#WrestleKonya

Iran, Azerbaijan snap 2 golds in GR at Islamic Solidarity Games

Friday, August 12, 2022 - 22:51 By Ali Feizasa

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KONYA, Turkey (August 12) -- Wrestling at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games entered day three with three women's and five Greco-Roman weight classes in action. A few stars performed par expectations and claimed the gold medals.

In Greco-Roman, Azerbaijan and Iran shared two golds each while Uzbekistan won one as well. In women's wrestling, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan won a gold medal each.

The first gold medal of Greco-Roman wrestling went to Azerbaijan as the 2018 world champion and two-time world bronze medalist Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) won by superiority over Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) in the final match at 55kg. Azizli got a position in par terre and finished the bout with gut wrenches to win 10-1.

Another world champion doubled the gold count for Azerbaijan. Perhaps one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the field, Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) claimed the second gold at 82kg. The 34-year-old, an Olympic bronze medalist, defeated Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ), 6-3 in the 82kg final.

Huseynov, the 2022 European champion, struggled a little in the day, especially in his semifinal against Emrah KUS (TUR), which he won narrowly, 2-1.

Iran also won two gold medals with Shirzad BEHESHTI TALA (IRI) winning the 63kg gold while Mohammadreza ROSTAMI (IRI) won the title at 72kg.

In the 63kg final, Beheshti Tala was up against 2022 Asian champion Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) and was an underdog. Just when it looked like Sharshenbekov will run away with the gold, Beheshti Tala managed to beat him 4-2 and claim the top medal.

Iranian newcomer and former junior world bronze medalist Rostami had an even closer bout against Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) in the 72kg final.

Ganizade, who has silver medals from the age-group World Championships, led 8-8 and was set to win the final on criteria but Rostami managed to score a stepout late in the final and earned a 9-8 victory.

At 97kg, the battle was between three top wrestlers of this year's Asian championships. Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) succeed to win the match against Asian champion Mehdi BALI (IRI) 7-3 in the semifinal but 38-year-old Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) ended his dreams of becoming a champion in Konya and claimed the first gold for Uzbekistan Greco-Roman team.

After exchanging passivity, Assakalov managed to get a turn from par terre and managed to hang on for a 3-1 win against Dzhuzupbekov and the gold medal.

Medet Kyzy wins

After Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) won the gold medal at 62kg, Kyrgyzstan won another gold medal in women's wrestling through Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) at 76kg.

Medet Kyzy, a 2021 World bronze medalist, outscored her opponents 40-0 in the four bouts en route to winning gold. In the final, the 23-year-old, who has won gold at U23 Worlds and Asians, earned an easy 10-0 win over Amy AYOUIN (CIV).

The host country also won its second gold medal in women's wrestling as senior European medalist Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) won the 55kg weight class with much ease.

As the wrestlers in the weight class competed in a Nordic bracket, Yetgil had to beat Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) in Round 3 to claim the gold. She ended up pinning Akhmedova and let out an animated celebration in front of the home fans after capturing the title.

On Thursday, Buse TOSUN (TUR) won the gold at 72kg, the first of the Games for Turkey in wrestling.

At 65kg, Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ) controlled her final against Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) to win the gold medal 3-3 on criteria.

Wrestling at the 5th Islamic Solidarity will continue Saturday, the final day, with five Greco-Roman and two women’s weight categories.

Day 3 Results

Greco-Roman

55kg
GOLD: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB), 10-1

BRONZE: Aslamdzhon AZIZOV (TJK) df. Mohammad HOSSEINVAND (IRI), 8-0
BRONZE: Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) df. Umit DURDYYEV (TKM), 8-0

63kg
GOLD: Shirzad BEHESHTI TALA (IRI) df. Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), 4-2

BRONZE: Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK) df. Turabek TIRKASHEV (UZB), via disqualification
BRONZE: Azatjan ACHILOV (TKM) df. Djebbari ABDELDJEBAR (ALG), 6-3

72kg
GOLD: Mohammadreza ROSTAMI (IRI) df. Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE), 9-8

BRONZE: Murat DAG (TUR) df. Bek KONURBAEV (KGZ), 5-1
BRONZE: Mirzobek RAKHMATOV (UZB) df. Sheroz OCILOV (TJK), 9-0

82kg
GOLD: Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) df. Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ), 6-3

