Valiev Leads Russian Trio Into Finals; Arushanian, Gadzhiev Crowned Euro Champs

Tuesday, May 18, 2021 - 20:47 By Vinay Siwach

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (May 18) --- Chermen VALIEV (RUS) was the highlight of another successful day for Russia as three wrestlers made it to the finals on day two of the U23 European Championships in Skopje, North Macedonia.

Amanula RASULOV (RUS) and Atsamaz TEBLOEV (RUS) were the two other Russian wrestlers to reach the final at 86kg and 125kg respectively. Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia also advanced two wrestlers each to the finals while Georgia managed to enter one wrestler as well.

Russia had entered four wrestlers in the final on day one of the competition at the Jane Sandanski Arena and with three more on Tuesday, their tally reached seven.

Valiev's day began with the qualification round as he faced Lucas KAHNT (GER). But Valiev did not take much time for his 11-1 win. In the 1/8 finals, Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE) did pose some trouble but Valiev came out on top 9-2. Krisztian BIRO (ROU) was the next to suffer as Valiev won the quarterfinal 10-0.

In the semifinal, Valiev had a slow start and led 2-0 at the break against Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO). He began the second period with a push out when he was put on the activity clock. Gamkrelidze later had Valiev in the danger zone but the Russian managed to switch position and instead score a four-point throw via a double leg attack. He won 7-1.

Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM) will try and stop Valiev from winning the gold on Wednesday as he made the final from the other side.

His three wins to reach the final were either technical superiority or via fall. Simon MARCHL (AUT) was the first to witness Alikhanyan's exploits as the Armenian won 10-0. In the quarterfinal, he pinned Isa DEMIR (TUR) before Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) suffered the same fate in the semifinal.

Rasulov will be looking for his first U23 Euro title as well as he reached the 86kg final. After wins over Patrik SZUROVSZKI (HUN) and Emre CIFTCI (TUR) with an identical scoreline of 8-2, Rasulov secured a victory by fall in the semifinal against Andrian GROSUL (MDA) in just one minute and 40 seconds.

But it won't be a cakewalk to the gold medal as he faces multiple time junior World Championships medalist Orkhan ABASOV (AZE) in the final.

Abasov came up with a big five-point throw in the semifinal against Lars SCHAEFLE (GER) to lead 7-0. But his worsening gas tank in the second period saw him give up points for step outs and a takedown. Fortunately for him, his big lead helped him win 8-7 in the end.

Osman NURMAGOMEDOV U23 European Championships

At 92kg, senior European Championships bronze medalist Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) reached the final after overcoming Azamat ZAKUEV (RUS) 5-4 in a closely contested quarterfinal.

Then in the semifinal against Arkadzi PAHASIAN (BLR), he scored four points in the first period and defended that lead until the clock expired to win 4-0. He will face Erhan YAYLACI (TUR) in the final.

Yaylaci showed so signs of mercy for his opponents as he won by technical superiority in the qualification round and via fall in the quarterfinals. Up against former cadet and junior world champion Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) in the semifinal, he went into a tactical mode and etched out a 6-2 win.

Anil KILICSALLAYAN (TUR) was the second Turkish wrestler to reach the final on Tuesday as he pulled off a close 4-3 win against Vakhit GALAYEV (AZE) in the 125kg semifinal.

He will try his fate against Atsamaz TEBLOEV (RUS), who completely dominanted the day, in the final on Wednesday. Tebloev cleared the qualification round with a 10-0 win over Uvejs FEJZULAHU (MKD) before humbling junior and U23 World silver medalist Yurii IDZINSKYI (UKR) with a similar scoreline.

In the semifinal, Yaraslau SLAVIKOUSKI (BLR) had no answers to Tebloev's attacks and suffered a victory by fall after the Russian had built a 14-2 lead.

At 61kg, Teimuraz VANISHVILI (GEO) managed to reach his first U23 Euro final in four attempts and finishing with bronze medal three years ago. He will take on Razmik PAPIKYAN (ARM) in the final.

Arushanian, Gadzhiev Euro champs

In a bout that has the potential to become the bout of the year, junior world champion at 70kg Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) captured his first U23 European title as he defeated Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (RUS) 13-10 in the 65kg final.

Kudiev had Arushanian to his back early in the bout but could not control him there for long. That scramble gave both the wrestler two points each and a 3-2 lead to the Ukrainian.

Two takedowns later, he led 7-2 with Kudiev struggling to break into his defence. He did give up a takedown but scored a four-point throw from a head lock to lead 11-4.

Kudiev then reciprocated with a front head lock four points as well to make it 11-8. But a double leg takedown for Arushanian all but sealed the gold medal.

