U20 Worlds: Red-hot Shapiro wins gold; Nishiuchi repeats

Tuesday, August 15, 2023 - 21:42 By Vinay Siwach

AMMAN, Jordan (August 15) -- Meyer SHAPIRO (USA) talks about his mental game. Whether it was the lectures from Jonh DIAKOMIHALIS (USA) before coming to Amman or surviving the heat in the city, Shapiro thinks he has managed to keep himself calm despite thinking about his final all day.

"I woke up this morning but it [the final] was always at the back of my mind," Shapiro said. It's hard to think about something all day and not be worried about it. Yesterday [Monday] was a grueling day. The country is hot so that was something I had to add to my mental game. The first session took a lot out of me. Tough matches."

Perhaps with lessons from those tough matches on Monday, Shapiro, on a sweltering day in Amman, kept his cool against Ali REZAEI (IRI) to win his second age-group world title, winning the 70kg gold medal at the U20 World Championships on Tuesday.

After trailing 4-0 and busting his head after a head collision with Rezaei, Shapiro gathered himself and continued his red-hot form to win the final 11-6 and give the United States its first champion of the tournament.

The 2021 U17 world champion entered the competition as one of the favorites and Rezaei, who was a bronze medalist in the 2021 tournament, and over the two days, he proved why his "creative and funky" wrestling was too much to handle for his opponents.

"My wrestling style is creative and I like the flow," Shapiro said. "I envisioned myself wearing this white tracksuit on the podium since they gave it to the senior world team [in 2022] and having that belt."

Shapiro achieved that by wrestling one of the greatest finals in tournament history as he broke Rezaei with his hard wrestling and remained unbeaten internationally.

Though the final did not positively for Shapiro as he got spun for two before Rezaei scored a trap for two more points, Shapiro headed a hit to the head, literally to regain his focus. Shapiro hit his head against Rezaei's hip and a cut to his took some serious medical attention.

Despite "freaking out", Shapiro returned with a focused mind and opened his scoring with a stepout. He then added two points via exposure by thrusting Rezaei to the mat when he was trying to lift Shapiro.

"Lot of emotions in that match," he said. "I came out hard and he also came out hard. In that exchange, a lot of emotions were going on in my head. I was freaking out a little bit. But that was enough time to reset my mind. It looks hard out there but that was my favorite match of the tournament. I really got to show off my skill.

Shapiro was a different wrestler in the second period as he used his reach to score via ankle picks. He scored a takedown 10 seconds after the break. A stepout and another counter takedown made it 8-4 for the U.S. wrestler. Rezaei got one back using a lighting double and closed the gap to 8-6. But Shapiro controlled the center of the mat and put Rezaei in uncomfortable positions. He managed one more stepout and takedown to win 11-6.

"I have long arms and legs. I can use that pretty well," he said. "Being able to wrestle into positions, wrestling with Yianni [Diakomihalis] and other guys who push me, I kept being told that put these guys in position, they are not better than you."

Shapiro will try proving that in the domestic college season later this year when he wrestles for Cornell University, home to Diakomihalis and four-time world champion Kyle DAKE (USA). But before that is his introduction where, in most likelihood, Shapiro will reach with a bruised eye and a cut to his head.

"I got a few bruises and cuts but I will be back to training," he said.

Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI) celebrates after winning the gold medal against Jesse MENDEZ (USA). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

The United States had two more wrestlers in the finals both failed to repeat what Shapiro managed.

At 65kg, Jesse MENDEZ (USA) wrestled Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI) and just could not match Shakeri's level, dropping the final 5-2.

Shakeri, who had finished ninth at last year's U20 World Championships, jumped levels to win the gold medal this year. He put Mendez in strong underhooks and opened the scoring via a steptout before getting a point for the U.S. wrestler's inactivity.

In the second period, Shakeri was put on the shot clock and gave up a point but added a stepout to lead 3-1. He made it 4-1 with a minute left with another stepout. Mendez got on a single leg but only managed to push Shakeri out for a point. As Mendez's desperation grew, Shakeri kept his ground to win 5-2, earning himself a first world medal as he finished fifth at the 2021 U17 World Championships.

Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) scores a takedown against Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) in the 57kg final. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Last year's U17 world champion Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) was looking to add a U20 world title to his resume to he ran into Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) who won the U20 world title at 61kg in 2022.

Wrestling in the 57kg final this year, Nishiuchi created history by becoming the first wrestler from Japan to win two U20 world gold medals in Freestyle.

