#WrestleUlaanbaatar Greco-Roman bracket reactions

Monday, April 18, 2022 - 17:48 By Vinay Siwach

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (April 18) -- The Asian Championships kick off with Greco-Roman on Tuesday in Ulaanbaatar.

Mongolia, the host country, is searching for their first Asian Championships medalist in Greco-Roman while many other will try to defend their gold medals from the 2021 edition.

The draws for all 10 weight categories were completed Monday in Ulaanbaatar.

55kg

Two big match-ups at 55kg will get the ball rolling. Defending champion Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) faces second seed Hyeokjin JEON (KOR) in quarterfinals while Ali NOURBAKHSH (IRI) will have Arjun HALAKURKI (IND) in the opening round on the top side.

The winner of that bout will get top seed Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) in the quarterfinals. If Bekbolatov wants to reach the final, he is most likely face Davaabandi MUNKH ERDENE (MGL) in a though semifinal.

Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) and Balbai DORDOKOV (KGZ) will face each other in the quarterfinal and the winner is most likely to face Shiotani in the semifinal.

60kg

World silver medalist Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) is the top seed and will be the favorite to reach the final from the top side of the bracket. For that, he needs to beat Baljinnyam TSEVEENRAVDAN (MGL) in the first bout before waiting for the semifinal opponent which could be fourth seed Yernur FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ).

The lower side of the bracket is packed with second seed Gyanender DAHIYA (IND) wrestling '21 silver Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) in quarterfinal. Bronze medalist from 2021 and fourth seed Ayata SUZUKI (JPN) will take on Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) in a bid to reach the semifinal against one of Dahiya or Mohsen Nejad.

63kg

A bronze medalist from Oslo World Championships and top seed Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN) will be looking for his first Asian title but standing in his way is Iman KHOONMOHAMMADI (IRI) who is likely to his first opponent in the quarterfinals.

If he goes past Khoonmohammadi, a semifinal against Mirambek AINAGULOV (KAZ) will be another tough test for him before the gold medal bout.

The second finalist will be one of NEERAJ (IND), Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), Jinseub SONG (KOR) and Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB).

If the Uzbek wrestler can repeat his gold-winning performance from Istanbul, he will be unstoppable. But a likely semifinal against Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) may give a reality check.

67kg

He won the gold at 72kg in 2021 but Hansu RYU (KOR) is back to his Olympic weight of 67kg in a bid to win another Asian gold. But the top seed will have some work to do if he wants to go past Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (IRI) in quarterfinals and one of Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) or Eldiiar SATAROV (KGZ) to reach the final.

Second seed Mahmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) will face Nyamdorj BATTULGA (MGL) in the quarterfinal while third sed Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) will face Sachin SAHRAWAT (IND). A semifinal between Bakhshilloev and Shermakhanbet is a possibility before a showdown with Ryu for the gold.

72kg

A fifth place at World Championships will fire up top seed Mohammad Reza MOKHTARI (IRI) to win his first Asian title but Adilkhan NURLANBEKOV (KGZ) in the quarterfinals is a start many would avoid. If he manages to win, a likely semifinal against Mirzobek RAKHMATOV (UZB) or fourth seed VIKAS (IND) will be another big test.

Jiyeon LEE (KOR) would like to keep the 72kg gold with Korea but he has local hope Khanburged GANKHUYAG (MGL) in the quarterfinal before a semifinal against one of third seed Abylaikhan AMZEYEV (KGZ) or Shogo TAKAHASHI (JPN). None of the two will be an easy opponent for Lee.

77kg

Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) is making only his second appreance at the Asian Championships and would like to maintain a clean record. After winning gold in 2018, he will wrestle in Ulaanbaatar as the Olympic silver medalist.

Facing Aref HABIBOLLAHI (IRI) in the quarterfinal, Makhmudov's real test can be the semifinal. He will face one of London Olympic champion Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR) or fourth seed Aram VARDANYAN (UZB). Makhmudov has wins over both of them in the past.

The lower side of the bracket will see second seed and former U23 silver medalist Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) face Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) and third seed and multiple time age-group World medalist Sajan BHANWALA (IND) facing Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ). If the seeds hold true, a semifinal between Sakuraba and Bhanwala will be nail-biting.

82kg

The biggest bracket in Greco-Roman will see 10 wrestlers compete for the gold. Dias KALEN (KAZ) is seeded number one while Harpreet SINGH (IND) is at number two.

But the favorite is the silver medalist from 2021 Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ) as he got pinned in the final last year. He will face Yuya OKAJIMA (JPN) in the quarterfinal before a possible clash with Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) or Kalen.

Singh has to await the winner of Sultan EID (JOR) and Sejin YANG (KOR) to find his quarterfinal opponent. But he manages to reach the semifinal, he is likely to face Rasoul GARMSIRI (IRI) for a place in the final.

87kg

The toughest weight class will see defending champion Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) face Melis AITBEKOV (KGZ) in the quarterfinals before a likely semifinal against top seed and Olympian Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ). The semifinal could prove to be Alizadeh's toughest bout.

The lower side will see another '21 gold medalist Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) eyeing for the top medal. The 82kg champion from Almaty faces Batbayar LUTBAYAR (MGL) in the quarterfinal. He will face one of Sunil KUMAR (IND) or Masato SUMI (JPN) in the semifianl. Kumar is a former Asian champion and seeded number two for this tournament.

97kg

Top seed and Olympian Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) is likely to meet defending champion Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI) in the final as both are on the opposite sides of the bracket.

Assakalov won the Ranking Series event at 97kg and faces Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN) in the quarterfinal before a likely semifinal against fourth seed Sanzhar SERIKKAN (KAZ).

The lower side will have Balihamzehdeh facing Jewoo PARK (KOR) in the quarterfinal before a semifinal against second seed U. DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ).

