#WrestleBelgrade

Greco-Roman entries released for 2023 World Championships

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 - 12:37 By Eric Olanowski

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BELGRADE, Serbia (August 22) — Serbia's capital city, Belgrade, is set to host United World Wrestling's flagship event of 2023, the World Championships, from September 16-24.

This year's stacked preliminary Greco-Roman field includes nine of ten reigning Greco-Roman world gold medalists, with recent-retiree Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) being the only absentee 2022 world title holder.

The competition begins on September 16 with freestyle action, but the draws for Greco-Roman wrestling come out on September 20, with the Classic Style starting on September 21. 

The 2023 World Championships hold significant importance for the 2024 Olympic cycle as they mark the initial phase of the six qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 90 Olympic quotas—30 each in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women's wrestling—are up for contention in Belgrade.

The Olympic quotas will be allocated across six weight classes: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg, and 130kg. Additionally, four non-Olympic weights will be contested—55kg, 63kg, 72kg, and 82kg—however, placements in these categories will have no impact on qualification for the Paris Olympics.

Wrestlers who achieve gold, silver, or bronze medals in the six Olympic weight categories will secure a place for their nation in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Additionally, the two wrestlers who fall short in the bronze-medal bouts will compete in a wrestle-off to determine the fifth quota for the Paris Olympics.

Other Olympic Qualification Events:

  • March 01-03: Pan-American Olympic Qualifier in Acapulco, Mexico
  • March 22-24: African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Cairo, Egypt
  • April 04-07: European Olympic Qualifier in Baku, Azerbaijan
  • April 19-21: Asian Olympic Qualifier in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
  • May 09-12: World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey

Nine out of the ten world champions currently grace the early entry list. However, Sebastian NAD (SRB) and Mate NEMES (SRB), Serbia's reigning world champions at 63kg and 67kg, respectively, are both registered at the Olympic weight of 67kg, with the final spot yet to be determined.

Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), Ali ARSALAN (SRB), Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ), Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) and Riza KAYAALP (TUR) are the other notable world-title holders who'll have targets on their backs coming into Belgrade.

Azizli, a lightweight standout, will strive to secure his third 55kg world title by overcoming fellow world champion Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO). The two clashed in a battle for world gold a year ago, with Azizli emerging victorious. 

Returning world bronze medalist Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) is also registered in the 55kg category.

Sharshenbekov faces a challenging journey to defend his 60kg world championship title against countless formidable opponents, including world champions Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and Victor CIOBANU (MDA). Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL), who Sharshenbekov defeated in the finals last year, is also a guy to highlight at 60kg.

At 63kg, Leri ABULADZE (GEO), a two-time world runner-up, stands as the solo returning medalist in the weight category and is favored to vie for world supremacy.

The 67kg category holds a compelling narrative centered around Serbia's "issue." With a pair of reigning world champions as viable options, the spotlight is on Mate Nemes, the reigning world champion of the weight, and 63kg world gold medalist Sebastian Nad, who moved up a weight class to pursue his Olympic title aspirations. The Serbian coaching staff will look at Nemes and Nad's results from this season and make a decision in the coming weeks.

Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) seeks to recapture his 2021 form when he became the only Greco-Roman wrestler in history to win golds at the World Championships and Olympic Games in the same year.

Promising newcomer Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), who is only 20 years old, has already earned a European gold and world bronze medal in the 67kg category. He's a guy who could send shockwaves through weight.

At the non-Olympic weight of 72kg, Serbia's Ali ARSALAN (SRB) aims to face off against 2022 world medalists Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) and Selcuk CAN (TUR) once again.

The 77kg bracket features all four medalists from the previous year's competition.

Makhmudov, the first wrestler from Kyrgyzstan to win a world title, will try to keep his hot streak alive and build towards a second consecutive world-title run.

Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), the opponent Makhmudov defeated for the world title, is certaintly seeking retribution. Also in contention are 2022 world bronze medalists Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) and Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR).

