Top Stories of the Decade

Sushil Kumar Wins World Championship, Awakens Wrestling Powerhouse in India

Tuesday, December 24, 2019 - 14:12 By Vinay Siwach

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 24) -- India had never won a gold medal at a global wrestling event. The drought was such no one seemed to put money on any wrestler to even a medal, forget the top one. Indians weren't supposed to dominate world events in any sport.

That was about to change. On September 12, 2010, Sushil KUMAR (IND) broke all barriers to become India's first-ever gold medal winner at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia. In the 66kg weight category, Kumar would put up a commanding performance and beat Alan GOGAEV (RUS) 3-1 in the final in front of a hostile home crowd.

On the back of his bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Kumar arrived in Moscow as a dark-house, like he had in all global competitions. No one gave him a chance in India. But as the day progressed, the 36-year-old raised hopes.

He beat Anastasios AKRITIDIS (GRE), 6-2, in the opening round followed by Martin DAUM (GER), 4-1. Buyanjavyn BATZORIG (MGL) failed to challenge in quarter-final and lost 9-1 before Kumar eked out a close 4-3 win against Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE) in the semifinal.

"2010 was the best year," Kumar said. "Wherever I went, I won gold. Commonwealth Games, Asian Championships, World Championships. I beat a Russian wrestler in Russia."

These things were unheard of in India. Kumar's victory was hailed because no one had heard that an Indian wrestler can go to Russia and defeat their wrestler to win a gold medal. 

And if the world thought Kumar's bronze in Beijing was a fluke, he changed that and gave a new life to Indian wrestling which was struggling with doping scandals, nepotism and inter-federation politics. His medal put wrestling on India's sports map and perhaps the top one too.


Kids thronged to akhadas in villages in Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Not only boys, but parents were ready to break social stigmas and send their girls to akhadas, a place where girls are seldom seen. New wrestling pockets emerged and broke the dominance of traditional powerhouses like Haryana and Maharashtra.

The result was seen three years later when India won three medals at 2013 World Championships and this year in Nur-Sultan, it won five, the best-ever performance.

Kumar added a silver medal at London Olympics to become India's first-ever individual to win multiple medals at the Games. But it was before that India needed a sporting hero. It got one on that September evening in Moscow.

#Grappling

Kazakhstan dominates U17 World Grappling Championships 2024

Friday, October 11, 2024 - 13:39 By United World Wrestling Press

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ASTANA, Kazakhstan (October 10) -- Kazakhstan captured all four team titles at the U17 World Grappling Championships held in Astana.

The hosts won the men's and women's U17 Grappling Gi team titles in dominant style with no other country challenging it. However, Ukraine managed to push Kazakhstan in Grappling. Kazakhstan still managed to win the team titles in Grappling.

RESULTS

U17 Men's Grappling Gi

42kg
GOLD: Shapagat SERGAZYULY (KAZ)
SILVER: Sagyndyk AITBAYEV (KAZ)
BRONZE: Denis MURZABAEV (AIN)

46kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail TAVSULTANOV (AIN)
SILVER: Ali AKIMZHAN (KAZ)
BRONZE: Mirkhat IKHLASSOV (KAZ)

50kg
GOLD: Yernar YERALY (KAZ) df. Akhmad KANATULY (KAZ), 6-0

BRONZE: Erasyl MAKHMEDOV (KGZ) df. Julen TRUJILLO (ESP), via submission (2-2)
BRONZE: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Ilia GRISHENKO (AIN), 2-0

54kg
GOLD: Abdusomad TYNCHTYKBEKOV (KGZ) df. Islam MUSKHANOV (AIN), 4-2

BRONZE: Vladimir YERMOSHKIN (KAZ) df. Radmir AN (KAZ), via submission (8-0)

58kg
GOLD: Jose MARTIN SANCHEZ (ESP) df. Mykhailo KAZYMERCHUK (UKR), via submission (3-2)

BRONZE: Andrei LIASHCHENKO (AIN) df. Vanik SARGSYAN (ARM), 12-1
BRONZE: Akhmet IBRASHEV (KAZ) df. Arsen MURATBEKOV (KGZ), via submission (2-2)

