Yazdani-Karimi wrestle off for Iran's World team spot

Monday, June 13, 2022 - 14:12 By Ali Feizasa

TONEBABON, Iran (June 13) -- Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) last won a World Championships medal in 2014. Competing at 86kg, he won a bronze medal. Since then, he has moved up to 97kg and will be fighting for his spot on Iran's national team for the Belgrade World Championships.

But achieve his second World Championships medal, Mohammdian will have to go through Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) as the '21 Worlds bronze medalist won the gold medal at the prestigious Takhti Cup last week.

The tournament was a qualifying step for the wrestlers to enter the selection trials for the World Championships that will be held in Belgrade from September 10 to 18.

At 97kg, Goleij came home with a narrow 2-1 win against Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) to book his spot in the trials against Mohammdian. The two will be the options for Iran's coaching board for Belgrade.

Alireza KARIMI (IRI) will have to outlast Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) to make the Iran team at 86kg. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

A big match-up was also set at 86kg. After achieving three World Championships medals over the last six years, Alireza KARIMI (IRI) missed his spot on the national team due to injury for three years. He made a move up to 97kg before 2019 and had mixed success. He did win a silver medal at the '19 Worlds at 92kg. But Karimi has made a return to 86kg and won the Takhti Cup gold.

Karimi downed former World silver Ezatollah AKBARI (IRI), 7-2 in the semifinal and earned a 6-0 victory against Hamed VAFAEIPOUR (IRI) in the final bout. But Karimi knows well that he has a big rock in front of him in the form of world champion Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) if he wants to make the national team again.

“Injuries made my way difficult and I couldn’t concentrate and train," Karimi said. "I had only two weeks training for Takhti Cup and my performance was not bad. All Iranian opponents except Yazdani competed in the Takhti Cup. I will continue my training to reach the national team spot."

Apart from the return of Karimi, the defeat of world silver medalist Alireza SARLAK (IRI) and the rise of cadet world champion 17-year-old Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) were the highlights of the competition.

In absence of Tokyo Olympian Reza ATRI (IRI), U23 World bronze medalist Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) proved himself as the new flagbearer for Iran at the weight. He defeated Sarlak 3-2 in a thrilling final at 57kg.

Atri, who had not competed since a fifth-place finish at the Olympics, moved up a weight class and won the 61kg gold medal with a 6-2 win over Majid DASTAN (IRI).

European champion Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) was also entered at 61kg but ended with a bronze medal.

Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI), 17, won the 125kg gold at the Takhti Cup. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Young Masoumi stars

The surprise of the tournament came at 125kg when Masoumi won the gold medal with ease at the weight class and earn himself a shot at making the World Championships team.

The name Masoumi would be familiar to fans. Fardin MASOUMI (IRI) was a 2009 World silver medalist and a fifth-place finisher at the '08 Beijing Olympics.

The four-time Asian champion's son Amirreza stood by the family reputation and beat Mahdi HASHEMI (IRI) 7-0 via cautions in the final to celebrate his senior debut.

Still a junior, it was at the insistence of the coaching staff that Masoumi jumped up to the senior level.

“I am 17 and it is my first year in junior level but national team coaches decided I compete in senior level," Masoumi said. "I am very happy for the gold especially for making my father and my coach happy.”

Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) will be eyeing the 70kg spot on the Iran national team. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

In other weight classes, Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) strengthened his position at 70kg. After winning the silver medal in Oslo at 65kg, Yazdani moved up to 70kg and won gold at the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series event.

Now, the 21-year-old strengthened his position on Iran national team by winning the gold last week. He passed two Armenian wrestlers to capture the title. He first downed Narek HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) 6-0 in the semifinal and then humbled European silver medalist Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM), 3-1 in the summit clash.

“All Iranian rivals competed in Takhti Cup," Yazdani said. "My final rival was 2022 European champion [silver] and I hope these titles continue for me. I am like a soldier for the Iranian national team and we obey all decisions of the coaching board."

Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) was the lone non-Iranian gold medalist at the Takhti Cup. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

An Armenian wrestler did take home a gold medal as Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) became the only non-Iranian champion at 65kg. He won a high-stake final against Tokyo Olympian Morteza GHIASI (IRI) 5-3.

