U23 World C'ships

Russia and India Send Two to Gold-Medal Matches in Tournament Finale

Sunday, November 26, 2017 - 16:19 By Taylor Miller

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BYDGOSZCZ, Poland – Two nations, Russia and India, each advanced two wrestlers to the World-title bouts in the final night of the U23 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Sunday.

Russia and India will have one head-to-head match, which will be featured at 65 kg.

Nachyn Sergeevitch KUULAR (RUS), a two-time World Military Games champion, looks for his third World title. He’ll wrestle Bajrang BAJRANG (IND), who won the 2017 Asian Indoor Games and took top prize at the 2017 Asian Championships.

India will also be represented at 70 kg, where Kumar VINOD (IND) will face Richard LEWIS (USA) for the World title. Lewis made his international debut today and landed the U.S. its first medal of the week-long event, cruising to the finals.

Russia’s second finalist is Gadzhi NABIEV, 2015 Junior World champion and 2017 Russian Championships silver medalist. He’ll go head-to-head with 2017 Junior European bronze medalist Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) in the 74 kg finals.

At 97 kg, 2016 Junior World bronze winner and 2015 Junior World runner-up Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR) seeks his third World medal. Challenging him is 2017 Asian Indoor Games champion and Golden Grand Prix silver medalist Mojtaba Mohammadshafie GOLEIJ (IRI).

With no medals thus far in the tournament, USA is the only country seeking a medal at all four weights on Sunday night.

The medal matches start at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET).

Finals matchups
65 kg
Gold - Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) vs. Nachyn Sergeevitch KUULAR (RUS)
Bronze - Joseph Christopher MC KENNA (USA) vs. Heorhi KALIYEU (BLR)
Bronze - Haydar YAVUZ (TUR) vs. Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI)

70 kg
Gold - Kumar Omprakash VINOD (IND) vs. Richard Anthony LEWIS (USA)
Bronze - Muhammet AKDENIZ (TUR) vs. Zulfikar MAKHAMATOV (KAZ)
Bronze - Mirza SKHULUKHIA (GEO) vs. Nobuyoshi TAKOJIMA (JPN)

74 kg
Gold - Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) vs. Gadzhi NABIEV (RUS)
Bronze - Isaiah Alexander MARTINEZ (USA) vs. Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Bronze - Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) vs. Engin Rashid ISMAIL (BUL)

97 kg
Gold - Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR) vs. Mojtaba Mohammadshafie GOLEIJ (IRI)
Bronze - Ty Ryan Jack WALZ (USA) vs. Chaoqiang YANG (CHN)
Bronze - Rasul MAGOMEDOV (RUS) vs. Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR)

#WrestleTirana

Ukraine Puts Four in Women's Finals at Europeans

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 - 19:09 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (April 22) -- Ukraine kicked off Women's Wrestling at the European Championships with four finalists in five weight classes, including two defending champions in Tirana.

Oksana LIVACH (UKR), defending champion at 50kg, and Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), defending champion at 76kg, returned to the finals, while Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR) and Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) made it to the 55kg and 59kg gold-medal bouts.

At 68kg, the only weight class in which Ukraine did not get a finalist, a blockbuster final is set between U23 world champion Nesrin BAS (TUR) and defending champion Alina SHAUCHUK (UWW).

Livach used her aggressive style to score multiple stepouts in her 6-2 victory over Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW), setting up a rematch of the 2025 European final against Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), who was at her defensive best against Emilia GRIGORE VUC (ROU) and won 6-0.

Alpyeyeva reached the final after a clinical 4-0 victory over Martina KUENZ (AUT) in the semifinal. She will now face former European champion Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU), who moved past Enrica RINALDI (ITA), 3-1, in a low-scoring semifinal.

Malanchuk at 55kg came alive in the second period, scoring six points and securing a fall over U23 world silver medalist Tuba DEMIR (TUR). She led 1-1 on criteria at the break, then hit a double-leg attack and tried to hold Demir on the mat for a fall, but she survived.

Demir tried a leg attack, but Malanchuk countered and held her on the mat to secure the fall with 1:45 remaining.

She will now face former European champion Andreea ANA (ROU), who saw off Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA), 10-0, in the other semifinal.

Vynnyk, who was all but beaten in the semifinal against Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE), 6-2, tripped the Azerbaijan wrestler with less than 10 seconds remaining to claim a stunning victory and reach the 59kg final. After the trip, Vynnyk also scored exposure points.

She will now face Jowita WRZESIEN (POL), who defeated Svetlana LIPATOVA (UWW), 4-2, in a low-scoring bout. Wrzesien led 3-1 and was in danger of giving up a takedown when Lipatova attacked on a single leg. However, the Polish wrestler defended well and gave up only a stepout. Lipatova challenged but lost, conceding one more point to Wrzesien.

Bas vs Shauchuk

Defending champion at 68kg, Shauchuk defeated Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU), 4-3, scoring two second-period takedowns. She had beaten the Romanian in last year’s final. For gold this year, Shauchuk will face Bas, a U23 world champion and returning silver medalist from 72kg.

Bas had no trouble completing a 12-1 technical superiority win over Alina SHEVCHENKO (UWW) in the other semifinal.

RESULTS

50kg
SF 1: Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) df. Emilia GRIGORE VUC (ROU), 6-0
SF 2: Oksana LIVACH (UKR) df. Elizaveta SMIRNOVA (UWW), 6-2

55kg
SF 1: Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR) df. Tuba DEMIR (TUR), via fall
SF 2: Andreea ANA (ROU) df. Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA), 10-0

59kg
SF 1: Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE), 6-2
SF 2: Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) df. Svetlana LIPATOVA (UWW), 4-2

68kg
SF 1: Alina SHAUCHUK (UWW) df. Kateryna ZELENYKH (ROU), 4-3
SF 2: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Alina SHEVCHENKO (UWW), 12-1

76kg
SF 1: Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) df. Martina KUENZ (AUT), 4-0
SF 2: Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) df. Enrica RINALDI (ITA), 3-1