#WrestleTirana

U23 World Championships entries released

By Eric Olanowski

TIRANA, Albania (October 9) — The final World Championship of the season is set to kick off October 23-29 in Albania's capital city, Tirana, featuring 587 wrestlers from 58 countries.

The entry field is highlighted by ten wrestlers aiming to defend their 2022 U23 world crowns. Freestyle and Greco-Roman will both feature four reigning gold medalists, while women's wrestling will have a pair of 2022 title holders.

The four biggest freestyle stars in action are Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN), Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) and Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI).

At 79kg, Gamkrelidze is the unquestionable favorite to win gold. The young Georgian is fresh off a runner-up finish at the Belgrade World Championships, where he went 4-1, falling to Akhmed USMANOV (AIN) in the final.

The crown holder at 86kg, Shirai will be chased by 2022 U23 world bronze-medal winners Ivan ICHIZLI (MDA) and Aaron BROOKS (USA).

Azarpira, who represented Iran at 92kg in Belgrade, will move up to 97kg for the U23 World Championships. He went 1-1 after stepping in for the injured Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) on short notice. His biggest challenger in Tirana will be Azerbaijan's U23 world bronze medalist Islam ILYASOV (AZE).

For Iran to maintain its stronghold on the super freestyle heavyweight class, Valadi will have to get past Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) for a second consecutive year.

On the Greco-Roman side of the competition, the four headliners are Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI), Danial SOHRABI (IRI), Istvan TAKACS (HUN), and Alex SZOKE (HUN).

At 63kg, Mohammadi will share the bracket with the man he defeated to win the 2022 U23 world gold, Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO).

Sohrabi won bronze at the Asian Games at 67kg after bumping up to 72kg for the World Championships. In Belgrade, Sohrabi won his first bout against Artur POLITAIEV (UKR) before falling on criteria against returning world champion Ali ARSALAN (SRB).

Sohrabi will be at 67kg in Tirana with his most notable opponents being Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA) and Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO), the silver and bronze medalists, respectively, at the 2022 U23 World Championships.

Hungarian hammers Takacs and Szoke will try to defend their 87kg and 97kg titles, respectively.

Takacs' biggest threat will be Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL), a bronze medalist at last year's U23 World Championships.

For Szoke to win a second straight U23 world title, he'll likely have to defeat U23 world bronze medalist NITESH (UWW).

In women's wrestling, Nesrin BAS (TUR) and Amit ELOR (USA) will be looking to add another U23 world title to their resumes.

Bas, who represented Turkiye at 72kg at the World Championships, will return to 68kg for the U23 World Championships. Bas was eliminated from the Belgrade competition after falling to '22 senior world champions Elor and Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN).

In Albania, Bas will have a shot at becoming the first Turkish woman to win a pair of U23 world titles. She'll have to get through Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), a bronze medalist a year ago.

Elor, who just won her second senior world title, is on a quest to win her ninth overall world title since 2019. Thus far, she has two U17, three U20, two senior and a U23 world title.

Elor will share the 72kg bracket with Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL), the woman she defeated to win gold a year ago. 

Outside of the ten returning champions, here are the other 578 wrestlers who will be participating in the 2023 U23 World Championships:

GEOSenior world silver medalist Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) will compete at 79kg, with hopes of repeating as U23 world champion. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Freestyle

57kg
Nachyn MONGUSH (AIN)
Dzmitry SHAMELA (AIN)
Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM)
Rahman IMANOV (AZE)
Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS)
Luka GVINJILIA (GEO)
Niklas STECHELE (GER)
Milad VALIZADEH (IRI)
Tatsuya TSUKAOKA (JPN)
Yerassyl MUKHTARULY (KAZ)
Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ)
Ben TARIK (MAR)
Anton VLAS (MDA)
Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL)
Vasyl ILNYTSKYI (POL)
Jacob MORAN (PUR)
Thomas EPP (SUI)
Khalil BARKOUTI (TUN)
Yusuf DEMIR (TUR)
Heorhii KAZANZHY (UKR)
Cooper FLYNN (USA)
SHUBHAM (UWW)

