#WrestlePlovdiv: Greece, Germany End Freestyle U23 Title Drought

Saturday, March 12, 2022 - 19:05 By Vinay Siwach

PLOVDIV, Bulgaria (March 12) -- Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) has been close to the gold medal. He finished with silver at the cadet World Championships and the Junior European Championships. But crossing the final hurdle needed something special.

In the 79kg final at the U23 European Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, the 21-year-old was once again headed for a second-place finish. He trailed 8-2 against Evsem SHVELIDZE (GEO) and was subjected to a flurry of attacks.

But just before the break, he brought his opponent's lead down to 8-4 and then worked on his attacks. A final that was in Shvelidze's hands suddenly lit up as Kougioumtsidis scripted a comeback as Shvelidze failed to keep up with the pace of the bout.

“At the start of the second period I realized that he is tired,” Kougioumtsidis said. “Even I was tired but tried my best and I think that was the difference.”

The Greece wrestler scored 14 straight points to change the lead to 16-8 and gave a non-consequential step out.

“It's just a different feel to win the gold,” he said. “It was a little hard, especially in the first period. But in the second period, I tried my best.”

Despite the gold medal, the Greece wrestler is taking a lesson home as he aims to qualify for the Olympics.

“I can improve my defense,” he said. “I will try my best to qualify for the next Olympics. I can't say anything because I don't know.”

Horst LEHR (GER) celebrates after winning the 57kg gold medal in Plovdiv. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Germany also got its first U23 European champion in freestyle after senior World Championships bronze medalist beat Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO), 2-2 in the 57kg final. No German freestyle wrestler had reached the final at the U23 level before Lehr, who now has the record to his name.

Gegelashvili perhaps expected more attacks from Lehr to counter but he had to work harder for his points. Lehr was called passive in the final period and gave up a point but he scored a stepout at the stroke of the break.

“I wanted to keep the match open and not take any risks,” Lehr said. “I knew that I will be able to score if I needed to. So I waited.”

Using a similar game plan, Lehr frustrated his Georgian opponent with defense and despite giving up a point for another passivity, he scored a point via another stepout from a counter.

Leading 2-2 on criteria, Lehr made sure he defends all other attacks on him and ends the drought for Germany.

“I was nervous for the final and I did not want to do anything which would take it away from me,” he said. “It's the best feeling that I have been waiting for a long time.

“The journey has been long. I have been injured a lot but I stay focused and trained hard.”

Lehr has a bronze medal at the senior European as well but has been struggling with various health problems including recurring fever and knee injuries. But a bronze medal in Oslo gave his career a second wind.

"Wrestling is my life and I was mentally very pressurized to win,” he said. “But after having the health problems, I changed. I put my health first and realized that wrestling is not everything. I brought my health to a good level and that made me mentally free. That has helped me a lot.”

Keeping that in mind, Lehr has decided to skip the senior European Championships in Budapest, Hungary later this month.

“I have a history of injuries and these two tournaments are very close,” he said. “I will wrestle at the senior Worlds this year.”

Islam ILYASOV (AZE) defeated Johannes MAYER (GER) in the 97kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

It could have been a double-delight for Germany had Johannes MAYER (GER) held on to his 4-3 lead for one more second in the 97kg final.

Islam ILYASOV (AZE) claimed the gold medal by scoring a takedown in the final second of the bout, giving Azerbaijan a second gold of the night.

He led 2-0 at the break after a point for Mayer's passivity and stepout. But he went on the defensive in the second period and gave up a point for passivity,

Mayer then attacked and scored a takedown with 16 seconds left to lead 3-2. The final push from Ilyasov with a duck under helped him get two points.

Germany challenged the call but it was confirmed on the review that Mayer did have three points touching the mat before the clock expired.

Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) improved to U23 European gold from his bronze last year. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Azerbaijan's second gold came from the rising star at 65kg Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE). He continues his rapid rise in the weight class, dominating his competition in Plovdiv.

In the final, his impeccable ability to control the center made it an easy one for him. He defeated Hrachya MARGARYAN (ARM) 4-1.

His was slow to start and was but on the activity clock but he scored via a double leg attack in that period to lead 2-0. In the second period, a single-leg takedown made it 4-0. Before the end of the bout, he gave up a point for stepout.

Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) scored six unanswered points in the 70kg final to win the gold. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

A humdinger of a bout saw Georgia steal the gold at 70kg. Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) conceded a five-point throw and was staring at defeat but blasted a double-leg from nowhere against Narek HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), ultimately winning the final 6-5.

Harutyunyan was called passive in the second period and Elbakidze's attack was in the activity period. But despite that, he trailed 5-5 on criteria. But Harutyunyan gave up a stepout with 24 seconds left and saw the gold slip out of his hands.

Azerbaijan has a chance to win two more gold Sunday as the remaining five weight classes in freestyle will be decided on the final day of the competition in Plovdiv.

RESULTS

Day 6 Medal Bouts

57kg
GOLD: Horst LEHR (GER) df Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO), 2-2

BRONZE: Edik HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df Yusuf DEMIR (TUR), 10-0
BRONZE: Tofig ALIYEV (AZE) df Ivaylo TISOV (BUL), 18-8

65kg
GOLD: Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) df Hrachya MARGARYAN (ARM), 4-1

BRONZE: Ayub MUSAEV (BEL) df Leon GERSTENBERGER (GER), 9-1
BRONZE: Hamza ALACA (TUR) df Marwane YEZZA (FRA), via inj. def.

