#WrestleKrasnoyarsk

Saturday's Ivan Yariguin Freestyle and Women's Wrestling Finalists Determined

By Russian Wrestling Federation

KRASNOYARSK, Russia (January 27) -- The second day of action at the '22 Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin just wrapped up. The stage is set for Saturday's finals matchups 65kg, 79kg and 125kg, as reported by www.wrestrus.ru.

At 65kg, Olympic medalist and world champion Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) and the world and European champion Zagir SHAKIEV (RUS) did not fly to Krasnoyarsk due to illness. The winner of the European championship Nachyn KUULAR did not come out on the mat either. World and European meadlist Akhmed CHAKAEV(RUS)  lost in the quarterfinals to Ramazan FERZALIEV (RUS), who reached the final. His opponent in the main fight will be Shamil MAMMADOV (RUS).


In the non-Olympic weight of 79kg, Radik VALIEV (RUS) and Malik SHAVAEV (RUS) will meet in the final. Valiev defeated the American Alex DIERINGER (USA) in the semifinals, and before that, he was stronger than the world medalist Gadzhi NABIEV (RUS). Shavaev overcame Akhmed USMANOV (RUS) and Dmitry ZAIDINOV (RUS) (who defeated Kakhaber KHUBEZHTY (RUS)) during the tournament.

At heavyweight, the Russian final will take place between, Anzor KKIZRIEV (RUS) and Vitaly GOLOEV (RUS). It should be noted that the winner of the 2020 World Cup Shamil SHARIPOV (RUS) lost in the 1/8 finals to Vitaly GOLOEV (RUS), and the medalist of the European Championship Alan KHUGAEV (RUS) lost to Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ). Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV (RUS) did not take part in the competition after being removed by a doctor.

On the women's wrestling side of the competitions, the finalists were determined at 53kg, 57kg and 62kg.

Saturday's Women's Wrestling Finals Matchups:
53kg: GANBAATAR Otgonzhala (MGL) vs. Bolortuya BAT-OCHIR (MGL)
57kg: Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS) vs. Helen MAROULIS (USA)
62kg: Macy KILTY (USA) vs. TSERENCHIMED Sukhee (MGL)

Saturday's Freestyle Finals Matchups
65kg: Shamil MAMMADOV (RUS) vs. Ramazan FERZALIEV (RUS)
79kg: Radik VALIEV (RUS) vs. Malik SHAVAEV (RUS)
125kg: Anzor KHIZRIEV (RUS) and Vitaly GOLOEV (RUS)

Friday's Final Results:
57kg. Ramiz GAMZATOV (RUS) df. Akhmed IDRISOV (RUS), 5-2
61kg - Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RUS) df.Fedor BALTUEV (RUS), 9-8

70kg - Victor RASSADIN (RUS) df. Anzor ZAKUEV (RUS), 9-4

For up-to-date news, highlights results from this year's Ivan Yariguin, visit www.wrestrus.ru.

#UWWAwards

UWW's 2024 Wrestlers of the Year: Petriashvili, Tosun, Kusaka

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 16) -- United World Wrestling has announced the wrestlers of the year in Freestyle, Women's Wrestling and Greco-Roman. UWW’s 2024 Wrestler of the Year award winners are Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), Buse TOSUN (TUR) and Nao KUSAKA (JPN).

Freestyle: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)

The 30-year-old Georgian finished with a style-best 68,200 Ranking Series points through his finishes at the four point-based events of the year -- Olympic Games, European Championships, Croatian and Hungarian Ranking Series -- in which he collected a 13-4 record with 8 wins coming against top 20 ranked opponents.

Petriashvili’s 2024 season didn’t start well, as he finished in fifth place with a 3-2 record at the Croatian Ranking Series. This marked Petriashvili’s sixth consecutive full season in which he started on a losing note before regaining focus and peaking at the most opportune times.

In his next outing, Petriashvili scored three wins before reaching the European finals for the seventh time in his career. However, he fell short against career rival Taha AKGUL (TUR) for silver.

The three-time world champion then went to Hungary for the final tune-up before the Paris Olympics. While at the second Ranking Series event of the year, Petriashvili grabbed three wins, but not before falling to Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) in the semifinals while nursing a left elbow injury.

Petriashvili headed to Paris hungry to improve his 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medal. The father of two did exactly that, picking up four victories including a 10-9 shock win over two-time reigning world champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI), becoming Georgia’s third-ever freestyle Olympic gold medalist.
 
Greco-Roman: Nao KUSAKA (JPN)

23-year-old Nao KUSAKA (JPN), finished with a Greco-Roman best 79,200 Ranking Series points after winning golds at the Olympics, Asian Championships, and Hungarian Ranking Series events while also winning a bronze at the Croatian Ranking Series event at the beginning of the season.

After falling in the semifinals of his first competition of the year, Kusaka rallied off 14 consecutive victories -- four of which came against former world champions Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) and Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) -- on his way to winning golds in Paris, Bishkek and Budapest.

Kusaka’s win in Paris at 77kg, alongside his fellow teammate Kenichiro FUMITA’s gold, ended Japan’s 40-year Greco-Roman Olympic gold-medal drought.

Women's Wrestling: Buse TOSUN (TUR)

Buse TOSUN (TUR) is UWW’s Women’s wrestler of the year after topping the rankings with a style best 60,200 points. She narrowly edged Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) by 200 points for the coveted award.

Tosun, the reigning world champion at 68kg, finished 2024 with an impressive 11-2 record. Of those 11 wins during the season, a staggering eight came against wrestlers in the top 15 of the world rankings.

She dropped her first match of the season to Feng ZHOU (CHN) but went on to win 11 of her remaining 12 bouts, falling only at the Paris Olympics to eventual champion Amit ELOR (USA), en route to winning an Olympic bronze which was just Turkiye's second-ever women’s wrestling Olympic medal.

United World Wrestling congratulates Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), Nao KUSAKA (JPN), and Buse TOSUN (TUR) for their incredible achievements this year and for being named the 2024 Wrestlers of the Year.