Bakir defends U17 World title at home

Tuesday, August 1, 2023 - 21:09 By Vinay Siwach

ISTANBUL (August 1) -- Cemal BAKIR (TUR) and SURAJ (IND) won their first U17 World Championships title on the same day in Rome. Just over a year later, both had a chance to win consecutive gold medals at the U17 Worlds.

However, only one did.

In Istanbul, Bakir claimed his second straight U17 World title at 110kg while Suraj, who created history by ending India's 32-year Greco-Roman title drought, suffered a devastating loss in the final on Tuesday, the second day of the U17 World Championships.

Bakir's dominance in the 110kg weight class was evident on day one as he began with a strong 10-0 win over Bekzhan ISMAGULOV (KAZ) before beating Mohamed AHMED (EGY) 4-1 in the quarterfinals. He moved closer to the gold medal when he scored a massive 4-2 win over U17 Asian champion Amirhossein ABDEVALI (IRI) in the semifinal.

Backed by a loud home crowd, Bakir, who hails from Basaksehir where the event is held, wrestled U17 Asian silver medalist RONAK (IND) for the gold and looked in complete control of the bout for four minutes.

After both wrestlers initially hesitated to go all out, Bakir managed to pressure Ronak outside the zone and get a stepout for one point. Ronak was called for fleeing, adding another point to Bakir's score.

The Turkish wrestler held on to the 2-0 lead for the rest of the bout as in a rare occurrence in a Greco-Roman bout, the referee did not call for inactivity.

Bakir celebrated with the fans in the stands and gave Turkiye a golden start to the tournament at home.

Jordyn RANEY (USA) celebrates after winning the gold medal at the U17 World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

For Suraj to achieve the same, he had to beat Jordyn RANEY (USA) in the 55kg final. Both wrestlers had been equally dominant on Monday with Raney beating U17 Asia champion Mohammadreza GHOLAMI (IRI) in the semifinal in dramatic fashion, scoring seven points in the last 20 seconds. Suraj defeated home favorite Halil CINAR (TUR) 6-0 in the other semifinal. But nothing worked for Suraj in the final as Raney, like on Monday, scored at will and big.

To reach the final, Raney defeated Ahmed SHABAN (EGY) and Shu Wei CHUNG (TPE) via technical superiority and scored a clutch 8-6 win over returning champion Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) in the quarterfinals.

In the final, both wrestlers played the waiting game in the first period with Raney scoring a stepout for a 1-0 lead. As soon as the whistle blew to mark the start of the second period, Raney executed a pro-level arm-drag to which Suraj had no answer but to give up.

"My coach from Illinois RTC sent a text message to my dad saying he [Suraj] will be game in that second period," Raney said. "I knew my drag. As soon as he came in, I got the drag and he was straight to the mad and go behind."

Suraj got a takedown to cut the lead to 3-2 but Raney answered with a headlock for two and another headlock for four points to extend his lead to 9-2. He continued the action and scored a turn to finish the match 11-2. India's challenge was as clueless as Suraj in the final and a lost challenge gave one more point to Raney.

"The headlock came through. Everyone thinks it's a kid move, trash move but still works," he said. "I knew he was a very tough opponent and I knew he was great on top so I made sure my defense was on point."

With the gold medal, Raney became only the third U17 world champion from the United States since the tournament restarted in 2011. Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA) won in 2017 and Joel ADAMS (USA) won the title in 2022.

"It's awesome and encouraging other kids," he said. "Next year, we'll do better."

Payam AHMADI BALOOTAKI (IRI) upgraded his bronze to gold at the U17 World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Iran's returning bronze medalist Payam AHMADI BALOOTAKI (IRI) upgraded the bronze from Rome to gold in Istanbul as he defeated returning silver medalist and U17 Asian champion Shakhzod RUZIOKHUNOV (UZB) 4-0 in the 48kg final. Both wrestlers were medalists at last year's U17 World Championships at 45kg.

Almost two months back, Balootaki had suffered a shocking loss to Beknur MUKAN (KAZ) in the opening round at the U17 Asian Championships, a year after he defeated Mukan 9-0 to win the bronze in Rome.

