#WrestleZagreb

Susaki slips up in win; USA, Iran dominate freestyle

Thursday, February 2, 2023 - 22:52 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (February 2) -- After 1174 days, Yui SUSAKI (JPN) gave up a point in an international bout.

The world and Olympic champion had not been scored upon since 2019 but on Thursday, Jiang ZHU (CHN) pushed Susaki out to score on point in the 50kg final of the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event.

Incidentally, the last opponent who scored on Susaki was also Chinese. Yanan SUN (CHN) scored two points on Susaki at the World Cup in Narita in 2019. Since then, Susaki did not give up any points to her opponents until Zou managed to score late in the final.

The stepout was a small lapse in Susaki's divine concentration but she still managed to outscore her opponents 30-1 in Zagreb, winning her second Ranking Series gold medal and first since the 2018 Klippan Lady Open in Sweden.

"It was my first time wrestling against a rough player, so it was a good experience," Susaki said. "All the countries are working hard for the Paris Olympics so I think the number of new wrestlers coming will increase. I also practice more to become stronger so I can be an absolute champion."

Looking as good as ever, Susaki arm-barred Meng FAN (CHN) for a fall in her first bout before going 10-0 against Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB) in the quarterfinal. The much anticipated semifinal against four-time Olympic medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE) did not happen as Stadnik pulled out injured.

"It was my first bout against Stadnik since the Olympics so I was looking forward to it," she said. "But it was disappointing that she had to withdraw. I talked to her and she said let's meet at the World Championships."

In the final Susaki was leading 8-0 after a few takedowns when Zhu pushed her out. But two takedowns later, Susaki won the gold.

"My motivation now is to participate in the Paris Olympics, to win the Olympics for the second time in a row and see what I have not seen before," she said. "I want to do my best so that no one can beat Susaki anymore. As for myself, there are many seniors like Saori YOSHIDA and Kaori ICHO. So I want to do my best to catch up."

Zagreb Open also marked the return of Stadnik to the international United World Wrestling competition since the Tokyo Olympics. She won her first bout against Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB) 10-0 but struggled against World Championships silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL).

She scored two takedowns against Dolgorjav but struggled in the second period, showing signs of tiredness. Dolgorjav got a point for passivity and scored a stepout. In the dying second, it seemed like she completed a takedown over Stadnik but on a challenge, it was clear that time had run out.

Stadnik, who has lost to Susaki in all their previous meetings, decided to default in the semifinal citing injury.

Moe KIYOOKA (JPN)Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) won the gold medal at 55kg in Zagreb. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) added the second gold medal for Japan on Thursday as she won the 55kg gold medal after four wins in the Nelson bracket. In Round 5, she defeated Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) 12-2. The U23 and U20 world champion was untouchable throughout the day and it was Dragutan who managed to score the two points on her.

Kyle SNYDER (USA)Kyle SNYDER (USA) won the 97kg gold medal over Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

USA, Iran win two golds each

World champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) warmed up for an important year with the gold medal at 97kg in Zagreb while Kollin MOORE (USA) won the gold medal at 92kg.

Snyder wrestled U23 world champion Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) in the final and won 3-0 after an intense battle. He got a point for Azarpira's passivity in the first period to lead 1-0. He was put on the activity clock in the second period but managed to pushout Azarpira just before the clock expired to lead 2-0.

While Azapira defended well to give up no takedowns, Snyder scored his third point via a stepout to lock the gold medal.

"It was a good [day]," Snyder said. "I wrestled four matches in one day and I like wrestling all matches in one day. I had some quality opponents."

One of them was in Snyder's first bout -- Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) who tested Snyder in the morning session. The Azerbaijan wrestler opened up a 4-1 lead but with Snyder constantly pressuring for a takedown, Magomedov broke down and gave up six points as Snyder won 7-4.

"He is a good opponent," he said. "I get better as I go through the tournament but I needed to get a better warm-up."

He went on to beat Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN) 12-1 in the quarterfinal and Radoslaw BARAN (POL) 10-0 in the semifinal.

Kollin MOORE (USA) defeated Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) in the 92kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Moore also had a tough path to the final as he wrestled World Championships bronze medalist Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) in the first bout and then had a tough semifinal against compatriot Jonathan AIELLO (USA) before pulling a thrilling 4-3 win over another World Championships bronze medalist, Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), in the final.

After opening with an 8-3 win over Nurmagamedov, Moore dug deep to beat Aiello 6-6. In the final, he scored a takedown before the break to lead 2-1 and opened the second period with a takedown to make it 4-1. Maisuradze did score two stepouts but that was not enough for a win.

Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI), blue, won the 79kg gold medal over Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)

At 79kg, Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI) held on to a 2-1 win over Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) in the final.

Savadkouhi, who became the first wrestler from Iran to beat Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), had a good day in office with wins over Peilong LI (CHN), Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA) and Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) before the final.

"My rival in the final match was a World Championships medal winner," Savadkouhi said. "[But] I was in good physical condition and I won the match."

All three points in the final were technical points as Savadkouhi got a passivity point before a stepout while he gave up a similar point in the second period. But his strong defense in the final minute kept Kentchadze at bay.

On his future plans, Savadkouhi made it clear that he will wrestle at 79kg at the World Championships in September.

"I will remain in 79kg until the 2023 World Championships and after that, I will prepare to compete in an Olympic weight category."

At 125kg, Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) won the gold medal after his opponent in the final, Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE), injury defaulted.

df

RESULTS

Freestyle

79kg
GOLD: Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI) df. Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO), 2-1

BRONZE: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA), 13-2
BRONZE: Chandler MARSTELLER (USA) df. Csaba VIDA (HUN), via inj. def.

92kg
GOLD: Kollin MOORE (USA) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 4-3

BRONZE: Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) df. Pruthviraj PATIL (IND), 9-1 
BRONZE: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) df. Jonathan Leonard AIELLO (USA), 13-2

97kg
GOLD: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), 3-0

BRONZE: Awusayiman HABILA (CHN) df. Nishan Preet RANDHAWA (CAN), 12-4
BRONZE: Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) df. Radoslaw BARAN (POL), 11-4

125kg
GOLD: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) df. Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE), via inj. def.

BRONZE: Robert BARAN (POL) df. Georgi IVANOV (BUL), via fall
BRONZE: Daniel LIGETI (HUN) df. Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL), 8-1

Women's wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Jiang ZHU (CHN), 12-1

BRONZE: Ziqi FENG (CHN) df. Erin GOLSTON (USA), 12-1
BRONZE: Meng FAN (CHN) df. Mariya STADNIK (AZE), via inj. def.

55kg
Round 5: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), 12-2
Round 5: Erika BOGNAR (HUN) df. Lauren MASON (USA), 4-1

GOLD: Moe KIYOOKA (JPN)
SILVER: Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
BRONZE: Erika BOGNAR (HUN)

#WrestleSamokov

New challenges fail to stop Yakushenko as he defends gold

Sunday, August 24, 2025 - 08:28 By Vinay Siwach

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SAMOKOV, Bulgaria (August 23) -- When Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) reached the final of the World U20 Championships in Samokov, he was aware that he will be facing a new challenge in Hadi SEYDI AVENDI (IRI), the other finalist.

In his career, Yakushenko had never wrestled an Iranian wrestler. With the pedigree of Iran in Greco-Roman especially in age-group competition, Yakushenko knew that Seydi will be a tough opponent.

With his U20 world title on line, Yakushenko planned his final against Seydi to perfection to beat the Iranian 5-2 and capture his second straight gold medal at the World U20 Championships. He became the first Ukrainian wrestler to win two gold medals in Greco-Roman at this age-group Worlds.

Yakushenko had the first par terre position and he lifted Seydi and then completed a correct throw for two points and lead 3-0. Seydi managed to close out the first period with a stepout and cut the lead to 3-1.

Seydi had his chance to score in the second period from par terre but Yakushenko was solid in his defense and did not give up any points. Seydi tried a few attacks in the final second but there was no score. Yakushenko got two more points for a go-behind in the final second to win 5-2.

Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR)Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) celebrates after becoming the world U20 champion for the second time. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

 

While Seydi was a new challenge, Yakushenko faced a familiar foe in Darius KIEFER (GER) in the semifinals on Friday. Kiefer, who had lost three previous bouts to Yakushenko got one back when he defeated the Ukrainian in the final of the U20 European Championships. Yakushenko wasn't keen to letting him get one more win.

"When I saw my bracket, I understood that in the semifinals I would face Kiefer who beat me at the European Championships," Yakushenko said. "I really wanted to beat him. I trained and prepared only for him, focused only on him. Before him, in earlier matches, I just wrestled for six minutes straight, just to warm up. The bracket overall was pretty easy."

Yakushenko still has one more year left in this age-group and he wants to win the third gold medal at the U20 World Championships next year. He also plans to debut in the senior category.

"I still have one more year left in this age-group and next year the third belt will be mine," he said. "Starting next year, I plan to compete at the seniors, qualify for the Senior European Championship, and to be a strong competitor."

However, to be on the Ukraine team, he will have beat a few senior wrestler and may find it slightly difficult than the U20s.

"At the senior level, we have good competition," he said. "But among juniors, not really. For example, before the U20 European Championships there was no one in my category. I had to call an old friend, Vladislav LUB, whom I had trained with. Thanks to him, I managed to push through, and because of him I improved a lot and beat Kiefer."

Among the medalist at 97kg was Ilia KOMAROV (UWW), younger brother of European 87kg champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB). Ilia defeated Andrej RODIN (CRO), 8-0, in the bronze medalist.

Zhantoro MIRZALIEV (KGZ)Zhantoro MIRZALIEV (KGZ) celebrates after beating Erzu ZAKRIEV (UWW) in the 67kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Another returning champion was not as fortunate and Erzu ZAKRIEV (UWW) dropped his 67kg final to 2023 World U20 silver medalist Zhantoro MIRZALIEV (KGZ), 4-2, and finish with a silver medal.

Zakriev was hurt from the two stepouts Mirzaliev scored on him when was in the dominant position but the Kyrgyz wrestler switched the position and pushed Zakriev out.

The first such incident came in the second minute when Zakriev tried to push Mirzaliev towards the zone the Kyrgyz wrestler spun an arm-throw and managed to force a stepout for a 1-0 lead. Zakriev got one for himself to take make it 1-1 but Mirzaliev had the criteria according to the new Greco rule that when the score is 1-1 in bout, the first scorer will have criteria.

But Zakriev quickly made it 2-1. That's when the second instance of Mirzaliev getting a stepout when Zakriev was aggressive occurred. Zakriev had Mirzaliev in the zone when the latter hit the arm-throw but Zakriev kept his balance. He stepped out and conceded a point to Mirzaliev who now led 2-2 on criteria at the break.

The second period also began in this manger when Zakriev almost made Mirzaliev stepout but the Kyrgyz survived and circled inside. He then pushed Zakriev out and get a 3-2 lead. There no more points scored in the bout but Zakriev challenged at the end asking for passivity from Mirzaliev which was denied and he lost another point to lose 4-2.

The result is in contrast to the 10-0 win Zakriev scored on Mirzaliev just a month ago in Turkiye.

Payam AHMADI (IRI)Payam AHMADI (IRI) scores a takedown against Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE) in the 55kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Payam AHMADI (IRI) won the first gold medal for Iran at this World Championships when he defeated former world U17 champion Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE), 5-3, in the 55kg.

