Klippan Ladies

Adar and Gray Set to Clash in Klippan Finals

By Eric Olanowski

Wrestlers from ten different nations will be represented in tomorrow’s Klippan Lady Open finals. Japan leads the way with six finalists, followed by Ukraine with three. The trio of Turkey, Russia, and the United States each have a pair of finalists.

Without question, 76kg is the toughest weight class of the tournament, hosting three previous world champions and two Olympic medalists. 

In round-one, Yasemin ADAR (TUR), returning world champion faced off against 2016 Olympic champion, Eric WIEBE (CAN). Adar used the entire six minutes, picking up the go-ahead takedown with seconds left to win the match, 6-5.

She’ll wrestle three-time world champion, Adeline GRAY (USA) in the finals tomorrow afternoon. When asked about competing against Adar in tomorrow’s finals, Gray said “I’m excited to have another shot at her…I’m looking forward to getting back on top. She’s looking strong, but I’m excited to wrestle her again.”   

At 50kg, Yui SUSAKI (JPN) will try to capture back-to-back Klippan titles, but she’ll have to slow down Mariya STADNIK (AZE), the two-time world and Olympic silver medalist who was the most dominant wrestler during the first day of action. 

Through Stadnik’s first three matches, she’s outscored her opponents 32-0, including a 12-0 win over Alina Emilia VUC (ROM), the 2017 world silver medalist. 

The 53kg finals will host a duo of Japanese women in Nanami IRIE (JPN), junior world champion and 2017 Asian cadet champion, Umi IMAI (JPN). On their way to the finals, these two have outscored their opponents 37-5. 

Bediha GUN (TUR) stopped an all-Russian final at 55kg when she defeated Nina MENKENOVA (RUS), the U23 world bronze medalist in the semifinals, 3-3. Gun will wrestle Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS), the 2018 Yarygin runner-up for the gold medal. 

Wrestling for the title at 57kg will be 2017 junior world champion Sae NANJO (JPN) and 2016 world silver medalist and 2017 European champion, Tetyana KIT (UKR). These two have only surrendered a total of three points on their way to the finals. 

When Grace BULLEN (NOR), the 2017 European champion was asked about what she’s looking for in the 59kg finals, she said: “I have a silver and bronze, now I want a gold medal.” For Bullen to capture the gold medal, she’ll have to defeat Asian Indoor Games bronze medalist, Akie HANAI (JPN).

Yulia TKACH’s (UKR) quest to win her first Klippan Lady Open title since 2015 will have to go through Dave Schultz Memorial champion, Kayla MIRACLE (USA). Miracle’s final appearance at 62kg improves on her 2014 fifth place performance. 

Wrestling in the 65kg finals will be Petra OLLI (FIN), 2015 world silver medalist and last year’s Klippan Lady Open fifth-place finisher, Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN). 

Olympians Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR) and Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) will compete for the 68kg crown. The 68kg finalists outscored their opponents 34-5 on their way to the gold medal bout.

Sweden’s lone finalist, Jenny FRANSSON (SWE), the Olympic bronze medalist will wrestle Russian runner-up, Tatiana KOLESNIKOVA MOROZOVA (RUS) in the finals at 72kg. 

RESULTS: http://uww.io/sozMD

50kg 
GOLD -  Mariya STADNIK (AZE) vs. Yui SUSAKI (JPN)

BRONZE - Winner 133 vs. Patricia alejandra BERMUDEZ (ARG)
BRONZE - Winner 129 vs. Amy ann FEARNSIDE (USA) 

53kg 
GOLD - Nanami IRIE (JPN) vs. Umi IMAI (JPN) 

BRONZE - Winner 117 vs. Natalia MALYSHEVA (RUS)
BRONZE -  Aysun ERGE (TUR) vs. Sarah ann HILDEBRANDT (USA) 

55kg 
GOLD -  Bediha GUN (TUR) vs. Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS) 

BRONZE -  Jacarra gwenisha WINCHESTER (USA) vs. Nina MENKENOVA (RUS) 
BRONZE - Winner 143 vs. Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) 

