WRESTLING: Mensah storms to Worlds gold at women’s 68 kg; Cox wrestles for gold, Burroughs for bronze

World Champion: American Tamyra Mensah wins at 68 kg

She had been dominating her competition in tournament after tournament this year. Now she dominates the world.

American Tamyra Mensah clubbed her way through the 68 kg division at the UWW World Championships in Nur-Sultan (KAZ) and move from a bronze medal in 2018 to the world title in 2019.

She won her preliminary matches by 10-0, 6-1 and 10-1 and then crushed Germany’s Anna Schell in the semis, 10-0. In the final against Sweden’s Anna Fransson, she scored three first-period takedowns for a 6-0 lead, then cruised in for an 8-2 win and the gold medal.

It’s the third gold for the U.S. women, after wins by Jacarra Winchester (55 kg) and Adeline Gray (76 kg). Japan, as usual, won the team title, with 137 points to 108 for Russia and 105 for the U.S.

In the men’s Freestyle division, J’Den Cox of the U.S. will wrestle for a second consecutive gold medal at 92 kg, but four-time World Champion Jordan Burroughs lost a close fight to defending World Champion Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS) in the 74 kg semifinals, 4-3. Burroughs will wrestle for a bronze medal.

The World Championships continue through the weekend in Nur-Sultan. The men’s Freestyle competition will begin on Friday. Summaries so far:

United World Wrestling World Championships
Nur-Sultan (KAZ) ~ 14-22 September 2019
(Full results here)

Men/Freestyle

57 kg: Gold: Zavur Uguev (RUS) d. Suleyman Atli (TUR), 13-3. Bronze: Kumar Ravi (IND) d. Reza Atrinagharchi (IRI), 6-3; Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ) d. Stevan Micic (SRB), 4-3.

65 kg: Gold: Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS) d. Daulet Niyazbekov (KAZ), 11-0. Bronze: Iszmail Muszukajev (HUN) d. Takuto Otoguro (JPN), 5-3; Bajrang Bajrang (IND) d. Tulga Ochir (MGL), 8-7.

Men/Greco-Roman

55 kg: Gold: Nugzari Tsurtsumia (GEO) d. Khorlan Zhakansha (KAZ), 9 – 0; Bronze: Shota Ogawa (JPN) d. Liguo Cao (CHN), 11-2; Eldaniz Azizli (AZE) d. Max Nowry (USA), 8-0.

60 kg: Gold: Kenichiro Fumita (JPN) d. Sergey Emelin (RUS), 10-5; Bronze: Ali Reza Nejati (IRI) d. Elmurat Tasmuradov (UZB), 7-5; Mirambek Ainagulov (KAZ) d. Lenur Temirov (UKR), 10-0.

63 kg: Gold: Shinobu Ota (JPN) d. Stepan Maryanyan (RUS), 10-4; Bronze: Almat Kebispayev (KAZ) d. Tynar Sharshenbekov (KGZ), 9-0; Slavik Galstyan (ARM) d. Meysam Karamali Dalkhani (IRI), 7-5.

67 kg: Gold: Ismael Borrero Molina (CUB) d. Artem Surkov (RUS), 3-1; Bronze: Frank Staebler (GER) d. Mohamed El Sayed (EGY), 6-5; Mate Nemes (SRB) d. Fredrik Bjerrehuus (DEN), 10-0.

72 kg: Gold: Abuiazid Mantsigov (RUS) d. Aram Vardanyan (UZB), 9-0. Bronze: Balint Korpasi (HUN) d. Jiyeon Lee (KOR), 9-0; Aik Mnatsakanian (BUL) d. Michael Widmayer (GER), 3-3 (criteria).

77 kg: Gold: Tamas Lorincz (HUN) d. Alex Bjurberg Kessidis (SWE), 8-0; Bronze: Jalgasbay Berdimuratov (UZB) d. Askhat Dilmukhamedov (KAZ), 3-1; Mohammadali Geraei (IRI) d. Karapet Chalyan (ARM), 9-6.

82 kg: Gold: Lasha Gobadze (GEO) d. Rafig Huseynov (AZE), 5-3; Bronze: Saeid Morad Abdvali (IRI) d. Iurii Shkriuba (UKR), 7-0; Haitao Qian (CHN) d. Nurbek Khashimbekov (UZB), 4-4.

