World Championships: Taylor continues dominance of Yazdani, bags 3rd gold

Sunday, September 17, 2023 - 20:57 By Ken Marantz

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 17) -- After beating rival Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) yet again, and handily at that, David TAYLOR (USA) dropped down to a knee and shook his head seemingly to say that even he doesn't know how he does it.

Taylor maintained the upper hand in one of the sport's great rivalries, capturing his third world title by securing a late fall in their freestyle 86kg final in the feature match on Sunday, the second day of the World Championships in Belgrade.

Taylor's victory was part of a productive day for the U.S. team, which won both of the non-Olympic titles up for grabs and gained another spot at the Paris Olympics when Mason PARRIS (USA) won a bronze medal at 125kg.

This year's championships offers the first five qualifying places for the 2024 Paris Olympics and includes a historic fifth-place playoff between the losers of the bronze-medal matches.

Iran has secured two tickets to Paris, including one when Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) regained the 125kg throne with a one-sided victory over veteran Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO).

In the 86kg final, Taylor, taking advantage of a successful challenge in the first period that changed the tenor of the match, scored a key takedown early in the second period to take a 7-3 lead.

As the two battled for openings, Taylor clamped down when Yazdani attempted a headlock throw to make it 9-3 and secured the fall with two seconds left for his fifth win in six career meetings between the two.

"It's so many micro-adjustments, it's amazing," Taylor said. "I have a plan, he has a plan, then you go out there and your plan works for about 20 seconds. When I wrestle him, it's like organized chaos, there's just so much happening. It becomes, honestly, a lot of instinct. It's what I've been doing for 25 years."

In the 86kg final, David TAYLOR 🇺🇸 scored four points over Hassan YAZDANI 🇮🇷 after a successful challenge.

After critical review of the call, the jury decided that that the red wrestler landed in danger (shoulders touching) and opened his hand while bule controlled the move. pic.twitter.com/8m250EJTOL
— United World Wrestling (@wrestling) September 17, 2023

Taylor, who beat Yazdani in the Tokyo Olympic final, said the key to handling the Iranian star was to neutralize his dangerous underhook.

"He's so good in that position, and it's forced me to get better," Taylor said. "For me, the more action always benefits me. I feel like our matches had a lot of action...People will do the best they possibly can to slow me down, my job is to become a dynamic scorer and find ways to continue to score and that was what I was able to do."

Taylor's lone loss to Yazdani was a 6-2 decision in the 2021 final in Oslo, which he said he took to heart.

"He is an aggressive, fearless competitor," Taylor said. "In Oslo, I gave him an inch and he took a mile. I learned my lesson the hard way in that match. Every time I have to try to stay one step ahead."

Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) celebrates after winning the 125kg final against Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Zare split a pair of matches with Petriashvili in 2021, but there was no doubt who was the dominant figure in their clash for supremacy at 125kg.

Petrashvili had no answer for the tremendous pressure that Zare applied, as the Iranian had six stepouts in charging to an 11-0 technical fall in 4:48.

Zare, a bronze medalist last year, added to the world gold he won in 2021 as a 19-year-old, while Petrashvili, a two-time Olympic medalist, took home his eighth world medal. He has not won a gold since winning three straight from 2017 to 2019.

Zare knows that even though he secured the Paris berth, he faces tough competition in the battle to fill it himself.

"There are domestic competitors who are young and motivated and I will try to beat [them] and go to the Olympics and get the best result," he said.

Vitali ARUJAU (USA) won the 61kg gold medal at the World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Meanwhile, Vitali ARUJAU (USA) and Zain RETHERFORD (USA) gave the U.S. gold in non-Olympic weight classes for their first world titles. Arujau triumphed at 61kg to join his father as a world champion, while Retherford powered to the 70kg title by beating the other Yazdani in action on Sunday.

Arujau, who won a national collegiate title this year for the Ivy League's Cornell University, prevailed 10-9 in a freewheeling 61kg final over 2021 world champion Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (AIN) that featured lots of points on counter lifts and exposures.

"There were some things that went my way, and some things that didn't," Arujau said. "But when it comes to finding those openings and being able to chain together multiple attacks, that's where I really shine."

Arujau scored first with a stepout, then things really got wild. On a shot by Magomedov, Arujau went to a body lift while on his posterior, with both bodies twisting and swirling in a wild scramble. When the dust cleared and a challenge allowed the scoring to be sorted out, Arujau had a 7-4 lead.

In the second period, Magomedov gained an exposure and a challenge point to tie the match, but his lead on criteria quickly evaporated when Arujau scored a go-behind takedown. Arujau added a stepout to go up 10-7 before Magomedov picked up a stepout and caution point in the final seconds to account for the final score.

