#WrestleNice

Henri Deglane Entries (January 20-23)

Wednesday, January 12, 2022 - 17:41 By Eric Olanowski

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NICE, Frace (January 11) -- In what will be the beginning of yet another calendar year for wrestling, Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane 2022 will kick off things as international competitions resume. The tournament will be held in Nice, France from February 20-23 under strict COVID-19 preventive measures. 

The tournament is headlined by stars including Olympic silver medalist Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) at 68kg in women's wrestling and her teammate at 57kg Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR), a three-time world medalist.

A host of young stars are also entered headlined by the USA squad which includes former age-group world championships John DIAKOMIHALIS (USA), Mark HALL (USA) and Zahid VALENCIA (USA).  

U23 World Championships silver medalist Kendra DACHER (FRA) will be carrying the local hopes as she is entered at 72kg. Junior world silver medalist Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) at 86kg will lead the freestyle team for France.

U23 world champion Anhelina LYSAK (POL) is also entered at 57kg and will be joined by her teammate and Olympian Roksana ZASINA (POL) in what looks like a full squad from Poland.

Horst LEHR (GER), a senior world bronze medalist at 57kg, will be the favorite to claim the title as he warms up to a big year ahead.

Junior world champion Emma MALMGREN (SWE) is also entered for the tournament which begins with all 10 weight classes of women on day one followed by six weight classes of freestyle on Day Two, four freestyle and two Greco-Roman weights on Day Three and six Greco-Roman weights on the fourth and final day.

Freestyle

57kg
Guesseppe Ricardo REA VILLARROEL (ECU)
Levan METREVELI VARTANOV (ESP)
Horst Justin Junior LEHR (GER)
Niklas STECHELE (GER)
Petru CRACIUN (MDA)
Gary GIORDMAINA (MLT)
Darian Toi CRUZ (PUR)
Thomas EPP (SUI)

61kg 
Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB)
Khamzat Timourovitch ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA)
Adam Visrailovitch BIBOULATOV (FRA)
Viktor Viktorowitsch LYZEN (GER)
Nico MEGERLE (GER)
Igor CHICHIOI (MDA)
Nils LEUTERT (SUI)
Daniel Nkrumah DESHAZER (USA)

65kg 
Islam DUDAEV (ALB)
Carlos ALVAREZ IGLESIAS (ESP)
Carlos GUAL REBASSA (ESP)
Quentin Jean-René STICKER (FRA)
Arman Norik ELOYAN (FRA)
Niklas Dietmar DORN (GER)
Alexander SEMISOROW (GER)
Leon GERSTENBERGER (GER)
Moritz Jonathan LANGER (GER)
Maxim SACULTAN (MDA)
Eduard GRIGOREV (POL)
Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
Nino LEUTERT (SUI)
Dominik LARITZ (SUI)
John Michael DIAKOMIHALIS (USA)
Antonio Perry TOLBERT (USA)
Patricio LUGO III (USA)

70kg
Benedikt HUBER (AUT)
Pablo DIEZ PARDO (ESP)
Shamil USTAEV (GER)
NRaul ZARBALIEV (ISR)
Patryk Krzysztof OLENCZYN (POL)
Marc DIETSCHE (SUI)
Kevin Gerry MAKOTA STROEM (SWE)
Austin Craig HEADLEE (USA)

74kg
Aimar ANDRUSE (EST)
Magamed DELIEV (FRA)
Osman Kubilay CAKICI (GER)
Richard SCHROEDER (GER)
Tino RETTINGER (GER)
Lucas Marco KAHNT (GER)
Kevin SPIEGEL (GER)
Mitchell Louis FINESILVER (ISR)
Nathaniel BUTTIGIEG DUGO (MLT)
Nico ZARB (MLT)
Szymon WOJTKOWSKI (POL)
Kamil RYBICKI (POL)
Chandler Shane MARSTELLER (USA)

79kg
Francisco de Deus KADIMA (ANG)
Pablo GARCIA GARCIA (ESP)
Erik REINBOK (EST)
Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA)
Beat Konstantin SCHAIBLE (GER)
Patryk CIURZYNSKI (POL)
David Vincent MC FADDEN (USA)
Joseph Lawrence Michael LAVALLEE (USA)

