Klippan Ladies

Gray Defeats Adar to Reclaim Top Spot

Sunday, February 18, 2018 - 16:22 By Eric Olanowski

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The stars aligned for wrestling fans Sunday afternoon in Klippan, Sweden as an anticipated bout between three-time world champion Adeline GRAY (USA) and defending world champions Yasemin ADAR (TUR) delivered on the hype as the two 76kg wrestlers combined for a whopping 15 points in the finals of the Klippan Ladies Open.

Gray picked up an early 2-0 lead after scoring the first takedown of the match. “I was expecting a defensive match, but when I got in so deep and knew I could get to her legs, I adjusted the game plan,” said Gray.

Adar returned fire late in the first after hitting Gray with a beautiful four-point arm spin to take the 4-2 lead. When asked about the arm-spin, Gray said “We practiced it in the warm-up. We knew she had a great arm-spin, so kudos to her for hitting it when it mattered.”

Gray picked up the pace in the second, outscoring Adar 7-2 to win the match 9-6 and reclaim her No. 1 spot in the United World Wrestling world rankings.

“I knew I always deserved to be there," said Gray. "It was just a matter of earning it and proving it when it counted.”

Team Japan kicked off the day's finals winning back-to-back titles at 50kg and 53kg.

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) captured the 50kg title by defeating Mariya STADNIK (AZE), the two-time world and Olympic silver medalist, 2-1.

Trailing on criteria with less than 30-seconds remaining, Susaki shot a high crotch but ran out of mat space before finishing. The wrestlers barreled into the official's table with Stadnik stepping out first, giving Susaki the 2-1 lead and ultimately the win.

“I was so excited after the match because it was my first win after my December loss," said Susaki. "I knew this would be a one exchange match and I capitalized on that one exchange!”

Junior world champion Nanami IRIE (JPN)used a pair of takedowns to win the Japan-on-Japan 53kg final against Umi IMAI (JPN), 4-2.

In the 55kg finals, Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS) stole the gold medal from Bediha GUN (TUR) after picking up a push out with one-second left. After a failed challenge from Gun, Orshush walked away with the 3-2 victory.

At 57kg, defending junior world champion Sae NANJO (JPN) scored four unanswered points to win a tightly contested battle with 2016 world silver medalist and 2017 European champion, Tetyana KIT (UKR), 2-2.

After claiming silver and bronze medals, Grace BULLEN (NOR), the 2017 European champion captured her first Klippan Lady Open title by beating Asian Indoor Games bronze medalist Akie HANAI (JPN), 3-2.

When asked about what she was looking for in the 59kg finals, Bullen said “I’ve wanted a Klippan Lady Open title for a long time. Everyone here is wrestling at their highest level.” 

Dave Schultz Memorial champion Kayla MIRACLE (USA) earned Team USA's second gold medal of the tournament after challenging a four-point call in favor of 2014 world champion Yulia TKACH (UKR). Miracle
captured the 62kg title, 3-2.

In the 65kg finals,2015 world silver medalist Petra OLLI (FIN) defeated Japan’s Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN), 5-4. 


In the all-Olympian final at 68kg, Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) remained unbeaten as she bested Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR) in dominant fashion, 9-4. Lappage wrapped up the tournament by outscoring her opponents 24-6. 

Sweden’s lone champion was Jenny FRANSSON (SWE). The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist brought the crowd to their feet by scoring a 10-0 technical superiority victory over Russian runner-up, Tatiana KOLESNIKOVA MOROZOVA (RUS) in the finals at 72kg. 

RESULTS: http://uww.io/j9cru

MEDAL MATCHES
50kg 
GOLD - Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Mariya STADNIK (AZE), 3-2

BRONZE - Anzhelika VETOSHKINA (RUS) df. Patricia alejandra BERMUDEZ (ARG), 15-4
BRONZE - Emilia alina VUC (ROU) df. Amy ann FEARNSIDE (USA), 11-8

53kg
GOLD - Nanami IRIE (JPN) df. Umi IMAI (JPN), 4-2 

BRONZE - Natalia MALYSHEVA (RUS) df. Jade mariah PARSONS (CAN), 11-3
BRONZE - Sarah ann HILDEBRANDT (USA) df. Aysun ERGE (TUR), 10-0 

55kg
GOLD -  Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS) df. Bediha GUN (TUR), 3-2 

BRONZE -  Nina MENKENOVA (RUS) df. Jacarra gwenisha WINCHESTER (USA), 5-4
BRONZE - Ramona GALAMBOS (HUN) df. Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN), 2-1

57kg
GOLD -Sae NANJO (JPN) df. Tetyana KIT (UKR), 2-2

BRONZE - Alexandra ANDREEVA (RUS) df. Laura MERTENS (GER), 10-0 
BRONZE - Irina OLOGONOVA (RUS) df. Simona PRICOB (ROU), 0-0 

59kg
GOLD - Grace jacob BULLEN (NOR) df. Akie HANAI (JPN), 3-2

BRONZE - Elif jale YESILIRMAK (TUR) df. Uliana TUKURENOVA (RUS), 6-3
BRONZE - Lauren nora LOUIVE (USA) df. Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (ROU), 8-2

62kg
GOLD - Kayla colleen kiyoko MIRACLE (USA) df. Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR), 3-2

BRONZE - Olivia louise HENNINGSSON (SWE) df. Luzie MANZKE (GER), 10-5
BRONZE - Luisa helga gerda NIEMESCH (GER) df. Naomi RUIKE (JPN), 6-0

65kg
GOLD - Petra maarit OLLI (FIN) df. Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN), 5-4

