BUDAPEST, Hungary (March 29) -- Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) may have broken his infamous curse of fizzling out in the second period of the bout.
What fans witnessed Tuesday was a different Muszukajev who not only ended Hungary's 19-year wait for a freestyle European champion, he destroyed two-time Olympic medalist Haji ALIYEV (AZE) with a 12-1 victory in the 65kg final.
For long, Muszukajev has been an unpopular wrestler for his second-period conditioning. Many of his losses have been a result of him not being able to match the pace of his opponents. In one of those losses, he was up 9-0 at the break.
So when he set up a final against Aliyev at the European Championships in Budapest, a similar fate was expected -- Muszukajev would give up after the initial burst.
"I didn’t expect that score," Muszukajev said. "The opponent is really good and last time it was really difficult to win. This time I was in a better shape, after the Olympics I got down to training straight away and I was mentally preparing for the European Championships."
Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) ended Hungary's 19-year wait for a gold medal at the European Championships. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)
Muszukajev was referring to their semifinal bout at the 2020 Individual World Cup which he won 7-6. He had built a 6-1 lead in that semifinal but Aliyev mounted a comeback with three takedowns and leveled it 6-6 with five seconds remaining. A tired Muszukajev somehow managed to hold on for the win.
Just over a year later, the stakes had changed. Aliyev was now a two-time Olympic medalist while the Hungary wrestler was becoming a flash in the pan after his 2019 World bronze medalist.
Before the final, Aliyev was warming up with his coach while Muszukajev was zen-like in the warm-up room. As the announcers called for their names, Azerbaijan fans let out a loud cheer to welcome their three-time world champion. But seconds later, the local Hungary fans with their vuvuzelas made the atmosphere electric.
As he waited for Muszukajev to reach the mat, Aliyev jogged around, making it obvious that he is ready for the final. Muszukajev sprinted to the center.
It was all going according to Aliyev's game plan of keeping Muszukajev busy with hand-fighting and not allowing him to get to his legs. The referees called the Hungary wrestler passive. Aliyev got the first point.
From there on, it was a flashback to the Belgrade final. A funky Muszukajev moved around on his knees trying to find an opening. He finally got one in the third minute when he scored a takedown after getting to the far ankle of Aliyev when the two were involved in a hip-to-hip position. He stayed low and worked a leg lace to build a 6-1 lead at the break.
Aliyev needed to get going from the word go in the second period and he got a takedown but the referee penalized him for a singlet-pull. When he got another takedown, the referee once again cautioned him for another singlet-pull. Muszukajev now led 8-1 with 1:40 remaining.
"I don't know how my mind was working," Aliyev said as he stared at the empty warm-up hall. "But such is wrestling. I can't explain what happened."
Aliyev's desperation had reached a level where he tried to trip Muszukajev but the Hungary wrestler sent Aliyev to his back to get the four points and the technical superiority win.
"You can never know how much you score," he said. "I was mentally preparing for the match because you never know what to expect, you’re just focusing on the win, so to not lose even a position."
Outscoring his opponents 33-1 in Budapest, Muszukajev has once again put himself in the mix of top wrestlers at the deepest weight category in the world. While he could not win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics after losing the bronze medal bout to the then world champion Gazdhimurad RASHIDOV (RWF), he still has the ambition to win a Games medal.
"I was definitely going for gold at the Olympics. Since I had many different injuries I couldn’t perform in my best shape," he said.
But just seven months later, he is now a European champion in Hungary, ending the 21-year wait for the host nation. Hungary last had a European champion in 2003 when Arpad RITTER (HUN) won the gold at 74kg.
"I didn’t know that it hadn’t happened for 21 years," he said. "I knew it was quite a while. I am glad I could make Hungarian fans happy."
Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) gave Azerbaijan the first gold medal of the '22 European Championships. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)
Historic wins
The result was reversed in the other Hungary-Azerbaijan final. At 97kg, Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) wrestled Vladislav BAITSAEV (HUN) in the summit clash and used two four-point throws in his 11-5 win. That result gave Azerbaijan its first gold of the night, the only out of the four finals its wrestlers were competing in.
