#WrestleBelgrade

Freestyle entries released for 2023 World Championships

Friday, August 25, 2023 - 14:04 By Eric Olanowski

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BELGRADE, Serbia (August 25) --- United World Wrestling has released the preliminary freestyle entries for the 2023 World Championships.

The World Championships will be live in Belgrade, Serbia, September 16-24, with freestyle kicking off the competition on the 16th.

Seven returning champions— Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB), Rei HIGUCHI (JPN), Rahman AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI), Kyle DAKE (USA), David TAYLOR III (USA), Kyle SNYDER (USA) and Taha AKGUL (TUR)—are headed to Belgrade striving to add another world title to their list of achievements..

The 2023 World Championships hold significant importance for the 2024 Olympic cycle as it marks the initial phase of the six qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 90 Olympic quotas—30 each in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women's wrestling—are up for contention in Belgrade.

The Olympic quotas will be allocated across six weight classes: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg, and 125kg. Additionally, four non-Olympic weights will be contested—61kg, 70kg, 79kg, and 92kg—however, placements in these categories will have no impact on qualification for the Paris Olympics.

Wrestlers who achieve gold, silver, or bronze medals in the six Olympic weight categories will secure a place for their nation in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Additionally, the two wrestlers who fall short in the bronze-medal bouts will compete in a wrestle-off to determine the fifth quota for the Paris Olympics.

Other Olympic Qualification Events:
}March 01-03: Pan-American Olympic Qualifier in Acapulco, Mexico
March 22-24: African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Cairo, Egypt
April 04-07: European Olympic Qualifier in Baku, Azerbaijan
April 19-21: Asian Olympic Qualifier in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
May 09-12: World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey

At 57kg, reigning world champion Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) will share headlining responsibilities with Rei HIGUCHI (JPN). Higuchi, who previously held the 61kg world title, has decided to compete at his Rio 2016 Olympic silver medal weight of 57kg.

Other medalists from last year that'll compete at 57kg are bronze medal finishers Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) and Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM). Zandanbud's bronze came in the 57kg category, while Harutyunyan competed at 61kg.

With Higuchi's move to the 57kg Olympic weight, the 61kg division lacks a clear frontrunner. Nevertheless, there are three entrants with world medals to their name. Reza Ahmadali ATRINAGHARCHI (IRI) was the runner-up last year, and Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL) and Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB) both claimed bronze medals.

Despite being registered at 61kg, there's a strong possibility that Micic might reclassify and move down to the 57kg category, considering the Olympic qualification stakes.

At 65kg, world and Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) is set to return after a hiatus since his gold-medal win at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Wrestling enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating a potential showdown between Otoguro and reigning world champion Rahman AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI).

Other prominent contenders in the 65kg division include superstar Haji ALIYEV (AZE), a three-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist, as well as two-time world bronze medalist Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN).

In the 70kg class, Zain RETHERFORD (USA), Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ), and Amirmohammad YAZDANICHERATI (IRI) are the top targets for all contenders. While these three wrestlers have reached the world finals recently, they fell short of their lifelong ambition of reaching the pinnacle of the sport.

The ultra-competitive 74kg weight class is led by Kyle DAKE (USA), who has been the dominant figure in the division since transitioning from 79kg in January 2020. Since that shift, Dake has triumphed in 7 out of 8 competitions, securing two world titles, with his only loss coming against Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (AIN) at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Kadimahamedau, the wrestler responsible for defeating Dake at the Olympic Games, is set to return to the international stage in Belgrade. Behind Dake and Kadimahamedau, Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) holds the third position on the favorites list. Despite reaching the world finals twice in consecutive years, Salkazanov fell short against Dake on both occasions.

Other dark horses in this weight category, with past world medals to their names, include Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR), Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI), and Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA).

In a notable development, Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB), after experimenting at 86kg, has decided to shift back to 74kg in pursuit of another Olympic medal.

With the absence of the two-time reigning 79kg world champion Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), Mohammad NOKHODILARIMI (IRI) emerges as the frontrunner in this weight division. Nokhodilarimi reached the finals in two consecutive years but faced defeat against Burroughs, settling for second place.

In the 86kg category, David TAYLOR III (USA) stands as the undeniable favorite, following his commanding victory over Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (IRI) in Belgrade a year ago. Taylor carries with him a history of wins against Yazdani, having secured victories in the 2017 World Cup, 2018 World Championships, 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, and 2022 World Championships. Yazdani's sole win against Taylor came at the 2021 World Championships.

Myles Nazem AMINE (SMR), Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ), and Boris MAKOEV (SVK) are the three prominent contenders with the best prospects of preventing a Taylor vs. Yazdani rematch in the world finals. Amine, an Olympic bronze medalist, alongside Dauletbekov and Makoev, both returning world bronze medalists, are aiming to make their mark.

At 92kg, with Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) and J’den COX (USA) absent from the registration list, the frontrunners become the 2022 world bronze medalists Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) and Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO).

In the 97kg division, with the absence of Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) on the early entry list, Kyle SNYDER (USA) emerges as the top contender. Snyder, a three-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist, is likely to face strong competition from world bronze medalist Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) and Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) as he aims to secure his fourth world gold.

At 125kg, Gable STEVESON (USA) is set to return after a substantial absence. The 21-year-old sensation made waves at the Tokyo Olympic Games, stunning the wrestling community with his triumph. He managed to defeat now-reigning world champion Taha AKGUL (TUR) and three-time world champion Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) en route to Olympic glory.

Following his Olympic gold, Steveson took a brief retirement from wrestling to pursue a career in WWE. However, he has since added another Olympic gold to his aspirations.

During Steveson's absence, young contender Amir ZARE (IRI) has emerged as a dominant figure in the weight class. Zare claimed world gold in Oslo before relinquishing the crown to Rio Olympic champion Akgul in Belgrade. A highly anticipated clash between Zare and Steveson is eagerly awaited by fans after numerous exchanges on social media.

One often underestimated contender in this division is reigning world runner-up MUNKHTUR Lkhagvagerel (MGL). He showcased his capabilities last year by competing well against elite opponents, even shocking Petriashvili to reach the finals.

The 2023 World Championships begin September 16-24 in Belgrade, Serbia. Fans can follow all the action live on www.uww.org or on 'The Home of Wrestling,' United World Wrestling's new app.

Note: The aforementioned entries are preliminary and subject to change.

Freestyle entries:

57kg
Dzmitry SHAMELA (AIN)
Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB)
Bofenda KALUWEKO (ANG)
Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)
Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)
Georgi VANGELOV (BUL)
Darthe CAPELLAN (CAN)
Wanhao ZOU (CHN)
Gamal MOHAMED (EGY)
Levan METREVELI (ESP)
Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS)
Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO)
Niklas STECHELE (GER)
Milad VALIZADEH (IRI)
Simone PIRODDU (ITA)
Rei HIGUCHI (JPN)
Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ)
Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ)
Gukhyeon KIM (KOR)
Ben TARIK (MAR)
Igor CHICHIOI (MDA)
Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL)
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD)
Muhammad BILAL (PAK)
Darian CRUZ (PUR)
Razvan KOVACS (ROU)
Gayan KATHURANGANA (SRI)
Thomas EPP (SUI)
Suleyman ATLI (TUR)
Kamil KERYMOV (UKR)
Zane RICHARDS (USA)
AMAN (UWW)
Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB)

61kg
Andrei BEKRENEU (AIN)
Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG)
Norik HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)
Georgii OKOROKOV (AUS)
Intigam VALIZADA (AZE)
Stilyan ILIEV (BUL)
Nicholas LATTANZE (CAN)
Congbao XIE (CHN)
Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO)
Reza ATRI (IRI)
Daniel POPOV (ISR)
Kodai OGAWA (JPN)
Ossimzhan DASTANBEK (KAZ)
Kenneth KOECH (KEN)
Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)
Hyeonsik SONG (KOR)
Leomid COLESNIC (MDA)
Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL)
Besir ALILI (MKD)
Joseph SILVA (PUR)
Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU)
Stevan MICIC (SRB)
Nils LEUTERT (SUI)
Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR)
Valentyn BLIASETSKYI (UKR)
Vitali ARUJAU (USA)
Akash DAHIYA (UWW)
Jahongirmirza TUROBOV (UZB)