61kg
Bashir MAGOMEDOV (AIN)
Ivan HRAMYKA (AIN)
Endrio AVDYLI (ALB)
Mezhlum MEZHLUMYAN (ARM)
Jeyhun ALLAHVERDIYEV (AZE)
Kostadin GUTSEV (BUL)
Garette SAUNDERS (CAN)
Nika ZAKASHVILI (GEO)
Shahdad KHOSRAVI (IRI)
Kaito MORITA (JPN)
Assylzhan YESSENGELDI (KAZ)
Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)
Vasile MARCU (MDA)
Besir ALILI (MKD)
Antonio MARGIOTTA (PHI)
Dylan SHAWVER (PUR)
Emre KURAL (TUR)
Andrii DZHELEP (UKR)
Julian CHLEBOVE (USA)
Akash DAHIYA (UWW)

65kg
Islam GUSEINOV (AIN)
Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (AIN)
Klevisi PRECI (ALB)
Andranik AVETISYAN (ARM)
Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Ayub MUSAEV (BEL)
Jason LUNEAU (CAN)
Omar MOURAD (EGY)
Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA)
Goga OTINASHVILI (GEO)
Nico MEGERLE (GER)
Mohammadali AMOUZAD (IRI)
Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN)
Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ)
Aden SAKYBAEV (KGZ)
Pavel GRAUR (MDA)
Samuel ALVAREZ (PUR)
Frederik NORTJE (RSA)
Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR)
Artem KRYVENKO (UKR)
Brock HARDY (USA)
Mohit KUMAR (UWW)

70kg
Inalbek SHERIEV (AIN)
Daniil AMELYANCHYK (AIN)
Tigran GHAZARYAN (ARM)
Benedikt HUBER (AUT)
Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE)
Ibragim VELIEV (BEL)
Stone LEWIS (CAN)
Matias MUNOZ (CHI)
Moukhammad SANGARIEV (FRA)
Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO)
Theocharis KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
Mohammad BAKHSHISHIRKOLAEI (IRI)
Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN)
Rodion ANCHUGIN (KAZ)
Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ)
Egzon XHONI (KOS)
Ion MARCU (MDA)
Mateusz LUSZCZYNSKI (POL)
Noah CASTILLO (PUR)
Mustafo AKHMEDOV (TJK)
Farouk JELASSI (TUN)
Burak SININ (TUR)
Narek POHOSIAN (UKR)
Douglas ZAPF (USA)
Abhimanyou ABHIMANYOU (UWW)

74kg
Imam GANISHOV (AIN)
Nikita DMITRIJEVS MAYEUSKI (AIN)
Hayk PAPIKYAN (ARM)
Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE)
Muhammad ABDURACHMANOV (BEL)
Nikolay DIMITROV (BUL)
Patrik LEDER (CAN)
Nasser SAYED (EGY)
Giorgi GOGRITCHIANI (GEO)
Stas WOLF (GER)
Christos CHRISTOFORIDIS (GRE)
Mohmmadsadegh FIROUZPOUR (IRI)
Hikaru TAKATA (JPN)
Yerbarys SATYBALDY (KAZ)
Vasile DIACON (MDA)
Diego SANDOVAL (MEX)
Szymon WOJTKOWSKI (POL)
Sonny SANTIAGO (PUR)
Krisztian BIRO (ROU)
Mohamed Ali ZORGUI (TUN)
Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR)
Vadym KURYLENKO (UKR)
Keegan OTOOLE (USA)
NAVEEN (UWW)
Harry DUNO (VEN)

79kg
Magomed MAGOMAEV (AIN)
Dzmitry DZENISENIA (AIN)
Menua YARIBEKYAN (ARM)
Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE)
Connor CHURCH (CAN)
Gabriel IGLESIAS (ESP)
Joona VUOTI (FIN)
Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)
Lucas KAHNT (GER)
Shoban YARI (IRI)
Raffaele MATRULLO (ITA)
Masaki SATO (JPN)
Shamsat TAIR (KAZ)
Mukhammad ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Daniels BENDIKS (LAT)
Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA)
Mateusz PEDZICKI (POL)
Jose SANCHEZ (PUR)
Somonjon IKROMOV (TJK)
Okan TAHTACI (TUR)
Vladyslav BODORIAK (UKR)
Dustin PLOTT (USA)
Sagar JAGLAN (UWW)

