#NFRoundup

NF Roundup Blog, March 15 - March 21

By United World Wrestling Press

The Russian National Freestyle Championships wrapped up over the weekend in Ulan-Ude. Although arguably the top pound-for-pound wrestler in the world Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) was released from the competition, '19 world champions Zavur UGUEV, Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV and Zaurbek SIDAKOV were in action.

The biggest storyline from the competition came at 74kg where two-time reigning world champion Sidakov scored three points in the final 12 seconds to defeat Individual World Cup champion Razambek ZHAMALOV, 3-2. After the bout, the newly-minted champion said,  "I haven’t had anything more difficult than today's championship."

Russian National Finals Results
57kg: Zavur UGUEV df. Nachyn MONGUSH, 9-5
61kg: Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV df. Muslim METIKHANOV, 4-1
65kg: Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV df. Zagir SHAKHIEV, 5-3
70kg: Israil KASUMOV df. Evgeny ZHERBAEV, 6-3 
74kg: Zaurbek SIDAKOV df. Razambek Zhamalov, 3-2 
79kg: Malik SHAVAEV df. Akhmed USMANOV, 6-4
86kg: Artur NAIFONOV df. Dauren KURUGLIEV, 1-1  ⠀
92kg: Magomed KURBANOV df. Anzor URISHEV, via forfeit
97kg: Alikhan ZHABRAILOV df. Aslanbek Sotiev - 5: 0
125kg: Sergey KOZYREV df. Atsamaz TEBLOYEV, 3-3

2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games

Oborududu Named Athlete Role Model for 2026 Dakar YOG

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 15) -- Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) was announced as one of the 36 Athlete Role Models for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.

Oborududu, a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has been a stalwart in Nigerian sports and represented the country for close to two decades. In Tokyo, she made history by winning silver medal at 68kg in Women's Wrestling, becoming Nigeria’s first‑ever Olympic medallist in the sport.

The four-time Olympian was also a 14-tim African champion, a record that still stands. She compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and finished fifth.

The Athlete Role Models will provide mentoring and workshop training to young athletes on site during Dakar 2026. They will be on the ground in Senegal to engage with competing athletes, providing support and advice around competition and taking part in educational workshops. These workshops cover topics such as career management, injury prevention and mental preparation, among many other things.

The group will also attend training sessions, engage with the local community, support the athletes from the sidelines and be there to congratulate them at victory ceremonies.

The Dakar 2026 YOG will take place from October 31 to November 13, 2026, bringing together around 2,700 young athletes aged up to 17 across three host zones: Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.