#wrestlenursultan

Rashidov Adds to Japanese Misery, Advances to Semifinals of Stacked 65kg; Punia Also Through

Thursday, September 19, 2019 - 11:07 By Ken Marantz

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NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (Sept. 19)---Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) moved up a weight class in a bid to get to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He knocked off the defending champion from Japan en route to securing a berth for Russia.

Rashidov, a two-time world silver medalist at 61kg, made the semifinals of a stacked freestyle 65kg weight class by knocking off 2018 gold medalist Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) 8-1, then defeated Haji ALI (BRN) 9-0 on Day 6 of the World Championships.

The other semifinal, to be held later in the day at the Barys Arena, will pit Bajrang PUNIA (IND), the silver medalist a year ago in Budapest and this year’s Asian champion, against Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ)

The fireworks got started early in the division, when Rashidov clashed with three-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Haji ALIYEV (AZE) in the first round and came out with a 4-2 win on a last-second score that left the Azeri livid.

In a rematch of the 2017 world final at 61kg won by Aliyev, Rashidov gained an activity-clock for the lone point of the first period. Aliyev went ahead in the second period when he broke away from a tackle attempt and got behind, but another wild flurry resulted in Rashidov taking the lead with a takedown with :44 left. 

The best, however, was yet to come. With the seconds ticking down, Aliyev latched onto an ankle then got behind. Rashidov stood up, and it was just a matter if Aliyev could get his opponent’s knee down for the winning point. 

But as the two moved toward the edge, Rashidov whipped Aliyev down, gaining a 1-point stepout, which was upheld in an unsuccessful challenge.

The stunned Aliyev refused to accept the decision, and it took security members to get him to leave the mat and exit the arena.


Zavur UGUEV (RUS) and Kumar RAVI (IND) will wrestle for a spot in the 57kg finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

At 57kg, the two finalists from a year ago, Zavur UGUEV (RUS) and Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) remained a collision course by advancing to separate semifinals.

Uguev will face Kumar RAVI (IND), who knocked off 2017 world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), while Sanayev’s path the final is blocked by European champion and 2018 bronze medalist Suleyman ATLI (TUR).

Japan capped a disastrous day when Rio 2016 Olympic champion Sara DOSHO (JPN) was unceremoniously ousted in the 68kg quarterfinals by 2018 bronze medalist Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA), who rolled up a 10-1 victory.

Mensah Stock will face Anna SCHELL (GER), while defending champion Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR) will take on Jenny FRANSSON (SWE), who scored a buzzer-beating 2 points to stun Battsetseg SORONZOBOLD (MGL) 6-5. 

Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) will take on Marianna SASTIN (HUN) in the 62kg semifinals. (Photo: GaborMartin)

At 62kg, Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), the 2018 world champion at 62kg, advanced to a match-up with Marianna SASTIN (HUN), while Asian champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) will face KIM Jong Sim (PRK)

Earlier, 2018 silver medalist Yukako KAWAI (JPN), whose older sister Risako clinched a Tokyo 2020 spot the previous day by making the 57kg final, lost by fall in the second round to Tynybekova---a repeat of the final at the Asian Championships in April in Xi’an, China.

Meanwhile, history of a sorts was made when the tiny enclave of San Marino got not only got its first-ever win at a senior World Championships, but got two from Malik AMINE (SMR) at 67kg.

Amine, who grew up in the USA state of Michigan but has dual citizenship, opened with a wild 14-11 victory over Mbunde CUMBA MBALI (GBS), which he followed by topping Branden DIAZ (MEX) 12-6. His run was ended by Muszukajev. 

Amine is one of five U.S.-born wrestlers competing at the worlds for other countries who are part of a training program at the University of Michigan. The program is headed by legendary Russian great Sergey BELAGLAZOV.

Belaglazov, serving as the San Marino coach, said historic victories were only part of the objective. “That’s not the point,” he said. “The point is to get them to qualify for the Olympic Games. That is the goal.”

For what it’s worth, Amine beat brother Myles into the San Marino sports history book. Myles is entered at freestyle 86kg, which starts on Saturday.

