Yüksel Sarıçiçek reached the Greco-Roman eighty-two kilo final in Astana by defeating Akzhol Makhmudov. His first senior world championships will end with a gold-medal match against defending champion Gholamreza Javad Farokhisenjani. The Turkish wrestler had already won two bouts before overcoming an opponent with world titles and Olympic medals. The final is on October 25.
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A first senior final awaits in Kazakhstan
Yüksel Sarıçiçek will contest the Greco-Roman eighty-two kilo world final in Astana, Kazakhstan, after reaching the title match on his first appearance at a senior world championships.[1], [2]
He defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Akzhol Makhmudov 6-0 in the semifinal. Makhmudov has won two world titles at seventy-seven kilo and Olympic silver and bronze medals. Sarıçiçek now faces Iran’s Gholamreza Javad Farokhisenjani, the defending world champion, on the October 25 programme.[1]
Two earlier wins opened the semifinal route
Sarıçiçek’s second-round bout against China’s Halishan Bahejiang finished 7-5. In the quarterfinal he beat Qatar’s Shahin Eidimohammad Badaghimofrad 10-2 by technical superiority. The opening day included preliminary rounds, quarterfinals and semifinals in four Greco-Roman weight divisions: fifty-five, sixty, seventy-seven and eighty-two kilograms.[1]
Sarıçiçek credits preparation and federation support
Speaking after his difficult matches, Sarıçiçek said he believed he could become champion. He highlighted beating an Olympic medalist and the confidence shown in him by federation president Taha Akgül. He also described climbing to a high altitude during the team’s Erzurum camp, crediting that preparation with helping him manage his pulse. This was his own assessment of the training. Türkiye’s other opening-day entrants, Ömer Halis Recep at fifty-five kilograms, Enes Başar at sixty and Ahmet Yılmaz at seventy-seven, were eliminated.[1]
