#UWWAwards

'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.

#WrestleTirana

Tirana to host 2023 U23 World Championships

Friday, September 15, 2023 - 13:32 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 15) -- United World Wrestling has decided to reallocate the 2023 U23 World Championships to Tirana, Albania. The event was originally scheduled to be held in Tampere, Finland.

The World Championships in Tirana will run from October 23 to 29, 2023 with Freestyle kicking off the competition followed by Women's Wrestling and Greco-Roman. The deadline for the entries has been set for October 5, 2023.

Albanian Wrestling Federation hosted the 2023 U17 European Championships and was the best among the candidacies received by UWW.

UWW acknowledges the inconvenience these changes may cause the National Federations. UWW wants to emphasize that all the decisions made were centered around the well-being of the athletes and their opportunity to participate in wrestling events worldwide. It also appreciates the understanding and cooperation during this transition.

NFs are requested to contact UWW for further questions or assistance.