#WrestleRome

Russian Women Win Team Title on Back of Four Individual Gold Medalists

Friday, February 14, 2020 - 21:09 By Eric Olanowski

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ROME, Italy (February 13) --- Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) stuck Maria SELMAIER (GER) in the short-lived 72kg finals and closed out the Russian Federation’s run to the team title with a fourth women’s wrestling gold medal. 

Vorobeva, the reigning world champion at 72kg, joined fellow Russians Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS), Khanum VELIEVA (RUS) and Ekaterina BUKINA (RUS) atop the continental podium after her win via fall on Friday night.  

Russia (190 points) won the women’s wrestling team title 35 points ahead of the defending champions, Ukraine (155 points). Belarus rounded out the top-three in the women's race with 97 points.

Vorobeva, Russia's women's captain, said being cool and confident helped them win the team title. "The team was so successful because our girls are really cool. They started to believe in themselves. In general, our team is very cool, friendly, strong and ready to win."

Vorobeva sealed up Russia’s fourth gold of the tournament with a fall in 85 seconds of the opening period against Selmaier and won her third European title. After securing the fall, the two-time world champion said, "Yesterday, I couldn’t pin my rival, so today I was a bit unsure that I could keep her pinned. The position was a bit uncomfortable, but when I caught her head, I was sure it was gonna work." 

She’ll now move up to the Olympic weight of 76kg for a run at a potential third Olympic medal. She won gold in London and silver in Rio.

Vorobeva’s move leaves the Russian coaching staff with a tough decision to make before the European Qualifier. Do they stick with Bukina who just won the 76kg title, or do they go with Vorobeva, who’ll be moving up from the non-Olympic weight of 72kg? 

On Thursday, Bukina was asked about where her European title win at 76kg puts her in the race to represent Russia at the Olympic Games. She said, “It depends on who will be in better shape. Right now, she is wrestling in the other weight category, but we will decide later when it’s closer to the Olympics. It’s too early to talk about it.”

When Vorobeva was asked about the log jam between herself and Bukina at 76kg, she said, "I gave Bukina this place and it's good for her that she used her chance. But if there is a need for me to wrestle at 76kg, we'll both go on the mat, wrestle and see who is the best."

Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) won her second European title with a win over Jessica BLASZKA (NED)  (Photo: Gabor Martin)

World Champions Kazldzinskaya and Tkach Ostaphuk Win European Golds on Friday Night
World champions Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) and Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) added European titles to their resumes with wins on Friday night in Rome. 

Kaladzinskaya, a two-time world champion, denied Jessica BLASZKA (NED) the opportunity to become the Netherlands’ first-ever women’s wrestling European champion and now owns as many European titles as world golds. "I think that when something happens once, it might not happen again. If something happens twice, it means that it would happen for the third time as well," Kaladzinskaya said about evening her world and continental gold medal count.

Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) edged fellow world champion Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS) in the 62kg finals and won her fourth European gold medal. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Tkach Ostaphuk won the low-scoring battle against fellow world champion Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS) and claimed her fourth European title. "It was the final match for the gold medal and any mistake could have been fatal. I had to wrestle well to achieve success," said Tkach Ostaphuk. 

In the 62kg finals, she trailed 1-0, but after a pair of second-period inactivity points, Tkach Ostaphuk handed Ukraine their lone women’s wrestling title of the tournament.

"I knew it would be difficult. It’s not the first year we've been wrestling together. We know each other very well and it's difficult to wrestle when you have known your rival for a long time," said Tkach Ostaphuk.  "I think the luckiest one has won tonight. Well, actually, the one who was stronger won tonight."

After stepping off the podium, Tkach Ostaphuk was asked what it feels like to hold her fourth European gold medal. She said, "I am so happy because it’s my 30’th birthday this year, and it feels like I have already been an athlete for a century. It’s a pleasure to win and to prove that I am the best in this weight category."

Tkach Ostaphuk will travel back to Ukraine to train before heading to Budapest, Hungary, to try to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games. In order to earn a berth to the Olympic Games, Tkach Ostaphuk said she needs to enjoy the moment. "I just need to step on the mat, wrestle and enjoy it. I hope I will be able to qualify for the Olympics, those will be my 4th Olympic Games, I would finally like to win a medal so that my sporting career will have a nice ending." 

