#WrestleBucharest

Bulgaria's Reigning World and Euro Champ Yusein Headlines Friday Night's Finals

By Eric Olanowski

BUCHAREST, Romania (April 10) - Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) was one of two reigning world and European champion that competed on the fourth day of wrestling at the European Championships, but the Bulgarian was the only double defending champion who made it to Friday night’s finals. The second, Petra OLLI (FIN), was upset in the semifinals and will compete for a bronze medal on Friday night. 

In the 62kg semifinals, top-ranked returning world and European champion Yusein stuck two-time European bronze medalist Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE) in just 43 seconds, locking up her second consecutive trip to the European finals. 

Yusein will wrestle Aurora CAMPAGNA (ITA), who's finals birth is a vast improvement on her ninth-place finish from a year ago. In her semifinals match, Campagna outlasted Sweden’s 2017 U23 world bronze medalist Moa NYGREN (SWE) in a nail biter, reaching the gold-medal bout with a 4-3 victory.


Tetyana KIT was one of three Ukrainian wrestlers who will compete on Friday night for a gold medal. (Photo: Gabro Martin)

Meanwhile, Ukraine, who sits in the lead after claiming three gold medals on Day 4 added three more finalists to their overall total, bringing the gold-medal participant total to six. 

Their three potential champions are Lilya HORISHNA, Tetyana KIT and Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR), who’ll wrestle for the gold medals at 53kg,  57kg, and 72kg respectively.

At 53kg, two-time U23 European champion Lilya Horshna halted Jessica BLASZKA (NED) from the becoming first-ever women’s wrestling European finalist from the Netherlands with a 6-1 victory. 

Horshna will wrestle Russia’s returning European champion Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS), who defeated 2017 world champion and No. 17-ranked Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) at the European championships. Last year, Orshush beat Valadzinskaya in the finals, and this year, it was in the semifinals, where she picked up the 2-2 criteria win. 

In the semifinals at 57kg, Kit was down 6-4 as time expired against Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), but a late successful Ukrainian challenge gave Kit the 6-6 win on criteria. 

She’ll wrestle Hungary’s fifth-ranked Emese BARKA (HUN). Barka came out on top of her semifinals match against reigning European silver medalist Mimi Nikolova HRISTOVA (BUL), 11-3.  The Holland wrestler ended the opening three minutes with a 5-0 lead, and tacked on six additional points, inserting herself into the continental finals with the eight-point win. 


Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR) will wrestle for a European gold medal for the fourth time in her career. She's walked away with a gold medal twice. (Photo: Martin Gabor) 

In the 72kg semifinals, two-time champion Alina Berezhna Stadnik glued returning European bronze medalist Alexandra Nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU) back to the mat for the fall and will wrestle for a gold medal in the European Championships for the fifth time in her career. 

The Ukranian wrestler will take on Anna Carmen SCHELL (GER), who was up 7-4 on No. 15 Tatiana KOLESNIKOVA MOROZOVA (RUS) when she picked up the fall. 

Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) pinned defending world and European champion Petra Maarit OLLI (FIN) to reach the finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

The last finals match up that was settled was at 65kg.

Romania’s Kriszta INCZE outlasted reigning two-time U23 European champion Mariia KUZNETSOVA (RUS), 3-2, and will take on Azerbaijan’s Elis MANOLOVA for the 65kg gold medal. Manolova stuck returning world and European champion Petra Maarit OLLI (FIN) in the semifinals and earned her second consecutive trip to the European finals. 

The Day 5 finals begin on Friday at 18:00 (local time) and can be followed at www.unitedworldwrestling.org.

RESULTS
53kg
GOLD -Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS) vs. Lilya HORISHNA (UKR)
SEMIFINAL - Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS) df. Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR), 2-2 
SEMIFINAL - Lilya HORISHNA (UKR) df. Jessica Cornelia Francisca BLASZKA (NED), 6-1

57kg 
GOLD - Tetyana KIT (UKR) vs. Emese BARKA (HUN)
SEMIFINAL - Tetyana KIT (UKR) df. Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), 6-6
SEMIFINAL - Emese BARKA (HUN) df. Mimi Nikolova HRISTOVA (BUL), 11-3 

62kg
GOLD - Aurora CAMPAGNA (ITA) vs. Taybe Mustafa YUSEIN (BUL)
SEMIFINAL - Aurora CAMPAGNA (ITA) df. Moa Lena Maria NYGREN (SWE) 
SEMIFINAL - Taybe Mustafa YUSEIN (BUL) df. Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE), via fall 

65kg
GOLD - Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU) vs. Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
SEMIFINAL - Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU) df. Mariia KUZNETSOVA (RUS), 4-3 
SEMIFINAL - Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) df. Petra Maarit OLLI (FIN), via fall 

72kg
GOLD - Anna Carmen SCHELL (GER) vs. Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR)
SEMIFINAL - Anna Carmen SCHELL (GER) df. Tatiana KOLESNIKOVA MOROZOVA (RUS) 
SEMIFINAL - Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR) df. Alexandra Nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU)

#development

UWW Women in Wrestling Global Forum concludes in Paris

By United World Wrestling Press

PARIS, France (December 7) --- The UWW Women in Wrestling Global Forum 2023, held in Paris from December 2nd to 4th, concluded on its third day with a sense of achievement and empowerment among all participants. This transformative event united leaders and experts in a collective effort to advance women in the world of wrestling.

 

Day 1: Opening Ceremony and Empowering Training

The first day commenced with a morning opening ceremony featuring welcome messages from key figures in the wrestling community. Mr. Nenad Lalovic, President of UWW, Mr. Fabien CANU, INSEP Director General, Mr. Lionel Lacaze, President of the French Wrestling Federation, Ms. Rodica Yaksi – UWW Bureau Member and Ms. Deqa Niamkey, UWW Development Director expressed their commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment in wrestling on a global scale.

Three priorities for advancing women in wrestling for UWW:

  1. Sustain Elite-Level Participation Growth:

Ensure continuous growth in elite-level participation across all domains (athletes, coaches, and referees).

  1. Promote Gender Equality through National Federation Policies:

Implement gender equality policies, focusing on increased inclusion of women in leadership roles.

Initiate the first steps of experience and practice at a national level through commissions, continental councils, NOC, Continental Confederations, etc.

  1. Foster Education Opportunities:

Maintain a commitment to education by providing opportunities through programs such as the WW Forum, WISH, Refereeing Courses, Athlete Scholarships, etc.

Following the opening ceremony, the day was dedicated to Women Empowerment Training led by Gabriela Mueller, focusing on goal-setting, self-leadership, and a leader's unique value proposition.

Day 2: Skill-Building and In-Depth Discussions

The second day continued with Women Empowerment Training in the morning, and in the afternoon, the event shifted to an engaging panel discussion on leadership challenges in wrestling. This insightful session, featuring distinguished speakers like Rodica Yaksi (TUR) - UWW Bureau Member, Csilla Ali (HUN) - General Secretary of the UWW European Council, and Buyana Pelje (MGL) - General Secretary of the UWW Asian Council, explored 21st-century leadership skills and group presentations on contemporary challenges. Skill-building sessions covered influence and persuasion skills, adopting a growth mindset, and mastering leadership fundamentals.

Day 3: Crossing the Finishing Line of Empowerment

On this final day, all participants collectively "crossed the finishing line" as they completed their empowering journey at the UWW Women in Wrestling Global Forum.

The day began with discussions on women leading in wrestling part II, with panelists such as Lise Le Grand (FRA) - Vice-Président of FRA NF; Board Member of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), Jaimie McNabb (USA) - Sr. Manager of Women’s Freestyle, Emerging Programs and National Teams Services, and Deqa Niamkey (SUI) - UWW Development Director; Chair of ASOIF Sports Development and Education Group; Member of ASOIF Gender Equality and Diversity sharing valuable insights and providing a toolkit for success.

The Leadership Training segment continued with a focus on the power of online presence in the social media era. Panelists, including Dragana Saveva (MKD) - Secretary General of Wrestling Federation of the Republic of North Macedonia, Tin Bregovic (CRO) - Secretary General of the Croatian Wrestling Federation, and Yuri Maier (ARG) - 13x Pan-American Medalist, UWW Sport & Development Officer, IOC Athlete365 Career+ Lead Educator, ACODEPA Sports Manager, emphasized the importance of establishing a strong online presence and improving communication through social media. AI expert Gabriela Muller provided insights into the intersection of leadership and AI in the digital space.

The forum concluded with a closing ceremony, expressing gratitude to participants, panelists, and experts. All participants were acknowledged for their active engagement and insightful contributions, leaving them empowered and ready to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.

The UWW Women in Wrestling Global Forum 2023 has undoubtedly served as a significant milestone in promoting gender equality, skill development, and leadership empowerment within the wrestling community. As the event wrapped up, the sense of accomplishment and readiness to face challenges marked the beginning of a new era for women making their mark in the world of wrestling.