Eltemirov, Pavlov win U23 European golds

Sunday, March 9, 2025 - 23:52 By United World Wrestling Press

TIRANA, Albania (March 9) -- Five months ago, Magomed ELTEMIROV (UWW) left Tirana with a medal around his neck, but the one that left a bitter aftertaste: A silver at the U23 World Championship.

That evening, he was defeated in a tense final by Magomed KHANIYEV (AZE). On Sunday, he made amends and although it wasn’t by defeating Khaniyev, Eltemirov walloped another Azerbaijani wrestler, Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE), to win his maiden U23 European Championship gold medal.

Eltemirov looked charged up even before his name was announced. He sprinted to the center and got down to business without wasting a second. After going up by a point following Heybatov’s failed challenge asking for a stepout, Eltemirov built a comfortable three-point cushion going into the break with a razor-sharp leg attack.

He never took his foot off the pedal as within 30 seconds of restart, Eltemirov threw Khaniyev on the mat using an underhook for two more points and seconds later, summoned all his upper-body strength to execute an over-under throw for four after his attempted ankle pick failed.

Heybatov attempted a desperate single-leg attack which Eltemirov blocked and when Heybatov tried a counter lift, Eltermirov scored exposure to finish the match 11-0 with 1:25 remaining on the clock.

Lev PAVLOV (UWW) hits a match-winning cradle on Nika ZANGALADZE (GEO) in the 57kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The 21-year-old led a procession of wrestlers representing the UWW to the top of the podium and most dominated. Another wrestler to win his first U23 European title was Lev PAVLOV (UWW), a multiple time age-group world medalist.

For close to five minutes and 30 seconds, not much happened in the 57kg freestyle final between Pavlov and Nika ZANGALADZE (GEO). Then, in a frenzied end, everything happened all at once: two stunning takedowns, dogged defending and a desperate bid to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat.

Ultimately, Pavlov won 6-1 to take home the first gold medal of the U23 European Championships in Tirana. The scoreline, however, barely suggests how close the bout was.

Both wrestlers traded passivity points — Zangaladze was penalised first before Pavlov was docked a point in the second period. It stayed 1-1 until the last 30 seconds when the match exploded.

With his super-quick reflexes, Pavlov scored a duck-under to cradle for a takedown and transitioned into arm-trap roll for two more points. That swung the momentum in his favor and then defended strongly to emerge victorious.

Arsen BALAIAN (UWW) survived a last-minute attack from Farid JABBAROV (AZE) to secure the 79kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The evening’s fourth final, between Arsen BALAIAN (UWW) and Farid JABBAROV (AZE) at 79kg followed a similar pattern, wherein both wrestlers were cautioned — and penalized a point each — for passivity.

Balaian, who had two bronze medals in the U23 category last year in Europe and Worlds, began the second round a point down. However, he overturned the scoreline and made it 2-1 by winning two passivity points of his own. With only 41 seconds remaining in the match when he went into the lead, Balaian could have opted for a strong defence.

He tried that and was nearly caught out when Jabbarov got hold of his left leg with only 10 seconds left to play. But a steely Balaian refused to give up and instead turned around the position, gained control and exposed Jabbarov to go 4-1 up. Jabbarev challenged the final move but it was ruled against him, handing Balaian the title after two near-misses.

Amal DZHANDUBAEV (UWW) secured the 65kg gold over Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 65kg, Amal DZHANDUBAEV (UWW) had to fight back with all his might to secure the title. At the midway point of the gold medal bout, it looked like Dzhandubaev will comfortably win as he had a 5-0 lead but Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) used a seatbelt throw for four to make score 5-4.

But Dzhandubaev did not falter even after the throw and kept his attacks, scored a stepout to make it 6-4. Defending that lead for final seconds, Dzhandubaev secured the gold, four years after he was crowned the U17 European champion.

At 97kg, Uladzislau KAZLOU (UWW) edging past Bady SAMDAN (UWW) 2-1 to reign supreme in the 97 kg category. Samdan had a 1-0 lead but Kazlou scored a stepout to lead 1-1 on criteria at the break. In the second period, Samdan was put on the 30-second activity clock in which he failed to score, handing Kazlou the win.

Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) celebrates after beating Arslan BAGAEV (UWW) in the semifinal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Magamadov eyes gold

After two failures to get past him in 2024, Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) managed to beat Arslan BAGAEV (UWW) in the 86kg semifinals on Sunday. He shut Bagaev down for a 6-0 lead. Magamadov had lost to Bagaev in the U23 Euro final and the World Military Championships final in 2024.

He will face U23 world silver medalist Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) for the gold medal. The Azerbaijan wrestler had lost to Bagaev in the final of the U23 Worlds last year.

Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR) will be hoping to win Ukraine’s first gold medal of the U23 European Championship when he takes on Georgi IVANOV (BUL) in the 125kg final.