Grace BULLEN (NOR) is the first women's wrestler from Norway to win two European titles. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Bullen First Norwegian Woman to win Two European Titles 
Grace BULLEN (NOR) became the first Norwegian woman to win two European titles after bulldozing Alina AKOBIIA (UKR) in the 57kg finals. “It’s awesome. I like that I can make history and make the path for younger generation wrestlers in Norway,” Bullen said about her history-making performance.  

Bullen stopped five Ukrainian shots in the opening period and capitalized on the fifth defensive stop with a counter-offensive takedown. She transitioned into a gut wrench, and after trailing 1-0 for nearly the entire first period, she ended up leading by three points.

The second period was a somewhat dull one. Bullen stopped Akobiia’s high crotch attempt and tossed her to her back with a whip over. She held her Ukrainian opponent on her back for the final two minutes of the period and claimed the gold medal with the 6-1 victory.

Bullen knew it was risky to try to adjust her grip, so she stayed put and watched the clock expire. “I was thinking about controlling (the fall). My grip could easily fall out and we’d probably have to go (on our feet) again.” And she didn't want that, She’d rather play it safe. “Just knowing you can count down to a win is a good thing, and it’s safe that way. I’d rather be safe than sorry.” 

Bullen plans to wrestle at the European qualifier in March then hopefully to the Tokyo Olympic Games later this year. And to do that, Bullen said it needs to be herself. “First of all, I have to get to the Olympics. To do that, I have to be myself. I want to impress people with my wrestling and make it interesting for people to watch. If I do that, I’ll win matches, and I’ll get there.”

Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) stopped Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) from repeating as European champion. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Hristova Stops Manolova from Repeating as European Champion
Defending European champions had a difficult night on Thursday, going 0-3 in gold-medal matches. On Friday, their luck was eerily similar, as Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) stopped Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) from defending her European crown from 2019. 

Hristova and Manolva combined to score three points in the first five and a half minutes of the bout, but a late scramble that ended in an awkward flurry lit the score up with six additional points. Hristova went from leading 2-1 to ending the match with Manolva on her back while controlling the 6-3 advantage. 

The European Championships resume tomorrow at 11:30 (local time) and can be followed live on www.unitedworldwrestling.org. 

RESULTS 
53kg 
GOLD - Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) df. Jessica BLASZKA (NED), 3-1 
BRONZE - Annika WENDLE (GER) df. Suzanna Georgiana SEICARIU (ROU), via fall 
BRONZE - Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS) df. Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL), 6-0 

57kg
GOLD - Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR) vs. Alina AKOBIIA (UKR), 6-1
BRONZE - Sara Johanna LINDBORG (SWE) df. Marina SIMONYAN (RUS), 7 - 4
BRONZE - Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) df. Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE), 4-1 

62kg 
GOLD - Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) df. Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS), 2-1 
BRONZE - Taybe Mustafa YUSEIN (BUL) df. Mariana CHERDIVARA ESANU (MDA), 12 - 0
BRONZE - Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE) df. Veranika IVANOVA (BLR), 4-0

65kg 
GOLD - Mimi Nikolova HRISTOVA (BUL) df. Elis MANOLOVA (AZE), 6-3 
BRONZE - Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) df. Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU), 8-0 
BRONZE - Mariia KUZNETSOVA (RUS) df. Petra Maarit OLLI (FIN), 8-4

72kg 
GOLD - Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) df. Maria SELMAIER (GER), via fall 
BRONZE - Catalina AXENTE (ROU) df. Enrica RINALDI (ITA), 5-1 
BRONZE - Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR) df. Merve PUL (TUR), via fall 

#WrestlePontevedra

Begenjov wins Turkmenistan's historic world title in Freestyle

Saturday, September 7, 2024 - 23:12 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (September 7) -- After falling agonizingly short of a World Championship medal two years in a row, Alp BEGENJOV (TKM) made amends in the most impressive way possible -- winning Turkmenistan's first-ever world title in Freestyle.

Begenjov won the gold medal in 79kg weight class at the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain on Saturday, becoming the first Freestyle world champion of his country. It is only the second time Turkmenistan has won a gold medal at any World Championships. Shorat KHODAYEV (TKM) won a U17 world gold in 1994.

