Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! July 16, 2018

Monday, July 16, 2018 - 15:21 By Eric Olanowski

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Discussing Olympic champ Wiebe defeating three-time world champ Gray and Mattsson's return. Also taking a look at Fix making his third Junior World team and much more! 

1. Olympic Champ Wiebe Defeats Three-time World Champ Gray 
Erica WIEBE (CAN), the 2016 Olympic champion defeated three-time world champion Adeline GRAY (USA), 6-5, seizing the 76kg Spanish Grand Prix title. 

Though these two were in the same bracket at the first Ranking Series event of the year, the Klippan Lady Open, they did not meet as Wiebe was “knocked off” by reigning world champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR) in the opening round. Gray went on to claim the gold medal, defeating Adar, 9-6. 

Assuming 2018 European champion Adar makes Turkey’s world squad, with its combined five world and Olympic titles from Adar, Gray, and Wiebe, 76kg may be the deepest weight class of the tournament. 

Spanish Grand Prix Results

Sofia MATTSSON (SWE), Olympic bronze medalist made her return last weekend and claimed the Spanish Grand Prix title. (Photo by Gabor Martin) 

2. Mattsson Makes Return, Wins Spanish Grand Prix 
Sofia MATTSSON (SWE), who gave birth in November made her international return after an 18-month layoff, winning the 55kg Spanish Grand Prix gold medal. 

“The toughest part (about the layoff) has been the struggle to adjust my life to new routines and realize that my life has changed forever….But, I can still be an elite wrestler, I just need to do it in a different way.” 

Since grabbing the bronze medal at the Rio Olympic Games, Mattsson's only competition was the 2017 Indian Pro League. The seven-time world and Olympic medalist made her return this weekend and capped off her gold medal run by beating Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ), grabbing her first gold medal since the 2016 European Championships. 

“Of course I was nervous stepping out on the mat. Normally when I compete, I expect a lot from myself. But this week, I went here without any expectations and was just happy to be back on the mat to get a couple of matches. With these thoughts in my head, I think it gave me a very relaxed and positive mindset which worked out in a very good way!” 

3. Reigning World Champion Fix makes Third Consecutive World Team 
Daton FIX (USA), the reigning junior world champion stormed through Brandon COURTNEY (USA) in two straight matches of the special wrestle-off to lock up his third consecutive Junior World team spot.

Fix, the two-time junior world medalist is coming off a Final X second-place finish after losing to 2017 world runner-up, Thomas GILMAN (USA). USA Wrestling said Fix was awarded a special wrestle-off  “Because Fix is a returning World Team member, placed top-three at the Senior U.S. Open and earned a spot in Final X, he was afforded the opportunity for a delayed wrestle-off for the world team spot.” 

4. India Set to Host Asian Junior Championships July 17-22 
The I.G. Sports Complex in New Delhi, India is set to host the 2018 Junior Asian Championships starting on July 17. 

This is the second junior continental championship (Junior African Championships) but is the first of three that will take place over the next month. 

The Junior European Championships begin July 30 and will be followed by the Junior Pan-American Championships which take place August 17-19.

FULL SCHEDULE

Turkey's Olympic champion, Taha AKGUL (TUR). (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne) 

5. Yasar Dogu, the Third Freestyle Ranking Series Event Begins Next Weekend 
Istanbul, Turkey is set to host the 46th Annual Yasar Dogu International on July 27-29. 

On June 8, United World Wrestling announced that the tournament has been named a Ranking Series event in men’s freestyle wrestling after the South African Open was canceled due to a lack of early sign-ups. 

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 

1. ? ? ? ? ?

2. It takes SIX full minutes. #kaspeuro2018

3. Lots of great training and fun at the 2018 More Than Medals training camp here in Zagreb, Croatia ??.
#unitedworldwrestling #wrestling#trainingcamp #fitness #uww

4. Inside look at Team Iran ?? training! Notice anything about the colors of the five circles around the mats? نگاهی به کمپ تمرینی ایران. به رنگ پنج دایره تشکهای کشتی دقت کرده اید؟

5. We’re 98 days out from the #Budapest2018 World Championships. We highlight today with this memorable throw from reigning 98kg world champion, Artur ALEKSANYAN ??.

