WORLD CLUBS CUP

16 Olympic and World Medalists to Compete at FR World Clubs Cup

By Ali Feizasa

The 2017 World Clubs Cup is set to be held in Tehran City, Iran, with many Olympic and World champions getting ready to step on mat at the Azadi Sport complex.

About 16 Olympic and World medalists will compete in the World Clubs Cup on Thursday and Friday.

The roster of two-time World Clubs Cup champion Bimeh Razi bolsters six Olympic and world medalists. Russian Olympic and world medalists who will be completing for Bimeh Razi include Olympic and World champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS), Rio Olympics runner-up Aniuar GEDUEV (RUS), and 2014 world champion and silver medalist Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS). 

Also wrestling for the tournament favorite, Bimeh Razi will be 2016 Olympic silver medalist Komeil GHASEMI (IRI), three-time world medal winner Masoud ESMAEILPOUR (IRI), and two-time world medalist Seyed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (IRI).  

Defending championships, Titan Mercury Wrestling Club will send another potential title team to Iran to defend last year’s championship. In last years narrow match, TMWC beat Bimeh Razi in Ukraine to win World Clubs Cup title.

In addition to 2016 Olympics and 2017 world champion Kyler Snyder, other world medalists in the Titan Mercury line-up include Thomas Gilman, Franklin Gomez, and Nick Gwiazdowski. 

Another Iranian team, Easy Pipe Kashan has signed contracts with Georgian stars Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO). Also wrestling for Easy Pipe Kashan is 2015 world bronze medal Alireza KARIMI (IRI) and Russian Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS). 

The third Iranian team, Setaregan Sari is lined with three world champions from Russia and Azerbaijan. Accompaning the team will be 2017 world champion Haji ALIEV, 2015 world champion Magomed Rasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV and 2016 world gold medal winner Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS).

The event will be the first test for these champions to compete with the new weigh-in rules and the 10 weight categories.

Predictable roster of the teams before weigh-in for Freestyle World Clubs Cup:

Bimeh Razi (Iran)
57kg- Younes SARMASTI (IRI)
61kg- Masoud ESMAEILPOUR (IRI) – Iman SADEGHI (IRI)
65kg- Meysam NASIRI – Seyed Ahmad MOHAMMAD (IRI)
70kg- Hamed RASHIDI (IRI)
74kg- Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) – Bahman TEYMOURI (IRI)
79kg- Aniuar GEDUEV (RUS)
86kg- Mohammad Javad EBRANHIMI – Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)
92kg- Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS)
97kg- Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI)
125kg- Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) – Yadollah MOHEBI

Titan Mercury (USA)
57kg- Thomas GILMAN (USA)
61kg- Alan WATERS (USA)
65kg- Franklin GOMEZ (PUR) - B.J. FUTRELL (USA) 

70kg- Nazariy KULCHYTSKYY (USA)
74kg- Isaiah MARTINEZ (USA)
79kg- Kyle DAKE (USA)
86kg- David TAYLOR (USA)
92kg- TBD
97kg- Kyler SNYDER (USA)
125kg- Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (USA)

Easy Pipe Kashan (Iran)
57kg- Reza ATARI (IRI)
61kg- Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) 
65kg- Mehran NASIRI (IRI) – Farzad Amouzad KHALILI
70kg- Mohammad NADERI (IRI) – Hamidreza ZARRINPEYKAR
74kg- Saeid DADASHPOUR (IRI) – Hossein ELYASI (IRI)
79kg- Reza AFZALI (IRI) 
86kg- Alireza KARIMI (IRI)
92kg- Hossein SHAHBAZI (IRI) – Arashk MOHEBBI (IRI) 
97kg- Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS) 
125kg- Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)

Georgia Club
57kg- Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO) 
61kg- Otari GOGAVA (GEO) – Teimuraz VANISHVILI (GEO)