Arujau, a silver medalist on both the junior (U20) and cadet (U17) levels, made it to the top step of the senior podium to emulate his father Vugar ORUDIEV, who won two world titles at freestyle 48kg for the former Soviet Union, as well as a bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

"It's been a long time coming," said Arujau, who was born in Belarus but grew up in the state of New York. "I'm 24 years old and this is the first time I can say I'm actually gaining a little ground [on him.]"

Zain RETHERFORD (USA) defeated Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) in the 70kg to win his first world title. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Retherford made it to the top of the podium after finishing second last year by putting together a solid 8-5 win over Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) in the 70kg final.

Retherford dictated the pace of the match, using counters and a low single to score three takedowns and two stepouts. Yazdani, last year's world U23 silver medalist, had two slick takedowns, but otherwise offered little resistance in having to settle for the senior silver.

"I'm satisfied with how I felt wrestling, especially in the semifinal and final," Retherford said. "I came out a little nervous in the first round, but in the semifinal and final, I felt like I opened up, I felt like I was myself, battling for every score and had fun doing it."

Myles AMINE (SMR), San Marino's first Olympic medalists, secured a Paris Olympic berth by winning the bronze medal at 86kg. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Akgul, Amine win bronzes, Olympic berths

In the bronze-medal matches, Taha AKGUL (TUR) earned his eighth world medal and the Olympic berth for his country that came with it, with an untroubled 5-0 victory over Daniel LIGETI (HUN) at 125kg.

Akgul, the defending champion who was dethroned in the semifinals by Zare, scored all of his points in the first period with a stepout, a takedown and a gut wrench, then stayed out of danger the rest of the way.

Assuming he fills the berth in Paris himself, Akgul will get a shot at a third Olympic medal, having won a gold in 2016 and a bronze in 2021.

Parris, a late U.S. team replacement after the withdrawal of Olympic champion Gable STEVESON (USA), capped an impressive performance with a 12-2 technical fall over Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) for the other 125kg bronze and Olympic quota.

Parris, the 2019 world junior (U20) champion, stopped a Kurbanov back-drop for 4 and found four different ways to score takedowns as he established himself as a future force to be reckoned with.

At 86kg, American-bred Myles AMINE (SMR) added another entry into the wrestling history of tiny San Marino by becoming the country's first-ever senior world medalist by defeating Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) 8-5. Two years ago, Amine gave San Marino its first-ever Olympic wrestling medal when he won a bronze medal in Tokyo.

In the other 86kg match, Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) pulled a rabbit out of his hat to score a buzzer-beating 5-3 win over Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) and earn a bronze for the second year in a row.

Dauletbekov had gone ahead 2-1 with a second activity point when Sharipov used a slick duck under to score a takedown with 20 seconds left.

With the clock ticking down, Dauletbekov hit a last-ditch inside trip that sent Sharipov to the mat at the buzzer. A challenge was denied that the points were scored after time expired.

Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) won his first world medal, bronze, by beating Kodai OGAWA (JPN) at 61kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

In the bronze-medal matches in the non-Olympic weights, Asian champion Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) made sure a single-leg attempt by Kodai OGAWA (JPN) in the second period would only yield a stepout point, allowing him to come away with a 2-1 victory at 61kg.

Zhumashbek Uulu, in repeating his 4-1 victory over Ogawa in the quarterfinals at the Asian Championships in April, went ahead with an activity point in the first period and a stepout in the second.

Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO) added a world bronze to the European he won earlier this year with a dramatic 5-5 win over Valentyn BLIASETSKYI (UKR) in the other 61kg match.

Trailing 2-1, Phartenadze locked up both arms, went for broke and executed a 4-point back trip late in the second period. He would then give up a fleeing point, a stepout and a caution point, but it was not enough to cost him the victory.

At 70kg, European silver medalist Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL) denied Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) a third straight world medal, riding a 4-point trip to an 8-6 victory. Akmataliev had finished third last year and second in 2021.

Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM), last year's European silver medalist, chalked up five 2-point tilts after scoring a takedown in the second period, giving him a 12-1 technical fall over Asian U23 bronze medalist ABHIMANYOU (UWW) for the other 70kg bronze.

Shapiev, Kurbanov win first-ever fifth-place playoffs

Shapiev and Kurbanov became answers to a future trivia question when they became the first winners of the newly adopted fifth-place playoff to decide the fifth Olympic berth available at the World Championships.

Shapiev scored a stepout and two activity points to defeat Sharipov at 86kg, while Kurbanov scored three takedowns in an 8-3 victory at 125kg over Ligeti.

The playoff became mandated when the UWW decided to reassign one Olympic qualifying quota from the World Championships, which originally had six, to the final World qualifying tournament, which now will have three.

