Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! August 27, 2018

By Eric Olanowski

Reviewing The Beach Wrestling World Series, new standardized calendar and tournament regulations. Also looking at the final women's wrestling Ranking Series event of the year, the Poland Open. 

1. Wrestling Announces Creation of Beach Wrestling World Series
United World Wrestling, the international governing body for the sport of wrestling, has announced details behind The Beach Wrestling World Series. 

Senior-level competitions will be comprised of eight weight categories divided equally amongst men and women. The four men’s weight classes are 70kg, 80kg, 90kg, and +90kg, and the four women’s weight classes are 50kg, 60kg, 70kg, and +70kg.

Beach Wrestling matches will consist of a single three-minute period and will only practice the standing position where the use of the legs are allowed in all actions.

The first athlete to three (3) points wins the match.

Click HERE to read the full story. 

Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS) defeated Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS), 3-3 at the 2018 Ivan Yarygin. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne) 

2. Poland to Host Final Women's Wrestling Ranking Series Event Begining September 7
Warsaw, Poland will host the fourth and final women's wrestling Ranking Event of the year, the Poland Open on September 7-9. 

Though the tournament is a women's wrestling Ranking Series event, the freestyle portion of the event will also hold significance as Russia's two final freestyle World Team spots will be up for grabs. The two remaining weight classes that have not been cemented are 61kg and 65kg. 

Gadshimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) (61kg) and Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS) (65kg) were relieved from participating at Russian Nationals and will compete alongside Russian National champions Magomedrasul IDRISOV (RUS) (61kg) and Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) (65kg) at the Poland Open.

The highest placer in these two weight classes at the Ziolkowski (Poland Open) will represent Russia at the 2018 World Championships.

The 2018 World Cup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Photo by Tony Rotundo/WrestersAreWarriors.com) 

3. Bureau Tightens Tournament Regulations, 'Pushout' Interpretation
United World Wrestling held a meeting of its bureau last month during the Junior European Championships in Rome. 

The Bureau discussed several topics around the operation of United World Wrestling including participation in championships, late registrations, obligations of team leaders, obligations of inspectors and updated World Cup regulations. The members also passed a stricter enforcement of the ‘pushout’ rule to promote the use of technical actions on the edge of the competition surface. 

Click here for a summary of what was discussed around each topic. 

View of AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. The host site for the 2017 World Championships (Photo by Tony Rotundo/WrestersAreWarriors.com) 

4. Wrestling Body Approves Standardized Competition Calendar
United World Wrestling’s Executive Committee recently approved a proposed standard yearly calendar. The approval came upon request from many National Wrestling Federations to have the International Calendar fixed earlier. 

Click HERE to view the dates that were approved by the Executive Committee. 

Peter BACSI (HUN), 2014 world champion.Photo by Gabor Martin. 

5. Bacsi Leads Hungary to Three German Grand Prix Golds
With only 53 calendar days left until the 2018 World Championships kick off in Budapest, Hungary, most countries have either finalized or are in the final stages of completing their World Championship rosters. 

Considering the number of Hungarian hammers that were entered into last weekend’s Grand Prix of Germany, one can only imagine that Hungary is still looking to cement their rosters and has plans of using this tournament as one of the final deciding factors for their Greco-Roman squad. 

Overall, Hungary had three of the possible ten champions. Most importantly, in two of those weight classes, wrestlers from Hungary met each other for the gold medal. 

The most important all-Hungary finals match-up came at 77kg where Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) knocked off three-time world and Olympic medalist, Tamas LORINCZ (HUN), 1-1 for the gold medal. 

If Hungary was to select Levai over Lorincz, this would be the first time Tamas has missed out on making a World or Olympic team since stepping onto the senior level in 2006. 

Peter BACSI (HUN) and Eric TORBA (HUN) were the two final Hungarian champions. 

Click HERE for full review and results.