A wrestler who has won medals at the senior Ranking Series events, Nishiuchi used his experience to completely shut down Lilledahl who reached the final after a buzzer-beating fall over Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE) in the semifinal.

But there were no comebacks from him in the final as Nishiuchi scored two takedowns and one stepout to win the gold medal 5-0.

"I wanted to go harder, widen the gap in points, and aim for a technical fall win," he said. "My opponents were physically strong and we couldn't attack as much as I wanted."

Nishiuchi was relieved with the gold medal as he had to recover from a knee injury suffered at the Meiji Cup in June in a short period of time.

"I was injured at the Meiji Cup and was worried if I will be able to recover in the short period before this World Championships. But I am in good condition now with taping," he said.

Dropping down from 61kg to 57kg brought its own challenges and the biggest one for Nishiuchi was the weight cut. That caused a few bumps on his way but the Japan wrestler managed to keep things under control.

"The most difficult match was the first one against Uzbekistan because I was cutting weight and I was not moving smoothly," he said."But my condition improved later."

Aware of the fact that he can create history, Nishiuchi felt the pressure of being a defending champion.

"I knew that no Japan wrestler has won two times at the U20 world championships," he said. "Last year I was the challenger but this year I was the champion so I was under pressure and also nervous.

"Even though I won last year, I didn't expect it to be easy because it's a world championship. However, I had been fighting for the Paris Olympics, so I could not afford to lose in the U20 category."

Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI) defeated Ivan PRYMACHENKO (UKR), 5-0, in the 97kg final. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Iran won its second gold medal of the day when Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI) defeated Ivan PRYMACHENKO (UKR), 5-0, in the 97kg final.

In a remarkable turnaround, Babaloo went from finishing fifth at the U20 Asian Championships in Amman to becoming a U20 world champion in a month. He avenged his losses to Kamil KURGULIYEV (KAZ) and Deepak CHAHAL (IND).In the final, Babaloo got a point for Prymachenko's inactivity before adding two stepouts to lead 3-0 at the break. Any attempt from Prymachenko was easily defended by Babaloo who scored takedown to win 5-0.

Once the best wrestler in the world called him a 'machine', Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) had little choice but to accept the adjective. On Tuesday, he managed to live up to it.

Abdulrashid SADULAEV's one-word description of Kadiev was well on display as the 79kg wrestler clinched the gold medal after beating Sagar JAGLAN (IND) 17-6 in the final.

Kadiev, who trains at the Sadulaev Sports School, exploited Jaglan's open stance and attacked his legs to score the majority of his points. He began with a slide-by takedown but hit a double to score a stepout. Another takedown made it 5-0.

However, Jaglan, who is known to outpace his opponents, opened his scoring with a go-behind before adding a lace to cut the lead to 5-4. Kadiev was warned for an eye-poke and the caution gave Jaglan a 5-5 criteria lead at the break.

But Kadiev made a powerful start to the second period with a stepout and takedown, both using double-leg attacks. Jaglan continued to push the pace and Kadiev was cautioned for fleeing. As the bout restarted in par terre, Jagland tried to turn Kadiev who held Jaglan mid-turn and scored two more points to extend his lead 10-6.

Kadiev followed that up with a four-pointer which India challenge to only see it going against them as Kadiev now led 15-6. In the final scramble, Kadiev scored via exposure to win the gold after a draining bout.

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) df. Luke LILLEDAHL (USA), 5-0

BRONZE: Edik HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df. Ruslan ABDULLAYEV (AZE), 8-4
BRONZE: Nodirbek JUMANAZAROV (UZB) df. SAGAR (IND), 10-0

65kg
GOLD: Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI) df. Jesse MENDEZ (USA),

BRONZE: Dalgat ABDULKADYROV (AIN) df. Kaiji OGINO (JPN), 9-2
BRONZE: Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) df. Aden SAKYBAEV (KGZ), 5-3

70kg
GOLD: Meyer SHAPIRO (USA) df. Ali REZAEI (IRI), 11-6

BRONZE: Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) df. Omurbek TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ), 3-2
BRONZE: Magomed BAITUKAEV (AIN) df. Julian GEORGE (PUR), 12-2

79kg
GOLD: Ibragim KADIEV (AIN) df. Sagar JAGLAN (IND), 17-6

BRONZE: Matthew SINGLETON (USA) df. Ahmet YAGAN (TUR), 9-7
BRONZE: Ali TCOKAEV (AZE) df. Farzad SAFIJAHANSHAHI (IRI), 11-1

