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)

#WrestleBudapest

Amine downs Kurguliev, USA wins three #WrestleBudapest gold

Thursday, July 13, 2023 - 15:50 By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 13) -- The 86kg weight class in wrestling has long revolved around two superstars, Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) and David TAYLOR (USA). These two athletes have been trading World Championships and Olympic gold for the past five years.

However, their dominance is being challenged by a rising group of wrestlers, including Myles AMINE (SMR), the 2022 European champion. Amine, who won the Tokyo Olympic bronze medal, won a historic first European title for San Mario in Budapest last year and added silver at the 2023 edition.

Three months after their intense European Championships final, Amine and Kurguliev faced off again in the Budapest Ranking Series final on Thursday. It seemed like a déjà vu for Amine as he found himself trailing 1-1, with Kurguliev threatening to score a takedown and take the lead, much like in the European final.

Amine recognized the importance to attack and he executed a single leg takedown. Kurguliev countered and came close to securing a takedown before Amine escaped and earned two points by taking Kurguliev down. That was all Amine needed and he knew he had done enough.

Although Amine did give up a stepout in the remaining minute of the bout, it didn't matter much as he held on to win 3-2, seeking revenge for his loss in Zagreb.

"I wanted to remain locked in for six minutes," Amine said. "It was really simple -- a takedown or scramble."

Amine, who trains at the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club at the University of Michigan, looked like being on a mission on Thursday, beginning with a 4-2 win over Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL) in the opening round. He followed that with an 11-1 technical superiority win over Nurzhan ISSAGALIYEV (KAZ) and a 5-0 win over Lars SCHAEFLE (GER) in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Osman GOCEN (TUR) posed a threat by leading 4-2. However, Amine managed to score every time he fell behind and secured a 9-8 victory.

Similar to the European final, the Budapest Ranking Series final began slowly with both wrestlers receiving penalties for inactivity. Kurguliev even took two injury timeouts for his ankle. Despite their attempts to maintain control, it was evident that a scramble was imminent.

"I think it [Thursday's bout] was similar to the European Championships final," Amine said. "My execution was better as I wanted to remain locked in for six minutes."

Perhaps Kurguliev felt the heat of Amine's constant pressure that even though he got behind Amine in a scramble but failed to finish.

"I was not thinking anything during that scramble," Amine said. "I've pulled the rabbit out of the hole a few times in my career and I attribute that to not thinking too much. I wrestle every day and I am in these situations so."

Amine's win puts the focus back on the 86kg field for the World Championships. Wrestlers have been trying to catch up with Taylor and Yazdani and the Belgrade World Championships could be the first when both can be challenged.

"Those guys [Taylor and Yazdani] have earned the place with consistent results," Amine said. "But that's what we all are trying to do now [and catch them]. I treat it as one bout at a time."

The University of Michigan had a field day as Mason PARRIS (USA) won gold at 125kg after beating local star Daniel LIGETI (HUN) in the final.

Ligeti got the crowd with a four-point arm throw, but he was forced to forfeit the bout due to a leg injury. At that point, Parris was leading 9-4.

Kyle SNYDER (USA) added another gold medal for the United States, triumphing in the 97kg weight class after Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) withdrew from the gold medal bout.

Although both wrestlers reached the final, they had a slow start. Magomedov narrowly defeated Vladislav BAITCAEV (HUN) 7-6 in the opening bout, while Snyder secured a one-point victory over Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO), winning 3-2.

However, as the day progressed, both wrestlers found their rhythm. Snyder achieved a dominant 10-0 victory over Kanybek ABDULKHAIROV (KGZ), while Magomedov defeated Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) 6-3.

In the semifinals, Snyder continued his impressive form with another 10-0 win, this time against Bekzat URKIMBAY (KAZ), while Magomedov secured a 7-2 victory against Erik THIELE (GER).

Zahid VALENCIA (USA) won gold at 92kg after he defeated Matthew FINESILVER (USA) 10-0 in the final.

Valencia experienced a setback in Round 1 with a 6-3 loss against Amirali AZARPIA (IRI), but he composed himself and bounced back to win the gold against Finesilver.

