#WrestleAlmaty

WATCH: Women's wrestling finals from #WrestleAlmaty

Thursday, June 9, 2022 - 14:21 By Eric Olanowski

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ALMATY, Kazakhstan (June 9) --- Indian women showed up to the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup with their sights set on grabbing critical Ranking Series point. They had wrestlers reach the finals in six of the final seven weight classes and left Kazakhstan with five champions. They rounded out the women's wrestling side of the competition as team champs with with 192 points -- 21 points ahead of second place Kazakhstan 

The host nation finished with six medalists -- including a pair of gold-medal winners -- and 171 points. Uzbekistan rounded out the top three in the team standings with 121 points. They also had six wrestlers reach a podium position.

Here are the 10 women's wrestling finals from Almaty.

50kg: Namuuntsetseg TSOGT OCHIR (MGL) df. Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB), via fall

Asian Championships silver medalist Namuuntsetseg Tsogt Ochir (MGL) defeated Jasmina Immaeva (UZB) via fall in the 50kg final.

53kg:  Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) df. Zhuldyz ESHIMOVA (KAZ), via injury default

Eshimova injury defaulted out of the finals, giving Bat Ochir the 53kg title.
 

55kg: Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) df. Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB), 4-3

The second gold medal for Kazakhstan came from Marina Sedneva (KAZ) who defeated Shokhida Akhmedova (UZB), 4-3 in the 55kg final. She was called for passivity in the first period but hit a four at the start of the second to lead 4-1. Akhmedova managed to get an attack late in the bout and scored two points for danger but failed to get another as the time expired.

57kg: Mansi MANSI (IND) df. Emma TISSINA (KAZ), 3-0

For Ahlawat, it was a confidence-boosting win as she continues to remain in the shadow of world silver medalist Anshu Malik (IND) and two-time Asian champion Sarita Mor (IND) at 57kg.

In a strong performance in Almaty, Ahlawat defeated Emma Tissina (KAZ) twice to claim the gold medal. The two met in the morning session in Round 3 which the Indian won 6-0. She then defeated another Kazakhstan wrestler Laura Almaganbetova (KAZ) via fall in the semifinal.

Tissina put up a better challenge in the final as she stopped Ahlawat from her attacks. But she gave up a point for passivity and two more stepouts to lose 3-0.

59kg: Sarita SARITA (IND) df. Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE), 10-0

Over the years, Sarita Mor (IND) had made a reputation of being one of the strongest defensive wrestlers in India. But with a young crop of wrestling coming up with an aggressive brand of wrestling, she found it difficult to match them. Despite being hailed as a top-level wrestler domestically, she found it difficult to win international medals internationally.

That all changed in 2020 when she won her first Asian gold medal at home in New Delhi. She defended her title in Almaty last year and added a World bronze medal in Oslo at 59kg.

"Earlier, my wrestling was very defensive," Mor said. "But for the last three years, I have managed to make some progress and improve it. I have benefitted from wrestling at numerous competitions and I hope to continue that to rectify my mistakes."

The change, as Mor explains, is brought about by her coach Rahul Mann (IND).

"My coach and husband Rahul has worked a lot on me," she said. "The most important one is to be active at the start of the bout. I used to stand in a lazy position at the start and give up points. But now it's changed. From the start till the final whistle, I have to wrestle."

She executed that plan to perfection in Almaty, dominating her competition as she gave up only two points in her four bouts. In a Nordic bracket, she began the day against Diana Kayumova (KAZ), handing her an 11-0 defeat in Round 1. She would have liked to avenge her Asian Championships loss to Shoovdor Baatarjav (MGL) but the Mongolian forfeited.

Mor had Aizhan Ismagulova (KAZ) in the semifinal and after a slow start, she switched gears and scored takedowns to lead 6-2 at the break. Two minutes into the second period, Mor clinched a spot in the final with a technical superiority win. U23 European champion Zhala Aliyeva (AZE) was the next to fall against Mor as she clinched the gold with a series of exposures.

"I am feeling so good and I have had 4 competitions here. Apart from the Asian qualifiers here I have managed to win a medal here. The best feeling is always when the Indian flag is raised," she said.

After a medalless start to the year in Istanbul, Mor won a bronze at the Asian Championships and now gold in Almaty. She has now set her eyes on winning the title at the World Championships.

"At Worlds, I lost 3-0 in the semifinal, but now I want to win the belt for India," she said. "As I said, I am continuing to improve with every tournament."

62kg: Sakshi MALIK (IND) df. Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ), via fall

Malik, who reclaimed the starting spot at 62kg on the Indian team after beating Tokyo Olympian Sonam Malik (IND) for the first time, defeated Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ) twice in dominating fashion to win the gold medal.

The two met in the first round and Malik used the classic turks to finish the bout 10-0. She was supposed to meet Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) in the semifinal but the Mongolian had failed to register at the weigh-ins. Sukhee had defeated Malik at the first Ranking Series event in Istanbul.

After both qualified for the finals, it seemed that Kuznetsova will be able to give a stronger fight as she pulled off a four-pointer to lead 4-3. But Malik kept her calm and secured the fall in the second period.

65kg: Manisha MANISHA (IND) df. Elis MANOLOVA (AZE), 8-0

Perhaps it was her performance that rubbed off on her teammates as well. Manisha, who had suffered an 11-0 loss to Tokyo Olympian Elis Manolova (AZE) in the first round, recovered to win the gold at 65kg by beating Manolova.

The Indian was first put on the clock for inactivity but she scored a takedown and a stepout during the activity period to lead 3-0 at the break. Instead of going for attacks, Manisha decided to counter Manolova's attempts and was successful in scoring two go behinds.

As the clock ticked, frustration crept in for Manolova as she was warned for negative wrestling, giving the Indian another point. Apart from the two bouts against Manolova, Manisha outscored her opponents 21-0 and saved the best for the last with a strong counter-attacking game.

68kg: Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL) df. Divya KAKRAN (IND), 14-10

Kakran pinned Delgermaa Enkhsaikhan (MGL) and Albina Kairgeldinova (KAZ) in the first two rounds using her signature cradle move to secure 10 classification points.

In the third round, she met Bolortungalag Zorigt (MGL) who had one fall and a loss in which she got only one classification point to be at six. To win the gold, she had to pin Kakran but could manage only a 14-10 win which gave Kakran the gold.

The bronze medal went to Enkhsaikhan who defeated Kairgeldinova 11-0 in the third round.

72kg: Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) df. Bipasha BIPASHA (IND), 7-5

U20 Worlds silver medalist Bipasha (IND) could have made it three gold medals for India but Asian champion and World silver medalist Zhamila Bakbergenova (KAZ) denied her at 72kg.

The two wrestled in Round 3 which was virtually a gold medal bout after both had one win each in the morning session. Bakbergenova built a 5-0 lead in the first period and extended it to 7-0 within the first 30 seconds of the second.

Bipasha, 20, took some time to understand her opponent and it was only in the fourth minute of the bout that she tried attacking. She managed a takedown and stepout and Bakbergenova was cautioned twice for passive wrestling. But the Kazakhstan wrestler held off Bispasha and won the gold with a 7-5 scoreline.

76kg: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Samar Amer Ibrahim HAMZA (EGY), 17-6

In a marquee match at 76kg, World bronze medalists Aiperi Medet Kyzy(KGZ) and Samar Hamza (EGY) put on a show in a 23-point gold medal bout. Medet Kyzy won the gold 17-6.

The Istanbul Ranking Series winner Medet Kyzy had built a 4-0 lead with two takedowns but Hamza surprised her with a four-pointer to lead 4-4 at the break. Hamza tried defending the criteria lead but Medet Kyzy put her in danger with a two-on-one move. Hamza challenged the four-point call and lost as she had clearly landed on her shoulder.

From 9-4, the Asian champion quickly made it 13-6 with a whizzer but gave up two points in the same sequence. She then controlled the bout against a tiring Hamza scoring a takedown and a gut wrench to finish the bout.

#WrestleParis

Wrestling at Paris 2024: Susaki, Makhmudov stunned; Aleksanyan vs Rosillo rematch

Tuesday, August 6, 2024 - 08:35 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

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PARIS -- The Olympic Games enter day two of wrestling at the Champs de Mars arena with Greco-Roman 77kg and 97kg and Women's Wrestling 50kg. Yui SUSAKI (JPN) is hoping to defend her title from Tokyo which she won without conceding a point. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) is looking for his second title as well with the first coming in Rio.

LIVE MATCH ORDER | PARIS 2024 DAY 1

13:30: That is the end of the morning session! Mohamed GABR (EGY) is into the semifinal by beating Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) 4-1. On a day of upset, count that one as well.

13:19: The shocks continue as Mariya STADNIK (AZE) sees her bid for an elusive Olympic gold end when two-time world silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) scores a pair of takedowns in the final minute for a stunning 4-4 victory on big-point criteria. Dolgorjav went into the match a bit fresher after receiving a first-round forfeit from Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA), and she used her reserves to secure what proved to be the winning takedown with 28 seconds left. Stadnik challenged for eye poke which was confirmed on challenge but Dolgorjav still had criteria

13:18: Returning bronze medalist Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) with a technical superiority win over Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) and he is moving into the semifinal at 97kg.

13:15: Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) is into the Greco 77kg semifinals after beating Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) 1-1 on last-point criteria. Levai was put in par terre first, then held out when on the bottom in the second.

13:08: Tokyo bronze medalist Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) scrapes out a well-earned 7-4 victory over Ziqi FENG (CHN) to advance to the women's 50kg semifinals. Feng opens with a double-leg takedown that Hildebrandt reverses for 1, then goes ahead with shrug-by takedown. The two trade takedowns as the American goes into the break with a slim 5-4 lead. In the second period, she clinches the win with a takedown with :40 left.

13:05: Another star has fallen! World champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) saw his bid to become his country's first-ever gold medalist end with a 3-1 loss to Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ). Makhmudov got the chance in par terre first, but a series of rolls were nullified on challenge for leg use. In the second period, Zhadrayev applied a vicious front headlock from par terre and threw the Tokyo silver medalist for 2.

13:08: World champion Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) was in some trouble against Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) but managed to hold his lead and scored a takedown on the counter in the dying seconds of the bout to win 5-2. He moves into the semifinal at 97kg

12:58: Never count out Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM)! He was down 5-5 on criteria after Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) used two front headlocks to score exposure. But Aleksanyan got behind and threw Assakalov for four to win 9-5

12:57: Yusneylis GUZMAN (CUB) storms into the women's 50kg semifinals with a 10-0 win over Gabija DILYTE (LTU). Guzman arm drags behind for a takedown, then reels off three rolls for an 8-0 lead. Another takedown ends the match with nine seconds left in the first period.

12:49: Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) follows up her monumental win over Yui SUSAKI (JPN) by holding off Oksana LIVACH (UKR) 7-5 in a scrappy women's 50kg quarterfinal. Phogat gets two takedowns and leads 5-2 when Livach puts on a late surge, cutting the gap to 1 with a stepout and a lost challenge. With the clock winding down, Phogat shrugs off a throw attempt for 2, and Livach adds a late stepout.

12:48: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) gets a 2-point throw from par terre in the first period and that holds up for a 3-0 victory over Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) and a spot in the Greco 77kg semifinals.

12:45: Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) gets the par terre the second time and turns Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO), adds a four-pointer and finishes the bout 9-1 at 97kg

12:38: Top seed Nao KUSAKA (JPN) finishes off a 12-2 victory over Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) with a 4-point pancake to snatch his place in tonight's Greco 77kg semifinals.

12:34: Veteran Mariya STADNIK (AZE) begins her quest for a fifth Olympic medal -- hopefully a first gold -- with a 6-2 victory over world bronze medalist Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER). The 35-year-old mother of two gets a takedown-roll combination for a 4-0 lead in the first period, then gets 2 more when she rolls through a headlock attempt in the second.

12:30: Mohamed GABR (EGY) gave no chance to Mihail KAJAIA (SRB). Gabr took a 6-0 lead and then defended the par terre position to win 6-1 and advance at 97kg.

12:25: 2021 world silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) gets the passivity points and fights off Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) and an apparent left hamstring injury for a 2-0 victory at Greco 77kg.

12:23: Tokyo bronze medalist Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA)  goes out the backdoor for a takedown against Ibtissem DOUDOU (ALG), then transitions to the lace lock and reels off four rolls for a 10-0 win in 1:34 for a place in the women's 50kg quarterfinals.

12:18: World bronze medalist Ziqi FENG (CHN) uses an effective barrel roll for two takedowns of Nada MOHAMED (EGY), scoring a fall after the second one to advance to the women's 50kg quarterfinals.

12:19: Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) with a big four-pointer as he moves past Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU) 5-1 and enters the 97kg quarterfinals.

