Olympic Games preview in men's freestyle at 65 kg/143 lbs.
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Frank Molinaro of the USA, shown at the 2016 World Cup, has a number of recent wins over athletes expected in the Olympic field.
Date of competition: Sunday, August 21
If there is a wide open weight class in men’s freestyle in Rio, it could be the 65 kg battle. There has been a different World champion all three years of the Olympic cycle so far, with a talented group behind them pushing hard. With no strong favorite, everybody in the field believes they can win.
The last three World champions were Frank Chimizo of Italy (2015), Soslan Ramonov of Russia (2014) and David Safaryan of Armenia (2013), all who are in the field. Also add in 2012 Olympic champion Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan for good measure.
Chimizo won a World bronze medal for Cuba in 2010, and left after the 2011 World Championships. He started competing for Italy in 2013. A gold at the European U23 Championships in 2015 and a silver at the 2015 European Games were stepping stones to his 2015 World gold medal in Las Vegas. Chamizo added a 2016 European title to his collection.
Ramonov won a World gold in 2014 and a World bronze in 2015, and captured the Russian Nationals in 2016. He also boasts a 2015 World Military Games gold medal.
Safaryan won his World title in 2013, and has not medalled the last two World meets. He was one of the athletes who ended up achieving an Olympic berth, when positive drug tests knocked out some athletes and UWW shuffled the qualifiers. He was a 2012 Olympian, with a 2013 European title and a Junior World silver from 2009.
Asgarov has successfully moved up in weight during his career. He was a 2010 World silver medalist at 55 kg. He won his 2012 Olympic gold medal at 60 kg. Now competing at 65 kg, he was a 2015 European Games champion there and placed fifth at the 2015 World Championships.
India’s Yogeshwar Dutt, a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist at 60 kg, will be competing in his fourth Olympic Games. Dutt moved up in weight, won the 2014 Asian Games, and qualified for the Olympics with a win at the Asian Olympic Qualifier.
Add in a bunch of past World medalists to this mix. Mongolia’s Mandakhnaran Ganzorig won World bronze medals in 2013 and 2014, and was fifth in the 2015 Worlds. He also boasts a World Military gold medal and an Asian Games title. Sayed Mohammadi of Iran was a 2014 World silver medalist and 2015 World bronze medalist, and a 2014 Asian champion. Yakup Gor of Turkey won a 2014 World silver medal at 2015 World bronze medal up at 70 kg, and has dropped in weight to qualify down at 65 kg.
Two of the top medal hopefuls are wrestling for new nations. Two-time Olympian and 2007 World bronze medalist Sahit Prizeni of Albania is now competing for Australia, and qualified through the African/Oceania Olympic Qualifier. Adam Batirov won a 2003 Junior World silver medal and a 2011 European bronze medal for Russia. After taking fifth in the 2011 Worlds for Russia, Batirov was out of the sport for five years, coming back to win an Asian title and a victory at the 1st World Olympic Qualifier in Mongolia for Bahrain.
2011 World silver medalist Franklin Gomez of Puerto Rico is among three NCAA finalists in the field, joined by Borislav Novachkov of Bulgaria and Frank Molinaro of the USA. Gomez, who graduated high school in Florida and won an NCAA title for Michigan State, is in his second Olympics for Puerto Rico. Novachkov, a high school star in California and NCAA runner-up for Cal Poly, has been in two World meets for Bulgaria.
Molinaro, who won his NCAA title for Penn State, was a No. 9 seed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. A 2016 Pan American champion, in his recent events, Molinaro has beaten some of the top athletes and been competitive with the others.
Canada’s Haislan Garcia is wrestling in his third Olympic Games. Three-time Pan American champion Alejandro Valdes of Cub won the Pan American Olympic Qualifier. China’s Katal Yeerlanbieke’s best finish was his silver at the Asian Olympic Qualifier and a bronze at the 2014 Asian Games. Zurabi Iakobishvili of Georgia was fifth at the 2016 European Championships. Amas Daniel of Nigeria has four African titles and won the African/Oceania Olympic qualifier.
UWW added back two qualifiers after the IOC gave its interpretation of how to handle positive tests for meldonium, Magamedmurat Gadhziev of Poland and Andriy Kviatkovsky of Ukraine. Gadzhiev had won the European Olympic Qualifier and Kviatovsky was second, and were stripped after testing for meldonium. After a later IOC test level was established, they were both cleared and UWW put them back into the Olympics, but did not take away the spots that were given to the United States and Armenia during the reshuffling in May.
