ANOC World Beach Games

Inam Takes out Olympic Bronze Medalist Marsagishvili in ANOC World Beach Games Finals

By United World Wrestling Press

DOHA, Qatar (October 15) -- Muhammad INAM (PAK) avenged his loss from the Rio De Janeiro stop of the Beach Wrestling World Series by scoring a stunning 5-2 win over London Olympic bronze medalist Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO). Inam's win came in the 90kg gold-medal match at the ANOC World Beach Games. 

Coming into the ANOC World Beach Games, Marsagishvili was unquestionably the favorite to win a World Beach Games gold medal. This season, the Georgian wrestler was undefeated with Beach Wrestling World Series titles in Chaves and Rio de Janeiro, along with a gold medal at September’s UWW Beach Wrestling World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. 

Inam, the Beach Wrestling World Series runner-up in Rio De Janeiro, won his first beach wrestling gold medal with the three-point advantage over Marsagishvili in the 90kg finals. 

The second men's gold-medal winner on the opening day of men’s beach wrestling in Qatar was Levan KELEKHSASHVILI (GEO). The Georgian came out atop of the 70kg bracket with a 1-0 win against Panah ILYASLI (AZE). 

In women’s beach wrestling, Kamila BARBOSA (BRA) and Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) collected 3-2 wins in the finals and were named the 50kg and 70kg champions, respectively. 

Barbosa edged Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR), who was the 18th-place finisher at the 2019 Nur-Sultan World Championships, 3-2, in the 50kg finals, and Renteria snuck past Alina BEREZHNA (UKR), 3-2, in the 70kg gold-medal match. 

RESULTS

Men’s Beach Wrestling 
70kg - Levan KELEKHSASHVILI (GEO) df. Panah ILYASLI (AZE), 1-0  
90kg - Muhammad INAM (PAK) df. Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO), 5-2

Women’s Beach Wrestling 
50kg - Kamila BARBOSA (BRA) df. Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR), 3-2 
70kg - Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) df. Alina BEREZHNA (UKR), 3-2 

#USAWrestling

Paris Olympic champ Hildebrandt announces retirement

By Vinay Siwach

COLRADO, United States (February 17) -- Olympic champion Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) has announced her retirement from wrestling.

The 31-year-old won gold in Women's Wrestling 50kg at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is also a bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics. At the World Championships, Hildebrandt won two silver (2018, 2021) and two bronze medals (2022, 2023).

Her decision was accompanied with an announcement from USA Wrestling that Hildebrandt will be joining as the assistant coach for Women's Wrestling with senior women's team.

“I have had a really long career and I’ve gotten the experience of what wrestling has taught me," Hildebrandt said. "It has made me so passionate about what this sport can do for people. If I can bring a passion and energy in support of their journey, kind of a door handle to open up their own adventure, that is exciting to me. Wrestling has given me so much. The sport has taught me everything about myself and helped me grow as a woman."

Hildebrandt made her debut at the U20 World Championships in 2010 at 55kg and remained a 53-55kg wrestler for long. At the 2019 World Championships, Hildebrandt failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics at 53kg and made the move to 50kg and qualified.

She went on to have one of most successful careers at 50kg, becoming the fourth Olympic champion for the United States in Women's Wrestling. She is only the second wrestler to win multiple medals at the Olympics for the U.S. after Helen MAROULIS (USA), who has three.

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