#WrestleAlmaty

Ryu Grabs Ticket to Tokyo While Kyrgyzstan Secures Three Olympic Spots

By Ken Marantz

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (April 9) --- Veteran Hansu RYU (KOR) earned another shot at the Olympics, while Kyrgyzstan grabbed three spots at the Tokyo Games as the Greco-Roman competition kicked off the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament on Friday.

Ryu, a 33-year-old former world champion, punched his ticket to Tokyo this summer when he advanced to the semifinals at 67kg, clinching one of the two berth available at the continental qualifier at Almaty's Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports.

Iran's bid to fill out its dance card in Greco-Roman at Tokyo came up one short when 2019 Asian champion Hossein NOURI (IRI) was dealt a heartbreaking 4-4 defeat by Fei PENG (CHN) in the 87kg semifinals.

Iran, which had already secured three Greco berths at the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan, picked up two of the three other spots with semifinal runs by Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) at 67kg and Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) at 97kg.

China and Korea also captured two Olympic berths, while host Kazakhstan, Olympic host Japan and Uzbekistan grabbed one each.

Ryu, last year's Asian champion who placed fifth at the Rio 2016 Olympics, advanced to the final in the night session with an impressive victory by fall over Aram VARDANYAN (UZB), the 2019 world silver medalist at 72kg.

Twice Ryu scored a takedown, then used a high chest wrench to score with a roll and build an 8-0 lead. After the second combination, Vardanyan conceded  allowing the fall at 1:21.

Ryu missed out on qualifying at the Nursultan worlds when he lost close decisions to eventual champion Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) and Frank STAEBLER (GER).

In the final, he will face Geraei, the 2019 world U-23 and Asian champion who advanced with a fall and two technical falls, the last a 9-1 rout of Ashu ASHU (IND) in the semifinals.

"It's great to qualify here and I am ready for the Tokyo Olympics," Geraei said. "It's always great to be a champion. My brother (Mohammadali GERAEI, 77kg) qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and he is a champion as well. He got it in Nursultan and I did it in Almaty. We will now do well in Tokyo."

Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) led the Kyrgyz trio of semifinalists when the 2020 Asian silver medalist upended Gyandender GYANDENDER (IND) 6-1 in the 60kg semifinals.

He will take on 2018 world bronze medalist Sailike WALIHAN (CHN), who capped a 10-0 technical fall victory over Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK) with a mighty 4-point throw.

Later, Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) and Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) joined their compatriot with semifinal victories at 77kg and 97kg, respectively. Makhmudov manhandled Singh GURPREET (IND) with a pair of 4-point bear-hug throws in an 8-2 win, while Dzhuzupbekov unleashed a 4-point throw from par terre position in a 6-0 victory over Seyeol LEE (KOR).

"It was a dream to qualify for the Olympics since childhood," Makhmudov said. "When I was old enough to understand things, I only thought about the Olympics. The semifinal was exactly how I planned to wrestle. I think it was one of my best bouts."

Makhumudov will next face Shohei YABIKU (JPN), who salvaged an otherwise tough day for the Olympic host nation by beating Hujun ZHANG (CHN), 6-2. Coming into Almaty, Japan had qualified in only one Greco weight, 60kg from world champion Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN).

Kyrgyzstan came across the border also having  secured only one Olympic spot in Greco, at 87kg, at the World Championships, and will now return with four, tied with Uzbekistan.

Next up for Dzhuzupbekov will be 2020 Asian champion Saravi, who advanced with a 10-2 technical fall over Yanan CHEN (CHN).

China's Peng will be heading to his second Olympics after a stunning reversal of fortune against Nouri. Trailing 4-0 in the second period, Peng was being driven backward when he hit a last-ditch back drop that sent the Iranian to his back for 4 points and a victory by criteria.

"I didn't plan anything for the semfinal, I just wrestled normal," said Peng, a 2018 Asian bronze medalist. "I have lost to him many times in the past so it was great to win. I am excited for Tokyo."