Balootaki seemed to have recovered from that U17 Asian loss as he began his competition on Monday with back-to-back technical superiority wins over Maksim BRADZIAK (AIN) and Haruku SHIINA (JPN). He defeated Elnar ZIYADOV (AZE) 4-2 in the quarterfinals before notching up a solid 3-2 victory over U17 European champion Murat KHATIT (AIN).

Ruziokhunov too had technical superiority wins over Ionut MEREUTA (ROU) and Ivan SEIBEL (GER) before a 4-1 win over Edgar PETROSYAN (ARM) in the semifinals.

The final was all about Balootaki as he did not look in any trouble against Ruziokhunov as he blanked the Uzbekistan wrestler 4-0. He got the lead when Ruziokhunov was called passive and was penalized for fleeing the hold.

In the second period, Ruziokhunov was trying to put pressure on Balootaki and at one point committed himself too much towards a pushout. Balootaki moved away from the line of attack and scored a takedown to lead 4-0. He defended his lead to win the world title.

Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN), blue, defeated Yusif AHMADLI (AZE) to win the gold at 65kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The Individual Neutral Athletes team also got a gold medal as Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) defeated 15-year-old Yusif AHMADLI (AZE) 5-1 in the 65kg gold medal bout.

Beslekoev, who won a bronze medal at the U17 European Championships, was up 1-0 when Ahmadli was called passive in the first period. However, he failed to get a turn from par terre. Ahmadli got the 1-1 criteria lead in the second period when Beslekoev was called for inactivity but he too failed to score from par terre.

The two wrestlers got hold of each other in a bodylock and went for the big throw. Ahmadli managed to throw Beslekoev but fell on his own back with Beslekoev holding his grip. That resulted in Beslekoev getting two points and a turn got him two more as he stuck to the 5-1 lead.

Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) celebrates after winning the 80kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Japan's heavy gold

At 80kg, rarely would someone give a chance to Japan to have a wrestler in the final, less winning the gold at the World Championships. But Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) pulled off a remarkable feat by winning the gold medal at 80kg on Tuesday.

Yoshida, who finished eighth at 80kg last year, became Japan's first-ever Greco-Roman world champion for a weight class above 69kg at any level. This is Japan's first Greco-Roman gold at U17 Worlds since 2017 and fourth overall in the history of the tournament. Japan had finished without a medal at the last U17 Worlds but began this one on a golden note.

Yoshida's streak saw him win 12-2 against Emir DAYAL (TUR) in the opening round, 10-0 against Itzhak NEMSADZE (ISR) in the next round, and beat Alireza ABBASI (IRI) 11-2 in the quarterfinal. It must have come as a relief for Yoshida as he had lost to an Iran wrestler in the quarterfinals last year.

He scored another technical superiority in the semifinals as he defeated Uladzislau DUBROUSKI (AIN) 10-2 to reach the final against Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN).

The final began with Yoshida jumping to a 4-0 lead with go-behind in the zone in the first period. The second period saw Shkarin called passive which added a point to Yoshida who was able to turn Shkarin to stand a point away from gold.

But there was late drama in the bout as Shkarin scored two points and added another two when he secured the arm-drag. Yoshida held on to the 7-4 lead despite a few anxious final moments.

Yoshida's gold has set the perfect tone for Japan in women's wrestling which begins Wednesday in Istanbul.

RESULTS

48kg
GOLD: Payam AHMADI BALOOTAKI (IRI) df. Shakhzod RUZIOKHUNOV (UZB), 4-0

BRONZE: Edgar PETROSYAN (ARM) df. Ivan SEIBEL (GER), via fall (8-0)
BRONZE: Elnar ZIYADOV (AZE) df. Murat KHATIT (AIN), 5-4

55kg
GOLD: Jordyn RANEY (USA) df. SURAJ (IND), 12-2

BRONZE: Kuttubek RYSMATOV (KGZ) df. Halil CINAR (TUR), 11-1
BRONZE: AYTJAN KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) df. Mohammadreza GHOLAMI (IRI), 11-2

65kg
GOLD: Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) df. Yusif AHMADLI (AZE), 5-1

