#WrestleAlmaty

Munkhbold clinches women's 55kg gold with match to spare as Tokyo-bound trio advance to finals

Thursday, April 15, 2021 - 09:33 By Ken Marantz

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After moving up from the bronze to silver last year, Dulguun MUNKHBOLD (MGL) assured that she would finish on top of the medal podium at this year's Asian Championships with a match to spare.

The women's competition, diluted by the absences of powerhouses Japan China as well as the People's Republic of Korea, got underway Thursday at the spectator-less Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports with all of the five weight classes in action having six entries or less.

The 55kg division, with just four participants, is being run as a straight round-robin with no semifinals or final. By winning both of her matches in the afternoon session by fall, Munkhbold clinched the gold regardless of the outcome of her final match in the night session.

"I definitely wanted to win the gold medal here and I still have a bout remaining which I would
like to win," Munkhbold said. "I saw some of [my opponents'] videos, but I have never wrestled them before. I love to win by falls. It's a great feeling."

Meanwhile, Valentina ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ), who came to Almaty already in possession of a berth at the Tokyo Olympics, and Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) and Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), who clinched spots at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament held last week at this venue, all earned a chance to leave the Kazakh city with a continental crown.

Islamova Brik, who secured a ticket to Tokyo by placing third at 50kg at the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan, made mince meat of the competition, winning both of her group
matches by fall, then decking Yung Hsun LIN (TPE) in just :23 in the semifinals.

"I have qualified for the Olympics and till then, every tournament I will prepare for will be a
practice tournament for me," Islamova Brik said.

In the final, the Russian-born Islamova Brik will aim for a first career Asian gold after winning bronzes the past two years when she takes on Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB), who edged Seema SEEMA (IND) 3-2 in the other semifinal.

"I have never won the Asian Championships," Islamova Brik said. "I always finished with a bronze medal. So it's good to be in the final and hopefully win the gold medal."

As for the "secret" of her powerful display today, she replied, "My body feels very good. My training has been at a level where I can say that I am fully fit."

Zhumanazarova, a 2019 Asian bronze medalist coming off a successful run in the Asian Olympic qualifier at 68kg, will battle for the gold in that weight class against 2018 world junior silver medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL).

"The last month I was training at my center in Kyrgyzstan and before the Asian qualifiers, so it has been good training for the last month," said Zhumanazarova, the 2019 world junior silver medalist. "The hard work paid off as I qualified for the Olympics and now I am in the final of the Asian Championships."

Zhumanazarova chalked up a pair of technical falls before using a lift-and-dump to score a semifinal victory by fall in 4:11 over Eun Sun JEONG (KOR). Enkhsaikhan advanced to the final with a 10-0 technical fall in 2:09 over Azoda ESBERGENOVA (UZB).

"I thought I was mentally very strong today and the preparation was up to the mark," Zhumanazarova said. "Every day and every tournament, I prepare in a certain manner and it has worked well for me. Let's see what happens in the final."

Jeong had earned her spot in the semifinals with a remarkable comeback against Nisha NISHA (IND). Trailing 6-0, Jeong took the Indian to the mat with a headlock with 1:10 left, then secured a fall with :17 remaining on the clock.

Medet Kyzy, Tokyo-bound after winning at 76kg in the Asian Olympic qualifier, will look to improve on the silver medal she won last year in New Delhi when she faces 2020 bronze medalist Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) in a rematch of their group encounter.

Both wrestlers sailed into the final with dominant victories, as Medet Kyzy followed a takedown with four straight rolls for a 10-0 technical fall over Seoyeon JEONG (KOR) in 1:41, while Syzdykova took a half-minute less to put away Pooja POOJA (IND) by fall after slamming her to the mat by lateral drop.

In their group match, Medet Kyzy scored two takedowns in the second period to secure a 6-1 victory.

Sarita SARITA (IND), the lone defending champion in action Thursday, went down to defeat in
a group match at 59kg, but earned a shot at revenge and the gold when she set up a final clash with two-time world bronze medalist Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL).