PROJECTED OLYMPIC GAMES FIELD
Armenia - Devid Safaryan (World No. 17)
Australia - Sahit Prizreni
Azerbaijan - Toghrul Asgarov (World No. 7)
Bahrain - Adam Batirov (World No. 2 at 70kg)
Bulgaria - Borislav Novachkov (World No. 8)
Canada - Haislan Garcia
China - Katai Yeerlanbieke (World No. 16)
Cuba - Alejandro Valdes (World No. 11)
Georgia - Zurabi Iakobishvili (World No. 13)
India - Yogeshwar Dutt (World No. 9)
Iran - Seyedahmad Mohammadi (World No. 12) or Meysam Nasiri (World No. 5)
Italy - Frank Chamizo (World No. 1)
Mongolia - Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (World No. 15)
Nigeria - Amas Daniel
Poland – Magamedmurat Gadziev
Puerto Rico - Franklin Gomez (World No. 10)
Russia - Soslan Ramonov (World No. 2)
Turkey - Yakup Gor (World No. 3 at 70kg)
Ukraine – Andriy Kviatkovsky
United States - Frank Molinaro (World No. 18)
Uzbekistan - Ikhtiyor Navruzov (World No. 6)
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS
2105 World Championships
65 kg/143 lbs. - Gold – Frank Chamizo Marquez (Italy); Silver – Ikhtiyor Navruzov (Uzbekistan); Bronze – Soslan Ramonov (Russia); Bronze – Sayed Mohammadi (Iran); 5th – Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (Mongolia); 5th – Toghrul Asgarov (Azerbaijan); 7th – Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (Poland); 8th – George Bucur (Romania); 9th – Avtandil Kentchadze (Georgia); 10th – Brent Metcalf (United States)
2014 World Championships
65 kg/143 lbs. - Gold – Soslan Ramonov (Russia); Silver – Seyed Mohammadi (Iran); Bronze – Mandakhnara Ganzorig (Mongolia); Bronze – Mihail Sava (Moldova); 5th – Azamat Nurkykau (Belarus); 5th – Mustafa Kaya (Turkey); 7th – Daichi Takatani (Japan); 8th – Franklin Gomez (Puerto Rico); 9th – George Burcur (Romania); 10th – Magomed Muslimov (Azerbaijan)
2013 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Gold – David Safaryan (Armenia); Silver – Livan Lopez (Cuba); Bronze – Magomed Kurbanaliev (Russia); Bronze – Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (Mongolia); 5th – Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia); 5th - Jin Hyok Kang (Korea); 7th - Saba Bolaghi (Germany); 8th - Haislan Garcia (Canada); 9th - Takahiro Inoue (Japan); 10th - Alexandr Kontoyev (Belarus)
2012 Olympic Games
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Gold – Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (Japan); Silver – Sushil Kumar (India); Bronze – Akhzurek Tantarov (Kazakhstan); Bronze – Livan Lopez (Cuba); 5th – Ramazan Sahin (Turkey); 5th – Jabrayil Hasanov (Azerbaijan); 7th – Haislan Garcia (Canada); 8th – David Safaryan (Armenia); 9th – Ikhtiyor Nazruzov (Uzbekistan); 10th – Ali Shabanov (Belarus)
2011 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Gold – Mehdi Taghavi (Iran); Silver – Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (Japan); Bronze – Jabrayil Hasanov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Livan Lopez Azcuy (Cuba); 5th – Leonid Bazin (Bulgaria); 5th – Adam Batirov (Russia); 7th – Innokenti Innokentev (Kyrgyzstan); 8th – Jakub Kacenak (Slovakia); 9th – Andriy Stadnik (Ukraine); 10th – Vladimir Gotisan (Moldova)
2010 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Gold – Sushil Kumar (India); Silver – Alan Gogaev (Russia); Bronze – Jabrayil Hasanov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Geandry Garzon (Cuba); 5th – Batzorig Buyanjav (Mongolia); 5th – Haislan Garcia (Canada); 7th – Heinrich Barnes (South Africa); 8th – Martin Daum (Germany); 9th – Yuri Poliak (Israel); 10th – Akzhurek Tantarov (Kazakhstan)
2009 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Gold – Mehdi Taghavi (Iran); Silver – Rasul Djukaev (Russia); Bronze – Leonid Spiridonov (Kazakhstan); Bronze – Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (Japan); 5th – Muhammed Ilkhan (Turkey); 5th – Sushil Kumar (India); 7th – Jabrayli Hasanov (Azerbaijan); 8th – Andriy Stadnik (Ukraine); 9th – Chung Song Yang (North Korea); 10th – Purevjav Unurbat (Mongolia)
Date of competition: Sunday, August 21
If there is a wide open weight class in men’s freestyle in Rio, it could be the 65 kg battle. There has been a different World champion all three years of the Olympic cycle so far, with a talented group behind them pushing hard. With no strong favorite, everybody in the field believes they can win.