BRONZE: Sachin KUMAR (IND) df. Giorgi TCHIKAIDZE (GEO), 6-2
BRONZE: Islombek KARIMJONOV (UZB) df. Octavian CERNETCHI (MDA), 8-0

80kg
GOLD: Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN), 8-6

BRONZE: Uladzislau DUBROUSKI (AIN) df. Alireza ABBASI (IRI), 2-1
BRONZE: Erik TER MATEVOSYAN (ARM) df. Eleftherios PAPPAS (GRE), 8-2

110kg
GOLD: Cemal BAKIR df. RONAK (IND), 2-0

BRONZE: Amirhossein ABDEVALI (IRI) df. Mohamed AHMED (EGY), 2-0
BRONZE: Eldar EMIROV (AIN) df. Nicholas SAHAKIAN (USA), via fall (7-1)

Semifinals

45kg
GOLD: Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE) vs. RUSTEM ABATSIEV (AIN)

SF 1: RUSTEM ABATSIEV (AIN) df. Yurik MKHITARYAN (ARM), 10-2
SF 2: Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE) df. Alireza AMIRIGHASRODDASHTI (IRI), 5-1

51kg
GOLD: Artur BROYAN (ARM) vs. Ilia KANDALIN (AIN)

SF 1: Ilia KANDALIN (AIN) df. Dostonbek ORIPOV (UZB), 11-7
SF 2: Artur BROYAN (ARM) df. Manu YADAV (IND), via fall

60kg
GOLD: Roman KARIMOV (AZE) vs. Saba SURMANIDZE (GEO)

SF 1: Saba SURMANIDZE (GEO) df. Kiryl VALEUSKI (AIN), 7-5
SF 2: Roman KARIMOV (AZE) df. Mingiian GORIAEV (AIN), 9-5

71kg
GOLD: Arionas KOLITSOPOULOS (GRE) vs. Ahmadreza MOHAMADIAN (IRI)

SF 1: Ahmadreza MOHAMADIAN (IRI) df. Alkan AKAR (TUR), 4-0
SF 2: Arionas KOLITSOPOULOS (GRE) df. Abdurakhman ABDULKADYROV (AIN), 2-1

92kg
GOLD: Saipula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (AIN) vs. Saba PURTSELADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Saba PURTSELADZE (GEO) df. Mikayil ISMAYILOV (AZE), 3-1
SF 2: Saipula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (AIN) df. Gabriel STAN (ROU), 9-0

#WrestleHangzhou

Makhmudov, Sharshenbekov continue Kyrgyzstan's meteoric rise with Asian Games golds

Wednesday, October 4, 2023 - 17:56 By Vinay Siwach

LIN'AN, Hangzhou, China (October 4) -- At the 2018 Asian Games, Kyrgyzstan was expected to open its gold medal account from wrestling. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ), the then Asian champion, was the hero of the wrestling-mad nation and in the 77kg final. However, he fell to Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) in the 77kg final.

At the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Wednesday, Makhmudov did not disappoint. Although it was not Kyrgyzstan's first gold medal of the game, world champs Makhmudov and Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) ended the nation's long wait for a second gold medal in this edition of the Asian Games in which it won the first gold on September 24.

Both the Kyrgyzstan superstars were in action Wednesday in Lin'an Sports and Culture Exhibition Center in Hangzhou, China as wrestling got underway at the 19th Asian Games with four Greco-Roman weights.

Apart from Makhmudov and Sharshenbekov, Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) and Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) captured the remaining two gold medals. Berdimuratov's gold was Uzbekistan's fourth in the history of Asian Games history.

Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) defeated Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) in the 77kg final to win the gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

Wrestling against an Iranian wrestler in the final again, Makhmudov took a cautious approach and controlled the bout for six minutes against Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI).

The two-time world champion from Kyrgyzstan, who won his second world title just 10 days ago in Belgrade, struggled with some fatigue and discomfort in his knee during the day. But he managed to navigate his quarterfinal against Sophak KEO (CAM) with a fall and defeated Azat SADYKOV (KAZ) 9-0 in the semifinal.

Kaviyaninejad took out former Asian Games champion Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR) in his opening bout before winning his quarterfinal against Dilshod OMONGELDIYEV (UZB). A tough semifinal against Rui LIU (CHN) saw him hang on to a 1-1 win.

