Award Season

2017 Greco-Roman Matches of the Year

By Eric Olanowski

The top three Greco-Roman matches from 2017 included two age-level bouts and a bronze medal match from the 2017 World Championship.

60kg Asian Junior Championship QUARTERFINAL: Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) v. Seydylla TAZAYEV (TKM)
Tynar Sharshenbekov and Seydylla Tazayev put on a show in the the 60kg Asian Junior Championship quarterfinals that lit up the scoreboard with 27 points.

Tazayev was behind 4-0 early in the first but was able to capture the 9-8 lead heading into the break. Tazayev outscored Sharshenbekov 9-2 in the second period on his way to a 17-10 win.

74kg Junior World Championship GOLD:  Kamal Ameer BEY (USA) df. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) Makhmudov took the early 1-0 lead off a pushout. BEY (USA) went on to score 11 points, ending the first period with a combined 17 points. With 30 second left, Makhmudov closed the gap and got the match to within two points. A final takedown for Bey with three seconds left sealed the match which ended with a total of 27 points.

71kg World Championship BRONZE: Mohammadali Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI) v. Daniel CATARAGA (MDA)
Mohammadali Abdolhamid Geraei trailed Daniel Cataraga by seven points heading into the second period of the 71kg bronze medal match at the World Championships. Geraei would outscore Cataraga 10-1 in the final three minutes to pick up his first world medal.

#development

UWW and Inspire Institute of Sport sign MoU to advance wrestling development in India

By United World Wrestling Press

PARIS (August 27) -- United World Wrestling (UWW) and the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The MoU was signed at the Wrestling House, UWW's hospitality venue, located on a boat next to the iconic Eiffel Tower.

This strategic partnership is designed to foster collaboration and enhance the development of wrestling in India by establishing a framework for mutually beneficial programs, projects, and activities. The MoU reflects the commitment of both UWW and IIS to support elite and pre-elite wrestling athletes, as well as suitably qualified coaches in India.

IIS, a charitable trust dedicated to social development through sports, education, and health, operates a state-of-the-art high-performance training center in Vijayanagar, Karnataka. The facility meets international standards and is focused on promoting Olympic sports in India, providing young talents with the resources and training necessary to succeed.

The institute is prominent in developing wrestling, among other sports, in India. Olympic bronze medalists Bajrang PUNIA (IND) and Sakshi MALIK (IND) have been associated with it in past. Recently, IIS trainees World Championships bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) and Nisha DAHIYA (IND) wrestled at the Paris Olympics.

Nikhil PILANAGOILA (IND)Nikhil PILANAGOILA (IND), left, will compete at the U20 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At the age-group level, IIS has supported U20 Asian Championships gold medalists Dhanshri FAND (IND) and NITIKA (IND). Former U20 World Championships medalist HARSHITA (IND), U17 world medalist Jaskaran SINGH (IND), U23 Asian champion RADHIKA (IND) and Nikhil YADAV (IND), who will participate in the upcoming U20 World Championships in Spain are all out of the IIS stable.

UWW's involvement in this partnership is part of its broader strategic global development plan, which aims to elevate the sport of wrestling worldwide, with a particular focus on supporting the growth of wrestling in India.

Both UWW and IIS are eager to begin this collaborative journey, confident that their joint efforts will contribute significantly to the success and international recognition of Indian wrestling. Their joint efforts will contribute significantly to the success and international recognition of Indian wrestling.