Iran is looking for a successor at 74kg and Mohammadsadgeh FIROUZPOUR (IRI) has so far begun well. Like his brother Amirhossein, Mohammadsadgeh is taking one step at a time. The two grabbed the junior and U23 world medals last year and are moving up to the senior level. Amirhossein won the Asian Championships gold at 92kg before winning silver at the Ranking Series event in Almaty in June at 97kg.

Mohammadsadgeh FIROUZPOUR (IRI) won the gold at 74kg. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Mohammadsadegh stepped up and won the Takhti Cup gold at 74kg by defeating Hamed RASHIDI (IRI), 1-1, in a close final.

World silver medalist Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) proved himself the favorite to attend the World Championships at 79kg. He had a dominant run at the Takhti Cup as he reached the final with ease. His only test came in the gold medal bout but he succeed to beat Mostafa GHIASI (IRI) 7-5.

At 92kg, junior world champion Mahdi HAJILOUEIAN (IRI) sprung a surprise and won the gold over Asian silver medalist and Yasar Dogu champion Ahmad BAZRI (IRI). Hajiloueian earned a 6-3 victory in the final after two 11-0 wins against Beka TCHELIDZE (GEO) and Sobhan ASGHARI (IRI).

Results

57kg
GOLD: Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) df. Alireza SARLAK (IRI), 3-2

BRONZE: Reza MOMENI (IRI)
BRONZE: Saber KHANJANI (IRI)

61kg
GOLD: Reza ATRI (IRI) df. Majid DASTAN (IRI), 6-2

BRONZE: Daryoush HAZRATGHOLIZADEH (IRI)
BRONZE: Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)

65kg
GOLD: Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) df. Morteza GHIASI (IRI), 5-3

BRONZE: Mohammadreza BAGHERI (IRI)
BRONZE: Iman SADEGHI (IRI)

70kg
GOLD: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) df. Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM), 3-1

BRONZE: Yousef KAMRANI (IRI)
BRONZE: Hoseein ABOUZARI (IRI)

74kg
GOLD: Mohammadsadegh FIROUZPOUR (IRI) df. Hamed RASHIDI (IRI), 1-1

BRONZE: Khachatur PAPIKYAN (ARM)
BRONZE: Mohammadreza ASKARPOUR (IRI)

79kg
GOLD: Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) df. Mostafa GHIASI (IRI), 7-5

BRONZE: Amirhossein KAVOUSI (IRI)
BRONZE: Mohammadhossein NOROUZYAN (IRI)

86kg
GOLD: Alireza KARIMI (IRI) df. Hadi Vafaeipour (IRI), 7-2

BRONZE: Ali MANSOURI (IRI)
BRONZE: Ezzatollah AKBARI (IRI)

92kg
GOLD: Mahdi HAJILOUEIAN (IRI) df. Ahmad BAZRI (IRI), 6-3

BRONZE: Sobhan ASGHARI Asghari (IRI)
BRONZE: Mohammadhossein MIRBAGHBAN (IRI)

97kg
GOLD: Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) df. Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), 2-1

BRONZE: Hossein RAMAZANYAN (IRI)
BRONZE: Danyal SHARIATINIA (IRI)

125kg
GOLD: Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) df. Alireza GORZBAR (IRI), 7-0 (via VCA)

BRONZE: Mersad MARGHZARI (IRI)
BRONZE: Ali AKBARPOUR (IRI)

#Grappling, World Grappling Championships

Crane defends as U.S. takes charge at Grapping World Championships

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 - 11:19 By Vinay Siwach

WARSAW, Poland (August 23) — It may have only won two finals out of the five its grapplers reached, but the result was good enough for the United States to win the team title over Kazakhstan for the second straight year at the Grappling World Championships in Warsaw.

Led by defending champion Kevin CRANE (USA), the U.S. accumulated 135 points to win team title while Kazakhstan finished second with 108 points. Home team Poland stepped on the podium at third with 91 points.

Crane defended his gold medal at 84kg by beating Defending champion Kevin CRANE (USA) home favorite and returning bronze medalist Mateusz MAZUR (POL), 5-4, in a thrilling final. Crane got the final underway with two points as Mazur decided to play from the bottom. Crane was called passive on the top and a point was added to Mazur’s score.