86kg
Arslan BAGAEV (AIN)
Ilya KHAMTSOU (AIN)
Altin GANCI (ALB)
Mushegh MKRTCHYAN (ARM)
Benjamin GREIL (AUT)
Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE)
Owen MARTIN (CAN)
Charalampos CHOIRAS (CYP)
Miko ELKALA (FIN)
Daviti KOGUASHVILI (GEO)
Joshua MORODION (GER)
Angelos KOUKLARIS (GRE)
Ali MANSOURI (IRI)
Erzo ISAKOV (JOR)
Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN)
Nurdaulet KUANYSHBAY (KAZ)
Sofiane PADIOU BELMIR (MAR)
Ivan ICHIZLI (MDA)
Adam MODOSJAN (MKD)
Igor SZUCKI (POL)
Edward LESSING (RSA)
Ismail KUCUKSOLAK (TUR)
Oleksandr MAMROSH (UKR)
Aaron BROOKS (USA)
DEEPAK (UWW)

92kg
Alan BAGAEV (AIN)
Yaraslau IADKOUSKI (AIN)
Arjan DANAJ (ALB)
Knyaz IBOYAN (ARM)
Abduljalil SHABANOV (AZE)
Samuel PEREIRA (CAN)
Adlan VISKHANOV (FRA)
Andro MARGISHVILI (GEO)
Gkivi BLIATZE (GRE)
Mohammadmobin AZIMI (IRI)
Abdul ABUIDAIJ (JOR)
Satoshi MIURA (JPN)
Nurdaulet BEKENOV (KAZ)
Kanybek ABDULKHAIROV (KGZ)
Ion DEMIAN (MDA)
Redjep HAJDARI (MKD)
Jairo RIVERA VAZQUEZ (PUR)
Muhammed GIMRI (TUR)
Denys SAHALIUK (UKR)
Jacob CARDENAS (USA)
Pruthviraj PATIL (UWW)

97kg
Sergei KOZYREV (AIN)
Uladzislau KAZLOU (AIN)
Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM)
Thomas BARNS (AUS)
Aiden STEVENSON (CAN)
Merab SULEIMANISHVILI (GEO)
Ertugrul AGCA (GER)
Richard VEGH (HUN)
Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)
Hibiki ITO (JPN)
Yunus GAFUROV (KAZ)
Radu LEFTER (MDA)
Nicolaas DE LANGE (RSA)
Adam JAKSIK (SVK)
Oktay CIFTCI (TUR)
David MCHEDLIDZE (UKR)
Isaac TRUMBLE (USA)
SAHIL (UWW)

125kg
Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN)
Aliaksei PARKHOMENKA (AIN)
Khachatur KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
Vakhit GALAYEV (AZE)
Georgi VELEV (BUL)
Karanveer MAHIL (CAN)
Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO)
Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE)
Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI)
Kai SHUTTO (JPN)
Omarkhan NADIROV (KAZ)
Nicolae STRATULAT (MDA)
Adil MISIRCI (TUR)
Volodymyr KOCHANOV (UKR)
Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA)
Anirudh KUMAR (UWW)

IRISeyed SOHRABI (IRI) will look to win a second straight 67kg U23 world title. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman

55kg
Vladimir ZABEIVOROTA (AIN)
Andi MUCA (ALB)
Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
Farid SADIKHLI (AZE)
Denis DEMIROV (BUL)
Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO)
Mahdi AHADI (IRI)
Shoya ITO (JPN)
Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ)
Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ)
Hassan ALHARTHI (KSA)
Leonid MOROZ (MDA)
Denis MIHAI (ROU)
Adem UZUN (TUR)
Yevhen POKOVBA (UKR)
Camden RUSSELL (USA)
Laishram MEITEI (UWW)

60kg
Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN)
Ergi UKU (ALB)
Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM)
Nihad GULUZADE (AZE)
Romeo BERIDZE (GEO)
Georgios SCARPELLO (GER)
Ilias ZAIRAKIS (GRE)
Omid ARAMI (IRI)
Melkamu FETENE (ISR)
Kosei TAKESHITA (JPN)
Aibek SABYRBEKOV (KAZ)
Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Munthir JANDU (KSA)
Angel SEGURA (MEX)
Grzegorz KUNKEL (POL)
Adrian ANTON (ROU)
Mert ILBARS (TUR)
Vladyslav KUZKO (UKR)
Phillip MOOMEY (USA)
SUMIT (UWW)
Yonaiker MARTINEZ (VEN)