The last three World champions were Frank Chimizo of Italy (2015), Soslan Ramonov of Russia (2014) and David Safaryan of Armenia (2013), all who are in the field. Also add in 2012 Olympic champion Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan for good measure.
Chimizo won a World bronze medal for Cuba in 2010, and left after the 2011 World Championships. He started competing for Italy in 2013. A gold at the European U23 Championships in 2015 and a silver at the 2015 European Games were stepping stones to his 2015 World gold medal in Las Vegas. Chamizo added a 2016 European title to his collection.
Ramonov won a World gold in 2014 and a World bronze in 2015, and captured the Russian Nationals in 2016. He also boasts a 2015 World Military Games gold medal.
Safaryan won his World title in 2013, and has not medalled the last two World meets. He was one of the athletes who ended up achieving an Olympic berth, when positive drug tests knocked out some athletes and UWW shuffled the qualifiers. He was a 2012 Olympian, with a 2013 European title and a Junior World silver from 2009.
Asgarov has successfully moved up in weight during his career. He was a 2010 World silver medalist at 55 kg. He won his 2012 Olympic gold medal at 60 kg. Now competing at 65 kg, he was a 2015 European Games champion there and placed fifth at the 2015 World Championships.
India’s Yogeshwar Dutt, a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist at 60 kg, will be competing in his fourth Olympic Games. Dutt moved up in weight, won the 2014 Asian Games, and qualified for the Olympics with a win at the Asian Olympic Qualifier.
Add in a bunch of past World medalists to this mix. Mongolia’s Mandakhnaran Ganzorig won World bronze medals in 2013 and 2014, and was fifth in the 2015 Worlds. He also boasts a World Military gold medal and an Asian Games title. Sayed Mohammadi of Iran was a 2014 World silver medalist and 2015 World bronze medalist, and a 2014 Asian champion. Yakup Gor of Turkey won a 2014 World silver medal at 2015 World bronze medal up at 70 kg, and has dropped in weight to qualify down at 65 kg.
Two of the top medal hopefuls are wrestling for new nations. Two-time Olympian and 2007 World bronze medalist Sahit Prizeni of Albania is now competing for Australia, and qualified through the African/Oceania Olympic Qualifier. Adam Batirov won a 2003 Junior World silver medal and a 2011 European bronze medal for Russia. After taking fifth in the 2011 Worlds for Russia, Batirov was out of the sport for five years, coming back to win an Asian title and a victory at the 1st World Olympic Qualifier in Mongolia for Bahrain.
2011 World silver medalist Franklin Gomez of Puerto Rico is among three NCAA finalists in the field, joined by Borislav Novachkov of Bulgaria and Frank Molinaro of the USA. Gomez, who graduated high school in Florida and won an NCAA title for Michigan State, is in his second Olympics for Puerto Rico. Novachkov, a high school star in California and NCAA runner-up for Cal Poly, has been in two World meets for Bulgaria.
Molinaro, who won his NCAA title for Penn State, was a No. 9 seed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. A 2016 Pan American champion, in his recent events, Molinaro has beaten some of the top athletes and been competitive with the others.
Canada’s Haislan Garcia is wrestling in his third Olympic Games. Three-time Pan American champion Alejandro Valdes of Cub won the Pan American Olympic Qualifier. China’s Katal Yeerlanbieke’s best finish was his silver at the Asian Olympic Qualifier and a bronze at the 2014 Asian Games. Zurabi Iakobishvili of Georgia was fifth at the 2016 European Championships. Amas Daniel of Nigeria has four African titles and won the African/Oceania Olympic qualifier.
UWW added back two qualifiers after the IOC gave its interpretation of how to handle positive tests for meldonium, Magamedmurat Gadhziev of Poland and Andriy Kviatkovsky of Ukraine. Gadzhiev had won the European Olympic Qualifier and Kviatovsky was second, and were stripped after testing for meldonium. After a later IOC test level was established, they were both cleared and UWW put them back into the Olympics, but did not take away the spots that were given to the United States and Armenia during the reshuffling in May.
PROJECTED OLYMPIC GAMES FIELD
Armenia - Devid Safaryan (World No. 17)
Australia - Sahit Prizreni
Azerbaijan - Toghrul Asgarov (World No. 7)
Bahrain - Adam Batirov (World No. 2 at 70kg)
Bulgaria - Borislav Novachkov (World No. 8)
Canada - Haislan Garcia
China - Katai Yeerlanbieke (World No. 16)
Cuba - Alejandro Valdes (World No. 11)
Georgia - Zurabi Iakobishvili (World No. 13)
India - Yogeshwar Dutt (World No. 9)
Iran - Seyedahmad Mohammadi (World No. 12) or Meysam Nasiri (World No. 5)
Italy - Frank Chamizo (World No. 1)
Mongolia - Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (World No. 15)
Nigeria - Amas Daniel
Poland – Magamedmurat Gadziev
Puerto Rico - Franklin Gomez (World No. 10)
Russia - Soslan Ramonov (World No. 2)
Turkey - Yakup Gor (World No. 3 at 70kg)
Ukraine – Andriy Kviatkovsky
United States - Frank Molinaro (World No. 18)
Uzbekistan - Ikhtiyor Navruzov (World No. 6)
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS
2105 World Championships
65 kg/143 lbs. - Gold – Frank Chamizo Marquez (Italy); Silver – Ikhtiyor Navruzov (Uzbekistan); Bronze – Soslan Ramonov (Russia); Bronze – Sayed Mohammadi (Iran); 5th – Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (Mongolia); 5th – Toghrul Asgarov (Azerbaijan); 7th – Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (Poland); 8th – George Bucur (Romania); 9th – Avtandil Kentchadze (Georgia); 10th – Brent Metcalf (United States)
2014 World Championships
65 kg/143 lbs. - Gold – Soslan Ramonov (Russia); Silver – Seyed Mohammadi (Iran); Bronze – Mandakhnara Ganzorig (Mongolia); Bronze – Mihail Sava (Moldova); 5th – Azamat Nurkykau (Belarus); 5th – Mustafa Kaya (Turkey); 7th – Daichi Takatani (Japan); 8th – Franklin Gomez (Puerto Rico); 9th – George Burcur (Romania); 10th – Magomed Muslimov (Azerbaijan)
2013 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Gold – David Safaryan (Armenia); Silver – Livan Lopez (Cuba); Bronze – Magomed Kurbanaliev (Russia); Bronze – Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (Mongolia); 5th – Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia); 5th - Jin Hyok Kang (Korea); 7th - Saba Bolaghi (Germany); 8th - Haislan Garcia (Canada); 9th - Takahiro Inoue (Japan); 10th - Alexandr Kontoyev (Belarus)
2012 Olympic Games
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Gold – Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (Japan); Silver – Sushil Kumar (India); Bronze – Akhzurek Tantarov (Kazakhstan); Bronze – Livan Lopez (Cuba); 5th – Ramazan Sahin (Turkey); 5th – Jabrayil Hasanov (Azerbaijan); 7th – Haislan Garcia (Canada); 8th – David Safaryan (Armenia); 9th – Ikhtiyor Nazruzov (Uzbekistan); 10th – Ali Shabanov (Belarus)
2011 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Gold – Mehdi Taghavi (Iran); Silver – Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (Japan); Bronze – Jabrayil Hasanov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Livan Lopez Azcuy (Cuba); 5th – Leonid Bazin (Bulgaria); 5th – Adam Batirov (Russia); 7th – Innokenti Innokentev (Kyrgyzstan); 8th – Jakub Kacenak (Slovakia); 9th – Andriy Stadnik (Ukraine); 10th – Vladimir Gotisan (Moldova)
2010 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Gold – Sushil Kumar (India); Silver – Alan Gogaev (Russia); Bronze – Jabrayil Hasanov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Geandry Garzon (Cuba); 5th – Batzorig Buyanjav (Mongolia); 5th – Haislan Garcia (Canada); 7th – Heinrich Barnes (South Africa); 8th – Martin Daum (Germany); 9th – Yuri Poliak (Israel); 10th – Akzhurek Tantarov (Kazakhstan)
2009 World Championships
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Gold – Mehdi Taghavi (Iran); Silver – Rasul Djukaev (Russia); Bronze – Leonid Spiridonov (Kazakhstan); Bronze – Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (Japan); 5th – Muhammed Ilkhan (Turkey); 5th – Sushil Kumar (India); 7th – Jabrayli Hasanov (Azerbaijan); 8th – Andriy Stadnik (Ukraine); 9th – Chung Song Yang (North Korea); 10th – Purevjav Unurbat (Mongolia)
