To Our Friends in Wrestling Around the world

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

By William May
（Japan Amateur Wrestling Federation, Public Information Committee
Kyodo World Services, senior sports writer：wmay52@hotmail.com）

ALBIEV ADDS WORLD TITLE TO OLYMPIC, EURO CROWNS



HERNING, Denmark (September 26) ? Olympic champion Islam-Bek Albiev (RUS) turn away a challenge from Olympic bronze medalist Nurbakyt Tengizbayev (KAZ) in the semifinals and went on to win the 60kg title at the senior wrestling world championships in Herning. Albiev defeated veteran Dilshod Aripov (UZB) in the gold medal final at the Messecenter Herning to claim his first senior world title to go along with last year’s Olympic gold medal and the European championship crown he won in the spring.

Tengizbayev, meanwhile, won one of the bronze medals along with Vitaliy Rahimov (AZE). Rahimov was the silver medalist at the Beijing Games behind Albiev. Albiev’s hard-fought over Tengizbayev was a small payback for a loss suffered at the 2007 world championships where Albiev had to settle for eighth place.

At 96kg, Olympic champion Aslanbek Khushtov (RUS) appeared to be plagued by mental errors in his semifinal match with Jimmy Lidberg (SWE) and was stunned with a 2-1 loss. Against Lidberg, Khushtov was on the bottom, then top, then bottom again in a scramble in the first period which was eventually scored 2-2, 2-2. Lidberg took the period on last point criteria.

After drawing even with the second, Khushtov appeared overly eager to take control of the match in the third period, but stepped out of bounds twice as he charged hard into an evasive Lidberg. Khushtov rebounded for the bronze medal, while Lidberg was turned in the final 30 seconds of the championship match giving the gold medal to Balazs Kiss (HUN).

At 84kg, Nazmi Avluca won his second senior world title with a big lift and turn against Melonin Noumonvi (FRA), who was wrestling in his first final at a major FILA event. The 32-year-old Avluca won his first world title in 1999. Athens Olympic champion and defending world champion Alexej Mishin stepped out of bounds inadvertently in the third period of his first round match with Habibolla Akhlaghi (IRI) and could not make up for the lost point against the Golden Grand Prix winner.

Mishin was eliminated from medal contention when Akhlaghi lost in the semifinals to Nuomonvi, assigning the Russian star to a tie for 22nd place.

Men’s Greco-Roman

60kg (36 entries)
F1 ? Islam-Beka Albiev (RUS) df. Dilshod Aripov (UZB), 2-0 (1-0, 3-0)
F3 ? Nurbakyt Tengizbayev (KAZ) df. Davor Stefanek (SRB), 2-0 (1-0, 2-0)
F3 ? Vitaliy Rahimov (AZE) df. Soner Sucu (TUR), 2-1 (0-2, 2-0, 0-1)
SF ? Albiev (RUS) df. Tengizbayev (KAZ), 2-1 (1x-1=last, 0-3, 1-0)
SF ? Aripov (UZB) df. Rahimov (AZE), 2-1 (0-1, 1-0, 2-0)


84kg (33 entries)
F1 ? Nazmi Avluca (TUR) df. Melonin Noumonvi (FRA), 2-0 (1-0, 3-0)
F3 ? Habibollah Akhlaghi (IRI) df. Badri Khasaia (GEO), 2-0 (1-0, 2-0)
F3 ? Pablo Shorey (CUB) df. Shalva Gadabadze (AZE), 2-1 (1-0, 0-2, 1-0)
SF ? Noumonvi (FRA) df. Akhlaghi (IRI), 2-0 (2-0, 3-0)
SF ? Avluca (TUR) df. Gadabadze (AZE), 2-0 (2-0, 1-0)


96kg (34 entries)
F1 ? Balazs Kiss (HUN) df. Jimmy Lidberg (SWE), 2-1 (0-1, 1-0, 2-0)
F3 ? Amir Ali Akbari (IRI) df. David Saldadze (UZB), 2-0 ( 1-0, 3-2)
F3 ? Aslanbek Khushtov (RUS) df. Sergiy Yeroshkin (UKR), 2-0 (1-0, 6-0)
SF ? Kiss (HUN) df. Ali Akbari (IRI), 2-1 (0-1, 5-0, 1-0)
SF ? Lidberg (SWE) df. Khushtov (RUS), 2-1 (5-4, 0-3, 2-0)

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