#WrestleBelgrade

#WrestleBelgrade U23 World Championship Entries

By Eric Olanowski

BELGRADE, Serbia (October 21) --- After a 760-day layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 620 wrestlers from 58 different nations will converge in Belgrade, Serbia, for the ’21 U23 World Championships.

Greco-Roman action kicks off the competition on Monday, November 1. The Russian Wrestling Federation’s ’21 senior world medalists Sergei KUTUZOV and Artur SARGSIAN headline the style’s 232 entries. Kutuzov went 4-1 in Oslo while outscoring his first four opponents 34-5 before falling to Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) in the 72kg finals. Sargsian finished with a 97kg bronze medal and suffered his lone defeat to eventual champion Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI). 

Women’s wrestling action starts on the third day of the competition, November 3. Tokyo Olympians Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) and Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) are the biggest stars entered in women’s wrestling’s 148 wrestler field. Medet Kyzy is fresh off a ’21 senior world bronze-medal finish. She’ll compete at 76kg. The other Tokyo Olympians, Nichita and Larroque, will compete at 59kg and 65kg, respectively.

Freestyle’s 239 wrestlers close out the competition beginning on Friday, November 5. As the entries sit, ’21 world medalists Ernazar AKMATALIEV, Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) and Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) are all expected to make the trip to Belgrade.

Akmataliev reached the finals in Oslo but dropped his final match against Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) and fell one match short of becoming the first Kyrgyz FS wrestler to win a world title. Harutyunyan and Akakarov each dropped one bout but fought back and finished with bronze medals.

The ’21 U23 World Championships begin on November 1 and can be followed live on www.uww.org. 

57kg
Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM)
Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)
Dzmitry SHAMELA (BLR)
Logan James SLOAN (CAN)
Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS)
Ramaz TURMANIDZE (GEO)
Niklas STECHELE (GER)
Saurabh Madhukar IGAVE (IND)
Ali Abolfazl GHOLI ZADEGAN KOLOUKHI (IRI)
Simone Vincenzo PIRODDU (ITA)
Rakhat KALZHAN (KAZ)
Bekbolot MYRZANAZAR UULU (KGZ)
Meshal Adullah A ALJAYZANI (KSA)
Petru CRACIUN (MDA)
Ganbayar NAMSRAI (MGL)
Besir ALILI (MKD)
Ali M M ABURUMAILA (PLE)
Ramazan ABDURAKHIMOV (RWF)
Nils LEUTERT (SUI)
Muhamad IKROMOV (TJK)
Hafiz Can HASDEMIR (TUR)
Vladlen OPANASENKO (UKR)
Patrick Ryan GLORY (USA)
Arslan RAKHIMOV (UZB)

61kg
Endrio AVDYLI (ALB)
Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)
Intigam VALIZADA (AZE)
Jason Guy LUNEAU (CAN)
Arman Norik ELOYAN (FRA)
Muhammad MOKAEV (GBR)
Teimuraz VANISHVILI (GEO)
Nico MEGERLE (GER)
Gamzatgadzsi HALIDOV (HUN)
Suraj Rajkumar KOKATE (IND)
Majid Almas DASTAN (IRI)
Daniel PUCINO (ITA)
Assyl AITAKYN (KAZ)
Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)
Faisal Khalid E ALDOSSARY (KSA)
Soufiane KABIL (MAR)
Leomid COLESNIC (MDA)
Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL)
Artur Sergeevitch CHEBODAEV (RWF)
Mohamed GIBBATEH (SLE)
Nino LEUTERT (SUI)
Ahmet DUMAN (TUR)
Kamil KERYMOV (UKR)
Christopher CANNON (USA)
Sardor RUZIMOV (UZB)

65kg
Hrachya MARGARYAN (ARM)
Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Stilyan Yanchev ILIEV (BUL)
Jacob Tizoc ALEXANDER TORRES (CAN)
David KOPRIVA (CZE)
Marwane Ahmed YEZZA (FRA)
Ross Taylor CONNELLY (GBR)
Iveriko JULAKIDZE (GEO)
Leon GERSTENBERGER (GER)
Georgios PILIDIS (GRE)
Marcell BUDAI KOVACS (HUN)
Parvinder PARVINDER (IND)
Seyedhassan Seyedhossein EBADIMERMETI (IRI)
Colin John REALBUTO (ITA)
Adil OSPANOV (KAZ)
Gilbert Mbevoni KABOCHE (KEN)
Aibek TOKTOGUL UULU (KGZ)
Ahmed Fawzi M BARAHMAH (KSA)
Abdelwahad BADRI (MAR)
Pavel GRAUR (MDA)
Tugsjargal ERDENEBAT (MGL)
Sebastian C RIVERA (PUR)
Stefan Ionut COMAN (ROU)
Ibragim ABDURAKHMANOV (RWF)
Sulaiman KARGBO (SLE)
Cavit ACAR (TUR)
Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR)
Domonick Petro DEMAS (USA)
Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB)