65kg
Niurgun SKRIABIN (AIN)
Islam DUDAEV (ALB)
Pedro LUVUEZO (ANG)
Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG)
Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
Haji ALIYEV (AZE)
Ayub MUSAEV (BEL)
Alibeg ALIBEGOV (BRN)
Mikyay NAIM (BUL)
Lachlan MCNEIL (CAN)
Shaohua YUAN (CHN)
Uber CUERO (COL)
Yanisse MADI (COM)
Alejandro VALDES (CUB)
Carlos ALVAREZ (ESP)
Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA)
Junjun ASEBIAS (FSM)
Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Alexander SEMISOROW (GER)
Ethan AGUIGUI (GUM)
Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN)
Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI)
Joshua FINESILVER (ISR)
Colin REALBUTO (ITA)
Takuto OTOGURO (JPN)
Adil OSPANOV (KAZ)
Levi NYONGESA (KEN)
Ikromzhon KHADZHIMURODOV (KGZ)
Seokki YOON (KOR)
Maxim SACULTAN (MDA)
Austin GOMEZ (MEX)
Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)
Lowe BINGHAM (NRU)
Abdullah ASSAF (PLE)
Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
Sebastian RIVERA (PUR)
Stefan COMAN (ROU)
Sylvio DIATTA (SEN)
Divoshan CHARLES FERNANDO (SRI)
Nino LEUTERT (SUI)
Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK)
Cavit ACAR (TUR)
Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR)
Nicholas LEE (USA)
Anuj KUMAR (UWW)
Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB)
Ibrahim GUZAN (YEM)

70kg
Nikita DMITRIJEVS MAYEUSKI  (AIN)
Patricio MANGUAU (ANG)
Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM)
Magomed KHANIEV (AZE)
Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL)
Michael ASSELSTINE (CAN)
Hazhimuhan YELIXIATI (CHN)
Amr REDA (EGY)
Caetano SA (GBS)
Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO)
Kevin HENKEL (GER)
Daniel ANTAL (HUN)
Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI)
Orts ISAKOV (JOR)
Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN)
Sanzhar DOSZHANOV (KAZ)
Brian Maurice OLOO (KEN)
Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
Yongseok JEONG (KOR)
Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA)
Cristian SANTIAGO (MEX)
Temuulen ENKHTUYA (MGL)
Fati VEJSELI (MKD)
Patryk OLENCZYN (POL)
Viktor VOINOVIC (SRB)
Niroshan MUNASINGE (SRI)
Marc DIETSCHE (SUI)
Mustafo AKHMEDOV (TJK)
Perman HOMMADOV (TKM)
Servet COSKUN (TUR)
Ihor NYKYFORUK (UKR)
Zain RETHERFORD (USA)
ABHIMANYOU (UWW)
Zafarbek OTAKHONOV (UZB)

74kg
Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (AIN)
Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM)
Simon MARCHL (AUT)
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Cesar BORDEAUX (BRA)
Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN)
Ali UMARPASHAEV (BUL)
Adam THOMSON (CAN)
Feng LU (CHN)
Anthony WESLEY (CPV)
Erik REINBOK (EST)
Bacar NDUM (GBS)
Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Tim MUELLER (GER)
Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN)
Yones EMAMI (IRI)
Mitchell FINESILVER (ISR)
Frank CHAMIZO (ITA)
Daichi TAKATANI (JPN)
Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ)
Mathayo MAHABILA (KEN)
Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ)
Seungchul LEE (KOR)
Vasile DIACON (MDA)
Anthony VALENCIA (MEX)
Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL)
Marko ANDONOV (MKD)
Inayat ULLAH (PAK)
Kamil RYBICKI (POL)
Shane JONES (PUR)
Iakub SHIKHDZHAMALOV (ROU)
Mamadou DIOUF (SEN)
Mamudu MARAH (SLE)
Malik AMINE (SMR)
Hetik CABOLOV (SRB)
Udayantha FERNANDO (SRI)
Tobias PORTMANN (SUI)
Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)
Magomet EVLOEV (TJK)
Kakageldi AGAYEV (TKM)
Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR)
Jamal ABDUL (UGA)
Tymur HUDYMA (UKR)
Kyle DAKE (USA)
NAVEEN (UWW)
Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB)
Anthony MONTERO (VEN)