63kg
Rakhman TAVMURZAEV (AIN)
Hleb MAKARANKA (AIN)
Andi DYSHNIKU (ALB)
Yurik HOVEYAN (ARM)
Ziya BABASHOV (AZE)
Tino OJALA (FIN)
Giorgi SHOTADZE (GEO)
Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI)
Abere FETENE (ISR)
Chiezo MARUYAMA (JPN)
Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ)
Baiaman KARIMOV (KGZ)
Rayan HAWSAWI (KSA)
Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA)
Mairbek SALIMOV (POL)
Jonas Urs MUELLER (SUI)
Ismail CULFA (TUR)
Andrii SEMENCHUK (UKR)
Jordan HAMDAN (USA)
PRAVESH (UWW)

67kg
Muslim IMADAEV (AIN)
Illia VALEUSKI (AIN)
Ardit ZENELI (ALB)
Sahak HOVHANNISYAN (ARM)
Hasan MAMMADLI (AZE)
Ivo ILIEV (BUL)
Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY)
Artur JEREMEJEV (EST)
Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA)
Diego CHKHIKVADZE (GEO)
Danial SOHRABI (IRI)
Shon NADORGIN (ISR)
Steve MOMILIA (ITA)
HARUTO YABE (JPN)
Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ)
Ermek KANYBEK UULU (KGZ)
Ahmed BARAHMAH (KSA)
Adomas GRIGALIUNAS (LTU)
Alexandr GURALI (MDA)
Irving SALAZAR (MEX)
Aleksander MIELEWCZYK (POL)
Mustafa YILDIRIM (TUR)
Oleh KHALILOV (UKR)
Robert PEREZ (USA)
UMESH (UWW)

72kg
Dmitrii ADAMOV (AIN)
Klodjan SHEHU (ALB)
Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE)
Luka MALOBABIC (CRO)
Junior BENITEZ (ESP)
Joni KOMPPA (FIN)
Yanis GUENDEZ NIFRI (FRA)
Otar ABULADZE (GEO)
Georgios SOTIRIADIS (GRE)
Krisztofer KLANYI (HUN)
Amir Ali ABDI (IRI)
Giovanni ALESSIO (ITA)
Tetsuto KANUKA (JPN)
Yeldos KAMELOV (KAZ)
Adilkhan NURLANBEKOV (KGZ)
Mesfer ALSUBAIE (KSA)
Eimantas VILIMAS (LTU)
Alexis VARGAS (MEX)
Piotr STOLARCZYK (POL)
Michael PORTMANN (SUI)
Miru Jerry OLSSON (SWE)
Muhammed GOCMEN (TUR)
Irfan MIRZOIEV (UKR)
Justus SCOTT (USA)
ANIL (UWW)

77kg
Ismail BARAKHOEV (AIN)
Dzmitry NAVITSKI (AIN)
Ardit NDOJ (ALB)
Henrik GEVORGYAN (ARM)
Khasay HASANLI (AZE)
Ibrahim TABAEV (BEL)
Edvin KIN (EST)
Khvicha ANANIDZE (GEO)
Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER)
Attila TOESMAGI (HUN)
Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI)
Shu YAMADA (JPN)
Omar SATAYEV (KAZ)
Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ)
Hassan BARNAWI (KSA)
Aistis LIAUGMINAS (LTU)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
Konrad KOZLOWSKI (POL)
Jose SANCHEZ (PUR)
Aleksa ILIC (SRB)
Simon BORKENHAGEN (SWE)
Omer DOGAN (TUR)
Mykyta POLITAIEV (UKR)
Payton JACOBSON (USA)
Deepak PUNIA (UWW)

82kg
Aues GONIBOV (AIN)
Uladzislau SLABADZINSKI (AIN)
Kelsi NELAJ (ALB)
Karen KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
Eljan MAMMADOV (AZE)
Karlo KODRIC (CRO)
Emad ABOUELATTA (EGY)
Otto KETONEN (FIN)
Saba MAMALADZE (GEO)
Ilias PAGKALIDIS (GRE)
Peter DOEMOEK (HUN)
Yasin YAZDI (IRI)
Daizo TANIZAKI (JPN)
Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ)
Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA)
Adam GARDZIOLA (POL)
Vasile COJOC (ROU)
Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB)
Alexander JOHANSSON (SWE)
Alperen BERBER (TUR)
Ruslan ABDIIEV (UKR)
Tyler EISCHENS (USA)
RAHUL (UWW)
Daniel BELLO (VEN)

