#WrestleBucharest

European Championships Day 2 GR semis set

Tuesday, February 13, 2024 - 08:10 By United World Wrestling Press

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BUCHAREST, Romania (February 13) -- The European Championships enters its second day with five more Greco-Roman weight classes. Wrestlers in 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg and 97kg will be on the mat Tuesday and try to make a place in the final.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 1 REPORT

Here are the semifinals for Tuesday

60kg
SF 1: Victor CIOBANU (MDA) vs. Sadyk LALAEV (AIN)
SF 2: Razvan ARNAUT (ROU) vs. Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE)

67kg
SF 1: Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) vs. Morten THORESEN (NOR)
SF 2: Murat FIRAT (TUR) vs. Ruslan BICHURIN (AIN)

72kg
SF 1: Selcuk CAN (TUR) vs. Narek OGANIAN (AIN)
SF 2: Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) vs. Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE)

82kg
SF 1: Alperen BERBER (TUR) vs. Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
SF 2: Islam ALIEV (AIN) vs. Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR)

97kg
SF 1: Magomed MURTAZALIEV (AIN) vs. Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN)
SF 2: Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) vs. Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN)

15:15: Victor CIOBANU (MDA) with a 8-0 technical superiority win over Georjig TIBILOV (SRB) and he moves into the 60kg semifinal. He will now take on Sadyk LALAEV (AIN) for a place in the gold-medal bout.

15:00: Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) rolls into the semifinal at 72kg with a 9-0 win over Matias LIPASTI (FIN). On the other side of the bracket, Selcuk CAN (TUR) will be up against Narek OGANIAN (AIN) after both posted comprehensive wins.

14:45: A big semifinal at 97kg as Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) faces Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN). Aleksanyan scored a 7-3 win over Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED) while Khaslakhanau defeated Anton VIEWEG (GER) 9-0 in the quarterfinal.

14:30: Returning silver medalist Kiril MILOV (BUL) will fall to U23 world champion Magomed MURTAZALIEV (AIN) 4-0 as the Individual Neutral Athlete continues to impress in the new weight class.

14:25: Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) got thrown for a big four Abu AMAEV (AIN) but that didn't trouble him in beating Amaev 15-4 and moving into the semifinals of the 67kg weight class.

14:15: Victor CIOBANU (MDA) is finally on the mat for his first bout, almost four hours since the session started. Viktor PETRYK (UKR) gets the first par terre advantage and he scores the turn to lead 3-0. Petryk then tries an arm-spin which is blocked by Ciobanu and he gets a takedown after a challenge. Another takedown and turn as he races to a 10-3 lead at the break. A quick takedown after the break and Ciobanu wins 12-3 at 60kg. He moves into the quarterfinals

14:00: The first quarterfinals are beginning in 97kg. Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) is up against Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) and he gets a par terre advantage. Savolainen with stepouts on either side of the breaks and a second par terre advantage as well to win 4-0 and enter the semifinal.

13:40: Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) continues his winning run. Up against world bronze medalist Mate NEMES (SRB), who has moved up to 72kg for this tournament, Nasibov scores two stepouts in a 3-1 win over Nemes

13:05: 82kg world champion Rafiq HUSEYNOV (AZE) is up against U20 and U23 world silver medalist Alperen BERBER (TUR). Huseynov put in par terre but no score for him. But Berber with a bodylock for four and a turn which is not scored. Turkiye asked for a challenge but the action was outside the zone. Berber led 5-1 at the break. Hyseynov is cautioned for finger locks and Berber gets two more points to lead 7-1. That's how the match will end. What a big win for the young gun from Turkiye.

12:45: Defending champion Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) defends from par terre in the first period against Sebastian NAD (SRB) and then scores a takedown, and adds a beautiful throw to win 6-1 in the 67kg bout.

12:30: Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) warms up with a 9-1 win over Beytullah KAYISDAG (TUR). The next match in 97kg saw Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) with a big throw against Aleksandar STJEPANETIC (SWE) and win 9-0.

12:15: Magomed MURTAZALIEV (AIN) looks in solid form as he takes out world bronze medalist and top seed Artur OMAROV (CZE) 9-0 at 97kg. He got four rolls from par terre to win the bout. Kiril MILOV (BUL) also moves into the next round with an 8-0 win.