57kg 
GOLD - Sae NANJO (JPN) vs. Tetyana KIT (UKR) 

BRONZE - Winner 131 vs. Laura MERTENS (GER) 
BRONZE - Irina OLOGONOVA (RUS) vs. Simona PRICOB (ROU)

59kg 
GOLD - Grace jacob BULLEN (NOR) vs. Akie HANAI (JPN) 

BRONZE - Winner 144 vs. Elif jale YESILIRMAK (TUR)
BRONZE -  Lauren nora LOUIVE (USA) vs. Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (ROU) 

62kg 
GOLD - Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) vs. Kayla colleen kiyoko MIRACLE (USA)

BRONZE - Winner 132 vs. Olivia louise HENNINGSSON (SWE) 
BRONZE - Winner 119 vs. Luisa helga gerda NIEMESCH (GER) 

65kg 
GOLD -  Petra maarit OLLI (FIN) vs. Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) 

BRONZE - Winner 120 vs. Henna katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) 
BRONZE - Winner 145 vs. Yulia PRONTSEVITCH (RUS)

68kg 
GOLD - Danielle suzanne LAPPAGE (CAN) vs. Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR)

BRONZE - Winner 146 vs. Olivia grace DI BACCO (CAN)
BRONZE -  Tamyra mariama MENSAH (USA) vs. Laura SKUJINA (LAT)

72kg 
GOLD - Anna jenny eva maria FRANSSON (SWE) vs. Tatiana KOLESNIKOVA MOROZOVA (RUS

BRONZE -  Alexandra nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU) vs. Victoria christine FRANCIS (USA)
BRONZE - Winner 121 vs. Burcu UGDULER ORSKAYA (TUR)

76kg 
GOLD - Yasemin ADAR (TUR) vs. Adeline maria GRAY (USA)

BRONZE - Winner 147 vs. Epp MAE (EST) 
BRONZE - Winner 135 vs. Francy RAEDELT (GER) 

START OF KLIPPAN OPEN LIVE NOTEBOOK
12:10 PM - The first whistle for the senior-level competition is a little over an hour away. 
12:15 PM: Three matches to pay attention to in round-one 
Star-Studded Round-One Match-Ups 
50kg - Two-time world silver medalist M. STADNIK (AZE) df. 2017 world silver medalist E. VUC (ROU), 10-0. 

57kg - 2017 junior world champion S. NANJO df. 2016 world silver medalist I. OLOGONOVA (RUS), 6-0. 

76kg - World champion Y. ADAR (TUR) df. 2016 Olympic Champion Erica WIEBE (CAN), 6-5

1:16 PM - 2017 world champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) is up now on Mat A. 
1:18 PM - Susaki picks up the 10-0 technical superiority victory early in the first period. 

1:30 PM - U23 world runner-up Braxton STONE (CAN) is up 8-1 over B. GRAHAM (CAN) on Mat A. Stone picks up a four-point throw to take the 12-1 win. 

1:34 PM Two-time Yarygin champion Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA) is making her way to Mat A. Mensah-Stock takes the 4-0 lead after a right side swing single to a leg lace. Mensah-Stock finished with another takedown, giving her the 6-3 victory. 

1:45 PM - Adar and Wiebe are up in two matches over on Mat C. 

1:49 PM - T. SJOEBERG (SWE) picks up the first FIVE of the day over on Mat B. 

1:56 PM - Adar and Wiebe are up now on Mat C.
Wiebe is pushing the pace of the match midway through the first period. Adar hit with passivity and is placed on the shot clock. Wiebe takes the 1-1 lead into the second period as Adar failed to score while she was on the shot clock. Adar goes for an arm spin and Wiebe counters, extending her lead to 3-1, but the call is under review. The call is reversed and the score remains 1-1 in favor of Wiebe. Adar picks up a takedown with one minute remaining to take the 3-1 lead. Wiebe scores four off a snatch single to a leg lace and takes the 5-3 lead with 12-seconds remaining. Adar steals the match with a last-second effort to take the 6-5 win! 

