#WrestleOlegKaravaev

Kus and Sasunouski to Square off Saturday Night in Top-Four Matchup

Friday, July 26, 2019 - 16:00 By Eric Olanowski

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MINSK, Belarus (July 26) --- Top-ranked Emrah KUS (TUR) capped off the opening day of wrestling at the Oleg Karavaev with a trio of wins and will square off with fourth-ranked Viktar SASUNOUSKI (BLR) in the 82kg finals. 

Kus kick-started his day with a 6-2 win over Marad HUSEINAU (BLR), then followed that up with an 8-0 routing of Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) to set up a semifinals match with Bilan NALGIEV (UZB). The Uzbek had a 1-0 lead over the reigning world runner-up but an inactivity point and a front head pinch earned Kus the 3-1 victory. 

He’ll meet Belarus’ fourth-ranked Viktar Sasunouski for the gold medal. The Belarusian trailed 3-1 late into the second period but slipped his way into a side head lock -- picking up four points and the 5-3 lead. He later tacked on two additional points for a correct throw and won, 7-3. 

Meanwhile, Shinobu OTA (JPN) fell behind 8-3 in his 63kg semifinal bout against Mirambek AINAGULOV (KAZ) but scored six unanswered points and locked up his spot in the Oleg Karavaev finals with the 9-8 come-from-behind victory. 

Ota, the Rio Olympic runner-up, will see Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) in the gold-medal bout. 

Bakhramov, the 15th-ranked wrestler in the world down at 55kg, bumped up to 60kg and knocked off reigning world bronze medalist WALIHAN Sailike (CHN), 3-3 after trailing by three points heading into the closing three minutes. 

RESULTS

63kg 
GOLD - Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) vs. Shinobu OTA (JPN)
SEMIFINAL - Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Sailike WALIHAN (CHN), 3-3  
SEMIFINAL - Shinobu OTA (JPN) df. Mirambek AINAGULOV (KAZ), 9-8

72kg
GOLD - Magomed YARBILOV (RUS) vs. Narek OGANIAN (RUS)
SEMIFINAL - Narek OGANIAN (RUS) df. Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ), 5-2 
SEMIFINAL - Magomed YARBILOV (RUS) df. Uladzislau MANKEVICH (BLR), 8-0 

82g
GOLD - Emrah KUS (TUR) vs. Viktar SASUNOUSKI (BLR)
SEMIFINAL - Emrah KUS (TUR) df. Bilan NALGIEV (UZB), 3-1  
SEMIFINAL - Viktar SASUNOUSKI (BLR) df. Milad ALIRZAEV (RUS), 7-3

97kg 
GOLD - Siarhei STARADUB (BLR) vs. Suleyman DEMIRCI (TUR)
SEMIFINAL - Siarhei STARADUB (BLR) df. Yerulan ISKAKOV (KAZ), 4-0 
SEMIFINAL - Suleyman DEMIRCI (TUR) df. Fatih BASKOY (TUR), 2-1 

#development

UWW Organizes International Training Camp Before African Championships

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - 09:38 By United World Wrestling Press

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ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (May 11) -- United World Wrestling hosted a international training camp before the 2026 African Championships in Alexandria from April 20 to 26.

The camp, organized with a focus on performance, technical exchange, and sporting cooperation, brought together coaches and wrestlers from across the continent with participants from Burundi, the Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia, Guinea, Namibia, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, and Zambia.

One of the major highlights of this edition was the historic participation of Zambia, which took part for the first time in a continental wrestling activity. The participation symbolizes the steady expansion of African wrestling into new nations and confirms the growing development of the sport across the continent. The Zambian delegation included wrestler Martin JERE (ZAM) and Stephen FULANGANI (ZAM), accompanied by their coach Eugine CHIPOKOLO.

Alexandria

Throughout the week, wrestlers took part in specialized sessions combining standing and ground techniques, upper and lower-level attacks, targeted defense drills, technical combinations, aerobic preparation, acrobatic exercises, and individual training. Coaches would also use this gathering as an opportunity to exchange training methods and share their expertise within a high-level international environment.

The camp will bring together several experienced athletes and international competitors in Freestyle, Women’s Wrestling, and Greco-Roman. Among the participating nations were also several Sub-Saharan African countries that continue to strengthen their presence on the continental stage through increasingly strong participation.

Beyond the sporting aspect, the program also included awareness sessions focused on environmental protection in sport through the “Wrestle Green” initiative, as well as workshops dedicated to anti-doping education and athlete protection.

Alexandria

Participants also received dedicated camp equipment, including sportswear, “Wrestle Green” materials, and training accessories intended for daily practice sessions.