63kg
GOLD: Ramazan TIANGUBER (KGZ) df. Imranali KARIMZHANOV (KAZ), via submission (9-4)

BRONZE: Hrachya GHAZAKHYAN (ARM) df. Adil MAIRAMBEK UULU (KGZ), via cautions
BRONZE: Eduard ASATRYAN (ARM) df. Viktor MENEILIUK (UKR), via submission (2-0)

69kg
GOLD:  Aleksei SKOREV (AIN) df. Sultan RUSLANBEKOV (KGZ), 2-2 (overtime)

BRONZE: Oleksii BOLBOCHAN (UKR) df. Bator FARKAS (HUN), 2-1
BRONZE: Oliwier PRZERWA (POL) df. Ivan STANEV (AIN), 6-0

76kg
GOLD: Shamil GUSEINOV (AIN) df. Alinur BEISEN (KAZ), via submission (2-0)

BRONZE: Dmitrii MULIAK (AIN) df. Aidarkhan BURIBAYEV (KAZ), via submission (5-4)
BRONZE: Artem SAVRANSKYI (UKR) df. Heorhi HLAZKO (AIN), 4-1

85kg
GOLD: Georgii GUTIUM (AIN) df. Ivan NARKEVICH (AIN), 5-2

BRONZE: Alberto MENA CRUZ (ESP) df. Yermek OSPANOV (KAZ), 0-0

110kg
GOLD: Kamil DZIKOWSKI (POL) df. Arsenii ERMAKOV (AIN), 2-0

BRONZE: Nursultan NURGALIYEV (KAZ) df. Timur CHAHOVETS (UKR), 6-2

U17 Women's Grappling Gi

40kg
GOLD: Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR)
SILVER: Khadisha NURTAYEVA (KAZ)
BRONZE: Aysu ALIYEVA (AZE)

43kg
GOLD: Iuliia KHOROSHEVA (AIN) df. Symbat IBRAKHIM (KAZ), via submission (9-0)

46kg
GOLD: Nuray ALTYNBEK (KAZ)
SILVER: Daria SERAZETDINOVA (AIN)
BRONZE: Umit YSKAK (KAZ)

49kg
GOLD: Alsu GALIEVA (AIN)
SILVER: Veronika MARUSHCHAK (AIN)
BRONZE: Aizhan YERKOSSAY (BRONZE)

52kg
GOLD: Sana NDIAYE (FRA) df. Daria KHAMETOVA (AIN), 5-2

BRONZE: Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL) df. Anhelina OTROSHCHENKO (UKR), via submission (7-0)

56kg
GOLD: Ekaterina KONSTANTINOVA (AIN) df. Varvara SHKUROPAT (KAZ), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Sara CICIO (ROU) df. Carmina GUILLEN (ESP), via submission (6-0)
BRONZE: Iris GARCIA (ESP) df. Kseniia POLIAK (UKR), via walkover

60kg
GOLD: Malgorzata SALAMON (POL) df. Milana MURGUZOVA (KAZ), 8-2

BRONZE: Sofiia FYLYPCHUK (UKR) df. Aitana LOOR (ESP), 10-1
BRONZE: Daiana HOTIU (ROU) df. Alisa GOLUB (AIN), 13-2

65kg
GOLD: Anastasiia SHAROVA (AIN) df. Olesia ILKINA (AIN), 7-4

BRONZE: Miruna BABAN (ROU) df. Yana MELNYCHUK (UKR), 6-2

90kg
GOLD: Nargiz YAKHYP (KAZ)
SILVER: Tetiana TKACHYK (UKR)
BRONZE: Nuray ARYSTANOVA (KAZ)

U17 Men's Grappling

42kg
GOLD: Adam MISRIEV (AIN)
SILVER: Nurislam KUATBAIULY (KAZ)
BRONZE: Sagyndyk AITBAYEV (KAZ) 

46kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail TAVSULTANOV (AIN) df. Jakub BARDEN (POL), 5-4

BRONZE: Osman SHAKHBANOV (AIN) df. Ualikhan ABDRAZAK (KAZ), via submission

50kg
GOLD: Yerkebulan ISLAMGALI (KAZ) df. Eldar ELDAROV (AIN), via submission (6-2)

