#WrestleRome

Lorincz Locks up Sixth Career Ranking Series Gold Medal

By Eric Olanowski

ROME, Italy (January 15) --- Coming into the Matteo Pellicone, Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) already owned a Ranking Series title for every finger on one hand. The 2019 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year now has to move to a second hand to count his Ranking Series gold medals after he captured his sixth career Ranking Series title on Wednesday night in the Roman seaside town of Ostia.

The Hungarian tallied 19 wins in his previous five Ranking Series appearances. With his quartet of wins on Wednesday, Lorincz improved his Ranking Series record to a perfect 23-0 with a 2-1 win over last year’s Asian silver medalist Kumar SUNIL (IND) in the 87kg finals.

“I am very happy to win this tournament. I want to continue this very good series for me. I want to win the last two qualifications (European Championships and Poland Open) because it helps my seed for the Olympic Games,” said Lorincz.

In the finals, Lorincz, last year's world runner-up, picked up an inactivity point and a stepout in the first period. He had his lead cut to a single point when he was dinged for an inactivity point himself. But the Hungarian Hammer relied on his world-renound defensive skills and hung on to win an unprecedented sixth Ranking Series title, 2-1.

“I came here to win. I had some hard matches, and I’m not where I want to be. I want to (build) my strength and power for the other tournaments.” 

Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) won his second Ranking Series title on home soil with a 5-4 win over Felix BALDAUF (NOR).(Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Kakhelashvili Wins Second Ranking Series Gold on Home Soil
Last year’s City of Sassari champion Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) edged Felix BALDAUF (NOR) in the 97kg finals and seized his second Ranking Series title on home soil. “I’m so happy that I won in my country,” Kakhelashvili said. “Today was a big tournament. I think it’s good that I won, and I felt very strong. Now I hope to win the European Championships.”

In the 97kg gold-medal bout, Kakhelashvili jumped out to a five-point opening-period lead, but surrendered four unanswered points against his Norwegian opponent and narrowly won, 5-4. “I was a little bit nervous. I thought it was a touché, but I won the match, so everything is okay.”

Sailike WALIHAN (CHN) won his first Ranking Series gold medal after dropping his two previous trips to the finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Walihan, Bakhshilloev and Mohamed Claim Remaining Three Olympic Weight Golds
The remaining trio of Olympic weight gold medals of the day went to Sailike WALIHAN (CHN), Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) and Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY), who topped the podium at 60kg, 67kg and 130kg, respectively.

At 60kg, Walihan was 70 seconds away from seeing his hopes of winning a first Ranking Series gold disappear after he allowed a three-point second-period lead dwindle to nothing against Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB). But in the end, the Chinese wrestler capitalized on a late stepout and scooped up the one-point victory. 

Walihan, a 2018 world bronze medalist, scored an inactivity point and a gut wrench and carried the 3-0 lead late into the closing frame. That all changed when Walihan’s opponent, Bakhramov, a four-time Ranking Series finalist, scored an inactivity point that was quickly followed by a two-point tight low-level gut wrench and stole the 3-3 lead on criteria.

But like the savvy veteran he is, Walihan responded when it was needed the most. He scored a stepout with just under a minute left and hung on to win his first Ranking Series gold medal, 4-3.

Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) gut wrenched Abouhalima ABOUHALIMA (EGY) and won the 67kg title, 3-1. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

In the finals at 67kg, junior world champion Bakshilloev sealed up a 3-1 win over Rio Olympian Abouhalima ABOUHALIMA (EGY) by scoring a first-period inactivity point and gut wrench.

Abdellatif Mohamed, a two-time Ranking Series finalist, only needed 83 seconds to pick up the fall against Moises Salvador PEREZ HELLBURG (VEN) in the 130kg finals. Mohamed's Wednesday night fall put him in rare company, as he joined Mohamed EL SAYED as the only other Egyptian Greco-Roman wrestler to win a Ranking Series gold medal. 

Andres Roberto MONTANO ARROYO (ECU) took down Rio Olympic bronze medalist Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR), 11-0, on his way to the 63kg title. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan) 

Ayazci and Montano Arroyo Win Nordic Golds
Dogus AYAZCI (TUR) and Andres Roberto MONTANO ARROYO (ECU) claimed the final two opening-day golds, which both came in Nordic-style brackets. Their wins came in the non-Olympic weight classes of 55kg and 63kg, respectively.

Ayazci outscored his three opponents 22-0 en route to the 55kg gold medal, while Montano Arroya’s 11-0 thumping of Rio Olympic bronze medalist Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) highlighted his run to the 63kg title.

