Kumar hopes for Gilman showdown at Worlds

Wednesday, May 18, 2022 - 07:15 By Vinay Siwach

NEW DELHI, India (May 17) -- Ravi KUMAR (IND) stepped on the mat after a week's gap having twisted his foot during one of the practice sessions. Yet, he had little trouble winning his two bouts to make the Indian team for the August's Commonwealth Games.

Wrestling for the first time since his third consecutive gold at Asian Championships in April, Kumar got a wake-up call against junior world medalist Vijay PATIL (IND) after trailing 3-1 at the start. But as the match progressed, Kumar got into his groove and broke the Maharashtra wrestler and secured the fall.

In the final against two-time cadet world bronze medalist and national champion Aman SEHRAWAT (IND), Kumar won via technical superiority despite the bout being disrupted by a commotion after the 125kg final.

The Tokyo silver medalist has never won a medal at the Commonwealth Games, a tournament India dominates in freestyle. But Kumar is more focused on a tournament a month after the Birmingham Games -- World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

"I know I can win a medal at the Commonwealth Games," Kumar said. "But World Championships is a bigger tournament and I want to win there."

Ravi KUMAR (IND) won his first bout via fall against Vijay PATIL (IND). (Photo: UWW / Vinay Siwach)

Kumar is not new to World Championships. He has wrestled at the mega event only once and finished with a bronze medal. His only loss came against eventual champion Zavur UGUEV (RWF) who also won the Olympic gold after beating Kumar in the final.

With ambitions of winning a gold medal in Belgrade, Kumar will probably have to go through defending world champion Thomas GILMAN (USA).

Gilman, who won a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, is already looking forward to wrestling Kumar. After winning his first Pan-Am title last week, Gilman said that Kumar is one wrestler he would like to wrestle with as both have a similar style which will entertain the fans.

Kumar echoes a similar thought and hopes that the fight can happen in Belgrade in September.

"It will be a good bout," Kumar said. "I also want to wrestle him and hope that it happens in Belgrade because I really want to be a world champion."

Initially, Kumar had decided to go for 61kg at the competition apart from the Games this year. But with September's Asian Games postponed, Kumar is happy to go down to 57kg and become India's only second world champion.

"I will go down to 57kg for World Championships," he said. "There are just two years left for the Olympics so it's good to remain at that weight and keep wrestling there."

In the run-up to the Worlds, Kumar is expected to compete at two Ranking Series events and the Commonwealth Games. He has also planned two training camps after the Games.

"I can't go into the no practice zone after the CWG," he said. "It breaks the rhythm and you take time to return to the mat."

Bajrang PUNIA (IND), red, will be eyeing his third Commonwealth Games medal in Birmingham. (Photo: UWW / Vinay Siwach)

Punias make team

Bajrang PUNIA (IND) and Deepak PUNIA (IND), who won silver medals at the Asian Championships in Mongolia, also made it to the Commonwealth Games team after winning the selection trials at 65kg and 86kg respectively.

The 65kg Olympic bronze medalist barely scraped past Vishal KALLIRAMAN (IND) in the 65kg final. He was sitting in the semifinal as others battled to wrestle him in the last four.

Sujeet emerged as his opponent from the upper side of the bracket and got the crowd excited with a few attacks. But Punia defended most of them including one in the dying moments of the bout.

"The wrestlers are sweating so much it's difficult to grip," Punia said referring to the sweltering heat in the capital and the air-conditioning malfunction in the stadium. "The moment I attacked, I would lose the hold. But it's the same for everyone."

Punia has been struggling to get training partners in the country with other wrestlers either training at their own centers or not being part of the camp. This has forced Punia to return to Chhatarsaal stadium, a center which he had left in 2014 after a fallout with fellow wrestlers. He now trains there three times a week.

Incidentally, four out of the six wrestlers selected for the Games train at the Chhatarsaal stadium in Delhi.

Deepak PUNIA (IND) will wrestle at 86kg at the Commonwealth Games. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

At 86kg, Sanjeet reached the final against Punia but could not break through the defense of the world silver medalist who now has a chance to win his first Commonwealth Games medal.

But it won't be easy for him as defending champion Muhammad INAM (PAK) has already announced his intentions of winning back-to-back gold medals.

