#kaspeuro2018

Seven of Eight Defending Freestyle Champions Return to European Championships

By Eric Olanowski

KASPIISK, Russia (April 19) - The 2018 European Championships commence in less than two weeks in Dagestan, Russia. Though line-ups are not official, freestyle preliminary line-ups have been submitted to United World Wrestling, and Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS) is the lone champion who does not return from the 2017 Novi Sad European Championships.

The first five weight categories (57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, and 97kg) begin wrestling on Friday, May 4, and the remaining five weight classes (61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, and 125kg) start on Saturday, May 5. 

57kg
Mihran JABURYAN (ARM)
Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE)*
Uladzislau ANDREYEU (BLR)
Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL)
Levan METREVELI VARTANOV (ESP)
Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA)
Otari GOGAVA (GEO)
Yuriy HOLUB (ISR)
Ivan ZAMFIROV (MDA)
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD)
Andrei DUKOV (ROU)
Zavur UGUEV  (RUS)
Ahmet PEKER (TUR)

61kg
Garik BARSEGHYAN (ARM)
Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE)
Niurhun SKRABIN (BLR)
Vladimir Vladimirov DUBOV (BUL)
Beka LOMTADZE (GEO)
Jozsef MOLNAR (HUN)
Viorel BURDUJA (MDA)
Elmedin SEJFULAU (MKD)
Ivan GUIDEA (ROU)
Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS)
Randy Adrian VOCK (SUI)
Recep TOPAL (TUR)

Three-time world champion, Haji ALIYEV (AZE). 

65kg
Valodya FRANGULYAN (ARM)
Gabriel JANATSCH (AUT)
Haji ALIYEV (AZE)
Dzianis MAKSIMAU (BLR)
Filip Stefanov NOVACHKOV (BUL)
Juan Pablo GONZALEZ CRESPO (ESP)
Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA)
Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO)*
Kevin Christopher HENKEL (GER)
Roman ASHARIN (HUN)
Tomas BARACEVICIUS (LTU)
Andrei PERPELITA (MDA)
Masoud NIAZI (NED)
Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS)*
David HABAT (SLO)
Mykola BOLOTNJUK (SVK)
Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR)

70kg
Valter MARGARYAN (ARM)
Maximilian AUSSERLEITNER (AUT)
Murtazali Raxmatullayevic MUSLIMOV (AZE)
Azamat NURYKAU (BLR)
Miroslav Stefanov KIROV (BUL)
Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO)
Norbert LUKACS (HUN)
Emrach GASANOV (ISR)
Dmitrii MALENCOV (MDA)
Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL)
George BUCUR (ROU)
Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS)
Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)
Haydar YAVUZ (TUR)

Two-time world champion, Frank CHAMIZO (ITA). 

74kg
Grigor GRIGORYAN (ARM)
Gadzhimurad OMAROV (AZE)
Andrei KARPACH (BLR)
Ali Pasha Ruslanovich UMARPASHAEV (BUL)
Zelimkhan KHADJIEV  (FRA)
Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Kyrillos BINENMPAOUM (GRE)
Zsombor Istvan GULYAS (HUN)
Hanoc RACHAMIN (ISR)
Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA)*
Alberts JURCENKO (LAT)
Andrius MAZEIKA (LTU)
Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA)
Vasile Madalin MINZALA (ROU
Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS)
Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB)
Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK)
Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR)*

79kg
Varuzhan KAJOYAN (ARM)
Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE)
Ali SHABANAU (BLR)
Jevgeni SOLTRUK (EST)
Henri Aleksi SELENIUS (FIN)
Johnny Just BUR (FRA)
Jumber KVELASHVILI (GEO)
Martin OBST (GER)
Gkeorgki MELETOV (GRE)
Mihaly NAGY (HUN)
Alans AMIROVS (LAT)
Alexandru BURCA (MDA)
Akhmed Shiabdinovitch GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS)
Muhammet Nuri KOTANOGLU (TUR)

86kg
Marzpet GALSTYAN (ARM)
Aleksandr GOSTIYEV (AZE)
Raman CHYTADZE (BLR)
Mehmed Remzi GAZI (BUL)
Taimuraz FRIEV NASKIDAEVA (ESP)
Ville Tapani HEINO (FIN)
Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO)
Ahmed Ruslanovic DUDAROV (GER)
Istvan VEREB  (HUN)
Shamil KUDIIAMAGOMEDOV (ITA)
Denis BALAUR (MDA)
Zbigniew Mateusz BARANOWSKI (POL)
Artur NAIFONOV (RUS)
Stefan REICHMUTH (SUI)
Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
Naib ILALDAYEV ITAYEV (SWE)
Fatih ERDIN (TUR)

Two-time world champion, Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS).

92kg
Shamir ATYAN (ARM)
Dominic Klaus PETER (AUT)
Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE)
Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR)
Irakli MTSITURI (GEO)
Georg Gabriel STARK (SEREGELYI) (GER)
Pavlo OLIINYK (HUN)
Edgaras VOITECHOVSKIS (LTU)
Nicolai CEBAN (MDA)
Boban SAVEV  (MKD)
Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL)
Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS)
Albin Viking FRID (SWE)
Serdar BOKE  (TUR)

97kg
Georgii KETOEV (ARM)
Nurmagomed GADZHIYEV (AZE)
Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR)
Ragnar KAASIK (EST)
Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO)
Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER)
Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA)
Georgy RUBAEV (MDA)
Magomedgadji Omardibirovich NUROV (MKD)
Vladislav BAITCAEV (RUS)
Riza YILDIRIM (TUR)*

2017 world champion, Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO). 

125kg
Levan BERIANIDZE (ARM)
Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT)
Jamaladdin MAGOMEDOV (AZE)
Ibrahim SAIDAU (BLR)
Jose CUBA VAZQUEZ (ESP)
Jere Tapani HEINO (FIN)
Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)
Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA)
Robert BARAN (POL)
Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS)
Taha AKGUL (TUR)*

* Notes returning champions

Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 Day 1 Highlights

By Vinay Siwach

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (November 18) -- The Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 are the sixth edition of the Games and are being held in Riyadh. The first day of wrestling saw four Greco-Roman weight class -- 60kg, 67kg, 77kg and 87kg.

Olympic and world champion Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) needed an insane comeback to beat Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) in the 67kg final while Alisher GANIEV (UZB), Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) and Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) won golds at 60kg, 77kg and 87kg with rather ease.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER

12:35: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) finds a way to score a takedown with a 30 seconds remaining and beat Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ), 7-6, in the 87kg semifinal. Zhanyshov was leading 6-5 at the break. Farokhi, struggling slightly with his conditioning, wrapped his arm around Zhanyshov's waist before slamming him on the mat for two points.

12:30: Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) takes out Hassan ABDELREHIM (EGY) in the 67kg semifinals and sets up a mouth-watering final against Olympic champion Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI)

12:25: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) bounces back from 2-0 down to beat Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) 5-3 in the 87kg semifinal and reach final.

12:20: Olympic champion Saied ESMAEILI (IRI) lifts Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) against gravity and completes the suplex for four points. He once again hits the four-pointers and wins his 67kg semifinal 9-0.

12:10: Alisher GANIEV (AZE) makes it to the final at 60kg after an 8-0 win over Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI). Big four-pointer in that match from Ganiev. He will face Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) for the gold medal.

11:51: Former world U20 champion Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) starts off with a Sukhrob ABDULKHAEV (TJK) and moves into the semifinals at 87kg. Too easy for him.

11:50: World 82kg champion Gholamreza FAROKHISENJANI     (IRI), who moved up to 87kg and won U23 World Championships gold as well, begins with a 3-0 win over Islam ABBASOV (AZE) at 87kg in Riyadh

11:45: Olympic champion Saied ESMAEILI (IRI), placed directly in the quarterfinals, starts with a big 8-0 win over Aref MOHAMMADI (QAT) at 67kg. He is expected to face Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) in the final, a rematch of the final at World Championships.

11:24: World 63kg champion Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB), who had move up to 67kg for the Games, beats Mustafa YILDIRIM (TUR), 5-2, and moves into the semifinals

11:10: Quarterfinal at 67kg between Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) and Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ). The first par terre advantage goes to Beishekeev who scores two points using a front headlock. Jafarov gets the par terre in second period and scores two turns and leads 5-3, which will be his winning score as well.

10:52: World bronze medalist Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) hangs on for 1-1 Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) victory having got the first criteria.

10:45: Big match at 60kg as Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) faces U23 world champion Alisher GANIEV (UZB). Ganiev with a over-under control and hits a throw for two points to lead 2-0. Mammadli tries to find some attacks going but fails to get Ganiev down. Ganiev goes into the break leading 2-0. Mammadli is put in par terre in the second period, giving Ganiev 3-0 lead. Mammadli goes down in the quarterfinals as Ganiev defends his 3-0 lead and wins at 60kg.

10:30: Olympic bronze medalist and world silver medalist Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) gets going with a 9-0 victory over Ashraf ASLAM ZADA (AFG) at 67kg.

10:25: Amir ABDI (IRI) hits a front headlock throw for four and then a turn for two to win 8-0 against 72kg world champion Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) in their 77kg bout. Just one minute and 35 seconds needed for him to win 9-0.

10:21: World champion and Olympic bronze medalist Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ), who has not wrestled in international competition since the Paris 2024, returns to mat in Riyadh. In his first bout at 77kg, he warms up with an 9-0 technical superiority over Sami SLAMA (TUN).

10:10: European champion Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) gets the first par terre position and then scores the four gut-wrenches to win 9-0 against Latuf MADI (COM) in the first bout at 60kg.

10:00: Hello from Riyadh! The first day of wrestling at the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 and there will four Greco-Roman weight classes in action.