#WrestleOslo

25 Tokyo Olympic Medalists Highlight #WrestleOslo World Entries

By Eric Olanowski

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 8) – Fresh off winning his second Olympic title, wrestling's most prominent star Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF) will return to the mat October 02-10 for the Oslo World Championships. He'll lead a group of 25 newly minted Olympic medalists – including four champs – into Norway for this year's historic World Championships.

Due to the Tokyo Olympic Games postponement, the 2021 World Championships will be the first of its kind. It'll be the first time wrestling has held the Olympic Games and an all-weight world championship in the same year.

Sadulaev, alongside fellow Tokyo champs David TAYLOR (USA), Tamyra STOCK-MENSAH (USA) and Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) will have the unprecedented opportunity to win World and Olympic gold in the same season.

But the path to history for 'The Russian Tank,' Taylor and Mensah-Stock, in particular, won't be easy. Instead, they'll share the bracket with at least two other Tokyo Olympic medalists – including the wrestlers they defeated in early August to win Olympic gold. 

Sadulaev will have to get through Kyle SNYDER (USA) to win his fifth world title. His American nemesis is the only person who's handed him a world championship loss in his previous five world appearances. But, as of last month, the 25-year-old Russian broke the series tie and gained the one-match advantage on Snyder with his 6-3 victory in the 97kg Tokyo gold-medal match. He also defeated 'Captain America' to win '18 world gold, which came a year after falling to Snyder in the '17 world finals. 

Outside of Sadulaev and Snyder, Olympic bronze medalist Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA) will also compete at 97kg.

Taylor will share the 86kg bracket with Rio Olympic champion Hasan YAZDANI (IRI). They've met three times since 2017, with "The Magic Man" owning the 3-0 series lead. Taylor picked up his most recent victory over 'The Greatest' in Tokyo with a last-second takedown to claim the 86kg Olympic title.

Artur NAIFONOV, the Russia Wrestling Federation's Toyko Olympic bronze medalist, is also entered at 86kg.

Mensah will wrestle alongside Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) and Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) in the 68kg bracket. She defeated her Nigerian foe for gold, while the Kyrgyz wrestler ended her Tokyo campaign with a bronze medal.

On the Greco-Roman side of the competition Olympic champ Geraei will compete at 67kg.

Freestyle wrestling kicks off the 2021 World Championships on October 2. Women’s wrestling takes center stage at the Jordal Amfi Arena on October 4, with Greco-Roman closing out the competition in Norway beginning on October 7.

*Please note that these entries are subject to change, and National Federations can update names and weight categories until three days before the start of each style.

Musa EVLOEV (RWF) celebrates with his coaches after winning 97kg gold in Tokyo. He'll wrestle at 97kg in Oslo. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Here's a breakdown of all of the reigning Tokyo Olympic medalists that'll lay it on the line in Oslo. 

By the numbers:
Freestyle: 11 medalists (2 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze)
Greco-Roman: 5 medalists (1 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze)
Women’s Wrestling: 9 medalists (1 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze)

Freestyle
57kg  - Thomas Patrick GILMAN (USA) – Tokyo Olympic bronze
74kg - Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
86kg  - David Morris TAYLOR III (USA) - Tokyo Olympic gold
86kg - Hassan Aliazam YAZDANICHARATI (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic silver
86kg - Artur NAIFONOV (RWF) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
97kg - Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF) - Tokyo Olympic gold
97kg - Kyle SNYDER (USA) - Tokyo Olympic silver
97kg - Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
125kg  -Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) - Tokyo Olympic silver
125kg - Amir Hossein Abbas ZARE (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
125kg - Taha AKGUL (TUR) - Tokyo Olympic bronze

Greco-Roman
67kg  - Mohammadreza Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic gold
82kg  - Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
87kg  - Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
97kg - Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
130kg  - Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) - Tokyo Olympic silver

