Women's wrestling storylines from Pan-Am Championships

Wednesday, May 3, 2023 - 12:52 By Taylor GREGORIO

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (April 26) -- On May 3-6, hundreds of wrestlers will descend upon Buenos Aires, Argentina, to find out who are the best wrestlers in the western hemisphere at the 2023 Pan-American Championships.

The top four ranked wrestlers will be seeded for the tournament. The ranks were determined by performances at the 2022 World Championships and this year’s two Ranking Series events. This tournament will also serve as seeding criteria for the 2023 World Championships in Serbia.

All the action from Buenos Aires can be followed live on uww.org or on the UWW app.

Yaynelis SANZ VERDECIA (CUB) won the 2021 Pan-Am Games champion. (Photo: UWW / Osvaldo Aguliar)

Five 2022 Pan-American Champions return

Five reigning Pan-American champions, representing three countries, seek to repeat their 2022 gold-medal performances. Coming from the USA is seven-time Pan-Am champion Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) at 50kg, Dominique PARRISH (USA) at 53kg and Forrest MOLINARI (USA) at 68kg. Molinari won her 2022 gold at 65kg.

The other two returning champions are Yaynelis SANZ VERDECIA (CUB) at 57kg and Ana GODINEZ (CAN) at 62kg. Sanz was a 2021 U20 Pan-Am Games champion, and Godinez comes in with a 2021 U23 World gold medal.

Helen MAROULIS (USA) will return to Pan-Am competition for the first time since 2012. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

11 World medalists in the field

The Pan Am women’s field is heavy with talent, including 11 athletes that account for 24 World and Olympic medals.

Making her first Pan Am appearance since 2012, Helen MAROULIS (USA) holds a 2016 Olympic gold medal, a 2021 Olympic bronze medal, three World titles and three other World medals.

She’s joined by US medalists Hildebrandt, Parrish, Molinari, Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA), Kayla MIRACLE (USA), Mallory VELTE (USA) and Amit ELOR (USA). Fellow World champions include Winchester, who won at 55kg in 2019, Parrish who snagged the crown at 53kg in 2022, and Elor who made a statement in her 2022 championship run at 72kg.

Hildebrandt brings a 2021 Olympic bronze medal, two World silvers and a bronze. Miracle, a Tokyo Olympian, won back-to-back World silvers in 2021 and 2022 at 62kg, while Velte owns a pair of bronze medals from 2018 and 2022. Molinari adds her 2021 bronze to the competition.

Canada boasts three World medalists this weekend, including bronze winners Samantha STEWART (CAN) at 53kg and Diana WEICKER (CAN) at 55kg and 2018 world champion Justina DI STASIO (CAN) at 76kg, who also earned bronze in 2017.

Justina DI STASIO (CAN) was a 2018 world champion at 72kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Weight to watch: 76kg

There’s a lot of intrigues looking at the 76kg field. Four athletes bring World gold medals and other significant accolades from different age groups.

Canada’s Di Stasio leads the pack with a 2018 world title at 72kg as well as a 2017 bronze at 75kg. Next week, she seeks her sixth Pan Am title.

Milayhis MARIN POTRILLE (CUB) is on the hunt for her first continental championship at the senior level. She has a loaded resume with U20 and U23 World gold medals from 2019, a 2021 U20 Pan-Am Games title and a 2018 Youth Olympic Games gold medal.

Tatiana RENTERIA (COL) also has a U23 World title under her belt, coming in 2022. Just a year before, she competed in her first-career World Championships, also at the U23 level, where she captured silver. Next week marks her third Senior Pan-Am appearance.

Rounding out the group of impressive wrestlers is Kennedy BLADES (USA), who is a 2021 U20 World champion. This is her first season at 76kg, and she is already showing she’s a force, winning the Ibrahim Moustafa, a UWW Ranking Series event.

Yanet SOVERO (PER) will wrestle at her 17th Pan-Am event. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

Sovero entering 17th senior Pan-Am event

At 40 years old, Yanet SOVERO (PER) is registered to compete in her 17th senior Pan-American event. Her first continental tournament was in 2002, where she earned silver. During her Pan-Am career, Sovero is a 2020 champion, six-time finalist and nine-time medalist. Her hardware totals one gold, five silvers and four bronzes. She has also wrestled in four World Championships and the 2016 Olympic Games.

#WrestleTirana

U23 Euros: Yakushenko grabs 97kg gold; Georgia wins GR team title

Friday, March 14, 2025 - 21:27 By United World Wrestling Press

TIRANA, Albania (March 14) -- Ukraine was out of the top five in Greco-Roman team rankings before the 97kg gold medal bout Friday at the U23 World Chamionships. But Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) made sure that Ukraine improves, he helped it climb to number two spot.

Yakushenko won the 97kg gold medal after beating Richard KARELSON (EST) 4-1 in the final to take Ukraine's tally to 99 points, more than third-placed Turkiye (98 points), Azerbaijan (91 points) and Moldova (85 points).