87 kg: Gold: Zhan Beleniuk (UKR) d. Viktor Lorincz (HUN), 2-1. Bronze: Rustam Assakalov (UZB) d. Atabek Azisbekov (KGZ), 6-2; Denis Kudle (GER) d. Mikalai Stadub (BLR), 2-1.

97 kg: Gold: Musa Evloev (RUS) d. Artur Aleksanyan (ARM), 0-0 (criteria); Bronze: Cenk Ildem (TUR) d. Giorgi Melia (GEO), 4-1; Mihail Kajaia (SRB) d. Tadeusz Michalik (POL), 9-1.

130 kg: Gold: Riza Kayaalp (TUR) d. Oscar Pino Hinds (CUB), 3-1. Bronze: Iakobi Kajaia (GEO) d. Eduard Popp (GER), 5-0; Heiki Nabi (EST) d. Amir Ghasemimonjezi (IRI), 8-0.

Team Leaders: 1. Russia, 132; 2. Uzbekistan, 80; 3. Georgia, 79; 4. Iran, 75; 5. Kazakhstan. 72. Also: 20. United States, 18.

Women/Freestyle

50 kg: Gold: Mariya Stadnik (AZE) d. Emilia Vuc (ROU), 13-0. Bronze: Ekaterina Poleshchuk (RUS) d. Yanan Sun(CHN), 9-9 (criteria); Valentina Islamova Brik (KAZ) d. Oksana Livach (UKR), 5-0.

53 kg: Gold: Yong Mi Pak (PRK) d. Mayu Mukaida (JPN), 12-1. Bronze: Qianyu Pang (CHN) d. Roksana Marta Zasina (POL), 0-0 (criteria); Vinesh Vinesh (IND) d. Maria Prevolaraki (GRE), 4-1.

55 kg: Gold: Jacarra Winchester (USA) d. Nanami Irie (JPN), 5-3. Bronze: Bolortuya Bat Ochir (MGL) d. Bediha Gun (TUR), 12-9; Olga Khoroshavtseva (RUS) d. Marina Sedneva (KAZ), 13-0.

57 kg: Gold: Risako Kawai (JPN) d. Ningning Rong (CHN), 9-6. Bronze: Odunayo Adekuoroye (NGR) d. Anastasia Nichita (MDA), 10-0; Iryna Kurachkina (BLR) d. Jowita Wrzesien (POL), 4-0.

59 kg: Gold: Linda Morais (CAN) d. Liubov Ovcharova (RUS), 6-3; Bronze: Shoovdor Baatarjav (MGL) d. Anhelina Lysak (UKR), 8-0; Xingru Pei (CHN) d. Pooja Dhanda (IND), 5-3.

62 kg: Gold: Aisuluu Tynybekova (KGZ) d. Taybe Yusein (BUL), 5-3. Bronze: Yukako Kawai (JPN) d. Jong Sim Rim (PRK), 12-1; Henna Johansson (SWE) d. Marianna Sastin (HUN), 4-1.

65 kg: Gold: Inna Trazhukova (RUS) d. Iryna Koliadenko (UKR), 13-0. Bronze: Elis Manolova (AZE) d. Yuliana Yaneva (BUL), 3-1; Xiaoqian Wang (CHN) d. Forrest Molinari (USA), 10-0.

68 kg: Gold: Tamyra Mensah (USA) d. Anna Fransson (SWE), 8-2; Bronze: Anna Schell (GER) d. Sara Dosho (JPN), 4-1; Battsetseg Soronzonbold (MGL) df. Alla Cherkasova (UKR), 2-2 (criteria).

72 kg: Gold: Natalia Vorobeva (RUS) d. Alina Berezhna Stadnik Makhynia (UKR), 4-2. Bronze: Paliha Paliha (CHN) d. Victoria Francis (USA), 2-1; Masako Furuichi (JPN) d. Zhamila Bakbergenova (KAZ), 2-0.

76 kg: Gold: Adeline Gray (USA) d. Hiroe Minagawa (JPN), 4-2. Bronze: Aline Rotter Focken (GER) d. Elmira Syzdykova (KAZ), 3-0; Epp Maee (EST) d. Qian Zhou (CHN), 6-4.

Team Leaders: 1. Japan, 137; 2. Russia, 108; 3. United States, 105; 4. China, 102; 5. Ukraine, 92; 6. Kazakhstan, 53; 7. Mongolia, 48; 8. Azerbaijan, 47.