#WrestlePontevedra

U23 World Championships day five semifinals set

Friday, October 21, 2022 - 08:51 By Vinay Siwach

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 21) -- The U23 World Championships enters day five with freestyle action in five weight classes -- 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, and 97kg. The bouts will go through the semifinal round before the evening session which will see the medal bouts of women's wrestling.

MATCH ORDER | WATCH LIVE

The semifinals for the evening session

57kg
Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) vs. AMAN (IND)
Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO) vs. Ahmet DUMAN (TUR)

65kg
Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) vs. Hamza ALACA (TUR)
Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) vs. Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ)

70kg
Yahya THOMAS (USA) vs. Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI)
Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) vs. Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ)

79kg​​​​​​​
Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) vs. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
Carter STAROCCI (USA) vs. Daulet YERGESH (KAZ)

97kg​​​​​​​
Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) vs. Ertugrul AGCA (GER)
Tanner SLOAN (USA) vs. Islam ILYASOV (AZE) 

14:45: Aman wins 13-2 against Abe to move into the 57kg semifinal against Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) who defeated Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL) via fall. The other semifinal will have Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO) going up against Ahmet DUMAN (TUR) who defeated Kamil KERYMOV (UKR) 14-4. 

14:30: At 97kg, Tanner SLOAN (USA) with a 6-3 win over Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO) and moves into the semifinals against Islam ILYASOV (AZE) who defeats Yunus GAFUROV (KAZ) 4-0.

14:15: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) hangs on for a 5-4 win against U20 world champion Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) at 70kg. Earlier at 57kg, Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO) avenged his U23 European final loss against Horst LEHR (GER). Gegelashvili was leading 4-3 when he tried a four but Lehr countered. Both wrestlers got two points each. Lehr, still needing a takedown to win, tried a desperate chest wrap but gave up four points. Gegelashvili won 11-6

14:00: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) wins 10-0 against Richard VEGH (HUN) and moves into the semifinals at 97kg. On Mat C, Matthews with a comeback against Askarov won made it 4-3 and tried scoring a takedown but Askarov with an ankle pick and win 6-4. On Mat A, Starocci moves into the semifinal with a 7-1 win over Balta.

13:55: Big matches going on concurrently. Cole MATTHEWS (USA) has Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ) at 65kg on Mat C. Defending champion Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) wrestling Richard VEGH (HUN) at 97kg on Mat B and Carter STAROCCI (USA) is up against Abdulvasi BALTA (TUR) at 79kg.

13:50: Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) and Dominik LARITZ (SUI) wrestled for only two minutes and 13 seconds but racked up 16 points. Arushanian wins 16-4 to move into the quarterfinals at 65kg.

13:45: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) has to show up back on the mat in a quick time. He wrestles Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) at 70kg. He has takedown but also gives up one. He leads 5-3 at the break. He then makes it 7-3 but Takahashi answers with two takedowns to lead 7-7. Yazdani with a suplex for 4! Two exposures on Takahashi make it 15-7. Yazdani wins 17-7

13:37: More action at 57kg as Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) beats Vitali ARUJAU (USA) 11-6 to set up a quarterfinal against Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL) while AMAN (IND) moves into the quarterfinal against Abe.

13:30: Ahmad MOHAMMADNEZHAD (IRI) is wrestling world bronze medalist Horst LEHR (GER). A 2-2 first period with Lehr leading on criteria. Horst with a five! He goes behind Mohammadnezhad and launches a suplex. Perfection. He gives up a takedown but leads 7-4. He moves on with a 9-4 win.

13:15: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) and Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ) going down on Mat C at 70kg. Yazdani starts with a takedown before Talgat adds a stepout. Yazdani with a stepout and takedown to lead 5-3 at the break. Talgat starts the second period with a stepout. Yazdani answers with a double leg for two. A single leg for Talgat and he scores a stepout. Yazdani leads 7-5 and shoots a low attack and converts it into a takedown. Talgat tries to attack but is easily countered by Yazdani who now leads 11-5. Yazdani ends it with a 15-5 technical superiority win

13:00: These 65kg quarterfinals!

