#ThrowBackThursday

#TBT: Olympic Champion Steveson Wins First World Title

By United World Wrestling Press

Gable STEVESON (USA) became an overnight sensation after winning a thrilling final and the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics with wins over former world champions Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Taha AKGUL (TUR). The American was trailing Petriashvili in the 125kg final in Tokyo but scored two takedowns in the final 10 seconds to win the coveted Olympic title at the age of 21.

But a three-time age-group world champion has a habit of punching about his weight. In 2015, a 15-year-old Steveson made a stunning run at the Cadet World Championships in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and won the gold medal with a 9-0 victory over Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB). He outscored his opponents 47-12.

Since then he won the 2016 cadet world title, 2017 junior world title, 2021 senior Pan-Am Championships gold and the Tokyo Olympics gold with just the 2018 Junior World Championships being a lackluster event for him. The defending champion there finished fifth as Rakhimov avenged his loss from 2015 with a pin.

#Grappling

World Combat Games Qualifiers: 16 earn quotas

By Vinay Siwach

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (April 30) -- The World Combat Games Qualifiers offering 40 quotas got underway in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Sunday in Grappling and Grappling Gi.

The first phase of the qualification was held in 2022 in Pontevedra, Spain which also offered 40 quotas. The four highest-placed grapplers in each of the Combat Games approved senior weight categories qualified for the World Combat Games in Saudi Arabia in October 2023.

In Tashkent, the process will be the same and the first four highest-placed athletes in each of the weight categories will each qualify for one quota place for their national federation.

If in a weight category, more than one athlete from the same country is ranked in the first four highest places, only one quota will be allocated to the country. The remaining quota(s) will be reallocated in the same weight category to the national federation of the next best-ranked athlete, not yet qualified, in the qualification event where the quota place was obtained.

Men's Grappling

66kg
Mayis NERSESYAN (ARM)
Renzo MARTINEZ (VEN)
Avzal AKHMETOV (UZB)
Syimyk MAKHMEDOV (KGZ)

84kg
Nadir IMAMALIYEV (AZE)
Ulugbek RAKHMONOV (UZB)
Nurbek TALBUDIN (KAZ)
Amirhossein JINOUR (IRI)

92kg
Hajimurad PURTIYEV (AZE)
Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA)
Mantas DAUBLYS (LTU)
Ramazan KUSSAINOV (KAZ)

Women's Grappling

58kg
Viktoriia SYNIAVINA (UKR)
Zhenishgul ABDYRAKHMAN KYZY (KGZ)
Zilolakhon MUHAMMADOVA (UZB)

90kg
Madinabonu SALOKHIDDINOVA (UZB)