PARIS (February 1) – China swept all four weight categories in female wrestling and Iran’s trio of junior world champions had opposing coaches scratching their heads as the curtain came down on the Paris Grand Prix wresting tournament.
Tarik BELMADANI (FRA), meanwhile, won one for the home folks at 59kg in Greco-Roman while London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medalist Aleksandr KAZAKEVICH (85kg) and Beijing 2008 Olympian Valderamas VENCKAITIS (75kg) grabbed a pair for Lithuania.
Asian Games bronze medalist ZHONG Xuechun (CHN) led the charge for the Chinese women with three wins by technical fall at 53kg, including an 11-0 win at 3:53 in the semifinals over defending champion Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA).
World bronze medalist ZHOU Qian (CHN) stopped Epp MAE (EST) for the 75kg crown while world team members ZHOU Zhangting (58kg) and WANG Xiaoqian (63kg) completed the sweep for China. The Zhou-Mae match-up was a reprise of their bronze medal bout in Tashkent last September.
In all, the Lady Dragons won six of the eight titles in female wrestling at Robert Charpentier Sports Palace, while compatriots, including former world champions XILUO Zhuoma (CHN) and ZHANG Fengliu (CHN), added seven bronze medals to the haul.
In freestyle, junior world champions Iman SADEGHIKOUKANDEH (61kg), Hassan YAZDANI CHARATI (70kg) and Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (86kg) each stopped opponents from Poland for their titles.
Yazdani Charati frustrated Russian transfer Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) in the 70kg final with his elastic counter wrestling and quick takedowns on the edge of the mat for an 8-0 victory.
Earlier in the day, Gadzhiev defeated European champion Ruslan DIBIRGADZHIYEV (AZE), 4-3, and then received a late point against London 2012 gold medalist Toghrul ASGAROV (AZE) off the penalty clock for a 2-2 criteria win in the quarterfinals.
Defending Paris champion Aline FERREIRA (BRA), meanwhile, dropped her opening bout, 4-4 on criteria, to Mae and slipped to seventh place at 75kg while Joice SILVA (BRA) edged 2013 world bronze medalist Emese BARKA (HUN), 4-3, and rode the momentum into the 58kg final.
Freestyle
61kg
Gold – Iman SADEGHI KOUKANDEH (IRI) df. Krysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL), 4-2
Bronze – Matt McDONOUGH (USA) df. Abderrahim SAYEH (ALG) by fall, 2:25 (8-0)
Bronze – Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA) df. Quentin STICKER (FRA) by TF, 17-6, 5:10
70kg
Gold – Hassan YAZDANI CHARATI (IRI) df. Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL), 8-0
Bronze – Ruslan DIBIRGADZHIYEV (AZE) df. Cyler SANDERSON (USA) by TF, 12-1, 3:37
Bronze – Adam HALL (USA) df. Giorgi JIKURI (GEO) by TF, 10-0, 3:33
86kg
Gold – Alireza KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) df. Radoslaw MARCINKIEWICZ (POL) by TF, 10-0, 5:06
Bronze – Sebastien JEZIERZANSKI (POL) df. Gamzat OSMANOV (AZE) by injury default, 0:00
Bronze – Gabor HATOS (HUN) df. Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL), 2-1
125kg
Gold – Aleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) df. Jamalladin MAGOMEDOV (AZE), 4-2
Bronze – DENG Zhiwei (CHN) df. SHANG Hai (CHN) by TF (time, score not recorded)
Bronze – Daniel LIGETI (HUN) df. Kamil SKASKIEWICZ (POL), 6-0
Female Wrestling
53kg
Gold – ZHONG Xuechun (CHN) df. Roksana ZASINA (POL) by TF, 13-0, 4:06
Bronze – PANG Qianyu (CHN) df. Alexandra ANDPEEVD (RUS) by TF, 11-0, 3:52
Bronze – Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) df. Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA), 3-2
58kg
Gold – ZHOU Zhangting (CHN) df. Joice SILVA (BRA), 8-6
Bronze – Emese BARKA (HUN) df. Anzhela TITERKO (RUS) by fall, 4:52 (10-4)
Bronze – Irina NETREBA (AZE) df. Paulina GRABOWSKA (POL), 7-1
63kg
Gold – WANG Xiaoqian (CHN) df. Jackeline RENTERIA (COL) by TF, 12-2, 5:32
Bronze – Lais OLIVEIRA (BRA) df. Gabriella SLEISZ (HUN), 3-2
Bronze – XILUO Zhuoma (CHN) df. HAN Yingyan (CHN), 4-1
75kg
Gold – ZHOU Qian (CHN) df. Epp MAE (EST), 10-4
Bronze – QIANDEGEN Chagan (CHN) df. Zsanett NEMETH (HUN), 6-0
Bronze – ZHANG Fengliu (CHN) df. Daria OSOCKA (POL) by fall, 2:35 (10-0)
Greco-Roman
59kg
Gold – Tarik BELMADANI (FRA) df. Meyrbek DONENBEKOV (KAZ) by TF, 8-0, 1:40
Bronze – Nurian ALZHANOV (KAZ) df. Jonathan THIAM LEMAIRE (MON), 1-0
Bronze – Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Andrei TSARYUK (ISR) by TF, 9-0, 4:05
75kg
Gold – Valdemaras VENCKAITIS (LTU) df. Petr NOVAK (CZE), 8-3
Bronze – Georgios PREVOLARAKIS (GRE) df. Niyamaddin IBRAHIMOV (AZE) by TF, 12-2, 3:15
Bronze – Martin SZABO (HUN) df. Zied AIT OUGRAM (MAR), 1-0
85kg
Gold – Aleksandr KAZAKEVIC (LTU) df. Damian JANIKOWSKI (POL), 3-2
Bronze – Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df. Dimitros TSEKERIDIS (GRE), 6-2
Bronze – Tadeusz MICHALIK (POL) df. Artur OMAROV (CZE) by TF, 8-0, 1:50
130kg
Uncontested – only one entry
