#WrestleIstanbul: Assakalov Leads Uzbekistan to Three GR Gold

Thursday, February 24, 2022 - 15:46 By Vinay Siwach

ISTANBUL, Turkey (February 24) -- When the Uzbekistan team arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, for the Yasar Dogu, Vehbi Emre & Hamit Kaplan Ranking Series event, veteran wrestler Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) called a team meeting.

The former Olympic bronze medalist had only one piece of advice for the rest of his team members -- wrestle until the final whistle.

Using his experience, Assakalov led a trio of Uzbekistan wrestlers to gold-medal wins on the first day of the tournament, including the 97kg title for himself.

"It was Uzbekistan's day," Assakalov said. "I am the leader of the team, and they follow me. But everyone fought really well today. Even the wrestlers who could not win gold fought until the end."

Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) caused a stir at 63kg when he blanked world champion Victor CIOBANU (MDA) in the final. At 67kg, Mahmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) shut down Morten THORESEN (NOR) to win gold, 5-2. Their third champ was Assakalov, who defeated upcoming Finish wrestler Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN), 5-1, in the 97kg gold-medal bout.

Turkey had two champions as Adem UZUN (TUR) won the 55kg gold, and Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) won the 130kg gold after Turkish legend Riza KAYAALP (TUR) suffered a shocking pin in the semifinal.

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan had a solo champion each.

Islam ABBASOV (AZE) stunned world champion Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) at 87kg and Yernar FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) won 60kg gold against Ekrem OZTURK (TUR), 7-1.

But with a mix of youth and experience, Uzbekistan stole the show.

Debuting at 97kg, Assakalov set an example about how to wrestle without pressure. He had a remarkable day overall outscoring his opponents 26-4.

Against Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN), who finished fifth in Tokyo, Assakalov was in complete control. Savolalian admitted that wrestling the veteran was a lesson for him.

"I usually wrestle in Europe so it was good to get some bouts against Asian wrestlers," he said. "I wrestled two from Kazakhstan, one from India and even the veteran Assakalov. I learned that I can beat them it's just a matter of who's day it is."

Thursday was clearly Assakalov's as he managed to get a four after beginning with a stepout. The throw from a headlock caught his opponent off guard. He was called passive in the second period but his 5-1 lead was enough to give him the gold.

Having Rio bronze medalist Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) in the corner was of great help for the young team. Tasmuradov was a constant among all the gold medal bouts.

Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) blanked Victor CIOBANU (MDA) in the 63kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 63kg, Ciobanu, hoping for a winning start to the season, ran into the buzzsaw Bakhramov in the final.

Bakhramov, born in Samarkand, took no time in building a 5-0 lead after Ciobanu was hit with passivity. The Uzbek extended his lead to 7-0 after Ciobanu was called for fleeing the mat. The former Asian champion closed out the match before the conclusion of the first period with a takedown and won the match, 9-0.

Bakhramov scored a win via fall over Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) in his first bout before defeating Dastan KADYROV (KGZ), 9-1, in the semifinals.

It was Bakhramov's third Ranking Series gold medal and second straight as he had won last year's Poland Open Ranking Series.

Bakhshilloev followed Bakhramov by beating Thoresen, who was called passivity and gave up two rolls from the par terre position. Coming into the second period, Bakhshilloev led 5-0 but surrendered an inactivity point and a stepout, cutting his lead to 5-2.

The group will now fly to Mongolia for the Asian Championships and try to challenge Greco-Roman powerhouse Iran at the continental championships.

Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), left, pinned Riza KAYAALP (TUR) in the 130kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Kayaalp stunned

Kayaalp was on his way to another Ranking Series gold, but Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) clamped his arm mid-roll and flattened the four-time world champion to his back, and secured a pin, silencing a hostile local crowd.

But the 130kg still went to Turkey as Yildirim defeated the Azerbaijan wrestler, 3-1, in the final.

Kayaalp came back to win the bronze medal, warming himself up for the next month's European Championships in Budapest.

Islam ABBASOV (AZE) celebrates his victory over Zarubi DATUNASHVILI (SRB). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Azerbaijan did have a champion in Istanbul as Abbasov kept Datunashvili at bay. The Serbian was called passive early but showed strong defense from the par terre position before securing the stepout to lead 1-1 on criteria.

Before the break, Datunashvili scored another stepout to extend his lead 2-1, taking a step closer to victory.

Abbasov was called passive in the second period, but again, Datunashvili failed to score from par terre.

With 20 seconds remaining, Abbasov scored from a head-pinch exposure and secured a 3-3 lead. However, a desperate attempt from Datunashvili cost him two more points, giving Abbasov the 6-3 win.

