#WrestleRome

Live Blog: U17 World Championships, Day 6

Saturday, July 30, 2022 - 09:12 By Vinay Siwach

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ROME, Italy (July 30) -- The final full day of competition at the U17 World Championships is here. The five remaining freestyle weight classes will be in action as the USA looks to build on the splendid show from Friday. The wrestlers from 45kg, 51kg, 60kg, 71kg and 92kg will take the mats.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER | DAY 5 WRAP

14:17: The 71kg semifinals

Razmik YEPREMYAN (ARM) vs. Joseph SEALEY (USA)
Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE) vs. Raul CASO (ITA) 

14:45: The 60kg semifinals are set

Nikhil PILANAGOILA (IND) vs. Ebrahim ELAHI (IRI)
Taiga OGINO (JPN) vs. Bilol SHARIP UULU (KGZ)

14:40: The 51kg semifinals with U17 world silver Luke LILLEDAHL (USA)

Nurdanat AITANOV (KAZ) vs. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA)
Mohammad Reza ASADI (IRI) vs. Elman AGHAYEV (AZE) 

14:35: Here are the 45kg semifinals

Domenic MUNARETTO (USA) vs. Amirmohammad NAVAZI (IRI)
Constantin RUSU (MDA) vs. Bashir VERDIYEV (AZE) 

14:20: The 92kg semifinals are set

Erfan ALIZADEH (IRI) vs. Musza ARSUNKAEV (HUN)
Maxwell MCENELLY (USA) vs. Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ) 

13:45: These are some absolutely top-class quarterfinals at 45kg

Amirmohammad NAVAZI (IRI) vs. Azymberdi ASHYRGULYYEV (TKM)
Taiga OGITA (JPN) vs. Constantin RUSU (MDA)
Domenic MUNARETTO (USA) vs. Arman HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)
Nikoloz BOTCHORISHVILI (GEO) vs. Bashir VERDIYEV (AZE) 

13:23: European champion at 51kg Elman AGHAYEV (AZE) enters the quarterfinals with a 10-0 win over Mustafa KARABUGA (TUR). He will now face Abbosbek KOBILOV (UZB)

13:15: Asian bronze medalist Abbosbek KOBILOV (UZB) with a quick 10-0 win over Arvind KUMAR (IND) at 51kg. This all but ends India's hopes of defending their team title

12:55: Another European champion falls! Returning bronze medalist and Asian champion Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ) controlled most of his 92kg bout against Ibrahim BENEKLI (TUR) to win 6-0.

12:35: European bronze medalist Nikoloz MAISURADZE (GEO) upsets the 71kg European champion Kaloyan ATANASOV (BUL) 4-0 in the qualification bout. The two did not meet in the continental championships as Maisuradze was beaten by Raul CASO (ITA) in the semifinal. Caso, a silver medalist from Bucharest beat Ion MARCU (MDA) 8-6 in Rome.

12:20: Big win for 60kg European champion Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) over Asian silver medalist Javokhir CHULIBOYEV (UZB). He rolls to a 10-0 victory. Asian champion Bilol SHARIP UULU (KGZ) also gets a 10-0 win over Aidyn BEKBAYEV (KAZ)

12:10: Not the most accomplished opponent but Ebrahim ELAHI (IRI) looked impressive against Kaige BROWN (NZL) for a 10-0 win at 60kg.

11:55: The 45kg qualification bouts went quickly. Here are the results

Domenic MUNARETTO (USA) df. Ningappa GENANNAVAR (IND), 10-0
Constantin RUSU (MDA) df. Nurassyl ASSAMBEK (KAZ), 7-6
Amirmohammad NAVAZI (IRI) df. Riccardo BONANNO (ITA), 10-0
Bashir VERDIYEV (AZE) df. Vladyslav CHORNOVIL (UKR), 10-0
Arman HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df. Zhanysh MOIDUNOV (KGZ), 13-7
Nikoloz BOTCHORISHVILI (GEO) df. MUSTAFA KOYUN (TUR), via fall

11:30: The repchage rounds are over and we are beginning with the 45kg qualification bouts at the U17 World Championships.

#WrestleParis

Lopez announces comeback, eyes historic fifth Olympic gold

Thursday, May 25, 2023 - 11:02 By Eric Olanowski

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POREC, Croatia (May 23) -- The rumors are in the rearview and it’s official.

Mijain LOPEZ (CUB), the Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Olympic champion, officially announced his return to wrestling to chase a record-setting fifth Olympic gold medal.

The Cuban superheavy is widely regarded as the Greatest of all Time, but he’s not interested in sharing a page in the history books with anyone else. He wants all the glory for himself.

"I’m coming back to wrestle at the Paris Olympic Games. I want to become the first wrestler to win five Olympic gold medals,” Lopez told United World Wrestling on Monday night.

Lopez, flanked by fellow Tokyo Olympic champions Luis ORTA (CUB) and Zhan BELENIUK (UKR), made the announcement from the international training camp in Poreč, Croatia, where he’s beginning his Paris preparations.

Lopez, who’ll be 41 years old this August, hung up his wrestling boots shortly after he won his fourth Olympic gold medal. But “The Kid” has since rekindled his desire to stand alone in wrestling history. He’s currently tied with Kaori ICHO (JPN) (who officially retired in 2020) as the only pair of wrestlers to win four Olympic titles.

A win for Lopez in Paris would also move him into the top spot as wrestling’s oldest Olympic champion -- dethroning Adolf LINDFORS (FIN) (41 years 6 months 12 days), Arsen MEKOKISHVILI (URS) (40 years 3 months 11 days) and Icho (32 years 2 months 4 days) --who hold the Greco-Roman, freestyle and women’s wrestling records, respectively.

The Cuban Giant will wrestle on August 6 at the 2024 Olympic Games and will be two weeks shy of his 42nd birthday, which would beat Lindfors’ record by nearly six months.

Lopez’s attention now turns to getting his massive body back down to the Olympic weight of 130kg/286 lbs.

“Right now, he has to focus on getting his weight under control, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” a source close to Lopez said. “He currently weighs 145kg/319 lbs. That seems like a big weight cut, but his body was in the same position heading into the Tokyo Olympics and he outscored everyone 24-0.”

For the time being, as Lopez gets his weight under control, Oscar PINO (CUB) will remain Cuba’s 130kg Greco-Roman starter.

Pino will compete at the 2023 World Championships, where he’ll have to qualify Cuba for the 2024 Olympic Games -- similar to the 2019 World Championships where he qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games with his runner-up finish. He’ll again relinquish his spot and take a seat on the bench as Lopez chases Olympic history.

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