79kg
Andrei KARPACH (AIN)
Chems  FETAIRIA (ALG)
Francisco KADIMA (ANG)
Arman AVAGYAN (ARM)
Orkhan ABASOV (AZE)
Mihail GEORGIEV (BUL)
Jasmit PHULKA (CAN)
Peilong LI (CHN)
Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)
Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI)
Yuto MIWA (JPN)
Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ)
Gunwoo LEE (KOR)
Alans AMIROVS (LAT)
Raul PALACIOS (MEX)
Byambadorj BAT ERDENE (MGL)
Stefan DIMITROV (MKD)
Krisztian BIRO (ROU)
Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB)
Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK)
Shuhrat BOZOROV (TJK)
Gurbanmyrat OVEZBERDIYEV (TKM)
Ramazan SARI (TUR)
Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR)
Chandler MARSTELLER (USA)
Sachin MOR (UWW)
Iman MAHDAVI (UWW)

86kg
Rasul TSIKHAYEU (AIN)
Jayden LAWRENCE (AUS)
Benjamin GREIL (AUT)
Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN)
Ilia HRISTOV (BUL)
Alexander MOORE (CAN)
Zushen LIN (CHN)
Carlos IZQUIERDO (COL)
Matteo MONTEIRO (CPV)
Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB)
Taimuraz FRIEV (ESP)
Aimar ANDRUSE (EST)
Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA)
Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO)
Lars SCHAEFLE (GER)
Patrik PUESPOEKI (HUN)
Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)
Matthew FINESILVER (ISR)
William RAFFI (ITA)
Erzo ISAKOV (JOR)
Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN)
Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ)
Mark ONGUYESI (KEN)
Narbek IZABEKOV (KGZ)
Deakyu KANG (KOR)
Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT)
Domantas PAULIUSCENKO (LTU)
Roman MANITRA RAHARISON (MAD)
Sofiane PADIOU BELMIR (MAR)
Ivan ICHIZLI (MDA)
Noel TORRES (MEX)
Bat Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL)
Dejan MITROV (MKD)
Muhammad INAM (PAK)
Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL)
Ethan RAMOS (PUR)
Andrei FRANT (ROU)
Myles AMINE (SMR)
Sanjith BAPTIST (SRI)
Stefan REICHMUTH (SUI)
Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
Yanaal BARAZE (SYR)
Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM)
Osman GOCEN (TUR)
Ivan MASAKWE (UGA)
Vladyslav PRUS (UKR)
David TAYLOR (USA)
Sandeep Singh MANN (UWW)
Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB)
Pedro CEBALLOS (VEN)

92kg
Hajy RAJABAU (AIN)
Artunes PEDRO (ANG)
Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)
Akhmed MAGAMAEV(BUL)
Tejvir BOAL (CAN)
Xiao SUN (CHN)
Arturo SILOT (CUB)
Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO)
Balazs JUHASZ (HUN)
Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR)
Abdul ABUIDAIJ (JOR)
Arash YOSHIDA (JPN)
Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ)
Dan CHEPTAI (KEN)
Woomin JANG (KOR)
Ion DEMIAN (MDA)
Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)
Michal BIELAWSKI (POL)
Ermak KARDANOV (SVK)
Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR)
Denys SAHALIUK (UKR)
Zahid VALENCIA (USA)
Pruthviraj PATIL (UWW)
Rustam SHODIEV (UZB)

