#kaspeuro2018

Kayaalp Wins Eighth Euro Gold, Vlasov Snags Third

Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - 20:07 By Eric Olanowski

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KASPIYSK, Russia (May 1) - Three-time world champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Riza Kayaalp added to his record haul of European titles on Tuesday night in Dagestan, winning his eighth continental gold medal in front a packed house at the Palace of Sport and Youth in Kaspisk.

Kayaalp came into the 130kg finals bout outscoring his opponents 18-0 but ceded a point early in the first period against Vitalii SHCHUR’s (RUS) when the Turk was hit with a one-point passivity. Kayaalp shook off the disappointment and stopped Shchur’s gut wrench attempts from the top position.

The second period was all Kayaalp as he outpaced Shchur 2-0 to earn the 2-1 win and his record eighth European title, the most of any Turkish wrestler.

Roman VLASOV (RUS) uses a four-point throw to beat 2017 world champion Victor NEMES (SRB). (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

Not to be outshone at home, two-time Olympic champions Roman VLASOV (RUS), dominated in his finals match to capture a third European title. Vlasov went into the 77kg gold-medal on a tear, racking up 18 points in his first three matches, all without giving up a point. However, after an accidental head-butt in the first minute of his finals against 2017 world champion Viktor NEMES (SRB) opened up a gash above his left eye Vlasov ceded his first point.

Facing the Russian with his first deficit of the tournament. Up to that point, the two-time Olympic champion had outscored his first three opponents by a combined score of 18-0.

After increasing his pace in the second period, when the clock neared the two-minute mark, the two-time world champion got his opportunity to go in the par terre position. With the cheers of “Roman” throughout the Palace of Sport and Youth, the Russian locked up a highlight-reel belly-to-belly four-point throw on Nemes, giving him the 5-1 victory and returning himself to the top of the 77kg weight class.

 “When you win,” Vlasov said after winning his match, “It always feels like it’s the first time.”

Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) celebrates after winning his first European title. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

At 87kg, 2017 world bronze medalist Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) scored the first point of the bout by earning a passivity point. The Georgian picked up two additional points off a gut wrench, giving him the 3-0 lead. Bekkhan OZDOEV (RUS) finally got on the board after picking up a pushout. He would earn a one-point passivity call, bringing the score to 3-2 with just over a minute left.

Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) gets his hands raised after beating 2016 Olympic bronze medalists, Stig Ande BERG (NOR), 3-2.

Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) kicked off the 63kg gold-medal bout with a pair of pushouts to take the 2-0 lead over 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, Stig Ande BERG (NOR) and never looked back, Mihut, who was competing in his second senior-level European championships, improved on his eighth-place finish from a year ago with the 3-2 win over Berge.

Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), the winner of the 55kg gold-medal bout picked up the 8-0 technical superiority victory over Estonia’s Helary MAEGISALU. 

RESULTS
55kg
GOLD: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Helary MAEGISALU (EST), 8-0 

BRONZE: Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) df. Nedyalko Petrov PETROV (BUL), 12-4
BRONZE: Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) df. VasilII TOPOEV (RUS), 6-6

63kg
GOLD - Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) df. Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR), 3-2 

BRONZE - Zaur KABALOEV (RUS) df. Nikolay Ivanov VICHEV (BUL), 9-0
BRONZE - Donior ISLAMOV (MDA) df. Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO), 2-1

77kg
GOLD - Roman VLASOV (RUS) df. Viktor NEMES (SRB), 5-1 

BRONZE -  Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) df. Alex BJURBERG KESSIDIS (SWE), 7-2
BRONZE - Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) df. Tornike DZAMASHVILI (GEO), 6-2

87kg
GOLD - Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) df. Bekkhan OZDOEV (RUS)

BRONZE - Denis KUDLA (GER) df. Islam ABBASOV (AZE), 3-1
BRONZE - Kristoffer BERG (SWE) df. Mikita KLIMOVICH (BLR), 9-0

130kg
GOLD -  Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Vitalii SHCHUR (RUS), 2-1

BRONZE – Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) df. Miloslav Yuriev METODIEV (BUL), 5-0
BRONZE - Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) df. Balint LAM (HUN), 3-1

#WrestleZagreb

Saravi returns to final; Ganizade, Ghanem rematch for 72kg gold

Friday, September 19, 2025 - 16:52 By Ken Marantz

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 19) -- Paris Olympic champion Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) safely negotiated the minefield that was the draw of the stacked 97kg division, advancing to the final to earn a shot at capturing a second world title.

