#WrestlePontevedra

Vyshnyvetskyi, Gutu among young stars to reach U23 Worlds finals

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

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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)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)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)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)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

#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open: Six Paris medalists in action; Blades drops to 68kg

Saturday, February 1, 2025 - 17:26 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (February 1) -- With a couple of factors determining her decision, Kennedy BLADES (USA) will be moving down to 68kg, six months after winning the Olympic silver medal at 76kg in Paris.

Blades will make her 68kg debut at next week's Zagreb Open which coincides with her college wrestling season in which she wrestles at 160 pounds (around 72kg).

"Since I am in the middle of the college wrestling season and I am close to the weight (160lbs), I wanted to see how I felt," Blades told UWW.

Zagreb Open has a two-kilogram weight allowance and Blades revealed that she weighs around 72kg-73kg which makes it ideal for her to wrestle at 68kg in Zagreb. Even in Paris, Blades was wrestling under 76kg.

"I was naturally 2-4 kilograms under 76kg," she said. "So I wanted to see how I feel at my natural weight. Depending on how I feel, I'll determine if I want  to stay at 68kg or go back to 76kg."

Over her international career, Blades has never wrestled below 69kg, winning gold at the U17 Pan-Am Championships in 2018. She moved to 73kg for the U17 World Championships a year later and 72kg for the U20 World Championships in 2021. For her senior debut, Blades moved up to 76kg for the Henri Deglane in 2023 and competed at all tournaments for two years at that weight.

At 68kg in Zagreb, Blades will have to face a few long-timers.

World silver medalist from 2023 Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) and world bronze medalist Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) will be her biggest challenge. Former Asian silver medalist RADHIKA (IND) is also in the mix.

The United States will bring a solid team in Women's Wrestling with Blades, former world champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA), Michaela BECK (USA), Sofia MACALUSO (USA), Skylar GROTE (USA) and Yelena MAKOYED (USA).

PRIYA (IND)PRIYA (IND) is a U20 world champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

India has a full squad going to Zagreb with a few young stars. Former U17 and U20 world champion PRIYA (IND) will be at 76kg, along with Asian medalist MANISHA (IND).

Azerbaijan will be pinning hopes on its first-ever U23 world champion in Women's Wrestling Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) to shine in the 57kg which also has Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (AIN), Ramona GALAMBOS (HUN) and TAPSYA (IND). It also has Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE), Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) and Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) wrestling in Zagreb.

Paris Olympian Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) will be at 62kg a week after winning the Dan Kolov tournament in Varna. She will face challenges from Ameline DOUARRE (FRA), Nikolett SZABO (HUN), Bhagyashree FAND (IND) and Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA).

Freestyle

A battle of two Olympic medalists at 57kg is on the cards as Spencer LEE (USA) and AMAN (IND) are registered for the tournament. Lee won a silver medal at the Paris Games while Aman came home with a bronze medal.

While these two are the biggest achievers in the field, former European champion Azamat TUSKAEV (SRB) will pose a significant challenge as he continues to find his space since he changed his nationality to Serbia. Paris Olympian Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) is also in the fray, giving a mouth-watering clash for the U.S. fans between him and Lee.

Iran is debuting Ahora KHATERI (IRI) at the senior level. He won the 2023 U17 World Championships at 45kg but moved to 60kg in one year and finished eighth at the U17 World Championships in 2024.

Iran's struggle at the lower weights has continued over a decade now and Khateri is touted as the most promising of the new lot. It is also trying its new batch at 61kg, sending Ahmad JAVAN (IRI), Ebrahim KHARI (IRI) and Reza Hossein MOMENI (IRI) to Zagreb.

But the star of the Iran line-up will be Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) who won the U20 and U23 World Championships gold medals at 125kg. He is likely to go unchallenged in Zagreb but the field includes Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO), Hayden ZILLMER (USA) and Mason PARRIS (USA) to name a few.

More closely contested battles will be on display at 92kg as Aaron BROOKS (USA) moves up from 86kg, a weight class he won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. He will have his hands full with Asian champion Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) and former U20 world champion Mohammadmobin AZIMI (IRI).

