Euro

London 2012 Silver Medalist Lorincz Books Ticket to Rio at European OG Qualifier

By William May

ZRENJANIN, Serbia (April 15) – London 2012 silver medalist Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) booked his ticket to a third Olympic Games on Friday with a semifinal victory on the opening day of the European Olympic Games qualifying tournament in north central Serbia.

The three-time European champion snared a 6-4 triumph over European Games bronze medalist Dominik ETLINGER (CRO) in the 66kg semifinals in Greco-Roman to secure a berth for Hungary in Rio de Janiero this summer.

“It feels great to be going to the Olympics for a third time,” Lorincz said, adding with a wry smile “This is definitely my last Olympics – at 66kg.”

Much of Lorincz’s success the last two years, including two of his European titles, has come at the non-Olympic weight category of 71kg, while he has missed the medals podium on two of his last three trips to the world championships at 66kg.

With a ticket to Rio hanging in the balance in his bout with Etlinger, Lorincz appeared to be guilty of a false start in par terre making the score 4-4 with one minute remaining. A video review, however, resulted in a reversed call and a 6-2 lead for Lorincz.

“I thought it was about 50-50 that the challenge would be successful, but I trust my coach and now I’m happy he made the challenge,” Lorincz said.

With the victory, Lorincz joins younger brother Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) as the second wrestler on Hungary’s Rio 2016 team. The younger Lorincz qualified at last September’s world championships in Las Vegas with a fifth-place finish at 85kg in Greco-Roman.

In Friday evening’s finals, Lorincz will face Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) who grabbed Georgia’s first Rio 2016 ticket in Greco-Roman with a 5-0 victory over Dawid KARECINSKI (POL).  Bolkvadze converted in par terre with a front headlock and throw for four points in his win over Karecinski.

In other semifinals, Sanal SEMENOV (RUS) plugged one hole in Russia’s Greco-Roman juggernaut with a technical fall over Aleksandar KOSTADINOV (BUL) at 59kg. Semenov’s win gives Russia a fifth ticket in the six Greco-Roman categories for Rio 2016.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria and Poland each grabbed a pair of tickets to Rio.

Vladimir DUBOV (BUL), a world bronze medalist at the non-Olympic weight category of 61kg, rolled up three technical falls on his way to the finals at 57kg, while European Games runner-up Elitsa YANKOVA (BUL) outscored three opponents, 28-6, at 48kg in the women’s events.

Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) opened up a 5-0 lead over 2013 world champion David SAFARYAN (ARM) in the freestyle semifinals at 65kg and a cruised home with a 7-2 victory. Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL), meanwhile, turned away European champion Irina OLOGONOVA (RUS), 10-7, in the quarterfinals on her way to a Rio 2016 berth.

The hometown fans also had plenty to cheer about as former world bronze medalist Kristijan FRIS (SRB) blanked three opponents at 59kg to earn his second trip to the Olympic Games, following a seventh place finish at Beijing 2008.

Freestyle
 

57kg (17 entries)

Semifinal – Garnik MNATSAKANYAN (ARM) df. Anatoli BURUIAN (MDA), 5-3

Semifinal – Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) df. Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA) by TF, 12-0, 4:50

 

Gold – Garnik MNATSAKANYAN (ARM) v Vladimir DUBOV (BUL)

Bronze – Suleyman ATLI (TUR) v Anatoli BURUIAN (MDA)

Bronze – Levan METREVELI (ESP) v Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA)


65kg (16 entries)

Semifinal – Andriy KVYATKOVSKY (UKR) df. Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO), 2-2 

Semifinal – Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) df. David SAFARYAN (ARM), 7-2


Gold – Andriy KVYATKOVSKY (UKR) v Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL)

Bronze – Niko AROUZMANIDIS (GRE) v Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO)

Bronze – Maximilian AUSSERLEITNER (AUT) v David SAFARYAN (ARM)


Greco-Roman

59kg (19 entries)

Semifinal – Kristian FRIS (SRB) df. Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR) by TF, 8-0, 1:45

Semifinal – Sanal SEMENOV (RUS) df. Aleksandar KOSTADINOV (BUL) by TF, 11-2, 2:56


Gold – Kristian FRIS (SRB) v Sanal SEMENOV (RUS)

Bronze – Jani HAAPAMAEKI (FIN) v Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR)

Bronze – Ardit FAZLJIJA (SWE) v Aleksandar KOSTADINOV (BUL)


66kg (20 entries)

Semifinal – Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Dawid KARECINSKI (POL), 5-0

Semifinal – Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) df. Dominik ETLINGER (CRO), 6-4


Gold – Shamgi BOLKVADZE (GEO) v Tamas LORINCZ (HUN)

Bronze – Marius THOMMESEN (NOR) v Dawid KARECINSKI (POL)

Bronze – Artak MARGARYAN (FRA) v Dominik ETLINGER (CRO)


Women’s Wrestling

48kg (11 entries)

Semifinal – Emilia VUC (ROM) df. Natalya PULKOVSKA (UKR), 6-5 

Semifinal – Elista YANKOVA (BUL) df. Maryna MARKEVICH (BLR), 6-2


Gold – Emilia VUC (ROM) v Elista YANKOVA (BUL)

Bronze – Jacquline SCHELLIN (GER) v Natalya PULKOVSKA (UKR)

