News and Notes: Greco-Roman Wrestling 85kg and 130kg Final Session

By United World Wrestling Press

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6:46: Mijain LOPEZ NUNEZ (CUB) made a strong statement in the final match of Day 2 of the Olympic Games wrestling competition by shutting out two-time world champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR) 6-0 to capture his third straight Olympic title. He becomes just the third three-time Olympic Greco-Roman champion ever. The Cuban super heavyweight wasted little time, picking up a four-point throw off a chest lock in the first 20 seconds of the match. A short time later he extended his lead to 5-0 with a step out point. Lopez would add a passivity point midway through the second period. After the match his Cuban coach ran onto the mat to celebrate with Lopez. 

6:32: Sergey SEMENOV (RUS), a two-time junior world champion, claimed his first senior world level medal by defeating two-time world champion Heiki NABI (EST) 6-0 in the bronze-medal match at 130kg. After four minutes of scoreless wrestling, Semenov scored the first point off a passivity call, then executed a high amplitude five-point throw to take a commanding lead, and held off Nabi for the rest of the match. 

6:17: Sabah SHARIATI (AZE) came out strong in the first bronze-medal match at 130kg, earning a fall in 1:46 over Eduard POPP (GER). Shariati scored with a gut wrench to go up 2-0 and then was able to force Popp to his back and earn the first-period fall.

5:47: There will be a break now for the medal ceremony at 85kg before the medal matches at 130kg will be contested. 

5:42: Davit CHAKVETADZE (RUS) captured the gold medal with a convincing 9-2 victory over 2015 world champion Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) at 85kg. Beleniuk scored first with a gut wrench late in the first period to grab a 2-0 lead. But it was all Chakvetadze in the second period as he scored with a passivity point and then leg foul to take a 3-2 lead. He then extended his lead to 7-2 after a lift and leg foul. The Russian scored with two step out points late in the match to win by seven.

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5:26: Denis KUDLA (GER) won his first senior world-level medal after earning a junior world medal. The German topped two-time world bronze medalist Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) 3-3 in the second bronze-medal match at 85kg. Kudla scored his first two points off a penalty in the first period. Lorincz scored a takedown in the second period to make the score 2-2, and then added a passivity point to go up 3-2. Kudla, though, kept the pressure on and eventually was able to score a late passivity point of his own, which proved to be the difference in the match.

5:12: Javid HAMZATAU (BLR), a 2013 world bronze medalist, collected his first Olympic medal by defeating Nikolay Nikolaev BAYRYAKOV (BUL) 4-1 in the first bronze-medal match at 85kg. Hamzatau scored the first points off a two-point penalty (singlet grab) in the first period. He added a takedown late in the first period to lead 4-0. The Bulgarian would score his lone point in the second period off a passivity call.  

4:53: Denis KUDLA (GER), a past junior world silver medalist, edged world bronze medalist Habibolla AKHLAGHI (IRI) 1-1 to advance to the bronze-medal match against Viktor LORINCZ (HUN). After a scoreless first period, Akhlaghi scored the first point of the match off a passivity. Kudla, though, would earn the next point off passivity, which gave him the victory by scoring last.  

4:41: Nikolay Nikolaev BAYRYAKOV (BUL) topped Ahmed Mohamed Ibrahim SAAD (EGY) 2-1 to advance to the bronze-medal match at 85kg. After a scoreless first period, all three points were scored off passivity points in the final period. 

4:29: Heiki NABI (EST), a two-time world champ and Olympic silver medalist, shut out Olympic bronze medalist Johan Magnus EUREN (SWE) 3-0 to advance to the bronze-medal match at 130kg.  Nabi scored with a gut wrench midway through the first period to go up 2-0. He would add a passivity point in the second period.

4:17 Sabah SHARIATI (AZE) was dominant in earning an 8-0 technical fall over Erwin Jose CARABALLO CABRERA (VEN) in repechage at 130kg. Shariati used two throws in the first period, one for four points and another for two points, to race out to a 6-0 lead. He would close out the match in the second period with two points off step outs. 
 
4:07: World bronze medalist Habibollah Jomeh AKHLAGHI (IRI) edged three-time world medalist Saman Ahmed TAHMASEBI (AZE) in the first repechage at 85kg. The match was scoreless after the opening period. The Iranian scored the first point of the match off a passivity with just over two minutes remaining. A short time later Tahmasebi scored a point off a passivity to make it 1-1. Akhlaghi responded with a takedown to go up 3-1. Tahmasebi would add a passivity point with just over 30 seconds remaining, but wasn't able to get a turn.