#WrestleWarsaw

Live Blog: Poland Open Ranking Series, Day Three

Thursday, June 10, 2021 - 08:17 By Eric Olanowski

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Poland Open enters day three with women's wrestling in action in Warsaw on Thursday. Stars like Mariya STADNIK (AZE), Erica Wiebe (CAN), Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) and many more will take the mat. (Day 2 Recap)

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

Final Matches: (As they come in):
50kg - Oksana LIVACH (UKR) vs. Mariya STADNIK (AZE)
55kg -  Sumiya ERDENECHIMEG (MGL) vs. Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS) 
62kg - Ana Paula GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN) vs. Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) 
65kg - Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE) vs. Anastasiia LAVRENCHUK (UKR) 
76kg - Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER) vs. Epp MAEE (EST) 

13:16: That does it for the morning session. We'll see you back here at 18:00 for Thursday's women's wrestling medal matches. 

12:36: Very limited action in that semifinal, but Rotter Focken holds on to criteria and reaches the finals with a 1-1 win over Olympic champ Wiebe. She'll take on the winner of Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) and Epp MAEE (EST).

12:22: I'm not sure how today flew by so fast, but we're already to the Day Three semifinals. We'll wrap up these final matches on each mat and roll right into today's semifinals. 

12:18: If there's such thing as too many world champions wrestling in one day, today is that day! One world champion walks off Mat A and another one walks on! Mat A welcomes Bulgaria's Taybe Yusein! 

12:15: What a show Tynybekova and Ovcharova are putting on! There are 18 points on the board already and we still have two minutes left to go!

12:05: World champion Aisuulu Tynybekova is coming up on Mat A. She's wrestling '19 world silver medalist Liubov OVCHAROVA (RUS).

12:04: Stadnik is on fire today. She's won both matches by technical superiority. 

12:03: Stadnik is back up again. She's wrestling Golston on Mat A. Stadnik scored two early takedowns and leads 4-0 after the opening 45 seconds.

11:51: Mae does it again! This time, she scored a takedown and won the match, 3-1.

11:46: Mae beat Olympic champion Vorobieva to win European gold a few months ago. The two are wrestling again on Mat C right now!

11:41: Olympic champion Erica Wiebe built a substantial lead over on Mat C. It looks like she's going to close things out with a 7-0 win over Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ). Weibe will wrestle the winner of Bout 119 (Mat A) between Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA) and Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER) 

11:31: Olympic bronze medalist and four-time world medalist -- including '13 world champion -- Maria SASTIN (HUN) are squaring off on Mat B. Amri leads 1-0 after the first period. 

11:27: Tynybekova Watch: She'll be up in seven matches on Mat A.

11:24: Quick suggestion: do not take down Stanik. Vuc took her down and led, 2-0. Stadnik proceeded to score 12 points in 25 seconds and moved into the quarterfinals where she'll wrestle the winner of Erin Simone GOLSTON (USA) and Weronika SIKORA (POL).

11:19: We have a rematch of the '19 world finals between Mariya STADNIK (AZE) and Emilia Alina VUC (ROU) going on on Mat A. 

11:15: For a second time this season, Olympic champion Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) defeats Vasilisa MARZALIUK (BLR). She also beat her in the finals of the European Olympic Qualifier. Today, the final score was 4-1 in favor of the Russian.

11:14: World bronze medalist Epp MAE (EST) is making her tournament debut on Mat A. This is her first competition since back since becoming Estonia's first woman to win gold at the European Championships. She's wrestling Aysegul OZBEGE (TUR). 

11:11: Good morning, wrestling fans! After two days of exciting days of wrestling, freestyle is in the rearview mirror.  Women's wrestling takes center stage on  Day Three in Poland.

#WrestleBucharest

Nine return to defend European titles in Women's Wrestling

Monday, February 5, 2024 - 10:52 By Vinay Siwach

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BUCHAREST, Romania (February 5) -- Nine out of the ten Women's Wrestling European champions will return to the European Championships, hoping to defend their gold medals in Bucharest next week. The one not coming, Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) is yet to recover from an injury which also kept her out of the World Championships.

Two of them, Andreea ANA (ROU) and Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU), will be the most keen on repeating as European champions. In Zagreb last year, they gave the double gold to Romania but next week, wrestling at home will give them extra motivation to repeat.

Ana and Anghel will be in the non-Olympic weight classes 55kg and 72kg respectively. Ana is a two-time European champion and will be the favorite in Bucharest. If any, former age-group European champion Ekaterina VERBINA (AIN) can trouble Ana as she returns to competition. Ukraine is sending Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) while Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), Roksana ZASINA (POL) and Tuba DEMIR (TUR) are also in the field.

Anghel, who defeated 68kg world champion Buse TOSUN (TUR) to win the gold medal at 72kg last year, can have a tougher time this year. 68kg European champion Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) is moving to 72kg after losing her place to Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) at 68kg. Kendra DACHER (FRA), age-group world medalist Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL), U23 world champion Nesrin BAS (TUR) and Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) are also in this weight class.

