Ivan Yarygin

Sadulaev and Snyder Seek Second Yarygin Crowns

By Eric Olanowski

KRASNOYARSK, Russia (January 27) -- Russia, Turkey and the United States each have representatives competing in the final championship session at the 2018 Ivan Yarygin. Russia leads the way with five finalists, followed by the United States with two and Turkey with one.  

The finals will feature a pair of Olympic champions in Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) and Kyle SNYDER (USA) who are looking to win their second Yarygin titles. Sadulaev’s last Yarygin title came in 2014 and Synder’s came last season. If Synder wins tonight, he’d become the second American to ever win back-to-back Yarygin titles. 

Also included in tonight’s finals will be 2017 world silver medalist, Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS) and 2017 Grand Prix of Paris champion, David TAYLOR III (USA).

Heading into the final two women’s wrestling weight categories, China and Japan are tied with three gold medals apiece. The Chinese have an opportunity to take the gold medal lead as they have two wrestlers competing in tonight's finals. The remaining two representatives in the final championships session hail from Japan and Russia.

FINAL MATCH-UPS
74kg
GOLD - Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) vs. Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS)
BRONZE – Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM) vs. Mandakhnaran GANZORIG (MGL)
BRONZE - Muhammet DEMIR (TUR) vs. Kakhaber KHUBEZHTY (RUS)

86kg
GOLD - David TAYLOR III (USA) vs. Fatih ERDIN (TUR)
BRONZE – Zaur BERADZE (GEO) vs. Vladislav VALIEV (RUS)
BRONZE - Yurieski TORREBLANCA QUERALTA (CUB) vs. Artur NAIFONOV (RUS)

92kg
GOLD - Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) vs. Anzor URISHEV (RUS)
BRONZE – Serda BOKE (TUR) vs. Yury BELONOVSKIY (RUS)
BRONZE - Turtogtokh LUVSANDORJ (MGL) vs. Nicholas HEFLIN (USA)

97kg
GOLD - Rasul MAGOMEDOV (RUS) vs. Kyle SNYDER (USA)
BRONZE – Yunus DEDE (TUR) vs. Vladislav BAITCAEV (RUS)
BRONZE - Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) vs. Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL)

Women’s wrestling

72kg

GOLD - Juan WANG (CHN) vs. Masako FURUICHI (JPN)
BRONZE – Tatiana KOLESNIKOVA MOROZOVA (RUS) vs. Nasanburmaa OCHIRBAT (MGL)
BRONZE - Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) vs. Alena PEREPELKINA (RUS)

76kg
GOLD - Qian ZHOU (CHN) vs. Ekaterina BUKINA (RUS)
BRONZE – Viktoriia FROLOVA (RUS) vs. Paliha PALIHA (CHN)
BRONZE - Epp MAE (EST) vs. Anzhela KATAEVA (RUS)

THIS IS THE START OF THE DAY THREE LIVE NOTEBOOK

The final day of wrestling at the 2018 Ivan Yarygin kicks off at 11:00am. Here is where you can WATCH the four men's freestyle and two women's wrestling categories that are in action today. 

Here is everything that you may have missed from DAY TWO of the #Yarygin2018.

LIVE UPDATES 

10:59 AM - ONE MINUTE UNTIL GO TIME! 

11:09 AM - The final day of wrestling is offically underway at the 2018 Ivan Yarygin. 

11:29 AM  - Qualification matches are being wrestled on Mats A and B. 

11:49 AM - WW 72kg QUARTERFINAL -  Alena PEREPELKINA (RUS) picks up a fall over Nomin Erdene PURVEE (MGL) after being down 12-4! 

12:02 AM -WW 72kg QUARTERFINAL -  Masako FURUICHI (JPN) df. Tatiana KOLESNIKOVA MOROZOVA (RUS), 6-0 to make the Yarygin semifinals. 

12:15 AM - The crowd erupts as PUREVJAV Unurbandat (MGL) throws T. STEFANIK (USA) and picks up the fall in the FS 86kg QUALIFICATION round. 

