#WrestleAmman

U20 World Championships Day 1 semis set

Monday, August 14, 2023 - 07:39 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

AMMAN, Jordan (August 14) -- The U20 World Championships kick off in Amman, Jordan with freestyle action. Wrestlers from five weight classes -- 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg and 97kg -- will be on the mats with a host of returning medalists and continental champions.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

Here are the semifinals for the evening session

57kg
SAGAR (IND) vs. Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN)
Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE) vs. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA)

65kg
Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) vs. Jesse MENDEZ (USA)
Omurbek TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ) vs. Ali REZAEI (IRI)

70kg
Julian GEORGE (PUR) vs. Meyer SHAPIRO (USA)
Dalgat ABDULKADYROV (AIN) vs. Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI)

79kg
Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) vs. Ali TCOKAEV (AZE)
Matthew SINGLETON (USA) vs. Sagar JAGLAN (IND)

97kg
Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI) vs. Camden MC DANEL (USA)
Ivan PRYMACHENKO (UKR) vs. Uladzislau KAZLOU (AIN)

14:40: U20 European champion Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE) gets Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) in a double-hand lock and gets the fall! Abdullayev moves into the 57kg semifinals.

14:30: Iran puts another one in the semifinals. Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI) with a very strong performance against Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ) 6-1 at 97kg. No openings were given to Kurugliyev, the U20 Asian champion

14:15: Battle of two former U17 world champions and Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN) clearly surprised by Meyer SHAPIRO's (USA) defense. He shoots twice but Shapiro manages to scramble out and lead 6-0 at the break in the 70kg quarterfinal. Shapiro begins the second period with a takedown after Baitukaev hits his head on the mat. 8-0 lead for Shapiro. He blocks Baitukaev for the remaining time to win 8-0. That marks the United States sending five-out-of-five wrestlers into the semifinals today.

14:00: SAGAR (IND) comes back from 5-0 down to beat Herbert AKAPIAN (AIN) 15-5 using his gas tank. Big win for Sagar at 57kg. He faces Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) in the semifinals.

13:40: Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) pins Kamronbek KADAMOV (UZB)! A huge result at 65kg as Toprak takes out former U17 world champion Kadamov. 

13:25: Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) scores a takedown and roll in the activity period against Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ), who won a silver medal last year, to lead 4-0 at the break. He scores another takedown after the break and wins 6-1. 

13:22: At 97kg, 2022 U17 world champion Kamil KURGULIYEV (KAZ) led 5-0 against U20 European bronze medalist Zafar ALIYEV (AZE). He did give up a takedown but was clinical in his 5-2 win over Aliyev.

13:10: U20 European champion Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE) goes 10-0 over David KIEFER (GER). On Mat C, returning gold medalist from 61kg, Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN), now wrestling at 57kg, makes it to the quarterfinals with a 6-1 win over Nodirbek JUMANAZAROV (UZB).

12:50: A back-and-forth bout between Meyer SHAPIRO (USA) and Mirjavad NABIYEV (AZE) but the U.S. wrestler manages to win 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals against Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN).

12:45: Julian GEORGE (PUR) takes out senior Asian silver medalist Zafarbek OTAKHONOV (UZB). Otakhonov managed to get a four-pointer but did not press much in the second period. George was relentless and ultimately claimed an 8-5 win at 70kg.

12:35: Here are the quarterfinals for the 79kg weight class

Otari ADEISHVILI (GEO) vs. Ali TCOKAEV (AZE)
Narek GRIGORYAN (ARM) vs. Matthew SINGLETON (USA)
Ahmet YAGAN (TUR) vs. Sagar JAGLAN (IND)
Alim MIESUVIETOV (UKR) vs. Ibragim KADIEV (AIN)

12:18: Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN) is living up to the hype. The former U17 world champion moves into the 70kg with a 10-0 win over Mikita DZEMCHANKA (AIN). Not the easiest of fields at 70kg and he will face the winner of Meyer SHAPIRO (USA) vs. Mirjavad NABIYEV (AZE).

