#WrestleOslo: Intrepid Geraei Adds World 67kg Greco Title to Olympic Gold

Sunday, October 10, 2021 - 23:31 By Ken Marantz

OSLO, Norway (October 10) -- Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) ended the World Championships just as did at the Tokyo Olympics two months ago. At the top of the medal podium.

Geraei was one of two Iranian champions on the final night of the nine-day tournament in Oslo, winning the 67kg gold with a 5-2 victory over Nazir ABDULLAEV (RWF) as the last three titles in Greco-Roman were decided on Sunday night at the Jordal Amfi arena.

"After the lockdown, I was able to win the gold medal at the Olympics and World Championships, so 2021 is the best year of my life," Gereai said.

Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) preceded his fellow Shiraz city native as a world champion by taking the title at 63kg, while Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) capped the tournament with a dazzling 5-point throw that gave him the 87kg title and a long-awaited world gold.

The Russian Wrestling Federation, which earlier won the freestyle team title, had already clinched its fifth straight Greco-Roman crown heading into the final night. With Iran's two golds, the final tally put the RWF on top with 152, followed by Iran with 146. Azerbaijan was third with 107.

Geraei, the 2019 world U23 champion at 72kg, had a pair of very close calls in the opening rounds, but never wavered nor panicked as he battled his way to his first final on the senior level.

Against 2020 European silver medalist Abdullaev, Geraei was unable to score off the par terre in the first period and took a tenuous 1-0 lead into the second.

But the 25-year-old took matters into his own hands, transitioning from a body lock to a headlock and throwing Abdullaev to the mat for 4. Abdullaev, the 2020 Individual World Cup, picked up 2 points countering a throw attempt at the edge, but that was all he could muster against the cagey Iranian.

Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) scored four points through a headlock. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

Geraei's triumph came two days after older brother Mohammadali won a bronze at 77kg. "I want to thank everyone from my hometown Shiraz as we won medals," he said.

If Mohammadali is nicknamed "The Falcon," then Mohammadreza could be called "The Phoenix" for how he continually arose from the ashes of near-defeat.

In his opening match, Geraei fell behind 1-6 against Asian champion Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (JPN), only to pull off a miracle comeback and score a fall with a bear hug. In the semifinals, a pair of 2-point fleeing penalties and an unsuccessful challenge in the final seconds gave him a 7- 6 win over Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO).

"I know most of my victories were last-second, but I believed in myself and thank God that I was able to pull it off," Geraei said.

The 30-year-old Abdullaev made the final despite coming to Oslo without a long list of honors. He had a triumph at the Individual World Cup, however, that was noteworthy in that his quarterfinal victory over Davor STEFANEK (SRB) ended up being the final match of the 2016 Rio Olympic champion's career.

Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) won the 63kg in Oslo. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In a seesaw battle between young, upcoming stars at 63kg, 2019 world U23 champion Dalkhani scored a decisive stepout with 1:08 left to defeat European bronze medalist Leri ABULADZE (GEO) 5-4.

"I am very happy and I was expected to get this gold," Dalkhani said. "It's been difficult since the corona pandemic and it's been an endeavour to get this title and I am happy that I would reach the expectations of my coaches and country. I am just a soldier for my country."

Dalkhani, this year's Asian silver medalist, took a 3-1 lead when he scored with a gut wrench from the par terre, off of which Abuladze gained a reversal. Abduladze then went up 4-3 in the second period when he mirrored Dalkhani with a gut wrench from par terre.

Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) won one of the four gold medalists from Iran. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

With the clock winding down, Dalkhani kept the pressure on, and just managed to force Abuladze to step outside the ring before the Georgian slapped him down and spun behind, putting the Iranian ahead on criteria.

The Georgian side challenged the call but was rejected, giving Dalkhani a fifth point, and he held on for the win. Abuladze flopped to the mat in misery, while Dalkhani's coach flung him to the mat in celebration.

The 24-year-old Dalkhani won a bronze medal at the 2016 world juniors, and finished fifth in his senior world debut in Nursultan in 2019. Abuladaze, 22, was a world junior silver medalist in 2019, and has a full set of European junior medals with a 2017 gold, 2019 silver and 2018 bronze.

"I was in Nursultan and I did not manage to get anything, but I thank God that I managed to get gold here," Dalkhani said.

Zaurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) won the 87kg gold medal after a big five point throw. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

The final match of the tournament ended with a bang, or more specifically, a thud -- the sound of Kiryl MASKEVICH (BLR) hitting the mat after being majestically tossed for 5 by four-time European champion Datunashvili in the 87kg final.

"It was a hard match but I had the strategy," Datunashvili said. "Me and my coach worked it out."

Datunashvili scored all of his points in the second period, capped with his arching 5-point throw that finished off a 9-1 technical fall at 3:46 and made his first medal in four senior world appearances a gold one.

Behind 0-1 in the second period, the Georgian-born Datunashvili stopped a lateral drop attempt for 2, then got 2 more when Maskevich was penalized for fleeing by bridging out of bounds. That also put Datunashvili into par terre, and he thrilled the crowd with the spectacular throw.

"I know a lot about him, his wrestling," Datunashvili said. "He made a mistake and I won at that moment."

Zaurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) is the third Greco-Roman world champion from Serbia. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The two met twice before over the past 10 months, with each winning one. Maskevich won 11-3 in the semifinals en route to the gold at the 2020 Individual World Cup, while Datunashvili avenged the loss with a 5-1 win in the European final this past April.

"He is one of the best wrestlers in our weight category," Datunashvili said. "He won, then I won, and now I won. It was now the final. I am king."

The European gold preceded Datunashvili's run to the Olympic bronze, where he lost in the first round to eventual champion Zhan BELINIUK (UKR) but worked his way back through the repechage.

"In Tokyo, I won bronze and my psychology was very good after that," Datunashvili said. "I rested for one month and prepared for Oslo for one month."

Datunashvili, who began competing for Serbia in 2020, had qualified for his third Olympics at the last-chance qualifier by defeating 2016 Olympic champion Davit CHAKVETADZE (RUS).

Maskevich also qualified for Tokyo, but was eliminated after a first-round loss. The 2019 world U23 bronze medalist had been hoping to become Belarus' first senior world champion since 2011.

In the bronze-medal matches, Lasha GOBADZE (GEO), unable to win a second straight world gold, came away with a second career bronze by defeating Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN) 5-2 at 87kg.

Gobadze, the 2019 world champion at 82kg, scored 4 points with a crafty move from the par terre position to avenge a 4-3 loss to the 20-year-old Bisultanov in the 2019 European final.

Gobadze lifted Bisultanov into the air, but finding he could not get enough leverage for a throw, he just fell forward and dumped him onto his back for 4. Bisultanov scrambled behind for a 1-point reversal, but could not get points from par terre himself in the second period, sealing the win for Gobadze.

Bisultanov, just three years removed from winning a bronze at the world cadets, had lost in the bronze-medal match at this year's European Championships to Milad ALIRZAEV (RWF) -- who Gobadze defeated in the repechage earlier in the night.

In the other 87kg match, Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) took the lead in the second period, then scored a fall at 4:54 when he stuffed a desperate lateral drop attempt by Istvan TAKACS (HUN).

The unheralded Kulynycz, who had notched only one win at two previous World Championships, trailed 2-0 in the second period when he received a passivity point. From the par terre, he scored a 2-point exposure from a front reverse lock to go ahead 3-2.

The two had met earlier this year at the Poland Open in June, where Takacs defeated Kulynycz in the quarterfinals en route to taking the silver medal.

At 63kg, 2017 world junior champion Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN) scored six points off the par terre position en route to a 10-1 technical fall over 2020 European bronze medalist Erik TORBA (HUN).

After Torba scored an early stepout, Shimizu received a passivity point. The 22-year-old made the most of the par terre, launching a 4-point throw, then adding a 2-point roll. He finished the match with a takedown at 2:47.

Shimizu hails from the northern island of Hokkaido, where winter sports hold sway, and his family is a household name in Japan for speed skating. His uncle, Hiroyasu SHIMIZU, was a three-time Olympic medalist, including a gold in the 500 meters at the 1998 Nagano Games, and former world record-holder.

Shimizu took a somewhat curious path to Oslo. He won the first of the two national championships that serve as domestic qualifiers for the world championships, and would have clinched his ticket outright with a win at the second. But he missed the tournament because his entry form was submitted too late, and he was forced to defeat the champion in a playoff.

At this year's Asian Championships, Shimizu was hampered by a knee injury suffered two weeks before the tournament and lost in the quarterfinals, making him the only Japanese in the four lightest weight classes to fail to win a medal.

Ironically, Sultan ASSUTULY (KAZ), whom Shimizu beat 4-1 in the repechage on Sunday, went on to win the Asian gold by fall over Dalkhani.

In the other 63kg match, Lenur TEMIROV (UKR) won his second career world bronze, going ahead in the second period with an arm-drag takedown and defeating European silver medalist Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) 5-4.

Temirov, a two-time European bronze medalist who finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, fell behind 4-2 in the first period, but went ahead on criteria with the takedown in the second. He received a passivity point to account for the final score as he added to the world bronze he won in 2018.

Mammodov came up short of the medals in his fourth World Championships, with his highest previous finish a seventh place in 2018.

At 67kg, Zoidze took teenager Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) to task, blasting his way to a quick-fire 8-0 technical fall to rebound from a fifth-place finish in Tokyo with his first senior world medal.

Zoidze used a slick arm throw for a 4-0 lead, then got 2 points tacked on when Jafarov, this year's world junior champion, was called for fleeing while on bottom. At the restart from par terre, Zoidze quickly executed a gut wrench to finish the match in 1:24.

Zoidze had previous success on the age-group levels, winning a world U23 silver and a European U23 gold, two world junior golds, and world cadet gold and silver medals.

Veteran Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) captured his fourth world bronze over an 11-year span by rallying to a 7-4 victory over European bronze medalist Murat FIRAT (TUR) in the other 67kg match.

The 33-year-old Kebispayev, who won his third Asian silver medal this year, fell into a three-point hole after Firmat scored with a gut wrench from par terre in the first period.

But in his chance on the ground in the second, Kebispayev resourcefully changed direction after being unable to execute a roll, shifting to a front headlock and scoring a 4-point throw that he followed with a 2-point exposure.

Kebispayev, a two-time Olympian who missed out on Tokyo, and Firat had previously met in the semifinals at the 2018 Takhti Cup, with the Kazakh coming out on top 4-2.

Kebispayev previously won world bronzes in 2010, 2015 and 2019, and also has a silver medal from 2011. He was the Asian champion in 2011 and 2018.

RWF Russian Wrestling Federation won the Greco-Roman team title. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

Results

Greco-Roman

63kg (21 entries)
GOLD: Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) df. Leri ABULADZE (GEO), 5-4

BRONZE: Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN) df. Erik TORBA (HUN) by TF, 10-1, 2:47
BRONZE: Lenur TEMIROV (UKR) df. Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE), 5-4

67kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) df. Nazir ABDULLAEV (RWF), 5-2

BRONZE: Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) df. Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) by TF, 8-0, 1:24
BRONZE: Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) df. Murat FIRAT (TUR), 7-4

87kg (25 entries)
GOLD: Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) df. Kiryl MASKEVICH (BLR) by TF, 9-1, 3:46

BRONZE: Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) df. Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN), 5-2
BRONZE: Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) df. Istvan TAKACS (HUN) by Fall, 4:54 (5-2)

#WrestleParis

Paris 2024: Petriashvili survives late Zare surge for 1st gold

Saturday, August 10, 2024 - 23:31 By Ken Marantz

PARIS (August 10) -- Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) had the elusive gold medal in the bag until he didn't. A successful challenge reopened the door for his opponent, and the Georgian great barely managed to keep him from charging through it.

Petriashvili survived an incredible late surge by Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI), capturing the freestyle 125kg gold with a dramatic 10-9 victory on Saturday at the Paris Olympics to complete the full set of Olympic medals and avenge losses at two recent World Championships.

"It was really hard, emotionally and physically," Petriashvili said. "Every moment was really hard for me because this is the Olympic Games. In the last two Olympics, I lost. I wanted to win this match today."

In other finals at the Champs de Mars Arena, Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) stormed to the women's 62kg title to give Japan its third women's gold and sixth overall in wrestling, while Russian-born Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) became Uzbekistan's third-ever Olympic wrestling champion and first since 2004 with a victory at freestyle 74kg.

Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) celebrates after winning the 125kg final in Paris. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Petriashvili, a bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, met the rising star Zare for the first time at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where he defeated him 6-3 in the semifinal en route to the silver medal.

But the 23-year-old Zare would not only win their next two encounters, in the finals at the 2021 and 2023 World Championships, he would win big -- 9-2 at the former and 11-0 at the latter.