Saravi defeated Kiryl MASKEVICH (UWW) 3-1 in the semifinals Friday at the World Championships in Zagreb, putting him in Saturday's gold-medal match against Artur SARGSIAN (UWW) as the finals were set in three Greco weight classes.

In other finals, Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) and Alisher GANIEV (UZB) will battle it out at 60kg, while the 72kg match will be a rematch of last year's final between defending champion Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) and Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA).

Saravi, who avoided the upset bug that hit the legendary Artur ALEKSANYAN (AZE) and 2023 world champion Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) earlier in the day, executed a gut wrench from par terre against Maskevich, then hardly budged when he was put on the bottom in the second period.

The victory gives Saravi, who won his third straight Asian title and fourth overall this year, a shot at regaining the world title he won in 2021. He also has an Olympic bronze and world silver and bronze medals to his credit.

Sargsian, a 2021 bronze medalist, earned his place in the final with a 1-1 victory over Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE), prevailing on the criteria of receiving the first of two passivity points.

Following an opening victory by technical superiority, it was Sargsian's third straight victory by a 1-1 scoreline, an aspect that is totally irrelevant to him.

"I don’t care about the score, the important thing is that they raised my hand," Sargsian said. "All my life I tried to win ahead of time, to get 8-0 in every match -- and for what? It didn’t lead to anything good. I’m 27 years old and I still have only world championship medal. So for me, three times 1-1 is the same as three times 8-0."

For Sargsian, the final gives him a chance to avenge a loss to Saravi from the 2021 World Championships, when the Iranian defeated him 6-4 in the first round in Oslo.

"I’m very glad that tomorrow I’ll finally have my long-awaited rematch with Saravi," Sargsian said. "It adds extra excitement that now he is not only a world champion, but also an Olympic champion."

At 60kg, Asian silver medalist Ganiev will get a chance to become just the second Uzbekistan wrestler to win a world Greco title after holding on to win a 5-5 thriller
over European silver medalist Georgij TIBILOV (SRB).

Ganiev was on top in par terre, trailing on criteria because he received the second passivity point, when he lifted Tibilov and executed a nifty cartwheel for a 4-pointer and a 5-4 lead.

But Tibilov, a world bronze medalist at 63kg in 2023, was not going down easily, and he pressured Ganiev at the edge for a takedown, then added a second one. But
that was all he could get, and Ganiev won on big-point criteria.

The victory avenged a 6-4 loss to Tibilov in the final of the Zagreb Open in the same arena back in February.

Uzbekistan's lone title in Greco came back in 2001, when Dilshod ARIPOV (UZB) won the 58kg gold in Patras, Greece.

Sultangali, who has world bronze medals from 2018 and 2022, will get a shot at his first gold after putting on a late surge and defeating Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO)
10-2 in the other semifinal.

Sultangali trailed 2-1 when he bulled Shavadze over for a 4-point takedown with :30 left, then added a gut wrench. An unsuccessful challenge made it 8-2 before Shavadze gave up the fight and allowed a stepout with fleeing penalty point with :03 left.

Kazakhstan has won five Greco world golds through three wrestlers, but hasn't had put one on the top of the medal podium since 1999, when Mkhtar MANUKYAN
(KAZ) won the second of his back-to-back titles at 63kg in Athens.

At 72kg, a second potential Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan match-up failed to come to fruition when both countries' wrestlers lost in the semifinals. Instead, it will be
Ganizade and Ghanem going at it for the second consecutive year.

Ganizade scored all of his points in the first period in a 5-0 victory over Asian silver medalist Abdullo ALIEV (UZB). He slipped behind for a takedown, then added a gut wrench before getting the lone passivity point to cap the first period.

In the other semifinal, Ghanem was leading a close match 3-2 as it was winding down when he countered Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ) for 4-point throw.

Maulitkanov just remained lying on the mat, officially giving Ghanem a victory by fall in 5:49.

RESULTS

Greco-Roman

60kg (25 entries)
SF 1: Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) df. Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO) by TF, 10-2, 5:57
SF 2: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) df. Georgij TIBILOV (SRB), 5-5

72kg (30 entries)
SF 1: Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) df. Abdullo ALIEV (UZB), 5-0
SF 2: Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) df. Merey MAULITKANOV (KAZ) by Fall, 5:49 (7-2)

97kg (29 entries)
SF 1: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Kiryl MASKEVICH (UWW), 3-1
SF 2: Artur SARGSIAN (UWW) df. Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE), 1-1