World silver medalist Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) will be among the favorites for the gold along with former world silver medalist and Paris Olympian Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) who is returning to 92kg and will be joined by compatriot Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE). Boris MAKOEV (SVK) is also listed at 92kg for the competition.

Former Olympic and world champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) will kick off his season in Zagreb and hope to reclaim the gold he lost in 2024 to Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI). The field at 97kg is a little thin but still has Abolfazl BABALOO (IRI), Radu LEFTER (MDA) and Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK) among others.

Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN)Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) is entered at 70kg for the Zagreb Open. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

2023 world champion Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) is entered at 70kg. He finished fifth at the same tournament in 2023 but will be the most experienced wrestler in the field this year. He will have a few known rivals in the field including James GREEN (USA), Alec PANTALEO (USA) and Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE).

Iran has gone with 2022 U17 world champion Ebrahim ELAHI (IRI) and Sina KHALILI (IRI), a 2023 U17 world champion who finished seventh at the World Championships in Tirana last year.

Greco-Roman

Azerbaijan is all out with their Greco-Roman team in the first Ranking Series of the year. Three recent world champions, Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) and Uvli GANIZADE (AZE) are part of a 22-member strong squad that also has Paris Olympic bronze medalist Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), Tokyo bronze medalist Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE), Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) among other younger stars.

Jafarov will be back in action at 67kg and hopes to start his season on a high. The wrestlers trying to stop him include teenager Mohammadreza GHOLAMI (IRI) and U20 world champion Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI). The field also has former world champion Sebastian NAD (SRB) and Morten THORESEN (NOR).

At 60kg, defending champion Sadyk LALAEV (AIN) leads the field, followed by Mammadli, the newly crowned world champion at 63kg. However, as Azerbaijan's first choice at the Olympic weight class, he is moving down to 60 kg. Paris Olympian Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) is also entered, along with U23 world champion Alisher GANIEV (UZB), who is known for his big moves.

Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) will face a tough challenge from the Iranian duo of Danial SOHRABI (IRI) and Tokyo Olympic champion Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI). World champion Ganizade is the defending champion at 72kg but Geraei will be keen on getting on top of the podium at an international event, a feat he hasn't achieved since winning gold at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup in June 2022. Sohrabi too has blown hot and cold since winning gold at the U23 World Championships in 2022.

Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)Zagreb Open will be a big test for Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) at 77kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The two of the highly competitive weight classes in Greco-Roman are 77kg and 87kg and the Zagreb Open will be no different.

At 77kg, Sergei KUTUZOV (AIN) will be back in action, facing a few of the mainstays of this weight class. Suleymanov will be looking to shake off his disappointment of missing a medal in Paris with a better showing in Zagreb.

But there are a few challenges. Paris Olympians Amin KAVIYANI (IRI) and Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) are competing in Zagreb and so is Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) who continues to build his profile. Gutu narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Paris Olympics but is one of the most dynamic wrestlers in the weight class. Surprisingly, former U17 world champion and Gutu's teammate Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) is also at 77kg.

Hungary has also sent Robert FRITSCH (HUN) and Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) at 77kg while Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN) is a dark horse.

Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN)Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) is likely to have his Olympic bronze-medal bout rematch against David LOSONCZI (HUN). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

The 87kg weight class will see Paris bronze medalist Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) and a few other Paris Olympians as well. Bisultanov may have a rematch of his bronze-medal bout against David LOSONCZI (HUN) who is one of three Hungarian wrestlers entered. Tamas LEVAI (HUN) and Istvan TAKACS (HUN) will also try to claim their stake for the spot on the Hungarian national team in this weight class.

Aues GONIBOV (AIN) and Milad ALIRZAEV (AIN) are the two neutral athletes with decorated resumes. Former world champion Huseynov is also entered along with Ivan HUKLEK (CRO), Naser ALIZADEH (IRI), Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ), Marcel STERKENBURG (NED), Exauce MUKUBU (NOR), Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) and Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB).