World Championships Day 3 semis set

Monday, September 12, 2022 - 07:50 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 12) -- More wrestling coming your way as the World Championships enter day three in Belgrade. Women's wrestling is also beginning with 55kg and 62kg. The final two Greco-Roman categories will be in action.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

14:09: Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) has her second tough match of the session, but manages to do enough to defeat European silver medalist Luisa NIEMESCH (GER) 4-0 to make the women's 62kg semifinals. Tynybekova gains an activity clock point in the first period, then adds a stepout and a late takedown. Still, she hardly looks like the same wrestler who stormed to the gold in Oslo; perhaps she has not sufficiently recovered from the ankle injury she suffered in losing the final at the Asian Championships in April to Ozaki?

14:05: Returning silver medalist Kayla MIRACLE (USA) shuts out Tetiana OMLECHENKO (AZE) with a 6-1 win in the quarterfinals at 62kg.

14:03: Ana GODINEZ (CAN) hangs on for a 4-1 win over Lais NUNES (BRA) after getting a takedown in the activity period and a stepout. She moves into the 62kg semifinals.

14:01: Blink and you missed it as 2021 world bronze medalist Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) needed just 36 seconds to put away Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR), getting a takedown and locking up the ankles, then four quick rolls and that was that for a 10-0 technical fall.

13:57: Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) stays on track to regain the women's 55kg title she won in 2019 as she held on for a 4-2 quarterfinal victory over Roksana ZASINA (POL). Winchester scores a first-period takedown, then adds a stepout and a shot-clock point in the second.

13:56: Olympic champion Mayu SHIDOCHI (JPN) chalks up a workmanlike 6-0 victory over Mengyu XIE (CHN) to advance to the women's 55kg semifinals as she chases her third career world title. Shidochi scores a takedown in the first period and two in the second as she remains unscored upon in the tournament.

13:52: With 32 seconds remaining, Karla GODINEZ (CAN) leads 2-1 against European champion Andreea ANA (ROU) with all three points being inactivity. But Godinez will move into the semifinals at 55kg.

13:50: At women's 55kg, upcoming star Oleksandra KHOMENETES (UKR) with a four-pointer to lead 6-3 against Sushma SHOKEEN (IND) before adding another takedown and roll to make it 10-3. She gives up a takedown but will take home a 10-5 win and a spot in the semifinals.

13:44: Four-time Asian medalist Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) gets a 4-point headlock in the second period that gives him a 5-2 victory in the Greco 130kg quarterfinals over European silver medalist Danila SOTNIKOV (ITA).

13:41: Oskar MARVIK (NOR) led 1-0 against Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) but doesn't ask for the par terre position. Knystautas takes the lead when Marvik is called for passivity in the second period. He rolls Marvik two times for a 5-1 lead. He wins the quarterfinal and will wrestle in the 130kg semifinals.

13:40: U23 world champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) up against Olympic silver medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) who gets the first advantage with par terre position. But Kajaia fails to get any turn from par terre. In the second period, Mirzazadeh with a 1-1 lead on criteria. With 1:20 remaining, Kajaia gets the par terre again but fails to get any turn. Mirzazadeh will wrestle in the 130kg semifinal

13:39: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) barrels into the Greco 130kg semifinals by overpowering Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU) with an 8-0 technical fall in 2:17. After three stepouts, Kayaalp gets a passivity point and the top position in par terre. Two slow-motion rolls later and that's it for the Romanian.

13:33: Two-time world champion Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) prevails in a contentious Greco 60kg quarterfinal with Kerem KAMAL (TUR) that was filled with challenges and cautions. Fumita withstands the pressure after twice being put into the bottom of par terre, and scores a last-second takedown for a 6-3 victory.

13:26: 20-year-old Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL), holding the lead on criteria after each received a passivity point, gets a stepout in the second period to clinch a 2-1 victory over 2021 bronze medalist Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) and gain a place in the 60kg semifinals.

