#WrestleRome

74kg Highlighted by Trio of Top-Five Wrestlers + 20 Total World Medals

Thursday, February 25, 2021 - 16:10 By Eric Olanowski

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It’s no secret that one of the deepest weight classes in the world is freestyle’s 74kg.

That storyline will follow itself into the Matteo Pellicone, as the weight will feature 13 wrestlers who own a combined six world titles, an Olympic gold and bronze, and 20 total world medals. More importantly, three of the four world-medal winners from the weight’s ’19 World Championships – with the exclusion of reigning two-time world champion, Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) – will be in action in the former Italian port city of Ostia (March 4-7).  

Top-ranked Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA) will surely have a bullseye on his back and will be targeted by ’19 world bronze-medal winners, No. 3 Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) and No. 4 Jordan BURROUGHS (USA).  

Superstars Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) and Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA) could meet for a fifth time at the Matteo Pellicone. The American owns a 3-1 record against the Italian heading into the first Ranking Series event of '21.

But the weight goes much deeper than the trio of top-five ranked competitors. Other wrestlers ranked inside the top-20 heading into the Matteo Pellicone are Puerto Rico’s first-ever four-time Olympian No. 7 Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) and India’s No. 14 Jitender JITENDER (IND). 

Meanwhile, three other guys who have world medals on their resume will be lacing up their boots in Ostia. They are Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ), Yakup GOR (TUR) Jeandry GARZON CABALLERO (CUB). 

Kaipanov, a ’19 world silver medalist at 70kg, is ascending to 74kg for just the third time in his career.  

Gor, who is still looking to build his case as Turkey’s best 74kg option to qualify for Olympic Games, has a pair of world medals on his resume – with his most recent medal coming in ’15.  

Garzon Caballero, the 37-year-old Cuban, is a four-time world medal winner, with his last medal coming in ’10. 

 74kg Entries 
Jeandry GARZON CABALLERO (CUB)

  • ’07 world silver 
  • ’10, ’06 and ‘05 world bronze  

Sandeep Singh MANN (IND) 
Narsingh Pancham YADAV (IND)
No. 14 Jitender JITENDER (IND) 
Mitchell Louis FINESILVER (ISR) 
No. 1 Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA)

  • ’16 Olympic bronze 
  • ’17 and ’15 world gold  
  • ’19 world silver 
  • ’10 world bronze  

No. 3 Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) 

  • ’19 world bronze  

Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ)   

  • ’19 world silver  

No. 7 Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) 

  • ’11 world silver  

Malik Michael AMINE (SMR) 
Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR) 
Yakup GOR (TUR) 

  • ’15 world bronze 
  • ’14 world silver  

No. 4 Jordan BURROUGHS (USA)  

  • ’12 Olympic gold  
  • ’11, ’13, ’15 and ’17 world gold 
  • ’14, ’18 and ’19 world bronze 

#BeachWrestling, #BeachWrestlingWorldSeries

With Dakar 2026 Approaching, UWW Ramps Up Beach Wrestling in Africa

Friday, July 25, 2025 - 09:38 By Vinay Siwach

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CASABLANCA, Morocco (July 25) -- With Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games less than 500 days away, United World Wrestling is committed to reinforcing wrestling's presence on the African continent.

As a result, for the first time an African city will host the Beach Wrestling World Series. Casablanca, Morocco will see the third leg of the Beach Wrestling World Series from September 6-7, 2025, at the picturesque Ain Diab beach.

There is more in store for Africa. The final of the Beach Wrestling World Series will be held in Alexandria, Egypt on October 18 and 19, 2025.

UWW is calling for participants. REGISTER HERE!

Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

The World Series participants will be provided with top-class facilities including five-star hotel boarding, food in hotels and transportation to the competition venue. The conditions will therefore be exceptional for a Beach Wrestling event.

Prior to the World Series, the African Championships in U15, U17 and U20 age-groups will also be held in the same venue on September 4 and 5. All wrestlers who are 18 years or older from the African Championships can take part in the World Series as well.

This is not the first time UWW has stepped up its commitment to Beach Wrestling. Along with UWW Africa, UWW provided technical assistance to African wrestlers last year and has now decided to continue that for the U15 and U17 groups.

UWW reminds all countries that the participation in these tournaments is important as the same wrestlers can be considered with priority for the Youth Olympic Games while allotting the decided quotas for Dakar 2026.

UWW's vision is to develop the younger groups who will be part of the Youth Olympics in Dakar. And it was a step in that direction to start U15 competitions in Beach Wrestling from 2025.

Irina RINGACI (MDA)World champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) competes in Beach Wrestling in Porec, Croatia. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

One of the outcomes of its continued efforts was the participation numbers in the U17 Pan-Am Beach Wrestling Championships in Rio de Janeiro and the U17 Asian Beach Wrestling Championships in Vietnam this year.

The local organizing committee in Rio had to add one more ring to accommodate the participants during the event. At the Asian Championships, India, China, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and other nations participated with full teams.

Similarly, the wrestlers are encouraged to participate in the U17 and U20 World Beach Wrestling Championships in Katerini-Pieria, Greece on September 25 and 26.

Check out beachwrestling.org for all Beach Wrestling News!

UWW's decisions underscore its deep commitment to uplifting and expanding the sport of wrestling across Africa, particularly with the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar on the horizon.

For any queries, wrestlers, NFs or organizers can contact -- sports@uww.org.