#WrestleBelgrade

Women's Wrestling entries announced for 2023 World Championships

By Eric Olanowski

BELGRADE, Serbia (August 23) --- United World Wrestling has released the preliminary women’s wrestling entries for the 2023 World Championships.

The World Championships will be live in Belgrade, Serbia, September 16-24, but women’s wrestling won't start until on Monday, September 18.

Six returning champions—Yui SUSAKI (JPN), Dominique PARRISH (USA), Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN), Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), Amit ELOR (USA) and Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)—are headed to Belgrade eyeing a second consecutive world crown.

The 2023 World Championships hold significant importance for the 2024 Olympic cycle as it marks the initial phase of the six qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 90 Olympic quotas—30 each in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women's wrestling—are up for contention in Belgrade.

The Olympic quotas will be allocated across six weight classes: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg, and 76kg. Additionally, four non-Olympic weights will be contested—55kg, 59kg, 65kg, and 72kg—however, placements in these categories will have no impact on qualification for the Paris Olympics.

Wrestlers who achieve gold, silver, or bronze medals in the six Olympic weight categories will secure a place for their nation in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Additionally, the two wrestlers who fall short in the bronze-medal bouts will compete in a wrestle-off to determine the fifth quota for the Paris Olympics.

Other Olympic Qualification Events:
March 01-03: Pan-American Olympic Qualifier in Acapulco, Mexico
March 22-24: African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Cairo, Egypt
April 04-07: European Olympic Qualifier in Baku, Azerbaijan
April 19-21: Asian Olympic Qualifier in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
May 09-12: World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey

The most dominant wrestler on the planet, Susaki headlines the entries at 50kg. The 24-year-old superstar is looking to win her fourth world title. Her biggest threat will likely be four-time Olympic medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE) or 2022 world medalists Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL), Anna LUKASIAK (POL) and Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA).

Despite the reigning world champion in this weight class being Parrish, the clear route to 53kg world glory will go through Akari FUJINAMI (JPN).

Fujinami, the 2021 world champion, was absent from the 2022 World Championships due to injury, but she's back and striving to extend her remarkable 122-match winning streak that dates back to 2017 when she was in junior high school.

While the 55kg division isn't part of the Olympic lineup, it boasts several remarkable talents. Standouts include past world champions Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) and Haruna OKUNO (JPN). Winchester secured her world gold in 2019, while Okuno returns to the World Championships after a five-year hiatus. Prior to her break, Okuno dominated the scene with world titles in Paris '17 and Budapest '18, though she later yielded her starting position to eventual Olympic champion Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) after winning those back-to-back golds.

At 57kg, two reigning world champions take the spotlight: Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), moving down from 59kg to vie for Moldova's Paris Olympic qualification, and the 2022 title holder Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN).

Other notable contenders include Olympic champion Helen Louise MAROULIS (USA), Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR), and Anhelina LYSAK (POL), who secured silver and bronze medals in 2022.

With Nichita's weight adjustment and 59kg world runner-up Grace BULLEN (NOR) transitioning to 62kg, only one Belgrade medalist is registered in the 59kg category—Jowita Maria WRZESIEN (POL). Her primary rival will be 2014 world champion Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR).

The most stacked women's wrestling division in the competition is 62kg. Beyond Bullen and Kayla Colleen MIRACLE (USA), both of whom were runners-up a year ago, the division showcases Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL), Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), and Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR).

Dudova, Purevdorj, and Tynybekova all boast previous world golds, while Koliadenko secured third place in the Tokyo Olympic Games.

At 65kg, a potential clash for world gold could occur between Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) and Taybe Mustafa YUSEIN (BUL), provided they end up on opposing brackets. Both wrestlers were former world champions in Olympic weight classes, but they lost their wrestle-offs this year and thus transitioned to the non-Olympic weight categories.

With the retirement of reigning world champion Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA), the 68kg category is up for grabs. The standout contenders at this weight include Oslo world champions Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) and Irina RINGACI (MDA), alongside Tokyo Olympic runner-up Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR).

Barring a catastrophic meltdown, the road to the 72kg world title will go through reigning world champion Amit ELOR (USA). Her biggest threat will be Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN), who is up 7kg from her 2023 world-title-winning weight of 65kg.

In the absence of defending world champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR) due to recent back surgery, Adeline Maria GRAY (USA) is a central figure in the 76kg weight class as she returns to world-level competition after giving birth to twins. She aims to secure her seventh world title, a feat no American wrestler--male or female--has achieved.

Among Gray's formidable opponents are 2022 world medalists Samar HAMZA (EGY), Epp MAE (EST), and Yuka KAGAMI (JPN). Hamza clinched second place in Belgrade, while Mae and Kagami secured third place.

The 2023 World Championships begin September 16-24 in Belgrade, Serbia. Fans can follow all the action live on www.uww.org or on 'The Home of Wrestling,' United World Wrestling's new app.

*Please note these entries are preliminary and are subject to change.

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
Kseniya STANKEVICH (AIN)
Mariya STADNIK (AZE)
Kamila BARBOSA (BRA)
Madison PARKS (CAN)
Ziqi FENG (CHN)
Alisson CARDOZO (COL)
Yusneylis GUZMAN (CUB)
Jacqueline MOLLOCANA (ECU)
Julie SABATIE (FRA)
Paulina DUENAS (GUM)
Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN)
Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA)
Yui SUSAKI (JPN)
Maral TANGIRBERGENOVA (KAZ)
Emma WANGILA (KEN)
Miseon KWON (KOR)
Gabija DILYTE (LTU)
Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
Veronika RYABOVOLOVA (MKD)
Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR)
Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
Emilia GRIGORE VUC (ROU)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Oksana LIVACH (UKR)
Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA)
NEELAM (UWW)
Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)

53kg
Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN)
Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE)
Samantha STEWART (CAN)
Diana WEICKER (CAN)
Qianyu PANG (CHN)
Nogona BAKAYOKO (CIV)
Sandy PARRA (COL)
Lucia YEPEZ (ECU)
Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA)
Annika WENDLE (GER)
Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
Mia AQUINO (GUM)
Sztalvira ORSUS (HUN)
Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)
Altyn SHAGAYEVA (KAZ)
Jeongbin OH (KOR)
Vestina DANISEVICIUTE (LTU)
Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
Karla ACOSTA (MEX)
Otgonjargal GANBAATAR (MGL)
Christianah OGUNSANYA (NGR)
Roksana ZASINA (POL)
Andreea ANA (ROU)
Mama SAMBOU (SEN)
Ahinsa PORUTHOTAGE (SRI)
Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)
Tuba DEMIR (TUR)
Liliya HORISHNA (UKR)
Dominique PARRISH (USA)
ANTIM (UWW)
Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB)
Betzabeth ARGUELLO (VEN)

55kg
Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN)
Karla GODINEZ (CAN)
Min ZHANG (CHN)
Tetiana PROFATILOVA (FRA)
Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER)
Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
Haruna OKUNO (JPN)
Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ)
Emily WANYAMA (KEN)
Laura STANELYTE (LTU)
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
Otgontuya CHINBOLD (MGL)
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)
Melda DERNEKCI (TUR)
Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA)
Neha SHARMA (UWW)
Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)