RESULTS
50kg 
GOLD - Dogus AYAZCI (TUR) 
SILVER - Max NOWRY (USA)
BRONZE - Andrii SEMENCHUK (UKR)

60kg 
GOLD - Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) vs. Sailike WALIHAN (CHN)
BRONZE - Erbatu TUO (CHN) vs. Kerem KAMAL (TUR), 7-1 
BRONZE - Firuz TUKHTAEV (UZB) df. Sachin RANA (IND), 9-0 

63kg 
GOLD – Andres Roberto MONTANO ARROYO (ECU)
SILVER – Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR)
BRONZE – Erik TORBA (HUN)

67kg 
GOLD - Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) df. Abouhalima ABOUHALIMA (EGY), 3-2
BRONZE - Qiye TIAN (CHN) df. Ashu ASHU (IND), 9-0 
BRONZE - Anthony PALENCIA PUENTES (VEN) df. Ruben MARVICE (ITA), 10-1

87kg
GOLD - Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Kumar SUNIL (IND), 2-1 
BRONZE - Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. Josef Patrick RAU (USA), 9-0 
BRONZE - Luis Eduardo AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN) df. Patrick Anthony MARTINEZ (USA), 4-1 

97kg
GOLD - Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)df. Felix BALDAUF (NOR), 5-4
BRONZE - Mélonin NOUMONVI (FRA) df. Matti Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN), 3-2
BRONZE - Gangelo HANCOCK (USA) df. Semen NOVIKOV (UKR), 10-0

130kg
GOLD - Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) vdf Moises PEREZ HELLBURG (VEN), via fall (4:37)
BRONZE - Lingzhe MENG (CHN) df. Adam Jacob COON (USA), 4-2 
BRONZE – Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Oskar MARVIK (NOR), 3-3

#WrestleRome

Azerbaijan opens Matteo Pellicone with four golds

By Eric Olanowski

ROME, Italy (June 22) -- Despite the absence of superstars Rafiq HUSEYNOV (AZE) and Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) in the Matteo Pellicone lineup, Azerbaijan's young core of rising stars showed how poised they are to carry the baton when it's ready to be handed over.

Azerbaijan built a commanding 59-point lead over Hungary in the team title race after the opening day of the third Ranking Series event of the season. Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) and Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) moved into at least the top four of the world rankings, while Islam ABBASOV (AZE) leaped into the top ten by winning gold medals on Wednesday night.

Hungary sits in second place with 69 points, but more importantly, they may have locked in their World Championships roster after the in-country battle at 87kg and 97kg.

In the all-Azeri battle at 60kg, Murad Mammadov used his size to overpower the smaller Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), who was up from his world and European title-winning weight of 55kg.

Mammadov was creative with his lifts from the par terre position, picking up a four-pointer after earning a mid-period inactivity point. The 2021 world bronze medalist carried that momentum into the second period and exposed Azizli for two points before throwing the former world champ for the 9-1 win.

Mammadov will represent Azerbaijan at the World Championships at 60kg. He came into the Matteo Pellicone ranked fifth in the world, but after collecting 8000 first-place Ranking Series points, he leaped Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and is now ranked fourth in the world with 48,500 points.

Azizli will now move back to his normal weight of 55kg in preparation for Belgrade.

In the 63kg finals, Taleh Mammadov handed Azerbaijan their second gold medal of the night. The European runner-up upset reigning 60kg world champion Victor CIOBANU (MDA) in a chippy final that featured multiple stoppages due to repeated head butts from both parties.

But in the end, Mammadov picked up the 4-2 win and earned 8000 Ranking Series points. That pushed him ahead of Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) for the No. 2 ranking with 49,200 points. He's now only 800 points shy of stealing the top seed at the World Championships from Georgia's Leri ABULADZE, who has 50,000 points.

The future of Azeri Greco-Roman wrestling, Jafarov cruised to his first Ranking Series gold medal with a blistering 9-0 win over Furkan YILDIZ (TUR). He closed out his Ranking Series debut by outscoring his four opponents, 34-3.

In the final, Jafarov, last year's U20 and U23 world champion, scored four points in the first period after stopping a Yildiz headlock and then transitioned into a correct throw. The up-and-comer only needed 32 seconds in the second period to toss Yildiz to his back for the easy 9-0 win.

Jafarov came into the Matteo Pellicone with 36,500 points and was ranked sixth in the world at 67kg. However, he earned 8,000 points for his gold medal and jumped Nazir ABDULLAEV (RWF), Murat FIRAT (TUR) and Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) to be ranked No. 3 in the world with 44,500 points.

