#WrestleNewDelhi

Punia, Otoguro Set up Long-Awaited Rematch for 65kg Asian Gold

Saturday, February 22, 2020 - 10:47 By Ken Marantz

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NEW DELHI (Feb. 22)---It took a few extra months, but the wrestling world will finally be treated to the greatly anticipated rematch between Bajrang PUNIA (IND) and Takuto OTOGURO (JPN). 

Punia and Otoguro will battle it out for the 65kg gold as host India put four wrestlers into the five finals to be held in the evening session at the Asian Championships on Saturday in New Delhi.

The clash between the two stars in the final at the 2018 World Championships in Budapest was named the UWW’s match of the year, as Otoguro held on for a nail-biting 16-9 victory to become Japan’s youngest-ever freestyle world champion.

A rematch at last year’s World Championships in Nur-Sultan never came about, as Otoguro lost in the second round to eventual gold medalist Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS). Punia, who lost in the semifinals to silver medalist Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ), finished with a bronze medal, while Otoguro placed fifth to ensure that both will be at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

“I remember the 2018 final and all I want to is avenge that loss,” Punia said. “All I’m thinking about is the final.”

Iran will have two wrestlers in the finals, while Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan join Japan with one each.  

Punia won all three of his matches in the afternoon session by technical fall, including a 10-0 win over Amirhossein MAGHSOUDI (IRI) in the semifinals. “It was a great start in the first session for me,” he said.

Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) will wrestle Bajrang PUNIA (IND) in a rematch of the 2018 world finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Otoguro had one big hurdle to clear en route to final, as he faced Niyazbekov in the quarterfinals. After giving up a forceout to fall behind 3-2 early in the second period, Otoguro put on a takedown clinic and rolled to a 10-3 win over the 2018 Asian champion.

“He’s also a strong opponent,” Otoguro said. “It was a good spark to get me going.”

In the semifinals, he backslammed Nyamdorj BATTULGA (MGL) for 4 points to finish up an 11-1 technical fall. 

“I wrestled very well and, as the lead up to the Tokyo Olympics, I’m able to use what I have been working on,” Otoguro said. “I think the final will be a wide open affair, and I can’t forget to stay strong-minded.”

Also revving up the largest crowd of the tournament so far at K.D. Jadrav Wrestling Stadium was world bronze medalist Kumar RAVI (IND), who had to get past former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) and fellow world bronze medalist Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) to reach the 57kg final. 

“When I saw the draw I knew it would be difficult,” Ravi said. “But I have faced both of them before, so I was confident of beating them. No new things, just did the same things to beat them. Because this tournament is in front of my home crowd, I want to win the gold and get ready for the Olympics.”

Kumar RAVI (IND) will square off against Hikmatullo VOHIDOV (TJK) in the 57kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

In one of the matches to start the session, Ravi spotted Takahashi a 4-0 lead before going on the attack and forging a 14-5 victory. That was a repeat of their quarterfinal clash in Nur-Sultan, which Ravi won 6-1.  

After pulling off another come-from-behind victory in the quarterfinals, securing a fall off a counter while trailing 3-2 against Tugs BATJARGAL (MGL), Ravi was in control the whole way in ousting Sanayev 7-2.

Ravi had beaten Sanayev 6-0 a month ago at 61kg at the Matteo Pellicone ranking series event in Rome. 

In the final, Ravi will face Hikmatullo VOHIDOV (TJK), who will attempt to become Tajikistan’s second Asian gold medalist ever, joining Yusup ABDUSALAMOV (TJK), won the 74kg freeestyle title in 2003—also in New Delhi.

At 79kg, Baliyan GOURAV (IND) will face Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ) in the final. Gourav advanced with a 6-5 win over Shinkichi OKUI (JPN), while Budazhapov slipped by Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI) , 3-1.

The 97kg final will also be an India-Iran affair, with 2019 Asian bronze medalist Salywart KADIAN (IND) facing off against world U-23 champion and 2018 Asian silver medalist Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI). 

Kadian needed just 44 seconds to oust Rustam ISKANDARI (TJK) with a 10-0 technical fall, while Goleij chalked up a 12-2 technical fall over Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ).

Ilyas BEKBULATOV (UZB) will take on Amirhossein HOSSEINI (IRI) in the 70kg finals for a shot at adding an Asian title to his resume. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

The only final missing an Indian is at 70kg, in which Ilyas BEKBULATOV (UZB) has already assured he will add an Asian medal to the European ones he captured while competing for Russia.

The 2018 European silver medalist advanced to the final when Temuulen ENKHTUYA (MGL) suffered a severe knee injury early in their semifinal, setting up a clash with Amirhossein HOSSEINI (IRI), a 3-2 winner over Naveen NAVEEN (IND). 