Kochanov has two U23 medals but on both occasions — he won European U23 silver in 2023 and U23 Worlds bronze last year — fell short of a top-of-the-podium finish. The final against Ivanov offers him that chance and to avenge his 2023 U23 Euro final loss to the Bulgarian.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Lev PAVLOV (UWW) df. Nika ZANGALADZE (GEO), 6-1

BRONZE: Bekir KESER (TUR) df. Ion BULGARU (MDA), 18-14
BRONZE: Rahman IMANOV (AZE) df. Vladyslav ABRAMOV (UKR), 8-6

65kg
GOLD: Amal DZHANDUBAEV (UWW) df. Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR), 6-4

BRONZE: Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA) df. Hayk ABRAHAMYAN (ARM), 3-2
BRONZE: Murad HAGVERDIYEV (AZE) df. Fiodor CEAVDARI (MDA), 9-6

70kg
GOLD: Magomed ELTEMIROV (UWW) df. Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE), 11-0

BRONZE: Umut ERDOGAN (TUR) df. Pavel GRAUR (MDA), 5-1
BRONZE: Narek POHOSIAN (UKR) df. Muhammad ABDURACHMANOV (BEL), 2-0

79kg
GOLD: Arsen BALAIAN (UWW) df. Farid JABBAROV (AZE), 5-1

BRONZE: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) df. Aykan SEID (BUL), 11-0
BRONZE: Umar MAVLAEV (SUI) df. Giorgi GOGRITCHIANI (GEO), 8-7

97kg
GOLD: Uladzislau KAZLOU (UWW) df. Bady SAMDAN (UWW), 2-1

BRONZE: Resul GUNE (TUR) df. Adam JAKSIK (SVK), via fall
BRONZE: David MCHEDLIDZE (UKR) df. Nikolaos KARAVANOS (GRE), 6-1

Semifinals

61kg
GOLD: Jeyhun ALLAHVERDIYEV (AZE) vs. Levik MIKAYELYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Jeyhun ALLAHVERDIYEV (AZE) df. Besir ALILI (MKD), 5-4
SF 2: Levik MIKAYELYAN (ARM) df. Mykyta ABRAMOV (UKR), 11-1

74kg
GOLD: Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE) vs. Ismail KHANIEV (UWW)

SF 1: Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE) df. Manuel WAGIN (GER), 4-2
SF 2: Ismail KHANIEV (UWW) df. Bohdan OLIINYK (UKR), 10-0

86kg
GOLD: Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) vs. Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA)

SF 1: Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) df. Radomir STOYANOV (BUL), via fall
SF 2: Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) df. Arslan BAGAEV (UWW), 6-0

92kg
GOLD: Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM) vs. Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW)

SF 1: Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM) df. Denys SAHALIUK (UKR), 10-0
SF 2: Mukhamed KHANIEV (UWW) df. Sadig MUSTAFAZADE (AZE), 12-1

125kg
GOLD: Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR) vs. Georgi IVANOV (BUL)

SF 1: Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR) df. Khachatur KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 10-0
SF 2: Georgi IVANOV (BUL) df. Efe AL (TUR), via fall (12-1)

#JapanWrestling

Paris champ Kiyooka sets up clash with Tanabe, Motoki faces Ozaki

Saturday, June 21, 2025 - 12:44 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO (June 21) -- Before his astonishing run to an unlikely Olympic title, Kotaro KIYOOKA was the one doing the chasing. Now at the forefront and looking over his shoulder, he sees a familiar face bearing down on him whom he now has to confront.

Paris Olympic champion Kiyooka advanced to the freestyle 65kg final at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Championships on Saturday, where he will face former Nippon Sport Science University teammate Kaisei TANABE with a ticket to this year's World Championships on the line.

Kiyooka is one of three Paris gold medalists, along with Sakura MOTOKI at women's 62kg and Nao KUSAKA at Greco 77kg, who are making their full-fledged returns to the mat at the Meiji Cup, the second of Japan's two domestic qualifiers for the World Championships in Zagreb in September.

Both Motoki and Kusaka advanced with little trouble to Sunday's finals at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, with Motoki setting up a highly anticipated clash with Paris 68kg bronze medalist Nonoka OZAKI -- whom she beat out for the spot in Paris at 62kg but is intent on reclaiming that weight class.

Kotaro KIYOOK (JPN) Kotaro KIYOOKA, left, ended up scoring 4 points off this scramble in his semifinal match at freestyle 65kg with Yuto NISHIUCHI. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

Unlike the other two, Kiyooka has never been to a senior World Championships. Standing in his way is a formidable opponent in Tanabe, two years his junior who is coming off an impressive victory at the Asian Championships in March in Amman, Jordan. Tanabe only moved up to 65kg last year, and the two had not crossed paths before.

Following the Olympics, Kiyooka spent some time (with Kusaka) competing in the German Bundesliga. But the Meiji Cup marks his first high-level competition since Paris.

