Blades the latest star at 76kg with Alexandria gold

Friday, February 24, 2023 - 20:16 By Vinay Siwach

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (February 24) -- Yelena MAKOYED (USA) had just won the Zagreb Open Ranking Series gold medal two weeks ago and talked about the competition she has to navigate in the USA to be a national team member at 76kg

Apart from the well-established name of Adeline GRAY (USA), Makoyed mentioned wrestlers who will be jumping from 72kg to 76kg, calling them "very good."

One of the wrestlers from that bunch is Kennedy BLADES (USA).

After wrestling at 68kg before Tokyo Olympics, Baldes has been at 72kg, winning the U20 World Championships in 2021, her last international competition for a long time.

With just over a year left for the Paris Olympics, Blades has decided to move up to 76kg and made her senior-level debut at a United World Wrestling event on Friday.

And to prove Makoyed right, she won the gold medal at 76kg at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series event in Alexandria, Egypt in dominating fashion.

In the previous three Ranking Series events, Makoyed had dominated the 76kg weight class, winning all three gold medals. But her sitting out of this one meant that a new champion would be crowned. Few would have thought that it would be Blades.

The 19-year-old, who did not give up a single point in the U20 World Championships in 2021, was unfazed by the number of stars in her weight class and went on with her wrestling as if she was a seasoned campaigner, evident in her win over World bronze medalist Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) in the semifinal.

Blades brought varied attacks with her to Egypt. If she used ankle picks to score points at the beginning of the day, she used the double-leg to great effect later in the evening.

In the final against Juan WANG (CHN), Blades displayed signs of maturity but also some inexperience. Like when Wang was not ready to engage and Blades found it difficult to score, she waited patiently. Once Wang got a little comfortable, Blades used a fake and switched to a leg attack, scoring four points.

From there, Baldes never let Wang wrestle her style. Blades' active wrestling proved to be too much for the Chinese as she gave up another takedown. Blades extended her lead to 6-5. With a five-point lead, she maintained her distance from Wang, eliminating the risk of getting countered. Blades wanted Wang to attack.

It was the last anxious moments when Blades slipped. She took her eyes off Wang who managed to score a takedown and add a gut wrench with three seconds left. Blades managed to navigate those and win 6-5 for her first senior-level gold medal.

Her performance in the morning session was far more dominant and assuring. In the semifinal against Medet Kyzy, which Blades won 12-1, she attacked with purpose and completed those low attacks to score quickly. She managed to square up Medet Kyzy on various occasions, scoring takedowns using double-leg attacks. Her quick feet made her extremely superior to the Kyrgyz wrestler.

Blades shut off attacks in the second period which worked well in Alexandria but she will have to be cautious of that approach while facing a more aggressive wrestler in the future.

Kennedy BLADES (USA) kept off a spirited Genesis REASCO (ECU) in the quarterfinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The first bout of the morning saw Blades run through Qian ZHOU (CHN) with a mix of double-leg attacks and ankle picks. But her quarterfinal against Genesis REASCO (ECU) was an extremely close affair.

Blades used defense as her attack and never let Reasco go behind even in the last moments of the bout. She ended up winning 5-4, thanks to a big double-leg attack she used to score four points.

The gold will also give Blades a lot of confidence after a forgetful outing in the Henri Deglane Grand Priz in January in which she finished fifth. But in less than a month's time, she has managed to turn it around.

With the World Championships in September offering quota places for the Paris Olympics, a USA wrestler winning one of the five available sports is a no-brainer. But who will actually be on the flight to Paris will depend on the outcome of the Olympic trials in the USA with Adeline GRAY (USA), Amit ELOR (USA), Makoyed, Blades, Kylie WELKER (USA), Dymond GUILFORD (USA), Precious BELL (USA) and Skylar GROTE (USA) being some of the names eyeing that coveted ticket.

Forrest MOLINARI (USA) scores four points on Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) in a heated 68kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Another USA wrestler who made a switch to an Olympic weight class and won gold was Forrest MOLINARI (USA). Wrestling against three-time world medalist Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), who won the Zagreb Open gold recently, in the final, Molinari dictated proceedings and won 13-2.

The aggression which Molinari brought to the mat complimented her snap and counter style of wrestling. Larroque could never find a way to get out of the ties and kept running out of time.

That turned the final into a heated one but Molinari wrestled with continuous pressure and kept scoring. At one point, she countered Larroque's attempt to score a takedown with a four-pointer which made the score 7-2. She added a roll in the same sequence to lead 9-2.

Larroque was cautioned for fleeing when Molinari scored a stepout and she then gave up a takedown before time to give up the gold.