That made the veteran Petriashvilli the decided underdog in the final, which started with him giving up an early stepout. And he looked to be heading for another one when he suddenly spun around and threw Zare for a 4-point takedown.

That seemed to energize the 30-year-old, who got a single-leg takedown, then reeled off three gut wrenches to make it 12-1.

But wait. As Petriashvili and the Georgian contingent celebrated, Iran challenged the final gut wrench, claiming it was done out of bounds. The judge agreed, the score was reset at 10-1 and the match continued.

Surely he couldn't squander a nine-point lead. Or could he? Zare, who has made conditioning an integral part of his preparation, fought on with a passion and scores a stepout to start the second period that gets a fleeing point tacked on. Of some concern is that Petriashvili takes a timeout for an apparent right elbow injury.

With 1:20 left, Zare adds a takedown to make it 10-5. With the crowd in a frenzy, Zare gets behind for a takedown, then adds a gut wrench to pull within one.

"When it was 10-9 in the last seconds, I was like, 'Don't give up,'" Petriashvili said. "It was a crazy match."

With the seconds ticking down and flashes of Petriashvili's last-second loss to Gable STEVESON (USA) in the Tokyo final coming to mind, he grabs for a leg and hangs on for dear life. Time expires before Zare can get close to breaking the hold.

"Maybe I wanted it more than him," Petriashvili said. "I lost in Tokyo in the last seconds. The next two years were difficult. Every night, I was thinking about it. Today, I won. I will not forget this moment. This is a beautiful moment."

Petriashvili had long been one-half of an elite duo in the 125kg class with rival Taha AKGUL (TUR), who lost 2-1 to Zare in the semifinals. The two had a stranglehold on the global title from 2014 to 2019, until Steveson broke the streak in Tokyo and Zare worked his way to the top.

There will be no more battles between the two. Akgul indicated that he was retiring after winning a bronze medal a short time earlier.

"Taha is a world-class wrestler," Petriashvili said. "I want to congratulate him on his career. He won a lot of medals, a lot of championships. What can I say about Taha? He is world-class. For me, it was a big honor to compete with him."

Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) celebrates after winning the 62kg gold medal at the Paris Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Motoki kept the Japanese juggernaut in Paris going with her fourth technical fall or fall in four matches, using a low single to maximum effect in a 12-1 victory over Tokyo bronze medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR).

"Over this year, I went through a lot with losses and injuries, but many people helped me to overcome it all," Motoki said. "To be able to have my wrestling [at a level] to win the gold medal makes me so happy."

After giving up an activity point, Motoki went to work, getting a low-single takedown and adding a lace-lock roll for a 4-1 lead at the break. She repeated the process two more times in the second
period to end the match at 4:57.

Motoki, who had to dispel self-doubts that had seeped in during the run-up to Paris, had her most challenging moment the previous day in the semifinals, when she was losing 7-2 to European champion Grace BULLEN (NOR) and was being tripped backward, only to pull off one of the most memorable moves of the Olympic tournament.

As she went back, she locked onto Bullen's arms and arched into a bridge that allowed her flip Bullen onto her back for a stunning victory by fall.

"Yesterday, I was on the verge of losing, but I think some god came to my rescue," Motoki said. "I thought that If I didn't take advantage of this chance now, it might never come again. I put in all this effort to get here today, so I was going to give everything I had on the mat up to the very end."

Motoki had faced the highest level of adversity just surviving a grueling qualifying process for Paris. A world bronze medalist at 59kg, she moved up to the Olympic weight and had to win out among a domestic field that included Tokyo Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI (JPN) and world champion Nonoka OZAKI (JPN), who would end up with a 68kg bronze in Paris.

After securing her ticket to Paris with a silver medal behind Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) at last year's World Championships in Belgrade, Motoki fell into a slump due to her inability to defeat Tynybekova.

She lost to her at the Zagreb Open in January -- where she defeated Koliadenko 5-2 in their only previous meeting -- and again in the final of the Asian Championships in April. In the end, there would be no rematch between them in Paris.

"I wanted to get revenge on Aisuluu, and I continually trained for it," Motoki said. "I didn't get to face her. But I was able to get revenge on my weaker self."

Motoki follows Kaori ICHO (JPN) and Risako KAWAI (JPN) in maintaining Japan's stranglehold on the Olympic 62kg/63kg weight class, which the country has won every time since women's wrestling was added to the Olympic program. Icho won it in 2004, 2008 and 2012 (she dropped to 58kg in 2016 for her fourth gold) and Kawai followed in 2016 and 2021.

