#WrestleRome

Matteo Pellicone freestyle finals set

By Vinay Siwach

ROME, Italy (June 25) -- The final day of the Matteo Pellicone will see eight freestyle weights in action. Just like their Greco-Roman team, Azerbaijan has brought some big names for the freestyle event. Haji ALIYEV (AZE) will be wrestling up at 70kg which means a possible clash against European champion Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO).

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

The 8 freestyle finals are set

57kg: Horst Justin Junior LEHR (GER) vs. Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)
61kg: Andrii DZHELEP (UKR) vs. Recep TOPAL (TUR)
65kg: Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) vs. Sebastian RIVERA (PUR)
70kg: Joshgun AZIMOV (AZE) vs. Murad EVLOEV (AZE)
74kg: Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) vs. Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)
79kg: Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) vs. Iakub SHIKHDZHAMALOV (ROU)
86kg: Tarzan MAISURADZE (GEO) vs. Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
92kg: Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) vs. Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) 

14:20: Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) beats Erhan YAYLACI (TUR) 6-4 to enter the 92kg final. That means Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), who is already in the final, won't get a chance to avenge his U23 European loss to Yaylace. Nurmagomedov defeated Saba CHIKHRADZE (GEO) in the semifinal.  

14:10: Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) and Boris MAKOEV (SVK) tied 3-3 in their 86kg semifinal. Makoev leads on criteria. Abakarov shoots for the leg and converts it into a takedown to take a 5-3 lead at the break. Makoev tries to get a takedown but Abakarov is solid in defense. Abakarov will wrestle for the 86kg gold after an 8-6 win

14:00: Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) dominates Ali RAHIMZADA (AZE). He scores a trip and then adds three chest wrap finishes to win 10-0 in 90 seconds. He will wrestle Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) for the 65kg gold 

13:45: World bronze medalist Horst LEHR (GER) pins Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO) to enter the 57kg final. At 70kg, Joshgun AZIMOV (AZE) received an injury default from Haji ALIYEV (AZE) since Aliyev will be moving down to 65kg for the Worlds.

13:40: Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) and Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) wrestling in the 74kg semifinal. Bayramov is up 1-0 for Gadzhiev's passivity before he adds a takedown just before the break to lead 3-0. Both wrestlers are given one warning for headbutting and open hands. Bayramov leads 4-1. Gadzhiev gets a point for Bayramov's passivity. He has 30 seconds to score a takedown for the win. A caution against Gadzhiev and he will go down 5-3 against Bayramov in the semifinal. Bayramov will wrestle Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)

13:35: Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) and Shamil OMAROV (ITA) in a battle. Omarov was up 4-0 but Rivera ties it up 4-4 and gets one more for a lost challenge to lead 5-4 against Omarov with five seconds left. Omarov gets a takedown but Rivera is challenging. The clock had expired. He wins 5-4

13:20: The 57kg quarterfinal between Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO) and Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) has already seen 21 points in the first period. Rzazade leads 13-8 at the break. An exposure and takedown in the second period for Rzazade as he wins 17-8

12:55: At 57kg, Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO) has two four-point throws and one reversal to lead 8-1 but is struggling with a back injury. Andrii YATSENKO (UKR) then scores a takedown to trim it to 8-3. Bujiashvili comes up with another four to lead 12-3 at the break. Yatsenko with a quick takedown and two leg laces to make it 12-9. A counter and two. Yatsenko has closed the gap to 12-11. A stepout for Bujiashvili and he hangs on for a 13-11 win.

12:45: Moving into the semifinal at 70kg, Haji ALIYEV (AZE). Effortless from the Tokyo silver medalist as he gut wrenches Daniel CHOMANIC (SVK) for a 10-0 win

12:35: On the other side in 65kg, Sebastian C RIVERA (PUR) kept his cool after taking an early 6-0 lead over Hamza ALACA (TUR) to win 10-8. He will face the winner of Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) vs. Shamil Makhmudovitch OMAROV (ITA) in the semifinal.

12:30: Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) trails Joshgun AZIMOV (AZE) in their 70kg quarterfinal. He has given up two takedowns. He snatches one single leg to make it 4-3 with 15 seconds left. Azimov won't let Iakobishvili go behind for a takedown. He wins 4-3 over the European champion from Georgia  

12:25: If you missed Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR), he is back. The U20 European champion begins at 65kg and won 8-1 against Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU) to reach the semifinal. He will wrestle the winner of Arman ELOYAN (FRA) vs. Ali RAHIMZADA (AZE)

12:15: Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) has set up a semifinal against  Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) at 74kg after a close 2-2 win over Vasile DIACON (MDA). The last time the two competed against each other was at the Dan Kolov where Gadzhiev won 1-1. While this may not be the final selection for the World Championships, the winner in Rome may get the preference.

