#WrestleIstanbul

World Olympic Qualifier Greco-Roman Paris Qualification Bouts Set

Thursday, May 9, 2024 - 06:57 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

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ISTANBUL, Turkiye (May 9) -- The first day of the World OG Qualifier, the last chance for wrestlers to earn a Paris 2024 spot, will see the six weight classes in Greco-Roman. Three wrestlers from each weight class will earn the spot for Paris from Istanbul.

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Here are the Paris Qualification bouts for the evening session

60kg
Dahyun KIM (KOR) vs. Sadyk LALAEV (AIN)
Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)

67kg
Etienne KINSINGER (GER) vs. Valentin PETIC (MDA)
Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) vs. Lei LI (CHN)

77kg
Rui LIU (CHN) vs. Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
Sergei KUTUZOV (AIN) vs. Iuri LOMADZE (GEO)

87kg
Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) vs. Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) vs. Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)

97kg
Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) vs. Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN)
Artur SARGSIAN (AIN) vs. Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER)

130kg
Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN) vs. Sabah SHARIATI (AZE)
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) vs. Heiki NABI (EST)

17:12: In a marquee matchup to cap the seven-hour session, Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) got the best of Viktor NEMES (SRB), scoring a pair of 4-point moves in a 10-1 victory at 77kg. Trailing 1-0 in the second period and put into par terre, Lomadze hits a whirling 4-point throw. He then puts the match away by securing a body lock and taking Nemes to his back for 4.

17:04: Rui LUI (CHN) makes up for squandering an early lead by scoring a stepout with 1:03 left and holding on to defeat Idris IBAEV (GER) 5-5 at 77kg. Lui led 4-2 early in the first period when Ibaev went ahead 5-4 with takedown and stepout.

17:02: Young Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN) is looking unstoppable at 130kg, as he finishes off a 13-4 win over Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) with an awesome underhook 4-point throw.

17:00: Sergey KUTUZOV (AIN) once again dominant on the mat! Per OLOFSSON (SWE) had no chance against Kutuzov who got the first par terre. Olofsson was docked for two points for leg could and Kutuzov scored a turn from par terre to lead 5-0. Few points in the second period but Kutuzov with an 8-2 win at 77kg.

16:51: Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN), looking to become the first Japanese in an upper weight class in Greco to make the Olympics since 2012, moved one step away by scoring two takedowns in a 6-0 victory over Felix BALDAUF (NOR) at 97kg. Standing in his way is Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN).

16:47: London Olympic silver medalist Heiki NABI (EST) is a win away from qualifying for the Paris Games. Nabi, 38, beats Oskar MARVIK (NOR) 5-1 in the quarterfinal at 130kg.

16:43: Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER) knocks off two-time former world bronze medalist Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) at 97kg in another 1-1 match decided by the last of two passivity points. He will face Artur SARGSIAN (AIN) tonight for a ticket to Paris.

16:42: In a thriller at 60kg, Razvan ARNAUT (ROU) is trailing Justus PETRAVICIUS (LTU) 6-2 in the second period when he unleashes a lethal 4-point arm throw and pulls out a 6-6 win.

16:30: Artur SARGSIAN (AIN) barely manages to see off Vladen KOZLIUK (UKR) in the 97kg quarterfinals. Sargsian, who usually has a strong par terre, fails to perform against Kozliuk but gets the job done.

16:27: In one of the featured matches of what is officially the quarterfinals but what are de facto semifinals, Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)  scrapes to a 2-1 victory over Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) at 87kg. After Kessidis gets a passivity point, Huseynov goes ahead on criteria when he receives a point from an unsuccessful and somewhat misguided challenge. In the second period, Huseynov gains a stepout, although it was one the Azeris might have wished they could have challenged it.

16:25: Zagreb Open champion Sadyk LALAEV (AIN) ended the strong run of Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) at 60kg, scoring a second-period takedown that clinched a 6-2 victory.

16:12: Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) does just what he needs to do to get by Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) at 87kg, scoring a roll from par terre to win 3-3 on last-point criteria. He will either Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) or Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) for a ticket to Paris.

