#Zagreb2019

Starcevic Soars to Fifth Consecutive Zagreb Open Title

Sunday, February 10, 2019 - 19:09 By Eric Olanowski

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ZAGREB, Croatia (February 10) – Bozo STARCEVIC remained patient in his hometown of Zagreb and waited until the last bout of the tournament, but the Croatian wrestler capped off his impressive run to a fifth consecutive Zagreb Open title with a tactical 2-1 victory over Turkey’s Yunus BASAR in the 77kg finals. 

Starcevic, the hometown wrestler, grabbed the 1-0 lead after receiving a passivity point but found himself fighting back in the second period after Basar gained the 1-1 lead on criteria with a passivity point of his own. 

With just over a minute left, the Croatian wrestler continued to push the pace and broke the 1-1 tie after he was awarded a second passivity point. Starcevic remained composed in the final 30 seconds and closed out the match with the 2-1 victory, locking up his fifth consecutive Zagreb Open title. 

Starcevic's run to his fifth title also included a 6-1 quarterfinals win over Olympic champion KIM Hyeonwoo (KOR). 


Bulgaria’s Daniel ALEKSANDROV erased a 7-0 deficit to defeat reigning world silver medalist Emrah KUS (TUR) in the 82kg gold-medal bout. (Photo Kadir Caliskan) 

Two World Silver Medalists Go Down

Bulgaria’s Daniel ALEKSANDROV and Russia’s Ilia BORISOV knocked off reigning world runner-up’s Emrah KUS (TUR) and Kiril MILOV (BUL) respectively to with their first Zagreb Open titles. 

Daniel Aleksandrov erased a 7-0 opening-period deficit and scored eight unanswered points in the final period to upend returning world runner-up Emrah KUS (TUR), 8-7, in the 82kg Zagreb Open gold-medal bout. 

Aleksandrov trailed 7-0 after the first two minutes of action. He was dinged for passivity and thrown in par terre position, where Kus grabbed four-points from a reverse lift to control the 5-0 advantage. Aleksandrov found himself down 7-0 after Kus grabbed another two for exposure, but got on the board with a step out point and trailed 7-1 heading into the second period. 

The Bulgarian exploded for seven points in the closing three minutes and hung on to the 8-7 lead to knock off the clearly deflated returning world runner-up, 8-7.

In the 97kg finals, Ilia Borisov also knocked off a returning Budapest world runner-up to win his Zagreb Open title. Borisov, the lone Russian finalist, tossed around returning world runner-up Kiril MILOV (BUL) with ease and scored the 9-0 technical superiority victory in the opening period. 

Borisov grabbed the 1-0 lead after Milov was hit for passivity. The Russian went to work in par terre, throwing Milov for four points,  then used a pair of gut wrenches to close out the 97kg gold-medal match with a 9-0 technical superiority victory. 

Uzbekistan and Hungary Win Pair of Golds 

Islomjon BAKHRAMOV and Elmurat TASMURADOV handed Uzbekistan a pair of gold medals, while Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN) and Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) won Hungary's two Zagreb Open titles. 

In the 63kg finals, Islomjon Bakhramov struck first with a four-point throw, but Xavier JOHNSON (USA) quickly scored a two-point exposure and cut the Uzbek's leads to 4-2. Bakhramov stayed offensive and scored a pair of takedowns and a gut wrench, ending the 63kg gold-medal match early with a 10-2 technical superiority victory. 

Elmurat Tasmuradov gave Uzbekistan their second gold medal of the day. Tasmuradov came out on fire in the opening seconds of 67kg finals and threw a huge headlock to secure the 4-0 lead over U23 and senior-level European champion Mihai MIHUT (ROU). Tasmuradov surrendered a step out point to the Romanian wrestler, but his first-period four-point throw was enough to give him the 4-1 victory. 

Robert Fritsch won Hungary's first gold medal of the night after Georgia's Ramaz ZOIDZE injury defaulted out of the 72kg finals. 

At 87kg, Viktor Lorincz grabbed a passivity point and a low-level gut and took the 3-0 lead over Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE) into the second period. Lorincz gave up a passivity point but didn’t get turned and held on to the 3-1 decision over Berg, giving Hungary their second gold medal of the night. 

Kamal and Marvik Win Remaining Two Gold Medals 

There wasn't a 55kg gold-medal bout because it was a round-robin competition, so the final two gold medals went to Turkey's Kerem KAMAL  and Norway's Oskar MARVIK (NOR). 

In the 60kg gold-medal bout, two-time junior world champion Kerem Kamal handled Iran’s Milad REZANEZHAD from whistle-to-whistle and scored his first senior-level gold medal with the 9-3 victory, while Oskar Marvik used a first-period passivity point to defeat Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), 1-0, in the 130kg finals.  