Cole MATTHEWS (USA) vs. Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ)
Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) vs. Dominik LARITZ (SUI)
Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) vs. Ryoma ANRAKU (JPN)
Hamza ALACA (TUR) vs. Samuel ALVAREZ (PUR) 

12:50: Former U20 world champion Toshiya ABE (JPN) begins with a 6-0 win against Logan SLOAN (CAN) at 57kg. He moves closer to a rematch against Vitali ARAJAU (USA) who he beat to win the U20 gold.

12:30: At 97kg, Richard VEGH (HUN) pulls off a last-second move to beat Radu LEFTER (MDA) 7-6. Lefter was the returning silver medalist. But the returning gold medalist Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) moves into the quarterfinals with a 12-2 win over Vasyl SOVA (UKR)  

11:55: Vagzen TEVANYAN (ARM) and Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ) continue their winning runs and move into the quarterfinals at 65kg. On Mat A, Ahmad MOHAMMADNEZHAD (IRI) scores a late exposure after getting thrown for four to win 5-4 against Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM) at 57kg.

11:35: At 70kg, Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) works up a 7-4 win over European silver medalist Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM). Takahashi has a win over world champion Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN). The next bout is between Hibiki ITO (JPN) and Ertugrul AGCA (GER) at 97kg. Ito, towering 1.95 meters, is the child of a former Olympic wrestler and an Olympic bronze medalist Volleyball player. He has built a 4-2 at the break against Agca. A double-leg attack from Agca gives him a 4-4 criteria lead. A late stepout from a tiring Agca seals it even as Ito tried to get a takedown.

11:25: On Mat A, Vagzen TEVANYAN (ARM) with a dominant 10-0 win over  Daniel COLES (CAN) at 65kg. He is followed by Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ) who also notches up a technical superiority win over Constantin CHIRILOV (BUL)

11:15: A quick 10-0 technical superiority win for senior and U23 European champion Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) over Zsombor NAGY (HUN) at 79kg, 

11:00: Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR), the U20 world champion from 2019, gets started with a 10-0 win over Ivan BADAVROV (BUL) at 65kg.

10:50: A thriller to begin the day! Former U17 world champion Hamza ALACA (TUR) had raced to a lead before Kian MAHMOUD (IRI) mounted a comeback. Alaca struggled with his conditioning but he held on for an 8-7 win.

10:30: Another exciting morning here in Pontevedra. The action on the mat is in the same line with 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg and 97kg weight classes in action.

#WrestleTirana

European Championships 2026 Greco-Roman Highlights

Sunday, April 19, 2026 - 19:02 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (April 20) -- The European Championships in underway in Tirana, Albania with five Greco-Roman weight classes -- 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg and 130kg. The big question is if Riza KAYAALP (TUR) will be successful in breaking Aleksandr KARELIN's record of 12 European gold medal.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | GRECO-ROMAN BRACKETS | UWW PREVIEW

Semifinals

55kg
Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) vs. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) vs. Omer RECEP (TUR)

63kg
Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) vs. Kerem KAMAL (TUR)
Mairbek SALIMOV (POL) vs. Sergey EMELIN (UWW)

77kg
Robert FRITSCH (HUN) vs. Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) vs. Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)

87kg
Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) vs. Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR)
Islam ABBASOV (AZE) vs. Semen NOVIKOV (BUL)

130kg
Darius Attila VITEK (HUN) vs. Beka KANDELAKI (AZE)
Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) vs. Riza KAYAALP (TUR)

13:25: Olympic champion Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) books his spot in the semifinals at 87kg after an 8-0 technical superiority win over Dogan KAYA (TUR). Novikov with a big throw for four to start the bout before he scores a takedown to go 6-0 up at the break. He takes 36 seconds in the second period to score two stepouts and win.

13:20: Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) is into the 87kg semifinals at the European Championships after a technical superiority win over Ihar YARASHEVICH (UWW). Bisultanov with a takedown to start the match before he is awarded the par terre position. He manages exposure points to lead 5-0. A stepout in the second period makes it 6-0. Yarashevich tries a front headlock throw but Bisultanov blocks him and lands on top for the match-winning two points.

13:15: Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR), a returning bronze medalist, is into the semifinals with a 3-1 victory over Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) at 87kg. No last second problems for Filchakov like last year in which Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) defeated him with 2 seconds remaining.