Mazur, the European champion, managed to get Crane off the top and brought him down on his back to score two points. As time passed, Mazur failed to continue his active grappling and was cautioned for stalling which gave a point to Crane who now led 3-3 on criteria.

With just over a minute left, Crane got a single leg for two while Mazur tried to match his pace. Crane was happy to concede a point for stalling but Mazur gave it one final go with 15 seconds on the clock. He got out of the bottom position and tried getting Crane down. However, Crane managed to survive a slip and kept Mazur on his back as the clock ran out.

Perhaps that win hyped up compatriot Mario GONZALEZ (USA) as he dominated the 130kg final against Lukasz OLECH (POL), winning the gold medal 12-1. In earlier rounds, Gonzalez upset returning world champion John HANSEN (USA) 6-2.

For the first two minutes of the final, both Gonzalez and Olech seemed to be playing the waiting game and it was after two minutes that Gonzalez got a point for Olech’s passivity. He scored two stepouts to make it 3-0.

With the clock ticking, Olech tried building some forward pressure but Gonzalez was quick to get out of the underhooks. As Olech fell because of his forward movement, Gonzalez scored two points by Olech on his back. With Olech’s shoulders touching the mat, Gonzalez was awarded three points and later awarded four as he continued to lock Olech. Only in the final seconds was he called for stalling, giving up a point in the 12-1 win.

Poland won a gold medal as defending champion at 100kg Andrzej IWAT (POL) won via submission against Eliot KELLY (USA), who was sporting a full-sleeve, in the final. Kelly finished fifth last year while Iwat has not lost in United World Wrestling’s Grappling competitions since the Grappling Gi loss in Pontevedra last year.

Iwat began from the bottom but never let Kelly get control from the top. As the two scrambled, Iwat got hold of Kelly’s leg and locked it despite them rolling over twice. With 3:40 left in the match, Kelly tapped out giving Iwat his second gold medal at the World Championships.

Poland could have had another world champion but Saar SHEMESH (ISR) came back to beat Piotr FRECHOWICZ (POL) 5-5 in the 92kg final after the two dominated their runs to the final.

Expectedly, both did not give an inch to each other in the gold medal match which went down to the wire. Frechowicz scored the opening two points as he controlled Shemesh from the top and tried to lock Shemesh. But Shemesh took the 2-2 criteria lead by putting Frechowicz on the mat.

Shemesh was called for passivity and Frechowicz got the one point. But his lead was short lived as Shemesh went on top again and kept Frechowicz’s back on the mat with control. The referee did not award two points but Shemesh challenged and got the three points on review to lead 5-3 with 2:51 left on the clock.

Frechowicz did not give up and scored two points for control on top and took the 5-5 criteria lead and remained on top for the rest of the bout. Shemesh challenged the criteria as he had a three-point technique. Shemesh was declared the winner which left Frechowicz in complete disarray.

At 62kg, Temerlin AZIZOV (FRA), a freestyle wrestler till two years ago, won the gold medal over Gavin TEASDALE (USA), beating the U.S. grappler via submission. Azizov won three out of his four bouts before the final via criteria decisions but was a completely different force in the final against Teasdale.

Azizov used his wrestling traits in the final by putting collar ties and trying single-leg attacks. But Teasdale locked him from behind and looked to put him down. However, Azizov got a trip with headlock to control Teasdale before a headchoke got him the submission with 2:37 left in the match.

Kazakhstan crowned a world champion last year’s bronze medalist at 77kg Adlan MADAYEV (KAZ) stepped up on the podium after beating Brady WICKLUND (USA) via submission in the final.

Wicklund remained on top for majority of the final scoring two points and Madayev got two points for Wicklund’s stalling. But Madayev got Wicklund’s arm and rolled over with his legs across Wicklund’s head, forcing the American to tap out instantly.

Bekzat KAPASHOV (KAZ), however, could not repeat his compatriot’s exploits and ended up with a silver medal at 66kg after Giorgi RAZMADZE (GEO) defeated him in the final.

Razmadze began the gold medal bout with a stepout and got another as Kapashov tried to evade one of his attacks. Kazakhstan challenged the second stepout call but lost, giving Razmadze two more points.

Kapashov got Razmadze in control quite a few times but was never able to control him on the mat. Razmadze reversed one of Kapashov’s attack with a toss and got the control to lead 6-0. Kapashov tried a head lock submission but failed to get it as Razmadze ran out the clock.

In one of the most entertaining weight classes, European Championships silver medalist Iker CAMARA (ESP) won gold over Euro bronze medalist Dzhimsher RAZMADZE (GEO) in the 71kg final 7-2 decision.

Razmadze, who defeated returning champion Nurbek TALBUDIN (KAZ) in the semifinals, opened the scoring with an ankle pick but was called for stalling, giving Camara his first point. As the two remained in the same position, Camara tried different locks but Razmadze was happy blocking which cost him another point.

The bout had to be restarted in neutral with Razmadze on top but failed to show activity and the referees score another point for Camara who now led 3-2. Propelled by the lead, Camara reversed the positions and scored two points in the final 20 seconds to lead 5-2 as the clock expired. Razmadze challenged only to see two more points added to Camara’s score.

The grapplers will return on Thursday, the final day of the World Championships, for the Grappling Gi competition.

RESULTS

62kg
GOLD: Temirlan AZIZOV (FRA) df. Gavin TEASDALE (USA), via submission (2-0)

BRONZE: Arulan KURMANALIYEV (KAZ) df. Mayis NERSESYAN (ARM), 8-3
BRONZE: Loris ZANOLINI (ITA) df. Farhad BAGIROV (AZE), 13-2

66kg
GOLD: Giorgi RAZMADZE (GEO) df. Bekzat KAPASHOV (KAZ), 6-1

BRONZE: Omri HAVIV (ISR) df. Wojciech PAJAK (POL), via disqualification
BRONZE; Anthony DE OLIVEIRA (FRA) df. Yeldos UALI (KAZ), via submission

71kg
GOLD: Iker CAMARA (ESP) df. Dzhimsher RAZMADZE (GEO), 7-2

BRONZE: Nico PULVERMUELLER (GER) df. Donat DEMETER (HUN), 2-2
BRONZE: Nurbek TALBUDIN (KAZ) df. Hamid HAMIDLI (AZE), 8-3

77kg
GOLD: Adlan MADAYEV (KAZ) df. Brady WICKLUND (USA), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Evyatar PAPERNI (ISR) df. Sergio IBARRA (USA), via submission (4-4)
BRONZE: Nahman BITON (ISR) df. Djabrail DJABRAILOV (FRA), via forfeit

84kg
GOLD: Kevin CRANE (USA) df. Mateusz MAZUR (POL), 5-4

BRONZE: Pawel JAWORSKI (POL) df. Dmitrii TKACHENKO (UKR), via cautions (4-2)
BRONZE: Aurel PIRTEA (ROU) df. Manuel PILATO (ITA), via submission (5-2)

92kg
GOLD: Saar SHEMESH (ISR) df. Piotr FRECHOWICZ (POL), 5-5

BRONZE: Pawel NEDZI (POL) df. Roman KIZIUK (UKR), 4-4
BRONZE: Paul ARDILA (USA) df. Levente LAKY (HUN), via submission (0-3)

100kg
GOLD: Andrzej IWAT (POL) df. Eliot KELLY (USA), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Aleksandre TEVZADZE (GEO) df. Mourad BENGHOUNE (FRA), via submission (2-0)
BRONZE: Kamil WOJCIECHOWSKI (POL) df. Ramazan ABDRAKHIMOV (KAZ), 5-3

130kg
GOLD: Mario GONZALEZ (USA) df. Lukasz OLECH (POL), 12-1

BRONZE: John HANSEN (USA) df. Ioannis KARGIOTAKIS (GRE), via submission (6-0)
BRONZE: Talgat ZHIYENTAYEV (KAZ) df. Wojciech WILK (POL), 8-1

Yazdani-Karimi wrestle off for Iran's World team spot

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Crane defends as U.S. takes charge at Grapping World Championships