#WrestleXian

Karimimachiani Leads Quartet of Iranians into Finals on Day 2 in Xi’an

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 - 11:43 By Ken Marantz

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XI’AN, China (April 24)— Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) won his clash of world bronze medalists, then became part of an Iranian quartet that advanced to the finals in five freestyle weight classes on the second day of the Asian Championships in Xi’an.

Iran, which won three golds and two bronzes on the Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) v Amit DHANKHAR (IND) opening day, has a chance to secure medals in all 10 weight classes, as the West Asian power will also contest a bronze-medal match in the evening session.

Host China will have two chances to give the home crowd a gold medal at the expense of Iran, as world U23 bronze medalist LIU Minghu will face Behnam EHSANPOUR in the 61kg final, and world silver medalist DENG Zhiwei (CHN) will clash with Yadollah MOHEBI (IRI) for the 125kg crown.

India also has two finalists, while Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have one each.


Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI), the reigning Asian Games champion, will wrestle India's Viky VIKY in the 92kg gold-medal bout. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Karimimachiani, the Asian Games champion last summer in Jakarta, advanced to the 92kg final against Viky VIKY (IND) by chalking up three consecutive 10-0 technical fall victories.

His second match, in the quarterfinals, pitted him against Atsushi MATSUMOTO (JPN), a fellow bronze medalist at the Budapest 2018 world championships. 

But Karimimachiani made short work of the Japanese, scoring with a 4-point move that he followed up with three straight rolls to end the match in 59 seconds.

“Before I could break the hold, I was being rolled,” said Matsumoto, who made it through the repechage and will compete for a bronze medal.


Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) was one of four Iranian wrestlers who made the Day 2 freestyle finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

World U23 champion Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) is the other Iranian who gave himself a shot at gold, which he will hope to secure at the expense of Aligarizhi GAMIDGADZHIEV (KGZ) in the 86kg final.   

“We are very happy to have four in the finals,” Iran head coach Gholamreza MOHAMMADI said. “That was our target, to get five medals.”

Mohammadi said the team was dedicating its victories to their compatriots who perished in or are suffering from devastating floods that hit Iran a month ago.


Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) is set to face Amit DHANKHAR (IND) for the 74kg title. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

In the other final on tap, Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ), a bronze medalist in 2018 and the Asian Games silver medalist, will face Amit DHANKHAR (IND) for the 74kg title.

The 74kg class lost two of its favorites to injury. Kaisanov advanced to the final when world silver medalist Adam BATIROV (BRN) defaulted their semifinal match due to an unspecified injury.

Earlier, Yuhi FUJINAMI, the 2017 world bronze medalist at 70kg, reinjured his right knee while holding on to defeat LUO Yin (CHN), 11-7, in their first-round match. 

Fujinami, upon the doctor’s advice and taking into consideration a vital upcoming national tournament, decided to default his quarterfinal match to Dhankhar. 

“I was looking at this tournament as one I could win,” said Fujinami, who originally injured his knee in February. “But after talking to the doctor and thinking ahead, it was best to stop.”

Dhankhar handed Iran its only loss of the qualifying session when he edged Mohammad NOKHODILARIMI, 2-1, in the first round.

Other than that match, no bout involving an Iranian went the distance, as all were won by either fall or technical fall.

Day 2 results

Freestyle

61kg (14 entries)
Gold – LIU Minghu (CHN) v Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI)
Bronze – Dzhamshed SHARIFOV (TJK) v Yudai FUJITA (JPN)
Bronze – Rahul AWARE (IND) v KIM Jincheol (KOR)

Semifinals
LIU Minghu (CHN) df. Yudai FUJITA (JPN), 9-2
Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI) df. KIM Jingcheol (KOR) by TF, 12-1, 4:46

74kg (13 entries)
Gold – Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) v Amit DHANKHAR (IND)
Bronze – Mohammad NOKHODILARIMI (IRI) v Ilgiz DZHAKYUPBEKOV (KGZ)
Bronze – Olgenbayar BATSUURI (MGL) v Adam BATIROV (BRN)

Semifinals
Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) df. Adam BATISOV (BRN) by Default
Amit DHANKHAR (IND) df. Ilgiz DZHAKYUPBEKOV (KGZ), 5-0

86kg (15 entries)
Gold – Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) v Aligarizhi GAMIDGADZHIEV (KGZ)
Bronze – Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) v Abdurasul VAKHOBOV (UZB)
Bronze – Bakhodur KODIROV (TJK) v Deepak PUNIA (IND)

Semifinals
Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) df. Deepak PUNIA (IND) by TF, 10-0, :40
Aligarizhi GAMIDGADZHIEV (KGZ) df. Abdurasul VAKHOBOV (UZB), 10-7

92kg (11 entries)
Gold – Viky VIKY (IND) v Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI)
Bronze – Atsushi MATSUMOTO (JPN) v Azizbek SOLIEV (UZB)
Bronze – Muhammad INAM (PAK) v SUN Xiao (CHN)