12:00: The 86kg quarterfinals are set

Boris MAKOEV (SVK) vs. Khasan ZAKARIIEV (UKR)
Zaur BERADZE (GEO) vs. Tarzan MAISURADZE (GEO)
Mukhammed ALIIEV (UKR) vs. Lars SCHAEFLE (GER) 
Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT) vs. Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) 

11:45: A fall for Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) over Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) at 65kg. Lomtadze never looked in the bout and was trailing 7-0 before the pin. 

11:30: Former U17 world champion Hamza ALACA (TUR) up against Tornike KATAMADZE (GEO). Katamadze with a cradle and looking for a pin but Alaca manages to survive. Katamdze leads 6-4 after that sequence. But Alaca has increased the intensity of the bout and now Katamdze is struggling. He gives up two takedowns in the final minute as Alaca wins 10-6

11:22: Haji ALIYEV (AZE), wrestling at 70kg, had to work hard against Ihor NYKYFORUK (UKR). The Ukraine wrestler led 5-1 before Aliyev managed to score a takedown and a classy four-pointer. He secured the fall in the same sequence

11:10: Another European champion begins with a win! Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) never looked in any trouble against Nestor TAFUR (COL) in his 12-1 win at 79kg. 

11:00: European champion Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) looking for his second straight Ranking Series gold medal and he has begun with a 3-2 win over Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) at 74kg

10:50: Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) got a wake-up call with that bout. Cesar BORDEAUX (BRA) gave a tough fight and even led 6-1 before Gadzhiev gathered his thoughts and used three four-point throws in a 14-9 win

10:40: Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) and Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) have given a winning start to Azerbaijan. Contrasting bouts as Bayramov defeated Mitchell FINESILVER (ISR) 2-1 with all three points being scored for passivity. Nurmagomedov worked more proactively and got a 10-1 win over Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) at 92kg. 

10:30: Welcome to the final day of the Ranking Series event. Eight weights are in action and it will be top-class action from some of the biggest stars of the sport

#WrestleRome

European Championship Preview

By Eric Olanowski

ROME, Italy (February 10) --- Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) is on the verge of locking up the No. 1 seed at the Olympic Games if he completes his journey to a sixth European title in as many tries.

Sadulaev is ranked first in the world at 97kg and can add 20 points in Rome with a gold-medal performance, cementing his spot as the top-seeded wrestler at the Olympic Games. He’d have 80 Ranking Series points, which would block a potential comeback by second-ranked Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE), who is sitting out of the European Championships. 

Sadulaev will have to get through a loaded pool of top-10 talent to improve on his perfect 21-0 European record. 

The three top-ten ranked wrestlers tasked with stopping ‘The Russian Tank” from summiting to the top of the European podium for the sixth time are No. 4 Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD), No. 6 Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) and No. 9 Nicolai CEBAN (MDA). Sadualev heads into the European Championships with at least one career win over the three and has outscored them by a combined 61-0 in their previous seven meetings.

Top-20 Freestyle Entries at 97kg
No. 4 Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD) - 25 points
No. 6 Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) - 20 points
No. 9 Nicolai CEBAN (MDA) - 16 points 
No. 12 Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR) - 14 points 
No. 14 Abraham CONYEDO RUANO (ITA) - 12 points 
No. 15 Pavel OLEJNYIK (HUN) - 12 points 

Kayaalp in Search of European Title Number Ten
Riza KAYAALP (TUR) is closing in on winning his tenth European title (European Championships: 8; European Games: 1) and locking up the 130kg top seed at the Olympic Games. The Turkish big man has appeared in ten consecutive European finals, claiming gold in nine of those trips. His lone loss came in 2011 against Khassan BAROEV (RUS). 

Kayaalp can cement his spot as the top seed with a win this week and have the luxury of sitting out of the Poland Open.

The reemergence of Mijian LOPEZ (CUB) after a three-year absence is set to play a big role in Kayaalp earning the top spot. Lopez will return to the mat later this year to try to chase a fourth Olympic gold medal. Lopez’s return will eventually knock out fellow Cuban and second-ranked Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB) from the 130kg rankings. 

Without Hinds in the rankings, and with a max of 40 possible points left to earn over the continental championships and the Poland Open, Kayaalp only needs to claim 12 points at the European Championships to become the No. 1 seed in Tokyo. 