Fidakhmetov's gold at 60kg denied the home country a second straight gold medal of the day. Scoring all his seven points in the first period, Fidakhmetov gave up one for inactivity in the second period.

Wrestling continues tomorrow with the remaining three Greco-Roman weights and four women's wrestling weight classes in action. Bouts will begins 1030 local time.

Fidakhmetov The four medal winners at 60kg in Istanbul. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Day 1 Greco-Roman Results

55kg
GOLD: Adem UZUN (TUR) df Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ), 6-5
BRONZE: Dogus AYAZCI (TUR) df Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ), 5-1

60kg
GOLD: Yernar FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) df Ekrem OZTURK (TUR), 7-1

BRONZE: Yernur FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) df Ahmet UCAR (TUR), 9-8
BRONZE: GYANENDER (IND) df Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), via injury default

63kg
GOLD: Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df Victor CIOBANU (MDA), 9-0

BRONZE: Ahmet UYAR (TUR) df Abdurahman ALTAN (TUR), via cautions
BRONZE: Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) df Dastan KADYROV (KGZ), 8-0

67kg
GOLD: Mahmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) df Morten THORESEN (NOR), 5-1

BRONZE: Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) df Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ), 10-0
BRONZE: Volkan CAKIL (TUR) df Furkan YILDIZ (TUR), via injury default

87kg
GOLD: Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB), 6-3

BRONZE: Metehan BASAR (TUR) df Mehmetali KUCUKOSMAN (TUR), 1-1
BRONZE: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df Umalt DAUDOV (KAZ), 10-2

97kg
GOLD: Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) df Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN), 5-1

BRONZE: Felix BALDAUF (NOR) df Abdul CEBICEBI (TUR), 4-2
BRONZE: Beytullah KAYISDAG (TUR) df Islam UMAYEV (KAZ), 9-0

130kg
GOLD: Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) df Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 3-1

BRONZE: Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ), 4-1
BRONZE: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df Rafal KRAJEWSKI (POL), 9-0

#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open: Ozaki, Morikawa Mark Golden Return to Olympic Weights

Saturday, February 7, 2026 - 00:43 By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (February 7) -- Just four months ago, Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) came to Zagreb as a training partner with Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) at the World Championships.

While Morikawa won the gold medal, Ozaki cheered for her close friend, even writing messages for her on a small bandage that Morikawa put on her cheek.

Back then, Ozaki wished she could compete and become world champions together.

Not the World Championships, but Ozaki and Morikawa won gold medals at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event on Friday. Ozaki completed a dominant run to win the 62kg title while Morikawa had a bumpy ride to the 68kg gold medal, a weight class above 65kg in which she won the world gold.

"We managed to win gold with the star of Physical Asia," Morikawa wrote on social media referring to a Netflix show in which Ozaki participated.

The two do not train at the same university in Japan but the closeness of their weight classes has allowed them to practice together whenever they get a chance, including being on international tours together.

They were two of the four Japanese wrestlers who won gold medals in Women's Wrestling, joining Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) at 59kg and Nana IKEHATA (JPN) at 65kg.

Greco-Roman also kicked off at the Zagreb Open, the season-opening Ranking Series event, and the world champion at 63kg Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) showed that he has adjusted to the Olympic weight class 67kg, winning gold.

Iran won gold at 63kg after Erfan JARKANI (IRI) defeated CHETAN (IND) in the final.

Ozaki began her day by securing a fall over Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ) after building a 12-2 lead, and then pinned Eniko ELEKES (HUN) in the second bout to book a spot in the semifinal.

It was in this bout that Ozaki faced her first struggles of the day against Macey KILTY (USA). Though she ultimately secured a 5-2 win, Ozaki gave up positions against the American wrestler. She would later admit that it was not easy to keep herself calm during the bout.

In the final against Johanna LINDBORG (SWE), a silver medalist from the European Championships, Ozaki scored four different takedowns and looked in complete control. With the 8-0 win, Ozaki won her first Ranking Series gold medal.

Ozaki won the world title at 65kg in 2023 but was a phenom at 62kg when she emerged on the international scene in 2022. But after a slump in form both in Japan and internationally, she missed out on making the Japan team for the 2023 World Championships at 62kg.

However, with Ami ISHII (JPN) qualifying Japan for the 2024 Paris Games without winning a medal opened a door for Ozaki to be at the Olympics.

Ozaki set out on a daunting task of moving to 68kg and not only did she defeat Ishii while being underweight, she managed to win a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

Soon after, she decided to move back to 62kg but suffered two back-to-back heartbreaking losses to Olympic champion Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) and failed to make the 2025 world team.