Baatarjav battled to a razor-thin 5-4 victory over Sarita in their opening match of the day, then
the two dominated all others to advance to the final.

In the semifinals, Sarita swept past Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ), winning by 11-0 technical fall in 1:35 with a succession of gut wrenches, while Baatarjav gained 4 points with a slick fireman's carry en route to a 10-0 technical fall in 2:08 over Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB).

Sarita, the 2017 Asian silver medalist, will be looking to become the first Indian to defend an Asian title. For Baatarjav, the final gives her a chance for an elusive senior Asian gold after winning a silver in 2014 and bronze in 2018.

At 55kg, Munkhbold can avoid having the title decided on tiebreaking criteria if, as expected, she defeats winless Hyungjoo KIM (KOR) in the final group match.

If the Mongolian loses, she will finish with a 2-1 record and tied with the winner of the match between Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB) and Aisha UALISHAN (KAZ). But because Munkhbold has beaten both of them, she will get the gold based on the head-to head result.

Kim, who appeared at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and is still going strong at 36, suffered a pair of close losses that dropped her out of title contention. She lost a 5-5 decision to Ualishan, then fell 5-3 to Usmonjonova.

The tournament received the stunning news last week that the Japanese women's team would not be coming after an unspecified number of team members were suspected of coming into contact with someone infected with the coronavirus. The announcement came just before the team was to fly to Almaty.

The Chinese women pulled out as they were undergoing two days of testing arranged by the Chinese embassy, a team official said. The team was to leave from Kazakhstan on Thursday night.

Day 3 Results

Women's Wrestling Semifinals

50kg (6 entries)
Valentina ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ) df. Yung Hsun LIN (TPE) by Fall, :23 (4-0)
Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB) df. Seema SEEMA (IND), 3-2

55kg (4 entries)
Standings (after 2 rounds)
1. Dulguun MUNKHBOLD (MGL), 2-0; 2. Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB), 1-1; 3. Aisha UALISHAN (KAZ), 1-1; 4. Hyungjoo KIM (KOR), 0-2.
Munkhbold clinched gold medal

59kg (6 entries)
Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) df. Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB) by TF, 10-0, 2:08
Sarita SARITA (IND) df. Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ) by TF, 11-0, 1:35

68kg (6 entries)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Eun Sun JEONG (KOR) by Fall, 4:11 (6-0)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) df. Azoda ESBERGENOVA (UZB) by TF, 10-0, 2:09

76kg (6 entries)
Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) df. Pooja POOJA (IND) by Fall, 1:11 (4-0)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) vs Seoyeon JEONG (KOR) by TF, 10-0, 1:41

#WrestlePontevedra

U20 Worlds: Iran wins golds, U.S. team title

Sunday, September 8, 2024 - 23:21 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (September 8) -- Iran won two gold, a silver, and a bronze medal on the final day of the U20 World Championships, but it failed to stop the United States from winning the team title. The U.S. collected the top rank in the team race with 175 points, 15 better than Iran, which finished second. Japan finished third with 90 points.

This was the first time since 2017 that the U.S. won the team title and stopped Iran from completing a hat trick of top-place finishes. All 10 U.S. wrestlers competed for a medal and nine won a medal.

The U.S. fielded a very young team, with five wrestlers who were only 18 years old and eight wrestlers who could wrestle at the U20 level again next year.

"Everyone put themselves in the position to get on the podium and win the best medal they could," J'den COX, coach of Team USA, said. "Everyone is going to get better but overall it was great. They are the best in the world. I get it that individually in some cases we didn't get where we wanted to go but as a whole, we wrestled an amazing tournament."

Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) scores a takedown against Benjamin KUETER (USA). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

However, the final day of the U20 Worlds in Pontevedra, Spain did not go as planned for the U.S. It had five wrestlers on the mat and only one won his match. Marcus BLAZE (USA) won a bronze medal over Tolga OZBEK (TUR).

Ladarion LOCKETT (USA), Joshua BARR (USA) and Benjamin KUETER (USA) all dropped their finals while Connor MIRASOLA (USA) lost his bronze medal match.