Awaiting him in the final will be 30-year-old Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ), who pulled off a little late-match magic of his own -- not once, but twice. After having to rally to defeat Masato SUMI (JPN) 5-3 in the quarterfinals, Tursynov stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat 2020 Asian champion Kumar SUNIL (IND), 9-5, with a big 4-point throw being the decisive move.

The most dominant performance of the day was turned in by Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) at 130kg. With the weight class split into round-robin groups, Abdullaev made short work of his three group opponents, scoring a fall and two technical falls, then trounced Lingzhe MENG (CHN) by 9-0 technical fall in the semifinals. None of his four matches lasted more than two minutes.

Minseok KIM (KOR) gave Korea a second Olympic spot by defeating Naveen NAVEEN (IND), 7-1, in the other semifinal.

The competition continues with women's wrestling on Saturday and freestyle on Sunday.

Greco-Roman semifinal results:

60kg
Sailike WALIHAN (CHN) df. Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK) by TF, 10-0 (4:25)
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) df. Gyandender GYANDENDER (IND), 6-1

67kg
Hansu RYU (KOR) df. Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) by Fall, 1:21 (8-0)
Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) df. Ashu ASHU (IND) by TF, 9-1 (2:07)

77kg
Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Singh GURPREET (IND), 8-2
Shohei YABIKU (JPN) df. Hujun ZHANG (CHN), 6-2

87kg
Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) df. Kumar SUNIL (IND), 9-5
Fei PENG (CHN) df. Hossein NOURI (IRI), 4-4

97kg
Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Yanan CHEN (CHN) by TF, 10-2 (4:32)
Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) df. Seyeol LEE (KOR), 6-0

130kg
Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Lingzhe MENG (CHN) by TF, 9-0 (1:53)
Minseok KIM (KOR) df. Naveen NAVEEN (IND), 7-1

#WrestleAlmaty

Yazdani, in league of his own, wins gold in Almaty

By Vinay Siwach

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (June 5) -- There had already been a few high-profile finals before Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) stepped on the mat. Tulga TUMUR-OCHIR (MGL) had won his first-ever Ranking Series gold, U23 world champion Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) had been involved in a 16-point final which he won by fall inside the first period, European champion Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) won at 74kg with ease.

But when Yazdani's name was called for the 86kg final, you knew who is the biggest star of the sport. By the time he scored his first takedown against Boris MAKOEV (SVK) in the final, fans had queued up to take a picture with him. The audience had moved towards the athlete's exit to shake his hand. Nothing mattered more than catching a glimpse of Yazdani. A few managed to do it, and some left disappointed.

The world champion was returning to the mat since winning the gold in Oslo seven months back. He had captivated the world by beating David TAYLOR (USA) for the first time in four attempts, a win that relieved some of Yazdani's pain of losing the Tokyo Olympics final to Taylor in the dying moments.

Sunday's final did not have the same stakes on the line. Yazdani was wrestling for a Ranking Series gold against the opponent from the '17 World final which he won. He did not have millions of eyes on him watching and hoping to win against an opponent he has never.

The 27-year-old still put on a show. Like when Makoev got a full shot on a single leg and Yazdani defended it with a stepback and lifted Makoev for exposure for two points. Or when he used his strength to score a double-leg takedown.

"It's been about eight months since I had not taken part in competitions," Yazdani said. "I decided to wrestle at this competition to re-evaluate my weaknesses and keep my body and mind on edge so that I can be fully prepared for the international competitions ahead."

Winning the final 11-0 was just a testimony of how is still in top form and nothing mattered more to any. The fans will forget the comeback from Amir ZARE (IRI) to win the 125kg or how dominant Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) was to win the 92kg. All that matters is a Yazdani win.

He first made it past Fatih ERDIN (TUR) 11-0 in the quarterfinals and was then tested by Asian champion Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) in the semifinals. The Kazakhstan wrestler was the only one who could wrestle Yazdani for more than four minutes but he ultimately lost 12-1.

The final against Makoev only lasted 4:33 but Yazdani put it on record that he is ready for another season and defend his world title in Belgrade, Serbia.

Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) returned to competition and captured the 86kg gold in Almaty. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

"The level of this competition was good," he said. "There some major Asian and a European wrestlers present who were quite good. My main purpose here was to be on the mat and be able to keep my body prepared and these matches helped me with that purpose quite well."

