#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open Ranking Series day four finals set

Saturday, February 4, 2023 - 09:08 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

ZAGREB, Croatia (February 4) -- The Zagreb Open Ranking Series enters its fourth day with four women's wrestling and two Greco-Roman weight classes. A huge crop of talent is competing at 67kg including Olympic champion Luis ORTA (CUB) who won the gold at 60kg in Tokyo.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

15:00: Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) is so good. Iman Hossein Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI) tried every trick he had but failed to break Mammadov's defense. The Azerbaijan wrestlers wins 4-4 and reaches the 63kg final.

14:35: Yelena MAKOYED (USA) is quickly becoming a threat at 76kg. She beats Dymond GUILFORD (USA) 12-2 to reach the final. If she can win domestically, she will have a chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics. But Adeline GRAY (USA) is standing on that path.

14:20: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) with a fall over Juan WANG (CHN). She moves into the 76kg final and will face the winner of Yelena MAKOYED (USA) vs. Dymond GUILFORD (USA).

14:00: HUSIYUETU (CHN) with the upset of the tournament as he wins 13-4 over Luis ORTA (CUB). Perhaps Orta was pushed to the limits by Jafarov and Sohrabi in the previous. But here he was helpless. Husiyuetu got the par terre advantage and trapped one of Orta's arms and scored via exposure. Nothing much Orta could do there. This also means that a Jafarov vs Sohrabi rematch won't take place.

13:40: Helen MAROULIS (USA) up against Patrycja GIL (POL) at 57kg. Gil with a takedown and tries to pin but Maroulis with excellent defense. Gil leads 4-0. Maroulis scores stepout to cut the lead to 4-3. A takedown just before the break for Gil. She begins the second period with a counter takedown and it's 8-3 for Gil who is struggling to keep up. Maroulis takedown on the edge to make it 8-5 with around a minute remaining. Gil with another spin behind and it's 10-5 for her. Maroulis will take a 10-5 loss at 57kg.

13:15: The quarterfinals at GR 63kg

Samuel JONES (USA) vs. Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO)
Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB) vs. Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)
Perica DIMITRIJEVIC (SRB) vs. Iman Hossein Khoon MOHAMMADI (IRI)
SAGAR (IND) vs. Aref Hossein Khoun MOHAMMADI (IRI) 

12:50: Luis ORTA (CUB) is on a roll here. After beating Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), he now takes out Daniel SOHRABI (IRI). Sohrabi got a stepout and passivity point in the first period but Orta managed to escape. As the pressure built, Sohrabi tried pushing Orta out but a head pinch from Orta resulted in four points. Sohrabi was penalized for keeping his head low. Orta on 6-2.

12:30: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) with a resounding win over KIRAN (IND) at 76kg. She got the cradle to fall to move into the quarterfinals.

12:10: Sae NANJO (JPN) with a technical superiority win over  Alexandria TOWN (CAN). She is on course to wrestle Maroulis in what can prove to be a blockbuster.

12:05: Helen MAROULIS (USA) was checked by Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB) as the latter scored the first takedown on her but she quickly fizzled out. Maroulis quickly turned up and won her opening bout at 57kg 11-2.

11:45: Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) with those perfect low singles against Lucia YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU). Despite all the tricks in her bag, Yepez has no idea how to deal with the phenom named Fujinami, who rolls to another technical superiority win at 53kg

11:36: Daniel SHORABI (IRI) is an absolute master at his craft. The young star gets Sylla into positions of no return. Shorabi scores three takedowns in his 10-2 win over Sylla.

11:35: Luis ORTA (CUB) hands Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) a 5-1 loss. He scores from par terre and two stepouts while Jafarov, despite getting the passivity point, fails to break Orta's defense.

11:20: Two big Greco-Roman bouts on adjacent mats. Luis ORTA (CUB) is wrestling Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE). Danial SOHRABI (IRI) is up against Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA). Both bouts are at 67kg. 

11:15: That has to be the calmest performance ever! Sumire NIIKURA (JPN) was trailing REETIKA (IND) 4-0 with 10 seconds remaining. With no signs of panic, Niikura used a head-pinched Reetika twice to win 4-4. So clutch.

10:55: Ningning RONG (CHN), competing for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics, could not get going in that bout against Patrycja GIL (POL). Shabby defense from Rong each time they got into scrambles and Gil built a 5-0 lead. Rong switched gears one in the final minute, scoring two takedowns but that was too little too late. 