70kg
Elmaz KRYEZIU (ALB)
Abdelkader IKKAL (ALG)
Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Daniil AMELYANCHYK (BLR)
Trystan Hideki KATO (CAN)
Sergio Peter GODOY VITE (ECU)
Bacar NDUM (GBS)
Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO)
Shamil USTAEV (GER)
Christos CHRISTOFORIDIS (GRE)
Botond GULYAS (HUN)
Naveen NAVEEN (IND)
Aliakbar Aliasghar FAZLIKHALILI (IRI)
Raul ZARBALIEV (ISR)
Sanzhar DOSZHANOV (KAZ)
Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA)
Temuujin MENDBILEG (MGL)
Norbert MOLNOS (ROU)
Rezuan KAZHAROV (RWF)
Viktor Stiven VOINOVIC (SRB)
Tobias PORTMANN (SUI)
Daniel CHOMANIC (SVK)
Mustafo AKHMEDOV (TJK)
Cuneyt BUDAK (TUR)
Denys BOROHAN (UKR)
Jacori Tyrese TEEMER (USA)
Begijon KULDASHEV (UZB)

74kg
Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM)
Simon MARCHL (AUT)
Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE)
Davud ALIZALAU (BLR)
Nikolay Iliev DIMITROV (BUL)
Devan Jarred LARKIN (CAN)
Caetano ANTONIO SA (GBS)
Temuri BERUASHVILI (GEO)
Tino RETTINGER (GER)
Parveen MALIK (IND)
Mohmmadsadegh Biglar FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI)
Naftali Hertz HOROWITZ (ISR)
Jacopo MASOTTI (ITA)
Akezhan ABDIKHAMIT (KAZ)
Mathayo Matonya MAHABILA (KEN)
Rabii REGANI (MAR)
Vasile DIACON (MDA)
Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL)
Serhan SHAKIROV (MKD)
Szymon WOJTKOWSKI (POL)
Jonathan PARRILLA RAMOS (PUR)
Krisztian BIRO (ROU)
Chermen VALIEV (RWF)
Sheku KASSEGBAMA (SLE)
ANDRIJA IVANOVIC (SRB)
Isa DEMIR (TUR)
Vadym KURYLENKO (UKR)
Peyton Gaylord ROBB (USA)
Asomiddin HASANOV (UZB)

79kg
Arman AVAGYAN (ARM)
Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE)
Yahor AKULICH (BLR)
Oktay Ruzhdi HASAN (BUL)
Erik REINBOK (EST)
Goga MAMIAURI (GEO)
Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
Botond LUKACS (HUN)
Vicky VICKY (IND)
Ali Bakhtiar SAVADKOUHI (IRI)
Bibarys NURYLLAULY (KAZ)
Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA)
Batzul DAMJIN (MGL)
Hammam J H ABUSNAINA (PLE)
Magomed MAGOMAEV (RWF)
Foday KARGBO (SLE)
Tanguy DARBELLAY (SUI)
Ramazan SARI (TUR)
Valentyn BABII (UKR)
Michael Anthony LABRIOLA (USA)
Otabek SALOMOV (UZB)

86kg
Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG)
Mher MARKOSYAN (ARM)
Benjamin GREIL (AUT)
Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
Ilya KHAMTSOU (BLR)
Dzhemal Rushen ALI (BUL)
Hunter Jeffery LEE (CAN)
Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA)
Demur MEGENEISHVILI (GEO)
Lars SCHAEFLE (GER)
Sandeep Singh MANN (IND)
Sajjad Saberali GHOLAMI (IRI)
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR)
Salvatore DIANA (ITA)
Islyambek ILYASSOV (KAZ)
Nurtilek KARYPBAEV (KGZ)
Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT)
Kornelijus STULGINSKAS (LTU)
Ivan ICHIZLI (MDA)
Layth A H ABUSHRAIM (PLE)
Cezary Marek SADOWSKI (POL)
Amanula RASULOV (RWF)
Emre CIFTCI (TUR)
Mukhammed ALIIEV (UKR)
Myles Porter WILSON (USA)
Bobur ISLOMOV (UZB)