In little more than three months' time, Yazdani will be in Belgrade, Serbia defending his world title at 86kg. While he did not reveal his future competitions, Yazdani did not rule out being part of a couple before Belgrade.

"If my coach sees fit yes, I would like to compete," he said. "However, after so many months of being away from the mat officially, I got the results I was hoping for and now at this point, I will be willing to do so as long as the coach sees competing in a match fitting."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) after winning the 92kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

In a similarly dominant fashion, Ghasempour claimed the 92kg gold beating three Kazakhstan wrestlers en route. In his four bouts, the Iran wrestler scored 38 points while not giving up a single one.

Ghasempour had scored a career-defining world title win in Oslo and since then his following has sky-rocketed. In a short time, he has established himself as the top wrestler at 92kg with wins over J'den COX (USA) and Magomedov KURBANOV (RWF).

In Almaty, he started strong with a 10-0 win over Viky CHAHAR (IND) followed by Islyambek ILYASSOV (KAZ) in Round 2 with a fall after scoring 10-0. In the semifinal, he wrestled Abdimanap BAIGENZHEYEV (KAZ) and moved into the finals with an 11-0.

Adilet DAVLUMBAYEV (KAZ) had entered the final from the other side and he tried stopping Ghasempour from winning the gold but the Iranian wrestler was on a different level.

He quickly led 4-0 with two takedowns and Davlumbayev was already struggling to keep up. It quickly became 9-0 when Ghasempour scored another takedown and rolled the Kazakhstan wrestler for exposure. The corner challenged the two-point call but lost it.

Davlumbayev managed to delay the loss to the second period but Ghasempour was happy to play it easy and finally won the gold with 2:07 remaining.

Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) won his first-ever Ranking Series gold. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

European champion Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) won his first Ranking Series gold medal at 74kg. While he did not look the most aggressive on the mat, he did not allow his opponents to go through their attacks as well.

In the quarterfinal, he wrestled Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) and despite numerous attempts from the Uzbekistan veteran, he kept his defense intact and pulled off a 3-0 win. The semifinal against Asian silver medalist Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) was a similar affair as the scoreline was 3-1.

From the other side, Byambadorj BAT-ERDENE (MGL) had made it to the final and tried using his underhook defense against Salkazanov but that did not work. The World silver medalist was wrestling with such high pressure that Bat-Erdene gave up four stepout points. Salkazanov eventually won 8-0.

Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) won the 70kg gold after beating Rodion ANCHUGIN (KAZ). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In a contrasting final at 70kg, U23 world champion Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) recovered from a shock start against Rodion ANCHUGIN (KAZ) to secure a fall after a 10-7 score.

But he did have a scare at the start when after getting an arm throw for four, teenager Anchugin scored a reversal and a gut wrench. He went for another attack but Akmataliev was ready and defended it with a cartwheel which resulted in Anchugin going out of bounds.

Before Akmataliev could settle down again, Anchugin added two takedowns to take a 7-5 lead. The bout had seen 12 points inside the first two points and it got the local crowd going.

It was at this moment when Akmataliev took a step back and slowed the pace of the bout. The two got in a scramble and Akmataliev scored an exposure and held Anchugin in a cradle to secure the fall with four seconds remaining in the first period.

Akmataliev was all praise for the Kazakhstan wrestler but said that he expected a final of this sort because he is not familiar with his opponent.

"The Kazakhstan wrestler is quite young," Akmataliev said. "I knew he would do something I wouldn’t expect, so I was ready for everything. As I expected, his wrestling was something new to me, he started at a quite high pace. I made a mistake and he caught me, but later I could score back and finally win. I am sure this wrestler will show himself up and well wrestle each other again."

Akmataliev won silver at 70kg in Oslo but he is focused on converting it to gold in Belgrade.

"I was in very good shape in Oslo," he said. "Unfortunately I couldn’t win the gold medal. As soon as we go back from Almaty, we will start training for Belgrade and I’ll do my best to win the gold."

