#WrestleRome

Superstars Staebler and Aleksanyan Soar to Top of European Podium

Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - 20:44 By Eric Olanowski

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ROME, Italy (February 12) --- Deafening cheers of “Frankie” and “Artur” rebounded off the wooden topped Pala Pellicone Arena as superstars Frank STAEBLER (GER) and Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) closed out the Greco-Roman portion of the European Championships with gold medals. 

Staebler cruised past Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) in the 72kg finals and grabbed his second European title. His 6-1 win over Lomadze on Wednesday night came eight years after he won his first continental gold at the 2012 European Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

After the match, Staebler announced that this was his last time he'd compete at the continental championships. "This was the last European Championships of my career. I am very happy to end the European cycle with a gold medal. The next stop is the Tokoyo Olympic Games for an Olympic medal." 

Staebler will make his descent back down to the Olympic weight of 67kg for a run at the one thing his resume is missing -- an Olympic medal. He's wrestled twice at the Olympic Games, but he’s come up short of a podium finish in both of those appearances. He finished fifth in London and seventh in Rio.

Staebler went further on his retirement, saying, "My focus is 100% on the Olympic Games. After the Olympics, I will retire from wrestling and work as a keynote speaker."

Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) became a six-time European champion with a 7-1 win over Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA). (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Aleksanyan forged a rock-solid 7-1 finals victory over tenth-ranked Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) and claimed his fifth career European championship title. "I am very happy that I won the gold medal for our country. It’s the second gold for us today and I think we showed some good wrestling today." 

Aleksanyan tied top-ranked Musa EVLOEV (RUS) for the world's top spot at 97kg with his win on Wednesday night. He carried 40 Ranking Series points to Rome, and with the addition of his 20-point European gold medal, the Armenian sits level with his Russian rival with 60 points.

But Aleksanyan said he isn't worried too much about his rankings. "I am not interested in what number I am in the rankings. The most important is that I got the license for the Olympics. There will be 16 athletes and I will be one of them wrestling for the Olympic gold."

The Rio Olympic champion had two goals coming into the year, and he checked one of those off tonight with his gold-medal performance. "My first goal was to become a five-time European champion. The Olympics are ahead and I want to become a two-time Olympic champion in Tokyo." 

Aleksanyan is headed back to Armenia for training camp and isn't sure when he'll compete next. When asked if he'll wrestle in the Poland Open and try to steal the No. 1 spot from Evloev, he said, "I don’t know. That’s not me who makes decisions. It's our coaches. Wherever they tell me to wrestle, I will do that. 

Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) handed Armenia their second gold medal of the night with a 5-5 win over Kerem KAMAL (TUR). 

He surrendered an inactivity point in the first period and trailed 1-0. Gharibyan tossed Kamal with a massive four-point arm throw and gained the 4-1 lead after falling behind early in the first period. He extended his lead to 5-1 with an inactivity point but conceded a takedown and a caution-and-two and led 5-5 on criteria. 

Gharibyan stayed defensively sound in the final 60 seconds and stopped a flurry of Turkish attacks and won his first European title. Before his gold medal in Rome, Gharibyan never finished inside the top-ten in his two European appearances. 

Thoresen Becomes Second Norwegian European Champion in last 25 Years 
Morten THORESEN (NOR) joined Felix BALDAUF (NOR) as the only Norwegian Greco-Roman wrestlers to win a European gold medal in the previous 25 years. Furthermore, he became just the fifth Greco-Roman wrestler from Norway to ever claim a European title. 

“I think it’s pretty funny because me and Felix lived together. He’s (since) moved out and I’m the new European champion in the house,” Thoresen jokingly said.

The 23-year-old won four hard-fought matches and capped off his title run with a 2-2 win over Nazir ABDULLAEV‘S (RUS). “I had the flow through the whole competition. I had four really hard matches, but at the end of the day, I ended on top.” He trailed 2-0 in the finals but finished on top thanks to a pair of one-point second-period exchanges.

Thoresen's focus now switches to qualifying Norway for the Olympic Games. “My goal is to qualify (Norway) for the Olympics. I’m going to go home and keep on training. Hopefully, you’ll see me at the Olympic Games.” 

Norway’s Greco-Roman European Champions 
2020 - Morten THORESEN (67kg)
2017 - Felix BALDAUF (98kg) 
1992 - Lars ROENNINGEN (48kg) 
1990 - Jon ROENNINGEN (52kg) 
1988 - Lars ROENNINGEN (48kg) 
1927 - Sven MARTINSEN (58kg) 

Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) and Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL) shake hands after their battle in the 82kg finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Azerbaijan’s Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) claimed the fifth and final gold medal of the day. He collected two inactivity points and beat Daniel ALEKSANDROV (BUL), 2-1, in the 82kg gold-medal match. 

The European Championships begin on Thursday at 11:30 (local time) and can be followed live on www.unitedworldwrestling.org.

RESULTS

60kg  
GOLD - Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) df. Kerem KAMAL (TUR), 5-5 
BRONZE - Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO) df. Zhambolat LOKYAEV (RUS), 6-6
BRONZE - Murad BAZAROV (AZE) df. Helary MAEGISALU (EST), 9-0

67kg  
GOLD - Morten THORESEN (NOR) df. Nazir Rachidovitch ABDULLAEV (RUS), 2-2 
BRONZE - Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) df. Krisztian Istvan VANCZA (HUN), 7-5 
BRONZE - Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) df. Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (BLR), 4-2 

72kg 
GOLD - Frank STAEBLER (GER) df. Iuri LOMADZE (GEO), 6-1
BRONZE - Selcuk CAN (TUR) df. Dominik ETLINGER (CRO), 7 - 5
BRONZE - Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) df. Adam KURAK (RUS), 3-1

82kg 
GOLD - Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) df. Daniel Tihomirov ALEKSANDROV (BUL), 2-1 
BRONZE - Hannes WAGNER (GER) df. Stanislau SHAFARENKA (BLR), 8 - 3
BRONZE - Bogdan KOURINNOI (SWE) df. Ciro RUSSO (ITA), 6-4

97kg 
GOLD - Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) df. Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA), 7-1 
BRONZE - Aleksandr GOLOVIN (RUS) df. Artur OMAROV (CZE), 8-0
BRONZE - Cenk ILDEM (TUR) df. Matti Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN), 3-3

#WrestlePontevedra

U20 Worlds: Yevloyev rises to top; Iran wins fifth straight GR title

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 - 23:09 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (September 4) -- Last year, Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) watched Alperen BERBER (TUR) win the U20 world title from the stands. Yevloyev believed that it could have been him.

While that title in Amman was not to be, Yevloyev fulfilled his dream of becoming a U20 world champion after beating Berber in the 82kg final at the U20 Worlds in Pontevedra, Spain on Wednesday.

Berber stood no chance against Yevloyev, who took to an attacking approach from the first whistle. Yevloyev's gold along with Kazakhstan's success in other weight classes earned it second place in the team standings dominated by Iran.

With 147 points, Iran won the team title for the fifth time in a row. Kazakhstan followed with 100 points while Türkiye was third with 98 points.

Yevloyev won the U20 Asians last year with a win over Yasin YAZDI (IRI) but lost to him at the U20 Worlds. He then lost his repechage bout as well to finish without a medal.

"Last year at the World Championships, I didn’t have enough time to train well because of the health issues," Yevloyev said. "I had an injury and I could not train. But this year, I’ve done a great job together with the coaches. We had enough time to prepare and show a good result."

The final was a show of how Yevloyev has improved. He got the first par terre position and he tried to turn Berber who stopped the turn and got two points. However, Yevloyev had Berber in danger position and also got two points, leading 3-2 at the break.

Berber got the par terre and a 3-3 lead in the second period but Yevloyev was happy to defend from par terre position. Berber, despite his lead, tried a double-hand-lock throw and fell on his back to give two points to Yevloyev who suplexed Berber for two more.

Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ)Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) scores two points against Alperen BERBER (TUR) in the 82kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

"There are always mistakes that I have to improve on, but as long as I’ve reached the top of the podium today, I am satisfied with myself," he said. "I’ll keep wishing hard on the future, trying to keep winning gold medals.:

Yevloyev hails from a small village about Kokshetau and moved to a sports school in Petropavlovsk when he was in sixth grade. He is the cousin of the popular UFC fighter Mosvar EVLOEV.

"Movsar Evloev is my second cousin," he said. 

Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI)Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) gestures after winning the U20 world gold in the 67kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) was able to repeat as U20 world champion as he won the gold medal at 67kg. Ahmadreza is the younger brother of multiple-time Asian medalist Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI), who finished fifth at the Paris Olympics. The youngest brother, Emad Reza MOHSENNEJAD (IRI) won bronze at 80kg at the recent U17 World Championships in Amman, Jordan.

Wrestling Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ) in the final, Mohsen Nezhad stuck to the basics and controlled the center for the entire bout after scoring a takedown in the first minute of the final.

"A gold medal is much more valuable than other medals, and winning it feels amazing," Mohsen Nezhad said. "The Kazakh wrestler was very skilled, and we both fought hard. I thank God that my hand was raised as the winner."

His switch from 63kg to 67kg from the last U20 World Championships could well be the reason for a contrasting final. He won the gold medal with a 9-0 victory last year.

Talking about Mehdi, Ahmadreza said that he believes that much of his success is because of his older brother.

"My older brother is our role model, and thanks to him, we were able to come here and win medals," he said.

Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI)Servet ANGI (TUR) commits a defensive foul using his hand against Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) in the 60kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

In contrast, the 60kg final was action-packed with Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) winning it in just a minute and 52 seconds over Servet ANGI (TUR). Gholampour was giving the par terre position in the first period and he added a correct throw with a life. After Angi defended the second attempted lift, Gholampour went for a reverse left and got two points to lead 5-0.

Gholampour, however, asked his coaches to challenge him despite the resistance from the corner for it. It proved to be a match-ending challenge. The reverse left was scored for four points on review as it was from standing. Angi was docked for a defensive foul as well, giving two more points to Gholampour.

A surprised Gholampour celebrated even as Angi tried to make sense of the quick end of the final. This was Angi's second silver at a World Championships as he finished second at the 2021 U17 Worlds as well.

Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM)Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM) expresses his displeasure during the 72kg final against Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

A challenge proved critical in the 72kg final as well. Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM) was leading 5-3 against Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) in the second period after scoring a four-pointer and stepout. However, he committed a singlet pull in the fifth minute of the bout for which he was penalized two points. Despite the two points, Khachatryan led 5-5 on criteria for his four-pointer.

Not realizing the criteria lead, Armenia corner challenged and by the time the coaches realized, it was already under review. A 6-5 lead gave Beslekoev a new-found energy and he defended his lead till the end of time. 

The two had a heated exchange at the end of the bout as Khachatryan expressed his displeasure. This was his second loss to Beslekoev in two months, as Beslekoev won at the U20 European Championships with an identical scoreline. In Novi Sad, Khachatryan led 4-4 when Beslekoev was penalized a point for singlet foul and trailed 5-4. Despite leading, Khachatryan attempted an arm-spin but failed to make any contact. Beslekoev got the two points for a takedown to lead 6-5.

Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR)Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) used an arm spin to get four points against Darius KIEFER (GER) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 97kg, Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) became only the second U20 world champion from Ukraine in seven years after beating Darius KIEFER (GER), 6-4, in the final.

The two had met in the U20 European Championships final as well with Yakushenko winning the gold medal in Novi Sad, 1-1, getting the criteria for second par terre advantage.

But the final in Pontevedra was different with Kiefer scoring a stepout from par terre and then a takedown to lead 4-0 in the final period. However, Yakushenko used an arm spin to get a big four-point throw and a correct throw later to lead 6-4.