16:08: 2021 world silver medalist Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) continues his run at 87kg with a 7-2 win over Nicu OJOG (ROU) to advance to the Paris 2024 qualification bout.

16:02: Lei LI (CHN) rallies from a 5-point deficit to defeat Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) 10-5 and advance to Paris 2024 qualification match at 67kg. He will face Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO), who came out a 9-4 winner in a contentious match with Din KOSHKAR (KAZ) on an adjacent mat.

15:50: Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) jumps out to a big lead against VIKAS (IND) at 77kg, using an arm throw for 2, then getting behind and nailing a 4-point throw. Lomadze then slips behind for a takedown that ends it at 8-0 with 25 seconds to spare in the first period.

15:45: Sergei KUTUZOV (AIN) looks the wrestler to beat at 77kg! He takes out Tsimur BERDYIEU (AIN) 8-0 to advance to the quarterfinals where he will face Per OLOFSSON (SWE).

15:39: Former world champion Viktor NEMES (SRB) forges ahead at 77kg, scoring a gut wrench in his second shot at par terre in the second period to sew up a 4-0 victory over Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO).

15:29: Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) prevails in an intense battle between former world medalists at 77kg, gaining a stepout in the first period and a passivity point in the second for a 2-1 victory over Zoltan LEVAI (HUN).

15:27: There's still plenty of life left in 38-year-old Heiki NABI (EST), holder of an Olympic silver from 2012 and five world medals won over a span from 2006 to 2019. He gets a pair of gut wrenches from par terre in the first period, then uses stepouts to finish off Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM) 9-0 at 130kg.

15:19: Veteran Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU), finally taking the mat for the first time on a long day as he bids to make a fourth Olympics, gets a gut wrench from par terre in the first period and comes out a 4-0 winner over Eduard BABENOSHEV (TJK) at 130kg.

15:17: Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) falls in the 1/8 finals against Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) 130kg. Kuosmanen hit a front head lock for four at the start of the bout before getting a passivity point to lead 5-0. Kajaia got one point in the second period but that was all as Kousmanen won 5-1.

15:10: Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) beats Alex SZOKE (HUN) 1-1 at 97kg after the two exchanged passivity points. Szoke got the par terre on the third passivity but failed to score and Kajaia was happy to hold on to his criteria lead.

15:02: Sabah SHARIATI (AZE), a bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, rolls to a 9-0 victory over three-time Asian bronze medalist Roman KIM (KGZ) at 130kg.

14:59: Felix BALDAUF (NOR) wins over no new friends in Istanbul after he knocked off local favorite Metehan BASAR (TUR) at 97kg, winning 1-1 on last-point criteria after both received a passivity point.

14:50: Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) continues to surprise at 97kg, scoring a reversal from the bottom of par terre after landing on his feet during a throw -- which was upheld on challenge -- in a 3-1 victory over Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE).

14:48: In a clash of Tokyo Olympians, Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) gets a passivity point in each period and comes out a 2-0 winner over Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) at 97kg.

14:34: An impressive display by two-time world bronze medalist Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) to move closer to a ticket to Paris at 60kg. He reverses from the bottom of par terre against Christopher KRAEMER (GER), then scores two gut wrenches to make it 5-1. Mammodov finishes the proceedings with a twirling 4-point throw and, with an unsuccessful challenge, the final score is 10-1.

14:31: Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) literally took down Goliath. The 2023 world bronze medalist at 63kg scored a takedown against five-time African medalist Romio GOLIATH (NAM), then reeled off four rolls for a 9-0 victory to advance at 60kg.

14:29: Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) reels off a 4-point throw from par terre in the second period and that makes the difference in a 5-4 victory over Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) at 87kg. Both wrestlers competed at the Tokyo Olympics at 77kg, but lost in the first round.

14:23: Marcel STERKENBURG  (NED) hangs on for a 3-2 win over Mihail BRADU (MDA) at 87kg. Sterkenburg scored a turn from par terre for a 3-0 lead. He challenged asking for two more points for the second turn. He lost that challenge as Bradu never came in danger position. Bradu got one point for par terre in the second period but failed to score any points.

