Julfalakyan Wins Elusive Gold at World Championship

TASHKENT (September 12) – Finally. For four years, Arsen JULFALAKYAN has won only silver and bronze medals at the world championships and at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

On Friday, Julfalakyan finally reached the top step of the medals podium to receive the gold medal after a 4-0 triumph in the 57kg Greco-Roman final at the World Championship.

“This is the only medal I wanted this year,” Julfalakyan said after the awards ceremony. “I didn’t need, didn’t want any other medal than this.”

“Over the last six years, I’ve always made small mistakes (that kept the gold out of reach). But, today I have it and I’m satisfied,” Julfalakyan said.

Along with Julfalakyan, Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) won his first world title at 85kg after struggling for five years following a silver medal in the 2009 world meet in Herning, Denmark.

Yulia TKACH (UKR), returning from maternity leave for a bronze medal at the European championships in April, also won first gold medal.  Her best finish in three previous visits to the world championships was a seventh place in 2007.

After winning the finale on Day 5 of the world championships in Tashkent, Noumonvi reportedly told his coaches “That’s done.”

Asked later to explain, he told United World Wrestling news “All my hard work has not been for nothing.”  He added that it “a good step” on the way to Rio de Janeiro and the 2016 Olympic Games.

“My baby helped me win,” said Tkach. “Not only do I try to win for my family, but after her birth (one year ago) I can sense more power and energy when I wrestle.”

“I’m very happy also that my first medal at the world championships was gold,” she added.

In the team standing, Japan won the title with four champions, one runner-up and 55 points. Russia was second with three runners-up, two bronze medal winners and 48 points, followed by the United States with 41 points.

Summaries of the medal finals:

Female Wrestling

63kg – European bronze medalist Tkach scored a single-leg takedown in the first period and then had to fight off her back in the final minute to preserve a 4-2 win over Elena PIROZHKOVA (USA), who was seeking a second gold medal to go with the one she won in 2012.

In the bronze medal matches, world university bronze medalist Valeria LAZINSKAYA (RUS) opened with an arm-and-leg throw and closed with a headlock, pinning Henna JOHANSSON (SWE) at 5:18.

European champion Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT) scored with a trip in the first period and added a single-leg takedown in the second and eased her way to a 5-1 win over Monika MICHALIK (POL) and the othef bronze medal.

GOLD: Yuliya TKACH (UKR) df. Elena Sergey PIROZHKOVA (USA), 4-2 
BRONZE: Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT) df. Monika Ewa MICHALIK (POL), 5-1 
BRONZE: Valeriia LAZINSKAYA (RUS) df. Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) by TF, 12-0 

Semifinal: Elena Sergey PIROZHKOVA (USA) df. Monika Ewa MICHALIK (POL), 3-0  
Semifinal: Yuliya TKACH (UKR) df. Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) by FALL, 7-1

Greco- Roman

75kg – Julfalakyan converted in par terre with a pair of low lifts to gut wrenches for a 4-0 win over Neven ZUGAJ (CRO). Despite the loss, Zugaj, with bronze medals in 2010 and 2011, became Croatia’s first silver medalist in the world championships.

In the bronze medal bouts, Andrew BISEK (USA) converted a par terre chance with a tilt, gut wrench and a back-arching throw for a technical fall over Hiroyuki SHIMIZU (JPN), 8-0, at 2:35.

Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) received a penalty point late in the other bronze medal bout for a 1-1 win on criteria over Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO).

GOLD: Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) v. Neven ZUGAJ (CRO), 4-0
BRONZE: Andrew Thomas BISEK (USA) df. Hiroyuki SHIMIZU (JPN) by TF, 8-0 
BRONZE: Elvin MURSALIYEV (AZE) df. Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO), 1-1 

Semifinal: Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) df. Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (GEO), 1-0  
Semifinal: Neven ZUGAJ (CRO) df. Hiroyuki SHIMIZU (JPN), 2-0  

85kg - Noumonvi dropped Saman TAHMASEBI (AZE) to his back from a go-behind attempt in the first period and then fought off a strong gut wrench attempt in the second. A challenge from the Azerbaijan corner resulted in another point for Noumonvi in a 3-0 victory.

For the bronze medals, European champion Zhan BELENYUK (UKR) took advantage of his par terre chance in the second period with a pair of gut wrenches for a 3-0 win over Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER).

Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) won a bronze medal for a second straight year with a pair of gut wrenches against Kristofer JOHANSSON (SWE) and a 3-0 win.

GOLD: Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) df. Saman TEHMASEBI (AZE), 3-0
BRONZE: Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) df. Kristofer Alf Ragnar JOHANSSON (SWE), 3-0
BRONZE: Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) df. Ramsin AZIZSIR (GER), 3-0

Semifinal: Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA) df. Viktor LORINCZ (HUN), 1-0  
Semifinal: Saman TEHMASEBI (AZE) df. Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) by DQ, 4-0