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)

#WrestleHangzhou

Iran bounces back to win two Asian Games golds in Greco-Roman

Thursday, October 5, 2023 - 11:18 By Vinay Siwach

LIN'AN, Hangzhou, China (October 5) -- After the disappointment of two silver medals on Wednesday, Iran bounced back with two gold medals in Greco-Roman on Thursday. Both gold medals came at the expense of home wrestlers.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) gets the first par terre advantage and scores a turn to lead 3-0 against Yiming LI (CHN). A stepout to lead 4-0 at the break. Li got the par terre advantage in the second period and Saravi, confidently, defended the position without giving up any points.

A caution point was awarded to Saravi as Li was penalized for locking fingers. Saravi would calmly see off the remaining time on the clock to win 5-1 and Iran's first gold medal in wrestling at the Asian Games.

"It was a good competition," Saravi said of the final. "Thank God that I was able to win the gold medal with the correct planning that we did with the coaches."

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) won the 97kg gold medal at the Asian Games. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

Saravi began the day with a big 6-3 win over two-time World Championships medalists Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) and followed that with a 3-1 victory over U. DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) in the quarterfinals. Islam UMAYEV (KAZ) failed to put up any challenge and Saravi moved into the finals with ease.

Having wrestled Li at the Bishkek Ranking Series this year, Saravi used the same strategy and kept it under control after the first turn in par terre. However, Saravi did not deny that the partisan crowd in the Lin'an Sport and Culture Exhibition Center.

"I wrestled with Li in the Ranking Series, but the conditions here were a little more difficult," he said. "The presence of Chinese spectators made the situation a little more difficult."

The 2021 world champion came into the Asian Games after a bronze-medal finish at the 2023 World Championships. But he said that the Belgrade tournament did not really affect his preparation for the Asian Games.

"I was ready because I trained hard for the World Championships and we had already planned for this competition," he said. "Thank God that my body was ready for this competition and I could get the best result."

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) won the 130kg gold after beating Lingzhe MENG (CHN) 1-1 in the final. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

The second gold medal for Iran in Greco-Roman was captured by 130kg world champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) who also defeated a Chinese wrestler, Lingzhe MENG (CHN), to win his Asian Games title.

In what was a repeat of the 2023 Asian Championships final, Mirzazadeh continued his unbeaten run this year with a 1-1 victory over Meng. The two wrestlers exchanged passivity points and Mirzazadeh won by the virtue of scoring the last point.

Mirzazadeh won his first world title in Belgrade after he stunned five-time world champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR) 2-2 in the final.

While Iran coach Hassan RANGREZ was happy with the result of two gold medals, he was worried about his wrestlers competing at two demanding tournaments in less than 10 days.

"Ideally we should have won four gold medals," Rangrez said. "However, with the World Championships and Asian Games being so close together, it was difficult to prepare and it impacted our performances."

For Mirzazadeh's gold, Rangrez said that he was never in doubt

"He is the new king of super heavyweight," the coach said. "He wrestled very well."

Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) won the 97kg bronze, thus completing the set of medals at the Asian Games. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

Assakalov, 39, completes medal set

Two-time World Championships medalist Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) completed the medal set as he won the bronze medal in the 97kg weight class. The 39-year-old pinned Islam UMAYEV (KAZ) in the bronze-medal bout after leading 7-0. Assakalov was the 85kg Asian Games champion at the 2014 edition in Icheon and won a silver in the 2018 Games in Jakarta. Assakalov had earlier lost to Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) 6-3 in the opening round bout.

"I have a full set of Asian games medals," Assakalov said. "Thank God for everything, thanks to my solid team"

Assakalov has been wrestling for over two decades now but the hope of winning an Olympic medal keeps him going. He has been to two Olympic Games -- 2016 and 2020 -- but finished eighth in both editions.

"The Olympic medal makes me keep doing this sport," he said. "I am 39 years old. I still work hard to make my dream come true. My children are my motivation. When I leave home, they say, dad, bring us the medal."

The other 97kg bronze medal went to Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN) as he defeated Seyeol LEE (KOR) 4-3. Tsuruda would be thanking his stars as he was trailing 3-1 till the last 11 seconds when Lee headbutted Tsuruda and the referees awarded two points to the Japanese.

Lee challenged the call and on review, the jury upheld the original decision and awarded another point to Tsuruda.

At 130kg, multiple-time Asian medalist Minseok KIM (KOR) and 2022 Asian champion Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) won the bronze medals. Both won with an identical scoreline of 5-1.

Kim scored two turns from par terre to beat NAVEEN while Syzdykov managed to get the bronze by beating Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM) 5-1.

RESULTS

97kg
GOLD: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Yiming LI (CHN), 5-1

BRONZE: Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) df. Islam UMAYEV (KAZ), via fall (7-0)
BRONZE: Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN) df. Seyeol LEE (KOR), 4-3

130kg
GOLD: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Lingzhe MENG (CHN), 1-1

BRONZE: KIM Minseok KIM (KOR) df. NAVEEN, 5-1
BRONZE: Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) df. Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM), 5-1

Eltemirov, Pavlov win U23 European golds

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Iran bounces back to win two Asian Games golds in Greco-Roman