Women’s Wrestling
50kg  - Sarah Ann HILDEBRANDT (USA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
53kg  - Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
57kg - Helen Louise MAROULIS (USA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
57kg - Evelina Georgieva NIKOLOVA (BUL) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
62kg  - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) - Tokyo Olympic silver
68kg  - Tamyra Mariama STOCK MENSAH (USA) - Tokyo Olympic gold
68kg - Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) - Tokyo Olympic silver
68kg - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
76kg - Adeline Maria GRAY (USA) - Tokyo Olympic silver

David TAYLOR (USA) finishes a shot on Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) during their meeting in Tokyo for 86kg gold. They are both entered at 86kg. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Freestyle

57kg 
Afgan KHASHALOV (AZE)
Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL)
Darthe CAPELLAN (CAN)
Levan  METREVELI VARTANOV (ESP)
Goga DZIGUA (GEO)
Horst Justin Junior LEHR (GER)
Pankaj PANKAJ (IND)
Alireza Nosratolah SARLAK (IRI)
Toshiya ABE (JPN)
Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ)
Simon Kamau WAINAINA (KEN)
Changjun PARK (KOR)
Bekhbayar ERDENEBAT (MGL)
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD)
Abubakar MUTALIEV (RWF)
Suleyman ATLI (TUR)
Roman HUTSULIAK (UKR)
Thomas Patrick GILMAN (USA)
Gamal Mohammed Yahya ALSABRI (YEM)

61kg
Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)

Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE)
Alibeg ALIBEGOV (BRN)
Georgi Valentinov VANGELOV (BUL)
Arman Norik ELOYAN (FRA)
Beka LOMTADZE (GEO)
Nico MEGERLE (GER)

Gamzatgadzsi HALIDOV (HUN)
Ravinder RAVINDER (IND)
Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI)
Toshihiro HASEGAWA (JPN)
Kenneth KOECH (KEN)
Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ)
Sunggwon KIM (KOR)
Chakir ANSARI (MAR)

Igor CHICHIOI (MDA)
Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL)
Eduard GRIGOREV (POL)
Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RWF)
Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB)
Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR)
Yaroslav HURSKYY (UKR)
Daton FIX (USA)

65kg
Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
Gabriel JANATSCH (AUT)
Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE)
Ayub Muratovitch MUSAEV (BEL)
Marcos Wesley DE BRITO SIQUEIRA (BRA)
Haji Mohamad ALI (BRN)
Ruhan Hyusnyu RASIM (BUL)
Dillon Emmanuel WILLIAMS (CAN)
Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA)
George Anthony RAMM (GBR)
Rohit ROHIT (IND)
Amirmohammad Babak YAZDANICHERATI (IRI)
Colin John REALBUTO (ITA)
Kaiki YAMAGUCHI (JPN)
Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ)
Junsik YUN (KOR)
Maxim SACULTAN (MDA)
Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)
Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
Sebastian C RIVERA (PUR)
Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF)

Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR)
Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR)
John Michael DIAKOMIHALIS (USA)

70kg
Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM)
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Adam BATIROV (BRN)
Carlos Eduardo ROMERO MILLAQUEO (CHI)
Nicolae COJOCARU (GBR)
Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO)
Shamil USTAEV (GER)
Daniel ANTAL (HUN)
Sushil SUSHIL (IND)
Erfan Mohammad ELAHI (IRI)
Gianluca TALAMO (ITA)
Jintaro MOTOYAMA (JPN)
Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
Seungchul LEE (KOR)
Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA)
Temuulen ENKHTUYA (MGL)
Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL)

Evgenii ZHERBAEV (RWF)
Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB)
Anil NiroshanMunasinghe KARUNA PELI GEDARA (SRI)
Marc DIETSCHE (SUI)
Daniel CHOMANIC (SVK)

Mustafa KAYA (TUR)
Ivan KUSYAK (UKR)
James Malcolm GREEN (USA)

Hussein Abdullah Hussein Abdullah AL AZZANI (YEM)

