Top Stories of the Decade

Cuban Greco-Roman Great Mijain Lopez Wins Third Olympic Gold

By Andrew Hipps

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 26) -- At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Cuban wrestling great Mijain LOPEZ captured his third Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, equaling the record of Alexander KARELIN (RUS, 1988-1996) and Carl WESTERGREN (SWE, 1920-1932). Lopez became the ninth wrestler in history to win three Olympic gold medals.

Lopez, a five-time world champion and eight-time world medalist, earned his Rio gold medal by shutting out Turkey’s reigning world champion Riza Kayaalp, 6-0.

After Kayaalp defeated Lopez at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, many wrestling fans were expecting a hard-fought struggle in their Rio gold-medal match, but Lopez all but sealed his victory in the opening 30 seconds.

Lopez snapped Kayaalp down and wrapped up a tight chest-lock from in front and tossed the champ to his back for a quick 4-0 lead. He added a step-out point off an ensuring scramble to go up 5-0.

Lopez added another penalty point in the second period as things got chippy with a frustrated Kayaalp. He appeared to be closing in on a technical superiority with a minute remaining, but Lopez chose to ease home with the victory.

The 6-foot-5 Cuban celebrated his third Olympic gold title by doing a salsa-infused dance on the Mat. “The dance just came natural to me,” Lopez said moments after his match. “Brazil is Brazil, and in Brazil you have to dance!”

#Grappling

Kazakhstan dominates U17 World Grappling Championships 2024

By United World Wrestling Press

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (October 10) -- Kazakhstan captured all four team titles at the U17 World Grappling Championships held in Astana.

The hosts won the men's and women's U17 Grappling Gi team titles in dominant style with no other country challenging it. However, Ukraine managed to push Kazakhstan in Grappling. Kazakhstan still managed to win the team titles in Grappling.

RESULTS

U17 Men's Grappling Gi

42kg
GOLD: Shapagat SERGAZYULY (KAZ)
SILVER: Sagyndyk AITBAYEV (KAZ)
BRONZE: Denis MURZABAEV (AIN)

46kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail TAVSULTANOV (AIN)
SILVER: Ali AKIMZHAN (KAZ)
BRONZE: Mirkhat IKHLASSOV (KAZ)

50kg
GOLD: Yernar YERALY (KAZ) df. Akhmad KANATULY (KAZ), 6-0

BRONZE: Erasyl MAKHMEDOV (KGZ) df. Julen TRUJILLO (ESP), via submission (2-2)
BRONZE: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Ilia GRISHENKO (AIN), 2-0

54kg
GOLD: Abdusomad TYNCHTYKBEKOV (KGZ) df. Islam MUSKHANOV (AIN), 4-2

BRONZE: Vladimir YERMOSHKIN (KAZ) df. Radmir AN (KAZ), via submission (8-0)

58kg
GOLD: Jose MARTIN SANCHEZ (ESP) df. Mykhailo KAZYMERCHUK (UKR), via submission (3-2)

BRONZE: Andrei LIASHCHENKO (AIN) df. Vanik SARGSYAN (ARM), 12-1
BRONZE: Akhmet IBRASHEV (KAZ) df. Arsen MURATBEKOV (KGZ), via submission (2-2)

63kg
GOLD: Ramazan TIANGUBER (KGZ) df. Imranali KARIMZHANOV (KAZ), via submission (9-4)

BRONZE: Hrachya GHAZAKHYAN (ARM) df. Adil MAIRAMBEK UULU (KGZ), via cautions
BRONZE: Eduard ASATRYAN (ARM) df. Viktor MENEILIUK (UKR), via submission (2-0)

69kg
GOLD:  Aleksei SKOREV (AIN) df. Sultan RUSLANBEKOV (KGZ), 2-2 (overtime)

BRONZE: Oleksii BOLBOCHAN (UKR) df. Bator FARKAS (HUN), 2-1
BRONZE: Oliwier PRZERWA (POL) df. Ivan STANEV (AIN), 6-0

76kg
GOLD: Shamil GUSEINOV (AIN) df. Alinur BEISEN (KAZ), via submission (2-0)

BRONZE: Dmitrii MULIAK (AIN) df. Aidarkhan BURIBAYEV (KAZ), via submission (5-4)
BRONZE: Artem SAVRANSKYI (UKR) df. Heorhi HLAZKO (AIN), 4-1

85kg
GOLD: Georgii GUTIUM (AIN) df. Ivan NARKEVICH (AIN), 5-2

BRONZE: Alberto MENA CRUZ (ESP) df. Yermek OSPANOV (KAZ), 0-0

110kg
GOLD: Kamil DZIKOWSKI (POL) df. Arsenii ERMAKOV (AIN), 2-0

BRONZE: Nursultan NURGALIYEV (KAZ) df. Timur CHAHOVETS (UKR), 6-2

U17 Women's Grappling Gi

40kg
GOLD: Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR)
SILVER: Khadisha NURTAYEVA (KAZ)
BRONZE: Aysu ALIYEVA (AZE)

43kg
GOLD: Iuliia KHOROSHEVA (AIN) df. Symbat IBRAKHIM (KAZ), via submission (9-0)

46kg
GOLD: Nuray ALTYNBEK (KAZ)
SILVER: Daria SERAZETDINOVA (AIN)
BRONZE: Umit YSKAK (KAZ)

49kg
GOLD: Alsu GALIEVA (AIN)
SILVER: Veronika MARUSHCHAK (AIN)
BRONZE: Aizhan YERKOSSAY (BRONZE)

52kg
GOLD: Sana NDIAYE (FRA) df. Daria KHAMETOVA (AIN), 5-2

BRONZE: Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL) df. Anhelina OTROSHCHENKO (UKR), via submission (7-0)

56kg
GOLD: Ekaterina KONSTANTINOVA (AIN) df. Varvara SHKUROPAT (KAZ), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Sara CICIO (ROU) df. Carmina GUILLEN (ESP), via submission (6-0)
BRONZE: Iris GARCIA (ESP) df. Kseniia POLIAK (UKR), via walkover

60kg
GOLD: Malgorzata SALAMON (POL) df. Milana MURGUZOVA (KAZ), 8-2

BRONZE: Sofiia FYLYPCHUK (UKR) df. Aitana LOOR (ESP), 10-1
BRONZE: Daiana HOTIU (ROU) df. Alisa GOLUB (AIN), 13-2

65kg
GOLD: Anastasiia SHAROVA (AIN) df. Olesia ILKINA (AIN), 7-4

BRONZE: Miruna BABAN (ROU) df. Yana MELNYCHUK (UKR), 6-2

90kg
GOLD: Nargiz YAKHYP (KAZ)
SILVER: Tetiana TKACHYK (UKR)
BRONZE: Nuray ARYSTANOVA (KAZ)

U17 Men's Grappling

42kg
GOLD: Adam MISRIEV (AIN)
SILVER: Nurislam KUATBAIULY (KAZ)
BRONZE: Sagyndyk AITBAYEV (KAZ) 

46kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail TAVSULTANOV (AIN) df. Jakub BARDEN (POL), 5-4

BRONZE: Osman SHAKHBANOV (AIN) df. Ualikhan ABDRAZAK (KAZ), via submission

50kg
GOLD: Yerkebulan ISLAMGALI (KAZ) df. Eldar ELDAROV (AIN), via submission (6-2)

BRONZE: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Daniz HASANOV (AZE), 7-0
BRONZE: Erasyl MAKHMEDOV (KGZ) df. Julen TRUJILLO (ESP), via submission

