#Bishkek2018

Exhausted Ibragimov Captures 2nd Straight Asian Title

Saturday, March 3, 2018 - 19:21 By Ken Marantz

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It might not have been the longest minute of Magomed IBRAGIMOV's life. But he was sure glad to get through it, especially after the exhausted Uzbekistan star received the gold medal for his efforts.

Ibragimov expended every ounce of energy to hold on for a 5-3 victory over Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) in the 97kg final as Uzbekistan came away with two golds on the first day of freestyle at the Asian Championships.

"I'm really satisfied because the Asian Championships is one of the most important tournaments for wrestlers," said Ibragimov, who now has back-to-back golds after winning last year in New Delhi.

Uzbekistan advanced four wrestlers into the five finals at Kozhomkul Sports Palace, but only Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) would join fellow Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Ibragimov as a champion after taking the 70kg title--his first Asian gold after two silvers and a bronze.

KANG Kumsong (PRK) shed tears of joy after holding off Makhmudjon SHAVKATOV (UZB), 4-2, in the 57kg final, while Ezzatollah AKBARIZARINKOLAEI (IRI) built up a commanding 5-0 lead before Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) defaulted with a knee injury with 0:19 remaining in their 79kg gold-medal match.

The other gold at stake on the fifth day of competition went to five-time Asian medalist Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ), who clamped a front headlock in the second period on Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) and reeled off five consecutive rolls to win the 65kg gold with an 11-0 technical fall with 2:07 remaining.

Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) celebrates after winning the 97kg Asian championship. Photo by Max Rose-Fyne. 

In the final match of the night, Ibragimov jumped out to a 4-0 lead after one period on a step-out, an activity clock point and a takedown. But in the second period, Goleij, a 2017 world under-23 champion, went on the offensive.

The Iranian scored a takedown with :44 left, then forced a step-out with :13 remaining on the clock. A final takedown attempt came up just short as Ibragimov managed to barely remain on his feet.

The image of the night was the sight of Ibragimov collapsing to the mat and remaining prone as the referees reviewed an Iranian challenge of the final move, which was refused. After having his hand raised, he again dropped to the mat, where he stayed during the medal ceremony for the previous weight class.

"I wouldn't say it was the most, but it was one of the hardest minutes of my career,"  Ibragimov said after his own medal ceremony. "After the wrestling, I couldn't leave the mat and had to stay there. Only now do I feel pretty good. Before that, I was super tired."

Asked if the victory boosted his confidence for the World Championships, to be held in Budapest in October, Ibragimov replied, "I can't say that I feel confident because the performance depends on a couple of things, like luck and training. So if I train well and I feel lucky, maybe I will be able to get a medal. "

Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) gets his hand raised after winning the 70kg crown. Photo by Max Rose-Fyne.

For Navrusov, his main problem was contending with what he claims was oil on opponent LEE Seungbong (KOR), which made it difficult to get a grasp and apply moves. Navrusov came out a 3-0 winner, with two of his points coming with Lee on the activity clock and one on a head-butt penalty.

"I found that my opponent was oiled and he was sweaty, and I didn't want to take a risk," Navrusov said. "That's why I started to act passive. I just tried to keep my poise and I succeeded."

While it might not have been the performance he would have liked, Navrusov credited the victory to perseverance.

"I worked hard to reach this medal, and everybody actually deserves this medal, but the one who was stronger, the one who worked harder, is the one that won," he said.

Navrusov said that winning the gold in the neighboring country of Kyrgyzstan made it a bit more special.

"As we are neighbors and we are close, my relatives came and also my coach was supporting me," he said. "I felt as if I was back in Uzbekistan in my home country."

KANG Kumsong (PRK) gets emotional after winning the 57kg title. Photo by Max Rose-Fyne. 

In the 57kg final, Kang led 2-0 when Shavkatov got behind on a takedown attempt in the second period. But as he pressed to force a knee down, Kang reversed him to his back to make it 4-0.  Shavkatov scored two step-outs in the final 10 seconds, but it was too little, too late.

"I thought that one step by one step with mental spirit I cannot give up, however difficult it was," said Kang, who was so elated, he jumped to the top step of the podium when the bronze-medal winners were announced, and happily waved to the crowd.

"I was very confident this competition was mine. I will be the winner. That's how I will bring honor to my nation, my family."

Every Uzbekistan wrestler came away with a medal when Temurjon USMONOHUNOV (UZB) won a bronze at 65kg.

Japan captured three bronzes, while Kazakhstan and India had two each. Mongolia and South Korea each won one.

