#WrestleBelgrade

World Championships GR 60kg, 72kg, 97kg semis set

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 22) -- With only three weight classes on Friday, the World Championships is entering its final days. Greco-Roman stars in 60kg, 72kg and 97kg will take the mats with 60kg and 97kg being the Olympic weight classes.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER | DAY 6 RESULTS

The semifinals for the evening session:

72kg
Robert FRITSCH (HUN) vs. Shingo HARADA (JPN)
Selcuk CAN (TUR) vs. Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA)

60kg
Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) vs. Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)
Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) vs. Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)

97kg
Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) vs. Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU)
Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) vs. Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI)

14:50: Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) overpowers U20 world champion Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) 8-5 in the 97kg quarterfinal. Both exchanged four-pointers before Khaslakhanau was awarded a point for Rosillo's foul. But the Cuban hit another four and was close to a fall but ultimately won 8-5

14:47: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) returns to the semifinals at 97kg as he beats Felix BALDAUF (NOR) 4-1. Saravi got a turn from par terre to lead 3-0. Baldauf got two passivity advantages in the second period but failed to score. During the second par terre, Saravi stopped him mid-turn and scored a reversal. 

14:42: Once again, Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) was put on top of par terre first and never gave his opponent a chance to be on offense again. Aleksanyan reeled off four rolls against Artur OMAROV (CZE) to end their 97kg semifinal 9-0 in just under two minutes. Later today, Aleksanyan, who last year won his fifth career title, will attempt to make his eighth world final against Mindaugas VENCKATITIS (LTU), who ended the gold-medal hopes of local favorite Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) with an 8-0 technical fall.

14:35: Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) jumps out to a 7-0 lead in the first period against Christopher KRAEMER (GER), and that's how it ends as he advances to the 60kg semifinal and a shot a defending world champion Sharshenbekov.

14:34: Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) got a turn from par terre and then defended his par terre position against Liguo CAO (CHN) to complete a 3-1 victory and set up a semifinal against  Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)

14:31: A 9-0 shutout victory for world champion Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) as he gets two four-pointers using underhooks against Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB). The world champion will take on Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) in the semifinals.

14:26: Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) has dominated today! He now moves into the semifinals at 72kg after a 9-0 domination of Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ).

14:24: In a wild match with a bizarre finish, European champion Robert FRITSCH (HUN) is through to the 72kg semifinals by beating local favorite and defending champion Ali ARSELAN (SRB). It was ended by fall, but the Serb seemed to give up from exhaustion. He had taken a 9-5 lead with a pair of front headlock turns in the first period, but became a limp body when Fritcsh scored a takedown and easily turned him over.

14:20: Japan continues its incredible run at this World Championships as Shingo HARADA (JPN) beats returning silver medalist Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) 6-4 after being 3-1 down. He will take on Robert FRITSCH (HUN) who pinned world champion Ali ARSALAN (SRB)

Quarterfinal action now in 72kg, 60kg and 97kg

14:10: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) executes three powerful gut wrenches from par terre and he advances at 97kg with a 7-1 win over Gerard KURNICZAK (POL). That was the final match before the start of the quarterfinals, which will begin simultaneously on the four mats starting with 72kg.

13:59: Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) gets put on top in par terre against Josef RAU (USA), and that only spells trouble for the American. Aleksanyan easily turns him over with a series of tilts and rolls for a 9-0 win in just over two minutes to advance to the 97kg quarterfinals.

13:55: The literally gray-beard Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) jumps out to a 4-0 lead against Gabriel ROSSILLO (CUB) at 97kg, but the 39-year-old two-time world medalist gives up a takedown and a 4-point throw to lose 6-4.

13:47: Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) continues to get it done at 97kg, forging a 7-5 victory over Tamas LEVAI (HUN), a bronze medalist a year ago at 82kg. Kajaia gets three gut-wrench rolls from par terre, while limiting Levai to two front headlock turns, and that was the difference.

13:34: Ali ARSALAN (SRB) would love nothing more than to win his second straight 72kg title before the home crowd, and he cut it close in his opening match. Arsalan reeled off three gut wrenches from par terre to take a 7-0 lead into the second period against Danial SOHRABI (IRI). But the Iranian gradually came back and even scored the tying takedown with two seconds, but Arselan took the win 7-7 on big-point criteria.

13:12: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI), the 2021 champion and a bronze medalist last year, gets a pair of stepouts in the first period and he's through with a 3-1 win over Markus RAGGINGER (AUT) at 97kg.

12:52: Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN), two months after winning the world U20 gold at 97kg, starts his senior debut by rallying to beat Mathias BAK (DEN) 11-5. Khaslakhanau has to fight off his back in the first period, and goes ahead to stay with a 4-point takedown and 2-point throw in the second.

12:43: Mega-superstar Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) gets a wake-up call when Nicu OJOG (ROU) hits him with a 4-point arm throw to start their 97kg first-round match. But the multi-world and Olympic champion quickly rebounds, scoring a reversal and two gut wrenches, then adds a 4-point takedown to go into the break up 9-4. Aleksanyan adds a stepout for a 10-4 win.

12:41: Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) gets two gut wrenches from par terre, much to the joy of the home crowd, and he advances at 97kg with a 5-1 victory over Serhii OMELIN (UKR).

12:34: Returning bronze medalist Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE) has pulled out of his bout against Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU) after he expressed pain in his heavily strapped elbow. On Mat D, Artur SARGASIAN (AIN) also suffers an elbow injury in the bout against Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB).

12:30: Who would have thought that a 97kg Greco-Roman bout would turn into a slugfest? Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) comes back from 6-0 to beat Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED) via fall after leading 10-7

12:15: World champion Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) had to work a little but he got the job done with a 10-2 victory over Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU) at 60kg. Big day for the Kyrgyz world champ. He faces Pridon ABULADZE (GEO) next

12:05: Two-time former world champion Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) has a worry-free second match, scoring two tilts from par terre to defeat Helary MAEGISALU (EST) 5-1 and advance to the round-of-16 at 60kg.

12:00: Young gun Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) opens his World Championships with a 6-2 win over Kevin DE ARMAS (CUB) in 60kg, a weight class that is nothing less than a minefield.

11:56: Returning 60kg silver medalist Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) has fallen at the first hurdle, and fallen hard. Former European champion Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) dominates the match and finishes off a 9-0 win with go-behind takedown.

11:50: Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN), the 2021 world U23 champion at 60kg, beats the 2022 champion Kerem KAMAL (TUR) 11-5. Allakhiarov is trailing when he hits a 4-point front body lock throw, which gets a 2-point leg penalty tacked on, with 21 seconds to go.

11:38: Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) thrills the home crowd by holding off two-time former world champion Metehan BASAR (TUR) 2-1 at 97kg. Kajaia, a bronze medalist in 2018, gets a steput in the first period and that proves the difference.

11:19: Never give up. Patrick SMITH (USA) falls behind 7-2 at 72kg against European bronze medalist Kamil CZARNECKI (POL), but chips away at the lead against his tiring opponent. He cuts the lead to 2 before slamming him down for a fall with just under two minutes left.

11:17: Veteran Heiki NABI (EST) won't be going for his sixth career world medal after losing his 130kg repechage match to Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY), who gets both passivity points for a 2-0 win. The 38-year-old Nabi, the 2012 London Olympic silver medalist has won his five world medals over a 14-year span from 2006 to 2019.

10:57: What a way to get the session started! In a clash between former world champions that, in another place at another time could have been for the gold medal, Olympic silver medalist Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) dodges a bullet and beats Victor CIOBANU (MDA) 3-1 at 60kg. As Fumita tries for the turn from par terre, Ciobanu reverses for 2, then scores an apparent 4 at the edge. But on challenge, Ciobanu is assessed a 2-point leg infraction penalty and his points are wiped out. Fumita holds on for the win. The two also met in the quarterfinals at the 2019 worlds, with Fumita notching a wild 12-5 win en route to his second career gold.

10:30: Welcome to day seven of the World Championships. All Greco-Roman day with 60kg, 72kg and 97kg wrestlers wrestling for the world title. 60kg and 97kg are the Olympic weight classes.

#WrestleBelgrade

Taylor wins latest duel against Yazdani; Burroughs claims sixth gold

By Ken Marantz

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 16) -- With military-like precision and power, David TAYLOR (USA) came out on top in the latest edition of the top-gun rivalry that currently has the wrestling world abuzz.

Taylor avenged a loss to Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) at last year's World Championships with a well-earned 7-1 victory in the 86kg final, giving the American his second world title in one of four freestyle finals on Friday in Belgrade.

"This is the first time I've really gone into wrestling Yazdani with super strict intentions," Taylor said. "And I followed that. He's burning that fire for me to continue going. He's that barrier to me and a gold medal in Paris."

Earlier, Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) captured the 79kg title to tie Adeline GRAY (USA) for the most-ever world golds by an American with six, while an unheralded and unorthodox Japanese shed some rain on the American victory parade with a surprisingly one-sided win over Zain RETHERFORD (USA) in the 70kg final.

Taha AKGUL (TUR) captured the final title at stake on the seventh day of competition with a victory at 125kg, giving him a third world title and first since 2015.

David TAYLOR (USA)David TAYLOR (USA) never let off the pressure against Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) in the 86kg final. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

Taylor's victory over Yazdani was his fourth in five career meetings between the two superstars, the last three of which have come in global finals. Last year, Taylor came out on top 4-3 in the final of the Tokyo Olympics, an outcome Yazdani reversed three months later with a 6-2 win for the gold in Oslo.

"Going there and losing, it was hard," said Taylor, who said he at one time considered retiring.

In every previous match, Yazdani took the initial lead, and Friday night's clash was no exception. Yazdani received an activity point, but few could have foreseen that that would be the limit to his scoring.

After Yazdani tip-toed out of a takedown attempt, Taylor came right back at him and gained a single-leg takedown to lead 2-1 going into the second period. A sweeping tackle and a stepout off a single-leg attempt put the American up 5-1.

Yazdani looked like he was going to cut the lead to a manageable margin when he very nearly got behind for a takedown in the final minute, but Taylor reached back and prevented the Iranian from completing the move. Yazdani still had a shot when moved to the side for a crotch lift, but Taylor resisted that for a stalemate.

With Yazdani putting the pressure on to score, it was Taylor who came up with a final takedown to put the victory on ice.

Taylor said that for some time, he lost his desire to continue the sport, and only relit the flame through the support of his family and others around him.

"I tell you why this year has been so hard for me," he said. "I contemplated retiring multiple times. I just didn't know if I wanted to do it anymore. I've been at the top of what I want to do since I was a little kid. Olympic champion. I believe if I didn't go the World Championships, eight weeks later, I'd probably be done."

Taylor and Yazdani are both Olympic champions with the latter winning at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but became rivals when Yazdani made the move from 74kg up to Taylor's domain at 86kg.

In their first two encounters, Taylor won by fall at the 2017 World Cup, then 11-6 in the first round at the 2018 World Championships, which he won for his first senior world crown.

"We're the number one rivalry in the world for a reason," Taylor said. "You know, we're putting it on the line for wrestling. We're dog-tired out there. You know, it's just like, listen, that's what we're here for, you know. I mean, you gotta be a little bit showman, you know I am the Magic Man for a reason. I was able to be on top today and it feels pretty good."

Yazdani, a three-time champion, now has six world medals. Combined with his two from the Olympics, the 28-year-old has the most global medals in Iranian's storied history, with certainly more on the way in the years ahead.

"We'll go down to two greatest wrestlers of all time, we'll be battling to push each other the entire time so thankful for him," Taylor said. "But it feels good to be a champ."

Asked what he would tell Yazdani, Taylor replied, "Losing sucks. You're gonna get better, I'm gonna get better. And next year, we're gonna put it on the line again. I know you'll be there. I'll be there. And let's put another show for the fans. Give them something else to remember. That and the record books. I'll be there. I know you will, too. Let's go battle."

