Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial Preview

Monday, May 20, 2019 - 17:34 By Eric Olanowski

SASSARI, Italy (May 20) -- The Palestra Comunale, located minutes away from the sandy beaches of the Italian island of Sardinia, will host United World Wrestling’s third Ranking Series event of the year, the Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial on May 23-25. The endless list of star-studded entries features four Olympic champions, 18 returning world medalists, and three wrestlers who sit atop of this month’s world ranking.

The four wrestlers who’ve reached the top of the podium at the Olympic Games are Rio gold medalists Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) and Erica WIEBE (CAN), and London Olympic champions KIM Hyeonwoo (KOR) and Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS).

There’ll also be at least five returning medalists per style from last year’s Budapest World Championships and three No. 1-ranked wrestlers in action starting on Thursday.

Both freestyle and Greco-Roman will feature five returning world medalists, including a pair of world silver-medal finishers. There will also be a pair of Budapest silver medalists in women’s wrestling, but women’s wrestling boasts eight 2018 world podium finishers.

The trio of top-ranked wrestlers that’ll be in action in Sardinia are Suleyman ATLI (TUR), Fatih ERDIN (TUR), and Kim Hyeonwoo. Atli and Erdin are the No.1-ranked freestyle wrestlers at 57kg and 86kg, respectively, and Kim is ranked first in Greco-Roman at 77kg.

Freestyle

The freestyle entry list is littered with wrestlers who’ve reached the pinnacle of the sport on the world and Olympic stage, but with the tournament taking place in Italy, all eyes will be on Italian superstar Frank CHAMIZO.

Chamzio, Italy’s two-time world champion, is looking to follow up on his gold-medal performance from last month’s European Championships. In Bucharest, Chamizo went a perfect 4-0 and picked up his third continental title since transferring from Cuba back in 2013.

If the Cuban-born Italian can come out on top of the 74kg bracket, it’d be his second career Ranking Series title and first since defeating London Olympic champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) in the Yasar Dogu finals last year. More importantly, a podium finish for fourth-ranked Chamizo (56 points) would give him the upper hand on Burroughs for the world’s second-ranking heading into the fourth and final Ranking Series event, the Yasar Dogu.

For Chamizo to reach the podium this week, he’ll have to navigate through three world-class competitors. His most significant threats at 74kg are 2017 world runner-up Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS), three-time European champion Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) and two-time world bronze medalist Yakup GOR (TUR).

Chamizo defeated both Tsabolov and Gor in their previous meetings and would be favored if they were to meet again this week. Chamizo beat Gor in Paris at the 2017 World Championships and pinned Tsabolov at the 2018 European Championships.

But, if Chamzio were to take on Demirtas, he’d be the underdog. Demirtas stunned Chamzio by scoring a late stepout in last year’s European semifinals before ultimately grabbing his third continental title.

Another massive storyline to follow at this weight is the placement of the Turkish wrestlers, Demirtas and Gor.

Demirtas has represented Turkey at five consecutive World Championships and the Rio Olympic Games, where he was a bronze medalist, but his streak is in jeopardy. Gor, who bumped up to 74kg last season, stole Demirtas' spot at this year's European Championships but fell to a disappointing nine-place finish.

It's not official, but my guess is the highest placing wrestler at this week's Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial will have the upper hand at getting a shot to be Turkey's 74kg representative at the European Games in Minsk, Belarus, in June.

Freestyle will also feature the Turkish pair of No.1-ranked wrestlers in Suleyman Atli and Fahti Erdin.

Atli, who sits atop of the world rankings at 57kg, will be making his debut as the world’s top-ranked wrestler after winning the European title last month in Bucharest, Romania.

Atli will be chased by Italy's Givi DAVIDOVI. The Italian is the only other ranked wrestler competing at 57kg. Davidovi, who has 16 Ranking Series points, is ranked 18th coming into the Sassari, but a win would catapult him up the rankings to the eighth spot behind world fifth-place finisher Thomas GILMAN (USA).

Both wrestlers would hold 32 points, but Gilman would hold criteria because of his placement at last year's World Championships.

Fatih Erdin is Turkey’s second No.1-ranked wrestler.

Erdin holds a four-point advantage over returning world champion David TAYLOR (USA) and would have 100 if he were to win a the Sassari. If he’s able to win the gold medal this week, Erdin could lock up the No. 1 seed at 86kg at the World Championships. Erdin would have a 20 point advantage over the American, and the most points Taylor would be able to earn with a Yargar Dogu title (in a weight with 20+ entries) would be 18 points.

