On return, Dzhuzupbekov secures gold at Ulaanbaatar Open 2025

Thursday, May 29, 2025 - 18:08 By Vinay Siwach

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (May 29) -- Paris Olympic bronze medalist Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) looked rusty on his return to competition since winning the medal in August 2024. But he had enough experience to win gold medal at the Ulaanbaatar Open 2025, his first competition since.

"This was my first start after the Olympics," Dzhuzupekov said. "It was very difficult, to be honest. It was quite tough to wrestle here, especially since the climate is different."

In his three bouts at 97kg, Dzhuzupbekov struggled for conditioning. He opened the day with a 10-6 win over Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) before beating Bat-Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL) 9-1. But it was his last match against Asian bronze medalist NITESH (IND) which troubled him the most.

Dzhuzupekov began the match with an arm-throw for four but Nitesh scored a reversal to make it 5-1 and the Indian the scored a turn to close the gap to 5-3 at the break. On resumption, Dzhuzupbekov held his position and was only called passive with just over a minute left.

Nitesh, now trailing 5-4, needed a turn to turn the match in his favor but he failed to score any and Dzhuzupbekov defended the one-point lead to win the gold medal at 97kg.

"It's dry here, and we're at an altitude of about 1,400 meters," he said. "That made it really challenging. It was hard for the whole team to compete. But overall, I’m happy with the result. Starting with the very first match it was really tough, I couldn't breathe properly here. We’ll analyze things and keep preparing."

Dzhuzupbekov has been off since winning bronze in Paris and got married after the Olympics. But as one of three medalists for Kyrgyzstan's Greco team, Dzhuzupbekov is now hoping to build on that result.

"I’ll be preparing for the World Championships," he said. "But I think there will be another tournament after this one — probably in Hungary or Poland. And we’ll likely prepare differently for that. Overall, I think the team spirit is good right now. I don’t focus too much on any one opponent, because the competition is very strong. Especially with all the Europeans — they’re all big and strong. I think I just have to be ready, be in good shape. I try not to overthink who I’ll wrestle or how the match will go. I just believe that if I’m in good form, I’ll win."

Dzhuzupbekov's gold was one of the three Kyrgyzstan won on day one of the tournament which doesn't award team title as it is not a championships.

Asian Championships silver medalist and Muhamet Malo Ranking Series gold medalist Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) defeated Murat FIRAT (TUR) in Round 2 bout and won the gold medal at 67kg.

Firat got the first par terre advantage in the first period but he failed to score and just before the break, Beishekeev surprised him with a headlock throw for four to lead 4-1. In the second period, Beishekeev got the par terre but he did not score and was happy to defend his 5-1 lead and win.

World U23 champion Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) won the gold medal at 87kg after won his bouts with dominance. He defeated Batbayar TSOGTBAATAR (MGL), 8-0, and Karan KAMBOJ (IND), 9-0, to finish at the top.

Alperen BERBER (TUR) was also entered but he pulled out injured after suffering a hamstring injury in his first bout against Karan KAMBOJ (IND).

Another Turkiye wrestler who pulled out injured was Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR). He suffered an infection in his elbow day before coming to Mongolia and did not wrestle a single bout. Since only three wrestlers were entered at 82kg, Akbudak still managed to win gold.

But the gold medal was historic. Shahin BADAGHI (QAT) became the first wrestler from Qatar to win gold medal at any international event in Greco-Roman.

Badaghi, an Iranian transfer to Qatar, defeated PRINCE (IND) 9-0 in the only bout the two wrestled in the day. Badaghi scored a takedown and then a suplex for a 6-0 lead. India lost a challenge to make it 7-0 before Badaghi scored a takedown to finish the bout via technical superiority.

Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) gave Turkiye its lone gold medal after beating Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) in the 77kg final, 5-1. In the earlier Nelson bracket bout, Yilmaz defeated the Kyrgyzstan wrestler 11-3.

Iran and India also won gold medals as Asian champion Danial SOHRABI (IRI) put on a show to win four of his bouts and the gold medal at 72kg.

For India, Anil MOR (IND) won the gold medal at 55kg after he pinned Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ) in the evening session. In his four bouts, Mor gave only two points, against Muratbek Uulu, but pinned him to remain one of the most dominant wrestler of the day.