In one of most thrilling finals, Ahmadi needed an acrobatic summersault to not give up points to Dashdamirov in the final minute and defend his lead for the win.

Dashdamirov got the par terre position first but Ahmadi escaped with ease and without any trouble. Soon, Ahmadi scored a takedown and turned the Azerbaijani wrestler using a high gut-wrench for a 4-1 lead.

The second period saw Ahmadi on the aggressive and he tried a bodylock but Dashdamirov blocked it with an overarm and flipped Ahmadi for two points. Ahmadi now led 4-3 and Dashdamirov needed two points for a win with 2:40 remaining.

Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE)Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE) hits a fireman carry for no points against Payam AHMADI (IRI) during the 55kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Dashdamirov failed to find an opening until the last 15 seconds when he did a fireman carry but Ahmadi landed on his feet. Dashdamirov was awarded two points but Iran challenged and the points were removed as there was no danger position. With 4-3 score, Ahmadi defended for the last 7 seconds remaining and won the gold medal.

After drawing a blank in Ponteverdra, Spain last year, Armenia crowned a world U20 champion in Greco-Roman Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM) defeated Ahmad KODIROV (UZB), 1-1, in the 72kg final and win the gold medal.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Payam AHMADI (IRI) df. Turan DASHDAMIROV (AZE), 5-3

BRONZE: Omur YNTYMAK UULU (KGZ) vs. Arsen ZHUMA (KAZ)
BRONZE: Anil MOR (IND) vs. Daisuke MORISHITA (JPN)

67kg
GOLD: Zhantoro MIRZALIEV (KGZ) df. Erzu ZAKRIEV (UWW), 4-2

BRONZE: Fayozbek ESHMIRZAEV (UZB) df. Gholamreza ABDOVALI (IRI), 5-1
BRONZE: Faraim MUSTAFAYEV (AZE) df. Takaku SUZUKI (JPN), 5-4

72kg
GOLD: Gaspar TERTERYAN (ARM) df. Ahmad KODIROV (UZB), 1-1

BRONZE: Oliver PADA (FIN) df. Arvid STRAAKEVED (SWE), 14-5
BRONZE: Yussuf ASHRAPOV (KAZ) df. Arionas KOLITSOPOULOS (GRE), 2-0

97kg
GOLD: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) df. Hadi SEYDI AVENDI (IRI), 5-2

BRONZE: Darius KIEFER (GER) df. Amirkhon BERDIKULOV (UZB), 8-0
BRONZE: Ilia KOMAROV (UWW) df. Andrej RODIN (CRO), 8-0

Semifinals

63kg
GOLD: Aleks MARGARYAN (ARM) vs. AYTJAN KHALMAKHANOV (UZB)

SF 1: Aleks MARGARYAN (ARM) df. Kristiyan MILENKOV (BUL), 9-0
SF 2: AYTJAN KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) df. Damir IBRASHOV (KAZ), 8-0

77kg
GOLD: Ahoura BOUVEIRI (IRI) vs. Anri PUTKARADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Ahoura BOUVEIRI (IRI) df. Zaur BESLEKOEV (UWW), 8-0
SF 2: Anri PUTKARADZE (GEO) df. Kiryl VALEUSKI (UWW), 5-4

87kg
GOLD: Luka KOCHALIDZE (GEO) vs. Abdurakhman ABDULKADYROV (UWW)

SF 1: Luka KOCHALIDZE (GEO) df. Elias LYYSKI (FIN), 6-0
SF 2: Abdurakhman ABDULKADYROV (UWW) df. Temirlan TURDAKYN (KAZ), 8-0

130kg
GOLD: Yusuf BAKIR (TUR) vs. Ali ILIASOV (UWW)

SF 1: Yusuf BAKIR (TUR) df. Ivan YANKOVSKYI (UKR), 8-0
SF 2: Ali ILIASOV (UWW) df. Abolfazl FATHITAZANGI (IRI), 5-4 .