#WrestleRome

Azerbaijan opens Matteo Pellicone with four golds

By Eric Olanowski

ROME, Italy (June 22) -- Despite the absence of superstars Rafiq HUSEYNOV (AZE) and Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) in the Matteo Pellicone lineup, Azerbaijan's young core of rising stars showed how poised they are to carry the baton when it's ready to be handed over.

Azerbaijan built a commanding 59-point lead over Hungary in the team title race after the opening day of the third Ranking Series event of the season. Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) and Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) moved into at least the top four of the world rankings, while Islam ABBASOV (AZE) leaped into the top ten by winning gold medals on Wednesday night.

Hungary sits in second place with 69 points, but more importantly, they may have locked in their World Championships roster after the in-country battle at 87kg and 97kg.

In the all-Azeri battle at 60kg, Murad Mammadov used his size to overpower the smaller Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), who was up from his world and European title-winning weight of 55kg.

Mammadov was creative with his lifts from the par terre position, picking up a four-pointer after earning a mid-period inactivity point. The 2021 world bronze medalist carried that momentum into the second period and exposed Azizli for two points before throwing the former world champ for the 9-1 win.

Mammadov will represent Azerbaijan at the World Championships at 60kg. He came into the Matteo Pellicone ranked fifth in the world, but after collecting 8000 first-place Ranking Series points, he leaped Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and is now ranked fourth in the world with 48,500 points.

Azizli will now move back to his normal weight of 55kg in preparation for Belgrade.

In the 63kg finals, Taleh Mammadov handed Azerbaijan their second gold medal of the night. The European runner-up upset reigning 60kg world champion Victor CIOBANU (MDA) in a chippy final that featured multiple stoppages due to repeated head butts from both parties.

But in the end, Mammadov picked up the 4-2 win and earned 8000 Ranking Series points. That pushed him ahead of Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) for the No. 2 ranking with 49,200 points. He's now only 800 points shy of stealing the top seed at the World Championships from Georgia's Leri ABULADZE, who has 50,000 points.

The future of Azeri Greco-Roman wrestling, Jafarov cruised to his first Ranking Series gold medal with a blistering 9-0 win over Furkan YILDIZ (TUR). He closed out his Ranking Series debut by outscoring his four opponents, 34-3.

In the final, Jafarov, last year's U20 and U23 world champion, scored four points in the first period after stopping a Yildiz headlock and then transitioned into a correct throw. The up-and-comer only needed 32 seconds in the second period to toss Yildiz to his back for the easy 9-0 win.

Jafarov came into the Matteo Pellicone with 36,500 points and was ranked sixth in the world at 67kg. However, he earned 8,000 points for his gold medal and jumped Nazir ABDULLAEV (RWF), Murat FIRAT (TUR) and Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) to be ranked No. 3 in the world with 44,500 points.

Islam Abbasov was the fourth Azeri wrestler who claimed gold on the first day of wrestling.

In the anticlimactic 87kg gold medal match, Abbasov traded inactivity points with Erik SZILVASSY (HUN), but his second-period inactivity was the difference in the finals.

Abbasov had 22,900 points before the competition, but after collecting 11,000 points on Wednesday, he now has 33,900. That's good enough to push him up to No. 9 in the world rankings.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR) celebrates winning his third career Ranking Series title. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Kayaalp's golden return

With his daughter and wife on hand in Italy, Riza KAYAALP (TUR) returned to the mat after dealing with personal matters and improved on his bronze-medal Ranking Series finish from earlier this year. The Turkish big man picked up a four-point shutout win over Rio Olympic bronze medalist Sabah SHARIATI (AZE).

Kayaalp grabbed up a stepout point after being handed an inactivity point with 40 seconds left in the first period. Then, the four-time world champ tacked on two additional points with a reverse lift and carried the 4-0 lead into the second period.

After a scoreless second frame, Kayaalp hung on to the four-point win and claimed the third Ranking Series title of his career.

Now, the question that begs to be answered: what will Turkey do at 130kg for the Belgrade World Championships? Their first option, most would think, would be Kayaalp. But Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) is undefeated in the season, with a pair of 2022 Ranking Series titles to his name. Not to mention, Yildirim won gold at the Yasar Dogu, where Kayaalp fell in the semifinals and fought back to win a bronze medal.