14:15: Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) with a big four-pointer, that was challenged by Martynas NEMSEVICIUS (LTU) but lost. Bisultanov then added a takedown and turn to earn a 9-0 win at 87kg.

14:14: Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) hangs on for a 5-4 victory over Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM) at 87g.

14:09: Olympic bronze medalist Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) advances at 87kg by the slimmest of margins, overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the final seconds for an improbable 4-3 win over Sunil KUMAR (IND). With time running out, Huseynov got in on a body lock and forced Kumar over the edge for a stepout. But the Indian was assessed a 1-point penalty for fleeing, giving Huseynov a 3-3 win on criteria. An unsuccessful challenge added the final point.

13:57: Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO), a 2021 world bronze medalist who would love nothing better than to get a chance to make up for a fifth-place finish in Tokyo, advances at 67kg with a 5-0 win over Niklas OEHLEN (SWE). Zoidze comes close but fails to complete a gut wrench from par terre in the first period, but pulls one off after a takedown in the second.

13:48: Valentin PETIC (MDA) scores a stepout on a throw attempt from par terre and comes out a 4-1 winner at 67kg over Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY). He will face Andreas VETSCH (SUI) for a place in Olympic qualification match.

13:45: European bronze medalist Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) scores a victory by fall over Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) at 87kg. Trailing 1-1 on criteria, Maskevich pancakes his opponent to his back and applies a tight headlock for the fall. It was a rematch of Maskevich's 7-5 win at the 2021 World Championships, where he won the silver medal and Kulynycz took home a bronze.

13:36: Mateusz BERNATEK (POL), a world silver medalist back in 2017, gets a stepout in the first period and a gut wrench from par terre in the second, and he advances at 67kg with a 4-1 victory over Yong Jin RO (PRK).

13:32: European bronze medalist Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) scores a first-period takedown and has one in the second nullified on challenge, but it's enough for a 3-0 victory over Oliver KRUEGER (DEN) at 77kg.

13:17: Asian Games bronze medalist Rui LIU (CHN), who suffered a heartbreaking loss in the final match at the Asian Qualifier, starts out strong at 77kg with an 11-0 win over Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE). Liu gets a pair of rolls from par terre, then finishes it off the match with a 4-point throw.

13:11: Tokyo Olympian Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL), a 2019 world bronze medalist, gets the gut wrench during his shot at par terre in the second period and that's enough for a 3-1 victory over Marcos SANCHEZ (ESP) to advance at 77kg, today's most populated weight class with 33 entries.

12:52: Sergey KUTUZOV (AIN), the 2021 world silver medalist at 72kg, chalks up an 8-0 victory over Kamal BEY (USA) at 77kg, which took a while to figure out. With a 2-0 lead, Kutuzov got behind with the two standing and hit a 4-point throw. The USA side challenged, but instead, Bey was assessed a 2-point foul, ending the match just before the end of the first period.

12:45: Artur SARGSIAN (AIN), who broke his arm at the World Championships, returns for the last chance qualifier and beats Markus RAGGINGER (AUT) 7-1 at 97kg to keep his hopes of earning a Paris 2024 spot alive.

12:31: Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN), the 2023 world U23 champion at 97kg who has moved up to 130kg, advances with a fall over 2020 world U20 champion Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR). Hlinchuk was leading 7-4 when Vyshnyvetskyi hit a lateral drop for 4. But Hlinchuk rolled through the move to come out on top and secure the fall.

12:17: Alex SZOKE (HUN), the 2021 world silver medalist who placed fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, knocks off Nikolaz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) 10-1 at 97kg. Szoke gets a pair of rolls from par terre to build a 5-0 lead. On the bottom in the second period, Szoke stops a roll for 2, then gets on top and hits a gut wrench.

