Belarus Wrestles Well At Home

By Mike Riordan

Medved - Wrap

If you are going to call your wrestling tournament Medved, it better be tough.

The great Alexander Medved dominated the world of wrestling like few others in history, winning eight World Championships and three Olympic gold medals. Every year, the Belarusian capital of Minsk holds a wrestling tournament in the triple Olympic champion’s honor.

This year’s Medved gathered some of the best men’s and women’s freestyle wrestlers on the planet for a shot at 64,000 USA Dollars in prize-money, and the right to bear the name of one of the greatest athletes who ever stepped foot on a mat.

The men’s freestyle side of the competition at the Medved Prizes featured strong teams from Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and the United States, but no delegation fared as well as the host nation’s. Belarus claimed nine medals at this year’s tournament, three of which were gold.

Leading the way for the Belarussians with first-place finishes were Azamat NURYKAU (BLR), Ali SHABANAU (BLR) and Murad GAIDAROV (BLR). SHABANAU earned a bronze medal at 74 kg at the 2013 World Championships, and holds a FILA ranking of No. 4 in the world, while GAIDAROV finished fifth at last year’s World Championship and enjoys a rank of No. 6 in the world.

Meanwhile, in women’s freestyle, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus dominated the tournament, winning medal after medal. The women’s gold medal at the2014 Medved Prizes which did not originate from one of those three wrestling powerhouses came from Laura SKUJINA (LAT) at 63 kg.

Results for medal matches and semifinals at the 2014 Alexander Medved Prizes appear below.

Men’s Freestyle

57 kg

Gold: Khuresh-ool DONDUK-OOL (RUS) df. Berdakh PRIMBAYEV (KAZ) 7-0

Bronze: Dmitriy AKSENOV (RUS) df.  Petro BILEYCHYK (KAZ) 12-1

Bronze: Uladzislau ANDREYEU (BLR)  df.  Nodar ARABIDZE (RUS) 5-2

Semifinal: Berdakh PRIMBAYEV (KAZ) df. Petro BILEYCHYK (KAZ)   12-2

Semifinal: Khuresh-ool DONDUK-OOL (RUS) df. Nodar ARABIDZE (RUS)    11-8

61 kg

Gold: Sayatbek OKASSOV (KAZ) df. Nyurgun SKRYABIN (RUS) 13-7

Bronze: Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) df.  Shokan SHINGISSOV (KAZ) 12-2

Bronze: Bernard FUTRELL (USA) df. Egor PONOMAREV (RUS) 2-1

Semifinal: Nyurgun SKRYABIN (RUS) df. Shokan SHINGISSOV (KAZ) 4-1

Semifinal: Sayatbek OKASSOV (KAZ) df. Egor PONOMAREV (RUS) 10-0

65 kg

Gold: Azamat NURYKAU (BLR) df. Aliaksandr KONTOEV (BLR) 3-1

Bronze: Coskun SERVET (TUR) df. Ildus GINIIATULLIN (RUS) 4-2

Bronze: Amandyk BAKEYEV (KAZ) df. Chase PAMI (USA) 13-0

Semifinal: Azamat NURYKAU (BLR) df. Coskun SERVET (TUR) 11-6

Semifinal: Aliaksandr KONTOEV (BLR) df. Amandyk BAKEYEV (KAZ) 2-1

70 kg

Gold: Magomed GAZINAMAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. Kevin LEVALLEY (USA) 10-0

Bronze: Gor YAKUP (TUR) df. Anton AFANASYEU (BLR) 10-0

Bronze: Yusuf MUTALIEV (RUS) df. Husei SUJNCHEV (RUS) 12-2

Semifinal: Magomed GAZINAMAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. Gor YAKUP (TUR) 11-0

Semifinal: Kevin LEVALLEY (USA) df. Husei SUJNCHEV (RUS) 12-9

74 kg

Gold: Ali SHABANAU (BLR) df. Demirtas SONER (TUR)8-2

Bronze: David SUYNYUCHKHANOV (RUS) df. Saken AITZHANOV (KAZ) 4-0

Bronze: Zhiger ZAKIROV (KAZ) df. Khabib BATYROV (RUS) 4-0

Semifinal: Ali SHABANAU (BLR) df. David SUYNYUCHKHANOV (RUS) 6-0

Semifinal: Demirtas SONER (TUR) df. Zhiger ZAKIROV (KAZ) 12-1

86 kg

Gold: Murad GAIDAROV (BLR) df. Amarhajy MAHAMEDAU (BLR) 5-4

Bronze: Zelimkhan MINKAILOV (RUS) df. Magomed ZUBAIROV (RUS) Dft.

Bronze: Aslan KAHIDZE (KAZ) df. Jon READER (USA) Fall

Semifinal: Murad GAIDAROV (BLR) df. Aslan KAHIDZE (KAZ) 10-4

Semifinal: Amarhajy MAHAMEDAU (BLR) df. Julia PRONTSEVICH (RUS) 6-4

97 kg

Gold: Yildrim RIZA (TUR) df. Yusup DJALILAU (BLR) 10-6

Bronze: Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR) df. Islam KHUTSAEV (RUS) 10-0

Bronze: Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ) df. Valerii ANDRIITSEV (UKR) 4-3

Semifinal: Yusup DJALILAU (BLR) df. Islam KHUTSAEV (RUS) 6-2

Semifinal: Yildrim RIZA (TUR) df. Valerii ANDRIITSEV (UKR) 6-5

125 kg

Gold: Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR) df. Magomedgahzi NURASULOV (RUS) 12-2

Bronze: Zachary REY (USA) df. Daulet SHABANBAI (KAZ) 3-2

Bronze: Vadzim SHVEDAU (BLR) df.  Erzhan DYISENBEKOV (KAZ) 5-4

Semifinal: Magomedgahzi NURASULOV (RUS)  df. Daulet SHABANBAI (KAZ) 8-7

Semifinal: Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR) df. Erzhan DYISENBEKOV (KAZ) 10-0

Women’s Freestyle

48 kg

Gold: Tatyana AMANZHOL (KAZ) df. Alina MOREVA (RUS) 8-7

Bronze: Ekaterina POLESHCHUK (RUS) df.  Iryna RYBAK (UKR) 6-5

Bronze: Nataliya PULKOVSKA (UKR)  df.  Anzhelika VETOSHKINA (RUS) Dft.

Semifinal: Tatyana AMANZHOL (KAZ ) df. Iryna RYBAK (UKR)  12-1

Semifinal: Alina MOREVA (RUS)  df. Nataliya PULKOVSKA (UKR)   4-2

53 kg

Gold: Nadzeya SHUSHKO (BLR) df. Lilya HORISHNA (UKR) 4-0

Bronze: Iulia LEORDA (MDA) df.  Zhuldz ESHIMOVA (HUN) 7-0

Bronze: Anzhela DOROGAN (AZE) df. Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) 14-9

Semifinal: Lilya HORISHNA (UKR) df. Iulia LEORDA (MDA) Dft.

Semifinal: Nadzeya SHUSHKO (BLR) df. Anzhela DOROGAN (AZE) 5-0

55 kg

Gold: Zalina SIDAKOVA (BLR) df. Iryna HUSYAK (UKR) 8-2

Bronze: Oksana ASHIKHMINA (RUS) df. Katsiaryna HANCHAR (BLR) 4-1

Bronze: Irina KISEL (RUS) df. Natallia KAUZUNOVA (BLR) 12-2

Semifinal: Zalina SIDAKOVA (BLR) df. Katsiaryna HANCHAR (BLR) 12-8

Semifinal: Iryna HUSYAK (UKR) df. Irina KISEL (RUS) 5-1

58 kg

Gold: Ganna VASILENKO (UKR) df. Aizhan ISMAGULOVA (KAZ) 6-0

Bronze: Miruyet DUNBAEVA (KAZ) df. Oksana NAGORNYKH (RUS) 8-3

Bronze: Ekaterina BALDANOVA (RUS)

Semifinal: Ganna VASILENKO (UKR)  df. Ekaterina BALDANOVA (RUS) 6-0

Semifinal: Aizhan ISMAGULOVA (KAZ)  df. Miruyet DUNBAEVA (KAZ) 7-0

60 kg

Gold: Anastasiya HUCHOK (BLR) df. Irina NETREBA (AZE)3-1

Bronze: Oksana HERHEL (UKR) df. Vileria CHUYASHKOVA (BLR) 3-0

Bronze: Yuliya ALBOROVA (RUS) df. Indre BUBELYTE (LTU) 3-1

Semifinal: Anastasiya HUCHOK (BLR) df. Oksana HERHEL (UKR) 3-1

Semifinal: Irina NETREBA (AZE) df. Yuliya ALBOROVA (RUS) 3-1

63 kg

Gold: Laura SKUJINA (LAT) df. Yulia TKACH (UKR) 7-2

Bronze: Liubov OVCHAROVA (RUS) df. Maria ZAITSEVA (KAZ) Fall

Bronze: Julia PRONTSEVICH (RUS)

Semifinal: Laura SKUJINA (LAT) df. Liubov OVCHAROVA (RUS) 7-2

Semifinal: Yulia TKACH (UKR) df. Julia PRONTSEVICH (RUS) 10-0

69 kg

Gold: Alina MAKHYNIA (UKR) df. Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) 12-1

Bronze: Danute DOMIKITYTE (LTU) df. Krystsina FEDARASHKA (BLR) 4-1

Bronze: Ksenia BURAKOVA (RUS) df. Galina LEUCHANKA (BLR) 10-9

Semifinal: Alina MAKHYNIA (UKR) df. Danute DOMIKITYTE (LTU) 13-2

Semifinal: Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ)  df. Galina LEUCHANKA (BLR) 13-4

75 kg

Gold: Vasilisa MARZALIUK (BLR) df. Guzel MANYUROVA (KAZ) 6-0

Bronze: Natallia LANKO (BLR) df. Katsiaryna ALEKSEENAK (BLR) 11-0

Bronze: Kateryna BURMISTROVA (UKR) df.  Anzhela KATAEVA (RUS) 11-0

Semifinal: Vasilisa MARZALIUK (BLR) df. Katsiaryna ALEKSEENAK (BLR) 8-0

Semifinal: Guzel MANYUROVA (KAZ) df. Kateryna BURMISTROVA (UKR) 3-2