97kg
GOLD: Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI) df. Ivan PRYMACHENKO (UKR), 5-0

BRONZE: Deepak CHAHAL (IND) df. Uladzislau KAZLOU (AIN), 9-8
BRONZE: Camden McDANEL (USA) df. Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ), 8-2

Semifinals

61kg
GOLD: Mohit KUMAR (IND) vs. Eldar AKHMADUDINOV (AIN)

SF 1: Mohit KUMAR (IND) df. Besir ALILI (MKD), via fall (8-6)
SF 2: Eldar AKHMADUDINOV (AIN) df. Ali KHORRAMDEL (IRI), 10-9

74kg
GOLD: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) vs. Hossein AGHAEI (IRI)

SF 1: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) df. Zhakshylyk BAITASHOV (KGZ), 10-0
SF 2: Hossein AGHAEI (IRI) df. Anton SUCHKOV (AIN), 9-0

86kg
GOLD: Fumiya IGARASHI (JPN) vs. Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA)

SF 1: Fumiya IGARASHI (JPN) df. Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA), 10-0
SF 2: Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) df. Bennett BERGE (USA), 9-2

92kg
GOLD: Mohammadmobin AZIMI (IRI) vs. Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ)

SF 1: Mohammadmobin AZIMI (IRI) df. Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM), 10-0
SF 2: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) df. Giorgi ROMELASHVILI (GEO), 11-1

125kg
GOLD: Said AKHMATOV (AIN) vs. Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)

SF 1: Said AKHMATOV (AIN) df. Karanveer MAHIL (CAN), 6-3
SF 2: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) df. Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR), 11-0

#wrestlebishkek

Badaghimofrad First Qatar Wrestler to Reach Asian Championships Greco Final

Tuesday, April 7, 2026 - 05:29 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 7) -- Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) won a historic bronze medal for Qatar at the 2025 Asian Championships. In Bishkek, he created another history.

Badaghimofrad became the first-ever Qatar wrestler to reach the final in Greco-Roman at the Asian Championships on Tuesday after he defeated Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ), 9-8, in a thrilling bout at 82kg.

In an all but lost semifinals, the Qatar wrestler, made a huge comeback against the former Asian champion, who led 7-2 at one point. Badaghimofrad scored a stepout but Qatar challenged for two points. It, however, lost it which made the score 8-3 for Magomadov.

But it was all Badaghimofrad after that as he scored a takedown, two stepouts, a point for par terre and also got a fleeing point for his 9-8 win.

He will now look to become Qatar's first-ever Asian champion in any style when he faces Amin HOSSEINI (IRI) in the final on Tuesday.

Hosseini became the sixth Iran wrestler to reach the final at this Asian Championships after he defeated PRINCE (IND) 10-0. Hosseini scored a four-point throw from par terre to lead 5-0 and then Iran challenged for a leg foul from Prince which was confirmed on review. With a 7-0 lead, Hosseini completed a correct throw for two points. India challenged asking for no points but lost it to give one more point to Hosseini.

In other weight classes, Hadi SARAVI (IRI) is a win away from defending his Asian title at 97kg after he reached the final in Bishkek with a 3-1 win over Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) in the semifinal. He scored a turn from par terre and was content to defend his lead. He will face returning bronze medalist NITESH (IND) in the final after the Indian scored a 7-2 win over Zegang WANG (CHN).

Nitesh got the par terre in the first period and turned Wang for a 3-0 lead before launching a throw for four points to make it 7-0. No par terre was awarded in the second period but Wang scored a drag to takedown to score two points but with just five seconds left.

72kg semifinals - Javad REZAEI (IRI) had to throw Shakhzod KUCHKOROV (UZB) twice to complete a 9-0 victory in the semifinals. Rezaei began the semifinal with a takedown and turn to lead 4-0. He then threw Kuchkorov for four points, giving him an 8-0 win. But Uzbekistan challenged and on review, Kuchkorov's head was outside before the throw, reversing the score to 4-0. Soon, Rezaei was awarded the par terre position and he made no mistake this time, completing a 9-0 win.

He will face Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) for the gold medal after the Kazakhstan wrestler got a 3-1 win over Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) in the other semifinal. Amanbek was leading 1-1 on criteria when he got the par terre position, making his lead 2-1. He then scored a stepout against a tiring Ismailov which was enough to confirm his winning score.