But, Erdin, who has fallen short in two Ranking Series gold-medal matches, will have a steep road to win his first Ranking Series title. The route will go through reigning European champion Vladislav VALIEV (RUS) or Olympic runner-up Selim YASAR (TUR).

Valiev, who won the 86kg European title, is ranked sixth in the world with 34 points. A podium finish for the Russian would bump him up into the third spot in next month’s rankings. If Valiev moves into the third spot, he’d be pitted against reigning world champion David Taylor in the semifinals of the Nur-Sultan World Championships.

Selim Yasar is another wrestler at 86kg who is looking to dethrone top-ranked Erdin.

But, Yasar has struggled as of late. The three-time world and Olympic medalist finished outside of the top-10 once in his career (2013 Ali Aliev) before falling short of a top-10 finish in his last three tournament appearances. Yasar has placed 10th, 11th, and 14th at the Ivan Yariguin, Alexander Medved, and Dan Kolov, respectively.

Rio Olympic champion Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) will be making his international return for the first time since having back surgery in November. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Ramonov Returns to International Competition

Rio Olympic champion Soslan Ramonov will return to international competition for the first time since undergoing spinal surgery in early November to correct a back issue that has long troubled him.

Ramonov told United World Wrestling, “I’ve returned to the mat. I’m going to wrestle at the Russian National Championships and possibly the World Championships.” He also told UWW, “I expected to return to the mat in January, and hopefully enter a tournament at 65kg closer to the fall.” But, Ramonov isn't wrestling at 65kg just yet. This week in Sardinia, the Russian will wrestle up 5kg as 70kg with hopes of moving down to 65kg closer to July's Rusian Nationals.

For a healthy Ramonov to represent Russia in Nur-Sultan, he'll have to make a run in one of the countries deepest weight classes. The 65kg weight class in Russia houses returning 65kg world bronze medalist Akhmed Chakaev, returning two-time 61kg world runner-up Gazhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) and Yariguin runner-up Nachyin KUULAR.

Other Budapest World Medalist to Watch:
92kg - Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI)
125kg - Parviz HADIBASMANJ (IRI)

Greco-Roman

In Greco-Roman, Korea’s Olympic champion and No.1-ranked Kim Hyeonwoo tops the list of entries that features five returning Budapest world medalists.

Kim is one of the only wrestlers across all styles who’s medaled at the World and Continental Championships and the first two Ranking Series events.

Kim, the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the world at 77kg, was last year’s world bronze medalist. The Korean tightened his stronghold on the rest of the Asian Greco-Roman competition at 77kg, winning his fifth continental title last month in Xi’an, China. He also owns a pair of Ranking Series bronze medals this season, finishing in third place at the Zagreb Open and Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hungary's Loaded Squad, Head-Scratcher at 87kg

Hungary, who elected to sit a majority of their first-teamers at the European Championships, is bringing a solid squad to Sardinia. Their team will feature 2018 world runner-ups Balint KORPASI and Tamas LORINCZ, U23 world champion Erik SZILVASSY, and two-time Ranking Series champion Viktor LORINCZ, among many others.

Korpasi and Tamas Lorincz are entered at 72kg and 77kg, respectively, but Szilvassy and Viktor Lorincz will both compete at 87kg.

Szilvassy and Lorincz being at the same weight leaves Hungary with a head-scratcher moving forward to the European Games and World Championships.

Szilvassy, who is coming off a bronze-medal finish at the European Championships, is ranked third in the world at 87kg. Szilvassy has an eight-point advantage over Viktor Lorincz, who’s currently ranked fifth with 36 points.

Although Szilvassy sits in front of Lorincz in the latest rankings, he fell to his fellow Hungarian teammate in the semifinals of the first two Ranking Series events, the Zagreb Open and Hungarian Grand Prix.

Women’s Wrestling

The headlining women’s wrestling weight class is 76kg. This weight will be home to Canada’s Rio Olympic champion Erica Wiebe, Russia’s London Olympic champion Natalia Vorobeva, and nine of the world’s top-20 ranked wrestlers. Maybe more impressive, six of those wrestlers sit inside the top-ten of United World Wrestling’s latest rankings.

The highest ranked wrestler is Germany’s 2017 world runner-up Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER). Rotter Focken is ranked fourth with 56 points and is coming off bronze-medal finishes at the European Championships, Dan Kolov, and the Ivan Yariguin.

Kazakhstan’s Elmira SYZDYKOVA is ranked fifth with 42 points after bronze-medalist finishes at the Dan Kolov and Ivan Yariguin.

Olympic champion Erica Wiebe, who was a bronze medalist at last year's Budapest World Championships, fell to No. 1-ranked Adeline GRAY (USA) in the Pan-American Championships but fought back for a bronze medal. The Canadian is ranked sixth in the world with 39 points.

Zsanett NEMETH (HUN) enters the Sassari as the seventh-ranked wrestler with 36 points. Nemeth is coming off a bronze-medal finish at the European Championships. Her continental third-place finish came month's after she was injured in the bronze-medal bout in the World Championships and had to settle for fifth place in front of her home crowd.

Estonia’s Epp MAE and Norway’s Iselin SOLHEIM round out the top-10, where they’re ranked eighth and tenth, respectively.

Top-20 Ranked Wrestlers at 76kg
No. 4 Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER)
No. 5 Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ)
No. 6 Erica WIEBE (CAN)
No. 7 Zsanett NEMETH (HUN)
No. 8 Epp MAE (EST)
No. 10 Iselin Maria Moen SOLHEIM (NOR)
No. 15 Genesis Rosangela REASCO VALDEZ (ECU)
No. 19 Vasilisa MARZALIUK
No. 20 Eunju HWANG (KOR)

Barka and Dhanda to Compete at 57kg

At 57kg, world bronze medalists Emese BARKA (HUN) and Pooja DHANDA (IND) have entered their name into the Sassari. Barka comes into this week ranked fifth in the world at 57kg a month removed from winning the European title with a 4-2 win over Tetyana KIT (UKR).

Dhanda’s ranked just behind Barka in the sixth spot and has 37 points after her fifth-place finish at the Asian Championships. The Indian wrestler fell to returning world champion and No. 1- ranked RONG Ningning (CHN) in the semifinals, then dropped her match against eighth-ranked SUKHEE Tserenchimed (MGL) in the bronze-medal bout.

Though they’re not returning world medalists, two other dangerous wrestlers to keep an eye on at 57kg are U23 world champion Grace BULLEN (NOR) and 2017 world finalist Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR).

Bullen’s ranked third in the world with 58 points, and Adekuoroye is ranked fourth with 46 points.

Mensah Looking for Third Ranking Series Title of the Year

Tamyra MENSAH (USA) heads into the third Ranking Series event of year undefeated, having won gold medals at the Ivan Yariguin, the Dan Kolov and the Pan-American Championships. Her pair of Ranking Series titles and continental gold medal came after she claimed a bronze medal at last year’s World Championships. She’s the second-ranked wrestler in the world at 68kg with 59 points.

For Mensah to win her third consecutive Ranking Series gold of the year, she’ll have to stop Canada’s title-contender Danielle LAPPAGE.

Lappage, last year’s world runner-up at 65kg, will be bumping up to 68kg for the second time since her run to the world finals last year. She also competed at the Grand Prix of Germany, where she finished with a silver medal.

Trio of Other Olympic Medalists Competing

Outside of the duo of Olympic champions competing at 76kg, three other Olympic medalists will be in action. They are Marwa AMRI (TUN), Jenny FRANSSON (SWE), and Sofia MATTSSON (SWE).

Amri, who is ranked No. 12 in the world, will compete at 62kg. The Tunisian is coming off winning her tenth African title.

Fransson, the No.13-ranked wrestler at 68kg, just finished with a bronze medal at the European Championships, But, Fransson will be bumping up and competing at 72kg.

Mattsson, the tenth-ranked wrestler in the world, will be competing at 55kg.

The Comeback of Koumba Larroque

Koumba LARROQUE, France’s four-time age-group world champion, and two-time senior level world medalist, will make her return to the mat for the first time since falling in the Budapest World finals to Ukraine’s Alla CHERKASOVA. Larroque was leading the 68kg gold-medal bout 6-0 before falling into a leg lace that tore ligaments in her knee, forcing her to have surgery and sit out the last six months.

Larroque will compete at 72kg, where she’s ranked No. 5 in the world with 40 points.