"It's true, Japan has a history of winning in this category," Motoki said.

"But for me, I was very anxious because I kept losing before coming to Paris and I was kind of not sure that I would actually win the gold medal. I couldn't be more grateful for having had this opportunity." Motoki said it was the support of all those around her that enabled her to make her first ascension to the top of the podium at a senior global tournament at the Olympics.

"There were many times I fell into despair, but many people supported and encouraged me," Motoki said. "I would like to divide this medal with all these people who took some of the weight that I had to endure during this year. It's a medal for them as well."

In addition to adding to the Japanese medal tally, Motoki, whose father Yasutoshi competed in Greco at the 2000 Sydney Olympics but did not medal, became the second wrestler from Ikuei University to win a gold, joining teammate and 57kg champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN).

Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) pinned Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) in the 74kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

In the freestyle 74kg final, Russian-born Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) give Uzbekistan just its third-ever Olympic wrestling gold and its first since 2004 with a victory by fall over Daichi TAKATANI (JPN).

"The path to the gold was not easy," Jamalov said. "I had five difficult fights. I have fought against some of my opponents before. It was not easy, but I managed to win."

Jamalov countered a single-leg attempt from the takedown machine Takatani by slipping in a grapevine, then transitioned to a cradle that he used to turn the Japanese over and secure a fall
in 2:12.

"I was trying to make him follow my technique," Jamalov said. "Because he works very well with his legs, I was trying to control it and impose my fighting technique on him. That was my main strategy."

Unlike the typical losing finalist, Takatani may have earned the unofficial title of Happiest Silver Medalist at the Games with his post-match antics.

"To lose in the final by fall is just my style," said Takatani, who advanced to the final with a wild 20-12 victory over world silver medalist Dake. "I am really happy. It's been a tough 24 years of wrestling life."

On the mat, he hugged Jamalov, then lifted him up into the air. He followed that by sprinting into the stands to unite with his wife, exchanging hand slaps and taking selfies with fans of all nations along the way. He even signed someone's Olympic flag.

"Before my match, I saw Kyle (DAKE (USA)) going into the stands, and he looked so cool up there," Takatani said. "I wanted to do the same thing, whether I won or lost. I copied him. My wife was here in Paris to cheer me on. I was happy that I could share my success with her."

By medaling in his Olympic debut, Takatani did what popular older brother Sohsuke couldn't in three Olympic appearances. Sohsuke was a world 74kg bronze medalist in 2014 -- an achievement that Daichi matched last year in Belgrade.

Their dream of competing in the Olympics together was shattered when Sohsuke's streak of 12 consecutive national titles ended last December.

Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) clicks a picture with fans after winning the bronze medal at 62kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Tynybekova, Dake, Akgul take bronzes, with a bit of drama

Tynybekova wasn't able to achieve her goal of becoming Kyrgyzstan's first-ever Olympic gold medalist in any sport, but will go home with a women's 62kg bronze after snatching a 6-6 victory from the jaws of defeat against Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL).

Tynybekova, the silver medalist in Tokyo who was ousted in the semifinals by Koliadenko, was completely outwrestled in the first period by 2017 world champion Purevdorj, who stormed to a 6-0 lead. Tynybekova, the epitome of the never-say-die athlete, finally got on the scoreboard with a hard-earned takedown, but the prospects remained bleak going into the final minute.

But Tynybekova, a three-time world and six-time Asian champion, made up the deficit in one-fell swoop with a driving 4-point double-leg takedown with 20 seconds left that also put her ahead on criteria.

Bullen, a world bronze medalist and the reigning European champion, gave Norway its first-ever Olympic women's medal when she captured the other 62kg bronze with a quick 11-0 victory over Ana GODINEZ (CAN).

Bullen, who was placed in Norway as a child as an Eritrean refugee, scored a single-leg takedown, trapped Godinez's ankle underneath and pressed ahead for a 2-point exposure, then transitioned to a lace lock for three rolls to end the match after just 57 seconds. An unsuccessful challenge added the final point.

"I'm very happy that I can show the power that I have inside me, even though I don't believe it myself sometimes," Bullen said. "But in this tournament, in a big place like the Olympics, I can show that to the world and show what Norwegian wrestling can give to the world."

