#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)

#wrestlebishkek

#WrestleBishkek: Ravi returns with golden aim

Friday, May 26, 2023 - 11:51 By Vinay Siwach

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NEW DELHI, India (May 16) -- Three months back, Ravi KUMAR (IND) was keen on starting the season with a bang. He was in "perfect shape" to wrestle.

Then at one training session, it all changed.

"The hit was so loud that I felt that I will need surgery," Kumar said. "My medial collateral ligament [MCL] and anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] broke."

That was February 6 and since then Kumar has been in rehabilitation, nursing his knee injury. But earlier this month, he return to the mat training sessions and is now making a comeback to competition, 10 months since his last, the World Championships. 

"I can't wait."

The Tokyo Olympic silver medalist will wrestle at the Bishkek Ranking Series scheduled for June 1 to 4. Wrestling at 61kg, Kumar will try to regain his form that helped him win three Asian titles, a Commonwealth Games gold medal and become India's biggest hope for Paris Olympics.

"This competition is very important," he said. "I have missed many. I will try to do my best and attain a level which I had before the injury."

An MCL or ACL tear can require surgery but Kumar says his injury was on the borderline and he opted out of the surgery which could have kept him away from the mat for more than six months.

"My partner got hold of my leg and while I was trying to move away, I hit his shoulder with my knee," he said. "So February, March, April I was in rehabilitation." 

That meant he missed the second Ranking Series and the Asian Championships in which he won three back-to-back gold medals, the first Indian to the title thrice.

In his absence, U23 world champion AMAN (IND) won the gold medal at 57kg to keep the top medal in India. Incidentally, Aman also trains at the same stadium.

Both Kumar and Aman are registered at 61kg for Bishkek along with a third Indian PANKAJ. European champion at 57kg Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) is also in the same weight class and so is the Asian champion at 61kg Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) and so is former Asian champion Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ).

"See if I prepare for every wrestler separately, I will never win," Ravi said. "I have to focus on doing my work and make myself the best. Then whoever is the opponent, it does not matter."

Ravi KUMAR (IND)Ravi KUMAR (IND) lost to Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) at the World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

Kumar, however, would have liked to wrestle Abdullaev, a wrestler who has constantly troubled him since his U20 days. Abdullaev leads the head-to-head record 3-2 after his win in Belgrade.

"Abdullaev has an attack on my left leg and he hits on me," he said. "It's kind of perfect. He always hits on me.

"That day in Belgrade, my body could not get going. Even if I had won against Abdullaev, I don't know what the next result could have been. I wanted to work, but my body didn't. My weight also was set a day before the bout so I slept with ease. I did not do anything in the morning. No warm-up as such. I remained lazy."

While he reflects on the World Championships bout, Kumar knows that it doesn't matter now. With the Asian Games and the Olympic qualifying World Championships scheduled, he has to focus on the upcoming tournaments.

"I will be back on the mat after a long time," he said. "So it's very different to be in a competition. Training is great but when you are in a tournament, it's a different feeling. So I want to be good in Bishkek."

Undoubtedly, Kumar will be the favorite to win the gold in his weight class but with young blood coming up, he will be tested.

"It's wrestling," he said. "No one can predict the result because I am not in regular competition. But if I control the bouts, the result will be in my favor."