92kg
Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)
Arkadzi PAHASIAN (BLR)
Kolyo Dimitrov DIMITROV (BUL)
Julien CHOQUETTE (CAN)
Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO)
Johannes MAYER (GER)
Singh GURADESHWAR (IND)
Amirhossein Biglar FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI)
Davide COSSU (ITA)
Bekzat URKIMBAY (KAZ)
Gheorghe ERHAN (MDA)
Orgilokh DAGVADORJ (MGL)
Stole EFTIMOV (MKD)
Azamat ZAKUEV (RWF)
Viliam OROSS (SVK)
Erhan YAYLACI (TUR)
Denys SAHALIUK (UKR)
Santino Michael BONACCORSI (USA)
Rustam SHODIEV (UZB)

97kg 
Islam ILYASOV (AZE)
Vasil PAULIUCHENKA (BLR)
Tsvetan Danielov EVTIMOV (BUL)
Richard Phillip Junior DESCHATELETS (CAN)
Zuriko URTASHVILI (GEO)
Milan Andras KORCSOG (HUN)
Sahil SAHIL (IND)
Ali Reza Abbasali ABDOLLAHI (IRI)
Yunus GAFUROV (KAZ)
Radu LEFTER (MDA)
Altangerel CHINBAT (MGL)
Michal Jan BIELAWSKI (POL)
Shamil Imam GADZHIALIEV (RWF)
Sven Janovitj ENGSTROEM (SWE)
Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR)
Danylo STASIUK (UKR)
Jonathan Leonard AIELLO (USA)

125kg 
Paris KAREPI (ALB)
Martin SIMONYAN (ARM)
Yaraslau SLAVIKOUSKI (BLR)
Georgi Lyubomirov IVANOV (BUL)
Aly Medhat Abde BARGHOUT (CAN)
Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO)
Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE)
Mohit MOHIT (IND)
Ali Mohammadebrahim AKBARPOURKHORDOUNI (IRI)
Lior ALTSHULER (ISR)
Aaron Anthony JOHNSON (JAM)
Bakdaulet OSSERBAY (KAZ)
Samhan JABRAILOV (MDA)
Redjep HAJDARI (MKD)
Blas Alejandro ORTIZ ALAYON (PUR)
Alen KHUBULOV (RWF)
Anil Berkan KILICSALLAYAN (TUR)
Yurii IDZINSKYI (UKR)
Anthony Lawrence CASSIOPPI (USA)
Namoz ABDURASHIDOV (UZB)

Artur SARGSIAN (RWF), fresh off his senior world bronze-medal finish, will compete at 97kg in Belgrade. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Greco-Roman 

55kg 
Bajram SINA (ALB)
Ashot MKHITARYAN (ARM)
Nihad GULUZADE (AZE)
Denis Krasimirov DEMIROV (BUL)
Ramaz SILAGAVA (GEO)
Steven ECKER (GER)
Arshad ARSHAD (IND)
Poya Soulat DAD MARZ (IRI)
Alpamys DASTANBEK (KAZ)
Akyikat KULZHIGIT UULU (KGZ)
Artiom DELEANU (MDA)
Snorre Harsem LUND (NOR)
Grzegorz Krzysztof HILDEBRAND (POL)
Denis Florin MIHAI (ROU)
Mavlud RIZMANOV (RWF)
Sebastian KOLOMPAR (SRB)
Adem Burak UZUN (TUR)
Taras KRUPSKYI (UKR)
Taylor Craig LA MONT (USA)
Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB)
 

60kg
Tigran MINASYAN (ARM)
Hleb MAKARANKA (BLR)
Miroslav Mariov EMILOV (BUL)
Jeremy Renzo PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU)
Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO)
Vikas VIKAS (IND)
Mehdi Seifollah MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI)
Tommaso BOSI (ITA)
Nursultan BAZARBAYEV (KAZ)
Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Meshal Adullah A ALJAYZANI (KSA)
Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA)
Olivier Tomasz SKRZYPCZAK (POL)
Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)
Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (RWF)
David NOVIC (SRB)
Dimitar Ivaylov SANDOV (SUI)
Jui Chi HUANG (TPE)
Kerem KAMAL (TUR)
Ihor KUROCHKIN (UKR)
Dylan Steven GREGERSON (USA)
Mukhammadkodir YUSUPOV (UZB)