Day 2 Results

Freestyle

57kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) vs Stevan MICIC (SRB)

Semifinal: Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) df. Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) by TF, 11-0, 4:19
Semifinal: Stevan MICIC (SRB) df. Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB), 6-2

61kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Vitali ARUJAU (USA) df. Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (AIN), 10-9

BRONZE: Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Kodai OGAWA (JPN), 2-1
BRONZE: Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO) df. Valentyn BLIASETSKYI (UKR), 5-5

70kg (30 entries)
GOLD: Zain RETHERFORD (USA) df. Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI), 8-5
BRONZE: Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL) df. Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ), 8-6
BRONZE: Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) df. ABHIMANYOU (UWW) by TF, 12-1, 5:01

74kg (45 entries)
GOLD: Zaurbek SIDAKOV (AIN) vs. Kyle DAKE (USA)

Semifinal: Zaurbek SIDAKOV (AIN) df. Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE), 5-1
Semifinal: Kyle DAKE (USA) df. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), 4-1

79kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Akhmed USMANOV (AIN) vs. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)

Semifinal: Akhmed USMANOV (AIN) df. Orkhan ABASOV (AZE), 3-0
Semifinal: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR), 10-4

86kg (48 entries)
GOLD: David TAYLOR (USA) df. Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) by Fall, 5:58 (9-3)

BRONZE: Myles AMINE (SMR) df. Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB), 8-5
BRONZE: Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) df. Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN), 5-3

5th-Place Playoff: Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) df. Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN), 3-1

92kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) vs. Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)

Semifinal: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 8-1
Semifinal: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) df. Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) by TF, 10-0, 1:23

125kg (33 entries)
GOLD: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) df. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) by TF, 11-0, 4:48

BRONZE: Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Daniel LIGETI (HUN), 5-0
BRONZE: Mason PARRIS (USA) df. Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) by TF, 12-2, 4:30

5th-Place Playoff: Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) df. Daniel LIGETI (HUN), 8-3

#WrestleZagreb

Amouzad avenges Paris loss to Kiyooka, claims 65kg gold

Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 22:02 By Ken Marantz

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- Revenge was the theme of the night on Tuesday at the Zagreb World Championships, with Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) playing the starring role.

Amouzad not only avenged his loss to Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) from the Paris Olympics, he did it in overwhelming fashion, blitzing his way to a 10-0 victory in the 65kg final on the final day of the freestyle competition at Arena Zagreb.

"I worked really hard and had been waiting for this moment for almost a year, and I’m happy this championship is mine," Amouzad said. "I put in a lot of effort physically, mentally, and with analysis."

The other freestyle gold at stake went to Kyle SNYDER (USA), who likewise avenged a loss in Paris -- albeit for the bronze -- with a nail-biting 4-2 win at 97kg over Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) to capture his fourth world title.

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Iran, which was already assured of winning the team title for the first time since 2013 before the night began, finished with 145 points, 11 ahead of the United States in second place. Japan placed third with 111 points.

"I’m also really happy that Iran’s team became the champion," Amouzad said. "This title was well deserved. For the past 12 years we couldn’t win but now, with seven medals, it finally happened. I’m glad the people of Iran are happy, and that makes me even happier."

It was just over a year ago that Kiyooka came seemingly out of nowhere and snatched the 65kg gold in Paris with an inspired 10-3 victory over Amouzad.

But on Tuesday, the outcome could not have been more different. From the outset, it was all Amouzad, the 2022 world champion who won three straight Asian titles from 2022 to 2024.

Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) counters Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) in the 65kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

The Iranian deftly countered a single-leg attack from Kiyooka with a back lift for two, then added a two-point exposure. And he wasn't finished with the sequence, transitioning to a cradle at the edge and wedging Kiyooka over for two more and a 6-0 lead.

Amouzad kept the pressure on a shell-shocked Kiyooka, scoring a stepout that had a fleeing point tacked on. A final takedown and the match was over with eight seconds to spare in the first period.

"I have more plans and bigger goals ahead," Amouzad said. "This is just the beginning for me, and my work isn’t finished yet. In two months, I’ll compete in the Islamic Games and I’ll participate in any tournament the coaching staff believe I should."

Kyle SNYDER (USA) celebrates after beating Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

The 97kg final was a much closer but no less dramatic affair, as Snyder picked up his eighth medal in eight trips to the World Championships to go along with an Olympic gold from Rio 2016 and a silver at Tokyo 2021.

The 29-year-old Snyder received an activity point in a tenuous first period, but Azarpira broke the logjam by getting behind for a takedown early in the second. A penalty point against Azarpira for finger-grabbing tied the score at 2-2, but with the Iranian holding the criteria advantage.

