Dominant Ukraine sweeps U17 World Grappling Championships

Thursday, November 6, 2025 - 11:27 By Vinay Siwach

LOUTRAKI, Greece (November 4) -- There was little competition for Ukraine at the age-group Grappling World Championships in Loutraki, Greece as it swept the U17 team titles in Grappling Gi and Grappling No-Gi in both the men's and women's categories.

In men's, Ukraine were way ahead as it finished with 140 points while Kazakhstan was second with 94 points in Grappling Gi. It scored 132 points in Grappling No-Gi while second placed Armenia managed only 78 points to finish at the second position.

In women's, Ukraine edged past Poland with 97 points to 95 points to finish top of the table in Grappling Gi. It was a similar story in Grappling No-Gi as Ukraine finished first with 103 points while Poland was second with 100 points.

Grappling Gi competition saw Roman SHOSTAK (UKR) beat Nursat BAIKASSOV (KAZ), 6-4, in the 50kg final to kick start the gold rush. Soon after, Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) won 8-3 against Jakub BARDEN (POL) in the 54kg final to earn the second gold for Ukraine. At 63kg, Andrii PERZHAN (UKR) blanked Rafik ALEKSANYAN (ARM), 4-0, to win Ukraine's third gold medal.

At 69kg, Artem SHALAEV (UWW) won via submission against Illes VICTOR (HUN) in the final to win the gold medal while Aigun OMAROV (UWW) denied Ukraine a fourth gold when he defeated Artem DOTSIUK (UKR), 8-2, in the 76kg final.

Kazakhstan won a gold medal through Mansur ZHANTEMIROV (KAZ) who hung on for a close 2-2 victory over Izan RODRIGUEZ ROSA (ESP) in the 69kg final.

Ukraine had another silver medalist in Yaroslav FEDYNA (UKR) who was submitted by Mateusz KUCA (POL) in the 85kg final. Hungary won a gold medal at 110kg as Levente SZABO (HUN) won via submission against Gasan KHASAEV (UWW).

In No-Gi competition, Shostak and Dremliuha doubled up as champions, beating Baikassov and Dawid BALTRUKANIS (POL) respectively in the 50kg and 54kg finals. The third gold medal for Ukraine came through a different grappler, Andrii SHTUNDER (UKR), who defeated Aleksei SKOREV (UWW) via submission after a 6-0 lead in the 76kg final.

Kuca also struck double gold after he defeated Hurhen MKRTCHIAN (UKR), 6-4, in a thrilling 85kg final. He remained the only gold medalist for Poland in both competitions.

Szabo failed to win two golds but the 110kg gold still went to Hungary as Balazs KIS (HUN) managed to win all his bouts in the Nelson bracket to claim the top spot in the rankings and the gold medals. Szabo finished with a silver medal.

At 58kg, Kurbanali MAKHMUDOV (UWW) denied Rafik ALEKSANYAN (ARM), 5-3, in the final as the Armenian collected his second silver. Ramil ZHIROV (UWW) managed to submit Leved GRANER (HUN) in the 63kg final to win the gold medal while Gusein KHASAEV (UWW) stepped up to win a gold medal after silver as he defeated Amir KHABICHEV (UWW), 2-2, in the 69kg final.

Aleksandra PETUKHOVA (UWW) won double golds at 60kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Double champs

In an unprecedented finish in women's competition, all the gold medalists in Grappling Gi also finished as champions in No-Gi. The former had seven weight categories in action while No-Gi had eight.

Ukraine did not win any golds but still managed to emerge as the best team, thanks to two silvers, three bronze and one four place finish.

In Grappling-Gi, Vasilisa SHUTOVA (UWW) defeated Karolina HYRIA (UKR), 10-0, in the 46kg final while Mariia SHMELEVA (UWW) emerged as champion at 49kg after winning all bouts in Nelson bracket.

Shantel AMBRIZ (USA) dominated her way to the 52kg gold medal after winning the Nelson bracket, which occurs when a weight class has three to six participants.

At 56kg, Oliwia GREWLING (POL) submitted Agnes KOSZTA (HUN) with ease to win gold while Aleksandra PETUKHOVA (UWW) submitted Petra SZALAY (HUN) in the 60kg final to win gold.