57kg
Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN)
Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (AIN)
Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE)
Giullia PENALBER (BRA)
Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL)
Hannah TAYLOR (CAN)
Kexin HONG (CHN)
Andrea GONZALEZ (COL)
Luisa VALVERDE (ECU)
Jacqueline HERNANDEZ (ESA)
Graciela SANCHEZ (ESP)
Mathilde RIVIERE (FRA)
Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER)
Rckaela AQUINO (GUM)
Ramona GALAMBOS (HUN)
Aurora RUSSO (ITA)
Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)
Ainur ASHIMOVA (KAZ)
Mary NALIAKA (KEN)
Kalmira BILIMBEKOVA (KGZ)
Youngjin KWON (KOR)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)
Alma VALENCIA (MEX)
Erdenesuvd BAT ERDENE (MGL)
Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR)
Anhelina LYSAK (POL)
Nes RODRIGUEZ (PUR)
Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (ROU)
Marija IGNJATOVIC (SRB)
Evelina HULTHEN (SWE)
Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR)
Helen MAROULIS (USA)
SARITA (UWW)
Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB)
Betzabeth SARCO (VEN)

59kg
Krystsina SAZYKINA (AIN)
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)
Dzhanan MANOLOVA (BUL)
Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN)
Qi ZHANG (CHN)
Maria BAEZ (ESP)
Elena BRUGGER (GER)
Laralei GANDAOLI (GUM)
Tamara DOLLAK (HUN)
Sae NANJO (JPN)
Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ)
Susana LOZANO (MEX)
Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL)
Othelie HOEIE (NOR)
Jowita WRZESIEN (POL)
JOVANA RADIVOJEVIC (SRB)
Siwar BOUSETA (TUN)
Mehlika OZTURK (TUR)
Yuliia TKACH (UKR)
Jennifer PAGE (USA)
ANJLI (UWW)

62kg
Veranika IVANOVA (AIN)
Angelina LELO (ANG)
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
Jessica DERRELL (BAR)
Lais NUNES (BRA)
Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)
Ana GODINEZ (CAN)
Xiaojuan LUO (CHN)
Angelina RODRIGUES (CPV)
Leonela AYOVI (ECU)
Lydia PEREZ (ESP)
Viktoria VESSO (EST)
Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)
Elena ESPOSITO (ITA)
Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)
Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ)
Eunice MBURU (KEN)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Subeen JO (KOR)
Anastasija GRIGORJEVA (LAT)
Mariana CHERDIVARA (MDA)
Alexis GOMEZ (MEX)
Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)
Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Grace BULLEN (NOR)
Aleksandra WOLCZYNSKA (POL)
Kriszta INCZE (ROU)
Sara LINDBORG (SWE)
Selvi ILYASOGLU (TUR)
Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR)
Kayla MIRACLE (USA)
MANISHA (UWW)
Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB)
Nathaly GRIMAN (VEN)
Thi My Hanh NGUYEN (VIE)

65kg
Tatsiana PAULAVA (AIN)
Birgul SOLTANOVA (AZE)
Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL)
Aleah NICKEL (CAN)
Lili LILI (CHN)
Iva GERIC (CRO)
Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA)
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)
Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ)
Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL)
Masa PEROVIC (SRB)
Kadriye AKSOY (TUR)
Oksana KUKHTA HERHEL (UKR)
Macey KILTY (USA)
ANTIM (UWW)

68kg
Hanna SADCHANKA (AIN)
Albina DRAZHI (ALB)
Grabriela PEDRO (BRA)
Yuliana YANEVA (BUL)
Olivia Grace DI BACCO (CAN)
Katie Nichole MULKAY (CAN)
Feng ZHOU (CHN)
Nicoll PARRADO (COL)
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
Nerea PAMPIN (ESP)
Koumba LARROQUE (FRA)
Noémi SZABADOS (HUN)
Ami ISHII (JPN)
Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Jeumeun KWON (KOR)
Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)
Alejandra RIVERA (MEX)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)
Yanet SOVERO (PER)
Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)
Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU)
Emilija JAKOVLJEVIC (SRB)
Patricia ELNOUR (SUD)
Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK)
Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE)
Khadija JLASSI (TUN)
Buse TOSUN (TUR)
Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)
Emma BRUNTIL (USA)
PRIYANKA (UWW)
Firuza ESENBAEVA (UZB)
Dieu Thuong LAI (VIE)

72kg
Sofiya GEORGIEVA (BUL)
Shauna KUEBECK (CAN)
QIANDEGENCHAGAN (CHN)
Kendra DACHER (FRA)
Ilana KRATYSH (ISR)
Dalma CANEVA (ITA)
Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ)
Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)
Natalia Iwona STRZALKA (POL)
Fanni NAGY NAD (SRB)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Alina RUDNYTSKA LEVYTSKA (UKR)
Amit ELOR (USA)
Jyoti BERWAL (UWW)

76kg
Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (AIN)
Justina DI STASIO (CAN)
Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN)
Amy YOUIN (CIV)
Tatiana RENTERIA (COL)
Milaimys MARIN POTRILLE (CUB)
Genesis REASCO (ECU)
Samar HAMZA (EGY)
Epp MAE (EST)
Cynthia VESCAN (FRA)
Francy RAEDELT (GER)
Enrica RINALDI (ITA)
Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)
Inkara ZHANATAYEVA (KAZ)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Jimin BAEK (KOR)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Atzimba LANDAVERDE (MEX)
Zagardulam NAIGALSUREN (MGL)
Hannah RUEBEN (NGR)
Marion BYE (NOR)
Catalina AXENTE (ROU)
Mehtap GULTEKIN (TUR)
Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)
Adeline GRAY (USA)
Divya KAKRAN (UWW)
Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB)
Maria ACOSTA (VEN)
Thi Linh DANG (VIE)

#WrestleBelgrade

Armenia in line for strong World C'ships with young stars

By Vinay Siwach

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 1) – Soon after finishing with a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, talks of Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) moving away from the sport were ripe.

His last world title came in 2017 and his battles with injuries, along with the rise of Musa EVLOEV, denied him standing on top of the podium in two World Championships and the Olympic Games.

Fast forward one year to the World Championships in Belgrade, and Aleksanyan's return to the mat surprised quite a few in the wrestling world. After a 13-month hiatus from competition and a year of relentless rehabilitation, he emerged victorious, reclaiming his throne with a gold medal in the 97kg category.

"That’s my fourth world gold," Aleksanyan said in Belgrade. “For two years I couldn’t make it because of injuries. After the Olympic Games, I took a year break and treated them all."

In two weeks' time, the 31-year-old will be in Belgrade again, hoping to defend his world title as he now prepares to reclaim his Olympic title in Paris next year.

But Aleksanyan isn't the only one hoping to raise the Armenian flag in Belgrade. A trio of Armenian wrestlers, each carrying their own dreams and determination, seek a world crown and Olympic qualification.

Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) is a returning bronze medalist from 77kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

European champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) is among the favorites to win the gold at 77kg while in Freestyle, Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) at 57kg and Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) at 65kg are aiming to give Armenia its first Freestyle world champion in a decade.

Amoyan won the world title in 2021 in Oslo but moved to the Olympic weight class 77kg next year, earning a bronze medal. Harutyunyan and Tevanyan both were at the Tokyo Olympics but returned empty-handed.

While Tevanyan rose to prominence before Tokyo by beating the likes of Haji ALIYEV (AZE) and Iszamail MUSZUKAJAEV (HUN), Harutyunyan transformed himself after Toyko. He won his first world medal in Oslo and added another last year.

At the U23 level, he won back-to-back gold medals at the World Championships and earlier this year, he became the European champion at 61kg after beating 57kg world champion Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB).

Tevanyan, too, has won the European Championships and the U23 World Championships but is still searching for his first World Championships medal after finishing seventh last year.

Amoyan made a dream debut at 77kg, winning the European title in 2022 and defending it this year. He lost to Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) at the 2022 World Championships but won a bronze medal through repechage.

The three do not have the credentials Aleksanyan had at the age of 25 years but are among the best in their weight classes. Aleksanyan was an Olympic champion by then, only the second in Armenia's history, a two-time world champion, and already a superstar.

A lot of that has to do with where Aleksanyan was born -- Gyumri.