With the atmosphere growing intense, Snyder put the pressure on and scored a stepout with 8.5 seconds left, then held on as the match ended with him defending against a single-leg attack. As has become ritual, Iran made a futile challenge at the end, which did nothing but change the final score.

"We just had a little bit of a game plan for him, making sure the match is tight because in a match like that, I can always get things going near the end and find a way to score," Snyder said. "I thought I was close and I felt like he was kind of stumbling. I over-pursued a little bit and he's pretty savvy on the edge and I gave him a takedown. But honestly, that was good because it made me bring my pace even more.

"I think the timing of that was perfect, just made the match a matter of the heart, like I wasn't as much about technique as it was about the heart."

Kyle SNYDER (USA) scores the match-winning stepouts against Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) during the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

It was in Zagreb back in February 2023 that Snyder and Azarpira first met on the mat, with the American winning 3-0 in the final of the Zagreb Open. But a year later in the final of the same tournament, Azarpira came out a 6-3 winner, then defeated Snyder 4-1 eight months later in a bronze-medal match at the Paris Olympics.

"He's a tough and good hand fighter," Snyder said. "At the Olympics, I felt like I got him tired, but there were a lot of stops because of the blood. I felt that broke up the match a little bit. It came down to the last couple of seconds in this one, too. Just keeping inside a little bit better and faking and snapping and finding a way to win."

Snyder credits his dedication to consistently hard training for his continued success. "I know every time I come in, it's going to be hard. Even making the team in America is hard. So I think the most important quality for consistency over time is just humility and being willing to keep learning and keep working.

"You got to keep working hard. I think I trained harder this year than I ever have in my entire life. You got to be willing to keep doing that year after year after year."

Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN), left, and Arash YOSHIDA (JPN), the two bronze medalists at 97kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Tazhudinov cuts it close, but leaves Zagreb with bronze

Paris Olympic champion Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN), whose reign as world champion ended with a loss in the semifinals by Azarpira, assured he won't be leaving Zagreb empty-handed, but he had to work hard to earn his consolation bronze medal.

Tazhudinov, who has looked out of sorts all tournament, had to survive a late scramble that, when the video was studied and the points sorted out, gave him a 13-10 come-from-behind victory over Akhmed MAGAMAEV (BUL).

It didn't look good for Tazhudinov when he was thrown for four at the outset of the match, but he managed to come back with a pair of takedowns. The two traded two-point exposures when Tazhudinov secured a cradle, but was stopped on his own back, leaving him trailing 6-6 on criteria.

Tazhudinov finally went ahead with a takedown with 1:23 left, but a wild scramble from Magamaev's counter-lift ended up with Tazhudinov being awarded five points and Magamaev four on challenge, giving the Bahrain wrestler the win.

Meanwhile, two-time Asian champion Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) made Japanese history when he became the country's heaviest world medalist ever by outmuscling Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) 6-0 for the other 97kg bronze.

Yoshida, whose father is Iranian and runs the kids club where he and his siblings started the sport, combined two stepouts, two activity points and a takedown to earn the historic bronze.

"I am thankful to Japan," Yoshida said. "But inside, I'm not completely satisfied. From now, I will work hard with the aim of becoming the champion."

Japan's previous heaviest medal winner was Atsushi MATSUMOTO (JPN), who won a bronze at 92kg in Budapest in 2018. In fact, Matsumoto is one of only two Japanese who had won a medal in a weight classes 90kg or above.

As a footnote, Akira OTA (JPN) won silver medals at 90kg at both the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympics.

At 65kg, Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) earned his first world medal with a solid 7-1 victory over European champion Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (UWW), scoring a takedown in the first period and two in the second along with a stepout.

The victory avenged a loss from two years ago from the semifinals at the World U23 Championships, which Ibragimov won 3-0 en route to a second straight gold in the age group.

Real WOODS (USA) added the other 65kg bronze medal to the U.S. tally with a 3-1 win over Peiman BIABANI (CAN) that saw no technical points.

In making his first world podium, Woods received two activity points to Biabani's one, with a point for an unsuccessful challenge at match end padding the final score.

Day 4 Results

Freestyle

65kg (34 entries)
GOLD: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) df. Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) by TF, 10-0, 2:52

BRONZE: Real WOODS (USA) df. Peiman BIABANI (CAN), 3-1
BRONZE: Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) df. Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (UWW), 7-3

97kg (29 entries)
GOLD: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), 4-2

BRONZE: Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) df. Akhmed MAGAMAEV (BUL), 13-10
BRONZE: Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL), 6-0

World Championships: Taylor continues dominance of Yazdani, bags 3rd gold

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Amouzad avenges Paris loss to Kiyooka, claims 65kg gold