Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! June 11, 2018

By Eric Olanowski

Reviewing Russia's sweep of the U23 European Championships and Wiebe's World Championship return. Also looking at Final X results, doubling up on European titles and an update to the ranking series events. 

1. Russia Sweeps Team Titles at U23 European C'ships 
On the heels of twelve individual gold medals, Russia captured team titles in freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's wrestling at the 2018 U23 European Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. 

In freestyle, Russia captured six freestyle gold medals and finished with at least a bronze medal in nine out of ten weight categories. 

In Greco-Roman, the Russians grabbed three of the possible ten gold medals and walked away with hardware in seven weight classes. 

The Russian women snagged a trio of U23 Euro gold medals and locked up three other medals, bringing their overall count to six medals. 

Erica WIEBE (CAN), the 2016 Olympic Champion will make her World Championship return in Budapest, Hungary (Photo by Jack Adams) 

2. Canada's Women's Wrestling World Team Set at Olympic Weights 
Canada's women's wrestling Olympic weight world team trials took place this past weekend in Toronto, Canada and four wrestlers reclaimed their world team spot for the 2017 World Championships. 

After sitting out of last years World Championships, Erica WIEBE (CAN), the 2016 Olympic champion will make her return to World-level competition. 

Also of note, at 68kg Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) stopped 2016 Olympian Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) from making her second world team with a 4-1 victory. 

2018 World Team 
50kg – Jessica MACDONALD (CAN) *
53kg – Diana WEICKER (CAN) *
57kg – Alexandria TOWN (CAN)
62kg – Linda MORAIS (CAN) *
68kg – Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) *
76kg – Erica WIEBE (CAN)
* Returning world team members

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) defeated Isaiah MARTINEZ (USA) in two matches to make his sixth world team. (Photo by Tony Rotundo) 

3. Burroughs Makes Sixth World Team, Four Other World Medalists Headed to Budapest
In front of his home crowd, Olympic champion and defending world champion, Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) made his sixth world team after defeating Isaiah MARTINEZ (USA) in two matches (4-1/11-1) at the Finals X in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Returning world medalists Thomas GILMAN (USA), James GREEN (USA), Alli RAGAN (USA) and Kyle SNYDER (USA) were also successful in making back-to-back world teams. 
Freestyle 2018 World Team
57kg – Thomas GILMAN (USA) 
70kg – James GREEN (USA)
74kg – Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) 
97kg – Kyle SNYDER (USA) 

Women's Wrestling 2018 World Team 
55kg – Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) 
59kg – Alli RAGAN (USA) 
68 kg – Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA) 

FINAL X - LINCOLN RESULTS 


Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) added a U23 gold medal to her 2018 senior-level Euro title from Dagestan, Russia. (Photo by Martin Gabor) 

4. Dudova and Mihut Double up on European Titles 
Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) joined 63kg Greco-Roman champion Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) as the only two wrestlers to win both 2018 Senior and U23 European Championships. 

Dudova defeated Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), 3-1 for the 59kg gold medal. 

Dudova nabbed a takedown after being dinged on the activity clock, taking the 2-1 lead after the first three minutes. She would add a step out point in the second period, ultimately winning the gold medal with a 3-1 victory. 

Romania’s Mihut won the 63kg U23 European title with a 5-3 win over Alexandru BICIU (MDA). 

Mihut’s first-period passivity point and two gut wrenches proved to be the difference in fighting off Biciu for the gold medal. 

Olympic champion Taha AKGUL (TUR) is expected to participate at the 2018 Yasar Dogu which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey on July 27-29. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

5. Yasar Dogu Replaces South African Open as Ranking Series Event 
The 46th Annual Yasar Dogu International has been named a Ranking Series event in men’s freestyle wrestling. 

The tournament will be held July 27-29 in Istanbul and replaces the South African Open, which cited a lack of early sign-ups as motivation to cancel its event. 

Freestyle Ranking Series Events
Ivan Yariguin (RUS) -- Completed
Tbilisi GP (GEO), July 3-5                          
Yasar Dogu, July 27-29            
Medved (BLR), September 14-16     

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 

1. Big Move Monday! #wrestlelikeagirl

2. Are you ready for the last day of the U23 Senior European Championships? ??? #UWW#Wrestling #u23euros

3. Big Move from Day 6 of the U23 Senior European C'ships #Istanbul2018 !

4. Thank you so much to all followers, we have reached 200,000.

#UWW #UnitedWorldWrestling #wrestling#followers

5. Day 3 in the warm up room here at the U23 Senior European Championships 2018 ?? #uww #wrestling#u23euros

Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! August 6, 2018

By Eric Olanowski

Reviewing Russian National results along with Russia sweeping the Junior European Championships. Also looking at updated World rankings, Maroulis' special wrestle-off, and the 2018 Junior Pan-American Championships. 