The gold medal at 65kg went to Anastasiia SHAROVA (UWW) who managed to submit Karolina HRYNIUK (UKR) after building a 6-2 lead. Mercedes GARCIA RODRIGUEZ (ESP) captured the gold medal in the heaviest weight class, 90kg, after winning the Nelson bracket.

In No-Gi, Shutova, Shmeleva, Ambriz, Grewling, Petukhova, Sharova, and Garcia Rodriguez, repeated. Barring these, the 43kg weight class also saw participation and Ailina GALIEVA (UWW) submitted Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR) to win gold.

RESULTS

U17 Men's Grappling Gi

50kg
GOLD: Roman SHOSTAK (UKR) df. Nursat BAIKASSOV (KAZ), 6-4

BRONZE: Ronan PALLARES (FRA) df. Ayoub SI ALI (FRA), 9-3
BRONZE: Rustam KIM (KAZ) df. Georgios TERSENIDIS (GRE), via submission

54kg
GOLD: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Jakub BARDEN (POL), 8-3

BRONZE: Darrington DE LA CRUZ (ESP) df. Jivan ARAKELYAN (ARM), via submission (15-2)
BRONZE: Julen TRUJILLO HERNANDEZ (ESP) df. Yerkanat NARIMAN (KAZ), via submission (5-6)

58kg
GOLD: Artem SHALAEV (UWW) df. Illes VICTOR (HUN), via submission (6-0)

BRONZE: Vanik SARGSYAN (ARM) df. Artem KULYK (UKR), 9-2
BRONZE: Aleksandr NOVOSELTSEV (UWW) df. Daniel CABRERA PORTELA (ESP), via submission (2-1)

63kg
GOLD: Andrii PERZHAN (UKR) df. Rafik ALEKSANYAN (ARM), 4-0

BRONZE: Leved GRANER (HUN) df. Dimitrios THOMOS (GRE), via submission (1-2)
BRONZE: Danylo TERESHCHENKO (UKR) df. Kalman SAJCZ (HUN), 9-3

69kg
GOLD: Mansur ZHANTEMIROV (KAZ) df. Izan RODRIGUEZ ROSA (ESP), 2-2

BRONZE: Leonard HRUSA (GER) df. Zisis SVANAS (GRE), via submission (6-3)
BRONZE: Gor SAHAKYAN (ARM) df. Baron NELSON (USA), 5-5 (overtime)

76kg
GOLD: Aigun OMAROV (UWW) df. Artem DOTSIUK (UKR), 8-2

BRONZE: Andrii SHTUNDER (UKR) df. Heorhi HLAZKO (UWW), 5-1
BRONZE: Roman NAZAROV (UWW) df. Ivan KUCHYNSKI (UWW), 15-5

85kg
GOLD: Mateusz KUCA (POL) df. Yaroslav FEDYNA (UKR), via submission

BRONZE: Shynggyskhan ABDIROV (KAZ) df. Hurhen MKRTCHIAN (UKR), via disqualification

110kg
GOLD: Levente SZABO (HUN) df. Gasan KHASAEV (UWW), via submission (3-2)

BRONZE: Maksym ILIN (UKR) df. Alexios ALEXOPOULOS (GRE), via submission (3-0)
BRONZE: Artem BIKMURZIN (UWW) df. Amirlan ABAKHANOV (KAZ), 10-2

U17 Women's Grappling Gi

46kg
GOLD: Vasilisa SHUTOVA (UWW) df. Karolina HYRIA (UKR), 10-0

49kg
GOLD: Mariia SHMELEVA (UWW)
SILVER: Sylwia WELC (POL)
BRONZE: Daria HORDIIENKO (UKR)

52kg
GOLD: Shantel AMBRIZ (USA)
SILVER: Daria KHAMETOVA (UWW)
BRONZE: Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL)

56kg
GOLD: Oliwia GREWLING (POL) df. Agnes KOSZTA (HUN), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Vladyslava SMILIANSKA (UKR) df. Eirini PAPADOPOULOU (GRE), via submission (13-0)
BRONZE: Sonia RUBIO HERGUIJUELA (ESP) df. Yana PAVLIUK (UKR), (2-2)

60kg
GOLD: Aleksandra PETUKHOVA (UWW) df. Petra SZALAY (HUN), via submission (9-2)

BRONZE: Susana GONZALEZ GONZALEZ (ESP) df. Anastassiya KRASNOLUTSKAYA (KAZ), via submission (7-2)
BRONZE: Mariia SUSKA (UKR) df. Texenery TEJERA GARCIA (ESP), 8-4

65kg
GOLD: Anastasiia SHAROVA (UWW) df. Karolina HRYNIUK (UKR), via submission (6-2)

BRONZE: Anais MORANTA ALBRECH (ESP) df. Zhasmin KAIRAT (KAZ), via submission (6-0)
BRONZE: Malgorzata SALAMON (POL) df. Efthymia PANAGIOTOPOULOU (GRE), 6-3

90kg
GOLD: Mercedes GARCIA RODRIGUEZ (ESP)
SILVER: Karolina KARALUS (POL)
BRONZE: Elena ZAIMIDOU (GRE)

U17 Men's Grappling No-Gi

50kg
GOLD: Roman SHOSTAK (UKR) df. Nursat BAIKASSOV (KAZ), 8-4

BRONZE: Yerkanat NARIMAN (KAZ) df. Ilkin GULIEV (UWW), 7-6
BRONZE: Jivan ARAKELYAN (ARM) df. Oinatz IRUSTA GARCIA (ESP), 8-1

54kg
GOLD: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Dawid BALTRUKANIS (POL), via submission (14-1)

BRONZE: Jakub BARDEN (POL) df. Julen TRUJILLO HERNANDEZ (ESP), via submission (9-0)
BRONZE: Amir SHURDUMOV (UWW) df. Athanasios TAGKALAKIS TSAKOPOULOS (GRE), 15-0

58kg
GOLD: Kurbanali MAKHMUDOV (UWW) df. Rafik ALEKSANYAN (ARM), 5-3

BRONZE: Lohan DURANDET (FRA) df. Artem KULYK (UKR), via submission (11-0)
BRONZE: Daniel CABRERA PORTELA (ESP) df. Adam KARAMANOLIS (GRE), via submission

63kg
GOLD: Ramil ZHIROV (UWW) df. Leved GRANER (HUN), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Shermat ZHAMALBEK (KAZ) df. Yanis ANGELOSANTO (FRA), 4-4
BRONZE: Danylo TERESHCHENKO (UKR) df. Edgar SIMONYAN (ARM), via submission (3-0)

69kg
GOLD: Gusein KHASAEV (UWW) df. Amir KHABICHEV (UWW), 2-2

BRONZE: Gor SAHAKYAN (ARM) df. Antoni BLACH (POL), 2-1
BRONZE: Mansur ZHANTEMIROV (KAZ) df. Leonard HRUSA (GER), via submission (5-2)

76kg
GOLD: Andrii SHTUNDER (UKR) df. Aleksei SKOREV (UWW), via submission (6-0)

BRONZE: Heorhi HLAZKO (UWW) df. Ivan KUCHYNSKI (UWW), via submission (10-1)
BRONZE: Donat HOLLOSY (HUN) df. Aldiyar KARIMOV (KAZ), via submission (2-1)

85kg
GOLD: Mateusz KUCA (POL) df. Hurhen MKRTCHIAN (UKR), 6-4

BRONZE: Yaroslav FEDYNA (UKR) df. Shynggyskhan ABDIROV (KAZ), 3-2

110kg
GOLD: Balazs KIS (HUN)
SILVER: Levente SZABO (HUN)
BRONZE: Gasan KHASAEV (UWW)

U17 Women's Grappling No-Gi

43kg
GOLD: Ailina GALIEVA (UWW) df. Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR), via submission

46kg
GOLD: Vasilisa SHUTOVA (UWW) df. Karolina HYRIA (UKR), 15-0

49kg
GOLD: Mariia SHMELEVA (UWW)
SILVER: Sylwia WELC (POL)
BRONZE: Tomiris ZAGIDULLINA (KAZ)

52kg
GOLD: Shantel AMBRIZ (USA) df. Daria KHAMETOVA (UWW), 2-1

BRONZE: Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL) df. Amina ZHEKSHENBEKOVA (KGZ), 9-2

56kg
GOLD: Oliwia GREWLING (POL) df. Vladyslava SMILIANSKA (UKR), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Yana PAVLIUK (UKR) df. Vivien SZABO (HUN), 6-2
BRONZE: Safiya UALIAKHMETOVA (KAZ) df. Eleni TOLIA (GRE), 12-8

60kg
GOLD: Aleksandra PETUKHOVA (UWW) df. Petra SZALAY (HUN), via submission (9-3)

BRONZE: Susana GONZALEZ GONZALEZ (ESP) df. Laila DAVIS (GER), via submission (9-1)
BRONZE: Texenery TEJERA GARCIA (ESP) df. Daria HLADUN (UKR), 5-3

65kg
GOLD: Anastasiia SHAROVA (UWW) df. Malgorzata SALAMON (POL), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Anais MORANTA ALBRECH (ESP) df. Sohane EDDAMI (FRA), via submission (14-0)
BRONZE: Efthymia PANAGIOTOPOULOU (GRE) df. Gulzhaina SULTANOVA (KAZ), via submission (9-0)

90kg
GOLD: Mercedes GARCIA RODRIGUEZ (ESP)
SILVER: Karolina KARALUS (POL)
BRONZE: Tetiana TKACHYK (UKR)

2026 U20 World Championships

U20 Worlds 2018 Freestyle Champs: Where are They Now

Friday, August 7, 2026 - 08:00 By Vinay Siwach

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (August 7) -- The U20 World Championships are back in Slovakia after eight years. The country hosted the U20 Worlds in 2018 at the Mestska Sports Hall in Trnava.

It was the first U20 World Championships with 10 weight classes in Freestyle, Women's Wrestling and Greco-Roman. Among the 30 U20 world champions from Trnava, a few went on to win Olympic and world gold medals at the senior level.

Watch the 2026 U20 World Championships on UWW+. Use code BUNDLE20 during checkout to get 20 percent discount.

Here's the list of the 10 Freestyle champions from the 2018 U20 World Championships and where are they now:

Wrestling Akhmed IDRISOV (RUS) — *Akhmed IDRISOV (RUS), 57kg U20 world champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Max Rose-Fyne)*

57kg: Akhmed IDRISOV (RUS): WATCH 57kg Final - Idrisov vs NAVEEN (IND)

Idrisov was making his international debut at the 2018 U20 World Championships and he won the gold medal. Idrisov went on a scoring run of 46-6 in five bouts that also included a 9-2 victory over Arsen HARUTYUNAYAN (ARM) in the semifinals.

The Russian wrestler returned for the 2019 U20 World Championships and won bronze. In 2021, he won gold at U23 European Championships but has not competed internationally since.

Wrestling Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RUS) — *Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RUS), 61kg U20 world champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Max Rose-Fyne)*

61kg: Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RUS): WATCH 61kg Final - Magomedov vs TURMANIDZE (GEO)

Magomedov had one of the most dominant runs in Trnava, outscoring his opponents 50-4 in five bouts and winning gold. He had a breakout senior year in 2021 in which he won the gold medals at World and European Championships.

In 2023, Magomedov won silver medal at the World Championships and repeated as the European champion in 2024 before moving up to 65kg. After missing out on making the Russian team, Magomedov won the Russian National Championships in 2026 and will look to win his third world medal in Astana in October.

Wrestling Saiyn KAZYRYK (RUS) — *Saiyn KAZYRYK (RUS), 65kg U20 world champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Max Rose-Fyne)*

65kg: Saiyn KAZYRYK (RUS) - WATCH 65kg Final - Kazyryk vs MAGHSOUDI (IRI)

In one of the most memorable finals in the tournament, Kazyryk defeated Amirhossein MAGHSOUDI (IRI), 8-7, to win the gold medal. A year later, he finished ninth at the U23 European Championships. However, Kazyryk failed to transitioned to the senior level.

After a six year gap, Kazyryk managed to break into the Russia team and participated at the World Championships, only to finish 10th after losing to Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN).

70kg: Khadzimurad GADHIYEV (AZE) - WATCH 70kg Final - Gadzhiyev vs JAMALOV (RUS/UZB)

One of the wrestler who has a win over Olympic champion Razambek JAMALOV (UZB), Gadzhiyev was one of the most talked about wrestlers at U17 and U20 level. He won gold after a 4-3 win over Jamalov and then moved to 74kg in 2019, finishing with a bronze medal at U20 World Championships and seventh at the World Championships.

In 2021, he managed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics but an injury stopped him from participating. Two years later, he won bronze at the Zagreb and Budapest Ranking Series but has not competed since.

Wrestling Mekhi LEWIS (USA) — *Mekhi LEWIS (USA), 74kg U20 world champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Max Rose-Fyne)*

74kg: Mekhi LEWIS (USA) - WATCH 74kg Final - Lewis vs ABAKAROV (AZE)

Lewis competed at only one United World Wrestling tournament and won gold. Lewis won the 74kg gold after four wins, defeated Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) in the final. He recently competed at the Grand Prix of Spain, finishing fifth at 86kg. Lewis, in 2019, made history as Virginia Tech's first NCAA wrestling champion.

Wrestling Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) — *Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN), 79kg U20 world champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Max Rose-Fyne)*

79kg: Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) - WATCH 79kg Final - Ishiguto vs BROOKS (USA)

Ishiguro won the gold medal after a thrilling final against Aaron BROOKS (USA) that he won 11-10. He would go on to be an Olympian. He competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics at 86kg and finished seventh. But his biggest achievement came in 2025 when he won the silver medal at the World Championships. Ishiguro has also won medals at the U23 World and Asian Championships.

Wrestling Arif OZEN (TUR) — *Arif OZEN (TUR), red, U20 world champion at 86kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Max Rose-Fyne)*

86kg: Arif OZEN (TUR) - WATCH 86kg Final - Ozen vs PUNIA (IND)

Ozen remains Turkiye's last U20 world champion in Freestyle. He won a close final against Deepak PUNIA (IND), 2-1. He moved up to 92kg but has failed to make the Türkiye team for UWW events. At this year Yasar Dogu tournament, he finished seventh at 92kg.

Wrestling Abbas FOROUTANRAMI (IRI) — *Abbas FOROUTANRAMI (IRI), 92kg U20 world champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Max Rose-Fyne)*

92kg: Abbas FOROUTANRAMI (IRI) - WATCH 92kg Final - Fouroutanrami vs YERGALI (KAZ)

The Iranian came to Trnava as U17 world silver and U20 Asia champion. He was among the favorites to win the gold medal and did not disappoint, winning four bouts and outscoring his opponents 40-3.

In 2019, Foroutanrami repeated as U20 world champion at 97kg, and later moved to 125kg in which he won gold at Yasar Dogu.

Wrestling Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) — *Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV, then competing for Russia, won 97kg gold. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Max Rose-Fyne)*

97kg: Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (RUS/AZE) - WATCH 97kg Final - Magomedov vs ELAM (USA)

A bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Magomedov showed his class by outscoring his opponents 53-1 in five bouts, including a fall. That was his only tournament for Russia before he moved to Azerbaijan.

In 2022, Magomedov won gold at the European Championships, silver and bronze at the World Championships before going to Paris. He also has silver medals at European Championships and other Ranking Series medals. Currently, Magomedov is at 97kg but is challenged domestically in Azerbaijan.

Wrestling Soslan KHINCHAGOV (RUS) — *Soslan KHINCHAGOV (RUS), 125kg U20 world champion. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Max Rose-Fyne)*

125kg: Soslan KHINCHAGOV (RUS) - WATCH 125kg Final - Khinchagov vs BARGHOUT (CAN)

Among the five Russian who won gold, Khinchagov won five bouts. He defeated Aly BARGHOUT (CAN), 7-0, in the final. While he did not compete at any UWW competitions since, Khinchagov failed to replicate his success domestically and did not make the senior team.

Dominant Ukraine sweeps U17 World Grappling Championships

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U20 Worlds 2018 Freestyle Champs: Where are They Now