. "It was just some scramble flurry and just that it came out my way. I'm grateful."

The U.S. wrestler added the title to the ones she won in 2015, 2017 and 2021. She also has an Olympic gold from 2016, when she dealt the legendary Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) her lone international loss, and three Olympic medals overall.

Maroulis said that she had to deal with a blood vessel problem that curtailed her training starting in the spring, and did not return to full-fledged practice until about two weeks ago.

With her conditioning limited, she said she aimed to end her matches early, which resulted in her ending all three of her matches leading up to the final by fall.

"I was like, I'm just going to start working on training because I'm not conditioned enough to go six minutes," Maroulis said. "I'm literally not conditioned enough. But if I pin, no one has to know that."

Maroulis said she is currently undecided about continuing her career. But should she go on, it could put her on a collision course with one of the sport's rising stars, Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), the Paris Olympic champion at 53kg who announced that she was moving up to 57kg in the runup to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I would love to wrestle her," she said. "I've been wrestling for so many years, I want to wrestle the best of the best, and she's phenomenal. I've heard and seen great things about her.

Maroulis said the two have never had a chance to work out together. "We message back and forth, actually we were trying to go to a camp together, it just didn't work out in time for the Olympics. I found she was going to 57[kg], I said, 'Oh my gosh.' It's a great opportunity for both of us."

At 50kg, Won dominated her gold-medal showdown with Asian silver medalist Yu ZHANG (CHN) from the start, storming to an eight-point lead in the first period and holding on for an 8-2 victory.

"This medal and the championship belt I’ve won are just the first step in repaying my parents for all their sacrifices," Won said. "From now on, I’ll work even harder to become an Olympic champion."

Her victory came a day after Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) won the 55kg gold to become the second women's world champion in their country's history. They joined Yong-Mi PAK (PRK), who won the 53kg gold in Nur-Sultan in 2019.

Won became so overcome with emotion, she tearfully hugged the referee after the match, then went over and did the same with the side judges. Then she hugged her coaches, and during the medal ceremony, shed tears as the national anthem was played.

"The moment I took first place, all the tough days of training flashed before my eyes and I couldn’t hold back my tears," she said. "And when I thought about sharing the news with my mom and dad, the tears came again."

Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) celebrates after winning the 65kg final at the World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 65kg, Morikawa cruised to an 8-0 victory over Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) to regain the title she won in 2022, capping a year in which she also won the Ranking Series Tirana event and a second career gold at the Asian Championships.

Morikawa scored all of her points by shooting for a single, then fighting off a whizzer by Kasabieva to gain control for a pair of takedowns in each period.

"It's my first time to face her, but comparatively she was easier to wrestle than my semifinal opponent," Morikawa said, referring to her semifinal victory over former world champion Irina RINGACI (MDA), albeit a 10-0 decision.

"I couldn't get in on my tackles, and that part is something that I have to change. I'll be going to a heavier weight class and I want to be able to knock off the top wrestlers."

For Morikawa, competing at 65kg now is part of a process aimed at being competitive in the race to make the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, almost surely at 68kg, after missing out on Paris.

"It was great that I won the championship, but the next step will be starting soon. I can be happy today, but from tomorrow I'll have to start working hard in practice."

In between her two world titles, Morikawa took a world bronze at 72kg in 2023, then returned to 65kg in 2024, only to have to settle for a bronze again.

"It was a long time [between titles], and there was the time that I missed out on the Olympics, but I will use this victory as inspiration for what is coming next. It will be the start of a much more difficult fight than up to now, so I have to renew my determination."

While two world golds is no small accomplishment, Morikawa joked that it still leaves her well behind her coach, who was in her corner on Wednesday and accompanied her on the victory lap on the mat.

"I still only have two titles, so I'm about 10 behind the coach who was in my corner," Morikawa said of Kaori ICHO (JPN), the four-time Olympic and 10-time world champion.

Smirnova stuns Yoshimoto for 50kg bronze

Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) pulled off the surprise of the bronze-medal matches, stunning former world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) at 50kg with a stepout in the final seconds for a 3-3 win on criteria.