Dzhabrail GADZHIEV U23 European Championships

Another former age-group world champion Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) held on to a nervous 5-5 win over Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA) to clinch the 70kg gold medal.

With just over over a minute remaining in the bout, Gadzhiev stepped with a two exposure to level it 4-4 and lead on criteria as Grahmez had scored two points via pushouts. Gadzhiev and Grahmez exchanged a stepout each in the last few seconds but that still gave the win to the Azerbaijan wrestler.

Akhmed IDRISOV (RUS) began the medal round with a gold medal winning performance for Russia as he defeated Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) 6-0 at 57kg.

In his typical calm manner of wrestling, Idrisov managed to evade everything Rzazade threw at him and scored three takedowns in the final.

The second Russian to win the gold was Aslanbek SOTIEV (RUS) who defeated Radu LEFTER (MDA) 10-0 via technical superiority.

Ramazan SARI (TUR) denied Russia their third gold medal of the night he scored a 14-4 win over Khalid IAKHIEV (RUS). Sari, a bronze medalist at U23 World Championships, took advantage of Iakhiev continuous attacks and scored three four-point throws in the final.

Ramazan Ishak SARI U23 European Championships

Women's wrestling will begin in five weight classes -- 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg and 76kg -- on Wednesday in Skopje.

Results:

Freestyle Semifinals

61kg
GOLD: Razmik PAPIKYAN (ARM) vs Teimuraz VANISHVILI (GEO)

SF 1: Teimuraz VANISHVILI (GEO) df Nico MEGERLE (GER), 4-0
SF 2: Razmik PAPIKYAN (ARM) df Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR), 3-2

74kg
GOLD: Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM) vs Chermen VALIEV (RUS)

SF 1: Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM) df Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), 12-2
SF 2: Chermen VALIEV (RUS) df Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), 7-1

86kg
GOLD: Amanula RASULOV (RUS) vs Orkhan ABASOV (AZE)

SF 1: Amanula RASULOV (RUS) df Andrian GROSUL (MDA), via fall
SF 2: Orkhan ABASOV (AZE) df Lars SCHAEFLE (GER), 8-7

92kg
GOLD: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) vs Erhan YAYLACI (TUR)

SF 1: Erhan YAYLACI (TUR) df Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 6-2
SF 2: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) df Arkadzi PAHASIAN (BLR), 4-0

125kg
GOLD: Atsamaz TEBLOEV (RUS) vs Anil KILICSALLAYAN (TUR)

SF 1: Anil KILICSALLAYAN (TUR) df Vakhit GALAYEV (AZE), 4-3
SF 2: Atsamaz TEBLOEV (RUS) df Yaraslau SLAVIKOUSKI (BLR), via fall (14-2)

FS Medal Bouts

57kg
GOLD: Akhmed IDRISOV (RUS) df Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE), 6-0

BRONZE: Ramaz TURMANIDZE (GEO) df Kamil KERYMOV (UKR), 5-3
BRONZE: Simone PIRODDU (ITA) df Hafiz HASDEMIR (TUR), 4-1

65kg
GOLD: Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) df Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (RUS), 13-10

BRONZE: Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) df Uladzislau KOIKA (BLR), 10-0
BRONZE: Cavit ACAR (TUR) df Marwane Ahmed YEZZA (FRA), inj def

70kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) df Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA), 5-5

BRONZE: Inalbek SHERIEV (RUS) df Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO), 8-2
BRONZE: Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) df Denys BOROHAN (UKR), 3-2

79kg
GOLD: Ramazan Ishak SARI (TUR) df Khalid IAKHIEV (RUS), 14-4

BRONZE: Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) df Goga MAMIAURI (GEO), 7-4
BRONZE: Valentyn BABII (UKR) df Salvatore DIANA (ITA), 11-1

97kg
GOLD: Aslanbek SOTIEV (RUS) df Radu LEFTER (MDA), 10-0

BRONZE: Aliaksei PARKHOMENKA (BLR) df Tsvetan EVTIMOV (BUL), 11-3
BRONZE: Islam ILYASOV (AZE) df Luka KHUTCHUA (GEO), 11-0

#JapanWrestling

Gomi Takes Big Strides as Japan’s Next Greco-Roman Hope

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 - 13:33 By Vinay Siwach

JAPAN (February 18) -- Koto GOMI (JPN) has been racking up titles in recent times. Last year, he won the U23 world title, the first for Japan in six years. He then won the All-Japan Championships gold in December for the first time.

Making his senior debut in 2026, the 21-year-old had an extraordinary run at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event, winning the 60kg gold medal and giving up only three points in four bouts. In the final, Gomi defeated world silver medalist Alisher GANIEV (UZB), 10-0, using three arm-throws to secure the victory inside the first period.

