Marchenko wins gold for Ukraine; Romania best at U20 Worlds

Saturday, September 3, 2022 - 12:47 By Vinay Siwach

CONSTANTA, Romania (September 2) -- When Romania hosted its national championships for beach wrestling, more than 800 wrestlers registered across age groups. Perhaps Romania is by far the most active country in the sport.

So it was no surprise when seven of the eight finalists at the U20 World Championships at the Mamaia beach in Constanta, Romania were from the host country.

Winning three out of the four gold medals, Romania ended the championships as the best team in the women's category, as it did at the U17 edition a day before.

The only non-Romanian wrestler who managed to win the gold on Friday was Sofiia MARCHENKO (UKR), winning the 60kg title after beating Viorica ADAM (ROU) in the final.

While Adam, a silver medalist from the U17 World Championships last year, was the favorite, Marchenko dug deep to upset the local in the final minute of the bout.

Surprised by the constant attacks from Adam, Marchenko took time to adjust to Adam's style. On a few occasions, Adam almost got the fall but Marchenko managed to defend the attempted throws.

After two minutes of no action, Adam got the first point but Marchenko answered with a takedown four seconds later. But since she had a caution against her, Adams led 1-1 on criteria.

But Marchenko remained calm and scored a stepout with just 18 seconds remaining to win the gold medal.

"The final match was tough," Marchenko said. "The girl [Adam] was really active. I was risking with the hip-toss, but I did everything right and won."

Marchenko finished ninth at the U17 Worlds where Adams won the silver but has been training for the championships and it paid off.

"I practice freestyle wrestling, but when it’s getting warmer in summer I practice beach wrestling," she said.

The 18-year-old showed her class in the semifinal as well when she defeated Ana PUIU (ROU) 3-2 in the semifinal. She took a 1-0 lead with a snap down in the first four seconds but Puiu countered with an ankle pick. As the bout neared its end, Puiu took the lead when Marchenko's knee touched the sand.

With 37 seconds remaining, Puiu was happy defending her lead but Marchenko scored via a strong snap. She ended the bout with another snap down.

But Romania's three gold medalists came at 50kg, 70kg, and +70kg.

'21 U20 world bronze medalist Ana PIRVU (ROU) upgraded her medal to gold this year as she won her four bouts at 50kg to remain undefeated.

She began with a 1-0 win over Fanny VIGOUROUX (FRA) in Round 2 before beating Andreea BARAGA (ROU) 3-1 in Round 3, Nicoleta BAJAN (ROU) 3-0 in Round 4 and Cristina ANDUJAR (ESP) 3-0 in Round 5.

At 70kg, Teodora SIRBU (ROU) defeated compatriot Paula ROTARU (ROU) 3-1 in the final to claim the gold medal. Sirbu had missed out on a medal last year but dominated the field on Friday to win her first world title in beach wrestling.

Drosoula TZIANAKOPOULOU (GRE) won the bronze medal after she beat Georgiana ANDRIES (ROU) 3-0. She won her second bronze in two days as she was a medalist at the U17 Worlds as well.

In the +70kg weight class, Elena MARGAS (ROU) pulled off a thrilling 2-2 win over Andreea SCARLATESCU (ROU) to win the gold medal.

Both wrestlers were tied 0-0 for the first two minutes before the referee penalized Margas for passivity. Scarlatsecu then scored a stepout to lead 2-0.

But Margas managed to get a point with five seconds remaining. She then got another throw in the final second to win 2-2.

Amalia RATUNZEANU (ROU) defeated Maren ANDERSON (USA) 3-0 in the bronze medal bout to ensure a sweep of the podium for Romania.

Georgian TRIPON (ROU), dark, won the +90kg gold medal. (Photo: FRL)

3 gold for Romania men

Like the women's category, Romania dominated the show in men's as well, winning three out of the four gold medals on offer.

At 70kg, Daniel SANDU (ROU) put the Round 1 loss against Alin CIORICI (MDA) behind him to reach the semifinals in which he defeated Rubail IBRAHIMLI (AZE) 3-2 in a close decision. Ibrahmili got behind Sandu and almost forced the Romanian's knee to touch the sand but his own knee touched first which gave Sandu the win.

In the final, he defeated Ion MARCU (MDA) 3-1 to be crowned champion, an improvement from his bronze medal at the U17 Worlds last year.

The final was expected to be a rematch between Sandu and Ciorici but in the semifinal, the Moldovan was tied 0-0 with Marcu. In such a case, the wrestler with lower weight wins. But both Marcu and Ciorici had the exact weight of 69.85kg.

As luck would have it, Marcu's draw number was lower than Ciorici which gave him the win over his teammate.

Ibrahimli bounced back in the bronze medal bout and defeated Ciorici 3-0 for the win.

