#WrestleBelgrade

2023 World Championships GR 55kg, 77kg, 82kg, 130kg semis set

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 21) -- The Greco-Roman begins at the World Championships! With the results in Freestyle and Women's Wrestling, it will be no surprise that Greco-Roman also sees some big upsets in the early rounds.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER | DAY 5 RESULTS

15:16: Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) hits a 4-point counter lift in the second period, giving the 2021 silver medalist a 5-1 victory over Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) and a place in the 77kg semifinals. He will face European champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM), a bronze medalist last year, who defied the home crowd and Viktor NEMES (SRB) by scoring a 2-point throw to secure a 3-1 victory.

15:15: Nao KOSUKA (JPN) is on a roll! He moves into the 77kg semifinals with a 10-0 thrashing of Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) on Mat A. Kosuka tweeted yesterday about his desire to win a spot for the Paris Olympics in Belgrade. If he wants to achieve that today, he will have to beat Olympic silver and world champ Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) who blanked Aram VARDANYAN (ARM) 6-0.

15:05: Adem UZUN (TUR) sees his world turn upside down in an instant. He seemingly went ahead with a stepout in the second period at 55kg against Poya DAD MARZ (IRI), but upon challenge was instead hit with a 2-point penalty for a push below the waist. Uzun was coming off a victory over Azizli in the final of this year's European Championships.

15:01: Another defending champion is into the semifinals as Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) scores a stepout, a gut wrench from par terre and a takedown in the first period to handily defeat Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) at 55kg. 

15:00: Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), chasing his second world title, moves into the semifinals with a 10-0 win over Artiom DELEANU (MDA) at 55kg. But to move into the final, he will have to beat Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB). Tsurtsumia beat Ortikboev 5-2 in the quarterfinals last year. Ortikboaev defeated Denis MIHAI (ROU) 9-0 in the quarterfinals.

14:50: Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) comes on top 4-1 against Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR) in the 82kg quarterfinals. He will face a surprise candidate Mihail BRADU (MDA) who down Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) 4-3

14:49: Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) moved a step closer to a second straight 82kg title when he defeated Kristoffer BERG (SWE) with what turned out to be a 7-point play. Leading 1-1 on criteria when he got a reversal from par terre in the first period, Akbudak hit a 4-point throw from the top of par terre in the second. Berg was hit with a 2-point leg-touch penalty, and a lost challenge added another point to end the match. Next up is a semifinal clash with 2021 world champion Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE), who rallied from a 5-0 deficit to defeat Aues GONIBOV (AIN) 10-5.

14:37: Lingzhe MENG (CHN) takes out Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO). Meng was down 1-1 on criteria but scored a stepout to be up 2-1. Kajaia challenged it for pushing but lost. Meng moved on with a 3-1 win. He has to wrestle Riza KAYAALP (TUR) in the semifinals

14:36: Amir MIRZAZADEH (IRI) is through to the semifinals at 130kg with a 1-1 criteria win over Romas FRIDRIKAS (LTU). Mirzazadeh received the latter of the passivity points, which alone put him on top by criteria. He nearly got Fridrikas over, but in the end, it didn't matter.

14:34: Oscar PINO (CUB) is back in the semifinals as he beats Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) 9-0 in the semifinal. Alexuc was penalized for two singlet grabs before Pino finished the match with a takedown.

14:32: There's no stopping Riza KAYAALP (TUR), who makes short work of 38-year-old Heiki NABI (EST) to reach the semifinals at 130kg. Put on top in par terre, Kayaalp goes back and forth with a gut wrench, then repeats the process for a 9-0 technical fall in 1:48.

14:10: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) looks in complete control. He gets a grand amplitude five-pointer over Mohamed KHALIL (EGY) and won 9-0 at 77kg

13:54: Demeu ZHADRAVEV (KAZ), a four-time Asian medalist looking for his first world medal, ousts last year's silver medalist Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) at 77kg, with a second-period gut wrench capping a 4-1 win.

13:48: In a repeat of their semifinal at the 2019 worlds, Aram VARDANYAN (UZ) edges Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) 2-2 at 77kg. The Bulgarian has only himself to blame. A 2-point penalty for blocking the legs in the second period gave Vardanyan the victory.