11:57: Metehan BASAR (TUR), six years removed from the second of his back-to-back world titles at 85/87kg, gets the home crowd going with a 2-0 win over Asian Games silver medalist Yiming LI (CHN) at 97kg. The 33-year-old Basar gains a passivity point in the first period and a stepout in the second.

11:56: Five-time Asian medalist and Tokyo Olympian Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ), who came up one win short at the Asian qualifier at home in Bishkek, stuffs a roll attempt by Kaloyan IVANOV (BUL) in par terre for 2 and advances at 97kg with a 3-1 victory.

11:38: Two-time world bronze medalist Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), the reigning European champion at 63kg, gets three rolls and an exposure from par terre to put away Aleksandrs JURKJANS (LAT) 10-1 as he tries to make his first Olympics at 60kg.

11:30: Munkh BATKHUYAG (MGL), a 2023 world U23 bronze medalist in freestyle (!), overwhelms Ibrahim BUNDUKA (SLE) 10-0 at 60kg as he launches his attempt to become just the second Mongolian in history to wrestle Greco at an Olympics and first since 1980.

11:21: Tokyo Olympic 77kg bronze medalist Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE), aiming to make it to Paris at 87kg, gets a pair of passivity points and a challenge point and holds on for a 3-1 win over Ilias PAGKALIDIS (GRE).

11:20: Two-time world medalist and Tokyo Olympian Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) bear hugs Hannes WAGNER (GER) straight to his back for a spectacular 4-pointer from par terre and he advances at 87kg with a 5-1 victory.

11:10: Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) uses his over-under position to score stepouts against Lukas STAUDACHER (AUT) and secures a technical superiority win at 87kg.

10:59: Another match is decided by which wrestler receives the last passivity point. In a battle of Tokyo Olympians, it was former world champion Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) gained a 1-1 victory at 87kg over four-time Pan Am champion Daniel GREGORICH (CUB). The loss by Gregorich at 87kg makes it difficult for Cuba to have wrestlers in all six Greco weight classes in Paris.

10:46: Veteran two-time world champion Hansu RYU (KOR) saw his bid to make a third Olympics end when a late takedown against Matias LIPASTI (FIN) was wiped out on challenge, giving Lipasti a 1-1 victory on last-point criteria -- he got the second of the passivity points awarded. Ryu had a second chance in par terre but couldn't turn Lipasti.

10:36: At 67kg, Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Mohamed ELSAYAD (EGY) has to hang on for a nail-biting 9-8 victory over European bronze medalist Abu AMAEV (BUL). Elsayad gets a pair of 4-pointers to build up a 9-2, only to allow Amaev to nearly rally to victory.

10:35: Yong Jin RO (PRK) gets the gut wrench in his second stint in par terre in the second period, giving him a 3-2 victory at 67kg over the two-time world 72kg bronze medalist Selcuk CAN (TUR). 

10:30: Lei LI (CHN) with a quick takedown and four three rolls for an 8-0 win over Adomas GRIGALIUNAS (LTU) at Greco-Roman 67kg. China is looking to earn the three Greco-Roman spots that it has still not got.

10:00: Welcome to the first day of the World OG Qualifier in Istanbul. Greco-Roman action will kick off the tournament. Winners of the semifinal along with the winner of the playoff between the two bronze medalists will earn a quota for the Paris Olympics.

#WrestleBelgrade

Micic beats Olympic, world champs to set up Higuchi final; Dake takes on Sidakov

Sunday, September 17, 2023 - 15:55 By Vinay Siwach

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BELGRADE, Serbia (September 17) -- All eyes were on the Olympic and world champions at 57kg with Zavur UGUEV (AIN), Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) and Rei HIGUCHI (JPN).

But Stevan MICIC (SRB) defeated two of the three, Uguev and Abakarov, in back-to-back matches and will face the third, Higuchi, for the gold medal at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Micic, a bronze medalist at 61kg from 2022, stunned Uguev 9-7 in the quarterfinals and then took out Abakarov 6-2 in the semifinals not only booking a place in the final but also earning a Paris Olympic quota for Serbia at 57kg.

