HARD REFRESH TO UPDATE PAGE
last updated Jan 29th, 09:05am EST
Thank you Timur Badmaev for video!
SCHEDULE (Eastern Standard Time)
Jan 25, 23:00pm-57-61-70 prelims
Jan 26, 05:00am-57-61-70 semis
Jan 26, 22:30pm-57-61-70 repechage
Jan 26, 22:30pm-65-79-125 prelims
Jan 27, 05:00am-65-79-125 semis
Jan 27, 05:30am-57-61-70 medals
Jan 27, 23:00pm-65-79-125 repechage
Jan 27, 23:00pm-74-86-92-97 prelims
Jan 28, 05:00am-74-86-92-97 semis
Jan 28, 05:30am-65-79-125 medals
Jan 28, 23:00pm-74-86-92-97 repechage
Jan 29, 00:30am-74-86-92-97 medals
Ivan Yarygin Memorial (Иван Ярыгин) is one of the toughest international events outside of the World Championships and Olympic Games, dominated by Republic National Team athletes.
Two time Olympic Gold, four time World Gold Yarygin was tragically killed in a car accident in 1997. The event honored in his namesake takes place in Krasnoyarsk Siberia Russia, where he had lived for many years.
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MEN'S FREESTYLE 57KG- January 25 prelims 23:00pm EST; January 26 1/2 finals 05:00am EST; January 26 repechage 22:30pm EST; January 27 Medal Rounds 05:30am EST.
(Dagestan National Teammates Zaur Uguev battled Ahmed Idrisov in finals)
57kg Preview/Prediction: It is great to see Olympic Champion Zaur Uguev back competing on home soil and first time at Yarygin since 2018. 2022 Yarygin Bronze Musa Mekhtikhanov is set for a potential 1/2 final with Uguev, but he will have to go thru 2019 Yarygin Gold Muslim Sadulaev and last year's winner Ramiz Gamzatov.
On the otherside of the bracket is Nachyn Mongush who was leading Uguev 6-2 at the Russian Olympic Trials. He has U20 North Ossetian Superstar Artem Gobaev in the qualification round. Not only will Mongush need to get thru young Gobaev, but he will have to most likely defeat Amir Chamzyn in the 1/4 finals before meeting one of Previous Yarygin Gold and Euro Champion from North Ossetia National Team Azmat Tuskaev who draws Dagestan's Ahmed Idrisov in the prelims, last year's finalist.
57KG UPDATES: As expected, Uguev defeated Magomed Abdurakhmanov 9-6 but with some scary moments (see video below) in the 1/4 finals and then Ramiz Gamzatov dropped a respectable 4-0 bout to Uguev in the 1/2 finals. On the bottom half, Nachyn Mongush defeated young Artem Gobaev before a surprise loss to Artur Chebodaev 9-7 in the 1/4 finals. Chebodaev lost to Akhmed Idrisov in the 1/2 finals. Idrisov avenged 2 prior losses to Azmat Tuskaev, the last 2 he suffered at 57 dating back to 2020 Yargin.
57KG FINAL RECAP: Zaur Uguev v Ahmed Idrisov-GOLD Uguev polished off a victory over Idrisov with a takedown within the last 10 seconds to make the score 4-1. Defending Champion Ramiz Gamzatoz held off Ramazan Abdurakhimov while Azmat Tuskaev took out Artur Chebodaev for the two bronze medals.
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MEN'S FREESTYLE 61KG- January 25 prelims 23:00pm EST; January 26 1/2 finals 05:00am EST; January 26 repechage 22:30pm EST; January 27 Medal Rounds 05:30am EST.
(Muslim Mekhtikhanov squares off against Tuvshintulga Tumenbileg in the finals)
61kg Preview/Prediction: World Champion Abasgadzhi Magomedov of Dagestan is back and has competed a healthy amount in 2022, but surprisingly not at 65kg in preparation for Paris Olympics. On the otherside of the bracket is U20 World Bronze Fedor Baltuev who took Abas to the brink in last year's Yarygin finals. Basir Magomedov faced Abas twice last year and lost 8-3 and 4-0 and may see him again in the 1/2 finals.
Last year's Yarygin Bronze Abdurakhman Rasulov of Iskra National Team Dagestan could meet Baltuev in the 1/4 finals. Chechen Abubakar Mutaliev may do battle with Russian Nationals Bronze Cherman Tavitov in the 1/4 finals before potentially meeting Baltuev.
Disappointed that Chechen Zelimkhan Abakarov who defeated Thomas Gilman in 57kg World Finals last year, will not be at Yarygin again (at 61kg).
61KG UPDATES: Last year's champion Abas takes out Mongush 17-6 in 1/4 finals but suffers another defeat, this time in 1/2 finals to Muslim Mekhtikhanov 4-4 (questionable call, see video below), who is having a great tournament. First he took out Takhtarov, then Basir Magomedov, then Damdinov, then Abas. On the bottom half of the bracket, Last year's other finalist Fedor Baltuev lost to Mongolia's Tuvshintulga Tumenbileg in the 1/4 finals. Tumenbileg edged Tavitov 2-2 in the 1/2 finals to make his first Yarygin Finals!
61KG FINAL RECAP: Muslim Mekhitikhanov v Tuvshintulga Tumenbileg-GOLD Mekhtikhanov had a great Yarygin run to the title, knocking off World Champion and before that 3 Russian National Bronze Medalists. Tumenbileg settles for silver to go with his World Bronze from 2018. For the bronze medals, Chermen Tavitov defeated Abdurakhman Rasulov and Abashadzhi Magomedov rebounds from semi final loss, defeating Bashir Magomedov once again.
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MEN'S FREESTYLE 65KG- January 26 prelims & 1/2 finals 23:30pm EST; January 27 repechage 23:00pm EST; January 28 Medal Rounds 06:00am EST.
(2x Yarygin winner Shamil Mamedov)
65kg Preview/Prediction: The return of Olympic Champion Gadzhimurad Rashidov looks to improve on a disappointing 2022 and take back the uncertainty of 65kg in Russia; not only did he not place at Russia Nationals, he lost decisively to last year's Yarygin Gold Shamil Mamedov at Spartakiad, who sits opposite on the bottom half of the bracket.
Russia National Finalist Gadzhimurad Omarov defeated Rashidov at Russia Nationals last summer and is set for potential 1/4 final collision, but possibly has ever dangerous Usman Shakhgiriyev in 1/8 finals.
Ibrahim Ibragimov was on a tear, winning Russia Nationals last summer but most recently lost to Mongolia's Tulga Tumur Ochir at PWL. He may have to deal with Chymba before reaching 1/2 finals where Mamedov looks to battle.
Last year's finalist Ramazan Ferzaliev may see North Ossetia's Alik Khadartsev and could rematch Mamedov in 1/4 finals.
65KG UPDATES: No real major upsets. Rashidov defeated Daniel Kharchilava in the semis and Mamedov pulled out a close victory with friend and teammate Ibragimov.
65KG FINAL RECAP: Gadzhimurad Rashidov v Shamil Mamedov- GOLD Mamemdov repeats as Yarygin champion, defeating Rashidov for second time in 6 months. Ibragimov and last year's finalist Ferzaliev did battle for bronze and Ibragimov prevailed. U20 World Champion Ramazan Bagavudinov fought valiantly, but dropped his bronze bout to Daniel Kharchilava.
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MEN'S FREESTYLE 70KG- January 25 prelims 23:00pm EST; January 26 1/2 finals 05:00am EST; January 26 repechage 22:30pm EST; January 27 Medal Rounds 05:30am EST.
(Inalbek Sheriev will meet crowd favorite Evgenni Zherbaev in finals)
70kg Preview/Prediction: The names remain and faces the same in the elusive non-Olympic weight. Buryatia's Evgenii Zherbaev sits atop the bracket with Kabardino-Balkaria's Anzor Zakuev (last year's finalist) on the bottom of the top half.
On the top of the bottom half is Kurban Shiraev who has competed very steadily, working his way up to 74kg. On the very bottom of the bottom half is ever so dangerous Israel Kasumov.
Akmed Chakaev is always a threat and was knocked out of Yarygin medal contention last year by Joey McKenna.
70KG UPDATES: Bottom half of this bracket shaken up with Kasumov and Shiraev losing to Inalbek Sheriev who just won the Khasavyurt tournament. Top half as expected had Evegeni Zherbaev emerge victorious from the 1/2 finals 13-2 against Anzor Zakuev. Surprise margin as I picked Zakuev to win as returning finalist.
70KG FINAL RECAP: Evgenii Zherbaev v Inalbek Sheriev-GOLD Zherbaev has not lost since 2021 Worlds where he won a bronze medal, yet demonstrated with tech fall over Sheriev that he is at the top of 70kg domestically where competition may well be tougher than Worlds. Yakutian Konstantin Kaprynov edged Anzor Zakuev while Kurban Shiraev (video below from 1/4 final) put an exclamation point with takedown in last 10 seconds to win over very competitive Israel Kasumov.
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MEN'S FREESTYLE 74KG- January 27 prelims & 1/2 finals 23:00pm EST; January 28 repechage 23:00pm EST; January 29 Medal Rounds 00:30am EST.
(Yarygin Medalists of 74kg)
74kg Preview/Prediction: Olympic Champion Zaurbek Sidakov of North Ossetia sits atop of the bracket and may meet fellow Ossetian Cherman Valiev in 1/2 finals.
Sidakov's last loss was to Iran's Ali Savadkouhi at 79kg. Savadkouhi's teammate Amirhossein Hosseini could threat in a 1/4 final bout.
The bottom half includes another familiar Ossetian in World Champion David Baev. Baev debuted at 74kg last year at Yarygin and was not very successful and looks to bounce back with potential 1/2 final against World Bronze Timur Bizhoev.
Unfortunately and disappointed to see Razambek Zhamalov missing. He has published that he is dealing with injury, but we have direct communication from Razambek that says otherwise...
74KG UPDATES: Sidakov and Valiev did battle in the semis and did not disappoint, 6-5 Sidakov on top. Valiev struck early but the clear distinction from last year's final with Jason Nolf was that he could not keep Sidakov off his legs. Bizhoev is always dangerous, holding high powered Baev offense scoreless.
74KG FINAL RECAP: Zaurbek Sidakov v Timur Bizhoev- GOLD Zaurbek Sidakov won his third Yarygin title in 5 tries and first since 2019. It was a low scoring affair with Bizhoev but anyone who understands the details of handfighting got a great treat. Chermen Valiev and David Baev joined their teammate Sidakov in a near all North Ossetia 74kg medal grab. Valiev defeated Alexander Baltuev and Baev was victorious over Magoma Dibrigadzhiev to take the bronze medals.
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MEN'S FREESTYLE 79KG- January 26 prelims & 1/2 finals 23:30pm EST; January 27 repechage 23:00pm EST; January 28 Medal Rounds 06:00am EST.
(Ahmed Usmanov set for a big year fast tracked by Yarygin Gold)
79kg Preview/Prediction: Radik Valiev tried his hand at 86kg, but is back down to his normal fighting weight, looking to defend his Yarygin title.
Akmed Usmanov of Dagestan is one of the strongest competitors at 79kg having 2020 Individual World Cup title and then a month later Yarygin title, but then he spiraled into a bunch of losses in the large portion of 2021. In 2022 however, he looks to have returned to top form, but will have to get thru veteran Nikita Suchkov who is always improving.
Notably missing here is Malik Shavaev who not only moved up to 86kg, but is nursing an injury as he communicated to us via text message. Olympic Finalist Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov also communicated to us through text text he will not participate at this Yarygin.
79KG UPDATES: Usmanov defeated World Bronze Radik Valiev for second time in last year to advance to the finals. Finalist favorite Nikita Suchkov dropped his semi final bout to Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev to make it an all Dagestan finals.
79KG FINAL RECAP: Ahmmed Usmanov v Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev-GOLD Friends who train together and even warmed up together just prior to doing battle, Usmanov comes out on top. Defending champion Radik Valiev held off Khalid Yahiev for bronze while Kabardino-Balkeria's Azret Ulimbashev breaks through to overcome veteran Nikita Suchkov for the other bronze medal.
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MEN'S FREESTYLE 86KG- January 27 prelims & 1/2 finals 23:00pm EST; January 28 repechage 23:00pm EST; January 29 Medal Rounds 00:30am EST.
86kg Preview/Prediction: The surprise absence of Olympic Bronze Artur Naifonov and defending 3x Yarygin Champion Dauren Kurugliev leaves the field wide open. Arkadzi Pahasian of Belarus is seeded 1 and last World medal was 2016 U17 bronze. Arsen-Ali Musalaliev recently defeat Malik Shavaev at Khasavyurt finals and may emerge champion.
86KG UPDATES: Khasavyurt Champion Musalaliev dropped his semi final bout to Arslan Bagaev while Ruslan Chertkoev defeated Zagidgadzhi Karimov to advance the the gold medal bout.
86KG FINAL RECAP: Arslan Bagaev v Ruslan Chertkoev-GOLD Chertkoev may have been the favorite here to win it, but Bagaev controlled the entire bout to earn his first Yarygin title. My friend Omar Ziyautdinov defeated another favorite Musalaliev for bronze and Arseny Dzhioyev won his first Yarygin medal over Karimov for bronze.
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MEN'S FREESTYLE 92KG- January 27 prelims & 1/2 finals 23:00pm EST; January 28 repechage 23:00pm EST; January 29 Medal Rounds 00:30am EST.
92kg Preview/Prediction: One of the smallest and possibly weaker weight classes as far as depth in Russia, but skill wise these guys are just as good as the others. Vladislav Valiev maybe a front runner here, having defeated Olympic Bronze and North Ossetian teammate Artur Naifonov. Azamat Zakuev of Kabardino-Balkaria did not place last year despite being a strong favorite. He is one of the most highly skilled coming out of this weight class.
92KG UPDATES: Valiev edged out Azamat Zakuev to advance to the finals. Alan Bagaev who placed last year earned his first trip to the finals defeating Tajudin Mukhtarov in his semi final bout.
92KG FINAL RECAP: Vladislav Valiev v Alan Bagaev-GOLD All North Ossetia final with Alan Bagaev prevailing, taking advantage of a visible hurt Valiev who may have broken his nose in his 1/4 final bout. Zakuev comes back to defeat Shamil Gadzhialiev while Khasavyurt Champion Ashab Saadulaev defeated Tajudin Mukhtarov for his bronze medal.
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MEN'S FREESTYLE 97KG- January 27 prelims & 1/2 finals 23:00pm EST; January 28 repechage 23:00pm EST; January 29 Medal Rounds 00:30am EST.
97kg Preview/Prediction: A pair of Olympic Champions will not be competing in defending champion Kyle Snyder and his friend and nemesis Abdulrashid Sadulaev.
97KG UPDATES: Magomed Kurbanov blows up the bracket, moving up from 92kg successfully, taking out Georgiy Dzhioev in the semis to earn a trip to the finals. Alikhan Zhabrailov, a favorite on paper defeated Igor Ovysannikov for his first finals appearance.
97KG FINAL RECAP: Alikhan Zhabrailov v Magomed Kurbanov-GOLD This one was fun to watch and hard to understand why both wrestlers did what they did near the end. It highlights the difference of western world wrestling (play the edge, disengage, ground action) versus real actual wrestling that engages to create action. Zhabrailov was losing 3-1 and scored with less than 20 seconds. The sequence started when Kurbanov reattacked Zhabrailov's flurry, seemingly to neutralize Zhabrailov. Kurbanov appeared to have no intention on finishing the attack, in which Zhabailov capitlized and scored 2 exposure points. Zhabrailov was ahead 3-3 on criteria and with less than 4 seconds left, Kurbanov faked a leg attack, snapped Zhabrailov into a chest locked and scored 2 exposure points. Maybe one of the most exciting gold medal bouts the entire tournament.
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MEN'S FREESTYLE 125KG- January 26 prelims & 1/2 finals 23:30 EST; January 27 repechage 23:00 EST; January 28 Medal Rounds 06:00 EST.
125kg Preview/Prediction: This weight class is constantly churning domestic contenders year after year, but no significant global results. Shamil Sharipov appeared to be the young talent out of Dagestan and see him training, but has seemed to virtually disappear from competition.
125KG UPDATES:
125KG FINAL RECAP:
PREDICTIONS: Returning finalist and unseeded Vitalii Goloev seeks his first Yarygin title against a familiar foe, Erik Dzhioev.