No wrestler was giving the par terre advantage in the second period and Yakushenko defended his 6-4 lead to win the final.

"I have only positive emotions," Yakushenko said. "Not everyone gets the chance to experience this moment. I am holding this belt and very thankful to God."

The final in Novi Sad was still fresh in Yakushenko's memory, and he was surprised by Kiefer's change in wrestling style on Wednesday.

"At the European final, the opponent didn’t know me well," he said. "He was better prepared here. He scored two points from par terre. Thankfully, they didn’t score it as a four-pointer. I immediately scored back all those points."

Ukraine won two medals in Greco-Roman at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) winning the silver medal at 67kg and Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) winning bronze at 87kg. Yakushenko said he was motivated to win in Pontevedra after watching the Olympics.

"I would like to congratulate our athletes," he said. "They motivated me a lot. Congratulations to Nasibov and Belebiuk for winning their Olympic medals.

df

 

RESULTS

Greco-Roman

60kg
GOLD: Mohammadmehdi GHOLAMPOUR (IRI) df. Servet ANGI (TUR), 9-0

BRONZE: Papik DZHAVADIAN (AIN) df. Tural AHMADOV (AZE), 2-0
BRONZE: Ongdassyn KHAMITOV (KAZ) df. Kohaku KANAZAWA (JPN), 9-0

67kg
GOLD: Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) df. Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ), 2-0 

BRONZE: Grair OGANESIAN (AIN) df. Rati KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO), 9-0
BRONZE: Kojiro HASEGAWA (JPN) df. Ramazan AKTAS (TUR), 8-7

72kg
GOLD: Zaur BESLEKOEV (AIN) df. Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 6-5

BRONZE: Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) df. Wenhao HU (CHN), 6-5
BRONZE: Muhammed GOCMEN (TUR) df. Illia VALEUSKI (AIN), 4-3

82kg
GOLD: Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) df. Alperen BERBER (TUR), 7-3 

BRONZE: Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Anri DAVITADZE (GEO), 6-1
BRONZE: Shichang ZHENG (CHN) df. Abdurakhman ABDULKADYROV (AIN), via inj. def.

97kg
GOLD: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) df. Darius KIEFER (GER), 6-4

BRONZE: Anatolii AVERIN (AIN) df. Branko DUKIC (SRB), 7-3
BRONZE: Ahmet EREMEKTER (TUR) df. Rakhat BERZHANOV (KAZ), 5-1

Women's Wrestling Semifinals 

50kg
GOLD: Yu ZHANG (CHN) vs. Haruna MORIKAWA (JPN)

SF 1: Yu ZHANG (CHN) df. Aida KERYMOVA (UKR), 13-2
SF 2: Haruna MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Laura GANIKYZY (KAZ), via fall

55kg
GOLD: Khaliun BYAMBASUREN (MGL) vs. Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA)

SF 1: Khaliun BYAMBASUREN (MGL) df. Karina HONDA (JPN), 1-1 
SF 2: Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA) df. Tuba DEMIR (TUR), via fall

59kg
GOLD: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) vs. Alexis JANIAK (USA)

SF 1: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) df. Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE), 10-0
SF 2: Alexis JANIAK (USA) df. Uladzislava KUDZIN (AIN), 10-2
 
68kg
GOLD: Alina SHEVCHENKO (AIN) vs. Ayse ERKAN (TUR)

SF 1: Alina SHEVCHENKO (AIN) df. Viktoryia RADZKOVA (AIN), 5-2
SF 2: Ayse ERKAN (TUR) df. Karolina DOMASZUK (POL), 14-2

76kg
GOLD: Jyoti BERWAL (IND) vs. Mariia ORLEVYCH (UKR)

SF 1: Jyoti BERWAL (IND) df. Elmira YASIN (TUR), 7-0
SF 2: Mariia ORLEVYCH (UKR) df. Chisato YOSHIDA (JPN), 5-0