Beijing Olympic Games

Updated: 2008-08-19 18:56:31

Mavlet Batirov kisses the gold medal. (Photo credit: Li Gang/Xinhua)

Russia’s Mavlet Batirov defeated Vasyl Fedoryshyn of Ukraine to win the gold medal in the men’s freestyle wrestling 60kg category at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday.

The bronze medals went to Iran’s Seyedmorad Mohammadi and Yumoto Kenichi of Japan.

Mavlet Batirov (2nd L), Vasvl Fedoryshyn (1st L), Kenichi Yumoto (2nd R) and Seyedmorad Mohammadi (Photo credit: Lu Mingxiang/Xinhua)
Vasvl Fedoryshyn (in red) wrestles with Mavlet Batirov. (Photo credit: Lu Mingxiang/Xinhua)
Mavlet Batirov celebrates his victory. (Photo credit: Lu Mingxiang/Xinhua)

Updated: 2008-08-19 18:37:00

Henry Cejudo poses with his medal. (Photo credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Henry Cejudo of the United States won the gold medal in the Men’s Freestyle Wrestling 55kg class at the Beijing Olympic Games here on Tuesday.

Cejudo defeated Japanese Matsunaga Tomohiro by points in the final.

Matsunaga took the silver medal, Besik Kudukhov of Russia and Radoslav Velikov of Bulgaria shared the bronze medals.

Henry Cejudo (2nd L), Matsunaga Tomohiro (1st L), Radoslav Velikov (2nd R) and Besik Kudukhov (Photo credit: Lu Mingxiang/Xinhua)
Henry Cejudo (in red) wrestles with Matsunaga Tomohiro. (Photo credit: Lu Mingxiang/Xinhua)
Henry Cejudo celebrates his victory. (Photo credit: Lu Mingxiang/Xinhua)
Henry Cejudo celebrates his victory. (Photo credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Updated: 2008-08-19 18:26:42

(BEIJING, August 19) — Iranian wrestler Seyedmorad Mohammadi beat Zelimkhan Huseynov of Azerbaijan 2-0, 3-1 to win a bronze in the Men’s Freestyle Wrestling 60 kilogram weight class on Tuesday, August 19.

In the first period both wrestlers went scoreless, but Mohammadi took two points within six seconds of the 30-second tie-breaking clinch. In the second period, Mohammadi won 3-1 in the first two minutes.

The Iranian wrestler won the gold medal in this weight class at the 2006 World Championship, and followed his silver in the 2007 Asian Championship with a bronze in 2008.

Updated: 2008-08-19 18:25:03

(BEIJING, August 19) — Japan’s Yumoto Kenichi won his Men’s Freestyle Wrestling 60 kilogram bronze bout against Kyrgyzstan’s Bazar Bazarguruev on August 19.

Both wrestlers failed to score in the first two minutes of the first period, leading to a 30-second clinch during which Yumoto scored one point and thus won the period. Yumoto did even better in the second period, sealing it within the first two minutes 2-0.

This is 23-year-old Yumoto’s best senior achievement. Before that, he only took a bronze medal in the 2004 Asian Championships among all major international competitions he attended.

The result is disappointing for 2007 Asian champion Bazarguruev, who took a bronze medal in the 2007 World Championships.

Updated: 2008-08-19 18:23:23

(BEIJING, August 19) — Henry Cejudo of the United States claimed gold in the Men’s Freestyle Wrestling 55 kilogram class after beating Japan’s Matsunaga Tomohiro 2-2, 3-0 on Tuesday, August 19.

Henry Cejudo of US celebrates victory. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

US wrestlers have won silver medals in the 55kg category in three of the last four Olympics. The 2004 medalist, Stephen Abas, was defeated by 20-year-old Cejudo in the final at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Cejudo got his start in Olympic level wrestling by helping Women’s Wrestling 48kg bronze medalist Patricia Miranda train before the 2004 Games. In 2007, Cejudo won his second straight national title, his first Pan-American Games gold medal, and went to his first World Championship where he was knocked out in the first round.

Twenty-eight-year-old Matsunaga is the 2008 Asian champion.

Updated: 2008-08-19 17:41:46

(BEIJING, August 19) — Besik Kudukhov of Russia defeated Dilshod Mansurov of Uzbekistan to claim bronze in the Men’s Freestyle 55 kilogram Wrestling weight class on Tuesday, August 19.

Kudukhov, freshly crowned in last year’s World Championship in Baku, took it home 1-0, 2-0 in two straight periods, ending Besik’s medal hopes.

Updated: 2008-08-19 17:33:46

(BEIJING, August 19) — Bulgaria’s Radoslav Velikov took a bronze medal in Men’s Freestyle Wrestling 55 kilogram on Tuesday, August 19 after defeating Azerbaijan’s Namig Sevdimov in a close encounter.

Velikov is one of the elite wrestlers in this category. The 24-year-old was the world champion in 2006. Also 24, Sevdimov’s best record was a gold medal in the 2008 Golden Grand Prix.

Both wrestlers started the bout conservatively. After the scoreless first two minutes, Sevdimov was given the chance to attack in the clinch and took the first period 2-0. However, Velikov recovered in the second period and won it by a 3-point takedown near the end of the two minutes. In the deciding period, Velikov scored an early point and successfully held this minor lead to the end.

This is the third wrestling medal won by Bulgaria in this tournament.