Vyshnyvetskyi, Gutu among young stars to reach U23 Worlds finals

Monday, October 17, 2022 - 20:07 By Vinay Siwach

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 17) -- When Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) saw his draw for the U23 World Championships, he had his task cut out.

In his first bout, he was pitted against the 2021 senior world champion Aliakbar YOUSOFI (IRI) and that made Vyshnyvetskyi the underdog. But unfazed by his opponent, the U20 world champion used a headlock throw before piling up the pressure on Yousofi to eke out a 7-1 and pull off the upset on day one of the tournament.

“I was preparing for the match because I knew he is a senior world champion,” Vyshnyvetskyi said. “I knew it wouldn’t be easy. However, his wrestling style quite suited me.”

With half the job done, Vyshnyvetskyi made sure he continued his good form and reached the final in 130kg as five gold-medal pairs were decided in Greco-Roman.

Vyshnyvetskyi wrestled Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE) in the quarterfinal and scored a 6-3 win. He will now wrestle U23 European silver medalist Fatih BOZKURT (TUR), who avenged his Euro loss to Dariusz VITEK (HUN).

“I have never wrestled him [Bozkurt] before, he said. “I hope to win because I came here to win the gold.”

Vitek would have fancied his chances against Bozkurt as he had defeated him in Plovdiv in February but the Turkey wrestler shut Vitek with top-class defense. Bozkurt won 6-1.

Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) scored an 8-0 win over Ken MATSUI at 55kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Another Oslo world champion suffered a loss on day one. Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) stunned Ken MATSUI (JPN) at 55kg with an 8-0 win.

Matsui was called passive in the first period and Guluzade scored two turns from par terre to lead 5-0. In a rare instance, Matsui was called passive in the second period as well and Guluzade made sure he finished the bout by getting a turn.

The returning bronze medalist will now face returning silver medalist Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) in the final.

Dad Marz was up against U20 world silver medalist Denis MIHAI (ROU) and in trouble when the latter raced to a 4-0 lead early in the bout.

But Dad Marz kept his cool and scored two head pinches to lead 4-4 before making it 6-4 at the break. He was awarded the par terre position from which Dad Marz got a turn to secure a 9-4 lead, enough for him to play out the rest of the time.

That loss for Mihai denied him the opportunity to take on Guluzade for the third time this year. Guluzade defeated Mihai at the U20 European and World finals.

Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) reached the 63kg final after beating Ziya BABASHOV (AZE) 5-1. (Photo: UWW / Kostandin Andonov)

Another Iran wrestler who made it to the final was Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) as he defeated Ziya BABASHOV (AZE) 5-1 in the semifinal.

It was Babashov who opened the score but Khoon Mohammadi scored two stepouts to lead 2-1 at the break. In the second period, he was awarded the passivity call and he scored a turn from par terre to win.

The job is only half done for Khoon Mohammadi as he faces former U20 world champion and U23 European champion Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO), who beat Maksym LIU (UKR), 5-2.

Liu defended from par terre for the longest time when Shotadze tried to gut wrench. But as the referee was about to call neutral, Shotadze lifted Liu and scored four via a suplex, executed very close to the mat rather than the high-flying one.

In the second period, Liu failed to score from par terre and only got a caution.

Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) reached the 77kg gold medal bout. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

In the remaining semifinals, Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) set up an exciting final against senior European champion and world bronze medalist Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM).

Gutu, one of the most active wrestlers this year, ended his long drought of missing out on finals at the World Championships and made it with a technical superiority win over Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR).

The match did not begin in favor of Gutu as he was put in par terre. But Gutu got out of the grip in stunning fashion and scored a four using a front headlock. Vasetskyi was cautioned for a defensive foul which gave two more to Gutu.

The bout restarted in par terre and Gutu scored another four-pointer to claim an 11-1 win with the final point coming off a lost challenge.

But in the final, he will be up against a far more experienced wrestler in Amoyan.

His semifinal opponent was a surprise Nao KUSAKA (JPN) who reached the last four by beating U23 world champion Idris IBAEV (GER) in the quarterfinal.

Kusaka began the semifinal on a strong note leading 5-0 but Amoyan got going with a four before adding a point for passivity and stepouts. A takedown in the second period helped him win 9-5.

Amoyan had an extremely battling day as he opened the day against Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) with a 1-1 win and faced Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ) in the quarterfinal. Talantbekov got the 1-1 lead in the second period but Amoyan scored a stepout and win 2-1.

Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) came from behind to reach the 87kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kostandin Andonov)

At 87kg, Istvan TAKACS (HUN) rallied for a 4-1 win against Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL) in the semifinal. He will now take on Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) in the final.

Tadevosyan was down 4-0 against Maksat SAILAU (KAZ) as the Kazakhstan wrestler used a headlock for four. But Tadevosyan scored a takedown to cut the score to 4-2.

Another takedown and caution against Sailau meant he took the outright lead. Sailau was warned for passivity, adding another point to Tadevosyan's score as he won 6-4.

The U23 World Championships will continue on the second day with the remaining five Greco-Roman weight classes in action.

RESULTS

Greco-Roman

55kg
GOLD: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) vs. Nihad GULUZADE (AZE)

SF 1: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Denis MIHAI (ROU), 9-4
SF 2: Nihad GULUZADE (AZE) df. Ken MATSUI (JPN), 8-0

63kg
GOLD: Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) vs. Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Ziya BABASHOV (AZE), 5-1
SF 2: Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO) df. Maksym LIU (UKR), 5-2

77kg
GOLD: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) vs. Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR), 11-1
SF 2: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Nao KUSAKA (JPN), 9-5

87kg
GOLD: Istvan TAKACS (HUN) vs. Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM)

SF 1: Istvan TAKACS (HUN) df. Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL), 4-1
SF 2: Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) df. Maksat SAILAU (KAZ), 6-4

130kg
GOLD: Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) vs. Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR)

SF 1: Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) df. Dariusz VITEK (HUN), 6-1
SF 2: Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) df. Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE), 6-3

#WrestleAstana

Makhmudov breaks Iranian gold monopoly on Asian C'ships opening day

Sunday, April 9, 2023 - 16:27 By Ken Marantz

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (April 9) -- World champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) prevented an Iranian sweep of the gold medals on the opening day of the Asian Championships on Sunday, retaining his Greco-Roman 77kg title when his Iranian opponent was forced to default before the final due to injury.

Makhmudov was awarded the gold without a fight against Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI), but it could be said the Iranian would have been hard-pressed to defeat Makhmudov even if he had been in the best of shape.

Makhmudov, who became Kyrgyzstan's first-ever male world champion last year in Belgrade, had stormed into the final with a pair of first-period technical falls. The forfeit gave him a second straight Asian title and third overall.

"I would like to say that this is one of the luckiest tournaments for me," Makhmudov said. "Unfortunately, I couldn’t wrestle against the best ones, I could not wrestle the Korean guy, I thought I would wrestle him in the semifinals," he added, referring to five-time former Asian champion and two-time Olympic medalist Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR), who lost in the quarterfinals to Kodai SAKURABA (JPN). Makhmudov handily defeated Sakuraba in the semis.

"Also, I thought I would be able to wrestle my good friend from Iran, but unfortunately he got injured," Makhmudov said. "I wish him a sooner recovery and a quick comeback on the mat."

Kaviyaninejad, the only unseeded Iranian in action on the first day, suffered a twisted left knee during a tough 1-1 quarterfinal win over Rui LIU (CHN). He had it strapped for his semifinal victory over Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), but felt unable to perform in the final. He now has a silver to go with the Asian gold he won at 72kg in 2020 and a bronze medal won in 2021.

Otherwise, it was as good a day as it gets for Iran at the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace. The Middle East powerhouse swept the four other gold medals at stake with victories by Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) at 55kg, Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) at 63kg, Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) at 87kg and Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) at 130kg. For Alizadeh, it was his third straight title.

Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) won his third Asian Championships title. (Photo: UWW / Assem Shalgumbayeva)

Makhmudov, who will turn 24 on Saturday, stole the spotlight at the 2018 Asian Championships in Bishkek in his native country when he won the 72kg gold at age 18. A serious knee injury soon after that required surgery and a long rehab, which kept him out of action for over two years.

But he made up for the lost time by winning the silver medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, then made his historic run to the world gold last year. He underwent knee surgery after that but opened this year with a victory at the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov tournament in Sofia in early March.

