#WrestleBelgrade

Live Blog, U23 World Championships Day 1: GR 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg

Monday, November 1, 2021 - 08:50 By United World Wrestling Press

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BELGRADE, Serbia (November 1) -- The U23 World Championships get underway in Belgrade, Serbia with Greco-Roman action. Five weight classes -- 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg -- will be in action on day one of the competitions at the Belexpocentar.

MATCH ORDER | WATCH LIVE

1430: That will do for the morning session of the first day at the U23 World Championships. Iran puts four in the semifinals while Russia has three. We will be back for the semifinals at 1800 local time

1420: Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) comes from behind to score a 10-5 win over Erkan ERGEN at 77kg and secures a place in the semifinals

1410: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) looks unstoppable today! He beats Anton SAVENKO (KAZ) and moves into the semifinals at 130kg. At 55kg, Taylor LA MONT (USA) is into the semifinals after beating Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO) 6-3

1350: Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO) gets the fall! He moves on to the semifinal at 87kg after beating Muhutdin SARICICEK (TUR)

1330: Abuladze is called passive and Tibilov gets the lift. He is unable to score and it's the Georgian who lands on top and scores 2. Russia challenges the call. It stands. A point for the lost challenge as well. Abuladze leads 6-1. Pushout adds one more. He hangs on for a 7-3 win

1320: We are beginning with the quarterfinals here in Belgrade. A big bout on Mat A as Leri ABULADZE (GEO) takes on Georgii TIBILOV (RUS). The Russian is called passive and Abuladze gets a roll to lead 3-0 at the break

1300: A battle worthy of a final but we saw it in the 1/8 finals. Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) and Mikhail LAPTAEV (RUS) in an intense battle but the Iranian comes out on top 2-1. He moves on into the quarterfinals.

1230: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) was called passive twice but he defends the par terre position against Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) and won 1-1 at 55kg 

1210: No stopping Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS)! He defeats 2020 Asian champion Sunil KUMAR (IND) 6-2 to move into the quarterfinals at 87kg

1200: 2019 World bronze medalist Ali Reza NEJATI (IRI) has no trouble going past NEERAJ (IND) at 63kg. Easy 9-0 win for the Iranian

1145: World silver medalist Leri ABULADZE (GEO) doesn't take much time to get his first win over Assaukhat MUKHAMADIYEV (KAZ). He wins 5-1 at 63kg.  

1130: U23 Euro champion Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) with the fireworks. A big throw to secure a 9-0 win over Andrej GINC (GER) at 63kg

1115: Nikoloz TCHIKAIDZE (GEO) was trailing 1-5 in the opening round at 77kg but makes a comeback to beat Lamjed MAAFI (TUN) 8-5

1100: Tokyo Olympian and Asian champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) has put the right steps to start his tournament. He wins 6-1 against Nikola MILATOVIC (NOR) 

1050: Another great start for Russia as Mikhail LAPTEV (RUS) makes it look easy against Nikolaos NTOUNIAS (GRE) with a 9-1 win. 

1040: U23 European champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) with a big 3-1 win Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) to get going at the 87kg 

1030: Welcome to the U23 World Championships! A day after the UWW Congress where Nenad LALOVIC was re-elected as the UWW President, the limelight shifts to wrestling. Greco-Roman will get us going.

#WrestleZagreb

Kayaalp Returns with Gold at Zagreb Open; Gomi stuns Ganiev

Monday, February 9, 2026 - 01:45 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (February 8) -- Wearing gold medals is nothing new for Riza KAYAALP (TUR), an Olympic, world and 12-time European champion with a career spanning more than 15 years.

But wearing the Zagreb Open gold on Sunday felt different for Kayaalp.

Returning to the mat after a hiatus of 18 months, Kayaalp wrestled at the Ranking Series event and claimed the 130kg gold medal. The 36-year-old looked sharp in Zagreb, repeatedly using the trademark gut-wrench to win his bouts. He showed no signs of fading in any bout and remained in complete control throughout.

Kayaalp opened with a 9-0 technical superiority win over Aden ATTAO (USA) and followed with another 9-0 victory against Rati TALIKISHVILI (GEO). In the semifinals, he was content with winning 4-0 against Olzhas SYRLYBAY (KAZ), getting both passivity advantages.

 Facing Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA) in the final, Kayaalp scored three turns from par terre to lead 7-0. Schultz was given par terre advantage in the second period but failed to score as Kayaalp secured a 7-1 victory.

"It has been a day full of pride and joy for me to return to this beautiful mat," Kayaalp said. "I returned to the place that has been a part of my life, and to wear the gold medal here again."

At the 2023 European Championships at the same Arena Zagreb, Kayaalp had won his record-tying 12th gold medal. Later that year, he qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics with a silver medal at the World Championships.

However, his career stalled in 2024 when he received a competition ban. Following a lengthy appeal process, Kayaalp cleared his name and returned to the sport, with the Zagreb Open being his first tournament.

