America is happy, but the Russian did not raise his head at the award ceremony. Results of the 2nd day of the World Wrestling Championship
Batraz Tomaev September 18, 2023, 08:45 Moscow time
We still have no victories in Belgrade. But they are planned.
Silver is not your level.
On the first medal day of the 2023 World Wrestling Championships, which began in Belgrade (Serbia), the greatest attention of Russian fans was focused on the final in the weight category up to 61 kg. There Abasgadzhi Magomedov fought with the American Vitaly Orudzhev.
The fight was intense, to say the least. The two discarded challenges (one from each side) speak for themselves. I was also impressed by the emotions of the US fans, who were in the stands at Stark Arena with their babies. Doting American mothers knew the fight would not be silent: they put headphones on their children. Advanced, what else!
On the canvas – 10:9 in favor of the representative of the United States. For Orudzhev, this victory was the first and so far the most important of his career. But the silver for Magomedov after the Oslo 2021 championship can hardly be considered a great success. Abasgadzhi did not even raise his head at the award ceremony. I’m not happy, which means there is room for improvement. Or rather, you can go up to Olympic weight up to 57 kg.
Magomedov’s fight continued until there was blood:
Until the first blood. The Russian wrestler unfortunately lost to the American in the final of the World Championship
At this weight, by the way, unexpectedly for everyone, the current Olympic champion Zaur Uguev could not reach the semifinals. It would seem that the legitimate owner of this category in the duel with the 2022 World Cup bronze medalist, Serbian Stevan Micic, lost in the last seconds. The result is 7:9.
However, Uguev can still correct his mistakes in the consolation tournament: he has a chance to even reach the bronze medal. And then the Olympic license will be in your pocket and the Russian fans will cheer up. Unfortunately, heavyweight Abdulla Kurbanov was unable to compete for bronze. In the weight category up to 125 kg, the Russian fighter lost ahead of schedule to the American Mason Parris.
However, in the battle for Paris 2024, Kurbanov did not leave Hungarian Daniel Ligeti any chance, defeating his opponent 8:3. And this with the deafening support of the Hungarian fans. They remained in the stands until late, but to no avail.
Russian against American: dream ending
Russian fans followed Zaurbek Sidakov’s performances in the weight category up to 74 kg with some excitement. Already from the qualifying phase it was clear that it would not be easy for the Olympic champion: a controversial decision by the judges, a cut on the eyebrow and a bandaged performance. But the result was more than encouraging. Sidakov is in shape and on the afternoon of September 18 he will play the final with his main rival, the American Kyle Dake. In Tokyo, remember that Sidakov took the gold, but Dake only took the bronze. Experts and fans rightly called this final a rehearsal for the 2024 Olympics. But both fighters still need to reach it. One thing is clear: Sidakov’s amazing self-confidence. This fighter knows exactly why he flew to Serbia.
Akhmed Usmanov gave us another final. In the final of the weight category up to 79 kg he will face Georgian Vladimir Gamkrelidze. Thus, today we will have two medals. The only question is: what dignity?
The conclusion is that for the Russian team last day was marked by a silver medal and three Olympic licenses.
But the Americans made a breakthrough: three golds on the first day. In addition to Vitaly Orudzhev, gold was achieved by Zane Rutherford (non-Olympic weight 80 kg) and David Taylor, three-time world champion up to 86 kg. Let’s not forget Mason Parris, who achieved bronze. So the American team made a strong bid for victory in the general classification.
The “Russian tank” is back in action!
The freestyle wrestlers have crossed the halfway point of the competitive program and the heavy artillery of the Russian team takes to the mat.
This is, of course, Abdulrashid Sadulaev, who today will begin his journey in the weight category up to 97 kg. The “Russian Tank” did not appear in major competitions for two years and during this time had only a few successful fights. It would be a mistake to speak with certainty of his unconditional victory. But I believe that the experience of the two-time Olympic champion has not disappeared.
Tomorrow Shamil Mamedov will begin his performances in the weight category up to 65 kg. For the 22-year-old freestyle wrestler, this is the first world championship of his career.
Don’t forget that women also start their tournament. The day before, the Russian Wrestling Federation (FSBR) announced the final composition. Today Ekaterina Poleshchuk and Anastasia Sidelnikova enter the fight.
The composition of the Russian women’s wrestling team for the 2023 World Cup: Up to 50 kilos. Polina Lukina Up to 53 kilos. Natalia Malysheva Up to 55 kilos. Ekaterina Poleshchuk Up to 57 kilos. Olga Khoroshavtseva Up to 59 kilos. Anastasia Sidelnikova Up to 62 kilos. Alina Kasabieva Up to 65 kilos. Valeria Dondupova Up to 68 kilos. Vusala Parfianovich Up to 72 kilos. Ksenia Burakova Up to 76 kilos. Rita Talismanova
Schedule of decisive battles on September 18:
17:45. Semifinals: freestyle wrestling (up to 65 and 97 kg), women’s wrestling (up to 55 and 59 kg); 7:00 p.m. Finals: wrestling (up to 57, 74, 79, 92 kg), including fights for the fifth Olympic license (up to 57 and 74 kg).