10 must watch WW quarters at World Championships

Saturday, September 3, 2022 - 13:49 By Olivia Lichti

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 2) -- Competition day looms closer at the Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, and women’s wrestling will feature some of the most exciting storylines of the tournament. For the first time, eight highest ranked wrestlers will be seeded at the World Championships which has allowed both veterans and young stars alike to find their place amongst the seeds.

Here are some of the most intriguing potential quarterfinal matchups, featuring faceoffs between world champions, Olympic medalists, and top up-and-comers.

These quarterfinals are far from guaranteed as many talented women will be in their brackets without a seed and will have a fair shot at upsetting the ranked wrestlers.

50kg: No. 2 Yui SUSAKI (JPN) vs No. 7 Mariya STADNIK (AZE)

Susaki has never lost to a competitor from anywhere but Japan since she first burst onto the scene in 2014. However, Mariya Stadnik has gotten about as close as one can get. Interestingly, Stadnik hasn’t lost to a non-Japanese opponent since 2014 either.

In 2018, Stadnik almost pulled off a win but Susaki scored a late stepout to win 2-2 on criteria at the Klippan Lady Open.

Although Susaki has clearly pulled away from her Azeri opponent in recent years, winning 10-0 teching her in the semifinals in Tokyo last August, Stadnik is her most credentialed competitor in the bracket.

This match will feature two of the best pound-for-pound athletes in the world and thus shouldn’t be missed.

53kg: No. 4 Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) vs No. 5 Jonna MALMGREM (SWE)

Last year in Oslo, Krawczyk broke through and won her first world medal at the age of 30. She followed up that performance with a solid 2022 season, adding two Ranking Series medals to her resume and earning the number four seed.

However, 2021 U20 world champion Malmgrem picked up one of the biggest wins of her career when she pinned the Polish veteran in this year’s European semifinals en route to winning her first Senior continental title. This rematch could provide Krawczyk with the opportunity to avenge and a second-consecutive podium finish at Worlds, or allow Malmgrem to prove the Euros win wasn’t just a fluke and that she is a serious senior-level threat.

Andreea ANA (ROU) is a U23 world and senior European champion. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

55kg: No. 3 Andreea ANA (ROU) vs No. 6 Karla GODINEZ (CAN)

Ana and Godinez are both rising stars that have accumulated impressive results in the last year. Ana became the first Romanian woman to win a U23 World title in addition to earning U23 and Senior European titles.

Canada’s Godinez upset 2019 world champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) to win the Pan-Am gold, a feat she accompanied with a Zouhaier Sghaier silver medal.

Both these women will be integral parts of the future of 55kg and their matchup will showcase some of the toughest young talents in the world.

Presuming seeds hold, the winner here should face another rising star, Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR), in the semifinals.

Helen MAROULIS (USA) is the defending world champion at 57kg. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

57kg: No. 1 Helen MAROULIS (USA) vs No. 8 Anhelina LYSAK (POL)

Top seed and American legend Maroulis will be a huge favorite in this matchup against U23 world champion Lysak. This match makes the list purely because of Lysak’s volatile tendencies.

Lysak loves to lock up overhooks and go for big throws, a risk that has both helped and harmed her in her international career. She began representing Poland in 2021 after spending her age-level career in Ukraine and has earned a U23 world title, a pair of European medals and a Ranking Series gold medal since her transfer. She’s a formidable athlete, but Maroulis’ greater experience and wide range of skills should propel her to the finals.

57kg: No. 2 Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) vs No. 7 Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR)

After unexpectedly winning a bronze medal in Tokyo last year, Nikolova was looking to add another feat to her list of accolades: earning her first European title. She managed to make her second European final this year in Budapest but her hopes of winning gold were dashed by U23 world champion Hrushyna, who defeated her 6-2.

Hrushyna qualified Ukraine for the Olympics at 57kg last year but was unable to compete due to an elbow injury. While she has yet to wrestle at a senior World Championship, her list of achievements and significant wins are impressive for an athlete of her age.

If Hrushyna can defeat Nikolova again, she’ll prove that she truly is a medal contender at 57kg though Nikolova will indubitably be hungry for victory.

62kg: No. 2 Lais NUNES (BRA) vs No. 7 Ana GODINEZ (CAN)

Nunes and Godinez have split matches this year, with Godinez winning their Pan-Am semifinal 7-5 and Nunes taking their Matteo Pellicone bronze medal bout 8-6. The matches have been razor-thin and both will be looking to gain the advantage in their rivalry should they meet in the quarterfinals in Belgrade.

Both have impressed lately with Godinez winning the U23 world title last year and Nunes pulled off one of the season’s biggest upsets at the Yasar Dogu over when she beat top-ranked wrestler Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ).