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 

1. Big Move Monday ! 
@helen_maroulis  @usawrestling 
#wrestlelikeagirl
2. Sunday smiles ? with @sadulaev_abdulrashid and @akhmed_gadzhimagomedov_sh.
3. ‪Anything is possible when you get your hands locked and come up to your feet on your shots‬
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#womenswrestling #wrestlelikeagirl#wrestle #olympicwrestling #wrestling#justwrestle #uww
4. Transitioning into the weekend like...
5. “@kyledake444 lifts and propels him into the air for the four point throw!”

Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! March 26, 2018

By Eric Olanowski

Reviewing dominating performances by Russia at the Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov and Cuba at the Central American and Caribbean Championships. Also looking at Chamizo's second gold at 74kg and the women's development camp in Tokyo. 

1. Russians Win Seven Golds at Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov
With the third continental championship of the year, the European Championships looming, some of Europe’s best wrestlers traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria to compete in the Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov Tournament. This tournament was the final competition for those who will be heading to Dagestan, Russia next month for the European Championships.

Russian wrestlers left Bulgaria with seven gold medals and Bulgaria, Georgia and Italy each departed with a single champion.

In addition to Olympic champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS), the Russian gold rush was led by four other wrestlers who won the first freestyle ranking event of the season, the Ivan Yarygin. Those five Yarygin champions who captured gold at this weekend’s Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov were Zaur UGUEV (RUS), Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS), Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS), Ahmed GADJIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) and Abdulrashid Sadulaev.

FINAL RESULTS
57 kg - Zaur UGUEV (RUS) df. Zoheir El OURRAQE (FRA), 6-5
61kg - Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) df. Shingo ARIMOTO (JPN), 6-0
65 kg - Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) df. Vasily SHUPTAR (UKR), 9-1
70 kg -  Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS) df. Haydar YAVUZ (TUR), 5-4
74 kg - Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) df. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR), via forfeit
79 kg - Ahmed GADJIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. Alan ZASEEV (RUS), 7-5
86 kg -  Arthur NAIFONOV (RUS) df. Taimuraz FRIEV (ESP), via forfeit
92 kg - Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) df. Irakli MITSURI (GEO), 10-0
97 kg - Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS) df. Riza YILDIRIM (TUR), via forfeit
125 kg - Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) df. Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS), 5-0

2.Cuba Dominates Central American and Caribbean Championships
Although three-time Olympic champion Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) did not compete at last weekends Central American and Caribbean Championships as expected, 2016 Olympic champion Ismael BORRERO (CUB) did, picking up where he left off on his gold medal run at the Cerro Pelado.

Photo: Ismael BORRERO (CUB). 

Borrero outscored his opponents 28-0, including the defeat of Luis DE LEÓN (DOM), 8-0 in the gold-medal bout on his way to capturing his third Central American and Caribbean title.

The Cuban wrestlers went on to take first place in five of the six weight categories that were wrestled. Luigi PÉREZ (VEN) was the lone champion that did not hail from Cuba. In the finals, he stopped Cuba from winning their sixth gold medal by beating Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB), 4-0.

It was the Columbian’s who captured half of the women’s wrestling gold medals, winning three of the possible six gold medals. For Jackeline RENTERIA (COL) and Carolina CASTILLO (COL), it was their third Central American and Caribbean Championship gold medal.

Venezuela’s Betzabeth ARGUELLO and Mexico’s Alejandra ROMERO each won their second gold medals, and Andrea OLAYA (COL) and Soleimy CARABALLO (VEN) won their first Central American and Caribbean Championship gold medals.

In Freestyle, Cuba swept the tournament, going six-for-six in the gold-medal bouts. Each of the six Cubans who won Central American and Caribbean Championships titles this weekend will head to Iowa to compete in the 2018 World Cup.