Freestyle
57kg (14 entries)
Gold - KANG Kumsong (PRK) df. Makhmudjon SHAVKATOV (UZB), 4-2

Bronze - Zhandos ISLMAILOV (KAZ) df. Nader HAJIAG HANIASAMAKOUSHI (IRI), 10-3
Bronze - Toshihiro HASEGAWA (JPN) df. SONG Hyeonsik (KOR) by TF, 10-0, 5:08

65kg (14 entries)
Gold - Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) df. Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) by TF, 11-0, 2:07

Bronze - Temurjon USMONOHUNOV (UZB) df. KIM Kukgwang (PRK) by Fall, 0:11 (10-6)
Bronze - Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) df. Yones EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI), 10-4

70kg (12 entries)
Gold - Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) df. LEE Seungbong (KOR), 3-0

Bronze - Kumar VINOD (IND) df. Elaman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ), 3x-3
Bronze - Meirzhan ASHIROV (KAZ) df. Byambadorj BAD ERDENE (MGL), 4-3

79kg (12 entries)
Gold - Ezzatollah AKBARIZARINKOLAEI (IRI) df. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) by Default, 0:19 (5-0)

Bronze - Tsubasa ASAI (JPN) df. LEE Yunseok (KOR), 7-1
Bronze - Turbold GANBOLD (MGL) by Walkover

97kg (11 entries)
Gold - Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) df. Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI), 5-3

Bronze - KIM Jaegang (KOR) df. Mamed IBRAGIMOV (KAZ) by TF, 11-0, 2:47
Bronze - Takeshi YAMAGUCHI (JPN) df. Aibek USUPOV (KGZ), 6-3

 

 

 

#WrestleAmman

Coles, Canada's first U17 world champ, wants to be an inspiration

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 - 15:38 By Vinay Siwach

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CANADA (December 16) -- "I am not a natural athlete." That's how Kaura COLES (CAN) describes herself. 

The 17-year-old seems to have as much clarity describing herself as she does wrestling on the mat.

She may not be the be a "natural", but she is the best in the world. At the U17 World Championships in Amman, Jordan, Coles became the first Canadian wrestler to win a gold medal. She won gold in the 53kg women's wrestling weight class.

But the odds did not favor Coles. No Canadian wrestler had reached the final at the U17 Worlds, forget winning gold. The last time Canada had a U20 or U17 world champ was in 2013. Coming into the tournament, Coles had a silver medal from the 2022 U17 Pan-Am Championships and a fifth-place finish at the Spain Grand Prix. 

So Coles wasn't favored to win a medal. Nor were the other seven Canadians entered. However, Coles did it. She was so precise in her wrestling, that her opponents were shocked to see her counter from negative positions.

Coles' win was one of the highlights of international wrestling in 2024 and a big boost for Canada and its wrestling after its medalless Olympics in Paris.

"I did not expect to do as well as I did,” she said later. “I can't predict the outcome of the match. The only thing I know for sure is that I'm going to work as hard as I possibly can every match."

In Amman, Coles began with two pins over Madkhiya USMANOV (KAZ) and Chloe BREWIS (RSA). She then went on to upset MUSKAN (IND) 12-3 in the quarterfinals, Isabelle GONZALES (USA) 8-3 in the semifinals and securing a fall in the finals against Nana KOZUKA (JPN), undeterred by names or a Japanese opponent.

Coles began wrestling when she was 11 years old when her father, Cory, took her to the gym because he did not want her to just sit around all day. Kaura is one of the 11 Coles siblings from Winnipeg. She is number six with five younger siblings and she coaches them as well.

"If you had watched me wrestling four years ago, you would have never thought I could have achieved anything. Worst wrestler by far," Coles told FloWrestling. "But I knew how to do a 2-on-1. So every match, every practice, I would be grabbing a 2-on-1. For six years I have been doing that and just developed and became very good from that position. [I do well] Tying up with people. I don't do well from space since I am a slow wrestler. I want to get an underhook or a 2-on-1."

She worked hard. Having wrestler siblings around her improved her as she had to keep up with the sibling rivalries growing in the house.

"I have to be a tough wrestler just to survive every day [with my brother]," she said. "But they all wrestled, my sisters wrestle too. Everyone works hard and it makes it a lot easier"

But in the beginning, Coles did not like the sport or working hard to be better at it.

“I did not like it at first because it’s a very hard sport," Coles told The Free Press. "Back then, I didn’t really like hard work because it’s hard to like that. But over time, I saw the benefits of putting in the hard work and seeing where it can get you."

Kaura COLES (CAN)Kaura COLES (CAN) defeated Nana KOZUKA (JPN) in the final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

So far, wrestling has made Coles a three-time national wrestling champion, U17 Pan-American silver medalist, North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) champion and of course, world champion.

But Coles wants to do more. As a Métis herself, she wants to inspire, coach, and promote Indigenous groups.

"I want to be an inspiration for the other Indigenous and Métis warriors in Canada," Coles said after winning the gold. "I don't wrestle for myself."

Coles' mother Michelle is a Métis, an Indigenous group in Canada, and has kept their culture in the house including learning French. Coles wore her Métis sash after the medal ceremony at the U17 Worlds.

"I wear my Métis sash whenever I can," she said. "I have other Indigenous people come up to me and tell me how I have inspired them. I'm so glad that I was able to represent."

Another one of Coles' is to be at the Olympics. Canada has won six medals at the Olympics in Women's Wrestling. But the last came in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"My goal is to go to the next Olympics when I'm 21 years old and then I want to go to the Olympics after that," she said. "Then I will retire."