#DanKolov2019

Dan Kolov Day Two Finals Set

Thursday, February 28, 2019 - 18:34 By Eric Olanowski

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RUSE, Bulgaria (February 28) - Eight different nations inserted at least one wrestler into Friday night's Dan Kolov freestyle and women's wrestling finals. Russia led the finalist count with three freestyle representatives, but they can only claim a pair of medals because Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS) and Anzor ZAKUEV (RUS) will wrestle each other for the 70kg gold medal.

To make the 70kg finals, Bekbulatov thumped Asian Games bronze medalist Sirojiddin KHASANOV (UZB), Rio fifth-place finisher Frank Aniello MOLINARO (USA), and two-time Russian National runner-up Viktor RASSADIN (RUS), outscoring the three by a combined score of 28-2. 

In the finals, he'll meet fellow Russian Anzor Zakuev, who's making his first senior-level finals appearance. To reach the gold-medal match, Zakuev defeated Ukraine's two-time Olympian Andriy KVYATKOVSKYY (UKR), 4-1, in the semifinals.

Russia's third freestyle finalist is Magomed KURBANOV (RUS). Tenth-ranked Kurbanov will take on Georgia's Irakli MTSITURI (GEO) in the 92kg gold-medal bout. 

Indian's Sandeep TOMAR (IND) will lace up against returning 57kg world runner-up Nurislam (Artas) SANAYEV (SANAA) (KAZ). But, the match will be up a weight class at 61kg. Sanayev destroyed the United States' 2018 world bronze medalist Joe COLON, 13-2, locking up his spot in the finals, and Tomar shutout Turkey's Munir AKTAS (TUR), 4-0, to reach his second Ranking Series final in the last two seasons. Last year, he lost to Iran's Mohammad YAKHKESHI for the Yasar Dogu gold. 

The lone remaining freestyle gold-medal matchup comes at 79kg where and is between Alexander DIERINGER (USA) and Omaraskhab NAZHMUDINOV (ROU). The American used a 5-1 win over U23 world champion Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO) to reach the finals, and Nazhmudinov inked his way to the gold-medal match with a 7-4 win over Russia's Atsamaz SANAKOEV. 

Meanwhile, in women's wrestling, Sakshi MALIK (IND) stunned defending world champion Petra OLLI (FIN), 4-1, and grabbed the biggest shocker of the tournament.  

The Rio Olympic bronze medalist will wrestle Sweden's 2010 world bronze medalist Henna JOHANSSON (SWE) for the Dan Kolov title. Johansson reached the finals by sticking Maya NELSON (USA) in her semifinals bout. This will be Johansson's second finals appearance in the past two weeks, as she's coming off a gold-medal performance at the Klippan Lady Open. 

Circling back to the 55kg finals where Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) will meet Greece's Maria PREVOLARAKI for the gold medal. Sedneva grabbed arguably the second biggest upset of the tournament with her semifinals pin over reigning world champion Zalina SIDAKOVA (BLR). 

The 59kg weight class had four entries and is a round-robin competition, so the final gold-medal bout on Friday night will be at 72kg, where Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR) will meet fourth-ranked Buse TOSUN (TUR). 

Wrestling resumes tomorrow at 10:00 (local time) with the Friday night finals starting at 18:00. 

SCHEDULE
March 1 (Friday) 
8:00 - Medical examination and weigh-in 1 - FS - 57, 65, 74; GR (+ 2 kg) - 87, 97, 130; WW - 62, 68, 76kg
8: 30 - Weigh-in 2 FS - 61,70,79, 92 kg; GR (+ 2 kg) - 55,63,72,82 kg; WW - 55,59,65, 72 kg Referee meeting
10: 00 - Elimination rounds FS - 57, 65, 74; GR - 87, 97, 130; WW - 62, 68, 76 kg
10: 00 - Repechages FS - 61, 70, 79, 92kg; GR - 55, 63, 72, 82kg; WW - 55, 59, 65, 72kg
16: 30 - Draw - FS - 86, 97, 125; GR - 60, 67, 77kg; WW - 50, 53, 57kg
17: 00 - Semi-finals FS - 57, 65, 74; GR - 87, 97, 130; WW - 62, 68, 76kg
18:00 - Final matches and awarding ceremony - FS - 61,70,79, 92kg; GR - 55, 63, 72, 82kg; WW - 55, 59, 65, 72kg

RESULTS
Freestyle
61kg
GOLD - Sandeep TOMAR (IND) vs. Nurislam (Artas) SANAYEV (SANAA) (KAZ)
SEMIFINAL - Nurislam (Artas) SANAYEV (SANAA) (KAZ) df. Joseph Daniel COLON (USA), 13-2 
SEMIFINAL - Sandeep TOMAR (IND) df. Munir AKTAS (TUR), 4-0 

