#WrestleRome

Evloev leads Russia's Dominance at Matteo Pellicone

By Vinay Siwach

OSTIA, Italy (March 4) --- Two years after his last Ranking Series event, Musa EVLOEV (RUS) captured his third gold medal of the Series with a dominant performance at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series, which got underway in Rome on Thursday.

The two-time defending world champion showed no mercy on his opponents, scoring two out of three wins by technical superiority. On the way to his gold medal, the Russian scored 22 points and did not concede a single one.

Evloev was the second of Russia's three gold medals on day one of the event. Russian national champion Viktor VEDERNIKOV (RUS) captured the 55kg gold medal while Emin Narimanovitch SEFERSHAEV (RUS), a junior world champion, claimed the top honors at 60kg weight category.

Kazakhstan captured two gold medals of its own after advancing four wrestlers to the finals in the morning session. Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) open the gold medal account for his country after his countryman Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) forfeited the final due to injury. Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) captured his second Ranking Series gold and fourth medal overall after a technical superiority 12-2 over Mate KRASZNAI (HUN).

Hungary and Turkey were the two other countries which claimed the remaining two gold medals to close the day. Istvan TAKACS (HUN) won the 87kg gold medal while four-time world champion Riza Kayaalp (TUR) claimed the 130kg gold medal with 7-0 win in the final.

Evloev, who won the gold medal at the Individual World Cup in Belgrade, began the day with an 8-0 win over Luca SVAICARI (ITA) and gave little to no chance to Rio Olympics and world bronze medalist Cenk ILDEM (TUR) in his 6-0 win.

Less than two minutes into the final, the 27-year-old came up with a big four-point throw in the final against Erik SZILVASSY (HUN). He then scored a second-period pushout to compelete the win 8-0 and capture his first Ranking Series gold since the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov gold in March, 2019.

While Vedernikov also showed dominance throughout his round-robin to win the gold, Sefershaev had a some close bouts. In the quarter-final, the Russian survived a close 2-2 win against Zhanserik SARSENBIYEV (KAZ) before getting the gold via injury default.

Coming into the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series, Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) was the favourite to win the gold medal at 87kg category. He held an unpreecented record having won six Ranking Series gold medals and begin unbeaten in 23 bouts.

But after three years of sheer dominance at the event, Lorincz tasted his first defeat at the hands of fellow countryman Istvan Takacs (HUN).

Takacs was his country's lone gold medalist of the day but it was the semi-final that made the headlines. With three wrestlers in the 87kg category, Lorincz and Takacs met in the last-four bout. Both wrestlers exchanged points for passivity but it was the latter who took a 3-1 lead for exposure and kept it till the end, hand Lorincz his first Ranking Series defeat in 25 bouts.

Kayaalp was the final gold medal of the day. While there were some nervous moments for the multi-medalist at the Olympics as he took the bouts till the last minute, he cruised to his second Ranking Series gold, first in three years. It was a deliberate method by him.

"It's good to wrestle in Rome and prepare for the upcoming tournaments," he said. "I wanted to take the matches as long as possible from my side."

Kayaalp will now be headed back to Turkey for a training camp before heading to Poland for the European Championships. He will also be part of the second Ranking Series event, also to be held in Poland.

Action will continue on day two in Rome with remaining three Greco-Roman and four women's freestyle weight categories.

RESULTS 

55kg
GOLD - Viktor VEDERNIKOV (RUS) df Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) 9-1
BRONZE - Arjun HALAKURKI (IND) df. Andre Ricardo CARDOSO OLIVEIRA SILVA (POR), 8-0

60kg
GOLD - Emin SEFERSHAEV (RUS) df. Ahmet UYAR (TUR), via inj. def.
BRONZE - lZhanserik SARSENBIYEV (KAZ) df. Ildar HAFIZOV (USA), 7-5
BRONZE - Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN) df. Joshua Xavier MEDINA(PUR), 2-1

63kg
GOLD - Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) df Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) via inj. def.
BRONZE -Neeraj NEERAJ (IND) df. Samuel JONES (USA), 6-4
BRONZE -Mohammad ALAJMI (KUW) df. Marat GARIPOV (RUS), via inj. def.

