Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Belarus, World Cup, Los Angeles

Iran Looks to Upend Talented Azerbaijani Squad at Freestyle World Cup

Thursday, April 9, 2015 - 22:18 By Tim Foley

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Men’s Freestyle World Cup: Group B Preview

LOS ANGELES (April 9) –Defending champion Iran will be the heavy favorite in Group B when the 2015 United World Wrestling freestyle World Cup kicks off Saturday afternoon at the Forum in Los Angeles, California.

Iran defeated Russia 6-2 in last year’s gold-medal match and this year the Iranians will face Group B competition that includes World power Azerbaijan and the always-formidable nation of Belarus.

While Los Angeles remains thousands of miles from Tehran, the Iranians might feel at home as the American city is home to one of the largest Persian communities in North America. Iranian fans from across Southern California have already bought tickets in expectation of their team’s inclusion in the gold medal match on Sunday.

On the mat, the Iranian squad has a foursome of talented World and Olympic medalists leading their championships charge. Though missing a few key names, the Iranians will bring World No.2 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and 2014 World silver medalist Komeil GHASEMI (125kg) along with two-time World champion Reza YAZDANI (97kg), who ranks fourth in the world.

World No.8 Hassan RAHIMI (57kg) brings another title to the favored Iranian side, having won a 2013 World gold. World No.2 and 2014 world silver medalist Sayed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (65kg) rounds out the Iranian squad’s sterling lineup.

The Azerbaijan side will be led by 2012 Olympic gold medalist Togrul ASGAROV (70kg) and last year’s 61kg world champion Haji ALIEV, who ranks No.12 at 65kg. Two-time World bronze medalist and ninth-ranked Yabrail HASANOV (74kg) rounds out an formidable Azerbaijani lineup, one they hope can carry them past their Iranian rival.

Though not originally favored in the group, the team from Belarus brings a surprising and competitive lineup to Los Angeles. The team will be led by World No.7 and 2011 world champion Alexei SHEMAROV (125kg), 2013 and 2014 World bronze medalist Ali SHABANOV (74kg), who comes in ranked No.4, and 2014 World bronze medalist Vladislav ANDREEV (57kg), who currently sits at No.7.

World No.12 Ibragim SAIDOV (97kg), who won the respected Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in 2015, is also expected to bring a significant contribution to Belarus’ title hunt.

Turkey brings a limited side with only ten wrestlers on the roster and will without world No.1 and defending Taha AKGUL (125kg). The Turks will be led by two-time World medalist Sezer AKGUEL (57kg), who was a 2009 World silver medalist and a 2013 World bronze medalist. Joining Akguel will be 2012 World University champion Mustafa KAYA (70kg). Kaya was fifth in the 2014 World Championship, and was a silver medalist at the 2010 Junior European Championships and is currently ranked 13th in the world.

The Turkish side is rounded out by 2014 European bronze medalist Soener DEMIRTAS at 74kg.

Competition Schedule (All Times are PDT; GMT -7)
Saturday, April 11 
Session I
3:00 p.m. – Mat A: USA vs. Cuba; Mat B: Iran vs. Belarus
4:30 p.m. – Mat A: Russia vs. Mongolia; Mat B: Azerbaijan vs. Turkey
 
Session II
6:15 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
6:30 p.m. – Mat A: USA vs. Russia; Mat B: Iran vs. Turkey
8:00 p.m. – Mat A: Mongolia vs. Cuba; Mat B: Belarus vs. Azerbaijan
 
Sunday, April 12
Session III
11:00 a.m. – Mat A: USA vs. Mongolia; Mat B: Turkey vs. Belarus
12:30 p.m. – Mat A: Azerbaijan vs. Iran; Mat B: Cuba vs. Russia
2:00 p.m. – Mat A: Fifth Place Dual; Mat B: Seventh Place Dual
 
Session IV
4:15 p.m. – Mat A: Third Place Dual
5:45 p.m. – Mat A: Championship Dual

#WrestleAcapulco, #WrestleParis

Pan-Am OG Qualifiers: Canada, U.S. earn three WW quotas each

Friday, March 1, 2024 - 07:12 By Gaurav Bhatt

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ACAPULCO, Mexico (February 29) -- The United States and Canada earned six out of the 12 Paris 2024 Olympic quotas on offer in women's wrestling on day two of the Pan-American Olympic Games Qualifier in Acapulco, Mexico.

The U.S. had qualified three weights at the World Championships in Belgrade last year and with three more qualifications on Thursday, it will send a full Women's Wrestling team to the Olympics for a second consecutive time.

Elor -- a two-time 72kg world champion -- dropped down to 68kg and lived up to the hype. The American, who has built a reputation for steamrolling her opponents in blink-and-you-miss bouts, faced a fierce challenge from Thamires MARTINS (BRA) in her semifinal and gave up a 4-0 lead.

Despite paying for her high-pressure approach initially, Elor kept her foot on the pedal, gradually wearing down Martins before unleashing a relentless scoring streak to seal the match, 10-4.

