#WrestleRome

U17 World Championships Day 3 WW semis set

Wednesday, July 27, 2022 - 08:42 By Vinay Siwach

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ROME, Italy (July 27) -- Women's wrestling will begin on day three at theU17 World Championships in Rome, Italy. Five weight classes will be in action and these are 43kg, 49kg, 57kg, 65kg and 73kg. All the qualification bouts and semifinals will be held Wednesday.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER | DAY 2 WRAP

14:31: The final set of semifinals is at 49kg. European champion Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE) once again beats Sevval CAYIR (TUR). She had defeated her 8-5 at the European semis but the bout was closer in Rome as Mammadova managed to win 3-2. She will now face the Asian silver medalist Aiymgul ABYLOVA (KAZ) who beat Anja EPP (SUI) 7-2.

In the other semifinal, Mihoko TAKEUCHI (JPN) will face European silver medalist Fabiana RINELLA (ITA). Takeuchi leg-laced Anastasiia ZADVORNA (UKR) for an 8-0 lead before a duck under gave her the winning takedown. Rinella beat Sama MAHMOUD (EGY) 10-0. 

14:22: The 65kg semifinals are set. Zharkynai NURLAN KYZY (KGZ) pinned ANJALI (IND) and will now face Anju SATO (JPN) who defeated   Sydney PERRY (USA), 3-0. The other semifinal will feature Maria PANTIRU (ROU) who won 9-4 against Mouda HAMDOUN (EGY). She will face Viktoria FOELDESIOVA (SVK) who came back from 7-1 down to beat Tsai YUAN (TPE) 8-7.  

14:18: The 57kg semifinals will see Ulmeken ESENBAEVA (UZB) trying to stop Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) and Gerda TEREK (HUN) facing Tuba DEMIR (TUR) which is a rematch of the European final in which Demir won.

14:14: The 43kg field is just mind-blowing. The four semifinalists include world champion Erica PASTORIZA (USA), European champion Anastasiia POLSKA (UKR), Asian champion RITIKA (IND) and Arina ABDULLINA (KAZ)

SF 1: Erica PASTORIZA (USA) vs Arina ABDULLINA (KAZ)
SF 2: RITIKA (IND) vs Anastasiia POLSKA (UKR)

14:10: If you are wondering how Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) is so good with those low singles, she trains at the JOC Elite Academy which has produced the likes of Yui SUSAKI and Nonoka OZAKI. Uchida beats Shelby MOORE ?? 10-0 to enter the 57kg semifinals

14:00: Asian silver medalist Alina YERTOSTIK (KAZ) beats Pan-Am champ Rupinder Kaur JOHAL (CAN) 10-0 at 73kg. She will now face defending champion Priya MALIK (IND) in the semifinals. Malik defeated Dominika POCHOWSKA (POL) 10-0. Malik vs Yertostik is a rematch from the U17 Asian final in which Malik pinned the Kazak wrestler. 
In the other semifinal, Makoto KOMADA (JPN) will face Mariia ZENKINA (UKR) vs. Lotta ENGLICH (GER) as she defeated Elmira YASIN (TUR) 4-4, thanks to her two takedowns again Yasin's stepouts. Zenkina beat Englich 5-1 in what was a battle of the European bronze medalists.

13:53: European champion at 57kg Tuba DEMIR (TUR) trailed Asian bronze Sofya ZMAZNEVA (KAZ) 3-0 early in the quarterfinal but she gets a four-pointer just before the break to lead 4-3. She begins the second period with a double-leg for four and collects the fall to enter semifinal

13:37: Huge home win for Italy! Fabiana RINELLA (ITA) decimates Audrey JIMENEZ (USA) for a 9-2 win at 49kg. The home crowd loved every moment there.

13:30: Here are the quarterfinals for 43kg

Malak MOUSTAFA (EGY) vs. Arina ABDULLINA (KAZ)
Gulnura RUSLANOVA (UZB) vs. RITIKA (IND)
Dominika KONKEL (POL) vs. Erica PASTORIZA (USA)
Anastasiia POLSKA (UKR) vs. Josephine WRENSCH (GER) 

13:13: Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR) led 5-0 against Shelby MOORE (USA) and was cruising to victory. Moore scored a takedown in the second period and used four leg laces to lead 10-6. Filipovych tries a four, but it's only awarded two, the referee calls for a pin but the mat chairman doesn't signal the same. A huge 11-8 win for Moore over Filipovych. 

13:00: European silver medalist Gerda TEREK (HUN) trailed 2-1 for a major part of her bout against Liza TOMAR (IND). But she scores two stepouts late in the bout to win 3-2 at 57kg

12:40: Three top bouts at 43kg. U17 Asia champion RITIKA (IND) begins with a 10-0 win over Melissa DOROFTEI (ITA). European champion Anastasiia POLSKA (UKR) is up against Maya JOHANSSON (SWE) and leads 3-0. She gets the fall after the break.

World champion at 40kg Erica PASTORIZA (USA) up against European silver medalist Elvina KARIMZADA (AZE). Pastoriza and Karimzada exchange exposures in the second period. But Pastoriza with an ankle pick and four. Karimzada gets a go behind at the end but Pastoriza wins 7-4

12:30: European champion Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE) with a fall over Ana ROTARU (ROU) in just over a minute of the bout. She is one of the favorites to win the 49kg gold

12:20: At 57kg, Shelby MOORE (USA) starts her day with a stunning 11-0 win over Michalina IGNASZAK (POL). Used the leg lace to perfection.

