#Trnava2018

Steveson Eyeing Fourth World Title

By Eric Olanowski

TRNAVA, Solvakia (September 16) - Daton FIX (USA) and Gable STEVESON (USA), the duo of American returning champions lead a freestyle #Trnava2018 field that boasts 245 wrestlers from 40 different nations. 

The reigning 55kg champion, Fix, enters the Junior World Championships at 57kg, while Steveson, the 120kg gold-medal winner enters at 125kg. 

Steveson, the reigning three-time world champion will be looking for his fourth age-level world title. Since stepping on the international scene in 2015, Steveson has yet to drop a match on his way to claiming two Cadet World titles, and a Junior World gold medal. 

Daton FIX (USA), 2017 Tampere World champion. (Photo by Marion Stein). 

The other reigning champion, Fix, will be competing in his fifth age-level World Championship. Since taking tenth place at the 2014 Cadet World Championships, Fix has rallied to win three world medals. Fix won back-to-back bronzes, before claiming his first World gold at the Tampere World Championships. 

If Fix has hopes of winning back-to-back Junior World titles, he’ll have to go through returning bronze medalist, Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM). 

Harutyunyan, the two-time age-level European champion dropped his 2017 Junior World quarterfinal bout against Ismail GADZHIEV (RUS), 11-9. Gadzhiev went on to take second place, dropping his finals bout to Fix, 12-1. 

The United States’ roster was scheduled to feature two of the three 2017 cadet world champions that were entered, but due to an undisclosed injury to Daniel KERKVLIET JR (USA), Aaron BROOKS (USA) will be the only American cadet world champion that is entered. 

Mehdi ESHGHIVASOUKOLAEI (IRI), 2017 Cadet World champion. (Photo by Martin Gabor) 

Iran’s Mehdi ESHGHIVASOUKOLAEI is the third cadet world champion that will be in action in Trnava where he’s currently entered at 61kg. 

With the absence of Kerkvliet at 97kg, the gold medal favorites are Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR)  and Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM). 

Akturk is down from 120kg where he grabbed the bronze medal at last years Junior World Champions, while Saparov is down from 100kg where he won a cadet world bronze medal. 


Piotr CARASENI (MDA), 2017 Cadet World bronze medalist. (Photo by Martin Gabor) 

Other previous age-level world medalists to pay attention to are Piotr CARASENI (MDA)(74kg), Abbas Ali FOROUTANRAMI (IRI) (92kg), Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE)  (70kg), and Seyedabolfazl HASHEMIJOUYBARI (IRI) (86kg). 

SCHEDULE
Friday 
10:30 - Qualification rounds FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
17:15 - Semifinal FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg

Saturday 
10:30 - Qualification rounds FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
10:30 - Repechage FS – 57-65-70-79-97kg
17:15 - Semifinal FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
18:00 - Finals FS – 57-65-70-79-97kgSunday 

Sunday 
16:00 - Repechage FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg
18:00 - Finals FS – 61-74-86-92-125kg

#Grappling

Grappling Gi: Kazakhstan, Poland emerge best teams at World Championships

By Vinay Siwach

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (October 12) -- Kazakhstan stole the show in men's Grappling Gi, winning four of the nine gold medals on the final day of the World Grappling Championships.

Alikhan ALSHINBAY (KAZ) won the gold medal at 58kg, Samat AITPANBET (KAZ) claimed a submission victory at 62kg, Sarsen ZHETIBAYEV (KAZ) defeated former world champion Iker CAMARA (ESP) 2-1 at 71kg and Ruslan ISRAILOV (KAZ) held on to a 5-2 win at 92kg.

Kazakhstan won the team title with 185 points, well clear of second-placed United States which could get only 68 points and third-placed Poland 66 points.

In women's grappling gi, Poland continued its dominance with yet another solid performance, earning it the team title. Led by returning champion Justyna SITKO (POL), Poland claimed two gold medals and 110 points overall to finish first. Kazakhstan was second with 43 points and Ukraine was third with 40 points.

Poland had five finalists with two winning the gold medals. Sitko defended her gold medal at 90kg with a 7-1 win over Alena VLASOVA (AIN) while Weronika ROT (POL) defeated Anna REMNEVA (AIN), 10-0, in the 71kg to win gold.

Alicja STYPULKOWSKA (POL) was also in the final but she came up short. Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) defeated her, 6-4, in the 53kg final. Magdalena GIEC (POL) ended up with a silver medal for the second year in a row, dropping the 58kg final 9-5 against Nikolett KIS (HUN).

In the 64kg final, Alsu IANSHINA (AIN) won via submission against Adrianna MAZUR (POL).