13:38: 2021 world champion Rafiq HUSEYNOV (AZE) has to battle hard but manages to win 4-3 against Erik SZILVASSY (HUN). The next match has Idris IBAEV (GER) and Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) exchanging takedowns but Bolkvadze wins 3-2. A few words were exchanged at the end between the two wrestlers.

13:25: Asian champion Poya DAD MARZ launches Sabolc LOSONC (SRB) with a 4-point arm throw, then tops it off with a pair of gut wrenches for an 8-0 win in 1:15 to advance to the 55kg quarterfinals.

13:32: Eldiniz AZIZLI (AZE), pursuing his second straight gold at 55kg and third overall, gets the roll from par terre in the first period and eases to a 3-1 victory over teenager Taiga ONISHI (JPN), a 2022 world U20 bronze medalist.

13:20: Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) with another 1-1 victory and this time Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) falls to the Olympic silver medalist at 130kg.

13:18: Defending 82kg champion Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) gets his title defense started with a 4-point lift to beat Asian bronze medalist Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 5-1 and book his place in the quarterfinals.

13:14: Asian champion Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) gets the stepout to finish off an 8-0 victory over Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB) to secure a spot in the 82kg quarterfinals. Kovacevic's loss ended the tournament of Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU (JPN).

13:08: Amir MIRZAZEDEH (IRI) stays on track for a rematch in the final with Kayaalp, getting a reversal in the first period and a passivity point in the second to defeat Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) 2-1 and move into the 130kg quarterfinals. 

13:05: A Japanese wrestler denied Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) a bronze medal in Tokyo and now Nao KUSAKA (JPN) beats Geraei at 77kg in the World Championships. Kusaka led 5-2 using two takedowns. Geraei got the par terre and turn to make it 5-5 but Kusaka held on for a criteria win as he had two two-point techniques to Geraei's one.

12:59: Superstar Riza KAYAALP (TUR), the defending champion at 130kg, begins his campaign for a sixth world title by putting away Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) 7-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. Kayaalp reels off three gut wrenches from par terre for all of his points in the first period. Mohamed gets a passivity point and a stepout in the second period as Kayaalp seems to be conserving his energy.

12:48: Yunus BASAR (TUR) will long regret not being able to throw Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE) when he had him in the air in their 77kg match. Prevolarakis gets 2 with a front headlock from par terre in a 5-3 victory over Basar, a bronze medalist last year and two-time European silver medalist. In the first period, Basar lifted up Prevolarakis, but spent too much time setting up his throw. It allowed the Greek to grab his waist, and Basar didn't have the leverage to complete a throw.

12:45: Returning bronze medalist Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) with a technical superiority win over Paulius GALKINAS (LTU). That match is followed by world champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) pinning Per Anders KURE (NOR) after the Norwegian managed to get a big throw.

12:25: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), a young and exciting talent from Moldova, begins his campaign at 77kg with a 9-3 win over Per Albin OLOFSSON (SWE). Next, he will have 2021 World silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) who defeated Kamal BEY (USA).

12:22: 2017 world champion Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) returned to wrestling after three years but had his run cut short by Idris IBAEV (GER) who won 9-6 at 82kg. Manukyan, 36, could not match the pace of wrestling in that bout 

12:15: Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), the silver medalist last year at 77kg, gets off to an explosive start, slamming Gurpreet SINGH (UWW) to the mat for 4 and finishing him off with a fall.

12:09: There will be an Irina RINGACI (MDA)-Ami ISHII (JPN) showdown after all. Ringaci, the 2021 world champion at 65kg, advanced to a 68kg bronze-medal match against Ishii with a victory by fall over Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) in the repechage final. Ringaci had suffered a stunning first-round defeat yesterday to Bose TOSUN (TUR), who surprisingly manhandled 2022 silver medalist Ishii in the semifinals.

12:06: Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ)'s courageous bid for her first world medal since 2010 ends with a heart-breaking 3-2 loss to Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) in the women's 68kg repechage final.

11:52: Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB) thrills the home crowd when he hangs on for a 7-6 victory at 82kg over Tokyo Olympic  77kg bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU (JPN). Kovacevic gets three gut wrenches from par terre to take a 7-0 lead. Yabiku, who moved up to 82kg when he failed to make the Japan team at 77kg, had a problem handling the extra weight. He never came close to turning Kovacevic after scoring two takedowns and being put on top in par terre.

11:40: Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) with a 1-1 win over Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) at 130kg. Kajaia got his par terre position in the second period to keep the criteria.

11:32: In a battle of oldies, 38-year-old Heiki NABI (EST), London Olympic silver medalist, beats 35-year-old Vitalii SHCHUR (AIN) 1-1 after the two trade passivities. Nabi qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for 2020, but was banned for 2 years in June 2021, two months before the delayed Tokyo Olympics.

11:30: Oscar PINO (CUB), who has long toiled in the shadow of the great Mijain LOPEZ (CUB), gets a victory by forfeit over Daniel GASTL (AUT) as he looks to add a first world gold to his silver and two bronzes. 

11:26: Returning 130kg silver medalist Amir MIRZAZADEH (IRI) rips off a series of gut wrenches and that's it for  Eduard SOGHOMONYAN (BRA), a quick 9-0 victory by technical superiority. 

11:05: Three-time world bronze medalist Mohammadaii GERAEI (IRI) begins his bid for an elusive gold at 77kg by getting past a difficult opponent in Adlet TIULIUBAEV (AIN) 2-0. Geraei gets the passivity call in each period and, although he can't budge Tiuliubaev, those two points prove the difference when he defends while on the bottom in the final minute.

10:50: In the repechage at 72kg in women's wrestling, Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) moves into the bronze medal bout after beating Nesrin BAS (TUR). Morikawa was the world champion at 65kg last year but has made the jump to 72kg after failing to make the Japan team in the Olympic weight class of 68kg.

10:47: Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE), the 2021 silver medalist at Greco 77kg, gets a 4-point throw after a walk from the center to the edge, and advances with a 5-1 victory over Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN).

10:40: Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ) starts the action on Mat B with a victory by fall over Emilja JAKOVLJEVIC (SRB) in the repechage round at women's 68kg.  The 36-year-old Shalygina is a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and three-time world medalist who was inactive between 2013 and 2021. An Asian bronze medalist this year, she will next face Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) for a place in a bronze-medal match later in the evening.

10:30: Nothing prepares anyone for Greco-Roman! Today is the day as the World Championships will see Greco-Roman in 55kg, 77kg, 82kg and 130kg with 77kg and 130kg being the Olympic weight classes

#WrestleBelgrade

Olympic champ Orta wins first world title in move up to 67kg

By Ken Marantz

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 24) -- Two years after winning the gold at the Tokyo Olympics in Greco-Roman at 60kg, Luis ORTA (CUB) made a successful jump up to the next Olympic weight and captured his first world title.

Orta rallied in the second period to defeat Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) 4-3 in the 67kg final and secure a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics for his country on Sunday, the final day of the World Championships in Belgrade.

"The result of this gold medal is due to hard training and good work of my coaches, and the good preparation we did before coming here, and in the end, we got it," Orta said.

Ali CENGIZ (TUR) survived being on his back for nearly a minute to claim the gold at 87kg, while Leri ABULADZE (GEO) finally struck gold after finishing second the past two years in the non-Olympic weight of 63kg.

Azerbaijan, with three champions and two silver medalists, won the team title for the first time in its history with 120 points, followed by Iran with 102 and Turkiye with 93.

The tournament was also serving as the initial qualifier for the Paris Games, with five berths up for grabs in each of the six Olympic divisions. Iran came away with four in Greco, while Cuba and Armenia secured three each and Kyrgyzstan, Japan, Azerbaijan and Turkey two apiece. Asian countries swept all five spots at 60kg.

Orta transitioned to 67kg by competing at 63kg in 2022, but could only manage a seventh-place finish at last year's World Championships in the same Stark Arena in Belgrade.

"After the Olympic gold in Tokyo, I couldn't step on the podium again so I am so happy that it happened today," Orta said.

He showed he could handle the extra weight at 67kg this year, beating defending champion Mate NEMES (SRB) in a tight semifinal and winning all three of his other matches en route to the final by technical fall.

Orta denied Jafrarov, the losing semifinalist to Nemes last year, of the world title by overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the second period with two stepouts, the second one coming after he opted to stay on his feet after being awarded a second passivity point.

Orta's bypassing ground wrestling was understandable. In the first period, he was put on top in par terre, only to see Jafrarov stop him during a gut wrench for 2, then add a stepout on an attempted throw.

Luis ORTA (CUB)Luis ORTA (CUB) celebrated his gold medal with a somersault. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

"I already beat Jafrarov once, but all finals are different," said Orta, who defeated the Azeri 5-1 in an early round at the Zagreb Open in February. "They can't be compared. We had a tough match. I think he was a very good opponent, and our fight was worthy of a final match for gold."

This year, Orta prepped for Belgrade and the new weight class by entering two of the Ranking Series events, finishing third in both Zagreb and Bishkek.

"After the gold in the Olympics in 2021, we decided to change the weight category. I went from 60 to 63 last year and we did good work. We did this as a step to fighting in the 67 category where there are very tough opponents. Since the weight change, I had to work harder."

Orta said he did not make any changes to his regimen after his Olympic triumph.

"I was training as before and I did not consider winning the gold in the Olympics as something that would change my life," he said. "I don't think about it and I'm focused on what I have to do next to get the same result in Paris next year."

Ali CENGIZ (TUR)Ali CENGIZ (TUR) celebrates after winning the 87kg final. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

In a clash between the bronze medalists from a year ago in the 87kg final, all looked lost for Cengiz until he fought off his back and held on for an 8-7 victory over David LOSONCZI (HUN).

In the first period, after Losonczi failed to score off par terre, he was pressing Cengiz at the edge when the Turk hit a front headlock throw for 4. Losonczi had inadvertently grabbed Cengiz's singlet, resulting in another 2 being tacked on for a 6-1 lead.

Cengiz's worst nightmare nearly came true in the second period. Attempting a reverse lift from par terre, Losonczi stepped over and landed chest-to-chest, getting 2 as Cengiz fought to avoid the fall, which the mat referee signaled but got no confirmation.

Ali CENGIZ (TUR)Ali CENGIZ (TUR), red, defends an attempted pin from David LOSONCZI (HUN). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Losonczi's repositioning to a reverse front headlock gave him 2 more and put Cengiz in danger again. But Cengiz somehow managed to extricate himself from the predicament, although his woes were still far from over.

He was assessed a 2-point caution for a foul, making it 7-7, although he held the criteria advantage due to the 4-pointer. That gave Losonczi one last chance in par terre, but he failed to budge Cengiz, and a late challenge that had no chance of succeeding over a suspected stepout added the final point.

For Losonczi, it will forever be a matter of what might have been. "I knew he would get tired, and he got tired and made a mistake," Losonczi said. "I had the opportunity to finish the match, but I didn't finish it, and that was it."

Still, achieving the objective of earning the Paris spot relieves some of the sting of defeat.

"My dream was to make it to the Paris Olympics," he said. "Being the world's best wrestler was not completed today, but I'm happy. I think I gave my all in this match. There is nothing left in me."

Leri ABULADZE (GEO)Leri ABULADZE (GEO) won the gold medal at 63kg after two silver-medal finishes. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 63kg, Abuladze finally made it to the top of the podium, beating Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) 2-2 on last-point criteria to add the world crown to the European title he won earlier this year.

Mammadov received the first passivity point, but Abuladze scored a reversal from par terre, only to see Mammadov gain a stepout to go up 2-1 in the first period.

Abuladze was the recipient of the second passivity point, which put him ahead on criteria. He nearly clinched the deal with a gut wrench that put Mammadov's back at about an 85-degree angle, just shy of the 90 degrees needed. Put on the bottom later, Abuladze held out for the win.

Geraei, Belenuik bag bronzes, Paris places

Two other Olympic champions in action, Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) and Zhan BELENIUK (UKR), both made it through the repechage earlier and came away with bronze medals to open the door for them to defend their Olympic crowns in Paris.

At 67kg, Geraei, taking full advantage of the challenge process as he did throughout the tournament, defeated Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) by a rare disqualification for two leg violations.

After gaining a passivity point and going on top on par terre, Geraei received a 2-point leg penalty on a challenge. That kept him on top, and he then lifted up Galstyan and unleased a 2-point throw. Again Galstyan was flagged for a leg foul, which ended the match at 2:09.

Geraei, the world champion in 2021 and silver medalist last year, posted a wild 11-10 victory over Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN) in the second round. After losing to Jafarov in the quarterfinals, he made it through the repechage earlier Sunday by rallying from four points down to defeat Krisztian VANCZA (HUN) 6-5.

Beleniuk, a two-time former world champion who was competing for just the second time since his triumph in Tokyo, reeled off three rolls in par terre in the first period against Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) and cruised to a 7-2 victory at 87kg.

