Zhou Erases Eight-Point Deficit, Downs World Champ Mensah

Thursday, January 16, 2020 - 20:17 By Eric Olanowski

ROME, Italy (January 16) --- It's no secret that ZHOU Feng (CHN) was the underdog coming into her Matteo Pellicone finals against reigning world champion Tamyra MENSAH (USA), and though she fell behind by eight points, she remained composed enough to erase an 8-0 second-period deficit to win the 68kg gold medal. Zhou’s shocking win stopped Mensah, the 2019 Women's Wrestler of the Year, from winning her fourth consecutive Ranking Series title.

“For the first period, I didn’t feel prepared or ready, but I didn’t give up,” said Zhou. At that point of the match, Zhou surrendered three takedowns and a trapped arm gut and trailed 8-0. “I was thinking the match is not finished and I didn’t give up.”

Zhou, a two-time world medalist, kickstarted her unexpected comeback with two points from a defensive stop, which ended in a takedown. She tacked on six additional points from three gut wrenches and closed out the match on top, 8-8.

After her remarkable come-from-behind win, Zhou said, “I’m happy and excited. From this competition, most of (these wrestlers) will participate in the Olympic Games, so to get the gold medal makes me very happy.”

Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) downed Anshu ANSHU (IND), 10-0, in the 57kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

At 57kg, a friendly wager between two presidents sparked three-time world medalist Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) past Anshu ANSHU (IND) for the gold medal. Understanding the wager was a joke, and with a smile on her face, the long and lengthy Adekuoroye said, “Before the match, my president and one other president had a bet that I’d maybe lose to (Anshu). So, I told him to keep calm; I’m ready for the match. I’m happy to make him proud.”

The Nigerian, who was last year’s world bronze medalist at 57kg, quickly handled Anshu in the finals, 10-0. She scored an early takedown off a single leg, then picked up eight straight points off exposures – six of which came from a match-ending leg lace.

“I came here to win a gold medal. For me, it’s not like a surprise, and I look forward to some matches again.”

Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) fought through illness to win the 62kg title. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Even though the reigning world champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) has been fighting through a nasty illness since the start of the year, she decided to still compete at the Matteo Pellicone. “At the beginning of this year, I got sick and ill, so I wasn’t 100% ready for the competition,” Tynybekova said. “And, actually, before this final, my coach thought I should not go on the mat because of my illness.”

But, midway through today’s session, she felt strong enough to compete in the medal-match session. And luckily for her, she didn’t have to wrestle the entire six minutes.

She only wrestled for just over a period – three minutes and 16 seconds to be exact -- and after leading 7-2, was awarded the gold medal when 2019 world silver medalist Liubov OVCHAROVA (RUS) broke her nose in the second period and injury defaulted out of the finals.

“In the final match, I didn’t give my 100%. In my mind, I planned on keeping my energy and strength to wrestle for the two periods. But, accidentally, my Russian opponent couldn’t continue.”

Erica WIEBE (CAN) wrapped up her 76kg finals match against ZHOU Qian (CHN) in the opening period after a takedown, followed by four leg laces. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

In the 76kg finals, Olympic champion Erica WIEBE (CAN) ended her gold-medal bout against two-time world medalist ZHOU Qian (CHN) in the opening period with a 10-0 shutout victory.

“When I get into wrestling position, that’s when it gets really fun. She went for kind of a double leg, I redirected, went behind, we get into a scramble, and that’s what wrestling is all about.”

Wiebe barrel-rolled into four straight leg laces and ended the match 10-0 in the first period. Jokingly, Wiebe said, “I’ve been working on my lace. Watch out world!”

Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) scored the come-from-behind fall over Selcuk CAN (TUR) in the 72kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Meanwhile, Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY), Zotlan LEVAI (HUN) and Singh GURPREET (IND) closed out the Greco-Roman portion of the competition with gold medals on Thursday night.

Elsayed and Levai picked up falls in the 72kg and 77kg finals, respectively, while Gurpreet scored the 8-5 victory over Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) in the 82kg finals.

Elsayed, a two-time U23 world champion, trailed 5-1 but flattened Selcuk CAN (TUR) in the 72kg finals and backflipped his way to a second career Ranking Series title. And after a pair of Ranking Series final losses, Levai finally got his long-awaited gold medal when he stuck Yunus BASAR (TUR) in the 77kg finals.

The third day of wrestling at the Matteo Pellicone kicks off on Friday at 10:30 (local time) in Ostia, Italy.

