2026 U17 World Championships

Ukraine, U.S. Take Early Lead in Women's Wrestling at U17 Worlds

Wednesday, July 29, 2026 - 14:03 By Vinay Siwach

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BAKU, Azerbaijan (July 29) -- Ukraine and the United States took early lead in Women's Wrestling at the U17 World Championships after two finalists each. The two countries will clash for the gold medal at 73kg while the U.S. had another finalist at 57kg and Ukraine at 43kg.

The head-to-head clash will come at 73kg after Solomiia PETRIV (UKR) and Kaili MANUEL (USA) made it to the final.

In the semifinals, Petriv once again got the better of Bianka BARANY (HUN) as she had defeated the Hungarian in the U17 European Championships final as well. Opening the bout with a headlock throw for two points, Petriv led 4-1 at the break, thanks to a slide-by to takedown.

Petriv went on to score two more takedown in the second period to complete an 8-1 win over Barany and has already upgraded her bronze from last year.

To win the gold medal on Thursday, Petriv will need to go past Manuel who held on to a 7-5 win against U17 Asian champion GARIMA (IND) in the other semifinal. Manuel was lifting Garima and dropping her outside the zone to score her stepouts.

She began with on and then Garima was put on the activity clock. Garima went for the leg attack but Manuel pancaked her and scored two point. A point for activity and turn made her lead 6-0. Garima gave up another stepout to add another point to Manuel's score.

There was still some fight left in Garima as she cut the lead to 7-3 but wasted time while trying to finish a leg-attack. With 10 seconds left, she got another takedown but failed to turn Manuel which would have given her a criteria win.

The second finalist for the U.S. was returning silver medalist Epenesa ELISON (USA) who is a win away from winning her first U17 world title and will take on Nikita SEHRAWAT (IND) on Thursday.

In contrasting semifinals at 57kg, Elison secured a 30-second fall over Gurleen DHILLON (CAN) while Sehrawat had to work har for her 6-2 win over Mariia POLTORAK (UKR).

Sehrawat lead 1-0 after an activity clock point and was put on the clock in the second period. During that 30-second period, she scored exposure and Poltorak also got exposure points. Sehrawat ended up on top as a reversal and led 4-2. She used her strength to keep Poltorak down in the final 30 seconds and managed a takedown as well.

Ukraine's second finalist was Olena KOLUBAI (UKR) who stormed to the 49kg gold-medal bout with a 10-0 technical superiority win over Ayanat MEINAMBAY (KAZ). After scoring a takedown, Kolubai used a gut-wrench for four turns.

She will now face Saika UCHIDA (JPN) who used a leg attack to bring Kamna BABAL (IND) to her back and then held her for a first-period fall. Uchida will has the chance to win the gold medal, a feat that will take her closer to her senior Asian champion Sowaka, who won the U17 world title twice -- 2022 and 2023.

At 43kg, Finja STRAUCH (GER) will look to become Germany's first-ever U17 world champion in 12 years after reaching the final. She picked up a fall over Daria MASLENNIKOVA (RUS) in the semifinal after building an 8-0 lead.

She will now take on Mukhlisa MASHARIPOVA (UZB), just the third Uzbekistan wrestler to reach U17 world final. She needed a counter cradle to win her semifinal against Maya NAICKER (CAN), 6-2.

The 65kg final will be between Aisha ABDIMALIK (KAZ) and Ariunzul BOLDBAATAR (MGL) as the two won the semifinals overpowering their European opponents.

Boldbaatar, the U17 Asian bronze medalist, was rather crafty with her attacks. She cartwheeled once and then used a headlock throw as well. More than takedown, it was exposure points that helped her beat Palina BRAHINETS (BLR), 7-1.

Abdimalik kept it simple, scoring counter takedowns against Vasiliki KARAVANOU (GRE) and building her lead before sealing the semifinal, 8-1.