BRONZE: Emrah KUS (TUR) df. Toyly ORAZOV (TKM), via fall
BRONZE: Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) df. Damen EID SULTAN (JOR), 9-0

97kg
GOLD: Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) df. Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ), 3-1

BRONZE: Beytullah KAYISDAG (TUR) df. Mirzoamin SAFAROV (TJK), 8-0
BRONZE: Mehdi BALI (IRI) df. Boudjemline ADEM (ALG), 4-0

Women’s Wrestling

55kg
Round 3: Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) df. Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB), via fall
Round 3: Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE) df. Faten HAMMAMI (TUN), 11-0

GOLD: Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
SILVER: Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)
BRONZE: Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE)

65kg
GOLD: Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ) df. Elis MANOLOVA (AZE), 3-3

BRONZE: Dilnaz SAZANOVA (KGZ) df. Emilienne ETANE NGOLLE (CMR), 8-2

76kg
GOLD: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Amy AYOUIN (CIV), 10-0

BRONZE: Mehtap GULTEKIN (TUR) df. Inkara ZHANATAYEVA (KAZ), 7-1

#Grappling

Grappling: Romanov returns to win 130kg gold; Prendes repeats

Tuesday, October 14, 2025 - 22:41 By Vinay Siwach

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NOVI SAD, Serbia (October 14) -- When the last time Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA) participated in the World Grappling Championships, he was close to completing a double gold in Gi and No-Gi. While he managed to win gold in Gi, Romanov fell short in No-Gi competition and won a bronze medal.

Three years later, the Moldovan has taken the first step towards achieving his dream. On Tuesday, Romanov had a comeback in the World Grappling Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia and won gold in the No-Gi competition at 130kg.

Romanov was in top form winning two bouts via submission and two, including the final, via decision but dominated his opponents to win gold medal.

Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA)Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA), red, defeated Aleksander KOLDOVSKI (UKR) in the 130kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Up against Aleksander KOLDOVSKI (UKR), Romanov stuck to his plan and started off slow. But as Koldovski slowed down after two minutes during the five-minute bout, Romanov hit a footsweep to score two points and controlled his opponent for three more points. Another control gave him two more points as he defeated Koldovski a 7-1 victory.

"I knew the Ukrainian as he is a freestyle wrestler," Romanov said. "I waited for the second half of the bout as they tend to slow down and I hit my favorite move to win."

In other finals, UWW grapplers dominated the finals, winning four golds while Farhad BAGIROV (AZE) defended his 58kg gold medal. In women's competition, Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) also defended his 53kg gold medal while Alycia QUENEE (FRA) won at 71kg. Alena VLASOVA (UWW) won her two bouts to claim the 90kg gold as the weight class had only three participants.

Bagirov maintained his control in the final by using a rear chokehold on Zedginidze who tried escaping a couple of time. But at the two-minute mark of the final, Zedginidze tapped out to give Bagirov his second successive gold medal at 58kg.

Kurban KADIEV (UWW)Kurban KADIEV (UWW) won the 71kg gold medal in Novi Sad. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At 71kg, Kurban KADIEV (UWW) and Nurbek TALBUDIN (KAZ) failed to score any points in the regular five minutes and the final continued in overtime. Due to no technical points scored, a toss was needed to decide who will get the advantageous position. Talbudin won the toss to be on top and needed to score minimum one point in the designated one minute to win the match. However, Kadiev managed to defend his position for one minute to be declared winner.

In contrast, the 77kg final between Gazimagomed GAZIEV (UWW) and Illia SUKHODIEIEV (UKR) ended in just 36 seconds as the former caught Sukhodieiev in a triangle choke to win the final.

Murad ABDULATIPOV (UWW), who was moving up from 84kg to 92kg for this year, did not feel as weight of the jumping up a weight class and defeated Islam TAPPASKHANOV (UWW), 2-0, in the 92kg final to win his second straight gold medal.

Both the points for Abdulatipov were awarded when Tappaskhanov was called passive in the five-minute bout and he failed to score during the 15-second activity clock.

At 100kg, Mukhamed URUSOV (UWW) blanked Aleksandre TEVZADZE (GEO), 4-0, to win his first world title. He earned his first two points after a back-mount position after a scramble and later scored another similar takedown for two more points.

Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP)Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) grapples in the 53kg final that she won. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Prendes Larios repeats

Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) won two of three bouts, including the final, via submission to capture her second straight world title at 53kg. She began by controlling Viktoriia ISAIEVA (UKR) right off the whistle for two points before scrambling herself in a triangle choke position which gave her two more points.

Isaieva tried defended different position but after a couple of failed attempts to get out of the triangle choke, she tapped with Prendes Larios winning the bout in one minute and 56 seconds.

In a thrilling 71kg final, Alycia QUENEE (FRA) managed to capture her first world title after beating Anna REMNEVA (UWW), 3-1. Quenee finished with a silver medal in 2022 and bronze last year.

But there was no one stopping Quenee this year. She began the final with a stepout and took a 1-0 lead. Remneva tried to control her with a triangle hold but Quenee never came in a position to gave up points.

The French grappler kept her position and controlled Remneva on the mat for two points, extending her lead to 3-0. During the same position, Quenee was called passive and she gave a point but that did not stop her from winning 3-1.

At 90kg, Alena VLASOVA (UWW) upgraded her bronze from last year to gold after winning both her bouts via submission. She defeated Tatiana KABANOVA (UWW) in the first bout and then submitted Justyna SITKO (POL).

RESULTS

Men's Grappling

58kg
GOLD: Farhad BAGIROV (AZE) df. Daviti ZEDGINIDZE (GEO), via submission (6-0)

BRONZE: Bohdan CHORNEI (UKR) df. Jaden SOSA (USA), via submission (0-2)
BRONZE: Alikhan ALSHINBAY (KAZ) df. Razmik MISAKYAN (ARM), 8-2

71kg
GOLD: Kurban KADIEV (UWW) df. Nurbek TALBUDIN (KAZ), overtime (0-0)

BRONZE: Apandi AMAGAEV (UWW) df. Zhassulan ZHETPISBAY (KAZ), via submission
BRONZE: Dzhimsher RAZMADZE (GEO) df. Nico PULVERMUELLER (GER), 2-0

77kg
GOLD: Gazimagomed GAZIEV (UWW) df. Illia SUKHODIEIEV (UKR), via submission

BRONZE: Sam SCHWARTZAPFEL (USA) df. Angelos NIKOLOPOULOS (GRE), 10-2
BRONZE: Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UWW) df. Dumitru CEBAN (MDA), 2-1

92kg
GOLD: Murad ABDULATIPOV (UWW) df. Islam TAPPASKHANOV (UWW), 2-0

BRONZE: Anthony ROBINSON (USA) df. Reda MEBTOUCHE (FRA), via submission (1-2)
BRONZE: Mateusz MAZUR (POL) df. Antonio SALTUPS CARETTO (ITA), 4-2

100kg
GOLD: Mukhamed URUSOV (UWW) df. Aleksandre TEVZADZE (GEO), 4-0

BRONZE: Saba DJAVAKHICHVILI (FRA) df. Khasan ZAPIROV (UWW), 1-0
BRONZE: Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA) df. Herve REDON (FRA), via submission (0-2)

130kg
GOLD: Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA) df. Aleksander KOLDOVSKI (UKR), 7-1

BRONZE: Umar GAISUMOV (UWW) df. Abraham COBY MARTINEZ (ESP), via submission (2-0)
BRONZE: Nikita LOBOIKO (UWW) df. Nizami GAFAROV (AZE), 5-1

Women's Grappling

53kg
GOLD:  Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) df. Viktoriia ISAIEVA (UKR), via submission (4-0)

BRONZE: Evelina FLORIAK (UKR) df. Giulia ANGIOLINI (ITA), via submission (0-3)
BRONZE: Anorbi GRISHINA (UWW) df. Valeriia SHUVALOVA (UWW), 2-2

71kg
GOLD: Alycia QUENEE (FRA) df. Anna REMNEVA (UWW), 3-1

BRONZE:  Maja SALAMON (POL) df. Daniella SANTANA FABELO (ESP), 13-4
BRONZE: Valentina PAVLOVA (UWW) df. Anna KOTIUK (UKR), 4-1

90kg
GOLD: Alena VLASOVA (UWW)
SILVER: Tatiana KABANOVA (UWW)
BRONZE: Justyna SITKO (POL)