Max Nowry‘s (55 kg, Army/WCAP) second dance with Eldaniz Azizli (AZE) ended quite similarly to his first one.
The semifinal round for Day 1 of the 2022 World Championships began at 6:00pm local time (12:00pm ET) live from the Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia and aired in the US on FLOWrestling.
Earlier today, Nowry earned two memorable wins in order to advance to the semifinal. Both victories were recorded via fall. In the opening round, Nowry came from behind with under a minute remaining to arm throw and pin Arjun Halakurki (IND); one round later, the Illinois product had twice turned German Fabian Schmitt before trapping Schmitt’s arm for a reverse half-nelson that ultimately led to a stoppage.
The triumph over Schmitt put Nowry in the semifinal opposite Azizli. They had met only once prior, in the bronze round of the ’19 World Championships. In that affair, Azizli scored a takedown and succession of gutwrenches to secure a technical fall. There was no takedown this time, but the par terre work for the Azeri once again served as Nowry’s reckoning.
Following some preamble, Nowry was dinged for passivity, giving Azizli the first shot from top that he likely craved. He then secured his lock to gut Nowry twice; a throw tacked on four more, thus signaling the end of the contest.
Azizli, a World Champion in ’18, will face highly-decorated rival Nugzari Tsurtsumia (GEO) for gold tomorrow evening. Azizli has earned notable wins over Tsurtsumia, most recently in the finals of the ’22 European Championships.
As for Nowry, only one match separates him from bronze and tomorrow’s repechage round will determine his opponent. The multi-time US World Team member will square off against either Italy’s Giovanni Freni or Yu Shiotani (JPN), with Shiotani seen as the favorite in that bout. Sunday’s medal matches are scheduled to begin at 6:00pm local time (12:00pm ET) and will be broadcast live in the US on FLOWrestling.
Bey Eliminated
Also on Saturday, Kamal Bey (77 kg, Army/WCAP) made his return to Senior World competition against ’17 champ Viktor Nemes (SRB), who prevailed 4-0. Bey needed Nemes to win out on Saturday for a chance in tomorrow’s repechage, which unfortunately for him did not occur. Nemes was edged in the semifinal today by Zoltan Levai of Hungary.
Action picks back up on Sunday at 10:30am (4:30am ET) with four more Americans on-deck, along with Nowry later on in the evening. Team USA’s Day 2 starters can be found below today’s result along with their respective draws.
2022 World Championships
September 10-13 — Belgrade, SRB
TEAM USA DAY 1 RESULTS
55 kg: Max Nowry (Army/WCAP)
WON Arjun Halakurki (IND) via fall
WON Fabian Schmitt (GER) via fall
LOSS Eldaniz Azizli (AZE) 9-0, TF
72 kg: Benji Peak (Sunkist/NTS)
LOSS Robert Fritsch (HUN) 3-1
77 kg: Kamal Bey (Army/WCAP)
LOSS Viktor Nemes (SRB) 4-0
87 kg: Alan Vera (NYAC)
LOSS Haitao Quian (CHN) 5-3
TEAM USA DAY 2 DRAWS
63 kg: Sammy Jones (NYAC)
vs. Neeraj Neeraj (IND)
67 kg: Alex Sancho (Army/WCAP)
vs. Norva Bukasa (COD)
82 kg: Spencer Woods (Army/WCAP)
vs. Chengwu Wang (CHN)
97 kg: Braxton Amos (Sunkist/Wisconsin RTC)
vs. Vladen Kozliuk (UKR)
DAY 2 – Sunday, September 11
Weight categories: 63, 67, 82, & 97 kg (Jones, Sancho, Woods, & Amos)
10:30am-2:30pm — Qualification rounds through quarterfinals
10:30am-2:30pm — Repechage (DAY 1 weight categories)
4:45pm-5:45pm — Semifinals
6:00pm-9:00pm — Finals/bronze-medal matches (DAY 1 weight categories)
Listen to “5PM52: Two-Time Olympian Jim Gruenwald” on Spreaker.
Listen to “5PM51: Lining up with Tanner Farmer” on Spreaker.
Listen to “5PM50: Mr. Fantastic Benji Peak” on Spreaker.
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