#Grappling

Gold rush for Individual Neutral Athletes at European Grappling

Thursday, May 30, 2024 - 08:20 By Vinay Siwach

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BAKU, Azerbaijan (May 28) -- Baku was expecting a grand show of grappling at the European Grappling Championships. But it was not ready for the Individual Neutral Athlete storm that hit.

Sweeping all 10 weight classes, Individual Neutral Athletes won 10 gold medals, making up for the previous championships they missed. Not only that, out of the 10 wins in the final, six of them were via submission.

The first day of the European Championships began with Akhmednabi MAGOMEDOV (AIN) winning the 58kg gold medal over Ilia ABRAMENKO (AIN). The gold medal rush continued with Magomed SHAKHBANOV (AIN) submitting Magomedbek TEMEEV (AIN) in the 62kg final. This was his third victory by submission in three matches.

Khabiob ATLUEV (AIN) at 66kg and Apandi AMAGAEV (AIN) at 71kg also won their gold medal via submission continuing the trend of one-sided finals in Baku.

It took Jakob NAJDEK (POL) to finally stop that trend. But that’s all he did. Ivan LISOGOROV (AIN) may not have gotten the submission but he dominated the 77kg final, beating Najdek 7-0 for the gold medal.

Pawel JAWORSKI (POL) took a step closer by scoring points on Murad ABDULATIPOV (AIN) but failed to go all the way, dropping the 84kg final 4-2. Mukhamed URUSOV (AIN) found it difficult to negate Piotr FRECHOWICZ (POL) but managed to hang on for a 2-2 win and claimed the 92kg gold medal.

100kg world champion Andrzej IWAT (POL) dropped a close semifinal against Shamil MAZHIDKHANOV (AIN) who went on to win the gold medal with a 6-3 win over Manuel PILATO (ITA) in the final.

In the 130kg weight, renamed from the 100+ kg, Daudgadzhi IBRAGIMOV (AIN) managed to hold off Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA) 5-3 to win the gold medal.

Olesia ZHURAVLEVA (AIN)Olesia ZHURAVLEVA (AIN) won all four of her bouts via submission. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

In the women’s grappling competition, Carlota PRENEDES (ESP) recovered from an early loss to Alicja STYPULKOWSKA (POL) in a round-robin to beat the Pole via submission in the 53kg final.

At 58kg, Olesia ZHURAVLEVA (AIN) showed her class, winning four bouts via submission to win the gold with no troubles. She defeated Victoria SHERHIIENKO (UKR) twice, once in round 3 and then in the final, to finish at the top of the podium. In another AIN vs Ukraine final, Irina CHERNYSHOVA (AIN) won the 64kg gold medal over Daria CHIBISOVA (UKR) 10-2.

Alsu IANSHINA (AIN) also dominated her weight class, winning the 71kg gold medal over Alycia QUENEE (FRA) via submission, her third in four bouts.

Justyna SITKO (POL) managed to clinch the 90kg gold medal with a victory by submission over Paula MARTINEZ (ESP).

RESULTS

Men's Grappling

58kg
GOLD: Akhmednabi MAGOMEDOV (AIN) df. Ilia ABRAMENKO (AIN), via submission

BRONZE: Illia SVIATUN (UKR) df. Alejandro REYES (ESP), via submission
BRONZE: Jerzy IZDEBSKI (POL) df. Bohdan CHORNEI (UKR), 5-2

62kg
GOLD: Magomed SHAKHBANOV (AIN) df. Magomedbek TEMEEV (AIN), via submission

BRONZE: Loris ZANOLINI (ITA) df. Farhad BAGIROV (AZE), 10-0
BRONZE: Andrii TSVYK (UKR) df. Guillermo GUTIERREZ (ESP), 5-2

66kg
GOLD: Khabib ATLUEV (AIN) df. Artur AGASHIRINOV (AIN), via submission

BRONZE: Giorgi RAZMADZE (GEO) df. Abdulla ABSHAROV (AZE), via submission
BRONZE: Anthony DE OLIVEIRA (FRA) df. Adam VERES KOVACS (HUN), via submission

71kg
GOLD: Apandi AMAGAEV (AIN) df. Ihor DMYTRASH (UKR), via submission

BRONZE: Dzhimsher RAZMADZE (GEO) df. Arsen IBRAGIMOV (AIN), via submission (3-3)
BRONZE: Samuel CHAGNY (FRA) df. Samik RAMAZANOV (AZE), 3-2