At 80kg, Thor MICHAELSON (USA) looked in some form as he dominated his way to reach the semifinals against Ion MARCU (MDA). He was trailing 2-0 when he scored a three-point move to win and reach the final against Denis CHIRICA (ROU).

He once again came from behind with a lead 2-2 on criteria against Chirica but as he tried defending his lead with 10 seconds left, Chirica used a snap down in which Michaelson's knee touched the sand the Romanian won 3-2.

Marcu returned to beat Luca FINIZIO (ITA) 3-0 and win the bronze medal.

The Nordic bracket was followed at 90kg and Farid JABBAROV (AZE) emerged as the unbeaten wrestler after Round 5.

He began with a win against Razvan PAVALASC (ROU), followed by Alexandru OLTEAN (ROU) and David MITRAN (ROU). In Round 5, he defeated Konstantinos TSAKNAKIS (GRE) to claim the gold medal.

Oltean with three wins was the silver medalist while Pavalasc took home the bronze with two wins.

Azerbaijan could have won a second gold medal but Georgian TRIPON (ROU) defeated Zafar ALIYEV (AZE) in the +90kg final to deny it.

In a rematch of the Round 3 bout which Tripon won, 3-2, Aliyev tried to avenge that loss but Tripon was well prepared for the final which he won 2-1.

The bronze medal was won by Rafail GKIRNIS (GRE) who defeated Eduard POPESCU (ROU) 2-0.

#WrestleAmman

U20 Worlds: Alameldin gives Egypt gold; Iran wins team title

Sunday, August 20, 2023 - 15:15 By Vinay Siwach

AMMAN, Jordan (August 20) -- Six wrestlers from Egypt have managed to reach a final at a U20 World Championships in the past. None crossed the final hurdle till Sunday.

Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) took it upon himself to create history for Egypt by becoming the first wrestler from his country to win the gold at U20 World Championships as he defeated Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM), 4-2, in the 67kg final in Amman, Jordan.

Alameldin got a turn from par terre and then defended as if his life depended on it when put in par terre in the second period. He led 3-1 and gave up a stepout in the final second. Armenia challenged the call asking for fleeing but lost which added the extra points to Alameldin's score.

"I didn't want anyone to take advantage against me from par terre," Alameldin said. "I positioned myself properly and remained strong. All I was thinking about was getting this medal."

His run to gold included five thrilling victories, beginning with Luka IVANCIC (CRO). He then faced returning gold medalist Kanan ABDULLAZADE (AZE) but remained unfazed, beating him 7-5. Azat SARIYAR (TUR) was no match as Alameldin reached the semifinal against Ahoura BOUVEIRI PIANI (IRI). A fierce battle saw Alameldin lead 4-0 before Bouveiri made it 5-2 at the break. Alameldin caught Bouveiri in the middle of a turn and scored two before adding two more. The 9-4 score stood till the clock expired.

"The final was very difficult and strong," he said. "However, the second match was the most difficult but I was able to win the gold medal."

The Alameldin win also marks the first time Egypt has won a gold medal at a World Championships after four years. Mohamed EL SAYED (EGY) won gold at the U23 World Championships in 2019.

The U20 African champion had participated in the senior African Championships last year and won silver after losing to Tokyo Olympian Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG). At the U20 event, he lost to Fayssal BENFREDJ (ALG).

However, he turned it around this year by beating Benfredj 9-0 to become the U20 African champion. He also finished fifth at the Alexandria Ranking Series event. He lost 5-3 to Merey BEKENOV (KAZ) in the opening bout but pinned Tokyo bronze medalist Sailike WALIHAN (CHN) in the repechage. A close 3-2 loss to HUSIYUETU (CHN) in the bronze medal bout saw him finish fifth.

The gold in Amman helped Egypt finish inside the top 10 in the team race which was won by Iran with 162 points, way ahead of the second-placed Georgia which had 89 points.

Armenia will look back at this and two more losses in the bronze-medal bouts as missed opportunities to finish second. It was third with 88 points while Turkiye finished with 81 points in fourth place. Asian powerhouse Kyrgyzstan, which did not bring a full squad, was fifth with 70 points.

While Terteryan lost, his compatriot Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) clinched the gold medal at 60kg. For a while, memories of the 2022 U20 World Championships final must have come gushing back to Aghajanyan as he tried to double-arm lock SUMIT (IND). It was a move that cost him the gold medal in 2022.

"Last year, I had a very hurtful loss in the last 20 seconds," Aghajanyan said. "After that, I spent the whole year preparing to win the gold medal. I’ve trained a lot to achieve this."

Saeid ESMAEILI LEIVESI (IRI) got his arm out of that lock and put Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) on his back to win 6-6 in 2022. Sumit, however, did not break the lock and despite ending on top of Aghajanyan, got two points. He tried pinning the Armenian but was denied as Aghajanyan defended extraordinarily using the bridge position.