67kg
GOLD - Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) df Mate KRASZNAI (HUN) 12-2
BRONZE - Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) df. Enes BASAR (TUR), 3 - 2
BRONZE -Nazir Rachidovitch ABDULLAEV (RUS) df. Murat FIRAT (TUR), 1-1

87kg
GOLD - Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df David LOSONCZI (HUN) 4-1
BRONZE - Bekkhan OZDOEV (RUS) df. Josef Patrick RAU (USA), 8-0 
BRONZE - Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Simone FIDELBO (ITA), 8-0

97kg
GOLD - Musa EVLOEV (RUS) df Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) 8-0
BRONZE - Olzhas SYRLYBAY (KAZ) df. Ondrej DADAK (CZE), 9-0
BRONZE - Cenk ILDEM (TUR) df. Luca SVAICARI (ITA), 7-1

130kg
GOLD - Riza Kayaalp (TUR) df Abdellatif Mohamed Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) 7-0
BRONZE -  Zurabi GEDEKHAURI (RUS) df. Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI), 3-1 
BRONZE - Naveen NAVEEN (IND) df. Stepan DAVID (CZE), 1-1

#WrestleAmman

U17 Worlds: India claims four WW golds after unbeaten run

By Vinay Siwach

AMMAN, Jordan (August 22) -- China's Na HU (CHN) stole a match in the dying seconds but it was India that stole the show at the U17 World Championships in Amman on Thursday. India had four wrestlers in the final in Women's Wrestling and all four won gold medals.

Last year, India had won only one gold, coming at 61kg. But with four golds and five more weight classes remaining, the country is set to register its best at the U17 World Championships.

Hu was the other champion of the day at 49kg, a weight class in which India had no participation as it sent only nine wrestlers in Women's Wrestling to the U17 Asian Championships in June.

NEHA (IND)NEHA (IND) scores a takedown against So TSUTSUI (JPN) during the 57kg final at the U17 World Championships in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Leading the Indian team was returning bronze medalist NEHA (IND) at 57kg. A day before heading to Amman, Neha met VINESH (IND) who had returned from the Paris Olympics. Vinesh had become the first wrestler to beat Yui SUSAKI (JPN) internationally and reach the final at 50kg. She was later disqualified for failing her weigh-in on the second day.

Hailing from the same village -- Balali in Haryana -- as Vinesh, Neha did not take long to announce herself, winning the gold medal by beating So TSUTSUI (JPN) in a show of brute power. In her earlier bouts on Wednesday, Neha won one via fall, one via technical superiority and the semifinal 8-4.

The 16-year-old will have to quickly refocus as she is scheduled to compete at her first U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain from September 2.

Mansi LATHER (IND)Mansi LATHER (IND) works for the pin against Hanna PIRSKAYA (AIN) during the 73kg final at the U17 World Championships in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At 73kg, Mansi LATHER (IND) capped off her dominant run with a gold medal by pinning Hanna PIRSKAYA (AIN) in the final. This was her third fall in four bouts while one was a 6-0 win over returning champion Piper FOWLER (USA).

Lather built a 3-0 lead over Pirskaya at the break and continued her attacks in the second period. She had Pirskaya's back on the mat after a takedown and secured the fall with 1:23 remaining in the four-minute bout. The gold is an addition to her gold at the U17 Asian Championships in 69kg in June.

PULKIT (IND)PULKIT (IND) and Daria FROLOVA (AIN) in a scramble during the 65kg final at the U17 World Championships in Amman. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

PULKIT (IND) did not dominate her final but did enough to beat Daria FROLOVA (AIN), 6-3, and win the gold medal at 65kg. She got the first points on board when Frolova tried to score a pushout but Pulkit defended and pushed Frolova out. Frolova fell with Pulkit scoring a takedown to take a 2-0 lead. It became 3-0 when Frolova was called passive.

A missed leg-attack from Frolova gave another takedown to Pulkit who extended her lead to 5-0. Frolova cut the lead to 5-3 when she scored a takedown and Pulkit was cautioned. The next attempt gave her hope but Pulkit defended the attack and came out unscathed. A lost challenge added one point to Pulkit's score.

Aditi KUMARI (IND)Aditi KUMARI (IND) celebrates after winning the 43kg gold medal at the U17 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Aditi KUMARI (IND) was the fourth gold medalist for India as she defeated Maria GKIKA (GRE) 7-0 in the 43kg final. Gkika was hoping to become Greece's first world champion in Women's Wrestling in 22 years.

Kumari got the first point when Gkika was called passive before she added a takedown just before the break to lead 3-0. She added two gut wrenches before the clock expired and raced to a 7-0 lead that she maintained till the end of the match.

Ha, the lone Chinese wrestler in the final, had to bring out a clutch double-leg to score two points and beat Utaha YUI (JPN) 4-3 in the 49kg final and become the first wrestler from China to win gold at U17 Worlds in Women's Wrestling after five years.

Yui led 3-0 at the break but Ha scored a takedown to cut it to 3-2 in the second period. As Yui tried holding on to that lead, Ha made continuous attempts to break the defense. She finally succeeded in the final 10 seconds, using a double-leg attack, completing the takedown with head-outside for two points.

Yuu KATSUME (JPN)Yuu KATSUME (JPN) defeated Morgan TURNER (USA) in the 46kg semifinal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

India eyes team title

With four golds and two more finalists on Friday, India will be favorites to win the Women's Wrestling team title in Amman. This would be the first time it will accomplish the feat after falling short for the last five years.

