#WrestleBelgrade

Armenia in line for strong World C'ships with young stars

By Vinay Siwach

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 1) – Soon after finishing with a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, talks of Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) moving away from the sport were ripe.

His last world title came in 2017 and his battles with injuries, along with the rise of Musa EVLOEV, denied him standing on top of the podium in two World Championships and the Olympic Games.

Fast forward one year to the World Championships in Belgrade, and Aleksanyan's return to the mat surprised quite a few in the wrestling world. After a 13-month hiatus from competition and a year of relentless rehabilitation, he emerged victorious, reclaiming his throne with a gold medal in the 97kg category.

"That’s my fourth world gold," Aleksanyan said in Belgrade. “For two years I couldn’t make it because of injuries. After the Olympic Games, I took a year break and treated them all."

In two weeks' time, the 31-year-old will be in Belgrade again, hoping to defend his world title as he now prepares to reclaim his Olympic title in Paris next year.

But Aleksanyan isn't the only one hoping to raise the Armenian flag in Belgrade. A trio of Armenian wrestlers, each carrying their own dreams and determination, seek a world crown and Olympic qualification.

Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) is a returning bronze medalist from 77kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

European champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) is among the favorites to win the gold at 77kg while in Freestyle, Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) at 57kg and Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) at 65kg are aiming to give Armenia its first Freestyle world champion in a decade.

Amoyan won the world title in 2021 in Oslo but moved to the Olympic weight class 77kg next year, earning a bronze medal. Harutyunyan and Tevanyan both were at the Tokyo Olympics but returned empty-handed.

While Tevanyan rose to prominence before Tokyo by beating the likes of Haji ALIYEV (AZE) and Iszamail MUSZUKAJAEV (HUN), Harutyunyan transformed himself after Toyko. He won his first world medal in Oslo and added another last year.

At the U23 level, he won back-to-back gold medals at the World Championships and earlier this year, he became the European champion at 61kg after beating 57kg world champion Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB).

Tevanyan, too, has won the European Championships and the U23 World Championships but is still searching for his first World Championships medal after finishing seventh last year.

Amoyan made a dream debut at 77kg, winning the European title in 2022 and defending it this year. He lost to Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) at the 2022 World Championships but won a bronze medal through repechage.

The three do not have the credentials Aleksanyan had at the age of 25 years but are among the best in their weight classes. Aleksanyan was an Olympic champion by then, only the second in Armenia's history, a two-time world champion, and already a superstar.

A lot of that has to do with where Aleksanyan was born -- Gyumri.

“Gyumri is not a big city but we have five Olympic champions who grew up here,” Aleksanyan says. “We have many worthy athletes in different sports.”

A historical city in north-west Armenia's Shirak province, Gyumri has given the country many sporting heroes, artists and scholars. It has been a center of the country since old times and is known by different names.

UWW's Athlete Commission's President Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM), who won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and a Gyumri native, explains the importance of the city for Armenia and its sports.

“It became a developing city in times of the Russian empire when Armenia was a part of it,” Julfalakyan said. “The city became host to large numbers of Armenian refugees fleeing the Armenian Genocide, in particular hosting 22,000 orphaned children in around 170 orphanage buildings. It was renamed Leninakan during the Soviet period and became a major industrial and textile center in Soviet Armenia.

“Exactly in that period began the popularization of sport in all of Armenia, and especially in Gyumri. That was the philosophy/policy of the country during that period. Not only sports, but also education, science, and culture became very important. Wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, and judo were the first sports most popular among the youth. And in wrestling, Greco-Roman style. That’s the reason nowadays in Gyumri most of the elite wrestlers are Greco Roman”

That popularity can be explained as the city was also the center of Armenia's traditional wrestling Kokh. The style is divided into two styles, Lori Kokh and Shirak Kokh. Shirak is the province in which Gyumri falls while Lori is the neighboring province bordering Georgia. Ironically, Shirak Kokh allowed wrestlers to grab the legs of the opponent. In Lori Kokh, a wrestler can only throw grabbing the costume of the opponent.