Semifinals
Viky VIKY (IND) df. SUN Xiao (CHN), 3-2
Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) df. Azizbek SOLIEV (UZB) by TF, 10-0, 2:46

125kg (11 entries)
Gold – DENG Zhiwei (CHN) v Yadollah MOHEBI (IRI)
Bronze – KIM Donghwan (KOR) v Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB) 
Bronze – Sumit SUMIT (IND) v Farkhod ANAKULOV (TJK)

Semifinals
DENG Zhiwei (CHN) df. Farkhod ANAKULOV (TJK) by TF, 10-0, :42
Yadollah MOHEBI (IRI) df. Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB) by TF, 11-0, 2:50 

#WrestleAcapulco, #WrestleParis

Gomez, Cruz deny USA Paris 2024 spots at Pan-Am Qualifiers

Saturday, March 2, 2024 - 06:43 By Gaurav Bhatt

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ACAPULCO, Mexico (March 1) — The Pan American Olympic Games Qualifiers wrapped up in style in Acapulco, Mexico, with Puerto Rico and Cuba earning three quotas on offer each, while Mexico and Canada securing two berths apiece.

The day was marked by stunning performances and a few upsets, particularly in the 57kg and 65kg classes where the U.S. wrestlers were eyeing qualification. 
While the two American wrestlers failed in their quest on Friday, two NCAA champions successfully secured quotas for their nations. 

Two-time NCAA champion Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) showcased his NCAA-honed skills with a commanding 14-4 victory over Oscar TIGREROS (COL) in the 57kg semifinal. The 25-year-old — who chose to represent his grandparents' native country Mexico last summer — got the better of Tigreros, an Olympian and five-time Pan-Am medallist Tigreros.

In the second semifinal, 2017 NCAA champion Darian CRUZ (PUR) edged out Zane RICHARDS (USA) in a 2-2 criteria win. The first period between Richards and Cruz ended in a tense 1-1 tie. 

Richards edged ahead early in the second with a shot clock point, before Cruz retaliated. The Puerto Rican team challenged a scoring decision, and Cruz was awarded a point for pushing Richards out, deadlocking the score at 2-2 with just seconds left. Richards fiercely attacked, but couldn't land a takedown, ultimately losing to Cruz for the first time at senior level.

NCAA All-American Austin GOMEZ (MEX) defeated Nick LEE (USA) in the quarterfinal, as the weight class continues to be a thorn in the side of the U.S. at the senior level.

Lee, who won the Pan-Am gold last week, took control and rushed to a 10-4 lead before the first break. However, after a long injury timeout for Gomez in the second period, the tide dramatically turned as Gomez's scoring spree saw him rack up 18 points and ultimately winning by technical fall (22-12).

In the semifinal, Gomez beat fellow All-American Lachlan MCNIEL (CAN) 6-3. 

Alejandro VALDES (CUB), a two-time world medalist and two-time Olympian, lived up to expectations by dominating Shannon HANNA (BAH) with an 11-0 technical superiority win in the second 65kg semifinal.

Geandry GARZON (CUB), aiming for his second Olympic appearance at the age of 40, clinched a berth for Cuba by defeating Julio RODRIGUEZ (DOM) 6-2 in the 74kg division. Garzon — who won the last of his four Worlds medals in 2010 — set a deliberate pace against the 26-year-old finalist from last week's Pan-Am championships.

However, once put on the shot clock, Garzon attacked Rodriguez's right leg and scored a two-point move. Two more two-pointers followed deep in the second period, securing the win for the Cuban.

In the second semifinal, two-time Pan-Am champion Anthony MONTERO (VEN) made a statement with an 11-0 thrashing of Raul PALACIOS (MEX).

In the 97kg division, Arturo SILOT (CUB) showed he's second only to Kyle SNYDER (USA) at the Pan-Am level as the 22-year-old rag-dolled his opponents on his way to securing Cuba a berth at Paris Games. Silot — who has lost three straight Pan-Am championships finals to Snyder — didn't give up a point as he ran through Maxwell LACEY (CRC) and Nishan Preet RANDHAWA (CAN).

In the second semifinal, Luis PEREZ (DOM) clinched a narrow 4-2 victory over Cristian SARCO (VEN) in a battle of last week's bronze medallists.

The 86kg category witnessed Ethan RAMOS (PUR) defeat two-time Olympian Carlos IZQUIERDO (COL) 11-6, while Alexander MOORE (CAN) pulled off an impressive 4-0 win against the top-seeded Pedro CEBALLOS (VEN), who finished runner-up at the Pan-Am championships last week.

Earlier, four-time Pan-Am champion Yurieski Torreblanca TORREBLANCA (CUB) lost a fall to Anthony VALENCIA (MEX) in the qualification rounds.

Former Pan-Am champion Amarveer DHESI (CAN) took little over two minutes to thwart Ibrain TORRES (CUB) 11-0 to earn Canada a spot. Jonovan SMITH (PUR), who grabbed a silver at the Pan-Ams last week, won the other semifinal against Gino AVILA (HON) 5-1.