Bulgarian Wrestler Magomed Ramazanov Wins Thrilling Semifinal to Reach Paris 2024 Final

Magomed Ramazanov secured his place in the final of the Olympic freestyle wrestling tournament in the 86 kg category at the Paris 2024 Games with a dramatic last-second victory over American wrestler Aaron Marquel Brooks, finishing with a score of 4-3.

This victory ensures Bulgaria its third guaranteed medal in Paris, following Javier Ibanez's assured bronze in boxing and Semen Novikov's position as a finalist in classical wrestling. Ramazanov's triumph came after a remarkable comeback from a 0-3 deficit, scoring two points to close the gap to 2-3 before clinching the win with a final 4-3 score.

Ramazanov's incredible last-minute turnaround echoes his dramatic qualification for the Paris Games, where he also secured his spot in the final with a clutch performance. In the upcoming final, he will face Hassan Yazdanicharati of Iran, a silver medalist from Tokyo 2020 and a two-time Olympic champion from Rio 2016 in the 74 kg category. Yazdanicharati is also a three-time world champion, having won in 2017, 2019, and 2021.

The match against Brooks began with the American applying early pressure. Ramazanov faced a warning for passivity and later a 30-second clock penalty, resulting in a 0-1 deficit. Brooks extended his lead to 0-3 with a successful takedown. After the break, Ramazanov attempted a takedown but was countered, and the match resumed with the score unchanged.

Despite a persistent challenge, Ramazanov managed to close the gap with a successful takedown and a subsequent 2 points. With 45 seconds remaining, and still trailing 2-3, Ramazanov executed a pivotal move to secure an additional 2 points and win the match.

Earlier in the tournament, Ramazanov won his first bout with a decisive 12-2 victory over Canada's Alex Moore and followed with a dominant performance against Uzbekistan’s Javrail Shapiev. Competing for Bulgaria since 2021, Ramazanov previously represented Russia and earned a silver medal at the 2020 European Championships in Rome. He secured his Paris 2024 spot at the Istanbul qualifiers in May.

Brooks, who defeated Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion David Taylor at the U.S. Olympic trials, won the world title in the under-23 championships last year but does not have medals from senior international tournaments.

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