#WrestleRome

Chamizo Wins Clash Against Gazimagomedov, Claims Fourth European Title

By Eric Olanowski

ROME, Italy (February 16) --- Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) dramatically claimed his fourth European title in front of a friendly Italian crowd on Sunday. He scored the match-deciding takedown with under 25 seconds left to defeat fellow two-time world champion Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS), 5-3. 

After winning his fourth European gold medal, Chamizo said this win was the sweetest because it was in front of his hometown Italian fans. “This (European title) is the best. It’s in my home; It’s the best,” he said. “European people say Italy doesn’t know about wrestling. Today, everyone was here to support me, and that’s amazing. I want to say thank you to the Italian people for coming.”

Chamizo entered the European Championships ranked No. 2 in the world, trailing reigning two-time world champion Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) by 20 points. He grabbed the 22-point gold medal and is the new top-ranked wrestler in the world at 74kg. 

“I’m wrestling in Poland. It’s a Ranking Series tournament and I want to come into (the Olympic Games) ranked No. 1,” he said. 

In the finals, Chamizo scored an inactivity point in the first period, but conceded a left-sided single leg and fell behind 2-1. 

In the second period, the Italian superstar fought off a near-takedown on the edge, and luckily for him, the refs awarded Gazimagomedov the one-point stepout point and not the two-point takedown, putting the Russian in front, 3-1. Chamizo, who trailed by two points, snapped Gazimagomedov to the mat and spun behind, but the Russian kicked out and surrendered the stepout point.

Chamizo trailed 3-2 when he jammed Gazimagomedov’s double-leg attempt with his heavy hips and spun behind for the match deciding takedown. “I knew he was coming. He needed to take my legs to win, he said. “If you want, you can come. I have a surprise for you.”

But there was still time on the clock and Chamizo nearly threw the match away with 10 seconds left. 

He gave up a single leg and was one second away from giving up the stepout. Chamizo held Gazimagomedov off long enough to defend his European crown from last year and win his fourth continental title. “The outside people say the match is too close. But, when you know you’ve trained good, you can do whatever you want.” 

After the award ceremony, Chamizo stated he believes that Gazimagomedov is a lot better than the man that beat him in last year’s world finals, Zaurbek Sidakov. “(Sidakov) is a cool guy, and he’s training good, but I think (Gazimagomedov) is much better than him,” Chamizo said. “Look, (Sidakov and I) wrestled in 2018, and my training was about 50%. I didn’t perform. It was the same thing in 2019. My knee and ankle weren’t good. Right now, I’m good. But, where is (Sidakov)?”
 
After winning the Ivan Yariguin title, Gazimagomedov stated a similar opinion as Chamzio. He said, “In Russia, many understand that I will win against Sidakov, but perhaps we will not be allowed to meet on the mat because we don’t have a very transparent selection system.”

As it sits now, Sidakov is the top choice to represent Russia at the Olympic Games. But, Gazimagomedov’s Yariguin win and European silver-medal finish further his case that he deserves at least a wrestle-off to show just how worthy of a competitor he is. 

Aleksandr BOGOMOEV (RUS) attacks Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) in the 61kg European finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Bogomoev and Naifonov Close out Team-Title Run for Russia 
Aleksandr BOGOMOEV (RUS) and Artur NAIFONOV (RUS) reeled in gold medals and helped the Russian Federation lock up the freestyle team title. Russia finished with 186 points, which was 70 points ahead of second-place Azerbaijan and 91 points ahead of third-place Georgia. 

Bogomoev defeated the reigning world champion and the returning European champion en route to the 61kg gold medal. His win on Sunday added Russia’s dominating lightweight performance in which they won gold in the first three weight classes. 

Bogomoev joined lightweights Azamat TUSKAEV (RUS) and Kurban SHIRAEV (RUS), who won the 57kg and 65kg gold medals, respectively. 

Bogomoev scored a last-second takedown against returning European champion Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) and moved into the finals with the 5-5 criteria win. He closed his run to the non-Olympic weight gold medal with a one-point win over returning world champion Beka LOMTADZE (GEO). 

In the finals, Bogomoev commanded a convincing 3-0 lead midway through the second period. He scored an inactivity point, then capitalized on a high crotch while he was on the shot clock. He gave up a second-period takedown, which cut his lead to one point. Bogomoev fought off a flurry of Georgian attacks and won his second European title and first defeating Lomtadze in the 2015 European Games. 

Artur NAIFONOV (RUS) finishes a shot on Myles AMINE (SMR) in the 86kg finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Artur Naifonov was the second Russian of the day and fifth of the tournament to claim European gold. He stopped Myles AMINE (SMR) from becoming the first athlete from San Marino to ever win a European title with a 4-0 shutout win in the 86kg finals. 

In the gold-medal match, Naifonov scored three stepouts and an inactivity point and won his second European title and first since winning the 2018 crown in Dagestan, Russia. 

Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR) carries the Turkish flag around the mat after defeating Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) in the 92kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Karadeniz and Petriashvili Claim Final Two European Golds 
Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR) and Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) claimed the final two golds of the European Championships. 

