#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Live Blog: #WrestleUlaanbaatar Asian Championships day two

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (April 20) -- The second day of the Asian Championships will see the five Greco-Roman weights in action. After Kyrgyzstan won two gold and Kazakhstan, Japan, and Iran had one each, Wednesday will decide the team title race.

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13:23: That's it for the morning session on Day 2 at the Buyant Ukhaa Sports Palace. Iran has four wrestlers in the five finals in the evening session to start at 18:00 local time. Korea and Kazakhstan have two finalists each, while Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have one each. 

13:20: Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI) was trailing 1-1 on criteria against Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) with 40 seconds remaining but scores a takedown to lead 3-1. Kyrgyzstan challenged it but lost. Balihamzehdeh sets up a final against Assakalov

13:14: Ryu builds up an early lead and chalks up a hard-fought 6-2 victory over Endo to make the final at 67kg against Shermakhanbet--a rematch of the 2019 final won 3-1 by Ryu. Shermankhanbet advances with a 6-3 win over 2020 silver medalist Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB )

13:05: Rasoul GARMSIRI (IRI) goes for a reverse lift from par terre to get five points and ultimately pin Harpreet SINGH (IND). That was a stunning move from Garmsiri

13:00: Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) is into the finals at 97kg. He beats Sanzhar SERIKKAN (KAZ) 8-0 to secure his spot in the gold medal bout.

12:55: Sharshenbekov sets up a final against Mohsen Nejad with a 6-1 win in the other 60kg semifinal over Fidakhmetov. 

12:53: Mohsen Nejad beats Suzuki for the second year in a row in the semifinals at 60kg, but it was much more difficult than last year's 9-1 win. Mohsen Nejad scores 5 points in the first period in par terre, then holds off the Japanese for a 5-4 win.

12:40: Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB ), the 2020 silver medalist, fills the final semifinal spot at 67kg with a 14-5 technical fall over a gutsy Nyamdorj BATTULGA (MGL). He next faces 2018 world bronze medalist Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ), who pulled off one of the most intriguing moves of the session in beating Sachin SAHRAWAT (IND), gaining an arm lock and somersaulting the Indian onto his back before getting a headlock for a fall.

12:25: Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI) did get hit for four but Jewoo PARK (KOR) cannot get out of the lock after hitting the drop. Balihamzehdeh secures the fall at 97kg

12:22: Ryu twice hits the same slick lateral drop as he's backed to the edge for 4, and that's it for Badaghimofrad in 2:38. He'll face 2018 world U23 champion Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) in the semifinals. 

12:10: Yuya OKAJIMA (JPN) had no wins in three Asian Championships in his career but he snubs that trend by beating a silver medalist from Almaty Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ) 5-3 at 82kg in Ulaanbaatar.

12:07: Mohammadreza MOKHTARI (IRI) gets four points from par terre in the first period to lead 5-0 before a takedown and stepout in the second period makes it 8-0 against Adilkhan NURLANBEKOV (KGZ) at 72kg

12:06: On deck at 67kg on Mat C, veteran Hansu RYU (KOR), who won his fourth Asian title in 2021 at 72kg, against Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (IRI), a 2019 world junior bronze medalist at 63kg. 

12:05: Top seed Dias KALEN (KAZ) gets the par terre in the second period and gets the guts going to win 9-1 against Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB)

11:55: Ayata SUZUKI (JPN), a bronze medalist in 2021, will get a chance to avenge his semifinal loss last year in Almaty to Mohsen Nejad after notching a 12-3 technical fall over Firuz TUKHTAEV (UZB)

11:55: Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) goes four gut wrenches from par terre to win his quarterfinal at 97kg 10-0 against Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN). He is looking for his first gold at 97kg

11:45: At 60kg on Mat A, world silver medalist Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) and Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) both won handily. The two are favorites to meet in the final

11:42: Yernur FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) scores a 2-point takedown at the edge with :05 left to knock off Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) in the 60kg quarterfinals. 

11:32: Mirzobek RAKHMATOV (UZB ) needed little time to finish off Vikas VIKAS (IND) at 72kg, gaining a takedown and four back-and-forth gut wrenches for an 8-0 technical fall in :40.

11:30: The action is ready to start on Day 2 in chilly Ulaanbaatar, with the final five weight classes in Greco, 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg and 97kg.

#CanadaWrestling

Former world champion Di Stasio of Canada retires

By United World Wrestling Press

OTTAWA, Canada (March 13) -- After nearly 15 years of representing Canada, Justina DI STASIO (CAN) has decided to retire.

During her career, Di Stasio built an impressive resume that will go down as one of the all-time greats in Canadian wrestling history. The 32-year-old represented Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Di Stasio won gold medal at the World Championship in 2018, a Pan-American Games gold medal in 2019 and Commonwealth Games gold in 2022. In addition, she is a multiple-time Pan-Am Championships gold medalist.

While there have been many memorable moments, a few stood out to Di Stasio, including her start with the national team, her win at the 2018 worlds, being coached on the national team by two-time Olympic medalist Tonya VERBEEK (CAN), and making her first Olympics in 2024.

“Winning worlds was a special moment, especially because I could hear my parents cheering from the stands," Di Stasio said. "It reminded me of my tournaments as a kid. It also helped me frame everything in my life better. I realized it is about the journey and not the destination. It was amazing to feel the way I did on that one day, but it was only one day. I had worked so hard in the lead up, but I realized I had to enjoy those days too. I still wanted to be the best in the world and I never didn’t train like it, but from that point, I made sure to enjoy my wrestling every day.”

That love for the sport kept Di Stasio going despite setbacks that stalled her dream of competing at the Olympics. After failing to qualify for the Rio and Tokyo Games, Di Stasio qualified for Paris 2024, eventually finishing 12th.

“Making it to the Olympics came with lots of pressure, but good pressure. I had won everything else and trained every day thinking I could be an Olympic champion. Even though it was a heart-breaking result, I know I couldn’t have worked harder and that helped me accept the result. I would have loved to make it there when I was younger, but I think I needed to be more mature to handle the result.”

Read full news on Wrestling Canada Lutte website.