RESULTS
57kg
GOLD - Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) df. Anshu ANSHU (IND), 10-0
BRONZE - Linda MORAIS (CAN) df. Jenna Rose BURKERT (USA), 10-0
BRONZE - Allison Mackenzie RAGAN (USA) df. Alina AKOBIIA (UKR), 4-4

62kg
GOLD - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Liubov OVCHAROVA (RUS), via injury default
BRONZE - Jia LONG (CHN) df. Kayla MIRACLE (USA), 6-1
BRONZE - Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) df. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), 3-1

68kg
GOLD - Feng ZHOU (CHN) df. Tamyra MENSAH (USA), 8-8
BRONZE - Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) df. Divya KAKRAN (IND), 12-2
BRONZE - Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) df. Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR)

76kg
GOLD - Erica Elizabeth WIEBE (CAN) vs. Qian ZHOU (CHN), 10-0
BRONZE - Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) df. Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ), via injury
BRONZE - Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER) df. Vasilisa MARZALIUK (BLR), 4-2

Greco-Roman
72kg
GOLD - Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed Ibrahi ELSAYED (EGY) df. Selcuk CAN (TUR), via fall
BRONZE - Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) df. Parviz NASIBOV (UKR), 6 - 0
BRONZE - Maksym YEVTUSHENKO (UKR) df. Gaoquan ZHANG (CHN), 5-3

77kg
GOLD - Zotlan LEVAI (HUN) df. Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR), via fall
BRONZE - Wuileixis RIVAS ESPINOZA (VEN) df. Ravaughn Richard Ravelle PERKINS (USA), 8 - 2
BRONZE - Sajan SAJAN (IND) df. Emrah KUS (TUR), via fall

82kg
GOLD - Singh GURPREET (IND) df. Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), 8-5
BRONZE - Florian NEUMAIER (GER) df. John Walter STEFANOWICZ JR (USA), 5 - 1
BRONZE - Salih AYDIN (TUR) df. Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB), 6-5

#WrestleRome

Four continental champs enter U17 World finals

Monday, July 25, 2022 - 18:22 By Vinay Siwach

ROME, Italy (July 25) -- Four different continental champions reached the gold medal bouts on day one of the U17 World Championships in Rome, Italy.

Ronit SHARMA (IND) at 48kg, Faraim MUSTAFAYEV (AZE) at 55kg, Joel ADAMS (USA) at 65kg and Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) at 110kg will be looking to add a world gold after being crowned continental champions last month.

Out of the five weight classes that were competed on the opening day at the Pala Pellicone, Azerbaijan put all five wrestlers into the semifinal with Turkey and Iran sending three each. India and Ukraine entered two wrestlers each in the semifinals while Kazakhstan, the USA, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan and Hungary put a wrestler each in the last four.

By the end of the day, Azerbaijan, India, Turkey and Iran managed to send two wrestlers each to the five finals, two of which will see rematches of the continental finals.

Ronit SHARMA (IND) defeated Said KHALILOV (AZE) 7-0 win the semifinals. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

Sharma set up a rematch of the U17 Asian Championships final against Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI). He won the bout in Bishkek 7-6 despite losing the earlier group stage bout to Ahmadi Vafa. With the head-to-head record tied at 1-1, it will be interesting to see who takes the lead when the two clash in the final Tuesday.

Outscoring his opponents 26-0 in three bouts, Sharma was equally impressive in the semifinal against Said KHALILOV (AZE). He opened the scoring with a takedown and showcased solid defense using underhook. After the break, Khalilov was called passive which resulted in Sharma getting a turn from par terre to lead 5-0. He ended the bout 7-0.

Ahmadi Vafa had the same score against Arsen ZHUMA (KAZ), an Asian bronze medalist, in the semifinal. But his earlier bouts were close one-point wins. He began with a 2-1 win against Tigran GALSTYAN (ARM) before beating Kurmanbek ALIMZHANOV (KGZ) 5-4, thanks to a late exchange that resulted in two points for each wrestler.

U17 European champion Laszlo DARABOS (HUN), red, defeated U17 Asian champion Mohammad JAHANGIRI (IRI) in the 110kg quarterfinals. (Photo: Martin Gabor)

In another continental final rematch, U17 European champion at 110kg Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) will face Cemal BAKIR (TUR) on Tuesday.

Darabos dominated like he did in Bucharest a month ago and a golden repeat is on the cards if he continues his form Tuesday. He had pinned Bakir for the gold ar the Euros.

Incidentally, the semifinals at 110kg in Rome were the same as the U17 European Championships and both Darabos and Bakir ended up having similar scores from that tournament.

Darabos wrestled Dmytro STRYZHEKOZIN (UKR) in the semifinal and once the Ukrainian was called passive in the first period, the Hungarian wrestlers worked a strong gut wrench to end the bout 9-0 before the break.

In the quarterfinals, he defeated U17 Asian champion Mohammad JAHANGIRI (IRI) in a tense fashion, winning 5-4.

Bakir took a minute extra than Darabos but he got the job done in an equally dominant fashion. Mazaim MARDANOV (AZE) gave up a takedown in the first period to trail 2-0 at the break. But the referee called him passive and from there, Bakir scored six points, three turns from par terre, to win 9-0.

With the win, he gets a chance to avenge his European loss to Darabos and claim the gold medal at the World Championships.

Joel ADAMS (USA) hits a five-point throw against Takaku SUZUKI (JPN) at 65kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

One of the stars of the day was Joel ADAMS (USA) as the Pan-Am champion put on a show to reach the 65kg final against Ahoura BOUVEIRI (IRI).