74kg
Joshgun AZIMOV (AZE)
Ali Pasha Ruslanovich UMARPASHAEV (BUL)
Jasmit Singh PHULKA (CAN)
Aimar ANDRUSE (EST)
Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Osman Kubilay CAKICI (GER)
Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN)
Yash YASH (IND)
Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI)
Mitchell Louis FINESILVER (ISR)
Masaki SATO (JPN)
Mathayo Matonya MAHABILA (KEN)
Byungmin GONG (KOR)
Vasile DIACON (MDA)
Byambadorj BAT ERDENE (MGL)
Suresh CHUNARA (NEP)
Kamil RYBICKI (POL)

Timur BIZHOEV (RWF)
Malik Michael AMINE (SMR)
Hetik CABOLOV (SRB)
Tajmuraz Mairbekovic SALKAZANOV (SVK)
Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR)
Zielimkhan TOHUZOV (UKR)
Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA)

79kg
Arman AVAGYAN (ARM)
Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE)
Oktay Ruzhdi HASAN (BUL)
Samuel Jacob BARMISH (CAN)
Erik REINBOK (EST)
Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA)
Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
Csaba VIDA (HUN)
Baliyan GOURAV (IND)
Mohammad Ashghar NOKHODILARIMI (IRI)
Aron CANEVA (ITA)
Ryuki YOSHIDA (JPN)
Saiakbai USUPOV (KGZ)
Manho OH (KOR)
Alans AMIROVS (LAT)
Wilson Hallowanger TOAYEN (LBR)
Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA)
Bat Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL)
Andrzej Piotr SOKALSKI (POL)
Maxim VASILIOGLO (ROU)

Radik VALIEV (RWF)
Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK)
Muhammet Nuri KOTANOGLU (TUR)

Rustam RASUIEV (UKR)
Jordan Ernest BURROUGHS (USA)

86kg
Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
Dzhemal Rushen ALI (BUL)
Hunter Jeffery LEE (CAN)
Taimuraz FRIEV NASKIDAEVA (ESP)
Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA)
Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO)
Ahmed Ruslanovic DUDAROV (GER)
Sandeep Singh MANN (IND)
Hassan Aliazam YAZDANICHARATI (IRI)
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR)
Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN)
Mark Omumasaba INGUYESI (KEN)
Gwanuk KIM (KOR)
Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT)

Piotr IANULOV (MDA)
Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)
Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL)
Ethan Adrian RAMOS (PUR)
Artur NAIFONOV (RWF)
Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
Osman GOCEN (TUR)
Mukhammed ALIIEV (UKR)
David Morris TAYLOR III (USA)

92kg
Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)

Akhmed Adamovich MAGAMAEV (BUL) 
Jordan STEEN (CAN)
Heriberto SANDI CASTILLO (CRC)
Irakli MTSITURI (GEO)

Pruthviraj Babasaheb PATIL (IND)
Kamran Ghorban GHASEMPOUR (IRI)
Simone IANNATTONI (ITA)
Takuma OTSU (JPN)
John Odhiambo OMONDI (KEN)
Hyeokbeom GWON (KOR)
Georgii RUBAEV (MDA)
Orgilokh DAGVADORJ (MGL)
Zbigniew Mateusz BARANOWSKI (POL)
Magomed Guseynovitch KURBANOV (RWF)
Erhan YAYLACI (TUR)
AndriI VLASOV (UKR)
Jden Michael Tbory COX (USA)
Gilberto Segundo AYALA RODRIGUEZ (VEN)

97kg
Islam ILYASOV (AZE)
Ahmed Sultanovich BATAEV (BUL)

Nishan Preet Singh RANDHAWA (CAN)
Maxwell Lemar LACEY GARITA (CRC)
Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO)
Satywart KADIAN (IND)
Mojtaba Mohammadshafie GOLEIJ (IRI)
Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA)
Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN)
Dan Aura CHEPTAI (KEN)
Minwon SEO (KOR)
Lukas KRASAUSKAS (LTU)
Radu LEFTER (MDA)
Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL)
Magomedgadji Omardibirovich NUROV (MKD)
Sumir Kumar SAH (NEP)
Radoslaw BARAN (POL)
Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF)
Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR)
Mahamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR)
Kyle Frederick SNYDER (USA)

125kg
Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT)
Amarveer DHESI (CAN)

