The 2019 World Wrestling Championships were held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan from 14 September to 22 September 2019. In men’s freestyle, Kyle Dake and J’den Cox repeated as World champions, while Jordan Burroughs mirrored his performance from 2018 by earning bronze after losing to Zaurbek Sidakov, now a two-time champion. TIP: Start at 2:25 on the video.
Up from 92 kg, World and Olympic champion Sharif Sharifov showed off an extremely impressive counter and reattack game against a fellow gold medal collector. However, Ravi’s pace eventually wore down the Armenian, and the young Indian wrestler put a stamp on his comeback with dominance, setting up his fantastic medal run.
Kazakhstan’s Sanayev (a native Russian) was hit with passivity and put back on the shot clock, with the score tied and short time remaining. The Russian delegation (staffed by Dagestanis and Ossetians) won six out of ten weights, putting seven in the finals. After finding himself in a hole, Retherford pushed his signature pace and clearly fatigued the talented Cuban, pushing him to his absolute limits. This one literally comes down to the final ten seconds.
Mongolian sparkplug Erdenebat battles back from an enormous deficit to stay alive in Nur-Sultan.
Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB). While most American freestyle wrestlers did not place, there were no “bad” losses, and newer members of the team showed promise. After hanging with the four-time World medalist, Amine matched the veteran on passivity points before exploding on a crucial shot when his opponent least expected it. Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB). After a slick, dominant first period, 2016 non-Olympic World silver Lomtadze probably thought he could cruise to an easy win. After trailing early, Kyle Snyder mounts a dominant comeback against a legitimately talented and credentialed wrestler in Ibragimov. A competitive, high-scoring match between two ranked wrestlers, need I say more? Now that you’ve seen both Kurbanov and Grigoryan in action, watch them go to war with each other for a spot in the semis opposite Kyle Dake. One other match worth checking out for pure entertainment: Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR) df. World Championship Winners 2019. This one took a few years off the lives of many American fans, what an absolute nail-biter.
The most incredible story was 2016 Olympic champion Ismael Borrero defeating four World champions on his way to a title. Oddly enough, Nika’s brother Avtandil, the returning silver medalist, was also pinned. Zavur UGUEV (RUS) df.
Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) df. Muhamad IKROMOV (TJK).
Artur NAIFONOV (RUS). In his third straight knockdown, drag-out match, Gadzhiyev pulls out a win vs. the two-time World bronze medalist. It was a great moment for women’s wrestling when seven different nations were represented on top of the podium, with only the United States and Russia capturing multiple championships. Male – 74 kg welterweight – Dinu Buchalet.
Haji ALIYEV (AZE). Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) df. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) df. After losing to Amiraslanov at this year’s European Games, Uguev exacted his revenge. Takuto OTOGURO (JPN). Hosted in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, the 2019 World Wrestling Championships saw a few compelling storylines play out in men’s freestyle. TIP: Start at 2:02 on the video. Male – 68 kg lightweight – Brett Hawthorn. The unconventional coach and motivator isn’t having a good week. For Gadzhiyev’s late scoring maneuver alone, this is worth watching. Mayweather would accept a lot of money to beat someone he’s already comfortably beaten. This one hurt as a Otoguro fan, but Rashidov played it perfectly, demonstrating outstanding positioning to hold a small lead and capitalizing when Otoguro opened up. Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB). They’re even more rare when they’re in a match between the clear #1 and #2 wrestlers represented at the weight. Grigor GRIGORYAN (ARM) df. While this was a heartbreaker for American fans supporting Snyder and international fans who wanted to see “Snyderlaev” part three, the technique on display is can’t-miss.
Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR).
Reza Ahmadali ATRINAGHARCHI (IRI) df. The rest of the 97 kg fun in the tournament was provided by one Kyle Snyder. 872 competitors from 95 nations participated. As it often does in matches at this level, the result came down to close calls in the final seconds. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) df. Check out some of the most exciting and interesting wrestling matches of 2019 Worlds. While less of a back-and-forth battle than the score suggests, this match was fun as hell. Male – 82 kg middleweight – John Hathaway. Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) df. TIP: Watch just the second period. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) df. Fatih ERDIN (TUR).
Hard-fought finishes and high-paced scrambles defined the final four minutes of this high-stakes match. Feeling the pressure of Yazdanicharati, the promising Ossetian Naifonov attempted to roll through on a tight whizzer to counter, but ended up putting himself in a dire situation.
Alejandro VALDES TOBIER (CUB) df. Rahul Balasaheb AWARE (IND). He’d already lost to the Azeri twice, it was a rough draw for this early on in the bracket. Rahul Balasaheb AWARE (IND) df. Taimuraz FRIEV NASKIDAEVA (ESP) df. Azamat NURYKAU (BLR). At The Snake Pit, we believe in honouring all involved and in 2019 we particularly focused on coaches who had attended with their fighters and each coach was presented with an award to thank them for their dedication and commitment. While their sixth place finish may not turn heads, India had a fantastic tournament.
After looking frankly brilliant in sprinting flurries to score early, Musukaev showed off his signature move - getting really tired. They even put two wrestlers in the men’s freestyle finals. Bahman Mohammad TEYMOURI (IRI). Demonstrating creativity and theatrical ability, Muskaev found himself repeated breaks in the action, or “lung timeouts\lungers” as the wrestling world knows them.
Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR). As I said, pins are rare at the World Championships. Titans clash criminally early in a matchup between a perennial title threat and a decorated champion.
Alexander SEMISOROW (GER). [1], The tournament served as qualification for the 2020 Summer Olympics, the top six wrestlers from each category earned their NOCs a qualification.[2]. Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL). Rassul KALIYEV (KAZ). With the controversy aside, this match featured flurries and scrambles that were frankly incredible. If he did not score in 30 seconds, the match would likely go to Atli.
Two medal contenders are pit against one another in the very first round of the tournament. Zain Allen RETHERFORD (USA). Khadzhimurad GADZHIYEV (AZE) df. Premier Suite – The University of Bolton Stadium, De Havilland Way, Bolton, BL6 6SF, Female 63 kg featherweight – Olga McGlinchey, Male – 68 kg lightweight – Brett Hawthorn, Male – 74 kg welterweight – Dinu Buchalet, Male – 82 kg middleweight – John Hathaway, Challenge Match – John Hathaway v Nathaniel Brown – winner John Hathaway, Best Female Wrestler of the Night – Olga McGlinchey – Arthur Silcock Trophy, Best Male Wrestler of the Night – John Hathaway – Ian Bromley Trophy. A sleeper pick to medal at 57 kg, Harutyunyan showed why he was highly ranked at 61 kg when he took it to U23 World medalist Ravi Kumar early on. Greco-Roman held its own points of interest, points that the gentlemen at Five Point Move are much more qualified to speak to than I am. After feeling each other out for most of the first period, high-level flurries and razor-close scrambles ensue. It took some time for Baev to crack the armor of the defensively solid, albeit boring, Dagestani.