#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

#development

UWW and Inspire Institute of Sport sign MoU to advance wrestling development in India

By United World Wrestling Press

PARIS (August 27) -- United World Wrestling (UWW) and the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The MoU was signed at the Wrestling House, UWW's hospitality venue, located on a boat next to the iconic Eiffel Tower.

This strategic partnership is designed to foster collaboration and enhance the development of wrestling in India by establishing a framework for mutually beneficial programs, projects, and activities. The MoU reflects the commitment of both UWW and IIS to support elite and pre-elite wrestling athletes, as well as suitably qualified coaches in India.

IIS, a charitable trust dedicated to social development through sports, education, and health, operates a state-of-the-art high-performance training center in Vijayanagar, Karnataka. The facility meets international standards and is focused on promoting Olympic sports in India, providing young talents with the resources and training necessary to succeed.

The institute is prominent in developing wrestling, among other sports, in India. Olympic bronze medalists Bajrang PUNIA (IND) and Sakshi MALIK (IND) have been associated with it in past. Recently, IIS trainees World Championships bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) and Nisha DAHIYA (IND) wrestled at the Paris Olympics.

Nikhil PILANAGOILA (IND)Nikhil PILANAGOILA (IND), left, will compete at the U20 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At the age-group level, IIS has supported U20 Asian Championships gold medalists Dhanshri FAND (IND) and NITIKA (IND). Former U20 World Championships medalist HARSHITA (IND), U17 world medalist Jaskaran SINGH (IND), U23 Asian champion RADHIKA (IND) and Nikhil YADAV (IND), who will participate in the upcoming U20 World Championships in Spain are all out of the IIS stable.

UWW's involvement in this partnership is part of its broader strategic global development plan, which aims to elevate the sport of wrestling worldwide, with a particular focus on supporting the growth of wrestling in India.

Both UWW and IIS are eager to begin this collaborative journey, confident that their joint efforts will contribute significantly to the success and international recognition of Indian wrestling. Their joint efforts will contribute significantly to the success and international recognition of Indian wrestling.