Cuba's World Cup Line-Up (*Notes the Central American and Caribbean Champions)
57kg - Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA*
61kg -Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ
65kg - Alejandro Enrique VALDES TOBIER*
70kg - Franklin MAREN CASTILLO*
74kg - Livan LOPEZ AZCUY
74kg -Yoan Adrian ZULUETA MORALES
86kg -Yurieski TORREBLANCA QUERALTA*
86kg - Lazaro Daniel HERNANDEZ LUIS
97kg - Reineris SALAS PEREZ*
125kg - Yudenny ALPAJON ESTEVEZ*

3. Post Women’s World Cup Development Training Camp Held in Tokyo
The 2018 Women’s World Cup wrapped up in Takahashi, Japan last weekend with host nation Japan winning their fourth straight title

After the conclusion of the World Cup, over 160 athletes from 21 nations took to Japan’s AJINOMOTO National Training Centre to participate in a four-day camp.

For behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the developmental camp, see our Weekly FIVE! In Social Media - Tokyo Edition! 

4. Chamizo wins second 74kg gold
For the second time this year, Frank CHAMIZO (ITA), the reigning 70kg world champion not only competed up at 74kg but walked away unscathed with a gold medal.

Last weekend, Chamizo bumped up a weight and went 4-0 and captured the 74kg Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov Tournament gold medal. Chamizo went 3-0 on the day before receiving a forfeit in the finals over Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR). The Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov Tournament gold is his second gold medal of the year at 74kg, as he also won the Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial where he defeated 2011 world silver medalist, Franklin GOMEZ in the finals, 4-0.

After the tournament, Chamizo said “I didn’t think it was going to be easy to win this competition, but this will be the last time I compete until the European Championships” which will be held in Dagestan, Russia April 30 - May 6.

5. Freestyle World Cup
United World Wrestling released the schedule for Freestyle World Cup which kicks off April 07-08. The dual-meet based events is an annual highlight of the international wrestling calendar which will take place next weekend in Iowa City, Iowa, United States.

The eight participating teams have been separated into two pools with the top-two teams, the United States and Russia leading groups A and B.

Also of note, NBC has announced that television coverage will be provided for multiple World Cup duals throughout the weekend. Coverage of the first dual begins Saturday, April 7, at 2:30 p.m. for the dual between defending world champions, the United States and the third-place finishers at the 2017 World Championships, Georgia. Additionally, NBC will air the gold medal bout on Sunday, April 8, at 4:00 p.m.

SCHEDULE
Session I - Saturday, April 7 - 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM (CST) 
10:00 AM: United States v. Japan (Mat A) // Russia v. Cuba (Mat B) 
11:15 AM: Georgia v. ____  (Mat A) // Azerbaijan v. Kazakhstan (Mat B)

Session II - Saturday, April 7 - 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM (CST) 
2:00 PM: Opening Ceremonies
2:30 PM: United States v. Georgia (Mat A)
4:30 PM: Russia v. Azerbaijan (Mat B)
5:45 PM: Japan v. ____ (Mat A) // Cuba v. Kazakhstan (Mat B)

Session III - Sunday, April 7 - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (CST) 
10:00 AM: United States v. ____ (Mat A) // Russia v. Kazakhstan (Mat B)
11:15 AM: Georgia v. Japan (Mat A) // Azerbaijan v. Cuba (Mat B)
12:30 PM: 7th Place Match (Mat A) // 5th Place Match (Mat B)
2:15 PM: 3rd Place Match (Mat A)
4:00 PM: Gold Medal Match (Mat A)

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media - Tokyo Edition 

1. Train Hard, Play Hard // Things are getting very strange at the Women's Development Camp in Tokyo, Japan // We have so much great footage to share! // @mensahtamyrastock @adelinegray
@__malpal__ @yui106301susaki@jennyfransson @eweebz @m.miwa0722

2. Japan training camp ??

3. No shoes, no problem! Defending world champion @yui106301susaki poses for a photo after this mornings workout at the women’s wrestling development camp in Tokyo! ?: @tr.foley

4.Meet one of China’s up-and-coming stars of women’s wrestling, Paliha! She’s a 76kg grappler from western China with an outgoing personality and great work ethic. Also, a bit of a comedian. #wrestlelikeagirl ? @tr.foley

5. More images from the 2018 UWW Women’s Wrestling Development Clinic. More than 160 wrestlers from 21 countries showed up to the camp! #wrestlelikeagirl