That means the man who has reached the European finals in ten straight trips only needs to finish top-seven to sit atop the 130kg when the Olympics roll around. But it’s safe to say, Kayaalp isn’t chasing a top-seven finish, he’s in pursuit of a tenth European gold medal. 

Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) could meet fellow two-time world champion Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) in the 74kg bracket. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Two-time World Champions Chamizo and Gazimagomedov Entered at 74kg
A last-second change to the Russian lineup jeopardized a potential 74kg matchup between a pair of two-time world champions. Luckily for wrestling fans, Russia’s depth at the weight allowed them to replace No. 1 Zaurbek SIDAKOV (USA) with Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (RUS). 

That last-minute lineup change preserved the likelihood of Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) meeting a fellow two-time world champion in Rome. 

Chamizo won the pairs only other meeting, 11-5, at the 2017 Ali Aliev Tournament. But this time around, there's much more at stake for both guys, especially with it being an Olympic year. 

For Chamizo, a European title on home soil will push him to the top of the world rankings. He’s ranked second in the world with 40 points. He’ll gain the two-point advantage over Sidakov if he were to win the 22-point gold medal in Rome.

Gazimagomedov won the Ivan Yariguin a few weeks ago and hopes the European Championships will prove that he should be Russia’s Olympic Games representative. After winning the Yariguin, Gazimagomedov said, “In Russia, many understand that I will win against Sidakov, but perhaps we will not be allowed to meet on the mat because we don’t have a very transparent selection system.”

If Gazimagomedov wins in Rome, it’ll prove to the Russian coaching staff that he belongs in the conversations as a top-tier candidate to represent Russia at 74kg in Tokyo.

Top-15 Freestyle Entries at 74kg
No. 2 Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) - 40 points 
No. 8 Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) - 16 points 
No. 10 Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) - 14 points 
No. 11 Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) - 14 points 


No. 2 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) can tie Musa EVLOEV (RUS) for the No. 1 ranking at 97kg with a win in Rome. 
(Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Aleksanyan Looking to Tie Evloev for World Top Spot at 97kg 
The 97kg Greco-Roman rankings will undoubtedly see significant changes after the conclusion of the European Championships.

The European bracket will house seven of the world’s top-ten ranked wrestlers. Top-ranked Musa EVLOEV (RUS) and No. 6 Giorgi MELIA (GEO) will not compete in Rome and are the only European wrestlers ranked inside the top-ten that will sit out of the competition.

Evloev’s absence leaves the door wide open for No. 2 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) to close the gap in the rankings. Aleksanyan trails Evloev by 20 points in the latest rankings. He will tie the Russian two-time defending world champion if he wins the 20-point gold medal. But he’ll still trail on criteria because of the Evloev’s higher placement at the World Championships, which could potentially force him to wrestle at the Poland Open.

Outside of Aleksanyan, there are six other worthy competitors at 97kg who are only separated by ten points, which is guaranteed to cause seismic changes in the rankings when the new month rolls around. 

Top-Ten Greco-Roman Entries at 97kg
No. 2 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) - 40 points
No. 3 Mélonin NOUMONVI (FRA) - 26 points 
No. 4 Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) - 25 points
No. 5 ILDEM Cenk (TUR) - 25 points 
No. 7 Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) - 20 points 
No. 9 Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) - 18 points 
No. 10 Artur OMAROV (CZE) - 16 points 

Emilia VUC (ROU) can take over top billing at 50kg with ten Ranking Series points at the European Championships. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Vuc Likely to take over Top Billing at 50kg
Barring a catastrophic meltdown, Emilia VUC (ROU) will surpass Mariya STADNIK (AZE) for the top billing at 50kg with a top-eight finish at the European Championships.

Vuc is ranked second in the world and trails Stadnik by six points heading into the continental championships. She started the year with 40 points but tacked on an additional 14 Ranking Series points with her second-place finish at the Matteo Pellicone in mid-January. 

The two-time world runner-up needs to finish at least eighth in Rome to collect the all-important ten Ranking Series points. She’ll push herself four points ahead of Stadnik for the top-billing at 50kg heading into the Poland Open.

Top-Ten Women’s Wrestling Entries at 50kg
No. 2 Emilia Alina VUC (ROU) - 54 points 
No. 3 Oksana LIVACH (UKR) - 32 points 
No. 7 Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) - 18 points 

Staebler Moving up to 72kg for European Championships
Frank STAEBLER (GER) entered the European Championships at 72kg and not 67kg, the weight in which he qualified Germany for the Olympic Games with a bronze-medal finish in Nur-Sultan. 

Staebler has had the most success of his career at 72kg and is extremely familiar with the weight. He’ll move back up to the weight where he won two of his three world titles. Most recently, he won the 72kg world title at the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. 

Davor STEFANEK (SRB) and Adam KURAK (RUS) are the two stars with enough firepower and experience to stop Staebler from winning his second career European title.

Stefanek, a Rio Olympic champion, is returning to competition for the first time since the 2018 World Championships. He dropped his 2018 world finals match against Artem SURKOV (RUS) and sat out the entire 2019 season. 

Kurak, a two-time European champion, is also entered at 72kg. He’s returning to the mat for the first time since winning the City of Sassari Ranking Series event in May of last year. 

Harutyunyan Moving Back up to 61kg to Challenge Lomtazde
Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) downed Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) in an unforgettable 28-point shootout and stole the European gold medal from the eventual 61kg world champion. The young Armenian fell behind 8-0 midway through the opening period, but outscored Lomtadze 17-3 and claimed his first continental title. 

Harutyunyan moved down to the Olympic weight of 57kg after his European title run, but after a disappointing 15th-place finish at the World Championships, he’s moved back up the 61kg. Harutyunyan’s move back up to 61kg could set up a potential rematch between the reigning world champion and the reigning European champion.

Kurban SHIRAEV (RUS) is on a quest to knock off his second Rio Olympic champion in the past three weeks. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Can Shiraev Take Down Second Rio Olympic Champion? 
Kurban SHIRAEV (RUS) is on a quest to knock off a Rio Olympic champion for the second consecutive tournament.

Shiraev won the Ivan Yariguin with a last-second takedown over Rio Olympic champion Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) and earned the right to represent Russia at 65kg at the European Championships. The 20-year-old Russian enters his first senior-level European Championships eyeing a second win over an Olympic gold medalist. He’ll share the 65kg bracket with Rio Olympic champion Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO).  The European Championships mark the first time that the pair have been in the same bracket as each other. 

Top-Ten Freestyle Entries at 65kg
No. 4 Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) - 25 points 
No. 5 Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR) - 24 points 

Taybe Mustafa YUSEIN (BUL) is one of nine returning women's wrestling European champions. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Nine Women’s Wrestling Champions Returning 
There are nine returning women’s wrestling European champions that’ll look to defend their 2019 titles. Emese BARKA (HUN) is the lone returning champion that’ll sit out of the six-day competition in Rome. 

2019 European Champions
50kg - Oksana LIVACH (UKR)
53kg - Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS)
53kg - Iryna HUSYAK (UKR)
59kg - Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA (BUL)
62kg - Taybe Mustafa YUSEIN (BUL)
65kg - Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
68kg - Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR)
72kg - Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR)
76kg - Yasemin ADAR (TUR)

SCHEDULE 

Sunday (February 9)
17.00 - Technical conference – all GR teams / Draw GR – All weight categories

Monday (February 10)
8:30 - Medical examination & Weigh-in GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
17:15 - Opening Ceremony
18:00 - Semi Final GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg

Tuesday (February 11)
8:30 - Weigh-in GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in GR – 60-67-72-72-82-97kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
11:30 - Repechage GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
15:30 - Technical conference – all WW teams
15:30 -Draw WW – All weight categories
16:45 - Semi Final GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
18: 00 - Finals GR – 55-63-77-87-130kg
18: 00 - Award ceremonies

Wednesday (February 12)
8:30 - Weigh-in GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
11:30 - Repechage GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg 
16:45 - Semi Final WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
18: 00 - Finals GR – 60-67-72-82-97kg
18: 00 - Award ceremonies

Thursday (February 13)
8:30 - Weigh-in WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
11:30 - Repechage WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
14:00 - Technical conference – all FS teams
14:00 - Draw FS – All weight categories
16:45 - page4image515539072Semi Final WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg 
18: 00 - Finals WW – 50-55-59-68-76kg
18: 00 - Award ceremonies

Friday (February 14)
8:30 - Weigh-in WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg 
8:45 - Medical examination & Weigh-in FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
11:30 - Repechage WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg 
16:45 - Semi Final FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg 
18: 00 - Finals WW – 53-57-62-65-72kg
18: 00 -Award ceremonies 

Saturday (February 15)
8:30 - Weigh-in FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg 
8:45 - Medical Examination & Weigh-in FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
11:30 - Qualification rounds FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg 
11:30 - Repechage FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg 
16:45 - Semi Final FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
18:00 - Finals FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
18: 00 -Award ceremonies 

Sunday (February 16)
8:30 - Weigh-in FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
16:00 - Repechage FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg 
18: 00 - Finals FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
18: 00 -Award ceremonies
21:30 - Final banquet