Other Budapest World Medalist to Watch:
53kg - Diana WEICKER (CAN)
62kg - Mallory VELTE (USA)

The three-day Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial, which starts on May 23, will begin with Greco-Roman. Women's wrestling takes over on the second day, and freestyle closes out the tournament on May 25. All the action can be followed live on www.unitedworldwrestling.org.

#WrestleZagreb

Hrushyna, Koliadenko lift Ukraine to Euro title

Friday, April 21, 2023 - 18:09 By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (April 21) -- As Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) prepared for her gold medal bout at the European Championships in Zagreb, her attention was divided between the task at hand and her phone. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety. It wasn't the usual pre-competition jitters that she had grown accustomed to over the years. She was worried about her family back in her hometown Irpin, Ukraine.

"A shell landed on my apartment and destroyed everything," Koliadenko said. "Training is difficult due to the constant air raids. In fact, before the national competition [February], I received a notification on my phone that there was an air raid warning in the Kyiv region. It's not easy leaving your loved ones in a war zone while you're competing abroad."

But as her name was called, Koliadenko put aside the worries of home and stepped on the mat for the 62kg gold medal bout at the European Championships and showed the world who is best in the weight class in Europe.

Koliadenko won the gold medal, her second at the European Championships, by defeating Grace BULLEN (NOR) via fall. With her victory, Ukraine won the team title with 157 points. Turkiye finished second with 136 points and Bulgaria was third with 94 points.

In addition to Koliadenko's win, Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) defended her title at 57kg, giving Ukraine two gold medals for the night. At 53kg, Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) won back-to-back European titles while Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) stunned Irina RINGACI (MDA) in the 65kg final. At 72kg, Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) became the second wrestler from Romania to win a European title in women's wrestling.

After winning bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, Koliadenko has been off the mat for a year, marking her return at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series in which she won a bronze medal. She was part of the Ukraine team which won its first-ever World Cup in December before finishing with another bronze at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series in February.

There, Koliadenko faced Bullen in the quarterfinals and managed to scrape out a 14-12 win, a match that was dominated by Bullen. But for the European Championships, Koliadenko came prepared.

"This was a tough competition and we had to prepare for each match," she said. "I prepared for Grace just like I did for all the other matches that I fought with the wrestlers who became my best friends."

In the final, Koliadenko began with a snap to go behind to score her first points. Bullen was put on the activity clock but Koliadenko continued her aggressive wrestling and scored another takedown using a similar technique to lead 5-0. Just before the break, Bullen shot a double-leg and while Koliadenko managed to survive a big throw, she did give up two points.

Bullen did not give up though and used the same shot at the start of the second period and got the four points to lead 6-5. Bullen tried another leg attack and hit her head on Koliadenko's knee, forcing a medical timeout for concussion.

After a thorough examination, the doctors confirmed that Bullen can continue but it disturbed her momentum as Koliadenko scored a takedown to lead again. Bullen made a half-hearted attack which Koliadenko countered to secure the fall.

And as Koliadenko walked off the mat, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Perhaps for a brief moment, she was able to put those thoughts away she had before the bout.

"We needed to show the strength of our city," Koliadenko said. "It was a motivation for me to bring victory to our country. It was a difficult time, but we brought back two gold medals."

Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) defended her 57kg European title by pinning Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The second was from Hrushyna who won her fourth European title overall and second consecutive win in the 57kg weight class. In the final, she made short work of Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE).

"Alina inspires me to win and I was well-prepared for the victory," Koliadenko said regarding Hrushyna's performance.

Beginning the gold medal bout with an arm drag for a takedown, Hrushyna managed to get a turn as well, just, to lead 4-0. Aliyeva never looked in the class of Hrushyna who managed to defend against almost every attack on her. She used an arm bar to secure the fall with 15 seconds remaining in the first period.

With that, Hrushyna claimed the European title with three consecutive falls in Zagreb as Mathilde RIVIERE (FRA) and Tokyo bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) also met the same fate.

"I was well prepared," Hrushyna said. "I didn't even expect to do what I did, but I was ready and in a very good mood, and everything turned out that way."

Despite her dominant performance in winning gold, Hrushyna said that she did not expect herself to stand on the top of the podium this year.

"The whole process was difficult for me, both physically and mentally, because I didn't have high hopes of winning the gold," she said. "Everyone understood that I was ready and that I could potentially win the gold, but the preparation was always tough for me. There were a lot of worries, but I'm very happy that I was able to perform at my best in the competition."

Looking ahead to future competitions, Hrushyna wants to be ready for the World Championships, especially for her Japanese opponents who have defeated her at three different World Championships.

