#WrestleSofia

USA push three into Tuesday's U20 world finals

Monday, August 15, 2022 - 19:24 By Vinay Siwach

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SOFIA, Bulgaria (August 15) -- Perhaps it is the James GREEN effect. The USA, which won the freestyle team title at the U17 World Championships two weeks ago, continued its dream run under coach Green and emerged as the best team on day one of the U20 World Championships on Monday.

Green took over the coach just a month ago and is aiming to win the second team title in as many World Championships.

After entering four wrestlers in the semifinals, the USA managed to send three wrestlers to Tuesday's gold medal bouts. Azerbaijan was the next best team with two finalists. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Turkey were the five other countries that managed to have a wrestler each in the final.

All three of the USA wrestlers used their high-paced wrestling to win after trailing initially in the semifinal.

Jore VOLK (USA)Jore VOLK (USA) reached the 57kg final after beating Luka GVINJILIA (GEO) 13-6. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

At 57kg, Jore VOLK (USA) had to do it more than once. Wrestling Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) in the opening bout, Volk led 3-3 on criteria at the break and added another takedown to lead 5-3. But Javan, who was one win away from making the Iran senior World Championships team, took the criteria lead with 36 seconds left on the clock. He then tried defending it but Volk managed to put Javan's on the mat just before the final whistle to win 7-5.

In the semifinals, Luka GVINJILIA (GEO) opened with exposure but Volk with a takedown to lead 2-2 on criteria at the break. He upped the pace in the second and began with a takedown and Gvijilia was cautioned for fleeing. The bout restarted in par terre from which Volk made it 13-4.  But it was too late for Gvijilia as he lost 13-6.

Volk will now wrestle U20 Asian champion Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ) as he defeated Heorhii KAZANZHY (UKR), 6-4, in a back-and-forth semifinal. Kazanzhy opened up a 4-0 lead with two exposures when Bazarbayev was trying to chest wrap Kazanzhy.

But the Kazakhstan wrestler, who defeated Abhishek DHAKA (IND) 5-1 in the quarterfinal, scored a takedown and a lace to lead 4-4. With the time running out, Bazarbayev continued his attacks and ultimately got the single leg to lead 6-4. He defended it for the final 47 seconds.

In another USA-Georgia semifinal, Benjamin KUETER (USA) made the gold medal bout after a 31-point slugfest against Luka KHUTCHUA (GEO) at 97kg.

Kueter came back from an 8-0 deficit after Khutchua scored a go-behind and rolled him thrice. He answered with a go-behind and then an arm-trap exposure to cut the lead to 8-4. The bout tilted in Kueter's favor when he managed to take a 9-9 criteria lead at the break against a tiring Khutchua.

The second period saw Kueter more attacks and he made it 15-10 before Khutchua managed a takedown and gut. While going for the second gut, Khutchua lost the grip and Kueter held in danger for the final 35 seconds to win 17-14.

Rifat GIDAK (TUR)Rifat GIDAK (TUR) put on a defensive masterclass to beat Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) in the 97kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

He will now have the rising star and '21 U17 world champion Rifat GIDAK (TUR) who stunned U20 Asian champion Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), 6-4 in the semifinal.

After a slow start to the bout, Gidak opened the second period with a duck under to lead 2-1. A stepout and caution against Azarpira extended his lead to 4-1. Azarpira found it difficult to remain at the same pace as Gidak and conceded a counter takedown.

Though he got hold of Gidak on a couple of occasions, Azarpira could not convert them into takedowns. It was only late in the bout that he scored two stepouts but it was too little too late.

The third USA wrestler to reach the final was Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) as he defeated Hayk PAPIKYAN (ARM), 6-3, in the semifinal after being down 3-0. As the second period began, he strung together three takedowns and ended the bout 6-3.

Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE)Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) come back from 3-0 deficit to beat Mulaym YADAV (IND) 5-3 in the 70kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The other semifinal followed a similar script with Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) winning it 5-3 against Mulaym YADAV (IND) after being behind 3-0 at the break.