97kg
Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (AIN)
Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM)
Thomas BARNS (AUS)
Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE)
Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN)
Ahmed BATAEV (BUL)
Nishan Preet RANDHAWA (CAN)
Awusayiman HABILA (CHN)
Carlos ANGULO (COL)
Maxwell LACEY (CRC)
Mostafa ELDERS (EGY)
Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO)
Erik THIELE (GER)
Vlagyiszlav BAJCAJEV (HUN)
Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI)
Benjamin HONIS (ITA)
Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN)
Alisher YERGALI (KAZ)
Jaegang KIM (KOR)
Lukas KRASAUSKAS (LTU)
Radu LEFTER (MDA)
Badamdorj BALTMUNKH (MGL)
Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD)
Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL)
Nicolaas DE LANGE (RSA)
Strahinja DESPIC (SRB)
Samuel SCHERRER (SUI)
Utah MANN (TGA)
Shatlyk HEMELYAYEV (TKM)
Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR)
Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR)
Kyle SNYDER (USA)
SAHIL (UWW)
Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB)

125kg
Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (AIN)
Paris KAREPI (ALB)
Catriel MURIEL (ARG)
Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT)
Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE)
Islam ADIZOV (BUL)
Bali SOU (CAM)
Zhiwei DENG (CHN)
Diaaeldin ABDELMOTTALEB (EGY)
Jose CUBA (ESP)
Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)
Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER)
Daniel LIGETI (HUN)
Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)
Abraham CONYEDO (ITA)
Aaron JOHNSON (JAM)
Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN)
Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ)
Joel TUKAI (KEN)
Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ)
Donghwan KIM (KOR)
Eduardo GARCIA (MEX)
Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL)
Robert BARAN (POL)
Jonovan SMITH (PUR)
Magomedgadzhi NURASULOV (SRB)
Oma SAREM (SYR)
Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM)
Taha AKGUL (TUR)
Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR)
Lucas DAVISON (USA)
SUMIT (UWW)
Sardorbek KHOLMATOV (UZB)
Jose DIAZ (VEN)

#WrestleZagreb

Komarov upends Mohamadi to make history, spoil Iran celebrations

Sunday, September 21, 2025 - 20:47 By Ken Marantz

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Note: An earlier version of this article mentioned Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) as the first male wrestler to have won the "Grand Slam". Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) was the first. The error is regretted.

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 21) -- Olympic silver medalist Alireza MOHAMADI (IRI) was set to put the cherry on top of Iran's dominant performance in Zagreb, but Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) had a recipe for disaster.

Komarov pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory in the 87kg final that left Mohamadi inconsolable, while earning himself a unique place in wrestling history as the curtain came down on the World Championships on Sunday with the last three Greco titles decided.

"I’m very happy," Komarov said. "The final was really tough, and I believed I could succeed. In the end I managed it, and I’m very glad about that."

In other finals, teenager Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) gave Uzbekistan just its second world Greco title -- more than two decades after the first -- with a victory at 63kg, while Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) triumphed at 67kg to become the Iran's second Olympic champion in two nights to add the senior world gold.

Iran easily won the team title with 180 points, nearly twice as much as the runner-up, to complete the freestyle-Greco double for the first time. The Asian powerhouse finished with four golds and eight medals overall in Greco. Azerbaijan placed second with 89 points, followed by Uzbekistan with 72. Both nations had one champion.

With his triumph in Zagreb, the Russian-born Komarov became the second male wrestler to complete the "Grand Slam" of world titles -- winning all three age-group titles as well as the senior gold.

Komarov, who began competing for Serbia in 2024, previously won the first of two cadet (U17) titles in 2015, the world junior (U20) in 2017 and 2018, then added the world U23 in 2021.

He joins Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) as the lone men to achieve the Grand Slam. Mirzazadeh, who won a second career Greco 130kg title two days earlier in Zagreb, become the first when he won his first senior gold in 2023, adding to world titles at U17 in 2015, U20 in 2018 and U23 in 2021.

A handful of women, including Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Amit ELOR (USA), have achieved the slam. Three other male greats came close, but fell just short by taking silvers on either the U17 or U20 levels -- Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) in freestyle and Leri ABULADZE (GEO) in Greco.

"I’ve collected the whole set of medals," said Komarov, who has also completed the Grand Slam on a European level. "My coach, my journey -- everything I did was right. I have success, so I’m very happy. My goal and my dream are the Olympic Games. I think about it. It’s too early to talk about that now, but I hope everything works out."