12:48 PM - K. SNYDER (USA) is wrestling on Mat C. 

12:54 PM - Olympic champions finish back-to-back matches with 10-0 victories. 

1:26 PM - V. VALIEV (RUS), 2017 world bronze medalist is up on Mat A. 

1:44 PM - D. TAYLOR (USA) uses two takedowns to defeat Olympic silver medalist, S. YASAR (TUR), 4-0. 

1:50 PM:  A. NAIFONOV (RUS) hangs on and defeats D. KURUGLIEV (RUS), 3-2 to make the 86kg semifinals. 

1:51 PM:  Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS), 2017 world silver medalist picks up the 13-2 victory.

1:55 PM: Kyle Snyder is wrestling over on Mat 6 where he has a 3-0 lead.

2:15 PM:  A. Sadulaev  (RUS) just picked up the 10-0 technical superiority victory over Nicholas HEFLIN (USA). 

2:18 PM - FS 97kg SEMIFINALS are starting over on Mat C. 

2:22 PM - R. MAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. B. ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL), 12-1 to make the finals at 97kg. 

2:35 PM: FS 97kg FINAL:  R. MAGOMEDOV (RUS) v. K. SNYDER (USA).

#UWWAwards

UWW Comebacks of the Year 2025: Uguev, Maroulis, Amoyan

By Eric Olanowski

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 18) -- United World Wrestling’s 2025 Comeback Wrestlers of the Year are three wrestlers who refused to let their careers be defined by defeat and setbacks.

Freestyle Comeback Wrestler: Zaur UGUEV (UWW)

There was a time not too long ago where Uguev career trajectory was pointing him in the direction of becoming the greatest lightweight of this generation, but he hit a slump in 2023 and 2024, finishing fifth at the World Championships.

This year, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist returned to top form. He went from an afterthought to one of the sport's most dominant wrestlers -- reclaiming world gold for a third time in his career and first time since the 2019 World Championships with a 11-2 win over Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) in the 61kg finals.

"This is a very joyful event in my life -- I am once again on the top of the podium," Uguev said. "I am very happy and grateful to my team, my coach, my sparring partners, our national team -- thanks to everyone who played a part in my victory."

Women’s Wrestling Comeback Wrestler: Helen MAROULIS (USA)

For most, 2021 seems like yesterday. But for Maroulis, it’s been a grueling four years of waiting and working to reclaim her spot a top the world ranks. Despite having to completely change her style of wrestling due to lack of conditioning that stemmed from an allergic reaction to antibiotics before the World Championships, Maroulis found a way to bolster her resume with a fourth world title -- adding to her career wins 2015, 2018, and 2021, not to mention her three Olympic medals.

She did so with three quick pins in Zagreb before inside tripping Il-Sim SON (PRK) in dramatic fashion, stealing the world title as the clock expired.

After the match, the 11-time world and Olympic medalist said, "I had to really, really dig deep for that and, I don't know, before the last exchange started, I just had to dig deep and find it. It was just some scramble flurry and just that it came out my way. I'm grateful."

Greco-Roman Comeback Wrestler: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)

Like Maroulis’ four-year battle to get back to the top, Amoyan found himself fighting an uphill battle to regain world gold since his last title-winning run in Oslo in 2021. But after moving up from 72kg to 77kg, he struggled. He fell one match short of his goal at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, and again at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games where he settled for a bronze medal.

But 2025 was different as the 26-year-old put on arguably the greatest Greco-Roman performance of the Zagreb World Championships, capping off his run to a second world title with an unexpected 9-1 thumping of reigning Olympic gold medalist Nao KUSAKA (JPN).

"I became a world champion back in 2021 [at 72kg], but I really wanted to become world champion at 77kg. For two years, I struggled with injuries, and nothing was going as it should. Thankfully, at this World Championships I was prepared -- mentally, physically, and functionally -- and by God's grace I managed to triumph and become a two-time world champion."