Heybatov got a single leg to score a takedown at the edge after Azerbaijan challenged the neutral call. With just 18 seconds left, Heybatov managed to get a stepout and the lead.

Yadav almost scored a takedown over Heybatov but referees called it neutral as both wrestlers were grounded when going out of the zone. India challenged the call and on review, Heybatov was awarded a stepout and one more point for the lost challenge.

Sobhan YARI (IRI)U20 Asian champion Sobhan YARI (IRI) reached the 79kg final in Sofia. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Iran and Armenia clash for the 79kg gold after Sobhan YARI (IRI) and Mushegh MKRTCHYAN (ARM) made it to the final.

Yari ended the hopes of a finalist for Georgia as he defeated Otari ADEISHVILI (GEO), 9-6, in a close encounter. He led 5-4 at the break but Adeishvili scored a takedown to lead 6-4. But Yari got the better of Adeishvili as the Georgian began to feel the heat of Yari's attack.

Mushegh MKRTCHYAN (ARM) will try to spot Yari from winning the gold after he made the final with a narrow 2-2 win over Mukhammad ABDULLAEV (KGZ).

The match was all but over with Abdullaev leading 2-0 with 20 seconds remaining. But Mkrtchyan found a final boost of energy and scored a takedown with 15 seconds remaining to win.

Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE)Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) defeated Sujeet KALKAL (IND) to reach his second straight U20 Worlds final. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

At 65kg, returning silver medalist Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) will try to upgrade his medal from Ufa after he handed Sujeet KALKAL (IND) his first international defeat in the semifinal.

Bayramov seemed to have studied Kalkal's style of wrestling with underhooks and snapdowns and did not engage in any scrambles. Instead of allowing Kalkal to control the bout, Bayramov countered with single-leg attacks.

He scored the first two via steptous before blasting a double-leg for another takedown and lead 6-0. He went into a defensive mode in the second period but still managed to keep Kalkal from attacking. A late takedown gave the Indian two consolation points.

Bayramov will have to come up with another top performance if he wants to win the final against former U17 world champion Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB).

Jalolov will be looking to make amends from last year's World Championships in which he finished 10th after suffering a 6-6 loss to Abulfaz NASIROV (AZE) in his opening bout.

But in Sofia, he outscored his opponents 30-2 in the three bouts before the semifinal in which he faced Robert CORNELLA (USA) who reached the last four after scoring a final second takedown against Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI) to win 6-5.

Jalolov was up 2-0 after two passivity calls against Cornella and he then scored a cradle exposure with an ankle pick to lead 4-0 and win the bout.

The remaining five freestyle weight classes will be in action on Tuesday along with the medal bouts of Monday's weights.

sd

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Jore VOLK (USA) vs. Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ)

SF 1: Jore VOLK (USA) df. Luka GVINJILIA (GEO), 13-6
SF 2: Merey BAZARBAYEV (KAZ) df. Heorhii KAZANZHY (UKR), 6-4

65kg
GOLD: Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) vs. Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE)

SF 1: Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) df. Robert CORNELLA (USA), 4-0
SF 2: Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) df. SUJEET (IND), 6-2

70kg
GOLD: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) vs Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE)

SF 1: Mitchell MESENBRINK (USA) df. Hayk PAPIKYAN (ARM), 6-3
SF 2: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. Mulaym YADAV (IND), 5-3

79kg
GOLD: Sobhan YARI (IRI) vs. Mushegh MKRTCHYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Sobhan YARI (IRI) df. Otari ADEISHVILI (GEO), 9-6
SF 2: Mushegh MKRTCHYAN (ARM) df. Mukhammad ABDULLAEV (KGZ), 2-2

97kg
GOLD: Benjamin KUETER (USA) vs. Rifat GIDAK (TUR)

SF 1: Benjamin KUETER (USA) df. Luka KHUTCHUA (GEO), 17-14
SF 2: Rifat GIDAK (TUR) df. Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), 6-4

Obituary

Japanese legend and Olympic champ Obara passes away aged 44

Saturday, July 19, 2025 - 11:00 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO (July 19) — Legendary Japanese wrestler Hitomi OBARA, the 2012 London Olympic gold medalist at women's 48kg and an eight-time world champion, passed away on Friday, the Japanese media reported on Saturday. She was 44.

