Akgul Bests Geno and Salkazanov Shocks 74kg Field in Warsaw

Tuesday, April 20, 2021 - 19:15 By Eric Olanowski

WARSAW, Poland (April 20) – In a colossal battle of titans, Taha AKGUL (TUR) avenged his ’19 world finals loss to Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and kept his hopes of winning an eighth continental title alive.

The two superstars who have won every continental gold medal since the ’12 European Championships met early Tuesday morning in the opening round at European Championships in Poland’s Hala Widowiskowo-Sportowa COS Torwar.

“My last match before surgery was against Geno, and my first match back was against Geno,” said the Rio Olympic champion who returned from a 15-month layoff after undergoing shoulder surgery last January. He continued, saying, “It’s been well over a year since I wrestled, but I felt good. I think it’s a good point to move forward to the Olympics and I’ll continue to train and hopefully get better before Tokyo.”

Akgul put on a near-flawless performance and controlled the match from whistle to whistle. He scored a trio of takedowns against the reigning three-time world champ – two of which came from go behinds off Petriashvili’s shot attempts – and won the match 6-1.

“For me, I don’t care too much about when Geno and I wrestle. I knew we were going to wrestle at some point during the competition, so It didn’t change much whether it was in the qualification round, semifinals or finals.”

Akgul continued to roll throughout the day and picked up wins against Kamil Tomasz KOSCIOLEK (POL) and Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR) en route to the 125kg finals where he’ll wrestle Russia’s Sergei KOZYREV (RUS).

Meanwhile, underdog Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) scored three shocking wins on Tuesday and punched his ticket to the 74kg finals. The former Russian-turned-Slovakian picked up wins over a two-time world champion, U23 world champion and world silver medalist.

After running through Switzerland’s Marc DIETSCHE, Salkazanov threw two-time world champion Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) to his back with less than 10 seconds left and won, 6-2. That set up a quarterfinals match against ’18 world silver medalist Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO).

Salkazanov trailed Kentchadze, 5-0, but scored six unanswered points in the second period and upset the Georgian Tokyo Olympian, 6-5. Then, in the semifinals, he erased a five-point deficit for a second consecutive match and moved into the finals with a surprising 6-5 win over tournament-favorite and Individual World Cup champion Razambek ZHAMALOV (RUS).

Salkazanov will square off with Miroslav Stefanov KIROV (BUL) on Wednesday night for 74kg gold.

On the finals side of the day, Zagir SHAKHIEV (61kg), Israil KASUMOV (70kg) and Alikhan ZHABRAILOV (97kg) finished atop the podium for the Russian Federation, while Nachyn MONGUSH (57kg) finished in second place.

Shakhiev slashed the title hopes of Poland’s battle-tested 30-year-old veteran Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI. After the heavy-footed Russian surrendered a takedown from a snatch single, he scored 13 unanswered points from two takedowns and four leg laces to win the 61kg title, 13-2.

The second Russian to hoist his nation’s flag was Israil Kasumov. The reigning Russian National champion had a slender 1-0 disadvantage after the first period but struck early in the second period with a stepout and a takedown. Despite leading by two points, Kasumov was never threatened offensively by Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE). Last year’s 12th-place European finisher played defense for the final two minutes and walked away with the 3-1 win.

Alikhan ZHABRAILOV (RUS) grabbed Russia’s third gold of the night. He stopped Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR) from winning back-to-back European titles with a 6-4 victory.

In the opening period, Zhabrailov got to a low-level attack and chased down the ankles of Karadeniz. The pair went out of bounds and the Russian thought he had a takedown near the edge, but the refs had differing opinions. Zharailov’s corner threw the brick but lost the challenge and headed into the second period with the 2-1 advantage.

In the closing frame, Zhabrailov fired off an attack and transitioned to a gut wrench. He extended his lead to 6-2 before conceding a takedown but hung on to win 97kg gold, 6-4.

The other two golds on the night went to Suleyman ATLI (TUR) and Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK).