The anticipated clash for world gold in the 82kg category is expected between the last two winners of the bracket: Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), the reigning world champion, and Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE), who clinched the title in 2021.

The 87kg bracket is the only weight class lacking a defending world champion. With the recent unexpected retirement of Zurabi Datunashvili, the two-time world champ, and the injury to world silver medalist Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN), the category presents an open field.

Tokyo Olympic champion Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) is registered to compete for the second time since his Olympic victory. He returned to competition earlier this season, securing gold at the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane.

David LOSONCZI (HUN) and Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) are noteworthy contenders for 87kg gold.

In his most recent outing, Losonczi showcased dominance by securing Hungarian Ranking Series gold, outscoring his opponents 41-0.

Maskevich aims to build on his runner-up finish in Oslo and claim the world championship title.

Despite the presence of all medalists from the previous year's World Championships, Artur Aleksanyan remains the favorite in the 97kg category. A consistent force in Greco-Roman wrestling since 2012, 'The White Bear' has accumulated gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Olympic Games and six world medals—four of which are gold—during this period.

Aleksanyan's primary competition includes Kiril MILOV (BUL), who he defeated for the world and European gold over the past year, as well as rival Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and world bronze medalist Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE).

The 130kg category will witness efforts to prevent Riza KAYAALP (TUR) from adding a sixth world title to his achievements. His strongest contenders include Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) and Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU), who secured world silver and bronze medals, respectively, last year.

The 2023 World Championships begin September 16-24 in Belgrade, Serbia. Fans can follow all the action live on www.uww.org or on 'The Home of Wrestling,' United World Wrestling's new app.

*Please note these entries are preliminary and are subject to change.

Greco-Roman entries

55kg
Vitalii KABALOEV (AIN)
Mohamed DRIDI (ALG)
Rudik MKRTCHYAN (ARM)
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)
Wenjie CHEN (CHN)
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
Poya DAD MARZ (IRI)
Mostafa ALQADE (JOR)
Taiga ONISHI (JPN)
Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ)
Davies ORIWA (KEN)
Hyeokjin JEON (KOR)
Artiom DELEANU (MDA)
Denis MIHAI (ROU)
Umit DURDYYEV (TKM)
Adem Burak UZUN (TUR)
Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR)
Brady KOONTZ (USA)
AJAY (UWW)
Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB)

60kg
Hleb MAKARANKA (AIN)
Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN)
Bajram SINA (ALB)
Reginaldo da SILVA (ANG)
Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)
Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE)
Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL)
Liguo CAO (CHN)
Dicther TORO (COL)
Latuf MADI (COM)
Kevin DE ARMAS (CUB)
Jeremy PERALTA (ECU)
Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY)
Helary MAEGISALU (EST)
Leo TUDEZCA (FRA)
Pridon ABULADZE (GEO)
Christopher KRAEMER (GER)
Erik TORBA (HUN)
Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI)
Melkamu FETENE (ISR)
Jacopo SANDRON (ITA)
Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN)
Olzhas SULTAN (KAZ)
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
Seunghak KIM (KOR)
Aleksandrs JURKJANS (LAT)
Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU)
Ismail ETTALIBI (MAR)
Victor CIOBANU (MDA)
Samuel GURRIA (MEX)
Joao BENAVIDES (PER)
Michal TRACZ (POL)
Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)
Ibrahim BUNDUKA (SLE)
Sabolc LOSONC (SRB)
Virgil BICA (SWE)
Aslamdzhon AZIZOV (TJK)
Kerem KAMAL (TUR)
Viktor PETRYK (UKR)
Ildar HAFIZOV (USA)
MANISH (UWW)
Jamal VALIZADEH (UWW)
Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB)
Raiber RODRIGUEZ (VEN)