63kg
Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
Hasan MAMMADLI (AZE)
Antonio Jordan RUIZ MORA (ECU)
Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
Andrej GINC (GER)
Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN)
Neeraj NEERAJ (IND)
Ali Reza Ayat Ollah NEJATI (IRI)
Assaukhat MUKHAMADIYEV (KAZ)
Faisal Khalid E ALDOSSARY (KSA)
Corneliu RUSU (MDA)
Arslanbek SALIMOV (POL)
Georgii TIBILOV (RWF)
Zolt ZONAI (SRB)
Ahmet UYAR (TUR)
Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR)
David Arthur STEPANIAN (USA)
Kamol KUZIEV (UZB)

67kg
Abdelmalek MERABET (ALG)
Sahak HOVHANNISYAN (ARM)
Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (BLR)
Ivo Krasimirov ILIEV (BUL)
Julian Stiven HORTA ACEVEDO (COL)
Elmer Joakim MATTILA (FIN)
Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO)
Nils BUSCHNER (GER)
Ashu ASHU (IND)
Mohammad Javad Saadat REZAEI (IRI)
Ignazio SANFILIPPO (ITA)
Mukhamedali MAMURBEK (KAZ)
Marlen ASIKEEV (KGZ)
Ahmed Fawzi M BARAHMAH (KSA)
Adomas GRIGALIUNAS (LTU)
Diego Alberto MARTINEZ DE LEIJA (MEX)
Jacob TANGEN (NOR)
Vasile Alexandru DOSOFTEI (ROU)
Miakhdi Abubakarovitch IAKHIAEV (RWF)
Ugljesa GAJIC (SRB)
Kadir KAMAL (TUR)
Oleksii MASYK (UKR)
Alston Jon NUTTER (USA)
Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB)

72kg
Kevin KUPI (ALB)
Shant KHACHATRYAN (ARM)
Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
Pavel PUKLAVEC (CRO)
Luka MALOBABIC (CRO)
Denis MERTL (CZE)
Marcos SANCHEZ SILVA MEJIAS (ESP)
Joni Pekka KOMPPA (FIN)
Otar ABULADZE (GEO)
Idris Hanpasaevic IBAEV (GER)
Krisztian Istvan VANCZA (HUN)
Vikas VIKAS (IND)
Amir Ali ABDI (IRI)
Azat SADYKOV (KAZ)
Iigilik SATYMKUL UULU (KGZ)
Mihai PETIC (MDA)
Sergei KUTUZOV (RWF)
Sheku KASSEGBAMA (SLE)
Aron PINTER (SRB)
Oliver OLAH (SVK)
Erik Arthur PERSSON (SWE)
Abdullah TOPRAK (TUR)
Andrii KULYK (UKR)
Benjamin Davis PEAK (USA)
Jamol JUMABAEV (UZB)

77kg
Ardit NDOJ (ALB)
Samvel GRIGORYAN (ARM)
Shirkhan GULIYEV (AZE)
Mikita KAZAKOU (BLR)
Zlatomir Dinkov EMILOV (BUL)
Brandon CALLE PEREZ (COL)
Jakub BIELESZ (CZE)
Edvin KIN (EST)
Akseli Elias YLI HANNUKSELA (FIN)
Nikoloz TCHIKAIDZE (GEO)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
Sajan SAJAN (IND)
Amin Yavar KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI)
Luigi RINALDI (ITA)
Rassul ZHUNIS (KAZ)
Akylbek TALANTBEKOV (KGZ)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Patryk Adam BEDNARZ (POL)
Sergei STEPANOV (RWF)
Foday KARGBO (SLE)
Aleksa ILIC (SRB)
Per Albin OLOFSSON (SWE)
Daler REZA ZADE (TJK)
Lamjed MAAFI (TUN)
Erkan ERGEN (TUR)
Dmytro VASETSKYI (UKR)
Britton Wayne HOLMES (USA)
Dilshod OMONGELDIYEV (UZB)

82kg
Gagik HAKOBYAN (ARM)
Yauheni YUROU (BLR)
Jose Esteban MOSQUERA MURILLO (COL)
Karlo KODRIC (CRO)
Sebastian PETRAC (CRO)
Ranet KALJOLA (EST)
Otto Eemeli KETONEN (FIN)
Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO)
Ilias PAGKALIDIS (GRE)
Moric KISMONI (HUN)
Rohit DAHIYA (IND)
Mohammad Aziz NAGHOUSI (IRI)
Dias KALEN (KAZ)
Beksultan NAZARBAEV (KGZ)
Arminas LYGNUGARIS (LTU)
Mustapha AFIRAOU (MAR)
Exauce MUKUBU (NOR)
Shamil Letkaevitch OZHAEV (RWF)
Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB)
Ramon Rainer BETSCHART (SUI)
Mats Ola Lukas AHLGREN (SWE)
Samet YALDIRAN (TUR)
Dmytro GARDUBEI (UKR)
Thomas George BRACKETT (USA)
Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB)

87kg
Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM)
Mahammad AHMADIYEV (AZE)
Kiryl MASKEVICH (BLR)
Svetoslav Nikolaev NIKOLOV (BUL)
Filip SMETKO (CRO)
Matej MANDIC (CRO)
Andreas VAELIS (EST)
Markus Tapani SIHTOLA (FIN)
Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO)
David LOSONCZI (HUN)
Kumar SUNIL (IND)
Naser Ghasem ALIZADEH (IRI)
Simone FIDELBO (ITA)
Maksat SAILAU (KAZ)
Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ)
Abdelali EL FALLAKI (MAR)
Gabriel LUPASCO (MDA)
Ruben Elias BEEN (NOR)
Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL)
Aleksandr Andreevitch KOMAROV (RWF)
Mario VUKOVIC (SRB)
Muhittin SARICICEK (TUR)
Vitalii ANDRIIOVYCH (UKR)
Spencer WOODS (USA)

97kg​​
Albert YEGHIKYAN (ARM)
Markus RAGGINGER (AUT)
Uladzislau PUSTASHYLAU (BLR)
Mariyan Iliyanov MARINOV (BUL)
Ondrej DADAK (CZE)
Richard KARELSON (EST)
Arvi Martin SAVOLAINEN (FIN)
Giorgi KATSANASHVILI (GEO)
Patrick NEUMAIER (GER)
Michail IOSIFIDIS (GRE)
Alex Gergo SZOKE (HUN)
Deepanshu DEEPANSHU (IND)
Morteza Rasoul ALGHOSI (IRI)
Luca SVAICARI (ITA)
Daulet DOSSYBAYEV (KAZ)
Daniiar SHERIMBEKOV (KGZ)
Arnoldas BARANOVAS (LTU)
Marcus WORREN (NOR)
Gerard Cyprian KURNICZAK (POL)
Artur SARGSIAN (RWF)
Aleksandar SIMOVIC (SRB)
Damian VON EUW (SUI)
Beytullah KAYISDAG (TUR)
Oleksandr YEVDOKIMOV (UKR)
Nicholas Allen BOYKIN (USA)

130kg
David OVASAPYAN (ARM)
Sarkhan MAMMADOV (AZE)
Diego Jesus ALMENDRAS RODRIGUEZ (CHI)
Giorgi TSOPURASHVILI (GEO)
Franz RICHTER (GER)
Nikolaos NTOUNIAS (GRE)
Dariusz Attila VITEK (HUN)
Aryan PANWAR (IND)
Amin Mohammadzaman MIRZAZADEH (IRI)
Anton SAVENKO (KAZ)
Nikola MILATOVIC (NOR)
Lenard Istvan BEREI (ROU)
Mikhail LAPTEV (RWF)
Vladan ZIVKOVIC (SRB)
Delian Hossein ALISHAHI (SUI)
Amine GUENNICHI (TUN)
Fatih BOZKURT (TUR)
Sviatoslav KALASHNIKOV (UKR)
Brandon Hunter METZ (USA)

Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), the '21 world bronze medalist, will compete at 76kg. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling

50kg

Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE)
Anastasiya YANOTAVA (BLR)
Samantha Francesca ROMANO (CAN)
Lucia Yamileth YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU)
Lisa ERSEL (GER)
Shivani PAWAR (IND)
Kamila APEKOVA (KAZ)
Maria LEORDA (MDA)
Munkhgerel MUNKHBAT (MGL)
Stefania Claudia PRICEPUTU (ROU)
Mariia TIUMEREKOVA (RWF)
Yung Hsun LIN (TPE)
Sarra HAMDI (TUN)
Aynur ERGE (TUR)
Tetiana PROFATILOVA (UKR)
Emily King SHILSON (USA)

53kg 
Gultakin SHIRINOVA (AZE)
Hanna VARABYEVA (BLR)
Taylor Kennedy MCPHERSON (CAN)
Szimonetta Timea SZEKER (HUN)
Ankush ANKUSH (IND)
Carmen DI DIO (ITA)
Ellada MAKHYADDINOVA (KAZ)
Emma Nekesa WANGILA (KEN)
Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL)
Ekaterina VERBINA (RWF)
Meng Hsuan HSIEH (TPE)
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
Ronna Marie HEATON (USA)

55kg
Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE)
Viktoryia VOLK (BLR)
Virginie KAZE GASCON (CAN)
Anju ANJU (IND)
Ainur ASHIMOVA (KAZ)
Enkhzul BATBAATAR (MGL)
Alicja CZYZOWICZ (POL)
Andreea Beatrice ANA (ROU)
Aleksandra SKIRENKO (RWF)
Zainab BARRIE (SLE)
Eda TEKIN (TUR)
Khrystyna Zoryana DEMKO (UKR)
Alexandra Wray HEDRICK (USA)

57kg
Hanna VAHER (BLR)
Hannah Fay TAYLOR (CAN)
Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
Nitika NITIKA (IND)
Aurora RUSSO (ITA)
Altyn SHAGAYEVA (KAZ)
Nazira MARSBEK KYZY (KGZ)
Maral BATTSOOJ (MGL)
Esther Omolayo KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Othelie Annette HOEIE (NOR)
Patrycja GIL (POL)
Viktoriia VAULINA (RWF)
Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR)
Cheyenne Brooke SISENSTEIN (USA)

59kg
Krystsina SAZYKINA (BLR)
INVILLE (CAN)
Anne Beatrice NUERNBERGER (GER)
Anna Hella SZEL (HUN)
Pushpa PUSHPA (IND)
Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ)
Lolita OBOLEVICA (LAT)
Atika EL ASLA (MAR)
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)
Anhelina LYSAK (POL)
Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (RWF)
Ebru DAGBASI (TUR)
Antonyna KULAHINA (UKR)
Michaela Hope BECK (USA)

62kg
Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE)
Tatsiana PAULAVA (BLR)
Raya Zhanetova KYOSEVA (BUL)
Ana Paula GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN)
Ameline DOUARRE (FRA)
Radhika RADHIKA (IND)
Aurora CAMPAGNA (ITA)
Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ)
Zineb HASSOUNE (MAR)
Anastasiia PAROKHINA (RWF)
Anna FABIAN (SRB)
Hsin Ping PAI (TPE)
Yagmur CAKMAK (TUR)
Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)
Emma Patricia BRUNTIL (USA)

65kg
Albina DRAZHI (ALB)
Birgul SOLTANOVA (AZE)
Alina MAKSIMAVA (BLR)
Izabel Mariyanova HRISTOVA (BUL)
Miki Elizabeth ROWBOTTOM (CAN)
Koumba Selene Fanta LARROQUE (FRA)
Eyleen SEWINA (GER)
Nisha NISHA (IND)
Elena ESPOSITO (ITA)
Aina TEMIRTASSOVA (KAZ)
Winrose ALIVISA (KEN)
Elma ZEIDLERE (LAT)
Kamila Czeslawa KULWICKA (POL)
Dinara KUDAEVA SALIKHOVA (RWF)
Linnea Antonia SVENSSON (SWE)
Khadija JLASSI (TUN)
Asli DEMIR (TUR)
Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR)
Ashlynn Justine ORTEGA (USA)

68kg
Natallia BELSKAYA (BLR)
Kendra Augustine Jocelyne DACHER (FRA)
Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER)
Viktoria FELHO (HUN)
Monika MONIKA (IND)
Albina KAIRGELDINOVA (KAZ)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Vusala PARFIANOVICH (RWF)
Tindra Linnea SJOEBERG (SWE)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Oksana CHUDYK (UKR)
Alyvia Nicole FISKE (USA)

72kg
Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (BLR)
Alexia Rose SHERLAND (CAN)
Lilly SCHNEIDER (GER)
Divya KAKRAN (IND)
Eleni PJOLLAJ (ITA)
Alexandra ZAITSEVA (KAZ)
Kornelija ZAICEVAITE (LTU)
Maria larisa NITU (ROU)
Marina SUROVTSEVA (RWF)
Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK)
Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)
Merve PUL (TUR)
Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR)
Kayla Marie MARANO (USA)

