#WrestleTokyo

Sadulaev Tops Rival Snyder in 3rd Clash for Tokyo Olympics Gold

By Ken Marantz

CHIBA, Japan (August 7)---Abdulrashid SADULAEV (ROC) came out on top in his latest clash with fellow Rio Olympic champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) at freestyle 97kg, winning "Snyderlaev III" 6-3 on Saturday night.

In the highly anticipated battle at Makuhari Messe Hall A, reigning world champi0n Sadulaev scored twice on tilts in countering low singles by Snyder and held on to add a second Olympic gold to his four world titles.

"Unbelievable, awesome," Sadulaev said. "I know this feeling because five years ago I won. It’s more difficult to defend than to win. So it’s a dream today."

Sadulaev took a 2-0 lead in the second period after receiving an activity point and scoring on a stepout.

In the second period, Snyder shot for a low single and Sadulaev showed how he earned his nickame "The Russian Tank" when he lifted the American off the mat. While Sadulaev wasn't able throw Snyder for points, he managed to tilt him over.

A short time later, Snyder got in on the same single leg, and the result was exactly the same, giving the Russian a 4-0 lead.

Snyder, a two-time former world champion, put himself back into the match with a hard-earned takedown with 50 seconds left, then added a stepout point with :28 on the clock. But the 25-year-old Sadulaev wasn't budging after that, and held on for his second win in two career matches with Snyder.

Asked about how he felt about his historic victory, Sadualev said, "To be honest for now I don’t eel anything because I am too tired. Maybe after sometime I will tell you."

The two, born just six months apart, had been on parallel tracks throughout their careers, both winning senior world freestyle titles in 2015 and an Olympic gold at Rio 2016, all before their 21st birthdays.

Sadulaev won the 86kg gold in Rio, where Snyder triumphed at 97kg. Sadulaev moved up to 97kg the next year, and their paths first crossed in the final at the 2017 World Championships in Paris in a match immediately dubbed "The Match of the Century."

Snyder prevailed to take the gold, which also gave the U.S. the freestyle team title, scoring the winning points of a 6-5 decision in the final 30 seconds. A year later in Budapest, Sadulaev turned the tide turned in the world with an innovative fall in just 70 seconds.

At the 2019 World Championships, a highly anticipated third match never came about after Snyder lost in the semifinals to 2012 London Olympic champion Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) as Sadulaev went on to win his fourth world title.

#WrestleBelgrade

Preliminary Greco-Roman World Championship seeds announced

By Eric Olanowski

BELGRADE, Serbia (August 29) --- United World Wrestling has released the preliminary Greco-Roman seeds for the 2023 World Championships.

The point-based seeds were determined by a wrestler's participation and placement at the 2022 World Championships, 2023 Continental Championships and 2023 Ranking Series events.

Although it's highly unlikely that the brackets play out exactly how their seeded, but if the seeds were to hold true through the finals in the top-eight seeded system, here's how the bracket will look leading up to the gold-medal match:

Quarterfinals:
No. 1 vs. No. 8 (top side)
No. 4 vs. No. 5 (top side)

No. 2 vs. No. 7 (bottom side)
No. 3 vs. No. 6 (bottom side)

Semifinals:
No. 1 vs. No. 4 (top side)
No. 2 vs. No. 3 (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 vs. No. 2

*The seeds are based on the current entries provided by National Federations and are subject to change.

World Championships seeds:

55kg
No. 1 - Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)
No. 2 - Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
No. 3 - Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB)
No. 4 - Poya Soulat DAD MARZ (IRI)
No. 5 - Rudik MKRTCHYAN (ARM)
No. 6 - Denis Florin MIHAI (ROU)
No. 7 - Artiom DELEANU (MDA)
No. 8 - Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ)

60kg 
No. 1 - Edmond Armen NAZARYAN (BUL)
No. 2 - Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
No. 3 - Kerem KAMAL (TUR)
No. 4 - Liguo CAO (CHN)
No. 5 - Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)
No. 6 - Mehdi Seifollah MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI)
No. 7 - Haithem Mahmoud Ahmed Fahmy MAHMOUD (EGY)
No. 8 - Nihat Zahid MAMMADLI (AZE)


63kg 
No. 1 - Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
No. 2 - Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
No. 3 - Iman Hossein Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI)
No. 4 - Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ)
No. 5 - Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB)
No. 6 - Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO)
No. 7 - Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
No. 8 - Madiyar MALTEKBAYEV (KAZ)

67kg
No. 1 - Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO)
No. 2 - Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
No. 3 - Mate NEMES (SRB)
No. 4 - Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU)
No. 5 - Murat FIRAT (TUR)
No. 6 - Mohammadreza Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI)
No. 7 - Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ)
No. 8 - Luis Alberto ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB)

72kg 
No. 1 - Selcuk CAN (TUR)
No. 2 - Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE)
No. 3 - Ali Feizollah ARSALAN (SRB)
No. 4 - Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamed Hassan GHANEM (FRA)
No. 5 - Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ)
No. 6 - Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN)
No. 7 - Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO)
No. 8 - Valentin PETIC (MDA)

77kg
No. 1 - Zoltan LEVAI (HUN)
No. 2 - Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR)
No. 3 - Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
No. 4 - Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)
No. 5 - Rui LIU (CHN)
No. 6 - Viktor NEMES (SRB)
No. 7 - Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
No. 8 - Iuri LOMADZE (GEO)

82kg
No. 1 - Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)
No. 2 - Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
No. 3 - Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR)
No. 4 - Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
No. 5 - Dias KALEN (KAZ)
No. 6 - Alireza Azizkhoon MOHMADIPIANI (IRI)
No. 7 - Mihail BRADU (MDA)
No. 8 - Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE)

87kg
No. 1 - Ali CENGIZ (TUR)
No. 2 - David LOSONCZI (HUN)
No. 3 - Alex KESSIDIS (SWE)
No. 4 - Naser Ghasem ALIZADEH (IRI)
No. 5 - Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
No. 6 - Semen Sergeevich NOVIKOV (BUL)
No.  7 - Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB)
No. 8 - Kumar SUNIL (IND)

97kg
No. 1 - Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL)
No. 2 - Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)
No. 3 - Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI)
No. 4 - Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)
No. 5 - Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE)
No. 6 - Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
No. 7 - Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB)
No. 8 - Felix BALDAUF (NOR) 

130kg
No. 1 - Riza KAYAALP (TUR)
No. 2 - Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)
No. 3 - Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)
No. 4 - Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
No. 5 - Lingzhe MENG (CHN)
No. 6 - Dariusz Attila VITEK (HUN)
No. 7 - Oscar PINO HINDS (CUB)
No. 8 - Oskar MARVIK (NOR)