#wrestlebishkek

Five Kyrgyz wrestlers highlight Sunday's RS finals

By Eric Olanowski

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (June 4) --- The final day of wrestling at the Bishkek Ranking Series event will be a full slate of freestyle wrestling. The eight classes in action today will be 57kg, 61kg, 65kg, 70kg, 74kg, 79kg, 85kg and 92kg.

Everything you need to know:
📍Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬
🗓️: June 1-4
🥇🥈🥉= 18:00
#️⃣#WrestleBishkek
🖥️: http://uww.org 
📱: UWW App

Sunday's finals: 
57kg:  Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) vs. Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) 
61kg: Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) vs. Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO) 
65kg: Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) vs. Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ) 
70kg: Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ)vs.  Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ)
74kg: Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) vs.  Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) 
79kg: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) vs. Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN) ​​​​​​​
86kg: Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) vs. Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) ​​​​​​​
92kg: Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) vs. Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) 

15:41: World bronze medal winners Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) and Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) are tango'ing over on Mat A. They are even at two-a-piece after the first three minutes, with Dauletbekov holding the criteria advantage after scoring a takedown to close out the period.

15:27: As mentioned early, this match on Mat C between Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) and Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) is going to be one of the deciding factors for Azerbaijan's 74kg World Championships spot.

15:24: What a match! Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ) and Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) just put up 17 points, with the Kazakh reaching the finals, 11-6. Talgat will wrestle  Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) v

15:17: Kyrgyzstan is three-for-three in the semifinals, with world silver medalist Akmataliev looking to make it four-for-four as he's up 1-0 on Mat B.

15:15: Asian champion Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) shutout Pankaj PANKAJ (IND), 7-0, in the 61kg semifinals, but hobbled off the mat. Before getting his hand raised Zhumashbek Uulu bent down a grabbed his right ankle. 

15:13: Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) picks up a 4-2 win over Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO) and give the host nation their first freestyle Ranking Series finalist.

15:03: The Bishkek Arena is deafening right now. There are Kyrgyz wrestlers on every mat and they are all winning. 

14:47: Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) just pinned Osman GOCEN (TUR) after training 9-5 with :50 seconds left in the second period. He'll wrestle fellow world bronze medalist Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) in the 86kg semifinals.

14:25: We'll finish the final pair of quarterfinal matches on all matches and roll right into the semifinals. From the looks of things, it seems that we'll finish the morning session around 16:15, then start the finals at 18:00.

14:16: U23 world champion Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) is making his tournament debut on Mat B against Myrza ZHYRGALBEK UULU (KGZ)

14:05: Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) currently holds a 8-4 lead over world and Olympic bronze medalist Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) on Mat C. When Bayramov is on the attack, he has the potential to be once of the best guys in the world, but often finds himself shutting it down and managing matches rather than wrestling matches. 

13:58: Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) puts a stamp on his 11-0 win over Yerkebulan SHYNYKUL (KAZ) with a match-ending four-point throw. He'll move into the 70kg semifinals India's Mulaym YADAV (IND), who just defeated Davit PATSINASHVILI (GEO), 6-1.

13:43: Pankaj dominated Aman, scoring an easy 7-1 win to move into the 61kg semifinals against reigning Asian champion Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ).

Aman was clearly too small for Pankaj. He was in on several shots, but had no penetration on his attacks, getting stopped after the first level of his attack.

13:34: Indian phenom Aman AMAN (IND) is up on Mat B against teammate Pankaj PANKAJ (IND). Aman, the 17-year-old, is up at 61kg, one weight above his Asian title-winning weight of 57kg.

13:15: One of the least talked about guys in Pan-American (outside of American athletes), in my opinion, is Agustin Alejandro DESTRIBATS (ARG). He's a guy that's constantly traveling the world to find quality partners and hone his craft. His technique has massively improved over the last three year and is a solid sized 65kg guy.

Destribats just dropped Nuerlaxi BIEKEZHATI (CHN) on his head in the first round, moving onto the quarterfinals with a 10-0 win. He'll wrestle Ali RAHIMZADA (AZE) next.

13:03: Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK) gave world bronze medalist Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) a tough match on Mat B. Tumur Ochir won 4-0 but it was closer than the score indicated.

12:56: Dauletbekov gets a pair of takedowns in the second period and defeats Jezierzanski, 5-1. He'll wrestle Gocen for a spot in the 86jg semifinals. 

12:55: We're two matches away from starting the quarterfinals. The last three days, we've finished the first round around 14:00. With the 25 matches left on each match, I'm not sure if we'll be done with the quarterfinals by that time today.

12:50: World bronze medalist Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) has a narrow 1-0 lead over Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL) after the first period. The winner of this match gets Osman GOCEN (TUR) in the 86kg quarterfinals.

12:23: Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) just saved his Belgrade hopes with a match-deciding takedown against Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN). Gadzhiev was behind 4-3 but scored a takedown with :03 left, winning the match, 5-4. He'll wrestle the winner of the match that's currently up on Mat B between Adam Skene THOMSON (CAN) and Otari BAGAURI (GEO).