"I have wrestled Baitsaev before," Magomedov said. "I understood his wrestling and thankfully I was able to win my first gold."
Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), red, defeated Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE) in the 79kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)
In two other historic finals, Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) became Greece's first-ever freestyle European champion after he won the 79kg gold while Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) won the 57kg gold to end North Macedonia's 23-year wait for gold at the continental championships.
Two weeks earlier, Kougioumtsidis had won the U23 European Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and was unsure of participating in the senior event. But after the perusal of his father and trainer, he accepted the challenge.
"They told me that this experience can help me later in my career," Kougioumtsidis said. "I am so proud and happy to be my country's first-ever gold medalist."
He wrestled Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE) in the final and began with a takedown and added a gut-wrench. A step-out helped him lead 5-0 at the break.
But after the first minute of the second period, he struggled to keep up with the pace of Ashirov and was taken down on the edge. A head-pinch exposure cut his lead to 5-4. In the final 10 seconds, Ashirov went for another head-pinch and got the two points but was also held to his back to give up two. That helped the Greece wrestler win 7-6.
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) celebrates with his coach after winning the 57kg gold. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)
In the 57kg final, Egorov had U23 world champion Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) and began with a takedown. That was the only action in the first period and he led 2-0 at the break. But the second period saw him come out with an arm-trap and he scored six straight points to lead 8-0.
Rzazade did try to make it interesting with six points in the second period but the bout was not as close as the 8-6 scoreline suggests.
Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) won his first gold at the European Championships. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)
At 70kg, 2017 world champion Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) captured his first-ever European title when he defeated Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) in the final, 2-1. All three points in the bouts were non-action ones.
"I had the gold medal of the Worlds but not a European gold," Iakobishvili said. "That's why I came here to Hungary and I am happy I’ve won it.
"In 2017, it was the first time I wrestled at a World Championships. Back then I was much happier since it was my first time winning the world title."
The remaining five freestyle gold medals will be decided Wednesday with Taha AKGUL (TUR) and Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) wrestling for the top medal at 125kg.
Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) will have a chance to avenge his last year's loss to Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) as the two meet in the 74kg final.
Women's wrestling also begins Wednesday with 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg and 76kg.
Results
Day 2 Medal Bouts
57kg
GOLD: Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) df Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE), 8-6
BRONZE: Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM) df Niklas STECHELE (GER), 6-2
BRONZE: Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO) df Mikyay NAIM (BUL), 11-0
65kg
GOLD: Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) df Haji ALIYEV (AZE), 12-1
BRONZE: Munir AKTAS (TUR) df Maxim SACULTAN (MDA), via fall
BRONZE: Islam DUDAEV (ALB) df Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL), 5-0
70kg
GOLD: Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) df Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM), 2-1
BRONZE: Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) df Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL), via fall
BRONZE: Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA) df Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR), via fall
79kg
GOLD: Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) df Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE), 7-6
BRONZE: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) df Arman AVAGYAN (ARM), 9-7
BRONZE: Alans AMIROVS (LAT) df Muhammet AKDENIZ (TUR), via inj. def.
97kg
GOLD: Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) df Vladislav BAITSAEV (HUN), 11-5
BRONZE: Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK) df Erik THIELE (GER), 7-0
BRONZE: Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) df Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO), 4-2
Day 2 Semifinals
61kg
GOLD: Suleyman ATLI (TUR) vs Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)
SF 1: Suleyman ATLI (TUR) df Georgi VANGELOV (BUL), 6-3
SF 2: Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df Eduard GRIGOREV (POL), 13-8
74kg
GOLD: Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) vs Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)
SF 1: Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) df Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM), 7-1
SF 2: Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE), 8-2
86kg
GOLD: Myles AMINE (SMR) vs Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
SF 1: Myles AMINE (SMR) df Osman GOCEN (TUR), 6-6
SF 2: Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) df Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL), 3-1
92kg
GOLD: Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) vs Ahmed BATAEV (BUL)
SF 1: Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) df Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 5-2
SF 2: Ahmed BATAEV (BUL) df Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), 4-4
125kg
GOLD: Taha AKGUL (TUR) vs Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)
SF 1: Taha AKGUL (TUR) df Daniel LIGETI (HUN), 10-0
SF 2: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) df Robert BARAN (POL), 2-1