Koto GOMI (JPN) defeated Alisher GANIEV (UZB) in the Zagreb Open final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

While it may be too early to call Gomi a protégé, he may have already ended Japan's search for a new star at 60kg and a replacement for Olympic champion Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN).

The 30-year-old Fumita is a two-time world champion and won silver at the 2023 World Championships. A silver medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, he turned it into gold at Paris 2024.

But Fumita has not stepped on the mat since. He took time off and was entered in the All-Japan Championships at 63kg, but later pulled out. Though he did not mention it, most in Japan cite weight-cut issues for his delayed return.

That leaves Yu SHIOTANI (JPN), Kaito INABA (JPN) and Gomi as the front-runners for the spot if Fumita cannot make it. Gomi pinned Shiotani and then beat Inaba via technical superiority at the National Sports Festival in October.

Two months later in December, he again beat Shiotani to earn a spot on Japan’s Asian Championships team.

Koto GOMI (JPN), left, after winning the All-Japan University Championships. (Photo: Koto Gomi / Instagram)

Early start

Gomi was born in the Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo. The prefecture has given wrestling some of its biggest stars including Olympic champions Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) and Tatsuhiro YONEMITSU (JPN).

He was introduced to wrestling by his father Joe, a kickboxer. Joe would take his eldest son Koto to far away tournaments to compete. Though the results were not always satisfying, Shiro wanted his son to face high-level competition every year.

"Wrestling has few injuries," he was quoted as saying by Japan Wrestling Federation in 2010. "It's a sport that develops physical ability and trains both the body and mind. I think it's the perfect martial art for children.

"It's a sport where older students take care of younger students. They naturally take care of you without you having to teach them."

It's true in Gomi's case. Like Gomi, both Fumita and Inaba hail from the same prefecture and attended the same high school.

Fumita's father, Toshiro, introduced most wrestlers to Greco in their high school. While Fumita and Inaba moved to Nippon Sports Science University, Gomi is at the Ikuei University, same as the world and Olympic champions in women's Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) and Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN).

Koto GOMI (JPN), blue, at the 2022 U20 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Gomi began competing exclusively in Greco-Roman around 2022 but did not get satisfactory results internationally, finishing fifth and ninth at the two U20 World Championships.

In one of the memorable matches early in his career, Gomi had troubled the now Olympic Saied ESMAEILI (IRI). At the 2022 U20 Worlds, he was led 6-4 and then 9-4 at one point in the match against the Iranian but he lost it 13-9.

Two years later, Gomi emerged as a dominant force. He won the gold medal at the U20 Asian Championships and all age-group domestic competitions. His only losses came at the senior All-Japan Championships, winning bronze at three of them.

Gomi said his recent success was the result of years of hard work, particularly at university.

"I don't seem to be the athletic type, but rather a refreshing liberal arts type, and that's how I'm often seen," Gomi said. "I'm competitive. I get really annoyed and frustrated when I lose in practice. The hard work I've put in over the past four years at university is starting to show in the past year."

Domestic challenges

In 2025, Gomi suffered only one loss in five tournaments -- a 10-0 humiliation to Shiotani in May. But in December, he avenged that loss in the final of the All-Japan Championships and earned a chance to represent Japan at the 2026 Asian Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in April.

The December win also put Gomi a step closer to the 2026 World Championships and Asian Games. He now has to win the Japan National Championships in May to qualify for both. If he fails to win, he will have a wrestle-off with the winner on the same day.

Both the U23 World Championships and the Zagreb Open showcased Gomi's technical excellence. He often uses a two-on-one to set up his arm-throws and arm-drags. It is his swiftness, rather than brute force, that allows him to complete his attacks.

In par terre, Gomi has an excellent high gut-wrench, which he used effectively against Sajjad ABBASPOUR (IRI) in Zagreb and Maxwell BLACK (USA) at the U23 Worlds.

"I'm starting to find my strengths, like in terms of technique, so I think that's a good thing," he said.

Despite his rapid rise, Gomi is cautious about calling himself the best yet. He knows he still needs to get past several domestic rivals before becoming Japan’s first-choice wrestler at 60kg.

"It's not like that, but I was conscious of focusing on my strengths and techniques and taking the initiative to attack," he said. "But, there are many other players in Japan, like Fumita and Inaba, and I don't think I can beat them yet, so I'll continue to practice hard."

But if Zagreb was any indication, it may not take long.

Valiev Leads Russian Trio Into Finals; Arushanian, Gadzhiev Crowned Euro Champs

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Gomi Takes Big Strides as Japan’s Next Greco-Roman Hope