#WrestleAlmaty

Kazakhstan's Assetuly Headlocks Way to Greco 63kg Title, Limits Iran to 3 Golds

Tuesday, April 13, 2021 - 16:54 By Ken Marantz

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ALMATY, Kazakhstan (April 13) --- Had there been a crowd at the Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports, it would surely have gone wild over the impressive victory delivered by Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) that prevented Iran from going 4-for-4 in the finals.

Assetuly missed out on the adulation, but not the gold medal when he used the potent headlock that got him into the Greco-Roman 63kg final to secure a victory by fall over Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) at the Asian Championships on Tuesday in Almaty.

Iran still came away with three of the five Greco golds at stake on the opening day of the six-day tournament, while a Japanese teenager grabbed the other title in the spectator-less arena with coronavirus protocols firmly in place.

Assutuly was undeterred by the credentials that Dalkhani brought to Almaty that include the 2019 world U-23 title and 2020 Asian bronze medal, nor when Dalkhani built a 3-0 lead off of the par terre position. A 4-point move with a headlock roll put him on top to end the first period

In the second period, he once again got Dalkhani into a headlock for 4 points, but this time he clamped down and ended the match by fall at 3:55.

"The final was a very tough bout because Iran has the best wrestlers," said Assetuly, the silver medalist at last month's Matteo Pellicone tournament. "Before that, the semifinal and quarterfinal were very easy for me. All the three fights today I won before time, so that was good."

Assetuly was a dynamo all day, ending both of his two previous matches in the first period, the first by technical fall and the second by fall (with a headlock, of course). Having conquered the continent, he is setting his sights higher.

"I just want to win the world championships," he said. "In the next four years, I am planning to participate in the Olympics in the 67kg weight class and I want to be the champion."

A new Iranian face on the international scene emerged victorious in unheralded Naser ALIZADEH (IRI), who claimed the 87kg gold with a 3-1 victory Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ), who had to settle for the third Asian silver medal of his career.

Aliazadeh, who does not come from a wrestling family but hails from the wrestling-rich province of Mazandaran, scored with a gut wrench from the par terre position, then held off Azisbekov when he was on bottom in the second.

In the 130kg final, 2019 world junior and U-23 champion Aliakbar YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI) picked up his first major senior title when he scored two takedowns in the final two minutes to defeat Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) 5-1.

Pejman POSHTAM (IRI), last year's silver medalist at 77kg, walked off with the gold this time without a fight, as Daler REZA ZADE (TJK) defaulted due to injury, wiping away his chance to become Tajikistan's first-ever Asian champion in Greco.

"Thank God I was finally able to win the Asian Championships gold medal," Poshtam said. "I was at the Asian Championships last year and lost to the Kazak wrestler and won the silver medal. This time I am able to win the whole tournament so it is a special moment.

"The goal of every wrestler is to win a gold medal at the Olympics. I am the same and this is a good start to that journey. I wrestled everyone with a lot of courage and I was successful."

Ironically, Poshtam only wrestled two of four scheduled matches. After winning his qualification match, he had a bye into the semifinals because both wrestlers in the bracket feeding into his quarterfinal had withdrawn from the tournament.

In his senior debut, Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) defeated Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) in the 55kg gold-medal match. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Teen Shiotani makes mark in senior debut

In the lone final without an Iranian, 19-year-old Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) made his second international tournament and first as a senior a memorable one by stunning 2019 Asian champion Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) at 55kg.

Shiotani shrugged off a 5-0 deficit in the second period, launching a pair of dynamic 5-point throws in chalking up a 17-7 technical fall victory over Bakhromov, who was looking to regain the Asian title he had won in 2019 in Xi'an, China.

"I don't know how to react to this because I have never felt this emotion before," Shiotani said. "This is my first-ever international medal and now I have my first ever gold medal. Today's bouts were so good and I am excited about this."

By beating Bakhromov, Shiotani did what Hiromu KATAGIRI (JPN), his senior teammate back at Takushoku University who handily defeated him in the last two finals of the All-Japan Championships, couldn't do.

It was Katagiri whom Bakhromov defeated for the 2019 gold, but Shiotani showed his career is heading upward with his masterful handling of the Uzbek -- although not so much at first.

Bakhromov took advantage of the par terre position in the first period, smoothly executing two gut wrenches for a 5-0 lead.

But in the second period, Shiotani got maximum output from his shot at par terre. Using a reverse lift, he wheeled Bakhromov through the air for 5 points, then, keeping his grip, slammed him down for 5 more and a 11-5 lead.