65kg- Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO) – Nika BUSHELASHVILI
70kg- Levan KELEKHSASHVILI (GEO)
74kg- Giorgi LOBJANIDZE (GEO)
79kg- Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI 
86kg- Zaur BERADZE (GEO)
92kg- Saba CHIKLADZE 
97kg- Zurabi AKHOBDZE
125kg- Levani GOGRICHIANI (GEO)

Setaregan Sari (Iran)
57kg- Nader HAJAGHANIA (IRI) 
61kg- Mohammad RAMEZANPOUR – Mohammad NAMJOUMOTLAGH
65kg- Haji ALIEV (AZE) - Hassan MORADGHOLI 
70kg- Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) - Sajad ZABIHI (IRI) 
74kg-Magomed Rasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV 
79kg-Omid HASANTABAR
86kg- Esmaeil MAHMOUDI 
92kg- Abazar ESLAMI  – Seyed Mohammad SADATI (IRI)
97kg- Esmaeil NEJATIAN (IRI)
125kg- Jaber SADEGHZADEH (IRI)

India Club
57kg- Amit KUMAR (IND) 
61kg- Ravinder (IND)
65kg- Sonu (IND)
70kg- Vinod KUMAR (IND)
74kg- Ver Dev GULIA (IND) 
79kg- Jitender (IND)
86kg- Pawan Kumar (IND)
92kg- Somveer (IND)
97kg- Viky (IND)
125kg- Pushpender Singh (IND)

Mongolian Club
57kg- TSEVEENSUREN Tsogbakrakh MGL) 
61kg- BATCHULUUN Basaniam (MGL) 
65kg- TUMUR OCHIR Tulga (MGL) 
70kg- LUTBAYAR Batbayar
74kg- BOLDKHUU Batsukh (MGL) 
79kg- TBD
86kg- GANBATAAR Gankhuyag
92kg-  TBD
97kg- TUMURBAT Mungushagai (MGL)  
125kg- MUNKHTUR Lkhagvegerel (MGL)

Hungary Club
57kg- Tamas ROMAN (HUN)
61kg- Jozsef MOLNAR 
65kg- TBD
70kg- Norbert LUKACS (HUN) 
74kg- Zsombor GULYAS (HUN)
79kg- Botond LUKACS (HUN)
86kg- Patrik SZUROVSZKI (HUN)
92kg- TBD
97kg- Balazs JUHASZ (HUN)
125kg- Mihaly NAGY (HUN) 

Kazakhstan Club
57kg- Gulomjon ABDULLAYEV – Zhavokhir IRUSTAYEV
61kg- Assylkhan KARIPBEKOV
65kg- Sultan BEISOV (KAZ)
70kg- Dauren ZHUMAZAZYYEV – Yerlan TOLEBAY
74kg- Tsotne BARAMIDZE (KAZ) – Muhamedsultan KOPBAYEV
79kg- Adam HASIEV
86kg- Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO)
92kg- Alisher YERGALI (KAZ)
97kg- Akhmed BATAEV (RUS) 
125kg- Rassul KHATAYEV

Kirgizstan Club
57kg- Nurlat TAKIROV 
61kg-Zhainak TURGUNBAEV (KGZ)
65kg- Edil KADYRBEK UULU (KGZ) 70kg- Adilet MAMATAEV (KGZ)
74kg- Atai IZABEKOV (KGZ)
79kg- TBD
86kg- Dinislambek TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ)
92kg- TBD
97kg- Kantoro TALANBEK UULU (KGZ)
125kg- Emil ASHYRALIEV (KGZ)

Canada Club
57kg- Trevor BANKS (CAN)
61kg- Steven TAKAHASHI (CAN)
65kg- Vicent DE MARINIS
70kg- TBD
74kg- Ahmed SHAMIYA (CAN)
79kg- Guseyn RUSLANZADA (CAN)
86kg- Alexander MOORE (CAN)
92kg- Jordan STEEN (CAN)
97kg- Frederick CHOQUETTE (CAN)
125kg- Korey JARIVS (CAN)

Bulgaria Club
57kg- TBD
61kg- Strahil PARALOV 
65kg- Boycho BOYCHEV (BUL)
70kg- Miroslav HRISTOV (BUL)
74kg- Persiyan MIHOV (BUL)
79kg- Hasan MOLLA (BUL)
86kg- Petar SAVAKOV
92kg- Georgi DIMITROV (BUL) 
97kg- Dimitar KARAIVANOV
125kg- Mert EMIN

 

 

#WrestleTirana

Kayaalp Breaks European Record with 13th Gold Medal

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (April 21) -- "I truly believe I’ve set a record that will be very difficult to break."

