#WrestleAlmaty

Bolat Turlykhanov Cup weight-to-watch: 130kg

Monday, May 30, 2022 - 13:28 By Eric Olanowski

Share this article

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (May 30) -- The depth of the 10-man 130kg field at the upcoming Bolat Turlykhanov Cup Ranking Series event (June 2-5) will feature the reigning Olympic silver medalist, senior world champion, U23 world gold-medal holder, Asian championship winner and five of the top-20 ranked wrestlers in the world.

The must-watch weight will be headlined by top-ranked Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO), but Iran is bringing two young guns who are battling for a potential place on the Belgrade world championship team.

Kajaia enters the second Ranking Series event in Almaty ranked first in the world with 76, 200 points, commanding a 20,800-point lead over Riza KAYAALP (TUR). The Tokyo Olympic runner-up is on the verge of locking up the No. 1 seed for the Belgrade World Championships with a gold-medal finish. A win in Kazakhstan would give Kajaia 8,000 points, bringing his overall total to 84, 200 points. The magic number he needs to cement that top spot is 84, 000 points.

130kg Ranking Series points up for grab in Almaty:
1st - 8000
2nd - 6400
3rd - 5200
5th - 4000
7th - 3520
8th - 3200
9th - 2800
10th - 2480

With three Ranking Series events left, and without the second through fourth-ranked wrestlers -- No. 2 Kayaalp, No. 3 Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI) and No. 4 Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) -- in Kazakhstan, Aliakbar YOUSOFIA (IRI) is the only other wrestler who can halt the Georgian big man’s quest from locking up that top seed.

Yousofia, the reigning 130kg world champion, is ranked fifth in the world with 45,000 points. He would need to earn 31,300 points over the next three Ranking Series tournaments to sit atop the bracket in Belgrade. Although it’s a long shot and the scenario is very unlikely to happen, the Iranian super heavyweight could steal the top spot if Kajaia missed reaching that 84,000-point mark and elected to sit out of the final two Ranking Series competitions. The Iranian also needs to win gold in Rome and Tunisia with more than 16 wrestlers entered at 130kg.

Yousofia will certainly be hunting down that top seed, but he’ll also be in a battle for Iran’s world team spot with No. 14 Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI). The winner will likely represent Iran at the World Championships later this year.

The last time the two met was at the 2021 Poland Open Ranking Series event, which determined Iran’s 130kg Tokyo Olympic spot. Mirzazadeh defeated Yousofia, 3-1, in the finals and punched his ticket to the Tokyo Games. He ultimately finished fifth in Tokyo, only falling to Lopez and Kayaalp.

Two months later, he was scheduled to compete in Oslo but tested positive for COVID and was forced to sit out of the '21 World Championships.

In Mirzazadeh’s absence, Yousofia received the nod and ran with his chance. He won all four of his Oslo matches, capping off an unthinkable run to the 130kg world title with a 3-1 win over Zurabi GEDEKHAURI (RWF).

After recovering from COVID, Mirzazadeh returned to the mat at the U23 World Championships, dominating his bouts en route to winning his second world title and first since the 2018 U20 world gold.


Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) will look to try to win a second consecutive Ranking Series event. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Another guy looking to make some noise at 130kg is No. 7 Osman YILDIRIM (TUR). With Kayaalp being sidelined by personal matters, Turkey will rely on Yildirim to replace the four-time world champion for the foreseeable future.

Yildirim proved that he has the caliber to compete with the best at 130kg with a fifth-place finish at last year's World Championships and by winning gold earlier this year at the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series event.

In Oslo, he reached the bronze-medal bout but fell one point shy of winning a world medal. Then in January, he scored wins over Asian champions Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) and No. 16 Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) before grabbing gold with a 3-1 win over Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) in Istanbul.

Kazakhstan’s reigning Asian champion Syzdykov is also entered at 130kg. He’s fresh off one of the best three-match stretches of his career. At the Asian Championships, the Kazakh won by technical superiority over Roman KIM (KGZ) and Arata SONODA (JPN) before pinning world bronze medalist Minseok KIM (KOR) to win continental gold.

All the action from Kazakhstan starts on Thursday and can be followed live on uww.org.