67kg semifinals - Kyrgyzstan got it's fourth finalist when returning silver medalist Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) defeated Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) in the 67kg semifinals. Awarded the first par terre, Beishekeev used two reverse body throws for four points each to win. Iran challenged and the first throw was scored two points after review. However Mohsen Nezhad had committed a defensive foul while defending the second period. He was docked two points for the foul, which eventually still gave the win to the Kyrgyz wrestler.

Beishekeev will look to change the color of his medal on Wednesday when he faces Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN) who got the better of Abdumalik AMINOV (UZB), 5-2, in the semifinal. Aminov was awarded a par terre and a stepout in the first period to lead 2-0.

Shimizu got similar scoring the second period to lead 2-2 on criteria. Aminov challenged for a point when Shimizu did not complete a throw and Aminov landed on top. But Uzbekistan lost the challenge which gave the additional point to the Japanese wrestler. Aminov tried an arm throw but Shimizu blocked it for a takedown which gave him two more points.

60kg semifinals - The 60kg gold medal bout will be a repeat of last year's Asian Championships final as both Se ung RI (PRK) and Alisher GANIEV (UZB) marched into final with commanding victories.

Defending champion and world and Olympic bronze medalist Ri took just 27 seconds to reach a second straight Asian Championships. He used a four-pointer and then two front chestwrap rolls to finish the bout 8-0 against Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ).

In the other semifinal, Ganiev got first par terre against Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) and lifted before slamming him on the mat for four points. He continued the sequence and completed another four-point throw to win the bout. Japan challenged for a foul but lost the challenge to give one more point to Ganiev, making him a 10-0 winner.

RESULTS

60kg
SF 1: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) df. Yu SHIOTANI (JPN), 10-0
SF 2: Se ung RI (PRK) df. Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ), 8-0

63kg
SF 1: Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) df. Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI), 9-0
SF 2: Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN) df. Abdumalik AMINOV (UZB), 5-2

72kg
SF 1: Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) df. Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ), 3-1
SF 2: Javad REZAEI (IRI) df. Shakhzod KUCHKOROV (UZB), 9-0

82kg
SF 1: Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) df. Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ), 9-8
SF 2: Mohammadamin HOSSEINI (IRI) df. PRINCE (IND), 10-0

97kg
SF 1: Hadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ), 3-1
SF 2: NITESH (IND) df. Zegang WANG (CHN), 7-2

Qualification Highlights

13:13: Former Asian champion Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) picks up a 3-1 victory over Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) who is moving up to 82kg from 77kg in which he won Asian gold last year. Magomadov with a turn after being awarded the par terre to build a 3-0 lead. Vardanyan was the par terre position in the second period which gave him the one point but that was as the Kazakhstan wrestler advanced to the semifinals.

13:03: Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT), who won Qatar's historic first medal in Greco-Roman at the Asian Championships last year and with hopes to change the color this year, begins with a 5-3 victory over Rui LIU (CHN). He scores two turns from par terre while allowing Liu only one to keep the lead. He advances to the semifinals at 82kg

12:57: Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) sees his bid to add an Asian Greco gold to the one he won in Freestyle in 2022 end with a thud, as the Japanese went down to a quick 9-0 loss to Javad REZAEI (IRI) at 72kg. Rezaei, a former world U23 silver medalist who won the gold at this year's Tirana Ranking Series tournament, got the passivity call and went ahead 3-0 with a gut wrench. But the Iranian was hardly finished, as he then launched Narikuni for a 4-point throw, then ended the proceedings at 2:01 with another gut wrench to advance to the semifinals. Narikuni, who is also entered at Freestyle 70kg, is the first Japanese to compete in both styles at an Asian Championships since 1983.

12:52: Former world and Asian bronze medalist Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) scores a takedown and 2-point roll, then finishes off ANIL (IND) with a 4-point arm throw to end their 72kg quarterfinal with an 8-0 win in 1:05.

12:50: A takedown and two massive four-point throws from returning silver medalist Alisher GANIEV (UZB) for a 10-0 win in just a minute and four seconds at 60kg. Highlights stuff from Ganiev!

12:45: Former Asian champion Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) slips out from the bottom of par terre and gains a 2-point exposure and reversal in the second period, clinching a 6-2 victory over SAHIL (IND) and berth in the 60kg semifinals.