2:47 PM - The last time S. NANJO (JPN) lost at an international competition was back in 2015! I. OLOGONOVA (RUS) will look to knock off the junior world champ in two matches on Mat A. 

2:50 PM - World finalist Yulia TKACH (UKR) picks up a quick fall after being up 8-0 over on Mat C. 

3:00 PM - E. VUC (ROM) and M. STADNIK (AZE) are making their way to Mat A. Stadnik is back! She uses two takedowns, and three gut wrenches to defeat Vuc, 10-0.

3:07 PM - Susaki is wrestling on Mat A! She is taking on A. VETOSHKINA (RUS). 

3:18 PM - Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) leads U23 world runner-up Braxton STONE (CAN), 8-1 heading into the second period. 

3:36 PM - Adeline GRAY (USA), the three-time world champion is coming up next on Mat A. 

3:43 PM - The crowd erupts as Henna JOHANSSON (SWE) scores late in the second period to beat Mallory VELTE (USA), 1-1.

3:53 PM - Three-time world champion Adeline GRAY (USA)  is wrestling on Mat A and 2017 world champion Y. Adar is wrestling on Mat B. 

3:59 PM - Y. ADAR (TUR) picks up the fall and moves into the semifinals. She'll take on the winner of Francy RAEDELT (GER) v. Catalina AXENTE (ROU). 

3:59 PM - Gray also picks up the fall and moves into the 76kg semifinals. 

4:14 PM - Nanjo strikes first and heads into the second period with a 2-0 lead.She would pick up two additional takedowns, winning the match 6-0. 

4:40 PM - The #Klippan2018 semifinals will start at 5:30 PM (local time). 

4: 42 PM - Jenny FRANSSON (SWE), Olympic bronze medalist has made her way to Mat A!  Fransson uses three takedowns to defeat Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU), 6-0.

5:03 PM - 50kg 1/4 finalists - Jessica MACDONALD (CAN) and Mariya STADNIK (AZE) are making their way to Mat B. 
Stadnik takes the 9-0 lead into the second period. Stadnik picks up another takedown, giving her the 11-0 technical superiority victory. 

5:12 PM - Coming up on Mat B, Victoria ANTHONY (USA) and Yui SUSAKI (JPN) in a 50kg quarterfinal bout.  
No action from Susaki and she's put on the shot clock and immediately get to a right side high crotch to take the 2-0 lead. She heads into the second period 4-0. Susaki picked up three additional points in the second period, giving her the 7-0 victory. 

5:20 PM - That does it for the quarterfinals! We'll take a quick 10-minute break and be back for the semifinals! 

SEMIFINALS

50kg - Stadnik continues her dominance, picking up a technical superiority victory in the first period to seal her spot in tomorrows finals. 

50kg - Susaki erased an early 2-0 deficit by scoring 12 unanswered points to make the 50kg finals. 

53kg - Nanami IRIE (JPN) extends her lead over Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) to 6-0 after a takedown and two leg laces. 

57kg - Junior world champion S. Nanjo will wrestle S. PRICOB (ROU) for a spot in tomorrows finals. 

59kg SEMIFINAL - Grace BULLEN (NOR) leads Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (ROU), 6-0 on Mat C. 

59kg SEMIFINAL - Akie HANAI (JPN) df. Elif jale YESILIRMAK (TUR), 3-0. 

#WrestleSamokov

U.S. puts 2 in U20 Worlds finals; Kurugliyev closer to title

By Vinay Siwach

SAMOKOV, Bulgaria (August 18) -- Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ) earned himself a chance to win his first U20 world title after he made it to 92kg final Monday in Samokov, Bulgaria.

Kurugliyev, a former world U17 champion, has made the trip to World U20 Championships twice before this year but finished fifth in 2023 and won bronze in 2024, both at 97kg. He moved down to 92kg for this year's tournament and already upgraded his medal.