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA)Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) is now a six-time world champion, the best record for a male USA wrestler. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

For Burroughs, his hard-fought 4-2 victory over Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) in the 79kg final -- a repeat of 2021 final which the American won 5-1 -- made him the most decorated wrestler in American history when taking into consideration both world and Olympic golds.

"I feel amazing," Burroughs said. "All I can say is, God is good. My family, my coaches, and my training partners. I just think about all of the people who put so much work into helping me get to this platform. You guys get to see the championships, the hard double-legs, and the commitment here, but you rarely get to see the definition of what makes a champion behind the scenes."

Burroughs now has seven combined golds, breaking a tie with the legendary John SMITH (USA), and 10 medals overall. "I thank John for pushing me indirectly," he said.

While Nokhodi received an activity point for the lone point of the first period, Burroughs was far and away the aggressor in the second, launching a succession of takedown attempts that bore fruit with one stepout and a trademark blast double-leg tackle for a takedown.

"The refs hadn't been giving me favorable calls throughout the week, so I knew I had to do something extra," Burroughs said. "But honestly, I just wanted a takedown. I knew he couldn't get to my legs."

An activity point for Burroughs and a late stepout by Nokhodi completed the scoring.

Burroughs won his first four world golds in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017 at 74kg, the same weight he won his lone Olympic title in London in 2012. He moved up to 79kg in 2021 and won gold No. 5. He also has bronze medals from 2014, 2018 and 2019.

For now, Burroughs said he has no thoughts of retiring, despite the demands of being one of the elites of the sport.

"Before every match, I always remind myself that I chose this," he said. "This is chosen suffering. It's difficult, it's hard, it's scary as heck, but I know that God equipped me with the right tools to be the person to go out there and do this repeatedly. I'm 34 years old, I'm the father of four, been married for almost a decade, and I'm still at the top of my game."

Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN)Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) won the 70kg gold medal with a quick win over Zain RETHERFORD (USA) in the final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Earlier, Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) had dealt the U.S. a shock when he powered to a 10-0 technical fall over Retherford in the 70kg final.

"I can't put it into words," the 24-year-old Narikuni said of his stunning win. "I really went through a lot. I finally made it to this point."

Narikuni, who first appeared on the world radar when he won the Asian title in April in his first major senior competition, scored a takedown on a counter, then added two points with an exposure in which he put his head between Retherford's legs, lifted up and rotated. He then transitioned to a lace lock.

"I thought I probably wouldn't get that chance again, so I wanted to end it there in one shot," he said. "If the match continued and gone longer, the match might have gone at his pace and I might have lost."

Reeling off three rolls, Narikuni ended the match in 2:10 for gold that he said he will not be defending next year. And not because he will be moving to an Olympic weight class. In fact, he won't even be wrestling freestyle.

"I'm planning to get away from freestyle for a while," Narikuni said. "Without having doubts, I think I can make it in Greco at 67kg. My thinking is to become a world champion in both styles. I won't concede to anyone. This had been my objective before I came here and I definitely think I can achieve it."

All of his life, Narikuni has felt like he was living in the shadow of a two-time world champion. And literally, he was, as it was his mother who won two world golds under her maiden name of Akiko IIJIMA in the 1990s.

She runs Gold Kids, the Tokyo wrestling club where he, Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) and a number of other top Japanese got their start in the sport, and where he is now a coach (he also works part-time at a karaoke parlor). Growing up, he developed a complex about being compared to his mother, and winning the gold in Belgrade puts him halfway to redeeming himself in his own eyes.

But equaling her with two golds is not enough. He will try to outdo her by winning the second title in Greco-Roman. He is no stranger to the style, having finished seventh at the world juniors 2017.

In fact, he might have already been wrestling that style, but the tournament he was going to enter to qualify in Greco for last year's national championships got canceled due to the pandemic.

