#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.

#WrestleBucharest

Kayaalp reaches European final; Nazaryan, Abuladze stunned

Monday, February 12, 2024 - 18:00 By Vinay Siwach

BUCHAREST, Romania (February 12) -- Riza KAYAALP (TUR) took a step closer to a record 13th European title after reaching the 130kg final on the first day of the European Championships which began in Bucharest Monday.

The defending champion has won the gold medal at the European Championships, tying him with Aleksandar KARELIN and a win Tuesday in the final will make him the most successful wrestler in the continent.

For the gold medal, Kayaalp will take on Sergei SEMENOV (AIN), a bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics.

Four other Greco-Roman weight classes were also in action on Monday. Three defending champions failed to advance to the finals of their respective weight classes. Adem UZUN (TUR) dropped his quarterfinal at 55kg, Leri ABULADZE (GEO) lost to Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) at 63kg while Istvan TAKACS (HUN) lost to Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB) in the 1/8th final.

The only defending champion to make it to the final apart from Kayaalp was Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) at 77kg. He defeated Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) 2-1 in the semifinal and will take on Yunus BASAR (TUR) for the gold medal.

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Kayaalp was up against Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) in the semifinal and trailed 2-0 at the break. But he began the second period with a stepout before getting the point for par terre. He reached the final with a 2-2 win.

Semenov defeated Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) 2-1 in the semifinal as he also scored an extra stepout against Kajaia's par terre point.

Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) defeated Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) 2-1 in the semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In a low-scoring bout, Amoyan scored a crucial pushout in the first period and then put up a strong defense in the second period to win 2-1. He got the first par terre advantage and added a stepout point from that position. Gutu got it in the second period but he was not able to score any points.

The gold-medal bout will see Amoyan take on Yunus BASAR (TUR), a repeat of the semifinal from last year that Amoyan won 6-1. Basar's path to the final included a win over 72kg world champion Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) in the qualification round. Basar held off Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) 3-1 in the last-four bout.

Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB) won his quarterfinal against Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) 3-1. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 87kg, world champion Ali CENGIZ (TUR) will try to win his first European title as he takes on Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB) in the final. Cengiz defeated Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) in the semifinal 4-1 while Komarov reached the gold medal bout after beating Islam ABBASOV (AZE) 3-1 in the semifinal.

Komarov, who first wrestled at the senior level at the European Championships in 2019 in Bucharest, looks to make his return to the city golden.

"My first time wrestling at a senior-level competition was back in 2019 in Bucharest," Komarov said. "Now I am back after five years and I want to win the gold medal. It’s my dream."

But the Zagreb Open Ranking Series bronze medalist accepted that it was a tough day in the office for him. In the pre-quarterfinals, Komarov defeated defending champion Istvan TAKACS (HUN), and stopped Olympic champion Zhan BELENUIK (UKR) in the quarterfinals before beating Abbasov.

"It’s been a tough day today," he said.

Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) stunned Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) 9-5 in the 63kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The biggest upset of the day came in the 63kg semifinal as Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) stunned Nazaryan 9-5 in a comeback victory. Nazaryan managed to take a 5-0 lead after getting the par terre advantage but Hrushyn scored a big four and then got a par terre advantage to lead 5-5 on criteria. Nazaryan tried to get a body lock but failed. Hrushyn countered one of his attempts and scored a takedown and another in the dying moments to win 9-5.

"The semifinal went almost as I planned it," Hrushyn said. "Except for the first par terre, I was expecting a different move. I was planning to do something in a standing position. I am confident that functionally I am well-prepared, better than many other wrestlers here. I was counting on that."

Hrushyn has made it to his first European Championships final but he won a bronze medal in 2022. But he is not contended with silver and hopes to win his first gold on Tuesday.

"This is my first ever European final," he said. "Not a step back, just forward. That’s it. I will prepare the same way. It’s a European Championships, so no easy opponents."

Earlier in the day, Nazaryan faced world champion Abuladze in the quarterfinal and came out with a 3-0 win. He used an arm-throw to score but Abuladze stopped him from completing the throw. As Nazaryan landed first, Abuladze was awarded two points but Bulgaria challenged the decision. On review, the judges ruled that Abuladze blocked Nazaryan and restarted the bout in par terre. Abuladze was quick to stand up but he was later warned for passivity, giving one more point to Nazaryan who led 3-0 at the break. No points were scored in the second period and Nazaryan won 3-0. But his run was cut short by Hrushyn.

For the gold medal, Hryshyn will face Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), who reached his second straight European Championships after beating Anvar ALLAKHAROV (AIN) 3-3. Till the final 30 seconds of the bout, Allakharov was destined to reach the final as he was leading 3-1. But Mammadov received a late par terre advantage, with just 40 seconds left on the clock.

Allakharov, struggling with his conditioning, failed to stop a par terre turn and conceded a 3-3 criteria lead. Mammadov kept his distance from Allakharov for the remaining time in the bout.

At 55kg, Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) failed to break his Azerbaijan curse as he suffered a 5-1 loss to Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) in the semifinals. In his previous outings, he has lost to world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE). Mammadov will now face Artium DELEANU (MDA) for the gold medal as he won 2-2 on criteria against Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM).

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. Artium DELEANU (MDA)

SF 1: Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), 5-1
SF 2: Artium DELEANU (MDA) df. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 2-2

63kg
GOLD: Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR)

SF 1: Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN), 3-3
SF 2: Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) df. Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL), 9-5

77kg
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) vs. Yunus BASAR (TUR)

SF 1: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), 2-1
SF 2: Yunus BASAR (TUR) df. Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO), 3-1

87kg
GOLD: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) vs. Ali CENGIZ (TUR)

SF 1: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) df. Islam ABBASOV (AZE), 3-1
SF 2: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN), 4-1

130kg
GOLD: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) vs. Sergei SEMENOV (AIN)

SF 1: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 2-2
SF 2: Sergei SEMENOV (AIN) df. Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO), 2-1

#WrestleUlaanbaatar Greco-Roman bracket reactions

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Kayaalp reaches European final; Nazaryan, Abuladze stunned