12:15: After winning his first-round match, Ilias BEKBULATOV (UZB) has dropped out of the competition. "I have a hernia and it's caused awful pain in my right arm. The pain is so bad that I can not move my arm," said Bekbulatov. "I have had two injections already, and I wanted to wrestle, but I can not continue." 

11:47: World and Olympic bronze medalist Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) will make his tournament debut against Kubat AZIZBAEV (KGZ), next on Mat A.

11:43: Akmataliev brought the crowd to their feel with a 6-2 win over Zafarbek OTAKHONOV (UZB), punching his ticket to the quarterfinals against Yerkebulan SHYNYKUL (KAZ).

11:30: It's official, Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) receives the injury default win over Kumar RAVI (IND) in 61kg qualification round. He'll meet the winner of  Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) and Assyl AITAKYN (KAZ) in the quarterfinals.

11:19: This place is going to erupt in about five minutes. Kyrgyzstan's world silver medalists Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) is in the call room, waiting to be called to Mat C, where he'll wrestle Zafarbek OTAKHONOV (UZB) in the opening round at 70kg.

11:07: One of the most important storylines we'll be following today is the three-way competition for the Azerbaijan's 74kg starting spot between Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE)Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) and Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE). "This event is the one of the selection stages. The second stage will be the Poland Open. After those events, we'll review the results and select the starter [for Belgrade]," said Azerbaijan's head freestyle coach, Khetag GAZUMOV.

10:45: This just in: Kumar RAVI (IND) has pulled out of the Ranking Series event. According to the Indian coaching staff, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist injured his knee while warming up and won't compete in Bishkek.

10:40: Good morning, wrestling fans. Today is the final day of wrestling at the Ranking Series event. During the first few days of the competition, we had around 25 matches per mat in the morning session. Today, we have 40 matches per mat which means there will be either a small break or no break at all.

#WrestleLA

UWW Announces LA 2028 Olympic Qualification Calendar

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (May 1) -- United World Wrestling has announced the calendar for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics qualification.

As previously announced, the LA 2028 qualification cycle will include four Ranking Series events, 2027 and 2028 continental championships, 2027 World Championships, the 2028 continental qualifiers and the 2028 World Olympic Qualifier.

The first event of the Olympic qualification cycle will be the 1st Ranking Series event in February 2027. The Ranking Series event will be held in a new seven-day format from February 15 to 21.

It will be followed by the 2027 continental championships beginning with Asian Championships from March 30 to April 4. European Championships will be held from April 5 to 11, followed by the African Champions from April 12 to 18.

The Oceania Championships will be held from April 23 to 25 and the Pan-American Championships will go on from April 28 to May 2.

LA 2028

Once the continental championships are done, the Ranking Series will return with the second stop to be held from May 31 to June 6. The third and final Ranking Series event of 2027 will be held from July 19 to 25. Both these events will also be held in a seven-day format.

The last event of 2027 that will offer ranking points will be the 2027 Senior World Championships, to be held from September 11 to 19. Medalists in the 18 Olympic weight classes at the 2027 World Championships will earn a LA 2028 quota for their respective NOCs.

2027 Events for Rankings Points

1st Ranking Series: February 15-21
Asian Championships: March 30-April 4
European Championships: April 5-11
African Championships: April 12-18
Oceania Championships: April 23-25
Pan-American Championships: April 28-May 2
2nd Ranking Series: May 31-June 6
3rd Ranking Series: July 19-25
World Championships: September 11-19

LA 2028

The qualification cycle will continue in 2028 with the first and only Ranking Series event. It will be held from January 17 to 23.

More ranking points will be awarded at the 2028 continental championships. The Oceania Championships will start from February 18 to 20, followed by the Pan-American Championships from February 24 to 27.

The European Championships will be next from February 28 to March 5 and soon after the Asian Championships will commence from March 6 to 12. The African Championships will be held from March 14 to 19.

2028 Events for Rankings Points

Ranking Series: January 17-23
Oceania Championships: February 18-20
Pan-American Championships: February 24-27
European Championships: February 28-March 5
Asian Championships: March 6-12
African Championships: March 14-19

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympic quotas based on rankings will be allocated after the end of the African Championships.

The qualification cycle will then move to continental Olympic qualifiers where the finalists will earn direct quotas for respective NOCs. At the World Olympic Qualifier, the gold medal winner will earn direct quota for the NOC.

The African & Oceania Olympic Qualifiers will kick-off this phase and it will be held from March 24 to 26.

The Pan-American Olympic Qualifiers will be held from March 31 to April 2 and the European Olympic Qualifiers from April 7 to 9. The last continental qualifiers will be the Asian Olympic Qualifiers to be held from April 14 to 16.

After a month's break, the World Olympic Qualifiers, the last chance, will be held from May 18 to 21.

LA 2028

Olympics Qualifiers

African & Oceania Olympic Qualifiers: March 24-26
Pan-American Olympic Qualifiers: March 31-April 2
European Olympic Qualifiers: April 7-9
Asian Olympic Qualifiers: April 14-16
World Olympic Qualifiers: May 18-21

Wresting at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games will be held from July 24 to 30.

The location of the all the events will be communicated by UWW in due time. For details of events, visit uww.org/events.