63kg
Astemir BIZHOEV (AIN)
Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
Abu AMAEV (BUL)
Zheng LI (CHN)
Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO)
Stefan CLEMENT (FRA)
Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
Etienne KINSINGER (GER)
Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN)
Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI)
Ryuto IKEDA (JPN)
Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ)
Dastan KADYROV (KGZ)
Jinwoong JUNG (KOR)
Alexis RODRIGUEZ (MEX)
Mairbek SALIMOV (POL)
Perica DIMITRIJEVIC (SRB)
Akmyrat GELDIYEV (TKM)
Enes BASAR (TUR)
Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR)
Xavier JOHNSON (USA)
Vikram KURADE (UWW)
Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB)

67kg
Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (AIN)
Aslan VISAITOV (AIN)
Ishak GHAIOU (ALG)
Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM)
Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
Ivo ILIEV (BUL)
Nestor ALMANZA (CHI)
Husiyuetu HUSIYUETU (CHN)
Julian HORTA (COL)
Luis SANCHEZ (CUB)
Andres MONTANO (ECU)
Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY)
Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA)
Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO)
Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER)
Krisztian VANCZA (HUN)
Ashu ASHU (IND)
Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI)
Shon NADORGIN (ISR)
Ignazio SANFILIPPO (ITA)
Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN)
Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ)
Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ)
Minseong KWON (KOR)
Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU)
Valentin PETIC (MDA)
Edsson OLMOS (MEX)
Morten THORESEN (NOR)
Nilton SOTO (PER)
Mateusz BERNATEK (POL)
Mihai MIHUT (ROU)
Mate NEMES (SRB)
Andreas VETSCH (SUI)
Niklas OEHLEN (SWE)
Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK)
Mansur NURBERDIYEV (TKM)
Souleymen NASR (TUN)
Murat FIRAT (TUR)
Parviz NASIBOV (UKR)
Alejandro SANCHO (USA)
Vinayak PATIL (UWW)
Abror ATABAEV (UZB)

72kg
Narek OGANIAN (AIN)
Abdelmalek MERABET (ALG)
Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
Stoyan KUBATOV (BUL)
Jian TAN (CHN)
Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA)
Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO)
Michael WIDMAYER (GER)
Robert FRITSCH (HUN)
Danial SOHRABI (IRI)
Zaur KABALOEV (ITA)
Rintaro SOGABE (JPN)
Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ)
Jiyeon LEE (KOR)
Mihai PETIC (MDA)
Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR)
Kamil CZARNECKI (POL)
Ali ARSALAN (SRB)
Selcuk CAN (TUR)
Artur POLITAIEV (UKR)
Patrick SMITH (USA)
Ankit GULIA (UWW)
Jamol JUMABAEV (UZB)

77kg
Pavel LIAKH (AIN)
Adlet TIULIUBAEV (AIN)
Kevin KUPI (ALB)
Abd OUAKALI (ALG)
Francisco KADIMA (ANG)
Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
Joilson RAMOS (BRA)
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
Rui LIU (CHN)
Jair CUERO (COL)
Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO)
Yosvanys PENA FLORES (CUB)
Oldrich VARGA (CZE)
Oliver KRUEGER (DEN)
Mohamed KHALIL (EGY)
Marcos SANCHEZ (ESP)
Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN)
Johnny BUR (FRA)
Iuri LOMADZE (GEO)
Deni NAKAEV (GER)
Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE)
Zoltan LEVAI (HUN)
Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI)
Riccardo ABBRESCIA (ITA)
Amro SADEH (JOR)
Nao KUSAKA (JPN)
Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ)
Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Daekun PARK (KOR)
Paulius GALKINAS (LTU)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
Emmanuel BENITEZ (MEX)
Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Patryk BEDNARZ (POL)
Viktor NEMES (SRB)
Fabio DIETSCHE (SUI)
Per Albin OLOFSSON (SWE)
Toyly ORAZOV (TKM)
Yunus BASAR (TUR)
Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR)
Kamal BEY (USA)
Gurpreet SINGH (UWW)
Aram VARDANYAN (UZB)
Wuileixis RIVAS (VEN)