"It was my dream," Begenjov said. "I made my dream come true. I’ve become a world champion. It’s the first time in the history of my country [in Freestyle]."

Begenjov had competed at the U17 World Championships in 2022 and 2023, finishing 12th and fifth respectively. This year, he finished fifth at Asian Championships, 12th at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers and won bronze at the U23 Asian Championships. The loss at the Asian Championships hurt Begenjov.

"I was so disappointed after losing at the Asian Championships," he said. "I started training harder and last month I won the U20 Asian Championships and now the World Championships."

Not only did he win gold, Begenjov did so without conceding a point in the tournament. He outscored his opponents 46-0, including the 5-0 win over Jackary RYDER (USA) in the final.

He led 1-0 at the break after Ryder failed to score after being put on the activity clock. Begenjov used his fake attacks to keep Ryder on check and scored a stepout to extend his lead to 2-0.

Ryder did get on Begenjov's leg a couple of times but failed to finish those attacks. On one occasion, Ryder was trying to lift after a single-leg attack but Begejnov grabbed Ryder's leg and he fell on his back, giving up two points as Begenjov extended his lead to 4-0. A lost challenge made it 5-0.

The 18-year-old plans to compete at the U23 World Championships but doesn't plan to compete at the senior level yet.

"I have to train harder to repeat this and win the senior world title," he said. "I am physically not strong enough yet for senior level."

Trained by his uncle in Ashgabat, Begenov graduated from school earlier this year and joined the university.

"I will start my first year," he said. "I will study stock exchange. We have this faculty in Turkmenistan."

Apart from Ryder's silver medal, the United States won gold and three bronze medals. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) upgraded his silver from last year to gold, winning the 57kg weight class by beating Lev PAVLOV (AIN) in the final.

This was Lilledahl's fourth straight age-group world final after he made two at U17 level and one at U20. He won silver in 2021 and upgraded to gold in 2022 at the U17 Worlds.

In the final against Pavlov, who he had beaten on his way to the final last year in Amman, Lilledahl got two activity points while Pavlov got one. Pavlov failed to find a perfect opening to score a point in the final seconds and dropped the final 2-1.

"When I wrestled him before, it was a lot more wide open," Lilledahl said. "With it being the finals [this year], he would kind of just wrestle to win. That's what you have to do. You're here to win. 

"That's pretty much what I figured would happen. He doesn't really like to create a lot of action, which kind of plays against me because I like the action. It was a stylistic matchup. Having wrestled him before, we kind of knew each other and knew how each other felt and stuff like that."

Aitmukhan adds U20 title

World champion at 92kg Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) gave the U20 World Championships a try and went home with a gold medal. Aitmukhan became Kazakhstan's first Freestyle world champion at the senior level last year at 92kg in Belgrade.

By winning the 97kg gold medal in Pontevedra, Aitmukhan as became only the fourth wrestler from Kazakhstan, and first in 24 years, to win a gold in Freestyle at U20 World Championships.

Aitmukhan was so dominant in the final that Khetag KARSANOV (AZE) could not stop him from winning the final 10-0.

Ali KHORRAMDEL (IRI)Ali KHORRAMDEL (IRI) completes a takedown in the 65kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Iran won the gold medal at 65kg as Ali KHORRAMDEL (IRI) shut out Makoto HOSOKAWA (JPN), and won the final 10-2. Khorramdel lost his semifinal to Eldar AKHMADUDINOV (AIN) last year but won a bronze medal in the 61kg weight class.

The U20 Asian champion had a difficult path to the final as he had to make a comeback in his opening bout against Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR), winning 12-11. Aykhan ABDULLAZADA (AZE) also fought hard but lost 9-6 before Khorramdel hung on for a 6-4 win over Adam ARKHIEV (AIN) in the semifinals.

Hosokawa was displeased with his performance as Khorramdel blocked him from the right side and Hosokawa failed to score from his strong position. 

While Hosokawa lost, his Nippon Sports Science University teammate Ryoya YAMASHITA (JPN) won the gold medal at 70kg. Two days before his bouts, Yamashita had announced in the dining hall that he could "only see the gold medal". Yamashita made sure he took it home.

In a high-paced final, Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN) failed to challenge Yamashita's speed and style and lost 6-0 in the 70kg final.