After the initial loss, Valencia defeated Denys SAHALIUK (UKR) 8-2 in Round 2 and overcame world bronze medalist Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) 5-3 to secure a spot in the semifinals, where he defeated Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) 10-0.

Tumur Ochir wins again

Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) maintained his exceptional performance this year by claiming another gold medal in the Ranking Series. He previously won in Zagreb and Bishkek and secured a silver medal at the Asian Championships. His only loss this year came against world champion Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI).

Tumur Ochir's impressive performance in Budapest included victories over Iszmail MUSZUKAJAEV (HUN) and Nicholas LEE (USA). Notably, Lee, who will represent the US at the World Championships this year, suffered a surprising 10-0 loss in the final.

After defeating Ikromzhon KHADZHIMURODOV (KGZ), Tumur Ochir faced Muszukajaev once again and utilized his underhooks effectively to keep the Hungarian wrestler at bay. Muszukajaev struggled to mount an attack and lost 3-0, marking his second loss to Tumur Ochir this year, following their encounter in Zagreb.

Lachlan MCNEIL (CAN) met a similar fate as Tumur Ochir dominated their semifinal, winning 10-0 and securing a place in the final against Lee, who achieved a commanding 10-0 victory against Joshua FINESILVER (ISR) and Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ).

Lee had no business winning the semifinal against Islam DUDAEV (ALB) but pulled off a buzzer-beating takedown to win 6-4.

However, Tumur Ochir wasted no time in asserting his dominance in the final, executing a big four-point move using underhooks and nearly pinning Lee. As Lee defended, Tumur Ochir capitalized with two gut wrenches to take an 8-0 lead. A final takedown sealed the victory for the 2021 world bronze medalist.

At 57kg, Wanhao ZOU (CHN) surprised everyone by claiming the gold medal with an 11-3 victory over Almaz SMANBEKOV in the final.

Zou began his campaign with a 5-0 win over Kamil KERYMOV (UKR) and proceeded to defeat Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO) 3-1 in the quarterfinals. He then shut out Ahmad MOHAMMADNEZHADJAVAN (IRI) with a 5-0 win to secure a spot in the final against Smanbekov, who advanced with a 2-2 victory over Zane RICHARDS (USA).

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Wanhao ZOU (CHN) df. Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ), 11-3

BRONZE: Kamil KERYMOV (UKR) df. Ahmad MOHAMMADNEZHADJAVAN (IRI),8-4
BRONZE: Zane RICHARDS (USA) df. Niklas STECHELE (GER), 5-2

65kg
GOLD: Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) df. Nicholas LEE (USA), 10-0

BRONZE: Islam DUDAEV (ALB) df. Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ), 11-5
BRONZE: Ikromzhon KHADZHIMURODOV (KGZ) df. Lachlan MCNEIL (CAN), 10-0

74kg
GOLD: Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) df. Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ), 5-2

BRONZE: Krisztian BIRO (ROU) df. Byungmin GONG (KOR), 8-7
BRONZE: Feng LU (CHN) df. Mitchell FINESILVER (ISR), 8-3

86kg
GOLD: Myles AMINE (SMR) df. Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE), 3-2

BRONZE: Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) df. Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO), 2-0
BRONZE: Osman GOCEN (TUR) df. Lars SCHAEFLE (GER), 8-0

92kg
GOLD: Zahid VALENCIA (USA) df. Matthew FINESILVER (ISR), 10-0

BRONZE: Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) df. Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), via inj. def.

97kg
GOLD: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE), via inj. def.

BRONZE: Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) df. Bekzat URKIMBAY (KAZ), 9-0
BRONZE: Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) df. Erik THIELE (GER), 3-1

125kg
GOLD: Mason PARRIS (USA) df. Daniel LIGETI (HUN), via injury (8-4)

BRONZE: Zhiwei DENG (CHN) df. Abraham CONYEDO RUANO (ITA), 6-1
BRONZE: Yurii IDZINSKYI (UKR) df. Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER), 7-6

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

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Amine downs Kurguliev, USA wins three #WrestleBudapest gold