#WrestleBudapest

LIVE BLOG: European Olympic Qualifier, Day One

Thursday, March 18, 2021 - 00:00 By Eric Olanowski

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (March 18) -- The quarterfinals are underway. The winners of these quarterfinals matches are one win away from punching their nation's ticket to the Tokyo Olympic Games. The semifinals begin on Thursday night at 18:00 (local time).

WATCH: https://uww.org/event/european-og-qualifier

Match of the Day
Candidate 1: Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (BLR) df. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR), 8-7
Candidate 2: Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) df. Niurgun SKRIABIN (BLR), 7-5

15:39: That'll do it for the opening session. We'll see you back here at 17:15 for the Opening Ceremony. The semifinals begin at 18:00.

15:36: Shamil SHARIPOV (RUS) is clearly upset with his performance against Robert BARAN (POL), but his 3-2 win puts him in tonight's semifinals against Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR).

15:20: These will be the last matches of the session. We'll take a break until the Opening Ceremony which starts at 17:15. Once those conclude, we'll roll into the semifinals at 18:00.

15:13: Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) ends his 97kg quarterfinals match against Ahmed BATAEV (BUL) with a big smile on his face. He trailed 3-3 on criteria and scored a stepout with less than five seconds left to win, 4-3. He'll wrestle Abraham CONYEDO (ITA) later tonight in the semifinals.

Semifinal Matchups (as they come in):
57kg
SEMIFINAL: Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) vs. Andrii YATSENKO (UKR)
SEMIFINAL: Georgi Valentinov VANGELOV (BUL) vs. Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE)

65kg
SEMIFINAL: Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) vs. Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) 
SEMIFINAL: Haji ALIYEV (AZE) vs. Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) 

74kg
SEMIFINAL: Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) vs. Ali UMARPASHAEV (BUL) 
SEMIFINAL: Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) vs. Maxim VASILIOGLO (ROU) 

86kg
SEMIFINAL: Osman GOCEN (TUR) vs. Boris MAKOEV (SVK) 
SEMIFINAL: Akhmed MAGAMAEV (BUL) vs. Ali SHABANAU (BLR) 

97kg
SEMIFINAL: Erik THIELE (GER) vs. Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR)
SEMIFINAL: Abraham CONYEDO (ITA) vs. Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR)

125kg
SEMIFINAL: Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR) vs. Shamil SHARIPOV (RUS)
SEMIFINAL: Jamaladdin MAGOMEDOV (AZE) vs. Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER) 

14:32: That was a close one! Ali UMARPASHAEV (BUL) led Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (BLR), 4-0, but gave up four unanswered points and escaped a close one. That criteria win pushed him into the 74kg semifinals.

14:08: Tevanyan takes out Olympic champion Khinchegashvili, 7-5, and moves into the semifinals where he'll take on Magomedmurad Gadzhiev for an Olympic berth.

14:00: What a start! Tevanyan puts up five quick points and leads Olympic champion Khinchegashvili, 5-0. 

13:55 Things are getting chippy on Mat A. Kilicsallayan continues to complain that Aliyev is pulling on singlet. Either way, he's trailing 5-0 with less than 30 seconds left.

13:48: The 65kg quarterfinals are about to get underway! 

13:38: European champion Arsen Harutunyunan keeps things rolling with a 10-5 quarterfinals win over Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO). He'll take on the winner of Gamzatgadzsi HALIDOV (HUN) and Andrii YATSENKO (UKR) in the semifinals.

13:27: What a match! Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) and Niurgun SKRIABIN (BLR) left it all on the mat, but it was Tevanyan who came out on top. The Armenian trailed 5-1 with less than a minute to go but strung together six points from a takedown and a pair of gut wrenches. Tevanyan moved into the quarterfinals with a 7-5 win. He'll wrestle Olympic champion Vlad Khinchegashvili for a spot in tonight's semifinals.

13:10: Aliyev came to scrap! He'll meet '19 European runner-up Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR) in the quarterfinals after cruising to a 13-2 win over George RAMM (GBR).

13:04: The wait is over! Haji Aliyev, the three-time world champion, is up now on Mat A.