12:10: Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) may have thought she had Gerda TEREK (HUN) in a hold but the Hungarian manages to survive a pin attempt and take the win at 57kg 5-2 

12:05: Pan-Am champion Rupinder JOHAL (CAN) begins her quest for a world title with a good win. She scored a few stepouts against European champion Ambre CHEVREAU (FRA) in a 9-0 win. 

11:54: Quick results at 73kg as Alina YERTOSTIK (KAZ) pins European silver medalist Gabriela MAEVA (BUL) inside the first period, Euro bronze Lotta ENGLICH (GER) works hard for a 4-4 win over Heba IBRAHIM (EGY) and Elmira YASIN (TUR) controls her bout for an 8-1 win over Giorgia D'ANTIMI (ITA).

11:52: Blink and miss stuff from Japan's Makoto KOMADA (JPN) as she rolls to a 12-0 win over Gemma RUSSELL (RSA) in the opening round at 73kg.

11:50: A winning start for defending champion Priya MALIK (IND) at 73kg. She got a point for passivity and then a takedown against Kaiulani GARCIA (USA). In the second period, Malik was called passive but still won 3-1. 

11:30: Welcome to the third day of the U17 World Championships in Rome. Women's wrestling begins with three defending champions in action.

#UWWAwards

UWW Most Dominant Wrestlers 2025: Amouzad, Motoki, Esmaeili

Thursday, December 25, 2025 - 11:08 By Eric Olanowski

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 24) -- There were several dominant performances in 2025 on the wrestling mat. But it was three wrestlers who remained at the top of their weight classes and racked up dominant wins one after another. Two were Olympic champions while one was an Olympic silver medalist. All three became world champions in Zagreb.

Freestyle Most Dominant Wrester: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI)

- 14–0
- Rank 1 at 65kg 
- 58,000 RS points 
- Outscored world and Olympic medalists 42–4
- World Championships, Tirana RS and ISG golds

Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) was about as perfect as you could be in a season, returning to prominence with title-winning efforts at the World Championships, Islamic Solidarity Games and Muhamet Malo Ranking Series event and finishing the season as the No.1 ranked wrestler in the world at 65kg with 58,000 Ranking Series points.

The Paris silver medalist, collected an unblemished 14-0 record in 2025 -- with five of those wins coming against top-level opponents who have world or Olympic medals on their resumes in Olympic champion Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN), Umidjon JALALOV (UZB), Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) and Real WOODS (USA). The craziest part about those five matches against the world’s best, Amouzad outscored 42-4.

But without a doubt, the highlight of Amouzad’s season came in Zagreb when he finally got his long awaited rematch, beating Kotaro KIYOOKA in a revenge match from the Paris 2024 Olympic finals.

The scariest part about Amouzad’s dominance -- he’s only 23 years old and he’s still getting better.

Women's Wrestling Dominant Wrestler: Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)

- 9-0
- Five pins, two technical superiorities
- 45,000 RS points 
- 8/9 bouts finished before regulation
- Completed Golden Grand Slam (U17, U20, U23, Senior World and Olympic gold)

Coming into the 2025 season, Motoki made her goals crystal clear -- become the third wrestler in history of the sport to win wrestling’s Golden Grand Slam -- and for those who don’t know, that is gold medals at the U17, U20, U23, Senior World Championships and the Olympic Games.

The only two missing from the Olympic champ's resume were the U23 and Senior World golds.

At the 2025 U23 and senior World Championships, Motoki showed that she’s in a league of her own, as she went 9-0, with eight  matches finishing before time expired. She scored five falls and two technical superiority wins.

Her win in the final of the World Championships will be one that will be talked about for ages as the most dramatic win of the season. Motoki scored a buzzer-beating takedown against Ok Ju KIM (PRK) with a 10-second flurry that consisted of a head outside single, arm throw, over-under knee pick, before head locking Kim with four tenths of a second left to keep her history making hopes alive.

In the end, Motoki’s heart and courage under fire helped her close out the year as the third wrestler to complete the Golden Grand Slam and she did it with a level of dominance we may not see again for a very long time.

Greco-Roman Dominant Wrestler: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI)

- Rank 1 at 67kg 
- 58,000 RS points  
- 11–0 Record
- World Championships, Asian Championships and  ISG golds

In a 2025 campaign that saw him become a world champion, Esmaeili's season was immaculate, as he cemented his place among the sport’s top pound-for-pound wrestler with a season full of titles, stacking gold-medals at the World Championships, Asian Championships and Islamic Solidarity Games, rounding out the season ranked No. 1 in the world at 67kg.

The Paris Olympic champion remained unbeaten in 2025, winning all 11 bouts of his bouts in dominant fashion -- scoring eight shutout wins, with seven technical falls -- including a pair of 9-0 win against world champions Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) and Sebastian NAD (SRB). The reigning Olympic gold medalist also collected two victories over Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE), one in the world final and one in the Islamic Game gold-medal match, where he tossed his Azeri opponent for four as time expired to rob his rival of the title.

His opponents should not ease up because at just 22 years old, Esmaeili is still sharpening his tool set and leveling up his skills.