The 19-year-old was wrestling his first senior international tournament and hails from Bass village, Hisar district in Haryana. He trains at the Guru Mehar Singh Akhada in Rohtak which has always given wrestlers to the Indian team.

For his Round 5 bout against Muratbek Uuku, Mor decided to defend more than attack.

"I had watched his bouts and he was trying to do the underhook and then throw you for the fall," Mor said. "I never gave my arm to him for the drag to underhook."

Though he was given passive in the first period, Mor knew that he has to get out of the par terre position quickly. He did so by sneaking out of Muratbek Uulu's gold and then scoring a takedown.

Instead of going for the turns, Mor held Muratbek Uulu to the mat and then secured the fall to get his first-ever senior medal internationally.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Anil MOR (IND)
SILVER: Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ)
BRONZE: Davaabandi MUNKH ERDENE (MGL)

67kg
GOLD: Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ)
SILVER: Murat FIRAT (TUR)
BRONZE: NEERAJ (IND)

72kg
GOLD: Danial SOHRABI (IRI)
SILVER: Mustafa SAHIN (TUR)
BRONZE: Yryskeldi KHAMZAEV (KGZ)

77kg
GOLD: Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) df. Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ), 5-1

BRONZE: Nishant PHOGAT (IND) df. Sumiyabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL), 11-0

82kg
GOLD: Shahin BADAGHI (QAT)
SILVER: PRINCE (IND)
BRONZE: Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)

87kg
GOLD: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ)
SILVER: Batbayar TSOGTBAATAR (MGL)
BRONZE: Karan KAMBOJ (IND)

97kg
GOLD: Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ)
SILVER: NITESH (IND)
BRONZE: Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)

#WrestleAmman

Olympic champs prevail as Iran bounces back with 4 golds

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 - 19:27 By Ken Marantz

AMMAN, Jordan (March 26) -- With its two Olympic champions in action, it was a pretty sure thing that Iran would do better than its disappointing showing the previous day in Greco-Roman at the Asian Championships.

The wrestling powerhouse sure did, rebounding all the way to the top of four medal podiums. Paris Olympic gold medalists Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) defended their Asian titles in leading a quartet of Iranians who captured titles on Wednesday in Amman, a day after Iran came away with just a single gold.

Danial SOHRABI (IRI) and Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) also emerged victorious as Iran stormed to the team title with 201 points, well ahead of the 168 chalked up by second-place Uzbekistan, which claimed three golds on the opening day Tuesday -- all in head-to-head clashes with Iranian opponents. Japan finished third with 131 points.

Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK) won the other gold on offer on Wednesday with a victory at 60kg after taking silvers in 2018 and 2019.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) wrestles Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Saravi, competing for the first time since Paris, showed again why he has been the dominant force at Greco 97kg in recent years when he easily outclassed 2023 world U23 bronze medalist Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) 8-0 in the final.

"This is my first official appearance after the Olympic Games," Saravi said. "Thank God I was able to put on a good performance and win the gold medal."

Put in par terre, Saravi scored a roll against the gutsy but outmanned Nakazato, then added an arm drag takedown for a 5-0 lead. Just seconds into the second period, Saravi got behind for a takedown during a scramble that landed him out of bounds.

The Japanese side took a risk and challenged the call, even though losing it would give Saravi the winning point. That's just what happened, and Saravi was champion at 3:08 with his third technical fall in three matches without conceding a point.

"After the Olympics, I suffered a knee injury, but thankfully, I’m in much better condition now," Saravi said. "Over the past two or three months, I’ve been able to train at the camp under the supervision of the national team and I’ve reached a decent level of readiness and felt good.

"I hope to reach full readiness by the World Championships and deliver a strong performance there to achieve the best possible result."

The 27-year-old Saravi, who also won a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has not lost since falling 3-0 to Gabriel ROSSILO (CUB) in the semifinals of the 2023 World Championships.

Perhaps more impressively, he has finished in the top-three in every competition he has entered since the 2019 worlds, a streak of 18 tournaments that includes a world gold in 2021 and Asian gold in 2020.

Saravi said he looks forward to renewing his rivalry with four-time Olympic medalist Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM), whom he defeated in the final in Paris.

"Artur Aleksanyan is a great wrestler and someone I have a lot of respect for," Saravi said. "I see it as motivation for myself to face him several times in the coming years.

