2026 U17 World Championships

Tovar Ends Colombia's 43-Year Wait for U17 World Gold

Tuesday, August 4, 2026 - 09:00 By Vinay Siwach

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BAKU, Azerbaijan (August 1) -- "When you fall down, you got to keep going, come back up, can’t just let it bring you down."

Jovanni TOVAR (COL) said after falling short winning a medal at the 2025 U17 World Championships in Athens. He finished fifth.

WATCH: Jovanni Tovar Ends Colombia's 43-Year Wait for Gold

With lesson from Athens and a year of work behind him, Tovar came back to the U17 Worlds in 2026 and won a historic gold medal for Colombia, the country's first in 43 years. Luis PALOMINO (COL) had won the 62kg gold at the 1983 edition of the tournament.

Tovar lost in the quarterfinals and then in the bronze medal bout in 2025. But a year later, he dominated his way to gold, outscoring his opponents 37-1 in five bouts including a fall and two technical superiority wins.

Wrestling Jovanni TOVAR (COL)Jovanni TOVAR (COL) celebrates after winning the 55kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

In the final, Tovar faced Jakhongir TULKUNOV (UZB), who had finished eighth at the 2025 U17 World Championships. Tovar set up the first takedown using a long shot deep on Tulkulnov's leg during the Uzbekistan wrestler's activity clock.

Tulkunov, who had very open stance leaving a wide gap to attack his legs, kept trying to get his collar ties but Tovar never allowed him. Tovar hit an attack on the legs and converted it into a takedown before using an arm-bar to pin the Uzbekistan wrestler. However, time ran out for the break and Tovar led 7-0.

Tovar would see an opening 30 seconds into the second period and hit a double-leg attack and rolled through for a four-pointer which gave the technical superiority win with 1:18 left in the match.

Tovar's Results in U17 Wrestling World Championships 2026

Final: df. Jakhongir TULKUNOV (UZB), 11-0
Semifinal: df. Chase KARENBAUER (USA), 10-0
Quarterfinal: df. Prathmesh PATIL (IND), 2-1
Pre-Quarterfinals: Khusel Erdene PUREVBAATAR (MGL), via fall (8-0)
Qualification: Yusuf KOCAK (TUR), 6-0

#development

Road to Dakar 2026 Continues with Successful Central Africa Programme in Brazzaville

Monday, June 22, 2026 - 08:50 By United World Wrestling Press

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BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (June 21) -- The second stop of the United World Wrestling (UWW) Africa Regional Educational Development Programme, Road to Dakar 2026, concluded successfully in Brazzaville after a week combining athlete preparation, education, technical development and competition in Olympic and Beach Wrestling.

Held from June 8 to 14 in the Republic of Congo, the Central Africa phase brought together National Olympic Committees and National Federations from across the region under a unified objective: strengthening wrestling ecosystems and creating more accessible pathways toward the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026.

As the second of four regional tournaments scheduled within the continental Road to Dakar programme, the event represented another important milestone on the road to the first Olympic event to be hosted on African soil.

Africa REDT

The UWW Africa Regional Educational Development Programme was designed as a comprehensive and sustainable model that extends beyond competition. The initiative combines athlete development camps, coach and referee education, and practical competition opportunities.

By decentralising activities across regions and consolidating training and competition into one structure, the programme aims to reduce financial barriers for national federations and increase opportunities for athletes and technical officials.

Throughout the week, athletes participated in intensive daily training sessions, as coaches attended the UWW Technical Course - Level 2, focused on improving technical knowledge, athlete development methodologies and long-term performance planning.

Africa REDT

Simultaneously, referees took part in dedicated education sessions covering Beach Wrestling and introductory officiating pathways, preparing them for selection to undertake the International Category III referee examination in the future.

The programme concluded with the Regional Tournament, followed by the Beach Wrestling Regional Tournament, giving participants the opportunity to apply lessons learned during the educational phase directly into competition conditions.

The programme specifically prioritised youth development, with participating athletes largely drawn from the U17 age group and encouraging the involvement of emerging coaches across Central Africa. Support mechanisms jointly delivered by UWW and Olympic Solidarity helped facilitate participation through travel, accommodation, training access and tournament organisation.

Africa REDT

More than just a standalone event, Brazzaville demonstrated the long-term vision behind Road to Dakar 2026 by building stronger national structures, expanding participation and creating sustainable development opportunities well before the final qualification stages for the Youth Olympic Games.