"I understand that Japanese are the strongest in wrestling," she said. "We are constantly preparing for their fights and know that they are our biggest competitors. We will work with the coach to become the best. There will be training sessions in the Olympic base. We will do our job, and everyone will work on their part to do their best."

Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) gets emotional after winning the gold medal at 53kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) was another returning champion who won the gold medal once again in Zagreb as she defeated Stalvira ORSHUSH (HUN) 9-3 in the 53kg final.

Just two months ago, Orshush had rolled Malmgren for a 10-0 win at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series event. A dejected Malmgren, instead of dwelling over the loss, got to work soon and fine-tuned her defense.

“I used to get upset and I lost a lot,” she said before the European Championships. “From last year I am better. Sometimes it doesn't work. That match was one of those. My head was not with me. After Egypt, I thought it was bad. It was like a wake-up call.”

The wake-up call was at the right time as Malmgren faced Orshush with tighter defense and did not commit to half attacks during the match.

“I think we had a better plan this time,” she said. “I really knew what to do and what she would do. So I just followed our plan and it worked out really well.”

In the 9-3 win, Malmgren used a leg lace to score six points which proved to be vital in the end even though Orhush scored a takedown.

An emotional Malmgren ran towards her coach Sofia MATTSSON (SWE), a virtual thank you for her work on the 2021 U20 world champion.

Malmgren is coached by two former European champions -- Mattsson won the title five times while Yuliya RATKEVICH (AZE) won the title in 2011. Both Mattsson and Ratkevich are world champions from 2009.

“I know all the work she [Mattsson] has put in and I see it in myself,” she said. “When I was growing up, I saw her in training and saw her in competition. She was more surprised if she lost than if she won. She is a great inspiration and I am so proud of having her as my coach.”

Another special moment for Malmgren was when her parents were present in the Zagreb Arena, watching their 21-year-old daughter win the gold.

“I heard my parents the most [from the stands],” Malmgren laughed.

At 65kg, Hristova managed to keep Ringaci under check and win the gold after a thrilling 6-4 bout.

Four seconds into the final, Hristova scored the takedown as Ringaci fell off balance. But she answered with a takedown after sneaking out of a lock from Hristova.

The second period was more action-packed as both wrestlers tried for takedowns. However, both wrestlers were up to the mark in the defense. Ringaci broke the deadlock when she circled around the zone and pushed Hristova out, claiming a point.

At one point, Hristova almost got a takedown but the referees deemed her action invalid as she was folding Ringaci's knee more than 90 degrees. Bulgaria challenged the call but lost, adding one more point to Ringaci's score.

Now, Hristova had 27 seconds to turn around and she used snap downs on a tiring Ringaci to go behind in standing. Rigaci tried the hip toss to fend Hristova off but she fell on her back. The judges awarded two points to Hristova which meant a 4-4 win for her.

As time ran out, Moldova challenged the call but on review, it was called four points for Hristova, improving her win to 6-4. This was Hristova's second European gold as she won one in 2020.

Ringaci, on the other hand, lay inconsolable on the mat, having missed her third European title after winning previously in 2020 at 65kg and 2022 at 68kg.

Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) celebrates after winning the 72kg gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The session and women's wrestling closed out on a perfect note as Romania got its second-ever women's wrestling European champion as Anghel won the gold at 72kg. By virtue of Anghel's 4-4 win, Buse TOSUN (TUR) had to finish with a silver medal for the second straight year.

Tosun led 1-0 at the break after Anghel failed to score in the 30-second activity time in the first period. But this changed quickly in the second as Anghel tossed Bosun for two points out of the zone.

Turkiye challenged that call with the intention that Tosun never fell in danger and it should only be a single point. On review, the two points were upheld and Anghel got one more for the lost challenge.

Tosun got a single leg and tried to transition into a cradle but managed only a stepout to cut the lead to 3-2. 20 seconds later, she got the takedown and the lead, 4-3, which she had to defend for 27 seconds.

Anghel, desperate for gold, went all out against a defensive Tosun and to a stepout by the barest of margins, win 4-4 on criteria.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR) reached the 130kg final in Zagreb. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Kayaalp moves closer

ZAGREB, Croatia (April 21) -- Riza KAYAALP (TUR) stands on the brink of history after reaching the final of the 130kg weight class in the European Championships. A gold medal on Saturday would bring him level with Alexander KARELIN's record of 12 gold medals at the event.

