#BuchaWrestU23

2017 Senior World Champion Fumita (JPN) Among #BuchaWrestU23 Semifinalists

Tuesday, November 13, 2018 - 14:38 By Taylor Miller

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Photo: Kenchiro FUMITA (JPN) celebrates a World title at the 2017 Senior World Championships in Paris. Photo by Tony Rotundo.

BUCHAREST, Romania – After a full morning of Greco-Roman wrestling, the semifinals are set for the other five weights at the 2018 U23 World Championships in Bucharest, Romania.Among those that advanced to the semifinals, there is a 2017 Senior World champion, a U23 World champion, two Junior World champions and two other U23 World semifinalists.

2017 Senior World champion Kenchiro FUMITA (JPN) moved on to the semifinals after a close call against Armen MELIKYAN (ARM) in the quarterfinals. Tonight, Fumita will face Mehdi Seifollah MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI).

Two-time Junior World champion Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) defeated 2016 Junior World champion Dato CHKHARTISHVILI (GEO) in a tight 5-4 match to land a spot in the semifinals. Mammadov will go against 2017 and 2018 Junior World champion Kerim KAMAL (TUR).

Facing each other in the 67 kg semifinals is 2017 U23 World silver medalist Alen MIRZOIAN (RUS) and 2018 Senior World fifth-placer and 2016 Junior World bronze medalist Mohamed Ibrahim ELSAYED (EGY).

The other semifinal pits 2012 Cadet World champion Karim JAFAROV (AZE) against Otto LOSONCZI (HUN).

Battling for a spot in the finals at 72 kg will be Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) and Artur POLITAIEV (UKR) on the top side of the bracket. To get to the semis, Politaiev pinned 2011 Cadet World bronze medalist Armen HAKOBYAN (ARM) with a first-period fall. Arslan took out 2014 Youth Olympic champion and 2016 Junior World bronze medalist Islambek DADOV (AZE) in the quarters.

On the bottom side, it will be 2016 Junior World silver medalist Kaharman KISSYMETOV (KAZ) against two-time Junior World champion and 2011 Cadet World champion Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO).

At 82 kg, 2017 U23 World silver medalist Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) wrestled his way to the semifinals and will face Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN) tonight.

On the other side of the bracket, home country’s Nicu OJOG (ROU), a 2015 Cadet World bronze medalist, will face two-time Junior African champion Ahmed Hassan AHMED (EGY), who, earlier in the day, knocked off the returning U23 World champion Vaag MARGARIAN (RUS) with a fall.

2017 U23 World champion Aleksandr GOLOVIN (RUS) defeated 2015 Junior World champion Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) in the quarterfinals to advance to the 97 kg semifinals. There, he will take on 2016 Junior World champion Giorgi MELIA (GEO).

The final semifinal of the night will feature three-time age-group World medalist Zsolt TOEROEK (HUN) and Ali Akbar HEIDARI (IRI).

The semifinals are set for 5:15 p.m. local time (10:15 a.m. ET). Fans can watch live on unitedworldwrestling.org.

Semifinal matchups

60 kg
Kenchiro FUMITA (JPN) vs. Mehdi Seifollah MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI)
Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. Kerim KAMAL (TUR)

67 kg
Otto LOSONCZI (HUN) vs. Karim JAFAROV (AZE)
Alen MIRZOIAN (RUS) vs. Mohamed Ibrahim ELSAYED (EGY)

72 kg
Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) vs. Artur POLITAIEV (UKR)
Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) vs. Kaharman KISSYMETOV (KAZ)

82 kg
Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN) vs. Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Nicu OJOG (ROU) vs. Ahmed Hassan AHMED (EGY)

97 kg
Ali Akbar HEIDARI (IRI) vs. Zsolt TOEROEK (HUN)
Giorgi MELIA (GEO) vs. Aleksandr GOLOVIN (RUS)

#WrestleNoviSad

Mesenbrink takes steady steps to win U23 Worlds gold

Saturday, October 25, 2025 - 17:22 By Vinay Siwach

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NOVI SAD, Serbia (October 25) -- Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) remembers his last year's U23 World Championships campaign. He won a bronze medal, left Tirana a little frustrated and missing his training room in Penn State.