India has 100 points from the gold medal while Japan, in second spot, has 56 points. Japan has three finalists on Friday and is still looking for its first gold medal. Japan hopes that one of Yuu KATSUME (JPN), Nana KOZUKA (JPN) and Sae NOGUCHI (JPN) end the drought.

Katsume entered the 46kg final by beating returning champion Morgan TURNER (USA) 13-2 in the semifinal. She will take on Shrutika PATIL (IND) for gold after Patil beat Medina KUANYSHBEK (KAZ) in the other semifinals.

Kozuka was also dominant, winning her 53kg semifinal via fall over Lisette BOETTKER (EST) and will take on Kaura COLES (CAN) after she became the first Canadian to reach the U17 Worlds final in Women's Wrestling. Coles beat Isabella GONZALES (USA), 8-3.

Noguchi will look to stop the United States from having a U17 world champion as she faces Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) in the 61kg final. Noguchi beat Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) 5-0 while Fernandez pinned Zhaidar MUKAT (KAZ) in the semifinals.

At 69kg, Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) will face KAJAL (IND) after she stunned Ilayda CIN (TUR) with a fall. Cin was leading 4-0 when Rybak rolled over and pinned her. Kajal defeated Rahma BEDIWY (EGY), 4-3, in a close semifinal.

Ukraine's second finalist was Kamila KUCHMA (UKR) who won her semifinal at 40kg against Nazrin AHMADLI (AZE) 5-0. She will take on Aleksandra FEDOROVA (AIN) who defeated Raj BALA (IND) 4-3, thanks to a challenge to give her the win instead of Bala, who was winning 3-2 before the challenge.

https://photo.uww.org/Wrestling/2024/U17-World-Championships/Womens-Wrestling

RESULTS

43kg
GOLD: Aditi KUMARI (IND) df. Maria GKIKA (GRE), 7-0 

BRONZE: Aleksandra BEREZOVSKAIA (AIN) df. Mareim ABDELAAL (EGY), 7-0
BRONZE: Gabriela PALACIOS (MEX) df. Xin HUANG (CHN), 6-4

49kg
GOLD: Na HU (CHN) df. Utaha YUI (JPN), 4-3

BRONZE: Kseniya KOSTSENICH (AIN) df. Dounia ZITOUNI (ALG), via fall
BRONZE: Polina BOCHKAREVA (AIN) df. Esra MAMMADLI (AZE), 9-0

57kg
GOLD: NEHA (IND) df. So TSUTSUI (JPN), 10-0

BRONZE: Anna STRATAN (KAZ) df. Mairi MANI (GRE), 5-1
BRONZE: Palina BRAHINETS (AIN) df. Barbara BAGER (HUN), 7-3

65kg
GOLD: PULKIT (IND) df. Daria FROLOVA (AIN), 6-3

BRONZE: Uldana TILEUKHAN (KAZ) df. Anastasiya KOMANAVA (AIN), via fall (13-2)
BRONZE: Maram ALY (EGY) df. Ling CAI (CHN), via fall (11-0)

73kg
GOLD: Mansi LATHER (IND) df. Hanna PIRSKAYA (AIN), via fall

BRONZE: Lotta ENGLICH (GER) df. Khrystyna DEMCHUK (UKR), via fall (5-2)
BRONZE: Diana TITOVA (AIN) df. Makia KIMURA (JPN), 6-0

Women's Wrestling Semifinals

40kg
GOLD: Kamila KUCHMA (UKR) vs. Aleksandra FEDOROVA (AIN)

SF 1: Aleksandra FEDOROVA (AIN) df. Raj BALA (IND), 4-3
SF 2: Kamila KUCHMA (UKR) df. Nazrin AHMADLI (AZE), 5-0

46kg
GOLD: Shrutika PATIL (IND) vs. Yuu KATSUME (JPN)

SF 1: Yuu KATSUME (JPN) df. Morgan TURNER (USA), 13-2
SF 2: Shrutika PATIL (IND) df. Medina KUANYSHBEK (KAZ), 3-1

53kg
GOLD: Nana KOZUKA (JPN) vs. Kaura COLES (CAN)

SF 1: Kaura COLES (CAN) df. Isabella GONZALES (USA), 8-3
SF 2: Nana KOZUKA (JPN) df. Lisette BOETTKER (EST), via fall (10-0)

61kg
GOLD: Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) vs. Sae NOGUCHI (JPN)

SF 1: Sae NOGUCHI (JPN) df. Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE), 5-0
SF 2: Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) df. Zhaidar MUKAT (KAZ), via fall (6-0)

69kg
GOLD: Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) vs. KAJAL (IND) 

SF 1: KAJAL (IND) df. Rahma BEDIWY (EGY), 4-3
SF 2: Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) df. Ilayda CIN (TUR), via fall (2-4)