13:10: Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) is in total shock after Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) throws him twice using the front headlock for four-pointers and finishes the match 10-2. Yilmaz scored the first takedown but Gutu answered quickly with one of his own. He then continued the scramble for the two big throws.

13:00: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) goes big from par terre and scores a four-point throw to make it 7-0. He then scores an takedown to complete a 9-0 victory over Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR) and advance to the semifinals at 77kg.

12:53: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) may have crossed his biggest hurdle towards winning the 13th gold medal as he holds off Marat KAMPAROV (UWW) in the 130kg quarterfinals, 1-1. Kayaalp gets the first par terre and manages half turns so no points. Kamparov gets the second par terre which gives him the point but Kayaalp holds the criteria. The Turkiye wrestler was struggling in the final minute but manages to stop Kamparov's attacks.

12:40: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) with two four-pointers against Danila SOTNIKOV (ITA) and he advances to the 130kg semifinals. Hlinchuk looking good for a medal here

12:35: World champion at 55kg Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) goes all big and fast and he wins Stefan GRIGOROV (BUL), 9-0. Two takedowns and two turns from par terre were his scoring action

12:30: Defending champion at 63kg Kerem KAMAL (TUR) shows up big time in the quarterfinals and takes out U23 world champion Ziya BABASHOV (AZE).

12:20: Olympic champion and returning silver medalist Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) gets his second victory at 87kg as he beats Marjan KOLA (ALB), 9-0, and advances to the quarterfinals.

12:15: Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR) continues his good form from Dan Kolov Nikola Petrov tournament in which he won gold, and beats Alan OSTAEV (UWW), 1-1, to start his campaign at 87kg

12:05: An emotional moment for world champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) after his opening round loss to Ihar YARASHEVICH (UWW). Komarov dropped his match 5-2 and was about to take off his shoes, a sign of retirement, but the Serbian coaches run and pull him off the mat and stop him from retiring, for now.

11:55: Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) with three stepouts in his 9-0 technical superiority win over Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM). When he scored the last stepout for an 8-0 score, Armenia challenged but lost it which added one more point to Bisultanov's score

11:50: Four-time European champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) with a controlled 4-0 win over Edvin BAFF (SWE) at 77kg. He got the par terre in the first period before scoring a throw for two points. He got the par terre in the second period as well to win 4-0.

11:48: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) went murder-mode on Vilius SAVICKAS (LTU) from par terre, scoring two massive reverse throws and wins 10-0

11:33: Marat KAMPAROV (UWW) holds off for a 1-1 criteria victory over Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) in his 130kg bout. Next up for him is Riza KAYAALP (TUR). Can Kamparov stop Kayaalp from making history?

11:30: No rust from 12-time European champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR) as he uses an arm-throw to pin Albert VARDANYAN (ARM) and start his quest for a historic 13th title at 130kg.

11:22: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW), a former U23 world champion at 97kg and still looking small for 130kg, gets three turns from par terre and beats Jacob LOGAARD (SWE), 7-1 at 130kg.

11:15: Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR), a former U20 world champion, with a massive arm throw for four and holds Apostolos TSIOVOLOS (GRE) for a victory via fall at 130kg.

11:02: Defending champion at 63kg Kerem KAMAL (TUR) with a technical superiority victory over Maksym LIU (UKR). Kamal with turn from par terre to lead 3-0 and Liu is called for a defensive leg foul. Ukraine challenges but the foul is confirmed and Kamal leads 6-0 and the bout restarts in par terre. A side throw for four to finish the bout 10-0

10:58: Paris Olympic bronze medalist and former European champion Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) with a technical superiority victory over Matej MANDIC (CRO). He scored four turns from par terre to win 9-0

10:50: Looking for his first European medal, U23 world champion Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) starts off with a 4-0 victory over Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) at 87kg. He gets the stepout and par terre in the first period and then a takedown to win the match.

10:42: Returning silver medalist medalists at 77kg Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) begins his 77kg campaign with a 8-2 victory over Marcos SANCHEZ (ESP).

10:30: Welcome to the Albanian capital Tirana as the European Championships kicks off with Greco-Roman weight classes.