Marwa AMRI (TUN) will be hoping to win a medal at 62kg in Belgrade. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

62kg: No. 3 Kayla MIRACLE (USA) vs No. 6 Marwa AMRI (TUN)

Miracle had her senior-level breakout last year when she made her first World final, losing only to Tynybekova. She’s been somewhat absent internationally this year, though she did make the Pan-Am finals before forfeiting due to injury.

All signs point to her being ready to go in Belgrade but she’ll have a tough task in her projected quarterfinal opponent -- Tunisia’s Amri, who owns the distinction of being the first African Olympic WW medalist.

Amri’s 2022 season has been a successful one as she won a Yasar Dogu bronze, Mediterranean Games gold and an African title.

Miracle has clearly leveled up over the past year, but Amri has a well-adorned hitlist and years of experience that will make her tough to beat.

Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) is the returning silver medalist at 65kg. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

65kg: No. 1 Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) vs No. 8 Mallory VELTE (USA)

In the United States, Forrest MOLINARI (USA) owned the 65kg world team spot ever since the weight was introduced in 2018. However, Velte changed that this year when she pulled two shocking upsets over the 2021 World bronze medallist to find herself on yet another world team.

Now, she’ll be chasing her second world medal, but up three kilograms from where she accumulated her first piece of hardware. Her projected quarterfinal opponent, top seed Morikawa, represented Japan in Oslo last year.

She defeated Molinari 6-2 in the semifinals but fell in the gold medal to Irina RINGACI (MDA). In Belgrade, Morikawa will look to claim her first world title since winning U20 gold in 2019. This match will be highly competitive and should be a great test for Velte at her new weight.

68kg: No. 2 Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) vs No. 7 Feng ZHOU (CHN)

In January 2020, Mensah was cruising to the Matteo Pellicone gold medal with an 8-0 lead over Zhou in the 68kg final.

But Zhou shocked Mensah by securing a trap-arm gut wrench and turned her three times -- enough to win 8-8 on criteria, snatching the gold.

Although Mensah since has defeated Zhou, the Chinese’s impressive top game will make even big leads seem volatile and allow her to keep the match in the margins till the final buzzer sounds.

68kg: No. 3 Blessing OBORODUDU (NGR) vs No. 6 Irina RINGACI (MDA)

2021 65kg world champion Ringaci has been very successful in her move up to the Olympic weight of 68kg, picking up U23 and senior European titles and a Ranking Series silver medal.

She faced off against Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Oborodudu earlier this year at Matteo Pellicone semis. She destroyed Oborodudu with an abrupt pin in a mere 32 seconds.

If she can pull off another win over Oborodudu in Belgrade with the dominance, she’ll cement herself as a true medal contender at her new weight for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

#WrestleZagreb

Kougioumtsidis gives Greece historic world gold as 1st male champion

Monday, September 15, 2025 - 20:27 By Ken Marantz

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 15) -- For all of Greece's history in the sport of wrestling-- one of the current styles even bears the country's name -- it had never produced a male world champion.

Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) rectified that situation with a determined performance, defeating Levi HAINES (USA) 3-2 in the 79kg final on Monday night, the third day of the World Championships in Zagreb when four freestyle golds were up for grabs.

"I'm very proud," Kougioumtsidis said. "I'm the first one who won a gold medal at the World Championships. It's my dream come true. I failed at the Olympics last year. I think this year is a good achievement. I achieved my goal."

In other finals, Chongsong HAN (PRK) gave his country its first world gold since 2019 with a come-from-behind victory at 57kg, while Japan and the United States each picked up their second golds of the competition, with Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) winning at 74kg under sad circumstances and Trent HIDLAY (USA) putting on a comeback for the ages to triumph at 92kg.

Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) scores a stepout against Levi HAINES (USA) in the 79kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The 23-year-old Kougioumtsidis came to Zagreb flying under the radar for title favorites. He was a two-time European U23 champion, and won the senior gold in 2022, but had lost in the first round at 74kg at the Paris Olympics and was third at this year's Budapest Ranking Series.

But he steadily battled his way through the rounds to advance to final, where he wrestled a solid and sensible match that took advantage of opportunities while keeping his American foe at bay.

After receiving an activity point, Kougioumtsidis got in on a single that led to a stepout and a 2-0 lead at the break. He repeated the move again in the second period and, although he surrendered a takedown with :02 left, it wasn't enough to deter him from his appointment with destiny.

"He's a very offensive wrestler, I know that," Kougioumtsidis said. "He has very good conditioning. My condition is also good. I was a bit tired from yesterday because of four matches. But I won, that's what matters most."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Olympic Wrestling (@unitedworldwrestling)

Kougioumtsidis said that after his disappointment in Paris, he took some time off, then spent time training in Georgia.

