#BudaWrestle2018

Hungarians Korpasi, Bacsi Electrify Crowd with Semifinal Victories

By Andrew Hipps

BUDAPEST, Hungary (October 25) -- Balint KORPASI and Peter BACSI electrified the crowd in Budapest and gave Hungary two finalists on the opening day of the Greco-Roman competition at the World Championships. 

Korpasi, a 2016 world champion, punched his ticket to the gold-medal match with a 3-1 win over Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) in the semifinals at 72kg. The 31-year-old Hungarian scored with a gut wrench in the first period, which proved to the difference in the match. He will face two-time world champion Frank STAEBLER (GER) in the gold-medal match at 72kg.

Staebler broke open a close semifinal match against 2015 world champion Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) late in the match with a takedown and two throws to claim a 9-1 technical fall.

Bacsi found himself in an early 4-0 hole after giving up a takedown and turn to Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) in the semifinals at 82kg. But Bacsi chipped away and cut the deficit to 4-2 in the second period before getting on top and scoring with a gut wrench and four-point throw to go up by four points. He would close out a technical fall victory a short time later with a gut wrench. His finals opponent will be Emrah KUS (TUR), who came back to defeat Saeid ABDVALI (IRI) 6-4 in the semifinals. 

Abdvali raced out to a 4-0 lead on the strength of a body lock twenty seconds into the match. But Kus would come back in the second period, using a four-point throw to take the lead. He would add a point off a failed challenge to win by two.  

Nineteen-year-old Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) dominated world university champion Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) to reach the gold-medal match at 55kg, earning a 9-0 technical fall.  Sharshenbekov has not surrounded a point in three matches, picking up three technical falls and outscoring his opposition 29-0. He now meets two-time junior world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) in the gold-medal match at 55kg.

Azizli topped Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) 6-3, scoring all six of his points in the first period, getting a takedown before locking up a gut wrench for two turns. Tsurtsumia scored a takedown with a minute remaining to cut the deficit to three but could not complete the comeback. 

Olympic bronze medalist Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) used a four-point throw in the first period on his way to a 4-3 win over Lenur TEMIROV (UKR) in the semifinals at 63kg. Temirov scored a takedown with a minute and twenty seconds left, but Tasmuradov held on for the narrow victory. 

Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS), a world bronze medalist in 2017, knocked off 19-year-old Hassan MOHAMED (EGY) 7-1 to reach the gold-medal match at 63kg. The two traded passivity points until the second period when Maryanyan was able to get on top and lock up his gut wrench for three turns to break the match open. 

Semifinal Results

Greco-Roman

55kg
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) df. Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) by VSU, 9-0
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) by VPO1, 6-3

63kg
Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) df. Lenur TEMIROV (UKR) by VPO1, 4-3
Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) df. Hassan MOHAMED (EGY) by VPO1, 7-1

72kg
Balint KORPASI (HUN) df. Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) by VPO1, 3-1
Frank STAEBLER (GER) df. Rasul CHUNAYEV (AZE) by VSU1, 9-1

82kg
Emrah KUS (TUR) df. Saeid Morad ABDVALI (IRI) by VPO1, 6-4
Peter BACSI (HUN) df. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) by VSU1, 12-4
 

#UnitedWorldWrestling

Wrestling for schools: UWW, ISF take steps to encourage students

By United World Wrestling Press

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (December 14) -- United World Wrestling and International School Sport Federation entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate and facilitate collaboration between ISF and UWW for the promotion of wrestling and beach wrestling in schools.

The two federations will strive to establish wrestling and beach wrestling as recognized sports among National School Sport Federations and strengthen overall cooperation and partnership between the two organizations and their members.

UWW President Nenad LALOVIC and ISF President Laurent PETRYNKA, along with other representatives from both organizations, met in Lausanne during the International Federation Forum to ink the cooperation.

"Wrestling is a sport that prepares you both physically and mentally," Lalovic said. "It is a sport that transcends the lessons learned on the mat to those needed through life. This is why it is important to have the opportunities the sport of wrestling provides embedded in the school curriculum."

UWW and ISF will now work on similar lines and look to bring wrestling into education at both local and international levels, attracting school-age enthusiasts of the sport and fostering cooperation between UWW and ISF with local authorities.

"Wrestling provides a pathway that can uniquely prepare the youth of tomorrow by building their confidence, improving their self-esteem and sense of belonging, and creating mental and physical discipline from a young age," Lalovic added. "Wrestling is a sport that continues to stand the test of time and I am confident the more people who wrestle the more we prepare youth to have a bright future."

The focus will also be on promoting girls' school sports and encouraging students of all genders to practice wrestling, on the mat and the beach.

The cooperation will extend to the field of play as well and both organizations will work to identify and implement synergies, establish a training and assessment unit for International/National Technical Officials, promote sustainability, the principles of fair play and integrity, and join the fight against all forms of racism in sport.

School wrestling can be used as a development platform for experimenting with new rules and formats or any other innovation as well.

Off the mat, both UWW and ISF will work to organize workshops, seminars, and other educational events for technical officials and teachers, especially PE teachers and a Technical Officials Education Program, specifically targeting youth, will be developed and implemented. This program will aim to ensure the future participation of youth officials at various events.

To help countries that suffer from a lack of school sports, UWW will provide experts for teaching and coaching sessions for the School Sport Foundation to promote wrestling in such countries. It will also define an educational calendar with ISF before the ISF competitions to provide experts to deliver education courses.

The partnership is a step towards taking wrestling to a wider sphere, especially at the school level.