10:40: A fall for Sam STEWART (CAN) over world champion Dominique PARRISH (USA) at 53kg. Parrish was going for the single leg and seems like her knee hit the mat before she could finish the move and lost her balance. Stewart kept Parrish on the back for the fall.

10:30: Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) looks like she was never off the mat. A dominant 10-0 win over Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) at 53kg. Fujinami last competed internationally at the Asian Championships and has been struggling with a few injuries.

10:15: Tokyo Olympic champion Luis ORTA (CUB) makes his debut at 67kg and begins with a win! A combination of big throws and pushouts gives him a 9-1 victory over Karanjit SINGH (IND).

10:00: Welcome to a very windy day here in Zagreb! The wrestlers are ready for another long day of wrestling. The return of Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) to international competition since the Asian Championships in April last year is the biggest story of the day.

#WrestleTirana

U23 Worlds: AIN capture four golds; USA wins team title

Wednesday, October 25, 2023 - 20:44 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

TIRANA, Albania (October 25) -- Most of them were wrestling internationally after years but the Individual Neutral Athletes at the U23 World Championships in Tirana showed no signs of rust, winning four of the five gold medals on Wednesday.

Nachyn MONGUSH (AIN), Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN), Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) and Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN) won a gold medal each and took the tally to five AIN champions as Bashir MAGOMEDOV (AIN) won gold on Tuesday.

The fifth gold medal on Wednesday went to Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) as the United States clinched the Freestyle team title with 148 points. Turkiye finished second with 113 points and Azerbaijan finished third with 87 points.

Trumble was the fourth gold medalist for the U.S. at the U23 World Championships; the first time the country has won multiple gold medals at the tournament. The team title is also the first time the U.S. has managed to win at the U23 Worlds.

Since Individual Neutral Athletes are not part of any team, their points will not be considered for any team and are not part of the team title race.

Mongush, a 2021 European silver medalist, was returning to international competition after two years and looked in stunning form, winning the 57kg gold medal over multiple-time age-group European medalist Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM), 11-0.

The final was over at the break when Mongush scored using exposure for an 11-0 win. The referee called it a fall but Armenia challenged for no exposure as the clock expired. On review, it was confirmed that the final move was scored before the three-minute mark, giving Mongush an 11-0 win.

Mongush was relieved to have won the gold but said that it felt like he was wrestling internationally for the first time.

"The last time I competed internationally was back in 2021, I forgot about the feeling during these two years," Mongush said. "I competed here as if it's my first time wrestling internationally. It's a great pleasure to win."

While he was comfortable in the final, Mongush expressed that the semifinal aganist Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) was the toughest bout. Mongush won the semifinal 6-6 on criteria.

"I wouldn't say I'd shown a perfect performance, there were some mistakes," he said. "Maybe that's why from the side it seemed that it was a bit tough for me. The toughest match here was against Bekzat. However, to qualify for this tournament, we've defeated really strong opponents [back home], so the wrestlers here shouldn't be a problem."

If Individual Neutral Athletes are allowed at the European Olympic Qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan next year, Mongush will have a chance to earn a spot as well if he participates.

"The Olympic Games is the biggest goal I'm working for. Surely, I must be ready to challenge anyone and win," he said referring to Tokyo Olympic champion Zavur UGUEV (AIN).

Ibragimov did not clinch a technical superiority win but he left little to luck in his 7-0 win over Azerbaijan's high-flying talent Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE). 

The final was a showcase of Ibragimov's counter-attacking even as Bayramov tried his best to find an opening. Bayramov was put on the 30-second must-score activity clock and he got Ibragimov's leg but he slid out of the hold. Once up 1-0, Ibragimov got on his attacks and scored a stepout. Just at the stroke of the break, Bayramov tried a headpinch but failed to expose Ibragimov, giving up two as he landed on his own back. Azerbaijan challenged saying that the time expired before the move but Bayramov's back touched the mat in time.

Ibragimov scored a stepout in the second period and got another point for Bayramov's second passivity to win 7-0, winning gold in his first-ever international tournament.

"I could feel the pressure a bit, it's the U23 Worlds," Ibragimov said. "I was preparing as if it's a usual tournament for me. If I won here today, means I've done a good job, though I could have done even better. It's my first big international event, that's why I tried to be careful."

