#WrestleKrasnoyarsk

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

Friday, January 28, 2022 - 16:50 By Russian Wrestling Federation

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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.

#WrestleNoviSad

Mesenbrink takes steady steps to win U23 Worlds gold

Saturday, October 25, 2025 - 17:22 By Vinay Siwach

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NOVI SAD, Serbia (October 25) -- Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) remembers his last year's U23 World Championships campaign. He won a bronze medal, left Tirana a little frustrated and missing his training room in Penn State.

With lessons from that tournament and surrounded by his Penn State teammates and coaches, Mesenbrink made sure he did not return home without a medal. The former U20 world champion became U23 world champion after beating Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2, in the 74kg final.

Mesenbrink was a leg-attack machine in the final and Ozmus did little to defend those, giving up the final in 2:59, just on the stroke of the break.

"It's just about constantly getting better, technically, and emotionally, too," Mesenbrink said. "If I'm just running in there, trying to grab onto his head, he can get in. So just being able to constantly improve. I think that's a strong testament to the people around me and to the coaches that I have and the teammates that I have at Penn State."

Seven wrestler out of the 10 on the United States Freestyle team are part of the same training center -- the Nittany Lions Wrestling Club, Penn State, which Mesenbrink said made a lot of difference this year.

"It's fun, because last year I came by myself. It was just me at the U23s. So it was fun this year that we had seven out of 10 guys," he said. "Last year, I knew the guys, but it wasn't my teammates, right? Now it's my teammates, the guys that I'm literally in the room with every day. We go over and it's almost like, are we even in Serbia right now? It feels like we're in America, because we got so many guys here."

In Tirana, the American wrestler lost to Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) in the quarterfinals but bounced back to win the bronze medal. But in Novi Sad on Friday, Mesenbrink faced Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) in the semifinals and came out on top 6-4, with a buzzer beating takedown.

The win boasted Mesenbrink's confidence who was close to make the U.S. senior team for World Championships in Zagreb where Takahashi won gold, but lost to David CARR (USA) domestically.

However, that loss made Mesenbrink think about his aims and how he wants to improve his wrestling on the mat.

"I think the big thing of not making the world team, it was just, I got to get better in those specific areas," he said. "That's the most fun part. I thought this is all this is, is a title. This is gonna be fading so quick. So I thought I'm going to go out there and I'm going to work on the things that I've been working on and I've been working really hard since Final X to get those improvements."

Mobin AZIMI (IRI)Mobin AZIMI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 92kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In the only other final of Freestyle, Mobin AZIMI (IRI) earned the first gold medal for Iran after beating Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3, in the 92kg final. Azimi broken Khaniev down in the final and scored three stepout points to win the gold medal.

RESULTS

74kg
GOLD: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) df. Halit OZMUS (TUR), 12-2

BRONZE: Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df. PARVINDER (IND), 8-2
BRONZE: Manuel WAGIN (GER) df. Magomed KHANIEV (AZE), 8-4

92kg
GOLD: Mobin AZIMI (IRI) df. Takhir KHANIEV (UWW), 5-3

BRONZE: Sherzod POYONOV (UZB) df. Ivan CHORNOHUZ (UKR), 11-1
BRONZE: Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) df. Ion DEMIAN (MDA), 10-0

Semifinals

57kg
GOLD: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) vs. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA)

SF 1: Yuta KIKUCHI (JPN) df. Nodirbek JUMANAZAROV (UZB), 6-1
SF 2: Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) df. Aiandai ONDAR (UWW), 7-1

70kg
GOLD: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) vs. Sina KHALILI (IRI)

SF 1: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. PJ DUKE (USA), 14-4
SF 2: Sina KHALILI (IRI) df. Alexandr GAIDARLI (MDA), 8-2

79kg
GOLD: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) vs. Levi HAINES (USA)

SF 1: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) df. Nikita DMITRIJEVS MAYEUSKI (UWW), 5-2
SF 2: Levi HAINES (USA) df. Davud DAUDOV (UWW), 11-4

125kg
GOLD: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) vs. Khetag KARSANOV (AZE)

SF 1: Abolfazl MOHAMMAD NEZHAD (IRI) df. Khabib DAVUDGADZHIEV (UWW), 5-0
SF 2: Khetag KARSANOV (AZE) df. Daniel HERRERA (USA), 12-2