Naveen NAVEEN (IND), right, is a 70kg bronze medalist at the Asian Championships. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

At 74kg, NAVEEN (IND) emerged as a surprise winner after he posted three back-to-back big wins at the trails. The Asian Championships bronze medalist at 70kg first got the better of Asian silver medalist JITENDER (IND), defeated cadet world champion Sagar JAGLAN (IND) in the semifinal before stunning 79kg Asian silver medalist Gourav BALIYAN (IND) 12-2 in the final.

"I was very confident today," Naveen said. "Once you get your first attack going, you realize how the other wrestler is defending and as the match goes on, you know they are getting tired.

"In the final, after I got four points, I realized Baliyan cannot keep up with me. They are cutting weight while for me it is easier to gain weight and wrestle."

Grewal Mohit GREWAL (IND) won the trials at 125kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Mohit GREWAL (IND) clinched the spot at 125kg after beating veteran wrestler SATENDER MALIK (IND) in a tense final which saw a long challenge review before a brawl at the end of the bout.

Malik was leading 3-0 with 30 seconds on the clock when Grewal got a single leg attack but was unable to finish it. However, Malik lost balance and fell which gave Grewal two points before he scored another with a stepout. The mat chairman did not score the two points.

Grewal challenged the call and lost before the review for the previous was checked again which made it clear that a takedown was completed. Malik was unhappy with the decision claiming that Grewal had no control during the takedown.

Deepak DEEPAK (IND) defeated Satywart KADIAN (IND) in the 97kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Vinay Siwach)

India saw the rise of new stars at 97kg after the domination of Satywart KADIAN (IND) and Mousam KHATRI (IND) for more than a decade. '21 junior world bronze medalist DEEPAK (IND) defeated Kadian in the semifinal while Sahil SEHRAWAT (IND) defeated Khatri in the other semifinal. Deepak humbled Kadian with a 5-2 win thanks to two takedowns while Sehrawat beat Khatri 10-0 using four gut wrenches.

But the final was a little anti-climatic as Deepak went past Sehrawat 10-0 with ease to make the Commonwealth Games team.

The team is scheduled to take part in the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup Ranking Series event next month but the wrestlers can skip it as well. The wrestlers for non-Olympic weight classes for the ranking series will be selected by the Wrestling Federation of India.

#WrestleAmman

Olympic champs prevail as Iran bounces back with 4 golds

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 - 19:27 By Ken Marantz

AMMAN, Jordan (March 26) -- With its two Olympic champions in action, it was a pretty sure thing that Iran would do better than its disappointing showing the previous day in Greco-Roman at the Asian Championships.

The wrestling powerhouse sure did, rebounding all the way to the top of four medal podiums. Paris Olympic gold medalists Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) defended their Asian titles in leading a quartet of Iranians who captured titles on Wednesday in Amman, a day after Iran came away with just a single gold.

Danial SOHRABI (IRI) and Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) also emerged victorious as Iran stormed to the team title with 201 points, well ahead of the 168 chalked up by second-place Uzbekistan, which claimed three golds on the opening day Tuesday -- all in head-to-head clashes with Iranian opponents. Japan finished third with 131 points.

Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK) won the other gold on offer on Wednesday with a victory at 60kg after taking silvers in 2018 and 2019.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) wrestles Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Saravi, competing for the first time since Paris, showed again why he has been the dominant force at Greco 97kg in recent years when he easily outclassed 2023 world U23 bronze medalist Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) 8-0 in the final.

"This is my first official appearance after the Olympic Games," Saravi said. "Thank God I was able to put on a good performance and win the gold medal."

Put in par terre, Saravi scored a roll against the gutsy but outmanned Nakazato, then added an arm drag takedown for a 5-0 lead. Just seconds into the second period, Saravi got behind for a takedown during a scramble that landed him out of bounds.

The Japanese side took a risk and challenged the call, even though losing it would give Saravi the winning point. That's just what happened, and Saravi was champion at 3:08 with his third technical fall in three matches without conceding a point.

"After the Olympics, I suffered a knee injury, but thankfully, I’m in much better condition now," Saravi said. "Over the past two or three months, I’ve been able to train at the camp under the supervision of the national team and I’ve reached a decent level of readiness and felt good.

"I hope to reach full readiness by the World Championships and deliver a strong performance there to achieve the best possible result."

The 27-year-old Saravi, who also won a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has not lost since falling 3-0 to Gabriel ROSSILO (CUB) in the semifinals of the 2023 World Championships.

Perhaps more impressively, he has finished in the top-three in every competition he has entered since the 2019 worlds, a streak of 18 tournaments that includes a world gold in 2021 and Asian gold in 2020.

Saravi said he looks forward to renewing his rivalry with four-time Olympic medalist Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM), whom he defeated in the final in Paris.

"Artur Aleksanyan is a great wrestler and someone I have a lot of respect for," Saravi said. "I see it as motivation for myself to face him several times in the coming years.

"I hope Aleksanyan can achieve the best results in the European Championships, and that we can put on a great match together at the World Championships so that the fans can enjoy it."

Saied ESMAEILI (IRI) sets up to throw Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) during the 67kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Earlier, Esmaeili, also making his first appearance since the Olympics, had to work a bit harder than Saravi to prevail 3-0 in the 67kg final over world U23 champion Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), a repeat of the outcome of last year's final.

"This edition of the Asian Championships had a high level of competition, with renowned wrestlers from Japan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan," Esmaeili said. "The Kyrgyz wrestler was the world U23 champion and a strong competitor. The Japanese wrestler was the Asian Games champion and showed a high level of performance."

Esmaeili got a 2-point throw from par terre in the first period, then held his ground to avoid giving up a passivity point in a scoreless second to relegate Beishekeev to the silver medal again.

"In the final, I fought for those six minutes, but my opponent wasn’t really there to wrestle with me," Esmaeili said. "I attacked him during those six minutes, and in the second period, he kept stopping the match to catch his breath. Honestly, the final was the toughest match."

Esmaeili said he had to make the tough transition that comes with the notoriety of becoming an Olympic champion.

"After becoming an Olympic champion, people expect a lot from me, and because of the matches I’ve had, their expectations have increased," he said. "Every competition we enter is more stressful than before because people say, 'He’s an Olympic champion, so he has to perform well.'

"That’s why we have to be careful not to lose. The pressure of competition has become much heavier for us since the Olympics."

The loss was Beishekeev's first since last year's final in Bishkek, after which he won titles at the 2024 World U23 Championships and at this year's Tirana Ranking Series tournament. He also has bronze medals from both the Asian Games and Asian Championships in 2023.

Danial SOHRABI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 72kg final against Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 72kg, Sohrabi completed a dominant run to the title by putting away 2024 bronze medalist Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) 8-0 in the final for his fourth technical fall in four matches -- all without giving up a point.

Sohrabi, the 2023 world U23 champion, took advantage of the first shot at par terre by scoring consecutive rolls for a 5-0 lead, added a stepout, then finished the match with a takedown at 2:38.

Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) wrestles Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) in the 82kg final at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

World U23 champion Naghousi had his work cut out for him in forging a 3-1 victory over Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) in the 82kg final.

Naghousi used a body lock throw to score from par terre in the first period, then defended well from the bottom in the second period, avoiding giving up points on a rolling throw attempt by Satayev, whose silver marks his first senior-level medal.

Se Ung RI (PRK) celebrates after winning the gold medal at the 60kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 60kg, Ri used his agility to step over and gain a 2-point exposure on a takedown attempt by world U23 champion Alisher GANIEV (UZB) in the second period, giving him a 6-4 win and his first victory in three trips to the Asian final.

"I trained really hard to make sure I would win first place here," Ri said. "In the match against the Uzbekistan athlete, since I was stronger overall, I tried my best to overpower him tactically and secure the gold medal."

Ri took the early lead with an arm drag takedown and gut wrench to go up 4-0, but Ganiev came back with a lateral drop for 2, then spun behind after stopping an arm throw to make it 4-4 with the criteria in his favor.

In the second period, Ganiev got in tight on a takedown attempt on the mat, but Ri stepped over the top to wrench Ganiev temporarily onto his back for the 2 that would give him the title.

Ri, who prevented Iran from having finalists in all five weight classes when he defeated Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI) 8-4 in the semifinals, said he prepared well for what he knew would be a tough competition in the Olympic weight class.

"The 60kg category is an Olympic category, that's why I studied all of the opponents carefully, watched a lot of match footage and worked hard to win," Ri said.

Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) edged Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 6-5 in the 82kg bronze-medal bout. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Qatar gains 2nd-ever Asian medal, with an Iranian tint

In the bronze-medal matches, Qatar picked up just its second-ever medal -- again thanks to the efforts of an import -- when Iranian-born Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) edged two-time bronze medalist Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 6-5 at 82kg.