82kg
Stanislau SHAFARENKA (AIN)
Aues GONIBOV (AIN)
Samvel GRIGORYAN (ARM)
Aker SCHMID AL OBAIDI (AUT)
Michael WAGNER (AUT)
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
Halishan BAHEJIANG (CHN)
Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO)
Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Idris Hanpasaevic IBAEV (GER)
Erik SZILVASSY (HUN)
Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI)
Sultan Ali Mohd Damen EID (JOR)
Isami HORIKITA (JPN)
Shohei YABIKU (JPN)
Dias KALEN (KAZ)
Beksultan NAZARBAEV (KGZ)
Sejin YANG (KOR)
Mihail BRADU (MDA)
Jose Andres VARGAS RUEDA (MEX)
Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB)
Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE)
Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)
Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR)
Spencer WOODS (USA)
SAJAN (UWW)
Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB)

87kg
Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN)
Savelii BORISOV (AIN)
Bachir SID AZARA (ALG)
Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM)
Lukas STAUDACHER (AUT)
Islam ABBASOV (AZE)
Ronisson BRANDAO (BRA)
Semen NOVIKOV (BUL)
Haitao QIAN (CHN)
Carlos MUNOZ (COL)
Ivan HUKLEK (CRO)
Daniel GREGORICH HECHAVARRIA (CUB)
Mohamed METWALLY (EGY)
Andreas VAELIS (EST)
Toni METSOMAEKI (FIN)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO)
Hannes WAGNER (GER)
Ilias PAGKALIDIS (GRE)
David LOSONCZI (HUN)
Naser ALIZADEH (IRI)
Mirco MINGUZZI (ITA)
Masato SUMI (JPN)
Yoji KAWAMURA (JPN)
Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
John OMONDI (KEN)
Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ)
Sanghyeok PARK (KOR)
Martynas NEMSEVICIUS (LTU)
Viorel BURDUJA (MDA)
Daniel VICENTE (MEX)
Marcel STERKENBURG (NED)
Exauce MUKUBU (NOR)
Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL)
Nicu OJOG (ROU)
Mario VUKOVIC (SRB)
Ramon BETSCHART (SUI)
Alex KESSIDIS (SWE)
Azym ANNAMAMMEDOV (TKM)
Ali CENGIZ (TUR)
Zhan BELENIUK (UKR)
Zachary Kyle BRAUNAGEL (USA)
Manoj KUMAR (UWW)
Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB)
Luis AVENDANO (VEN)

97kg
Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN)
Artur SARGSIAN (AIN)
Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG)
Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)
Markus RAGGINGER (AUT)
Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE)
Igor ALVES DE (BRA)
Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL)
Yiming LI (CHN)
Filip SMETKO (CRO)
Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB)
Artur OMAROV (CZE)
Mathias BAK (DEN)
Mohamed GABR (EGY)
Richard KARELSON (EST)
Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN)
Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO)
Peter OEHLER (GER)
Laokratis KESIDIS (GRE)
Kevin MEJIA CASTILLO (HON)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI)
Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)
Yuta NARA (JPN)
Riku NAKAHARA (JPN)
Olzhas SYRLYBAY (KAZ)
Beksultan MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Seungjun KIM (KOR)
Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU)
Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED)
Felix BALDAUF (NOR)
Gerard KURNICZAK (POL)
Luka KATIC (SRB)
Mihail KAJAIA (SRB)
Aleksandar STJEPANETIC (SWE)
Metehan BASAR (TUR)
Serhii OMELIN (UKR)
Josef RAU (USA)
Shailesh SHELKE (UWW)
Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB)

