Youth OIympic Games

Iran Wins Pair, Japan's Sasaki Registers Incredible Comeback

Friday, October 12, 2018 - 23:00 By Tim Foley

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BUENOS AIRES (October 12) – Iran notched their first two gold medals of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games Friday night at the Asian Pavilion at Youth Olympic Park in Buenos Aires, while Japan’s Wataru SASAKI lodged one of the most impressive Olympic comebacks in years.

Facing Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO) in the 51kg finals Sasaki was put on the backfoot from the start, being tossed for five points early in the first period. Another takedown made the score 7-0 to end the first period, but in the second period it was all Sasaki.

Waturu SASAKI lands a four-point throw to overtake Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO) in the finals of the 51kg weight category (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

The slenderer wrestler weaved behind Tokhadze for a quick takedown followed by a gut wrench to score four points. Next Sasaki locked up a front head lock and through the Georgian to four points to take the lead 8-0 – much to the delight of the Argentinian crowd. Sasaki would tack on another takedown and a lost challenge by the Georgian made the final score 11,-7 in favor of Sasaki.

For the often-dominant Iranian team it was business as usual. Amirreza DEHBOZORGI (45kg) was unstoppable against Jeremy PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU), pressuring the South American wrestler into a series of missteps and racking up a pair of takedowns. After Dehbozorgi found his second takedown, he followed it up with a step out point to win gold, 8-0

Mohammad NOSRATI (IRI) celebrates his 92kg gold medal after defeating Osman AYAYDIN (TUR), 3-1 (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

Mohammad NOSRATI (92kg) imposed his size on Turkey’s Osman AYAYDIN, controlling the mat for four minutes to win the final title of the evening, 3-1. The big man was jubilant after the match, speaking to reporters and interacting with fans.

“This was a great event for me,” said Nosrati. “I have to thank my fans and the people of Iran for their support during the Games.”

Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) celebrates after defeating Elmirbek SADYROV (KGZ), 9-0 (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) at 60kg and Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)at 71kg each won gold via technical superiority. Gutu out-muscled Stepan STARODUBTSEV (RUS), 8-0 while Chkhikvadze racked up four takedowns on route to a 9-0 victory.

Women’s Wrestling begins Saturday at 10am local/9am ET, with finals at 5pm local/4pm ET. 

Greco-Roman, 45kg
GOLD: Amirreza DEHBOZORGI (IRI) df. Jeremy Renzo PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU), 8-0
BRONZE: Edmond Armen NAZARYAN (BUL) v. Arslanbek ZAKIRBAYEV (TKM), 8-0
FIFTH: Abdalla M. SHAABAN (EGY) df. Densel Jaffet DE JESUS VALERIO (HON), 12-1

Greco-Roman, 51kg
GOLD: Wataru SASAKI (JPN) df. Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO), 11-7
BRONZE: Axel Andre SALAS ESQUIVEL (MEX) df. Eduardo LOVERA (ARG), 5-3
FIFTH: Mehdi JOUINI (TUN) df. Alexander ADINIWIN (MHL), via FALL

Greco-Roman, 60kg
GOLD: Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) df. Elmirbek SADYROV (KGZ), 9-0
BRONZE: Sahak HOVHANNISYAN (ARM) df. Miguel Angel UGALDE AGUILAR (MEX), 9-0
FIFTH: Ahmed Abdelhakim MERIKHI (ALG) df. Arapo Ngatuerua George KELLNER (NZL), 10-2

Greco-Roman, 71kg
GOLD: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Stepan STARODUBTSEV (RUS), 8-0
BRONZE: Shu YAMADA (JPN) df. Lamjed MAAFI (TUN), 4-0
FIFTH: Brandon CALLE PEREZ (COL) df. Lynch Xavier Tanglao SANTOS (GUM), 14-6

Greco-Roman, 92kg
GOLD: Mohammad Ghorbanali NOSRATI (IRI) df. Osman AYAYDIN (TUR), 3-1
BRONZE: Mukhammad EVLOEV (RUS) df. Shady Elkhalil Ibrahim A. WEHIB (EGY), 11-2
FIFTH: Igor Fernando ALVES DE QUEIROZ (BRA) df. Ariston Faamalosi BARTLEY (ASA), 10-0

#UnitedWorldWrestling

Paris Olympics: Wrestling breaks new barriers, expands reach across continents

Thursday, August 22, 2024 - 14:05 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (August 22): More than half a million new fans in the digital community. An astounding 100 million engagements. And a remarkable 134 percent increase in social media impressions compared to Tokyo 2020.

At the Paris Olympics, it was a gold medal for wrestling.

UWW

On the mat, legends were born, records were set, and some moments would be remembered for ages. Off it, the sport broke new barriers, expanded its reach and engaged with a diverse audience as the United World Wrestling digital channels witnessed unprecedented growth during the Games.

The UWW’s online platforms recorded an impressive 11.2 percent increase in followers, adding over 508,000 new fans to its digital community. Compared to the growth in followers during the Tokyo Olympics, this figure represents a staggering 125 percent increase.

A large part of this surge was seen on Instagram, where the UWW gained 217,000 new followers. Facebook was a close second, adding 183,000 new followers while TikTok, the platform known for its short, engaging content, added 61,400 new followers. The growth across all platforms highlights the effectiveness of the UWW’s content strategy.

The inspiring clip of Greco-Roman star Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI), who won Iran’s first gold medal in the Paris Olympics drove the maximum engagement on Instagram. Saravi, who won a bronze medal in Tokyo, beat Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) 4-1 in the 97kg final.

Another Iranian, Rahman AMOUZAD, one of the most feared wrestlers in the 65 kg freestyle, went viral with a video in which he proclaimed himself the ‘king’. This post had the second-highest engagement while a slick clip of Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) was the third-most viewed, captivating the viewers and leading engagements as well as interactions.

These videos – and many others shared across UWW’s social media channels – resonated strongly with audiences, garnering record-breaking views. Overall, there were 330 million impressions, a remarkable rise of 134 percent compared to the Tokyo Olympics.

Moreover, the content also achieved 100 million engagements, and a 71 percent increase in reach compared to the previous Olympic Games. This surge in interaction underscores the high level of interest and excitement generated by UWW’s coverage of the Olympic wrestling events.

The video content drove UWW’s social media success. Across all platforms, UWW’s video content garnered over 156 million views, an extraordinary 205 percent increase compared to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

YouTube, in particular, saw significant traction with over 21 million views. This success was fueled by a mix of short and long-form videos apart from live streaming, with shorts emerging as the most popular content format.

With more than one million views, the YouTube video of AMAN (IND) getting his revenge over Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) with a win in the preliminary round. Aman, who won a bronze medal, had lost to Abakarov at the 2023 World Championships.

Chamizo’s video, Don't play with fire #WrestleParis, which went viral on Instagram was also a huge hit on YouTube with hundreds of thousands of viewers, making it the second-most watched video on the platform.

The Day Three highlights show which revisited one of the biggest upsets of the competition – Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) defeating Yui SUSAKI (JPN) in the women’s 50 kg first round – got the third-highest views on YouTube.

The UWW’s vibrant social media strategy was complemented by a robust email marketing campaign, which ran daily throughout the Olympic Games. The ongoing CRM campaigns helped boost engagement across Web, App and UWW+.