Greco-Roman, asia championships, Taiwan, Iran, Korea, Iran wrestling junior, Turkemenistan, Uzbekistan, Rezaei

Turkmenistan Grabs Historic Gold, Iran Wins Three

Thursday, June 15, 2017 - 14:06 By Tim Foley

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Tazayev Thrills En Route to Turkmenistan First-Ever Greco-Roman Gold

Turkmenistan’s Seydilla TAZAYEV made history Thursday night in Taipei, winning his country’s first continental gold medal since 1997, and its first-ever gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the continental or world level.

The youngster had a tough road to the 60kg Greco-Roman finals, wrestling back from an early deficit in his quarterfinal and finals match. In the quarterfinals Tazayev was trailing by four points early, but came back to score 17 points on his way to a 17-10 victory.

In the finals Tzayev was trailing Keremat ABDEVALI (IRI) by three points with less than ten seconds remaining in the match, but found his way to a high dive takedown for four points and the gold medal.

FACT: Nadeshda JELTAKOVA was Turkmenistan’s last gold medalist winning the 68kg weight category in 1997. That tournament was also held in Taiwan.

Iran’s Kaviyaninejad and Balihamzehdeh Toss Their Way to 66kg, 84kg Titles

Trailing Kaviyaninejad 4-0 early in the night’s 66kg finals, Merey BEKENOV (KAZ) challenged a what would have been a match-ending four-point throw by Kaviyaninejad. The challenge was accepted and Bekenov, feeling renewed, led a spritied attack on the restart. But Kaviyaninejad would not be denied his spectacular throw -- after finding a quick takedown Kaviyaninejad immediately lifted Bekenov, repeated his original throw and took the gold medal via technical fall, 12-0.

Not to be outshined, teammate Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH capped an impressive performance with a five-point throw and eventual fall over Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ) in the 84kg gold medal finals. The Iranian champion had early pinned Ermatbek SHERMATOV (UZB) in the semifinal.

Rezaei Also Snags Top Spot

Iran’s Mohammad REZAEI (IRI) bested Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), 4-4  in the 55kg finals to give his home country their first of three gold medals of the night.

Four Falls Gives Makhmudov First Junior Gold 

Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) wasted no time in pinning Uzbekistan’s Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV in the 74kg finals Thursday night in Taiwan. The most impressive wrestler on day one of wrestling in Tawian, Makhmudov’s overpowering, brutish style earned him four pins in four matches as well as the adoration of fans.

The Asian Championships were Makhmudov’s first junior-level tournament, having won the Cadet Asian Championships in 2015 and 2016 as well as the 2016 Cadet World Championship at 68kg.

Uzbekistan’s Mamajanov Claws to 96kg Gold

In the night’s final bout Uzbekistan’s Temur MAMAJANOV fought his way past Iran’s Amirmohammad NOROOZIPASAND, 2-0 to capture his first international medal. The Uzbek big man defeated India’s Sagar SAGAR (IND) 6-2 in the semifinals.

#WrestleBratislava

Gatsalov: Satisfied with Euros, will prepare for tougher World Championships

Thursday, April 24, 2025 - 13:29 By United World Wrestling Press

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (April 22) -- Khadzhimurat GATSALOV was in Bratislava, Slovakia for the European Championships as the coach if the UWW wrestlers and returned with five gold, two silver and one bronze medals in 10 weight classes.

United World Wrestling caught up with Gatsalov after the tournament and he reflected on the performance of the wrestlers and his plans for the World Championships which will be held in September in Zagreb, Croatia.

Excerpts:

- On the performance of his wrestlers

Gatsalov: Overall, we are satisfied with the results. We haven’t had a performance like this in a long time -- five gold medals out of ten, plus two silver and one bronze. That means eight out of ten athletes came home with medals. Both the coaching staff and the athletes did a great job and prepared well for this European Championships.

We were counting on four or five gold medals. The guys wrestled really well and followed the instructions. For us coaches, that’s the most important thing that the wrestler steps on the mat and follows the game plan.

- On competition with Iran and the United States

Gatsalov: I believe there’s still room for improvement. This will help strengthen both our technical and physical foundations. When I look at Iranian and American wrestling, they put a lot of emphasis on physical conditioning. We’ve never really focused on that. We’ve always prioritized technique. But moving forward, we’ll also be physically prepared to endure tough matches and handle heavy loads without wearing out.

- On Sidakov's return and performance at 74kg

Gatsalov: Sidakov just couldn’t make it happen this time, maybe it’s because they know each other so well. [Chermen] VALIEV had a very strong motivation to win. You could feel it, it was clear on the mat. But as a coach, I believe this loss will serve as a driving force for Sidakov's future wins. It’s a significant psychological moment. Honestly, it’s better to experience this now than at the World Championships or the Olympics. I think once he recovers from his injury, we’ll get back to training and keep moving forward.

- On former world champion Baev winning gold

Gatsalov: Since 2019, he hadn’t shown any results on an international level. But today, he was better than anyone. He’s been working towards this moment for a long time, training hard, and he showed solid, confident wrestling. He wrestled like a true master — precise, and without mistakes. We were genuinely very happy for him.

- On the 65kg champion Ibragim IBRAGIMOV

Gatsalov: Ibragimov demonstrated a strong performance, despite losing at the Ranking Series in Albania less than a month ago. Today, he came in well-prepared. He was in good form physically, technically, and mentally. That previous loss likely became a stepping stone toward this victory.

Khadzhimurat GATSAKOVKhadzhimurat GATSALOV at the European Championships in Bratislava. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

- On preparations for World Championships

Gatsalov: We have a clear understanding of how we’re going to prepare. I can’t reveal all the secrets of our training plan, but we know exactly who we’re preparing for. That’s why we’ll be focusing on targeted, individual work against specific opponents. Our coaching staff is strong. We have real professionals on board, including experienced coaches from the old Soviet school and younger ones who are stepping up and bringing fresh energy.

I think our wrestlers are also friendly with each other, which is very important. The atmosphere in the team is productive. We are waiting for the World Championships. We want competition on the mat with big countries like Iran, America. The Japanese have also improved a lot. Therefore, we want to compete with the strong ones, and we want to settle things on the mat.

(The interview was conducted by Karina MIRZOIAN)