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'21 Breakthrough Performances of the Year: Geraei, Zare and Focken

Tuesday, December 7, 2021 - 12:23 By Eric Olanowski

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 7) -- Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI), Amir ZARE (IRI) and Aline FOCKEN (GER) have been named United World Wrestling’s Breakthrough Performance of the Year award winners.

Geraei came into 2021 without having a world or Olympic medal on his resume. The 25-year-old, known as ‘The Iceman,’ defied all expectations and claimed Olympic gold in Tokyo and closed out his improbable ’21 campaign with a world-title run in Oslo.

Zare, at just 20-year-old, had a colossal year. He collected an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo before upsetting three-time world champ Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Olympic gold medalist Taha AKGUL (TUR) en route to gaining heavyweight supremacy at the Oslo World Championships.

Aline Focken picked the perfect time to retire. After missing out on the ’12 London Olympic Games and a ninth-place outing in Rio, the 12-year-veteran ended her career with an upset victory over five-time world champion Adeline GRAY (USA) in the 76kg Olympic finals.

2026 U20 European Championships

U20 European Wrestling Championships 2026: Watch Live Streaming, Full Schedule, Results

Saturday, July 4, 2026 - 09:31 By United World Wrestling Press

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SKOPJE, North Macedonia (July 4) -- The U20 European Wrestling Championships 2026 will kick off in Skopje, North Macedonia from July 6 to 12 at the Boris Trajkovski Sports Center.

LIVE MATCH ORDER | WATCH LIVE

The seven-day event will kick off with Greco-Roman, followed by Women's Wrestling before finishing with Freestyle. Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Armenia will be the countries that will be bring some top teams to the event.

Results of U17 European Championships 2026 | Results of Senior European Championships 2026 | U20 Asian Championships 2026 Results | 2025 U20 European Championships Results

UWW+

How to Watch U20 European Wrestling Championships 2026 Live from Skopje: The live streaming of the U20 European Championships will be available on uww.org with UWW+ subscription. Subscribe to UWW+ and download the UWW app.

Download the UWW App - Apple's App Store | Google Play Store

U20 European Championships Entries | U20 European Wrestling Championships 2026 Results

WRESTLING SCHEDULE | NEWS | BRACKETS | TEAM RANKINGS | MEDAL SUMMARY | RESULTS

Full Schedule of U20 European Wrestling Championships 2026

Day 1 - July 6, Monday

Greco-Roman Qualification Rounds: 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Greco-Roman Semifinals: 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg - 18:00 hours onwards

Day 2 - July 7, Tuesday

Greco-Roman Repechage: 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Greco-Roman Qualification Rounds: 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg, 97kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Greco-Roman Semifinals: 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg, 97kg - 16:45 hours onwards
Greco-Roman Finals: 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg - 18:00 hours onwards

Day 3 - July 8, Wednesday

Greco-Roman Repechages: 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg, 97kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Women's Wrestling Qualification Rounds: 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg, 76kg - 10:30 hours
Women's Wrestling Semifinals: 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg, 76kg - 16:45 hours onwards
Greco-Roman Finals: 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg, 97kg - 18:00 hours onwards

Day 4 - July 9, Thursday

Women's Wrestling Repechage: 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg, 76kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Women's Wrestling Qualification Rounds: 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg, 72kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Women's Wrestling Semifinals: 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg, 72kg - 16:45 hours onwards
Women's Wrestling Finals: 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg, 76kg - 18:00 hours onwards

Day 5 - July 10, Friday

Women's Wrestling Repechage: 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg, 72kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Freestyle Qualification Rounds: 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, 97kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Freestyle Semifinals: 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, 97kg - 16:45 hours onwards
Women's Wrestling Finals: 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg, 72kg - 18:00 hours onwards

Day 6 - July 11, Saturday

Freestyle Repechage: 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, 97kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Freestyle Qualification Rounds: 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, 125kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Freestyle Semifinals: 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, 125kg - 16:45 hours onwards
Freestyle Finals: 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, 97kg - 18:00 hours onwards

Day 7 - July 12, Sunday

Freestyle Repechage: 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, 125kg - 16:30 hours onwards
Freestyle Finals: 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, 125kg - 18:00 hours onwards

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