#WrestleBelgrade

Iran Starts Strong With 3 GR Finalists on #WrestleBelgrade Day 1

Monday, November 1, 2021 - 20:56 By Vinay Siwach

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BELGRADE, Serbia (November 1) – A lot of Iran's success is built on high-paced wrestling, enabling them to break down their opponents. A combination of that pace and exceptional ground wrestling was on display as Iran sent three wrestlers to the finals of the U23 World Championships.

A month after their senior Greco-Roman team set a high bar at the Oslo World Championships, the U23 wrestlers were not far behind on the first day of the tournament in Belgrade with Tokyo Olympian Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) leading the way.

Wrestlers from five Greco-Roman weight classes were in action on Monday. Iran took three spots in the final, while Russia and Hungary each grabbed a pair of berths. Turkey, Armenia and Georgia complete Tuesday night's gold-medal match lineup.

Apart from Mirzazadeh at 130kg, Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) and Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) made it to the finals at 55kg and 77kg, respectively.

Kaviyaninejad was undoubtedly the day's outstanding performer, as he outscored his four opponents 33-5. The five points he conceded all came against Erkan ERGEN (TUR) in the quarterfinals. But he scripted a comeback with a series of gut-wrench after trailing by four points to win, 10-5.

In the semifinal, he was up against U23 European champion Sergei STEPANOV (RUS) in what turned out to be a one-sided affair.

The Iranian, who won a bronze medal at '17 U23 Worlds, broke the deadlock with a stepout and then was awarded a point for Stepanov's passivity. From the par-terre, he was able to roll Stepanov twice to lead 6-0.

With the match slipping away, the Russian tried a front headlock but failed to finish and Kaviyaninejad got the exposure and two points to win 8-0 and reach the finals.

With the match slipping away, the Russian tried a front headlock but failed to finish, and Kaviyaninejad got the exposure and two points to win 8-0 and reach the finals.

Tamas LEVAI (HUN) awaits Kaviyaninejad in the final as he was one of the two Hungarian wrestlers who made it to the gold medal bout.

Once again, it was Levai's defense that was the constant throughout the day. It helped him beat Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR), 5-1, in the semifinal.

The other Amin was not so aggressive but still got the job done with a 5-1 win over Fatih BOZKURT (TUR). He began the semifinal with a big four-point throw, earned another point for Bozkurt's passivity before giving up one for his own.

He will face David OVASAPYAN (ARM) in the final, three years after they competed in the final of the Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia.

Mirzazadeh came out on top in that bout, but Ovasapyan would like to avenge that loss and claim the world title this time around.

On his way to the final, Mirzazadeh defeated U23 European champion Mikhail LAPTAEV (RUS) in the highly-anticipated pre-quarterfinals.

Scoring an early stepout, Mirzazadeh gave up that lead when he was called passive. But Laptaev failed to score from par-terre, and the score remained 1-1 at the break. Then, as Mirzazadeh up the ante, the referees were forced to call Laptaev passive which restored a 2-1 lead for the Iranian, which he continued to hold despite being warned for passivity late in the second period.

Leri ABULADZELeri ABULADZE (GEO) defeated Alireza NEJATI (IRI) in the 63kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Iran's big hope to reach the final at 63kg, Alireza NEJATI (IRI) fell short after a heartbreaking semifinal loss to senior world silver medalist Leri ABULADZE (GEO).

The Georgian produced a tactical bout and led 3-3 on criteria until the final seconds. Nejati made a big attempt to score via a head-over jump, but Abuladze was ready for it and slammed the Iranian on the mat for four points, winning 7-3.

Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) had stopped Abuladze from winning the gold in Oslo and that loss motivated the Georgian to win Monday.

"I was really motivated," Abuladze said. "It was kind of revenge for me because I lost to an Iranian wrestler Oslo and now I won against Iran in the semifinal, so it feels like a little revenge."

Abuladze was dominant from the start as he scored two points after Nejati was called passive to lead 3-0. A lost challenge from Georgia put Iran on board as well.

In the second period, Abuladze was called passive, but Nejati failed to score from par-terre, and the Georgian kept the 3-2 lead. He scored a stepout with eight seconds left but that was too little too late.

Abuladze will now take on Ahmet UYAR (TUR) who took no time to finish his semifinal 11-0 against Corneliu RUSU (MDA).

At 87kg, U23 European champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) survived a 7-7 scare against Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO) in a rematch from the final of the '21 U23 Euros.

Six months back, Komarov had an easy 6-1 win, but Monday, Tchkuaselidze almost pulled it off, and it was only the criteria of Komarov's four-point throw after the Georgian's that let him down.

Komarov expressed his displeasure at his performance, especially in the semifinal, which, according to him, he was lucky to win.

"I made a lot of mistakes in the semifinal," Komarov said. "I wrestled really bad. I don't know what helped me win but I was lucky that I won."

He will hope that the luck continues to shine on him as he takes on David LOSONCZI (HUN) in the 87kg final Tuesday.

Losonczi reached his first-ever World final after a 6-0 win over Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL) in the semifinal.

Mavlud RIZMANOVMavlud RIZMANOV (RUS) outscored his opponents 31-4 on Monday. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Iran and Russia will be up against each other in the 55kg final, a bout which will be huge in the context of the team title race, expected to come down between these two nations.

Mavlud RIZMANOV (RUS) will face Dad Marz in the final after a stunning performance in which he only gave up four points against the 31 he scored.

The four points resulted from a big front-headlock throw from Arslan ABDURAKHMANOV (KAZ) in the semifinal. But Rizmanov looked unfazed as he stamped his authority with a 13-4 win.

"I am happy with my wrestling today," Rizmanov said. "Hopefully, it will keep it the same way."

If it does, Dad Marz will have difficulty winning that gold medal at 55kg and the team race can tilt in favor of Russia.

Greco-Roman will continue Tuesday with the five remaining weight classes – 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg and 97kg.

Results
55kg

GOLD - Mavlud RIZMANOV (RUS) vs. Poya Soulat DAD MARZ (IRI)

SF 1: Mavlud RIZMANOV (RUS) df. Arslan ABDURAKHMANOV (KAZ), 13-4
SF 2: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Taylor Craig LA MONT (USA), 5-1

63kg
GOLD - Ahmet UYAR (TUR) vs. Leri ABULADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df. Ali NEJATI (IRI), 7-4
SF 2: Ahmet UYAR (TUR) df. Corneliu RUSU (MDA), 11-0

77kg
GOLD - Tamas LEVAI (HUN) vs. Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI)

SF 1: Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) df. Sergei STEPANOV (RUS), 8-0
SF 2: Tamas LEVAI (HUN) df. Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR), 5-1

87kg
GOLD - David LOSONCZI (HUN) vs. Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS)

SF 1: Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) df. Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO), 7-7
SF 2: David LOSONCZI (HUN) df. Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL), 6-0

130kg
GOLD - David OVASAPYAN (ARM) vs. Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)

SF 1: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Fatih BOZKURT (TUR), 5-1
SF 2: David OVASAPYAN (ARM) df. Dariusz Attila VITEK (HUN), via fall

#WrestleZagreb

Reasco becomes Ecuador's first world champ as Maroulis adds to gold tally

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 - 22:22 By Ken Marantz

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- While Helen MAROULIS (USA) was adding to her mountainous pile of world medals with a fourth career gold, Genesis REASCO (ECU) made history by becoming Ecuador's first-ever world champion.

Reasco reached the pinnacle of the sport with a 4-2 victory in the 76kg final over Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), denying the two-time world medalist her first gold in the last of four women's finals on Wednesday at the World Championships in Zagreb.

"I went in, gave my all, and it worked," Reasco said. "That’s how the gold medal was achieved, because honestly, I have a lot of respect for all my opponents. They gave everything out there on the mat, and they were really good matches -- both yesterday’s and today’s. Everything was very tough, very close."

Maroulis, who will turn 34 on Friday, showed why she has accumulated eight medals overall in 12 trips to the World Championships when she scored a dramatic takedown with :05 left to edge Il Sim SON (PRK) 3-2 in the 57kg final.

In other finals, Myonggyong WON (PRK) gave the DPR Korea its second women's title in two nights -- and just the third in its history -- with an emotional victory at 50kg , while Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) earned her second world gold and fifth medal overall with a dominant run to the 65kg title.

Reasco's historic victory came two years after Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) became the South American country's first-ever world medalist, and a day before Yepez gets a chance to join her as a gold medalist after making the 53kg final earlier in the day.

Reasco had long been seen as having the potential for a breakthrough, but never seemed to be able to make that final step up to the big time. She finished fifth at the 2022 World Championships and 2024 Paris Olympics, and was third at this year's Pan American Championships.

But after knocking off Paris bronze medalist Milaimy MARIN (CUB) in Tuesday's semifinals, the impossible suddenly became possible.

"At the Olympics, I was close to winning bronze, but it didn’t happen," she said. "But now the world medal came, and I’m very happy after all the sacrifices."

In the final, Reasco scored with a double-leg takedown in the first period, then scored another at the edge in the second. Medet Kyzy, a three-time Asian champion, tried desperately to launch a comeback, but she had to settle for 2 with a late throw attempt and came up short.

The 27-year-old Reasco got a relatively late start to the sport, saying she was not even aware of wrestling's existence until she was introduced to it at age 15.

