#WrestleRome

U17 World Championships, Day 1 semifinals set

By Vinay Siwach

ROME, Italy (July 25) -- The World Championships season is here. The first of the five grand events is beginning in Rome. The U17 World Championships will see close to 600 wrestlers battle it out for the 30 champion belts.

MATCH ORDER | WATCH LIVE | PREVIEW | ENTRY LIST

14:32: The 55kg and 80kg semifinals

Khurshidbek NORMUKHAMMADOV (UZB) vs. Suraj SURAJ (IND)
Faraim MUSTAFAYEV (AZE) vs Halil CINAR (TUR)

80kg
Seyed Reza AZARSHAB (IRI) vs. Ismayil RZAYEV (AZE) 
Andrey ATANASOV (BUL) vs. Alperen BERBER (TUR) 

14:30: Here are the 110kg semifinals

Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) vs. Dmytro STRYZHEKOZIN (UKR)
Mazaim MARDANOV (AZE) vs. Cemal Yusuf BAKIR (TUR) 

14:25: The 65kg semifinals are set

Ali ALIZADA (AZE) vs. Ahoura BOUVEIRI (IRI)
Petro SHAFRANSKYI (UKR) vs. Joel ADAMS (USA) 

14:20: Here are the 48kg semifinals for tonight

Said KHALILOV (AZE) vs. Ronit SHARMA (IND)
Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) vs. Arsen ZHUMA (KAZ

14:00: An epic! Asian champion Mohammad JAHANGIRI (IRI) and European champion Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) battled it out on Mat A at 110kg. Jahangiri got the turn from par terre to lead 3-0 at the break. But he is cautioned for fleeing. Darabos will get two points and par terre. But he cannot turn Jahangiri from par terre. Jahangiri leads 3-2. Iran asks for a two on a slip and loses the challenge. 3-3 Jahangiri with under a minute left. Jahangiri is called passive and 4-3 lead for Darbos. He defends it till the clock runs out.

13:25: Asian silver medalist at 80kg Seyed Reza AZARSHAB (IRI) moving into the quarterfinals with a 9-0 win over Marcus UHTJAERV (EST). He will face Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN)

13:15: The 48kg quarterfinals are set

Kurmanbek ALIMZHANOV (KGZ) vs. Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI)
Yu TAKEMOTO (JPN) vs. Ronit SHARMA (IND)
Arsen ZHUMA (KAZ) vs. Umit ALTAS (TUR)
Amr ELSHAER (EGY) vs. Said KHALILOV (AZE) 

12:55: Asian 110kg champion Mohammad JAHANGIRI (IRI) begins with an 8-0 win over Maksim PETROV (BUL). He will now face Leonhard JUNGER (AUT) who reach the bronze medal bout at the Europeans

12:40: At 80kg, a lot of drama has unfolded. Luka GELASHVILI (GEO) gets the turn to beat U17 European champion Mihai GUTU (MDA) 5-2. Gelashvili had lost to Wojciech IWANOWSKI (POL) at the U17 Euros. But today, Iwanowski lost in the first round to silver medalist Ismayil RZAYEV (AZE) who will now face Oliver KOVACS (HUN).

12:15: We have heard this name before! Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY), a namesake of the 67kg Olympic bronze medalist Mohamed, gets going with a 7-3 win over Pavel ALEXE (ROU) at 65kg.

12:00: Mateusz DAWID (POL) was leading 6-1 and had the bout under control when Abdulla ANORBAEV (KGZ) spun a four-pointer and held Dawid to his back to secure the fall at 65kg.

11:50: The U17 Asian champion Ronit SHARMA (IND) starts with a big 10-0 win over Gabriele PUCHER (ITA) and storms into the 48kg quarterfinal. He will take on Yu TAKEMOTO (JPN) after he got a walkover as world champion Nikita DEMENTIEV (UKR) failed to make weight.

11:40: Said KHALILOV (AZE) trailed 2-0 at the break against Christian CASTILLO (USA) but got the turn from par terre to secure the bout 4-2 at 48kg.

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11:15: Welcome to the live coverage of the U17 World Championships from Rome. Five Greco-Roman weight classes will be in action on day one. 48kg, 55kg, 65kg, 80kg and 110kg wrestlers will take the mat in a short while.

#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships Freestyle Finals Set

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 12) -- The Asian Championships enters day two with five more Freestyle weights. World champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) will lead the competition at 125kg as Iran looks to build on its three gold medals won on day one.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 1 REPORT

14:32: Amir ZARE (IRI) is safely into the 125kg final with a 5-0 victory over Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN). Zare combined three stepouts with two activity clock points and was never in danger himself as the reigning world champion earned a chance for gold in his senior Asian Championships debut.

14:27: Two-time Olympian Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) enters the 125kg final after beating Odgerel BATKHISHIG (MGL) 10-0 in the semifinal. This is Lazarev's 10th Asian Championships, first being in 2009, and third final. He won gold in 2015 and was silver medalist in 2021.

14:22: At 74kg, Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) notches perhaps the biggest win of his young career, scoring a takedown in each period to knock off Hossein ABOUZARI (IRI) 4-2 and earn a place in the final in his international senior debut. The 20-year-old Takahashi opens with a textbook double-leg takedown, but gives up a single-leg takedown to trail 2-2 on criteria. In the second period, the Japanese gets the winning takedown, and then fends off all desperate attacks by Abouzari.

14:20: Viktor RASSADIN (TJK) becomes the second wrestler from Tajikistan to enter the finals at the Asian Championships after he defeated Alp BEGENJOV (TKM) 14-4 in the 74kg semifinal. Incidentally, the first finalist -- Yusup ABDULSALAMOV (TJK) -- won at 74kg as well back in 2003.

14:10: Another heartbreak for Kyrgyzstan as Nurtilek KARYPBAEV (KGZ) goes down 5-3 against Sherzod POYONOV (UZB) in the 92kg semifinal. Karypbaev could not keep up with the pace of the bout and broke down.

14:08: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) gets a chance to add to his 2022 gold after bulling to a 10-0 victory over Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) in the 92kg semifinals. Sharipov just couldn't stop the charge of Firouzpour, who had six stepouts, two of which got a caution point tacked on. Firouzpour's lone takedown of the match, off a single leg, ended it at 4:14.

13:57: Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) scored a takedown in the first period and held on that 2-0 lead against Atai IZABEKOV (KGZ). He was cautioned for open fingers on Izabekov's face but that didn't stop Shapiev from winning 2-1 and entering the 86kg final against defending champion Azamat DALUETBEKOV (KAZ). Both wrestled in the 86kg bronze-medal bout at the World Championships which the Kazakh won. But Shapiev won the Asian Games quarterfinal in October.

13:55: Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) will get a shot at a third straight Asian gold at 86kg after putting on an arm drag clinic in an 11-0 victory over Peilong LI (CHN). Dauletbekov used the arm drag to set up five takedowns, the final one coming 27 seconds into the second period to end the match.

13:47: Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) pulled off a miracle victory over Reza ATRI (IRI) in the 61kg semifinals, scoring a 4-point back trip in the final second for an 11-7 victory. Atri came back from a 5-point deficit to lead 7-6, mainly with a 4-point counter lift. A fleeing point tied the score, but Atri still led on criteria. Zhumashbek Uulu did little to build up his 5-0 lead in the first period, gaining an activity point, a penalty point for a hand to the face, a takedown while countering a throw, and then a point for an unsuccessful challenge after the Iranians thought the takedown should have been called a missed throw.

13:35: Assyl AITAKYN (KAZ) enters the 61kg final after beating Akash DAHIYA (IND) 11-0. A slow start to the semifinal but Aitakyn used a takedown and two turns in the second period to claim the victory.

The semifinals will begin at 13:30 local time

13:20: In the last quarterfinal of the morning session, Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) blanks YASH (IND) 11-0. After a 4-0 lead in the first period, Takahashi scored a stepout in the second period and countered Yash's attack. He scored two exposures to enter the 74kg semifinal. 

13:15: Local star Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) breaks BUHEEERDUN (CHN) in the second period and overcomes a three-point deficit and wins the 125kg quarterfinal 10-6.

13:10: Either Turkmenistan or Tajikistan will be assured of taking home a medal after Alp BEGENJOV (TJM) and Viktor RASSIDIN (TJK) advanced to a semifinal clash against each other at 74kg. Begenjov recorded a fall over Fierre AFAN (PHI), and Rassidin followed with a 9-0 victory over Kanat KERIMBEKOV (KGZ) in their respective quarterfinal matches.

13:02: Hossein ABOUZARI (IRI) stays on track to the final by crushing Yong Nam SO (PRK) 12-1 in the 74kg quarterfinals.

12:57: World champion Amir ZARE (IRI) begins his campaign with a 10-0 victory over Anirudh KUMAR (IND) in the 125kg quarterfinals. Zare took a 6-0 lead into the second period and wasted little time finishing up the technical fall.

12:55: The home crowd seems to spur on 2022 Asian U23 silver medalist Nurtilek KARYBAEV (KGZ) in the second period, when he scores three takedowns to forge a 6-1 victory over Issa AL OBAIDI (IRQ) and advances to the 92kg semifinals.

12:55: Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) manages to keep himself from touching the mat on three points and avoids being taken down. He beats Adilet DAVLUMBAYEV (KAZ) 7-4 to advance to the semifinals at 92kg.

12:45: Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB), an Asian Games bronze medalist and fifth-place finisher at both the Olympics and World Championships, holds on for a 4-1 victory over Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN) to advance to the 86kg semifinals. Shapiev scored a first-period takedown, and Shirai cut the gap with a stepout a minute into the second period. Shapiev clinches the win with a takedown in the final seconds off a counter from a desperate attack by the Japanese.

12:44: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) books his place in the 92kg semifinals with an 11-0 rout of Suhe GANG (CHN).

12:34: In one of the featured matches of the midday session, defending champion and two-time world bronze medalist Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) scores an early single-leg takedown against Hadi VAFAEIPOUR (IRI) in their 86kg quarterfinal, but the Iranian responds with a stepout. That is where the scoring ends, although Vafaeipour ended the match in deep on a single that he just couldn't finish off. The Iranians naturally challenged, but it was denied to give Dauletbekov a 3-1 win and the Iranian side its first loss of the day.

12:25: Reza ATRI (IRI) moves a step closer to his third career Asian medal and possibly second gold with a workmanlike 5-0 victory over Dzhamashed SHARIFOV (TJK) in the 61kg quarterfinals. 

12:00: Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) with a takedown in the final 10 seconds to claim a 9-9 criteria win over Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ) at 74kg.

11:58: Hossein ABOUZARI (IRI) scores his fourth takedown with 13 seconds left to complete a 10-0 win over Zafarbek OTAKHONOV (UZB) at 74kg to become Iran's fifth wrestler out of five in the quarterfinals. Otakhonov was the silver medalist a year ago at 70kg.

11:52: Returning bronze medalist BUHEEERDUN (CHN) moves on at 125kg with a 5-2 win over Koki YAMAMOTO (JPN). Apart from the one time he got stuck in a fall position, Buheeerdun controlled the bout.

11:48: Anirudh KUMAR (IND), a returning bronze medalist at 125kg, has no trouble in posting a safe 3-0 victory over Zaman ANWAR (PAK). He will next face world champion Amir ZARE (IRI).
 
11:38:
Another Iranian is over the first hurdle as 2022 champion Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) cruises to an 11-0 victory over Satoshi MIURA (JPN) at 92kg.

11:36: Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN), the world U23 silver medalist after winning the gold in 2022, scores four stepouts in muscling to a 5-0 victory over Sandeep MANN (IND) at 86kg.

11:30: Not to be for Mustafa AL OBAIDI (IRI) as Peilong LI (CHN) storms back after trailing 3-3 on criteria. Li pins Al Obaidi to win the 86kg bout.

11:28: Hadi VAFAEIPOUR (IRI), making his debut in a major tournament for Iran, easily gets past VUTHY HENG (CAM) in his opening match at 86kg, scoring a 10-0 win in 2:39. Among Vafaeipour's accolades is a victory last year on the Beach Wrestling circuit. 

11:20: In a thriller at 61kg, Akash DAHIYA (IND) twice scored exposure points in the second period while Dzhamshed SHARIFOV (UZB) was trying to turn him over, the final time to clinch a 10-8 victory.

11:12: Assyl AITAKYN (KAZ), a two-time world U23 bronze medalist, starts the action on Mat B with a 7-0 victory over Ali ABURAMAILA (PLE) at 61kg.

11:10: Kaisei TANABE (JPN), whose father Chikara was a bronze medalist in 55kg at the 2004 Athens Olympics, squanders a 4-0 lead and drops his bout against Reza ATRI (IRI) 4-4.

11:04: In the opening match on Mat A, Kum Chol Ri (PRK), an Asian cadet champion in 2014, marks his return to the international scene with a quick 10-0 win over Ibrahim GUZAN (YEM) at 61kg

11:00: Another Freestyle day at the Asian Championships in Bishkek. Wrestlers in 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg and 125kg to wrestle for the five gold medals on offer.