130kg
Ilya YUDCHYTS (AIN)
Sergei SEMENOV (AIN)
David OVASAPYAN (ARM)
Daniel GASTL (AUT)
Beka KANDELAKI (AZE)
Eduard SOGHOMONYAN (BRA)
Yasmani ACOSTA (CHI)
Lingzhe MENG (CHN)
Oscar PINO (CUB)
Marcel ALBINI (CZE)
Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY)
Heiki NABI (EST)
Matti KUOSMANEN (FIN)
Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
Jello KRAHMER (GER)
Dariusz VITEK (HUN)
Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)
Sota OKUMURA (JPN)
Yuma MIYAUCHI (JPN)
Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ)
Seungchan LEE (KOR)
Romas FRIDRIKAS (LTU)
Paul MORALES (MEX)
Oskar MARVIK (NOR)
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)
Boris PETRUSIC (SRB)
Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM)
Riza KAYAALP (TUR)
Oleksandr CHERNETSKYY (UKR)
Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA)
Mehar SINGH (UWW)
Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB)

#WrestleBelgrade

World Championships: Taylor continues dominance of Yazdani, bags 3rd gold

Sunday, September 17, 2023 - 20:57 By Ken Marantz

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BELGRADE, Serbia (September 17) -- After beating rival Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) yet again, and handily at that, David TAYLOR (USA) dropped down to a knee and shook his head seemingly to say that even he doesn't know how he does it.

Taylor maintained the upper hand in one of the sport's great rivalries, capturing his third world title by securing a late fall in their freestyle 86kg final in the feature match on Sunday, the second day of the World Championships in Belgrade.

Taylor's victory was part of a productive day for the U.S. team, which won both of the non-Olympic titles up for grabs and gained another spot at the Paris Olympics when Mason PARRIS (USA) won a bronze medal at 125kg.

Read More: Micic beats Olympic, world champs to set up Higuchi final; Dake takes on Sidakov

This year's championships offers the first five qualifying places for the 2024 Paris Olympics and includes a historic fifth-place playoff between the losers of the bronze-medal matches.

Iran has secured two tickets to Paris, including one when Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) regained the 125kg throne with a one-sided victory over veteran Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO).

In the 86kg final, Taylor, taking advantage of a successful challenge in the first period that changed the tenor of the match, scored a key takedown early in the second period to take a 7-3 lead.

As the two battled for openings, Taylor clamped down when Yazdani attempted a headlock throw to make it 9-3 and secured the fall with two seconds left for his fifth win in six career meetings between the two.

"It's so many micro-adjustments, it's amazing," Taylor said. "I have a plan, he has a plan, then you go out there and your plan works for about 20 seconds. When I wrestle him, it's like organized chaos, there's just so much happening. It becomes, honestly, a lot of instinct. It's what I've been doing for 25 years."

Taylor, who beat Yazdani in the Tokyo Olympic final, said the key to handling the Iranian star was to neutralize his dangerous underhook.

"He's so good in that position, and it's forced me to get better," Taylor said. "For me, the more action always benefits me. I feel like our matches had a lot of action...People will do the best they possibly can to slow me down, my job is to become a dynamic scorer and find ways to continue to score and that was what I was able to do."

Taylor's lone loss to Yazdani was a 6-2 decision in the 2021 final in Oslo, which he said he took to heart.

"He is an aggressive, fearless competitor," Taylor said. "In Oslo, I gave him an inch and he took a mile. I learned my lesson the hard way in that match. Every time I have to try to stay one step ahead."

Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) celebrates after winning the 125kg final against Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Zare split a pair of matches with Petriashvili in 2021, but there was no doubt who was the dominant figure in their clash for supremacy at 125kg.

Petrashvili had no answer for the tremendous pressure that Zare applied, as the Iranian had six stepouts in charging to an 11-0 technical fall in 4:48.

Zare, a bronze medalist last year, added to the world gold he won in 2021 as a 19-year-old, while Petrashvili, a two-time Olympic medalist, took home his eighth world medal. He has not won a gold since winning three straight from 2017 to 2019.

Zare knows that even though he secured the Paris berth, he faces tough competition in the battle to fill it himself.

"There are domestic competitors who are young and motivated and I will try to beat [them] and go to the Olympics and get the best result," he said.

Vitali ARUJAU (USA)Vitali ARUJAU (USA) won the 61kg gold medal at the World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Meanwhile, Vitali ARUJAU (USA) and Zain RETHERFORD (USA) gave the U.S. gold in non-Olympic weight classes for their first world titles. Arujau triumphed at 61kg to join his father as a world champion, while Retherford powered to the 70kg title by beating the other Yazdani in action on Sunday.

Arujau, who won a national collegiate title this year for the Ivy League's Cornell University, prevailed 10-9 in a freewheeling 61kg final over 2021 world champion Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (AIN) that featured lots of points on counter lifts and exposures.

"There were some things that went my way, and some things that didn't," Arujau said. "But when it comes to finding those openings and being able to chain together multiple attacks, that's where I really shine."

Arujau scored first with a stepout, then things really got wild. On a shot by Magomedov, Arujau went to a body lift while on his posterior, with both bodies twisting and swirling in a wild scramble. When the dust cleared and a challenge allowed the scoring to be sorted out, Arujau had a 7-4 lead.

In the second period, Magomedov gained an exposure and a challenge point to tie the match, but his lead on criteria quickly evaporated when Arujau scored a go-behind takedown. Arujau added a stepout to go up 10-7 before Magomedov picked up a stepout and caution point in the final seconds to account for the final score.

Arujau, a silver medalist on both the junior (U20) and cadet (U17) levels, made it to the top step of the senior podium to emulate his father Vugar ORUDIEV, who won two world titles at freestyle 48kg for the former Soviet Union, as well as a bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

"It's been a long time coming," said Arujau, who was born in Belarus but grew up in the state of New York. "I'm 24 years old and this is the first time I can say I'm actually gaining a little ground [on him.]"

Zain RETHERFORD (USA)Zain RETHERFORD (USA) defeated Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) in the 70kg to win his first world title. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Retherford made it to the top of the podium after finishing second last year by putting together a solid 8-5 win over Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) in the 70kg final.

Retherford dictated the pace of the match, using counters and a low single to score three takedowns and two stepouts. Yazdani, last year's world U23 silver medalist, had two slick takedowns, but otherwise offered little resistance in having to settle for the senior silver.

"I'm satisfied with how I felt wrestling, especially in the semifinal and final," Retherford said. "I came out a little nervous in the first round, but in the semifinal and final, I felt like I opened up, I felt like I was myself, battling for every score and had fun doing it."

Myles AMINE (SMR)Myles AMINE (SMR), San Marino's first Olympic medalists, secured a Paris Olympic berth by winning the bronze medal at 86kg. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Akgul, Amine win bronzes, Olympic berths

In the bronze-medal matches, Taha AKGUL (TUR) earned his eighth world medal and the Olympic berth for his country that came with it, with an untroubled 5-0 victory over Daniel LIGETI (HUN) at 125kg.

Akgul, the defending champion who was dethroned in the semifinals by Zare, scored all of his points in the first period with a stepout, a takedown and a gut wrench, then stayed out of danger the rest of the way.

Assuming he fills the berth in Paris himself, Akgul will get a shot at a third Olympic medal, having won a gold in 2016 and a bronze in 2021.

Parris, a late U.S. team replacement after the withdrawal of Olympic champion Gable STEVESON (USA), capped an impressive performance with a 12-2 technical fall over Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) for the other 125kg bronze and Olympic quota.

Parris, the 2019 world junior (U20) champion, stopped a Kurbanov back-drop for 4 and found four different ways to score takedowns as he established himself as a future force to be reckoned with.

At 86kg, American-bred Myles AMINE (SMR) added another entry into the wrestling history of tiny San Marino by becoming the country's first-ever senior world medalist by defeating Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) 8-5. Two years ago, Amine gave San Marino its first-ever Olympic wrestling medal when he won a bronze medal in Tokyo.

In the other 86kg match, Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) pulled a rabbit out of his hat to score a buzzer-beating 5-3 win over Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) and earn a bronze for the second year in a row.

Dauletbekov had gone ahead 2-1 with a second activity point when Sharipov used a slick duck under to score a takedown with 20 seconds left.