It turned around at the Emperor's Cup in December 2025 as Ozaki avenged her loss to Motoki and earned the right to participate in the Zagreb Open and Asian Championships in April.

Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) scores a takedown on Nesrin BAS (TUR) during the 68kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Morikawa, who also moved to 68kg after winning gold at 65kg at the World Championships in 2025, had a hiccup in the final, but managed to get the gold medal against Nesrin BAS (TUR).

The two-time world champion captured her third Ranking Series gold medal and first since 2018 but not before having a tough time on the mat. She began with an 11-0 win over Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU) and then a 10-0 technical superiority over Alina SHEVCHENKO (UWW).

While the fall over Aleah NICKEL (CAN) in the semifinals was dominant, Morikawa did show some signs of discomfort. That showed up in the final against Bas as Morikawa fell behind 2-0 in the first period. She managed to score a point before the break and cut the lead to 2-1.

Morikawa found a way to score two takedowns in the second period to take a 5-2 lead to capture the gold medal at 68kg.

Bas, who was at the Paris Olympics at 62kg but won world silver medal in 2025 at 72kg, was another wrestler trying to adjust to a new weight class. Her biggest test came in the semifinal against Olympic silver medalist Kennedy BLADES (USA).

Blades led 1-0 at the end of the first period but Bas seemed unfazed. The American was put on the shot clock in the second period and after 30-second activity time exchanged, Bas took a 1-1 criteria lead. Bas also got a point for stepout to make it 2-1.

She then defended the lead until the end of the time to claim a victory over Blades and a spot in the final against Morikawa. Bas is likely to continue at the weight and the silver medal in Zagreb will be a huge boost for her going forward.

Khalmakhanov adjusts to 67kg

Another star wrestler shifting to an Olympic weight class was 63kg world champion Khalmakhanov and he performed strongly at 67kg. His first battle came in the semifinal when he faced Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN).

But an arm-throw and turn gave him a 6-0 lead against Sogabe who got a few stepouts in the bout. Khalmakhanov scored two correct throws to add four more points in the bout and got one point for a lost challenge to win 11-5.

From the other side of the bracket, Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO) made it to the final after beating Katsuaki ENDO (JPN), 11-3, in the semifinals.

For the gold medal, Khalmakhanov and Chkhikvadze were matched evenly. While the scoreline points to a low-scoring bout, both wrestlers left it all on the mat.

Chkhikvadze was the first to get par terre but he failed to score any more points from the position and led 1-0 at the break. Khalmakhanov also got a point for the par terre position in the second period but Chkhikvadze held criteria.

The Georgian managed to score a stepout to extend his lead to a clear 2-1 score. But as the bout grew in intensity, it was Chkhikvadze who suffered, giving up a stepout with less than 30 seconds left.

With the score at 2-2, Khalmakhanov held criteria for the last point scored. He managed to hold his lead and won the gold medal in Zagreb, thus making a smooth transition to the Olympic weight class, three months after winning bronze at the Islamic Solidarity Games at 67kg.

RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

59kg
GOLD: Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) df. Alexis JANIAK (USA), 10-0

BRONZE: Elena BRUGGER (GER) df. Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE), via fall (7-0)
BRONZE: Abigail NETTE (USA) df. Iris SLATKA (CRO), via fall (10-0)

62kg
GOLD: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) df. Johanna LINDBORG (SWE), 8-0

BRONZE: Macey KILTY (USA) df. Eniko ELEKES (HUN), via fall
BRONZE: ANJLI (IND) df. Bhagyashree FAND (IND), 5-4

65kg
GOLD: Nana IKEHATA (JPN)
SILVER: PULKIT (IND)
BRONZE: Kriszta INCZE (ROU)

68kg
GOLD: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Nesrin BAS (TUR), 5-2

BRONZE: NISHA (IND) df. Kennedy BLADES (USA), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Alina SHEVCHENKO (UWW) df. Aleah NICKEL (CAN), 9-0

Greco-Roman

63kg
GOLD: Erfan JARKANI (IRI) df. CHETAN (IND), 8-4

BRONZE: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) df. Khusniddin OLIMBOEV (UZB), 6-1
BRONZE: Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) df. Dastan ZARLYKHANOV (KAZ), 8-0

67kg
GOLD: Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) df. Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO), 2-2

BRONZE: Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN) df. Valentin PETIC (MDA), 5-0
BRONZE: Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) df. Mahmoud KAMALI (IRI), 3-2

#WrestleIstanbul: Assakalov Leads Uzbekistan to Three GR Gold

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Zagreb Open: Ozaki, Morikawa Mark Golden Return to Olympic Weights