"I hope Aleksanyan can achieve the best results in the European Championships, and that we can put on a great match together at the World Championships so that the fans can enjoy it."

Saied ESMAEILI (IRI) sets up to throw Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) during the 67kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Earlier, Esmaeili, also making his first appearance since the Olympics, had to work a bit harder than Saravi to prevail 3-0 in the 67kg final over world U23 champion Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), a repeat of the outcome of last year's final.

"This edition of the Asian Championships had a high level of competition, with renowned wrestlers from Japan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan," Esmaeili said. "The Kyrgyz wrestler was the world U23 champion and a strong competitor. The Japanese wrestler was the Asian Games champion and showed a high level of performance."

Esmaeili got a 2-point throw from par terre in the first period, then held his ground to avoid giving up a passivity point in a scoreless second to relegate Beishekeev to the silver medal again.

"In the final, I fought for those six minutes, but my opponent wasn’t really there to wrestle with me," Esmaeili said. "I attacked him during those six minutes, and in the second period, he kept stopping the match to catch his breath. Honestly, the final was the toughest match."

Esmaeili said he had to make the tough transition that comes with the notoriety of becoming an Olympic champion.

"After becoming an Olympic champion, people expect a lot from me, and because of the matches I’ve had, their expectations have increased," he said. "Every competition we enter is more stressful than before because people say, 'He’s an Olympic champion, so he has to perform well.'

"That’s why we have to be careful not to lose. The pressure of competition has become much heavier for us since the Olympics."

The loss was Beishekeev's first since last year's final in Bishkek, after which he won titles at the 2024 World U23 Championships and at this year's Tirana Ranking Series tournament. He also has bronze medals from both the Asian Games and Asian Championships in 2023.

Danial SOHRABI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 72kg final against Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 72kg, Sohrabi completed a dominant run to the title by putting away 2024 bronze medalist Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) 8-0 in the final for his fourth technical fall in four matches -- all without giving up a point.

Sohrabi, the 2023 world U23 champion, took advantage of the first shot at par terre by scoring consecutive rolls for a 5-0 lead, added a stepout, then finished the match with a takedown at 2:38.

Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) wrestles Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) in the 82kg final at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

World U23 champion Naghousi had his work cut out for him in forging a 3-1 victory over Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) in the 82kg final.

Naghousi used a body lock throw to score from par terre in the first period, then defended well from the bottom in the second period, avoiding giving up points on a rolling throw attempt by Satayev, whose silver marks his first senior-level medal.

Se Ung RI (PRK) celebrates after winning the gold medal at the 60kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 60kg, Ri used his agility to step over and gain a 2-point exposure on a takedown attempt by world U23 champion Alisher GANIEV (UZB) in the second period, giving him a 6-4 win and his first victory in three trips to the Asian final.

"I trained really hard to make sure I would win first place here," Ri said. "In the match against the Uzbekistan athlete, since I was stronger overall, I tried my best to overpower him tactically and secure the gold medal."

Ri took the early lead with an arm drag takedown and gut wrench to go up 4-0, but Ganiev came back with a lateral drop for 2, then spun behind after stopping an arm throw to make it 4-4 with the criteria in his favor.

In the second period, Ganiev got in tight on a takedown attempt on the mat, but Ri stepped over the top to wrench Ganiev temporarily onto his back for the 2 that would give him the title.

Ri, who prevented Iran from having finalists in all five weight classes when he defeated Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI) 8-4 in the semifinals, said he prepared well for what he knew would be a tough competition in the Olympic weight class.

"The 60kg category is an Olympic category, that's why I studied all of the opponents carefully, watched a lot of match footage and worked hard to win," Ri said.

Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) edged Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 6-5 in the 82kg bronze-medal bout. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Qatar gains 2nd-ever Asian medal, with an Iranian tint

In the bronze-medal matches, Qatar picked up just its second-ever medal -- again thanks to the efforts of an import -- when Iranian-born Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) edged two-time bronze medalist Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 6-5 at 82kg.

Badaghimofrad, who finished fifth for Iran at the 2023 Asian Championships and made his debut for Qatar earlier this year, had fallen behind 5-4 from a scramble that was started from a nice 4-point fireman's carry by Rasulov. But Badaghimofrad used an arm drag for a takedown to go ahead before the break, then held off Rasulov in a second period that saw no passivity points assessed.

