From September 14-22 Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan will host the World Wrestling Championship. The championship is important and special because it’s pre-Olympic and the first tournament during which Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifications will be given. As a rule pre-Olympic world championships always pass with a severe competition.
In Nur-Sultan the championship will be opened by Greco-Roman wrestlers. They will compete in 10 weight classes 6 of which are Olympic.
The Armenia Greco-Roman team has left for Kazakhstan with the following lineup: Norayr Hakhoyan (55 kg), Gevorg Gharibyan (60 kg), Slavik Galstyan (63 kg), Karen Aslanyan (67 kg), Malkhas Amoyan (72 kg), Karapet Chalyan (77 kg), Maksim Manukyan (82 kg), Artur Shahinyan (87 kg) and Artur Aleksanyan (97 kg).
The team’s only newcomer who has no experience in world or European championships is Malkhas Amoyan who makes his debut in the adults’ team. Though Malkhas’s weight class is not Olympic it doesn’t mean this championship will be easy for him. The young wrestler has to pass a tough exam and show how fit he is to perform in adults’ tournaments and championships. It must be noted that this year Malkhas was named the winner of the Poland Open international tournament held in Warsaw, Poland where he spent 3 bouts and conceded no point to his rivals. But international tournaments are one thing, world championships – another. There are many expectations of the young athlete. Acting head coach Eduard Sahakyan has also mentioned them in his speech:
“We believe in Malkhas Amoyan and that’s why he is in the team’s lineup.”
It will be interesting to follow Maksim Manukyan’s bouts at 82 kg. The 2017 world champion is leaving for Kazakhstan as a world bronze medalist. This year wasn’t so successful for Maksim: first he performed badly in the European Championship and then in the European Games (1kg weight class higher). And this is an opportunity for him to prove he is still able to fight for medals and champion titles.
Artur Shahinyan at 87 kg is also travelling to Nur-Sultan as a world bronze medalist. In 2018 in Budapest Artur gained advantage over Azerbaijan’s Islam Abasov in a tense fight for a bronze medal. This year Shahinyan performed unsuccessfully at the European Championship in Bucharest but before the World Championship became a winner in the Poland Open in Warsaw defeating Maksim Manukyan in the final.
One of the main intrigues of the championship will probably be Artur Aleksanyan’s and world current champion Musa Yevloev’s confrontation. In the 97 kg weight class the Olympic champion will try to bring back the world champion title. In 2018 in Budapest Artur spent tough bouts and conceded the semifinal bout to Yevloev who became the world champion. After it Artur undertook treatments and won a champion title in the European Games in Minsk defeating on his way Russia’s another representative Aleksandr Golovin. The score of bouts between him and Yevloyev is equal, 1:1: Artur has won the World Championship final in 2017, the Russian wrestler – in 2018. In July in a conversation with the ANOC press service Artur said:
“I’m leaving for Khazakhstan not to bring back the world champion title but to become a four-time world champion and it doesn’t matter whom I’ll won on the way.”
For Armenian spectators the main intrigue will be 77kg weight class Karapet Chalyan’s performance. The European Games silver medalist for the third time will try to prove he is the team leader in his weight class. In the previous two world championships Chalyan failed his performances but this championship will give answers to many questions and show how justified his appearance was at the world Championship. After all, there were many discussions on this way, resignation of head coach, trial with Arsen Julfalakyan, interviews and clarifications. The 77 kg weight class is Olympic and the Gyumrian wrestler is going to face a difficult competition.
This World Championship is special for the Armenia Greco-Roman wrestling team. About a month before the World Championship team’s head coach Levon Julfalakyan who had led the team for 20 years resigned. This will be a unique trial for the team, and how the wrestlers will fight this situation depends only on them and the coaching staff’s work.
As the acting head coach of the team, Eduard Sahakyan, said it was difficult to lead the team after Levon Julfalakyan but they would try to get out of this situation with dignity.
The first day of the championship will be opened by wrestlers of 55,63,72, 82kg weight classes.
Olympic qualifications will be given to the wrestlers placing 1-6 in each Olympic weight class.