86kg
Damian IGLESIAS VILELA (ESP)
Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA)
Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA)
Ahmed Ruslanovic DUDAROV (GER)
Lars SCHAEFLE (GER)
Joshua Philipp David MORODION (GER)
Andrian GROSUL (MDA)
Denis BALAUR (MDA)
Filip ROGUT (POL)
Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL)
Krzysztof Grzegorz SADOWIK (POL)
Owen Douglas WEBSTER (USA)
Mark John HALL II (USA)
Zahid VALENCIA (USA)

92kg
Benjamin GREIL (AUT)
Adlan Bakirsoultanovitch VISKHANOV (FRA)
Johannes MAYER (GER)
Radoslaw MARCINKIEWICZ (POL)
Bakhodur KODIROV (TJK)

97kg
Alejandro CANADA PANCORBO (ESP)
Erik Sven THIELE (GER)
Wladimir REMEL (GER)
Michal Jan BIELAWSKI (POL)
Radoslaw BARAN (POL)
Zbigniew Mateusz BARANOWSKI (POL)

125kg
Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER)
Robert BARAN (POL)
Kamil Tomasz KOSCIOLEK (POL)
Hayden Nicholas ZILLMER (USA)


Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR), the first woman from Africa to reach the Olympic finals, headlines the '22 Henri Deglane entries. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling

50kg
Ana Maria TORRES RUBIO (ESP)
Emma Solange Irène LUTTENAUER (FRA)
Justine Fanny VIGOUROUX (FRA)
Julie Martine SABATIE (FRA)
Lisa ERSEL (GER)
Szimonetta Timea SZEKER (HUN)
Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
Agata Marta WALERZAK (POL)
Stefania Claudia PRICEPUTU (ROU)

53kg
Maria BLANCO MARTIN (ESP)
Aintzane GORRIA GONI (ESP)
Chadia AYACHI (FRA)
Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA)
Annika WENDLE (GER)
Angelina Inez PURSCHKE (GER)
Amory Olivia ANDRICH (GER)
Mercedesz DENES (HUN)
Roksana Marta ZASINA (POL)
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)
Nova Ilona BERGMAN (SWE)
Emma Jonna Denise MALMGREN (SWE)

57kg
Maria Victoria BAEZ DILONE (ESP)
Graciela SANCHEZ DIAZ (ESP)
Marina RUEDA FLORES (ESP)
Amel REBIHA (FRA)
Elena Heike BRUGGER (GER)
Anne Beatrice NUERNBERGER (GER)
Josefine Maria PURSCHKE (GER)
Andrea GRASRUCK (GER)
Luna ROTHENBERGER (GER)
Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
Tamara DOLLAK (HUN)
Odunayo Folasade ADEKUOROYE (NGR)
Othelie Annette HOEIE (NOR)
Patrycja GIL (POL)
Alicja CZYZOWICZ (POL)
Anhelina LYSAK (POL)
Magdalena Urszula GLODEK (POL)
Jowita Maria WRZESIEN (POL)

62kg
Lydia PEREZ TOURINO (ESP)
Ameline DOUARRE (FRA)
Luisa Helga Gerda NIEMESCH (GER)
Chiara Julie HIRT (GER)
Luisa SCHEEL (GER)
Nataliia SHAFIR MAZUR (ISR)
Esther Omolayo KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Viktoria Miriam OEVERBY (NOR)
Natalia Gizela KUBATY (POL)
Aleksandra WOLCZYNSKA (POL)
Olivia Louise HENNINGSSON (SWE)
Sara Johanna LINDBORG (SWE)

65k​g​​​​​
Nerea PAMPIN BLANCO (ESP)
Eyleen SEWINA (GER)
Gerda BARTH (GER)
Lilly Mariella PFAU (GER)
Noémi SZABADOS (HUN)