12:05: In a repechage bout in 87kg, Zhan BELENUIK (UKR) rolls back the day and holds off Istvan TAKACS (HUN) 1-1 and makes it to the bronze medal bout

11:55: Drama in the 60kg Kerem KAMAL (TUR) vs Georgij TIBILOV (SRB)! Tibilov seemed to have pinned Kamal but Turkiye challenged and on review, there was a stepout. Tibilov led 3-3 on criteria when Kamal tried to push him out. But as Tibilov was evading, he got behind Kamal who was penalized for a singlet foul. Turkiye again challenged but lost which gave Tibilov a 7-3 lead. Kamal, desperate for a four-point throw, jumped over Tibilov who grabbed him and pin. Tibilov suggested that Kamal may have tried to bite him. Both wrestlers were separated by the referee.

11:35: Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) survives a touch opening bout. He got a 3-0 lead at the break and managed to stop Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (AIN) from scoring any points in the second period from par terre. Nasibov scored a stepout in the second period to lead 4-1. Towards the end of the bout, Nasibov was cautioned for headbutting, thus giving Liavonchyk two points. But Nasibov held on for a 4-3 win.

11:20: Former U23 European champion Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) is still trying to find the same success at the senior level. He has a bronze medal at the European Championships. He starts his campaign at 67kg with a big 9-0 win over Andrea SETTI (ITA). A five-point throw as well.

10:55: U23 world champion at 87kg Magomed MURTAZALIEV (AIN) decided to move to 97kg and faced Tamas LEVAI (HUN) first up. But no troubles for Murtazaliev at the new weight class. He wins his first bout 6-0 and sets up a 1/8 final against world bronze medalist Artur OMAROV (CZE).

10:30: The first day of the European Championships saw Riza KAYAALP (TUR) reach the final at 130kg whereas Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) lost his semifinal at 63kg after beating world champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO). Ali CENGIZ (TUR) and Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB) set up a final at 87kg

10:15: Second day at the European Championships and we are going in with five weight classes. Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) and Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) are going to defend their titles.

#WrestleTirana

Paris medalists Valiev, Amouzad make golden return in Tirana

Wednesday, February 26, 2025 - 20:04 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (February 26) -- Three Paris Olympic medalists were in action on day one of the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series event and two returned with medals.

Chermen VALIEV (ALB) and Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI), medalists at 74kg and 65kg, have announced themselves as early contenders for their respective continental championships. Islam DUDAEV (ALB), the third Paris medalist in action on Thursday, lost his 1/8 final at 65g.

Returning to action for the first time since winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, Valiev claimed the gold medal at 74kg in Tirana, Albania. To make the victory sweeter, he defeated four-time European champion Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) in the final at home.

Salkazanov has won gold medal at the European Championships for four straight editions and was expected to win this year, especially with the tournament to be held in Bratislava, Slovakia. But with Valiev beating Salkazanov, the odds have changed.

Chermen VALIEV (ALB)Chermen VALIEV (ALB) and Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) in a tangle during the 74kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The two wrestlers were matched up for similar style of wrestling and were slow off the blocks. Valiev, however, kept his half shots on which forced Salkazanov to be on the activity clock. Valiev was up 1-0 at the break.

Valiev followed a similar strategy in the second period and Salkazanov was again put on the activity clock and Valiev led 2-0. The score was too steep for Salkazanov and his desperate attempts in the end as Valiev won 2-0.

Albania's other Paris Olympic bronze medalist Islam DUDAEV (ALB) did not have a similar luck at 65kg as he lost to Kaisei TANABE (JPN) and finished without a medal.

However, Paris silver medalist at 65kg Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) expectedly made it to the final and won gold medal after a 5-1 win over Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ).

He opened the scoring with a takedown and continued with his attacks. A takedown on the edge made it 4-0 and Zhumashbek Uulu was cautioned for fleeing which made it 5-0. Amouzad took a step back and was content with the lead.

Zhumashbek Uulu got a point at the end for negative wrestling from Amouzad but that did not stop the Iranian from winning 5-1.