In a tough semifinal against returning bronze medalist Anar JAFARLI (AZE), Kurugliyev won a close bout 9-6, thanks to an early four-pointer move which gave him a huge advantage. Jafarli got a couple of takedowns but never seemed to trouble the Kazakhstan wrestler.

Kurugliyev will now face Sherzod POYONOV (UZB) in the final after the Uzbekistan wrestler pinned Gadzhimurad GADZHIBATYROV (UWW) in the other semifinal at 92kg.

Poyonov, the Asian U20 champion, blocked Gadzhibatyrov in one of the attacks and then kept him on the mat, pinning his shoulders for the win. Poyonov will look to become the first Uzbekistan wrestler to win gold since 2022.

The U.S. got two finalists on Monday at 65kg and 79kg. At 65kg, Luke STANICH (USA) defeated European U20 and U23 champion Amal DZHANDUBAEV (UWW) with some of the best wrestling in Samokov. Stanich kept his positions and defense and ultimately managed to score a takedown in the second period to beat Dzhandubaev 3-1 in the semifinals.

He will face Reiji UCHIDA (JPN) for the gold medal after the Japanese wrestler blanked Viktor BOROHAN (UKR), 10-0, using a series of stepouts and lace. Uchida is a product of the Yamanashi Gaikun University, the same university that produced world champion Masanosuke ONO (JPN) and Asian champion Takara SUDA (JPN).

Pan-American U20 champion William HENCKEL (USA) defeated Asian U20 champion AMIT (IND), 5-4, using a takedown and gut-wrench in the first period. He scored a stepout when put on activity period and then added a takedown and turn. Amit blocked the second turn attempt for two points but Henckel led 5-2 at the break.

Amit managed a stepout and point for passivity from Henckel but that was all for him as the U.S. wrestler moved into the final in which he will face returning bronze medalist and senior Asian champion Mahdi YOUSEFI (IRI).

At one point in the semifinal, Yousefi was down against European U20 bronze medalist Said SAIDULOV (UWW). But he managed to score takedowns at regular intervals to defeat Saidulov 15-7.

At 57kg, Sumit MALIK (IND) dominated his semifinal against Ion BULGARU (MDA) and won 11-3 and booked place in the final against Magomed OZDAMIROV (UWW) who held on to a nervous 3-1 win over Nurdanat AITANOV (KAZ) in the other semifinal.

Malik got on board first when he scored a stepout during his activity clock. He added a stepout and takedown to make it 4-0 at the break. He kept his attacks and got another takedown and stepout in the second period to build a 7-0 lead.

Bulgaru finally hit back with a takedown on the edge to cut the lead to 7-2 but Malik kept relentless forward pressure, scoring a stepout and takedown to lead 10-2. Both wrestlers were cautioned for open hands on faces but that did not affect Malik, who won 11-3 win.

Ozdamirov, who showed some crafty wrestling throughout the day, denied Nurdanat AITANOV (KAZ), 3-1, thanks to a takedown in the second period.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Magomed OZDAMIROV (UWW) vs. Sumit MALIK (IND)

SF 1: Magomed OZDAMIROV (UWW) df. Nurdanat AITANOV (KAZ), 3-1
SF 2: Sumit MALIK (IND) df. Ion BULGARU (MDA), 11-3

65kg
GOLD: Luke STANICH (USA) vs. Reiji UCHIDA (JPN)

SF 1: Luke STANICH (USA) df. Amal DZHANDUBAEV (UWW), 3-1
SF 2: Reiji UCHIDA (JPN) df. Viktor BOROHAN (UKR), 10-0

79kg
GOLD: Mahdi YOUSEFI (IRI) vs. William HENCKEL (USA)

SF 1: Mahdi YOUSEFI (IRI) df. Said SAIDULOV (UWW), 15-7
SF 2: William HENCKEL (USA) df. AMIT (IND), 5-4

92kg
GOLD: Sherzod POYONOV (UZB) vs. Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ)

SF 1: Sherzod POYONOV (UZB) df. Gadzhimurad GADZHIBATYROV (UWW), via fall
SF 2: Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ) df. Anar JAFARLI (AZE), 9-6