13:24: Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) reverses a par terre position to score a takedown and lead 2-1 against Liguo CAO (CHN). He then gets the par terre before securing a 7-1 win

13:18: Returning silver medalist Zholoman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) with the toss against Ildar HAFIZOV (USA) and secures the fall in the 60kg quarterfinals.

13:10: 2021 world silver medalist Kayla MIRACLE (USA) falls behind 6-5 against Xiaojuan LUO (CHN) in their women's 62kg match, but comes back with a cradle for 2, with a 2-point penalty tacked on. From there it is all Miracle, as she scores a 4-point tackle, then ends the match against the exhausted Luo with a takedown and roll for a 17-6 win.

12:59: In a clash between 2021 gold medalists, defending champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) barely holds on to defeat 59kg titlist Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) 3-2 for a spot in the 62kg quarterfinals. In the first period, Tynybekova scores a stepout with one second left on the shot clock. In the second, she goes up 3-0 with a single-leg takedown. Dudova puts the pressure on and scores a stepout with 1:01 left. In the final seconds, she gets in on a double leg, but can't finish it off and only gets another stepout.

12:57: Olympic champion Mayu SHIDOCHI (JPN) puts on an impressive display of driving double-leg takedowns as she powers into the women's 55kg quarterfinals with a 10-0 technical fall in 2:44 over Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ).

12:54: Returning bronze medalist Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) warms up with a 54-second fall over Anna SZEL (HUN). She will face European champion Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) in the quarterfinals.

12:48: On Mat D, Sonam MALIK (IND) wrestling U23 world champion Ana GODINEZ (CAN). Malik with a stepout and Godinez was penalized for passivity. Malik leads 2-0 at the break. In the second period, an activity clock on Malik and she fails to score in the 30 seconds. Godinez shoots for the legs and gets the takedown and a leg lace to lead 5-2. A late takedown and a 7-2 win for Godinez

12:45: European champion Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) with a huge fall over Yagmur CAKMAK (TUR) at 62kg. She used a cradle to get the fall.

12:44: Superstar Riza KAYAALP (TUR), looking for his fifth world title and first since 2019, gets started with a 5-1 victory at Greco 130kg over Oleksandr CHERNETSKYY (UKR) to advance to the quarterfinals.

12:40: In a doozy on Mat A, 2019 Asian champion Mengyu XIE (CHN) gives up the go-ahead takedown to 2021 world silver medalist Nina HEMMER (GER) with :32 left, only to come back with a double-leg takedown of her own with 7 seconds left for a 6-4 win at women's 55kg.

12:30: Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) survived a pin attempt from Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) and rallied to score points at will to win 13-6 against Dragutan

12:21: Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) uses a reverse headlock to secure a fall over Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) and advance to the Greco 60kg quarterfinals.

12:20: Oskar MARVIK (NOR), a bronze medalist a year ago in Oslo, proves too much for two-time world junior medalist Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA), notching a 5-0 victory to advance to the Greco 130kg quarterfinals.

12:05: Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL), a 2014 world champion and silver medalist the following year, loses a wild one at women's 62kg to see Xiaojuan LUO (CHN). Sukhee trailed 7-6 in the final 20 seconds when she headlocked Luo to her back, only to have the Chinese roll her over with :04 left and gain a 9-8 win.

11:50: 2021 world U23 bronze medalist Anna SZEL (HUN) secures the fall against Hanbit LEE (KOR) at women's 62kg. That earns her a round-of-16 clash with the mighty Nonoka OZAKI (JPN).

11:45: Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), the 2021 world champion at women's 59kg who has moved up to the Olympic weight of 62kg, scores a go-behind takedown with :36 left and adds a cross-face exposure to defeat Ameline DOUARRE (FRA) 5-1.

11:45: Olympic champion Mayu SHIDOCHI (JPN) is returning to international competition since her gold in Tokyo. Wrestling Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) in the 55kg qualification, Shidochi with two single leg attacks to lead 4-0 before a takedown to make it 6-0 at the break. She starts the second period with another takedown, and finishes the bout 10-0 with two minutes remaining.