The Japan Self-Defense Force Physical Training School, where Obara was a women's coach, said it was withholding the cause of death "out of consideration for the privacy and emotions of the bereaved family," according to The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Obara, the mother of two elementary school-aged children, was a director in the Japan Wrestling Federation, and had just been appointed in June as a coach of the women's national team for the run-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics along with fellow former Olympic champion Kaori ICHO.

Obara, who won six of her world titles at 51kg under her maiden name of SAKAMOTO, became a model case for the ups and downs of high-level sports and the ability to overcome grave disappointment. Her victory at the London Olympics, at age 31, came after being denied spots on Japan's team at both of the two previous Olympics by fellow legend Saori YOSHIDA.

Born in 1981 in the wrestling hotbed of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, in northern Japan, Obara went on to attend Chukyo University (now Shigakkan), which she helped turn into a national powerhouse along with Yoshida and fellow Hachinohe native Icho.

"It's hard, it's hard, I can't keep from crying," former Shigakkan and national team coach Kazuhito SAKAE was quoted as telling the Japanese media. "She was a wrestling prodigy. At the least, she was a hard worker with a strong sense of responsibility. She was wrestling's heaven-sent child. I still can't believe it." 

Obara won back-to-back world 51kg titles in 1999 and 2000. A serious knee injury would keep her from returning to the world championships until 2005, from which she won four in a row.

In between, she attempted to make the Japanese's squad to the 2004 Athens Olympics, but that dream ended with a loss by fall to Yoshida in the 55kg final at the All-Japan Championships in December 2002. She would only compete once in 2003 before returning in earnest in 2004 and beginning her streak of world titles the following year.

But more disappointment came her way in the qualifying process for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Again it was Yoshida who squashed her dreams, beating her 2-0 (2-0, 4-0) in the 2006 All-Japan final. After the match, Obara sat for hours sobbing in a corner of the warm-up room, a towel draped over her head.

Obara managed to rebound from the defeat to win a playoff for the 51kg spot at the 2007 World Championships, where she won gold No. 5. After adding No. 6 a year later with a run to the gold that included a victory over future Olympic champ Helen MAROULIS (USA), she decided to retire.

But despite all of her success, the lack of a Olympic gold -- or even an appearance, for that matter -- still left a sting that would not abate. That, and the decision of her younger sister Makiko to retire, led her to attempt the difficult path of cutting down to 48kg to make it to London.

Makiko was a world bronze medalist at 48kg in 2005 and 2008, but decided to end her career after placing eighth in 2009. Hitomi had never wanted to displace her sister from the national team, but now the door to 48kg was open.

Her biggest battle may have been with the scale. On the mat, she was as unbeatable as ever, storming to world golds in 2010 and 2011 -- now as Obara after getting married in 2010.

There was one slip-up along the way -- a semifinal loss to So Sim HYANG (PRK) at the 2010 Asian Games that ended her 70-match winning streak in international matches. But she regained her confidence with a decisive win at the All-Japan, and it was with a full head of steam that she headed to the London Olympics, which she had announced would be her swan song.

In London, Obara knocked off defending Olympic champion Carol HUYNH (CAN) in the semifinals before coming from behind in the final to defeat Mariya STADNIK (AZE) 2-1 (0-4, 1-0, 2-0) -- a replay of the gold-medal match at the 2011 worlds.

"If you keep doing what you love and never give up, you can achieve your dream," Obara told students at the junior high school she attended during a visit in January last year.

Upon retiring, Obara joined the staff at the Self-Defense Force Physical Training School, where she was also an officer. Among the members she coached were Haruna MURAYAMA OKUNO, Himeka TOKUHARA and Masako FURUICHI, who all made Japan's team to this year's World Championships.

In 2022, Obara was inducted into UWW's Hall of Fame along with Yoshida and Icho.