Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! August 20, 2018

By Eric Olanowski

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

Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! September 10, 2018

By Eric Olanowski

Taking a look at Russia's World Championship team and Hancocks throw heard around the world. Also reviewing Poland Open results and next weeks Junior World Championship schedule. 

1. Russia’s World Team Set After Poland Open 
Four Russian wrestlers headed to Warsaw, Poland with hopes of punching their ticket to Budapest, Hungary, but only two left with a spot on the Russian World Team. 

In the 61kg semifinals, Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) beat Magomedrasul IDRISOV (RUS), 2-1 to claim the World Team spot. 

In the finals, Rashidov shutout Kuat AMIRTAYEV (KAZ), 5-0 to claim the Poland Open gold medal. 

Rashidov, the 2017 world runner-up will represent Russia for the second time on the senior-level and for the sixth time overall. 

At 65kg, Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) won the ticket to Budapest after European runner-up Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS) missed weight. 

Chakaev wrestled out the tournament and took first place after Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) injury defaulted out of the gold-medal bout. 

Russia’s World Team 
57kg - Z. UGUEV 
61kg – G. RASHIDOV 
65kg - A. CHAKAEV 
70kg – M. GAZIMAGOMEDOV 
74kg - Z. SIDAKOV 
79kg -  A. GADZHIMAGOMEDOV
86kg - D. KURUGLIEV 
92kg – B. TSAKULOV 
97kg - A. SADULAEV 
125kg – A. KHIZRIEV 

2. Hancock Sticks Four-time World and Olympic Champion ALEKSANYAN 
Tracy HANCOCK (USA) had the most impressive win of his career in the Poland Open semifinals when he stuck four-time world and Olympic champion, Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM). 

Hancock, who is wrestling in his first individual international competition since taking tenth place at the U23 World Championships went big in the opening 20 seconds of the semifinal bout and threw the six-time world and Olympic medalist to his back for the fall. 

Hancock went on to score the 7-0 shutout victory over Bulgaria’s Nikolay BAYRYAKOV (BUL) in the 97kg gold-medal bout. 

3. Suchkov defeats Chamzio, Wins #Korkin2018 Gold 
Nikita SUCHKOV (RUS), the Russian Nationals bronze medalist defeated current World No. 1 and two-time world champion, Frank CHAMIZO (ITA), 5-3, claiming the 74kg Dmitri Korkin gold medal. 

Suchkov, who finished behind Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) and Khetik TSBABOLOV (RUS) at Russian Nationals won the Dmitri Korkin for the second year in a row. 

RESULTS 
57kg 
GOLD - Aylar TYUTRIN (RUS) df. Parviz IBRAGIMOV (AZE), 4-1

61kg
GOLD - Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE) df. TUVSHINTULGA (MGL), 8-4

65kg
Viktor RASSADIN (RUS) df. TULGA (MGL), 4-2 

70kg
GOLD - Evgani ZHERBAEV (RUS) df. BYAMBADORJ Bat-Erdene (MGL), 8-2

74kg 
GOLD - Nikita SUCHKOV (RUS) df. Frank CHAMIZO (ITA), 5-3

79kg
GOLD - Kakhaber KHUBEZHTY (RUS) df. Jumber KYELASHVILI (GEO), 14-4

86kg 
GOLD - Ahmad BAZRIGHOLEI (IRI) df. Arsenali MUSALALIEV (RUS), 4-3

92kg
GOLD - Artur NAIFONOV (RUS) df. Anzor URISHEV (RUS), 3-3

97kg 
GOLD - NURMAGOMED GADZHIEV (AZE) df. ULZISAIKHAN  Batsul (MGL), 10-0

125kg 
GOLD - Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) df. ZOLBOO (MGL), 2-0 

China's RONG Ningning won her fourth gold medal of the year at the Poland Open. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne) 

4.Rong Wins Second Ranking Series Gold Medal
The final women's wrestling Ranking Series event of the year wrapped up last weekend and China’s RONG Ningning continued her 2018 hot streak and remained undefeated on the year,  winning the 57kg gold medal.

Rong’s win in Warsaw was her second Ranking Series gold medal of the year. She also won the China Open. In addition to her two Ranking Series championships, Rong claimed gold medals at the Ivan Yargin and Asian Championships, while also going undefeated at the World Cup. 

In the 57kg finals, Rong was pitted against Norway’s ninth-ranked Grace BULLEN. Trailing 4-0, the Chinese star went on a 10-0 run and picked up the fall and won her fourth gold medal of the year. 

Women’s Wrestling 
50kg

GOLD -  Mariya STADNIK (AZE) df. Ilona SEMKIV (UKR), 13-2 

53kg
GOLD - Nanami IRIE (JPN) df. Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL), 2-2 

55kg
GOLD -  Roksana ZASINA (POL) df. Tetyana KIT (UKR), 6-2 

57kg 
GOLD - Ningning RONG (CHN) df. Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR), via fall 

59kg
GOLD - Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS) df. Marwa AMRI (TUN), 3-2  

62kg 
GOLD - Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) df. Malin Johanna MATTSSON (SWE), 2-1 

65kg 
GOLD -  Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) df. Petra Maarit OLLI (FIN), 3-2 

72kg
GOLD -  Agnieszka Jadwiga WIESZCZEK-KORDUS (POL) df. Kunming WANG (CHN), via fall 

68kg 
GOLD - Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR) df. Dalma CANEVA (ITA), 16-5

76kg 
GOLD - Erica WIEBE (CAN) df. Aline FOCKEN (GER), 7-0 

Click HERE for the full recap

Kamal BEY (USA) and Akzol MAHMUDOV (KGZ) after their epic 2017 finals match-up. (Photo by Marion Stein) 

5. Junior World Championships Are One Week Away 
One week from today, the Junior World Championships will be underway in Trnava, Slovakia. 

Returning Greco-Roman world champions Kamal BEY (USA), Kerem KAMAL (TUR), and Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) kick off the World Championships on Monday, September 17. 

Reigning women's wrestling world champions, Sae NANJO (JPN) and Khanum VELIEVA (RUS), along with reigning senior-level world champion, Yui SUSAKI (JPN) take the mat on Wednesday, September 19.

Daton FIX (USA) and Gable STEVESON (USA), the duo of American freestyle returning champions will close out the 2018 World Championships beginning on Friday, September 21. 

Click HERE for the full schedule

World Championship Lineups 
Freestyle Lineups
Greco-Roman Lineups 
Women's Wrestling Lineups 

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 

1. Big Move Monday!

2. Happy Monday, wrestling fans. Have a great week. ?: @mokkdiussh1

3. Great match and amazing action all day in Astana!! @unitedworldgrappling ?? -

4. Superman [wrestling version] ? Супермен [борцовская версия] ? ? @krakatauf #wrestling#superman#борьба#дети

5. Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS) / @lebedev57 and Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) / @frankchamizo92 in Yakutsk, Russia ?? before the Dmitry Korkin (September 6-8). How many world titles are there between these two? (Lebedev is not wrestling)?: @byastin_news .