54kg
GOLD: Islam MUSKHANOV (AIN) df. Yehor TARASENKO (UKR), via submission

BRONZE: Vladimir YERMOSHKIN (KAZ) df. Saulo HERNANDEZ (ESP), 5-2
BRONZE: Aleksandr MAKAROV (AIN) df. Lohan DURANDET (FRA), 5-1

58kg
GOLD: Jose MARTIN SANCHEZ (ESP) df. Artem SHALAEV (AIN), via submission (4-2)

BRONZE: Andrei LIASHCHENKO (AIN) df. Maxim POTAPOV (GER), 12-1
BRONZE: Mykhailo KAZYMERCHUK (UKR) df. Abai DOOLOTOV (KGZ), via submission

63kg
GOLD: Nazir KHAPSIROKOV (AIN) df. Nurdaulet ESSENULY (KAZ), via submission

BRONZE: Ramazan TIANGUBER (KGZ) df. Dorian ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL), 7-0
BRONZE: Viktor MENEILIUK (UKR) df. Hrachya GHAZAKHYAN (ARM), 3-3

69kg
GOLD: Davlet FIZIKOV (AIN) df. Zhalgas TURALIYEV (KAZ), via submission (9-1)

BRONZE: Marcin CHMIELEWSKI (POL) df. Bator FARKAS (HUN), 4-4
BRONZE: Aleksandr KARPENKOV (AIN) df. Oliwier PRZERWA (POL), 7-3

76kg
GOLD: Mukhammad EMINOV (AIN) df. Artem SAVRANSKYI (UKR), 6-0

BRONZE: Shamil GUSEINOV (AIN) df. Mateusz KUCA (POL), 5-1
BRONZE: Csaba SZABO (HUN) df. Heorhi HLAZKO (AIN), 3-2

85kg
GOLD: Georgii GUTIUM (AIN) df. Ivan NARKEVICH (AIN), via submission (2-0)

BRONZE: Oleh STRATIICHUK (UKR) df. Benjamin HENCZI (HUN), 12-0

110kg
GOLD: Kiliaskhan DZHAMALUTDINOV (AIN) df. Mukhammad KHAIRUEV (AIN), 10-0

BRONZE: Kamil Konrad DZIKOWSKI (POL) df. Dias YESPAYEV (KAZ), via submission

U17 Women's Grappling

40kg
GOLD: Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR)
SILVER: Aysu ALIYEVA (AZE)
BRONZE: Khadisha NURTAYEVA (KAZ)

46kg
GOLD: Nuray ALTYNBEK (KAZ)
SILVER: Umit YSKAK (KAZ)
BRONZE: Nikol BATHORI (ROU)

49kg
GOLD: Alsu GALIEVA (AIN)
SILVER: Aikunim RUSLANKYZY (KAZ)
BRONZE: Aizhan YERKOSSAY (KAZ)

52kg
GOLD: Daria KHAMETOVA (AIN) df. Sana NDIAYE (FRA), 5-2

BRONZE: Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL) df. Sylwia WELC (POL), 6-0

56kg
GOLD: Sara CICIO (ROU) df. Ekaterina KONSTANTINOVA (AIN), 9-4

BRONZE: Varvara SHKUROPAT (KAZ) df. Kseniia POLIAK (UKR), via submission (0-2)
 
60kg
GOLD: Alisa GOLUB (AIN) df. Malgorzata SALAMON (POL), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Yuliia MELNYCHUK (UKR) df. Aitana LOOR (ESP), 15-3
BRONZE: Olena RYBALCHENKO (UKR) df. Milana MURGUZOVA (KAZ), 5-2

65kg
GOLD: Olesia ILKINA (AIN) df. Angelica NIETO (ESP), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Karina GARIFULLINA (KAZ) df. Yana MELNYCHUK (UKR), 6-2

90kg
GOLD: Mercedes GARCIA (ESP)
SILVER: Tetiana TKACHYK (UKR)
BRONZE: Nargiz YAKHYP (KAZ)