#WrestleAcapulco

WATCH: 10 women's wrestling Pan-Am Championships finals

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 - 05:54 By Vinay Siwach

ACAPULCO, Mexico (May 11) -- The USA women's team were on a mission to defend their team title in Acapulco, Mexico despite missing two World and one Olympic champion from the line-up.

Led by Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA), the country managed to pull off a series of gold medals to claim the team title ahead of Canada with 190 points. Canada fell short by 25 points to finish second and host Mexico finished third with 120 points.

Here are all the 10 women's wrestling finals from the Pan-Am Championships.

50kg: GOLD - Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) vs Madison PARKS (CAN)

53kg: GOLD - Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) vs Dominique PARRISH (USA)

55kg: GOLD - Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) vs Karla GODINEZ (CAN)

57kg: GOLD - Yaynelis SANZ (CUB) vs. Alma VALENCIA (MEX)

59kg: Round 3 - Ameyalli JESSEL ROJAS (MEX) vs. Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN)

62kg: GOLD - Kayla MIRACLE (USA) vs. Ana GODINEZ (CAN)

After running through the field, Miracle and Godinez were expected to meet in the final at 62kg but the USA world silver medalist had to pull out of the gold medal bout due to an injury. That gave Godinez, the U23 world champion, her first Pan-Am title.

65kg: Round 3 - Forrest MOLINARI (USA) vs. Miki ROWBOTTOM (CAN)

68kg: GOLD - Hangelen LLANES (CUB) vs. Soleymi CARABALLO (VEN)

72kg: Round 1 - Brenda DOS SANTOS (BRA) vs Skylar GROTE (USA)

76kg: GOLD - Dymond GUILFORD (USA) vs. Genesis REASCO VALDEZ (ECU)

UWW and Iran sign MoU to bring Chouke under Associated Styles

Sunday, April 20, 2025 - 13:07 By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 20) — United World Wrestling and the Iran Wrestling Federation took a significant step to promote Choukhe, signing a four-year Memorandum of Understanding.

The MoU will enable both organizations to work together to promote and protect Chouke, a traditional form of wrestling, under the UWW Associated Styles.

Both UWW and the Iranian federation will also work to develop Chouke under their umbrella. This agreement's objective is to facilitate the protection, development, and promotion of Chouke. As per the agreement, both parties will hold regular meetings to exchange ideas and share knowledge.

Chouke is a traditional form of wrestling in Iran with wrestlers performing on mud in a marked circular ring. Each bout is of five minutes with more than one bout conducted at the same time. In case of a tie with a one-minute break, three minutes of extra time are added. Within three minutes, the wrestler who earns the first point will be the winner.

This style of wrestling does not allow the wrestler to touch his opponent's legs. The bout can only be fought with grips above the waist. There are different ways to score points in Chouke.

One point is awarded for a takedown, two points are awarded if a throw is completed outside the ring, and one if completed inside. Most other moves award only one point. A fall occurs when even one shoulder touches the ground.

Both wrestlers have to wear the official clothes to compete in Chouke. A t-shirt, a special jacket and a short are considered to be official outfit. The shirt must be long enough to go below the waist and the sleeves be long till the elbow. A strong cloth belt must be tied around the waist of the wrestlers and is fixed at the back and the wrestlers compete barefoot.

The old form of wrestling has a special place in Iranian history, and the agreement will help with its growth and development in Iran. UWW's commitment to work closely with the Iran federation for Chouke is in line with its vision to grow and promote all the traditional forms of the oldest form of the sport.