"It's been awhile since I've been in an official tournament," the 24-year-old Kiyooka said. "Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics, I'm still a long way away. What's important at this tournament is to come out with a victory.

"I have to make adjustments and prepare mentally for tomorrow. It's not just a one-and-done final, there is also a playoff so I can make it to the World Championships."

Tanabe, the son of NSSU coach and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Chikara TANABE, captured the title at the first domestic qualifier for the world team, the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships in December, in Kiyooka's absence.

As such, Kiyooka will not only have to beat him on Sunday in the final, but again in a playoff to be held at the end of the session.

As an indication of the depth of Japan in the weight class, even with the retirement of Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO, both Kiyooka and Tanabe had to get over tough hurdles to make the championship match.

In the semifinals, Kiyooka struggled to break through the defenses of two-time world U20 champion and current NSSU star Yuto NISHIUCHI. In the end, he used counters to great effect in an 8-1 win, scoring 4 by stepping over during a scramble and 2 more defending against a single leg.

"I'm not usually the type who scores big points," Kiyooka said. "But I have built myself up physically after the Olympics and I think the result was that I could get the big point."

In his opening match, Tanabe needed a stepout with 20 seconds left to get past Shinnosuke SUWAMA 5-4, before topping Ryuto SAKAKI 5-0 to make the final.

While Kiyooka is a bit unsettled about having a target on his back, he seems ready to face whatever comes his way.

"Up to now, it's always been the reverse situation," he said. "I never had the feeling that I was being chased. But I don't want to lose. As being among those who is aiming for the Los Angeles Olympics, I want to be a big barrier for the others. If you give them an opening, they will use it. I don't want to show them any gaps."

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) Sakura MOTOKI pries over Shirin TAKEMOTO en route to a 10-0 win in their women's 62kg semifinal. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

As surprising as Kiyooka's run to gold in Paris was, the bigger shock likely came during the qualifying process when an underrated Motoki, who was "only" a world bronze medalist at 59kg, had the audacity to move up and challenge the highly touted Ozaki at 62kg.

But the 2022 world U20 champion believed in herself, and keeps making believers of others. She returned to competition earlier this year in order to qualify for the World U23 Championships.

Victories at the U23 and senior worlds will make her just the third person in history to achieve the "Golden Grand Slam" of Olympic gold combined with all four world age-group titles.

On Saturday, Motoki's toughest test in advancing to the final came in the opener, when she used a low single to score a takedown in each period of a 5-0 win over two-time world U23 champion Yuzuku INAGAKI.

"She has a good defense," Motoki said. "Being able to get through a tough match really boosts my confidence. When you're an Olympic champion, it's only natural that [opponents] try to come up with a strategy against you.

"In that light, I have to figure out a way to become stronger from the start of Olympic qualifying. That's still under development."

Like Kiyooka, Motoki will have to beat the Emperor's Cup champion twice to secure a place on the world team, and Ozaki won't make it easy.

"She's a really strong wrestler," Motoki said. "I will have to summon up all of my power and try my best."

Nao KUSAKA (JPN) Nao KUSAKA sets up a 4-point overhead lift of Naoki KADODE during their semifinal at Greco 77kg. (Photo: Takeo Yabuki / wrestling-spirits.jp)

At Greco 77kg, Kusaka chalked up a pair of technical falls to advance to the final, where he will face the Emperor's Cup champion in Kodai SAKURABA, a 2022 Asian bronze medalist whom he aced out in the qualifying for Paris.

In the semifinals, Kusaka romped to a 12-1 victory over Naoki KADODE. After giving up a stepout, he came back with three of his own. Then he got behind and dropped backwards for 4, then ended the match with a 4-point lift at 2:04.

In other weight classes that will finish with medal matches on Sunday, longtime rivals and former NSSU teammates Katsukai ENDO and Kyotaro SOGABE set up their latest clash in the final at Greco 67kg.

Asian bronze medalist Endo, the Emperor's Cup champion, defeated 2021 world bronze 63kg medalist Kensuke SHIMIZU 7-3 in the semifinals, while Paris Olympian Sogabe rallied for a 13-6 win over 2023 world U23 bronze medalist and fellow NSSU alum Haruto YABE.

With Paris bronze medalist Yui SUSAKI still on post-Olympic hiatus, Remina YOSHIMOTO remained on track for a shot at a second world title at women's 50kg when she stormed to 10-0 victories over a pair of teenagers. She will face Umi ITO in a repeat of the Emperor's Cup final, which she won 3-2.

Emperor's Cup champion Rin SAKAMOTO, who has taken the rare collegiate path of going to the United States to compete at Oklahoma State University, advanced to the final at Freestyle 57kg and a showdown with Kento YUMIYA.

Eltemirov, Pavlov win U23 European golds

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Paris champ Kiyooka sets up clash with Tanabe, Motoki faces Ozaki