"It was a very difficult competition," Beleniuk said. "Today this was my second fight, but I kept with it and I got the license for the Olympic Games and a bronze medal for my country, which is very important because now is a very tough situation in Ukraine."

The victory gave the 32-year-old Beleniuk his fifth world medal. In Paris, he will have a chance at a third Olympic medal, having also won a silver in Rio in 2016.

The other 87kg bronze went to European bronze medalist Semen NOVIKOV (BUL), who used some nifty dexterity to turn the tide against Islam ABBASOV (AZE) and come out with a 6-3 victory.

After being rolled in par terre, Novikov responded with a gymnastics-like kip-up over Abbasov to secure a reversal and went right into a 4-point throw to take a 5-3 lead. Novikov received a passivity point in the second period to account for the final score.

The Ukrainian-born Novikov, who transferred to Bulgaria this year because of his inability to displace Beleniuk, lost to Losonczi in the semifinal and Cengiz at the European U23 in 2019.

Regarding his three fellow medalists, he said, "I need three rematches."

Host Serbia came away with two bronze medals on the final night from Nemes at 67kg and Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) at 63kg, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Nemes notched a 3-3 win on last-point criteria that denied Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) a second straight world bronze.

Nemes trailed after Ismailov scored with a 2-point lift from par terre in the first period. In the second, Nemes uncorked a gut wrench from par terre to make it 3-3 before running out the clock.

Tibilov, normally a 60kg wrestler, took home a medal in his first senior world appearance when he defeated Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) 4-0. Tibilov, after receiving a passivity point in the first period, stopped a lateral drop attempt for 2 in the second period, then added the icing on the cake with a stepout.

The Serbian came into the tournament with a third-place finish at the European Championships and the Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup in Warsaw, both at 60kg.

At 63kg, Enes BASAR (TUR) scored eight points in the first period, then survived a bizarre second period in which he handed Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) five free points to take the other bronze with a 9-6 victory.

Basar, making his senior world debut a decade removed from winning a world junior (U20) silver medal, was put on the bottom of par terre in the first period, but stopped a gut wrench attempt and had Clement on his back and near to a fall.

Clement was also assessed a 2-point penalty for a leg violation, which put Basar on top, and he took advantage with two gut wrenches for an 8-1 lead.

One point from ending the match, Basar instead was twice hit with a 2-point penalty for grabbing the singlet early in the second period, with an unsuccessful challenge of the second one giving Clement a further point to cut the gap to 8-6.

But a caution on Clement gave Basar a point, and the period ended with no technical points scored and the Turk, the bronze medalist at the Grand Prix of Germany, defeating the champion of that tournament in August.

Armenia, Kazakhstan gain last Olympic spots

Galstyan returned to the mat later for the fifth-place playoff for the Olympic berth but didn't stay long as he needed less than a minute to roll to an 8-0 technical fall over Ismailov to gain the spot for Armenia.

The lanky Galstyan grabbed a quick takedown and, wrapping his long arms around Ismailov's waist, put together a series of three gut wrenches to end the match in 59 seconds.

Kazakhstan's Tursynov also earned a ticket to Paris with an 8-0 victory in the first period, helped by a number of penalty points and capped with a gut wrench in defeating Abbasov.

Tursynov opened with a stepout, then, put on top in par terre, he received in succession a 2-point leg penalty, an unsuccessful challenge point, and a fleeing point. In the third start, he uncorked the gut wrench with the final move of the tournament.

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Day 9 Results

63kg (24 entries)
GOLD: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df. Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), 2-2

BRONZE: Enes BASAR (TUR) df. Stefan CLEMENT (FRA), 9-6
BRONZE: Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) df. Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM), 4-0

67kg (41 entries)
GOLD: Luis ORTA (CUB) df. Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) 4-3

BRONZE: Mate NEMES (SRB) df. Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ), 3-3
BRONZE: Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) df. Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) by Disq., 2:09 (8-0)

5th-Place Playoff: Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) df. Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) by TF, 8-0, :59

87kg (42 entries)
GOLD: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. David LOSONCZI (HUN), 8-7

BRONZE: Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) df. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ), 7-2
BRONZE: Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) df. Islam ABBASOV (AZE), 6-3

5th-Place Playoff: Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) df. Islam ABBASOV (AZE) by TF, 8-0, 2:14