Reviewing Russian National results along with Russia sweeping the Junior European Championships. Also looking at updated World rankings, Maroulis' special wrestle-off, and the 2018 Junior Pan-American Championships.
1. Russia’s #Budapest2018 Team Nearly Set
Russian Nationals wrapped up this past weekend and eight of the ten spots on Russia’s #Budapest2018 team were locked up.
Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS), the three-time world and Olympic champion bumped up to 97kg after winning the 92kg European title and defeated Vladislav BAITSAEV (RUS), 8-1 to win the Russian 97kg #Budapest2018 spot.
Sadulaev’s win potentially sets up the rematch from last year’s World Championship finals with the three-time world and Olympic champion Kyle SNYDER (USA).
As mentioned above, eight of ten weight classes were locked up. The two weight classes that are still up for grabs are 61kg and 65kg.
Gadshimurad RASHIDOV (RUS) (61kg) and Ilyas BEKBULATOV (RUS) (65kg) were relieved from participating at Russian Nationals and will compete alongside Russian National champions Magomedrasul IDRISOV and Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) at the final Ranking Series event, the Ziolkowski (Poland Open) on September 7-9.
The highest placer in these two weight classes at the Ziolkowski (Poland Open) will represent Russia at the 2018 World Championships.
RESULTS
57kg - Z. UGUEV df. K. DONDUK-OOL, 7-1
61kg – M. IDRISOV df. I. MUSUKAEV, 5-3
65kg - A. CHAKAEV df. B. GOYGEREEV, 2-2
70kg – M. GAZIMAGOMEDOV df. A. SAT, 9-0
74kg - Z. SIDAKOV df. K. TSABOLOV, 2-2
79kg - A. GADZHIMAGOMEDOV df. K. SUYUNCHEV, 3-2
86kg - D. KURUGLIEV df. A. NAIFONOV, 2-1
92kg – B. TSAKULOV df. A. URISHEV, 7-5
97kg - A. SADULAEV df. V. BAITSAEV, 8-1
125kg – A. KHIZRIEV df. M. KUSHKOV, 4-4
2. Maroulis and Hedrick Wrestle-off Scheduled for October 6
Helen MAROULIS (USA), the three-time world and Olympic champion will wrestle Alex HEDRICK (USA) on October 6 in a Final X special wrestle-off to determine who will represent the United States at 57kg in October’s World Championships.
The best-of-three series was originally scheduled for June 23 but had to be rescheduled due to an undisclosed Maroulis injury.
If Maroulis is victorious, it’ll be her thirteenth time (age-level and senior-level) representing the United States at a World Championship or Olympic Games.
3. New Freestyle and Greco-Roman Rankings Released
United World Wrestling released the August 2018 Ranking Series for Freestyle and Greco-Roman.
Two-time world champion Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) rose four spots to No.1 at 74kg in the August 2018 Ranking Series for freestyle wrestling after capturing a gold medal at the Yasar Dogu with a criteria victory (10-10) over returning world champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), avenging a loss from May.
Also of note, Russia leads the pack with four wrestlers ranked No.1 in freestyle while no other country has multiple top-ranked wrestlers.
In Greco-Roman, Islam ABBASOV (AZE), Riza KAYAALP (TUR) and Kazbek KILOV (BLR) were the three new No. 1-ranked wrestlers.
Three-time world champion Riza Kayaalp (TUR) moved to No.1 at 130kg after claiming a gold medal in the final Ranking Series event for Greco-Roman wrestling.
Kayaalp, who climbed from No.5 in the rankings last month, won a gold medal at the Vehbi Emre with a 2-1 victory over Kiryl HRYSHCHANKA (BLR). It was Kayaalp's sixth Vehbi Emre title. Earlier this year he won his eighth European title.
Full Freestyle Rankings
Full Greco-Roman Rankings
Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) captured his fourth age-level European gold medal (Photo Max-Rose Fyne)
4. Russia Rolls Over European Competition, Sweeps Team Race
Russia, on the back three-time age-level world champion and most dominant Junior in the world, Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) captured thirteen individual Junior European gold medals, while also obtaining team titles in freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling.
Freestyle Results
Greco-Roman Results
Women’s Wrestling Results
5. Pan-American Championships Begin Next Week
Fortaleza, Brazil is poised to host the 2018 Junior Pan-American Championships which takes place August 17-19.
Greco-Roman wrestling will kick off the championships at the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste on Friday and will be followed by women’s wrestling (Friday) and freestyle (Saturday).
Weekly FIVE! In Social Media
1. Big Move Monday! #ActiveWrestling #GrecoRomanWrestling#wrestling #georgian #wrestler LOMADZE Iuri
#takedown #throw #suplex #mma#mixedmartialarts @georgian__wrestling
2. Snyder won the first round.
If these two meet at the #Budapest2018World Championships, who do you think wins? @sadulaev_abdulrashid or @snyderman45 ? ⬇️ COMMENT ⬇️
3. Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.
4. Big Move from Last Day of the Junior European C'Ships #Rome2018!
5. Team Russia celebrates behind the scenes!! 🇷🇺🇷🇺🏅 -
