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

#wrestlebishkek

Saravi, Mirzazadeh shine in Bishkek

Thursday, June 1, 2023 - 19:29 By Vinay Siwach

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (June 1) -- Two of Iran's biggest Greco-Roman stars got their preparations for the World Championships underway with gold medals.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) won the 97kg and 130kg weight classes respectively at the Kaba Uulu Kozhomkul & Raatbek Sanatbaev Ranking Series event in Bishkek on Monday.

Saravi, who has not competed since winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in September 2022, returned to the mat and powered himself to the top of the podium in a 25-2 rout of his opponents.

While he controlled all his bouts, the most significant win for Saravi was over compatriot Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI) in the semifinals. This also makes him the front-runner to represent Iran at the World Championships in Belgrade in September.

Balihamzehdeh was hoping to earn a place on the national team but his 7-1 loss to Saravi all but closes the doors for him.

In the final, Saravi was up against Yiming LI (CHN) and walked to a 3-1 win to clinch the gold. He got the turn from pat terre while Li failed to do the same which proved to be the difference between the two.

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) defeated Oscar PINO (CUB) 2-1 in the final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Mirzazadeh, a world silver medalist, claimed two confidence-boosting wins, first over Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) who defeated him a year ago in Almaty and second over 2019 world silver medalist and Pan-American champion Oscar PINO (CUB) at 130kg.

After winning the Asian Championships last month, Mirzazadeh came into Bishkek with the same form and faced Yilidrim 4-1. Yildirim had beaten Mirzazadeh in Almaty in 2022 at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup.

In a bout worthy of being a World Championships final, Pino began as the favorite in the final but as Mirzazadeh build pressure, he tired up and Mirzazadeh gained the upper hand. The two exchanged passivity but Mirzazadeh got an extra stepout to win the medal which has pushed him to the top of the rankings as well, replacing world and European champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR).

"I feel happy to win this gold," Mirzazadeh said. "I worked really hard for this competition. I will do the same to win the gold medal in Belgrade."

On winning against Pino, Mirzazadeh said that it is always difficult to win at 130kg.

"In my weight class, most are good wrestlers," he said. "But I train very hard for the Olympics. My weight has good wrestlers from Turkiye and Cuba but I am training really hard for the gold medal and I am the best."

Another young Iranian who shone in Bishkek was Daniel SHORABI (IRI) who won the 67kg. The U20 and U23 world champion wrestled Abror ATABAEV (UZB) in his first bout and came out on top 7-5. If he thought his next bout be an easier one, Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) did not let that happen. Despite a barn-burner, it was Shorabi who won 6-5.

In the semifinal, Shorabi defeated Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) 10-2 and booked a place in the final against HUSIYUETU (CHN) who blanked Olympic champion Luis ORTA (CUB) 9-0, his second win over the Cuban in four months. But Husiyuetu failed to hold up against Shorabi who won the gold medal after a dominating 8-2 win.

Uzbekistan emerged as the second-best team with two gold medals while Georgia and Kazakhstan won one gold each.

In 87kg and 60kg, Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) and Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) became the champions respectively.

Berdimuratov was up against Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) in the opening round and won 1-1 after getting the second activity point. He faced Melis AITBEKOV (KGZ) and won 9-0 before beating another Kyrgyzstan wrestler Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ) 8-0 in the semifinal.

In the final, Gurami KHETSURIANI (GEO) did put up a fight against Berdimuratov but the Uzbekistan wrestler was strong enough to win 5-3 and capture his first gold medal at 87kg.

"This is my first gold medal in the new weight category," Berdimuratov said. "This medal gives me strength and self-confidence and now I will try to win gold in the next championships."

Berdimuratov has spent a major part of his career at 82kg and won a silver medalist at this weight class in Belgrade as well. But with Paris Olympics approaching, he switched to 87kg, an Olympic weight class.

"For me, this is a comfortable weight," he said. "I have prepared a lot for this weight and preparations are still going on. I lost earlier and now I have begun to win and believe in myself."

The Uzbekistan wrestler was performing at the new weight class at the Zagreb Ranking Series as well but he says that those were his early days at the weight.

"In Zagreb, I was not ready for this weight," he said. "But I continued to work on myself, then I placed third in Asia and now won here I won gold. I am not preparing for a certain wrestler. Whoever is in the draw, I will fight."

Bakhramov, a three-time Ranking Series gold medalist, added a fourth gold as he defeated Nursultan BAZARBAYEV (KAZ), 6-0, in the final to give Uzbekistan its second gold medal of the night.

Uzbekistan could have won a third gold medal but world bronze medalist Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) at 55kg.

At 63kg, world silver medalist and European champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO) denied Uzbekistan another gold medal as he defeated Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB), 7-4 in the final.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) df. Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), 4-2

BRONZE: MANJEET (IND) df. Yersin ABYIR (KAZ), 14-9
BRONZE: Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) df. Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB), 4-1

60kg
GOLD: Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Nursultan BAZARBAYEV (KAZ), 6-0

BRONZE: Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) df. Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ), 8-0
BRONZE: Yernar FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) df. Balbai DORDOKOV (KGZ), 11-6

63kg
GOLD: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df. Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB), 7-4

BRONZE: Dastan KADYROV (KGZ) df. Baiaman KARIMOV (KGZ), 9-0
BRONZE: Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Geminghan REHETI (CHN), 6-0

67kg
GOLD: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. HUSIYUETU (CHN), 8-2

BRONZE: Abror ATABAEV (UZB) df. Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ), 11-1
BRONZE: Luis ORTA (CUB) df. Mahmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB), 7-1

87kg
GOLD: Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) df. Gurami KHETSURIANI (GEO), 5-3

BRONZE: Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) df. Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. Azamat KUSTUBAYEV (KAZ), 1-1

97kg
GOLD: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Yiming LI (CHN), 3-1

BRONZE: Beksultan MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Zhantas NURGALI (KAZ), 3-1,
BRONZE: Artur OMAROV (CZE) df. Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI), 5-1

130kg
GOLD: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Oscar PINO (CUB), 2-1

BRONZE: Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) df. Sulkhan BUIDZE (GEO), 9-0
BRONZE: Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) df. Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU), via walkover

Vyshnyvetskyi, Gutu among young stars to reach U23 Worlds finals

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Saravi, Mirzazadeh shine in Bishkek