Younger Geraei Earns Shot at Asian Greco Gold; Iran, Uzbekistan Put 2 Each in Finals

Sunday, April 28, 2019 - 09:01 By Ken Marantz

XI’AN, China (April 28)— Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) has already exceeded his older brother at the Asian Championships, while Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) prevented the possibility of a Iranian sweep of the four heaviest weights in Greco-Roman.

Geraei was one of two Iranians to advance to the finals in the five remaining weight classes on the final day of the six-day tournament in Xi’an, setting up a clash for the 72kg gold with local favorite ZHANG Hujun (CHN).

Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Saeid ABDVALI (IRI) gained a place in the 82kg final against Singh HARPEET (IND), but world bronze medalist Mahdi ALIYARIFEIZABADI (IRI) was denied a shot at the 97kg gold after suffering a nail-biting 7-5 loss to Dzhuzupbekov in the semifinals.

Uzbekistan also placed two wrestlers in the finals in the night session at Xidian University’s Invengo Gymnasium, with 2018 bronze medalist Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) advancing at 60kg and Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB) taking on Dzhuzupbekov at 97kg.

Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) will wrestle China's ZHANG Hujun in the 72kg finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Geraei, third at last summer’s Asian Games in Jakarta, overcame a high hurdle in the semifinals by beating 2017 world silver medalist Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 9-3, capping the victory with a highlight-reel four-point throw.

Geraei had watched as older brother Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) had to settle for the 77kg bronze the day before, when Iran picked up golds at 87kg and 130kg.

“There was no effect on my wrestling,” Geraei said of his brother’s defeat. “But I was little sad about my brother. My brother could have been first.”

Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) will wrestle Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB) in a rematch of the Asian Games bronze-medal match. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

ZHANG Hujun (CHN) seemed to be heading to the 97kg final when Dzhuzupbekov reversed him to his back during a roll attempt with 30 seconds left for the winning points. That avenged a loss to the Iranian at a tournament in Istanbul last year.

“Everyone was screaming and it was motivating me,” said Dzhuzupbekov, a bronze medalist on home soil last year in Bishkek as well as at the Asian Games. “At the end, I was just thinking to keep attacking him.”

The final against Turdiev, who turns 37 this week, will be a rematch of the bronze-medal match in Jakarta won by Dzhuzupbekov.

RI Se Ung (PRK) knocked off world champion Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and world bronze medalist Sailike WALIHAN (CHN) on his road to the 60kg finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

The depth of quality in Asia in the 60kg division came out as neither 2017 world champion Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) nor 2018 world bronze medalist Sailike WALIHAN (CHN) made it to the final.

Both wrestlers were knocked off by crafty RI Se Ung (PRK), and will meet for a bronze medal. Ri will take on Bakhramov for the gold.

Ri, the silver medalist at Bishkek 2018, defeated Fumita, 5-3, in the quarterfnals. From the par terre position, Ri reeled off a pair of rolls before giving up a reversal to lead 5-1. In the second period, Fumita put the pressure on, but could only gain a two-point penalty for fleeing.

“[The difference] was that I didn’t attack, that was big,” said Fumita, who returned from a knee injury to defeat 2018 Asian champion Shinobu OTA (JPN) at the national championships in December, a month after winning the world U23 title.

Ri’s victory over Walihan in the semifinals followed a similar pattern, as he scored five points in the first period and went on to win 5-2.

Mirambek AINAGULOV (KAZ), the runner-up to Fumita at the Paris 2017 world championships and an Asian bronze medalist last year, failed to make it out of the first round, falling to LEE Jungbaik (KOR), who was subsequently ousted by Walihan.

RYU Hansu (KOR) will look to win his third Asian title when he competes against Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) in the 67kg finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

At 67kg, Asian Games champion RYU Hansu (KOR) will look to add to his long list of laurels, which includes two previous Asian titles, when he takes on world bronze medalist Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) in the final.

Ryu, a 2017 world champion, knocked off 2018 bronze medalist Mirzobek RAKHMATOV (UZB), 7-2, in the semifinals, while Shermakhanbet trailed 2-0 going into the second period against gritty Abdulkarim ALHASAN (SYR) before blitzing his way to a 10-2 technical fall victory.