Day 4 Results

Freestyle

57kg (11 entries)
SEMIFINAL – Hikmatullo VOHIDOV (TJK) df. Sardor RUZIMOV (UZB), 3-2
SEMIFINAL – Kumar RAVI (IND) df. Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ), 7-2

65kg (14 entries)
SEMIFINAL – Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) df. Nyamdorj BATTULGA (MGL) by TF, 11-1, 5:11
SEMIFINAL – Bajrang PUNIA (IND) df. Amirhossein MAGHSOUDI (IRI) by TF, 10-0, 4:19

70kg (9 entries)
SEMIFINAL – Amirhossein HOSSEINI (IRI) df. Naveen NAVEEN (IND), 3-2
SEMIFINAL – Ilyas BEKBULATOV (UZB) df. Temuulen ENKHTUYA (MGL) by Inj. Def., :35 (4-2)

79kg (8 entries) 
SEMIFINAL – Baliyan GOURAV (IND) df. Shinkichi OKUI (JPN), 6-5
SEMIFINAL – Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ) df. Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI), 3-1

97kg (11 entries)
SEMIFINAL – Salywart KADIAN (IND) df. Rustam ISKANDARI (TJK) by TF, 10-0, :44
SEMIFINAL – Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) df Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ), by TF, 12-2, 4:58

#WrestlePontevedra

U20 Worlds: Yevloyev rises to top; Iran wins fifth straight GR title

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 - 23:09 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (September 4) -- Last year, Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) watched Alperen BERBER (TUR) win the U20 world title from the stands. Yevloyev believed that it could have been him.

While that title in Amman was not to be, Yevloyev fulfilled his dream of becoming a U20 world champion after beating Berber in the 82kg final at the U20 Worlds in Pontevedra, Spain on Wednesday.

Berber stood no chance against Yevloyev, who took to an attacking approach from the first whistle. Yevloyev's gold along with Kazakhstan's success in other weight classes earned it second place in the team standings dominated by Iran.

With 147 points, Iran won the team title for the fifth time in a row. Kazakhstan followed with 100 points while Türkiye was third with 98 points.

Yevloyev won the U20 Asians last year with a win over Yasin YAZDI (IRI) but lost to him at the U20 Worlds. He then lost his repechage bout as well to finish without a medal.

"Last year at the World Championships, I didn’t have enough time to train well because of the health issues," Yevloyev said. "I had an injury and I could not train. But this year, I’ve done a great job together with the coaches. We had enough time to prepare and show a good result."

The final was a show of how Yevloyev has improved. He got the first par terre position and he tried to turn Berber who stopped the turn and got two points. However, Yevloyev had Berber in danger position and also got two points, leading 3-2 at the break.

Berber got the par terre and a 3-3 lead in the second period but Yevloyev was happy to defend from par terre position. Berber, despite his lead, tried a double-hand-lock throw and fell on his back to give two points to Yevloyev who suplexed Berber for two more.

Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ)Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) scores two points against Alperen BERBER (TUR) in the 82kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

"There are always mistakes that I have to improve on, but as long as I’ve reached the top of the podium today, I am satisfied with myself," he said. "I’ll keep wishing hard on the future, trying to keep winning gold medals.:

Yevloyev hails from a small village about Kokshetau and moved to a sports school in Petropavlovsk when he was in sixth grade. He is the cousin of the popular UFC fighter Mosvar EVLOEV.

"Movsar Evloev is my second cousin," he said. 

Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI)Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) gestures after winning the U20 world gold in the 67kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) was able to repeat as U20 world champion as he won the gold medal at 67kg. Ahmadreza is the younger brother of multiple-time Asian medalist Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI), who finished fifth at the Paris Olympics. The youngest brother, Emad Reza MOHSENNEJAD (IRI) won bronze at 80kg at the recent U17 World Championships in Amman, Jordan.

Wrestling Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ) in the final, Mohsen Nezhad stuck to the basics and controlled the center for the entire bout after scoring a takedown in the first minute of the final.

"A gold medal is much more valuable than other medals, and winning it feels amazing," Mohsen Nezhad said. "The Kazakh wrestler was very skilled, and we both fought hard. I thank God that my hand was raised as the winner."

His switch from 63kg to 67kg from the last U20 World Championships could well be the reason for a contrasting final. He won the gold medal with a 9-0 victory last year.

Talking about Mehdi, Ahmadreza said that he believes that much of his success is because of his older brother.

"My older brother is our role model, and thanks to him, we were able to come here and win medals," he said.

Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI)Servet ANGI (TUR) commits a defensive foul using his hand against Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) in the 60kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

In contrast, the 60kg final was action-packed with Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) winning it in just a minute and 52 seconds over Servet ANGI (TUR). Gholampour was giving the par terre position in the first period and he added a correct throw with a life. After Angi defended the second attempted lift, Gholampour went for a reverse left and got two points to lead 5-0.

Gholampour, however, asked his coaches to challenge him despite the resistance from the corner for it. It proved to be a match-ending challenge. The reverse left was scored for four points on review as it was from standing. Angi was docked for a defensive foul as well, giving two more points to Gholampour.

A surprised Gholampour celebrated even as Angi tried to make sense of the quick end of the final. This was Angi's second silver at a World Championships as he finished second at the 2021 U17 Worlds as well.

Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM)Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM) expresses his displeasure during the 72kg final against Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

A challenge proved critical in the 72kg final as well. Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM) was leading 5-3 against Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) in the second period after scoring a four-pointer and stepout. However, he committed a singlet pull in the fifth minute of the bout for which he was penalized two points. Despite the two points, Khachatryan led 5-5 on criteria for his four-pointer.