"After the Olympics I had maybe five months off because I wasn't feeling very good," he said. "I had very good training. This year, I mostly was in Georgia for camp and thanks to my sparring partners from Georgia that helped me. I achieved the biggest goal here."

Until Kougioumtsidis' victory, the lone Greek to ever step to the top of the medal podium at the World Championships was Sofia POUMPOURIDOU (GRE), who won the women's 51kg gold in 2002 on home soil in Chalkida, Greece.

Only three times has a Greek man ever even advanced to a world final (Giorgios ATHANASSIADIS (GRE) did in twice), all in freestyle, but never did they come away with a gold. The last time was in 1991.

"I'm very lucky also that I am Greek," Kougioumtsidis said. "So I feel like I made all Greeks proud. I am Greek and I love my country."

Chongsong HAN (PRK) works on a gut-wrench against Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) during the 57kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 57kg, things could hardly have gone worse for Han in his gold-medal match with Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ), which was a rematch of their semifinal clash at the 2023 Asian Games, which Han won 4-2.

Ahead 1-0 in the second period, Almaz Uulu stopped an arm throw attempt -- which, if challenged, could possibly have been overturned as a slip -- then added two 2-point exposures to go up 7-0.

Han determinedly fought on, and a scramble that he initiated with a front headlock roll gave him six points to cut the lead to 9-6. He then scored a takedown and added two gut wrenches to notch a 12-9 victory.

Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) and Chermen VALIEV (ALB) wrestle in the 74kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 74kg, Takahashi won by injury default after his opponent in the final, Olympic bronze medalist Chermen VALIEV (ALB), suffered a serious knee injury and, after trying to soldier on for a short time, was forced to give up the fight.

"It leaves a bit of a bad aftertaste, but I feel like I won the world title with the tackle that works best for me, so I'm happy," Takahashi said.

Takahashi, the 2024 world U23 champion, had a 3-2 lead when Valiev tried to counter a single-leg attempt 35 seconds into the second period by going over the top.

Takahashi had Valiev's left leg at an acute angle and his own action caused the knee to pop, after which he immediately sank to the mat in pain.

"When I got in on the single, I tried to get my head out and finish it off as I always do," said Takahashi, who scored off an identical move in the first period. "It was all but done, I thought. But the opponent was entangled deeper than I thought, and I heard a snap."

Valiev's leg was taped and he limped into the circle, but it was obvious it would be almost an impossible task to continue, much less win. Takahashi scored a stepout, then got a takedown that Valiev initially countered -- much to everyone's surprise -- but could not continue the move. Another takedown finally proved to Valiev that it was futile to go on and the match was ended at 4:07.

While Takahashi did not deliberately target the injured leg, nor did he let up on Valiev, which he said would have been disrespectful to such a high-level competitor. He also recalls not being given any special treatment when he suffered a similar injury himself while winning last year's U23 title.

"He's a strong competitor, and once you take the mat, you can't let your guard down," Takahashi said. "I thought to just give everything I had. When I had my injury a year ago, the opponent came right at me without thinking about it. Conversely, it would be rude to have eased up."

Takahashi's victory comes at what is increasingly looking like a golden era for Japan in freestyle. Following up on the two golds and a silver at the Paris Olympics, Japan got one of the first golds in Zagreb when Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) won the 70kg title on Sunday. And earlier Monday, Olympic champion Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) advanced to the 65kg final.

"At the Olympics, Japan really did amazingly well, so there were high expectations for this [competition]," Takahashi said. "Instead of feeling pressure or nerves, we want to show 'Japan is strong' and that actually gives us more confidence."

Looking ahead, which could include a direct clash with Paris silver medalist Daichi TAKATANI (JPN), Takahashi has his eyes firmly set on 2028.

"I'm really happy to be the world champion, but what I am aiming for is the Los Angeles Olympics," he said. "The Olympics is a stage where you can be a champion just once every four years. I will work on sharpening my tackles."

In the last bout of the evening, Hidlay was being tossed around like a rag doll by Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW), only to rally from an eight-point deficit through sheer persistence and determination. When the dust cleared, Hidlay had himself a 13-10 win and a gold medal in his senior world debut.

"It wasn't my best wrestling match as I wrestle a lot better and cleaner than that," the 26-year-old Hidlay said. "But I would say nothing probably describes my wrestling style and career better than being down by eight points and figuring out a way to win within a short time."

Gadzhimagomedov, a relative unknown on the scene, relied almost solely on a counter lift and throw that he used to great effect early on, scoring a pair of 4-pointers to take a 10-2 lead. When he tried a third one that could have ended the match, Hidlay managed to hold his position enough to get an exposure, which, with an unsuccessful challenge, cut the gap to 10-5 at the break.

In the second period, Gadzhimagomedov didn't seem to have the energy to get the necessary height to complete the move, and Hidlay finished off a pair of double-leg takedowns to pull within one with a minute to go. Then he hit the coup de grace, a 4-point takedown with :15 left to complete the miracle.