Badaghimofrad, who finished fifth for Iran at the 2023 Asian Championships and made his debut for Qatar earlier this year, had fallen behind 5-4 from a scramble that was started from a nice 4-point fireman's carry by Rasulov. But Badaghimofrad used an arm drag for a takedown to go ahead before the break, then held off Rasulov in a second period that saw no passivity points assessed.

Qatar's only previous medal was a silver won at freestyle 125kg by Georgian-born Giorgi SAKANDELIDZE (QAT) in 2018 in Bishkek. There have been a handful of fifth-place finishes by native Qataris.

In the other 82kg match, Boseong KANG (KOR) pulls a surprise with a 6-6 victory over dethroned defending champion Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), using an effective arm throw to build a six-point lead before holding off a late charge from the Japanese teen.

At 60kg, Kaito INABA (JPN) added a bronze to the silver he won last year in Bishkek, defeating Iran's Naserpour 1-1 on last-point criteria in a match limited to passivity points.

With Inaba on top in the second period, Naserpour did an amazing job of preventing being thrown, but Inaba clinched the win when he wriggled out of a Naserpour arm spin late in the match.

The second bronze-medal match at 60kg was also decided on last point, as Ziyue XI (CHN) used a high-chest wrap to turn over Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ) from par terre and secure a 3-3 victory for the first major medal of his career.

Sulaimanov, who won an Asian U23 bronze here last year, converted a reverse body roll in his turn from par terre in the first period.

At 67kg, Man Gwang SON (PRK) scored a stepout with :43 second left, giving him the criteria advantage and a 2-2 victory over Nozimjon BOYKUZIEV (UZB). Boykuziev had gone ahead with a stepout during a throw in par terre to go up 2-1.

Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) won the 67kg bronze medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Asian Games champion Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) hit a rolling 4-point throw from par terre in the first period and that was more than enough to defeat NEERAJ (IND) 5-0 in a battle between the 2022 bronze medalists. The loss denied Neeraj a third career Asian bronze.

In a bizarre finish at 72kg, Ji LENG (CHN) was on his way to a victory over Omar AL DARAGHMEH (JOR) when a misguided challenge from the Jordan side gave the Chinese the points he needed for an 11-3 technical fall.

Leng had a pair of stepouts and a takedown-roll combination in the second period to build up a 9-3 lead when Al Daraghmeh attempted a pancake that was stopped and originally scored as 2 for Leng. The call was overturned as a slipped throw, but Jordan challenged anyway -- and "won" the challenge because Al Daraghmeh was instead assessed a 2-point leg foul penalty which ended the match.

Issei HONNA (JPN) earned the other 72kg bronze for his first international medal, ripping off three rolls from par terre en route to a 10-0 victory over Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM) in 2:13.

At 97kg, NITESH (IND), a two-time Asian U23 medalist, earned his first senior medal with a one-sided 9-0 victory over Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM). Nitesh scored three gut wrenches from par terre, then ended the match with an arm drag takedown with :04 left in the first period.

Youfang ZHANG (CHN) snatched the other 97kg bronze in impressive fashion, reversing Jewoo PARK (KOR) during a gut wrench and securing a fall at 2:00.

Day 2 Results

Greco-Roman

60kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Se Ung RI (PRK) df. Alisher GANIEV (UZB), 6-4

BRONZE: Kaito INABA (JPN) df. Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI), 1-1
BRONZE: Ziyue XI (CHN) df. Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ), 3-3

67kg (13 entries)
GOLD: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) df. Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), 3-0

BRONZE: Man Gwang SON (PRK) df. Nozimjon BOYKUZIEV (UZB), 2-2
BRONZE: Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) df. NEERAJ (IND), 5-0

72kg (14 entries)
GOLD: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) by TF, 8-0, 2:38

BRONZE: Ji LENG (CHN) df. Omar AL DARAGHMEH (JOR) by TF, 11-3, 5:14
BRONZE: Issei HONNA (JPN) df. Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM) by TF, 10-0, 2:13

82kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) df. Omar SATAYEV (KAZ), 3-1

BRONZE: Boseong KANG (KOR) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), 6-6
BRONZE: Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) df. Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB), 6-5

97kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) by TF, 8-0, 3:08

BRONZE: NITESH (IND) df. Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM) by TF, 9-0, 2:56
BRONZE: Youfang ZHANG (CHN) df. Jewoo PARK (KOR) by Fall, 2:00 (3-3)

Kumar hopes for Gilman showdown at Worlds

Comments

Olympic champs prevail as Iran bounces back with 4 golds