With lessons from that tournament and surrounded by his Penn State teammates and coaches, Mesenbrink made sure he did not return home without a medal. The former U20 world champion became U23 world champion after beating Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2, in the 74kg final.

Mesenbrink was a leg-attack machine in the final and Ozmus did little to defend those, giving up the final in 2:59, just on the stroke of the break.

"It's just about constantly getting better, technically, and emotionally, too," Mesenbrink said. "If I'm just running in there, trying to grab onto his head, he can get in. So just being able to constantly improve. I think that's a strong testament to the people around me and to the coaches that I have and the teammates that I have at Penn State."

Seven wrestler out of the 10 on the United States Freestyle team are part of the same training center -- the Nittany Lions Wrestling Club, Penn State, which Mesenbrink said made a lot of difference this year.

"It's fun, because last year I came by myself. It was just me at the U23s. So it was fun this year that we had seven out of 10 guys," he said. "Last year, I knew the guys, but it wasn't my teammates, right? Now it's my teammates, the guys that I'm literally in the room with every day. We go over and it's almost like, are we even in Serbia right now? It feels like we're in America, because we got so many guys here."

In Tirana, the American wrestler lost to Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) in the quarterfinals but bounced back to win the bronze medal. But in Novi Sad on Friday, Mesenbrink faced Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) in the semifinals and came out on top 6-4, with a buzzer beating takedown.

The win boasted Mesenbrink's confidence who was close to make the U.S. senior team for World Championships in Zagreb where Takahashi won gold, but lost to David CARR (USA) domestically.

However, that loss made Mesenbrink think about his aims and how he wants to improve his wrestling on the mat.

"I think the big thing of not making the world team, it was just, I got to get better in those specific areas," he said. "That's the most fun part. I thought this is all this is, is a title. This is gonna be fading so quick. So I thought I'm going to go out there and I'm going to work on the things that I've been working on and I've been working really hard since Final X to get those improvements."

Mobin AZIMI (IRI)Mobin AZIMI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 92kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In the only other final of Freestyle, Mobin AZIMI (IRI) earned the first gold medal for Iran after beating Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3, in the 92kg final. Azimi broken Khaniev down in the final and scored three stepout points to win the gold medal.

RESULTS

74kg
GOLD: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) df. Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2

BRONZE: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df. PARVINDER (IND), 8-2
BRONZE: Manuel WAGIN (GER) df. Magomed KHANIEV (AZE), 8-4

92kg
GOLD: Mobin AZIMI (IRI) df. Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3

BRONZE: Sherzod POYONOV (UZB) df. Ivan CHORNOHUZ (UKR), 11-1
BRONZE: Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) df. Ion DEMIAN (MDA), 10-0

Semifinals

57kg
GOLD: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) vs. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA)

SF 1: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) df. Nodirbek JUMANAZAROV (UZB), 6-1
SF 2: Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) df. Aiandai ONDAR (UWW), 7-1

70kg
GOLD: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) vs. Sina KHALILI (IRI)

SF 1: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. PJ DUKE (USA), 14-4
SF 2: Sina KHALILI (IRI) df. Alexandr GAIDARLI (MDA), 8-2

79kg
GOLD: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) vs. Levi HAINES (USA)

SF 1: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) df. Nikita DMITRIJEVS MAYEUSKI (UWW), 5-2
SF 2: Levi HAINES (USA) df. Davud DAUDOV (UWW), 11-4

125kg
GOLD: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) vs. Khetag KARSANOV (AZE)

SF 1: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) df. Khabib DAVUDGADZHIEV (UWW), 5-0
SF 2: Khetag KARSANOV (AZE) df. Daniel HERRERA (USA), 12-2