Youth Olympic Games

Women’s Wrestling Draws, Schedule, How to Follow

By Tim Foley

BUENOS AIRES (October 12) – Women’s Wrestling wrestling at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games start tomorrow morning with 50 athletes across five weight classes vying for their first taste at Olympic glory. Cadet-level wrestlers from all five continents were selected after an extensive qualification process with names finalized by United World Wrestling on September 4th.

Wrestling will begin Saturday at 10am local/9am ET with finals beginning at 5:00pm local/4:00pm ET.

Watch the action LIVE on the Olympic Channel, HERE

The match-by-match competition schedule can be found on the official Buenos Aires YOG 2018 site, HERE

Women’s Freestyle, 43kg

Group A

Maria LEORDA (MDA)
Ella Mae DERRY (NZL)
Enkhzul BATBAATAR (MGL)
Sara Gouda Farouk MAHMOUD (EGY)
Simran SIMRAN (IND)

 

Group B

Emily King SHILSON (USA)
Heloisa Elena MARTINEZ (BRA)
Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE)
Justine Fanny VIGOUROUX (FRA)
Christianah Tolulope OGUNSANYA (NGR)

Women’s Freestyle, 49kg

Group A

Maria Jose MOSQUERA ROJAS (VEN)
Natallia VARAKINA (BLR)
Nilufar RAIMOVA (KAZ)
Tiare Lynn Masako Dizon IKEI (USA)
Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)

Group B

Paulina Jean DUENAS (GUM)
Zineb ECH CHABKI (MAR)
Emma Jonna Denise MALMGREN (SWE)
Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN)
Sopealai SIM (CAM)

Women’s Freestyle, 57kg

Group A

Anna Hella SZEL (HUN)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)
Lydia TOIDA (CMR)
Mansi MANSI (IND)
Mayra Alejandra PARRA ALVAREZ (VEN)

Group B

Kaetlyn Rae Okada QUINTANILLA (GUM)
Hala Wael Imbabi AHMED (EGY)
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)
Andrea Monserrat LOPEZ MARTINEZ (MEX)
Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER)

Women’s Freestyle, 65kg

Group A

Xinru ZHOU (CHN)
Oyun Erdene TAMIR (MGL)
Yetzis Camila RAMIREZ MARQUEZ (CUB)
Sandra Elena ESCAMILLA MENCHACA (MEX)
Amina Roxana CAPEZAN (ROU)

Group B

Oksana CHUDYK (UKR)
Viktoria VESSO (EST)
Natacha Véronique NABAINA (CMR)
Sunmisola Idowu BALOGUN (NGR)
Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)

Women’s Freestyle, 73kg

Group A

Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR)
Linda Marilina MACHUCA (ARG)
Vahide Nur GOK (TUR)
Khadija JLASSI (TUN)
Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB)

Group B

Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)
Milaimys de la Caridad MARIN POTRILLE (CUB)
Anika Elizabeth WHITE (CAN)
Julia Hanna Ellinor FRIDLUND (SWE)
Ioana Penina Nicole Uputaua LUDGATE (ASA)

#UWWAwards

UWW Breakout Wrestlers of 2025: Hidlay, Farokhi, Onishi

By Eric Olanowski

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 14) -- The 2025 Breakout Wrestlers of the Year were not the ones anyone circled heading into the season. They weren’t the favorites, or the ones analysts picked to walk away from the season as world medalists.

They were the outsiders, largely unproven and underestimated. But that all changed in a single season when they smashed expectations, catapulting themselves into world-wide stardom with world-title runs that nobody saw coming.

Freestyle Breakout Performer of the Year: Trent HIDLAY (USA)

Before 2025, Hidlay had never climbed to the top of a podium at an international event. His  2025 season even began with more doubt than promise, dropping his second match of the year to rising Azeri phenom Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) at the Zagreb Open. But that loss lit a fuse. From that moment on, the 26-year-old didn’t just improve -- he transformed.

Hidlay unleashed a stunning 13-match win streak and collected gold medals at the Pan-American Championships, the Budapest Ranking Series and the World Championships. Along the way, he knocked off giants -- Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE), Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), and Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), just to name a few.

Then came the finale: a world finals comeback for the ages. Down and all but finished, Hidlay stormed back to defeat Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW). In one year, Hidlay didn’t just win -- he arrived.

Greco-Roman Breakout Performer of the Year: Gholemreza FAROKHI (IRI)

When opportunity knocked, Farokhi wasn’t just there to answer it, he was there to kick the door off its hinges. The 23-year-old stepped into Iran’s senior lineup for the first time in his career and tore through anyone in front of him -- whether it was at 82kg or 87kg.

Farokhi bulldozed his way to gold medals at the two World Championships he participated in. He racked up a perfect 17-0 record, including 11 technical superiority wins and six decisions, sweeping gold at the World Championships, U23 World Championships, the Islamic Solidarity Games, and the Zagreb Open Ranking Series.

Women’s Wrestling Breakout Performer of the Year: Sakura ONISHI (JPN)

At 19 years old, Onishi entered the senior circuit with massive goals but had zero experience and zero fear. In mere months, she became a problem no one had an answer for.

Onishi tore through the season with a flawless 15-0 record, capturing titles at the Senior and U20 World Championships, the Asian Championships, and the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series. Her dominance wasn’t subtle -- it was exactly what you’d expect from a Japanese women’s wrestler -- 11 tech falls, three pins, and a decision, outscoring opponents 158-17.