1. Russia’s #Budapest2018 Team Nearly Set 
Russian Nationals wrapped up this past weekend and eight of the ten spots on Russia’s #Budapest2018 team were locked up. 

Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS), the three-time world and Olympic champion bumped up to 97kg after winning the 92kg European title and defeated Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS), 8-1 to win the Russian 97kg #Budapest2018 spot. 

Sadulaev’s win potentially sets up the rematch from last year’s World Championship finals with the three-time world and Olympic champion Kyle SNYDER (USA). 

As mentioned above, eight of ten weight classes were locked up. The two weight classes that are still up for grabs are 61kg and 65kg. 

Gadshimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) (61kg) and Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS) (65kg) were relieved from participating at Russian Nationals and will compete alongside Russian National champions Magomedrasul IDRISOV and Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) at the final Ranking Series event, the Ziolkowski (Poland Open) on September 7-9. 

The highest placer in these two weight classes at the Ziolkowski (Poland Open) will represent Russia at the 2018 World Championships. 

RESULTS
57kg - Z. UGUEV df. K. DONDUK-OOL, 7-1 
61kg – M. IDRISOV df. I. MUSUKAEV, 5-3 
65kg - A. CHAKAEV df. B. GOYGEREEV, 2-2
70kg – M. GAZIMAGOMEDOV df. A. SAT, 9-0 
74kg - Z. SIDAKOV df. K. TSABOLOV, 2-2 
79kg -  A. GADZHIMAGOMEDOV df. K. SUYUNCHEV, 3-2 
86kg - D. KURUGLIEV df. A. NAIFONOV, 2-1 
92kg – B. TSAKULOV df. A. URISHEV, 7-5 
97kg - A. SADULAEV df. V. BAITSAEV, 8-1
125kg – A. KHIZRIEV df. M. KUSHKOV, 4-4 

 

2. Maroulis and Hedrick Wrestle-off Scheduled for October 6
Helen MAROULIS (USA), the three-time world and Olympic champion will wrestle Alex HEDRICK (USA) on October 6 in a Final X special wrestle-off to determine who will represent the United States at 57kg in October’s World Championships. 

The best-of-three series was originally scheduled for June 23 but had to be rescheduled due to an undisclosed Maroulis injury. 

If Maroulis is victorious, it’ll be her thirteenth time (age-level and senior-level) representing the United States at a World Championship or Olympic Games. 

3. New Freestyle and Greco-Roman Rankings Released  
United World Wrestling released the August 2018 Ranking Series for Freestyle and Greco-Roman. 

Two-time world champion Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) rose four spots to No.1 at 74kg in the August 2018 Ranking Series for freestyle wrestling after capturing a gold medal at the Yasar Dogu with a criteria victory (10-10) over returning world champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), avenging a loss from May.

Also of note, Russia leads the pack with four wrestlers ranked No.1 in freestyle while no other country has multiple top-ranked wrestlers. 

In Greco-Roman, Islam ABBASOV (AZE), Riza KAYAALP (TUR) and Kazbek KILOV (BLR) were the three new No. 1-ranked wrestlers.

Three-time world champion Riza Kayaalp (TUR) moved to No.1 at 130kg after claiming a gold medal in the final Ranking Series event for Greco-Roman wrestling. 

Kayaalp, who climbed from No.5 in the rankings last month, won a gold medal at the Vehbi Emre with a 2-1 victory over Kiryl HRYSHCHANKA (BLR). It was Kayaalp's sixth Vehbi Emre title. Earlier this year he won his eighth European title.

Full Freestyle Rankings 
Full Greco-Roman Rankings 

Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) captured his fourth age-level European gold medal (Photo Max-Rose Fyne) 

4. Russia Rolls Over European Competition, Sweeps Team Race
Russia, on the back three-time age-level world champion and most dominant Junior in the world, Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) captured thirteen individual Junior European gold medals, while also obtaining team titles in freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling.

Freestyle Results 
Greco-Roman Results 
Women’s Wrestling Results

5. Pan-American Championships Begin Next Week 
Fortaleza, Brazil is poised to host the 2018 Junior Pan-American Championships which takes place August 17-19. 

Greco-Roman wrestling will kick off the championships at the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste on Friday and will be followed by women’s wrestling (Friday) and freestyle (Saturday).

Full Schedule

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 

1. Big Move Monday! #ActiveWrestling #GrecoRomanWrestling#wrestling #georgian #wrestler LOMADZE Iuri
#takedown #throw #suplex #mma#mixedmartialarts @georgian__wrestling
2. Snyder won the first round. 
If these two meet at the #Budapest2018World Championships, who do you think wins? @sadulaev_abdulrashid or @snyderman45 ? ⬇️ COMMENT ⬇️
3. Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting. 
4. Big Move from Last Day of the Junior European C'Ships #Rome2018!
5. Team Russia celebrates behind the scenes!! ????? -