Yasemin ADAR (TUR)Yasemin ADAR (TUR) is a six-time European champion. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

2022 world champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR) is returning to the mat after one year, having skipped all competitions after the 2023 Euros. She will, despite her time off, be the favorite to win the 76kg gold medal. Adar is chasing her seventh European title after six golds and a silver medal.

Former European champion Epp MAE (EST) will be her biggest threat as she also looks to return after a medalless World Championships. Mae recently trained in Japan with world champion Yuka KAGAMI (JPN). Anastasiia OSNIACH SHUSTOVA (UKR) will also hope to make the final.

Turkiye's world champion in 2023, Tosun will be at 68kg. She had a disastrous start to the year, losing her first-round bout at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series in January. Tosun will look to put that behind her and start afresh for the Bucharest tournament.

To avoid any disappointments, Tosun will have to navigate past world bronze medalist Koumba LARROQUE (FRA), Elis MANOLOVA (AZE), 65kg European champion Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) and former European champion Tetiana SOVA RIZHKO (UKR). Larroque won the European Championships gold medal in 2021 and will be keen on getting back on the top of the podium.

Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN)Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN) will look to win her first European title since 2020. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Two world silver medalists, Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN) at 53kg and Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) at 59kg, will also be in action in Bucharest.  

Kaladzinskaya last wrestled at the European Championships in 2020 and won the gold medal. She will start as the favorite at 53kg despite the likes of Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) and Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) entered for the tournament.

Kaladzinskaya won the silver medal at the World Championships, dropping the final to Akari FUJINAMI (JPN). It was her first competition since winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Malmgren, the two-time defending champion, will have her task cut out this year. She lost to Kaladzinskaya at the World Championships but that loss can only be a lesson for the former U20 world champion.

Former Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE), Ekaterina POLESHCHUK (AIN), Sztalvira ORSUS (HUN), Iulia LEORDA (MDA) and Mariia YEFREMOVA (UKR) can upset the field in Bucharest and finish on the podium.

Defending champion Nichita is the clear front-runner for the gold at 59kg. After finishing with a silver medal at the World Championships at 57kg, Nichita returned to competition in Zagreb but suffered a loss to Kexin HONG (CHN).

Nichita will be drawn at random into the bracket as she has no ranking at 59kg. The top seed will be Othelie HOIE (NOR), a returning European bronze medalist and world bronze medalist. Age-group world medalists Alesia HETMANAVA (AIN) and Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (AIN) can also finish on the podium.

Grace BULLEN (NOR)Grace BULLEN (NOR) and Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) put a thriller in the 62kg semifinal last year. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 62kg, world bronze medalist Grace BULLEN (NOR) will have a chance to win her first European gold medal since 2020. She was a silver medalist last after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) in the final. She will have a chance to win the gold medal this year. Koliadenko has moved to 65kg for this tournament and is replaced by veteran Yuliia TKACH (UKR) which will also be a big test for Bullen.

Tkach, the silver medalist at 59kg from last year, has moved to 62kg after world bronze medalist Koliadenko moved up to 65kg. Tkach has every trick up her sleeve to keep Bullen at bay. But the Norway wrestler has improved leaps and bounds in recent times and can be called the favorite for this event.

One wrestler who will be waiting keenly to meet Bullen on the mat is Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL). She suffered a 7-6 loss to Bullen in the semifinal last year and finished with a bronze medal. Dudova, a former world champion at 59kg, is still trying to find her feet at 62kg. The two can only meet in the final, thanks to being seeded one and two.

Former U20 world champion Alina KASABIEVA (AIN) will also like to finish on the podium.

Mariya STADNIK (AZE)Mariya STADNIK (AZE) became a nine-time European champion last year. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

At 50kg, Mariya STADNIK (AZE) will look to extend her record streak of 10 European titles [12 as she has two European Games gold as well]. Last year, Oksana LIVACH (UKR) gave Stadnik a scare in the final but the Azerbaijan wrestler controlled the second period to keep her energy and win the gold.

A year older at 35, Stadnik will once again be tested by the young wrestler who will be participating in Bucharest. Livach will look to avenge the loss from last year while Miglena SELISHKA (BUL) and Emilia VUC (ROU) will also have a chance to upset the wrestling legend.

The 57kg weight class will see a new European champion as Hrushyna has not entered for her title defense. Tokyo silver medalist Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN) will be the favorite along with returning silver medalist Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) and bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL). Veteran Veronika CHUMIKOVA (AIN) and U20 world champion Aurora RUSSO (ITA) and former world bronze medalist Anhelina LYSAK (POL) are also entered.

World bronze medalist and returning silver medalist Irina RINGACI (MDA) will be at 65kg, hoping to win the gold that she dropped against Hristova last year. Ringaci will be tested by Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), Kriszta INCZE (ROU) and world bronze medalist at 62kg Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR).