Traditional wrestling hotbed Senegal dominates African Beach Games

Friday, June 30, 2023 - 06:58 By Vinay Siwach

HAMMAMET, Tunisia (June 30) -- Senegal dominated the men's Beach Wrestling competition at the 2nd African Beach Games, securing three out of the four gold medals.

Led by African Beach Wrestling and Senegalese Wrestling champion Modou FAYE (SEN), Senegal claimed gold in the 80kg, 90kg, and +90kg weight classes but missed out in the 70kg category, where Gibriel CHOW (GAM) denied the country a cleansweep.

Senegal won the team title as well with 95 points while hosts Tunisia finished second with 57 points. Kenya finished a close third with 49 points.

READ: Olympic silver medalist Oborududu solid on sand

Faye, who had already won the African Championships in May in the men's +90kg division, emerged victorious in the gold medal bout against Hemza HALOUI (ALG), defeating him 3-0.

But that was not the only bout in which Faye did not give up a point. Whether it was Daniel MOSETI (KEN) in Round 1 or Mohamed SAADAOUI (TUN) in the semifinals, no one was able to score on him during the tournament.

In the group stage, Faye secured a 3-0 victory over Haloui in Round 3, but both wrestlers qualified for the semifinals as they finished 1-2 in the group. While Faye triumphed over Saadaoui in the semifinals, Haloui won 1-0 against Progress BENSON (NGR).

In the final, Haloui failed to pose any significant challenge to Faye, as the Senegalese wrestler won the gold and continued to make his mark in Beach Wrestling this year.

Modou FAYE (SEN) celebrates after winning the gold medal at the African Beach Games. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

Earlier in June, Faye made his world debut in the Beach Wrestling World Series in Singapore, reaching the semifinals and eventually winning a bronze medal. Despite a strong performance, Faye narrowly missed out on a spot in the final, where he came close to defeating world champion Mamuka KORDZAIA (GEO).

Faye made the mistake of touching his knee on the sand, resulting in points being awarded against him on two occasions. However, he quickly adapted his approach, launching clean attacks and taking a 2-2 lead on criteria over Kordzaia with less than 30 seconds remaining. Faye successfully defended against Kordzaia's desperate attack and countered with his own takedown to secure the victory.

It was only after Kordzaia challenged the call, and after a review, Faye's knee brushing the sand resulted in a point being awarded to Kordzaia. In Beach Wrestling, the first wrestler to reach three points is declared the winner.

Faye's impressive performance in Singapore solidified his status as one of the strongest competitors, leaving a lasting impression on the fans. His experience in Senegalese Wrestling enabled him to effortlessly defend against attacks on his legs.

Siny SEMBENE (SEN) was the champion at 90kg. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

Another standout performer for Senegal was Siny SEMBENE (SEN), who remained undefeated in all four of his bouts in the 90kg round-robin bracket, securing the gold medal for Senegal.

Sembene's first victory came against Machiel GROBLER (RSA), whom he defeated 3-0 in Round 1. He followed this with a dominant victory via fall over Sabri MNASRIA (TUN) in Round 3.

Mark ONGUYESI (KEN) was the only other unbeaten wrestler and he faced Sembene in Round 4. But he suffered the same fate as the others, losing 3-0. Sembene was crowned champion after Zakaria BENAREZKI (ALG) withdrew from the fifth round due to an injury sustained in his bout against Onguyesi in Round 3.

Ngor NIAKHE (SEN) won the 80kg gold after beating Bacar N'DIUM (GBS) in the final. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

In the 80kg category, Ngor NIAKHE (SEN) staged an impressive comeback to defeat Bacar N'DIUM (GBS) 2-0 and secure the gold medal for Senegal. Niakhe had previously lost to N'dium in the group stages.

Eight wrestlers competed in the 80kg weight class, divided into two groups. Niakhe faced N'dium in Round 1, resulting in a 1-1 tie decided on last-point criteria.

However, Niakhe rallied and emerged victorious by fall against Anthony WESLEY (CPV) in Round 2 and Chawki DOULACHE (ALG) in Round 3, qualifying for the semifinals against Mathayo MAHABILA (KEN). He defeated the Kenyan wrestler with superiority to reach the final.

In the final, Niakhe showcased solid defensive skills, preventing N'dium from scoring any points. With a two-point lead, Niakhe maintained his advantage to secure the gold medal, just two weeks after winning bronze at the Singapore Beach Wrestling World Series.

With the victory over N'dium, Niakhe also avenged his loss from the African Beach Wrestling Championships final which was won by N'dium in May.

Gibriel CHOW (GAM) denied Ya NDONG (SEN) 3-1 in the 70kg final. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

To prevent Senegal from winning all four gold medals, Chow delivered a strong performance to defeat Ya NDONG (SEN) 3-1 in the 70kg category.

Chow's journey to the final included victories over Mahmoud MEDJADBA (ALG) in Round 1 (3-1), Mohamed ZORGUI (TUN) in Round 2 (4-0), and John LEOPOLD (MRI) in Round 3 (3-0), securing the top spot in the group standings.

In the semifinals, Madi LATUF (COM) posed a challenge to Chow, scoring two points and coming close to victory. However, Chow executed a remarkable throw and won by fall (5-2), advancing to the final against Ndong, who had defeated Zorgui in the other semifinal.

In the final, Chow clearly outperformed Ndong, clinching the gold medal with a 3-1 victory over the African champion.

Bacar N'DIUM (GBS) completes a throw against Anthony WESLEY (CPV) during their 80kg bout in Hammamet. (Photo: UWW / Bayrem Ben Mrad)

RESULTS

70kg
GOLD: Gibriel CHOW (GAM) df. Ya NDONG (SEN), 3-1

BRONZE: Mohamed ZORGUI (TUN) df. Madi LATUF (COM), 3-0

80kg
GOLD: Ngor NIAKHE (SEN) df. Bacar N'DIUM (GBS), 2-0

BRONZE: Mathayo MAHABILA (KEN) df. Khaireddine BEN TLILI (TUN), 4-2

90kg
GOLD: Siny SEMBENE (SEN)
SILVER: Mark ONGUYESI (KEN)
BRONZE: Sabri MNASRIA (TUN)

+90kg
GOLD: Modou FAYE (SEN) df. Hemza HALOUI (ALG), 3-0

BRONZE: Mohamed SAADAOUI (TUN) df. Progress BENSON (NGR), 3-2

#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships 2026 Day 1 Greco-Roman Highlights

Sunday, April 5, 2026 - 19:41 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 6) -- For the first time, the Asian Championships will be held in two-day format. The edition in Bishkek will begin with Greco-Roman, followed by Women's Wrestling and then Freestyle. Five Greco-Roman weight classes -- 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg and 130kg -- are in action on Monday.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW

The semifinals will begin at 18:00 local time

55kg
SF 1: Huoying SHI (CHN) vs. LALIT (IND)
SF 2: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) vs. Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ)

63kg
SF 1: Azatjan ACHILOV (TKM) vs. Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ)
SF 2: Erfan JARKANI (IRI) vs. Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB)

77kg
SF 1: Ali OSKOU (IRI) vs. AMAN (IND)
SF 2: Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB) vs. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)

87kg
SF 1: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) vs. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
SF 2: Sunil KUMAR (IND) vs. Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI)

130kg
SF 1: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) vs. Minseok KIM (KOR)
SF 2: Yuta NARA (JPN) vs. Rafael TSITSUASHVILI (UZB)

13:10: World champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) begins his Asian title defense with a 10-0 win over Roman KIM (KGZ) and advance to the semifinals. He will face Minseok KIM (KOR)

13:03: Returning bronze medalist Yuta NARA (JPN) gets the winning score with a slow-motion gut wrench in the second period, prevailing on last-point criteria 3-3 over two-time Asian U23 silver medalist Jokhar UZAROV (KAZ) to advance to the 130kg semifinals.

12:58: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) gets a gut wrench to the back upgraded to a 4-point move upon his opponent's challenge, giving him a 10-0 victory over two-time bronze medalist Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) and moving him a step closer to a second straight gold, this time up at 87kg after winning at 82kg last year.

12:57: World bronze medalist Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) with some big throws and a fall against Dovletmyrat BAYRAMOV (TKM) at 87kg in just 30 seconds. Zhanyshov vs Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) final will be a treat.

12:50: Sunil KUMAR (IND), the last Indian to win a Greco gold when he did on home soil in New Dehli in 2020, reeled off two gut wrenches from par terre in the second period for a 5-1 victory over Shichang ZHENG (CHN) and a place in the 87kg semifinals. Kumar is also going for his fourth career Asian medal.

12:42: Kaisei TANABE (JPN), last year's champion at freestyle 65kg looking to make history with a victory at Greco 63kg, minimized the points scored by Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ), but failed to get enough of his own and came out on the short end of a 4-3 score. Taalaibek Uulu had the first chance in par terre, but even though he lifted Tanabe off his feet, he could only get a 1-point throw out of it. Taalaibek Uulu then got in on a bear hug and lifted Tanabe again, but only got a takedown out of that situation to lead 4-0 at the break. Tanabe got a chance at par terre and hit a gut wrench to cut the gap to 1, but could not pull out the win.

12:32: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), aiming to improve on his two bronze medals from 2023 and 2025, rips off four straight rolls from par terre and he's into the 55kg semifinals with a 10-0 win over Hajiali HOSSEINVAND (IRI). The Iranian side pushed the challenge button before the first roll, looking for a leg foul, but the scoring was upheld.

12:25: Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB), a bronze medalist in 2024, makes short work of Amro SADEH (JOR), storming to a quick 9-0 win to earn a semifinal date with Makhmudov.

12:23: There cannot be a better way to find a way to win a Greco-Roman bout that a five-point throw! AMAN (IND) does exactly that in his quarterfinal against Halishan BAHEJIANG (CHN) at 77kg. Aman was down 4-1 but got on a duckunder and locked Bahejiang and completes a perfect throw for five points and wins 6-4

12:20: Ali OSKOU (IRI), Zagreb Open Ranking Series champion at 77kg, defends from par terre twice, against Yeonghun NOH (KOR) and he does that well, once with 25 seconds remaining to win 5-2 and advance to the semifinals.

12:18: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) with another spectacular throw as he defeats Kaharman KISSYMETOV (KAZ) 9-1 to gain a place in the semifinals. Makhmudov is put on the bottom of par terre, but wiggles his way out and gets behind for a takedown. Then the fun starts, as he hits a high-flying 4-point throw to lead 6-1. In the second period, Makhmudov gets the top position, and he quickly executes a gut wrench that ends the proceedings.

12:10: Roman KIM (KGZ) gets the home crowd going, getting four straight rolls from par terre to knock off Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL) 9-0 at 130kg. Batbayar is one of a few wrestlers who will be doing the Greco-Freestyle double in Bishkek — he's the Asian U23 champion in freestyle!

12:08: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI), the reigning world champion at 82kg, has moved up to the Olympic weight of 87kg and gets off to a good start, overwhelming Muhammad SULTONZODA (TJK) 9-0 in less than two minutes.

12:05: Hyunwoong CHOI (KOR) survives a battle against Huangsheng WU (CHN) at 63kg. He was leading 11-6 when Wu scored a huge four-pointer with 11 seconds remaining to make it 11-10. But the last desperate attempt ended with Choi getting two points and a 13-10 win

12:02: Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), an Asian champion in 2019 and world bronze medalist in 2023, is looking to regain the magic up a weight at 63kg. He cruises through his opening match, handily defeating Rayan HAWSAWI (KSA) 8-0.

11:51: Hajiali HOSSEINVAND (IRI), winner at the Zagreb Ranking Series tournament, advances at 55kg with a 4-0 victory over Nurzat KABDYRAKHIMOV (KAZ). Hosseinvand chalks up three points in the first period, then adds a stepout in the second.

11:41: Local star Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) gets the tournament off to an exciting start with a 4-point bear hug en route to a 7-3 victory over a spunky Isami HORIKITA (JPN) in the opening match at 77kg. Makhmudov, a two-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion aiming for his fourth career Asian gold, used a bear hug to power Horikita to the mat, then added a 2-point roll for 6-1 lead. In the second period, Makhmudov got the passivity point, but when he tried a gut wrench from par terre, Horikita stepped over for a 2-point exposure. But that was the end of the scoring and Makhmudov was safely through.

11:15: The Asian Championships will get underway in Bishkek with Greco-Roman. Five weight classes with local hero Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) in action as well.

Traditional wrestling hotbed Senegal dominates African Beach Games

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Asian Championships 2026 Day 1 Greco-Roman Highlights