Molinari's performance on Friday also included a 6-3 win over 2021 world champion Meerim ZHUMANAZAROV (KGZ). Her first two wins of the day were both via fall.

Both Blades and Molinari will take home 1500 Swiss Francs while Wang and Larroque will pocket 750 Swiss Francs each. The four bronze medalists in the two weight classes will get 500 Swiss Francs each as well.

Beginning this year, the Ranking Series awards medal winners with prize money and also a two-kilogram weight tolerance to help wrestlers remain in their preferred weight class.

Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) won the 62kg final to end her gold medal drought. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In two other women's wrestling finals, Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) ended her gold medal drought by winning the 62kg weight class while Alexandria TOWN (CAN) was rewarded for her exceptional run Friday with the 57kg gold after Alina AKOBIIA (UKR) injury defaulted.

Tynybekova last won a gold medal at the 2021 World Championships and has since suffered surprising losses to younger wrestlers with the latest being a first-round loss to Xiaojuan LUO (CHN) at the Zagreb Open.

But Tynybekova rolled back the years and avenged that loss to Luo in a low-scoring but tough final in Alexandria, winning 3-2 for the gold.

Her day began with a solid 7-0 win against Ameline DOUARRE (FRA) and then a 10-0 technical superiority win over Kayla MIRACLE (USA). Tynybekova had beaten Miracle in the final of the 2021 World Championships but the American secured a 9-3 win over Tynybekova at the recent World Cup in Iowa.

The semifinal against Tokyo bronze medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) tested Tynybekova, who won silver in Tokyo. However, her strong defense kept in the bout after Koliadenko's passivity, eventually winning 2-0.

Luo reached the final from the other side of the bracket by beating Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB) via fall, Kriszta INCZE (ROU) 5-1, Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) 6-3 and Johanna LINDBORG (SWE) 6-4 with a last-second takedown in the semifinal.

Luo led 1-1 late into the bout but Tynybekova got a single leg for a takedown to take the lead 3-1. Luo managed to duck and get behind Tynybekova but failed to bring her down, scoring only a stepout.

It is a mere coincidence that Alexandria TOWN (CAN), center, won the gold in the town of Alexandria. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 57kg, Town's run included a big victory via fall over Tokyo bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) in the semifinals after she had defeated Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) 14-2 and Elena BRUGGER (GER) 12-4.

Akobiia did not wrestle in the final but looked good throughout the day, winning via fall against Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER), 11-0 against Giullia OLIVEIRA (BRA) and 7-1 against Qi ZHANG (CHN) in the semifinals.

Despite the silver, it would have been an emotional day for Akobiia as exactly a year ago she had to abandon the plan of reaching the Kyiv airport and fly to Istanbul for the Ranking Series event last year after Ukraine came under attack.

Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) throws Otar ABULADZE (GEO) for four points in the 72kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Georgia wins two GR golds

Three Greco-Roman gold medals were also decided as Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) captured the 72kg gold medal by beating fellow countryman Otar ABULADZE (GEO) in the final.

Abuladze had knocked out Olympic champion Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) 8-0 in the final. Gereaei was wrestling a weight up than his preferred 67kg in which he won an Olympic and world title.

At 77kg, Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) won the gold medal by beating Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) 1-1 after the two wrestlers exchanged passivity points in the final. Mnatsakanian defeated Yunus BASAR (TUR) 3-1 in the quarterfinal and Rui LIU (CHN) 1-1 in the semifinal.

The final gold medal in Greco-Roman went to Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) who breezed past Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ) 10-0 in the final using a strong gut wrench.

RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

57kg
GOLD - Alexandria TOWN (CAN) df. Alina AKOBIIA (UKR), via inj. def.

BRONZE - Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) df. Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL), 10-5
BRONZE - Qi ZHANG (CHN) df. Giullia OLIVEIRA (BRA), 9-1

62kg
GOLD - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Xiaojuan LUO (CHN), 3-2

BRONZE - Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) df. Johanna LINDBORG (SWE), 9-0
BRONZE - Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) df. Kayla MIRACLE (USA), via fall

68kg
GOLD - Forrest MOLINARI (USA) df. Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), 13-2

BRONZE - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Alexandria GLAUDE (USA), via fall
BRONZE - Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), 6-1

76kg
GOLD - Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Juan WANG (CHN), 6-5

BRONZE - Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Qian ZHOU (CHN), 3-0
BRONZE - Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) df. KIRAN (IND), 11-0

Greco-Roman

72kg
GOLD - Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) df. Otar ABULADZE (GEO), 6-0

BRONZE - Daniyar KALENOV (KAZ) df. Mahmoud ABDELRAHMAN (EGY), 4-1
BRONZE - Ankit GULIA (IND) df. Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI), via inj. def.

