#WrestleParis

Wrestling at Paris 2024: Fujinami dominates, Orta stunned

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

PARIS (August 7) -- Third day of wrestling at the Paris 2024 Olympics and we are finishing with the final two weights of Greco-Roman -- 67kg and 87kg. Women's Wrestling is continuing with 53kg.

LIVE MATCH ORDER | PARIS DAY 2

13:46: Saeid ESMAELI (IRI) looks impressive in ending the bid of Luis ORTA (CUB) to win consecutive Olympic golds, scoring two stepouts and a takedown in the second period to finish up a 9-0 victory. Esmaeli opens the first period with a shrug-by takedown, then adds a passivity point. Although he can't turn Orta, he shows he is the more dominant on his feet when he nearly gets a takedown that, on a challenge, results in a 2-point penalty against Orta to make it 5-0 at the break.

13:35: Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) withstands the attack of Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA) and a boisterous partisan crowd to advance to the Greco 67kg semifinals with a 3-2 win. Galstyan scores a first-period takedown, which gives him the criteria lead when Sylla ties the match with a stepout and a passivity point. Sylla had his chance but couldn't budge Galstyan from par terre, and a somewhat frivolous challenge at the end gives the Armenian his third point.

13:21: What a comeback for Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) in his Greco 67kg quarterfinal. The Tokyo silver medalist trails 6-2 going into the second period against Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ), who had a 4-point takedown to maintain any criteria advantage. But Nasibov scores a takedown, then three consecutive stepouts to win 7-6.

13:12: Qianyu PANG (CHN) gets a 4-point takedown early on and rolls to a 10-0 victory over Jonna MALGREN (SWE) and a spot in the women's 53kg semifinals against Fujinami. Pang and Fujinami faced each other at the 2023 Asian Games, with Fujinami winning 10-0. 

13:07: Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) gets a stepout that is upheld on an unsuccessful challenge, giving him a 3-1 win over Valentin PETIC (MDA) and a spot in the Greco 67kg semifinals.

13:02: Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) falls behind in her women's 53kg quarterfinal against Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL), but it's only momentarily. The Japanese star quickly retakes the lead, then bulls Batkhuyag over and gains a fall. Fujinami spends most of the match fighting off Batkhuyag's whizzer, which the Mongolian used to set up a trip for a takedown that put her ahead 2-2 on criteria early in the second period. But Fujinami quickly comes back with a pair of takedowns, scoring the fall after the second one.

12:54: Luis ORTA (CUB), the Tokyo champion at Greco 60kg, gets her quest to add the gold at 67kg with an 8-0 victory over Asian silver medalist Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN). Orta finishes the match with his third stepout of the first period.  

12:53: It ain't over til it's over. Annika WENDLE (GER) had just given up a takedown and gut wrench to fall behind 5-0 against Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) in their women's 53kg quarterfinal. Wendle, however, bulls Yetgil over on a counter and slams her onto her back for a fall.

12:48: Asian champion Saeid ESMAELI (IRI) hits a 4-point throw from par terre en route to a 10-0 victory over Ishak GHAIOU (ALG) and a place in the Greco 67kg quarterfinals.

12:45: European champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) shows why he is the favorite to win gold here in Paris. He rolls over Payton JACOBSON (USA) 10-0 in two minutes and 10 seconds.

12:44: Lucia YEPEZ (VEN) powers into the women's 53kg semifinals with a victory by fall over Andreea ANA (ROU). The world bronze medalist goes ahead 5-0 in the first period with an activity point, takedown, fleeing point and lost challenge. In the second period, she takes Ana down to her back and secures the fall.

12:40: Not much scoring, but a welcome victory for the home team nonetheless. Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA) gets the second of the passivity points and he advances to the Greco 67kg quarterfinals with a 1-1 win on last-point criteria over Souleyman NASR (TUN).  

12:33: Two-time former European champion Emma MALMGREN (SWE), looking to preserve her 3-3 lead on criteria, gets in on a double against Betzabeth ARGUELLO (VEN) in the final minute. As Arguello reaches over for a counter lift, Malmgren presses ahead and ends up with a victory by fall.  

12:30: Not the most action-packed bout Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) manages to beat Bachir SID AZARA (ALG) 2-1 and move to the quarterfinals at 87kg. He will take on Novikov.

12:29: Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) is made to work hard for his 3-2 victory over a gutsy Andres MONTANO (ECU) at Greco 67kg, scoring a creative 2-point exposure in the second period to secure a place in the quarterfinals.

12:24: Tokyo silver medalist PANG Qianyu (CHN) makes short work of Mia AQUINO (GUM) at women's 53kg, getting a quick takedown and reeling off four gut wrenches for a 10-0 win in 27 seconds.

12:21: 2022 world silver medalist Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) gets a takedown straight to the back and records the fall over Christianah OGUNSANYA (NGR), earning her a clash with Fujinami in the women's 53kg quarterfinals. 