"She won two titles, and I've only won one," Narikuni said. "I've closed the gap a little. If I win at Greco, no one can deny what I have done. If I don't win at Greco, I will never feel in my heart that I've caught up to her."

Narikuni is also an anomaly in that he spends little time actually wrestling in his training, preferring to mainly hit the weight room. The techniques that he has been learning as a toddler and the power he has built up have served him well.

Taha AKGUL (TUR)Taha AKGUL (TUR) won the world title for the third time and first since 2015. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In the last match of the night, Akgul won a clash of 2021 bronze medalists, scoring a single-leg takedown and a gut wrench in the second period to rally to a 6-2 win over Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL).

"It was very difficult," Akgul said. "The exhaustion from yesterday was very noticeable, but it's important that I won, to finally become world champion again after seven years and to show the world that I can still be the best."

Akgul had a stepout and received an activity point in the first period, but Munkhtur went ahead by opening the second with a takedown. Munkhtur was attempting to become Mongolia's first world gold medalist in freestyle since 1975.

Akgul was coming off a grueling 4-2 win in the semifinal over defending champion Amir ZARE (IRI), which he won with a takedown in the last second. He said that victory was about more than avenging a loss to Zare in last year's semifinals.

"I prepared well, my opponent beat me last year, but Zare made a "KING" gesture when he won," Akgul said. "Geno [Petrashvili] or I never did that. Respect is very important in sports. This move of mine was for him."

Asked about the difference between his two titles, Akgul replied, "Nothing has changed. I have lost twice in the final in the past, that was very annoying. I would have been world champion five times if that had not happened. If I stay healthy and train well, I can beat everyone."

Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) won a bronze medal with by beating Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ). (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

Georgia, Kyrgyzstan take 2 bronzes each

Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), who once dominated the weight class along with Akgul in one of the sport's fiercest rivalries, picked up his seventh world medal when he outclassed Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ) 11-4 to take home one of the bronze medals at 125kg.

Petriashvili, who had a three-peat of world golds from 2017 to 2019, fell behind 4-2 early in the second period, but turned on the jets and reeled off nine unanswered points to give Georgia its second bronze of the night.

Earlier, Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO), a world champion in 2017, picked up his third world bronze and second in a row with a wild 5-5 victory over Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) at 70kg in a repeat of this year's European final.

Iakobishvili's 4-point takedown early in the second period proved the difference after Andreasyan tied the score at 5-5 with a takedown, but a 2-point title awarded by the referee was taken away when a challenge showed Iakobishvili's back never broke the 90-degree plane.

Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) countered Naveen MALIK (IND) attacks to win the bronze at 70kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ), the 2021 silver medalist and runner-up to Narikuni at the Asian Championships in April, won the other 70kg bronze and the first of two for Kyrgyzstan when he scored all of his points on counters in a 4-1 over Naveen MALIK (IND).

Malik opened the scoring with a stepoout, but that would be all that Akmataliev would concede as he continued to fend off the Indian's attacks, going ahead with a counter to exposure for a 2-1 lead. In the second period, he countered a double-leg attack and went behind to pad his lead to 4-1.

Zare took home the other 125kg bronze when he bounced back from a disappointing loss to Akgul in the semifinals by scoring four takedowns in an 8-0 loss to Amarveer DHESI (CAN), an important win for Iran in the team race with the rival U.S.

At 79kg, Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ) captured his country's second straight bronze of the night when he scored two takedowns in the second period in a 5-1 victory over Ali UMARPASHAEV (BUL).

The other 79kg bronze when to Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR), who gained a decisive stepout off a scramble with :15 left and edged veteran Olympic bronze medalist Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB), with the final score becoming 5-3 following a subsequent unsuccessful challenge.

Taking home the 86kg bronzes were Asian champion Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) and Boris MAKOEV (SVK).

Dauletbekov, limited to two points in the first period, overwhelmed Ethan RAMOS (PUR) in the second rolling to a 10-0 technical fall in 4:25 for his third career world medal. The loss kept Ramos, now an assistant coach at Duke University in the U.S., from becoming just the second world medalist in Puerto Rican history.