"At that time, I practically didn’t know what wrestling was," she said. "I was going for another sport, but the coach of that sport took me to wrestling -- it was thanks to his influence. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even known what wrestling was.

"The first day I saw it, I was shocked. Since I was little, I always liked sports -- I liked basketball, football. So I always had that love for sports. Any sport, any other sport, I liked."

But her dedication to training eventually led to the greatest of achievements, which she surmises will be widely celebrated back in her hometown of Esmeraldas and the province of Manabi where she trains.

"When I focus on competition, I even put my phone aside," she said.

In the 57kg final, Maroulis had her work cut out for her with the quick and powerful Son, this year's Asian silver medalist.

"She's an amazing opponent," Maroulis said. "I knew she was going to be tough. I watched all of her film. I'm like, my gosh, she's so good."

Maroulis had to fight out of a double-leg attempt in the first period, in which she received an activity point for the only score. In the second, Son received an activity point, then went ahead 2-1 by scoring a stepout at 1:32.

It looked like it might end that way until Maroulis, using a trip to great effect as she had done all tournament, sent Son reeling backward, then spun behind as Son tried to whip her over with :05 on the clock.

"I had to really, really dig deep for that and, I don't know, before the last exchange started, I just had to dig deep and find it," Maroulis said. "It was just some scramble flurry and just that it came out my way. I'm grateful."

The U.S. wrestler added the title to the ones she won in 2015, 2017 and 2021. She also has an Olympic gold from 2016, when she dealt the legendary Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) her lone international loss, and three Olympic medals overall.

Maroulis said that she had to deal with a blood vessel problem that curtailed her training starting in the spring, and did not return to full-fledged practice until about two weeks ago.

With her conditioning limited, she said she aimed to end her matches early, which resulted in her ending all three of her matches leading up to the final by fall.

"I was like, I'm just going to start working on training because I'm not conditioned enough to go six minutes," Maroulis said. "I'm literally not conditioned enough. But if I pin, no one has to know that."

Maroulis said she is currently undecided about continuing her career. But should she go on, it could put her on a collision course with one of the sport's rising stars, Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), the Paris Olympic champion at 53kg who announced that she was moving up to 57kg in the runup to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I would love to wrestle her," she said. "I've been wrestling for so many years, I want to wrestle the best of the best, and she's phenomenal. I've heard and seen great things about her.

Maroulis said the two have never had a chance to work out together. "We message back and forth, actually we were trying to go to a camp together, it just didn't work out in time for the Olympics. I found she was going to 57[kg], I said, 'Oh my gosh.' It's a great opportunity for both of us."

At 50kg, Won dominated her gold-medal showdown with Asian silver medalist Yu ZHANG (CHN) from the start, storming to an eight-point lead in the first period and holding on for an 8-2 victory.

"This medal and the championship belt I’ve won are just the first step in repaying my parents for all their sacrifices," Won said. "From now on, I’ll work even harder to become an Olympic champion."

Her victory came a day after Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) won the 55kg gold to become the second women's world champion in their country's history. They joined Yong-Mi PAK (PRK), who won the 53kg gold in Nur-Sultan in 2019.

Won became so overcome with emotion, she tearfully hugged the referee after the match, then went over and did the same with the side judges. Then she hugged her coaches, and during the medal ceremony, shed tears as the national anthem was played.

"The moment I took first place, all the tough days of training flashed before my eyes and I couldn’t hold back my tears," she said. "And when I thought about sharing the news with my mom and dad, the tears came again."

Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) celebrates after winning the 65kg final at the World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 65kg, Morikawa cruised to an 8-0 victory over Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) to regain the title she won in 2022, capping a year in which she also won the Ranking Series Tirana event and a second career gold at the Asian Championships.

Morikawa scored all of her points by shooting for a single, then fighting off a whizzer by Kasabieva to gain control for a pair of takedowns in each period.

"It's my first time to face her, but comparatively she was easier to wrestle than my semifinal opponent," Morikawa said, referring to her semifinal victory over former world champion Irina RINGACI (MDA), albeit a 10-0 decision.

"I couldn't get in on my tackles, and that part is something that I have to change. I'll be going to a heavier weight class and I want to be able to knock off the top wrestlers."

For Morikawa, competing at 65kg now is part of a process aimed at being competitive in the race to make the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, almost surely at 68kg, after missing out on Paris.

"It was great that I won the championship, but the next step will be starting soon. I can be happy today, but from tomorrow I'll have to start working hard in practice."

In between her two world titles, Morikawa took a world bronze at 72kg in 2023, then returned to 65kg in 2024, only to have to settle for a bronze again.

