Beijing: Revazi Mindorashvili crushed world champion Georgy Ketoev in a politically charged semi-final on Thursday as Georgia stopped Russia's bid to mop up the three remaining men's Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medals.
After surprisingly dominating the Russian over two periods, the shaven-headed Mindorashvili, a 32 year-old former world champion, pinned the 22 year-old Ketoev onto the mat to automatically end the match and win by a fall.
The Georgian will now face Yusup Abdusalomov of Tajikistan later Thursday in the 84kg gold medal match.
The Russia-born Tajik beat Serhat Balci of Turkey in the other semi-final.
"Anything could happen here. His opponent is strong, he's a (former) world champion. We're looking forward to a good fight," said Tajik coach Suleiman Abdusalomov.
He added that the 30 year-old Tajik finalist "is a wrestler with wisdom. He never wastes his energy on the mat."
Mindorashvili's victory against Georgia's real-world foes was the lone hiccup in powerhouse Russia's drive to increase their wrestling gold medal tally here, which stands at five.
Young Russian heavyweight Bakhtiyar Akhmedov, a former junior world champion, arranged a widely expected final match with Uzbekistan's Artur Taymazov, the defending champion in the 120kg class.
"Heading into these Olympics, I considered him the strongest opponent," the 21-year-old Russian said.
Akhmedov dominated Marid Mutalimov of Kazakhstan in the semis after needing an extra-time clinch in the quarter-finals to beat the challenge of American Steve Mocco.
"It was really a tough match, because the American opponent had a distinctive style," the Russian said.
Taymazov, 29, who last won the world championship in 2006, defeated ex-Russian David Musulbes of Slovakia by points in the other semi.
Musulbes was the gold medallist in this weight at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, when he was flying the flag of Russia.
Thursday's second Russian finalist, former European champion Shirvani Muradov, also needed an extra clinch to overcome his 96kg semi-final opponent, Khetag Gazyumov of Azerbaijan.
Muradov, 23, had taken the place of Athens 2004 Olympics champion and reigning world champion Khadshimourad Gatsalov in the Russian team.
His opponent in the gold medal match will be Kazakhstan's Taimuraz Tigiyev, the narrow winner of a spiteful semi-final against George Gogshelidze, the European champion from Georgia.
Their match was halted twice, initially in the first period when the Georgian needed treatment for a facial wound.
Video replays showed the Kazakh apparently trying to gouge the Georgian's eyes.
In the second period the match was stopped again after Gogshelidze appeared to punch the Kazakh in the face.
The Georgian denied using an illegal attack that sent Tigiyev crumpling onto the canvas.
"The fact is, I didn't punch him. It was he who punched me," Gogshelidze claimed.
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