77kg
GOLD - Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) df. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 1-1

BRONZE - Yunus BASAR (TUR) df. Rui LIU (CHN), 8-0
BRONZE - Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Per OLOFSSON (SWE), 6-4

82kg
GOLD - Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ), 10-0

BRONZE - Kristoffer BERG (SWE) df. Michael WAGNER (AUT), 1-1
BRONZE - Abd OUAKALI (ALG) df. Roland SCHWARZ (GER), 4-4

#WrestleAmman

Shkarin upgrades silver to gold; Iran wins 2 at U17 Worlds

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 - 20:32 By Vinay Siwach

AMMAN, Jordan (August 20) -- Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) has lost only one bout in his international career. The loss in the U17 World Championships final at 80kg last year was so devasting for Shkarin that he made his goal to win the gold medal this year. He doubled his training time, watched videos of his bouts repeatedly and came to Amman with a mindset of a winner.

It was a similar path to the final this year as he won two close bouts, a 9-0 win in the semifinals and faced an Asian opponent in the final. The only change was that Shkarin wrestled a calculated final and became the U17 world champion.

Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) celebrates after winning the 80kg final in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Shkarin defeated Yerkebulan ANAPIYA (KAZ) 3-0 in the final to upgrade his silver from last year. He was one of the five world champions crowned in Amman on Tuesday.

"I haven’t changed anything," Shkarin said. "I just kept working hard. This gold medal is so valuable to me because last year I lost the final, which was also against an Asian athlete. The semifinal score was 9-0, just like it was this time. These coincidences distracted me a bit."

Unlike the 2023 final in which he played catch up after falling behind 7-0, Shkarin was in no mood to give points to Anapiya on Tuesday. He maintained a lead throughout the final and defended it well.

The U17 European champion explained that the bouts in Amman were tougher than what he experienced at the European Championships in Novi Sad in July.

"The matches here were tougher than at the European Championships, especially the final match," he said. "Back there, I only wrestled for a little over one minute, while here it took me two periods. I could only score three points at the beginning of the match, and then I had to hold onto that lead."

Shkarin, who hails from Lipsetsk, did not have any high-scoring match apart from the semifinal against Emad Reza MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI). He defeated Dinko NEYKOV (BUL) 5-0 in the first bout and Luka KOCHALIDZE (GEO) 3-1 in the quarterfinals.

"Honestly speaking, I have mixed feelings," Shkarin said. "There is euphoria, but at the same time, there is emptiness. I’ve been working so hard to win this gold. I need 2-3 days to fully realize everything. I am extremely happy -- it's the first time in my career that I’ve felt this way."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Olympic Wrestling (@unitedworldwrestling)

In other finals, Jayden RANEY (USA) won at 55kg and Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) got the gold at 110kg. But it was Iran who dominated again as it crowned two champions -- Armin SHAMSIPOUR (IRI) at 48kg and Amir SAEIDI (IRI) at 65kg.

Shamsipour continued his dominant run from Monday and posted another technical superiority win to beat Khusniddin ABDUKARIMOV (UZB), 10-1, in the 48kg final. He outscored his opponents 37-1 in four bouts.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Olympic Wrestling (@unitedworldwrestling)

Saeidi won the 65kg gold over Vladyslav POKOTYLO (UKR) after beating him 6-2 in the final. Saeidi launched Pokotylo for a massive four-point throw and never looked in trouble in his win.

Ukraine's gold medalist came at 110kg as Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) handed Zoltan CZAKO (HUN) a 13-4 defeat to win the gold medal. The gold is another addition to his medal collection, which also has the U17 European gold.

"I prepared mentally for each match," Yankovskyi said. "My coaches and I analyzed every opponent. I prepared very professionally for this World Championships. Everything worked out for me. I always train in the gym with people who are older and bigger than me. That's why such training leads to these results."

Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) won the 110kg gold medal after beating Zoltan CZAKO (HUN) in the final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

Yankovskyi did not give up a single point at the European Championships and finished three bouts via technical superiority.

"This is my life. This is a part of me," he said. "I have been dedicated to this sport for so many years. My father passed away four years ago. During this time, I have gained a lot of physical and moral strength. Now, I want to thank my mother for everything, she works hard and earns money to support me. I want to thank my father for raising me as a person and for getting me involved in wrestling."

With the U17 double done, Yankovskyi now has his eyes set on doing the double at the U20, U23 and senior level. He also wants to win the Olympic gold.