Qatar's only previous medal was a silver won at freestyle 125kg by Georgian-born Giorgi SAKANDELIDZE (QAT) in 2018 in Bishkek. There have been a handful of fifth-place finishes by native Qataris.

In the other 82kg match, Boseong KANG (KOR) pulls a surprise with a 6-6 victory over dethroned defending champion Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), using an effective arm throw to build a six-point lead before holding off a late charge from the Japanese teen.

At 60kg, Kaito INABA (JPN) added a bronze to the silver he won last year in Bishkek, defeating Iran's Naserpour 1-1 on last-point criteria in a match limited to passivity points.

With Inaba on top in the second period, Naserpour did an amazing job of preventing being thrown, but Inaba clinched the win when he wriggled out of a Naserpour arm spin late in the match.

The second bronze-medal match at 60kg was also decided on last point, as Ziyue XI (CHN) used a high-chest wrap to turn over Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ) from par terre and secure a 3-3 victory for the first major medal of his career.

Sulaimanov, who won an Asian U23 bronze here last year, converted a reverse body roll in his turn from par terre in the first period.

At 67kg, Man Gwang SON (PRK) scored a stepout with :43 second left, giving him the criteria advantage and a 2-2 victory over Nozimjon BOYKUZIEV (UZB). Boykuziev had gone ahead with a stepout during a throw in par terre to go up 2-1.

Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) won the 67kg bronze medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Asian Games champion Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) hit a rolling 4-point throw from par terre in the first period and that was more than enough to defeat NEERAJ (IND) 5-0 in a battle between the 2022 bronze medalists. The loss denied Neeraj a third career Asian bronze.

In a bizarre finish at 72kg, Ji LENG (CHN) was on his way to a victory over Omar AL DARAGHMEH (JOR) when a misguided challenge from the Jordan side gave the Chinese the points he needed for an 11-3 technical fall.

Leng had a pair of stepouts and a takedown-roll combination in the second period to build up a 9-3 lead when Al Daraghmeh attempted a pancake that was stopped and originally scored as 2 for Leng. The call was overturned as a slipped throw, but Jordan challenged anyway -- and "won" the challenge because Al Daraghmeh was instead assessed a 2-point leg foul penalty which ended the match.

Issei HONNA (JPN) earned the other 72kg bronze for his first international medal, ripping off three rolls from par terre en route to a 10-0 victory over Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM) in 2:13.

At 97kg, NITESH (IND), a two-time Asian U23 medalist, earned his first senior medal with a one-sided 9-0 victory over Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM). Nitesh scored three gut wrenches from par terre, then ended the match with an arm drag takedown with :04 left in the first period.

Youfang ZHANG (CHN) snatched the other 97kg bronze in impressive fashion, reversing Jewoo PARK (KOR) during a gut wrench and securing a fall at 2:00.

Day 2 Results

Greco-Roman

60kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Se Ung RI (PRK) df. Alisher GANIEV (UZB), 6-4

BRONZE: Kaito INABA (JPN) df. Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI), 1-1
BRONZE: Ziyue XI (CHN) df. Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ), 3-3

67kg (13 entries)
GOLD: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) df. Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), 3-0

BRONZE: Man Gwang SON (PRK) df. Nozimjon BOYKUZIEV (UZB), 2-2
BRONZE: Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) df. NEERAJ (IND), 5-0

72kg (14 entries)
GOLD: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) by TF, 8-0, 2:38

BRONZE: Ji LENG (CHN) df. Omar AL DARAGHMEH (JOR) by TF, 11-3, 5:14
BRONZE: Issei HONNA (JPN) df. Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM) by TF, 10-0, 2:13

82kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) df. Omar SATAYEV (KAZ), 3-1

BRONZE: Boseong KANG (KOR) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), 6-6
BRONZE: Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) df. Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB), 6-5

97kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) by TF, 8-0, 3:08

BRONZE: NITESH (IND) df. Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM) by TF, 9-0, 2:56
BRONZE: Youfang ZHANG (CHN) df. Jewoo PARK (KOR) by Fall, 2:00 (3-3)

On return, Dzhuzupbekov secures gold at Ulaanbaatar Open 2025

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Olympic champs prevail as Iran bounces back with 4 golds