Iran crowns trio of U20 world champs, wins team title

Sunday, August 21, 2022 - 21:57 By Vinay Siwach

SOFIA, Bulgaria (August 21) -- When Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) was in Bulgaria last time, he was wrestling at his first senior tournament at the Dan Kolov in Sofia. Mohmadipiani finished with a bronze medal after losing the semifinal to European silver medalist Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) in the semifinal.

Despite the loss, Mohmadipiani took home a lesson from the loss of being on the attack from the word go in a bout.

He used a similar strategy in the 82kg final against '21 U17 world champion Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) to win the gold medal at the U20 World Championships in Sofia.

Mohmadipiani was one of the three gold medalists for Iran on Sunday as the latest edition of the U20 World Championships came to an end with Iran winning the Greco-Roman title with 174 points. Azerbaijan finished second with 119 points while Ukraine managed to jump to third with 93 points.

The two other gold medals on Sunday were captured by wrestlers from Azerbaijan. A historic bronze medal was also won by Richard KARELSON (EST), becoming the first-ever medalist from the country at U20 Worlds.

For Iran, Mohmadipiani had the most convincing victory even though he faced one of the most accomplished wrestlers entered in the competition.

18-year-old Bolkvadze began aggressively against Mohmadipiani but lost some steam as the bout went on. He was called passive and Mohmadipiani failed to get a turn. But 20 seconds later, Mohmadipiani got him into a body lock and pushed him to the mat to get four points.

In the second period, Bolkvadze got the opportunity to level scores but he failed to get any points from par terre.

Bolkvadze struggled to keep up with the pace of the bout and the referee warned him for blocking. On the second warning, he was cautioned with two points. Mohmadipiani got the win when Bolkvadze received his second caution and two points.

"Bolkvadze is a good wrestler and he won a gold medal last year [at U17," Mohmadipiani said. "I won the Asian Championships. So great bout but I won against him at the end."

With the U20 title in the bag, the Iran youngster is hoping to quickly move to seniors from next year onwards. But he knows the challenge that comes with it.

"The weight class has many good wrestlers," he said. "We have Azerbaijan [Rafig HUSEYNOV] and Turkey [Burhan AKBUDAK] but I'm well trained and I think I can win.”

Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) defeated Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) in the 60kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

At 60kg, Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) had all but lost the gold to Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) as he trailed 6-2 with 22 seconds left in the final. But Esmaeili got his hands around Aghajanyan’s waist before moving into a bearhug and he secured a four-point throw to win 6-6.

Aghajanyan scored exposure from par terre to lead 3-2 before Esmaeili scored a takedown on the edge just before the break.

In the second period, Esmaeili worked more but there was no passivity call as Aghajanyan scored two stepouts to lead 5-2.

Esmaeili tried going for a takedown but his hands moved below the Aghajanyan’s waist and the move was illegal. Iran challenged the call but lost. It seemed that the final was all locked up when the U20 Asian champion stunned Aghajanyan, and the crowd with the throw to take the criteria lead.

Ali ABEDIDARZI (IRI) scored six stepout points against Iussuf MATSIYEV (KAZ) in the 97kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

The third gold medal for Iran came in emphatic fashion as Ali ABEDIDARZI (IRI) won the 97kg weight class over Iussuf MATSIYEV (KAZ).

Matsiyev took a 4-0 lead with a stepout and turn from par terre and Abedidarzi was struggling to get going with his attacks. But just before the break, he scored two stepouts and Matsiyev was hit with caution for fleeing.

Abedidarzi scored three more stepouts in the second period to claim the lead 5-4. When Matsiyev was called passive, Abedidarzi continued the bout from standing and scored three points to win 9-4.

Kanan ABDULLAZADE (AZE) won the gold at 67kg after beating Nika BROLADZE (GEO). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Azerbaijan won the remaining two gold medals as Kanan ABDULLAZADE (AZE) won the 67kg weight class while Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) won at 72kg.

Abdullazade wrestled Nika BROLADZE (GEO) in the final and fell when the latter took the 1-1 criteria lead. Broladze planned to keep the lead until the end of the six minutes but Abdullazade scored a stepout with a minute and 13 seconds left.

Broladze, with time running out, tried to throw Abdullazade but both wrestlers fell with no control. But in the same sequence, Abdulladze managed to run around and score a go-behind to extend his lead to 4-1 for the win.

Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) celebrates after emerging as the champion at 72kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Gurbanov had a similar script for his final as he defeated Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA), 4-0, in the 72kg final. Perhaps he did not plan to get the first passivity point but Solovei was called passive and forced into par terre.