At 57kg, Atli wrestled until exhaustion and claimed his second European title in the last three years with a 6-5 win over Russia’s Nachyn Mongush.

“This gold medal shows me that I'm on the right track,” said Atli. “For me, it's one of the main stages before the Olympics. Now, I have a gold medal to win, and I'll be training more to win it.”

This is an improvement from his silver medal from a year ago, but the goal for Atli is to remain on top. “It is not important to become a champion, but to remain the champion.” He’ll have the opportunity to stay on top as he’s set to compete in three upcoming competitions before Tokyo. “I want to wrestle in as many tournaments as possible before the Olympic Games. I’d like to take part in the Polish Ranking Series event, the Ivan Yariguin and Yasar Dogu.”

Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) defeated Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA), 2-1, in the 79kg finals and became Slovakia's second-ever freestyle European champion. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

The final gold of the night went to Slovakia's Akhsarbek Gulaev. He planted Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA) on his back and had the French wrestler dead to rights but the clock expired and the Slovakian led, 2-1, heading into the final period. After a scoreless second period, Gulaev hung on to improve on his ninth-place finish from a year ago and became Slovakia's second-ever freestyle European champion.

Wrestling resumes tomorrow at 11:30 (local time) with women’s wrestling action. The freestyle medal matches are set to begin at 18:00.

Semifinal Results

61kg
GOLD - Andrii DZHELEP (UKR) vs. Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RUS)
SEMIFINAL - Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. Eduard GRIGOREV (POL), 4-2
SEMIFINAL - Andrii DZHELEP (UKR) df. Beka LOMTADZE (GEO), 5-3

74kg
GOLD - Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) vs. Miroslav Stefanov KIROV (BUL)
SEMIFINAL - Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. Razambek ZHAMALOV (RUS, 6-5
SEMIFINAL - Miroslav Stefanov KIROV (BUL) df. Valentin BORZIN (MDA), 5-0

86kg
GOLD - Artur NAIFONOV (RUS) vs. Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO)
SEMIFINAL - Artur NAIFONOV (RUS) df. Boris MAKOEV (SVK), 9-0
SEMIFINAL - Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO) df. Ali SHABANAU (BLR), 3-2

92kg
GOLD - Magomed KURBANOV (RUS) vs. Samuel SCHERRER (SUI)
SEMIFINAL - Magomed KURBANOV (RUS) df. Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), 6-2
SEMIFINAL - Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) df. Hajy RAJABAU (BLR), 5-4

125kg
GOLD - Taha AKGUL (TUR) vs. Sergei KOZYREV (RUS)
SEMIFINAL - Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR), 4-0
SEMIFINAL - Sergei KOZYREV (RUS) df . Daniel LIGETI (HUN), 10-0

Final Results
57kg
GOLD - Suleyman ATLI (TUR) vdf Nachyn MONGUSH (RUS), 6-5
BRONZE - Afgan KHASHALOV (AZE) df. Aryan TSIUTRYN (BLR), 2-2
BRONZE - Kamil KERYMOV (UKR) df. Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL), 9-4

65kg
GOLD - Zagir SHAKHIEV (RUS) df. Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL), 13-2
BRONZE – Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) df. Andrei BEKRENEU (BLR), 5 - 2
BRONZE - Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE) df. Andrii SVYRYD (UKR), 3-2

70kg
GOLD - Israil KASUMOV (RUS) df. Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE), 3-1
BRONZE - Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) df. Mihail SAVA (MDA), 4-3
BRONZE - Ihor NYKYFORUK (UKR) df. Nicolae COJOCARU (GBR), via inj. def.