"This was my first international world tournament," Yamashita said. "I played with the intention of having fun and had a lot of fun. This is my goal for this year, but after competing, I realized that the senior world championships or the Olympics would be even more amazing. "

It was not all fun for Baitukaev on the mat as Yamashita showed his A game. Yamashita got the first point via stepout and earned a second when the 30-second activity clock against Baitukaev ended. Yamashita blasted a double in the second period to get two points and turned using head-in-middle lace to lead 6-0. Baitukaev had no energy left to attack and Yamashita won the gold medal.

Yamashita celebrated by gesturing like he was taking out the imaginary Samurai swords. 

"I came up with it when I was thinking of doing a performance based on Japanese culture," he said. "It's a Japanese tradition since ancient times. I did it because I admired it."

Yamashita trains with Olympic champions Rei HIGUCHI (JPN and Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) at NSSU and wants to replicate the success his teammates had.

"I realized that what I was doing was correct," he said. "It was a great environment to have someone close to me that I was aiming for. I was really moved by watching the matches. I was inspired by that."

For him to be at the Olympics, Yamashita will have to wait at least four years and jump to 74kg to make the team for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

"I'm still thinking about it, but I guess I can only be 74kg to qualify for the Olympics," he said "I would like to be at 74kg for Los Angeles."

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) df. Lev PAVLOV (AIN), 2-1

BRONZE: Luka GVINJILIA (GEO) df. Myktybek UKIMETULY (KAZ), 4-1
BRONZE: ANKUSH (IND) df. Hayko GASPARYAN (ARM), 6-2

65kg
GOLD: Ali KHORRAMDEL (IRI)  df. Makoto HOSOKAWA (JPN), 10-2

BRONZE: Bowen BASSETT (USA) df. Nikoloz BESHIDZE (GEO), 10-0
BRONZE: Adam ARKHIEV (AIN) df. Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR), 4-1

70kg
GOLD: Ryoya YAMASHITA (JPN) df. Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN), 6-0

BRONZE: Ali KARAMPOUR (IRI) df. Goga OTINASHVILI (GEO), via fall (9-0) 
BRONZE: Peter DUKE (USA) df. Aikyn BOLATULY (KAZ), 18-7

79kg
GOLD: Alp BEGENJOV (TKM) df. Zackary RYDER (USA), 5-0

BRONZE: Leandro ARAUJO (BRA) df. Said SAIDULOV (AIN), 5-4
BRONZE: Mahdi YOUSEFI (IRI) df. AMIT (IND), 13-2

97kg
GOLD: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) df. Khetag KARSANOV (AZE), 10-0 

BRONZE: Justin RADEMACHER (USA) df. Nikolaos KARAVANOS (GRE), 10-0
BRONZE: Adam JAKSIK (SVK) df. Rifat GIDAK (TUR), 2-1

Semifinals

61kg
GOLD: Masanosuke ONO (JPN) vs. Ebrahim KHARI (IRI)

SF 1: Masanosuke ONO (JPN) df. Marcus BLAZE (USA), 7-2
SF 2: Ebrahim KHARI (IRI) df. Abdinur NURLANBEK (KAZ), 6-4

74kg
GOLD: Ali REZAEI (IRI) vs. Ladarion LOCKETT (USA)

SF 1: Ali REZAEI (IRI) df. Shingo ANDO (JPN), 10-0
SF 2: Ladarion LOCKETT (USA) df. Aghanazar NOVRUZOV (AZE), 3-1

86kg
GOLD: Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) vs. Joshua BARR (USA)

SF 1: Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) df. Abolfazl RAHMANI (IRI), 12-2
SF 2: Joshua BARR (USA) df. Ahmet YAGAN (TUR), 10-0

92kg
GOLD: Sali SALIEV (BUL) vs. Mustafagadzhi MALACHDIBIROV (AIN)

SF 1: Sali SALIEV (BUL) df. Connor MIRASOLA (USA), 5-4
SF 2: Mustafagadzhi MALACHDIBIROV (AIN) df. Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ), 5-0

125kg
GOLD: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) vs. Benjamin KUETER (USA)

SF 1: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) df. Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR), 3-1
SF 2: Benjamin KUETER (USA) df. Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL), 13-3