Youssif Mohamed Badea HEMIDA (EGY)
Jere Tapani HEINO (FIN)
Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)

Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE)
Kumar ANIRUDH (IND)
Amir Hossein Abbas ZARE (IRI)
Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN)
Yeihyun JUNG (KOR)
Egor OLAR (MDA)
Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL)
Robert BARAN (POL)

Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV (RWF)
Taha AKGUL (TUR)
Oleksandr KOLDOVSKYI (UKR)
Nicholas Edward GWIAZDOWSKI (USA)

Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) looks to expose Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) during their 67kg battle for Olympic gold. Geraei is entered at 67kg. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman

*Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI) was registered at 97kg freestyle. He's been moved to 97kg Greco-Roman.

55kg
Norayr HAKHOYAN (ARM)
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)
Marat GARIPOV (BRA)
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
Fabian Bernhard SCHMITT (GER)
Sandeep SANDEEP (IND)
Sajjad Javid ABBASPOURRAGANI (IRI)
Ken MATSUI (JPN)
Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ)
Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Hyeokjin JEON (KOR)
Snorre Harsem LUND (NOR)
Emin Narimanovitch SEFERSHAEV (RWF)
Ekrem OZTURK (TUR)
Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR)
Max Emiliano NOWRY (USA)

60kg
Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)
Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
Helary MAEGISALU (EST)
Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO)
Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN)
Gyanender GYANENDER (IND)
Mehrdad Abdmohammad MARDANI (IRI)
Ayata SUZUKI (JPN)
Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ)
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
Jinwoong JUNG (KOR)
Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU)
Victor CIOBANU (MDA)
Michal Jacek TRACZ (POL)
Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)

Stepan MARYANYAN (RWF)
Ahmet UYAR (TUR)
Zhora ABOVIAN (UKR)
Dalton ROBERTS (USA)

63kg
Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)

Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO)
Mostafa Hassan Abdelaal MOHAMED (EGY)
Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
Deniz MENEKSE (GER)
Erik TORBA (HUN)
Neeraj NEERAJ (IND)
Meysam Karamali DALKHANI (IRI)
Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN)
Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ)
Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ)
Hanjae CHUNG (KOR)
Aleksandrs JURKJANS (LAT)
Stig Andre BERGE (NOR)
Artor Zaitsev HAGERUP (NOR)
Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU)
Ibragim LABAZANOV (RWF)
Perica DIMITRIJEVIC (SRB)

Virgil Alexander BICA (SWE)
Mehmet CEKER (TUR)
Lenur TEMIROV (UKR)
Sam JONES (USA)

67kg
Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM)

Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
Ott SAAR (EST)
Elmer Joakim MATTILA (FIN)
Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA)
Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO)
Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER)
Krisztian Istvan VANCZA (HUN)
Gaurav DUHOON (IND)
Mohammadreza Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI)
Zaur KABALOEV (ITA)
Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (JPN)
Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ)

Gilbert Mbevoni KABOCHE (KEN)
Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ)
Hansu RYU (KOR)
Morten THORESEN (NOR)
Mateusz Lucjan BERNATEK (POL)
Pedro Miguel DE MATOS OLIVEIRA DE MORAIS CA (POR)
Nazir Rachidovitch ABDULLAEV (RWF)
Sebastian NAD (SRB)
Andreas VETSCH (SUI)
Murat FIRAT (TUR)
Oleksii MASYK (UKR)
Peyton OMANIA (USA)

72kg
Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)
Christoph BURGER (AUT)
Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
Deyvid Tihomirov DIMITROV (BUL)
Jair Alexis CUERO MUNOZ (COL)
Mikko Petteri PELTOKANGAS (FIN)
Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamed Hassan GHANEM (FRA)
Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO)

Idris Hanpasaevic IBAEV (GER)
Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN)
Vikas VIKAS (IND)
Mohammad Reza Hojatollah MOKHTARI (IRI)
Tomohiro INOUE (JPN)
Kaharman KISSYMETOV (KAZ)
Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ)
Jiyul LEE (KOR)
Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU)
Valentin PETIC (MDA)
Juan Sebastian AAK (NOR)
Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR)
Roman PACURKOWSKI (POL)