Riza KAYAALP (TUR) knows the true effort it takes to win 12 gold medals at the European Championships. It took him 13 years. Now, on Tuesday, he won his record-breaking 13th gold medal at the European Championships in Tirana, moving past Aleksandr KARELIN.

With that, Kayaalp became the first wrestler in any style to win 13 golds in Europe. He defeated Darius VITEK (HUN), 7-1, in a dominant 130kg final.

Apart from Tuesday's gold, Kayaalp has won European titles in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2010.

"It’s an incredible feeling," Kayaalp said. "This was my 15th final, and in my 15th final, I achieved my 13th title. This title is especially valuable to me because achieving such long-term and consistent success -- especially in Europe, where there are very strong nations -- is not easy. I’m very proud to have broken such a big record."

Wrestling Vitek in the 130kg final, Kayaalp got the par terre position in the first period and brought the strong gut-wrench he has made his own to turn Vitek three times for six points. He went into the break leading 7-0. Vitek got the par terre position in the second period but he failed to move the mountain-of-man Kayaalp.

With chants of "Riza, Riza" reverberating at the Feti Borova Hall, Kayaalp defended his lead and despite a few instances of him slipping, Vitek could not inflict any sort of danger to score any points. After six minutes of the final and history created, Kayaalp celebrated the 13th gold medal and took his own time with the fans.

"The matches were not easy. I had tough matches," he said. "One of my matches ended 1–1. In the semifinal, I can say I was subjected to some disrespect from a strong opponent in a very intense bout. But compared to those, the final match was more meaningful for me.

"When it became 7-0, well, I’m an athlete who doesn’t like to concede points," he said. "I don’t like giving points away, so I managed to protect that score. I can say I went through the second period quite comfortably, and having a 7–0 lead helped."

The last time Kayaalp built a 7-0 lead was back in 2017, when he pinned Balint LAM (HUN) in the 130kg final after a 7-0 lead.

Kayaalp's gold is a testimony to his longevity having won his first European title in 2010, a year in which his opponent in the final, Vitek, was 10 years, five months and 12 days when Kayaalp achieved his first gold.

"When you look back, you realize you’ve made 15 finals," Kayaalp said after winning the 130kg gold medal in Tirana. "Back then, I was just thinking whether I could win one or two medals. But then, making the final every time at the European Championships, it’s like a child being born and growing up to 15 years old."

Photo

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) df. Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO), 2-1

BRONZE: Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Omer RECEP (TUR), 8-0
BRONZE: Stefan GRIGOROV (BUL) df. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 3-1

63kg
GOLD: Sergey EMELIN (UWW) df. Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA), 9-0

BRONZE: Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) df. Mairbek SALIMOV (POL), 11-0
BRONZE: Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Pridon ABULADZE (GEO), 6-2

77kg
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO), 1-1

BRONZE: Edvin BAFF (SWE) df. Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), 2-1
BRONZE: Robert FRITSCH (HUN) df. Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO), 1-1

87kg
GOLD: Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) df. Semen NOVIKOV (BUL), via fall (8-4)

BRONZE: Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR) df. Ihar YARASHEVICH (UWW), 1-1
BRONZE: Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df. Dogan KAYA (TUR), 5-1

130kg
GOLD: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Darius VITEK (HUN), 7-1

BRONZE: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) df. Marat KAMPAROV (UWW), 10-5
BRONZE: Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) df. Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 3-1