87kg
Magomed MURTAZALIEV (AIN)
Vasili BUHLAK (AIN)
Julijan SHEHU (ALB)
Samvel SARGSYAN (ARM)
Mahammad AHMADIYEV (AZE)
Ivan MANOV (BUL)
Matej MANDIC (CRO)
Waltteri LATVALA (FIN)
Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Evangelos BOUKIS (GRE)
Istvan TAKACS (HUN)
Alireza MOHAMMADIPIANI (IRI)
Kaito MIYAMOTO (JPN)
Maksat SAILAU (KAZ)
Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ)
Exauce MUKUBU (NOR)
Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL)
Christian ZEMP (SUI)
Hamza SERTCANLI (SWE)
Muhittin SARICICEK (TUR)
Mykyta ALIEKSIEIEV (UKR)
Michael ALTOMER (USA)
Manoj KUMAR (UWW)

97kg
Artur ARZUMANIAN (AIN)
Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN)
Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM)
Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE)
Kristian LUKAC (CRO)
Richard KARELSON (EST)
Lasha TVILDIANI (GEO)
Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER)
Alex SZOKE (HUN)
Vahid DADKHAH GHASEM (IRI)
Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN)
Islam UMAYEV (KAZ)
Arkyt OROZBEKOV (KGZ)
Ibrahim FALLATAH (KSA)
Roman BALCHIVSCHII (MDA)
Marcus WORREN (NOR)
Jakub ANTOSZEWSKI (POL)
Luka KATIC (SRB)
Mustafa OLGUN (TUR)
Valentyn SHKLIARENKO (UKR)
Cade LAUTT (USA)
NITESH (UWW)
Juan DIAZ (VEN)

130kg
Mikhail LAPTEV (AIN)
Mikita KAVALSKI (AIN)
Razmik KURDYAN (ARM)
Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE)
Marcel ALBINI (CZE)
Fekry EISSA (EGY)
Giorgi TSOPURASHVILI (GEO)
Patrick NEUMAIER (GER)
Apostolos TSIOVOLOS (GRE)
Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI)
Sota OKUMURA (JPN)
Jokhar UZAROV (KAZ)
Muhammet BAKIR (TUR)
Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR)
Kaleb REEVES (USA)
PARVESH (UWW)

TURNesrin BAS (TUR) is one of two returning champions in women's wrestling. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
Mariia TIUMEREKOVA (AIN)
Anastasiya YANOTAVA (AIN)
Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE)
Kelyn YOUNG (CAN)
Nada MOHAMED (EGY)
Ana TORRES (ESP)
Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA)
Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN)
Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA)
Umi ITO (JPN)
Laura GANIKYZY (KAZ)
Gabija DILYTE (LTU)
Maria LEORDA (MDA)
Amanda TOMCZYK (POL)
Ana PIRVU (ROU)
Khrystyna BASYCH (SVK)
Zehra DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Aida KERYMOVA (UKR)
Audrey JIMENEZ (USA)
NEELAM (UWW)

53kg
Ekaterina VERBINA (AIN)
Viktoryia VOLK (AIN)
Esmeralda NELA (ALB)
Gultakin SHIRINOVA (AZE)
Serena DI BENEDETTO (CAN)
Tetiana PROFATILOVA (FRA)
Mako OONO (JPN)
Altyn SHAGAYEVA (KAZ)
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
Beatrice FERENT (ROU)
Lobna ICHAOUI (TUN)
Tuba DEMIR (TUR)
Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR)
Katie GOMEZ (USA)
ISHIKA (UWW)

55kg
Venera NAFIKOVA (AIN)
Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN)
Nazife TAIR (BUL)
Virginie KAZE GASCON (CAN)
Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
Immacolata DANISE (ITA)
Umi IMAI (JPN)
Zeinep BAYANOVA (KAZ)
Aruuke KADYRBEK KYZY (KGZ)
Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA)
Andreea ANA (ROU)
Nova BERGMAN (SWE)
Melda DERNEKCI (TUR)
Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
Alisha HOWK (USA)
Neha SHARMA (UWW)