The Russian-born Makoev, a silver medalist in 2017 in his first year competing for Slovakia, was behind on criteria when he scored a takedown with a minute to go to defeat Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL) 3-1.

Thomas GILMAN (USA)Defending world champion Thomas GILMAN (USA) reached the final at 57kg. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor) 

U.S. puts 3 into finals

In the semifinals in three weight classes held earlier in the night session, it was an American trifecta as defending champions Thomas GILMAN (USA) and Kyle DAKE (USA) and 2021 bronze medalist Jden COX (USA) all advanced to Saturday night's finals. For both Dake and Cox, their final will be a rematch from the 2021 World Championships.

Gilman, a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, got the juggernaut going at 57kg, when he used his snap-down attack to great effect for a comprehensive 8-2 win over 2018 world U23 bronze medalist Wanhao ZOU (CHN).

Keeping the pressure constantly on the Chinese, scored three takedowns from a snap-down setup, which he combined with an activity clock point and a stepout. Defensively, Gilman, who also has a 2017 world bronze, limited Zou to a pair of stepouts.

In the final, he will face Russian-born Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB), who scored a takedown and a counter lift for 2 in defeating American-born and bred Stevan MICIC (SRB) 6-1. Abakarov began competing for Albania this year with limited success, although he did win the Kolov-Petrov tournament in Bulgaria in February at 61kg.

Dake, aiming for his fourth consecutive world title and second straight at 74kg, survived a low-scoring but titanic battle with Asian champion Yones EMAMI (IRI) to eke out a 2-2 win.

Emami controlled the first period, taking a 2-0 lead with an activity point and a stepout from a counter, but it was only Dake's passive defense that prevented the Iranian from scoring more. Twice Dake managed to escape the situation when Emami got in deep on a single.

In the second period, Dake, also an Olympic bronze medalist in Tokyo, drove Emami to the edge and as they went out, then launched a backdrop. The call on the mat was for 4, but the Iranian side challenged. The move was reduced to a stepout, but an additional point was tacked on for fleeing, making it 2-2 with Dake holding the advantage on criteria.

Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) held off Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) 3-0 in the 74kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Standing between Dake and another world title will be Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK), the same opponent he defeated 7-3 a year ago for the gold in Oslo.

Salkazanov scored a pair of stepouts to defeat two-time former world champion Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) 3-0 in the other semifinal. That was a repeat of this year's European Championships final, which Salkazanov won 7-5 for his second straight crown.

At 92kg, Cox will get a chance to avenge a semifinal loss at the same stage in Oslo that forced him to settle for a bronze medal when he takes on defending champion Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI).

gth

Day 7 Results

Freestyle

57kg (31 entries)
Semifinal - Thomas GILMAN (USA) df. Wanhao ZOU (CHN), 8-2
Semifinal - Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) df. Stevan MICIC (SRB), 6-1

70kg (28 entries)
Gold - Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) df. Zain RETHERFORD (USA) by TF, 10-0, 2:20

Bronze - Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) df. Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM), 5-5
Bronze - Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) df. Naveen MALIK (IND), 4-1

74kg (34 entries)
Semifinal - Kyle DAKE (USA) df. Yones EMAMI (IRI), 2-2
Semifinal - Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. Frank CHAMIZO (ITA), 3-0

79kg (32 entries)
Gold - Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) df. Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI), 4-2

Bronze - Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ) df. Ali UMARPASHAEV (BUL), 5-1
Bronze - Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) df. Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB), 5-3

86kg (30 entries)
Gold - David TAYLOR (USA) df. Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), 7-1

Bronze - Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) df. Ethan RAMOS (PUR) by TF, 10-0, 4:25
Bronze - Boris MAKOEV (SVK) df. Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL), 3-1

92kg (23 entries)
Semifinal - Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 5-0
Semifinal - Jden COX (USA) df. Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), 7-0

125kg (24 entries)
Gold - Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL), 6-2

Bronze - Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) df. Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ), 11-4
Bronze - Amir ZARE (IRI) df. Amarveer DHESI (CAN), 8-0