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

#WrestleAmman

Russo, Italy's first world champ in women's wrestling

Thursday, August 17, 2023 - 23:57 By Vinay Siwach

AMMAN, Jordan (August 17) -- Aurora RUSSO (ITA) was left wondering how to pose for photographs with the champion belt. She put it around her waist, over her shoulder and held it over her head with both hands. For those 20 minutes, Russo was zoned out.

Despite being full of emotions and teary-eyed, Russo managed to open the interview with "I am a history maker."

Two years after she came agonizingly close to becoming Italy's first-ever world champion in women's wrestling, Russo achieved the historic feat by winning the gold medal at 59kg at the U20 World Championships in Amman, Jordan on Thursday. She did that by beating a former U20 world champion in Alesia HETMANAVA (AIN), 4-1, in the gold medal bout.

Apart from Russo's incredible feat, four other gold medals in women's wrestling were decided on Thursday. China, Individual Neutral Athletes, Japan and India won one each.

Japan, which dominates women's wrestling, is in danger of losing the team title for the first time at a U20 World Championships in which it has participated. So far, it has only one gold and two bronze medals. It is second in the race that is led by the United States with 75 points while Japan has 63 points.

For Italy, Russo is only the second wrestler in women's wrestling to reach a World Championships final after Dalma CANEVA (ITA) did in 2014 at the U20 level. When Russo did it the first time in Ufa, she lost a close final 8-6 to Nilufar RAIMOVA (KAZ). Since that silver medal, her results have been a mixed bag, winning the U20 Euros this year but suffering losses at the U23 and senior levels.

But the Turin native knew that she will not get a chance to win a U20 worlds again so she left no stone unturned on Thursday.

"I watched a few videos of Hetmanava to study her style," she said. "I learned everything."

Instead of engaging in attacks with Hetmanava, Russo played the counter. Hetmanava can pressure her opponents by taking fake shots and ultimately hitting counters. The final began on a slow note for Russo and she was put on the shot clock. After failing to score, Russo trailed 1-0 but no further damage was done till the break.

Hetmanava was put on the shot clock in the second period and in an attempted single-leg, she was blocked by Russo. The push from Russo imbalanced Hetmanava and the Italian quickly scored a takedown to lead 3-1 with 1:49 left on the clock.

Russo went into defense mode for the remaining time and did not allow Hetmanava to get any points. In the final 10 seconds, Hetmanava did get a high bodylock but Russo controlled her leg throughout even as Hetmanava tried to control the position to get a takedown.

AIN team challenged after no points were awarded but a takedown was not confirmed on review. This added another point to Russo's score as she celebrated, rather emotionally, with her coaches.

"I cannot believe this," Russo said.

Last year, Russo finished seventh at the U20 World Championships after losing to SITO (IND) in the repechage. She credited her international experience for the win in Amman.

"I think in Ufa I was very young but now I have experience and I have wrestled at more international competitions," she said.

In the semifinals against Alexis JANIAK (USA), Russo came back from 8-4 down to win 9-8 by scoring four points in the final 30 seconds. Janiak led 8-8 on criteria when the clock expired but Russo challenged Janiak's fleeing which was confirmed on review, giving Russo a 9-8 win.

"I was injured and got blood all over and I had kind of given up but it's wrestling so I kept going," she said. "I scored four points."

Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN) leg laces Georgiana LANA (ROU) in the 55kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Another wrestler who finished with a silver medal at the 2021 U20 World Championships claimed the gold medal. Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN) won the gold medal at 55kg, needing only 21 seconds to finish the final against Georgiana LANA (ROU), who looked in severe discomfort after the final.

Martynava was a silver medalist at 59kg in 2021 but in a drastic change, dropped down to 55kg in Amman. In her three bouts, she won via technical superiorities without giving up a point.

Lana, who stunned everyone by pinning returning champion Moe KIYOOKA (JPN), had heavily padded knees and was unable to move smoothly in the final. Once Martynava got a head-outside-single and transitioned into a takedown, Lara did not defend the lace, ending the bout 10-0 in 21 seconds.

After losing to Lana in the semifinals, Kiyooka returned to win the bronze medal 10-0 but expressed her regret for missing out on the gold for the second straight year.

"I am filled with regret," Kiyooka said. "At this rate, even at the senior level, which is my goal, I think my level is too low to talk about."

Kiyooka explained that it was difficult to digest the semifinal loss as Lana got her in a headlock before securing the fall.

"I went in with the feeling that I would definitely win," Kiyooka said. "I lost in an unexpected way, so when I lost, I didn't know what had happened, I couldn't believe it. It took me a while to accept the loss. I put that aside and approached the bronze-medal bout with the mindset of changing my mind and going home with the bronze medal."

Yanrong LI (CHN) scores exposure against Audrey JIMENEZ (USA) in their 57kg. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

It was a memorable day for China as well as it crowned a U20 world champion after five years. Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN) was the last Chinese to win a U20 world title when she won the gold at 76kg in Trvana in 2018.

Yanrong LI (CHN) ended the drought for a gold medal, winning the 50kg gold in dominant fashion. This was also China's first gold in lower weight classes since 2010 when Yanan SUN (CHN) won the gold at 51kg.