The former U17 world champion got the turn using a gut wrench to lead 3-0 at the break. He then continued to wrestle aggressively in the second period and Solovei was again called passive. This time Gurbanov did not get the turn but the score read 4-0.

Solovei got his chance to score when the third passivity was called against Gurbanov but Solovei had nothing left in him to turn the Azerbaijan wrestler.

Richard KARELSON (EST), blue, won Estonia's first-ever medal at U20 World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Estonia’s historic medal

No Estonia Greco-Roman wrestler even won a medal at the U20 Worlds but Richard KARELSON (EST) changed that on Sunday as he won a bronze medal in the 97kg weight class after beating Roman BALCHIVSCHII (MDA), 8-0, in the bronze medal bout.

In June, Karelson had become the first U20 European champion from Estonia in Greco-Roman. He was the second ever Estonian Greco-Roman wrestler to enter the final.

Incidentally, his father is also named Richard.

“It’s a great feeling,” Karelson said. “I hope I can work on this and win at the U23 Worlds as well. I know that the competition will be harder than this.

Karelson's father was the one who forced his son into wrestling after he was growing too fast.

In the previous two U20 Worlds, Karelson had finished 15th in Ufa and 12th in Tallin, his hometown. But with the bronze medal in Sofia, Karelson hopes he can lift his performance moving forward.

"The U20 European gold and this bronze medal will help me get some funds," he said. "Now I hope to continue this performance and train more."

With the U17 and U20 behind, the action now moves on to the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia in two weeks.

Iran Iran won the Greco-Roman team title at the U20 World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) df. Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM), 6-6

BRONZE: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Koto GOMI (JPN), 3-3
BRONZE: SUMIT (IND) df. Mert ILBARS (TUR), 6-3

67kg
GOLD: Kanan ABDULLAZADE (AZE) df. Nika BROLADZE (GEO), 4-1

BRONZE: Din KOSHKAR (KAZ) df. Onur YURTADA (TUR), 3-2
BRONZE: Seyed SOHRABI (IRI) df. Nestori MANNILA (FIN), 11-2

72kg
GOLD: Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) df. Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA), 4-0

BRONZE: Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR) df. Igor BOTEZ (ROU), 7-6
BRONZE: Amir ABDI (IRI) df. Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ), 4-0

82kg
GOLD: Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) df. Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO), 9-1

BRONZE: Rohit DAHIYA (IND) df. Ruslan ABDIIEV (UKR), 8-7 (via cautions)
BRONZE: Alperen BERBER (TUR) df. Fares GHALY (EGY), 9-1

97kg
GOLD: Ali ABEDIDARZI (IRI) df. Iussuf MATSIYEV (KAZ), 9-4

BRONZE: Richard KARELSON (EST) df. Roman BALCHIVSCHII (MDA), 8-0
BRONZE: Nurmanbet RAIMALY UULU (KGZ) df. Luka KATIC (SRB), 9-0

#WrestleBelgrade

2023 World Championships GR 55kg, 77kg, 82kg, 130kg semis set

Thursday, September 21, 2023 - 08:36 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 21) -- The Greco-Roman begins at the World Championships! With the results in Freestyle and Women's Wrestling, it will be no surprise that Greco-Roman also sees some big upsets in the early rounds.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER | DAY 5 RESULTS

15:16: Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) hits a 4-point counter lift in the second period, giving the 2021 silver medalist a 5-1 victory over Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) and a place in the 77kg semifinals. He will face European champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM), a bronze medalist last year, who defied the home crowd and Viktor NEMES (SRB) by scoring a 2-point throw to secure a 3-1 victory.

15:15: Nao KOSUKA (JPN) is on a roll! He moves into the 77kg semifinals with a 10-0 thrashing of Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) on Mat A. Kosuka tweeted yesterday about his desire to win a spot for the Paris Olympics in Belgrade. If he wants to achieve that today, he will have to beat Olympic silver and world champ Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) who blanked Aram VARDANYAN (ARM) 6-0.

15:05: Adem UZUN (TUR) sees his world turn upside down in an instant. He seemingly went ahead with a stepout in the second period at 55kg against Poya DAD MARZ (IRI), but upon challenge was instead hit with a 2-point penalty for a push below the waist. Uzun was coming off a victory over Azizli in the final of this year's European Championships.

15:01: Another defending champion is into the semifinals as Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) scores a stepout, a gut wrench from par terre and a takedown in the first period to handily defeat Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) at 55kg.

15:00: Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), chasing his second world title, moves into the semifinals with a 10-0 win over Artiom DELEANU (MDA) at 55kg. But to move into the final, he will have to beat Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB). Tsurtsumia beat Ortikboev 5-2 in the quarterfinals last year. Ortikboaev defeated Denis MIHAI (ROU) 9-0 in the quarterfinals.

14:50: Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) comes on top 4-1 against Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR) in the 82kg quarterfinals. He will face a surprise candidate Mihail BRADU (MDA) who down Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) 4-3

14:49: Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) moved a step closer to a second straight 82kg title when he defeated Kristoffer BERG (SWE) with what turned out to be a 7-point play. Leading 1-1 on criteria when he got a reversal from par terre in the first period, Akbudak hit a 4-point throw from the top of par terre in the second. Berg was hit with a 2-point leg-touch penalty, and a lost challenge added another point to end the match. Next up is a semifinal clash with 2021 world champion Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE), who rallied from a 5-0 deficit to defeat Aues GONIBOV (AIN) 10-5.

14:37: Lingzhe MENG (CHN) takes out Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO). Meng was down 1-1 on criteria but scored a stepout to be up 2-1. Kajaia challenged it for pushing but lost. Meng moved on with a 3-1 win. He has to wrestle Riza KAYAALP (TUR) in the semifinals

14:36: Amir MIRZAZADEH (IRI) is through to the semifinals at 130kg with a 1-1 criteria win over Romas FRIDRIKAS (LTU). Mirzazadeh received the latter of the passivity points, which alone put him on top by criteria. He nearly got Fridrikas over, but in the end, it didn't matter.

14:34: Oscar PINO (CUB) is back in the semifinals as he beats Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) 9-0 in the semifinal. Alexuc was penalized for two singlet grabs before Pino finished the match with a takedown.

14:32: There's no stopping Riza KAYAALP (TUR), who makes short work of 38-year-old Heiki NABI (EST) to reach the semifinals at 130kg. Put on top in par terre, Kayaalp goes back and forth with a gut wrench, then repeats the process for a 9-0 technical fall in 1:48.

14:10: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) looks in complete control. He gets a grand amplitude five-pointer over Mohamed KHALIL (EGY) and won 9-0 at 77kg

13:54: Demeu ZHADRAVEV (KAZ), a four-time Asian medalist looking for his first world medal, ousts last year's silver medalist Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) at 77kg, with a second-period gut wrench capping a 4-1 win.

13:48: In a repeat of their semifinal at the 2019 worlds, Aram VARDANYAN (UZ) edges Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) 2-2 at 77kg. The Bulgarian has only himself to blame. A 2-point penalty for blocking the legs in the second period gave Vardanyan the victory.

13:38: 2021 world champion Rafiq HUSEYNOV (AZE) has to battle hard but manages to win 4-3 against Erik SZILVASSY (HUN). The next match has Idris IBAEV (GER) and Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) exchanging takedowns but Bolkvadze wins 3-2. A few words were exchanged at the end between the two wrestlers.

13:25: Asian champion Poya DAD MARZ launches Sabolc LOSONC (SRB) with a 4-point arm throw, then tops it off with a pair of gut wrenches for an 8-0 win in 1:15 to advance to the 55kg quarterfinals.

13:32: Eldiniz AZIZLI (AZE), pursuing his second straight gold at 55kg and third overall, gets the roll from par terre in the first period and eases to a 3-1 victory over teenager Taiga ONISHI (JPN), a 2022 world U20 bronze medalist.

13:20: Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) with another 1-1 victory and this time Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) falls to the Olympic silver medalist at 130kg.

13:18: Defending 82kg champion Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) gets his title defense started with a 4-point lift to beat Asian bronze medalist Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 5-1 and book his place in the quarterfinals.

13:14: Asian champion Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) gets the stepout to finish off an 8-0 victory over Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB) to secure a spot in the 82kg quarterfinals. Kovacevic's loss ended the tournament of Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU (JPN).

13:08: Amir MIRZAZEDEH (IRI) stays on track for a rematch in the final with Kayaalp, getting a reversal in the first period and a passivity point in the second to defeat Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) 2-1 and move into the 130kg quarterfinals.

13:05: A Japanese wrestler denied Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) a bronze medal in Tokyo and now Nao KUSAKA (JPN) beats Geraei at 77kg in the World Championships. Kusaka led 5-2 using two takedowns. Geraei got the par terre and turn to make it 5-5 but Kusaka held on for a criteria win as he had two two-point techniques to Geraei's one.

12:59: Superstar Riza KAYAALP (TUR), the defending champion at 130kg, begins his campaign for a sixth world title by putting away Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) 7-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. Kayaalp reels off three gut wrenches from par terre for all of his points in the first period. Mohamed gets a passivity point and a stepout in the second period as Kayaalp seems to be conserving his energy.

