#development

Buenos Aires hosts 2022 More Than Medals camp

Monday, July 11, 2022 - 11:44 By United World Wrestling Press

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (July 8) -- Aligned with the UWW strategy that focuses on youth development, 2022 More Than Medals Buenos Aires U20 was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from June 27 to July 3.

For seven days, 50 wrestlers and coaches from 10 countries took part in the camp, allowing young athletes to exchange experiences and create good memories.

Three gold medalists, seven silver medalists, and eleven bronze medalists from the U17 Pan-American Championships participate in this camp.

An anti-doping seminar was also conducted by Silvina Valoppi from the national anti-doping agency. The seminar was centered on general anti-doping rules, the rights & responsibilities of athletes & coaches (rules for minors and adults), testing procedures, clean sports values, and ethics.

The training sessions were dictated by each national coach, giving a chance to wrestlers to experience other countries' training styles and learn new ways.

ARGMore Than Medals participants share a laugh during a training session at the camp in Argentina. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) and Patricia BERMUDEZ (ARG) joined the camp as ambassadors and shared their techniques and experience with the youngsters and encouraged them to pursue their dreams in wrestling.

A fun activity day was organized with the support of the Argentina Wrestling Federation with sightseeing in the traditional Buenos Aires neighborhood Caminito, in La Boca, and also the traditional emblem of the city El Obelisco.

This camp once again marked the success of the continued More than Medals program that United World Wrestling has been offering to young athletes since 2017.

2026 U20 Asian Championships

China's Yang Turns Weight-Loss Plan into Historic U20 Asian Gold

Tuesday, July 7, 2026 - 10:04 By Vinay Siwach

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PATTAYA, Thailand (July 6) -- Even Yuanchong YANG (CHN) could not help but appreciate the irony.

Yang was introduced to wrestling because he was overweight. His parents simply wanted their youngest son to lose a few kilos. Instead, he created history for China, becoming the country's heaviest-ever Asian Freestyle champion.

China won only one Freestyle medal at the 2026 U20 Asian Wrestling Championships in Pattaya, Thailand but Yang made sure it was a historic one.

The 97kg wrestler claimed the gold medal to become China's first-ever U20 Asian champion in Freestyle and only the sixth Chinese to win an Asian Freestyle title at any level. He also surpassed Ying WANG (CHN), who won the 84kg title at the 2008 Senior Asian Championships, as the heaviest Chinese Freestyle wrestler to capture an Asian gold medal.

"I was extremely fat in elementary school, so my parents sent me to a sports school [later] to exercise and become thinner and healthier," Yang told United World Wrestling. "My parents thought wrestling would help me lose weight faster."

Yuanchong YANG (CHN)Yuanchong YANG (CHN) celebrates after winning the gold medal in 97kg at the U20 Asian Championships in Pattaya, Thailand. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

When he first stepped onto the mat as a 12-year-old, Yang never imagined he would one day represent China. Wrestling was simply a way to shed the extra kilos.

"Following my training, I was deeply touched by the passion of my team, the teamwork and the charm of wrestling," he said.

Yang's first major breakthrough came in 2023 when he captured the U17 National Championships title. Later that year, he represented China at the East Asian Youth Games but returned home without a medal.

"I saw my older teammates winning medals consistently, so I set myself the goal of winning my own gold medal," he said. "After five years of training, I finally won the U17 title in 2023."

Yang competed at both the 2025 U20 and U23 World Championships but came up short in both after losing close bouts. When he returned home to Jinan, Shandong Province, he shifted his focus to the 2026 season.

Last week in Pattaya, Yang produced a dominant 11-0 technical superiority win over LACKY (IND) in the semifinals before defeating Samir DURSUNOV (KAZ), 8-2, in the final to complete his historic run.

Yang relied on strong underhooks to force pushouts and controlled the par terre exchanges with an effective gut wrench, leaving little room for his opponents to recover.

Yuanchong YANG (CHN)Yuanchong YANG (CHN) at the podium with the 97kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

As he stood atop the podium, Yang was emotional but he soon realised that this is just the beginning.

"When I received the gold medal, I was really happy," he said. "But while I was walking down from the podium, I realised there are higher goals waiting for me. I can't be satisfied with this. My next target is to win a medal at the Senior Asian Championships."