Day 6 Pairings

Freestyle

57kg (34 entries)
Semifinal – Suleyman ATLI (TUR) vs Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ) 
Semifinal – Kumar RAVI (IND) vs Zavur UGUEV (RUS)

65kg (44 entries)
Semifinal – Bajrang PUNIA (IND) vs Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) 
Semifinal – Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) vs Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) 

Women’s Wrestling 

57kg (31 entries)
Gold – RONG Ningning (CHN) vs Risako KAWAI (JPN) 
Bronze – Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) vs Jowita WRZESIEN (POL)
Bronze – Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) vs Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR)

59kg (18 entries)
Gold – Luibov OVCHAROVA (RUS) vs Linda MORAIS (CAN) 
Bronze – PEI Xingru (CHN) vs Pooja DHANDA (IND)
Bronze – Anhelina LYSAK (URK) vs Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL)

62kg (34 entries)
Semifinal – Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) vs Marianna SASTIN (HUN) 
Semifinal – Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) vs KIM Jong Sim (PRK) 

 65kg (17 entries)
Gold – Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) vs Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS)  
Bronze – WANG Xiaoqian (CHN) vs Forrest MOLINARI (USA)
Bronze – Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) vs Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)

68kg (32 entries)
Semifinal – Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR) vs Jenny FRANSSON (SWE) 
Semifinal – Anna SCHELL (GER) vs Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) 

76kg (31 entries)
Gold – Hiroe MINAGAWA (JPN) vs Adeline GRAY (USA) 
Bronze – ZHOU Qian (CHN) vs Epp MAEE (EST)
Bronze – Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) vs Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER)

#WrestleBratislava

Adar leads Turkiye's strong show at European Championships

Tuesday, April 8, 2025 - 23:17 By Vinay Siwach

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (April 9) -- Yasemin ADAR (TUR) is a step closer to winning her eighth European gold medal. 

The Turkish legend once again reached the European Championships at 76kg after beating Martina KUENZ (AUT) 2-1 in the semifinals. Both wrestler spilt activity clock points but Adar scored a stepout to take a 2-1 lead and win.

Adar will have to beat former world U23 champion Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) who pinned Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (UWW) in the other semifinal.

Adar led an inspired Turkish team which had three finalists on Wednesday at the European Championships. Turkiye is the defending champions in team title.

At 59kg, Bediha GUN (TUR) defeated defending champion Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE), 3-0, and she will face former world U20 champion Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (UWW) who held on for a 6-0 victory over Erika BOGNAR (HUN).

Returning silver medalist Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) also reached the final. In her semifinal, she won after her opponent Emilia GRIGORE VUC (ROU) suffered an injury mid-bout.

Demirhan built a 9-3 lead and was about to Vuc when the Romanian let out a painful cry. The semifinal was stopped and Demirhan got a victory via injury default. She will face former European champion Oksana LIVACH (UKR) for the gold medal.

In 2019, Livach won the gold medal at the European Championships. But in the six years since then, she has been denied the top of the podium finish at the tournament.

Livach is now has the opportunity to return to the top position in what will be her fourth trip to the final; she has won one and lost two in her career.

She defeated Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (UWW) 3-1 in the semifinal after earning an extra technical point.

One of Ukraine's biggest hopes for the gold medal Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) suffered a big 9-3 loss to Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) in the 55kg semifinal. Khomenets led 2-1 for the majority of the bout but Verbina got on a single-leg attack, elevated the leg and as Khomenets tried a split defense, Verbina dragged and dropped her on the mat for four.

Another four-pointer in the final 15 seconds ended any hopes for Khomenets as Verbina won 9-3 to book her spot in the final against world bronze medalist Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA) who defeated Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) 10-0 in the other semifinal.

The 35-year-old Debien, who has only a bronze medal from 2023 edition in her six European Championships appearances, made it to the final for the first time after putting on a takedown masterclass against Dragutan.

At 68kg, Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU) booked a spot in the final after her two four-pointers were too much for world bronze medalist Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE). Zelenykh won 11-3.

She will take on Alina SHAUCHUK (UWW) after she won 2-1 against age-group European champion Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR) in the other semifinal.