77kg
GOLD: Ivan LISOGOROV (AIN) df. Jakub NAJDEK (POL), 7-0

BRONZE: Nikolaos POLYDOROS (GRE) df. Arthur LEROY (FRA), 3-1
BRONZE: Iker CAMARA (ESP) df. Serhii KUZMYCHOV (UKR), via submission

84kg
GOLD: Murad ABDULATIPOV (AIN) df. Pawel JAWORSKI (POL), 4-2

BRONZE: Pierre MANZO (FRA) df. Davud MAGOMEDOV (AIN), 4-4
BRONZE: Samy MEZACHE (FRA) df. Pavlo MAKSYMCHUK (UKR), via submission

92kg
GOLD: Mukhamed URUSOV (AIN) df. Piotr FRECHOWICZ (POL), 2-2

BRONZE: Mateusz MAZUR (POL) df. Mantas DAUBLYS (LTU), 5-3
BRONZE: Levente LAKY (HUN) df. Wilfried EDMUND (FRA), 8-3

100kg
GOLD: Shamil MAZHIDKHANOV (AIN) df. Manuel PILATO (ITA), 6-3

BRONZE: Andrzej IWAT (POL) df. Gamzat GAMZATOV (AIN), via submission (4-4)
BRONZE: Danielius GREBLIUNAS (LTU) df. Tural AZAYEV (AZE), 2-2 in overtime

130kg
GOLD: Daudgadzhi IBRAGIMOV (AIN) df. Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA), 5-3

BRONZE: Ioannis KARGIOTAKIS (GRE) df. Lukasz OLECH (POL), 8-3
BRONZE: Nizami GAFAROV (AZE) df. Mykola MATSEIKO (UKR), 5-3

Women's Grappling

53kg
GOLD: Carlota PRENDES (ESP) df. Alicja IRENA (POL), via submission

BRONZE: Zuzanna KOWALSKA (POL) df. Kristina RAU (GER), 9-7

58kg
GOLD: Olesia ZHURAVLEVA (AIN) df. Viktoriia SERHIIENKO (UKR), via submission

BRONZE: Irina KUPRINA (AIN) df. Jazmin ARJONA (ESP), 11-6

64kg
GOLD: Irina CHERNYSHOVA (AIN) df. Daria CHIBISOVA (UKR), 10-2

BRONZE: Julija STOLIARENKO (LTU) df. Veronika KARAKHONOVA (AIN), via submission
BRONZE: Giulia RODIO (ITA) df. Laila OHLHOFF (GER), 8-2

71kg
GOLD: Alsu IANSHINA (AIN) df. Alycia QUENEE (FRA), via submission

BRONZE: Emily GUENZLER (GER) df. Daniella SANTANA FABELO (ESP), via submission

90kg
GOLD: Justyna SITKO (POL) df. Paula MARTINEZ BORREGUERO (ESP), via submission

BRONZE: Alena VLASOVA (AIN) df. Janina CZYCZYN (POL), 6-2

#WrestleBucharest

Cengiz vs Losonczi on cards, Kayaalp eyes European record

Wednesday, February 7, 2024 - 10:47 By Vinay Siwach

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BUCHAREST, Romania (February 7) -- World champions Ali CENGIZ (TUR) and David LOSONCZI (HUN) may have shared the 87kg world title from Belgrade but the two are on course to meet and settle the scores at the European Championships in Bucharest next week.

Cengiz won the gold medal in Belgrade but a United World Wrestling review ruled that a referee error cost Losonczi the title. The Hungary wrestler was later awarded a shared world title.

But we are likely to find who is the clear winner in Bucharest as Greco-Roman will kick off the tournament on February 12. The European Championships will be live on UWW+ which can be watched on uww.org or the UWW App.

Losonczi and Cengiz can only meet in the final as they are seeded one and two respectively. And to reach the gold medal bout, both have to navigate a tough bracket.

The biggest threat will be Alan OSTAEV (AIN) who won a bronze medal at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series in January. He stunned a packed house in Zagreb by beating Losonczi 9-0 in the first round. Ostaev had two big throws which helped him win the contest in the first period itself.

The second bronze medalist from Zagreb, Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) will also be in action in Bucharest hoping to win his first medal at a championship for Serbia.

Tokyo Olympic champion and world bronze medalist Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) will also make a comeback to the European Championships. He last wrestled at the tournament in 2021, winning a bronze medal. He won the gold medal in the 2019 edition of the championships.

Young stars in the weight class include U20 world champion Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO), former U20 world champion Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) and former U23 world champion Exauce MUKUBU (NOR).

At 130kg, Riza KAYAALP (TUR) is going for a record-breaking 13th European Championships title. A gold medal will take him past the 12th title Aleksandr KARELIN holds in Greco-Roman.

Kayaalp suffered a loss in the final at the World Championships but will hope that his reign in Europe doesn't meet the same fate. Sergei SEMENOV (AIN), veteran Heiki NABI (EST), home favorite Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) and young star Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) are the few other names in the bracket.

Another packed weight class in 77kg as Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) looks to defend his title from Zagreb. But challenging him are world silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE), 72kg world champion Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), Robert FRITSCH (HUN), U23 world champion Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), former world champion Ali ARSALAN (SRB) and former European champion Yunus BASAR (TUR).

Amoyan's run last year included a semifinal victory over Basar who later won a bronze medal. Gutu was injured in the repechage round and pulled out.

Suleymanov lost his first-round bout but he reached the final of the World Championships and won the Zagreb Open last month. He will also be seeded number one for the European Championships, making a clash with Amoyan possible in the gold-medal bout.

Ghanem won the world title at 72kg but he suffered an early loss at the Zagreb Open. Arsalan won a bronze medal at that event.

Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)Defending champion Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) (blue) and silver medalist Kiril MILOV (BUL) are entered at 97kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) will also be wrestling for the first since the World Championships in which suffered a shocking loss in the final to win a silver medal at 97kg. The defending champion will be seeded third and looking for his seventh gold medal at the competition.

The field includes top seed world bronze medalist Artur OMAROV (CZE), Zagreb Open winner and second seed Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN), former world bronze medalist Artur SARGSIAN (AIN), 2022 European champion Kiril MILOV (BUL), Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN), Tamas LEVAI (HUN) and Felix BALDAUF (NOR).

Milov is making a comeback since his silver medal at the 2023 European Championships as he suffered a career-threatening injury that also forced him to skip the World Championships.

Last year, Victor CIOBANU (MDA) and Kerem KAMAL (TUR) offered an action-packed bout and the two are expected to clash again. Since Kamal is unseeded, he can meet Ciobanu in any round of the bracket. 

Ciobanu, the returning silver medalist, reached the final of the Zagreb Open but pulled out, handing the victory to Sadyk LALAEV (AIN). Lalaev is entered to compete in Bucharest and Ciobanu will be keen to have a go this time.

Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) and Pridon ABULADZE (GEO) will be part of the bracket but with defending champion Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) moving to 63kg, the 60kg weight class will have a new European champion.

Nazaryan's task to win the 63kg weight class won't be a walk in the park as he has to face world and defending champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO). Zhambolat LOKYAEV (AIN) and Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) will also look to win the gold medal.

Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) is the defending champion at 67kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) has had a tough time since winning the gold medal at 67kg at the last European Championships as he lost the final of the World Championships and then got pinned at the Zagreb Open. But he will look to return to gold-winning ways in Bucharest.

Jafarov will be the favorite to win the gold medal despite the likes of Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA), Morten THORESEN (NOR), Sebastian NAD (SRB) and Murat FIRAT (TUR) in the weight class.

82kg world champion Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) will be eyeing another European title after skipping the last edition. Huseynov won the world title in 2021 but failed to repeat in 2022. He moved back to 82kg for the 2023 edition and won the gold medal.

He will have a young field to navigate as former U20 world champion Islam ALIEV (AIN) is joined by multiple-time age-group world medalist Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) and U20 world champion Alperen BERBER (TUR).

Azerbaijan has another chance at winning the gold medal at 72kg defending champion Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) returns to defend his title. He will face the likes of Krisztian VANCZA (HUN), Mate NEMES (SRB), Selcuk CAN (TUR) and Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) among others.

At 55kg, Adem UZUN (TUR) had a dream run last year, winning the gold medal. He will look to repeat as the champion even though Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), who suffered a 13-3 semifinal loss to Uzun, hopes to finally win the European title. Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) has decided to skip the tournament.