MAKHACHKALA, Russia – Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) powered his way to a second Ali Aliev tournament title and seven wrestlers who compete for Russia held sway over their weight categories in this rapidly developing men’s freestyle classic in the capital of the Dagestan republic.
Gebekov, who won at 57kg, hails from the Khasavyurt district in Dagestan and was joined by fellow Khasavyurtians Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) at 65kg, Dshamaluddin KURBANALIEV (RUS) at 70kg, Kamal MALIKOV (RUS) at 74kg and Albert SARITOV (RUS) at 86kg.
Murshid MUTALIMOV (RUS) at 61kg, meanwhile, trains in Makhachkala while Yuri BELONOVSKI (RUS) at 97kg is from Krasnoyarsk in Siberia.
The only champion not wrestling Russia was 2009 European champion Ali ISAEV (AZE), is also from Dagestan but wrestles for neighboring Azerbaijan.
57kg – Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) reached the Ali Aliev finals for a fourth year in a row and ran over London 2012 Olympian Mihran JABURYAN (ARM), 9-2, in the gold medal final.
World bronze medalist Nariman ISRAPILOV (RUS) and Bazar ZHALSAPOV (RUS), a Yarygin bronze medalist in 2013, took the bronze medals. Israpilov roared back from a 1-9 first period deficit to claim a 17-15 triumph with the winning points coming in the closing seconds of the bout.
61kg – Hometown favorite Murshid MUTALIMOV (RUS), winner of bronze medals at Ivan Yarygin and Yasar Dogu this year, won his first international title since winning the European cadet crown in 2007.
Junior world champions Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE) and Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI) took the bronze medals. Ehsanpoor won by default over two-time world champ Viktor LEBEDEEV (RUS), who lost earlier to Mutalimov 4-2.
65kg – Ahmed CHAKAEV (RUS) stood atop the medals podium for a second straight tournament and grabbed his third medal of the year with a technical fall over Tital DSHAFAROYAN (UKR).
Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA), a 2010 world bronze medalist for Cuba and Yasar Dogu winner in February, and Gadzhimurad NURUDINOV (RUS) took the bronze medals.
70kg – Dshamaluddin KUBANALIEV (RUS), brother of European champion Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS), came up big for his first international triumph with a 6-2 win over London Olympian Andrey KVIATKOVSKI (UKR).
Yarygin runner-up Ramazan SHAMSHUTDINOV (RUS) and Huseyn SUYUCHEV (RUS), fifth at Yarygin, took the bronze medals.
74kg – Kamal MALIKOV (RUS), a bronze medal winner in Makhachkala a year ago, edged Magomed ZUBAIROV (RUS), 2-1, for his first Ali Aliev triumph in three attempts.
Former Asia junior champ Alireza GHASEMI (IRI) and Takhti Cup bronze medalist Hamid Reza REZAEI (IRI) won the bronze medals. Rezaei defeated European junior champion Khabib BATYROV.
86kg – Albert SARITOV (RUS), world bronze medalist at 2011, edged Ruslan VALIEV (RUS) for his third tournament title in the last two months. Valiev won a criteria decision two-time former European champion Anzor URISHEV (RUS) in the semifinals.
Urishev rebounded for a bronze medal along with Shamil KATINOVASOV (RUS), who made his first trip to the medals podium internationally since becoming a middleweight in 2013.
97kg – Yuri BELONOVSKI (RUS), who posted a pair of wins at the World Cup in March for Russia, came from behind for a 5-2 win over London 2012 gold medalist Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) for his first win at 97kg for 2014.
Military world championships silver medalist Radislaw BARAN (POL) and 2012 university world champion Murat IBRAGIMOV (RUS) took the bronze medals.
125kg – Beijing 2008 Olympian Ali ISAEV (AZE) defeated junior world runner-up Abdollah GHOMI AVILI (IRI) to become the tournament’s only champion not representing Russia.
World silver medalist Alen ZASEEV (UKR) and European bronze medalist Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) won the bronze medals to deny host Russia a place on the medal’s podium.
Championship and Bronze Medal Match Results
57kg
Gold – Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) df. Mihran JABURYAN (ARM), 9-2
Bronze – Bazar ZHALSAPOV (RUS) df. Nurgazy ABDURAZAKOV (KGZ), 10-0
Bronze – Nariman ISRAPILOV (RUS) df. Garnik MNATSAKANYAN (ARM), 17-15
61kg
Gold – Murshid MUTALIMOV (RUS) df. Atmir KHROMOV (RUS), 5-0
Bronze – Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE) df. Bulat BATOEV (RUS), result not available
Bronze – Behnam EHSANPOOR (IRI) df. Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS) by default
65kg
Gold – Ahmed CHAKAEV (RUS) df. Tital DSHAFAROYAN (UKR), 12-1
Bronze – Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA) df. Narek SIRUNYAN (ARM), 8-0
Bronze – Gadzhimurad NURUDINOV (RUS) df. Zelimkhan YUSUPOV (TJK), 4-2
70kg
Gold – Dshamaluddin KURBANALIEV (RUS) df. Andrey KVIATKOVSKI (UKR), 6-2
Bronze – Hussein SUYUNCHEV (RUS) df. Bolat SAKAEV (KAZ), not available
Bronze – Ramadan SHAMSHUTDINOV (RUS) df. Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA), result not available
74kg
Gold – Kamal MALIKOV (RUS) df. Magomed ZUBAIROV (RUS), 2-1
Bronze – Hamid Reza REZAEI (IRI) df. Khabib BATYROV (RUS), 3-1
Bronze – Alireza GHASEMI (IRI) df. D. ZAKIROV (KAZ), 12-2
86kg
Albert SARITOV (RUS) df. Ruslan VALIEV (RUS), 2-1
Anzor URISHEV (RUS) df. Radoslav MARCINKIEWICZ (POL), not available
Shamil KATINOVASOV (RUS) df. Georgi RUBAEV (RUS) by default
97kg
Yuri BELONOVSKI (RUS) df. Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE), 5-2
Radoslaw BARAN (POL) df. Magomed IBRAGIMOV (RUS), not available
Marat IBRAGIMOV (RUS) df. Pavel OLEYNIK (UKR), not available
125kg
Gold – Ali ISAEV (AZE) df. Abdollah GHOMI AVILI (IRI), not available
Bronze – Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) df. Magomedgadzhi NURASULOV (RUS), not available
Bronze – Alan ZASEEV (UKR) df. Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ), not available
