61 KG: Men's Freestyle 2019 World Championship Preview
Photo courtesy of Sachiko Hotaka/United World Wrestling
With returning World champion Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez having a less than stellar year, all signs would point to last year’s runner up, the uncrowned king Gadzhimurad Rashidov. However, perhaps in preparation for 2020, Rashidov has moved up to 65 kg.
With only one other medalist at 61 returning for 2019, the weight is set for a new batch of athletes to take over. While he’s had his hiccups, Russia’s Magomedrasul Idrisov appears to be “the guy”, finally freeing himself from under Rashidov.
Top UWW Seeds
Seeds are determined by points earned by winning bouts at United World Wrestling’s Ranking Series events, held throughout the year. The one and four seed will be on one side of the bracket, the two and three on the other. At the top are:
#1: Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB)
#2: Rahul BALASAHEB AWARE (IND)
#3: Beka LOMTADZE (GEO)
#4: Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU)
While these seeds are important for bracket structure, they do not necessarily reflect the actual standings of talent in the world. We’ll be referencing The Fight Site’s international rankings, compiled by Seth Petarra.
Title Contenders
The clear-cut top contender in the field is the U23 World champion, #1 Magomedrasul Idrisov. Considering Russia’s depth at the weight, whoever emerged from the cold Eastern European shark tank was going to be a heavy favorite to win at 61 kg.
Idrisov actually won a Russian national championship in 2018, but represented Russia at the U23 level instead, as standout elite Gadzhimurad Rashidov was selected for the senior team. On the way to his U23 World title, Idrisov defeated #14 Nikolai Okhlopkov and #15(57 kg) Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov.
Idrisov started 2019 with a bang, winning the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix. On his way to the title he took out Okhlopkov again as well as #2 Ramazan Ferzaliev. However, at the 2019 European Championship he was upset by #13 Recep Topal, who then lost to #7 Harutyunyan, eliminating Idrisov from the bracket. Idrisov also dropped one match at the 2019 Ali Aliev to #3 Zelimkhan Abakarov, and lost in the finals up at 65 kg in the City of Sassari Tournament.
All was right again at the 2019 Russian Nationals, Idrisov defeated #3 Abakarov and #2 Ferzaliev to claim his second title. At the 2019 Ziolkowski, Idrisov went undefeated to win gold, defeating #16 Tumenbileg in the finals.
With #7 Harutyunyan moving down to 57 kg, Georgia’s third seeded and #8 ranked Beka Lomtadze may have a shot at gold. Lomtadze first announced his presence as a medal threat in 2016, when he made it to the finals of the non-Olympic World Championship with a win over #9 Gvarzatilov.
Down at 57 kg himself, Lomtadze did not place at the 2017 World Championship, losing to #2(57 kg) Suleyman Atli. Lomtadze went back up in weight and took silver at the 2018 European Championship, losing only to Rashidov.
Things have been bumpy for Lomtadze since. He did not place at the 2018 Ziolkowski then took 5th at the 2018 World Championship after losing to Rashidov and #16 Tumenbileg. Lomtadze then won silver at the 2018 Alans.
In 2019, Lomtadze reached the finals of the European Championship, losing to Harutyunyan. He most recently won the Tbilisi Grand Prix over Gvarzatilov. With Rashidov and Harutyunyan missing from the weight, Lomtadze is a good shout for the finals, depending on where Idrisov is placed in the bracket.
We cannot forget to consider the returning World champion, #10 Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez. For insight into the ups and downs of Bonne’s incredible career, check out this in-depth breakdown with video and credentials for each opponent.
Bonne’s 2019 has been rough. He started the year by failing to place at a relatively lower-tier tournament in the Cerro Pelado. He lost to now #20 ranked Aktas at the World Cup, then took another tough loss in the 2019 Pan American Championship finals to the American Joe Colon, a 2018 bronze medalist. Bonne picked up his level a touch at the 2019 Ali Aliev, where he won bronze over #18 Rasul Kaliev after losing to #2 Abakarov.