Even with his past glory, not everything had worked out for Komarov in his run-up to Zagreb. In fact, it was less than spectacular.

Eighth at the Paris Olympics, this year the 26-year-old relinquished the European title he had won in 2024, having to settle for a bronze, and placed fifth at all three Ranking Series events he entered, in Zagreb, Tirana and Budapest.

In fact, it was in Tirana that he clashed with Mohamadi, who handed him a 5-1 defeat in the semifinals en route to the gold.

"It was a very hard road to get here -- it’s been a very difficult year and I lost all the ranking series. I lost at the Europeans," Komarov said. "Of course I had doubts in myself, but I believed I could do it and I succeeded. I’m always mentally ready -- I didn’t change anything, just worked a lot and tried to wrestle without mistakes and give my best."

But Komarov made all the right moves in Zagreb to beat Mohamadi, who reluctantly settled for his second world silver, adding to one at 82kg in 2023.

The difference came down to what each wrestler did from par terre. Mohamadi, who won the Tirana Ranking Series title, could only manage a stepout on a throw
attempt. Komarov, on the other hand, got the traditional roll, which put him up 3-2 in the second period.

The key moment of the match came in the final minute, when Mohamadi pressed forward in a tackle position and had Komarov backpedaling out of the ring.

But the stepout -- nor a potential fleeing point -- was not awarded when it was determined on a lost Iranian challenge that Mohamadi's hands had dropped below Komarov's waist, which made it 4-2.

Mohamadi needed a takedown to win, but could only manage a late stepout. At the final whistle, he dropped to the mat in total despair, and had be propped up as he
walked dejectedly from the main floor.

Meanwhile, Komarov's celebrations took a odd twist when it was discovered there was no Serbian flag for him to hoist for his victory lap. Instead, he circled the mat on the shoulders of his coaches.

"Nobody believed I would win," Komarov said with a smile. "Many Serbians came to support me, but nobody brought a flag."

While Komarov chose to relocate his life to Serbia and has a Serbian wife, his family remains in Russia. His younger brother, Ilya KOMAROV (UWW), won a bronze medal at the U20 World Championships in August.

At 63kg, Khalmakhanov's victory on the senior stage came just over a month after winning the gold at the World U20 Championships in Samokov, Bulgaria.

Khalmakhanov, who also won the senior Asian title in March, looked like a seasoned veteran in the final against Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), dominating in a 6-0
victory.

Khalmakhanov wasn't able to turn in par terre in the first period, but added a stepout to take a 2-0 lead at the break. In the second, he shrugged Chung down for a takedown, then added another stepout while attempting a throw.

The Korean side challenged the original takedown, but it was denied, giving Khalmakanov a 6-0 lead that he defended to the end. 

Perhaps the only person more ecstatic over Khalmakanov's victory was his coach, the indefatigable Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB), who finally retired at age 40 after the Paris Olympics, having won two world medals but no golds.

Uzbekistan's only previous gold in Greco came in 2001, when Dilshod ARIPOV (UZB) won the 58kg title in Petras, Greece.

Chung was denied in his bid to give Korea its first world Greco gold since his senior teammate and longtime training partner at Kyungsung University, the now-retired Hansu RYU (KOR), won the second of his two world golds in Paris in 2017.

At 67kg, Esmaeili got a stepout to start the match, and that proved the difference in a 2-1 victory over reigning European champion and Paris Olympic bronze medalist Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE).

"With a smart plan, I beat him 2–1 and became the champion of this weight class," said Esmaeili, who won the gold in his senior world debut.

Each wrestler had a chance in par terre, but neither could turn the other, giving Esmaeili his closest victory of the tournament. He had cruised into the final with four consecutive wins by technical superiority.

"Anyone who makes it to the final is obviously a good wrestler, but I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks in the final," Esmaeili said. "We had a clear plan to win, and thank God it worked out -- we came out on top."