In 1988, Gyumri lost one-third of its population after a devastating earthquake. Yet, the city keeps producing sports champions apart from the various artists and scholars it has given.

“In Seoul Olympics 1988, Gyumri gave Armenia one gold in Greco-Roman (Levon JULFALAKYAN) and one silver in weightlifting,” he says. “Unfortunately, the devastating earthquake in 1988 ruined almost 80% of the city.”

Wrestlers like Aleksanyan, current Greco-Roman head coach and Armenia's first Olympic gold medalist Levon JULFALAKYAN (ARM), Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM), Armen NAZARYAN (ARM), Aghasi MANUKYAN (ARM) among others grew up in those times with little to no facilities to train. Yet, they made it a wrestling powerhouse.

“Times were really vulnerable. Participating in sports and coaching was considered heroic. No salary, no heating and no hot water in sports halls. Sometimes even no light. But we resisted. How? Hard to say. I think it’s just in the nature of the nation with its ancient history.

“In the 2000s, many sports halls were built or reconstructed. But then the process was stopped and for sure it wasn’t enough. Right now, what we have in Gyumri and in Armenia is not enough and not close to the international level.”

Given Gyumri's history, Aleksanyan was bound to be a champion. In one of the many YouTube videos available about his wrestling career, Aleksanyan talks about the dilapidated training school he began his wrestling career. Photos of the training school and its dire condition went viral soon after Aleksanyan won the gold in Rio. Broken walls, missing equipment from the gym, and dirty toilets were making the news.

“Some people don't believe me when I say that I train there when I am in Gyumri,” Aleksanyan had told VNews four years ago. “It's sad but true. Training there makes me stronger as I grew up here.”

For 18 years, Aleksanyan sweated it out in that workaround training hall before moving to Yerevan. His family still stays in Gyumri.

Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) defeated world champion Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) to win the European Championships at 61kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Harutyunyan and Tevanyan were not born in Gyumri. They were raised in Ararat, a province in southeast Armenia, diagonally opposite Gyumri and the Freestyle center of Armenia's wrestling.

“From the beginning of developing sports in Gyumri, the main focus was on Greco-Roman. The coaches mostly were of that style,” Julfalakyan said. “And vice versa, in city Vanadzor (Kirovakan) or the cities of the Ararat valley mostly are concentrated in Freestyle. Another reason might be the plains in Ararat and the highlands in Gyumri. By the way, last few years freestyle wrestling in Armenia has grown very fast.”

The province has given Armenia some of the finest Freestyle wrestlers including Armenia's only Freestyle Olympic medalist Armen MKRTCHYAN (ARM), three-time world champion Arayik GEVORGYAN (ARM), Aram MARGARYAN (ARM) and Martin BERBERYAN (ARM).

Both Harutyunyan and Tevenyan will look to continue that tradition in Belgrade.

At 57kg, Harutyunyan will have to navigate a strong field that includes defending world champion Abakarov, 61kg world champion Rei HIGUCHI (JPN), Asian champion AMAN (IND), the United States's Zane RICHARDS (USA), European champion Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE), Wanhao ZOU (CHN), Suleyman ATLI (TUR) and Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) among the top names.

Higuchi defeated Harutyunyan at 61kg last year but Higuchi's struggles at 57kg have been well documented. Harutyunyan possesses the attacks to beat the best and can go into a shell to defend his lead as he did to beat Abakarov in Zagreb. But Aman, Abdullaev and Zou can be the surprise he does not want.

“I am the type of person who likes difficulties, I like to do what people think is impossible,” Harutyunyan said. “All wrestlers are strong and equal. On that day, whoever is well prepared, really wants to win, will win.”

Tevanyan also has a stacked field with defending world champion Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI), Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), Tulga TUMUR-OCHIR (MGL), Aliyev, Muszukajaev, Umidjon JALALOV (UZB), Nicholas LEE (USA), Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR), Alejandro VALDES (CUB) being some of the names entered.