68kg
Marta OJEDA NAVARRO (ESP)
Lorena LERA CELDA (ESP)
Pauline Denise LECARPENTIER (FRA)
Debora LAWNITZAK (GER)
Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER)
Viktoria FELHO (HUN)
Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)
Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)
Natalia Iwona STRZALKA (POL)
Adina Ionela IRIMIA (ROU)

72kg
Kendra Augustine Jocelyne DACHER (FRA)
Lilly SCHNEIDER (GER)
Jennifer ROESLER (GER)
Tuende Emese ELEKES (HUN)
Maria larisa NITU (ROU)

76kg
Francy RAEDELT (GER)
Laura Celine KUEHN (GER)
Bernadett NAGY (HUN)
Marion Brillantes BYE (NOR)
Patrycja SPERKA (POL)

'I Wanted to Change My Life': Nouri's Story of Resilience on World Refugee Day

Saturday, June 20, 2026 - 16:31 By Vinay Siwach

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LONDON (June 20) -- "I wanted to change my life."

Farhad NOURI doesn't mince words when explaining his decision to compete as a refugee since 2026.

Born in Tehran, Nouri is one of the 17 new refugee athletes supported by the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) and United World Wrestling, with hopes of competing at the LA28 Olympic Games.

Nouri began wrestling when he was 13 and competed for Iran in the early stages of his career. He even won a silver medal at the U23 Asian Championships in 2019. But then, he wanted to change his life.

Back in 2022, Nouri competed at the British National Championships, an open tournament that does not require a wrestling licence, and won gold. His skill and success surprised everyone, and British wrestling became interested in helping him.

Nouri decided to stay and pursue his wrestling career but had no country to represent. Earlier this year, he was granted refugee status and, on the occasion of World Refugee Day on June 20, Nouri recalled his journey from Iran to becoming the first wrestler with refugee status to win a continental medal.

"At that first British Championships, I weighed in at 67kg but won gold at 74kg," Nouri told United World Wrestling. "One of the coaches said that if I won gold, they could work on getting me to compete internationally. That's how it began."

Farhad NOURI (UWW)Farhad NOURI (UWW) won a bronze medal at 74kg at the European Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Nouri went unbeaten at the English and British Championships for three years and, when he was allowed to compete internationally in 2026, he did not wait.

The 27-year-old began competing again under United World Wrestling's refugee status at the Zagreb Open in 2026. He did not win a medal in Zagreb or at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in February.

But Nouri became the first refugee wrestler to win a continental medal in April in Tirana, Albania, when he claimed bronze in the 74kg weight class at the European Championships.

In his first bout, Nouri was leading against Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) but lost 3-2. As Bayramov reached the final, Nouri earned a place in the repechage, where he defeated Nikita DMITRIJEVS MAYEUSKI (BLR), 9-6, to reach the bronze-medal bout.

In what turned out to be a thrilling contest against Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO), Nouri came out on top, 10-8. He trailed Elbakidze 6-2 with 1:41 remaining when the Georgian was put on the activity clock.

Nouri scored a takedown to cut the lead to 6-4 before a stepout and the activity point made it 6-6, with Elbakidze holding the criteria lead and 1:12 left in the bout. A go-behind gave Nouri an 8-6 lead, but Elbakidze turned it around again with a takedown with 20 seconds remaining to take an 8-8 criteria lead.

Elbakidze went for a double-leg to protect his lead in the final seconds, but Nouri managed to get out of the hold and score an easy go-behind for two points to claim a 10-8 victory.

"That medal gave me the energy to compete and win in wrestling," Nouri said. "Now I have the energy to train for the World Championships and prepare for the Olympics as well."

Nouri achieved it without much support, as he only began receiving financial assistance this year. He works part-time as an accountant in London to fund his training and travel, but that does not demotivate him.

"There are fewer facilities and I lack support, but this is my life," he said. "I like wrestling and want to dedicate my life to it. And I want to tell everyone that if I can do it, then you can do it as well."

After the historic bronze medal at the European Championships, Nouri now has his sights set on a World and Olympic medal.

"I will participate in the Ranking Series in Budapest," he said. "I am preparing for the World Championships so I can win a medal. I believe I can."