RESULTS

43kg
SF 1: Finja STRAUCH (GER) df. Daria MASLENNIKOVA (RUS), via fall
SF 2: Mukhlisa MASHARIPOVA (UZB) df. Maya NAICKER (CAN), 6-2

49kg
SF 1: Olena KOLUBAI (UKR) df. Ayanat MEINAMBAY (KAZ), 10-0
SF 2: Saika UCHIDA (JPN) df. Kamna BABAL (IND), via fall

57kg
SF 1: Nikita SEHRAWAT (IND) df. Mariia POLTORAK (UKR), 6-2
SF 2: Epenesa ELISON (USA) df. Gurleen DHILLON (CAN), via fall

65kg
SF 1: Ariunzul BOLDBAATAR (MGL) df. Palina BRAHINETS (BLR), 7-1
SF 2: Aisha ABDIMALIK (KAZ) df. Vasiliki KARAVANOU (GRE), 8-1

73kg
SF 1: Kaili MANUEL (USA) df. GARIMA (IND), 7-5 
SF 2: Solomiia PETRIV (UKR) df. Bianka BARANY (HUN), 8-1

#WrestleTirana

European Championships 2026 Day 4 Women's Wrestling Highlights

Thursday, April 23, 2026 - 08:06 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (April 23) -- The fourth day of the European Championships will see five Women's Wrestling weight classes -- 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg, 72kg.

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12:30: Buse TOSUN (TUR) in a tangle against U23 European champion Viktoryia RADZKOVA (UWW) but she comes out on top and then pins her way to the 72kg quarterfinals.

12:20: Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) laces Iris Mathilde THIEBAUX (FRA) and finishes her 65kg quarterfinals 10-0 and in quick time.

12:15: Defending champion Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) begins with a technical superiority win over Annika WENDLE (GER). She won the gold medal at 53kg last year, on her 14th attempt at the European Championships.

12:05: Jonna MALMGREN (SWE), who lost the 2024 European final to Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (UWW), falls to her again, this time 12-5 at 53kg. Kaladzinskaya counter an attack from Malmgren to open the scoring and exposure points gave her a 4-0 lead. Sweden's lost challenge made it 5-0. Malmgren got on a couple of attacks but Kaladzinskaya hit a headlock throw for four which gave her a 9-3 lead. A lot of scramble in the bout but it was always Kaladzinskaya who finished them and Malmgren only got a clean takedown at the end, too little too late.

11:55: Mariia YEFREMOVA (UKR) ends the fairytale of Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP) at 53kg with a fall. Yefremova now reaches the semifinals.

11:35: Magdalena GLODEK (POL) with a counter body throw against Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) and then keeps her on the mat for a fall. Vynnyk is left stunned.

11:25: Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP) stuns Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) at 53kg! The Spain wrestler, first from the country to ever reach a World Championships final, got on a single leg attack in the second period and then arched Yetgil on the mat. Yetgil fouled with hands in Soler's face but she couldn't avoid the fall.

11:22: Mariia YEFREMOVA (UKR), returning to competition after two years, starts her senior debut with a 5-1 victory over Natalia MALYSHEVA (UWW) at 53kg.

11:15: Grace BULLEN (NOR), returning champion at 65kg but now down at 62kg, starts slow against Ameline DOUARRE (FRA) but manages to complete a technical superiority 10-0 victory.

11:10: Johanna LINDBORG (SWE), the returning silver medalist at 62kg, starts off with a clinical 10-0 win over Amina CAPEZAN (ROU). She hit a beautiful four-pointer to start the bout before scoring via three different takedowns.

10:55: High-scoring affair at 57kg between Aryna DZEMCHANKA MARTYNAVA (UWW) and Aleksandra SKIRENKO (UWW). Martynava opened with a huge double for four before Skirenko caught a leg attack to score two. In the second period, Martynava countered Skirenko, slamming her on the mat for two points to extend her lead to 6-2. Skirenko got two points after winning a challenge as she had blocked a headlock throw from Martynava. As the bout resumed in par terre, Martynava escaped and score counter exposure for two points before giving up a counter herself as well. Martynanva, leading 8-6, was driven by Skirenko towards the zone and she thought she had a stepout but Martynava circled back and both wrestled scored exposure points, giving Martynava a 10-8 lead. Skirenko challenged for fleeing at the end but lost it which added another point to Martynava who won 11-8

10:45: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) blanks Iulia LEORDA (MDA), 7-0, in their opening bout at 57kg. Vynnyk blocks an arm throw from Leorda to score a takedown during Leorda's activity time to lead 3-0. She uses a lace turn to go up 5-0. The final takedown came in the last 10 seconds which gave her the win.

10:30: Five more Women's Wrestling weight classes in action at the European Championships on Thursday.