Georgia won the team title, its fifth at the U23 European Championships in 10 editions, with 133 points. It won two golds, one silver and three bronze medals.

Yakushenko, who won his third consecutive gold internationally, would be proud of his campaign in Tirana, Albania as he gave no chance to his opponents in four bouts.

His four victories included one over former world U20 champion and Paris Olympian Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (UWW) in the first bout. He defeated the senior European bronze medalist 7-3.

In the final, Yakushenko denied Karelson a piece of history. Karelson was hoping to became the first Estonian to win the U23 European gold in Greco, adding to his historic U20 European gold from 2022.

Karelson got the first par terre advantage however Yakushenko calmly defended the position. When he got the chance in the second period, Yakushenko turned Karelson to lead 3-1. He lifted Karelson, hoping for a throw but managed only a out-of-bounds for one point to make it 4-1.

That was enough for Yakushenko to win the gold medal, adding to his collection of U20 world and European golds from last year. Karelson, too, would take some confidence with his campaign despite the loss in the final as the silver medal was his first in three years of international competitions.

Georgia won two gold medals Friday to reach the top of the podium. Dimitri KHACHIDZE (GEO) and Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) won the 60kg and 67kg finals respectively to add to Georgia's tally.

Khachidze gave no chance to Melkamu FETENE (ISR) in the 60kg final and needed only 50 seconds to win 9-0. He launched an arm throw for four before using an arm-drag to take control and launch another four-point throw. Fetene challenged but in vain.

The gold medal an improvement for Khachidze who finished fifth last year while Fetene was a silver medalist. With another silver, Fetene now has five age-group European medals, none of them gold.

Khozrevanidze needed a successful challenge to keep his lead in the 67kg final against Hleb MAKARANKA (UWW). After taking a 3-1 lead by turning Makaranka from par terre, Khozrevanidze was docked two points for offensive head-butting but he challenged the decision and on review, there was no foul.

The successful challenge restored Khozrevanidze's 3-1 lead which he held for the remaining one minute to win, completing the set of U17, U20 and U23 European golds for the 20-year-old.

At 82kg, Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) also completed his set of age-group European medals with gold after beating Gamzat GADZHIEV (UWW), 3-1, in the final.

The world U17 champion and world U20 silver medalist had a lacklusture 2024, winning only a silver medal [U20 European Championships] in five competitions. But he began 2025 with bronze at the Zagreb Open and now added a gold medal.

After both wrestlers had had their par terre positions, Solovei led 1-1 on criteria. But Gadzhiev was called passive again and put in par terre. As the third passivity in the match doesn't offer any points, Solovei, who led the bout, scored a turn to steer clear with a 3-1 lead.

It was too much for Gadzhiev to cover and Solovei was happy to pocket the gold medal, a huge confidence booster before steps on the mat at 77kg in Bratislava, Slovakia for the senior European Championships in second week of April. He was chosen ahead of Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) who has shown slump in his form. Gutu won the 77kg bronze medal in Tirana.

Returning bronze medalist at 72kg Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) climbed to the top of the podium this year after he defeated Danil GRIGOREV (UWW), 3-2, in the gold-medal bout.

Nurullayev, a former world U23 medalist, scored a turn from par terre and before giving up a stepout but held on to his 3-2 to lead to win gold for Azerbaijan.

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Dimitri KHACHIDZE (GEO) df. Melkamu FETENE (ISR), 9-0

BRONZE: Papik DZHAVADIAN (UWW) df. Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM), 9-3
BRONZE: Mert ILBARS (TUR) df. Bohdan HRYSHYN (UKR), 5-0

67kg
GOLD: Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) df. Hleb MAKARANKA (UWW), 3-1

BRONZE: Daniial AGAEV (UWW) df. Bredi SLINKERS (NED), 9-0
BRONZE: Azat SARIYAR (TUR) df. Arslanbek SALIMOV (POL), 5-2

72kg
GOLD: Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) df. Danil GRIGOREV (UWW), 3-2

BRONZE: Oleh KHALILOV (UKR) df. Rokas CEPAUSKAS (LTU), 5-1
BRONZE: Arionas KOLITSOPOULOS (GRE) df. Vasile ZABICA (MDA), 7-2

82kg
GOLD: Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) df. Gamzat GADZHIEV (UWW), 3-1

BRONZE: Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN) df. Elmin ALIYEV (AZE), 4-1
BRONZE: Frederik MATHIESEN (DEN) df. Data CHKHAIDZE (GEO), 12-4

97kg
GOLD: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) df. Richard KARELSON (EST), 4-1

BRONZE: Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (UWW) df. Muhittin HELVACI (TUR), via fall (7-0)
BRONZE: Luka GABISONIA (GEO) df. Luka KATIC (SRB), 9-0

Women's wrestling storylines from Pan-Am Championships

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U23 Euros: Yakushenko grabs 97kg gold; Georgia wins GR team title