Esmaeili has been on quite a run in recent years. He has suffered just one loss since 2021, a 9-7 defeat at the hands of Luis ORTA (CUB) in the semifinals of the Budapest Ranking Series event in June 2024.

His accolades, in addition to the Paris gold, include back-to-back Asian titles in 2024 and 2025. Having already won golds at the world U17 and U20, he needs just the world U23 to complete a "Golden Grand Slam," which includes the Olympics.

His victory came a day after fellow Paris champion Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) won the title at 97kg.

"This was my first time competing in the [senior] world championships," Esmaeili said. "Before this, I had competed in the Olympics, where thankfully I won gold, and here I was able to repeat that Olympic gold to prove myself once again."

Keshtkar tops Emelin for 63kg bronze

In the bronze-medal matches, Asian silver medalist Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) stormed out a big lead, then fought fatigue to hold off a late surge from former world champion Sergey EMELIN (UWW) to take his first world medal with a 6-4 victory at 63kg.

Keshtkar used an arm spin for an opening takedown, then added a stepout off a whizzer. Another stepout, combined with an unsuccessful challenge, put him up 5-0 at the break.

After Keshtkar padded his lead with another stepout, Emelin went on the offensive as the Iranian began to run out of gas. A stepout, takedown and fleeing penalty point cut the gap to two points, but the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist couldn't apply the coup de grace and fell short of a third world medal.

European bronze medalist Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA), last year's world U23 champion, was able to complete his comeback to defeat Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) 6-5 for the other 63kg bronze.

Hrushyn, a two-time European medalist, had two stepouts and led 3-0 in the second period when Eriomenco gained a stepout, then was put in par terre. He took full advantage, executing a trap arm roll, then going back the other way to go ahead 6-3.

Hruyshyn scored a takedown with :37 left to pull within one, but Eriomenco conceded nothing the rest of the way to secure the medal.

At 67kg, lanky Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) fell into a five-point hole early against Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), but used his elongated limbs to maximum advantage in ground wrestling to rally to a big lead before securing a late fall.

Two-time Asian silver medalist Beishekeev uncorked a 4-point throw from par terre in the first period to lead 5-0, with Galstyan picking up a stepout before the break.

Galstyan started his comeback by shrugging Beishekeev to the mat for a takedown, then getting behind again to tie the score at 5-5, although he still trailed on criteria. But he wrapped his long arms around Beishekeev and scored two exposures to go ahead 9-5.

An arm spin gave him another takedown, then he stopped an attack for another 2. That would have ended the match, but Galstyan put an exhausted Beishekeev on his back for a fall with :18 left.

At 87kg, Asian U23 champion Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) defeated David LOSONCZI (HUN) 4-2 to deny the former world champion a third career world medal.

Zhanyshov stopped a lateral drop attempt in the first period for a 2-point score, then added a passivity point to lead 3-0 at the break.

Losonczi, who took silver medals at three ranking series events this year, had a chance at par terre, but could not turn Zhanyshov. He did manage a stepout to cut the gap, but Zhanyshov shut him down the rest of the way, while a late caution point added to his tally.

Milad ALIRZAEV (UWW) stepped over on a gut wrench attempt by Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) and secured a fall to take home the other 87kg bronze.

Alirzaev took a 3-0 lead with an exposure from par terre in the first period. In the second, he was on the bottom when he deftly stuck Yevloyev for the fall in 4:08.

Day 8 Results

Greco-Roman

63kg (26 entries)
GOLD: Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) df. Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), 6-0

BRONZE: Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) df. Sergey EMELIN (UWW), 6-4
BRONZE: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) df. Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR), 6-5

67kg (34 entries)
GOLD: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) df. Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), 2-1

BRONZE: Daniial AGAEV (UWW) df. Sebastian NAD (SRB), 7-1
BRONZE: Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) df. Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) by Fall, 5:42 (15-5)

87kg (30 entries)
GOLD: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) df. Alireza MOHAMADI (IRI), 4-3

BRONZE: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) df. David LOSONCZI (HUN), 4-2
BRONZE: Milad ALIRZAEV (UWW) df. Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) by Fall, 4:08 (5-1)