12:41: Reigning champion and World and Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK) starts his title defense at 60kg with a hard-fought 6-2 victory over 2024 world U23 and U20 champion Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI). After giving up an early takedown, Ri spins out of an arm throw to go behind for a takedown, then goes ahead 4-2 with a gut wrench. In the second period, Ri adds another takedown and holds on for a place in the semifinals.

12:33: The Asian gold-medal hopes of world silver medalist Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) came to a painful end, as he had to default his match with Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) due to an elbow injury, shortly after giving up a 4-point throw that saw him fall behind 5-1. Whether Chung will be able to continue to add to his two Asian bronzes and one silver remains to be seen.

12:30: Olympic and defending champion Hadi SARAVI (IRI) takes his sweet time to score a technical superiority 8-0 win over Minho LEE (KOR) at 97kg. While the match went on for more than four minutes, Saravi never looked in trouble.

12:27: Zegang WANG (CHN) ends the long-shot hopes of Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) for an improbable Greco-Freestyle double gold, storming to an 8-0 win to advance to the 97kg semifinals.

12:24: Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN) uses a cross-body lift from par terre to slam down Sachin SAHRAWAT (IND) in their 67kg quarterfinal match, but keeps the hold and secures the fall at 1:39.

12:23: In a battle of past 77kg bronze medalists, Rui LIU (CHN) takes a 4-1 lead into the second period of his 82kg bout with Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) when he gives up a 2-point fingers-grabbing foul to suddenly make things interesting. But Liu fends off everything the home wrestler throws at him for a 4-3 win and a place in the quarterfinals.

12:19: Another quick finish on Mat C. Returning silver medalist Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) falls to Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ), 8-0, in just 58 seconds at 97kg

12:16: Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) with quick 10-0 win over Sunat ABDULLOEV (TJK). The former U20 world champion took just 2:45 minutes to advance at 67kg.

12:15: Two-time Asian U23 champion Haodong TAN (CHN) hits a 4-point throw late in the first period to complete a stunning fightback against Kurmanbek ZHAPAROV (KGZ) for a 7-5 victory at 60kg. Tan had fallen behind 5-0 in the first period, with part of those points coming on a leg foul after he had apparently stopped a throw by Zhaparov. That foul came into play later after Tan cut the lead to 5-3, as the front headlock throw that he hit was initially scored as 2 points, which would have left him behind criteria. But after a referees' discussion, it was revised to 4, putting him over the top.

12:10: Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN), another wrestler trying to achieve a Greco-Freestyle double, gets his first international Greco win with a 11-2 win over Loiqi AMIRKHONZODA (TJK) at 72kg. Narikuni scored a takedown and then got the par terre position from which he scored an exposure to lead 5-0. Amirkhonzoda managed to get a reverse exposure to make it 5-2. Narikuni manages to come back on top and rolls Amirkhonzoda twice to win the 72kg bout

12:05: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) built a 7-0 lead from par terre with three turns against Minwoo KIM (KOR) but used the full seconds period to score the final two points when Kim tried a desperate throw. Ahmadi Vafa was awarded the fall and he advances at 67kg.

12:00: Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL), another of the gutsy wrestlers attempting the Greco-Freestyle double in Bishkek, doesn't get the venture off to a good start, as he falls behind 7-0 in the first period of his 97kg bout with Ibrahim FALLATAH (KSA). But the Mongolian hangs tough and scores a takedown before the period ends to make it 7-2. Ganbaatar gets shot at par terre, and while Fallatah resists at first, Ganbaatar's gut wrench takes him over four times. Ganbaatar adds a late takedown and walks off a 13-7 winner.

11:49: Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN), a world bronze medalist at 63kg in 2021, rallies with a stepout and spin-behind takedown midway through the second period for a 4-3 win at 67kg over two-time Asian bronze medalist Ji LENG (CHN).

11:48: In a thriller right off the bat on Mat B, world silver medalist Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) gets a second chance at par terre in the second period, and boy did he make the most of it, launching Asian U23 champion Bagdat SABAZ (KAZ) for a 4-point throw to win 7-4 in their opening match at 67kg

11:30: Welcome to Bishkek on a hazy spring day for the second day of competition in Greco-Roman. The qualifying rounds will be held in the remaining five weight classes of 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg and 97kg, with world and Olympic champion Hadi SARAVI (IRI) headlining the action as he goes for a fourth Asian title.

U20 Worlds: Red-hot Shapiro wins gold; Nishiuchi repeats

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Badaghimofrad First Qatar Wrestler to Reach Asian Championships Greco Final