#wrestlenursultan

Host Kazakhstan among 6 Nations with 2 Semifinalists each as Greco Gets Underway

Saturday, September 14, 2019 - 10:01 By Ken Marantz

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NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (Sept. 14) --- Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) gave the opening session of the world championships the perfect closing act, thrilling the hometown crowd in the Barys Arena by grabbing the final semifinal spot on tap as Greco-Roman kicked off the competition.

Kebispayev, with a thrilling 7-4 win in the 63kg quarterfinals over Rahman BILICI (TUR), became one of two wrestlers in four weight classes from the host nation to earn places in the semifinals, to be held later in the day.

Kebispayev’s path to the final is blocked by Shinobu OTA (JPN), a Rio 2016 Olympic silver medalist aiming for his first world medal. The other semifinal pits European champion and top seed Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) against Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM).

In the second round, Kebispayev forged out a close 2-2 win over Asian champion TUO Erbatu (CHN). 

Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) was one of two wrestlers from the host nation of Kazakhstan to make the opening day semifinals at the World Championships. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) also made the last four from the host nation, but faces a tough task ahead when he takes on defending world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) for a place in the 55kg final.

In the other bracket, Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) will take on Shota OGAWA (JPN), a fifth-place finisher a year ago in the U23 World Championships who knocked off Asian champion Ilkhom BAKHRAMOV (UZB) in the quarterfinals.

It was tough day all around for the Bakhramov family, as older brother Islomjon, the Asian gold medalist at 60kg who moved up to 63kg, lost minutes later in the quarterfinals to lanky Galstyan, who scored a takedown with :25 left and held on for a 3-3 win.

The medals, to be awarded after the finals on Sunday, will be well spread around, as no country put more than two wrestlers into the semifinals. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Japan, Russia and Uzbekistan joined Kazahstan with two wrestlers each still in the running for gold. 

Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) defeated Raymond  BUNKER III (USA), 6-2 in the quarterfinals, and will wrestle Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) for a spot in Sunday night's finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan) 

Bulgaria and Hungary both have one semifinalist each, and they are in the same weight class, 72kg, and both returning medalists. 

Top seed Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL), a bronze medalist a year ago in Budapest, will meet Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) for a place in the final, while veteran Balint KORPASI (HUN), a former world champion and 2018 silver medalist, has a semifinal date with European champion Abulazid MANTSIGOV (RUS).

Mantsigov advanced with a 4-0 victory over up-and-coming world junior champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM). 

The big upset of the session came at 82kg, when QIAN Haitao (CHN) threw down 2018 world silver medalist and top seed Emrah KUS (TUR) with a headlock and held on for a fall in 2:00. 

That was a harbinger of things to come in a weight class that threw away the form book and saw only one of the four seeds make it to the semifinals. 

Unheralded Nurbek KHASHIMBEKOV (UZB) knocked off European champion and fourth seed Rajbek BISULTANOV (DEN), lifting him from the par terre and dumping him onto his back before securing a fall at 1:43. 

Khashimbekov will next face European silver medalist Lasha GOBADZE (GEO), who had little trouble ousting Qian by technical fall. 

In the other semifinal, Asian champion Saied ABDVALI (IRI) will face Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE). Abvali defeated Adlan AKIEV (RUS), who had ousted 2018 bronze medalist Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) by fall in a thrilling second-round match.

Huseynov quieted the home crowd momentarily when he threw down Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ), who suffered an apparent rib injury and was forced to default. Earlier, Yerezhepov had ousted 2018 world bronze medalist and No. 2 seed Viktor SASUNOVSKI (BLR).  

Day 1 Results

Greco-Roman - Semifinal Pairings
55kg (20 entries)
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) v Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ)
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) v Shota OGAWA (JPN)

63kg (18 entries)
Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) v Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM)
Shinobu OTA (JPN) v Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ)

72kg (25 entries)
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) v Aram VARDANYAN (UZB)
Abulazid MANTSIGOV (RUS) v Balint KORPASI (HUN)

82kg (23 entries)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) v Nurbek KHASHIMBEKOV (UZB)
Saied ABDVALI (IRI) v Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)

#WrestlingHistory

Wrestling History: Who was Ivan Yarygin?

Monday, March 24, 2025 - 11:49 By United World Wrestling Press

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For most, a trip to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia on the last weekend of January each year would sound chilling. Afterall, it is one of the coldest regions on the planet.

But for the past 35 years, wrestlers from around the world attend the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in January, the tournament which kicks off the season for most countries.

The prestigious tournament sees close to 1000 wrestlers vying for the gold medals in Freestyle and Women's Wrestling. But who was Ivan Yarygin after whom the tournament is named?

Born in Kemerovo, Soviet Union on November 7, 1948, Yarygin was a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a world champion who went on to became the coach of the Soviet Union team and later the Russian national team.

In 1966, aged 18, Yarygin was stationed in Krasnoyarsk with the army and began training with legendary coach Dmitry MINDIASHVILI to polish his technique.

Famous for winning his Olympic bouts via fall, Yarygin won seven bouts at the 1972 Games in just over seven minutes. Those were days when a bout could extend till nine minutes. He pinned all seven wrestlers before time and no one has come close to matching that record.

How did Yarygin begin training in wrestling?

Yarygin played football in his village. His big built made him a perfect goalkeeper, a position he continued to play during his driving school training in Abakan. Vladimir CHARKOV, a wrestling club trainer, saw Yarygin and asked him to try wrestling. And just by chance, Yarygin began his wrestling career.

The Freestyle wrestler primarily competed at 100kg and was known for his dynamic training and ditching traditional methods in wrestling. He quickly rose through the ranks in Soviet wrestling circles. He debuted internationally in 1970 at the European Championships and finished with a silver medal. Ahmet AYIK (TUR) defeated him in the 100kg final. But Yarygin won the European gold in 1972, the first of his three continental titles.

Later that year, Yarygin participated in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and won gold medal in 100kg without giving up a single point in seven bouts. He defeated Khorloo BAYANMUNKH (MGL) and Jozsef CSATARI (HUN) in the finals round.

His results dipped after the Munich Olympics, with 1974 being a humbling year, Yarygin moved back to village. "I trained in the village every day like a peasant," Yarygin had famously said. "I chopped enough firewood for three winters ahead."

Yarygin returned and made sure he was still the winner. The gold medal in Montreal was not as simple as Munich but there was still no match for Yarygin. He went on to win the gold medal in 1976, his second in Olympic Games.

In the first bout of the 1976 Games, Yarygin faced Harald BUTTNER who had defeated him in the European Championships. However, Yarygin managed to keep Buttner at bay and won 13-5.

Yarygin's results soon declined and he failed to top the standings in USSR. He would finally make way for younger generation before the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

After his retirement, Yarygin tried his hand at coaching and administration. Yarygin was the coach of the Soviet Freestyle team from 1982 to 1992 and later became the president of the wrestling federation from 1993 to 1997. Russia hosted the 1997 World Championships in Krasnoyarsk which Yarygin led in organization.

Yarygin died on October 11, 1997 in a car accident. United World Wrestling inducted him into the UWW Hall of Fame in 2010.