David LOSONCZI (HUN) celebrates claiming the 97kg Matteo Pellicone gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Hungary's world spots nearly determined

Coming into the Matteo Pellicone, Hungary entered multiple guys into 87kg and 97kg, hoping it would help the Federation determine their world team roster.

David LOSONCZI (HUN) may have locked himself into the Hungarian lineup at 97kg after winning gold in Rome.

In a reasonably slow 97kg finals match, Losonczi hung on to beat Italy's own Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), 2-1. The determining factor in the gold-medal match was Losonczi's push-out in the first period after trading inactivity points with Kakhelashvili.

Losonczi came to Italy fighting with Alex SZOKE (HUN) for the start spot. 

Szoke lost to Kakhelashvili in the semifinals, and with Losonczi's win against the Italian, he's almost a shoo-in for the World Championships at 97kg.

Another weight Hungary was looking for clarification on was 87kg, where Szilvassy, Istvan TAKACS (HUN) and Tamas LEVAI (HUN) were in a tight race.

Szilvassy proved to be Hungary's top option after finishing in second place and beating Levai en route to the finals. 

Takacs and Levai fought back and won bronze medals despite falling in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

Hosseinvand wins 55kg

In the three-man 55kg Nordic-style bracket, Mohammad HOSSEINVAND (IRI) picked up the gold medal with his 11-7 come-from-behind win over Florin TITA (ROU). 

Panahisani showed his never-say-die Iranian attitude against the Romanian in their opening-round match. He was in jeopardy of giving up the technical superiority after falling behind 7-0 in the first period. But in the second period, the Iranian stormed back to score 11 unanswered points and win his first Ranking Series title.

RESULTS
50kg

GOLD - Mohammad HOSSEINVAND (IRI) 
SILVER -  Florin TITA (ROU) 
BRONZE - Max NOWRY (USA) 

60kg
GOLD - Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), 9-1
BRONZE - Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Helary MAEGISALU (EST),10-0

63kg
GOLD - Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Victor CIOBANU (MDA), 4-2
BRONZE -  Razvan ARNAUT (ROU) df. Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU), via inj. def.

67kg
GOLD - Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) df. Furkan YILDIZ (TUR), 9-0
BRONZE - Mohammad REZAEI (IRI) df. Niklas OEHLEN (SWE), 7-2
BRONZE - Tigran GALUSTYAN (FRA) df. Mihai MIHUT (ROU), 3-1

87kg
GOLD - Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df. Erik SZILVASSY (HUN), 1-1
BRONZE - Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df. Alex KESSIDIS (SWE), via inj. def.
BRONZE - Tamas LEVAI (HUN) df. Kristoffer BERG (SWE), 9-1

97kg
GOLD - David LOSONCZI (HUN) df. Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), 2-1
BRONZE - Alex SZOKE (HUN) df. Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI), 7-4
BRONZE - Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) df. Aleksandar STJEPANETIC (SWE), 8-0

130kg
GOLD - Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Sabah SHARIATI (AZE), 4-0
​​​​​​​BRONZE - Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) df. Oskar MARVIK (NOR), 6-3
BRONZE - Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) df. Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA), 4-2

#WrestleRome

Four World Champions to be Featured in Friday's WW Finals

By Eric Olanowski

ROME, Italy (February 13) --- Friday night’s European finals will feature a loaded cast of four world champions who are looking to add a continental gold medal to their resumes. Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR), Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR), Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS) and Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) scored decisive semifinal wins and will compete in Friday night’s European finals.

Trazhukova, the reigning 65kg world champion, will square off with 2014 world champion Tkach Ostapchuk in the 62kg finals.

In her first appearance down at 62kg, Trazhukova toppled Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) in a semifinal battle between fellow world champions. She scored six unanswered points in the second period and stole Yusein’s shot at reaching the European finals for a fourth consecutive year.

Trazhukova will wrestle Tkach Ostapchuk in a second straight match against a former world champion.

Tkach Ostapchuk ousted Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE), 4-0, and inserted herself into the European finals for the sixth time. The reigning European Games champion owns a 3-2 European finals record heading into the Friday night gold-medal match.

Tkach Ostapchuk European Finals 
2011 – European Championship: Gold 
2012 – European Championship: Gold 
2015 – European Games: Silver 
2016 – European Championship: Silver
2019 – European Championship: Gold 

Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) beat a pair of reigning European champions on her way to the 53kg finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Vanesa Kaladzinskaya beat two reigning European champions and a European bronze medalist on her road to the finals. She’ll square off with Jessica BLASZKA (NED) for the 53kg gold medal.