79kg
GOLD - Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) vs. Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA), 2-1
BRONZE - Alans AMIROVS (LAT) vs. Rashad YUSIFLI (AZE), 4-3
BRONZE - Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO) df. Arman AVAGYAN (ARM), 10-0

97kg
GOLD - Alikhan ZHABRAILOV (RUS) df. Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR), 6-4
BRONZE - Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) df. Shamil ZUBAIROV (AZE), via fall
BRONZE - Radoslaw BARAN (POL) df. Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR), 8-1

#WrestleTirana

U23 Worlds: AIN capture four golds; USA wins team title

Wednesday, October 25, 2023 - 20:44 By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (October 25) -- Most of them were wrestling internationally after years but the Individual Neutral Athletes at the U23 World Championships in Tirana showed no signs of rust, winning four of the five gold medals on Wednesday.

Nachyn MONGUSH (AIN), Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN), Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) and Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN) won a gold medal each and took the tally to five AIN champions as Bashir MAGOMEDOV (AIN) won gold on Tuesday.

The fifth gold medal on Wednesday went to Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) as the United States clinched the Freestyle team title with 148 points. Turkiye finished second with 113 points and Azerbaijan finished third with 87 points.

Trumble was the fourth gold medalist for the U.S. at the U23 World Championships; the first time the country has won multiple gold medals at the tournament. The team title is also the first time the U.S. has managed to win at the U23 Worlds.

Since Individual Neutral Athletes are not part of any team, their points will not be considered for any team and are not part of the team title race.

Mongush, a 2021 European silver medalist, was returning to international competition after two years and looked in stunning form, winning the 57kg gold medal over multiple-time age-group European medalist Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM), 11-0.

The final was over at the break when Mongush scored using exposure for an 11-0 win. The referee called it a fall but Armenia challenged for no exposure as the clock expired. On review, it was confirmed that the final move was scored before the three-minute mark, giving Mongush an 11-0 win.

Mongush was relieved to have won the gold but said that it felt like he was wrestling internationally for the first time.

"The last time I competed internationally was back in 2021, I forgot about the feeling during these two years," Mongush said. "I competed here as if it's my first time wrestling internationally. It's a great pleasure to win."

While he was comfortable in the final, Mongush expressed that the semifinal aganist Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) was the toughest bout. Mongush won the semifinal 6-6 on criteria.

"I wouldn't say I'd shown a perfect performance, there were some mistakes," he said. "Maybe that's why from the side it seemed that it was a bit tough for me. The toughest match here was against Bekzat. However, to qualify for this tournament, we've defeated really strong opponents [back home], so the wrestlers here shouldn't be a problem."

If Individual Neutral Athletes are allowed at the European Olympic Qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan next year, Mongush will have a chance to earn a spot as well if he participates.

"The Olympic Games is the biggest goal I'm working for. Surely, I must be ready to challenge anyone and win," he said referring to Tokyo Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN).

Ibragimov did not clinch a technical superiority win but he left little to luck in his 7-0 win over Azerbaijan's high-flying talent Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE).

The final was a showcase of Ibragimov's counter-attacking even as Bayramov tried his best to find an opening. Bayramov was put on the 30-second must-score activity clock and he got Ibragimov's leg but he slid out of the hold. Once up 1-0, Ibragimov got on his attacks and scored a stepout. Just at the stroke of the break, Bayramov tried a headpinch but failed to expose Ibragimov, giving up two as he landed on his own back. Azerbaijan challenged saying that the time expired before the move but Bayramov's back touched the mat in time.

Ibragimov scored a stepout in the second period and got another point for Bayramov's second passivity to win 7-0, winning gold in his first-ever international tournament.

"I could feel the pressure a bit, it's the U23 Worlds," Ibragimov said. "I was preparing as if it's a usual tournament for me. If I won here today, means I've done a good job, though I could have done even better. It's my first big international event, that's why I tried to be careful."

Magomaev denied another Azerbaijan wrestler the gold medal as he defeated Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE), 9-4, to win the gold medal at 79kg.

The first point was scored in the first 10 seconds of the bout as Ashirov tried defending a double-leg but gave up a stepout. But he could not defend the second and gave up a takedown. As Magomaev tried to turn him, his grip was broken and Ashirov scored two points. Magomaev hit another double and then turned Ashirov to build a 7-2 lead at the break.