Chermen VALIEV (ALB) became the first Albanian to win an Olympic medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirrza Aliasgari)

It was also a historic day for the tiny Albania, for which Russian-born Chermen VALIEV (ALB) gave his adopted country its first-ever Olympic medal in any sport when he forged a 6-2 victory over Viktor RASSADIN (TJK) to take home a freestyle 74kg bronze.

"It is indeed the first medal ever for Albania," Valiev said. "I'm very happy to have won this medal and I'm sure they are very pleased as well."

Valiev went up 2-0 in the first period with an activity clock point and stepout, then added a takedown to start the second period. Rassadin, another native Russian who was looking to become just the second Olympic medalist in Tajikistan history, struck back with a takedown, but Valiev added a stepout with a challenge point tacked on.

Valiev, who began competing for Albania in 2022, saw his chance for gold end in the quarterfinals when he leading Jamalov, only to lose 6-5 after twice being assessed a penalty point for fleeing in the final seconds.

In the other 74kg bronze-medal match, Dake, miffed over how a second-period challenge was adjudicated, responded by hitting a 5-point back suplex that propelled him a 10-4 victory over world bronze medalist Hetik CABOLOV (SRB) for his second straight Olympic bronze medal.

Dake fell behind 4-1 after the unsuccessful challenge in the final minute, which sparked him to a quick takedown with :30 left. But the three-time former world champion was hardly done. as he slipped behind and launched Cabolov with the highest-scoring move in the sport, then added a gut wrench for good measure.

After the match, Dake set the new precedent of going deep into the stands to celebrate with friends and family.

"Going up in the stands was pretty special," he said. "Without them, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. My wife is unbelievable – we have three kids with another one on the way. She truly is the rock for all these things to happen. I can't thank her enough."

Taha AKGUL (TUR) and Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) both retired in Paris. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At freestyle 125kg, Akgul captured his third Olympic medal by securing all of his points in the first period and cruising the rest of the way in a 7-0 victory over Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ).

Akgul started with a stepout, then scored a takedown and two lace-lock rolls before going on the defensive and winning what proved to be the final bout of his career.

"In every competition, we come for gold," Akgul said. "In the Paris Olympics, too. Now, I'm happy I have finished with this third Olympic medal. I will relax a little bit because, with my wife, we are waiting for a baby."

After the match, both the 33-year-old Akgul and the 38-year-old Lazarev, a six-time Asian medalist who failed to medal in three Olympic appearances, "announced" their retirements by taking off their wrestling shoes and leaving them on the mat.

"Actually, I didn't see him while I was taking off my shoes," Akgul said. "When I saw him, it was so emotional. Two wrestlers retire together. I was so emotional because I gave all my life to wrestling."

Two-time European bronze medalist Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE), a native Georgian making his Olympic debut at age 32, won the other freestyle 125kg bronze with a solid 9-3 victory over Robert BARAN (POL).

Meshvildishvili fell behind momentarily when Baran scored a first-period takedown to go up 2-2 on criteria, but responded with a takedown for a 4-2 lead into the break. He then added a stepout and two takedowns to seal the deal.

Day 6 Results

Freestyle

65kg
SF1: Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL), 5-1
SF1: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) df. Ismail MUSUKAEV (HUN) by TF, 10-0, 2:27

74kg
GOLD: Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) df. Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) by Fall, 2:12 (5-0)

BRONZE: Kyle DAKE (USA) df. Hetik CABOLOV (SRB), 10-4
BRONZE: Chermen VALIEV (ALB) df. Viktor RASSADIN (TJK), 6-2

97kg
SF1: Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) df. Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE), 5-0
SF1: Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) df. Kyle SNYDER (USA), 6-4

125kg
GOLD: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) df. Amir ZARE (IRI), 10-9

BRONZE: Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ), 7-0
BRONZE: Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) df. Robert BARAN (POL), 9-3

Women's Wrestling

62kg
GOLD: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) df. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) by TF, 12-1, 4:57

BRONZE: Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL), 6-6
BRONZE: Grace BULLEN (NOR) df. Ana GODINEZ (CAN) by TF, 11-0, :57

76kg
SF1: Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), 8-6
SF1: Yuka KAGAMI (JPN) df. Tatiana RENTERIA (COL), 4-2

#WrestleOslo: Intrepid Geraei Adds World 67kg Greco Title to Olympic Gold

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Paris 2024: Petriashvili survives late Zare surge for 1st gold