"I was in a risky position in the final match but I was sure I would get out of it," Aghajanyan said referring to the attempted pin by Sumit.

Leading 9-4 at this point, the two wrestlers were called in neutral and Aghajanyan scored a big four to win the gold medal 13-4 and banish the memories of the previous U20 World Championships in which he finished with a silver medal.

While he is still number two in the country at 60kg behind Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM), Aghajanyan hopes to climb up the ladder soon.

"I am still the second one on our senior team," he said. "But I will work hard and do my best to become first in my weight class to win the Olympic qualification license."

Alperen BERBER (TUR) scores a takedown against Yasin YAZDI (IRI) in the 82kg final. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At 82kg, Alperen BERBER (TUR) added a U20 world title a year after winning the U17 gold medal in emphatic style as he beat Yasin YAZDI (IRI) 9-1 in the gold medal bout.

Last year, the 18-year-old lost to Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) 8-2 in the semifinals but returned to win the bronze medal. He left nothing to chance, using four strong gut wrenches from par terre in the second period to complete his victory.

The win would come as a relief for Berber as he struggled at the start of the year, finishing seventh at the U23 European Championships. But he participated in the Bishkek Ranking Series and won a silver after losing to Mohamadipiani in the final in June. Two weeks later he won silver the U20 European Championships.

In his earlier bouts, Berber defeated Wojciech IWANOWSKI (POL) 10-0, Ivan CHMYR (UKR) 3-1 in the quarterfinals and Data CHKHAIDZE (GEO) 8-0 in the semifinals, widening the gap from their previous bout which ended 3-1.

Imran ALIEV (AIN) finished the 72kg final in 2 minutes and 19 seconds. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Imran ALIEV (AIN) captured the gold medal at 72kg in just two minutes and 19 seconds as he gut wrenched Levente LEVAI (HUN). He scored a takedown to open his scoring before Levai was called for inactivity, giving one more point to Aliev. It took a little effort but Aliev got three strong turns to clinch the gold.

Aliev was clearly the most dominant wrestler of the tournament as he won all five of his bouts via technical superiority. Apart from the 9-0 win over Levai in the final, he beat Anri PUTKARADZE (GEO), 9-0, in the semifinal, Seyedmohammadmahdi MIRI (IRI), 10-1, in the quarterfinals, Ankit GULIA (IND), 11-3, in the pre-quarterfinals and Imur TEMIRBEKOV (KGZ), 8-0, in the qualification round.

Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) celebrates after winning the 97kg final. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

The final gold of the night was won by Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) as he defeated 2022 U17 world champion Gor AYVAZYAN (GEO), 8-0, in three minutes and 40 seconds.

Ayvazyan was called passive in the first period and Khaslakhanau scored a correct throw and reverse lift to make it 5-0. Using his strength to rattle Ayvazyan, the AIN wrestler scored two stepouts before the 30-second break.

A stepout 40 seconds into the second period gave Khaslakhanau the gold medal.

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) df. SUMIT (IND), 13-4

BRONZE: Amirreza DEHBOZORGI (IRI) df. Saifulla KURMAN (KAZ), 9-0
BRONZE: Ilkin GURBANOV (AZE) df. Emirlan DUISHENALIEV (KGZ), 3-1

67kg
GOLD: Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) df. Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM), 4-2

BRONZE: Azat SARIYAR (TUR) df. Ahoura BOUVEIRI PIANI (IRI), 3-2
BRONZE: Arslanbek SALIMOV (POL) df. Nestori MANNILA (FIN), 4-0

72kg
GOLD: Imran ALIEV (AIN) df. Levente LEVAI (HUN), 9-0

BRONZE: Anri PUTKARADZE (GEO) df. Seyedmohammadmahdi MIRI (IRI), 5-1
BRONZE: Muhammed GOCMEN (TUR) df. Aaron BELLSCHEIDT (GER), 5-4

82kg
GOLD: Alperen BERBER (TUR) df. Yasin YAZDI (IRI), 9-1

BRONZE: Data CHKHAIDZE (GEO) df. Ivan CHMYR (UKR), 2-1
BRONZE: Imam ALIEV (AIN) df. Ruben GEVORGYAN (ARM), via fall (4-0)

97kg
GOLD: Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) df. Gor AYVAZYAN (GEO), 8-0

BRONZE: Magomed MUKHTAROV (AIN) df. Kevin USPENSKI (EST), 8-0
BRONZE: Rostislav COVALI (MDA) df. Arshak GEGHAMYAN (ARM), via fall (5-5)

Marchenko wins gold for Ukraine; Romania best at U20 Worlds

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U20 Worlds: Alameldin gives Egypt gold; Iran wins team title