TBILISI, Georgia (July 5) - Reigning world champion Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) electrified the Georgian crowd, nearly taking off the roof of the New Sports Palace after scoring the go-ahead takedown with 15-seconds left over Olympic champion Soslan RAMONOV (RUS) to steal the 70kg Tbilisi Grand Prix gold medal, 3-2.
Iakobishvili, up from his 2017 World Championship weight of 65kg remained defensively sound, controlling the first six minutes of the bout with a 1-0 lead before surrendering the go-ahead takedown to the Russian two-time world and Olympic champion.
Trailing by one-point with under 15-seconds remaining, the Georgian shot a studder-step double, freezing for a split-second before re-attacking with a right-handed high-crotch, scoring the lead-changing takedown and ultimately his first Tbilisi Grand Prix gold medal.
Georgia’s second reigning world champion to cash in on a Tibili Grand Prix gold medal was Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO). Petriashvili avenged February’s 6-0 International Ukrainian Tournament loss to Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR), giving the host nation their second championship of the tournament.
The four-time world and Olympic medalist gave up an elbow-pass far ankle-pick and trailed 2-1 after the first three minutes.
Petriashvili sparked his second-period explosion with a left-sided high-crotch, taking the 3-2 lead. Shortly after gaining the one-point advantage, the superstar heavyweight extended his lead with a left-side gut-wrench, sealing the victory, 5-2.
Georgian European medalists Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) and Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) also pocketed gold medals, helping the host nation grab the freestyle team title on the back of four overall championship performances.
Two-time Olympic medalist, KIM Hyeon-woo (KOR). (Photo by Martin Gabor.)
In Greco-Roman, Olympic champion KIM Hyeon-woo (KOR) survived the back and forth battle against 2017 world bronze medalist Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) to win the 77kg gold medal, 8-6.
Kim, the two-time Olympic medalist used a dump and high-level gut wrench to gain the early 4-0 lead. The tone of the match quickly flipped and the 2014 world champion trailed 4-4 after Geraei came out on top of a gut-wrench attempt and picked up his first takedown of the bout.
The Korean wrestler regained the lead, taking a three-point advantage with an activity clock point and a correct throw. Kim ended the pin-ball match-up giving up a flying squirrel, but scored the final point with a failed Iranian challenge, claiming the 77kg gold medal, 8-6.
RYU Hansu (KOR), the two-time world champion also took home a gold medal, helping Korea snag third-place in the team race.
Russia and Georgia each had three individual gold medalists, but the Russian’s finished five points ahead of the host nation and reeled in the Greco-Roman team title.
RESULTS
Freestyle
57kg
GOLD - Suleyman ATLI (TUR) df. Andrii YATSENKO (UKR), 12-6
BRONZE - Mehran Zaman REZAZADEHGANJI (IRI) df. Otari GOGAVA (GEO), 8-3
BRONZE - Khuresh Ool DONDUK OOL (RUS) df. Sunggwon KIM (KOR), via injury.
61kg
GOLD - Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) df. Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB), 10-0
BRONZE - Garik BARSEGHYAN (ARM) df. Adil OSPANOV (KAZ), 4-2
BRONZE - Giorgi REVAZISHVILI (GEO) df. Viktar SHMULIAI (POL), 6-4
65kg
GOLD - Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) df. Mehran Akbar NASIRIAFRACHALI (IRI), 9-3
BRONZE - Cengizhan ERDOGAN (TUR) df. Magamed SAIDOVI (GEO), 10-0
BRONZE - Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI) df. Murshid MUTALIMOV (RUS), 7-6
70kg
GOLD - Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) df. Soslan RAMONOV (RUS), 3-2
BRONZE - Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. Konstantine KHABALASHVILI (GEO), 4-2
BRONZE - Mustafa KAYA (TUR) df. Devid SAFARYAN (ARM), 8-3
74kg
GOLD - Yakup GOR (TUR) df. Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB), via injury
BRONZE - Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (RUS) df. Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ), 4-1
BRONZE - Rasul ARSANALIEV (RUS) df. Magomed Abdulaevitch KHIZRIEV (RUS), via injury
79kg
GOLD - Kakhaber KHUBEZHTY (RUS) df. Magomed Eldarovitch RAMAZANOV (RUS), 12-9
BRONZE - Omid HASSAN TABAR JELODAR (IRI) df. Adam KHASIEV (RUS), 10-9
BRONZE - Grigor GRIGORYAN (ARM) df. Nika KENCHADZE (GEO), via forfeit
86kg
GOLD - Fatih ERDIN (TUR) df. Saba CHIKHRADZE (GEO), 9-0
BRONZE - Vladislav VALIEV (RUS) df. Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO), via injury
BRONZE - Deepak PUNIA (IND) df. Osman GOCEN (TUR), 5-3
92kg
GOLD - Anzor URISHEV (RUS) df. Mohammadjavad EBRAHIMIZIVLAEI (IRI), 5-1
BRONZE - Irakli MTSITURI (GEO) df. Ibrahim BOLUKBASI (TUR), via injury
BRONZE - Alireza mohammad KARIMIMACHIANI (IRI) df. Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR), 9-0
97kg
GOLD - Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) df. Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO), 8-6
BRONZE - Shamil Alievitch MUSAEV (RUS) df. Valerii ANDRIITSEV (UKR), 4-4
BRONZE - Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR) df. Chaoqiang YANG (CHN), 12-2
125kg
GOLD - Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) df. Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR). 5-2
BRONZE - Yadollah Mohammadkazem MOHEBI (IRI) df. Zhanxiang HU (CHN), 11-1
BRONZE - Danylo KARTAVYI (UKR) df. Robert BARAN (POL), 2-1
Greco-Roman
55kg (Single bronze)
GOLD - Moslem Mahmoud NADERIKHADEM (IRI) df. VasilII TOPOEV (RUS), 9-7
BRONZE - Javokhir MIRAKHMEDOV (UZB) df. Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB), via injury.
60kg
GOLD - Mehrdad Abdmohammad MARDANI (IRI) df. Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), 3-2
BRONZE - Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO) df. Firuz TUKHTAEV (UZB), 5-1
BRONZE - KIM Seunghak (KOR) df. Ahmet UCAR (TUR), 10-2
63kg
GOLD - Stepan MARYANYAN (RUS) df. Lasha MARIAMIDZE (GEO), 9-0
BRONZE - Jungbaik LEE (KOR) df. Abdurrahman ALTAN (TUR), 5-1
BRONZE - Levani KAVJARADZE (GEO) df. Phiruz TSULUKIDZE (GEO), 3-1
67kg
GOLD - Hansu RYU (KOR) df. Alen MIRZOIAN (RUS), 8-2
BRONZE - Sachino DAVITAIA (GEO) df. Tornike JANGAVADZE (GEO), 5-2
BRONZE - Dohyeong KIM (KOR) df. Aslan POGHOSYAN (ARM), 5-4
72kg
GOLD - Giorgi KHUCHUA (GEO) df. Evrik NIKOGHOSYAN (FRA), 10-0
BRONZE - Murad MIKELADZE (GEO) df. Seyran SIMONYAN (ARM), via forfeit
BRONZE - Artem TARZIAN (RUS) df. Yunus OZEL (TUR), 2-0
77kg
GOLD - Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR) df. Mohammadali Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI), 8-6
BRONZE - Ruslan VARDANYAN (RUS) df. Beqa MAMUKASHVILI (GEO), 9-1
BRONZE - Rafael IUNUSOV (RUS) df. Mindia TSULUKIDZE (GEO), 4-1
82kg
GOLD - Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) df. Eduard SARGSYAN (ARM), 7-5
BRONZE - Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO) df. Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB), 6-1
BRONZE - Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Jinhyeok KIM (KOR), 1-1
87kg
GOLD - Gazi KHALILOV (RUS) df. Alan OSTAEV (RUS), 6-4
BRONZE - Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. Yoan Danielov DIMITROV (BUL), 6-0
BRONZE - Tarek Mohamed ABDELSLAM SHEBLE MOHAMED (BUL) df. Dogukan KURU (TUR), 6-3
97kg
GOLD - Musa EVLOEV (RUS) df. Revazi NADAREISHVILI (GEO), 9-0
BRONZE - Giorgi MELIA (GEO) df. Ilya NASTOCHENKO (KAZ), 4-0
BRONZE - Aleqsandre LODIA (GEO) df. Irakli KAJAIA (GEO), 5-2
130kg
GOLD - Zviadi PATARIDZE (GEO) df. Sergey SEMENOV (RUS), via forfeit
BRONZE - Shahab Morteza GHOUREHJILI (IRI) df. Minseok KIM (KOR) , 5-1
BRONZE - Mahdi Valiollah NOURI (IRI) df. Levan ARABULI (GEO) , 2-1