The three-time Olympic medalist and four-time world champion dominated his semifinal match against Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU), scoring a step out, receiving an activity point, and landing three gut wrenches to win 8-0 in just two minutes. His opponent in the final will be Sabah SHARIATI (AZE), who won a close 1-1 bout against Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) in the other semifinal.

In the 77kg weight class, Viktor NEMES (SRB) returned to the final of the European Championships after five years, defeating World Championships silver medalist Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) 1-1. Nemes had finished with silver in 2018 and will face defending champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) in the gold medal match on Saturday. Amoyan defeated Yunus BASAR (TUR) 6-1 in his semifinal match, a rematch of last year's final in Budapest.

The final of the 87kg weight class will see Ali CENGIZ (TUR) take on Istvan TAKACS (HUN). In the semifinals, Cengiz avenged his loss from the final of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series two months ago by defeating Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) 3-1, while Takacs won his match against Damian VON EUW (SUI) 5-1. Being the deepest weight class in Zagreb, 87kg saw a number of upsets, most notably Turpal BISULTANOV's (DEN) 12-3 loss to Semen NOVIKOV (BUL). In the quarterfinals, Cengiz defeated Islam ABBASOV (AZE) 1-1, Takacs beat Novikov 3-2, and Gobadze overcame Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) 6-0.

The final in the 63kg weight class will be a repeat of last year's gold medal bout in Budapest, with both Leri ABULADZE (GEO) and Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) winning their respective semifinals. Abuladze dominated his semifinal match against Abu AMAEV (BUL) with an 11-2 victory, while Mammadov defeated Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) 5-1. In the 2022 final, Abuladze had defeated Mammadov.

Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) will defend his title at 55kg after making it to the final. However, his opponent won't be his arch-rival Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) but Adem UZUN (TUR) as the Turkiye wrestled upset returning silver medalist Tsurtsumi 13-3 in the semifinal. Azizli defeated Denis MIHAI (ROU) in the other semifinal match 9-1.

RESULTS

53kg
GOLD: Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) df. Stalvira ORSHUSH (HUN), 9-3

BRONZE: Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) df. Iulia LEORDA (MDA), 5-2
BRONZE: Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) df. Turkan NASIROVA (AZE), 10-0

57kg
GOLD: Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) df. Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE), via fall (10-0)

BRONZE: Elena BRUGGER (GER) df. Jowita WRZESIEN (POL), 3-1
BRONZE: Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) df. Mathilde RIVIERE (FRA), 4-2

62kg
GOLD: Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) df. Grace BULLEN (NOR), via fall (9-6)

BRONZE: Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) df. Selvi ILYASOGLU (TUR), 3-2
BRONZE: Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) df. Johanna LINDBORG (SWE), 8-1

65kg
GOLD: Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) df. Irina RINGACI (MDA), 6-4

BRONZE: Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) df. Kendra DACHER (FRA), 10-2
BRONZE: Kriszta INCZE (ROU) df. Busra EFE (TUR), 9-0

72kg
GOLD: Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) df. Buse TOSUN (TUR), 4-4

BRONZE: Dalma CANEVA (ITA) df. Ilana KRATYSH (ISR), via fall
BRONZE: Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA) df. Liudmyla PAVLOVETS (UKR), 5-1

Ukraine Ukraine won the women's team title with 157 points. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Greco-Roman Semifinals

55kg
GOLD: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) vs. Adem UZUN (TUR)

SF 1: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df. Denis MIHAI (ROU), 9-1
SF 2: Adem UZUN (TUR) df. Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), 13-3

63kg
GOLD: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) vs. Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)

SF 1: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df. Abu AMAEV (BUL), 11-2
SF 2: Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM), 5-1

77kg
GOLD: Viktor NEMES (SRB) vs. Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Viktor NEMES (SRB) df. Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), 1-1
SF 2: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Yunus BASAR (TUR), 6-1

87kg
GOLD: Istvan TAKACS (HUN) vs. Ali CENGIZ (TUR)

SF 1: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. Lasha GOBADZE (GEO), 3-1
SF 2: Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df. Damian VON EUW (SUI), 5-1

130kg
GOLD: Sabah SHARIATI (AZE) vs. Riza KAYAALP (TUR)

SF 1: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU), 8-0
SF 2: Sabah SHARIATI (AZE) df. Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO), 1-1

Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial Preview

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Hrushyna, Koliadenko lift Ukraine to Euro title