When Shiotani pressed forward with a bear hug, Bakhromov countered as he fell backward and over the edge. In a flurry that needed some time to sort out, Shiotani was given 4 points for the initial move, Bakhromov 2 for the counter, then Shiotani 2 more for a second exposure, ending the match with :31 left.

"I don't really remember the match," Shiotani said after the medal ceremony, at which the national anthem was played for him for the first time. "But standing on the medal podium, standing on top and hearing the national anthem, it gradually sunk in."

Last December, Shiotani lost in the final at nationals for the second straight year to Katagiri, but was picked for the team to Almaty because Katagiri has ostensibly gone into retirement following graduation.

With this boost in confidence, Shiotani is setting his sights on bigger stakes. This performance makes him the favorite at next month's All-Japan Invitational Championships, which will serve as a domestic qualifier for the World Championships slated for October in Oslo.

"I still have a national competition ahead, and I want to have a good result and make it to the World Championships," said Shiotani, whose only previous international competition was the 2016 World Cadet Championships, where he placed ninth.

Meanwhile, in a bronze-medal battle between Tokyo Olympic-bound wrestlers, a 2-point penalty for grabbing the legs late in the second period gave Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB)  a 2-2 victory over Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) at 87kg.

Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) will be taking home a second bronze medal from Almaty after he defeated Urmatbek AMATOV (KGZ) 3-0 in the third-place match at 63kg.

His other bronze might be considered more of a consolation prize, as it came at 60kg in the Asian Olympic qualifier and left him short of the two spots available at the Tokyo Games.

In the other 63kg bronze-medal match, Muhamad FWAZ (SYR) was denied in a bid to become Syria's ninth Asian medalist in history and first in 13 years when he fell 7-5 to Jui Chi HUANG (TPE).

Murat RAMONOV (KGZ) earned a fifth career Asian bronze medal dating back to 2009 -- he also has a silver from 2016 -- by defeating Sukhrob FATTOEV (UZB) 5-1 at 130kg.

Minseok KIM (KOR), the silver medalist at 130kg a year ago, gave Korea its third bronze of the night by rolling to a 9-0 technical fall victory over Sota OKUMURA (JPN).

Day 1 Finals

Greco-Roman

55kg (10 entries)
GOLD - Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) df. Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) by TF, 17-7, 5:28
BRONZE - Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ) df. Sandeep SANDEEP (IND), 11-5
BRONZE - Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Aslamdzhon AZIZOV (TJK) by TF, 9-0, 1:19

63kg (12 entries)
GOLD - Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) df. Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) by Fall, 3:55 (8-3)
BRONZE - Jui Chi HUANG (TPE) df. Muhamad FWAZ (SYR), 7-5
BRONZE - Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) df. Urmatbek AMATOV (KGZ), 3-0

77kg (12 entries)
GOLD - Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) df. Daler REZA ZADE (TJK) by Default
BRONZE - Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) df. Muhammetberdi MAMEDOV (TKM) by TF, 9-0, 4:33
BRONZE - Kairatbek TUGOLBAEV (KGZ) df. Singh GURPREET (IND), 5-0

87kg (10 entries)
GOLD - Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) df. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ), 3-1
BRONZE - Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) df. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ), 2-2
BRONZE - Seunghwan LEE (KOR) df. Tokhirdzhon OKHONOV (TJK), 6-1

130kg (8 entries)
GOLD - Aliakbar YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI) df. Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ), 5-1
BRONZE - Minseok KIM (KOR) df. Sota OKUMURA (JPN) by TF, 9-0, 1:49
BRONZE - Murat RAMONOV (KGZ) df. Sukhrob FATTOEV (UZB), 5-1

#WrestleParis

10 seeded showdowns we need to see at Paris 2024 (No. 6-10)

Wednesday, July 17, 2024 - 14:29 By Eric Olanowski

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PARIS, France (July 17) – We’re still a few weeks out from the Paris 2024 draws taking place on August 4. However, with the release of the top eight seeds per style, we can start to project potential matches that could take place as early as the quarterfinals.

SCHEDULE | PARIS 2024 EVENT PAGE 

The top eight Ranking Series point collectors from the 2023 World Championships, 2024 Continental Championships, and the Croatian and Hungarian Ranking Series events earned a top eight seed. The remaining eight wrestlers will be randomly drawn into their respective brackets.

Here are the top ten matches that we could see between seeded wrestlers from the quarterfinals on:

10. WW 68kg QUARTERFINAL - No. 3 Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) vs. No. 6 Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)
Koumba Larroque has been a prominent figure in French wrestling since her bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships at just 19 years old. Now in the prime of her career, she’s France’s best shot at a medal.