70kg
GOLD: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) df Narek HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), 6-5

BRONZE: Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA) df Benedikt HUBER (AUT), 10-0
BRONZE: Ivan STOYANOV (BUL) df Fati VEJSELI (MKD), 1-1

79kg
GOLD: Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) df Evsem SHVELIDZE (GEO), 16-9

BRONZE: Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE) df Oktay HASAN (BUL), 14-3
BRONZE: Abdulvasi BALTA (TUR) df Mushegh MKRTCHYAN (ARM), 2-1

97kg
GOLD: Islam ILYASOV (AZE) df Johannes MAYER (GER), 5-3

BRONZE: Radu LEFTER (MDA) df Stole EFTIMOV (MKD), 10-0
BRONZE: Richard VEGH (HUN) df Riveri MTSITURI (GEO), 7-4

Semifinals

61kg
GOLD: Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) vs Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA)

SF 1: Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) df Ramaz TURMANIDZE (GEO), 5-2
SF 2: Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA) df Besir ALILI (MKD), 5-2

74kg
GOLD: Krisztian BIRO (ROU) vs Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE)

SF 1: Krisztian BIRO (ROU) df Dimitar ANGELOV (BUL), 11-0
SF 2: Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) df Ismet CIFTCI (TUR), 7-3

86kg
GOLD: Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) vs Lilian BALAN (MDA)

SF 1: Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) df Emre CIFTCI ((TUR), 14-2
SF 2: Lilian BALAN (MDA) df Bagrati GAGNIDZE (GEO), via fall

92kg
GOLD: Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) vs Joshua MORODION (GER)

SF 1: Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) df Daviti KOGUASHVILI (GEO), 11-0
SF 2: Joshua MORODION (GER) df Gheorghe ERHAN (MDA), 14-4

125kg
GOLD: Milan KORCSOG (HUN) vs Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO)

SF 1: Milan KORCSOG (HUN) df Adil MISIRCI (TUR), 9-2
SF 2: Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) df Aydin AHMADOV (AZE), 9-5

2026 Muhamet Malo

'Important Gold’: Sadulaev Relishes Successful 97kg Return

Thursday, February 26, 2026 - 21:58 By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (February 26) -- World champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) could have challenged him. Up-and-coming Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW) could have caused trouble. Or maybe Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) would have caused an upset.

None of that happened. A calm and composed Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) marked his return to the mat with yet another gold medal, winning the 97kg weight class at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series event on Thursday in Tirana, Albania.

It has become increasingly rare to see Sadulaev wrestle internationally, but when he does, the results tend to be a foregone conclusion. Sadulaev last wrestled at a global event at the same Feti Borova Arena in Tirana in October 2024 when he claimed his sixth world title, stunningly dropping to 92kg.

After 15 months, he was back -- at 97kg and, the top of the podium.

"Thank you to everyone who supported me, those in the arena and those watching on TV and smartphones," Sadulaev said. "Everyone who cheered, worried, and prayed for me. I want to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to all of you."

When Sadulaev stepped on the mat on Thursday, he rolled back the years. Right hand on his opponent's forehand, circling while standing tall. He would throw himself back if someone tried to attack his legs and then get a front headlock to score.

A true throwback in Tirana would have been a Sadulaev and Snyder clash but Khaniev decided to postpone that for now by beating the United States wrestler in the quarterfinals. Sadulaev got Khaniev in the final.

He was the first on board with a double-leg attack which gave him four points. He then made Khaniev toil to find an opening and when he did, Sadulaev defended like a rock. Khaniev was able to score only through stepouts -- managing four points from it while Sadulaev added three more takedowns to finish the final 10-4.

While the gold medal was a satisfactory result for Sadulaev, there was an added incentive that he was chasing.

"For me, this gold means qualifying for the European Championships, which will take place here in this same arena in two months, in April. It was very important for me to qualify there," he said.

Sadulaev, if he competes, will be at the European Championships after six years having last competed at the tournament in 2020. He won gold medal at 97kg in Rome.

Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) scores on Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW) in the 97kg final in Tirana. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

The final against Khaniev was a virtual wrestle-off to win the spot for the continental championships, to be held from April 20 to 26. And despite beating Khaniev, Sadulaev was all praise for the youngster.

"Khaniev is young and promising," he said. "I thought we might meet before the final, but [because of the bracket] we faced each other only in the final.

"I know him well, we train in the same region, we’ve been at training camps together and worked side by side. He’s very tough, with a really good stamina. He hasn’t gained that much experience yet, but I believe he has everything ahead of him."

Khaniev, making his debut at 97kg internationally, sprung a surprise when he defeated Snyder 10-4, using some crafty counters in the second period. He also defeated Magomedov in the semifinals.

Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) completes a fireman's carry move. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

However, Sadulaev isn't reading much into Snyder's loss as the U.S. wrestler had lost to Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) in Tirana but went on to win the world gold in September.

"At tournaments like this, he [Snyder] usually doesn’t come in at peak form the way he does for the World Championships or the Olympic Games, where he’s been in his best shape," Sadulaev said. "So this loss doesn’t really say much. Maybe he will win the next World Championships."

The World Championships in Manama, Bahrain is scheduled in October and there is a good chance that both Sadulaev and Snyder will be there. But Sadulaev is hoping for a more decorated field.

"If everything goes well and I make it for the World Championships, four Olympic champions could compete in this weight class [in Bahrain] -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), Kyle [SNYDER] and Ahmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) and myself, and other medalists," he said. "I think it will be the most competitive and exciting weight category."

Sadulaev, in his subtle humor, would go on.

"It’s hot enough there [Bahrain], but I think at the World Championships, it will be even hotter."

#WrestlePlovdiv: Greece, Germany End Freestyle U23 Title Drought

Comments

'Important Gold’: Sadulaev Relishes Successful 97kg Return