BRONZE: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Daniz HASANOV (AZE), 7-0
BRONZE: Erasyl MAKHMEDOV (KGZ) df. Julen TRUJILLO (ESP), via submission

54kg
GOLD: Islam MUSKHANOV (AIN) df. Yehor TARASENKO (UKR), via submission

BRONZE: Vladimir YERMOSHKIN (KAZ) df. Saulo HERNANDEZ (ESP), 5-2
BRONZE: Aleksandr MAKAROV (AIN) df. Lohan DURANDET (FRA), 5-1

58kg
GOLD: Jose MARTIN SANCHEZ (ESP) df. Artem SHALAEV (AIN), via submission (4-2)

BRONZE: Andrei LIASHCHENKO (AIN) df. Maxim POTAPOV (GER), 12-1
BRONZE: Mykhailo KAZYMERCHUK (UKR) df. Abai DOOLOTOV (KGZ), via submission

63kg
GOLD: Nazir KHAPSIROKOV (AIN) df. Nurdaulet ESSENULY (KAZ), via submission

BRONZE: Ramazan TIANGUBER (KGZ) df. Dorian ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL), 7-0
BRONZE: Viktor MENEILIUK (UKR) df. Hrachya GHAZAKHYAN (ARM), 3-3

69kg
GOLD: Davlet FIZIKOV (AIN) df. Zhalgas TURALIYEV (KAZ), via submission (9-1)

BRONZE: Marcin CHMIELEWSKI (POL) df. Bator FARKAS (HUN), 4-4
BRONZE: Aleksandr KARPENKOV (AIN) df. Oliwier PRZERWA (POL), 7-3

76kg
GOLD: Mukhammad EMINOV (AIN) df. Artem SAVRANSKYI (UKR), 6-0

BRONZE: Shamil GUSEINOV (AIN) df. Mateusz KUCA (POL), 5-1
BRONZE: Csaba SZABO (HUN) df. Heorhi HLAZKO (AIN), 3-2

85kg
GOLD: Georgii GUTIUM (AIN) df. Ivan NARKEVICH (AIN), via submission (2-0)

BRONZE: Oleh STRATIICHUK (UKR) df. Benjamin HENCZI (HUN), 12-0

110kg
GOLD: Kiliaskhan DZHAMALUTDINOV (AIN) df. Mukhammad KHAIRUEV (AIN), 10-0

BRONZE: Kamil Konrad DZIKOWSKI (POL) df. Dias YESPAYEV (KAZ), via submission

U17 Women's Grappling

40kg
GOLD: Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR)
SILVER: Aysu ALIYEVA (AZE)
BRONZE: Khadisha NURTAYEVA (KAZ)

46kg
GOLD: Nuray ALTYNBEK (KAZ)
SILVER: Umit YSKAK (KAZ)
BRONZE: Nikol BATHORI (ROU)

49kg
GOLD: Alsu GALIEVA (AIN)
SILVER: Aikunim RUSLANKYZY (KAZ)
BRONZE: Aizhan YERKOSSAY (KAZ)

52kg
GOLD: Daria KHAMETOVA (AIN) df. Sana NDIAYE (FRA), 5-2

BRONZE: Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL) df. Sylwia WELC (POL), 6-0

56kg
GOLD: Sara CICIO (ROU) df. Ekaterina KONSTANTINOVA (AIN), 9-4

BRONZE: Varvara SHKUROPAT (KAZ) df. Kseniia POLIAK (UKR), via submission (0-2)
 
60kg
GOLD: Alisa GOLUB (AIN) df. Malgorzata SALAMON (POL), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Yuliia MELNYCHUK (UKR) df. Aitana LOOR (ESP), 15-3
BRONZE: Olena RYBALCHENKO (UKR) df. Milana MURGUZOVA (KAZ), 5-2

65kg
GOLD: Olesia ILKINA (AIN) df. Angelica NIETO (ESP), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Karina GARIFULLINA (KAZ) df. Yana MELNYCHUK (UKR), 6-2

90kg
GOLD: Mercedes GARCIA (ESP)
SILVER: Tetiana TKACHYK (UKR)
BRONZE: Nargiz YAKHYP (KAZ)