70kg 
GOLD - Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS) vs. Anzor ZAKUEV (RUS)
SEMIFINAL - Anzor ZAKUEV (RUS) df. Andriy KVYATKOVSKYY (UKR), 4-1 
SEMIFINAL - Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS) df. Viktor RASSADIN (RUS), 10-0 

79kg
GOLD - Alexander DIERINGER (USA) vs. Omaraskhab NAZHMUDINOV (ROU) 
SEMIFINAL - Omaraskhab NAZHMUDINOV (ROU) df. Atsamaz SANAKOEV (RUS), 7-4 
SEMIFINAL - Alexander David DIERINGER (USA) df. Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO), 5-1 

92kg
GOLD - Magomed KURBANOV (RUS) vs. Irakli MTSITURI (GEO) 
SEMIFINAL - Irakli MTSITURI (GEO) df. Ibrahim BOLUKBASI (TUR), 7-4 
SEMIFINAL - Magomed KURBANOV (RUS) df. Michael MACCHIAVELLO (USA), 3-2 

Women's Wrestling 
55kg
GOLD - Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) vs. Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) 
SEMIFINAL - Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) df. Roksana ZASINA (POL), 3-1
SEMIFINAL - Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) df. Zalina SIDAKOVA (BLR), via fall 

59kg
Round-Robin - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Kornelija ZAICEVAITE (LTU), via forfeit
Round-Robin - Pooja DHANDA (IND) df. Sarita SARITA (IND), 4-3

65kg
GOLD - Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) vs. Sakshi MALIK (IND)
SEMIFINAL - Sakshi MALIK (IND) df. Petra OLLI (FIN), 4-1
SEMIFINAL - Henna JOHANSSON (SWE) df. Maya NELSON (USA), via fall. 

72kg
GOLD - Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR) vs. Buse TOSUN (TUR)
SEMIFINAL - Buse TOSUN (TUR) df. Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ), 9-6 
SEMIFINAL - Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR) df. YAN Chuchu (CHN), 6-2 

#UnitedWorldWrestling

Paris Olympics: Wrestling breaks new barriers, expands reach across continents

Thursday, August 22, 2024 - 14:05 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (August 22): More than half a million new fans in the digital community. An astounding 100 million engagements. And a remarkable 134 percent increase in social media impressions compared to Tokyo 2020.

At the Paris Olympics, it was a gold medal for wrestling.

UWW

On the mat, legends were born, records were set, and some moments would be remembered for ages. Off it, the sport broke new barriers, expanded its reach and engaged with a diverse audience as the United World Wrestling digital channels witnessed unprecedented growth during the Games.

The UWW’s online platforms recorded an impressive 11.2 percent increase in followers, adding over 508,000 new fans to its digital community. Compared to the growth in followers during the Tokyo Olympics, this figure represents a staggering 125 percent increase.

A large part of this surge was seen on Instagram, where the UWW gained 217,000 new followers. Facebook was a close second, adding 183,000 new followers while TikTok, the platform known for its short, engaging content, added 61,400 new followers. The growth across all platforms highlights the effectiveness of the UWW’s content strategy.

The inspiring clip of Greco-Roman star Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI), who won Iran’s first gold medal in the Paris Olympics drove the maximum engagement on Instagram. Saravi, who won a bronze medal in Tokyo, beat Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) 4-1 in the 97kg final.

Another Iranian, Rahman AMOUZAD, one of the most feared wrestlers in the 65 kg freestyle, went viral with a video in which he proclaimed himself the ‘king’. This post had the second-highest engagement while a slick clip of Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) was the third-most viewed, captivating the viewers and leading engagements as well as interactions.

These videos – and many others shared across UWW’s social media channels – resonated strongly with audiences, garnering record-breaking views. Overall, there were 330 million impressions, a remarkable rise of 134 percent compared to the Tokyo Olympics.

Moreover, the content also achieved 100 million engagements, and a 71 percent increase in reach compared to the previous Olympic Games. This surge in interaction underscores the high level of interest and excitement generated by UWW’s coverage of the Olympic wrestling events.

The video content drove UWW’s social media success. Across all platforms, UWW’s video content garnered over 156 million views, an extraordinary 205 percent increase compared to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

YouTube, in particular, saw significant traction with over 21 million views. This success was fueled by a mix of short and long-form videos apart from live streaming, with shorts emerging as the most popular content format.

With more than one million views, the YouTube video of AMAN (IND) getting his revenge over Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) with a win in the preliminary round. Aman, who won a bronze medal, had lost to Abakarov at the 2023 World Championships.

Chamizo’s video, Don't play with fire #WrestleParis, which went viral on Instagram was also a huge hit on YouTube with hundreds of thousands of viewers, making it the second-most watched video on the platform.

The Day Three highlights show which revisited one of the biggest upsets of the competition – Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) defeating Yui SUSAKI (JPN) in the women’s 50 kg first round – got the third-highest views on YouTube.

The UWW’s vibrant social media strategy was complemented by a robust email marketing campaign, which ran daily throughout the Olympic Games. The ongoing CRM campaigns helped boost engagement across Web, App and UWW+.