"I think the work I put in in the first period, I wasn't scoring, but it was taking it out of him a little bit," Hidlay said. "It was just a matter of time before I was able to get to my scores."

Hidlay, the 2022 world U20 silver medalist at 86kg, called being a senior world champion "surreal" and said that it hadn't fully sunken in yet.

"I just had so many emotions kind of flood over you in that moment and you kind of just go blind to the world," he said. "Just for a couple of seconds, you just feel like you're floating.

"It's just something I've worked for my entire life, my entire career. To have it all come together in that fashion is just pretty incredible."

Harutyunyan denies Mexico first-ever world medal

Earlier, Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) came an agonizing few centimeters from giving Mexico its first-ever world medalist.

That was the distance Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) kept his knee off the mat, preventing what would have been a last-second winning takedown in their 57kg bronze-medal match.

With a denied challenge giving him a final point, four-time European champion Harutyunyan secured a 7-4 win and a fourth world medal in five years.

Harutyunyan looked to be cruising to victory when he added a takedown and exposure to an activity point for a 5-0 lead going into the second period. But Bravo Young, a collegiate star in the United States, launched a comeback, sandwiching two takedowns around a Harutyunyan stepout to cut the gap to 6-4.

With the clock ticking down, Bravo Young deftly deked his way behind Harutyunyan, but the Armenian resisted as the Mexican did all he could to get his opponent's knee to hit the mat.

The other 57kg bronze went to Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), who was on the activity clock when he scored a second-period takedown to give him a 3-1 victory over Vladimir EGOROV (MKD). With the victory, Abdullaev adds the world bronze to his Olympic bronze from last year in Paris.

Former Olympic and three-time world champion Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW) assured he wouldn't leave Zagreb empty-handed, and he did it with a dramatic last-second victory over David CARR (USA) at 74kg.

Sidakov received an activity point in the first period, but he was on the clock in the second when Carr scored a stepout. Seconds later, the activity point was added to Carr's tally to put him ahead 2-1.

It looked like that was how it was going to end, but the cagey Sidakov managed to slip behind and force Carr over the edge for a stepout with :05 left to secure a 2-2 win on criteria.

Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) earned the other 74kg bronze with a 3-1 victory over Yones EMAMI (IRI), securing the decisive points with a second-period takedown for his fourth career world medal.

Iran picked up two bronze medals, with 2024 Asian champion Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) taking home one at 79kg and reigning Asian champion Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) winning the other at 92kg.

Nokhodi, the 2024 Asian champion, took home his fifth world medal -- alas, still no gold -- when he scored a takedown and stepout in the first period and held on for a 4-2 victory over Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) at 79kg.

Firouzpour quickly finished off Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ), latching onto a cradle as he defended against a takedown attempt, then rocking backward to put the Kazakh onto his back and secure a fall in 1:49 for his first senior world medal.

The other 79kg bronze was claimed by Asian silver medalist Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN), who was trailing Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) until the last minute when he went on a point-scoring spree, including a 4-point pancake, for a 9-2 victory.

European silver medalist Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) broke open a close match in the second period to beat Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) 5-1 for the other 92kg bronze, upping his tally of world medals to four.

Day 3 Results

Freestyle

57kg (31 entries)
GOLD: Chongsong HAN (PRK) df. Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ), 12-9

BRONZE: Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df. Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX), 7-4
BRONZE: Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Vladimir EGOROV (MKD), 3-1

65kg (34 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) df. Peiman BIABANI (CAN), 5-0
SEMIFINAL: Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB), 5-0

74kg (35 entries)
GOLD: Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Chermen VALIEV (ALB) by Inj. Def., 4:07 (8-2)

BRONZE: Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW) df. David CARR (USA), 2-2
BRONZE: Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. Yones EMAMI (IRI), 3-1

79kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) df. Levi HAINES (USA), 3-2

BRONZE: Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) df. Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE), 4-2
BRONZE: Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN) df. Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL), 9-2

92kg (26 entries)
GOLD: Trent HIDLAY (USA) df. Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW), 13-10

BRONZE: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 5-1
BRONZE: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) df. Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ) by Fall, 1:49 (4-0)

97kg (29 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) df. Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN), 5-2
SEMIFINAL: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Arash YOSHIDA (JPN), 9-1

Women's Wrestling

55kg (18 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) df. Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) by Fall, 1:06 (4-0)
SEMIFINAL: Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) df. Andreea ANA (ROU), 5-3

59kg (22 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) df. Altjin TOGTOKH (MGL), by Fall, 1:22 (6-0)
SEMIFINAL: Maria VYNNYK (URK) df. Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN), 10-5

10 must watch WW quarters at World Championships

Comments

Kougioumtsidis gives Greece historic world gold as 1st male champion