"After the World Championships in Serbia, I had surgery on my knee, recovered and got back to training," he said. "This is a very important year for me, this is the qualifying World Championships [for the 2024 Paris Olympics], and I would like to be there in my best form. I would like to qualify for the Olympics as soon as possible, and spend the rest of the time preparing for the Olympics."

Iman Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) completed his three wins, including the final, with a 9-0 scoreline. (Photo: UWW / Assem Shalgumbayeva)

The most dominant wrestler of the day was Mohammadi, as he won all three of his matches at 63kg by 9-0 technical falls, finishing up with a victory by that scoreline over Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB).

The top-seeded Mohammadi, who completed a world U23 and U20 double last year, scored two takedowns and two stepouts to take a 6-0 lead after the first period. Put in par terre in the second period, he finished the match at 4:09 with a lift and roll.

Mohammadi's victory was a virtual repeat of his 10-0 win over Sharibjanov in a bronze-medal match at the Ranking Series Zagreb Open in early February.

Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) defended his 87kg Asian title in Astana. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Alizadeh was also facing a familiar opponent, and had a similar result, putting away former Asian champion Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) with an 8-0 technical fall 33 seconds into the second period.

Alizadeh used a throw from par terre to take a 3-0 lead, then got three consecutive stepouts to go up 6-0 at the break. The Iranian quickly finished the match in the second period with two more stepouts, the second coming when he slipped out of a headlock throw attempt.

It marks the third year in a row that Alizadeh has defeated Tursynov at the Asian Championships, having beaten him 3-0 in the semifinals last year and by fall in the quarterfinals in 2021.

Tursynov pulled a surprise by knocking off world 82kg silver medalist Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) in the quarterfinals, coming back from five points down to win 11-5.

For the 32-year-old Tursynov, the silver is his first Asian medal in eight years -- he won the silver in 2015, the year after winning his lone gold.

Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) is now unbeaten in four international tournaments since September 2022. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Dad Marz, coming off a victory at the Zagreb Open, got the Iranian gold rush started by taking the 55kg title with a 3-1 win over a scrappy RUPIN (IND), who knocked off 2022 silver medalist and top seed Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) in the quarterfinals.

"Two years ago in the Kazakhstan Asian Championships, I won a bronze medal and now I changed that medal to gold," Dad Marz said. "I hope to represent Iran in the next World Championships and win a gold medal there."

In the final, both wrestlers received a passivity point, but neither could turn the other in par terre. Rupin's came in the second period, putting him ahead on criteria when he was called for passivity and again put on the bottom. As Dad Marz was working for a front headlock, the Indian was assessed a 2-point penalty for locking the Iranian's arm.

"The Indian wrestler was a tough rival and he defeated Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in the previous rounds," Dad Marz said.

The 23-year-old Dad Marz is on an upward trajectory, having won the 2017 world junior gold, a senior Asian bronze in 2021, the world U23 gold last year and the Zagreb Open this year.

"During the last months, I won gold medals in Spain and Zagreb tournaments as well as at the Baku World Cup with the Iran team," he said. "I hope to continue these titles and compensate for my loss last year [at the senior worlds] in Belgrade with the best medal at the 2023 World Championships."

World silver medalist Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) won his second Asian title and first since 2020. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Capping the gold rush was world silver medalist Mirzazadeh, who received a passivity point in each period to defeat Lingzhe MENG (CHN) 2-0 in the 130kg final to wrap up the day's action and add to the Asian gold he won in 2020.

"It's my second gold in the Asian Championships after the first appearance in 2020 in New Delhi and I am glad about that," Mirzazadeh said. "It was also my first competition after the Belgrade World Championships and I had a good performance in the new year.

"It's five months until the 2023 World Championships and I should prepare myself better to change the 2022 silver medal to gold."

Meng, a bronze medalist at the Zagreb Open, made it to the final with a victory by cautions over defending champion Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ). Syzdykov, who led 5-0 early on, became visibly winded in the second period and three times sheepishly gave up a stepout, after which he received a caution. Meng was leading 11-3 when the bout ended.