57kg
Mariia BUZAROVA (AIN)
Alesia HETMANAVA (AIN)
Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE)
Mia FRIESEN (CAN)
Anna MICHALCOVA (CZE)
Sara NATAMI (JPN)
Shugyla OMIRBEK (KAZ)
Bermet NURIDIN KYZY (KGZ)
Angelika MYTKOWSKA (POL)
Karoline ORTIZ (PUR)
Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR)
Xochitl MOTA PETTIS (USA)
REENA (UWW)

59kg
Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (AIN)
Nadzeya BULANAYA (AIN)
Michaela RANKIN (CAN)
Amel REBIHA (FRA)
Kelsey BARNES (GBR)
Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN)
Guldana BEKESH (KAZ)
Kalmira BILIMBEKOVA (KGZ)
Ramina MAMEDOVA (LAT)
Othelie HOEIE (NOR)
Wiktoria KARWOWSKA (POL)
Ana PUIU (ROU)
Ebru DAGBASI (TUR)
Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)
Nichole MOORE (USA)
NITIKA (UWW)

62kg
Alina KASABIEVA (AIN)
Yana TRETSIAK (AIN)
Kleona SHABANI (ALB)
Birgul SOLTANOVA (AZE)
Aleah Noelle NICKEL (CAN)
Viktoria VESSO (EST)
Ameline DOUARRE (FRA)
Morena VITA (ITA)
Yuzuka INAGAKI (JPN)
Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ)
Ameyali JESSEL (MEX)
Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Selvi ILYASOGLU (TUR)
Iryna BONDAR (UKR)
Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA)
Bhagyashree FAND (UWW)
Astrid MONTERO (VEN)

65kg
Amina TANDELOVA (AIN)
Kseniya TSIARENIA (AIN)
Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE)
Samantha ADAMS (CAN)
Iva GERIC (CRO)
Marta OJEDA NAVARRO (ESP)
Iris THIEBAUX (FRA)
Karolina POK (HUN)
Rin TERAMOTO (JPN)
Albina KAIRGELDINOVA (KAZ)
Elma ZEIDLERE (LAT)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)
Amina CAPEZAN (ROU)
Khadija JLASSI (TUN)
Busra EFE (TUR)
Yuliia LESKOVETS (UKR)
Macey KILTY (USA)
MONIKA (UWW)
Gilbery GARCIA (VEN)

68kg
Vusala PARFIANOVICH (AIN)
Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN)
Vanessa KEEFE (CAN)
Noémi SZABADOS (HUN)
Beibit SEIDUALY (KAZ)
Gulnura TASHTANBEKOVA (KGZ)
Luciana BEDA (MDA)
Paulina DANISZ (POL)
Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE)
Nour JELJELI (TUN)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR)
Katerina LANGE (USA)
VARSHA (UWW)

72kg
Marina SUROVTSEVA (AIN)
Viktoryia RADZKOVA (AIN)
Marziya SADIGOVA (AZE)
Nyla Raeleen BURGESS (CAN)
Milla ANDELIC (CRO)
Misaki WACHI (JPN)
Anastassiya PANASSOVICH (KAZ)
Emilia CRECIUN (MDA)
Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)
Fanni NAGY NAD (SRB)
Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)
Bukrenaz SERT (TUR)
Iryna ZABLOTSKA (UKR)
Amit ELOR (USA)
Jyoti BERWAL (UWW)

76kg
Rita TALISMANOVA (AIN)
Vianne ROULEAU (CAN)
Nodoka YAMAMOTO (JPN)
Inkara ZHANATAYEVA (KAZ)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Patrycja SLOMSKA (POL)
Fanni NAGY NAD (SRB)
Anna BRAUN (SWE)
Mehtap GULTEKIN (TUR)
Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)
Kennedy BLADES (USA)
REETIKA (UWW)

#WrestleTirana

Kayaalp's 13: New Golden Standard Set in Europe

By United World Wrestling Press

TIRANA, Albania (April 20) -- On Tuesday evening in Tirana, Riza KAYAALP (TUR) did something that for years existed and was expected to continue to exist only as a hypothetical.