11:40: European bronze medalist Dariusz VITEK (HUN) gets the fall at 130kg when 2018 world bronze medalist Minseok KIM (KOR), down 5-0, tries desperation back drop but is stopped on his won back.

11:30: Two-time U17 world champion and U20 world silver Sonam MALIK (IND) plans it extremely well with a activity in the first period and slowing it down in the second. She wins 8-0 over Ayaulym KASSYMOVA (KAZ).

11:14: Rabby KILANDI (COD) made history when he notched the first-ever Greco victory by a wrestler from the Democratic Republic of Congo at a World Championships, winning an 11-9 nail-biter over Viktor PETRYK (UKR) at 60kg. Kilandi, an African bronze medalist at 55kg (he also placed fifth in freestyle!), got the winning points with 4-point counter to a bear hug late in the second period.

11:13: In the first featured match of the session, European champion Kerem KAMAL (TUR) puts away former Asian 55kg champion Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) by a 9-0 technical fall. He'll face Mohsen Nejad next.

11:09: U23 world champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) with a 5-0 win over Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ). Mirzazadeh defeated world champion Aliakbar YOUSIFI (IRI) in the trials to win the spot on the national team

11:05: Just like Mohsen Nejad on the adjacent mat, 2021 Asian champion Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) recorded a fall after he had built up enough for a technical fall against Alexandru TRANDAFIR (ROU). Sultangali was a world bronze medalist in 2018.

11:02: Asian silver medalist Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) advances at 60kg with a fall over Hanjae CHUNG (KOR). Mohsen Nejad scored a takedown and roll to go up 8-0, which would have ended the match anyway but got the fall when his opponent stopped fighting.

10:59: 34-year-old Ildar HAFIZOV (USA), who won an Asian silver in 2011 for his native Uzbekistan, has a successful challenge wipe out eight points by his opponent as he defeats Dicther TORO (COL) 9-6 at 60kg. That avenged a loss in the final of the 2021 Pan Am Championship.

10:56: Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) will be in the highlight package of every wrestling video. He begins his day in Belgrade with an 11-0 win

10:55: With China returning to the international stage, Liguo CAO (CHN), a two-time fifth-place finisher, takes little time in scoring a 9-0 technical fall over Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG) to advance at 60kg.

10:39: Gyanender DAHIYA (IND) and Leo TUDEZCA (FRA) in the first qualification bout of the day at 60kg. Dahiya gets the par terre and then two turns to lead 5-1. Second-period par terre for Dahiya again but Tudezca gets takedown and a roll. He cuts down the lead to 6-4 but Dahiya hangs on for the win.

10:29: We're ready for Day 3, with the preliminary rounds in the last two weights in Greco (60kg and 130kg) and the first two in Women's Wrestling (55kg and 62kg).

Five-Time Olympic Champ Lopez Joins China as Greco Coach

Monday, March 30, 2026 - 13:12 By United World Wrestling Press

Mijain LOPEZ, coach Ruis DIAZ, and all members of the Chinese Greco-Roman wrestling team

By Yang Boyi and Wang Chujie for Xinhua News

BEIJING, China (March 30) -- 18 years ago, Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) claimed his first Olympic gold medal in Beijing, launching an unprecedented reign of five consecutive Olympic titles, a feat unmatched in Olympic wrestling history.

Now the 42-year-old Cuban legend has returned to the Chinese capital, not as a competitor, but as a specially recruited foreign coach for China's national Greco-Roman team.

He arrived alongside Raul DIAZ, the lifelong mentor who guided him through the most dominant stretch of his historic career. Both now serve as United World Wrestling (UWW) Development Ambassadors, making this far more than a routine visit.

It is a homecoming to the city where Lopez's legend was forged, and a full-circle moment for two men whose fates have intertwined with Beijing and each other for nearly two decades.

Ruis DIAZ Raul DIAZ (CUB) with the Chinese Greco-Roman national team. (Photo: Xinhua News)

Although Diaz and Lopez first bonded in 1999, their fates did not officially intertwine until after Lopez claimed his maiden Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with Diaz then serving as a coach for the Portuguese national team.

In 2010, Diaz returned as Lopez's full-time head coach, guiding him through the next 14 years and four more consecutive Olympic gold medals from London 2012 to Paris 2024, cementing his status as the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time.

The 2024 Paris Olympics marked the final chapter of Lopez's storied career. After clinching his historic fifth title, he knelt to kiss the mat and left his shoes on the canvas - the universal ritual of retirement in wrestling.

"That moment was full of mixed emotions. I was overjoyed with the result, but also overwhelmed with sadness, because I had decided to close the book on my career," Lopez told Xinhua through an interpreter.

"I kissed the wrestling mat to express my gratitude for all the achievements in my wrestling career. This mat and my coach made me the champion I am today. I am thankful for all those days and nights we spent training together."

When asked whether Lopez would have won four more Olympic golds and completed the five-peat without his coaching, Diaz is quick to deflect the credit to his pupil's innate talent and unshakable character.

"Lopez is an exceptional athlete, one of a kind. What makes him great is not just his physical strength, but his mental fortitude," said Diaz. "He competes not for money or fame, but for his love for the Cuban people, wrestling and his family."

"He is family to me," Lopez said of his mentor. "A coach is more than an instructor; he is a guide who walks with you through every critical moment. I hope every athlete can experience this kind of profound connection."

Diaz recalled the words Lopez's father said to him on his deathbed: "Please, be a father to Lopez from now on." Over years of close companionship, the pair have become inseparable.

"I can no longer imagine my life without him," Diaz said.

Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) Reporter interviewing Mijain LOPEZ (center) and Shen SHIYAN (right), Spanish interpreter for the Chinese Greco-Roman team. (Photo: Xinhua News)

Lifetime to Understand China

For both men, China has never been a distant country. For Lopez, Beijing will always be the starting point of his legend. "I have an immense affection for China. It was here that I won my first Olympic gold, the medal that broke the ice and opened a whole new chapter of my career," he said.

Diaz's connection to China stretches back to childhood, with Chinese classmates and family friends. He still remembers the Chinese couple in Havana's Chinatown who always kept a meal warm for him.

"Those simple acts of kindness made me feel a deep closeness to Chinese people from the very beginning," Diaz recalled.

When Lopez stepped onto the mat in Beijing in 2008, Diaz watched with special pride - not just for his former pupil, but for a country he had long felt a bond with.

"The more you learn about China, the more you realize it may take a whole lifetime to truly understand this country," Diaz observed. "Chinese people are kind, honest and down-to-earth. Some countries refuse to see the real China out of prejudice, but there is no better way to know this country than to come here, to see it with your own eyes."

Passing the Torch

Diaz and Lopez have come to Beijing with a clear mission: to pass on decades of experience and training philosophy to help nurture China's next generation of wrestlers.

Zheng PAN (CHN), head coach of China's Greco-Roman team, noted that Diaz prioritizes efficiency in training. "We have more sessions now, but each is shorter. Raul always emphasizes that athletes must give their absolute all in every minute."

Diaz is full of praise for China's young wrestlers, citing their strength, speed, discipline, intelligence and work ethic. "The most important thing is to train with purpose and focus. Chinese wrestlers have every ability to compete with the top athletes in the world."

Lopez echoed his coach's optimism. "These young wrestlers have a bright future. We are here to give them that extra push, to help them stand firm on the world stage."

18 years ago, Lopez arrived in Beijing as a rising talent and left as an Olympic champion. Now they have returned together as legends, ready to pass on the torch and write a new chapter in the decades-long friendship between Cuban and Chinese wrestling.

In November 2025, Diaz received the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award. Standing beside him to share the honor was his star pupil. "That moment felt like a dream," Diaz said. "I want to give all my love for wrestling, my knowledge, and everything I have to this sport."

World Championships Day 3 semis set

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Five-Time Olympic Champ Lopez Joins China as Greco Coach