Yoshimoto, a two-time Asian champion, received an activity point, then gave up a takedown when Smirnova countered and got behind to a 2-1 lead. In the second period, Yoshimoto finally got through, scoring a takedown with :54 left. But she failed to hold off Smirnova's final push, leaving her devastated and in tears.

Prior to coming to Zagreb, Yoshimoto's only losses in any competition since 2019 were to compatriot and Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN), whom she lost to four times. That limited her to a single previous appearance at the World Championships in 2021, when she won the gold.

The other 50kg bronze went to Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), who also needed a late score in posting a 3-2 victory over Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL) and adding to the world bronze she won back in 2017.

Byambasuren scored a takedown while on the activity clock to take a 2-0 lead into the second period, and it looked like that might hold up when Demirhan gained a 2-point exposure off an inner thigh block with :15 left. Byambasuren came close to getting behind in the final seconds, but fell short and an unsuccessful challenge handed Demirhan her final point.

The victory took some of the sting out a serious knee injury that Demirhan suffered in the final exchange. She limped off the mat and was taken from the main floor in a wheelchair, then was carried by two fellow medalists to the podium during the medal ceremony wearing a walking cast.

Japan was dealt another set back a short time later in the 57kg bronze-medal bouts, when three-time European champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) scored a takedown and exposure in the second period to upend Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN) 4-1.

As with Demirhan, Khoroshavtseva's victory ended a long medal drought -- her previous bronze had come in 2019.

Paris Olympic bronze medalist Kexin HONG (CHN) picked up her first world medal, surging to a 10-0 victory over Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) in the other 57kg match.

Moldova's national hero Ringaci earned a fourth career world medal by beating Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) 6-3 for a 65kg bronze, scoring a takedown in the first period and two in the second.

Two-time Asian silver medalist Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) had the lead on criteria when she scored an exposure at the edge while holding off an attack by Macey KILTY (USA) to clinch a 4-2 win for the other 65kg bronze.

At 76kg, another Olympic bronze medalist added a world bronze when Marin stormed to a 10-0 victory over PRIYA (IND), setting the mood when she scored the first of her five takedowns by lifting the Indian in the air and dumping her to the mat.

Kylie WELKER (USA) added to the bronze she won last year at 72kg by holding on for a 6-2 victory over Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) for the other 76kg bronze. Welker scored a takedown and gut wrench in the first period, then after Alpyeyeva came back with two stepouts,

clinched the win with a takedown with :14 left. 

Day 5 Results

Women's Wrestling

50kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Myonggyong WON (PRK) df. Yu ZHANG (CHN), 8-2

BRONZE: Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) df. Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN), 3-3
BRONZE: Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) df. Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL), 3-2

53kg (23 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) df. ANTIM (IND), 5-3
SEMIFINAL: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) df. Hyongyong CHOE (PRK), 2-1

57kg (22 entries)
GOLD: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Il Sim SON (PRK), 3-2

BRONZE: Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) df. Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN), 4-1
BRONZE: Kexin HONG (CHN) df. Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) by TF, 10-0, 2:22

62kg (22 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) by TF, 14-1, 4:15
SEMIFINAL: Ok Ju KIM (PRK) df. Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) by TF, 14-3, 6:00

65kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Alina KASABIEVA (UWW), 8-0

BRONZE: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), 6-3
BRONZE: Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) df. Macey KILTY (USA), 4-2

68kg (24 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Ami ISHII (JPN) df. Buse TOSUN (TUR) by TF, 11-0, 2:34
SEMIFINAL: Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) df. Jia LONG (CHN), 6-1

72kg (17 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) by Fall, 5:00 (11-6)
SEMIFINAL: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Zelu LI (CHN), 9-6

76kg (19 entries)
GOLD: Genesis REASCO (ECU) df. Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), 4-2

BRONZE: Kylie WELKER (USA) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 6-2
BRONZE: Milaimy MARIN (CUB) df. PRIYA (IND) by TF, 10-0, 4:07