13:03: What a comeback! Gadzhiev trailed 4-2 with less than 30 seconds left but scored a takedown and a stepout to defeat George BUCUR (ROU), 5-4.

13:01: Two-time world medalist Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) is making his first appearance down at 65kg since the '18 World Championships. In December, he claimed 70kg gold at the Individual World Cup.

12:45: There's your Match of the Day! Kadzimahamedau survived a late flurry of points but hung on to upset Demirtas, 8-7. Turkey now has to answer the tough question: Is Demirtas their guy for the final Olympic qualification event, the World OG Qualifier (May 6-9) or do they put the weight on the shoulders of two-time world medalist Yakup GOR?

12:43: There's an upset brewing on Mat B! Kadzimahamedau just scored eight unanswered points against Rio Olympic bronze medalist Demirtas and leads 8-3.

12:38: Rio Olympic silver medalist Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) is wrestling Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (BLR) on Mat B.

12:37: Kentchazdze opens the seconds period up with a takedown, followed by a pair of leg laces. He's leading 8-2 with 90 seconds left.

12:33: It's still early in the match, but '18 world silver medalist Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) and Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM) are trading takedowns on Mat C!

12:24: We're all waiting for three-time world champion Haji ALIYEV (AZE) to wrestle his first match! It's been a long morning, but I promise, he's coming up soon. He'll be up in four matches (Bout 15) on Mat A.

12:05: It wasn't anything flashy or highlight-worthy, but that's the name of the game here -- win and move on. Khinchegashvili conserved his energy and wrestled a smart match. He moved into the second round with a 3-1 win over  Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR). Next up, the Olympic champ will take on Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA) on Mat C (Bout 63).

11:58: Here. We. Go. Olympic champion "King Vlad" is wrestling on Mat C.

11:57: Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (BLR) ends Finsilver's quest to become Israel's second freestyle Olympian with a 7-0 shutout win.

11:49: Israel has only ever had one freestyle Olympian. Mitchell FINESILVER (ISR) begins his quest to make it two. He's wrestling on Mat C.

11:43: The last time Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) stepped foot on a mat, he had the tournament of his life. He upset reigning world bronze medalist Ismail MUSUKAEV (HUN) and won 65kg Individual World Cup gold. Can Tevanyan put back-to-back competitions together? We'll find out shortly as he's coming up on Mat A in three matches (Bout 8).

11:38: The lone-Russian freestyle wrestler, Shamil SHARIPOV, is up on Mat A. Russia already qualified 56kg, 65kg, 75kg, 86kg and 97kg for the Olympic Games through the Nur-Sultan World Championships. If Sharipov can finish top two today, Russia will be represented at each weight in Tokyo.

11:35: There were no signs that the weight cut was an issue for Arsen Harutyunyan. He looked impressive in his first match The European champion put up ten points against Uladzislau ANDREYEU (BLR) and won, 10-2.

11:23: Rio Olympic champion Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) is up on Mat C in four matches (Bout 56). He'll try to qualify Georgia and himself for a third Olympic Games. His first Olympics were in '12 where he made it to the finals but fell short of winning gold. Then, in Rio, he reached the summit of the wrestling world by defeating Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) in the 57kg finals to become Georgia's second Olympic champ. 

11:09: European champion (at 61kg) Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) is making his way to Mat A to wrestle Uladzislau ANDREYEU (BLR). It's a big weight cut for the Armenian, so this first match after a draining cut is always telling. Harutyunyan struggled at 57kg at the World Championships, where he finished in 16th place, but bounced back at the Individual World Cup with a silver medal. Which Harutyunyan is going to show up today? 

11:00: Get ready for an emotional day! There will be a total of 12 Olympic berths earned today. The top two wrestlers at each weight punch their nation's ticket to the Olympic Games. One thing to remember: you qualify your nation and not yourself for The Games.

Thursday's Schedule (local time):
11:00: Qualification rounds FS – 57-65-74-86-97-125kg
17:15: Opening Ceremony
18:00: Tokyo 2020 Qualifying Round (Semi-Final) for FS – 57-65-74-86-97-125kg

#WrestlePontevedra

U20 Worlds: Zakriev dominates to gold; Abdevali repeats

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 - 09:57 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (September 3) -- Erzu ZAKRIEV (AIN) was unsure if he would be participating in the U20 World Championships. Zakriev began preparing only two days before the start of the tournament in Spain.

"We were told that we wouldn’t come here," Zakriev said. "I went into relaxed mode. It was only three days before we were told that we could go. The way was really long and difficult, we were cutting weight at the airport. We had to change four flights on our way. We arrived at midnight and early next day I had my first match in the morning. I didn’t even have time to rest."

Zakriev did not show any signs of distress as he began the competition with a technical superiority win and reached the final with two more wins. On Tuesday, the 19-year-old won the gold medal at 63kg in Pontevedra, Spain, being the final against Otto BLACK (USA) 8-0.

A minute into the final and Zakriev had Black on the backfoot with a stepout and takedown. Black never got a chance to come back into the final as Zakriev finished it in two minutes and 40 seconds.

Erzu ZAKRIEV (AIN)Erzu ZAKRIEV (AIN) tries to complete a throw against Otto BLACK (USA) in the 63kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

"I was very confident," he said. "Last year I was third at the national championships, and this year I finished first. I haven’t lost any single match for a year now."

The dominance of Zakriev was evident in the U20 European Championships as well as he outscored his opponents 29-0 in four bouts, winning the gold medal over Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO), an opponent he defeated 16-4 in the semifinals on Monday.

Hailing from Chechnya, Zakriev grew up in Goyty village and began training after his parents took him to the academy when he was eight years old.

"I will be moving to the Olympic weight class of 67kg from next year," he said.

The United States suffered another heartbreak in the final as Isaiah CORTEZ (USA) lost the 55kg final against Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI).

Unlike Black, Cortez had his chances to take the lead against Ahmadi Vafa in the final. He even had the Iranian in a fall position but failed to finish it. Ahmadi Vafa eventually won the final 11-3 in a match that was closer than the scoreline shows.

Ahmadi Vafa got the first par terre advantage and he used a high gut-wrench to take a 5-0 lead over Cortez. He used an arm spin to score two more points to make the lead 7-0. Cortez cut it to 7-2 just before the break with exposure.

Cortez, however, failed to score from par terre and Ahmadi Vafa led 7-3 with 1:25 left on the clock. Two desperate bodylock throws ended up in Cortez giving up points.

Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI)Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) scores two points over Isaiah CORTEZ (USA) in the 55kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

"I wrestled really well to reach the final. I had analyzed my American opponent’s wrestling style, and thank God, I was able to wrestle with the best results and win the gold medal," Ahmadi Vafa said.

A former U17 world champion, Ahmadi Vafa finished without a medal last year at the U20 Worlds. A gold medal in Pontevedra gave him some relief from his medalless campaign from last year.

"Last year, I couldn’t win a good medal and lost in the world championships," he said. "This year, I managed to win gold. Next year, I have the junior competitions again, but my main goal is to be selected for the senior competitions."

This was the first time since 2017 that the U.S. had two finalists in Greco-Roman at the U20 World Championships. Kamal BEY (USA) won the title in 2017. However, the wait for a new U20 world champion just grew for the U.S.

Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI)Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) won his second U20 world gold medal at 77kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Defending U20 world champion Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) added the second gold medal, winning the 77kg weight class. Wrestling Magomed IARBILOV (AIN) in the final, Abdevali got the par terre advantage but failed to score and Iarbilov scored a reversal to lead 1-1 on criteria.

Abdevali scored an arm-drag takedown in the second period to lead 3-1 and defended it till the end of the time to win his second gold medal at this level.

"I feel great that I was able to win my second world championship medal," he said. "It felt even better than when I won the first time. I’m just at the beginning of my journey, and there’s a long way to go until the Olympics."

Alireza is the fourth of the five Abdevali brothers but said that he felt no pressure to win because of his family name.

"I didn’t feel any pressure. My older brother, Saeid, is a great wrestler, and he gives me motivation and spirit to be a fighter."

Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) scores on Abolfazl FATHITAZANGI (IRI) in the 130kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Iran could have won three gold medals on Tuesday but former U20 European champion Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) denied Abolfazl FATHITAZANGI (IRI), 5-3, in the 130kg final.

Darabos trailed 3-0 at the break after giving up a turn from par terre. However, when he got the par terre in the second period, he turned Fathitazangi twice and took a 5-3 lead and defended it.

This is the first U20 world champion for Hungary since 2019 and the first since 2012 in the highest weight class.

Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ)Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) won the 87kg gold medal after beating Joju SAMADOV (AZE) in the final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Zhanyshov upgrades

Returning bronze medalist Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) upgraded to gold after he defeated Joju SAMADOV (AZE), 8-0, in the 87kg final to win Kyrgyzstan's first U20 world title in Greco-Roman since 2019. Incidentally, the last U20 world champion -- Erbol BAKIROV (KGZ) -- also hails from the same village, Taygaray, as Zhanyshov.

In the final, Samadov found it difficult to match the pace of Zhanyshov and failed to stop any of his attacks. He gave up five stepouts in the final.

"I had a great training camp with the senior team," Zhanyshov said. "I already have experience wrestling at the senior level. The difference is that on age-group levels you have to be prepared technically, performing throws and moves, while at the senior level that won’t be enough. You have to be physically and functionally very well prepared. So, my level is now senior."

Having trained with world champions Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) and Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), Zhanyshov felt motivated by his seniors and was determined to win the gold medal.

"Makhmudov and Sharshenbekov are my wrestling role models," he said.

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RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) df. Isaiah CORTEZ (USA), 11-3

BRONZE: Alibek AMIROV (11) df. Rahim HASANOV (AZE), 10-0
BRONZE: Aibek AITBEKOV (KAZ) df. Maxim SARMANOV (MDA), 10-1

63kg
GOLD: Erzu ZAKRIEV (AIN) df. Otto BLACK (USA), 8-0

BRONZE: Erfan JARKANI (IRI) df. Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO), 6-2
BRONZE: Yurik HOVEYAN (ARM) df. Enes ULKU (TUR), 2-1

77kg
GOLD: Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) df. Magomed IARBILOV (AIN), 3-1

BRONZE: Levente LEVAI (HUN) df. Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR), 3-2
BRONZE: Tornike MIKELADZE (GEO) df. Karl BAFF (SWE), 5-3 

87kg
GOLD: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) df. Joju SAMADOV (AZE), 8-0

BRONZE: Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Patrik GORDAN (ROU), 10-0
BRONZE: Ruben GEVORGYAN (ARM) df. Temirlan TURDAKYN (KAZ), 3-1

130kg
GOLD: Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) df. Abolfazl FATHITAZANGI (IRI), 5-3

BRONZE: Aden ATTAO (USA) df. Aleksandr MELEKHOV (AIN), via fall
BRONZE: Samagan ORMONOV (KGZ) df. Aramayis HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), via fall

Semifinals 

60kg
GOLD: Servet ANGI (TUR) vs. Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI)

SF 1: Servet ANGI (TUR) df. Ongdassyn KHAMITOV (KAZ), 9-8
SF 2: Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) df. Papik DZHAVADIAN (AIN), 9-8

67kg
GOLD: Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) vs. Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ)

SF 1: Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) df. Kojiro HASEGAWA (JPN), 10-0
SF 2: Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ) df. Grair OGANESIAN (AIN), 7-5

72kg
GOLD: Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) vs. Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) df. Muhammed GOCMEN (TUR), 1-1
SF 2: Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM) df. Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE), 4-1

82kg
GOLD: Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) vs. Alperen BERBER (TUR)

SF 1: Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) df. Abdurakhman ABDULKADYROV (AIN), via inj. def.
SF 2: Alperen BERBER (TUR) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), 12-0

97kg
GOLD: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) vs. Darius KIEFER (GER)

SF 1: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) df. Anatolii AVERIN (AIN), 7-4
SF 2: Darius KIEFER (GER) df. Ahmet EREMEKTER (TUR), via fall