Before Oslo, he also participated in the Tokyo Olympics at 65kg but suffered a 3-3 loss to eventual bronze medalist Bajrang PUNIA (IND) in the opening round. Akmataliev said that if given a chance, he would like to avenge that loss.

"There isn’t any specific wrestler who is really tough, all of them are," he said. "However, I had a very sad loss to Bajrang at Tokyo Olympics, I would like to wrestler him again and take revenge."

Abbos RAKHMANOV (UZB)Abbos RAKHMANOV (UZB) defeated Bajrang PUNIA (IND) 5-3 at 65kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Punia's unbeaten run ends

At 65kg, Punia's unbeaten record at five Ranking Series was finally ended as he suffered a shock loss to Abbos RAKHMANOV (UZB) in the opening round. After getting two points for Rakhmanov's negative wrestling, Punia's looked like a shadow of his old self and failed to get going. Rakhmanov kept up the pressure and ended the first period with 2-2 criteria lead after a takedown.

He was hit with passivity in the second period and then Punia decided to defend his 3-2 lead for a full minute. But Rakhmanov scored two points with exposure in the dying moments of the bout to win for the first time against Punia in the third attempt.

He reached the final against world bronze medalist Tulga TUMUR-OCHIR (MGL) but could repeat his performance from the morning and lost 6-1, giving the Mongolian his first Ranking Series gold.

Punia won the bronze while the other bronze medalist was former U17 world champion Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB).

India did win a gold in Almaty as Aman SEHRAWAT (IND) mounted an inspiring comeback against Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ) in Round 5 at 57kg.

He trailed 6-0 at one moment but Bazarbayev had little gas left in his tank as Sehrawat continued to attack. He eventually won 10-9 and won gold, an improvement from his bronze in Istanbul.

Kyrgyzstan won the 61kg gold medal after Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ) defeated Zhassulan TASKUL (KAZ), 11-0 in a display of high-skilled wrestling.

But the result was reversed at 79kg as Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ) beat Saiakbai USUPOV (KGZ), 2-1 to win the gold to the home crowds' delight.

The Ranking Series action will now shift Matteo Pellicone to Rome, Italy. The tournament will take place from June 22 to 26.

Results

57kg
Round 5: Aman SEHRAWAT (IND) df. Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ), 10-9
Round 5: Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) df. Abdymalik KARACHOV (KGZ), via inj. def.

Final standings
GOLD: Aman SEHRAWAT (IND)
SILVER: Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ)
BRONZE: Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ)

61kg
GOLD: Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ) df. Zhassulan TASKUL (KAZ), 11-0

BRONZE: Yeldos MOMBEKOV (KAZ) df. Ali ABURUMAILA (PLE), 3-0

65kg
GOLD: Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) df. Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB), 6-1

BRONZE: Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) df. Komron KHOLOV (TJK), 10-0
BRONZE: Bajrang PUNIA (IND) df. Rifat SAIBOTALOV (KAZ), 7-0

70kg
GOLD: Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) df. Rodion ANCHUGIN (KAZ), via fall (10-7)

BRONZE: Zafarbek OTAKHONOV (UZB) df. Vishal KALIRAMANA (IND), 8-6
BRONZE: Meirzhan ASHIROV (KAZ) df. Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ), 11-9

74kg
GOLD: Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. Byambadorj BAT-ERDENE (MGL), 8-0

BRONZE: Amr Reda HUSSEN (EGY) df. NAVEEN (IND), 5-1
BRONZE: Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) df. Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB), 17-9

79kg
GOLD: Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ) df. Saiakbai USUPOV (KGZ), 2-1

BRONZE: Daulet YERGESH (KAZ) df. Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ), 4-4
BRONZE: Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) df. Zhiger ZAKIROV (KAZ), 6-6

86kg
GOLD: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) df. Boris MAKOEV (SVK), 11-0

BRONZE: Bobur ISLOMOV (UZB) df. Nurzhan ISSAGALIYEV (KAZ), 13-2
BRONZE: Fatih ERDIN (TUR) df. Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ), 4-2

92kg
GOLD: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) df. Adilet DAVLUMBAYEV (KAZ), 11-0

BRONZE: Abdimanap BAIGENZHEYEV (KAZ) df. Islyambek ILYASSOV (KAZ), 4-2