In perhaps the highlight of the tournament so far, Magomaev defended a certain four-pointer from Ashirov when the Azerbaijan wrestler lifted with a duckunder and spun him over his head. But Magomaev landed on his feet and then locked Ashirov's leg to score two points of his own. Ashirov got a consolation takedown before Magomaev finished the final 9-4.

The fourth gold won as Individual Neutral Athlete was Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) who defeated Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), 9-3, in the 70kg final.

Sheriev made the first big move of the final, launching a beautiful duckunder, and scored two points. Aoyagi tried scoring exposure but gave up two points as well. As the two wrestlers broke for the break, Sheriev led 5-0.

A scramble in the final minute saw Sheriev score a takedown and then get a cradle exposure to lead 9-0. Aoyagi scored a reversal and then a takedown in the final 10 seconds to bring the score to 9-3 but failed to stop Sheriev from clinching the gold.

Trumble denies Lefter, Moldova

Radu LEFTER (MDA) was in the U23 World Championships final for the second time in his career and a gold medal would have made him the first Moldovan to win the Freestyle title.

Unfortunately, Wednesday was not that day as Trumble denied Lefter and Moldova a historic gold medal. The American won the 97kg gold medal 12-2.

Trumble got the first takedown when he stopped Lefter from a headlock throw. He then tried to arm-bar Lefter for a fall but could manage only two points to lead 4-0. Lefter remained inactive for most of the bout and Trumble scored a stepout which the referee called fleeing, giving Trumble a 6-0 lead. He added a go-behind to lead 8-0 at the break.

Lefter did score a takedown in the second period but Trumble never looked in trouble, finishing the bout 12-2 with 43 seconds left on the clock.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Nachyn MONGUSH (AIN) df. Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM), 11-0

BRONZE: Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL) df. Niklas STECHELE (GER), 7-5
BRONZE: Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) df. Yerassyl MUKHTARULY (KAZ), 6-3

65kg
GOLD: Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN) df. Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE), 7-0

BRONZE: Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) df. Mohit KUMAR (UWW), 11-6
BRONZE: Brock HARDY (USA) df. Goga OTINASHVILI (GEO), 8-5

70kg
GOLD: Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) df. Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), 9-3

BRONZE: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. Douglas ZAPF (USA), 9-2
BRONZE: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) df. Burak SININ (TUR), via injury (5-0)

79kg
GOLD: Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN) df. Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE), 9-4

BRONZE: Sagar JAGLAN (UWW) df. Shamsat TAIR (KAZ), 12-7
BRONZE: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Dzmitry DZENISENIA (AIN), 10-0

97kg
GOLD: Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) df. Radu LEFTER (MDA), 12-2

BRONZE: Oktay CIFTCI (TUR) df. Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Sergei KOZYREV (AIN) df. SAHIL (UWW), 10-0

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Umi ITO (JPN) vs. Audrey JIMENEZ (USA)

SF 1: Audrey JIMENEZ (USA) df. Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE), 7-4
SF 2: Umi ITO (JPN) df. Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA), 10-0

55kg
GOLD: Neha SHARMA (UWW) vs. Umi IMAI (JPN)

SF 1: Umi IMAI (JPN) df. Mariia VYNNYK (UKR), 13-2
SF 2: Neha SHARMA (UWW) df. Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN), 2-1

59kg
GOLD: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) vs. Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN)

SF 1: Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) df. Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (AIN), 5-2
SF 2: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Michaela RANKIN (CAN), 10-0

68kg
GOLD: Nesrin BAS (TUR) vs. Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN)

SF 1: Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN) df. Vanessa KEEFE (CAN), 10-0
SF 2: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Vusala PARFIANOVICH (AIN), 3-1

76kg
GOLD: Kennedy BLADES (USA) vs. REETIKA (UWW)

SF 1: REETIKA (UWW) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 5-0
SF 2: Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU), 10-0

Akgul Bests Geno and Salkazanov Shocks 74kg Field in Warsaw

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U23 Worlds: AIN capture four golds; USA wins team title