Mason Parris after pinning Yusup Batirmurzaev of Kazakhstan in the 125 kg finals of the 2024 Polyak Imre and Varga Janos Memorial in Budapest, Hungary.
Parris pins for gold, Garrett earns bronze at Polyak Imre and Varga Janos Memorial
by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
BUDAPEST, Hungary – The dominance continued for 2024 U.S. Olympic Team member Mason Parris as he topped the heavyweight podium with a pristine 3-0 record on day one of the Polyak Imre and Varga Janos Memorial.
Slotted as the last contested match on Thursday evening at Budapest’s BOK Sport Hall, Parris wasted no time in the finals against Tokyo Olympian and U23 World bronze medalist Yusup Batirmurzaev of Kazakhstan.
Parris attempted a single leg to open the match, getting caught underneath momentarily. Batirmurzaev attempted to counter Parris’ shot with a double overhook tilt but was caught on his back and stuck at the 34-second mark.
The win is Parris’ second over Batirmurzaev in the past year. He put up an 11-0 technical fall over Batirmurzaev at the 2023 World Championships on his way to the bronze medal, his first Senior-level World medal. Parris also owns a U20 World title from 2019.
Since his remarkable performance in Belgrade, Serbia, last September, Parris has picked up four international medals. In addition to his title in Budapest, he earned gold at the Pan American Games and Pan American Championships, plus a bronze at the Zagreb Open. His only loss during this stretch came to four-time age-group World champion Amirreza Masoumi Valadi of Iran, 11-6.
Parris qualified to compete for Team USA at the upcoming Olympic Games by winning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in late April. He is among the favorites to earn the gold medal in Paris at 125 kg.
Nahshon Garrett picked up his first international medal of the year, bringing back a bronze medal at 61 kg thanks to a high-paced, 14-4, victory over Nika Zakashvili of Georgia. He finished with a 2-1 record on the day.
Garrett trailed Zakashvili 2-2 on criteria at the break but kept a high motor throughout the initial frame that paid dividends later on. He struck fast with a double leg takedown right off the whistle in the second period, adding a gut wrench from the top position, to take a 6-2 lead. Later in the period, he silenced Zakashvili with a pair of single leg trips, one converting for four points and the other for two points, to secure the technical fall.
In 2023, Garrett impressively earned three international medals—bronze at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix and Waclaw Ziolkowski Memorial at 61 kg, plus a silver from the prestigious Pan American Games at 65 kg. He competed at 65 kg, a level up from his more natural weight class of 61 kg, at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials where he went 3-2 and fell just short of U.S. National Team status.
Garrett’s Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club teammate Evan Henderson came up short in the 70 kg bronze medal match to round out the U.S. effort on day one of men’s freestyle. Points were hard to come by for Henderson in his final bout of the day, as he fell by technical fall, 14-4, to Akaki Kemertelidze of Georgia.
The Polyak Imre and Varga Janos Memorial will resume on Friday at 10 a.m. local time with the remaining men’s freestyle weights (74-86-92 kg) and the start of the women’s freestyle division (50-53-57-59-72 kg). Budapest, Hungary, is located six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.
The event is streaming live to the U.S. audience on FloWrestling.com. Updated brackets and results are available on UWW Arena.
This is the last UWW Ranking Series event of the season, giving athletes a final chance to up their ranking prior to the Olympic Games. For a complete breakdown of how the ranking points are awarded, visit UWW.org.
