#WrestleBudapest

#WrestleBudapest Day Seven Finals Preview Show

Sunday, April 3, 2022 - 14:37 By Eric Olanowski

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (April 3) --- For the last time in Budapest, we welcome you back to the Bok Sports Hall for the 2022 European Championships. We’ll crown the final five champs at 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg and 97kg.

The 60kg finals will be must-watch tv between two of the weights most offensives wrestlers in the world, ’20 European champ Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) and Kerem KAMAL (TUR).

Kamal has grabbed European titles at the Cadet, Junior, and U23 age-groups, but has fell in back-to-back senior-level European gold-medal matches.

You’ll see Hungary’s first finalist at 67kg, where VANCZA Krisztian (HUN) will square off against returning European bronze medalist Murat FIRAT (TUR).

The second Hungarian going for Day Seven gold is FRITSCH Robert (HUN). He’ll take on reigning European champion Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) for 72kg gold.

At 82kg, Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist and ’21 world champion Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) will try to win a second European title in the last three years. He’ll wrestle Georgia’s Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO).

The fifth and final gold-medal bout will be at 97kg, where Finland’s Arvi SAVO-LAI-NEN will compete against Kiril MILOV of Bulgaria.

We’ll start an hour earlier than the previous six days, so we’ll see you back here at 17:00 to close out the European Championships.

Sunday's Final Matchups:
60kg: Kerem KAMAL ?? vs. Edmond NAZARYAN ??
67kg: Krisztian VANCZA ?? vs. Murat FIRAT ??
72kg: Robert FRITSCH ?? vs. Shmagi BOLKVADZE ??
82kg: Rafig HUSEYNOV ?? vs. Gela BOLKVADZE ??
97kg: Kiril MILOV ?? vs. Arvi SAVOLAINEN ??

#WrestleBelgrade

Aitmukhan: From volunteer at Worlds to Kazakhstan's first world champ

Tuesday, September 19, 2023 - 15:31 By Vinay Siwach

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BELGRADE, Serbia (September 19) -- Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) was hoping to become Kazakhstan's first-ever Freestyle world champion when he reached the 65kg final at the World Championships in 2019. He failed after losing to Gazdhimurad RASHIDOV.

In that final, Rashidov took a bleeding timeout. A volunteer, Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ), ran out to clean the blood dropped on the mat. Little did Niyazbekov or Kazakhstan know that the tall volunteer would go on to achieve what Niyazbekov failed to.

Born in Kyzyltu, a village with only 600 people in the northern region of Kazakhstan, Aitmukhan became the central Asian country's first-ever world champion in Freestyle on Monday as he defeated Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) in the 92kg final in Belgrade, Serbia.

In a thrilling final, Aitmukhan made a comeback after being down 2-0. He scored a stepout and caution with 30 seconds left. His criteria lead was threatened by Nurmagomedov in the final second when he almost scored a pushout. But Aitmukhan pushed the Azerbaijan wrestler out of bounds and won 6-2.

"The final match was very intense and tough," Aitmukhan said. "I noticed that he was getting tired. I used that moment and snatched the victory. We work hard, but all the success comes from God."

This victory was after five other wrestlers from Kazakhstan had tried to win the elusive Freestyle gold in the country's wrestling history to check out another box. With a Freestyle world champion, Kazakhstan is now without a world champion only in Women's Wrestling.

Aitmukhan's gold medal was also the first for Kazakhstan at the World Championships since Mkhitar MANUKYAN's (KAZ) won the last one in 1999 in Greco-Roman.

"This victory is the biggest in my life," Aitmukhan said. "I’ve been working for it for so many years. I would like to dedicate this win to my country and to my grandmother, she would have been 81 years old today [Monday]. But she passed away 3 years ago. This victory means a lot to me."

Back in 2019, Aitmukhan was the fourth-placer at the World School Combat Games and later won bronze at the U15 Asian Championships. He competed at the U23 Asian Championships as a 17-year-old and won gold at 92kg. Four months later, he was at the U23 World Championships but lost to Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) in the first round and to Feyzulla AKTURK (TUR) in the bronze medal bout. Akturk also defeated him in the bronze medal bout at the 2023 Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series.

But as fate would have it, he would return to Astana in April this year, for the Asian Championships and enter the final. The 19-year-old finished with a silver medal against another teenager Arash YOSHIDA (JPN). He stepped on the top of the podium at the U23 Asian Championships before adding bronze at the Budapest Ranking Series. In an agonizing close U20 World Championships final in Amman in August, he finished with a silver medal.

The run in Belgrade saw him beat European champion Akturk 11-0 in the quarterfinals and returning bronze medalist Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) 8-1 in the semifinals.

For a wrestler who began only in 2014, the success meant that he was on the path to achieving something historic. Ironically, he had no liking for the sport as well.

"My dad made me wrestle by force nine years ago," he said. "I didn’t want to train at all, by the he made me do that. And then I liked it. And now, 9 years later I am a world champion, the first one in Kazakh history. I think it’s not a bad result for a 19-year-old."

The losses at the Asian and U20 World Championships fueled Aitmukhan's effort to win the gold in Belgrade.

"In the Asian championships final and in U20 Worlds, there was that moment when I had to push myself. But that wasn’t enough," he said. "This time I felt the same during the match. I realized that if I didn’t do it now, I might not ever get this chance again. So, I tried my hardest and I did it."

Now that one goal is achieved, Rizabek will move to the Olympic weight class of 97kg. 

"We’ve decided that it’s the last world championships in this weight class, next year I’ll move up to the Olympic weight 97kg," he said. "I’ll wrestle for an Olympic spot. I will try to become an Olympic champion."