#ThrowBackThursday

#TBT: Olympic Champion Steveson Wins First World Title

By United World Wrestling Press

Gable STEVESON (USA) became an overnight sensation after winning a thrilling final and the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics with wins over former world champions Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Taha AKGUL (TUR). The American was trailing Petriashvili in the 125kg final in Tokyo but scored two takedowns in the final 10 seconds to win the coveted Olympic title at the age of 21.

But a three-time age-group world champion has a habit of punching about his weight. In 2015, a 15-year-old Steveson made a stunning run at the Cadet World Championships in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and won the gold medal with a 9-0 victory over Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB). He outscored his opponents 47-12.

Since then he won the 2016 cadet world title, 2017 junior world title, 2021 senior Pan-Am Championships gold and the Tokyo Olympics gold with just the 2018 Junior World Championships being a lackluster event for him. The defending champion there finished fifth as Rakhimov avenged his loss from 2015 with a pin.

#WrestleAmman

Amman to host U17 Worlds; Novi Sad gets U17, U20 Euros

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 23) -- United World Wrestling has reallocated the U17 World Championships to Amman, Jordan.

The 2024 U17 Worlds were originally scheduled to be held in Argentina from August 19 to 25 but UWW was forced to change the host due to the political situation in the country. The tournament will now be held in Amman on the same dates i.e. August 19-25, 2024.

The U17 and U20 European Championships were also shifted with Novi Sad, Serbia named as the new host. This will be a joint event with the U17 European Championships running from June 24 to 30 and the U20 European Championships scheduled from July 1 to 7.

The UWW Bureau arrived at this decision after the previous hosts failed to guarantee that the teams and athletes could come and compete without discrimination, in accordance with the fundamental principles and rules of the Olympic Movement.

As previously announced, the 2024 Non-Olympic Senior World Championships will be hosted in Tirana, Albania, from October 28 to 31, immediately following the 2024 U23 World Championships. UWW decided that the wrestlers who compete at the Olympic Games in Paris will not be allowed to register for this event.