Day 6 results

Greco-Roman

60kg (12 entries)
Gold – Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) v RI Se Ung (PRK)
Bronze – HUANG Jui Chi (TPE) vs Gyanender GYANENDER (IND)
Bronze – Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) v Sailike WALIHAN (CHN)

Semifinals
RI Se Ung (PRK) df. Sailike WALIHAN (CHN), 5-2
Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Gyanender GYANENDER (IND) by TF, 9-0, 1:24

67kg (14 entries)
Gold – Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) v RYU Hansu (KOR)
Bronze – ZHANG Gaoquan (CHN) v Abdulkarim AL HASAN (SYR)
Bronze – Shogo TAKAHASHI (JPN) v Mirzobek RAKHMATOV (UZB)

Semifinals
Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) df. Abdulkarim AL HASAN (SYR) by TF, 10-2, 4:06
RYU Hansu (KOR) df. Mirzobek RAKHMATOV (UZB), 7-2

72kg (9 entries)
Gold – ZHANG Hujun (CHN) v Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI)
Bronze – Yogesh YOGESH (IND) v Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ)
Bronze – Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) v Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ)

Semifinals
Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) df. Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ), 9-3
ZHANG Hujun (CHN) df. Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ), 5-5

82kg (9 entries)
Gold – Saeid ABDVALI (IRI) v Singh HARPEET (IND)
Bronze – Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ) v Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB)
Bronze – Burgo BEISHALIEV (KGZ) v QIAN Haitao (CHN)

Semifinals
Saeid ABDVALI (IRI) df. Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) by TF, 10-0, 4:27
Singh HARPEET (IND) df. QIAN Haitao (CHN) by TF, 10-1, 3:42

97kg (9 entries)
Gold – Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB) v Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ)
Bronze – LEE Seyeol (KOR) v XIAO Di (CHN)
Bronze – Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) v Mahdi ALIYARIFEIZABADI (IRI)

Semifinals
Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) df. Mahdi ALIYARIFEIZABADI (IRI), 7-5
Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB) df. XIAO Di (CHN), 4-1

#WrestleBudapest

Long Tops Stacked 68kg Field for Budapest Ranking Series Gold

Friday, July 17, 2026 - 21:46 By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 17) -- In hindsight, Jia LONG's (CHN) failure to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games looks even more surprising. She was at the Tokyo Olympics, won a world silver in 2022 and was an Asian champion in 2023. Yet, she failed to book a ticket to Paris.

However, since missing the Paris Games, Long has put together one of the strongest runs in Women's Wrestling with a world title, a world bronze and an Asian title.

Entering the Budapest Ranking Series at 68kg, Long was among the favorites. The field, however, was one of the toughest assembled for a Ranking Series event, featuring European silver medalist Alina SHAUCHUK (BLR), Olympic silver medalist and Asian champion Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ), European bronze medalist Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU), European champion Nesrin BAS (TUR), among others.

Jia LONG (CHN) won gold at 68kg in Budapest. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Long opened with a 10-0 win over compatriot Zelu LI (CHN) but was quickly tested by young Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER), escaping with a close 4-2 win. Shauchuk awaited her in the quarterfinals and the Belarus wrestler got the first takedown to lead 2-0. However, Long used her powerful gut-wrench to complete an 8-2 win.

European champion Bas also managed to score two points on Long but could not sustain the pressure as Long won 7-2 to set up a final against Zhumanazarova, who had a simpler path to the final.

Aptly, the marquee match between Zhumanazarova and Long, Asian champions at 68kg and 72kg respectively, was scheduled as the last match of the session.

Long was aware of Zhumanazarova's defensive tactics but gave a taste of her own medicine in the gold medal bout. In the first period, Long got on a single leg attack and finished with a takedown. She then used her trademark high gut-wrench to expose Zhumanazarova and open up a 4-0 lead.

The second period went scoreless as Long shut down Zhumanazarova's offense, whatever little there is, keeping her lead for the win as the clock expired.

The gold medal capped an impressive campaign for Long as she builds towards 2026 World Championships and the 2028 Olympic Games, the only major event at which she is yet to win a medal.

Neha Strikes Gold

NEHA (IND) captured her second straight Ranking Series gold medal at 59kg, edging Abigail NETTE (USA), 6-4, in the final. Nette struck first with a stepout to take a 1-0 lead, but it was short-lived as Neha responded with a double-leg takedown for two points.

Just before the break, Neha used a snap to score a go-behind before adding a turn. Although Nette managed a reversal, Neha still carried a 6-2 lead at the break. Nette completed a single-leg takedown in the second period to cut the lead to 6-4, but Neha closed out the bout without giving her another opening, upgrading the silver medal she won in Budapest last year to gold.

Reese LARRAMENDY (USA) defeated compatriot Jennifer PAGE ROGERS (USA), 7-1, in the 65kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

The United States secured the 65kg gold medal after an all-American final. Unheralded Reese LARRAMENDY (USA) upset her senior teammate Jennifer PAGE ROGERS (USA), 7-1, to claim her first international medal.