In the final Makhmudov, like the World Championships, did not try any flamboyant actions and was happy to give up par terre in the first period. Kaviyaninejad failed to turn his Kyrgyz opponent. When Makhmudov got the par terre advantage and the 1-1 criteria lead, Kaviyaninejad managed to defend as well.

Makhmudov defended his 1-1 criteria lead as the clock expired and he won his first-ever Asian Games gold medal. He had won the World Championships final with a 1-1 scoreline as well.

As usual, Makhmudov did not celebrate his gold medal beyond acknowledging the few Kyrgyzstan fans in the crowd. He would later say that he is not feeling any joy.

“Honestly, I have no emotions now,” Makhmudov said. “The only thing I really want is the gold medal in Paris. For now, I don't feel any happiness.”

Makhmudov suffered a 2-1 loss in the Tokyo Olympics final, finishing with a silver medal and falling short of becoming Kyrgyzstan's first-ever Olympic champion in any sport. Yet, Kyrgyzstan fell in love with the shark-singlet-wearing wrestler. Having already won the 2024 Paris Olympic quota for Kyrgyzstan, and being the first choice to go, Makhmudov is in no mood to finish second this time.

“I think I will do my best [till Paris],” he said. “We will discuss with the coaches and I will do ten out of ten.”

The 24-year-old also played down his knee injury, saying that the pain has reduced, but did express the difficulties of wrestling at two big events in two weeks.

“Definitely it was very difficult [to wrestle back-to-back events],” he said. “The hardest part was the weight cut and after the World Championships, it was difficult for me to recover.”

Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), red, pins Ayata SUZUKI (JPN) in the 60kg final. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

Sharshenbekov expressed similar views but that was after he also won the gold medal like Makhmudov which was perhaps the reason for the 60kg world champion struggling in his opening bout against Aslamjon AZIZOV (TJK). He gave up five points to the Tajik but won 8-5. He then moved past Asian silver medalist Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) 9-0 in a rematch of this year's Asian Championships final.

Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) was pinned by Sharshenbekov, 10 days after winning 9-0 in the World Championships quarterfinals.

From the other side of the bracket, Ayata SUZUKI (JPN) made it to the final with wins over Thanwa SUTDI (THA), Seung RI (PRK) and Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ).

Both came out flying and Sharshenbekov got the first big lift. He failed to make the most of it but scored two points. Suzuki landed on Sharsenbekov's chest to earn two points as well. He then showed intent and launched a four-pointer to lead 6-2.

Sharshenbekov replied with an underhook and held Suzuki's back to the mat, securing the fall. Suzuki challenged for a leg four but it was declared clean. The pin ended the bout in two minutes and 34 seconds.

“I the Japanese wrestler is very strong but he is a very comfortable opponent for me,” Sharshenbekov said.

Incidentally, Sharshenbekov defeated Olympic silver medalist Kenichito FUMITA (JPN) in the World Championships final in Belgrade after an equally stunning first period.

The turnaround from the World Championships to the Asian Games was a challenge for Sharshenbekov but he said he was prepared to win.

“I cut around eight kilograms for each competition,” Sharshenbekov said. “Every sport has its own difficulties and wrestling also. The process of cutting weight was incredibly challenging. However, right after the World Championships, I shifted my focus to the Asian Games. Despite all the hardships, I'm thrilled to have won the gold medal here. This is not the end of my journey. With God's guidance, I am planning to prepare for the Olympics and aim to bring home the gold medal for Kyrgyzstan."

Wrestling Fumita and Suzuki in the space of 10 days did break different sets of challenges for Sharshenbekov who said that he was up for both the Japanese wrestlers.

"Fumita is a great athlete who consistently ranks in the top five of the world," he said. "He is an exceptionally strong wrestler, which is why our coaches devised an effective strategy. I believe we showed good wrestling. Suzuki is also a talented wrestler. The match against him was far from easy, particularly considering that I had just competed in the World Championships."

Suzuki reflected on the final saying that he needs to work on the areas which made his lose even after leading 6-2.

“At the end, I made a misjudgment,” he said. “I knew the opponent [Sharshenbekov] is good in attacking from the side and I did well till 6-2. But I let him close the gap and win.”

Katsuaki ENDO (JPN), second from left, won the 67kg gold medal for Japan. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

His Japan teammate Endo made sure he didn't slip up in the 67kg final, winning 4-3 against Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ).

“Since I was chosen for these Games, I was going to win,” Endo said. “To be honest, when I saw the draw, I thought I could win this.”

And the former U23 world champion began his confident run with a 9-0 win over Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK) in the opening bout, won 5-1 against Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) in the quarterfinals and defeated Mahmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB), 6-1, to reach the final against Shermakhanbet who was on song as well, marking his return to a major competition in more than one year with a silver medal.

After opening with a 10-0 win over Nuttapong HINMEE (THA), Shermakhanbet was involved in a thriller against home favorite Lei LI (CHN). Taking a 10-7 lead with two four-point throws, Shermakhanbet gave up a stepout and Li scored a takedown to lead 10-10 on criteria but Kazakhstan challenged the call and it was called a slip and the score was reversed to 10-8 which gave Kazakhstan the win.

If that close bout was not enough, Shermakhanbet pinned Danial SOHRABI (IRI) after trailing 9-2 in the semifinals. While Sohrabi was trying to defend a turn from par terre by standing up, Shermakhanbet locked Sohrabi's right hand and strangled him for space, putting the Iranian back on the mat for the pin.

However, there was no such comeback in the final against Endo after trailing 4-1. Endo scored a correct throw from par terre to lead 3-0. Japan challenged, asking for four points but lost, giving one point to Shermakhanbet.

In the second period, Endo gave up a stepout and passivity point but still held a 4-3 lead, the final score of the gold-medal bout.

“I trained with very strong opponents in my club back home, I didn't feel he [Shermakhanbet] has the same power,” Endo said about the Kazakhstan wrestler.

Endo's immediate goal is to win the Emperor's Cup in December which will give him the opportunity to wrestle at the Asian Olympic Qualifier in April 2024 in Bishkek and earn a 2024 Paris Olympic quota for Japan at 67kg.

Shermakhanbet will also look to secure the Olympic quota for Kazakhstan but like Endo, he will have to win the right to compete in Bishkek.

"I only returned to the training process three months ago," Shermakhanbet said. "It is indeed very challenging to compete after a long pause. I need more time to get back in shape. At the beginning of the next year, we have our national championships, and we'll see how that goes."

Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB), blue, throws Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) during the 87kg final. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

The first day of wrestling closed out as Berdimuratov avenged his 2022 Asian Championships loss to Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) with a 7-4 win. Berdimuratov led 7-0 at the break, thanks to penalty points against Alizadeh but gave up four including caution points. But he held on to win his first Asian Games gold and the fourth for Uzbekistan in Greco-Roman Asian Games history.

The gold has also kept Uzbekistan in the top five of the overall medals tally in Hangzhou as it has 16 gold medals on Wednesday.

Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB), second from left, along with the other medalist in 87kg, Naser ALIZADEH (IRI), left, Masato SUMI (JPN), right, and Sunil KUMAR, second from right. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

RESULTS

Greco-Roman

60kg
GOLD: Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) df. Ayata SUZUKI (JPN), via fall (7-6)

BRONZE: Se ung RI (PRK) df. Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ), 2-1
BRONZE: Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) df. Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), 5-4

67kg
GOLD: Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) df. Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ), 4-3

BRONZE: Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) df. Mahmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB), 1-1
BRONZE: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. Lei LI (CHN), 3-2

77kg
GOLD: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI), 1-1

BRONZE: Rui LIU (CHN) df. Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR), 5-3
BRONZE: Azat SADYKOV (KAZ) df. SOPHAK KEO (CAM), via inj. def.

87kg
GOLD: Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) df. Naser ALIZADEH (IRI), 7-4

BRONZE: Masato SUMI (JPN) df. Maksat SAILAU (KAZ), 9-1
BRONZE: Sunil KUMAR df. A. AZISBEKOV (KGZ), 2-1

Bakir defends U17 World title at home

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Makhmudov, Sharshenbekov continue Kyrgyzstan's meteoric rise with Asian Games golds