12:14: Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), the world silver medalist in 2022, gets a second-period stepout and that's enough for a 2-1 victory at Greco 77kg over Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), the 2022 world champ at 82kg.

12:08: Yusneylis GUZMAN (CUB) pulls off a thrilling 7-6 victory over Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) at women's 50kg with an exposure during a scramble in the final seconds that took the mat chairman a long time to sort out on challenge. Both wrestlers scored takedowns, only to give up 2-point counters down the stretch.

12:00 Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) with a controlled 4-0 win over Fadi ROUABAH (ALG) and moves into the quarterfinal. He will take on world champion Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) who was not the best off the block but managed to beat Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER) 7-5.

11:56: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ), aiming to improve on his silver medal in Tokyo three years ago at Greco 77kg, can't get the turn in par terre, but rides a series of second-period stepouts to a 4-1 victory over Kamal BEY (USA)

11:53: Gabija DILYTE (LTU) uses a 2-on-1 to slam Alisson CARDOZO (COL) to her back and secures the fall at 4:14 to advance at women's 50kg.

11:45: Four-time world medalist Maklhas AMOYAN (ARM) tosses his way to an 8-0 victory at Greco 77kg over Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN). The winning point comes on a lost challenge by the Finnish side.

11:44: Oksana LIVACH (UKR), fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, scores a pair of 4-point takedowns and she advances at women's 50kg with a 10-0 victory over Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB).

11:37: Asian silver medalist Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) gets the second of the passivity points and that's enough to defeat Yosvanys PENA (CUB) 1-1 at Greco 77kg.

11:33: Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) pulls off one of the greatest upsets in Olympic wrestling history, scoring a takedown in the final seconds to stun defending women's 50kg champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) 3-2. It is Susaki's first loss ever in 95 matches against non-Japanese opponents. Phogat stays completely on the defensive throughout the match, giving Susaki both of her points from the activity clock. With the clock running down, Phogat goes on the offensive and knocks Susaki off balance and onto her bottom, then charges ahead for a takedown with :05 left. Japan challenges, but the takedown stands and Susaki is out. 

11:26: Former world silver medalist Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) storms into the quarterfinals at Greco 77kg with a workmanlike 9-0 victory over  Mahmoud ABDELRAHMAN (EGY).

11:24: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) bounces back from her quarterfinal loss to Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) to earn a chance for a bronze medal by defeating Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) 6-0 in their women's 68kg repechage match. Ozaki scores two takedowns and a 2-point exposure, but the former 62kg world champion still seems to be struggling with the extra weight.

11:22: A minute and 44 seconds is all Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) needed to get over Seungjun KIM (KOR) at 97kg opening round. He gets four gut wrenches from par terre to win 9-0.

11:20: Top seed Nao KUSAKA (JPN) begins his campaign at Greco 77kg with an impressive 9-0 win over Abd Elrim OUAKALI (ALG). After an early takedown, Kusaka gets a 4-point lift and throw from par terre. Ouakali comes near to scrambling for a takedown, but Kusaka reverses the momentum to score a match-ending takedown.

11:16: Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) uses a four-point throw in his 6-4 win over Kiril MILOV (BUL) at 130kg. He will wrestle for bronze later tonight against Lingzhe DENG (CHN).

11:15: Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) makes short work of Kevin DE ARMAS (CUB) in the other Greco 60kg repechage, rolling to a 10-0 victory. He will take on world champion Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) for the bronze.

 

11:14: World champion Buse TOSUN (TUR) wins a battle of stepouts in the women's 68kg repechage against Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL), earning a place in the bronze-medal match with a 4-3 win. Both wrestlers had three stepouts, with the deciding point coming when Poland unsuccessfully challenged Tosun's third stepout.

11:10: The action on Mat A gets underway with the first of the two Greco 60kg repechage matches. Raiber RODRIGUEZ (VEN) will get a chance to give Venezuela its first-ever Olympic wrestling medal after scoring two 4-point takedowns in a 12-1 victory over Moamen MOHAMED (EGY). Rodriguez will face Se Ung RI (PRK) for the bronze later tonight. 

11:00:The day two will begin with repechage in GR 60kg and 130kg and WW 68kg. Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) is on the mat to wrestle Seungchan LEE (KOR). He wins via technical superiority 9-0 and moves into the bronze medal bout for the evening.