The two were involved in an early scramble, with Larramendy emerging on top for the opening takedown and a 2-0 lead. Page was then put on the activity clock but failed to score, giving Larramendy a 3-0 advantage at the break.

Page opened the second period with a stepout to cut the deficit to 3-1 and continued to pressure Larramendy toward the zone. During one exchange, Page appeared to force Larramendy out of bounds, but the action was allowed to continue as the officials did not award a stepout. Larramendy capitalized by scoring a takedown to extend her lead to 5-1.

Larramendy sealed the victory when Page attacked the legs but was countered for two points, completing a 7-1 victory and earning the first international medal of her career.

Ana GODINEZ (CAN) pulled off a thrilling 7-6 victory over Grace BULLEN (NOR). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Godinez Stuns Bullen

Ana GODINEZ (CAN) claimed the 62kg gold medal after MANSI (IND) was forced to withdraw through injury in the final. However, her toughest test came much earlier against European champion Grace BULLEN (NOR), who had defeated Godinez, 11-0, in the bronze medal bout at the Paris Olympics.

Trailing 6-4, Bullen scored a takedown and secured the fall but Godinez challenged the call. While the takedown was upheld, the fall was overturned after it was evident that Bullen had locked her hands behind Godinez's head.

Bullen held a 6-6 criteria advantage and needed only to protect it for the final 12 seconds. Godinez, however, scored a late stepout to secure a 7-6 victory and advance to the semifinals, where she defeated Veranika IVANOVA (BLR), 13-7.

Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) made a successful run at 77kg and won the gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Alameldin Shines at 77kg

The two Greco-Roman finals on Friday both ended in 1-1 criteria victories, with Dinislam BAMMATOV (RUS) winning at 67kg and Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) taking the 77kg title.

In Greco-Roman, when a wrestler is called passive, his opponent receives one point and a par terre opportunity. If both wrestlers score only from passivity and the bout ends 1-1, the wrestler who scored first wins on criteria.

Alameldin, the 2024 U20 world champion at 67kg, completed a successful move up to 77kg. He claimed a 1-1 criteria victory over former U17 world champion Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) in the final. But before the final, Alameldin completed a stunning 8-0 victory over Levente LEVAI (HUN) in the quarterfinals and then held off Sergei KUTUZOV (RUS), 2-2, in the semifinals.

At 67kg, Bammatov faced U23 world champion Mohamed ABDELREHIM (EGY) in the final and earned the first passivity point. Abdelrehim received par terre in the second period, but neither wrestler scored from the position, allowing Bammatov to retain the criteria advantage and secure the title.

RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

59kg
GOLD: NEHA (IND) df. Abigail NETTE (USA), 6-4

BRONZE: Othelie HOEIE (NOR) df. Altyn SHAGAYEVA (KAZ), 3-3
BRONZE: Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Alexis JANIAK (USA), 8-1

62kg
GOLD: Ana GODINEZ (CAN) df. MANSI (IND), via inj. def.

BRONZE: SAVITA (IND) df. Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ), 14-5
BRONZE: Grace BULLEN (NOR) df. Veranika IVANOVA (BLR), 6-4

65kg
GOLD: Reese LARRAMENDY (USA) df. Jennifer PAGE ROGERS (USA), 7-1

BRONZE: Gulnura TASHTANBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Virginia JIMENEZ (CHI), 8-2
BRONZE: Birgul SOLTANOVA (AZE) df. Miki ROWBOTTOM (CAN), via fall (10-0)

68kg
GOLD: Jia LONG (CHN) df. Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ), 4-0

BRONZE: Noémi SZABADOS (HUN) df. Alina SHEVCHENKO (RUS), 5-3
BRONZE: Zelu LI (CHN) df. Nesrin BAS (TUR), 5-4

Greco-Roman

67kg
GOLD: Dinislam BAMMATOV (RUS) df. Mohamed ABDELREHIM (EGY), 1*-1

BRONZE: Ruslan BICHURIN (RUS) df. Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADAA (AUS), 13-6
BRONZE: Din KOSHKAR (KAZ) df. Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM), via inj. def.

77kg
GOLD: Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) df. Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA), 1*-1

BRONZE: Danil GRIGOREV (RUS) df. Aleksa ILIC (SRB), 1*-1
BRONZE: Sergei KUTUZOV (RUS) df. Levente LEVAI (HUN), 6-2