RESULTS

Men's Grappling Gi

58kg
GOLD: Alikhan ALSHINBAY (KAZ) df. Jerzy IZDEBSKI (POL), 4-2

BRONZE: Zhyldyzbek ABYLBEKOV (KGZ) df. Vahid ALAKBAROV (AZE), via submission (3-2)
BRONZE: Nurbek SATYBALDY (KAZ) df. Jad HERZHAFT (FRA), 12-5

62kg
GOLD: Samat AITPANBET (KAZ) df. Nurbek MYRZALINOV (KAZ), via submission (0-2) 

BRONZE: Sultan SHARIPOV (AIN) df. Guillermo GUTIERREZ (ESP), via submission (4-0) 
BRONZE: Joseph DIEHL (USA) df. Daniiar ZHAMANKULOV (KGZ), 8-3

66kg
GOLD: Giorgi RAZMADZE (GEO) df. Mayis NERSESYAN (ARM), 6-4

BRONZE: Anthony DE OLIVEIRA (FRA) df. Yurii CHERKALIUK (UKR), via submission (9-0)
BRONZE: Daulet ZHUMADULLAYEV (KAZ) df. Zack ZINZOW (USA), 3-2

71kg
GOLD: Sarsen ZHETIBAYEV (KAZ) df. Iker CAMARA (ESP), 2-1

BRONZE: Jedrzej LOSKA (POL) df. Cole MORRISON (USA), via submission (0-2)
BRONZE: Oleksandr HULIAIEV (UKR) df. Nico PULVERMUELLER (GER), 2-2

77kg
GOLD: Imam AMAGAEV (AIN) df. Adlan MADAYEV (KAZ), 6-4

BRONZE: Dmitriy MIKHAILIDI (KAZ) df. Pierre MANZO (FRA), 5-1
BRONZE: Arthur LEROY (FRA) df. Jakub NAJDEK (POL), 4-2

84kg
GOLD: Ruslan VALIEV (FRA) df. Hajimurad PURTIYEV (AZE), 6-0

BRONZE: Jeremie BLAIN (CAN) df. Bekarys SHYNGGYSBEK (KAZ), in overtime (1-1)
BRONZE: Igor DZIAG (POL) df. Samy MEZACHE (FRA), via submission (6-2)

92kg
GOLD: Ruslan ISRAILOV (KAZ) df. Mantas DAUBLYS (LTU), 5-2

BRONZE: Ramazan KUSSAINOV (KAZ) df. Borja ALVAREZ (ESP), via submission (6-0)
BRONZE: Pablo ESTEPA NIETO (ESP) df. Julian VANDERLINDEN (USA), 4-3

100kg
GOLD: Kristof SZUCS (HUN) df. Ramazan ABDRAKHIMOV (KAZ), via submission (10-2)

BRONZE: Ivan MALIN (UKR) df. Konstantin LI (KGZ), 6-1
BRONZE: Roman LUKASHEVICH (AIN) df. Pavlos VLACHOS (GRE), via submission (5-0)

130kg
GOLD: Abu GUDANATOV (AIN) df. Saulet ABUSSALIKHOV (KAZ), 2-1

BRONZE: John HANSEN (USA) df. Ioannis KARGIOTAKIS (GRE), 3-2
BRONZE: Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA) df. Akhmed GAIRBEKOV (AIN), via submission (0-4)

Justyna SITKO (POL)Justyna SITKO (POL), center, defended her gold medal at 90kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Women's Grappling Gi

53kg
GOLD: Carlota PRENDES LARIOS (ESP) df. Alicja STYPULKOWSKA (POL), 6-4

BRONZE: Zuzanna KOWALSKA (POL) df. Alina KASKINOVA (KAZ), via submission (2-2)
BRONZE: Polina KRUPSKAIA (AIN) df. Anna BEZHENAR (UKR), 3-2

58kg
GOLD: Nikolett KIS (HUN) df. Magdalena GIEC (POL), 9-5

BRONZE: Tetiana ASTAKHOVA (UKR) df. Rachel GUTIERREZ (USA), via submission (5-2)
BRONZE: Breanna STIKKELMAN (USA) df. Joanna ZABULEWICZ (POL), 4-4

64kg
GOLD: Alsu IANSHINA (AIN) df. Adrianna MAZUR (POL), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Fariza KULYNTAY (KAZ) df. Raluca ROSCA (ITA), 7-2
BRONZE: Veronika KARAKHONOVA (AIN) df. Sylwia WIERZBOWSKA (POL), via submission (5-0)

71kg
GOLD: Weronika ROT (POL) df. Anna REMNEVA (AIN), 10-0

BRONZE: Kateryna SHAKALOVA (UKR) df. Valeriia PROKOPIUK (UKR), 7-1
BRONZE: Emily GUENZLER (GER) df. Tatiana KABANOVA (AIN), via submission (0-4)

90kg
GOLD: Justyna SITKO (POL) df. Alena VLASOVA (AIN), 7-1

BRONZE: Tammy GRIEGO (USA) df. Vlada BOIAKHCHIEVA (AIN), via submission (2-2)