“Gyumri is not a big city but we have five Olympic champions who grew up here,” Aleksanyan says. “We have many worthy athletes in different sports.”

A historical city in north-west Armenia's Shirak province, Gyumri has given the country many sporting heroes, artists and scholars. It has been a center of the country since old times and is known by different names.

UWW's Athlete Commission's President Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM), who won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and a Gyumri native, explains the importance of the city for Armenia and its sports.

“It became a developing city in times of the Russian empire when Armenia was a part of it,” Julfalakyan said. “The city became host to large numbers of Armenian refugees fleeing the Armenian Genocide, in particular hosting 22,000 orphaned children in around 170 orphanage buildings. It was renamed Leninakan during the Soviet period and became a major industrial and textile center in Soviet Armenia.

“Exactly in that period began the popularization of sport in all of Armenia, and especially in Gyumri. That was the philosophy/policy of the country during that period. Not only sports, but also education, science, and culture became very important. Wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, and judo were the first sports most popular among the youth. And in wrestling, Greco-Roman style. That’s the reason nowadays in Gyumri most of the elite wrestlers are Greco Roman”

That popularity can be explained as the city was also the center of Armenia's traditional wrestling Kokh. The style is divided into two styles, Lori Kokh and Shirak Kokh. Shirak is the province in which Gyumri falls while Lori is the neighboring province bordering Georgia. Ironically, Shirak Kokh allowed wrestlers to grab the legs of the opponent. In Lori Kokh, a wrestler can only throw grabbing the costume of the opponent.

In 1988, Gyumri lost one-third of its population after a devastating earthquake. Yet, the city keeps producing sports champions apart from the various artists and scholars it has given.

“In Seoul Olympics 1988, Gyumri gave Armenia one gold in Greco-Roman (Levon JULFALAKYAN) and one silver in weightlifting,” he says. “Unfortunately, the devastating earthquake in 1988 ruined almost 80% of the city.”

Wrestlers like Aleksanyan, current Greco-Roman head coach and Armenia's first Olympic gold medalist Levon JULFALAKYAN (ARM), Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM), Armen NAZARYAN (ARM), Aghasi MANUKYAN (ARM) among others grew up in those times with little to no facilities to train. Yet, they made it a wrestling powerhouse.

“Times were really vulnerable. Participating in sports and coaching was considered heroic. No salary, no heating and no hot water in sports halls. Sometimes even no light. But we resisted. How? Hard to say. I think it’s just in the nature of the nation with its ancient history.

“In the 2000s, many sports halls were built or reconstructed. But then the process was stopped and for sure it wasn’t enough. Right now, what we have in Gyumri and in Armenia is not enough and not close to the international level.”

Given Gyumri's history, Aleksanyan was bound to be a champion. In one of the many YouTube videos available about his wrestling career, Aleksanyan talks about the dilapidated training school he began his wrestling career. Photos of the training school and its dire condition went viral soon after Aleksanyan won the gold in Rio. Broken walls, missing equipment from the gym, and dirty toilets were making the news.

“Some people don't believe me when I say that I train there when I am in Gyumri,” Aleksanyan had told VNews four years ago. “It's sad but true. Training there makes me stronger as I grew up here.”

For 18 years, Aleksanyan sweated it out in that workaround training hall before moving to Yerevan. His family still stays in Gyumri.

Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) defeated world champion Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) to win the European Championships at 61kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Harutyunyan and Tevanyan were not born in Gyumri. They were raised in Ararat, a province in southeast Armenia, diagonally opposite Gyumri and the Freestyle center of Armenia's wrestling.

“From the beginning of developing sports in Gyumri, the main focus was on Greco-Roman. The coaches mostly were of that style,” Julfalakyan said. “And vice versa, in city Vanadzor (Kirovakan) or the cities of the Ararat valley mostly are concentrated in Freestyle. Another reason might be the plains in Ararat and the highlands in Gyumri. By the way, last few years freestyle wrestling in Armenia has grown very fast.”