Islam Abbasov was the fourth Azeri wrestler who claimed gold on the first day of wrestling.

In the anticlimactic 87kg gold medal match, Abbasov traded inactivity points with Erik SZILVASSY (HUN), but his second-period inactivity was the difference in the finals.

Abbasov had 22,900 points before the competition, but after collecting 11,000 points on Wednesday, he now has 33,900. That's good enough to push him up to No. 9 in the world rankings.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR) celebrates winning his third career Ranking Series title. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Kayaalp's golden return

With his daughter and wife on hand in Italy, Riza KAYAALP (TUR) returned to the mat after dealing with personal matters and improved on his bronze-medal Ranking Series finish from earlier this year. The Turkish big man picked up a four-point shutout win over Rio Olympic bronze medalist Sabah SHARIATI (AZE).

Kayaalp grabbed up a stepout point after being handed an inactivity point with 40 seconds left in the first period. Then, the four-time world champ tacked on two additional points with a reverse lift and carried the 4-0 lead into the second period.

After a scoreless second frame, Kayaalp hung on to the four-point win and claimed the third Ranking Series title of his career.

Now, the question that begs to be answered: what will Turkey do at 130kg for the Belgrade World Championships? Their first option, most would think, would be Kayaalp. But Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) is undefeated in the season, with a pair of 2022 Ranking Series titles to his name. Not to mention, Yildirim won gold at the Yasar Dogu, where Kayaalp fell in the semifinals and fought back to win a bronze medal.

David LOSONCZI (HUN) celebrates claiming the 97kg Matteo Pellicone gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Hungary's world spots nearly determined

Coming into the Matteo Pellicone, Hungary entered multiple guys into 87kg and 97kg, hoping it would help the Federation determine their world team roster.

David LOSONCZI (HUN) may have locked himself into the Hungarian lineup at 97kg after winning gold in Rome.

In a reasonably slow 97kg finals match, Losonczi hung on to beat Italy's own Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), 2-1. The determining factor in the gold-medal match was Losonczi's push-out in the first period after trading inactivity points with Kakhelashvili.

Losonczi came to Italy fighting with Alex SZOKE (HUN) for the start spot. 

Szoke lost to Kakhelashvili in the semifinals, and with Losonczi's win against the Italian, he's almost a shoo-in for the World Championships at 97kg.

Another weight Hungary was looking for clarification on was 87kg, where Szilvassy, Istvan TAKACS (HUN) and Tamas LEVAI (HUN) were in a tight race.

Szilvassy proved to be Hungary's top option after finishing in second place and beating Levai en route to the finals. 

Takacs and Levai fought back and won bronze medals despite falling in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

Hosseinvand wins 55kg

In the three-man 55kg Nordic-style bracket, Mohammad HOSSEINVAND (IRI) picked up the gold medal with his 11-7 come-from-behind win over Florin TITA (ROU). 

Panahisani showed his never-say-die Iranian attitude against the Romanian in their opening-round match. He was in jeopardy of giving up the technical superiority after falling behind 7-0 in the first period. But in the second period, the Iranian stormed back to score 11 unanswered points and win his first Ranking Series title.

RESULTS
50kg

GOLD - Mohammad HOSSEINVAND (IRI) 
SILVER -  Florin TITA (ROU) 
BRONZE - Max NOWRY (USA) 

60kg
GOLD - Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), 9-1
BRONZE - Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Helary MAEGISALU (EST),10-0

63kg
GOLD - Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Victor CIOBANU (MDA), 4-2
BRONZE -  Razvan ARNAUT (ROU) df. Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU), via inj. def.

67kg
GOLD - Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) df. Furkan YILDIZ (TUR), 9-0
BRONZE - Mohammad REZAEI (IRI) df. Niklas OEHLEN (SWE), 7-2
BRONZE - Tigran GALUSTYAN (FRA) df. Mihai MIHUT (ROU), 3-1

87kg
GOLD - Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df. Erik SZILVASSY (HUN), 1-1
BRONZE - Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df. Alex KESSIDIS (SWE), via inj. def.
BRONZE - Tamas LEVAI (HUN) df. Kristoffer BERG (SWE), 9-1

97kg
GOLD - David LOSONCZI (HUN) df. Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), 2-1
BRONZE - Alex SZOKE (HUN) df. Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI), 7-4
BRONZE - Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) df. Aleksandar STJEPANETIC (SWE), 8-0

130kg
GOLD - Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Sabah SHARIATI (AZE), 4-0
​​​​​​​BRONZE - Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) df. Oskar MARVIK (NOR), 6-3
BRONZE - Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) df. Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA), 4-2