Medal Contenders
The next highest ranked wrestler is #11 Behnam Ehsanpoor. A 2012 Junior World champion, it has taken some time for the Iranian to find his stride on the senior level. A 2016 World 5th finish was a sign of things to come, as Ehsanpoor beat a tough Daulet Niyazbekov to win a 2017 Asian Championship title. He did not place at 2017 Worlds, but has rebounded well in 2019, winning an Asian Championship title yet again.
Turkey’s #13 Recep Topal may have one of the best claims as a title contender this year, as he holds a win over #1 Idrisov. A 2018 Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov bronze medalist, Topal won 2018 European Championship bronze by defeating a World medalist in Vladimir Dubov, only losing to Rashidov. A loss to Joe Colon prevented Topal from placing at the 2019 Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov, but Topal made up for it and then some at the 2019 European Championship, defeating Magomedrasul Idrisov before falling to Harutyunyan.
A native of Russia now wrestling for Romania, #14 Nikolai Okhlopkov earned the fourth seed for 2019. After winning a 2018 U23 World bronze medal, Okhlopkov ran to a 2019 Ivan Yarygin silver medal, beating #15 Eduard Grigorev. Okhlopkov did not place at the 2019 Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov, but he took 5th at the European Championship, only losing to Topal and Harutyunyan. Okhlopkov has rattled off two straight tournament championships on his way to Nur-Sultan.
Mongolia’s #16 ranked Tuvshintulga Tumenbileg is the only returning medalist from 2018 other than champion Yowlys Bonne. A loss to Ismail Musukaev sent Tumenbileg to recover and win 2018 Yarygin bronze, setting up for his World run. At the 2018 World Championship, Tumenbileg #15(57 kg) Zholdoshbekov, lost a 2-1 match to Rashidov, and defeated #8 Lomtadze for bronze. His countryman Erdenbat, #8 at 57 kg, has troubled Tumenbileg, defeating him at the 2019 Ivan Yarygin and the Mongolia Open. Sticking to 61 kg, Tumenbileg made it to the finals of the 2019 Ziolkowski where he lost to Idrisov.
Competing in his home country of Kazakhstan, #18 Rasul Kaliev will have his nation on his shoulders at Worlds. A 2017 Intercontinental Cup bronze medalist, Kaliev broke out from the pack when he defeated World champion Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez at the 2018 World Cup. He lost to #12 Artem Gebek in the bronze medal match at the 2019 Ali Aliev, then beat #19 Aware for silver at the City of Sassari tournament. At the 2019 Ziolkowski, Kaliev won bronze.
Clawing his way to a number two seed, India’s #19 Rahul Aware will be a longshot to medal, even with his positioning in the bracket. Aware won bronze at the 2019 Asian Championship, but fell to take 4th at the City of Sassari tournament, where he did notch a win over a tough Iranian in Yakhkeshi. Aware’s best performance of the year was at the 2019 Yasar Dogu, where he defeated #20 Aktas and won gold.
Outside Threats and Dark Horses
An intriguing entry to the field is the young Japanese wrestler Kaiki Yamaguchi.
At the 2018 Japan Championship, Yamaguchi finished with silver behind World champion Yuki Takahashi. Still eligible, Yamaguchi competed at the 2019 Junior World Championship where he earned gold.
Not only did Yamaguchi win gold, he dominated, winning by technical fall in every match and outscoring his opposition 56-4.
The United States will be placing its hopes in Tyler Graff, who is making his first senior World Championship appearance. A four-time NCAA All-American and one-time finalist, the story of Graff’s career seemed to be that he consistently fell just short of domestic titles, despite being one of the best in the world.
Graff changed the narrative when he defeated World bronze medalist Joe Colon at Final X to make the team. Graff has since taken bronze at the 2019 Medved, his only loss coming to #12 Gebek.