The province has given Armenia some of the finest Freestyle wrestlers including Armenia's only Freestyle Olympic medalist Armen MKRTCHYAN (ARM), three-time world champion Arayik GEVORGYAN (ARM), Aram MARGARYAN (ARM) and Martin BERBERYAN (ARM).

Both Harutyunyan and Tevenyan will look to continue that tradition in Belgrade.

At 57kg, Harutyunyan will have to navigate a strong field that includes defending world champion Abakarov, 61kg world champion Rei HIGUCHI (JPN), Asian champion AMAN (IND), the United States's Zane RICHARDS (USA), European champion Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE), Wanhao ZOU (CHN), Suleyman ATLI (TUR) and Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) among the top names.

Higuchi defeated Harutyunyan at 61kg last year but Higuchi's struggles at 57kg have been well documented. Harutyunyan possesses the attacks to beat the best and can go into a shell to defend his lead as he did to beat Abakarov in Zagreb. But Aman, Abdullaev and Zou can be the surprise he does not want.

“I am the type of person who likes difficulties, I like to do what people think is impossible,” Harutyunyan said. “All wrestlers are strong and equal. On that day, whoever is well prepared, really wants to win, will win.”

Tevanyan also has a stacked field with defending world champion Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI), Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), Tulga TUMUR-OCHIR (MGL), Aliyev, Muszukajaev, Umidjon JALALOV (UZB), Nicholas LEE (USA), Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR), Alejandro VALDES (CUB) being some of the names entered.

Tevanyan blew hot and cold last year but won the Ibrahim Mustafa Ranking Series and the European title this year. With wins over most of the names at 65kg, Tevanyan will fancy his chances. His sturdy build along with the strength he brings should be enough to go past many in the field.

If Amoyan wants to join Aleksanyan on the podium, he will have to dig deep as the 77kg weight is arguably the best. World champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) leads the field along with Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), Yunus EMRE (TUR), Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL), Viktor NEMES (SRB), Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI), Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR) and Kamal BEY (USA).

Though he has suffered losses to both Makhmudov and Levai, Amoyan will back himself as Levai's form has dropped significantly and Makhmudov has lost twice since becoming the world champion. His incredible run for the 72kg gold in Oslo saw Amoyan dominate his opponents and a year since his bronze in Belgrade, Amoyan should have the strength as well to wrestle heavier wrestlers.

Apart from the three youngsters, Aleksanyan will be the favorite to bring home the gold medal. The returning world champion is going for his fourth Olympic cycle which only adds pressure.

In Belgrade, Aleksanyan will have to face a strong 97kg field which includes former world champion Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI), Artur SARGASIAN (AIN), Kiril MILOV (BUL), Arif NIFTULLAYEV (AZE) and even veteran Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB).

Aleksanyan will start as the favorite even in such a tough field. No doubt it will be a challenge for his body to wrestle three consecutive barn-burners, especially when the White Bear is a month away from his 32nd birthday.

“My motivation is hearing the Armenian national anthem and raising the Armenian flag one more time during the Olympic Games,” he said. “This cycle is different from my first Olympic experience which took place in London in a way that I have three Olympic medals and am more experienced.”

With experience, youth and will on their side, the Armenian stars, unless things go completely haywire in Belgrade, would dream of podium finishes and book their spots for the Paris Olympics where Armenia is looking to end a 28-year wait for a Freestyle medal.

And the first seeds of that dream would be sowed in Belgrade through Harutyunuan and Tevanyan.

“Our boys prepare very well,” Harutyunyan says. “Malkhas is a very knowledgeable and hardworking athlete. I believe that he can become the world champion this year. Artur is the pride of our nation and we all take an example. He has proved very tirelessly that he is the best and I am sure that he will prove himself the champion.”