#WrestleBudapest

#WrestleBudapest Weight-to-Watch: Greco-Roman 82kg

Tuesday, March 22, 2022 - 14:38 By Vinay Siwach

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (March 18) -- When he won the World Championships title last year in Oslo over Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) took the victory lap with flags of both Azerbaijan and Turkey. Almost five months later, Akbudak avenged that loss to Huseynov in the semifinal of the Ranking Series event in Istanbul to tie their head-to-head record at 1-1.

But that record will most likely be settled in two weeks' time if the two meet at the European Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

World champion Huseynov and Akbudak will be highlighting a tough 82kg weight class at the tournament which has a number of upcoming stars who are ready to challenge the established ones.

In Oslo, the two met in the final which Huseynov won after an intense battle in which he won 2-1. Both gave nothing away in that bout but it was Huseynov's defense that managed to keep him ahead of his opponent.

Akbudak was awarded a point for inactivity from Huseynov and from par terre, he tried to score a throw which the judges did not score. But Turkey challenged that call and lost as there was no danger from Akbudak, tying the score 1-1 in favor of Huseynov.

The 2019 World Championships silver medalist Huseynov led 2-1 when Akbudak was called passive in the second period. That lead did not change and he won the gold for the first time in his career.

In a contrasting bout in Istanbul, Akbudak managed to get two big throws from par terre against Huseynov in the semifinal, leaving nothing to fate.

While Huseynov won the European Championships in 2020, Akbudak is yet to make it to the podium in his previous two attempts. But going by what he did in Istanbul, he is the favorite to win the competition.

Trying to stop him, apart from Huseynov, would be Tokyo Olympic fifth-place finisher Karapet CHALYAN (ARM). He had finished fifth in the last continental championships as well and would like to make amends to that record.

Two wrestlers who are on the verge of taking over the weight class are Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) and Tamas LEVAI (HUN). The two recently met in the Dan-Kolov tournament final with the latter winning the gold.

Bolkvadze won the U23 Worlds in 2018 but then moved down to 77kg in a bid to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. However, he failed to accomplish that and is back to the 82kg weight class.

Levai, who defeated two-time Olympic champion Roman VLASVO (RWF) last year, is looking to build on his '21 U23 World gold. He has been on the rise for a couple of years but his debut European Championships will be a big test for the fifth-placer at the Oslo Worlds.

A big name that cannot be ignored in this category is Marcel STERKENBURG (NED). Coming off an impressive title-winning performance at the U23 European Championships, Sterkenburg is now looking for success at the senior level.

He is not new to the challenges of senior-level after wrestling at the European Championships twice before but the junior world champion is now more confident and with some big wins under his belt, can be a big threat.

As a wrestler who has decent success now at the age-group level, it will be a matter of time before he gets going at the senior level.

The 82kg weight class will be in action on Saturday with the finals to be held Sunday.

GR 82kg Entries

Karapet CHALYAN (ARM)
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
Rosian DERMANSKI (BUL)
Filip SACIC (CRO)
Petr NOVAK (CZE)
Ranet KALJOLA (EST)
Johnny BUR (FRA)
Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Pascal EISELE (GER)
Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
David ZHYTOMYRSKY (ISR)
Matteo MAFFEZZOLI (ITA)
Mihail BRADU (MDA)
Marcel STERKENBURG (NED)
Exauce MUKUBU (NOR)
Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB)
Denis HORVATH (SVK)
Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)

#BeachWrestling

African Beach Games: Olympic medalist Oborududu solid on sand

Thursday, June 29, 2023 - 20:52 By Vinay Siwach

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HAMMAMET, Tunisia (June 29) -- Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR), an Olympic silver medalist, has achieved remarkable feats on the wrestling mat.

At the African Championships in women's wrestling, the 34-year-old holds the record for the most gold medals, with 12. In Tokyo, she became the first African woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final, making her one of the best among wrestlers who have wrestled on the mat.

However, on Wednesday, Oborududu stepped onto the sands for the first time and returned home with a gold medal at the 2nd African Beach Games in Hammamet, Tunisia.

Despite being a regular in Olympic wrestling at 68kg, Oborududu decided to represent Nigeria in Hammamet, where Beach Wrestling made its debut on the African Beach Games program.

Read: Traditional Wrestling Hotbed Senegal Dominates African Beach Games 

While most victories in Beach Wrestling resemble Olympic wrestling, there are a few differences. In Beach Wrestling, a throw awards three points, ending the bout. If a throw is not executed, the bout continues for the stipulated three minutes. The wrestler who accumulates at least three points before their opponent is declared the winner.

Oborududu achieved this in three of her four bouts. She made her debut against Erica NGAKALI (CGO) in Round 1 and had no trouble defeating Ngakali 3-0 to secure victory via superiority.