With the clock ticking down, Dauletbekov hit a last-ditch inside trip that sent Sharipov to the mat at the buzzer. A challenge was denied that the points were scored after time expired.

Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) won his first world medal, bronze, by beating Kodai OGAWA (JPN) at 61kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

In the bronze-medal matches in the non-Olympic weights, Asian champion Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) made sure a single-leg attempt by Kodai OGAWA (JPN) in the second period would only yield a stepout point, allowing him to come away with a 2-1 victory at 61kg.

Zhumashbek Uulu, in repeating his 4-1 victory over Ogawa in the quarterfinals at the Asian Championships in April, went ahead with an activity point in the first period and a stepout in the second.

Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO) added a world bronze to the European he won earlier this year with a dramatic 5-5 win over Valentyn BLIASETSKYI (UKR) in the other 61kg match.

Trailing 2-1, Phartenadze locked up both arms, went for broke and executed a 4-point back trip late in the second period. He would then give up a fleeing point, a stepout and a caution point, but it was not enough to cost him the victory.

At 70kg, European silver medalist Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL) denied Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) a third straight world medal, riding a 4-point trip to an 8-6 victory. Akmataliev had finished third last year and second in 2021.

Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM), last year's European silver medalist, chalked up five 2-point tilts after scoring a takedown in the second period, giving him a 12-1 technical fall over Asian U23 bronze medalist ABHIMANYOU (UWW) for the other 70kg bronze.

Shapiev, Kurbanov win first-ever fifth-place playoffs

Shapiev and Kurbanov became answers to a future trivia question when they became the first winners of the newly adopted fifth-place playoff to decide the fifth Olympic berth available at the World Championships.

Shapiev scored a stepout and two activity points to defeat Sharipov at 86kg, while Kurbanov scored three takedowns in an 8-3 victory at 125kg over Ligeti.

The playoff became mandated when the UWW decided to reassign one Olympic qualifying quota from the World Championships, which originally had six, to the final World qualifying tournament, which now will have three.

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Day 2 Results

Freestyle

57kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) vs Stevan MICIC (SRB)

Semifinal: Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) df. Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) by TF, 11-0, 4:19
Semifinal: Stevan MICIC (SRB) df. Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB), 6-2

61kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Vitali ARUJAU (USA) df. Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (AIN), 10-9

BRONZE: Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Kodai OGAWA (JPN), 2-1
BRONZE: Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO) df. Valentyn BLIASETSKYI (UKR), 5-5

70kg (30 entries)
GOLD: Zain RETHERFORD (USA) df. Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI), 8-5
BRONZE: Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL) df. Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ), 8-6
BRONZE: Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) df. ABHIMANYOU (UWW) by TF, 12-1, 5:01

74kg (45 entries)
GOLD: Zaurbek SIDAKOV (AIN) vs. Kyle DAKE (USA)

Semifinal: Zaurbek SIDAKOV (AIN) df. Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE), 5-1
Semifinal: Kyle DAKE (USA) df. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), 4-1

79kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Akhmed USMANOV (AIN) vs. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)

Semifinal: Akhmed USMANOV (AIN) df. Orkhan ABASOV (AZE), 3-0
Semifinal: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR), 10-4

86kg (48 entries)
GOLD: David TAYLOR (USA) df. Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) by Fall, 5:58 (9-3)

BRONZE: Myles AMINE (SMR) df. Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB), 8-5
BRONZE: Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) df. Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN), 5-3

5th-Place Playoff: Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) df. Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN), 3-1

92kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) vs. Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)

Semifinal: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 8-1
Semifinal: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) df. Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) by TF, 10-0, 1:23

125kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) df. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) by TF, 11-0, 4:48

BRONZE: Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Daniel LIGETI (HUN), 5-0
BRONZE: Mason PARRIS (USA) df. Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) by TF, 12-2, 4:30

5th-Place Playoff: Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) df. Daniel LIGETI (HUN), 8-3