Adams began the tournament with a dreamy five-pointer against Takaku SUZUKI (JPN). He then toyed with Saya BRUNNER (SUI) for an 8-0 win in the pre-quarters. He faced his toughest test in Aleksandre RUSITASHVILI (GEO) in the quarterfinals but dominated the bout for a 6-0 win.

In the semifinals, he was up against Petro SHAFRANSKYI (UKR) and began with a one-on-two drag and got the takedown. Just when Shafranskyi looked to get heavy in the second period, Adams hit a duck under and scored another takedown. He won 6-0 to set up the final against Ahoura BOUVEIRI (IRI).

Bouveiri defeated Ali ALIZADA (AZE), 1-1, as the two wrestlers exchanged passivity points in the semifinal.

At 55kg, Faraim MUSTAFAYEV (AZE) will look to add world gold to his European title after he reached the 55kg final. But he will have to work harder than he did Monday as he faces a strong opponent in SURAJ (IND).

Mustafayev wrestled three bouts to make the final and looked effortless in all of them. In the quarterfinal, he faced Saba SURMANIDZE (GEO) and pinned him, an equally dominant win as his European quarterfinals in which he won 8-0 against Surmanidze.

In the semifinal, Halil CINAR (TUR) tried stopping Mustafayev but got taken down early in the bout. Mustafayev used an exposure and stepout to lead 5-0. In the second period, he got a takedown and a big throw to win 11-0.

SURAJ (IND) will face European champion Faraim MUSTAFAYEV (AZE) for the 55kg gold in Rome. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

Suraj, who finished fifth at the U17 Asian Championships after losing to Khurshidbek NORMUKHAMMADOV (UZB) and then to Byeonggi SEO (KOR), avenged his opening round loss to Normukhammadov at the biggest stage. He beat the Uzbekistan wrestler 7-3 in the semifinal.

It looked like Normukhammadov will take the bout again after leading 3-0. But Suraj added a takedown before the break to cut the lead to 3-2. When he got the par terre advantage in the second period, he got two turns over Normukhammadov with ease and controlled the bout to win 7-3.

Ismayil RZAYEV (AZE) celebrates after beating Seyed Reza AZARSHAB (IRI) in the 80kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

At 80kg, a mini-European battle ensued throughout the day. In the end, silver medalist in Bucharest Ismayil RZAYEV (AZE) and fifth-placer Alperen BERBER (TUR) made it to the final and will wrestle for the gold.

European champion Mihai GUTU (MDA) lost to Luka GELASHVILI (GEO) 5-2 in the qualification. Later, Gelashvili suffered a 3-0 defeat against Berber, who had lost to Gutu in the opening rounds of the Euros.

In the semifinals, Rzayev faced U17 Asian silver medalist Seyed Reza AZARSHAB (IRI) but was quick to finish the bout after getting the gut wrench from par terre in a 9-0 win.

Berber too was quick to move on with a 9-0 win over Andrey ATANASOV (BUL) and set up the gold bout against Rzayev.

After the medal bouts of these five weights, qualifying and semifinals of the remaining five Greco-Roman weights -- 45kg, 51kg, 60kg, 71kg and 92kg -- will be in action Tuesday.

RESULTS

48kg
GOLD: Ronit SHARMA (IND) vs Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI)

SF 1: Ronit SHARMA (IND) df. Said KHALILOV (AZE), 7-0
SF 2: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) df. Arsen ZHUMA (KAZ), 7-0

55kg
GOLD: Faraim MUSTAFAYEV (AZE) vs SURAJ (IND)

SF 1: Faraim MUSTAFAYEV (AZE) df. Halil CINAR (TUR), 11-0
SF 2: SURAJ (IND) df. Khurshidbek NORMUKHAMMADOV (UZB), 7-3

65kg
GOLD: Joel ADAMS (USA) vs Ahoura BOUVEIRI (IRI)

SF 1: Joel ADAMS (USA) df. Petro SHAFRANSKYI (UKR), 6-0
SF 2: Ahoura BOUVEIRI (IRI) df. Ali ALIZADA (AZE), 1-1

80kg
GOLD: Ismayil RZAYEV (AZE) vs Alperen BERBER (TUR)

SF 1: Ismayil RZAYEV (AZE) df. Seyed Reza AZARSHAB (IRI), 9-0
SF 2: Alperen BERBER (TUR) df. Andrey ATANASOV (BUL), 9-0

110kg
GOLD: Cemal BAKIR (TUR) vs Laszlo DARABOS (HUN)

SF 1: Cemal BAKIR (TUR) df. Mazaim MARDANOV (AZE), 9-0
SF 2: Laszlo DARABOS (HUN) df. Dmytro STRYZHEKOZIN (UKR), 9-0

Zhou Erases Eight-Point Deficit, Downs World Champ Mensah

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Four continental champs enter U17 World finals