#Zagreb2018

Four Cadet World Medalists Move onto World Championship Semifinals in #Zagreb2018

Monday, July 2, 2018 - 14:50 By Taylor Miller

Share this article

ZAGREB, Croatia – Two Cadet World champions and two other World medalists are in the mix for World titles after advancing to Monday’s World Championship semifinals in Zagreb, Croatia.

World champions Alihasan AMIRLI (IRI) and Daniel KERKVLIET JR. (USA) are still on the path to repeating their 2017 gold-medal performances.

At 48 kg, Amirli started his tournament with a 4-0 win over 2017 Cadet World bronze medalist Kaisei TANABE (JPN). In tonight’s semifinals, Amirli will take on two-time World medalist Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO), who won Cadet World bronze in 2016 and Cadet World silver last summer.

The other semifinal at 48 kg is Richard FIGUEROA II (USA) vs. Mykyta ABRAMOV (UKR).

Kerkvliet, competing at 110 kg, claimed a 10-0 quarterfinal win over Cadet Asian silver medalist Kumar ANIRUDH (IND), after collecting a pair of tech falls to open his tournament. Tonight, Kerkvliet will take on 2018 Cadet European champion Sergey KOZYREV (RUS).

Two additional continental medalists highlight the other semifinal at 110 kg as Cadet Asian gold medalist Amir ZARE (IRI) will face off against 2018 Cadet European silver medalist Islam ABUEV (AZE).

2017 Cadet World silver medalist Tuan BAYRAMOV (AZE) looks to improve on last year’s finish, advancing to the 65 kg semifinal. Bayramov, who also owns a bronze medal from the 2017 Cadet Euro Championships and a gold medal from the 2018 Cadet Euros, will go head-to-head with the 2018 Cadet Asian champion Mohammed KARIMISEIFABAD (IRI).  

The Cadet Asian silver medalist, Bekzat ZHALGASSOV (KAZ), is on the opposite side of the bracket and will face Inalbek SHERIEV (RUS) in the semifinals.

In addition to Karimiseifabad, there are two other 2018 Cadet Asian champions in the semifinals, including Hayato FUJITA (JPN) at 55 kg and Mohammadreza GHIYASI (IRI) at 80 kg.

Fujita will take on Cadet European silver medal winner Davidi ABDALADZE (GEO). The other semifinal at 55 kg is Simone PIRODDU (ITA) against 2017 Cadet Asian bronze medalist Jamshidbek MARUFOV (UZB).

At 80 kg, Ghiyasi will take on Sagadulla AGAEV (AZE) and Dmitrii ELKANOV (RUS) will challenge Milan KORCSOG (HUN).

The semifinals start at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET) and will be live on unitedworldwrestling.org.

Semifinal pairings

48 kg
Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO) vs. Alihasan AMIRLI (AZE)  
Richard FIGUEROA II (USA) vs. Mykyta ABRAMOV (UKR)

55 kg
Simone PIRODDU (ITA) vs. Jamshidbek MARUFOV (UZB)
Daviti ABDALADZE (GEO) vs. Hayato FUJITA (JPN)

65 kg
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) vs. Mohammad KARIMISEIFABAD (IRI)
Bekzat ZHALGASSOV (KAZ) vs. Inalbek SHERIEV (RUS)

80 kg
Sagadulla AGAEV (AZE) vs. Mohammadreza Ezatollah GHIYASI (IRI)
Dmitrii ELKANOV (RUS) vs. Milan KORCSOG (HUN)

110 kg
Sergei KOZYREV (RUS) vs. Daniel KERKVLIET JR (USA)
Amir ZARE (IRI) vs. Islam ABUEV (AZE)

#WrestleNoviSad

Mesenbrink takes steady steps to win U23 Worlds gold

Saturday, October 25, 2025 - 17:22 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

NOVI SAD, Serbia (October 25) -- Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) remembers his last year's U23 World Championships campaign. He won a bronze medal, left Tirana a little frustrated and missing his training room in Penn State.

With lessons from that tournament and surrounded by his Penn State teammates and coaches, Mesenbrink made sure he did not return home without a medal. The former U20 world champion became U23 world champion after beating Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2, in the 74kg final.

Mesenbrink was a leg-attack machine in the final and Ozmus did little to defend those, giving up the final in 2:59, just on the stroke of the break.

"It's just about constantly getting better, technically, and emotionally, too," Mesenbrink said. "If I'm just running in there, trying to grab onto his head, he can get in. So just being able to constantly improve. I think that's a strong testament to the people around me and to the coaches that I have and the teammates that I have at Penn State."

Seven wrestler out of the 10 on the United States Freestyle team are part of the same training center -- the Nittany Lions Wrestling Club, Penn State, which Mesenbrink said made a lot of difference this year.

"It's fun, because last year I came by myself. It was just me at the U23s. So it was fun this year that we had seven out of 10 guys," he said. "Last year, I knew the guys, but it wasn't my teammates, right? Now it's my teammates, the guys that I'm literally in the room with every day. We go over and it's almost like, are we even in Serbia right now? It feels like we're in America, because we got so many guys here."

In Tirana, the American wrestler lost to Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) in the quarterfinals but bounced back to win the bronze medal. But in Novi Sad on Friday, Mesenbrink faced Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) in the semifinals and came out on top 6-4, with a buzzer beating takedown.

The win boasted Mesenbrink's confidence who was close to make the U.S. senior team for World Championships in Zagreb where Takahashi won gold, but lost to David CARR (USA) domestically.

However, that loss made Mesenbrink think about his aims and how he wants to improve his wrestling on the mat.

"I think the big thing of not making the world team, it was just, I got to get better in those specific areas," he said. "That's the most fun part. I thought this is all this is, is a title. This is gonna be fading so quick. So I thought I'm going to go out there and I'm going to work on the things that I've been working on and I've been working really hard since Final X to get those improvements."

Mobin AZIMI (IRI)Mobin AZIMI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 92kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In the only other final of Freestyle, Mobin AZIMI (IRI) earned the first gold medal for Iran after beating Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3, in the 92kg final. Azimi broken Khaniev down in the final and scored three stepout points to win the gold medal.

RESULTS

74kg
GOLD: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) df. Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2

BRONZE: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df. PARVINDER (IND), 8-2
BRONZE: Manuel WAGIN (GER) df. Magomed KHANIEV (AZE), 8-4

92kg
GOLD: Mobin AZIMI (IRI) df. Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3

BRONZE: Sherzod POYONOV (UZB) df. Ivan CHORNOHUZ (UKR), 11-1
BRONZE: Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) df. Ion DEMIAN (MDA), 10-0

Semifinals

57kg
GOLD: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) vs. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA)

SF 1: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) df. Nodirbek JUMANAZAROV (UZB), 6-1
SF 2: Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) df. Aiandai ONDAR (UWW), 7-1

70kg
GOLD: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) vs. Sina KHALILI (IRI)

SF 1: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. PJ DUKE (USA), 14-4
SF 2: Sina KHALILI (IRI) df. Alexandr GAIDARLI (MDA), 8-2

79kg
GOLD: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) vs. Levi HAINES (USA)

SF 1: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) df. Nikita DMITRIJEVS MAYEUSKI (UWW), 5-2
SF 2: Levi HAINES (USA) df. Davud DAUDOV (UWW), 11-4

125kg
GOLD: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) vs. Khetag KARSANOV (AZE)

SF 1: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) df. Khabib DAVUDGADZHIEV (UWW), 5-0
SF 2: Khetag KARSANOV (AZE) df. Daniel HERRERA (USA), 12-2