#worldcupiowacity

Complete Freestyle World Cup Rosters Released

By Eric Olanowski

Iowa, United States (April 5) - Although India does not arrive until Friday morning, each of the eight participating nations have submitted their finalized rosters for the 2018 Freestyle World Cup which begins April 7.

The eight teams have been split into two groups for the dual-meet based events which is an annual highlight of the international wrestling calendar. Group A will be comprised of the United States, Georgia, Japan and India, while Group B will be Azerbaijan, Cuba, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.

Azerbaijan
57kg Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI 
57kg - Afgan KHASHALOV     
61kg - Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV   
65kg - Haji ALIYEV     
65kg - Aghahuseyn MUSTAFAYEV    
70kg - Joshgun AZIMOV        
74kg - Gadzhimurad OMAROV         
79kg - Jabrayil HASANOV      
86kg - Aleksandr GOSTIYEV  
92kg - Aslanbek ALBOROV    
97kg - Nurmagomed GADZHIYEV     
97kg - Roman BAKIROV        
125kg - Jamaladdin MAGOMEDOV   

Cuba
57kg - Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA      
61kg - Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ  
65kg - Alejandro Enrique VALDES TOBIER    
70kg - Franklin MAREN CASTILLO     
74kg - Livan LOPEZ AZCUY    
79kg - Yoan Adrian ZULUETA MORALES       
86kg - Yurieski TORREBLANCA QUERALTA   
92kg - Lazaro Daniel HERNANDEZ LUIS        
97kg - Reineris SALAS PEREZ CUB
125kg - Yudenny ALPAJON ESTEVEZ 

Georgia
57kg - Teimuraz VANISHVILI 
61kg - Lasha LOMTADZE       
65kg - Magamed SAIDOVI     
70kg - Levan KELEKHSASHVILI           
74kg - Tarzan MAISURADZE 
79kg - Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI      
86kg - Davit KHUTSISHVILI   
92kg - Dato MARSAGISHVILI
97kg - Givi MATCHARASHVILI
125kg - Zviad METREVELI      

India
57kg -  Amit KUMAR 
61kg -  Sandeep TOMAR       
65kg -  Sharvan SHARVAN     
70kg -  Kumar ARUN 
74kg -  Kumar Omprakash VINOD     
79kg -  Sachin GIRI    
86kg -  Pawan KUMAR          
92kg -  Deepak PUNIA
97kg -  Viky VIKY        
125kg - Singh PUSHPENDER  

Japan
57kg -  Yuki TAKAHASHI         
61kg -  Kazuya KOYANAGI     
61kg -  Rinya NAKAMURA     
65kg -  Daichi TAKATANI       
65kg -  Takuto OTOGURO     
70kg -  Keisuke OTOGURO    
70kg -  Kirin KINOSHITA         
74kg -  Ken HOSAKA  
74kg -  Yuhi FUJINAMI           
79kg -  Sohsuke TAKATANI    
86kg -  Shota SHIRAI  
86kg -  Masao MATSUSAKA  
92kg -  Takashi ISHIGURO     
97kg -  Takeshi YAMAGUCHI 
97kg -  Taira SONODA           
125kg -Nobuyoshi ARAKIDA  
125kg -Taiki YAMAMOTO      

Kazakhstan
57kg -  Mukhambet KUATBEK           
61kg -  Rassul KALIYEV          
65kg -  Sayatbek OKASSOV   
70kg -  Meirzhan ASHIROV    
74kg -  Daniyar KAISANOV    
79kg -  Saken AITZHANOV     
86kg -  Elkhan ASSADOV       
92kg -  Iliskhan CHILAYEV      
97kg -  Mamed IBRAGIMOV 
125kg -Daulet SHABANBAY   
125kg -Oleg BOLTIN  
125kg -Yermukambet INKAR 

Mongolia
57kg -  ERDENEBAT Bekhbayar         
61kg -  TUMENBILEG Tuvshintulga   
65kg -  BATCHULUUN Batmagnai     
70kg -  SANJAA Ganbayar     
74kg -  GANZORIG Mandakhnaran   
79kg -  GANTULGA Iderkhuu 
86kg -  ORGODOL Uitumen   
92kg - LUVSANDORJ Turtogtokh      
97kg - ULZIISAIKHAN Batzul 
125kg - NATSAGSUREN Zolboo 

United States
57kg -  Thomas Patrick GILMAN       
57kg -  Frank Vincent PERRELLI IV    
61kg -  Kendric Dwayne MAPLE         
61kg -  Joseph Daniel COLON
65kg -  Logan Jeffery STIEBER           
65kg -  Joseph Christopher MC KENNA         
70kg -  James Malcolm GREEN         
70kg -  Frank Aniello MOLINARO      
74kg -  Jordan Ernest BURROUGHS  
74kg -  Isaiah Alexander MARTINEZ 
79kg -  Kyle Douglas DAKE     
79kg -  Alexander David DIERINGER 
86kg -  David Morris TAYLOR III        
86kg -  Bo Dean NICKAL         
92kg -  J'Den Michael Tbory COX       
92kg -  Hayden Nicholas ZILLMER     
97kg -  Kyle Frederick SNYDER          
97kg -  Kyven Ross GADSON  USA
125kg - Nicholas Edward GWIAZDOWSKI    
125kg - Dominique Deshon BRADLEY

Freestyle World Cup Schedule
Saturday, April 7 (All Times, CST)

10:00 am: United States v. India (Mat A) // Mongolia v. Kazakhstan (Mat B)
11:15 am: Japan v. Georgia (Mat A) // Azerbaijan v. Cuba (Mat B)
2:00 pm: Opening Ceremonies 
2:30 pm: United States v. Japan (Mat A) 
4:30 pm: Mongolia v. Cuba (Mat B)
5:45 pm: India v. Georgia (Mat A) // Azerbaijan v. Kazakhstan (Mat B)