RESULTS

Semifinals

50kg
GOLD: Oksana LIVACH (UKR) vs. Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)

SF 1: Oksana LIVACH (UKR) df. Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (UWW), 3-1
SF 2: Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) df. Emilia VUC (ROU), via injury

55kg
GOLD: Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA) vs. Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW)

SF 1: Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA) df. Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), 10-0
SF 2: Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) df. Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR), 9-3

59kg
GOLD: Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (UWW) vs. Bediha GUN (TUR)

SF 1: Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (UWW) df. Erika BOGNAR (HUN), 6-0
SF 2: Bediha GUN (TUR) df. Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE), 3-0

68kg
GOLD: Alina SHAUCHUK (UWW) vs. Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU)

SF 1: Alina SHAUCHUK (UWW) df. Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), 2-1
SF 2: Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU) df. Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), 11-3

76kg
GOLD: Yasemin ADAR (TUR) vs. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)

SF 1: Yasemin ADAR (TUR) df. Martina KUENZ (AUT), 2-1
SF 2: Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) df. Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (UWW), via fall

Qualification and morning session blog follows below

13:03: Martina KUENZ (AUT), a three-time European silver medalist, closes out the session with a big 12-0 win over returning silver medalist Catalina AXENTE (ROU). She blasted two double leg throws and two gut wrenches for the points.

12:47: Oksana LIVACH (UKR) into the 50kg semifinal with a 7-0 controlled win over Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA). Livach with a four-pointer in the opening minute and Luttenauer played catch-up after that.

12:40: Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) with a fall over age-group world medalist Laura KUEHN (GER) to enter the semifinal at 76kg. She will face Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (UWW) who defeated Valeriia TRIFONOVA (UWW) 3-0.

12:20: Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) is back into the European semifinals with a 6-3 win over Noémi SZABADOS (HUN). She is looking to become the first Czech woman to win the gold medal at the European Championships.

12:17: Defending champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR) with a big headlock throw for four and then pins Enrica RINDALI (ITA) to get her title defense at 76kg going with a win.

12:15: Defending champion at 59kg Aloyna KOLESNIK (AZE) breaks down Alesia HETMANAVA (UWW) with a spree of takedowns and leads a 6-0 but Hetmanava hits a throw in the final 50 seconds which bring the score to 6-2. She holds Kolesnik in danger positions for the remaining time but fails to secure the fall. Hetmanava wins 7-2

12:05: Defending champion and Paris bronze medalist Buse TOSUN (TUR) falls to Alina SHAUCHUK (UWW) 3-2 at 68kg. Shauchuk had one takedown which was enough for the two technical points Tosun scored.

11:55: World silver medalist Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) fell behind 2-0 at the break after Beatrice FERENT (ROU) countered her attack for two points in their 55kg quarterfinal. However, Khomenets, searching for first senior European title, hits a four-point and then gets countered for exposure. She holds a 4-4 criteria lead before winning the bout 8-4 and enters the semifinals.

11:46: Three-time European U20 champion and two-time European U23 silver medalist Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR) needed a late stepout against Kendra DACHER (FRA) to win 6-5 at 68kg. Skobelska, making her debut at senior Europeans, scored a four-point throw to lead Dacher 4-3 but Dacher got a takedown to reclaim the lead 5-4. A stepout gave Skobelska 5-5 criteria lead which Dacher failed to break. France challenged after the time and a lost challenge added another point to Skobelska's score.

11:35: Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU) with a move four to work up a 6-0 lead before securing the fall over Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER) at 68kg in a minute and 12 seconds.

11:30: Emilia VUC (ROU), former world silver medalist and European medalist, takes a minute and 13 seconds to roll to a 10-0 victory over Maria LEORDA (MDA) at 50kg.

11:23: Bediha GUN (TUR) gets two activity clock points and she manages to beat Aurora RUSSO (ITA) 2-1. Russo's one point also came from the activity clock.

11:15: Beatrice FERENT (ROU) kept Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE) in danger position for more than two minutes and secured a 3-2 win at 55kg. Mammadova could not sneak out of the double-arm lock.

11:10: A couple of heartbreaks for local wrestling fans as Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER) pins Michaela SEBOEKOVA (SVK) at 68kg and Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR) destroys Lara GORCS (SVK) 10-0 at 59kg.

11:00: World and returning bronze medalist Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) begins with an 11-0 technical superiority win over Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE) at 68kg. 

10:50: Two quick finishes at 68kg on Mat A, Alina SHAUCHUK (UWW) with a technical superiority win over Albina DRAZHI (ALB) and then Kendra DACHER (FRA) follows the same script against Nerea PAMPIN BLANCO (ESP) in the next match.

10:30: Day three here at the European Championships. We will have the repechage of the Freestyle and quickly move to Women's Wrestling in 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg and 76kg.