Greco News

2025 Pytlasinski Results: Sharshenbekov, Nasibov, & Amoyan Reach Gold

By 5PM Staff

Posted on August 2, 2025

zholaman sharshenbekov, 60 kg, kgz, two-time world champion

Zholaman Sharshenbekov -- Photo: UWW

The penultimate regular season tournament for Senior international Greco-Roman saw three of the sport’s most prominent competitors come away with gold as two-time Olympic silver Parviz Nasibov (72 kg, UKR) along with recent World champs Zholaman Sharshenbekov (KGZ) and Malkhas Amoyan (77 kg, ARM) all prevailed in their respective brackets this week at the annual Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Memorial in Warsaw.

not all roads lead to gold, athlete and coach devotional

For Sharshenbekov, who turns 26 late next month, Pytlasinski represented his first competition since earning bronze nearly a year ago at the Paris Olympics. Up at 63 kilograms for this event, he hardly missed a beat. Sharshenbekov defeated (in order) Abdeldjbar Djebbari (ALG), Mateusz Szewczuk (POL), and Bakytzhan Kabdyl (KAZ) — all via technical superiority. Sharshenbekov (Pytlasinski champ in ’24, as well) largely toyed with the young Kabdyl and off-balanced him numerous times with quick pressure-releases which resulted in the Kazakh tripping to the tarp. In fact, Sharshenbekov had two opportunities in particular to either cover for takedowns or end matters altogether but instead relented. Up 6-0, he would eventually ice the proceedings by executing a short lateral drop for four points late in the first period.

Presumably, Sharshenbekov will return to his familiar category of 60 kilograms for the World Championships in September, although Kyrgyzstan does have other options in that weight class should the two-time World Champion remain at 63.

Nasibov has been more active following his second-straight Olympic silver last August. This season, the 26-year-old (who will celebrate his 27th birthday later this month) won both the Bill Farrell Memorial (November, NYC) and the Henri Deglane Grand Prix (FRA) before finishing out of the money at the European Championships. He was not totally dominant in Thursday’s tournament but he did get the job done. Nasibov earned relatively tight decisions over Aleksander Mielewczyk (POL) and Cristoffer Dahlen (SWE) ahead of shutting out skilled workhorse Slavik Galstyan (ARM) 7-0 to advance to the gold round where he downed Kristupas Sleiva (LTU) 4-2. Before Thursday, Nasibov had not competed at Pytlasinski since ’19.

77 kilograms presented plenty of hurdles for Amoyan to overcome, and he did so.

Amoyan starched Igor Zakharchuk of Poland in Round 1 but encountered significant resistance from Idris Ibaev (GER), Erik Persson (SWE), and Artur Politaev (UKR) en-route to the finals. Once there, Amoyan was able to get past Albin Olofsson (SWE) 4-0. Like Nasibov, Amoyan’ last time out at the Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Memorial was in ’19, which he won at 72 kg after defeating Maksim Evtushenko (UKR) in the finals.

Stjepanetic & Gobadze

Sweden’s Aleksandar Stjepanetic (97 kg) enjoyed the best performance of his Senior career in Poland thanks to a run that included wins against two top 97 kg athletes.

Stjepanetic had to bite down to snag a 3-0 nod over Olympic bronze Uzur Dzhuzupbekov (KAZ) in the bracket’s opening round, survived a 1-1 slog versus Richard Karelson (EST) in his next match, and had a bit more breathing room opposed by Gerard Kurniczak (POL) to make the final. With gold on the line, Stjepanetic trailed ’24 Olympian Mindaugas Venckaitis (LTU) 3-0 in the second period when passivity changed the complexion of the contest. Venckaitis was dinged, and from top par terre Stjepanetic was able to convert a loose reverse chest wrap to quickly expose the Lithuanian and gain two exposure points in conjunction with a 3-3 criteria advantage. There was no further scoring in the bout and Stjepanetic had pocketed the most significant Senior gold of his career as well as his first tournament title since the ’23 Haavisto Cup.

’19 World Champion/two-time Olympian Lasha Gobadze (GEO) was successful in navigating a solid field at 87 kg with victories over Marcel Sterkenburg (NED), Vigen Nazaryan (ARM), Damian Von Euw (SUI), and countryman Aivengo Rikadze in the gold round. Gobadze, 31, has been a consistent force in and around 87 dating back to midway through the Tokyo quad and is expected to contend, assuming he gets the spot, at the World Championships in Zagreb next month.