Tevanyan blew hot and cold last year but won the Ibrahim Mustafa Ranking Series and the European title this year. With wins over most of the names at 65kg, Tevanyan will fancy his chances. His sturdy build along with the strength he brings should be enough to go past many in the field.

If Amoyan wants to join Aleksanyan on the podium, he will have to dig deep as the 77kg weight is arguably the best. World champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) leads the field along with Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), Yunus EMRE (TUR), Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL), Viktor NEMES (SRB), Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI), Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR) and Kamal BEY (USA).

Though he has suffered losses to both Makhmudov and Levai, Amoyan will back himself as Levai's form has dropped significantly and Makhmudov has lost twice since becoming the world champion. His incredible run for the 72kg gold in Oslo saw Amoyan dominate his opponents and a year since his bronze in Belgrade, Amoyan should have the strength as well to wrestle heavier wrestlers.

Apart from the three youngsters, Aleksanyan will be the favorite to bring home the gold medal. The returning world champion is going for his fourth Olympic cycle which only adds pressure.

In Belgrade, Aleksanyan will have to face a strong 97kg field which includes former world champion Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI), Artur SARGASIAN (AIN), Kiril MILOV (BUL), Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE) and even veteran Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB).

Aleksanyan will start as the favorite even in such a tough field. No doubt it will be a challenge for his body to wrestle three consecutive barn-burners, especially when the White Bear is a month away from his 32nd birthday.

“My motivation is hearing the Armenian national anthem and raising the Armenian flag one more time during the Olympic Games,” he said. “This cycle is different from my first Olympic experience which took place in London in a way that I have three Olympic medals and am more experienced.”

With experience, youth and will on their side, the Armenian stars, unless things go completely haywire in Belgrade, would dream of podium finishes and book their spots for the Paris Olympics where Armenia is looking to end a 28-year wait for a Freestyle medal.

And the first seeds of that dream would be sowed in Belgrade through Harutyunuan and Tevanyan.

“Our boys prepare very well,” Harutyunyan says. “Malkhas is a very knowledgeable and hardworking athlete. I believe that he can become the world champion this year. Artur is the pride of our nation and we all take an example. He has proved very tirelessly that he is the best and I am sure that he will prove himself the champion.”

#WrestleBelgrade

Greco-Roman Preview: Young blood out to challenge old guard

By Vinay Siwach

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 12) -- Out of the six Greco-Roman champions from the Tokyo Olympics, three have since returned to the mat while others have chosen different paths.

Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) retired after winning the gold medal at 77kg, 97kg champion Musa EVLOEV (ROC) is yet to be seen in competition while Mijain LOPEZ (CUB), who won his fourth gold at 130kg, is expected to compete at the Paris Olympics next year.

The three who have returned are Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI), who won gold and silver in the World Championships following the Olympics, 60kg champion Luis ORTA (CUB) who moved up to 63kg last year and is now to 67kg in a bid to win his second Olympic title. The third, Zhan BELENIUK (UKR), is returning to the World Championships, only his second competition since winning the 87kg gold medal in Tokyo.

A few new wrestlers have emerged since the Tokyo Games and Beleniuk, for the meticulous person he is, will be aware of the same. The Olympic champion returned to the mat at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix in February this year and won gold. And now the two-time world champion will be in action on September 23 as he enters the race for his third Olympic medal next year in Paris.

Close to 1000 wrestlers across three styles will try to win the 90 Olympic spots that are on offer at the World Championships in Belgrade. An Olympic weight class offers five Paris Olympic quotas and a wrestler can earn it for the respective National Olympic Committee by winning a medal. The fifth will be decided via a playoff between the losers of the bronze-medal bouts.

If history is anything to go by, Beleniuk can be sure of winning a medal in Belgrade. In the previous two Olympic qualifying World Championships (2015 and 2019), Beleniuk emerged as the gold medalist. Things can well be in his favor once again if we see the Beleniuk of old.

During his time off the mat, Olympic bronze medalist Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) won the World Championships in 2021 and 2022 but he won't defend his title while silver medalist from 2022, Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN), will skip the tournament owing to an injury.