"It was a stressful time. Things I never wanted happened to me," he said. "There is nothing worse in life than not being able to explain yourself. But we still have something to live for."

Kayaalp had planned to retire after the Paris Games. After missing the event, however, he returned with renewed motivation to win medals at the Olympics, World Championships and the European Championships.

"There is great fire, ambition and renewal within me," he said. "That old boredom in my mind is gone. I got angry, very angry. But now I hope to have good goals."

Riza KAYAALP (TUR)Riza KAYAALP (TUR) receives the gold medal from Taha AKGUL (TUR). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Taha AKGUL (TUR), a long-time teammate of Kayaalp but in Freestyle and now the President of the Turkish Wrestling Federation, called Kayaalp the magician.

"He came here with around twenty percent preparation," Akgul said about Kayaalp. "We have the European Championship ahead and we will prepare well. Hopefully, he will break Karelin's record by becoming European champion for the thirteenth time."

Kayaalp and Aleksandr KARELIN are tied at 12 European gold medals, and the former nearly broke the record in 2024. However, he got pinned by Sergey SEMENOV (UWW) in the final.

"He is the brother, the captain, the magician of the team," Akgul said. "We set out on this journey as two brothers. It was the same when I was an athlete. We won our gold medals together. Now, we want to represent Turkish wrestling in the same way."

Turkiye won the second gold medal of the day through Yuksel SARICICEK (TUR) who denied Mihail BRADU (MDA), 5-0, in the final.

As soon as the second period began, Bradu tried hitting an arm-throw on Saricicek but the Turkiye wrestler countered and flung Bradu and got four points.

That was the only action in the second period as Saricicek claimed the gold medal. Saricicek survived a tough semifinal against Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) but managed to scrap past 4-3.

Alex SZOKE (HUN)Alex SZOKE (HUN) tries to score against Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Alex SZOKE (HUN) took a step closer to making the Hungarian team at 97kg for the European Championships after winning gold medal at the same weight here in Zagreb.

Facing former U20 world champion Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) in the final, Szoke managed to get both par terre position and also a turn to lead 4-0, which was also the winning score for him.

Hajiali HOSSEINVAND (IRI) emerged as the latest entry in Iran for a weight class. Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) had long been Iran's go-to at 55kg but then emerged Payam AHMADI (IRI) who won gold at U20 World Championships and silver at the senior level.

Now, Hosseinvand defeated Dad Marz in the semifinal in Zagreb and later went on to win the gold medal, defeating Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), 2-0, in the final.

Hosseinvand got both par terre advantages in the match. While he did not score any points in the final, he defended his positions and did not give any either to claim the gold medal.

 

At 72kg, former U20 world champion Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) controlled his final against Nika BROLADZE (GEO) and won the gold medal, posting a 4-1 victory.

Alameldin was put in par terre in the first period which gave Broladze a point. As he was unable to score any points, Broladze led only 1-0 at the break.

Broladze gave up a point via stepout at the start of the second period which gave Alameldin a 1-1 criteria lead. Alameldin then got the par terre advantage, making the score 2-1.

In the final 30 seconds, Broladze tried some desperate moves but Alameldin bodylocked him and brought him down for two points which sealed the win for him.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Hajiali HOSSEINVAND (IRI) df. Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), 2-0

BRONZE: Omer RECEP (TUR) df. Arsen ZHUMA (KAZ), 8-0
BRONZE: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. LALIT (IND), 5-3

60kg
GOLD: Koto GOMI (JPN) df. Alisher GANIEV (UZB), 10-0

BRONZE: Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) df. Yu SHIOTANI (JPN), 1-1
BRONZE: Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ) df. Sajjad ABBASPOUR (IRI), via fall

72kg
GOLD: Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) df. Nika BROLADZE (GEO), 4-1

BRONZE: Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) df. Abror ATABAEV (UZB), 3-3
BRONZE: Shakhzod KUCHKOROV (UZB) df. Alejandro SANCHO (USA), 11-0

82kg
GOLD: Yuksel SARICICEK (TUR) df. Mihail BRADU (MDA), 5-0

BRONZE: Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) df. Beka MELELASHVILI (USA), 10-1
BRONZE: Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) df. Jesse PORTER (USA), 7-2

97kg
GOLD: Alex SZOKE (HUN) df. Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ), 4-0

BRONZE: Hadi SEYDI AVENDI (IRI) df. Iussuf MATSIYEV (KAZ), 1-1
BRONZE: Giorgi MELIA (GEO) df. Mihail KAJAIA (SRB), 2-1

130kg
GOLD: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA), 7-1

BRONZE: Darius VITEK (HUN) df. Artur SARKISJAN (CZE), 1-1
BRONZE: Olzhas SYRLYBAY (KAZ) df. Rati TALIKISHVILI (GEO), 6-1