Sunday, April 8 (All Times, CST)
10:00 am: United States v. Georgia (Mat A) // Mongolia v. Azerbaijan (Mat B)
11:15am: India v. Japan (Mat A) // Kazakhstan v. Cuba (Mat B)
12:30pm: Fifth Place Match (Mat A) // Seventh Place Match (Mat B)
2:15 pm: Bronze Medal Match (Mat A)
4:00 pm: Gold Medal Match (Mat A)

TV Schedule
Saturday, April 7 (All Times, CST)

10:00 am: USA v. India — Olympic Channel
2:30 pm: USA v. Japan — NBCSN

Sunday, April 8 ((All Times, CST)
11:00 am: United States v. Georgia — Olympic Channel
4:00 pm: Gold Medal Match — NBCSN

#WrestleAthens

World champions Sanchez, Rashidov set up golden clash at U17 Worlds

By Vinay Siwach

ATHENS, Greece (August 2) -- It will be world champion clashing with another for the 51kg gold medal on Sunday at the World U17 Championships in Athens, Greece.

Returning world champion from 45kg Samuel SANCHEZ (USA) and returning 48kg champion Ulugbek RASHIDOV (UZB) both won their semifinals and will have a go at each other on Sunday.

Sanchez took just 44 seconds to see of Danael ABDYKASSYM (KAZ), 10-0, in the semifinals at 51kg. He used his gut-wrench to great effect to win via technical superiority.

Ulugbek RASHIDOV (UZB) had to work harder for his win against Haruku SHIINA (JPN). He set up two takedowns and then scored an exposure by doubl arm-locking Shiina and throwing him on the mat when the Japanese tried to defend using headpinch just before the break. Japan challenged but lost the decision as Rashidov led 7-0 at the break.

He used a takedown and turn to make it 11-0 in three minutes and 57 minutes.

Iran vs U.S. in two finals

Iran and the United States will face off in two finals on Sunday. At 45kg, Parsa TAHMASBI (IRI) and Keegan BASSETT (USA) dominated their semifinals to enter the gold-medal bout.

Tahmasbi pinned Mirjalol MUKAMMILOV (UZB) using a cradle and Bassett posted a composed 6-2 win over Ibragim VELIULLOV (UWW), 6-2.

The second Iran-U.S. final will be at 71kg after Arsham VAHABIAN (IRI) and Jayden JAMES (USA) needed comeback wins in their respective semifinals.

Vahabian was trailing 5-3 but scored a takedown to make it 5-5 against Ayubjon BOZORZODA (TJK), who led on criteria. Bozorzoda added a stepout to take a clear 6-5 lead. However, Vahabian got behind and managed to tilt Bozorzoda more than 90 degrees to score two points in the final five seconds.

Tajikistan challenged the decision but there was no other action as seen in review and the challenge was lost, giving one more point to Vahabian.

In the other semifinal, James was leading 3-3 against Yeghishe MOSESYAN (ARM) when the Armenian used a front headlock for turn and got two points to lead 5-3. But James quickly blocked Mosesyan and broke his lock and held him on the mat for a fall.

Canada could have had its first finalist of a World Championships in Freestyle since 2018 and first time at U17 Worlds since 1989, but Nathan NASH (CAN) failed to hold on to his 3-3 criteria lead against Rihito HIURA (JPN) in the final 30 seconds and suffered a heartbreaking 5-3 loss at 60kg.

Hiura scored a takedown to take a 5-3 lead and tried a leg-lace as the clock ticked and he managed to keep his score till it expired.

The Japanese will face SITENDER (IND) for the gold medal bout after the Indian defeated Bekassyl ASSAMBEK (KAZ), 5-1, in the other semifinal which turned out be a one-big-move match.

Iran had another finalist as Amirali ALIZADEH (IRI) won another one-sided bout. He defeated Elguja LOMIDZE (GEO), 11-0, in the semifinals. 

David DZEBISOV (UWW) made it to the final from other side after he blanked Beibarys YERGALI (KAZ), 9-0, in the other semifinal.

RESULTS

45kg
GOLD: Keegan BASSETT (USA) vs. Parsa TAHMASBI (IRI) 

SF 1: Keegan BASSETT (USA) df. Ibragim VELIULLOV (UWW), 6-2
SF 2: Parsa TAHMASBI (IRI) df. Mirjalol MUKAMMILOV (UZB), via fall

51kg
GOLD: Ulugbek RASHIDOV (UZB) vs. Samuel SANCHEZ (USA)

SF 1: Ulugbek RASHIDOV (UZB) df. Haruku SHIINA (JPN), 11-0
Sf 2: Samuel SANCHEZ (USA) df. Danael ABDYKASSYM (KAZ), 10-0

60kg
GOLD: SITENDER (IND) vs. Rihito HIURA (JPN)

SF 1: SITENDER (IND) df. Bekassyl ASSAMBEK (KAZ), 5-1
SF 2: Rihito HIURA (JPN) df. Nathan NASH (CAN), 5-3

71kg
GOLD: Jayden JAMES (USA) vs. Arsham VAHABIAN (IRI)

SF 1: Jayden JAMES (USA) df. Yeghishe MOSESYAN (ARM), via fall (5-5)
SF 2: Arsham VAHABIAN (IRI) df. Ayubjon BOZORZODA (TJK), 8-6

92kg
GOLD: David DZEBISOV (UWW) vs. Amirali ALIZADEH (IRI)

SF 1: David DZEBISOV (UWW) df. Beibarys YERGALI (KAZ), 9-0
SF 2: Amirali ALIZADEH (IRI) df. Elguja LOMIDZE (GEO), 11-0