Bronze – Evin DEMIRKAN (TUR) v Maryna MARKEVICH (BLR)


53kg (14 entries)

Semifinal – Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) df. Francesca MORI (ITA) by TF, 11-1, 3:19

Semifinal – Nina HEMMER (GER) df. Yulia KHAVALDZHY BLAHINYA (UKR), 10-8


Gold – Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) v Nina HEMMER (GER)

Bronze – Irina OLOGONOVA (RUS) v Francesca MORI (ITA)

Bronze – Yulia KHAVALDZHY (UKR) v Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR)

#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships 2026 Day 4 Live: Women's Wrestling

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 9) -- Women's Wrestling continues at the Asian Championships with 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg and 72kg in action.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 3 RESULTS

 

12:27: MANISHA (IND), the 62kg champion last year who has dropped all the way down to 57kg, falls at the first hurdle, sent to an 8-2 defeat by Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) in their quarterfinal clash. 

12:21: Two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) looks like a woman on a mission as she aims to make up for a bronze-medal finish last year. In what could have been regarded as the marquee matchup of the session, Ozaki puts on a takedown clinic in forging out a 10-0 victory over former world and Asian champion Qi ZHANG (CHN) to advance to the 62kg semifinals. Ozaki gains her fifth takedown of the match at the 2:37 mark.

12:20: Former Asian champion Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) drops her 72kg bout against HARSHITA (IND) despite on a scoring spree in the final minute. Down 6-2, Bakbergenova scored a stepout and a takedown to make it 6-5. She tried got another stepout just as the clock expired which made the score 6-6 but Harshita kept the criteria. Kazakhstan challenged for a foul but on review, even the last stepout point was removed as Harshita was still inside when the time expired. That made Harshita a 6-5 winner.

12:17: World, Asian and Olympic bronze medalist Kexin HONG (CHN) quickly secures her spot in the 57kg semifinals, gaining a takedown against Thi My Trang NGUYEN (VIE), securing a lace lock and getting the requisite four spins for a 10-0 win :35.

12:06: Former world and Asian champion Moe KIYOOKA (JPN), aiming to improve on her silver medal from last year, faces stiff resistance from 2025 bronze medalist Zeinep BAYANOVA (KAZ)  in their 53kg quarterfinal, but grinds out a 10-0 win that she finishes with a takedown at 3:58.

12:05: Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN), the 2024 Asian champion at 65kg, is into the 72kg semifinals with victory by fall over Sevinchoy POLVONOVA (UZB). Yoshitake gets a 2-point exposure countering a takedown attempt, then turns Polvonova to secure the fall in 1:50.

12:01: Jia LONG (CHN), owner of a full collection of world medals and an Asian champion in 2023, finishes off a 10-0 win over Odgerel ERDENE OCHIR (MGL) just inside the first-period buzzer to book her place in the 72kg semifinals. 

12:00: Asian Games champion Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK) and former world champion Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) don't give any chance but Sukhee is called passive in the second period and Mun gets a 2-1 lead. She holds on to that lead to win the 62kg bout.

11:59: World bronze medalist Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) breaks through the defense of Soobin KIM (KOR) for a single-leg takedown, then applies the lace lock and that's all she wrote in their 72kg qualification round match. Four quick spins and Nurtaeva is a 10-0 winner and into the semifinals.

11:55: It was a repechage bout but Paris bronze medalist Ziqi FENG (CHN) and Asian bronze medalist NEELAM (IND) put on one of the most exciting bouts of the tournament. Feng had a comfortable 8-2 lead but Neelam found a way to score a takedown and two turns to take an 8-8 criteria lead with just about a minute remaining. But Feng stepped over in a scramble to get a two points and lead 10-8. However, Neelam also exposed Feng and she was awarded two points making her a 10-10 winner. China challenged the call as it may have been after the time expired. On review, it was called no points as the clock did it zero before the Feng was in danger. Neelam is distraught while Feng will wrestle for a bronze medal later

11:41: Defending Asian champion Sara NATAMI (JPN) fell behind against Laylokhon SABIROVA (UZB), 2-2, on criteria with more than a minute remaining but Natami with an exposure and then holds Sabirova's back on the mat to claim a fall and advance to the 57kg quarterfinals.

11:39: Blink and you missed the 10-0 whitewashing by returning bronze medalist and former champion Qi ZHANG (CHN) of Dilnaz SAZANOVA (KGZ) at 62kg. Zhang gets a quick takedown and uses a trap arm to turn her opponent four times.

11:37: Former world and Asian silver medalist Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) gets her campaign at 57kg off to a strong start with a 10-0 over Tancholpon KYBALBEKOVA (KGZ), needing just 1:10 to complete the rout.

11:35: Aziza KELDIBEKOVA (KGZ) gets the ball rolling for the home team with a 12-1 win at 53kg over Pabasara GAMAGE (SRI). After a takedown and two exposures, Keldibekova is close to scoring another tilt when Gamage goes over the back and gets a reversal. But Keldibekova repeats her initial sequence and she's into the quarterfinals.  

11:34: Sakibjamal ESBOSYNOVA (UZB) gets the action started on Mat A with a 30-seconc fall of Ya Hsin CHEN (TPE) in their 53kg qualification-round bout.

11:30: Asian Championships third day and we have five more Women's Wrestling weight classes in action. Japan had four finalists on Wednesday. Will it continue it's hot streak?