12:15: Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) scores a takedown with :05 left to pull off a 3-2 victory over former world champion Mate NEMES (SRB) at Greco 77kg.

12:15: Two-time world champion Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) avoids the upset bug that has hit her compatriots, launching her Olympic debut with a victory by fall over Dominique PARRISH (USA) at women's 53kg. It was the match that never was at the 2022 World Championships, where Parrish won the gold after Fujinami withdrew due to injury. With the win, Fujinami stretched her current winning streak to 133 in a row dating back to junior high school.

12:10: Defending champion Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) has no problem seeing off Haitao QIAN (CHN) at 87kg. Followed by Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) defends from par terre and clinches a 5-1 win over Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN)

12:09: Two-time European bronze medalist Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) overwhelms 2022 world bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) for a 10-0 victory at women's 53kg. Staked to a 4-0 lead, Yetgil scores a 4-point takedown, then adds a gut wrench to end the match in 1:41.

12:05: Annika WENDLE (GER) scores a takedown with 52 seconds left, then survives a late surge by eight-time European medalist Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) to hold on for a 3-2 at women's 53kg. The 32-year-old Prevolaraki, who is looking for her first medal in three Olympic appearances, nearly gets a last-second takedown, but it ends up as a stepout on the challenge.

12:03: In a battle of former world bronze medalists, Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) gets a 4-point throw and 2-point roll from par terre, then stuffs a back roll attempt by Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) for 4 more in a 12-1 win at Greco 77kg.

11:53: Three-time reigning European 55kg champion Andreea ANA (ROU), a first-round loser three years ago in Tokyo, scores two takedowns in the second period and ousts world bronze medalist Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) 5-0 at women's 53kg.

11:53: Valentin PETIC (MDA) gets a pair of passivity points and another 2 for an illegal hold penalty to defeat Nestor ALMANZA (CHI) 4-0 to advance to the Greco 77kg quarterfinals.

11:47: How do you start your Olympics? Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) begins with a huge five-pointer and wins his first bout at 87kg 9-0 against Carlos MUNOZ (COL)

11:42: World bronze medalist and top seed Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) dodges a bullet in edging Asian Games bronze medalist Hyogyong CHOE (PRK) 7-4 at women's 53kg. Yepez leads 4-2 when Choe scores a takedown off a single with :18 left. But Yepez takes the lead right back with a takedown five seconds later, gets a penalty point for stalling by the exhausted Choe, then holds on for the win.

11:41: European champion and two-time world medalist Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) knocks off Tokyo bronze medalist Mohamed ELSAYAD (EGY) 9-0 in the opening match at Greco 67kg. Jafarov can't score from par terre in the first period, but gets a 4-point throw off an underhook to go ahead 5-0. He takes advantage of a second chance in par terre in the second period, getting a 2-point throw to end the match.

11:40: The first world champion wrestling today falls! Ali CENGIZ (TUR) has no answer to Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) defense and drops his opening bout at 87kg 5-3.

11:18: After a stunning loss in yesterday's quarterfinals derailed his gold-medal hopes, Tokyo silver medalist Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) earns a chance for a bronze medal with a 9-0 rout of Jair CUERO (COL). Makhmudov opens with a 4-point throw, then gets a pair of gut wrenches from par terre in the second period. He will face Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) later tonight in a bid to become a two-time Olympic medalist.

11:08: In a Greco 77kg repechage match to start the action on Mat A, European champion Aram VARDANYAN (ARM) gets three rolls from par terre in the first period, then scores a takedown in the second to close out a 9-0 victory over Abd OUAKALI (ALG).

11:05: With the women's 50kg program reshuffled by the shocking Vinesh disqualification, there is only one repechage match. World bronze medalist Ziqi FENG (CHN) builds up a six-point lead against Ibtissem DOUDOU (ALG), then ends the match at 1:53 with a 4-point throw to advance to the bronze-medal match.

11:02: A big update for tonight's 50kg final of women's wrestling

Vinesh VINESH, from NOC of India in 50kg, failed the weigh-in on day two of her competition which has forced United World Wrestling to promote Yusneylis GUZMAN LOPEZ (CUB) to the final of 50kg at the Paris Olympics. She will take on Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) in the final.

11:00: Welcome to day three at the Champs de Mars Arena.

#WrestleBudapest

Mammadli wins gold in Budapest; Georgia captures two on final day

By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 20) -- World and European champion Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE), five days short of his 23rd birthday, gave himself a birthday present and kept his World Championships preparations on track by winning the Budapest Ranking Series on Sunday.

Three months after winning the European title, Mammadli enjoyed a successful day in Budapest, winning gold at 60kg after beating SUMIT (IND), 5-1, in the final.

There were seven other gold medalist as the Ranking Series came to a close on Sunday. With this, the World Championships season will begin next week in Athens, Greece with the World U17 Championships.

Mammadli was put in par terre in the first period but as casual as he is, Mammadli defended any turn. He blocked Sumit's attempt to get a gut-wrench mid-turn and got two points. He got a bodylock to kick off second period and scored a takedown to make it 4-1. As Sumit was put in par terre, Mammadli further led 5-1. However, he was happy to not put any effort in attempting any turns.

Sumit tried getting a hold of Mammadli in the final two minutes but it to no avail and Mammadli won the final 5-1.

Earlier in the day, Mammadli defeated Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) in the semifinals, 3-2, in what was a rematch of the European final that was won by Mammadli.

Another European champion Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) captured gold medal in Budapest after he beat Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ), 9-0, in the 55kg final.

Apart from the small hiccup he had in the semifinal against Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), Sefershaev had an top tournament, outscoring his opponents 27-7 in four bouts.

Botirov scored five points on Sefershaev but he was able to score five on him as well and won the bout the bout on criteria. In the final, Sefershaev did not have any trouble and rolled Mukashev four time from par terre to finish the bout.

At 63kg, Sergey EMELIN (UWW) denied Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) a Ranking Series gold medal after beating him 5-0 in the final. Emelin scored points from par terre and kept the pressure in the second period as well and was not called passive. He held his 5-0 lead for six minutes of the bout to win gold medal.

Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) emerged as the champion at 67kg after a final of two halves against Valentin PETIC (MDA), who unfortunately ended with another silver medal at the Ranking Series, his third this year. He has silver medals from Zagreb and Albania.

The final began with a quick takedown from Khetsuriani and he then lifted Petic for a suplex for four points. For the next throw, he performed a turn but it was ruled a below-the-waist foul and no points were awarded.

Georgia challenged asking for two points but the referees awarded one point for stepout on review, making the score 7-0 for Khetsuriani. Petric failed to break Khetsuriani's defense for the remaining 4:30 and dropped the final.

Hosts Hungary had a rather disappointing evening session as Robert FRITSCH (HUN) and Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) suffered losses in the 77kg and 82kg finals, respectively.

Fritsch was defeated 5-2 in the 77kg final by Sergei KUTUZOV (UWW) who had a 3-0 lead at the break in the final. Fritsch closed the gap to 3-2 with a stepout and par terre point but he failed to make a move from that position.

Kutuzov was happy defending but Fritsch pushed for a stepout to which Kutuzov circled and returned to center to get a point. A lost challenge late in the bout gave one more point to Kutuzov who won 5-2.

There was further disappointment for Hungary as Levai, moving up from 77kg to 82kg, suffered a 5-1 loss in the 82kg final against Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW).

After getting the par terre position in the first period, Levai failed to score any points. Tiuliubaev made no such mistakes and scored two turns from par terre in the second period and won 5-1.

At 97kg, Giorgi MELIA (GEO) came out as a clear winner as Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM) had no answer to Melia's aggressive style of wrestling in the final.

Melia rolled to a 3-1 victory to capture yet another gold medal for Georgia in Budapest.

With the fourth and final Ranking Series in the books, wrestlers will now receive seeds for the World Championships once the final entries are closed.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) df. Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ), 9-0

BRONZE: Denis MIHAI (ROU) df. Alpamys DASTANBEK (KAZ), 1-1
BRONZE: Anil MOR (IND) df. Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), 7-4

60kg
GOLD: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. SUMIT (IND), 5-1

BRONZE: Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) df. Seunghak KIM (KOR), 5-2 
BRONZE: Sadyk LALAEV (UWW) df. Galym KABDUNASSAROV (KAZ), 5-3

63kg
GOLD: Sergey EMELIN (UWW) df. Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA), 5-0

BRONZE: Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ) df. Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), via inj. 
BRONZE: Dinislam BAMMATOV (UWW) df. Karen ASLANYAN (ARM), via fall

67kg
GOLD: Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) df. Valentin PETIC (MDA), 7-0

BRONZE: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df. Minseong KWON (KOR), 8-3
BRONZE: Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR) df. Daniial AGAEV (UWW), 1-1

77kg
GOLD: Sergei KUTUZOV (UWW) df. Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN), 5-2

BRONZE: Levente LEVAI (HUN) df. Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE), 3-2
BRONZE: Sergei STEPANOV (UWW) df. Stoyan KUBATOV (BUL), 7-1

82kg
GOLD: Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW) df. Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), 5-1

BRONZE: Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) df. Beka MELELASHVILI (USA), 2-1
BRONZE: Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) df. Rafael IUNUSOV (UWW), 2-1

97kg
GOLD: Giorgi MELIA (GEO) df. Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM), 3-1

BRONZE: Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE) df. Ilia ERMOLENKO (UWW), 8-4
BRONZE: Markus RAGGINGER (AUT) df. Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN), 6-3