#WrestleIstanbul

Stars to follow in Women's Wrestling at World Qualifier

Monday, May 6, 2024 - 08:14 By Vinay Siwach

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ISTANBUL, Türkiye (May 6) -- Mariya STADNIK (AZE) has endured quite a few heartbreaks in her 16-year-long career. The most recent was her fall against Oksana LIVACH (UKR) in the final five seconds of the match. A win would have confirmed a fifth trip to the Olympics for her.

The four-time Olympic medalist will now be in Istanbul for the World OG Qualifier -- the last chance -- in a bid to earn a Paris 2024 quota. It will also put her one step closer to winning an unprecedented fifth Olympic medal, a feat no one has achieved in wrestling.

But Stadnik isn't the only one with so much to fight for in Istanbul.

Two-time European champion Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) was also seconds away from earning a spot for Paris when Tokyo silver medalist Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN) scored a takedown to beat her. Hrushyna missed the Tokyo flight after suffering an injury two months before the Games.

Now, she will be in Istanbul along with Tokyo bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) who is not yet qualified at 57kg. Both will compete for the three spots available along with other top wrestlers like Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE), Giullia PENALBER (BRA), Aurora RUSSO (ITA), Khongorzul BOLDSAIKHAN (MGL), Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (ROU), Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (AIN) and Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR).

In each Olympic weight class, the winner of the semifinals will earn a berth for the Paris Games for their respective countries. The third spot will be earned by the winner of the playoff between the two bronze medalists of the weight class.

This provides an extra opportunity to the wrestler who lost to the two best wrestlers of their respective weight classes. The repechage, bronze-medal bouts and the playoff will be held the next day.

China, which managed three quotas at the Asian OG Qualifier, will be hoping to claim all six spots for Paris as Jia LONG (CHN) and Feng ZHOU (CHN) compete in the 62kg and 68kg respectively.

Ziqi FENG (CHN), Qianyu PANG (CHN), Kexin HONG (CHN) and Juan WANG (CHN) clinched the 50kg, 53kg, 57kg and 76kg spots with the last three coming at the Asian OG Qualifier in Bishkek last month.

For Long, who was in Tokyo, the field at 62kg will be strong. Veranika IVANOVA (AIN), Lais NUNES (BRA), MANSI (IND), Mariana CHERDIVARA (MDA), Kriszta INCZE (ROU) and Nesrin BAS (TUR) are a few wrestlers who can trouble Long.

Bas is an interesting choice by Turkiye as she regularly competes in the 72kg weight class. She was a U23 world champion in the same. But with the 68kg qualification by world champion Buse TOSUN (TUR) and 76kg by European champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR), Bas decided to move down.

At 68kg, Feng will have to raise her game if she wants to represent China in Paris. The weight has 23 wrestlers including the likes of Elis MANOLOVA (AZE), Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL), Linda MORAIS (CAN), Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), NISHA (IND) and Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU).

Hristova would be doubly motivated to win a quota in Istanbul after she missed it in Baku. Leading 8-0 against Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR) in the quarterfinal, she got put on the mat by Skobelska and the Ukrainian secured a fall, leaving Hristova heartbroken.

A few European stars have not managed to earn a Paris spot at 53kg. Two-time Olympian Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) will be a strong contender to claim one of the three spots at 53kg.

Annika WENDLE (GER), Sztalvira ORSOS (HUN), Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), Mariia VYNNYK (UKR), Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) and Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) will be fighting it out for the quotas as well.

Karla GODINEZ (CAN), the favorite at the Pan-Am OG Qualifier, suffered a loss and failed to qualify Canada. But she will be in Istanbul to earn that spot and join her sister Ana who qualified at 62kg. Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) will be a strong contender as well.

Among the big names at 76kg, Martina KUENZ (AUT), Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (AIN), Yuliana YANEVA (BUL), Samar HAMZA (EGY), Epp MAE (EST), Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) and Anastasiia SHUSTOVA (UKR) are taking the trip to Istanbul.

Despite all the stars assembling in Istanbul, Stadnik will be the center of attraction. How does a 36-year-old bounce back from her first-ever loss in Europe? Is she still good enough to compete against some of the best in the world? Is she a medal threat for Paris 2024?

A win in Istanbul will answer those questions.

#wrestlebishkek

Saravi, Mirzazadeh shine in Bishkek

Thursday, June 1, 2023 - 19:29 By Vinay Siwach

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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (June 1) -- Two of Iran's biggest Greco-Roman stars got their preparations for the World Championships underway with gold medals.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) won the 97kg and 130kg weight classes respectively at the Kaba Uulu Kozhomkul & Raatbek Sanatbaev Ranking Series event in Bishkek on Monday.

Saravi, who has not competed since winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in September 2022, returned to the mat and powered himself to the top of the podium in a 25-2 rout of his opponents.

While he controlled all his bouts, the most significant win for Saravi was over compatriot Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI) in the semifinals. This also makes him the front-runner to represent Iran at the World Championships in Belgrade in September.

Balihamzehdeh was hoping to earn a place on the national team but his 7-1 loss to Saravi all but closes the doors for him.

In the final, Saravi was up against Yiming LI (CHN) and walked to a 3-1 win to clinch the gold. He got the turn from pat terre while Li failed to do the same which proved to be the difference between the two.

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) defeated Oscar PINO (CUB) 2-1 in the final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Mirzazadeh, a world silver medalist, claimed two confidence-boosting wins, first over Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) who defeated him a year ago in Almaty and second over 2019 world silver medalist and Pan-American champion Oscar PINO (CUB) at 130kg.

After winning the Asian Championships last month, Mirzazadeh came into Bishkek with the same form and faced Yilidrim 4-1. Yildirim had beaten Mirzazadeh in Almaty in 2022 at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup.

In a bout worthy of being a World Championships final, Pino began as the favorite in the final but as Mirzazadeh build pressure, he tired up and Mirzazadeh gained the upper hand. The two exchanged passivity but Mirzazadeh got an extra stepout to win the medal which has pushed him to the top of the rankings as well, replacing world and European champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR).

"I feel happy to win this gold," Mirzazadeh said. "I worked really hard for this competition. I will do the same to win the gold medal in Belgrade."

On winning against Pino, Mirzazadeh said that it is always difficult to win at 130kg.

"In my weight class, most are good wrestlers," he said. "But I train very hard for the Olympics. My weight has good wrestlers from Turkiye and Cuba but I am training really hard for the gold medal and I am the best."

Another young Iranian who shone in Bishkek was Daniel SHORABI (IRI) who won the 67kg. The U20 and U23 world champion wrestled Abror ATABAEV (UZB) in his first bout and came out on top 7-5. If he thought his next bout be an easier one, Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) did not let that happen. Despite a barn-burner, it was Shorabi who won 6-5.

In the semifinal, Shorabi defeated Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) 10-2 and booked a place in the final against HUSIYUETU (CHN) who blanked Olympic champion Luis ORTA (CUB) 9-0, his second win over the Cuban in four months. But Husiyuetu failed to hold up against Shorabi who won the gold medal after a dominating 8-2 win.

Uzbekistan emerged as the second-best team with two gold medals while Georgia and Kazakhstan won one gold each.

In 87kg and 60kg, Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) and Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) became the champions respectively.

Berdimuratov was up against Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) in the opening round and won 1-1 after getting the second activity point. He faced Melis AITBEKOV (KGZ) and won 9-0 before beating another Kyrgyzstan wrestler Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ) 8-0 in the semifinal.

In the final, Gurami KHETSURIANI (GEO) did put up a fight against Berdimuratov but the Uzbekistan wrestler was strong enough to win 5-3 and capture his first gold medal at 87kg.

"This is my first gold medal in the new weight category," Berdimuratov said. "This medal gives me strength and self-confidence and now I will try to win gold in the next championships."

Berdimuratov has spent a major part of his career at 82kg and won a silver medalist at this weight class in Belgrade as well. But with Paris Olympics approaching, he switched to 87kg, an Olympic weight class.

"For me, this is a comfortable weight," he said. "I have prepared a lot for this weight and preparations are still going on. I lost earlier and now I have begun to win and believe in myself."

The Uzbekistan wrestler was performing at the new weight class at the Zagreb Ranking Series as well but he says that those were his early days at the weight.

"In Zagreb, I was not ready for this weight," he said. "But I continued to work on myself, then I placed third in Asia and now won here I won gold. I am not preparing for a certain wrestler. Whoever is in the draw, I will fight."

Bakhramov, a three-time Ranking Series gold medalist, added a fourth gold as he defeated Nursultan BAZARBAYEV (KAZ), 6-0, in the final to give Uzbekistan its second gold medal of the night.

Uzbekistan could have won a third gold medal but world bronze medalist Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) at 55kg.

At 63kg, world silver medalist and European champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO) denied Uzbekistan another gold medal as he defeated Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB), 7-4 in the final.

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RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) df. Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), 4-2

BRONZE: MANJEET (IND) df. Yersin ABYIR (KAZ), 14-9
BRONZE: Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) df. Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB), 4-1

60kg
GOLD: Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Nursultan BAZARBAYEV (KAZ), 6-0

BRONZE: Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) df. Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ), 8-0
BRONZE: Yernar FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) df. Balbai DORDOKOV (KGZ), 11-6

63kg
GOLD: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df. Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB), 7-4

BRONZE: Dastan KADYROV (KGZ) df. Baiaman KARIMOV (KGZ), 9-0
BRONZE: Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Geminghan REHETI (CHN), 6-0

67kg
GOLD: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. HUSIYUETU (CHN), 8-2

BRONZE: Abror ATABAEV (UZB) df. Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ), 11-1
BRONZE: Luis ORTA (CUB) df. Mahmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB), 7-1

87kg
GOLD: Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) df. Gurami KHETSURIANI (GEO), 5-3

BRONZE: Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) df. Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. Azamat KUSTUBAYEV (KAZ), 1-1

97kg
GOLD: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Yiming LI (CHN), 3-1

BRONZE: Beksultan MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Zhantas NURGALI (KAZ), 3-1,
BRONZE: Artur OMAROV (CZE) df. Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI), 5-1

130kg
GOLD: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Oscar PINO (CUB), 2-1

BRONZE: Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) df. Sulkhan BUIDZE (GEO), 9-0
BRONZE: Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) df. Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU), via walkover