130kg (10 entries)
No. 1 Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
No. 5 Aliakbar YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI)
No. 7 Osman YILDIRIM (TUR)
No. 14 Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)
No. 16 Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ)
Sulkhan BUIDZE (GEO)
SATISH (IND)
Mansur SHADUKAYEV (KAZ)
Anton SAVENKO (KAZ)
Murat RAMONOV (KGZ)

#UWWAwards

UWW Wrestlers of the Year: Tazhudinov, Tynybekova, Orta

Tuesday, December 19, 2023 - 13:11 By United World Wrestling Press

Share this article

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 18) -- When the world was glued to their screens to watch a potential Kyle SNYDER (USA) vs Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) semifinal at the World Championships in Belgrade. But Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) ruined those hopes by beating both Snyder and Sadulaev in back-to-back bouts.

For his scintillating run in 2023, a year in which the 20-year-old won gold at the World Championships, Asian Championships, Asian Games and a Ranking Series, Tazhudinov has been named the Freestyle Wrestler of the Year.

His incredible performances throughout the year also earned him 87,520 Ranking Series points helping him reach the number one rank at 97kg.

Having failed to medal at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series, Tazhudinov managed to change his fortunes with the Asian Championships, winning gold. He followed that up with a gold medal at the Bishkek Ranking Series.

Yet, Tazhudinov did not start as a favorite to win the world title. However, he was sure of winning the gold medal.

"On my way to Belgrade, I knew I could become the world champion," Tazhudinov said after winning the gold medal in Belgrade. "If I didn’t believe in myself, I wouldn’t have even come here."

With that confidence, he earned technical superiority wins over Rio bronze medalist Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB), Maxwell LACEY (CRC), and returning world champion Snyder. The semifinal against Sadulaev was seen as his big test as Tazhudinov, a student of Sadulaev School in Dagestan, was up against his mentor.

Sadulaev, a two-time Olympic champion, waned as the bout progressed and eventually pulled out due to injury. The final was no trouble for Tazhudinov as he pinned Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE).

A week later, Tazhudinov traveled to Hangzhou, China and won the Asian Games gold medal at 97kg with a comfortable victory over Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI).

Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year: Luis ORTA (CUB)

When Luis ORTA moved to 67kg at the start of the year, he handled two young stars Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) and Danial SOHRABI (IRI) with ease at the Zagreb Open. But he fell to HUSIYUETU (CHN) in the semifinal. But he returned to the mat with a gold medal at the Pan-Am Championships. Looking to make his name in the new weight class, Orta traveled to Bishkek for the Ranking Series but Husiyuetu once again humbled him.

The World Championships in Belgrade was a big test for Orta, the Olympic champion at 60kg. In 2022, Orta missed a medal at the World Championships at 63kg. But with the Paris Olympics qualification on the line, a different Orta showed up.

After two victories via technical falls, Orta faced returning world champion and home favorite Mate NEMES (SRB). Orta would keep his nerves and eke out a 3-2 win. Slavik GLATSYAN (ARM) troubled him a little but Orta put him away 5-3. A final against Jafarov was never going to be easy but a defensive show managed to help Orta hang on for a 4-3 win and the title, his first.

"I already beat Jafrarov once, but all finals are different," Orta said after winning the title. "They can't be compared. We had a tough match. I think he was a very good opponent, and our fight was worthy of a final match for gold."

Orta was not done yet. His 2023 campaign had golds at the Pan-American Games, Central American and Caribbean Games, and the Henri Deglane tournament. His wins around the world helped Orta tally 86,400 points to emerge as the best Greco-Roman wrestler of the year.

Women's Wrestler of the Year: Aisuluu TYNYNBEKOVA (KGZ)

Every time people count out Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), the Kyrgyzstan legend marks a thumping return. 2023 was Tynybekova's year as she orchestrated a stunning return to the top of the global stage, amassing an unparalleled 95,575 Ranking Series points after winning titles at the World Championships, Asian Championships, Hungarian and Egyptian Ranking Series events, while also closing out the season with an Asian Games bronze medal.

Tynybekova, 30, was denied world and Asian titles in 2022 by Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) but she avenged both her loss at the Asian Championships in Astana to win the 62kg gold.

Japan threw a new challenge at her in Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) at the World Championships but Tynybekova was up for it, beating Motoki 3-2 in the 62kg final to win her third world title.

The 2023 season also included a Ranking Series gold in Alexandria, a quick turnaround after losses at the Zagreb Ranking Series. Tynynbekova ended the season with a bronze medal at the Asian Games after losing to Ozaki.

Tynynbekova will be chasing history in Paris as she tries to become Kyrgyzstan's first Olympic champion after falling one win short in Tokyo. The silver medalist will have a strong to beat if she wants to win the top medal.