#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Kamal survives scare in Ulaanbaatar amid Turkiye gold rush

Friday, May 30, 2025 - 13:58 By Vinay Siwach

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ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (May 30) -- Turkiye captured all three Greco-Roman gold medals on offer on Friday with European champion Kerem KAMAL (TUR) surviving a tough final to win at 63kg, and Paris Olympians Enes BASAR (TUR) and Hamza BAKIR (TUR) winning at 60kg and 130kg respectively.

Kamal, who won European Championships gold in dominant fashion, could not replicate that performance from April but still managed to win gold. In the final, he survived a scare against Asian Championships bronze medalist Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), winning 6-6 on criteria, thanks to a foul from Chung.

Both had wrestled in the group stages as well as this weight category only had seven wrestlers and were divided into two groups. Kamal came out on top 6-3 in that match.

But the final began with Chung scoring a takedown in the first minute and then adding another point when he was given the par terre advantage. However, he failed to score from that position.

In the second period, Kamal scored a push from par terre and had Chung's back on the mat for two points. He then lifted Chung upside down and completed a throw during which Chung committed a defensive leg foul.

Korea challenged the call but lost which gave Kamal a 6-4 lead. Chung tried to score and during the final 10 seconds, he pushed Kamal to the zone and the Turkish wrestler lost his balance, giving up a takedown.

Chung tied it 6-6 but Kamal led on criteria as Chung had committed the leg foul earlier. Chung realized it later that he was losing the final.

"I think it was a bit of a misjudgment because I thought I was winning and I didn't try hard for last 7 seconds at the end," Chung said. "I'm training hard with [former world champion] Hansu RYU (KOR) as my role model, and I'm trying to copy his style a lot."

For Kamal, the tournament was an eye-opener, especially for his performance against the Asian wrestlers.

"It was a very difficult tournament," Kamal said. "From the first round to the final match, I had very strong and very tough opponents. It was one of the hardest matches I've had this year. Winning is important, but in this tournament I realized that I have many mistakes. I'm thinking that I'm going to watch all my matches over and over again and analyze them and try to wrestle in a way that is more error-free and less pointless."

As he gears up to win his first senior world title in Zagreb later this September, Kamal is now wary of his opponents from Asia and wants to tackle them with more conviction.

"All my opponents are Asian," he said. "Kyrgyz, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Iranian. These are my strongest opponents. When you look at it, most of my opponents are from Asia, so I try to wrestle like Asians. I try to train like them, because they are very difficult to keep up with, they are very active. But as I said, as much as I can stop them, as much as I can do, as long as I can, I will continue to wrestle with them and wrestle like him."

Despite his close matches against Chung, Kamal looked in supreme form, especially while defending on par terre, as he captured his second Ranking Series gold medal of the year. His first gold was in Tirana, Albania.

"I don't think about it there [on the mat], to be honest, because I'm in a completely negative position," he said. "I'm trying to get out of it by doing all the weird things I can. The important thing is that I don't get scored there. It doesn't matter how I do it, what I do, the important thing is not to give points to my opponent and to continue in that way. So I'm very happy that I was able to do that."

Enes BASAR (TUR)Enes BASAR (TUR), blue, won gold medal at 60kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Basar, who was at the Paris Olympics at 60kg, won four bouts in the day to claim the gold medal. He began with an 8-3 win over Kurmanbek ZHAPAROV (KGZ) but his second against Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ) tested him to the limits. He made two comebacks to win 16-5, using a strong gut-wrench.

He followed that win by beating SURAJ (IND), 8-0, in a minute and 13 seconds before finishing his campaign with a 10-2 win over Ganbayar NAMSRAI (MGL).

Hamza BAKIR (TUR)Hamza BAKIR (TUR) claimed the 130kg gold medal in Ulaanbaatar. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

The most dominant run of the day came from Hamza BAKIR (TUR) at 130kg, as he won all his four bouts via technical superiority.

In his first bout, he gave up a point for passivity but still managed to win 9-1 against Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ). That was the only point he gave in the competition, winning his next three bouts via technical superiority.

He defeated Turbat BATBAYAR (MGL), 8-0, in Round 2, PREM (IND) with identical scoreline in Round 3 and in Round 5, he won against Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL), 8-0.

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Enes BASAR (TUR)
SILVER: SURAJ (IND)
BRONZE: Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ)

63kg
GOLD: Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), 6-6

BRONZE: Aref MOHAMMADI (QAT) df. Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI),

130kg
GOLD: Hamza BAKIR (TUR)
SILVER: Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL)
BRONZE: Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ)