#Zagreb2019

Starcevic Stuns Olympic Champion Kim, Makes Fifth Zagreb Open Finals Appearance

Saturday, February 9, 2019 - 18:48 By Eric Olanowski

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ZAGREB, Croatia (February 9) -  Bozo STARCEVIC, the Zagreb, Croatia native, stunned Olympic champion KIM Hyeonwoo (KOR), 8-2 in the quarterfinals and ultimately moved into the Zagreb Open finals for the fifth consecutive year. 

On Saturday, Starcevic avenged his 6-4 2016 Olympic bronze-medal bout loss to Kim, where the Korean wrestler claimed his second overall Olympic medal.

In their quarterfinals meeting on Saturday, Starcevic built a commanding 6-0 lead before Kim used an arm-spin to pick up his lone takedown, closing the deficit to 6-2. Starcevic somehow came away from Kim's arm-spin attempt with an exposure of his own and ultimately moved into the semifinals win an 8-2 victory.

In the semifinals, the hometown wrestler defeated Russia's Rafael IUNUSOV, 5-1 and locked up his fifth consecutive trip to the Zagreb Open finals. He's walked away victorious in each of his previous four trips to the Zagreb Open finals. 

Starcevic will wrestle Yunus BASAR (TUR) in tomorrow's 77kg gold-medal bout. Basar is one of four Turkish wrestlers who made it to Sunday night's Zagreb Open finals. Ekrem OZTURK, Kerem KAMAL, and Emrah KUS round out the other Turkish finalists. 

Ozturk went undefeated in the round-robin competition and will wrestle Iran's 2017 junior world champion Poya Soulat DAD MARZ for the 55kg gold medal. Both wrestlers were 2-0 on the day. 


Turkey's two-time junior world champion Kerem KAMAL made his first senior finals. He'll wrestle Iran's Milad Ali REZANEZHAD in the 60kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan) 

Turkey's two-time junior world champion Kerem Kamal outscored his three opponents 26-3 and made it to his first career senior finals. His best finish prior to making Sunday's Zagreb Open finals came at the 2018 Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov Tournament when he finished with a bronze medal.

Kamal will wrestle Iran's Milad Ali REZANEZHAD in the 60kg finals. Sunday's gold-medal bout will be Rezanezhad's first senior finals appearance. 

Emrah Kus, the reigning 2018 world runner-up, rounds out the four Turkish finalists. Kus bulldozed his three opponents on the opening day of competition in Zagreb and snagged three straight technical superiority victories, outscoring his trio of opponents 25-0. 

He'll lace up against Bulgari's three-time European bronze medalist Daniel ALEKSANDROV for the 82kg gold medal. 


Reigning world runner-up Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) will wrestle defending Zagreb Open champion Mihai MIHUT (ROU)  in the 67kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan ) 

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan tallied the second most finalists with three.

They're led by reigning world runner-up and Rio Olympic bronze medalists Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB). Tasmuradov will take on one of the sports brightest rising stars and defending Zagreb Open champion Mihai MIHUT (ROU) in the 67kg gold-medal bout.

Though he didn't place at last year's world championships, Mihut did win last year's U23 and senior European championships, and also claimed titles at the Thor Masters, the Kristjan Palusalu Memorial, and the Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial. 

Islomjon BAKHRAMOV and Muminjon ABDULLAEV are Uzbekistan's remaining pair of finalists. 

Bakhramon will see America's Xavier JOHNSON (USA) in the 63kg finals. 

At 130kg, Abdullaev scored huge back-to-back wins, giving Uzbekistan their third finalist. In the quarterfinals, Abdullaev scored a match-winning takedown with one minute left and knocked off 2017 world bronze medalist Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI), 2-2. He followed his quarterfinals win up by blasting U23 world silver medalist Osman YILDIRIM (TUR), 9-0 in the semifinals, setting up a finals date with Norway's Oskar MARVIK. 


Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) was one of two Hungarian finalists. He'll wrestle Sweden's Kristoffer BERG in tomorrow's 87kg finals. (Photo: Martin Gabor) 

Meanwhile, Hungary and Bulgaria each had two finalists. 

Bulgaria's pair of finalists were Daniel Aleksandrov (previously mentioned) and reigning world runner-up Kiril MILOV, who will take on Russia's lone finalist, Ilia BORISOV (RUS), for the 97kg gold medal. 

Hungary's pair of finalists were Robert FRITSCH (HUN) and Viktor LORINCZ (HUN). 

Fritsch picked up back-to-back wins over world bronze medalists to put himself in the Zagreb Open finals for the first time. In the quarterfinals, Fritsch edged reigning world bronze medalists Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL), 3-3 on criteria. Then, he beat U23 world bronze medalist Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR), 6-3 and locked up his spot in the 72kg finals with Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO).

Hungary's second Zagreb finalist is Viktor Lorincz. Lorincz scored an extremely important 3-0 semifinals win over fellow Hungarian Erik SZILVASSY (HUN). Lorincz and Szilvassy, the 2017 U23 world champion, were in a tight battle for Hungary's 2019 Astana World Championship spot. Lorincz' semifinals win gives him a leg up on Szilvassy and some breathing room heading into the second Greco-Roman Ranking Series event, the Hungarian Grand Prix.  

Lorincz will meet Sweden's Kristoffer BERG in tomorrow's 87kg finals. 

The final day of wrestling at the Zagreb Open, United World Wrestling first Greco-Roman Ranking Series Event, beings on Sunday at 10:30, with the finals beginning at 17:30 (local time).

For news, interviews, highlights and behind-the-scenes clips, you can following United World Wrestling on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube. 

SCHEDULE

Sunday (February 10)
8:00 - 2nd-day weigh-in, all weight categories (No weight tolerance!) Sport Hall
10:30 - Repechage bouts and bronze medal matches (all categories)
17:30 - Opening ceremony and Final matches (all categories)

RESULTS

55kg (Round-Robin) 
GOLD -  Ekrem OZTURK (TUR) vs. Poya Soulat DAD MARZ (IRI) 

60kg 
GOLD - Kerem KAMAL (TUR) vs. Milad Ali REZANEZHAD (IRI) 

Semifinals - Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO), 11-1 
Semifinals - Milad Ali REZANEZHAD (IRI) df. Erik TORBA (HUN)  , 6-3 

63kg 
GOLD - Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) vs. Xavier Tramain JOHNSON (USA) 

Semifinals - Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Firuz TUKHTAEV (UZB) , 5-0
Semifinals -  Xavier JOHNSON (USA) df. Dawid ERSETIC (POL), 9-0

67kg
GOLD -  Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) vs. Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) 

Semifinals  -  Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) df. Danijel JANECIC (CRO)  , 5-1
Semifinals -  Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) df. Enes BASAR (TUR), 13-1 

72kg
GOLD - Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) vs. Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN) 

Semifinals - Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) df. Mateusz BERNATEK (POL), 11-2 
Semifinals - Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN) df. Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR), 6-3 

77kg
GOLD -  Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) vs. Yunus BASAR (TUR) 

Semifinals -  Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR) df. Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) , 10-0  
Semifinals -  Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO) df. Rafael IUNUSOV (RUS), 5-1  

82kg
GOLD - Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) vs. Emrah KUS (TUR) 

Semifinals - Emrah KUS (TUR) df. Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), 8-0 
Semifinals -  Daniel Tihomirov ALEKSANDROV (BUL) df. Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO), via injury default 

87kg
GOLD -  Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) vs. Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE) 

Semifinals - Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE) df. Yoan Danielov DIMITROV (BUL), 6-3 
Semifinals -  Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Erik SZILVASSY (HUN), 3-0 

97kg
GOLD - Ilia BORISOV (RUS) vs. Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL) 