Higuchi, the world champion at 61kg in 2022, returned to the World Championships final, this year at 57kg, an Olympic weight class as he continues his journey towards the Olympic gold medal he missed in 2016 after finishing second to Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO).

He will now have to return Monday to wrestle Micic, who will undoubtedly be backed by the fans present in the Stark Arena.

At 74kg, two-time defending world champion Kyle DAKE (USA) set up a dream final against Olympic champion Zaurbek SIDAKOV (AIN) and both wrestlers received a Paris Olympic spot.

However, both took the tough road to the gold-medal bout.

Dake opened his day against Magomet EVLOEV (TJK) and won 12-2 before Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) tested him in the 9-4 win. Dake looked a little uncomfortable and Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) confirmed it as he pushed Dake, who won 6-4 but had to dig deep to avoid some tough attacks from the Japanese.

In the semifinals, Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) chest-wrapped Dake on multiple occasions but failed to score. Dake came out on top 4-1 to reach the final.

Sidakov, returning to the World Championships for the first time since winning his second title in 2019, opened the day with a thrilling 8-7 win over Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO), a wrestler Sidakov beat to win his first world title in 2018.

Kentchadze hit a four-pointer but Sidakov managed to come back with two takedowns in the second period to win the bout. He then went on to beat Bekzod ABDURAKHAMANOV (UZB) 3-0 in the quarterfinals. Returning bronze medalist Yones EMAMI (IRI) was blanked 6-0 and Hetik CABOLOV (SRB) lost 6-4.

In the semifinals, Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) was no match for Sidakov as the AIN wrestler won 4-1 and booked his place against Dake.

A long-awaited bout between Dake and Sidakov has been looked at as the contender for the real dominant wrestler at 74kg.

The loss of Takatani means that Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) will have to earn a quota from other qualifiers while the loss of Kougioumtsidis meant that Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (AIN) and Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) will have to find another tournament to earn a quota for Paris.

Micic, however, will in all likelihood be Serbia's representative in Paris after booking the ticket.

He gave the first glimpse of how the day would look like with an 11-0 win over Gukhyeon KIM (KOR) and then a 7-2 win over Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) put him against Uguev in the quarterfinals. Both went back-and-forth with Uguev opening the scoring with a takedown. But Micic came back with a takedown. His 2-2 criteria live was short-lived as Uguev made it 5-2 and later 7-2.

Micic, however, did not give up, mounting an incredible comeback with two takedowns. The Serbian, trailing 7-6 with 40 seconds remaining, got Uguev for two points with seven seconds remaining to get the win.

If that was not enough, Abakarov was his next victim in the semifinal. Micic was trailing 2-1 and Abakarov was happy to hold the lead but Micic managed to hit a four-pointer and take a 5-2 lead. Abakarov challenged the call but the four points were upheld, giving Micic the win and Olympic quota.

To crown Serbia's first-ever Freestyle world champion, Micic will have to beat Higuchi who survived a barn burner against Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM).

The European champion at 61kg, Harutyunyan hit a four-pointer to start the match. But Higuchi used his arm-bar offense and leg lace to win 16-14 in the quarterfinals. He blanked Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) 11-0 in the semifinals.

Higuchi missed the Tokyo Olympics after his bid to return to 57kg was cut short, first by a missed weight at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers and later by Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), who won a playoff against Higuchi to represent Japan at the home Olympics.

In the non-Olympic weight classes, In the non-Olympic weight classes, Akhmed USMANOV (AIN) defeated two-time returning silver medalist Mohamad NOKHODI (IRI) in the semifinal and will face U23 world champion Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) for the gold at 79kg.

At 92kg, returning bronze medalist Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) made short work of Asian champion and 19-year-old Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) by beating him 11-0 in the semifinal. Yoshida had earlier defeated Vladislav VALIEV (AIN) in the opening bout of his debut World Championships.

He will face another 19-year-old, Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ), for the gold medal. Aitmukhan defeated returning bronze medalist Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) to enter his first World Championships final. Aitmukhan was second to Yoshida in the Asian Championships final in April.