"This is my last year as a cadet. There’s more to come. I want to win the European and World Championships as a junior, and then in the U23 and senior age groups. My goal is to make it to the Olympics. This is the dream of my coaches. I'm very grateful. I want to thank the coaches who raised me from childhood. They replaced my father. How could it have been otherwise? My coaches, Viktor Viktorovich and Oleksandr Mikhailovich, are the two people who gave me a ticket to a better life."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Olympic Wrestling (@unitedworldwrestling)

Raney, who came back from 6-0 down in the semifinals to win via fall, saw himself leading 6-0 against Alpamys BOLATULY (KAZ) before the Kazakhstan wrestler mounted a comeback. That was short-lived as Raney posted a 7-5 win.

"It was a little bit under control," Raney said." After the first, I had him on his back and he got really tired. I don't know why."

Wrestling in his first international event, Raney never let the inexperience hurt him. In his five bouts, he won two via fall, one via superiority and one 4-3.

Jayden RANEY (USA) tries to score using an arm-bar in the 55kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

"It's super hard," he said. "These other countries, they do Freestyle and Greco-Roman. So they are extremely good at it. In America, we do Folkstyle too. To do all of them at the same time is different and hard."

Raney's brother, Jordyn won the U17 gold medal last year and will wrestle for bronze this year.

"I wish him luck," he said. "Last year, I was here watching him and he won gold. For him to medal again, even if bronze, super excited to watch him."

RESULTS

48kg
GOLD: Armin SHAMSIPOUR (IRI) df. Khusniddin ABDUKARIMOV (UZB), 10-1

BRONZE: Amrah AMRAHOV (AZE) df. Yedige TOLEUTAYEV (KAZ), 3-1
BRONZE: Nikolai KRISTOV (AIN) df. Laszlo SZUROMI (HUN), 10-0

55kg
GOLD: Jayden RANEY (USA) df. Alpamys BOLATULY (KAZ), 7-5

BRONZE: Yurik MKHITARYAN (ARM) df. Amirali HEYDARI (IRI), via fall (4-5)
BRONZE: Sardor KHOLMURZAEV (UZB) df. Petro ZHYTOVOZ (HUN), 1-1

65kg
GOLD: Amir SAEIDI (IRI) df. Vladyslav POKOTYLO (UKR), 6-2

BONZE: Dzhabrail UMKHADZHIEV (AIN) df. Emil ABDULLAYEV (AZE), 9-4
BRONZE: Narek GRIGORIAN (ARM) df. Fayozbek ESHMIRZAEV (UZB), 1-1

80kg
GOLD: Mikhail SHKARIN (AIN) df. Yerkebulan ANAPIYA (KAZ), 3-0

BRONZE: Emad Reza MOHSENNEJAD (IRI) df. Dinko NEYKOV (BUL), 6-0
BRONZE: Vladyslav SOLODCHUK (UKR) df. Orkhan HAJIYEV (AZE), 9-6

110kg
GOLD: Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR) df. Zoltan CZAKO (HUN), 13-4

BRONZE: Aliasghar DADBAKHSH (IRI) df. Haorui WANG (CHN), 3-1
BRONZE: RONAK (IND) df. Emrullah CAPKAN (TUR), 6-1

Semifinals

45kg
GOLD: Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM) vs. Aslanbek KOSTOEV (AIN)

SF 1: Aslanbek KOSTOEV (AIN) df. Damir ABILDA (KAZ), 5-1
SF 2: Marat ATSHEMYAN (ARM) df. Umidjon KAROMOV (UZB), 8-0

51kg
GOLD: Kutman KALBAEV (KGZ) vs. Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE)

SF 1: Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE) df. Yerassyl MUSSAN (KAZ), 4-1
SF 2: Kutman KALBAEV (KGZ) df. Abolfazl KARAMIEGAEI (IRI), 8-7

60kg
GOLD: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) vs. Aykhan JAVADOV (AZE)

SF 1: Aykhan JAVADOV (AZE) df. Jordyn RANEY (USA), 2-1
SF 2: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) df. Ilias LAAOUINA (NED), 8-0

71kg
GOLD: Vladislav BYRLIA (AIN) vs. Kiryl VALEUSKI (AIN)

SF 1: Kiryl VALEUSKI (AIN) df. Behruzbek VALIEV (UZB), 7-4
SF 2: Vladislav BYRLIA (AIN) df. Giorgi ALADASHVILI (GEO), 3-1

92kg
GOLD: Danial IZADI (IRI) vs. Ole STERNING (GER)

SF 1: Ole STERNING (GER) df. Serkan BAKIR (TUR), 3-1
SF 2: Danial IZADI (IRI) df. Lyova SHUKHYAN (ARM), 5-0

Blades the latest star at 76kg with Alexandria gold

Comments

Shkarin upgrades silver to gold; Iran wins 2 at U17 Worlds