He won his 13th European title in Tirana on Tuesday, beating Darius VITEK (HUN), 7-1, in the 130kg European Championships. 2026 joined 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2010.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR)Riza KAYAALP (TUR) turns Darius VITEK (HUN) in the 130kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

As the referee raised his powerfully sculpted right arm in triumph, Kayaalp raised the ceiling in Greco-Roman. He moved past the legendary Aleksandr KARELIN’s 12 European gold medals, the last of which he had won in 2000. Generations of wrestlers had competed, won and lost, knowing all the while that that number would outlast them. Until Kayaalp finally eclipsed it.

The moment itself wasn’t dramatic in the way history is often expected to be. Just a raised hand, a nod and a lap of honor around the mat with the Turkish flag around his shoulders. That’s been the story of Kayaalp’s career.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR)Riza KAYAALP (TUR) speaks to the media after winning the gold medal at the European Championships. (United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Born in Yozgat, in central Turkey, Kayaalp would have inherently understood the role of wrestling in Turkish sporting heritage and the place champions of the sport have historically held in the nation. He would have grown up in the shadow of two-time Olympic and eight-time European champion Hamza YERLIKAYA, who defined Turkish wrestling in the 1990s and like everyone else in the sport, under the global shadow of Karelin.

Slowly and methodically Kayaalp would try to match them. His career has been relentless and consistent rather than spectacular. Since his first European gold in 2010, won as a twenty-year old, Kayaalp has claimed titles across two decades. He’s adapted through rule changes, generations of opponents, and brutal physical wear and tear of time itself.

Apart from his European titles, he has five World Championships gold medals, and three Olympic medals -- a bronze in London 2012, silver in Rio 2016, bronze again in Tokyo 2020. Every time a major medal was to be decided over the past decade and a half, Kayaalp would with almost absurd reliability be counted in the mix.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR)Riza KAYAALP (TUR) with Taha AKGUL (TUR) at the medal ceremony in Tirana. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

For all of Kayaalp’s longevity, his career has always carried the one obvious gap compared to Karelin or Yerlikaya -- no Olympic gold. That absence will still be there. That gap is unlikely to close any time soon. As such the European mark became a milestone within his grasp. Or in the last few years, a milestone just out of grasp.

Indeed, for Kayaalp the title will provide a sense of closure. He had equalled Karelin’s record at the 2023 European championships in Zagreb. Prior to that tournament, he had in an interview with Anadalou Agency spoken of equalling Karelin’s record, breaking it at the 2024 European Championships and finally finishing his career on a high note with a gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But things would not go as planned. At the 2024 European Championships, Kayaalp was pinned in the final by Sergey SEMENOV (UWW) -- only the second final he had ever lost in Europe. A few months later despite qualifying for the Olympics he was unable to compete due to a medication issue linked to treatment for persistent tinnitus. His appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was upheld, clearing the way for his return. He would describe the period as the toughest of his career.

But the ordeal had left him with a new purpose and a desire to exit the stage on his own terms.

“For an athlete with so many titles, this was the worst thing that could happen,” he said. “Because of a simple issue, we faced a huge problem. But I always believed I would overcome it, return to my job and leave the sport on my own terms,” he had told Anadalou Agency at the start of 2026 when he made his return to international competition at the Zagreb Ranking series earlier this year.

“There was fatigue before. In this 18-month period, my desire to work came back stronger. I was already motivated to be champion. Now it is even greater. I feel renewed,” he had said.

While Kayaalp has said he would compete until the 2028 Olympics, he had also spoken of the unfinished business he had had in Europe. “I was so close,” he said. “Fourteen finals, 12 European titles, one more for the record, and then something unwanted happens. But everything is resolved. To bring that record to my country would mean a lot,” he had said then.

He had come close once and fallen short. That could have been the ending -- a near miss against an immortal number. Instead, with his 13th European title, Kayaalp gets to tell his story. He stands alone as the most decorated European wrestler of all time.

Records though exist to be broken. At some point, inevitably, another wrestler will look at Kayaalp's number and decide to chase it. But at least for some time, records exist to define limits. For over a quarter of a century that limit was Karelin’s 12. Now it’s Kayaalp’s 13.