Larroque’s path to an Olympic medal will be bumpy, to say the least. She’s the third-seeded athlete in a bracket with six world champions and includes a potential quarterfinal clash with  familiar foe No. 6 Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR).

Larroque and Oborududu met twice in their career, splitting their pair of previous encounters.

Oborududu won their opening meeting at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series event, but Larroque returned the favor a year later at the Poland Open, evening the score at 1-1.

If Larroque and Oborududu win their first match, their third career meeting would take place August 5 in the 68kg quarterfinals.

9.  FS 65kg SEMIFINAL –  No. 2 Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) vs. No. 3 Ismail MUSUKAEV (HUN)
Amouzad and Musukaev are nightmare opponents for each other and are stylistically opposites.

Amouzad, the 65kg world champ from two years ago, is a guy who wants to close the gap with his right-side underhook and fill as much space as possible. Conversely, Musukaev, the reigning 65kg world champion, wants as much space as possible to flow freely.

In their first meeting—the semifinals of the 2022 World Championships-- Musukaev fell victim to Amouzad’s pace and was shut out 6-0. In their second matches—the semifinals of the 2023 World Championships—Musukaev weathered the first period storm, saved enough energy for a last-ditch effort and stole the world finals spot, 6-5, with less than 10 seconds remaining.

If Amouzad and Musukaev meet for a third time, it’ll be on August 10 in 65kg semifinals.

8. 57kg SEMIFINAL – No. 2 Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) vs. No. 3  Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR)
The Nichita and Adekuoroye rivalry is one that dates back to the 2019 World Championships but has since changed hands from their pre-COVID meeting.

The seasoned vet Adekuoroye is an anomaly in the wrestling world. Her style can’t be mimicked or replicated. She’s the tallest and lengthiest 57kg wrestler in the world but has also learned to use her leverage to become one of the most powerful wrestlers in the weight.

Adekuoroye’s unique style gave Nichita fits in their first meeting, as the four-time world medalist opened their three-match series with a dominant 10-0 win.

But Nichita carried what she learned from their first meeting into their next matches and had her hand raised on subsequent occasions.

In Tokyo, Nichita fell behind early but capitalized on an uncharacteristic Adekuoroye’s mistake and picked up a dramatic come-from-behind fall while trailing 8-2. Their next meeting came at the 2023 World Championships, where Nichita doubled Adekuoroye before ending the match in the first period with a left-sided trap arm gut, 10-0.

The fourth meeting between Nichita and Adekuoroye will take place August 8 in the 57kg semifinals.

7. GR 67kg QUARTERFINAL – No. 2 Luis ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB) vs. No. 7 Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI)
If there were ever a lesson from losing a match, Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) certainly learned it the hard way.

Earlier this year at the Hungarian Open Ranking Series event, Esmaelil led reigning Olympic champion Orta, 7-5, with 0.4 seconds left in the match.

But before we get to the ending of the match, it’s important to note that Esmaeili was in a domestic battle with reigning Olympic gold medalist Reza GERAEI (IRI) for Iran’s 67kg Paris Olympic spot. If Esmaeili beat Orta, he cemented his spot on Iran’s Olympic team. If he lost, Esmaeili and Geraei would go to a three-match wrestle off and the winner goes to Paris.

Now, circling back to the match: With less than a second to go in the match, Esmaeili began celebrating as he thought the clock expired.

During Esmaeili’s lapse of judgement, Orta, being the experienced guy, continued to wrestle through the whistle. Orta took a peek at the clock, saw there was still time left, locked up a throw and picked up four points, stealing the match, 9-7.

Esmaeili will try to get his revenge on Orta August 7 in the 67kg quarterfinals.

*Esmaeili ended up beating Geraei in two straight matches to earn the Olympic spot.

6. WW 57kg SEMIFINAL - No. 1 Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) vs. No. 5 Helen MAROULIS (USA)
Through the first two meetings between Sakurai and Maroulis, it’s been a one-sided affair. Sakurai is 2-0 against Maroulis, outscoring the Rio Olympic champion, 9-0, while picking up four offensive takedowns and not surrendering a single point.

Sakurai and Maroulis’ meeting at the 2022 World Championships was a slow-paced match, where the Japanese wrestler did enough to win but didn’t really establish her dominance.

That came in the second match.

In their second meeting, the biggest difference was Sakurai’s tatical use of her right hand when tied up with Maroulis. She used it to score three takedowns—one from an underhook front headlock, one from a underhook throw-by and the final one coming from a two-on-one—besting the American, 6-0.

The third meeting between Sakurai and Maroulis would take place August 8 in the 57kg semifinals.

Wrestling at the Paris Olympic Games starts Agust 5-11 and can be followed on www.uww.org.