Not realizing the criteria lead, Armenia corner challenged and by the time the coaches realized, it was already under review. A 6-5 lead gave Beslekoev a new-found energy and he defended his lead till the end of time. 

The two had a heated exchange at the end of the bout as Khachatryan expressed his displeasure. This was his second loss to Beslekoev in two months, as Beslekoev won at the U20 European Championships with an identical scoreline. In Novi Sad, Khachatryan led 4-4 when Beslekoev was penalized a point for singlet foul and trailed 5-4. Despite leading, Khachatryan attempted an arm-spin but failed to make any contact. Beslekoev got the two points for a takedown to lead 6-5.

Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR)Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) used an arm spin to get four points against Darius KIEFER (GER) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 97kg, Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) became only the second U20 world champion from Ukraine in seven years after beating Darius KIEFER (GER), 6-4, in the final.

The two had met in the U20 European Championships final as well with Yakushenko winning the gold medal in Novi Sad, 1-1, getting the criteria for second par terre advantage.

But the final in Pontevedra was different with Kiefer scoring a stepout from par terre and then a takedown to lead 4-0 in the final period. However, Yakushenko used an arm spin to get a big four-point throw and a correct throw later to lead 6-4.

No wrestler was giving the par terre advantage in the second period and Yakushenko defended his 6-4 lead to win the final.

"I have only positive emotions," Yakushenko said. "Not everyone gets the chance to experience this moment. I am holding this belt and very thankful to God."

The final in Novi Sad was still fresh in Yakushenko's memory, and he was surprised by Kiefer's change in wrestling style on Wednesday.

"At the European final, the opponent didn’t know me well," he said. "He was better prepared here. He scored two points from par terre. Thankfully, they didn’t score it as a four-pointer. I immediately scored back all those points."

Ukraine won two medals in Greco-Roman at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) winning the silver medal at 67kg and Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) winning bronze at 87kg. Yakushenko said he was motivated to win in Pontevedra after watching the Olympics.

"I would like to congratulate our athletes," he said. "They motivated me a lot. Congratulations to Nasibov and Belebiuk for winning their Olympic medals.

df

 

RESULTS

Greco-Roman

60kg
GOLD: Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) df. Servet ANGI (TUR), 9-0

BRONZE: Papik DZHAVADIAN (AIN) df. Tural AHMADOV (AZE), 2-0
BRONZE: Ongdassyn KHAMITOV (KAZ) df. Kohaku KANAZAWA (JPN), 9-0

67kg
GOLD: Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) df. Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ), 2-0 

BRONZE: Grair OGANESIAN (AIN) df. Rati KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO), 9-0
BRONZE: Kojiro HASEGAWA (JPN) df. Ramazan AKTAS (TUR), 8-7

72kg
GOLD: Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) df. Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 6-5

BRONZE: Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) df. Wenhao HU (CHN), 6-5
BRONZE: Muhammed GOCMEN (TUR) df. Illia VALEUSKI (AIN), 4-3

82kg
GOLD: Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) df. Alperen BERBER (TUR), 7-3 

BRONZE: Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Anri DAVITADZE (GEO), 6-1
BRONZE: Shichang ZHENG (CHN) df. Abdurakhman ABDULKADYROV (AIN), via inj. def.

97kg
GOLD: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) df. Darius KIEFER (GER), 6-4

BRONZE: Anatolii AVERIN (AIN) df. Branko DUKIC (SRB), 7-3
BRONZE: Ahmet EREMEKTER (TUR) df. Rakhat BERZHANOV (KAZ), 5-1

Women's Wrestling Semifinals 

50kg
GOLD: Yu ZHANG (CHN) vs. Haruna MORIKAWA (JPN)

SF 1: Yu ZHANG (CHN) df. Aida KERYMOVA (UKR), 13-2
SF 2: Haruna MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Laura GANIKYZY (KAZ), via fall

55kg
GOLD: Khaliun BYAMBASUREN (MGL) vs. Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA)

SF 1: Khaliun BYAMBASUREN (MGL) df. Karina HONDA (JPN), 1-1 
SF 2: Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA) df. Tuba DEMIR (TUR), via fall

59kg
GOLD: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) vs. Alexis JANIAK (USA)

SF 1: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) df. Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE), 10-0
SF 2: Alexis JANIAK (USA) df. Uladzislava KUDZIN (AIN), 10-2
 
68kg
GOLD: Alina SHEVCHENKO (AIN) vs. Ayse ERKAN (TUR)

SF 1: Alina SHEVCHENKO (AIN) df. Viktoryia RADZKOVA (AIN), 5-2
SF 2: Ayse ERKAN (TUR) df. Karolina DOMASZUK (POL), 14-2

76kg
GOLD: Jyoti BERWAL (IND) vs. Mariia ORLEVYCH (UKR)

SF 1: Jyoti BERWAL (IND) df. Elmira YASIN (TUR), 7-0
SF 2: Mariia ORLEVYCH (UKR) df. Chisato YOSHIDA (JPN), 5-0