#HungarianGP2019

Ota Knocks off Fifth-Ranked Tuo, Wins First Career Ranking Series Gold

Saturday, February 23, 2019 - 20:04 By Eric Olanowski

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GYOR, Hungary (February 23) - Shinobu OTA (JPN) shutout China’s fifth-ranked TUO Erbatu in the 63kg Hungarian Grand Prix gold-medal bout and seized his first career Ranking Series event title.

In the finals, the Rio Olympic runner-up grabbed the 2-0 advantage with a slick duck under, then scored back-to-back front head pinches, extending his lead to 6-0. Ota held onto the shutout and bagged his first career Ranking Series gold medal. 

In addition to his finals win over a top-five opponent, Japan's 2018 Asian Games champion scored his second career win over Rio Olympic bronze medalist Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR), outscoring the Norwegian wrestler 6-1. 

Meanwhile, Tracy HANCOCK (USA) used a late takedown to pick up the 3-3 come-from-behind criteria victory over Turkey’s Fatih BASKOY in the 97kg gold medal bout. 

Hancock’s Hungarian Grand Prix gold-medal win was only the third time an American Greco-Roman wrestler had reached the top of the podium at a Ranking Series event. Dalton ROBERTS and Kamal BEY were the first American's to win a Ranking Series event when they captured gold medals at the 2018 Granma y Cerro Pelado. 

In the 87kg finals, reigning U23 world champion Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) rolled Rajbek BISULTANOV (DEN) three times with a trio of gut wrenches and won the gold medal with a 7-1 victory. 

Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) won the 72kg gold medal after Sachino DAVITAIA (GEO) injury defaulted out of the finals, and Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) grabbed the 55kg gold medal with a 4-0 record in the round-robin competition. 

SCHEDULE 

Sunday (February 24) 
8.30 - Medical examination & Weigh-in for GR cat. 60, 67, 77, 87, 130kg
10.00 - Qualification rounds and repechage for GR cat. 60, 67, 77, 87, 130kg
16.00 - Finals for GR cat. 60, 67, 77, 87, 130kg and Award ceremonies


Team Scores 
GOLD - Iran (59 points)
SILVER - Turkey (56 points)
BRONZE - Georgia (50 points)
Fourth - China (43 points)
Fifth - United States (35 points)

RESULTS
55kg (Round-Robin) 
GOLD - Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) 
SILVER - Reza Kheirollah KHEDRI (IRI) 
BRONZE - Javokhir MIRAKHMEDOV (UZB) 

63kg 
GOLD - Shinobu OTA (JPN) df. Erbatu TUO (CHN), 6-0 

BRONZE -  Meysam Karamali DALKHANI (IRI) df. Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR), 5 - 2
BRONZE - Sailike WALIHAN (CHN) df. Travis Michael RICE (USA), 9-0

72kg 
GOLD -  Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Sachino DAVITAIA (GEO), via inj. def. 

BRONZE - Selcuk CAN (TUR) df. Michael Felix WIDMAYER (GER), 4 - 2
BRONZE -  Martin TOTH (HUN) df. Istvan KOZAK (HUN), 4-1 

82kg 
GOLD - Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Rajbek BISULTANOV (DEN), 7-1

BRONZE - Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR) df. Jamal Yadollah ESMAEILIKHATOONABAD (IRI), 3-1
BRONZE - Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) df. Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB), 7-6

97kg 
GOLD –  Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA) df. Fatih BASKOY (TUR), 3-3 

BRONZE - Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) df. Pontus Johan LUND (SWE), 10-0 
BRONZE - Abudourexiti ALIMUJIANG (CHN) df. Hassan Ali ARYANEZHAD (IRI), 6-3 

#UWWAwards

UWW Comebacks of the Year 2025: Uguev, Maroulis, Amoyan

Friday, December 19, 2025 - 10:30 By Eric Olanowski

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 18) -- United World Wrestling’s 2025 Comeback Wrestlers of the Year are three wrestlers who refused to let their careers be defined by defeat and setbacks.

Freestyle Comeback Wrestler: Zaur UGUEV (UWW)

There was a time not too long ago where Uguev career trajectory was pointing him in the direction of becoming the greatest lightweight of this generation, but he hit a slump in 2023 and 2024, finishing fifth at the World Championships.

This year, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist returned to top form. He went from an afterthought to one of the sport's most dominant wrestlers -- reclaiming world gold for a third time in his career and first time since the 2019 World Championships with a 11-2 win over Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) in the 61kg finals.

"This is a very joyful event in my life -- I am once again on the top of the podium," Uguev said. "I am very happy and grateful to my team, my coach, my sparring partners, our national team -- thanks to everyone who played a part in my victory."

Women’s Wrestling Comeback Wrestler: Helen MAROULIS (USA)

For most, 2021 seems like yesterday. But for Maroulis, it’s been a grueling four years of waiting and working to reclaim her spot a top the world ranks. Despite having to completely change her style of wrestling due to lack of conditioning that stemmed from an allergic reaction to antibiotics before the World Championships, Maroulis found a way to bolster her resume with a fourth world title -- adding to her career wins 2015, 2018, and 2021, not to mention her three Olympic medals.

She did so with three quick pins in Zagreb before inside tripping Il-Sim SON (PRK) in dramatic fashion, stealing the world title as the clock expired.

After the match, the 11-time world and Olympic medalist said, "I had to really, really dig deep for that and, I don't know, before the last exchange started, I just had to dig deep and find it. It was just some scramble flurry and just that it came out my way. I'm grateful."

Greco-Roman Comeback Wrestler: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)

Like Maroulis’ four-year battle to get back to the top, Amoyan found himself fighting an uphill battle to regain world gold since his last title-winning run in Oslo in 2021. But after moving up from 72kg to 77kg, he struggled. He fell one match short of his goal at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, and again at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games where he settled for a bronze medal.

But 2025 was different as the 26-year-old put on arguably the greatest Greco-Roman performance of the Zagreb World Championships, capping off his run to a second world title with an unexpected 9-1 thumping of reigning Olympic gold medalist Nao KUSAKA (JPN).

"I became a world champion back in 2021 [at 72kg], but I really wanted to become world champion at 77kg. For two years, I struggled with injuries, and nothing was going as it should. Thankfully, at this World Championships I was prepared -- mentally, physically, and functionally -- and by God's grace I managed to triumph and become a two-time world champion."