At 92kg, Karadeniz stopped Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) from ending Switzerland’s 85-year freestyle continental gold-medal drought. 

Karadeniz snuck behind Scherrer and nearly scored the matches first takedown but ran out of real estate and collected the inactivity point. He picked up another stepout, then tacked on an inactivity point and claimed his first European title with a 3-0 shutout victory. 

Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) won his second European title with an 11-0 win over Robert BARAN (POL) in the 125kg gold-medal match. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Petriashvili stopped Robert BARAN (POL) for the second time in the European finals and won his second European title. The three-time world champion ended the match in the first period after scoring the 11-0 technical superiority victory. His 11 points came from a stepout, two takedowns and three gut wrenches.

RESULTS
61kg
GOLD - Aleksandr BOGOMOEV (RUS)Beka LOMTADZE (GEO), 3-2
BRONZE - Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df. Georgios PILIDIS (GRE), via injury default 
BRONZE - Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU) df. Intigam VALIZADA (AZE), 3-1 

74kg 
GOLD - Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) df. Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS), 5-3 
BRONZE - Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) df. Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN), 5-0 
BRONZE -  Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) df. Miroslav KIROV (BUL), via fall 

86kg 
GOLD - Artur NAIFONOV (RUS) df. Myles Nazem AMINE (SMR), 4-0 
BRONZE - Boris MAKOEV (SVK) df. Akhmed Adamovitch MAGAMAEV (BUL), 6-5 
BRONZE - Rasul TSIKHAYEU (BLR) df. Lars SCHAEFLE (GER), 5-4 

92kg 
GOLD - Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR) df. Samuel SCHERRER (SUI), 3-0 
BRONZE - Aslanbek ALBOROV (AZE) df. Irakli MTSITURI (GEO), 2-0 
BRONZE - Amarhajy MAHAMEDAU (BLR) df. Marzpet GALSTYAN (ARM), 7-0 

125kg 
GOLD - Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) df. Robert BARAN (POL), 11-0 
BRONZE - Levan BERIANIDZE (ARM) df. Jamaladdin MAGOMEDOV (AZE), 2-2  
BRONZE - Baldan TSYZHIPOV (RUS) df. Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR), 4-1 
 

#WrestleTirana

U23 Euros: Triple delight for Turkiye as Bas leads gold rush

By United World Wrestling Press

TIRANA, Albania (March 11) -- For Nesrin BAS (TUR), returning in the U23 European Championship after winning the senior continental title last year would have felt like finishing high school after earning a master’s degree.

Two years after claiming the U23 European gold, the 22-year-old star from Turkiye never looked troubled as she galloped to the top of the podium, beating Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), 6-2, in a nerve-wrecking 68kg final on Tuesday.

Bas might never have looked troubled en route to the final, blanking Laura GODINO (ITA) 10-0 and Viktorya RADZKOVA (UWW) via fall, but in Skobelska, she met a hungry and brave rival.

Returning silver medalist Skobelska, despite two medical timeouts for bleeding, did not show any signs of slowing down to protect her injury. In fact, she charged more purposefully and went 2-1 up.

Bas, however, proved why she is considered one of the finest young stars of the sport right now. She did not panic as she tried to make a comeback into the match. Bas summoned all her experience and strength to execute a throw-by and scoring the first takedown for a 4-2 lead. The score remained 4-2 until the closing stages of the bout and when in the last 10 seconds, Skobelska tried to counter-attack, leaving her defence vulnerable and conceding two more points to put the result beyond any doubt.

Bas led Turkiye’s golden hat-trick Tuesday. Minutes before her final, it was Tuba DEMIR (TUR) who set the ball rolling in the 55kg.

Facing Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA) in the title showdown, she made short work of her opponent to win 7-0. Demir opened the bout sedately, catching Samoil’s ankles to push her out of bounds for the first point of the final. Seconds after she went ahead, Demir thought she had a spectacular four-point throw but upon Samoil’s successful challenge, it was deemed to be just a two-pointer. However, it still gave the young Turkish wrestler a healthy 3-0 lead at the break.

Demir defended staunchly in the second period, surviving a barrage of attacks from Samoil. And in the closing stages of the match, Demir dug deep to counter an attempted whizzer from Samoil which was initially not score. Moldova challenged the decision, hoping to get four points for the win but on review, it was scored two points for Demir's takedown as she defended Samoil's toss and two more for exposure. Demir eventually won 7-0 open Turkiye’s gold medal account.

Demir’s trophy cabinet will now boast of a full set of age-group continental gold medals, having earlier won the U17 and U20 European Championships.

In the final bout of the day, Elmira YASIN (TUR) defeated Olga KOZYREVA (UWW) 10-5 to win the gold medal and cap off a remarkable day for Turkiye.

In an action-packed final, Yasin was put on the activity clock. With less than five seconds remaining for her to score, Yasin carried out a double-leg attack on Kozyreva. The referee judged it as a four-pointer but Kozyreva challenged the call and after a review, it was declared as a two-point throw.

