DORTMUND, Germany (June 28) – Defending champ Magomedamin DIBIROV (RUS) held off a spirited challenge from Zuriko URTASHVILI (GEO) as a trio of Russians advanced to the gold medal finals Wednesday at the Junior European Wrestling Championships.
Dibirov, who won his first two bouts 11-0 and 10-0, scored a takedown in the first period of the 120kg semifinal with Urtashvili and held on for a 2-2 victory on having scored the technique of higher value.
Dibirov will square off with 2015 European cadet runner-up Hovhannes MAGHAKYAN (ARM) for the gold medal. Maghakyan rallied in the second half of his semifinal with Onur ALKANOGLU (TUR) for an 8-3 win.
Urtashvili, a bronze medal winner at last year’s championships in Bucharest, will wrestle for a second bronze medal in Wednesday evening’s finals as the curtain comes down on the freestyle events at Helmut Kornig Halle.
In an earlier bout, Urtashvili prevailed in a seesaw contest with last year’s junior world silver medalist Umar ISRAILOV (AZE), scoring a pair of takedowns in the final minute to win 9-6.
In Wednesday evening’s gold medal finals, Dibirov will be joined Anzor ZAKUEV (66kg), a member of Russia’s winning Alrosa Cup team last November, and Gadzhimagomed NAZHMUDINOV (84kg).
Zakuev will take on Mahal NOVRUZOV (AZE) in the 66kg final after both wrestlers each posted three technical falls during the morning session, outscoring their opponents 36-3 and 32-0, respectively.
Nazhmudinov will have the daunting task of trying to stop defending champion and junior world bronze medalist Gadzhimurad MAGOMEDSAIDOV (AZE), who wrestled slightly more than five minutes in his three bouts – with two technicals and a fall – in the morning session.
The first gold medal final of the evening at 55kg will feature reigning junior world champion Afgan KHASHALOV (AZE) and Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL), who weathered a challenge from last year’s European cadet champion Alik KHADARTSEV (RUS) in the quarterfinals for a 12-10 win.
Khashalov also wrestled just over five minutes in his first three bouts while also notching a fall and a pair of technical falls.
Pairings for the Medal Finals & Semifinal Results
Freestyle
55kg (16 entries)
Gold – Afgan KHASHALOV (AZE) v Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL)
Bronze – Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) v Leonid COLESNIC (MDA)
Bronze – Alik KHADARTSEV (RUS) v Teimuraz VANISHIVILI (GEO)
Semifinal – Afgan KHASHALOV (AZE) df. Leonid COLESNIC (MDA) by TF, 10-0, 0:57
Semifinal – Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL) df. Teimuraz VANISHIVILI (GEO), 8-4
66kg (17 entries)
Gold – Anzor ZAKUEV (RUS) v Mahal NOVRUZOV (AZE)
Bronze – Csaba VIDA (HUN) v Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA)
Bronze – Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) v Dzhemal Rushen ALI (BUL)
Semifinal – Anzor ZAKUEV (RUS) df. Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA) by TF, 12-2, 3:39
Semifinal – Mahal NOVRUZOV (AZE) df. Dzhemal ALI (BUL) by TF, 11-0, 1:08
84kg (20 entries)
Gold – Gadzhimurad MAGOMEDSAIDOV (AZE) v Gadzhimagomed NAZHMUDINOV (RUS)
Bronze – Zaur BERADZE (GEO) v Hovhannes MKHITARYAN (ARM)
Bronze – Osman GOCEN (TUR) v Pavel UNTILA (MDA)
Semifinal – Gadzhimurad MAGOMEDSAIDOV (AZE) df. Hovhannes MKHITARYAN (ARM) by Fall, 3:25 (10-0)
Semifinal – Gadzhimagomed NAZHMUDINOV (RUS) df. Pavel UNTILA (MDA), 6-0
120kg (16 entries)
Gold – Hovhannes MAGHZKYAN (ARM) v Magomedamin DIBIROV (RUS)
Bronze – Jakub BRYLEWSKI (POL) v Onur ALKANOGLU (TUR)
Bronze – Samhan JABRAILOV (MDA) v Zuriko URTASHVILI (GEO)
Semifinal – Hovhannes MAGHZKYAN (ARM) df. Onur ALKANOGLU (TUR), 8-3
Semifinal – Magomedamin DIBIROV (RUS) df. Zuriko URTASHVILI (GEO), 2-2