In her next match against Patricia ELNOUR (SUD), Oborududu triumphed 3-1, advancing to the semifinal against Anta SAMBOU (SEN). Despite facing a challenge and giving up two points, Oborududu held on for a 3-2 victory, securing her spot in the final against Amy YOUIN (CIV).

Youin, who had not conceded a single point in the group stages and the semifinal, scored two points against Oborududu in the final. However, Oborududu used her experience and strength to defeat Youin 3-2, capturing Nigeria's first-ever gold medal in Beach Wrestling at the African Beach Games.

Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) made a golden debut at African Beach Games in Hammamet. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

"Another gold in the bag!," Oborududu wrote on her Instagram. "Glory to God for yet another addition and new win in my career. This win is quite personal to me, as this is my first hand trying beach wrestling. I stepped on the sand with hope as usual. 'Well, I'm here to wrestle yeah, so let me give it my best shot like I always do on the mat' I said to myself. And guess what? I won gold in the ongoing African Beach Wrestling (Games), Tunisia 2023."

This marked the beginning of Nigeria's gold rush, as they went on to win two more gold medals in women's Beach Wrestling. The only weight class in which Nigeria failed to win gold was at 70kg, where Safietou GOUDIABY (SEN) claimed the top spot.

Miesinnei GENEISI (NGR)Miesinnei GENEISI (NGR) made a perfect run to the 50kg gold at the African Beach Games. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

At 50kg, Commonwealth Games and African champion Miesinnei GENEISI (NGR) showcased her dominance, winning all her bouts without conceding a single point.

Geneisi, who had previously won the African Beach Championships in May, began with a 3-0 victory against Emma WANGILA (KEN) in Round 1. She followed it up with a similar scoreline, defeating Cheima CHEBILA (ALG) in Round 2. When Mbuka CAROLINA (ANG) withdrew due to injury in Round 3, Geneisi was declared the winner after three wins in the round-robin bracket involving five wrestlers.

Nahamie SAMBOU (SEN) secured two wins, earning the silver medal, while Cheima CHEBILA (ALG) won the bronze after defeating Wangila in the Round 3 bout.

Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR)Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR) won the gold medal at 60kg at the 2nd African Beach Games. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

Another African champion who won a gold medal was Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR) in the 60kg weight class. While not as dominant as her compatriots, she managed to win gold with close victories.

Kolawole began with a 3-0 win over Siwar BOUSETA (TUN) but encountered difficulty in a 2-1 win against Nogona BAKAYOKO (CIV) in Round 2. Mame SAMBOU (SEN) also put up a fight, but Kolawole emerged victorious with a 2-1 scoreline, securing her place in the semifinal. Emily WANYAMA (KEN) proved no match for Kolawole, who won 3-0 via a fall to advance to the final.

Chaimaa AOUISSI (ALG) provided a formidable challenge in the final, but she was unable to overcome the 1-0 deficit. Kolawole secured the victory and the gold medal with a 1-0 scoreline.

Safietou GOUDIABY (SEN)Safietou GOUDIABY (SEN) won the 70kg gold after beating Bea MEIRING (RSA) in the final. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

Maintaining a clean slate, Goudiaby emerged as the champion in the 70kg weight class. Goudiaby only had to wrestle one bout to reach the semifinal, as her first opponent, Winrose ALIVISA (KEN), withdrew due to an injury sustained in a previous bout.

In the semifinal, Goudiaby prevented Faiza AOUALI (ALG) from scoring and won 2-0, securing her place in the final against Bea MEIRING (RSA), who defeated Olympian Khadija JLASSI (TUN) 4-1 in the other semifinal.

Meiring, however, struggled in the final against Goudiaby who won 3-0, a victory by superiority.

Both Nigeria and Senegal ended with 75 points each in the team titles. However, with two extra gold medals than Senegal, Nigeria was declared the team title winner while Senegal finished second. Algeria, with 47 points, finished third.

RESULTS

50kg
GOLD: Miesinnei GENEISI (NGR)
SILVER: Nahamie SAMBOU (SEN)
BRONZE: Cheima CHEBILA (ALG)

60kg
GOLD: Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR) df. Chaimaa AOUISSI (ALG), 1-0

BRONZE: Mame SAMBOU (SEN) df. Emily WANYAMA (KEN), 3-1

70kg
GOLD: Safietou GOUDIABY (SEN) df. Bea MEIRING (RSA), 3-0

BRONZE: Khadija JLASSI (TUN) df. Faiza AOUALI (ALG), 3-0

+70kg
GOLD: Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) df. Amy YOUIN (CIV), 3-2

BROZE: Anta SAMBOU (SEN) df. Erica NGAKALI (CGO), via fall