However, the 87kg field still poses a threat to Beleniuk and the biggest of them is, incidentally, a former Ukranian, Semen NOVIKOV (BUL), who has now transferred to Bulgaria.

Novikov is a two-time U23 world champion and was long considered as the successor to Beleniuk. The two have wrestled twice to make the Ukrainian national team with Beleniuk winning on both occasions.

"Beleniuk is not the reason I left; I'm not afraid of a rivalry," Novikov told UWW. "I believed in myself, and I felt that I had chances, but he was going to be Ukraine's representative either way. I hope we will meet in the finals. I'll be happy when I win this rematch. It means that I became a little better."

Novikov is seeded sixth at the World Championships while Beleniuk will be unseeded which means the two can meet at any stage of the bracket.

The two will also be wary of other stars in the bracket especially the top two seeds -- Ali CENGIZ (TUR) and David LOSONCZI (HUN). The two are returning bronze medalists with the hope of improving on their results.

Like Novikov, Cengiz was the second to Metehan BASAR (TUR) at 87kg in Turkiye but he has taken off since that bronze last year. He won silver medals at the Ranking Series in Alexandria and the European Championships and bronze in Bishkek.

Losonczi had to fight for his place in the Hungarian team as European champion Istvan TAKACS (HUN) was the preferred choice. Takacs beat Losonczi in the Zagreb Open but the latter won the U23 European Championships and the gold in Budapest Ranking Series which confirmed his spot.

Three-time European medalist Islam ABBASOV (AZE) will be hoping to win his first world medal and earn a Paris quota for this country. He lost to Cengiz at the European Championships before losing to Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) in the bronze-medal bout.

Tokyo Olympian Gobadze is a 2019 world champion at 82kg and is going for his second, this time in an Olympic weight class. He won bronze at the 2021 World Championships but skipped the last edition. Like Gobadze, both Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) and Alan OSTAEV (AIN) are making a return to competition since 2021 and will be medal threats in Belgrade.

Veteran Alex KESSIDIS (SWE) is in search of his first world medal since 2019 as he lost to Losonciz in the bronze-medal bout last year. The 2019 silver medalist at 77kg moved to 82kg in 2021 and to 87kg last year. Iran is sending Naser ALIZADEH (IRI) who will have to punch above his weight if Iran wants to qualify for the Paris Games from the World Championships. The former Asian champion finished fifth last year after a loss to Cengiz.

A lot of eyes will be on Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB), who won a silver medal at 82kg last year, as he has moved up to 87kg this year. The start wasn't ideal as he finished fifth at the Zagreb Open but won bronze at the Asian Championships and gold in Budapest.

Others who can spring a surprise are Daniel GREGORICH HECHAVARRIA (CUB), Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) and Exauce MUKUBU (NOR).

130kg
Like Beleniuk, Riza KAYAALP (TUR) has a habit of winning gold at the Olympic qualifying World Championships. He achieved the feat in 2011, 2015 and 2019. And the three-time Olympic medalist looks destined to win again.

Since his bronze-medal finish at the Tokyo Olympics, Kayaalp has only lost to Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) when he got pinned at the Istanbul Ranking Series. Kayaalp has avenged that loss since but the Azerbaijan wrestler remains a big threat at the heaviest weight.

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) will be in Belgrade with an aim to upset the five-time world champion Kayaalp who defeated the Iranian 1-1 last year in a tense final. Kayaalp had also defeated Mirzazadeh in the Olympic bronze-medal bout. Mirzazadeh can draw confidence from the fact that he has a win over Oscar PINO (CUB) this year. The Cuban will try to qualify his country for the Paris Games and in all likelihood give up his spot for Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) who is chasing a fifth Olympic gold medal.

Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) has failed to reach any finals since then but the World Championships will be ideal to find his lost form. Two other Tokyo Olympians, Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI) and Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) will look to wrestle for a medal in Belgrade.

Apart from all the familiar faces, Kayaalp, the most successful Turkish wrestler ever, may see an old foe. Heiki NABI (EST), 38, is preparing to qualify for the Paris Games in a bid to win a second Olympic medal, 12 years after winning silver at the London Games.

Nabi won bronze in 2019 to qualify for the Tokyo Games but in June 2021, he was banned for two years by Estonian Anti-Doping and Sports Ethics Foundation for using performance-enhancing substances. He missed the Tokyo Games which had been pushed to 2021 due to the pandemic. Nabi appealed EADSE's decision in the International Court of Arbitration for Sport which ruled, that while Nabi could not be considered to have willingly used the substances, his ban would not be overturned.

97kg
In another Olympic weight class which has been dominated by a wrestler for more than a decade, Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) has no intentions of letting take away that domination. The Armenian legend will work towards his fifth world title when he takes the mat at 97kg, hoping to defend the gold medal he won in 2022.

That was Aleksanyan's first gold in five years as the rise of Musa EVLOEV combined with injuries had hampered Aleksanyan's run at the top. While Evloev is not there, Aleksanyan will have to once again go through Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) who has lost to Aleksanyan in their three previous meetings -- 2019 and 2022 World Championships and the Tokyo Olympics.

But Saravi seems to push Aleksanyan to the limits and a trick here and there can change the results of the bout. Both wrestlers are evenly matched in par terre defense but Saravi's failure to score from standing has been a big issue for the Iranian.

Add to the mix Kiril MILOV (BUL) who won the European Championships last year and has been in the world top three for the last two years. Youngsters and former U23 world champions Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) and Artur SARGSIAN (AIN) will be returning to the World Championships after two years and will be big medal threats. 2022 world bronze medalist Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE) is also returning in a bid to improve on his result after losing to Milov in the semifinal last year.

Hungary is banking on Tamas LEVAI (HUN) who used to be at 77kg two years ago. He finished seventh at the European Championships this year. Felix BALDAUF (NOR), Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) and recently crowned U20 world champion Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (AIN) are no pushovers while it won't be wise to count out the old wily fox Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) and former two-time world champion Metehan BASAR (TUR).

77kg
The weight class with the most entries, 45, can throw some surprising results. Defending champion and history maker Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) will lead the field as he tries to win another world title and ultimately achieve the goal of becoming Kyrgyzstan's first Olympic champion in Paris.

Barring one bout, the semifinal against Yunus BASAR (TUR), Makhmudov looked in no trouble last year. He is since unbeaten in three tournaments, winning the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov tournament, the Asian Championships and the Ljubomir Ivanovic Gedza International in August.

Returning silver medalist Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) lost to Viktor NEMES (SRB) at the European Championships semifinals and finished with a bronze medal, an improvement after finishing 12th and 13th in Zagreb and Alexandria at the start of the year, respectively. He finished fifth in Budapest before earning bronze in Serbia in August.

Levai's struggles this year make a few others favorites to reach the final, especially European champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM). The returning bronze medalist has had a great run as he won the U23 World Championships in October and wrestled Makhmudov in the final in Bulgaria in February. He defended his European title in April, including a win over Basar in the semifinals, and will be a front-runner for gold in Belgrade.

Basar will be hoping to reverse the result over Makhmudov from last year and improve on his bronze-medal finish. He won bronze at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series and the European Championships this year but finished ninth in Bishkek and a lowly 19th at the Grand Prix of Germany.

He did not have a great showing last year but Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) is back with some gold medals to back himself this year. He began the year with a gold at the Zagreb Open and added another in Bishkek. It is yet to be seen if he can continue this form in Belgrade where he was beaten in the 1/8 finals last year.

Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE), a silver medalist from 2021, along with young stars Deni NAKAEV (GER) and Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) and high-flying Kamal BEY (USA) will be the ones to keep an eye on. And he may have been away for more than two years but Gurpreet SINGH (UWW) still possesses the ability to shock with his big throws.

60kg
Kyrgyzstan's other history maker Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) will also have to bring his 'A' game in Belgrade as he goes for his second straight title.

Like Makhmudov, Sharshenbekov has also won three tournaments since winning the World Championships. He has gold at Dan Kolov, the Asian Championships and the Ljubomir Ivanovic Gedza International.

Among the wrestlers hoping to stop him from repeating, a few formidable names are Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL), Victor CIOBANU (MDA), Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI), Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN), Kerem KAMAL (TUR), Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) and Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN).

Nazaryan met Sharshenbekov in the final last year but suffered an 11-2 defeat in an anti-climatic final. The 21-year-old, who became a European champion at 18, has put that loss behind and won the European Championships in April by defeating Ciobanu in the final and reached the semifinal in Budapest before injury defaulting against Kamal.

Ciobanu has returned to 60kg after spending most of his time at 63kg since he became Moldova's first-ever world champion in 2021. Sharshenbekov would remember Ciobanu as the Moldovan defeated him in the final of the Oslo World Championships. Ciobanu and Kamal had a slugfest in Zagreb which the former won.

Returning bronze medalist and Olympic silver medalist Fumita would be keen on facing Nazaryan as he lost to the Bulgarian 5-5 in the semifinals. Since Fumita is not seeded, he can land anywhere in the bracket. After that bronze, Fumita has wrestled only at the German Grand Prix this year, finishing second at 63kg.

Fumita had defeated Kamal last year which ended the World Championships for Mohsen Nejad who will be eager to get his hands on Kamal. The Iranian got pinned by the Turkish wrestler after leading 9-4.

Mohsen Nejad began this year with gold at the Zagreb Open but slumped to eighth at the Asian Championships after losing to Yernur FIDAKHAMETOV (KAZ). He did win a bronze medal in Bishkek after losing to Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), the gold medalist in Biskhek and who will be in Belgrade.

Mammadli has been a beast at the age-group level and could not find a better place to showcase his talent while Allakhiarov will return to Belgrade, a city in which he became a U23 world champion in 2021, to resume his international career.

67kg
Two Olympic champions, Olympic silver and bronze medalists, a young sensation, a home world champion, the Asian champion and a dark horse.

The 67kg weight class is the drama that the World Championships needed. Olympic champion Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) is hoping to return to the top of the world after being stunned by Mate NEMES (SRB) in the final last year in front of a packed Stark Arena. But if Geraei had hoped for an easier path, he is in for bad news.

60kg Olympic champion Luis ORTA (CUB) has moved up 67kg this year with three gold medals -- Henri Delgane Grand Prix, Pan-Am Championships and the Central American and Caribean Games -- already in his pocket. He has suffered two losses, both to HUSIYUETU (CHN), in 2023 to finish with bronze medals in Zagreb and Biskek. Orta was at 63kg last year and finished seventh but will be going for gold in Belgrade in the new weight class.

Nemes, after his extraordinary run in 2022, has only competed twice, finishing ninth at the Thor Masters and second at the Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup in July. It will be interesting to see if he can repeat the heroics of last year.

European champion and Azerbaijan's best talent Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) is keen on improving his bronze-medal finish from last year. He lost to Nemes in the semifinal but has already avenged that loss by winning the European Championships over the Serbian. He would now hope to go all the way in Belgrade and win the senior world title, adding to his U20 and U23 ones.

Olympic silver medalist Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) finished 10th last year but will look to bounce back and earn a spot for the Paris Games. The same will be on the mind of bronze medalist from Tokyo Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) who finished 22nd after losing the first round to Abror ATABAEV (UZB) who returns to the World Championships as the Asian champion.

Returning bronze medalist Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) defeated Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) last year but has to be wary of the Georgian who has won silver medals at four tournaments this year.

55kg
In the non-Olympic weight classes, the wrestlers will still be vying for the world title. At 55kg, Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) will be hoping to become only the second Azerbaijan wrestler to hold three world titles if he defends his gold.

His long-time rival and 2019 world champion Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) will try to find a way to beat the Azerbaijan wrestler. Apart from Tsurtsumia, Azizli will have to watch for Adem UZUN (TUR) who defeated him to win the European Championships.

U23 world and Asian champion Poya DAD MARZ (IRI), who had finished eighth last year, reserves a big nudge for Azizli as the Azerbaijan wrestler defeated the Iranian at the World Cup in Baku.

Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) won silver medals at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series and German Grand Prix and gold in Bishkek and can upset any of the big names in Belgrade. Denis MIHAI (ROU) and returning bronze medalist Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) will be tricky for some of the wrestlers.

63kg
Leri ABULADZE (GEO) has been denied the gold medal at two consecutive World Championships, by Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) in 2021 and Sebastian NAD (SRB) in 2022. Both Dalkhani and Nad are not entered at 63kg so will the third time be lucky for Abuladze?

The European champion started the year with silver in Alexandria where Dalkhani handed him another heartbreaking loss in the final. But he won the European Championships followed by a gold medal in Bishkek. But he recently lost to Ismail CULFA (TUR) in the final of Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial in Bucharest.

Despite the absence of Dalkhani and Nad, Abuladze will still face a lot of challenges in Belgrade. U23 world champion Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) will be the biggest of them all as the Iranian seeks to avenge his semifinal loss from Bishkek. Mohammadi had a stunning 2022 as he won bronze at the Asian Championships, and gold at the U20 Asian and World Championships. He also won the U23 World Championships before finishing the year with gold with Iran at the World Cup in which he won all his bouts.

Since Abuladze and Mohammadi are seeded first and third respectively, the two can only meet in the final. But Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) and Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) look to spoil that plan.

72kg
Ali ARSALAN (SRB) and Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) had a dream tournament last year as both reached the final before the former won the gold medal over Ganizade with a 7-4 victory. The two can meet only in the semifinals this year as Ganizade is seeded second and Arsalan third. But the Azerbaijan wrestler will be hoping to get his hands on the Serbian again.

Since last year's final, the two have entered the same tournament only once, the European Championships in April. Ganizade, who became the European champion, would have hoped to face the Serbian in the final but Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) defeated the world champ 6-3 in the semifinals. Arsalan had pinned Ghanem at the last World Championships.

So can Ghanem deny Arsalan another final appearance? He won't be alone with that hope. Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM) will look to avenge his European loss as well while Robert FRITSCH (HUN) has unfinished business from 2022.

Returning bronze medalist and top seed Selcuk CAN (TUR) had lost 4-3 to Ganizade in the semifinals and then at the European Championships. Belgrade will provide another opportunity for him to get past Ganizade.

Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) will draw confidence from the fact that he defeated Geraei at 72kg in Bishkek. The only thing is, Geraei has moved back to 67kg and Danial SOHRABI (IRI) is coming to Belgrade.

Sohrabi is clearly a favorite to win the gold but with little experience at the senior level, it is yet to be seen how he reacts at the big stage. Sohrabi won the U23 World Championships last year and has lost only two bouts since then. The first of those came against Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) in the World Cup while the second came against Luis ORTA (CUB) at the Zagreb Open. But he bounced back and won gold in Bishkek and Budapest. Since he is unseeded, a few seeded wrestlers may suffer an early loss.

82kg
2021 world champion Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) and 2022 world champion Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) will resume their rivalry after a small halt due to the former changing weight classes. Huseynov is back at 82kg, hoping to win his second world title while Akbudak is also looking for his second gold.

Akbudak lost to Huseynov in the Oslo final before beating him at the Istanbul Ranking Series five months later. The third meeting between the two was at the 2023 European Championships in which Akbudak pinned Huseynov. If the seeds hold, Akbudak and Huseynov can square off in the semifinals.

A surprise returnee to the mat is 36-year-old Maksim MANUKYAN (ARM). The Rio Olympian and 2017 world champion last wrestled at the 2020 European Championships but will put his shoes on again in Belgrade.

Returning bronze medalist and third seed Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR) will be keen on getting one past Akbudak as he has lost to him in their last two meetings. Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO), youngsters Idris IBAEV (GER) and Alireza MOHMADIPIANI (IRI) and Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist at 77kg Shohei YABIKU (JPN) will be the others to keep an eye on.