Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! August 20, 2018

Monday, August 20, 2018 - 12:02 By Eric Olanowski

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Reviewing results from the Asian Games, and the 2018 Pan-American Junior Championships. Also taking a look at Lebanon's first continental medalist ever. 

1. Yazdani Captures 86kg Asiad Gold, Iran Lands Pair of Golds 
World and Olympic champion Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) stormed to the 86kg gold medal at the Asian Games, helping Iran grab one of their two gold medals on the opening day of competition. Yazdani, who earned his first career title at the Asian Championships in Bishkek earlier this year, completely overwhelmed Domenic ABOUNADER (LBN) in the 86kg finals, taking just 1:29 to score a 10-0 technical fall. 

Iran picked up its second gold when Ali KARIMI (IRI) scored with a 4-point move in the first period and cruised to a 6-0 victory in the 97kg final over five-time Asian medalist Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ). 

RESULTS 
57kg GOLD - Bekhbayar ERDENEBAT (MGL) df. KANG Kum Song (PRK), 8-2 
65kg GOLD - Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) df. Daichi TAKATANI (JPN), 11-8
74kg GOLD - Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) df. Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ), 3-2
86kg GOLD - Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) df. Domenic ABOUNADER (LBN) by TF, 10-0, 1:29 
97kg GOLD - Alireza KARIMI (IRI) df. Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ), 6-0

Click HERE for full opening day recap 

2. USA Finishes Team Sweep with Nine Freestyle Champions at #Fortaleza2018
The United States produced nine freestyle champions at the 2018 Junior Pan American Championship in Fortaleza, Brazil, winning the team title 93 points ahead of second place Canada. Mexico, with its 100 points finished four points ahead of Brazil and grabbed the bronze medal. 

Jonathan PRATA ALAS (ARG) was the lone non-American to leave Brazil with a freestyle gold medal. 

Prata Alaz, the 2017 Cadet South American champion won the title with a thrilling victory over Kevin CHAVEZ BETANCUR (COL) that saw multiple points scored in the final 30 seconds.

Prata had his hand raised in a 10-6 win and earned the freestyle Golden Boot.

Team scores (top five)
1. USA – 240
2. Canada – 147
3. Mexico – 100
4. Brazil – 96
5. Colombia - 75

Click HERE for full freestyle recap 

3. Canada and Mexico Boast Three Champs, USA Wins Women's Freestyle Team Title at #Fortaleza2018
North America ran away with the top-three spots in the team race of the women’s freestyle tournament at the 2018 Junior Pan American Championships, with USA taking first, followed by Mexico and Canada.

Mariela ESCALANTE HERNANDEZ defeated Greidy ESTUPINAN PEREZ (COL) in the 50kg finals, 5-3 to give Mexico their first gold women's wrestling gold medal. Atzimba LANDAVERDE MORENO (65kg) and Miriam OLVERA GONZALEZ (76kg) also won continental gold medals, helping Mexico score 152 points and the silver medal in the team race. 

Three 2017 Junior Pan Am runner-ups made it to the top of the podium for Canada. Gold medalists included Jayd DAVIS at 53kg, Hannah TAYLOR at 57kg and Dejah SLATER at 68kg. 

Two additional bronze-medal performances and a silver pushed Canada onto the podium with 135 points and the third-place team trophy, edging out Brazil’s 131 points. 

Team results (top five)
1. USA – 172
2. Mexico – 152
3. Canada – 135
4. Brazil – 131
5. Colombia – 80

Click HERE for full women's wrestling recap 

4. Domenic ABOUNADER (LBN) Captures Lebanon's First Continental Medal Ever 
American-born Domenic ABOUNADER (LBN) may have fell to Hassan Yazdani in the 86kg finals, but he gave Lebanon its first-ever continental medal.

Abounader showed he could handle the added pressure as two of his victories came by one point---an 8-7 decision over Aligadzhi GAMIDGADZHIEV (KGZ) in the quarterfinals and a 10-9 thriller over Adilet DAVLUMBAYEV (KAZ). 

Prior to Abounader's arrival in the final, the best previous finish at an Asian tournament was Khodr BCHARA's sixth place in Greco-Roman 130kg in the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing. 

Click HERE for full Asian Games recap

5. USA Wins Greco-Roman Team Title with Six Champions at #Fortaleza2018
The United States claimed the Greco-Roman team title at the 2018 Junior Pan American Championships, claiming six gold medals on Friday in Fortaleza, Brazil. 

Winning titles for the U.S. was 2017 Junior World silver medalist Cevion SEVERADO at 55kg, Dylan GREGERSON at 63kg, Lenny MERKIN at 72kg, Cameron CAFFEY at 87kg, Austin HARRIS at 9 kg and Anthony CASSIOPPI at 130kg. 

Cassioppi repeated the 2017 Junior Pan American Greco-Roman champion, defending his 2017 title when he pinned Paul MORALES (MEX) early in the finals. 

He was the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. 

Click HERE for full Greco-Roman recap

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 

1. Big Move Monday!

2. UWW Regional Development Officer and former Olympic wrestler Yuri Maier carries the Olympic flame before the start of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.

3. Sick foot sweep from Enrique PEREZ CASTELLANOS (GUA) in men’s freestyle action of the 2018 Junior Pan American Championships #Fortaleza2018

4. It’s almost the weekend. Throw everything you have into today.

5. Faces of #AsianGames2018 Лица Азиатских Игр. #вольнаяборьба#АзиатскиеИгры#узбекистан#казахстан#кыргызстан#иран#монголия#лица#Faces#indonesia#freestylewrestling#korea#mongolia#uzbekistan#kazakhstan#kyrgyzstan

#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Emami denies Yazdani spot on Iran team for World Championships

Saturday, May 31, 2025 - 13:40 By Vinay Siwach

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ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (May 31) -- Clashing in an all-Iranian final at 74kg at the Ulaanbaatar Open with the spot on the Iranian team for World Championships on the line, Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) and Yones EMAMI (IRI) made it to the final after some tough bouts.

Head coach Pejman DOROSTKAR did not sit in any corner and the second coaches did not shout instruction, the case in most bouts which involves qualification for a national team.

While Emami was the favorite, Yazdani was the challenger. Emami has been here before. Yazdani wanted to prove he belongs at 74kg.

And he had planned it perfectly -- don't let the score get out of hands and then go all-out in the final minute against Emami. It all worked well until the final minute.

Emami brought his top-notch defense to the mat to deny Yazdani an opening and then tactically did not engage with Yazdani in last 30 seconds to win the final, the spot on Iran team and deny Yazdani a bid to make the World Championships in Zagreb.

The final was not spectacular as it did not have big moves or crafty scrambles. It began with both wrestlers being called passive by the referee in the first minute.

But Yazdani was given the second warning before Emami in the first period and the latter took a 1-0 lead at the break. As the bout resumed, Yazdani scored a stepout early in the second period to take a 1-1 criteria lead. Emami answered with a stepout and took a clear 2-1 lead.

Yazdani was unfazed despite falling behind as it was still under control as he has planned. Then came the burst of attacks to score a takedown. He got a single-leg attack and almost put Emami down. But as he back peddled, Yazdani went out of bounds and then fell on his knees before he could get Emami out. Emami was awarded a point which made it 3-1 but Yazdani challenged the call.

The initial call of one point for Emami was upheld and Yazdani lost the challenge, adding another point to Emami's score which was now 4-1.

With 36 seconds remaining, Yazdani still went for the kill and as Emami was evading, Yazdani was giving two points on different occasions but that was all Yazdani got as he dropped the final and a chance to be in the Iran team for Zagreb.

While Emami did not celebrate the win, Yazdani failed to hold his tears back on the podium as he was awarded the silver medal.

"Amirmohammad is my friend and brother," Emami said. "We train together a lot, so we’re pretty familiar with each other’s wrestling style. That’s why this match was a bit tough."

One of the biggest differences in the bout Emami's defense which made Yazdani, who had recently switched from 70kg to 74kg, work harder for any points.

"I had thought about it [defense] during practice and even throughout the day trying to fix my weaknesses," he said. "I used to give away points too easily, but I had improved a bit here, and I hope I can keep getting better from this point on."

Emami now has a bigger challenge -- to win a medal for Iran at the World Championships at 74kg.

"The World Championships are definitely at a higher and tougher level," he said. "We take part in training camps and practice under the supervision of the coaching staff."

There was a third Iranian -- Noorali ABOUZARI (IRI) -- in the fray to make the team but he lost to JAIDEEP (IND), who won bronze medal at 74kg.

The other bronze medal at 74kg went to Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ), who almost defeated Yazdani in the semifinal. Toktomambetov led 6-4 with 10 seconds remaining when Yazdani got behind and scored a turn to finish the bout 6-6 and win on criteria.

Two other Freestyle weight classes were also in action on Saturday and Askhab SAADULAEV (UWW) at 92kg and Osman GOCEN (TUR) at 86kg won gold medals.

At 86kg, Osman GOCEN (TUR) won gold medal after he defeated Byambadorj BAT ERDENE (MGL) 7-0 while Saadulaev won gold medal Asian silver medalist Deepak PUNIA (IND) injury defaulted in Round 5 back at 92kg.

RESULTS

74kg
GOLD: Yones EMAMI (IRI) df. Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI), 4-3

BRONZE: Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) df. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR), via inj. def.
BRONZE: JAIDEEP (IND) df. Tugsjargal ERDENEBAT (MGL), via fall

86kg
GOLD: Osman GOCEN (TUR) df. Byambadorj BAT ERDENE (MGL), 7-0

BRONZE: Batbilguun NAADAMBAT (MGL) df. Dayanbileg GAN OCHIR (MGL), 10-0

92kg
GOLD: Askhab SAADULAEV (UWW)
SILVER: Deepak PUNIA (IND) 
BRONZE: Bat-Erdene BYAMBASUREN