Kueter, a U20 world champion at 97kg in 2022, was wrestling at 125kg and reached the final. However, he ran into a mountain named Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) who already has a U23 world gold, two U20 world golds, and a U17 world gold.

Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) gestures towards the crowd after winning the 125kg final in Pontevedra. (Photo: United World Championships / Jake Kirkman)

Masoumi added a third U20 world gold medal to his name after he won the 125kg final 4-2 over Kueter and is now a five-time age-group world champion. A naturally aggressive wrestler, Masoumi dropped that approach and was happy to win his matches by sitting on the lead.

He did the same against Kueter in the final as he scored a takedown, a point for Kueter's passivity and a stepout. As he defended his 4-0 lead, Kueter managed to trip him in the final 30 seconds to score a takedown for two points.

"My opponent in the final is a well-known wrestler as he won the World Championships Sofia, Bulgaria, two years ago," Masoumi said. "He had taken a year off from wrestling but had improved a lot since then. He’s a skilled and accomplished wrestler. Thank God I was able to use my knowledge of him to wrestle smartly and win 4-2"

Kueter did trouble Masoumi in the final but Masoumi, despite wrestling with a heavily tapped left hand, never dropped his guard. Masoumi said he had broken his wrist before coming to Spain so he was careful with his attacks.

While he won his four bouts outscoring his opponents 32-3, Masoumi had only one technical superiority win. In 2022, when he won both the U20 and U23 world titles, Masoumi won all but one of his matches via superiority.

"I had an injury in my hand and it was broken, so I tried to be careful with it," he said. "Otherwise, I’m always aggressive and a fighter."

He will be in Tirana, Albania in a month's time to wrestle at the U23 World Championships. He won the gold medal in 2022 but skipped the 2023 edition. But Masoumi said his main focus is to make the senior team. 

"In the match against Amirhossein ZARE (IRI) in Croatia, I lost," he said of his 5-0 loss to Olympic silver medalist Zare at the Ranking Series in Zagreb in January. "Some might say that Amir Reza Masoumi has settled, but no, I’m not satisfied at all. I’m preparing myself for the World Championships in Zagreb, aiming for the national team selection."

Ali REZAEI (IRI)Ali REZAEI (IRI) scores the match-winning takedown against Ladarion LOCKETT (USA) in the 74kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Ali REZAEI (IRI) was the second gold medal for the day for Iran after he defeated 2023 U17 world champion Lockett 3-3 on criteria in a thrilling 74kg final. Rezaei is the first U20 world champion from Iran at 74kg in 15 years.

Lockett was leading the final 3-1 after scoring a takedown in the second period and Rezaei, who won a silver medal last year, needed at least a takedown to win.

It came in the fifth minute of the bout when Lockett missed a sweep single and Rezaei showed exceptional speed to get him a bodylock and finish with a takedown. Leading 3-3 on criteria, Rezaei did not allow Lockett to get into any attacking positions and won the gold medal. 

Ali REZAEI (IRI)Ali REZAEI (IRI) defends an attack from Ladarion LOCKETT (USA) in the 74kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

"I went through a tough final but with the great analysis from the coaches, I managed to defeat the strong American opponent," Rezaei said. "I hope to continue on this path and become a world and Olympic champion."

In Amman, Rezaei dropped the 70kg final against Meyer SHAPIRO (USA) 11-6 but planned to win the gold in Pontevedra.

"Last year, I won silver," he said. "I’ve been waiting for this moment for about a year and a half, and thankfully, in the final, my opponent was an American, and I managed to beat him. This journey continues."

Ibragim KADIEV (AIN)Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) won the 86kg gold medal in Pontevedra. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The third American to suffer a loss in the final was Burr as Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) beat him 8-2 in the 86kg final. Kadiev won his second U20 world gold medal after winning the 79kg gold in Amman last year.

In the final against Burr, Kadiev jumped to a 3-0 lead 15 seconds into the match. Burr did get on a few leg attacks but he was able to score only a stepout in the first period, cutting the lead to 3-1 at the break.

Kadiev, who took multiple medical timeouts for his injured knee, scored a counter against Burr and got two more points. The U.S. challenged the decision to award two points to Kadiev as Burr was never in danger but the replays showed Burr's back on the mat. The lost challenge made the score 6-1. Burr scored a stepout with 12 seconds left and then tried a front headlock throw but Kadiev stopped it to get two points and an 8-2 win.

"The American opponent was the toughest one for me," Kadiev said. "I also injured my knee. I didn’t attack much, because I couldn’t risk it. If only I hadn’t injured the knee, the match would have gone in a different way. My wrestling style is to attack from the very first second, and then in the second period the opponent gets tired and it’s easier to finish him."

Kadiev will get a chance to showcase his skills again at the U23 Worlds next month in Tirana. He also said that winning the gold medal last year made his more happy than this year.

"When I first won the U20 Worlds, I was much happier than now," he said. "This time there is no such feeling of excitement as it was last time. I wrestle more confidently, and we’ve worked on our mistakes with the coaches. I don’t know how fast I can recover from this knee injury. Hopefully, I can still make it to the U23 Worlds."

At 92kg, Mustafagadzhi MALACHDIBIROV (AIN) got some motivation from Kadiev as he finished his final against Sali SALIEV (BUL), 11-0, well before time.

Malachdibirov got Saliev in a gut-wrench and managed to turn him to win the gold medal at 92kg.

Masanosuke ONO (JPN)Masanosuke ONO (JPN) asks for the 'champion belt' after his 61kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman) 

Ono warning before Tirana

At the non-Olympic World Championships in Tirana from October 28 to 31, one wrestler to watch will be Masanosuke ONO (JPN) who destroyed everyone in Pontevedra to win the 61kg gold medal.

After winning his four bouts on Saturday, Ono returned to wrestle Ebrahim KHARI (IRI) for the final. It was expected to be an action-packed final but Ono finished it in one action.

As soon as the referee blew the whistle, Ono got an attack on Khari and scored a takedown. 26 seconds later, Ono had finished the final using the gut-wrench to win the gold medal in 26 seconds.

"I was surprised that it ended sooner than I expected, but it was a very enjoyable 25 seconds," Ono said. "I'm satisfied."

Ono will now look to win the gold medal at 61kg in Tirana. However, he is aware that his opponents in Tirana will be more powerful.

"I'm still not satisfied unless I win there (Tirana)," he said.

Ono began wrestling only after his teacher in the music class during kindergarten encouraged him to wrestle. Ono, now at the Yamanashi Gakuin University, trains under former world champion Yuka TAKAHASHI (JPN) and is from the Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, which is in the countryside.

RESULTS

61kg
GOLD: Masanosuke ONO (JPN) df. Ebrahim KHARI (IRI), 10-0

BRONZE: BHUVANESH (IND) df. Abdinur NURLANBEK (KAZ), 6-5
BRONZE: Marcus BLAZE (USA) df. Tolga OZBEK (TUR), 5-0

74kg
GOLD: Ali REZAEI (IRI) df. Ladarion LOCKETT (USA), 3-3

BRONZE: Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE) df. Tamir ESHINIMAEV (AIN), 4-1
BRONZE: Shingo ANDO (JPN) df. Muhamed BEKTEMIROV (AUT), 9-3

86kg
GOLD: Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) df. Joshua BARR (USA), 8-2

BRONZE: Ahmet YAGAN (TUR) df. Ryogo ASANO (JPN), 3-2
BRONZE: Abolfazl RAHMANI (IRI) df. Gabriele NICCOLINI (ITA), 9-2

92kg
GOLD: Mustafagadzhi MALACHDIBIROV (AIN) vs. Sali SALIEV (BUL), 11-0

BRONZE: Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ) df. Amirreza DALIRI (IRI), 8-5
BRONZE: Anar JAFARLI (AZE) df. Connor MIRASOLA (USA), 6-2

125kg
GOLD: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) df. Benjamin KUETER (USA), 4-2

BRONZE: Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL) df. Alikhan KUSSAINOV (KAZ), 4-1
BRONZE: Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR) df. Jaspooran SINGH (IND), 3-2