United World Wrestling’s specification of a series of “ranking tournaments” has raised the profile of those events, not just for fans, but also for national federations looking to bring its wrestlers to those events with the best competition.
USA Wrestling sent a large and experienced delegation to the Dan Kolov tournament in Ruse (BUL) – a ranking tournament for Freestyle only – and found plenty of competition, but also lots of success, with four winners and four additional men’s and women’s medalists for a total of 12. The champions:
Men:
● 74 kg: Jordan Burroughs: wins by 9-0, 9-2, 0-0, 7-2, 4-3 (29-8)
● 79 kg: Alex Dieringer: wins by 11-0, 10-0, 5-1, 10-0 (36-1)
● 97 kg: Kyle Snyder: wins by 12-1, 8-5, 11-0, 4-0 (35-6)
Women:
● 68 kg: Tamyra Mensah-Stock: wins by 10-0, 10-0, 6-0, 10-0, 11-1 (47-1)
These were powerful statements for Burroughs and Snyder, both of whom were 2017 World Champions, but won bronze and silver in 2018. For Dieringer, 25, this continues his trajectory into world class, right on schedule with the Tokyo Games around the corner. Mensah-Stock appears ready to join the front line of American women in challenging for gold and silver at the World Championships and Olympic level; she won a Worlds bronze in 2018.
The U.S. men won the Freestyle team title with 147, ahead of Russia (115) and Turkey (100). The American women were third in Freestyle team standings with 77, behind China (112) and Ukraine (92).
The meet featured multiple current World Champions, but the only one who won was China’s Ningning Rong in the women’s 57 kg class. There were four 2017 champs who won in Ruse, including Burroughs (74 kg), Snyder (97 kg) and Iran’s Hassan Yazdani (86 kg) in the men’s division and Yasemin Adar (TUR) at 76 kg in the women’s classes. Summaries:
UWW Ranking Tournament/Dan Kolov-Nikita Petrov
Ruse (BUL) ~ 28 February-3 March 2019
(Full results here)
Men/Freestyle
57 kg: 1. Beka Bujiashvili (GEO); 2. Suleyman Atli (TUR); 3. Georgi Vangelov (BUL) and Armen Arakelian (UKR). Third: Vangelov (BUL) d. Gulomjon Abdullaev (UZB), 6-5; Arakelian (UKR) d. Zoheir El Ouarraqe (FRA), 12-8. Final: Bujiashvili d. Atli, 6-4.
61 kg: 1. Artas Sanayev (KAZ); 2. Sandeep Tomar (IND); 3. Aryian Tiutrin (RUS) and Volodmyr Burukov (UKR). Third: Tiutrin (RUS) d. Joe Colon (USA), 13-3; Burukov d. Munir Recep Aktas (TUR) , 3-2. Final: Sanayev d. Tomar, 10-0.
65 kg: 1. Bajrang Bajrang (IND) 2. Jordan Oliver (USA); 3. Bernard Futrell (USA) and Niurhun Skrabin (BLR). Third: Futrell d. Selahattin Kilicsallayan (TUR), 16-6; Skrabin d. Eduard Grigorev (RUS), 11-0. Final: Bajrang d. Oliver, 12-3.
70 kg: 1. Ilias Bekbulatov (RUS); 2. Anzor Zakuev (RUS); 3. James Green (USA) and Viktor Rassadin (RUS). Third: Green d. Andriy Kvyatkovskyy (UKR), 0-0 (criteria); Rassadin d. Frank Molinaro (USA), 15-10. Final: Bekbulatov d. Zakuev, 10-0.
74 kg: 1. Jordan Burroughs (USA); 2.Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (UZB); 3. Yakup Gor (TUR) and Frank Chamizo Marquez (ITA). Third: Gor d. Mostafa Hosseinkhani (IRI), 3-2; Chamizo Marquez d. Ali Pasha Umarpashaev (BUL), 13-2. Final: Burroughs d. Andurakhmonov, 4-3.
79 kg: 1. Alex Dieringer (USA); 2. Omaraskhab Nazhmudinov (ROU); 3. Atsamaz Sanakoev (RUS) and Nika Kentchadze (GEO), Third: Anakoev d. Ender Coskun (TUR), 4-3; Kentchadze d. Muhammet Nuri Kotanoglu (TUR), 5-0. Final: Dieringer d. Nazhmudinov, 10-0.
86 kg: 1. Hassan Yazdani (IRI); 2. Ali Shabanau (BLR); 3. Boris Makoev (SVK) and Akhmed Aibuev (FRA). Third: Makoev d. Azamat Dauletbekov (KAZ), 4-4 (criteria); Aibuevd. Fatih Erdin (TUR), 0-0 (criteria). Final: Yazdani d. Shabanau, 16-5.