12:00: At 57kg, returning silver medalist Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ) has made his way to the pre-quarterfinals after beating Ruslan SOLOVEI (UKR) 10-0 in the opening bout. He faces a tough Ahmad JAVAN (IRI)  

11:45: Luke LILLEDAHL (USA), who has two U17 world medals including gold, begins his quest for a U20 world title with a strong 9-2 win over Lev PAVLOV (AIN). The United States have been very successful in the morning with all five wrestlers winning their first bouts.  

11:15: Former U17 world champion Meyer SHAPIRO (USA) with a dominant 10-0 win over Yuma TOMIYAMA (JPN) at 70kg. He wrestles Mirjavad NABIYEV (AZE) in the pre-quarterfinals.

10:55: Quick show from Kaiji OGINO (JPN) at 65kg as he leg laces U20 Asian champion Jaskaran SINGH (IND) 10-0 inside the first minute.

10:50: A huge match-up between Jesse MENDEZ (USA) and U20 European champion Mykyta ZUBAL (UKR) at 65kg. Mendez leads 1-0 at the break after Zubal's inactivity. Zubal takes the lead in the second period. He heeps holding criteria until Mendez scores a stepout with four seconds remaining. Referees call it neutral. A challenge from the United States and a stepout and fleeing are confirmed on review. Mendez pulls off a stunning 3-1 win.

10:40: U20 Asian champion Sagar JAGLAN (IND), who won a bronze medal at 74kg last year, trailed 4-2 against Radomir STOYANOV (BUL) but like always, unleash his attacks. Stoyanov feels the heat and is caught in a leg lace. 15-4 win for Jaglan at 79kg

10:15: First big match of the day with Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) blanking Farzad SAFIJAHANSHAHI (IRI) 10-0 at 79kg. A statement win from Kadiev here to begin the proceedings.

10:00: Welcome to day one of the U20 World Championships from the capital of Jordan, Amman. A hot day here and no doubt the action will be different.

#WrestleBucharest

Kayaalp reaches European final; Nazaryan, Abuladze stunned

Monday, February 12, 2024 - 18:00 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

BUCHAREST, Romania (February 12) -- Riza KAYAALP (TUR) took a step closer to a record 13th European title after reaching the 130kg final on the first day of the European Championships which began in Bucharest Monday.

The defending champion has won the gold medal at the European Championships, tying him with Aleksandar KARELIN and a win Tuesday in the final will make him the most successful wrestler in the continent.

For the gold medal, Kayaalp will take on Sergei SEMENOV (AIN), a bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics.

Four other Greco-Roman weight classes were also in action on Monday. Three defending champions failed to advance to the finals of their respective weight classes. Adem UZUN (TUR) dropped his quarterfinal at 55kg, Leri ABULADZE (GEO) lost to Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) at 63kg while Istvan TAKACS (HUN) lost to Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB) in the 1/8th final.

The only defending champion to make it to the final apart from Kayaalp was Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) at 77kg. He defeated Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) 2-1 in the semifinal and will take on Yunus BASAR (TUR) for the gold medal.

Kayaalp was up against Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) in the semifinal and trailed 2-0 at the break. But he began the second period with a stepout before getting the point for par terre. He reached the final with a 2-2 win.

Semenov defeated Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) 2-1 in the semifinal as he also scored an extra stepout against Kajaia's par terre point.

Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) defeated Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) 2-1 in the semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In a low-scoring bout, Amoyan scored a crucial pushout in the first period and then put up a strong defense in the second period to win 2-1. He got the first par terre advantage and added a stepout point from that position. Gutu got it in the second period but he was not able to score any points.

The gold-medal bout will see Amoyan take on Yunus BASAR (TUR), a repeat of the semifinal from last year that Amoyan won 6-1. Basar's path to the final included a win over 72kg world champion Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) in the qualification round. Basar held off Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) 3-1 in the last-four bout.

Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB)Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB) won his quarterfinal against Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) 3-1. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 87kg, world champion Ali CENGIZ (TUR) will try to win his first European title as he takes on Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB) in the final. Cengiz defeated Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) in the semifinal 4-1 while Komarov reached the gold medal bout after beating Islam ABBASOV (AZE) 3-1 in the semifinal.

Komarov, who first wrestled at the senior level at the European Championships in 2019 in Bucharest, looks to make his return to the city golden.

"My first time wrestling at a senior-level competition was back in 2019 in Bucharest," Komarov said. "Now I am back after five years and I want to win the gold medal. It’s my dream."

But the Zagreb Open Ranking Series bronze medalist accepted that it was a tough day in the office for him. In the pre-quarterfinals, Komarov defeated defending champion Istvan TAKACS (HUN), and stopped Olympic champion Zhan BELENUIK (UKR) in the quarterfinals before beating Abbasov.

"It’s been a tough day today," he said.

Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR)Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) stunned Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) 9-5 in the 63kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The biggest upset of the day came in the 63kg semifinal as Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) stunned Nazaryan 9-5 in a comeback victory. Nazaryan managed to take a 5-0 lead after getting the par terre advantage but Hrushyn scored a big four and then got a par terre advantage to lead 5-5 on criteria. Nazaryan tried to get a body lock but failed. Hrushyn countered one of his attempts and scored a takedown and another in the dying moments to win 9-5.

"The semifinal went almost as I planned it," Hrushyn said. "Except for the first par terre, I was expecting a different move. I was planning to do something in a standing position. I am confident that functionally I am well-prepared, better than many other wrestlers here. I was counting on that."

Hrushyn has made it to his first European Championships final but he won a bronze medal in 2022. But he is not contended with silver and hopes to win his first gold on Tuesday.

"This is my first ever European final," he said. "Not a step back, just forward. That’s it. I will prepare the same way. It’s a European Championships, so no easy opponents."

Earlier in the day, Nazaryan faced world champion Abuladze in the quarterfinal and came out with a 3-0 win. He used an arm-throw to score but Abuladze stopped him from completing the throw. As Nazaryan landed first, Abuladze was awarded two points but Bulgaria challenged the decision. On review, the judges ruled that Abuladze blocked Nazaryan and restarted the bout in par terre. Abuladze was quick to stand up but he was later warned for passivity, giving one more point to Nazaryan who led 3-0 at the break. No points were scored in the second period and Nazaryan won 3-0. But his run was cut short by Hrushyn.

For the gold medal, Hryshyn will face Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), who reached his second straight European Championships after beating Anvar ALLAKHAROV (AIN) 3-3. Till the final 30 seconds of the bout, Allakharov was destined to reach the final as he was leading 3-1. But Mammadov received a late par terre advantage, with just 40 seconds left on the clock.

Allakharov, struggling with his conditioning, failed to stop a par terre turn and conceded a 3-3 criteria lead. Mammadov kept his distance from Allakharov for the remaining time in the bout.

At 55kg, Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) failed to break his Azerbaijan curse as he suffered a 5-1 loss to Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) in the semifinals. In his previous outings, he has lost to world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE). Mammadov will now face Artium DELEANU (MDA) for the gold medal as he won 2-2 on criteria against Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM).

fg

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. Artium DELEANU (MDA)

SF 1: Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), 5-1
SF 2: Artium DELEANU (MDA) df. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 2-2

63kg
GOLD: Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR)

SF 1: Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN), 3-3
SF 2: Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) df. Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL), 9-5

77kg
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) vs. Yunus BASAR (TUR)

SF 1: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), 2-1
SF 2: Yunus BASAR (TUR) df. Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO), 3-1

87kg
GOLD: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) vs. Ali CENGIZ (TUR)

SF 1: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) df. Islam ABBASOV (AZE), 3-1
SF 2: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN), 4-1

130kg
GOLD: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) vs. Sergei SEMENOV (AIN)

SF 1: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 2-2
SF 2: Sergei SEMENOV (AIN) df. Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO), 2-1