"I haven't had a match like that where I was down in the beginning for a long time, but it's something we practice for all the time," Elor said after the bout. "Nobody is happy to get down on their back. But at that moment, I was like, 'I have to prove to myself that all the training I've done in practice for this situation will pay off.'"

Elor has eight world titles across different age groups, including two senior, two U23, three U20, and one U17 world gold. The 20-year-old is now eager to check off the 'Olympics' box.

"It is my number one dream," she said. "Sometimes I'm driving my car and just daydreaming about it. And I'm looking at myself and I have goosebumps just thinking about it. So it's this unimaginable goal that I set for myself and I just can't wait to see how it feels as I get closer and closer to it."

In the other 68kg semi-final, Pan-Am silver medallist Soleymi CARABALLO (VEN) defeated Virginia JIMENEZ (CHI) 8-2 to secure a spot for her country.

Dominique PARRISH (USA)Dominique PARRISH (USA) scored a 9-6 win in the semifinal. (Photo: UWW / William Bain)

Earlier, 2022 53kg world champion Dominiue PARRISH (USA) kicked off the U.S. success with an exhilarating 9-6 victory over Laura HERIN (CUB), a 2020 Olympian and 2023 Pan American Games silver medalist.

Though initially taken down, Parrish struck back to finish the first period with a 7-2 lead. Herin rallied in the second period with two takedowns, narrowing Parrish's lead to 7-6, but the American held on and thwarted the attacking Cuban to secure a buzzer-beating takedown.

Venezuela got a second Paris place as Pan-Am silver medallist Betzabeth ARGUELLO (VEN) pinned Sabrina GAMA (BRA) with a big move to secure the second spot at 53kg.

Completing the hat-trick for the U.S. was Kayla MIRACLE (USA), who won her 62kg semi-final. She had also won Pan-Am title last week. The Tokyo Olympian and two-time World finalist beat Astrid MONTERO (VEN) 3-0, her second win over the two-time age-group world medalist in as many weeks.

Ana GODINEZ (CAN)An emotional Ana GODINEZ (CAN) after winning her 62kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / William Bain)

Ana GODINEZ (CAN), who suffered the criteria loss in the Pan-Am Championships final to Miracle last week, earned a criteria win over two-time Olympian Lais NUNES (BRA) to win the spot at 62kg. However, it was a bittersweet evening for the Godinez household as elder sister Karla lost her 53kg quarterfinal to Herin.

Genesis REASCO (ECU) dispatched Rio Olympian Maria ACOSTA (VEN) 5-0 in the 76kg semifinal, getting Ecuador its first Olympic berth in over 57/58kg. This continues a strong run for Reasco, whose Pan-Am gold-winning campaign last week saw the 25-year-old overpower six-time world champion Adeline GRAY (USA) in little over a minute.

In the other semifinal, 2018 world champion Justina DI STASIO (CAN) outmatched Linda MACHUCA (ARG) 8-4.

In the 50kg category, Alisson CARDOZO (COL) completed a 9-9 criteria win against Yorlenis MORAN (PAN). With this, Cardozo also got a measure of revenge against Moran, who had dumped her out of medal contention at last week's Pan American Championships. Tokyo Olympian Yusneylis GUZMAN (CUB) kept Genevieve HALEY (CAN) at bay to earn a 6-2 win in the second semifinal.

In the 57kg division, 10-time Pan-Am medallist Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) triumphed over Angela ALVAREZ (CUB) with a fall while Hannah TAYLOR (CAN) secured an 8-4 win against Tokyo Olympian Alma VALENCIA (MEX), getting Canada its third berth at the Paris Games on the day.

df

RESULTS

50kg Paris Olympic Qualification Round

SF 1: Alisson CARDOZO (COL) df. Yorlenis MORAN (PAN), 9-9
SF 2: Yusnylis GUZMAN (CUB) df. Geneviève HALEY (CAN), 6-2

53kg Paris Olympic Qualification Round

SF 1: Dominique PARRISH (USA) df. Laura HERIN (CUB), 9-6
SF 2: Betzabth ARGUELLO (ARG) df. Sabrina GAMA (BRA), via fall

57kg Paris Olympic Qualification Round

SF 1: Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) df. Angela ALVAREZ (CUB), via fall
SF 2: Hannah TAYLOR (CAN) df. Alma VALENCIA (MEX), 8-4

62kg Paris Olympic Qualification Round

SF 1: Kayla MIRACLE (USA) df. Astrid MONTERO (VEN), 3-0
SF 2: Ana GODINEZ (CAN) df. Lais NUNES (BRA), 3-3

68kg Paris Olympic Qualification Round

SF 1: Amit ELOR (USA) df. Thamires MARTINS (BRA), 10-4
SF 2: Soleymi CARABALLO (VEN) df. Virgina JIMENEZ (CHI), 8-2

76kg Paris Olympic Qualification Round

SF 1: Justina DI STASIO (CAN) df. Linda MACHUCA (ARG), 8-4
SF 2: Genesis REASCO (ECU) df. Maria ACOSTA (VEN), 5-0