Magomaev denied another Azerbaijan wrestler the gold medal as he defeated Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE), 9-4, to win the gold medal at 79kg.

The first point was scored in the first 10 seconds of the bout as Ashirov tried defending a double-leg but gave up a stepout. But he could not defend the second and gave up a takedown. As Magomaev tried to turn him, his grip was broken and Ashirov scored two points. Magomaev hit another double and then turned Ashirov to build a 7-2 lead at the break.

In perhaps the highlight of the tournament so far, Magomaev defended a certain four-pointer from Ashirov when the Azerbaijan wrestler lifted with a duckunder and spun him over his head. But Magomaev landed on his feet and then locked Ashirov's leg to score two points of his own. Ashirov got a consolation takedown before Magomaev finished the final 9-4.

The fourth gold won as Individual Neutral Athlete was Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) who defeated Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), 9-3, in the 70kg final.

Sheriev made the first big move of the final, launching a beautiful duckunder, and scored two points. Aoyagi tried scoring exposure but gave up two points as well. As the two wrestlers broke for the break, Sheriev led 5-0.

A scramble in the final minute saw Sheriev score a takedown and then get a cradle exposure to lead 9-0. Aoyagi scored a reversal and then a takedown in the final 10 seconds to bring the score to 9-3 but failed to stop Sheriev from clinching the gold.

Trumble denies Lefter, Moldova

Radu LEFTER (MDA) was in the U23 World Championships final for the second time in his career and a gold medal would have made him the first Moldovan to win the Freestyle title.

Unfortunately, Wednesday was not that day as Trumble denied Lefter and Moldova a historic gold medal. The American won the 97kg gold medal 12-2.

Trumble got the first takedown when he stopped Lefter from a headlock throw. He then tried to arm-bar Lefter for a fall but could manage only two points to lead 4-0. Lefter remained inactive for most of the bout and Trumble scored a stepout which the referee called fleeing, giving Trumble a 6-0 lead. He added a go-behind to lead 8-0 at the break.

Lefter did score a takedown in the second period but Trumble never looked in trouble, finishing the bout 12-2 with 43 seconds left on the clock.

fhg

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Nachyn MONGUSH (AIN) df. Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM), 11-0

BRONZE: Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL) df. Niklas STECHELE (GER), 7-5
BRONZE: Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) df. Yerassyl MUKHTARULY (KAZ), 6-3

65kg
GOLD: Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN) df. Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE), 7-0

BRONZE: Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR) df. Mohit KUMAR (UWW), 11-6
BRONZE: Brock HARDY (USA) df. Goga OTINASHVILI (GEO), 8-5

70kg
GOLD: Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN) df. Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), 9-3

BRONZE: Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) df. Douglas ZAPF (USA), 9-2
BRONZE: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) df. Burak SININ (TUR), via injury (5-0)

79kg
GOLD: Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN) df. Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE), 9-4

BRONZE: Sagar JAGLAN (UWW) df. Shamsat TAIR (KAZ), 12-7
BRONZE: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df. Dzmitry DZENISENIA (AIN), 10-0

97kg
GOLD: Isaac TRUMBLE (USA) df. Radu LEFTER (MDA), 12-2

BRONZE: Oktay CIFTCI (TUR) df. Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Sergei KOZYREV (AIN) df. SAHIL (UWW), 10-0

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Umi ITO (JPN) vs. Audrey JIMENEZ (USA)

SF 1: Audrey JIMENEZ (USA) df. Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE), 7-4
SF 2: Umi ITO (JPN) df. Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA), 10-0

55kg
GOLD: Neha SHARMA (UWW) vs. Umi IMAI (JPN)

SF 1: Umi IMAI (JPN) df. Mariia VYNNYK (UKR), 13-2
SF 2: Neha SHARMA (UWW) df. Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN), 2-1

59kg
GOLD: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) vs. Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN)

SF 1: Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) df. Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (AIN), 5-2
SF 2: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Michaela RANKIN (CAN), 10-0

68kg
GOLD: Nesrin BAS (TUR) vs. Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN)

SF 1: Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN) df. Vanessa KEEFE (CAN), 10-0
SF 2: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Vusala PARFIANOVICH (AIN), 3-1

76kg
GOLD: Kennedy BLADES (USA) vs. REETIKA (UWW)

SF 1: REETIKA (UWW) df. Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), 5-0
SF 2: Kennedy BLADES (USA) df. Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU), 10-0