#WrestleSamokov

Russia Adds Four Golds, Walks Away with Cadet Euro FS Team Title

By Eric Olanowski

SAMOKOV, Bulgaria (June 16) --- Russia reeled in four additional freestyle gold medals and walked away with the cadet European team title -- 75 points ahead of second-place Armenia. In total, Russia won six golds, two silvers, and a bronze medal and only missed medaling in one weight class.

Russia’s four Day Three gold-medal winners Akhmad GALAEV (45kg), Ramzan ISRAPILOV (51kg), Adam ARKHIEV (60kg) and Kantemir SUANOV (92kg). Alu DUKHAEV (RUS) also medaled on Wednesday. He dropped the 71kg finals to Aren ISRAYELYAN (ARM).

Galaev was the first Russian crowned champion on the third day of wrestling in Bulgaria. He picked up a fall over Hayko GASPARYAN (ARM) and won gold at 45kg.

Ramzan Israpilov’s hand was raised in the 51kg finals after Javid JAVADOV (AZE) injury defaulted out of the match. It was his second career continental title. He also won the ’19 U15 European title at 38kg.

Adam Arkhiev claimed a second European title with a one-point (4-3) win over Abdulrahman IBRAHIMOV (AZE) in the 60kg finals.

Kantemir Suanov closed out the day with Russia’s fourth gold. He beat Sali Yusrefov SALIEV (BUL), 3-1, in the 92kg finals.

Armenia (138 points), Georgia (122 points), Azerbaijan (107 points) and Ukraine (93 points) rounded out the top five in the team race.

Wrestling resumes tomorrow at 11:30 (local time) and can be followed on www.uww.org.

RESULTS

45kg
GOLD - Akhmad GALAEV (RUS) df. Hayko GASPARYAN (ARM), via fall
BRONZE - Oleksandr HRYHORYSHYN (UKR) df. Yunus Emre BATTAL (TUR), 6-0
BRONZE - Yusif ISPAROV (AZE) df. Lasha GOGADZE (GEO), 10-7

51kg
GOLD -Ramzan ISRAPILOV (RUS) df. Javid JAVADOV (AZE), via injury default
BRONZE - Tigran BUNIATYAN (ARM) df. Dmytro HUBANOV (UKR), 10-6
BRONZE - Seyfulla ITAEV (FRA) df. Kacper NOWAKOWSKI (POL), 10-0

60kg
GOLD -Adam ARKHIEV (RUS) df. Abdulrahman IBRAHIMOV (AZE), 4-3
BRONZE - Daniel Marian SANDU (ROU) df. Khizir DASIYEV (FRA), 11-0
BRONZE - Giorgi ABULASHVILI (GEO) df. Batuhan BOKE (TUR), 6-5

71kg
GOLD -Aren ISRAYELYAN (ARM) df. Alu DUKHAEV (RUS), 12-1
BRONZE - Cengizhan Ramazan DOGAN (TUR) df. Slavi Rumenov STAMENOV (BUL), 4-4
BRONZE - Giorgi NATOBIDZE (GEO) df. Vadym TSURKAN (UKR), via injury default

92kg
GOLD - Kantemir SUANOV (RUS) df. Sali Yusrefov SALIEV (BUL), 3-1}
BRONZE - Tamaz NIKOLEISHVILI (GEO) df. Roope Eerik Matias KATAJA (FIN), 10-0
BRONZE - Rifat Eren GIDAK (TUR) df. Yaroslav LISNIAK (UKR), 7-0

#WrestleAlexandria

Eight Golds Power Nigeria to Women's Team Title

By United World Wrestling Press

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (May 2) -- For a second day in a row, Nigeria was stopped from sweeping the gold medals in Women's Wrestling at the African Championships in Alexandria.

After winning four out of five golds on Friday, Nigeria was well on course to win all five remaining golds on Saturday but Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN) defeated Ebi BIOGOS (NGR), 6-2, in the 72kg final to halt the march.

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Sghaier, wrestling for the first time since the 2024 Paris Olympics, used a rather dangerous trip to score her first takedown and then rolled Biogos for two more points. Down 4-2, Biogos tried scoring the final few seconds but Sghaier scored a go-behind for the win, her third African gold.

But the evening began with Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR) winning her sixth African title after beating Chahrazed AYACHI (TUN), 6-0, in a controlled 50kg final.

Genesis began with a stepout before using a snapdown to go-behind takedown to lead 3-0. Ayachi was called for passivity and put on the 30-second activity clock. As Ayachi failed to score any points, Genesis got another point to lead 4-0 at the break.

A simple go-behind takedown in the second period for Genesis made it 6-0, a lead she defended for the remaining 1:24 to win the gold medal.

At 55kg, Adijat IDRIS (NGR) won all three bouts in the round-robin bracket without giving up a single point to claim the gold medal, her second straight at the African Championships.

Esther ASAOLU (NGR), making her senior debut, then added the third gold medal by winning all her bouts at 59kg in the round-robin bracket. She began with a victory via fall over Kavelishimwe ABRAHAM (NAM), then a 10-0 win over Gloria NIYONKURU (BDI) before beating Chaima DAHI (TUN) and Mariam MESBAH (EGY) by an identical 10-0 score.

Though she lost to Asaolu, Abraham went on to win her remaining three bouts to claim the silver medal, the first in the history of Namibia in Women's Wrestling. She was also the first woman wrestler from Namibia to ever medal internationally when she won the silver medal at the U20 African Championships in 2023. She repeated in 2024 and on Saturday, she made history at the senior level.

The fourth gold medal for Nigeria came at 65kg after three-time African champion Mercy ADEKUOROYE (NGR) swept through her three bouts, winning 10-0, 10-0 and via fall.

Photo

RESULTS

50kg
GOLD: Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR) df. Chahrazed AYACHI (TUN), 6-0

BRONZE: Ibtissem DOUDOU (ALG) df. Malak AHMED (EGY), 6-3

55kg
GOLD: Adijat IDRIS (NGR)
SILVER: Hagar ELSHAKHS (EGY)
BRONZE: Lobna ICHAOUI (TUN)

59kg
GOLD: Esther ASAOLU (NGR)
SILVER: Kavelishimwe ABRAHAM (NAM)
BRONZE: Mariam MESBAH (EGY)

65kg
GOLD: Mercy ADEKUOROYE (NGR)
SILVER: Ritag ELMALTY (EGY)
BRONZE: Lec ANDE (CAF)

72kg
GOLD: Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN) df. Ebi BIOGOS (NGR), 6-2

BRONZE: Rosie TABORA (COD) df. Aimelda NDIFFO (CMR), 12-2
BRONZE: Heba IBRAHIM (EGY) df. Yasmine BOUREGBA (ALG), via fall (6-2)