When Yianni vanished in thin air against Amouzad

Wednesday, January 11, 2023 - 06:00 By Vinay Siwach

CORALVILLE, Iowa (January 10) -- If one had to go through the competitions in 2022 and pick the moves to make a highlight reel, not many would come to mind.

Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) with a 360 degree at the Asian Championships, Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) wonderous hand spinning in the 55kg bronze bout at the World Championships, Kyle DAKE (USA) thumping Sagar JAGLAN (IND) at the World Championships and Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) pulling off the suplex on Jacarra WINCHESTER in Istanbul.

But Yianni DIAKOMIHALIS (USA) triumphed all towards the end of the year.

"I tore my MCL watching this," Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), a six time world champ, wrote on UWW's Instagram.

At the World Cup, Diakomihalis was wrestling world champion Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) at 65kg in the final. It was a rematch from the World Championships final which Amouzad won. Both wrestlers knew each other's style. But the pressure was on Diakomihalis to pull one back. Amouzad had built a 2-0 lead at the break before Diakomihalis answered with a takedown in the second period to lead on criteria. The crowd was behind the local star, pushing him as Amouzad tried to find his underhooks.

Before going to Diakomihalis' explanation of the move, the 65kg wrestler has been known as someone who is more than the conventional way. He has got scrambles that can upset his opponent's rhythm, scores points from unfavorable positions and makes the viewers gasp in awe. The U.S. wrestling circles in always abuzz about the craft of Yianni.

Amouzad, like most Iran wrestlers, has a strong underhook. He controlled the World Championships final with it and even shut Diakomihalis down with it. He grips it so tight that most wrestlers fail to find an opening for six minutes. But Diakomihalis had already done that once.

The wrestlers were in the center for a restart after Diakomihalis scored a takedown. Amouzad was just about to get his underhook when the Xtreme Arena erupted. At 3:30 in the bout, Amouzad tries to settle, pushing forward. He isn't fully committed to it yet and that's when Diakomihalis goes low and pulls off a duck under like no other. It was lightning quick. Amouzad did not know what hit him. It seemed he was trying to lean on Diakomihalis but the American vanished. Amouzad tamely gave up a takedown for two points.

"One of the things that we talked about is that Amouzad wrestles really hard and pushes a lot, really hard," Diakomihalis said. "We were trying to think about different ways that I can wrestle when he's pushing me and we were playing around with a bunch of different techniques, maybe like a fireman's carry, or a duck under, or a single, a bunch of different things that you could do."

But Diakomihalis did not hit the conventional moves that he was working on. He relied on a move that he was always good at.

"When I was younger I used to hit duck-under a lot," he said. "Then I got away from it just because they're hard to hit.

"In the match, Amouzad pressured me and just that the pressure felt right and I hit it. My muscle memory took over and hit it and timed it really well. He didn't have his hook super tight, he was pushing really hard and then I hit my duck-under and it came out very clean."

It was so clean that there was no defense from Amouzad. He accepted that he has been outplayed by his opponent and got into a par terre position so as to not give up any more points.

"A lot of people around said that was so cool and that was good," he said. "So I liked it, I thought it was really good and we worked a lot of technique and we also wrestled really hard, so it's really cool when all of the work that we do, comes out in the match and you wrestle well.

Diakomihalis did everything right in the bout but Amouzad showed by he is the world champion in just his second year as a senior. The 20-year-old won 5-4 despite Diakomihalis' brilliance on the mat. Diakomihalis respects Amouzad's quick adjustment when he tried hitting the same move a minute later.

"That time he felt it and he got up to his feet and ran out of the way," he said. "Somebody who is very skilled, when you hit a move, they'll recognize what happened and make an adjustment. His adjustment was that instead of leaning on me, he got up and ran away. That's his adjustment to stop my move. So now it's up to me to figure out what I'm going to do next."

Diakomihalis has now got two chances to wrestle Amouzad and both are primed to be 65kg new blood. The bout in Belgrade ended 13-8 in Amouzad's favor with him controlling the bout for most of the time. However, his American opponent did not let the same happen in Iowa and made it much closer as the 5-4 scoreline suggests.

The two can now meet at the 2023 World Championships, again in Belgrade, which will also offer Paris Olympics quotas. Diakomihalis has already taken lessons from the two meetings against Amouzad.

"In the World Championships match, he scored from when I was underneath him, maybe 3 or 4 times," he said. "We had to really work on my wrestling when he has an underhook and I'm underneath, which was a big change. In the world finals, I shot a lot of really bad shots very far away and it allowed him to get to his underhook, allowed to reshoot and he controlled the match from that. That was really when it got away from me in the second period.

"If you look at the world Cup match, I was able to like keep my composure. I didn't take any really sloppy shots. Everything was a little cleaner and I was able to get in there, putting some pressure on him. I think the biggest difference was in the World Championships, he was able to pressure and control. The whole match was underhook and I couldn't really do anything. At the World Cup, I was able to stay out of the hook and I could put a lot of pressure on him with my hand-fighting. I got a little more patient and got a little bit smarter in how to wrestle in those underhook positions."

There were a few moments when Diakomihalis could have scored more points. When he scored the first takedown, he tried to transition into a quick gut wrench but could not get the turn. Or when he kept trying to score a point to win on criteria but Amouzad would keep him locked.

"When I scored that takedown, he bellied out quickly and I got a position where I could have gotten my gut wrench and he did a good job defending," he said. "I just think moving forward, I need to develop my par terre so that whenever I get taken I can quickly get to my gut wrench before he can get ready to defend.

"We still spent more of the match in underhook than I would have liked. I need to get better at hand-fighting and pushing him, not letting him stand, underhook and waste time. I need to start to clear that and create more offense. This match was a lot better than the last one. Now I have to go back and keep working and then hopefully the next one will be even better."

Diakomihalis also feels that he needs to prepare for everyone at 65kg and not just Amouzad as every opponent comes with a different style. And with the 2024 Olympics coming closer, he would be happy to wrestle more internationally and be ready for the World Championships.

"These upper body throws, I don't usually feel against people in America," he said. "As I continue to wrestle against these international opponents, I need to be a more complete wrestler, not just in America. We do a lot of shooting and reattacks but with these [international] guys, they wrestle a lot of upper body ties. I need to be able to feel those as well and get really proficient. I want to be able to wrestle against any style."

#WrestleAmman

Rising star Masoumi gains revenge, joins gold rush by young Iran team

Sunday, March 30, 2025 - 20:27 By Ken Marantz

AMMAN, Jordan (March 30) -- Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) settled an old score as he continued his emergence as the new face in the heavyweight class.

Rising star Masoumi defeated Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) in the 125kg final as Iran won three of the five Freestyle titles at stake on the final day of the Asian Championships on Sunday in Amman, Jordan.

The 20-year-old Masoumi's 6-0 victory over Munkhtur avenged a loss in the quarterfinals two years ago at the Asian Championships, and gave the reigning world U23 and U20 champion the first of what could be many senior Asian titles to come.

Iran also got golds from teenager Abolfazl RAHMANI (IRI) at 86kg and world U23 champion Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI), who successfully defended his 92kg title, while collegian Takara SUDA (JPN) gave Japan its third freestyle gold with a victory at 61kg and Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) triumphed at 74kg to become a three-time Asian champion.

The young Iran squad, which medaled in all but one weight class, compiled 190 points to run away with the team title for the second straight year and sixth time in seven years. Japan finished second with 146, while Kazakhstan edged Mongolia by two points for third place with 125.

"Iran did something really great and valuable this year by bringing young wrestlers to the Asian Championships, proving that we can win the title with them and that they deserve our trust," said Masoumi, whose father Fardin was a two-time world medalist and finished fifth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"The championship age is getting lower in the world, and I believe the more opportunities we give these young athletes, the bigger achievements they can accomplish."

Masoumi came into Amman riding high from a victory at the Zagreb Ranking Series event in February, a year after losing in the final to compatriot, world champion and two-time Olympic medalist Amir ZARE (IRI). Lanky for a heavyweight, Masoumi combines a lethal combination of speed, agility and power.

In the final against Munkhtur, a two-time world medalist and the 2023 Asian champion, Masoumi quickly took advantage of an opening and tripped the Mongolian backward at the edge for a 4-point takedown. He then used a double underhook to muscle Munkhtur over the edge to get a stepout with a fleeing point tacked on.

Although Masoumi went scoreless in the second period, he was never put in danger and fended off all of Munkhtur's efforts.

"Munkhtur is a tough and respectable opponent," Masoumi said. "He’s a world silver medalist, a world bronze medalist, the runner-up at the Asian Games, and an Asian champion.

"Thank God, with my coaches’ analysis and my own progress over the past few years, I was able to wrestle a smart match, winning 6-0 and avenging my loss to him in the Asian Championships two years ago."

Masoumi said his next competition will be the domestic Takhti Cup, which will serve as a national team qualifer for this year's World Championships in Zagreb.

"All of the top heavyweight contenders, including the biggest names, will compete there," he said. "I’ll also participate and test my chances for the Zagreb competition."

Abolfazl RAHMANI (IRI) posted an 11-4 victory over Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ) in the 86kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 86kg, Rahmani put on an impressive performance in roaring to an 11-4 victory over Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ), the 2023 Asian champion at 79kg who, at 32, was an opponent nearly twice his age.

Rahmani, less than one year removed from taking an Asian U20 silver, started his quest for senior gold with a single-leg takedown, then gave up one to Sakayev. Rahmani gained an activity point to lead 3-2 going into the second period.

The Iranian increased the gap by stepping over for a 2-point exposure on the edge, then really got rolling when he got behind for a takedown and hit a gut wrench. Another takedown put him up 11-2 before Sakayev capped the scoring with a late takedown.

Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) wrestles Deepak PUNIA (IND) in the 92kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Firouzpour, like Masoumi a world U23 champion and winner in Zagreb, turned in the most dominant victory of the night's finals, crushing Deepak PUNIA (IND) 10-0 for his second straight gold at 92kg and third overall.

A stepout and a snap-down takedown gave the 22-year-old Firouzpour a 3-0 lead in the first period. In the second, he added three more stepouts -- with a fleeing point added to one -- and an activity point to go up 8-0, then ended the match by countering a trip attempt and getting behind with 39 seconds left.

Firouzpour finished the tournament with two technical falls in three matches, and without conceding a point.

"My main goal was to not give up any points and wrestle my best in this tournament," Firouzpour said. "I’m happy that I achieved the result I wanted. I hope to perform well in the upcoming Takhti Cup...and to win gold at the World Championships in Croatia."

Firouzpour also praised Iran coach Pejman DOROSTKAR for taking the chance to assemble such a young team for the tournament.

"Not every head coach would take that risk, but he embraced the challenge and built a U23 team," Firouzpour said. "In fact, most of our team was under 21. Only one other wrestler and I were 22, while almost everyone else was under 20.

"Thanks to his decision, we won nine medals and dominated Asia. With a coach and federation president like we have now, I’m confident we’ll achieve the best results at the World Championships as well."

Punia, a world silver medalist at 86kg in 2019, earned his fourth Asian medal and first since 2022. He also has a silver from the 2023 Asian Games and placed fifth at the Tokyo Olympics.

Takara SUDA (JPN) defends against UDIT (IND) in the 61kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Suda, winner at the Tirana Ranking Series event in February in his international senior debut, made it 2 for 2 on this level with a 6-4 victory in the 61kg final over UDIT (IND), last year's silver medalist at 57kg.

"I was determined to win the gold medal," Suda said. "To win my second senior tournament, following the Ranking Series, shows I can be competitive on this level."

Suda fired straight out of the blocks and scored a stepout with a charging single leg, then added a single-leg takedown to go into the break 3-0.

Udit went on the offensive in the second period, but couldn't seem to keep hold of the elusive Suda, who twice jumped free when Udit grabbed a low single. Udit kept his grip a third time, but Suda still managed to squirm free.

An activity point put Udit onto the scoreboard, but Suda quickly responded with a snap-down takedown. The two traded late stepouts before Udit scored a takedown in the final seconds that still left him short.

"In the final, I knew the Indian opponent would be strong physically," Suda said. "At the very least, I wanted to be aggressive in the first period."

Suda earned his ticket to Amman by winning his first national title last December in the absence of injured world champion Masanosuke ONO (JPN), his Yamanashi Gakuin University teammate and training partner. Ono has since announced he will compete for Penn State University in the United States next season.

Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) added a third Asian title to his name. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In the 74kg final, Kaipanov put on a masterclass in defending against a dangerous opponent, with a stepout and activity point in the second period lifting him to a 2-1 victory over Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) and his first Asian title since 2021.

Toktomambetov, the 2024 world U23 silver medalist who took an Asian bronze at 70kg in 2023, gained an activity point for the lone score of the first period. But he couldn't break through Kaipanov's defenses in the second as the Kazakh veteran took the lead and held on for the win.

The victory makes Kaipanov a four-time Asian medalist, having won his first gold at 70kg in 2019 and a silver medal in 2022. He also took a world bronze at 70kg in 2019.

Dauletbekov grabs 92kg bronze for 6th career medal

Veteran Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ), who moved up 92kg late last year, was unable to continue his remarkable streak of Asian titles, but assured he would not leave Amman empty-handed when he defeated Sherzod POYONOV (UZB) 2-1 for a bronze medal.

Dauletbekov scored a stepout in the first period, and that proved the difference when the two had offsetting activity points to give him a sixth career Asian medal dating back to 2017.

The world bronze medalist, who won three straight Asian golds at 86kg from 2022-2024, bumped up a weight class following the Paris Olympics, where he placed 11th.

The other 92kg bronze went to Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN), who stormed to an 11-0 victory over Bekzat RAKHIMOV (KGZ) to add to his bronze at 97kg in 2021. Ishiguro barged to a 4-point takedown right off the bat, then got behind in standing position and took Rakhimov to the mat while executing a gut wrench, then added another roll for the 10-point gap at 1:52. An unsuccessful challenge added the final point.

In one of the oddest matches of the tournament, DINESH (IND) scored a takedown with :40 left to cap a comeback in a wild 14-12 victory over an obviously fatigued Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM) for a 125kg bronze.

Saparov, the 2023 Asian U23 champion, looked chipper at the start, hitting Dinesh with a slick arm throw for 2, then using an arm spin for another takedown and adding a gut wrench to lead 6-0.

But from there, it became clear he was struggling for breath, and the only thing that seemed to save him were constant breaks to stop a bloody nose. Dinesh continually chipped away at the lead, although Saparov managed one spurt in the second period when he got behind for a takedown and added a gut wrench to go ahead 12-7.

Dinesh kept pressing and kept scoring, inevitably getting the winning points to clinch his first major medal. With Saparov's loss, Turkmenistan continued a medal drought at the Asian Championships dating back to 2018.

Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN) claimed the other 125kg bronze and his second in a row with a victory by fall over Ahmed AL JAMIE (IRQ).

Leading 4-1 in the second period, Sharipov was sprawling when he reached under and pulled in Al Jamie's leg, forcing him to his back for a 4-point move before pressing down for the fall in 4:53.

At 61kg, Ahmad JAVAN (IRI), the winner at this year's Zagreb Ranking Series event, capped his debut at the Asian Championships with a solid 6-1 victory that relegated Kum Chol RI (PRK) to a second straight silver medal.

After thwarting a nice ankle pick by Ri and converting it into a takedown, Javan went on the offensive and got two takedowns off a high crotch, sandwiched around a stepout by Ri. Javan then defended well in a scoreless second period to add the Asian bronze to those at the world U20 in 2022 and world U23 in 2021 at 57kg.

Wanhao ZOU (CHN) won the other 61kg bronze, getting a takedown and stepout in the first period in a 4-2 victory that denied Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ) a second career bronze.

At 74kg, Tu Erxun AHEIYOU (CHN) received an activity point in each period, while putting up a Great Wall of Defense to defeat Fazliddin NASRITDINOV (UZB) 4-0. Aheiyou got his last two points when he stopped a last-ditch throw attempt by Nasritdinov.

Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI) became the lone Iranian in freestyle to leave without a medal when was dealt a heartbreaking 2-2 defeat by Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN), despite being the aggressor throughout their 74kg match.

Shakeri, the 2023 world U230 champion at 65kg, gained an activity point in the first period, but Asluev went ahead in the second when he managed to gain control long enough for a takedown during a scramble that ended with Shakeri gaining a stepout.

To his credit, Asluev deftly slipped out when Shakeri got behind on the ankles, and whizzered out of another takedown attempt as he added to his bronze from 2023.

At 86kg, Asian U20 champion Batbilguun NAADAMBAT (MGL), burned once by an arm spin by Nan CAO (CHN), was ready the second time, stopping his opponent in mid-twist and securing a second-period fall.

Cao, the Asian U23 champion at 79kg, took the lead with an acrobatic takedown in the first period. But Naadambat was ready the second time and it resulted in his first senior medal.

Stocky Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN) came away with his second straight 86kg bronze, using his low center of gravity to score four stepouts and defeat Mukul DAHIYA (IND) 4-2.

Shirai, the 2022 world U23 champion, chalked up two stepouts in each period before 2023 Asian U20 champion Dahiya finally got on the scoreboard with a takedown late in the second period.

Day 6 Results

Freestyle

61kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Takara SUDA (JPN) df. UDIT (IND), 6-4

BRONZE: Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) df. Kum Chol RI (PRK), 6-1
BRONZE: Wanhao ZOU (CHN) df. Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ), 4-2

74kg (16 entries)
GOLD: Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) df. Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ), 2-1

BRONZE: Tu Erxun AHEIYOU (CHN) df. Fazliddin NASRITDINOV (UZB), 4-0
BRONZE: Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN) df. Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI), 2-2

86kg (15 entries)
GOLD: Abolfazl RAHMANI (IRI) df. Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ), 11-4

BRONZE: Batbilguun NAADAMBAT (MGL) df. Nan CAO (CHN) by Fall, 3:56 (2-2)
BRONZE: Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN) df. Mukul DAHIYA (IND), 4-2

92kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) df. Deepak PUNIA (IND) by TF, 10-0, 5:21

BRONZE: Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) df. Sherzod POYONOV (UZB), 2-1
BRONZE: Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN) df. Bekzat RAKHIMOV (KGZ) by TF, 11-0, 1:53

125kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) df. Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL), 6-0

BRONZE: DINESH (IND) df. Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM), 14-12
BRONZE: Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN) df. Ahmed AL JAMIE (IRQ) by Fall, 4:53 (8-1)

When Yianni vanished in thin air against Amouzad

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Rising star Masoumi gains revenge, joins gold rush by young Iran team