Li defeated returning silver medalist Audrey JIMENEZ (USA) via fall in the final after building an 8-0 lead. She got Jimenez in a cradle and kept turning the American to build an 8-0 lead before sticking Jimenez to the mat to confirm the fall.

The Chinese wrestler was equally dominant if not more on Wednesday as well. She began her world championships with a 16-6 rout of Sviatlana KATENKA (AIN) before pinning Svenja JUNGO (SUI) in the quarterfinals and Viktoriia SLOBODENIUK (UKR) in the semifinals.

Jimenez was looking for her first U20 world title after finishing with a silver medal. But like Umi ITO (JPN) in 2022, Li gave no chance to the 18-year-old from the U.S.

Ray HOSHINO (JPN) held off for a 4-3 win over Elizateva PETLIAKOVA (AIN). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

For Japan, Ray HOSHINO (JPN) held on to an extremely tough 4-3 win over Elizaveta PETLIAKOVA (AIN) in the 68kg final to give Japan its first gold in women's wrestling.

Hoshino, who was in Amman to win the U20 Asian Championships, began with a single-leg attack four seconds into the bout and converted that for a takedown to lead 4-0. A minute later, Petliakova scored a takedown to lead 2-2 on criteria at the break.

Petliakova shot for Hashino's legs but the Japanese pulled off an incredible defense and score her takedown on the counter. Hashino led 4-2 and was all set to run out the clock. However, Petliakova scored a setpout with 12 seconds remaining to make it 4-3. But nothing else worked for Petriakova as Hoshino won the gold medal.

"I'm happy to have won, but the final was dangerous," Hoshino said. "I thought I should have pushed harder.

"I was under pressure and not satisfied with what I was doing, so I would like to take a closer look at the issues and practice more after returning to Japan.”

Priya MALIK (IND) upgraded her U20 worlds silver to gold in Amman. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Priya MALIK (IND), the silver medalist from 2022, became a three-time age-group world champion as she defeated Laura KUEHN (GER), 5-0, in the 76kg final.

The two-time U17 world champion was clearly a better version of her 2022 self with solid defense and diverse attacks. Unlike her final against Ayano MORO (JPN) last year, Malik had more attacking options and scored early as Kuehn failed to get to Malik's legs most of the time.

"I was much better prepared for this final than last year," Malik said. "I worked on my power and even defense so I can take this world champion belt home."

RESULTS

50kg
GOLD: Yanrong LI (CHN) df. Audrey JIMENEZ (USA), via fall (8-0)

BRONZE: Viktoriia SLOBODENIUK (UKR) df. Svenja JUNGO (SUI), via fall (5-2)
BRONZE: Miruko SAKANE (JPN) df. Reka HEGEDUS (SVK), 10-0

55kg
GOLD: Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN) df. Georgiana LIRCA (ROU), 10-0

BRONZE: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN), 10-0
BRONZE: Amani JONES (USA) df. Albina RILLIA (UKR), 5-5

59kg
GOLD: Aurora RUSSO (ITA) df. Alesia HETMANAVA (AIN), 4-1

BRONZE: Alexis JANIAK (USA) df. Elena KUROVA (AIN), 11-0
BRONZE: Kalmira BILIMBEK KYZY (KGZ) df. Sevim AKBAS (TUR), 11-0

68kg
GOLD: Ray HOSHINO (JPN) df. Elizaveta PETLIAKOVA (AIN), 4-3

BRONZE: Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN) df. Isabella MIR (USA), 8-1
BRONZE: ARJU (IND) df. Elif KURT (TUR), 8-1

76kg
GOLD: PRIYA (IND) df. Laura KUEHN (GER), 5-0

BRONZE: Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Mariia SILINA (AIN), 6-2
BRONZE: Veronika NYIKOS (HUN) df. Daniela TKACHUK (POL), via fall (10-5)

Semifinals

53kg
GOLD: Mariia YEFREMOVA (UKR) vs. ANTIM (IND)

SF 1: ANTIM (IND) df. Polina LUKINA (AIN), 12-0
SF 2: Mariia YEFREMOVA (UKR) df. Katie GOMEZ (USA), via fall (2-0)

57kg
GOLD: Ichika ARAI (JPN) vs. Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR)

SF 1: Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR) df. Shugyla OMIRBEK (KAZ), via fall (10-4)
SF 2: Ichika ARAI (JPN) df. Gerda TEREK (HUN), 5-3

62kg
GOLD: SAVITA (IND) vs. Astrid MONTERO (VEN)

SF 1: Astrid MONTERO (VEN) df. Melanie JIMENEZ (MEX), 8-0
SF 2: SAVITA (IND) df. Iris THIEBAUX (FRA), via fall

65kg
GOLD: Eniko ELEKES (HUN) vs. ANTIM (IND)

SF 1: Eniko ELEKES (HUN) df. Khadija JLASSI (TUN), 7-0
SF 2: ANTIM (IND) df. Ekaterina KOSHKINA (AIN), 9-5

72kg
GOLD: Amit ELOR (USA) vs. Bukrenaz SERT (TUR)

SF 1: Amit ELOR (USA) df. Yuka FUJIKURA (JPN), 10-0
SF 2: Bukrenaz SERT (TUR) df. HARSHITA (IND), via fall

Iran crowns trio of U20 world champs, wins team title

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Russo, Italy's first world champ in women's wrestling