Semifinals - Ilia BORISOV (RUS) df. Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA), 3-1 
Semifinals - Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL) df. Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB), 3-1  

130kg 
GOLD -  Oskar MARVIK (NOR) vs. Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) 

Semifinals -  Oskar MARVIK (NOR) df. Marko KOSCEVIC (CRO), 4-1 
Semifinals - Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Osman YILDIRIM (TUR), 9-0  

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024 Day 6 Preview: FS 65kg and 97kg; WW 76kg

Saturday, July 27, 2024 - 10:26 By Eric Olanowski

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PARIS, France (July 27) --- Kyle SNYDER (USA) has thought about his revenge day on Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) ever since that September loss in Belgrade where the 'Wonder Kid' stormed past 'Captian America' in the quarterfinals of the World Championships.

Snyder has locked August 11 as his revenge date, when FS 65kg, FS 97kg, and WW 62kg will take center stage at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

PARIS 2024 SCHEDULE | PARIS 2024 NEWS

Meanwhile, four world champions -- Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI), Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN), Haji ALIYEV (AZE) and Zain RETHERFORD (USA) will battle it out for 65kg Olympic supremacy.

On the women's side, Yuuka KAGAMI (JPN) will begin her quest to future Japan's dominance in the women's wrestling world and become their first-ever heavyweight Olympic champion.

97kg: Snyder, from champion to challenger

For Tazhudinov, the match against Snyder was a coming-out party, while it was a "back to the drawing board" moment for the American. In just over two minutes, Snyder gave up back-to-back four-pointers, ultimately losing the match 11-0.

Since that September loss, Snyder has been in the lab at Penn State University with fellow Olympic champion Cael SANDERSON (USA), cooking up a game plan for how he'll take out Tazhudinov in the Paris 2024 semifinals. 

Tazhudinov and Snyder are seeded No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, putting them together on the bottom side of the bracket, setting up a potential semifinal clash.

Kyle SNYDER (USA)Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) defeated Kyle SNYDER (USA) in Zagreb. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan) 

Another youthful threat standing in Snyder's way is Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), who is unseeded and will be randomly drawn into the bracket.

Azarpira, the 22-year-old, beat Snyder earlier this year. The two met in the finals of the Zagreb Open Ranking Series, where Azarpira took Snyder down twice to not only win the Ranking Series title but also lock up his spot on Iran's Olympic team over Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI).

With Snyder and Tazhudinov on the bottom of the bracket, the three guys to keep an eye on the top side of the bracket are Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE), Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR) and Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO).

With all the discussion in this 97kg bracket always around Snyder and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN), these three guys often take a back seat in the debate. Still, one is about to catapult themselves to a level of stardom they never imagined.

Despite being the lowest-seeded of the three, Matcharashvili is the betting favorite in his rivalries with Magomedov and Ciftci. 

Matcharashvili has had four matches with Magomedov and five against Ciftci and has a 7-2 combined record against both guys. He's also coming off wins against the duo at this year's European Championships.

Top-seeded Magomedov and No. 5 Matcharashvili have met four times in their careers, with the Georgian owning a 3-1 match advantage.

Matcharashvili won the opening pair of meetings before taking his lone loss of the series in the semifinals of the 2023 World Championships. In their last meeting, Matcharashvili returned to his winning ways, winning the European finals against his Azeri rival, 7-1.

Matcharashvili and Ciftci have met five times in their careers -- twice as underclassmen and three times on the senior level. 

Matcharashvili first defeated Ciftci at the 2017 U20 European Championships before losing to the Turkish wrestler at the 2019 U23 European Championships. Matcharashvili has since beaten Ciftci at the European Championships in back-to-back years and at the 2023 World Championships.

65kg: Tough road to gold

Regarding stacked weight classes at Paris 2024, 65kg ranks near the top. The weight features four world champions and a slew of other competitors who could end up making a run to the podium.

