UWW Live

UWW LIVE: Frank Staebler: Three-Time World Champion

By United World Wrestling Press

Frank STAEBLER (GER) has been one of the world's most successful Greco-Roman wrestlers over the past five years. 

The 31-year-old German has captured three world titles since 2015, and also has two world bronze medals on his wrestling resume.

Staebler won his first world title in 2015 at the World Championships in Las Vegas at 66kg. After competing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Staebler added back-to-back world titles in 2017 and 2018 at 71kg and 72kg respectively. Last year, Staebler finished with a bronze medal at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan. 

Staebler joined Eric Olanowski to talk about how wrestling has impacted his life, how his loss to Olympic champion Ismael BORRERO (CUB) in Nur-Sultan drives him every day and how he plans on becoming a keynote speaker after retiring after the conclusion of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
 

#WrestleBelgrade

World Championships: Sadulaev forfeits, to undergo scans for neck injury

By Vinay Siwach

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 19) -- Tokyo Olympic champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) will undergo medical scans on Tuesday for a neck injury that forced him to end the World Championships.

The 27-year-old flew to Moscow on Monday night soon after his 97kg semifinal retirement against Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) with the Bahrain wrestler leading 9-2 at the World Championships.

The five-time world champion was expected to wrestle for a bronze medal and qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics as an Individual Neutral Athlete but the medical staff decided to not worsen the injury.

Sadulaev is suffering from a neck hernia, towards the end of his spinal cord. Medical scans will determine if it is a tumor or if Sadulaev can return to the mat without surgery.

He became the second Olympic champion to pull out of the World Championships repechage as 65kg champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) also pulled out due to a foot injury he has been carrying for one year.