130kg

Third at the Ranking Series event and seventh at the Olympics Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) is seeded number for the tournament and will face either PREM (IND) or Amir GHASEMIMONJAZI (IRI) in the quarterfinal.

If he wins, a semifinal against '21 bronze medalist Minseok KIM (KOR) will be another big test for the Uzbek wrestler. The two were supposed to meet in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers but Kim injury defaulted.

Silver medalist from '21, Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) will be the favorite to reach the final from the lower side of the bracket. He faces Roman KIM (KOR) in the quarterfinals before facing one of Arata SONODA (JPN) or Mongolia's Khuderbulga DORJKHAND, a former champion and bronze medalist from '21 but in freestyle.

The move to Greco-Roman is likely as the host nation is searching for its first Asian medalist in Greco-Roman at the senior level.

#BeachWrestling

Dakar to Mexico, Beach Wrestling Hits the Right Notes in 2024

Friday, December 6, 2024 - 12:32 By Vinay Siwach

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 6) -- In 2024, Beach Wrestling had a momentous year. From Dakar to Rio de Janeiro, there were championships and Games. And the World Series traveled from Mexico to Greece.

The second edition of the African Championships in Beach Wrestling was held in Dakar, Senegal in June. Dakar will host the 2026 Youth Olympic Games with Beach Wrestling being one of the main sports. The city also hosted the Beach Sports Festival.

Apart from the Dakar event, the Beach Wrestling calendar was packed with international tournaments, thanks to UWW's efforts to develop the sport.

The Beach Wrestling Committee also made a few changes to the sport, bringing in the challenge and the activity clock from 2024. This meant that two additional ways to get one point in Beach Wrestling were added: if a wrestler has been called passive and fails to score points during the 30-second activity period, his opponent will receive a point, and the wrestler whose opponent requested a challenge and the challenge is unsuccessful will receive a point.

Each wrestler is entitled to at least two unsuccessful challenges per event — one during the group stage and eliminations and another during the medal match.

For the first time, the Pan-Am Championships were held in the U15, U17, U20 and U23 age-groups. The U15 event was held in El Salvador and Mexico dominated the tournament by winning the title in both men's and women's events. The U17 event was in Dominican Republic with Ecuador winning the men's title and Puerto Rico winning the women's title.

At the U20 Pan-Ams in Peru, Ecuador continued its dominance with the men's title while Mexico bounced back and won the women's title. In Colombia for the U23 event, the hosts won both the men's and women's team titles.

Similarly, the European Championships in the U15, U17 and U20 age groups were held in Romania, a country which has taken keenly to the sport. Romania was so dominant in the competitions that it won the men's and women's team titles in five of the six categories. Only the U20 men's team title was won by Moldova.

UWW's commitment to growing the sport saw a new country host a Beach Wrestling event in Dakar. The African Championships were attended by over 100 wrestlers with the competition going over two days. Hosts Senegal emerged as the best country in both men's and women's categories. It won three gold medals and one silver in each category, combining for eight medals in eight weight classes.

A documentary capturing the essence of Senegal, promoting culture and rich tradition in wrestling, was also produced by UWW.

The U17 World Championships in Beach Wrestling was held in Greece this year along with the World Championships in the U20 age group.

The United States, which has been promoting the sport extensively on the national level, won its first-ever world title as the women captured the team title in the U17 age-group, thanks to the three silver medals it won.

Ukraine emerged as the best team in men's, winning the title over Romania which won two gold medals. But Ukraine had a better performance overall and it pipped Romania for the top spot.

In U20, Moldova destroyed the field, winning three gold medals and the team title in men's while Ukraine made amends by winning the women's title, which it lost at the U17 level.

Beach Wrestling World Series

The fifth edition of the Beach Wrestling World Series saw a remarkable start in Mexico in March along with the Pan-Am Championships. The first stop saw Mexico on the board with two gold medals in the women's category. The men's was more scattered with the U.S., Guatemala, Argentina and Venezuela winning gold medals.

The second stop of the series travelled to a familiar Saint-Laurent-Du-Var which saw records tumbling. The highlight of the tournament was Moldova's growing stature in Beach Wrestling.

Two wrestlers -- Vasile DIACON (MDA) and Traian CAPATINA (MDA) -- won gold medals. Diacon ultimately emerged as the best 80kg wrestler in the world and secured first place in the final rankings. Capatina was second in the final rankings in 90kg.

Romania hosted the third spot and the battle between the hosts and Ukraine in the women's category lived up to expectations. Ukraine won two gold medals and Romania won one out of four available. In men's, Capatina repeated as the gold medalist in 90kg and Mamuka KORDZAIA (GEO) continued his winning run at +90kg.

The fourth stop was in Greece, and not much changed from the other stops. The glittering beaches saw winners from Romania, Ukraine, the United States, Turkiye, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Georgia. It all came down to Porec, Croatia for the finale. With ranking points up for grabs, it meant that the world champions would be decided in Porec.

The final stop in Porec decided the winners of the series. Ana Marie PIRVU (ROU) was the top wrestler in 50kg, Anastasiya KRAVCHENKO (UKR) in 60kg, Oksana HERHEL (UKR) in 70kg and Eliana BOMMARITO (USA) in +70kg. Bommarito was the only wrestler across categories to maintain a 100 percent record -- winning four gold medals.

In men's Yunus COSKUN (TUR) won the top spot in 70kg, Vasile DIACON (MDA) in 80kg, Ibrahim YUSUBOV (AZE) in 90kg and the evergreen Mamuka KORDZAIA (GEO) in +90kg.

#WrestleUlaanbaatar Greco-Roman bracket reactions

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Dakar to Mexico, Beach Wrestling Hits the Right Notes in 2024