Sergei KUTUZOV (RWF)
Aleksa ERSKI (SRB)
Leos DRMOLA (SVK)

Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR)
Maksym YEVTUSHENKO (UKR)

Patrick SMITH (USA)

77kg
Boris FRROKAJ (ALB)
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
Joilson DE BRITO RAMOS JUNIOR (BRA)
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO)
Oliver Marco KRUEGER (DEN)
Matias Olavi Iisakki LIPASTI (FIN)
Evrik NIKOGHOSYAN (FRA)
Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Roland SCHWARZ (GER)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
Sajan SAJAN (IND)
Mohammadali Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI)
Kodai SAKURABA (JPN)
Tamerlan SHADUKAYEV (KAZ)

Mathayo Matonya MAHABILA (KEN)
Kairatbek TUGOLBAEV (KGZ)
Yeonghun NOH (KOR)
Paulius GALKINAS (LTU)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
Emmanuel Alexis BENITEZ CASTRO (MEX)
Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Rabie K. A. KHALIL (PLE)
Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL)
Bakhit Sharif K BADR (QAT)

Roman VLASOV (RWF)
Viktor NEMES (SRB)
Bogdan KOURINNOI (SWE)

Daler REZA ZADE (TJK)
Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR)
Dmytro PYSHKOV (UKR)
Jesse Alexander PORTER (USA)

82kg
Gegham TORGOMYAN (ARM)
Rohan Peter KALISCH (AUS)
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
Tarek Mohamed ABDELSLAM SHEBLE MOHAMED (BUL)
Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO)
Oldrich VARGA (CZE)
Ranet KALJOLA (EST)
Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO)
Hannes WAGNER (GER)
Laszlo SZABO (HUN)
Singh HARPREET (IND)
Pejman Soltanmorad POSHTAM (IRI)
Igor PETRISHIN (ISR)
Satoki MUKAI (JPN)
Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ)
Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ)
Byeongcheol SHIN (KOR)

Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Edgar BABAYAN (POL)
Adlan AKIEV (RWF)
Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB)
Alex Michel BJURBERG KESSIDIS (SWE)
Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)
Dmytro GARDUBEI (UKR)
Benjamin Errol PROVISOR (USA)

87kg
Artur SHAHINYAN (ARM)
Michael WAGNER (AUT)
Islam ABBASOV (AZE)
Yoan Danielov DIMITROV (BUL)
Vjekoslav LUBURIC (CRO)
Petr NOVAK (CZE)
Turpan Ali Alvievich BISULTANOV (DEN)
Raido LIITMAEE (EST)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO)
Pascal EISELE (GER)
Istvan TAKACS (HUN)
Kumar SUNIL (IND)
Ramin Soltanmorad TAHERISARTANG (IRI)
Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN)
Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
Seunghwan LEE (KOR)
Julius MATUZEVICIUS (LTU)
Mihail BRADU (MDA)
Ruben Elias BEEN (NOR)
Magnus GROENVIK (NOR)
Arkadiusz Marcin KULYNYCZ (POL)

Milad Valerikovitch ALIRZAEV (RWF)
Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB)
Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE)

Metehan BASAR (TUR)
Alan VERA (USA)
Semen NOVIKOV (UKR)

97kg
Murat LOKIAYEV (AZE)
Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL)
Ioannis NARLIDIS (CAN)
Artur OMAROV (CZE)
Mathias BAK (DEN)
Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA)
Giorgi MELIA (GEO)
Peter OEHLER (GER)
Alex Gergo SZOKE (HUN)
Ravi RAVI (IND)

Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI)
Yuta NARA (JPN)
Yerulan ISKAKOV (KAZ)
Beksultan Makhamadzhanovich MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Jewoo PARK (KOR)
Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU)
Felix BALDAUF (NOR)
Marcus WORREN (NOR)
Gerard Cyprian KURNICZAK (POL)

Artur SARGSIAN (RWF)
Mihail KAJAIA (SRB)
Pontus Johan LUND (SWE)
Ibrahim TIGCI (TUR)
Yevhenii SAVETA (UKR)
Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA)

130kg
David OVASAPYAN (ARM)
Beka KANDELAKI (AZE)
Radoslav Plamenov GEORGIEV (BUL)
Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI)
Marko KOSCEVIC (CRO)

Stepan DAVID (CZE)
Konsta Johannes MAEENPAEAE (FIN)
Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
Jello KRAHMER (GER)
Naveen NAVEEN (IND)

Aliakbar Hossein YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI)
Arata SONODA (JPN)
Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ)

Seungchan LEE (KOR)
Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU)
Oskar MARVIK (NOR)
Nikola MILATOVIC (NOR)
Rafal Andrzej KRAJEWSKI (POL)
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)

Zurabi GEDEKHAURI (RWF)
Mykola KUCHMII (UKR)
Cohlton Michael SCHULTZ (USA)

 Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) finishes a shot on Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) during their battle for the 68kg Olympic title. They are both registered at 68kg. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
Patricia Alejandra BERMUDEZ (ARG)
Turkan NASIROVA (AZE)
Kamila BARBOSA VITO DA SILVA (BRA)
Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL)

Madison Bianca PARKS (CAN)
Lisa ERSEL (GER)
Kumari HANNY (IND)
Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN)
Miran CHEON (KOR)
Gabija DILYTE (LTU)
Emilia CIRICU BUDEANU (MDA)

Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) 
Ramona ERIKSEN (NOR)
Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
Emilia Alina VUC (ROU)
Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RWF)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Bohdana KOKOZEI YASHCHUK (UKR)
Sarah Ann HILDEBRANDT (USA)

53kg
Samantha Leigh STEWART (CAN)
Annika WENDLE (GER)
Pooja POOJA (IND)
Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)
Eunyoung PARK (KOR)
Kamile SERNAUSKAITE (LTU)
Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL)
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)
Anzhelika VETOSHKINA (RWF)
Emma Jonna Denise MALMGREN (SWE)
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR)

Amy FEARNSIDE (USA)

55kg
Natasha Irene Vera FOX KRAMBLE(CAN)
Nina HEMMER (GER)
Pinki PINKI (IND)
Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)
Soyeon KIM (KOR)
Sumiya ERDENECHIMEG (MGL)
Esther Omolayo KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Anne SVARSTAD (NOR)
Roksana Marta ZASINA (POL)
Andreea Beatrice ANA (ROU)
Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RWF)

Mehlika OZTURK (TUR)
Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)
Jenna BURKERT (USA)  

57kg
Jeannie Agnes KESSLER (AUT)
Giullia RODRIGUES PENALBER DE OLIVEIRA (BRA)
Evelina Georgieva NIKOLOVA (BUL)
Alexandria Rebekkah TOWN (CAN)
Elena Heike BRUGGER (GER)
Ramona GALAMBOS (HUN)
Anshu ANSHU (IND)
Sae NANJO (JPN)
Sophia Omutichio AYIETA (KEN)
Davaachimeg ERKHEMBAYAR (MGL)

Patrycja GIL (POL)
Veronika CHUMIKOVA (RWF)

Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)
Helen Louise MAROULIS (USA)

59kg
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)
Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA (BUL)

Linda MORAIS (CAN)
Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER)
Sarita SARITA (IND)
Akie HANAI (JPN)
Ineta DANTAITE (LTU)

Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL)
Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR)

Jowita Maria WRZESIEN (POL)
Svetlana LIPATOVA (RWF)
Sara Johanna LINDBORG (SWE)

Ebru DAGBASI (TUR)
Oksana KUKHTA HERHEL (UKR)
Maya Gabriella NELSON (USA)

62kg
Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA)
Ana Paula GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN)
Luisa Helga Gerda NIEMESCH (GER)
Sangeeta SANGEETA (IND)
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Hwa Young SUNG (KOR)

Gantuya ENKHBAT (MGL)
Aleksandra WOLCZYNSKA (POL)
Alina KASABIEVA (RWF)

Merve KARADENIZ (TUR)
Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR)
Kayla Colleen Kiyoko MIRACLE (USA)

65kg
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
Mimi Nikolova HRISTOVA (BUL)
Koumba Selene Fanta LARROQUE (FRA)
Eyleen SEWINA (GER)
Bhateri BHATERI (IND)
Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)

Winrose ALIVISA (KEN)
Hyebin AHN (KOR)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)

Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL)
Ingrid Bergh SKARD (NOR)

Kamila Czeslawa KULWICKA (POL)
Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU)
Dinara KUDAEVA SALIKHOVA (RWF)
Malin Johanna MATTSSON (SWE)

Asli DEMIR (TUR)
Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)

Forrest MOLINARI (USA) 

68kg
Olivia Grace DI BACCO (CAN)
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
Ritu RITU (IND)
Rin MIYAJI (JPN)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Minji HA (KOR)
Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

Natalia Iwona STRZALKA (POL)
Khanum VELIEVA (RWF)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Anastasiia LAVRENCHUK (UKR)
Forrest Ann MOLINARI (USA)
Tamyra Mariama STOCK MENSAH (USA)

72kg
Sofiya Hristova GEORGIEVA (BUL)
Kayla Mary BEDNARCIK BRODNER (CAN)
Anna Carmen SCHELL (GER)
Divya KAKRAN (IND)
Masako FURUICHI (JPN)
Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)

Kseniia BURAKOVA (RWF)
Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK)
Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR)

Alla BELINSKA (UKR)
Kylie Renee WELKER (USA)

76kg
Mariya Gerginova ORYASHKOVA (BUL)
Samar Amer Ibrahim HAMZA (EGY)
Epp MAEE (EST)
Cynthia Vanessa VESCAN (FRA)
Georgina Olwen NELTHORPE (GBR)
Francy RAEDELT (GER)
Zsanett NEMETH (HUN)
Kiran KIRAN (IND)
Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Cholee KIM (KOR)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Zagardulam NAIGALSUREN (MGL)
Iselin Maria Vilde Moen SOLHEIM (NOR)

Marina SUROVTSEVA (RWF)
Aysegul OZBEGE (TUR)
Anastasiia OSNIACH SHUSTOVA (UKR)
Adeline Maria GRAY (USA)

#WrestleTirana

European Championships 2026 Women's Wrestling Preview

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (April 16) -- Six 2025 champions will look to defend their gold medal in Women's Wrestling at the European Championships starting next week. But the tournament will also see a return of a few veteran stars in Tirana.

Among the returning champions will be Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE), who ended a 24-year wait for Greece to have European champion in Women's Wrestling, now going for her second title at 53kg.

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Just as is the case globally, there’s no shortage of depth in the 53kg weight class in Europe and a number of wrestlers can upset the Greek wrestler.

Two former champions, Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) and Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (UWW), are returning to the continental championships for the first time since 2024. The two met in the final at the 2024 edition with the latter winning the gold medal.

Tirana will also mark the return of prodigious talent Mariia YEFREMOVA (UKR), a former U17 world and U20 European champion. She will be among the many Ukrainians favorites to win gold in their respective categories.

Apart from the four, Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP), Gerda TEREK (HUN) and Natalia MALYSHEVA (UWW) are also in contention to finish on the podium.

Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), right, will look to defend her 76kg title. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Strong Ukraine Squad
Ukraine have won the women’s team title in each of the last three editions and are set to defend it, thanks to a strong squad heading to Tirana. Oksana LIVACH (UKR) at 50kg and Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) at 76kg will look to repeat as champions while U20 world champion Nadiia SOKOLOVSKA (UKR) will make her senior debut at 72kg.

Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) at 57kg and Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) at 59kg have good chances to finish on the top of the podium as well.

Livach will be the favorite at 50kg despite the likes of returning silver medalist Evin DEMIRHAN YAVUZ (TUR), U23 European champion Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE), returning bronze medalist Natallia VARAKINA (UWW) and rising star Svenja JUNGO (SUI).

Alpyeyeva stunned the wrestling world by winning the 76kg gold medal last year by beating Yasemin ADAR (TUR) in the final. While both bronze medalists from 2025, Martina KUENZ (AUT) and Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (UWW) are returning, it’s U23 world silver medalist Valeriia TRIFONOVA (UWW) who likely to be the biggest challenger to Alpyeyeva.

Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR)Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) is hoping to return to the top of the podium at the European Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Two-time Olympic medalist and former European champion Koliadenko will lead the charge at 65kg. After being denied last year by Irina RINGACI (MDA) in the semifinals, Koliadenko will be looking to bounce back and add to her previous three European gold medals.

While the absence of Ringaci and last year's champion Grace BULLEN (NOR), who has moved to 62kg should make things easier, Koliadenko still has some tricky opponents in Tirana. World silver medalist Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) should be the biggest challenger for Koliadenko.

Greco-trained Sokolovska, who won the U20 world title at 76kg, will be at 72kg replacing European and world champion Alla BELINSKA (UKR) this year. In a stacked weight class, she will be challenged by Olympic medalist and former European champion Buse TOSUN (TUR), who moved down to 68kg last year and finished with a bronze medal. But she is back to 72kg, switching spots with Nesrin BAS (TUR), 2025 silver at 72kg, who is now at 68kg.

U23 European champion Viktoryia RADZKOVA (UWW) will be another tough competitor for Sokolovska along with world medalist Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL).

Nesrin BAS (TUR)Nesrin BAS (TUR) will present her challenge at 68kg this year. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Bas' Golden Chance 
Bas at 68kg will be keen on claiming the top position in European after falling short at the continental and world level last year. She lost finals at 72kg at both the competitions in 2025.

Bas, a three-time U23 world champion, will face returning champion Alina SHAUCHUK (UWW) who recently won the U23 European gold. Shauchuk has been rising quickly through the ranks and she defeated Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU) in the final last year to stun the Bratislava crowd. 

Shauchuk should be ready for a tougher outing as Bas brings more skill set and Zelenykh will be keen on revenge. Former U23 European champion Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR) will be the dark horse.

Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW)Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) is the defending champion at 55kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Verbina Eyes Second Straight Gold
Defending champion Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW), also a world silver medalist, could have had a smooth sailing to the gold medal but the entry of former European champion Andreea ANA (ROU) just added to the challenge of defending the title. While these two go in as favorites, keep an eye out for Tuba DEMIR (TUR) who has the potential to go deep into this bracket as well.

Grace BULLEN (NOR)Grace BULLEN (NOR) is eyeing her fifth European gold medal in Tirana. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Bullen Favorite at 62kg
Grace BULLEN (NOR) spent most of 2025, a year after the Olympics, at 65kg in which she also won gold at the European Championships. But the four-time champion is returning to 62kg and will be the favorite at the weight class to win her fifth title to go with her two silver medals.

Bullen defeated Ringaci in a memorable final last year, but she should have less trouble winning gold this year. U23 European champion Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) should be her biggest threat along with former world champion Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), and former U23 world and European champion Eniko ELEKES (HUN).

Returning silver medalist Johanna LINDBORG (SWE), who has notched up a series of good results recently, will also be looking to return to the final and challenge Bullen.

With defending champion at 57kg Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) giving the European Championships a miss, returning silver medalist Elvira SULEYMAN KAMALOGLU (TUR) has the chance to improve the color of her medal. Among other contenders are returning bronze medalists Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) and Solomiia VYNYYK (UKR). Former U20 European champion and U20 world silver medalist Felicitas DOMAJEVA (NOR) will also be looking to at least finish on the podium for Norway.

Another returning silver medalist from Turkiye hoping to upgrade her medal is Bediha GUN (TUR), who lost to Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (UWW) last year in the final at 59kg.

Sidelnikova’s absence will make things only slightly easier for Gun in Tirana but world silver medalist Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) is expected to pose a serious threat as she chases her first-ever European medal.

Finalists from February’s U23 European Championships, Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) and Marta HETMANAVA (UWW) are also entered and it won’t be a shock if the two make the final. Svetlana LIPATOVA (UWW), silver medalist at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in February, will be among the contenders as well.