Since last year's World Championships, reigning world champ Muszukajev has taken out Amouzad and Aliyev at least once and will have to do it against them in order to end Hungary's 76-year freestyle Olympic gold-medal drought.

Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN)Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) has a perfect record against Haji ALIYEV. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Muszukajev and Aliyev, seeded No. 3 and 6, respectively, will meet in the quarterfinals, and then the Hungarian will face the Iranian in the semifinals.

The Paris 2024 quarterfinal meeting between Musukaev and Aliyev will be their fourth career meeting, with the former Russian-turned-Hungarian owning a 3-0 advantage. In their last meeting at the Hungarian Ranking Series, Muszukajev picked up arguably his most dominant win over Aliyev. He scored a 9-3 victory that included a beautiful four-point throw, a takedown, a trapped arm gut and a step out.

If Muszukajev can defeat Aliyev, it will set up a third meeting with 2022 world champion Amouzad. They've split their previous meetings, with Muszukajev getting revenge on Amouzd in last year's world semifinals.

On the other side of the bracket, top-seeded Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) is favored to meet world runner-up Sebastian RIVERIA (PUR) in the semifinals.

The meeting between Rivera and Tevanyan will be a rubber match after the pair split their 2023 World Championship and 2024 Zagreb Open Ranking Series meetings. Riveria trailed 6-0 in Belgrade with two minutes left but picked up a shocking 9-8 win to push himself into the world finals. Then, in Croatia earlier this year, Tevanayan evened the score with a 9-1 victory.

Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN)Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) defeated Toyko Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) to be on the Japan team. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

On the non-seeded front, Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) and Retherford are the most dangerous guys who can blow up a bracket. 

Kiyooka, who took out reigning Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) in Japan's wrestle-offs, is 7-1 this season. More importantly, the 23-year-old has 2024 wins over Olympians Muszukajev and Austin GOMEZ (MEX).

Retherford, down from his 2023 world title-winning weight of 70kg, will be tasked with trying to win America's first Olympic medal at 65-66kg since Jamill KELLY's (USA) Athens 2004 silver medal. This season, Retherford has had seven international bouts, winning every match except the one he had with Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) at the World Olympic Qualifier.

WW 76kg: Japanese sweep in Paris?

It's no secret that everyone is chasing Japan in the women's wrestling race. Japan has had 24 women wrestle at the Olympic Games; winning 15 of 24 Olympic titles. However, they've never reached a gold-medal bout at WW 76kg (formerly 72kg).

Kagami will be tasked with ending Japan's five Olympic Games drought of gold medals. "There has never been a Japanese gold medal in the 76kg heaviest weight class at the Olympics before," said Kagami. "I want to be the first." 

As unbelievable as it seems, it's not unrealistic that Japan's squad will sweep the Olympics, but Kagami, who says there's no pressure, knows it all comes down to her. When asked how many Olympic titles Japan will win in Paris, Kagami replied without hesitation, "Six. Now it's up to me. If I do my best, I think Japan can win six gold medals."

The reigning world champion must get through familiar foes Yasemin ADAR YIGIT (TUR) and Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) to complete her historic run. The Japanese star has a winning track record against Medet Kyzy but has yet to solve the puzzle of Adar. 

At the 2022 World Championships, Kagami lost to Adar and has not wrestled the Turkish star since. What makes this interesting is that Adar is unseeded, which means she'll be randomly drawn into the bracket, leaving the possibility of a second meeting with Kagami.

Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) defeated Adeline GRAY (USA) en route her 76kg gold at the World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Kagami has two wins between a loss to Medet Kyzy, but her latest win is a washy one. In the world finals, Kagami won after Medet Kyzy injury defaulted due to a knee injury. The pair split their previous meetings, with the Japanese wrestler winning at the 2022 U23 World Championships and the Kyrgyz wrestler winning at the 2022 Asian Championships.

The sixth day of wrestling at Paris 2024 starts on August 10. Follow @unitedworldwrestling on all social channels to stay updated on what's happening in Paris.