BRONZE -  Henna katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) df. Braxton rei STONE (CAN), 10-9
BRONZE - Yulia PRONTSEVITCH (RUS) df. Forrest ann MOLINARI (USA), 2-1

68kg
GOLD - Danielle suzanne LAPPAGE (CAN) df. Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR), 9-4

BRONZE - Olivia grace DI BACCO (CAN) df. Maria SELMAIER (GER), 10-0
BRONZE -  Tamyra mariama MENSAH (USA) df. Laura SKUJINA (LAT), 0-0

72kg
GOLD -  Anna jenny eva maria FRANSSON (SWE) df. Tatiana KOLESNIKOVA MOROZOVA (RUS), 10-0

BRONZE - Victoria christine FRANCIS (USA) df. Alexandra nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU)  , 4-0
BRONZE -  Rachel ann WATTERS (USA) df. Burcu UGDULER ORSKAYA (TUR), 9-3

76kg
GOLD -  Adeline maria GRAY (USA) df. Yasemin ADAR (TUR), 9-6

BRONZE - Epp MAE (EST) df. Denise sabina MAKOTA STROEM STRÖM (SWE), 7-4
BRONZE -  Erica elizabeth WIEBE (CAN) df. Francy RAEDELT (GER), 10-1

#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Kamal survives scare in Ulaanbaatar amid Turkiye gold rush

Friday, May 30, 2025 - 13:58 By Vinay Siwach

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ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (May 30) -- Turkiye captured all three Greco-Roman gold medals on offer on Friday with European champion Kerem KAMAL (TUR) surviving a tough final to win at 63kg, and Paris Olympians Enes BASAR (TUR) and Hamza BAKIR (TUR) winning at 60kg and 130kg respectively.

Kamal, who won European Championships gold in dominant fashion, could not replicate that performance from April but still managed to win gold. In the final, he survived a scare against Asian Championships bronze medalist Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), winning 6-6 on criteria, thanks to a foul from Chung.

Both had wrestled in the group stages as well as this weight category only had seven wrestlers and were divided into two groups. Kamal came out on top 6-3 in that match.

But the final began with Chung scoring a takedown in the first minute and then adding another point when he was given the par terre advantage. However, he failed to score from that position.

In the second period, Kamal scored a push from par terre and had Chung's back on the mat for two points. He then lifted Chung upside down and completed a throw during which Chung committed a defensive leg foul.

Korea challenged the call but lost which gave Kamal a 6-4 lead. Chung tried to score and during the final 10 seconds, he pushed Kamal to the zone and the Turkish wrestler lost his balance, giving up a takedown.

Chung tied it 6-6 but Kamal led on criteria as Chung had committed the leg foul earlier. Chung realized it later that he was losing the final.

"I think it was a bit of a misjudgment because I thought I was winning and I didn't try hard for last 7 seconds at the end," Chung said. "I'm training hard with [former world champion] Hansu RYU (KOR) as my role model, and I'm trying to copy his style a lot."

For Kamal, the tournament was an eye-opener, especially for his performance against the Asian wrestlers.

"It was a very difficult tournament," Kamal said. "From the first round to the final match, I had very strong and very tough opponents. It was one of the hardest matches I've had this year. Winning is important, but in this tournament I realized that I have many mistakes. I'm thinking that I'm going to watch all my matches over and over again and analyze them and try to wrestle in a way that is more error-free and less pointless."

As he gears up to win his first senior world title in Zagreb later this September, Kamal is now wary of his opponents from Asia and wants to tackle them with more conviction.

"All my opponents are Asian," he said. "Kyrgyz, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Iranian. These are my strongest opponents. When you look at it, most of my opponents are from Asia, so I try to wrestle like Asians. I try to train like them, because they are very difficult to keep up with, they are very active. But as I said, as much as I can stop them, as much as I can do, as long as I can, I will continue to wrestle with them and wrestle like him."

Despite his close matches against Chung, Kamal looked in supreme form, especially while defending on par terre, as he captured his second Ranking Series gold medal of the year. His first gold was in Tirana, Albania.

"I don't think about it there [on the mat], to be honest, because I'm in a completely negative position," he said. "I'm trying to get out of it by doing all the weird things I can. The important thing is that I don't get scored there. It doesn't matter how I do it, what I do, the important thing is not to give points to my opponent and to continue in that way. So I'm very happy that I was able to do that."

Enes BASAR (TUR)Enes BASAR (TUR), blue, won gold medal at 60kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Basar, who was at the Paris Olympics at 60kg, won four bouts in the day to claim the gold medal. He began with an 8-3 win over Kurmanbek ZHAPAROV (KGZ) but his second against Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ) tested him to the limits. He made two comebacks to win 16-5, using a strong gut-wrench.

He followed that win by beating SURAJ (IND), 8-0, in a minute and 13 seconds before finishing his campaign with a 10-2 win over Ganbayar NAMSRAI (MGL).

Hamza BAKIR (TUR)Hamza BAKIR (TUR) claimed the 130kg gold medal in Ulaanbaatar. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

The most dominant run of the day came from Hamza BAKIR (TUR) at 130kg, as he won all his four bouts via technical superiority.

In his first bout, he gave up a point for passivity but still managed to win 9-1 against Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ). That was the only point he gave in the competition, winning his next three bouts via technical superiority.

He defeated Turbat BATBAYAR (MGL), 8-0, in Round 2, PREM (IND) with identical scoreline in Round 3 and in Round 5, he won against Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL), 8-0.

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Enes BASAR (TUR)
SILVER: SURAJ (IND)
BRONZE: Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ)

63kg
GOLD: Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), 6-6

BRONZE: Aref MOHAMMADI (QAT) df. Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI),

130kg
GOLD: Hamza BAKIR (TUR)
SILVER: Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL)
BRONZE: Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ)