Four WW storylines to follow at Bolat Turlykhanov Cup

Monday, May 30, 2022 - 00:27 By Olivia Lichti

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (May 29) -- Top women’s wrestlers from across the world will gather for the second Ranking Series tournament of 2022 -- Bolat Turlykhanov Cup. The entry list features strong teams from home nation Kazakhstan as well as Azerbaijan, India, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan. Seeds at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia will be on the line as wrestlers fight to make the podium in Almaty, hoping to earn prestigious ranking points.

Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) heads into the second Ranking Series event ranked first in the world at 72kg. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

1. Bakbergenova sisters return after dominant Asian performances
Twin sisters Madina and Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) cemented themselves as the faces of the Kazakh wrestling with stellar performances in Ulaanbaatar last month. The two sisters won gold medals in their adjacent weight classes of 68kg and 72kg, picking up some significant victories along the way.

At 72kg, Zhamila followed up on her World silver medal performance in Oslo with four round-robin victories on her way to top honors, sealing her title with criteria victories over tough foes Davanaasan ENKH-AMAR (MGL) and Sumire NIIKURA (JPN).

A day earlier, Madina had an even more stunning performance at 68kg. Despite losing to 2020 Olympic bronze and 2021 world champion Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) in the nordic bracket, she rebounded with a semifinal upset of 2019 U20 world champion Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN) to set up a rematch in the finals against the Kyrgyz. There, she reversed the result from earlier in the day, defeating Zhuamanzarova 3-2.

Both twins will be gunning for gold in their home nation. Madina will have the opportunity to further cement herself as a serious international threat with tough competitors in former Asian champion Divya KAKRAN (IND) and Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) in her bracket. Zhamila will need to defeat Mongolia’s Enkh-Amar once again to win gold.

Grace BULLEN (NOR) will return to action for the first time since the 2021 World Championships. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

2. Bullen returns after adversity
Grace BULLEN (NOR) had a challenging year in 2021. The former European and U23 world champion seemed primed to qualify her Nordic nation for the Olympics but shockingly failed to do so at both the European and World Olympic Qualifiers.

She fell to Bediha GUN (TUR) in the first round at the European event and to Veronika CHUMIKOVA (RWF) in the semi-final of the World OG Qualifier. Her hometown comeback at the 2021 Worlds in Oslo was not to be, as she fell to familiar foe Linda MORAIS (CAN) in the first round -- a heartbreaker for her and local fans.

However, after an eight-month layoff from international competition, Bullen is ready to rumble and will seek to earn some ranking points up at her preferred weight class of 59kg.

She will have to be in top form to do so as her weight class features Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE), whose 2022 has already included a gold medal at the prestigious Ivan Yariguin and silver at the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series. World bronze medalists Sarita MOR (IND) and Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) will be competing as well.

Bullen is revered for her high-flying throws and dynamic style; wrestling fans must ensure they have their eyes glued to any matches involving the Norwegian star.

Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) headlines a Mongolian squad that'll feature 20 in the women's wrestling field. (Photo: UWW / Martin Gabor)

3. Bat-Ochir leads deep Mongolian contingent
While wrestling fans often crown nations like Japan, China and the United States as the top ones in women’s wrestling, many neglect to notice the consistency and depth that Mongolia always brings to the table. They display this here with a highly competitive 20-woman squad, a true testament to how deep talent runs in this traditional wrestling nation.

Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Bolortuya BAT-OCHIR (MGL) is the biggest star in attendance and is expected to win 53kg handily. Five other Mongolian women who have previously earned World medals will also be competing in Almaty.

Some of the most compelling weight classes in Almaty will herald potential Mongolian domestic showdowns. Entered at 50kg is both Olympian Namuuntsetseg TSOGT-OCHIR (MGL) and 2021 world bronze medalist Otgonjargal DOLGARJAV (MGL).

Tokyo Olympian Khongorzul BOLDSAIKHAN (MGL), '21 world bronze Gantuya ENKHBAT (MGL) and Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) are entered at 62kg.

Sukhee in particular has had an impressive start to the 2022 season, winning the Ivan Yariguin and Yasar Dogu while taking out Olympic Medallists Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), Sakshi MALIK (IND), and Marwa AMRI (TUN).

The outcome of the head-to-head matches of this tournament may influence which women Mongolia chooses to send to the World Championships in September, which will indubitably have drastic effects on the results of that event.

Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) comes into the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup ranked second in the world at 76kg. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

4. Medet Kyzy, Hamza clash at 76kg
The most highly anticipated matchup this weekend will feature two of the top women at 76kg -- Samar HAMZA (EGY) and Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ). Both women competed in Tokyo but failed to medal before raising their level at Worlds in Oslo, where they each claimed bronze medals.

Medet Kyzy currently sits second in the rankings with 77,000 points by way of her Yasar Dogu and Asian titles this year and is a comfortable 15,900 points above third-place Hamza. With current top-seed Adeline Gray unlikely to compete at Worlds this year, these women will be locked in a battle for the top spot.

Also keep an eye on Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ) who upset Hamza 10-4 at the Yasar Dogu. Yerkebayeva recently added an Asian bronze medal to her list of accolades and will certainly be in the podium hunt in Almaty.

The Bolat Turlykhanov Cup starts Thursday (June 2-5) and can be followed live on uww.org.

Development

Iraqi Wrestling Federation host 2nd course for Coaches and Referees

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 - 12:56 By United World Wrestling Press

Baghdad, Iraq (June 17) – The Iraqi Wrestling Federation continues to look to provide education for their coaches and referees. From May 25-30, the IRQ Federation hosted a Level 2 Coaching Course and the Introduction to Referee Course. These were conducted in conjunction with Olympic Solidarity and United World Wrestling. The coaching course was led by Mr. Hassan Madany (EGY) and the referee course was led by Mr. Hadi Hasan Ismael (IRQ).

The Level 2 coaching course focused on the designing and implementing of practice plans. There were 25 coaches that participated in the course. The participants The following topics were covered throughout the course: seven basic skills of wrestling, introduction to performance analysis designing effective practice sessions, and technical session. During the course, the coaches actively practiced and developed their skills through practical evaluations. “The atmosphere was comfortable and collaborative, creating an excellent learning environment. Everyone was eager to engage with the course content across various topics, but there was particular enthusiasm for match performance analysis and practical application. Notably, most participants were former international players, including some who competed in the London 2012 Olympics in the 130 kg Greco-Roman category, such as Coach Ali Nazem. Their presence significantly enhanced the course level, especially in the practical aspects. In the end, I was pleased to be part of this course and to work alongside such a distinguished group of coaches.” Said Mr. Madany.

The Introduction to Refereeing Course was the first-ever women-only course in Iraq. This course had 17 women who were new to refereeing. The participants learned the foundations of what it takes to be a great referee. The areas covered during the course included: safety of the athletes, evaluation of holds, referee mechanics, positioning, and controlling the bout. The participants were active during the course and were able to practice their skills through practical evaluations. “The course was conducted successfully and demonstrated strong organization throughout. The participants showed a high level of enthusiasm, which was clearly reflected in their active engagement during the sessions. Despite all attendees having no prior experience in wrestling, their overall performance was commendable. Several participants displayed exceptional comprehension and aptitude, which was evident in their practical application of refereeing skills during the championship held the day after the course concluded.” Said Mr. Hadi Hasan Ismael.

At the conclusion of the courses, the Iraqi Wrestling Federation organized a competition. The competition allowed the coaches and referees to directly practice the new skills that they learned.

“First of all, I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the International Wrestling Federation and the Development Committee of the Federation for their continuous support in developing wrestling in Iraq. Regarding the training and refereeing course, which concluded with great success, the lecturers Hassan Madani and Hadi Hassan presented valuable and useful expertise and information, which was well received and appreciated by all participants”. said Mr. Shaalan Abdulkadhim, President of Iraqi Wrestling Federation.

IRQ Participants gather for a group photo following the conclusion of the Level 2 Coaching Course in Baghdad. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Quotes from some of the participants:

“The course was of great importance, particularly due to the inclusion of practical applications, which proved to be the most engaging and beneficial aspect for the participants. These hands-on sessions complemented the theoretical lectures, which focused on thoroughly studying the core materials and concepts before transitioning to their practical implementation.” – Hoyam Jazea

“The course was very enjoyable and rich with valuable information that has already benefited us and will certainly be useful in the future. Although the duration of the course was short, the knowledge we gained was impactful and left a lasting impression. For future, I hope there will be more courses, as it would allow us to deepen our understanding and expand our knowledge of refereeing.” – Saja Tariq

"The overall impression of the Level 1 Wrestling Refereeing Course was very positive. It was a well-structured and fruitful course that provided a solid introduction to the fundamentals of wrestling, including basic techniques, refereeing principles, mat movement, and scoring methods. The theoretical component was clearly presented, and the instructor’s approach to delivering the material was excellent, making the information easy to understand and absorb.” – Rusul Falah

Four WW storylines to follow at Bolat Turlykhanov Cup

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Iraqi Wrestling Federation host 2nd course for Coaches and Referees