Results

Team Scores
GOLD - Turkey (132 points) 
SILVER - Uzbekistan (101 points) 
BRONZE - Croatia (91 points) 
Fourth - Bulgaria (85 points) 
Fifth - Hungary (83 points) 

55kg (Round-Robin) 
GOLD -   Poya Soulat DAD MARZ (IRI) 
SILVER - Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) 
BRONZE - Alexandru Vasile BOTEZ (ROU)

60kg 
GOLD - Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Milad Ali REZANEZHAD (IRI), 9-3

BRONZE - Erik TORBA (HUN) df. Virgil MUNTEANU (ROU), 3-3 
BRONZE -  Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO) df. Seunghak KIM (KOR), 4-3 

63kg 
GOLD - Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Xavier JOHNSON (USA), 10-2 

BRONZE -  Dawid Andrzej ERSETIC (POL) df. Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO), 12-0 
BRONZE -  Firuz TUKHTAEV (UZB) df. Travis Michael RICE (USA), 9-0 

67kg
GOLD -  Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) df. Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU), 4-1 

BRONZE - Enes BASAR (TUR) df. Morten THORESEN (NOR), 9-0
BRONZE - Ignazio SANFILIPPO (ITA) df. Danijel JANECIC (CRO), via injury default 

72kg
GOLD - Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN)  df. Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO), via injury default

BRONZE - Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) df. Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR), 3-1 
BRONZE - Mateusz Lucjan BERNATEK (POL) df. Mate NEMES (SRB), 3-1 

77kg
GOLD - Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) df. Yunus BASAR (TUR), 2-1 

BRONZE - Mohammad Aziz NAGHOUSI (IRI) df. Ilie COJOCARI (ROU), 7-4 
BRONZE - Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR) df. Rafael IUNUSOV (RUS), 10-0 

82kg
GOLD - Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) df. Emrah KUS (TUR), 8-7

BRONZE - Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) df. Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB), 2-1 
BRONZE - Karlo KODRIC (CRO) df. Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO), via injury default 

87kg
GOLD - Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE), 3-1 

BRONZE - Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) df. Yoan Danielov DIMITROV (BUL), 6-3 
BRONZE - Arkadiusz Marcin KULYNYCZ (POL) df. Erik SZILVASSY (HUN), 4-3 

97kg
GOLD - Ilia BORISOV (RUS) df.  Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL), 9-0 

BRONZE - Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB) df. Zsolt TOEROEK (HUN), 11-0
BRONZE - Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA) df. Adam VARGA (HUN), 4-0 

130kg 
GOLD - Oskar MARVIK (NOR) df. Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) , 1-0 

BRONZE - Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI) df. Osman YILDIRIM (TUR), 5-1 
BRONZE - Miloslav Yuriev METODIEV (BUL) df. Marko KOSCEVIC (CRO), 5-1 

#WrestleIstanbul

Tuesday's U17 World Championship semifinals set

Tuesday, August 1, 2023 - 07:34 By Eric Olanowski

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ISTANBUL, Turkiye (August 1) --- The second day of wrestling at the 2023 U17 World Championships will continue with Greco-Roman action at 45kg, 51kg, 60kg, 71kg and 92kg. 

Today's schedule will be a little different than Monday's schedule. The morning session, which starts at 11:00 (local time), will run through the quarterfinals before taking our mid-day break. We'll return at 17:00 for the semifinals, then roll directly into the first round of medal bouts at 18:00.

Tuesday's opening session will feature 26 medalists from this year's continental champions, including ten wrestlers who reached the top of the podium at the 2023 Asian, European, African or Pan-American Championships.

Everything you need to know:
📍Istanbul, Turkiye 🇹🇷
🗓️: July 31-August 6
Qualification: 11:00
🥇🥈🥉= 18:00
#️⃣: #WrestleIstanbul
🖥️: uww.org 
📱: UWW App

Here's a list of the reigning continental champs in action on Tuesday:
45kg - Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE)
51kg - Ilia KANDALIN (AIN)
51kg - Omar Mohamed Hussin Abdelfatah IBRAHIM (EGY)
51kg - Mohammad Meraj Esmaeil MOHMADI (IRI)
60kg - Kiryl VALEUSKI (AIN)
60kg - Clisman Adrian CARRACEDO VELIZ (ECU)
60kg - Mohamed Ayman Mohamed Gaber IBRAHIM (EGY)
71kg - Abdurakhman ABDULKADYROV (AIN)
71kg - Youssef Ahmed Kadry Mohamed BADAWY (EGY)
92kg - Abdelfattah Elarabi Mohamed ABDELZAHER (EGY)
92kg - Saba PURTSELADZE (GEO)
92kg - Aliakbar Rasoul ASGHARIVALAD I(IRI)

Semifinal matchups (As the system updates in):
45kg
Yurik MKHITARYAN (ARM) vs. RUSTEM ABATSIEV (AIN) 
Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE) vs. Alireza Ahmad AMIRIGHASRODDASHTI (IRI) 

51kg
Dostonbek ORIPOV (UZB) vs. Ilia KANDALIN (AIN) 
Manu YADAV (IND) vs. Artur BROYAN (ARM) 

60kg
Kiryl VALEUSKI (AIN) vs. Saba SURMANIDZE (GEO) 
Roman KARIMOV (AZE) vs. Mingiian GORIAEV (AIN) 

71kg
Alkan AKAR (TUR)  vs. Ahmadreza Nourmohamad MOHAMADIAN (IRI) 
Arionas KOLITSOPOULOS (GRE) vs. Abdurakhman ABDULKADYROV (AIN) 

92kg
Mikayil ISMAYILOV (AZE) vs. Saba PURTSELADZE (GEO) 
Gabriel Eduardo STAN (ROU) vs. Saipula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (AIN)

15:23: That'll do it for the morning session. We'll take a 90-minute break and see you back here at 17:00 for the semifinals.

15:00: Akar wins the 20-point match and moves into the semifinals, but, without a doubt, that was the match of the competition thus far.

14:52: The current match on Mat C has been crazy. Isodzhon NURAKHMADOV (TJK) and Alkan AKAR (TUR) are leaving everything they have on the mat.

14:39: This kid Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE) is blowing through the competition today. His technique--especially in par terre--is unmatched. If you're looking for someone to keep an eye out over the next few years, he's your guy.

14:15: That's back-to-back falls on Mat C, and they both came on the wrong side for the defending continental champs. First, it was Abdelzaher who got pinned. Then, Artur BROYAN (ARM) punched his ticket to the 51kg semifinals after head-locking U17 Asian champ Mohammad Meraj Esmaeil MOHMADI (IRI) in the opening 15 seconds.

14:07: Nurbolot SYRGABAI UULU (KGZ) just dominated African champion Abdelzaher. He was up 13-5 before pinning the reigning U17 African champion.

13:50: I just snagged a quick bite to eat and came back in time to catch all the stars that are about to come up on Mat C.

On a side note: Mohamed Ayman Mohamed Gaber IBRAHIM (EGY) has a shark on his Egyptian singlet. I've never seen that before, outside of the Kyrgyz singlets. What is the significance of the shark on the Egyptian singlet?

13:27: Mat C is the one to keep an eye on. Starting with bout 209, there will be three consecutive continental medalists wrestling. Saipula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (AIN), the U17 European silver medalist, will wrestle first, followed by continental champs Abdelfattah Elarabi Mohamed ABDELZAHER (EGY) and Mohammad Meraj Esmaeil MOHMADI (IRI).

13:13: Reigning Pan-American champion Clisman Adrian CARRACEDO VELIZ (ECU) just defeated Kemal KAKABAYEV (TKM), 8-0, and secured Ecuador's first-ever Greco-Roman win at the U17 World Championships.

12:46: Rodin has Asgharivaldi on the ropes. The Croatian wrestled a calculated first period and leads 1-0 after the opening two minutes.

Just as I say that, Asgharivaldi picks up a passivity point and is going to work on top.

12:40: Reigning U17 Asian champion Aliakbar Rasoul ASGHARIVALADI (IRI) is making his way to Mat C with a massive smile on his face. He's wrestling Croatia's Andrej RODIN (CRO).

12;12: Khachatryan just picked up the biggest upset of the morning thus far, taking out U17 African champion Badawy, 6-1, setting up a 71kg second-round match against U17 Asian bronze medalist Ahmadreza Nourmohamad MOHAMADIAN (IRI).

Mohamadian kicked off his day with a 9-0 opening-round win against Antoni Adam TRETTER (POL).

12:09: Khachatryan was just awarded four points for a throw in the danger zone, taking the 5-1 lead over U17 African champion Badawy. There are 68 seconds left, but the four-pointer is currently under review. Originally, the Armenian was only awarded two, but after the officials came together, they changed it to four points.

11:54: Youssef BADAWY (EGY), the reigning 71kg U17 African champion, will be the first continental champion to take the mat today. He'll wrestle Armenia's Gor KHACHATRYAN (ARM) in two matches on Mat C.

11:40: That does it for this morning's repechage session, which means we'll roll right into the qualification round.

11:34: Ahmed stopped a cartwheel attempt by Ismagulov, picked up four points and punched his ticket to the 110kg bronze-medal match. He'll try to become the first Egyptian wrestler to win a U17 world medal since Mohamed EL SAYED (EGY) finished with a silver medal at the 2015 U17 World Championships.

11:29: The big guys at 110kg Bekzhan ISMAGULOV (KAZ) and Mohamed Abdelnaby Hegazy Farag AHMED (EGY) are going toe-to-toe on Mat C. They are currently knotted up, 3-3, with 90 seconds left and a spot in tonight's bronze-medal match on the line.

11:10: The crowd has returned in full form to the Başakşehir Gençlik ve Spor İlçe Müdürlüğü Tesisleri in Istanbul to watch the second day of Greco-Roman wrestling. It'll be around 30 minutes before any of the above-listed continental champs take the mat. For now, we'll run through the repechage matches to determine who'll wrestle in tonight's bronze-medal matches.

10:45 - We're 15 minutes away from starting Day Two action.