UWW Ranking Series: Polyak Imre and Varga Janos Memorial | June 6, Budapest Hungary
Men’s Freestyle Results
57 kg
Gold – Rei Higuchi (Japan)
Silver – Aman Aman (India)
Bronze – Aryan Tsiutryn (Individual Neutral Athlete)
Bronze – Almaz Smanbekov (Kyrgyzstan)
5th – Roberti Dingashvili (Georgia)
5th – Aliabbas Rzazade (Azerbaijan)
7th – Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan)
8th – Ali Momenijoujadeh (Iran)
9th – Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico)
Gold – Rei Higuchi (Japan) tech. fall Aman Aman (India), 11-1
Bronze – Aryan Tsiutryn (Individual Neutral Athlete) tech. fall Roberti Dingashvili (Georgia)
Bronze – Almaz Smanbekov (Kyrgyzstan) forfeit Aliabbas Rzazade (Azerbaijan)
61 kg
Gold – Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia)
Silver – Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)
Bronze – Nahshon Garrett (United States)
Bronze – Shahdad Khosravi Mardakheh (Iran)
5th – Nika Zakashvili (Georgia)
5th – Giorgi Goniashvili (Georgia)
7th – Gamal Mohamed (Egypt)
8th – Bekbolot Myrzanazar Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)
9th – Nils Leutert (Switzerland)
Gold – Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) dec. Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan), 4-1
Bronze – Nahshon Garrett (United States) tech. fall Nika Zakashvili (Georgia), 13-3
Bronze – Shahdad Khosravi Mardakheh (Iran) dec. Giorgi Goniashvili (Georgia), 8-0
65 kg
Gold – Kotaro Kiyooka (Japan)
Silver – Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi (Iran)
Bronze – Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
4th – Austin Gomez (Mexico)
5th – Ismail Musukaev (Hungary)
6th – Gyoergy Szilagy (Hungary)
Gold – Kotaro Kiyooka (Japan) dec. Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi (Iran), 12-8
Bronze – Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) dec. Austin Gomez (Mexico), 12-3
70 kg
Gold – Arman Andreasyan (Armenia)
Silver – Vazgen Tevanyan (Armenia)
Bronze – Akaki Kemertelidze (Georgia)
Bronze – Alibek Osmonov (Kyrgyzstan)
5th – Evan Henderson (United States)
5th – Edemi Bolkvadze (Georgia)
7th – Marcell Dely (Hungary)
8th – Mohammadali Amouzadkhalili (Iran)
Gold – Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) forfeit Vazgen Tevanyan (Armenia)
Bronze – Akaki Kemertelidze (Georgia) tech. fall Evan Henderson (United States), 14-4
Bronze – Alibek Osmonov (Kyrgyzstan) dec. Edemi Bolkvadze (Georgia), 3-3
79 kg
Gold – Otari Bagauri (Georgia)
Silver – Adel Panaeian (Iran)
Bronze – Akhsarbek Gulaev (Slovakia)
4th – Chems Fetairia (Algeria)
5th – Mihail Georgiev (Bulgaria)
6th – Piruzi Kvlividze (Georgia)
Gold – Otari Bagauri (Georgia) dec. Adel Panaeian (Iran), 6-5
Bronze – Akhsarbek Gulaev (Slovakia) forfeit Chems Fetairia (Algeria)
97 kg
Gold – Alisher Yergali (Kazakhstan)
Silver – Magomedkhan Magomedov (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Ibrahim Ciftci (Turkey)
Bronze – Rizabek Aitmukhan (Kazakhstan)
5th – Abolfazl Babaloo (Iran)
5th – Batyrbek Tsakulov (Slovakia)
7th – Zaur Beradze (Georgia)
8th – Mostafa Elders (Egypt)
9th – Richard Vegh (Hungary)
10th – Aliaksandr Hushtyn (Individual Neutral Athlete)
Gold – Alisher Yergali (Kazakhstan) forfeit Magomedkhan Magomedov (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Ibrahim Ciftci (Turkey) dec. Abolfazl Babaloo (Iran), 4-3
Bronze – Rizabek Aitmukhan (Kazakhstan) dec. Batyrbek Tsakulov (Slovakia), 4-2
125 kg
Gold – Mason Parris (United States)
Silver – Yusup Batirmurzaev (Kazakhstan)
Bronze – Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia)
Bronze – Geno Petriashvili (Georgia)
5th – Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico)
5th – Diaaeldin Abdelmottaleb (Egypt)
7th – Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Georgia)
8th – Georgi Ivanov (Bulgaria)
9th – Milan Korcsog (Hungary)
10th – Dzianis Khramiankou (Individual Neutral Athlete)
Gold – Mason Parris (United States) fall Yusup Batirmurzaev (Kazakhstan), 0:34
Bronze – Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia) tech. fall Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico), 11-0
Bronze – Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) tech. fall Diaaeldin Abdelmottaleb (Egypt), 10-0
U.S. Men’s Freestyle Results
61 kg – Nahshon Garrett (Bethlehem, Pa./Lehigh Valley WC/Titan Mercury WC), bronze
WIN Abdelhak Kherbache (Algeria), forfeit
LOSS Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan), fall, 4:58
WIN Nika Zakashvili (Georgia), tech. fall, 13-3
70 kg – Evan Henderson (Allentown, Pa./Lehigh Valley WC/Titan Mercury WC), 5th
LOSS Arman Andreasyan (Armenia), 9-2
LOSS Akaki Kemertelidze (Georgia), tech. fall, 14-4
125 kg – Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Ind./Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC), gold
WIN Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia), 9-2
WIN Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico), 10-0
WIN Yusup Batirmurzaev (Kazakhstan), fall, 0:34