Kaladzinskaya avenged her 2019 European loss against eventual European champion, Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS), in her opening match. She added a second win over a reigning European champion with a 2-2 criteria win over Iryna HUSYAK (UKR). 

In the semifinals, Kaladzinskaya cruised to an 8-3 win over 2019 European bronze medalist, Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL). 

Kaladzinskaya scored early in the opening period with an outside high crotch, then transitioned into a trapped arm gut. She stopped an arm throw attempt and picked up two exposure points and led 6-0. Kaladzinskaya grabbed her second takedown of the bout and commanded the 8-1 lead after conceding a stepout point. She surrendered a takedown (throw by), which cut her lead to five points, but closed out the match with an 8-3 victory and reached the European finals for the third time in her career. 

Kaladzinskaya will battle Jessica Bladzka with an opportunity to win her second European title and first since 2017. Blaszka defeated Annika WENDLE (GER), 2-1, in the semifinals and became the first women’s wrestler from the Netherlands to reach the European gold medal match.

Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS), a London Olympic champion, will wrestle Maria SELMAIER (GER) in the 72kg European finals on Friday night. (Photo: Gabor Martin) 

Natalia Vorobeva is the fourth world champion that's featured in Friday’s finals.

Vorobeva, the London Olympic champion, dumped Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR) to her back early in the first period and controlled the 4-0 lead. She gave up two points late in the second period and held on to reach the European finals for the third time with the 4-2 vicotry.

She’ll meet Maria SELMAIER (GER) on Friday night in the 72kg gold-medal match. Selemair cruised to an 8-3 win over Catalina AXENTE (ROU) and will make her first appearance in the continental finals. 

Bullen Looking to Become Norway’s First Two-Time European Champion
Grace BULLEN (NOR) shutout European Games champion Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR), 2-0, in the 57kg semifinals, and is one win away from becoming the first Norwegian woman to win two European titles. She won her first title at the 2017 European Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Bullen, a 2018 U23 world champion, will wrestle Alina AKOBIIA (UKR) in the 57kg gold-medal match. 

Akobiia bulldozed Marina SIMONYAN (RUS) for the fall and locked up her finals spot against Bullen. The Ukranian trailed 3-0 but scored eight unanswered points against her Russian opponent before scoring the fall in the second period. 

Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) will try to become the only 2019 European champion to repeat as a gold-medal winner. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Manolova One Match Away from Defending European Title 
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) will have a shot at doing what the other three reigning champions couldn’t do on Thursday night – defend their 2019 European crowns. 

Manolova cruised to a 7-3 win over Mariia KUZNETSOVA (RUS), and with a win on Friday night, will be the first 2019 champion to defend her title.

She’ll wrestle Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) in the 65kg finals. Hristova, the two-time European finalist, handled Kriszta INCZE (ROU), 5-1, in their semifinals match. She’ll try to claim her first continental title after dropping the 2019 and ’18 gold-medal matches.

RESULTS 
53kg
GOLD - Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) vs. - Jessica Cornelia BLASZKA (NED)
SEMIFINAL - Jessica Cornelia BLASZKA (NED) df. Annika WENDLE (GER), 2-1 
SEMIFINAL - Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) df. Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL), 8-3 

57kg 
GOLD - Grace BULLEN (NOR) vs. Alina AKOBIIA (UKR)
SEMIFINAL - Grace BULLEN (NOR) df. Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR), 2-0 
SEMIFINAL - Alina AKOBIIA (UKR) df. Marina SIMONYAN (RUS), via fall

62kg
GOLD - Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) vs. Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS)
SEMIFINAL - Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) df. Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE), 4-0
SEMIFINAL - Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS) df. Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), 7-4

65kg
GOLD - Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) vs. Mimi Nikolova HRISTOVA (BUL)
SEMIFINAL - Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) df. Mariia KUZNETSOVA (RUS), 7-3
SEMIFINAL - Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) df. Kriszta INCZE (ROU), 5-1

72kg
GOLD - Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) vs. Maria SELMAIER (GER)
SEMIFINAL - Maria SELMAIER (GER) df. Catalina AXENTE (ROU), 8-3 
SEMIFINAL - Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) df. Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR), 4-2