The second gold medal for Iran was won by Ali MOMENI (IRI), who was in Tirana last year for the U23 World Championships and won bronze medal. He earned gold at 57kg with a fall over Aiaal BELOLYUBSKII (TJK) in the second period.

Momeni was down 2-1 at the break but never looked worried about the match up against Belolyubskii. A half whipover from Momeni in the second period caught Belolyubskii unbalanced and Momeni was quick to hold him on the mat and get the fall.

Momeni's gold more or less confirms his spot on the Asian Championships team as he also defeated Hadi REZAEI (IRI) in the first match who could have made a claim for the spot if he had won.

Despite the loss, Belolyubskii can take heart from the fact that he became the first Tajik wrestler to win a medal at a Ranking Series event. He opened his day with a 4-1 win over Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO), dominated Weiyu LI (CHN) for an 8-1 win and defeated Sultan KURMANALIYEV (KAZ) 10-4 in semifinals.

Japan won two gold medals as well, another example of the serious depth it has in wrestling.

Asian silver medalist Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) was up against former European champion Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) but remained unfazed in his 4-1 victory at 70kg. Tevanyan would be upset with his approach in the final as he defended a little too much.

As Aoyagi led 1-0 after the break, Tevanyan got the criteria 1-1 lead for Aoyagi's passivity. However, the referees deemed Tevanyan passive one more time and Aoyagi kept Tevanyan from scoring to lead 2-1. Any further attempts from Tevanyan were also thwarted by Aoyagi who got two more points for a throw at the end.

Takara SUDA (JPN)Takara SUDA (JPN) defeated Nachyn MONGUSH (UWW) in the 61kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 61kg, Takara SUDA (JPN) upset former U23 world champion Nachyn MONGUSH (UWW) in a thrilling final.

Suda was quick off the blocks and scored a stepout and then hit a double leg for a 3-0 lead. Mongush stopped Suda with a chestwrap and then exposed him for two points. A reversal made it 4-2 before Suda got a takedown to lead 6-2 at the break.

Mongush began the second period with an attempted headpinch but Suda blocked it and pinned Mongush on the mat for two points to lead 8-2. Just when it seemed like he will run away with the gold medal, Mongush mounted a comeback. He scored a stepout and Suda was cautioned for fleeing.

With the score 8-4, Mongush scored another stepout and managed a takedown with 31 seconds left on the clock. A stepout without fleeing made it 8-8 but Suda kept the criteria lead for four two-point moves. He held on for the remaining 11 seconds and won the gold medal.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Ali MOMENI (IRI) df. Aiaal BELOLYUBSKII (TJK), via fall

BRONZE: Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) df. Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ), 3-2
BRONZE: Sultan KURMANALIYEV (KAZ) df. Weiyu LI (CHN), 9-9

61kg
GOLD: Takara SUDA (JPN) df. Nachyn MONGUSH (UWW), 8-8

BRONZE: Mukhamed BALGABAY (KAZ) df. Stilyan ILIEV (BUL), 7-0
BRONZE: Artem GOBAEV (UWW) df. Leomid COLESNIC (MDA), 3-0 

65kg
GOLD: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) df. Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ), 5-1

BRONZE: Bilol SHARIP UULU (KGZ) df. Kaisei TANABE (JPN), 3-1
BRONZE: Real WOODS (USA) df. Kaiji OGINO (JPN), 9-1

70kg
GOLD: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM), 4-1

BRONZE: Vasile DIACON (MDA) df. Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO), 10-0 
BRONZE: William LEWAN (USA) df. James GREEN (USA), 4-3

74kg
GOLD: Chermen VALIEV (ALB) df. Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK), 2-0

BRONZE: Yones EMAMI (IRI) df. Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ), 6-1
BRONZE: Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) df. Magoma DIBIRGADZHIEV (UWW), 1-1

86kg
GOLD: Chandler MARSTELLER (USA) df. Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ), 2-0

BRONZE: Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO) df. Mukhammad ABDULLAEV (KGZ), via fall (4-8)
BRONZE: Rustem MYRZAGALIYEV (KAZ) df. Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL), 8-1