Hosts pick up 3 bronzes

In addition to Tursynov's silver medal, host Kazakhstan came away with three bronze medals from Bekbolatov at 55kg, Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ) at 63kg and Syzdykov, who mustered the energy to win his third-place match at 130kg.

Bekbolatov needed just 1:38 to notch a 9-0 technical fall over Haifeng ZHANG (CHN), while Mamurbek took only slightly less time (1:28) to beat Chiezo MARUYAMA (JPN) by the same score.

Syzdykov defeated Minseok KIM (KOR) 5-3 in a rematch of last year's gold-medal showdown in Mongolia that the Kazakh won by fall.

Neighboring Uzbekistan was one of two countries with two bronze-medal winners, as Zagreb Open silver medalist Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) rolled over Taiga ONISHI (JPN) with a 9-0 technical fall in 3:23 at 55kg, and Berdimuratov edged Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) 2-2 at 87kg.

Maruyama and Onishi -- both world U20 bronze medalists -- were among four Japanese wrestlers in bronze-medal matches, but only Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) made it to the medal podium, which he did for the second straight year at 77kg.

Sakuraba, a 2019 world U23 silver medalist, overwhelmed Jeyhun OVEZDURDYYEV (TKM) by a 9-0 technical fall in 1:38 as he tries to solidify his place in the weight class that Shohei YABIKU (JPN) won a bronze medal in at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Ovezdurdyyev fell short in his bid to become Turkmenistan's fourth-ever Asian medalist in Greco-Roman and first since 2018.

Masato SUMI (JPN), who gave Alizadeh a tough fight in a 1-1 loss in the 87kg quarterfinals, failed to follow that up and lost 4-1 to Sunil KUMAR (IND), who earned his second straight bronze medal.

India also won two bronze medals, as NEERAJ (IND) preceded Kumar's win by beating Jinseub SONG (KOR) 5-2 at 63kg.

The other bronze at 77kg went to unheralded Rui LIU (CHN), who scored a takedown and gut wrench in the first 15 seconds and held on for a 5-2 win over Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), which denied him a fifth senior Asian medal.

Roman KIM (KGZ) won his second straight Asian bronze and third overall at 130kg with a 10-1 technical fall in 4:06 over world U20 bronze medalist Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB).

Day 1 Results

Greco-Roman

55kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. RUPIN (IND), 3-1

BRONZE: Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) df. Haifeng ZHANG (CHN) by TF, 9-0 (1:38)
BRONZE: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) df. Taiga ONISHI (JPN) by TF, 9-0 (3:23)

Semifinal: RUPIN (IND) df. Haifeng ZHANG (CHN), 3-1
Semifinal: Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), 8-1

63kg (9 entries)
GOLD: Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB) by TF, 9-0 (4:09)

BRONZE: NEERAJ (IND) df. Jinseub SONG (KOR), 5-2
BRONZE: Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ) df. Chiezo MARUYAMA (JPN) by TF, 9-0 (1:28)

Semifinal: Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Jinseub SONG (KOR) by TF, 9-0 (5:03)
Semifinal: Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB) df. Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ) by Fall, 4:41 (6-5)

77kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) by Inj. Def.

BRONZE: Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) df. Jeyhun OVEZDURDYYEV (TKM) by TF, 9-0 (1:38)
BRONZE: Rui LIU (CHN) df. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 5-2

Semifinal: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) by TF, 9-1 (2:41)
Semifinal: Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) df. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 3-1

87kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) df. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) by TF, 8-0

BRONZE: Sunil KUMAR (IND) df. Masato SUMI (JPN), 4-1
BRONZE: Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) df. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ), 2-2

Semifinal: Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) df. Sunil KUMAR (IND), 7-2
Semifinal: Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) df. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ) by TF, 12-0 (1:43)

130kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Lingzhe MENG (CHN), 2-0

BRONZE: Roman KIM (KGZ) df. Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) by TF, 10-1, 4:06
BRONZE: Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) df. Minseok KIM (KOR) 5-3

Semifinal: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) by TF, 9-0 (2:34)
Semifinal: Lingzhe MENG (CHN) df. Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) by Cautions, 4:30 (11-3)

Vyshnyvetskyi, Gutu among young stars to reach U23 Worlds finals

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Makhmudov breaks Iranian gold monopoly on Asian C'ships opening day