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Iran Wins Three Greco-Roman Golds, Leads Russia by Three Points

Tuesday, September 18, 2018 - 21:33 By Eric Olanowski

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TRNAVA, Slovakia (September 18) – Iran went three-for-three in Greco-Roman gold medal bouts on Tuesday capturing a three-point team lead heading into the third and final day of Greco-Roman competition at the 2018 Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia.

The trio of Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI), Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI), and Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) had the opportunity to carry their country’s flag around the mat after winning their first world titles. 

 In the 55kg gold-medal bout Naserpour, the junior Asian champion, gave up an early head pinch and trailed Tigran MINASYAN (ARM), 4-0 before going on a 9-0 run to claim his first junior world gold medal. 

Naserpour improved on his third-place finish from the 2017 Cadet World Championships with the 9-4 victory. 


Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI), 2018 junior world champion at 87kg. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne) 

Saravi, this year’s junior Asian champion neutralized Ramon Rainer BETSCHART (SUI) in the 87kg finals, stopping Switzerland from winning its first-ever junior-level world gold. Saravi, who also won his first Junior world gold medal scored his five points from a passivity call and two gut wrenches. 

The third and final Iranian Asian champion to claim a world title on the second day of competition was Amin Mirzazadeh who shutout Armenia’s David OVASAPYAN, 5-0 in the 130kg gold medal match.  

Islam OPIEV (RUS) knocked off three world medalists on his way to the 77kg gold medal. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

At 77kg, Russia’s Islam OPIEV capped off his improbable run to a junior world gold medal with three straight wins over a returning Tampere junior world medalists.  

Opiev had knocked off last year’s junior world silver medalist, Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ), 1-1 to make the semifinals where he stunned returning world champion Kamal BEY (USA), 7-1 to set up a finals date with India’s returning bronze medalist, Sajan SAJAN (IND). 

In his first world finals appearance, Opiev scored the first-period technical superiority victory, thumping Sajan, 8-0. 

In the opening 90 seconds, Sajan was hit with passivity and was thrown from the par terre position. With Sajan down, Opiev went to work, scoring six additional points from a pair of back-arches, followed by a feet over back exposure to take the 7-0 lead. 

The action was blown dead, and both wrestlers were brought up to their feet. In the standing position, Opeiv charged Sajan near the edge of the mat and picked up the match-ending eighth point, and the 77kg gold medal. 

Erbol BAKIROV (KGZ) does a backflip after winning the 63kg gold medal. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

The final gold medal of the night went to Erbol BAKIROV (KGZ). After trailing 1-0, Bakirov put a sudden stop to the 63kg gold-medal bout, throwing Egypt’s Hassan Hassan MOHAMED to his back with a massive head-lock to win the gold medal. 

The final day of Greco-Roman action, along with the start of women’s wrestling, begins tomorrow morning at 10:30 AM local time. 

RESULTS

Team Scores
GOLD – Iran (75 points)
SILVER – Russia (72 points)
BRONZE – Kyrgyzstan (50 points)
Fourth – Armenia (50 points)
Fifth – India (47 points)

GR 55kg 
GOLD – Pouya Mohammad NASERPOUR (IRI) df. Tigran MINASYAN (ARM), 9-4

BRONZE - Emin SEFERSHAEV (RUS) df. Nurtazin KERIMBERDI UULU (KGZ), 6-1
BRONZE - Vijay VIJAY (IND) df. Cihat LIMAN (TUR), via fall

GR 63kg  
GOLD - Erbol BAKIROV (KGZ) df. Hassan Hassan Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY), via fall. 

BRONZE - Azamat KAIROV (RUS) df. Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM), 3-1 
BRONZE Krisztian VANCZA (HUN) vs. Sagar SAGAR (IND), 9-0 

GR 77kg 
GOLD - Islam OPIEV (RUS) df. Sajan SAJAN (IND), 8-0 

BRONZE - Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Kamal Ameer BEY (USA), 8-1
BRONZE - Per KURE (NOR) df. Dmytro GARDUBEI (UKR), 4-1

GR 87kg
GOLD - Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Ramon BETSCHART (SUI)

BRONZE - Ilia ERMOLENKO (RUS) df. Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO), 4-2 
BRONZE - Nazarshah FATULLAYEV (AZE) df. Maimaiti KAISAIER (CHN), 5-1 

130kg 
GOLD - Amin Mohammadzaman MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. David OVASAPYAN (ARM), 5-0  

BRONZE - Franz RICHTER (GER) df. Beka MAKARIDZE (GEO), 10-0 
BRONZE - Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA) df. Ante MILKOVIC (CRO), 7-1 

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Riesterer’s Road to Dethrone World Champ Susaki

Thursday, September 20, 2018 - 08:45 By Eric Olanowski

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TRNAVA, Slovakia (September 20) - On Thursday night, Ellen RIESTERER will try to become the first German women to win a junior world gold medal since Anita Schaetzle reached the top of the podium back in 2001. 

To do so, she’ll have to dethrone reigning senior-level world champion, Yui SUSAKI (JPN). Susaki, who is wrestling for the first time on the junior circuit is a three-time cadet world champion and last year's senior-level world champion. The Japanese superstar has never lost to a non-Japanese opponent.

“Yui Susaki is one of the best wrestlers in the world, but she’s only 19-years-old, and I have to remember that,” Riesterer said. “She doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, but maybe she’ll make one or two mistakes that I can use in my favor.” 

Riesterer is trying to get Germany back to their winning ways after dropping four straight gold-medal matches at the junior world championships. For that to happen, Riesterer, the European bronze medalist has to focus on listening to her coaches in the 50kg gold-medal bout.

Ellen RIESTERER (GER) scores a 6-2 semifinals win over Marina ZAKSHEVSKAYA (KAZ). (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne) 

“At the junior European championships, I wrestled with my headgear on, and I couldn’t understand my coaches well, so I was just doing my own thing.” Since then, Riesterer has removed the headgear and placed more of an emphasis on listening to her coaches. 

“I’ve worked so hard on listening better to what the coaches say because I’m such a mental wrestler. I need my coaches. My coaches help calm my nerves, and that helps me mentally.” 

Riesterer will have to check her nerves at the door of the City Sports Hall before the 50kg finals if she has hopes of stopping Susaki from reaching the top of the world podium for the fifth time. 

In a joking manner, Riesterer ended with, "I'm just glad I made the finals because my sister came all the way here to watch me wrestle. I told her that I wanted to get a medal because if I didn’t, she would have traveled all this way to see me cry.” 

The women's wrestling finals begin on Thursday night at 18:00. Riesterer and Susaki will be the second match up on Mat B.