Al-Sayed carrying his coach in celebration
EGYPT’S Greco Roman wrestler Mohamed Ibrahim Al-Sayed collected his second world title in less than two weeks, displaying a powerful performance in the final match as he beat Bulgaria’s Aliaksandr Liavonchyk to win the gold medal in the 67kg title bout.
Being the 2018 junior European champion and 2019 U-23 European bronze medalist, Liavonchyk was a tough opponent for Al-Sayed who capped off an amazing two-week run that saw him play in two continents to compete in two world championships, winning both.
The defending U-23 world champion Al-Sayed, who had won the gold medal in the same weight category at the World Military Games just 10 days ago, dominated his way to the crown at the 2019 U-23 World Championships on Sunday in Budapest, Hungary.
In the final match, Al-Sayed, known as Kisho, used a strong first period to take a 5-0 lead into the break with a pair of gut wrenches after Liavonchyk was put down in par terre. Moments into the second period, Al-Sayed finished off the match with a takedown right into a gut wrench on the edge of the mat for a 9-0 victory.
Now a two-time U-23 world champion, Al-Sayed wraps up an impressive 2019 season with a U-23 World title, a World Military Games crown and a fifth-place finish at the 2019 Senior World Championships in September to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 7 November, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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