#BudaWrestle2018

Gray Defeats Wiebe, Canada Advances 2 to Finals

By Andrew Hipps

BUDAPEST, Hungary (October 23) -- Three-time world champion Adeline GRAY (USA) is back in the finals of the World Championships for the first time in three years.

The 27-year-old American advanced to the gold-medal match at 76kg by defeating Olympic champion Erica WIEBE (CAN) 3-1 in the semifinals of the World Championships on Tuesday in Budapest, Hungary. 

After giving up a shot clock point to go down 1-0, Gray shot a double leg late in the first period to score a takedown and grab a 2-1 lead at the break. She would add a point off the shot clock in the second period and hold off Wiebe for the victory.

Gray will meet reigning world champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR) on Wednesday in the gold-medal match.

Adar was dominant in her semifinal match, beating Zsanett NEMETH (HUN) 9-1. 

Canada went 2-for-3 in the semifinals, advancing Danielle LAPPAGE and Justina DI STASIO to the finals. 

LAPPAGE (CAN), a past junior world champion, rolled to a dominant 11-0 victory over Iryna NETREBA (AZE) in the semifinals at 65kg. In the first period she scored off the shot clock and with a takedown to grab a 3-0 lead at the break. She then used a takedown and lace to go up 9-0 and ended the match a short time later. 

Her finals opponent will be top-seeded Petra OLLI (FIN), a 2015 world silver medalist. Olli came from behind, scoring a takedown with three seconds remaining to defeat Ayana GEMPEI (JPN) 6-6 on criteria. 

Olli jumped out to a 4-0 lead early in the match after scoring with a throw. Gempei mounted a comeback in the second period, scoring two step outs and a takedown to take a criteria lead. She then built her lead with another step out, which was challenged unsuccessfully. Trailing 6-4 late in the match, Olli took a shot and scored a takedown in the closing seconds to earn the victory.

Di Stasio shut out Samar HAMZA (EGY) 6-0 in the semifinals. She led 2-0 at the break after scoring off the shot clock and with a step out and added two takedowns in the final period. Her finals opponent will be Nasanburmaa OCHIRBAT (MGL), who advanced to the final after earning a fall over Juan WANG (CHN). The Mongolian led 2-0 at the break. Late in the match she used a counterattack to score a takedown and put Wang to her back for the fall.  

Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) will wrestle for her first senior world gold medal after edging Tamyra MENSAH (USA) 2-1 in the semifinals at 68kg. All the points scored in the match came from the shot clock. Larroque scored first off the shot clock and took a 1-0 lead into the break. Mensah took the lead in the second period off the shot. With just over 20 seconds remaining, Larroque scored the go-ahead point off the shot clock and held on for the victory. 

Larroque has won world gold medals at the U23, junior and cadet championships.

Larroque will wrestle for the gold medal against Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR), who defeated Feng ZHOU (CHN) 12-8 in a back-and-forth semifinal battle. 

Semifinal Results

Women's Wrestling

65kg
Petra Maarit OLLI (FIN) df. Ayana GEMPEI (JPN) by VPO1, 6-6
Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) df. Iryna NETREBA (AZE) by VSU, 11-0

68kg
Alla CHERKASOVA (UKR) df. Feng ZHOU (CHN) by VPO1, 12-8
Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) df. Tamyra MENSAH (USA) by VPO1, 2-1

72kg
Justina DI STASIO (CAN) df. Samar HAMZA (EGY) by VPO, 6-0
Nasanburmaa OCHIRBAT (MGL) df. Juan WANG (CHN) by VFA, 6-0

76kg
Yasemin ADAR (TUR) df. Zsanett NEMETH (HUN) by VPO1, 9-1
Adeline GRAY (USA) df. Erica WIEBE (CAN) by VPO1, 3-1

#WrestleBelgrade

How to watch 2023 Wrestling World Championships

By United World Wrestling Press

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 15) -- The World Championships kick off September 16, 2023, in Belgrade Serbia with close to 1000 wrestlers in three styles -- Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Women's Wrestling.

Fans around the world can watch the 2023 Wrestling World Championships live on UWW+, a subscription-based platform. The tournament will be like on uww.org and the official UWW App.

For wrestling fans based in the United States, the Wrestling World Championships will be live on FloSport/FloWrestling.

The World Championships will kick off with Freestyle on September 16 at 10:30 local time with the semifinals scheduled at 16:45 local time after a change in schedule (Earlier the article said that the semifinals will begin at 18:00 local time on the first day). On the second day, the qualification will begin at 10:30, the semifinals at 16:45 and the medal bouts at 18:00.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2023 Wrestling World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia

How to watch the 2023 Wrestling World Championships?

The 2023 Wrestling World Championships will be live on uww.org and the UWW App. Wrestling fans need to subscribe to UWW+ to watch the World Championships.

To watch the Wrestling World Championships in the United States, viewers need to go on FloSport/FloWrestling.

How to subscribe to UWW+?

You can subscribe to UWW+ here or UWW+ Subscribe Now.

What is the schedule of the 2023 Wrestling World Championships?

The schedule of the UWW Wrestling World Championships is it starts on September 16 and ends on September 24.

Which are the official broadcasters of Wrestling World Championships?

Vietnam - VTVCab
Slovakia – Arena TV
Czech Republic – Arena TV
Malaysia – RTM
China – CCTV
Maccau – CCTV
Indonesia - EMTEK
Philippines - EMTEK
Timor-Leste – EMTEK
Mongolia – Premium Sports Network

Which weight classes are competing today in the Wrestling World Championships?

The schedule of the different weight classes is as follows:

September 16: FS 61, 70, 86 & 125kg
September 17: FS 79, 92, 57 & 74kg
September 18: FS 65 & 97kg; WW 55 & 59kg
September 19: WW 65, 50, 57 & 76kg
September 20: WW 72, 53, 62 & 68kg
September 21: GR 55, 82, 77 & 130kg
September 22: GR 72, 60 & 97kg
September 23: GR 63, 67 & 87kg
September 24: GR 63, 67 & 87kg

Are there Paris Olympic quotas at the Wrestling World Championships?

Yes, the 2023 World Championships in wrestling offers 90 Paris Olympic quotas, 30 in each of Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Women's Wrestling.

How can wrestlers win the 2024 Olympic Games quotas?

Wrestlers can qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics by earning a quota at the 2023 World Championships. The four medal winners in each of the Olympic weight classes will receive a Paris Olympic quota for the respective National Olympic Committee. The fifth quota in that weight class will be decided by a playoff between the losers of the bronze medal bouts.

Which are the Olympic weight classes in wrestling?

There are 18 Olympic weight classes in wrestling. These are as follows:

Freestyle: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg
Women's Wrestling: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg, 76kg
Greco-Roman: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg, 130kg

How to follow all the action from the World Championships 2023?

The best to follow the World Championships is to follow United World Wrestling's Instagram, Facebook, X.com, Tiktok and YouTube.