12:48: Yunus BASAR (TUR) will long regret not being able to throw Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE) when he had him in the air in their 77kg match. Prevolarakis gets 2 with a front headlock from par terre in a 5-3 victory over Basar, a bronze medalist last year and two-time European silver medalist. In the first period, Basar lifted up Prevolarakis, but spent too much time setting up his throw. It allowed the Greek to grab his waist, and Basar didn't have the leverage to complete a throw.

12:45: Returning bronze medalist Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) with a technical superiority win over Paulius GALKINAS (LTU). That match is followed by world champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) pinning Per Anders KURE (NOR) after the Norwegian managed to get a big throw.

12:25: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), a young and exciting talent from Moldova, begins his campaign at 77kg with a 9-3 win over Per Albin OLOFSSON (SWE). Next, he will have 2021 World silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) who defeated Kamal BEY (USA).

12:22: 2017 world champion Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM) returned to wrestling after three years but had his run cut short by Idris IBAEV (GER) who won 9-6 at 82kg. Manukyan, 36, could not match the pace of wrestling in that bout

12:15: Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), the silver medalist last year at 77kg, gets off to an explosive start, slamming Gurpreet SINGH (UWW) to the mat for 4 and finishing him off with a fall.

12:09: There will be an Irina RINGACI (MDA)-Ami ISHII (JPN) showdown after all. Ringaci, the 2021 world champion at 65kg, advanced to a 68kg bronze-medal match against Ishii with a victory by fall over Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) in the repechage final. Ringaci had suffered a stunning first-round defeat yesterday to Bose TOSUN (TUR), who surprisingly manhandled 2022 silver medalist Ishii in the semifinals.

12:06: Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ)'s courageous bid for her first world medal since 2010 ends with a heart-breaking 3-2 loss to Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) in the women's 68kg repechage final.

11:52: Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB) thrills the home crowd when he hangs on for a 7-6 victory at 82kg over Tokyo Olympic 77kg bronze medalist Shohei YABIKU (JPN). Kovacevic gets three gut wrenches from par terre to take a 7-0 lead. Yabiku, who moved up to 82kg when he failed to make the Japan team at 77kg, had a problem handling the extra weight. He never came close to turning Kovacevic after scoring two takedowns and being put on top in par terre.

11:40: Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) with a 1-1 win over Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) at 130kg. Kajaia got his par terre position in the second period to keep the criteria.

11:32: In a battle of oldies, 38-year-old Heiki NABI (EST), London Olympic silver medalist, beats 35-year-old Vitalii SHCHUR (AIN) 1-1 after the two trade passivities. Nabi qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for 2020, but was banned for 2 years in June 2021, two months before the delayed Tokyo Olympics.

11:30: Oscar PINO (CUB), who has long toiled in the shadow of the great Mijain LOPEZ (CUB), gets a victory by forfeit over Daniel GASTL (AUT) as he looks to add a first world gold to his silver and two bronzes.

11:26: Returning 130kg silver medalist Amir MIRZAZADEH (IRI) rips off a series of gut wrenches and that's it for Eduard SOGHOMONYAN (BRA), a quick 9-0 victory by technical superiority.

11:05: Three-time world bronze medalist Mohammadaii GERAEI (IRI) begins his bid for an elusive gold at 77kg by getting past a difficult opponent in Adlet TIULIUBAEV (AIN) 2-0. Geraei gets the passivity call in each period and, although he can't budge Tiuliubaev, those two points prove the difference when he defends while on the bottom in the final minute.

10:50: In the repechage at 72kg in women's wrestling, Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) moves into the bronze medal bout after beating Nesrin BAS (TUR). Morikawa was the world champion at 65kg last year but has made the jump to 72kg after failing to make the Japan team in the Olympic weight class of 68kg.

10:47: Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE), the 2021 silver medalist at Greco 77kg, gets a 4-point throw after a walk from the center to the edge, and advances with a 5-1 victory over Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN).

10:40: Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ) starts the action on Mat B with a victory by fall over Emilja JAKOVLJEVIC (SRB) in the repechage round at women's 68kg. The 36-year-old Shalygina is a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and three-time world medalist who was inactive between 2013 and 2021. An Asian bronze medalist this year, she will next face Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) for a place in a bronze-medal match later in the evening.

10:30: Nothing prepares anyone for Greco-Roman! Today is the day as the World Championships will see Greco-Roman in 55kg, 77kg, 82kg and 130kg with 77kg and 130kg being the Olympic weight classes

Iran crowns trio of U20 world champs, wins team title

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2023 World Championships GR 55kg, 77kg, 82kg, 130kg semis set