#WrestleAlmaty

LIVE BLOG: Senior Asian Championships, Day Three

By United World Wrestling Press

Day three here in Almaty and action shifts to women's wrestling as wrestlers from 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg, and 76kg.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

1930 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) pulls off a dramatic fall over Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) to win the gold medal here in Almaty at 76kg

1910 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) claims her fourth Asian title as she beats Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) in the final at 68kg

1845 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! SARITA (IND) defends her title! She beats Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) 10-7 to capture the top medal at 59kg. The Indian had lost to the Mongolian in the morning but she avenges that loss in dramatic comeback

1825 hrs: They were wrestling to decide the silver and bronze at 55kg and with Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB) beat Aisha UALISHAN (KAZ), she will take the silver at 55kg

1815 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Dulguun MUNKHBOLD BOLORMAA (MGL) captures the gold medal at 55kg as she wins all three of her bouts. She pins Hyungjoo KIM (KOR)

1810 hrs: GOLD MEDAL! Minute and 45 seconds is all Valentina ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ) needs to beat Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB) 10-0 and win the gold medal at 50kg

1805 hrs: A first period technical superiority win for SEEMA (IND) to win the bronze medal at 50kg. For the final now between Valentina ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ) and Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)

1800 hrs: Back for the final's session here in Almaty. All the action will be on Mat B, beginning with 50kg bronze medal bout between Yung Hsun LIN (TPE) and SEEMA (IND)

1330 hrs: We are all set for our semifinal on day one of women's wrestling

We will start off with 50kg as Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB) takes on SEEMA (IND) on Mat A while Valentina Ivanovna ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ) takes on Yung Hsun LIN (TPE) on Mat B

1310 hrs: Valentina Ivanovna ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ) gets the fall again! She has been outclassing her opponents here

1250 hrs: Eun Sun JEONG (KOR) pulls off a dramatic fall. Trailing 0-6, she gets a pin off NISHA (IND) at 68kg.

1235 hrs: Dulguun BOLORMAA (MGL) dominating here in Almaty. He gets a victory by fall over Aisha UALISHAN (KAZ) at 55kg

1210 hrs: Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) gets rolling with an 11-1 win over Azoda ESBERGENOVA (UZB) at 68kg

1208 hrs: Domination from Mongolia! Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) gets the pin in over NISHA (IND) at 68kg

1200 hrs: Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) gets her opening win over defending Asian champion SARITA (IND). A close bout between the two but it ends 5-4 in the Mongolian wrestler's favour

1145 hrs: Dulguun BOLORMAA (MGL) gets going on Mat A with a 10-0 win against Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB)

1130 hrs: All set for day three here. Women's wrestling is underway with all the action on Mat A and Mat B

#WrestleBratislava

Losonczi downs Olympic champ Novikov for 87kg European gold

By Vinay Siwach

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (April 12) -- David LOSONCZI (HUN) had his task cut out at the European Championships.

Over the years, his performance at different competitions of two-day formats saw a dip on the second day. So Hungary coach Viktor LORINCZ told him to be focused for six minutes.

Losonczi was up against Olympic champion Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) in the 87kg final of the European Championships in Bratislava in Saturday. The two had recently met in the Paris Olympic semifinal which Novikov won.

But the final in European Championships was a different story.

Losonczi wrapped his arm around Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) and scored a takedown in the first 30 seconds to take a 2-0 lead. Novikov locked Losonczi around the chest and tried to shift to a seatbelt position but the Hungarian pushed Novikov out-of-bounds with his head to lead 3-0. Novikov was put in par terre which gave Losonczi one more point but he failed to score from par terre and settled for the 4-0 lead.

Novikov's chance came in the second period when he got the par terre position. He turned Losonczi one time but when he tried the second time, both wrestlers were out of bounds. Losonczi led 4-3 with 1:31 left on the clock.

There was no comeback for Novikov in the final. Earlier in the tournament, Novikov had won two bouts in thrilling fashion, scoring late, one time with only one second left.

"During the break I told him that just three more minute and you can be the European champion. So this pushed him," Lorincz said.

After the loss, Novikov said that he made a few which cost him dearly in the final.

"This is still the beginning of the season and I am not 100 percent, especially after winning the Paris Olympics. I think, mentally I am not ready. Olympics was different," Novikov said. "My goal is the World Championships. I am European champion and Olympic champion. I want to be world champion. More work and hope and I will be world champion. I was much better in the final than yesterday. I gifted him two positions after locking him. I made mistakes and you can't make mistakes at this level. Before the Olympics, I knew that any thing is possible. But after Olympic, I know that everything is possible. All you need is belief in yourself."

At 63kg, Kerem KAMAL (TUR) earned his second European title with big win in the final. Kamal came out with a takedown and suplex for a 6-0 lead. Armenia challenged the call asking for a foul hold below the legs from Kamal but it lost the challenge on review to give Kamal another point.

Aslanyan got one back when Turkiye challenged for a throw which was adjudged a risk action from Aslanyan who got a point for lost challenge. Both wrestlers were without any challenges after that.

In the second period, Aslanyan pushed the pace but failed to break Kamal. A stepout got him the second point which cut the lead to 7-2 with a minute left in the final.

At 55kg, Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) denied Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) his third European title by beating the Azerbaijan wrestler 1-1 in the final.

Sefershaev got the benefit of the new Greco-Roman rule that United World Wrestling is testing at the European Championships which awards the wrestler who got the first point the win if the match ends 1-1.

The former European champion got the first par terre advantage but failed to score any points. However, he defended his par terre position when Azizli got the advantage in the second period and kept his 1-1 lead for the gold, his second at the European Championships.

Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) did not need any par terre advantages in his 77kg final against Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) as he scored a arm-drag takedown for two points in the second period and won his fourth straight European title.

This was Amoyan's first tournament since winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics and he did not show any sings of being away from the mat.

At 130kg, Sergei SEMENOV (UWW) defended his title with a 1-1 criteria win over Hamza BAKIR (TUR).

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) df. Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), 1-1

BRONZE: Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) df. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 8-1
BRONZE: Artiom DELEANU (MDA) df. Arnold MEGALY (SVK), 8-0

63kg
GOLD: Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Karen ASLANYAN (ARM), 7-2

BRONZE: Mairbek SALIMOV (POL) df. Andrii SEMENCHUK (UKR), 10-0
BRONZE: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) df. Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), via fall

77kg
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO), 4-3

BRONZE: Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) df. Albin OLOFSSON (SWE), via fall
BRONZE: Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) df. Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL), 3-1

87kg
GOLD: David LOSONCZI (HUN) df. Semen NOVIKOV (BUL), 4-3

BRONZE: Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df. Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR), 2-1
BRONZE: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) df. Hannes WAGNER (GER), 3-1

130kg
GOLD: Sergei SEMENOV (UWW) df. Hamza BAKIR (TUR), 1-1

BRONZE: Darius VITEK (HUN) df. Dzmitry ZARUBSKI (UWW), 6-0
BRONZE: Jello KRAHMER (GER) df. Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 1-1