But it swung the momentum in the favor of Yasin, who again initiated a double-leg attack to throw Kozyreva off-balance before slamming her on the mat back-first for a four-pointer. Kozyreva again challenged the call but this time, it was called four but she was awarded a point for taking Yasin out-of-bounds after the throw.

Yasin had the chance to win the match on technical superiority when she blocked a headlock attempt from Kozyreva and scored a takedown and lead 9-1. However, she failed to perform her lace. Yasin then went for a double-leg but lost her balance and fell with Kozyreya controlling her. That gave Kozyreva two points and a front chest-wrap turn made it 9-5. But Yasin scored a reversal and defended her 10-5 lead for the victory.

At 50kg, in an entertaining final, Natalia PUDOVA (UWW) scripted an impressive recovery to beat Anastasiya YANOTAVA (UWW) 7-5 after going 0-3 down at the start of the second period.

Pudova scored a reversal after Yanotava's takedown and scored a turn to take a 3-3 criteria lead. With a little more than a minute left, Pudova mistimed an attack and Yanotava made the most of it, using double underhooks to turn Pudova for two and lead 5-3.

But Pudova didn’t give up easily, making another comeback with only 30 seconds left to play. After a scramble, Pudova managed to hit a double-leg and Yanotava tried the front chest throw but Pudova blocked it and got Yanotava on her back to the mat for two points. An exposure turn made it 7-5 for Pudova who cliched the gold medal.

In the 59kg final, Zagreb Open winner 18-year-old Hiunai HUBRANOVA (AZE) defeated former U20 world champion Aurora RUSSO (ITA) 4-0 to make it two golds out of two tournaments this year.

Bondar aims third straight gold

Meanwhile, U23 and U20 world champion Iryna BONDAR (UKR) will hope to complete a hat-trick of U23 European Championship gold medals after she stormed into the 62kg final, where she will face Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) on Wednesday.

Bondar reached the final with a technical superiority win and a fall, first overcoming the challenge posed by Alesia HETMANAVA (UWW) 13-2 and then pinning Naemi LEISTNER (GER) in the semifinal.

If she is successful on Wednesday, she will add another feather to her cap, having already won the title in 2023 and 2024.

Photo

RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Natalia PUDOVA (UWW) df. Anastasiya YANOTAVA (UWW), 7-5

BRONZE: Natalia WALCZAK (POL) df. Maria CAZALLA TORRES (ESP), 12-0
BRONZE: Asmar JANKURTARAN (AZE) df. Songul KAVAK (TUR), 9-3

55kg
GOLD: Tuba DEMIR (TUR) df. Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA), 7-0

BRONZE: Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN) df. Anastasiia IANDUSHKINA (UWW), 6-0
BRONZE: Amory ANDRICH (GER) df. Kamila KASPROW (POL), via fall (12-0)

59kg
GOLD: Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) df. Aurora RUSSO (ITA), 4-0

BRONZE: Marta HETMANAVA (UWW) df. Yuliia PAKHNIUK (UKR), 14-6
BRONZE: Ebru DAGBASI (TUR) df. Evgeniia OGORODNIKOVA (UWW), 4-3

68kg
GOLD: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), 6-2

BRONZE: Viktoryia RADZKOVA (UWW) df. Laura GODINO (ITA), 3-2
BRONZE: Karolina DOMASZUK (POL) df. Maria PANTIRU (ROU), via fall (7-3)

76kg
GOLD: Elmira YASIN (TUR) df. Olga KOZYREVA (UWW), 10-5

BRONZE: Hanna PIRSKAYA (UWW) df. Laura KUEHN (GER), 5-4
BRONZE: Mariia ORLEVYCH (UKR) df. Veronika NYIKOS (HUN), via fall (6-0)

Semifinals

53kg
GOLD: Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE) vs. Ekaterina KARPUSHKINA (UWW)

SF 1: Ekaterina KARPUSHKINA (UWW) df. Nataliia KLIVCHUTSKA (UKR), 3-2
SF 2: Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE) df. Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP), 12-0

57kg
GOLD: Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR) vs. Aryna MARTYNAVA (UWW)

SF 1: Aryna MARTYNAVA (UWW) df. Georgiana LIRCA (ROU), 5-3
SF 2: Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR) df. Inna ALIMOVA (LTU), 12-1

62kg
GOLD: Iryna BONDAR (UKR) vs. Amina TANDELOVA (UWW)

SF 1: Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) df. Iris THIEBAUX (FRA), 10-0
SF 2: Iryna BONDAR (UKR) df. Alicja NOWOSAD (POL), via fall (5-0)

65kg
GOLD: Eniko ELEKES (HUN) vs. Kseniya TSIARENIA (UWW)

SF 1: Kseniya TSIARENIA (UWW) df. Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE), 3-1
SF 2: Eniko ELEKES (HUN) df. Viorica ADAM (ROU), 10-0

72kg
GOLD: Daniela TKACHUK (POL) vs. Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (UWW)

SF 1: Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (UWW) df. Veronika VILK (CRO), 8-4
SF 2: Daniela TKACHUK (POL) df. Noemi OSVATH NAGY (HUN), via fall (4-4)