#BudaWrestle2018

Dake, Cox Add to USA's Gold-Medal Haul in Budapest

By Andrew Hipps

BUDAPEST, Hungary (October 22) -- A day after the United States of America captured its first gold medal in Budapest, Kyle DAKE and J'den COX added to the gold-medal haul for USA by winning world titles.

Dake won the gold medal at 79kg and did so without surrendering a point throughout the competition. The 27-year-old American outscored his opponents 37-0. 

"I definitely put the work in to get to where I needed to be," said Dake. "I've always been pretty stingy with points. Giving up points is not something I like to do."

In the gold-medal match, Dake won 2-0 over 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE). 

He scored his first point off the shot clock in the first period before adding another point off a step out in the second period. 

Like his USA teammate David TAYLOR who won gold on Sunday at 86kg, Dake claimed a gold medal in his first Senior World Championships. 

Cox, a bronze medalist at the Rio Olympics and Paris World Championships while competing at 86kg, topped Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR) 4-1 in the gold-medal match at 92kg. 

Cox scored two of his points off step outs in each of the two periods. Holding a 2-1 lead late in the match, Cox shot a single leg and secured a takedown in the closing seconds to clinch the victory.

"I wish I could have scored more points, but it seemed like my opponent didn't really want to wrestle that much," Cox said. 

Russia claimed a gold medal at 57kg as Zavur UGUEV (RUS) edged Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) 4-3 in a back-and-forth match. The victory gave Russia its second gold medal in Budapest and clinched the freestyle team title. 

Uguev, a two-time cadet world champion, struck first with a takedown midway through the first period, but Sanayev responded a short time later with a takedown off a leg attack to grab the lead. 

In the second period, Uguev retook the lead off a step out, but like in the first period, Sanayev responded, taking the lead off a step out of his own. With Sanayev leading on criteria late in the match, he was hit with a caution and one for grabbing the singlet, giving the match to Ugaev, 4-3. 

In an action-filled, high-scoring match, 19-year-old Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) won the gold medal at 65kg with a 16-9 victory over Bajrang BAJRANG (IND). 

Otoguro, a 2015 cadet world champion, jumped out to a 5-0 lead early on the strength of a four-point takedown. But Bajrang came back with two takedowns to cut the deficit to 5-4. The two traded two-point takedowns again, and the first period ended 7-6 in favor of Otoguro. 

Otoguro built his lead to 12-6 in the second period, but Bajrang continued to battle. He climbed back his back into the match with a takedown and points off cautions, but Orogoru was able to score when he needed to and claim a seven-point victory.  

2017 world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) rebounded from a semifinal loss to Uguev to win a bronze medal at 57kg with a 5-4 win over Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA (CUB). The other bronze medal at 57kg went to Suleyman ATLI (TUR), who topped 2017 world silver medalist Thomas GILMAN (USA) 5-4.

Alejandro VALDES TOBIER (CUB) earned a world bronze medal at 65kg for the second consecutive year. He cruised to a 10-0 technical fall over Seungchul LEE (KOR) in the bronze-medal match. Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) won his second bronze medal in three years with a 9-4 win over George BUCUR (ROU).

The bronze medals at 79kg were won by Ali SHABANAU (BLR) and Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS). For Shabanau, it was his fourth world bronze medal.

At 92kg, Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) won his second world bronze medal. The other bronze at 92kg was won by Atsushi MATSUMOTO (JPN), who edged Turtogtokh LUVSANDORJ (MGL) 6-5. 

Finals Results

Freestyle

57kg
GOLD: Zavur UGUEV (RUS) df. Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) by VPO1, 4-3
BRONZE: Suleyman ATLI (TUR) df. Thomas GILMAN (USA) by VPO1, 5-4
BRONZE: Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA (CUB) by VPO1, 5-4

65kg
GOLD: Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) df. Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) by VPO1, 16-9
BRONZE: Alejandro VALDES TOBIER (CUB) df. Seungchul LEE (KOR) by VSU, 10-0
BRONZE: Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) df. George BUCUR (ROU) by VPO1, 9-4

79kg
GOLD: Kyle DAKE (USA) df. Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE) by VPO, 2-0
BRONZE: Ali SHABANAU (BLR) df. Ezzatollah Abbas AKBARIZARINKOLAEI (IRI) by VPO1, 8-8
BRONZE: Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. Davit KHUTSISHVILI (GEO) by VSU, 10-0

92kg
GOLD: J'den COX (USA) df. Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR) by VPO1, 4-1
BRONZE: Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) df. Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO) by VSU1, 12-1
BRONZE: Atsushi MATSUMOTO (JPN) df. Turtogtokh LUVSANDORJ (MGL) by VPO1, 6-5
 

#WrestleBelgrade

Unheralded Tazhudinov stuns Olympic champs Snyder, Sadulaev

By Vinay Siwach

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 18) -- The 97kg hegemony has been broken. Unheralded Akhmed TAZHIDUNOV (BRN) stunned two Olympic champions in Kyle SNYDER (USA) and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) in back-to-back matches to confirm a first World Championships final since 2014 which will not feature one of the two.

The 19-year-old Asian champion was a shocker no one saw coming as he made it to the final and also confirmed a Paris Olympic quota for Bahrain. He will take on Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) for the gold medal.

Magomedov avenged his European Championships final loss to Givi MATCHRASHVILI (GEO) to make it his first World Championships final. He also earned a Paris Olympic quota for Azerbaijan.

In the other Olympic weight class in action in Belgrade, Olympic and world champions fell like nine pins as Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) and Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) made it to the gold medal finals and earning Paris Olympic spots for Hungary and Puerto Rico respectively.

Muszukajev took out Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), Shamil MAMEDOV (AIN) and world champion Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) in three absolute stunners to get to the final.

Rivera, a fifth-placer last year, got a buzzer-beating lace to beat European champion Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) 10-9 in the other semifinal.

In the two women's wrestling weight classes that were in action, Yuliia TKACH (UKR) returned to the World Championships final after nine years, reaching the gold medal about at 59kg. She will take on Qi ZHANG (CHN) who beat Jennifer PAGE (USA). Zhang's win over Page means that Sae NANJO (JPN) will return empty-handed.

At 55kg, two-time world champion Haruna OKUNO (JPN) also returned to the final. Her last gold came in 2018. She will take on 2019 world champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA), who is also returning to the final for the first time in four years.

Winchester won 10-0 against Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) in the semifinal while Okuno won over Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) 6-0.