"It was a long time [between titles], and there was the time that I missed out on the Olympics, but I will use this victory as inspiration for what is coming next. It will be the start of a much more difficult fight than up to now, so I have to renew my determination."

While two world golds is no small accomplishment, Morikawa joked that it still leaves her well behind her coach, who was in her corner on Wednesday and accompanied her on the victory lap on the mat.

"I still only have two titles, so I'm about 10 behind the coach who was in my corner," Morikawa said of Kaori ICHO (JPN), the four-time Olympic and 10-time world champion.

Smirnova stuns Yoshimoto for 50kg bronze

Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) pulled off the surprise of the bronze-medal matches, stunning former world champion Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN) at 50kg with a stepout in the final seconds for a 3-3 win on criteria.

Yoshimoto, a two-time Asian champion, received an activity point, then gave up a takedown when Smirnova countered and got behind to a 2-1 lead. In the second period, Yoshimoto finally got through, scoring a takedown with :54 left. But she failed to hold off Smirnova's final push, leaving her devastated and in tears.

Prior to coming to Zagreb, Yoshimoto's only losses in any competition since 2019 were to compatriot and Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN), whom she lost to four times. That limited her to a single previous appearance at the World Championships in 2021, when she won the gold.

The other 50kg bronze went to Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), who also needed a late score in posting a 3-2 victory over Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL) and adding to the world bronze she won back in 2017.

Byambasuren scored a takedown while on the activity clock to take a 2-0 lead into the second period, and it looked like that might hold up when Demirhan gained a 2-point exposure off an inner thigh block with :15 left. Byambasuren came close to getting behind in the final seconds, but fell short and an unsuccessful challenge handed Demirhan her final point.

The victory took some of the sting out a serious knee injury that Demirhan suffered in the final exchange. She limped off the mat and was taken from the main floor in a wheelchair, then was carried by two fellow medalists to the podium during the medal ceremony wearing a walking cast.

Japan was dealt another set back a short time later in the 57kg bronze-medal bouts, when three-time European champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) scored a takedown and exposure in the second period to upend Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN) 4-1.

As with Demirhan, Khoroshavtseva's victory ended a long medal drought -- her previous bronze had come in 2019.

Paris Olympic bronze medalist Kexin HONG (CHN) picked up her first world medal, surging to a 10-0 victory over Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) in the other 57kg match.

Moldova's national hero Ringaci earned a fourth career world medal by beating Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) 6-3 for a 65kg bronze, scoring a takedown in the first period and two in the second.

Two-time Asian silver medalist Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) had the lead on criteria when she scored an exposure at the edge while holding off an attack by Macey KILTY (USA) to clinch a 4-2 win for the other 65kg bronze.

At 76kg, another Olympic bronze medalist added a world bronze when Marin stormed to a 10-0 victory over PRIYA (IND), setting the mood when she scored the first of her five takedowns by lifting the Indian in the air and dumping her to the mat.

Kylie WELKER (USA) added to the bronze she won last year at 72kg by holding on for a 6-2 victory over Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) for the other 76kg bronze. Welker scored a takedown and gut wrench in the first period, then after Alpyeyeva came back with two stepouts,

clinched the win with a takedown with :14 left. 

Day 5 Results

Women's Wrestling

50kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Myonggyong WON (PRK) df. Yu ZHANG (CHN), 8-2

BRONZE: Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW) df. Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN), 3-3
BRONZE: Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) df. Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL), 3-2

53kg (23 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) df. ANTIM (IND), 5-3
SEMIFINAL: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) df. Hyongyong CHOE (PRK), 2-1

57kg (22 entries)
GOLD: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Il Sim SON (PRK), 3-2

BRONZE: Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) df. Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN), 4-1
BRONZE: Kexin HONG (CHN) df. Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) by TF, 10-0, 2:22

62kg (22 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL) by TF, 14-1, 4:15
SEMIFINAL: Ok Ju KIM (PRK) df. Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) by TF, 14-3, 6:00

65kg (17 entries)
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Alina KASABIEVA (UWW), 8-0

BRONZE: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), 6-3
BRONZE: Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL) df. Macey KILTY (USA), 4-2

68kg (24 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Ami ISHII (JPN) df. Buse TOSUN (TUR) by TF, 11-0, 2:34
SEMIFINAL: Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) df. Jia LONG (CHN), 6-1

72kg (17 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Alla BELINSKA (UKR) df. Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) by Fall, 5:00 (11-6)
SEMIFINAL: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Zelu LI (CHN), 9-6

76kg (19 entries)
GOLD: Genesis REASCO (ECU) df. Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), 4-2

BRONZE: Kylie WELKER (USA) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 6-2
BRONZE: Milaimy MARIN (CUB) df. PRIYA (IND) by TF, 10-0, 4:07