92 kg: 1. Magomed Kurbanov (RUS); 2. Irakli Mtsituri (GEO); 3. Ibrahim Bolukbasi (TUR) and Michael Macchiavello (USA). Third: Bolukbasi d. Suleyman Karadeniz (TUR), 7-6; Macchiavello d. Mohammed Fardj (ALG), 0-0 (criteria). Final: Kurbanov d. Mtsituri, 9-5.
97 kg: 1. Kyle Snyder (USA); 2. Valerii Andriitsev (UKR); 3. Reza Ali Yazdani (IRI) and Murazi Mchedlidze (UKR). Third: Yazdani d. Igor Ovsiannikov (RUS), 8-4; Mchedlidze (UKR) d. Baki Sahin (TUR), 10-0. Final: Snyder d. Andriitsev, 4-0.
125 kg: 1. Parviz Hadibasmanj (IRI); 2. Oleksandr Khotsianivskyi (UKR); 3. Daniel Ligeti (HUN) and Said Gamidov (RUS). Third: Ligeti d. Zhiwei Deng (CHN), 6-1; Gamidov d. Geno Petriashvili (GEO), 0-0 (criteria). Final: Hadibasmanj d. Khotsianivskyi, 6-4.
Women/Freestyle
50 kg: 1. Iwona Matkowska (POL); 2. Erin Golston (USA); 3. Whitney Conder (USA) and Evin Demirhan (TUR). Third: Conder d. Victoria Anthony (USA), 4-0; Demirhan (TUR) d. Dauletbike Yakhshimuratova (UZB), 13-6. Final: Matkowska d. Conder, 4-1.
53 kg: 1. Qianyu Pang (CHN); 2. Vinesh Vinesh (IND); 3. Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (BLR) and Sarah Hildebrandt (USA). Third: Kaladzinskaya d. Juan Deng (CHN), 6-0; Hildebrandt d. Amy Fearnside (USA), 6-4. Final: Pang d. Vinesh, 9-2
55 kg: 1. Maria Prevolaraki (GRE); 2. Marina Sedneva (KAZ); 3. Roksana Zasina (POL) and Zhuldyz Eshimova (KAZ). Third: Zasina d. Bediha Gun (TUR), 4-0; Eshimova d. Zalina Sidakova (BLR), 4-2. Final: Prevolaraki d. Sedneva, 10-0.
57 kg: 1. Ningning Rong (CHN); 2. Grace Bullen (NOR); 3. Odunayo Adekuoroye (NGR) and Iryna Kurachkina (BLR). Third: Adekuoroye d. Sara Lindborg (SWE), 10-0; Kurachkina d. Bilyana Dudova (BUL), 8-2. Final: Rong d. Bullen, 8-0.
59 kg: 1. Pooja Dhanda (IND); 2. Sarita Sarita (IND); 3. Kornelija Zaicevaite (LTU) and Aisuluu Tynybekova (KGZ); round-robin, no medal matches.
62 kg: 1. Yuliia Tkach Ostapchuk (UKR); 2. Taybe Yusein (BUL); 3. Xingru Pei (CHN) and Aisuluu Tynybekova (KGZ). Third: Pei d. Elis Manolova (AZE), 4-0; Tynybekova d. Malin Mattsson (SWE), 4-1. Final: Tkach Ostapchuk d. Yusein, 4-3.
65 kg: 1. Henna Johansson (SWE); 2. Sakshi Malik (IND); 3. Petra Olli (FIN) and Forrest Ann Molinari (USA). Third: Olli d. Adina Popescu (ROU), 0-0 (criteria); Molinari d. Maya Nelson (USA), 6-3. Final: Johansson d. Malik, 8-3.
68 kg: 1. Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USA); 2. Bakhtigul Baltaniyazova (UZB); 3. Adela Hanzlickova (CZE) and Alla Cherkasova (UKR). Third: Hanzlickova d. Agnieszka Wieszczek Kordus (POL), 5-1; Cherkasova d. Danute Domikaityte (LTU), 8-1. Final: Mensah-Stock d. Baltaniyazova, 11-1.
72 kg: 1. Buse Tosun (TUR); 2. Alina Berezhna Stadnik Makhynia (UKR); 3. Maria Selmaier (GER) and Chuchu Yan (CHN). Third: Selmaier d. Zhamila Bakbergenova (KAZ), 11-3 (disqualification); Yan d. Meerim Zhumanazarova (KGZ), 0-0 (criteria). Final: Tosun d. Berezhna, 6-4
76 kg: 1. Yasemin Adar (TUR); 2. Paliha Paliha (CHN); 3. Aline Focken (GER) amd Elmira Syzdykova (KAZ). Third: Focken d. Juan Wang (CHN), 7-2; Syzdykova d. Iselin Maria Moen Solheim (NOR), 8-2. Final: Adar d. Paliha, 5-0.