76kg​​​​​
Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR)
Tatiana RENTERIA RENTERIA (COL)
Genesis Rosangela REASCO VALDEZ (ECU)
Bernadett NAGY (HUN)
Bipasha BIPASHA (IND)
Enrica RINALDI (ITA)
Dilnaz MULKINOVA (KAZ)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Diana Elena VLASCEANU (ROU)
Evgeniia ZAKHARCHENKO (RWF)
Andela PRIJOVIC (SRB)
Aysegul OZBEGE (TUR)
Alina RUDNYTSKA LEVYTSKA (UKR)
Kylie Renee WELKER (USA)

#WrestleZagreb

Tevanyan closer to first Euro title, Azerbaijan dominates Day 1

By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (April 17) -- United World Wrestling commentator George RAMM explained what makes Vagzen TEVANYAN (ARM) successful at 65kg. On air for the European Championships, Ramm said that getting close to Tevanyan can prove catastrophic. Rather, one should stay in a standing position and force Tevanyan to open up. Ramm was speaking with experience as he had wrestled Tevanyan in 2019.

One would wish Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) knew this before his semifinal against Tevanyan at 65kg in Zagreb, Croatia. He played into Tevanyan's strengths and suffered a 12-4 loss.

The U23 world champion was wrestling at his first European Championships in four years as he last wrestled in 2019, finishing 11th. But his rise in the ranks in the last two years was once again underlined by his performance on Monday.

Since his last European Championships, Tevanyan has wrestled at the Olympics, won the Individual World Cup in 2020, and won the U23 Worlds in 2022 after being in the final in 2021. So a run to the final in Zagreb was expected.

Tevanyan reached his first-ever European Championships final after a fruitful day as he defeated Joshua FINESILVER (ISR) 10-0 in his opening bout and Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE) 4-1 in the quarterfinals. 

In the semifinal against Arushanian, Tevanyan began with some solid defense before getting an arm drag and go behind, adding a gut wrench for a 4-0 lead. He then sat on that lead for some time even as Arushanian tried finding an opening.

But using his experience, Tevanyan got another takedown and roll to extend his lead 8-0. In the same sequence, he tried to push Arushanian out and thought he did but the Ukrainian hadn't stepped out and scored a takedown to cut the lead to 8-2 at the break.

Tevanyan got a single leg with an exceptional move which he converted into a stepout. Arushanian scored a takedown with a duck under to keep himself in the match, however, his next attempt was blocked by Tevanyan who scored a go behind. He added a stepout to win 12-4.

He will now be looking to place his name among the best in Europe by winning the gold on Tuesday. 

Mikyay NAIM (BUL)Mikyay NAIM (BUL) reached the final at 65kg, confirming his first European medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Mikyay NAIM (BUL) will look to stop Tevanyan from doing so and create history himself by becoming his country's first freestyle European champion in 18 years. By reaching the final, he confirmed his first European medal.

Wrestling Stefan COMAN (ROU) in the semifinal, Naim scored via a step over and cartwheel, giving him four. Coman was also penalized for passivity and he got on a desperate takedown attempt which was easily countered by Naim who moved ahead with a 7-0 win.

With the 65kg defending champion Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) sitting out due to an infection and silver medalist Haji ALIYEV (AZE) moving up to 70kg, it gave a chance for others to seize the opportunity and win the title.

Moments after Naim reached the final, Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL) also reached the final, at 70kg after beating Ihor NYKYFORUK (UKR) 14-4 in the semifinal. He too will have a chance to end the 18-year title drought for Bulgaria on Tuesday.

In the semifinal, it did not look like easy sailing for Ramazanov at the start as Nykyforuk used a trap-arm gut for two and two. But as Nykyforuk fizzled out, Ramazanov got on the scoreboard with a takedown and added a turn using the bow-and-arrow technique. 

An elbow pass in the second period gave him two more, and a gut wrench made it 8-4. Nykyforuk tried an ankle shot but he did not have the energy to stand up and push forward. Ramazanov happily scored a go-behind before closing out the bout 14-4.

With history on the line, Ramazanov will face his toughest test yet in three-time world champion Aliyev who reached the final from the other side of the bracket.

Haji ALIYEV (AZE)Trademark Haji ALIYEV (AZE) escape he performed in the 70kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Though not at 65kg, Aliyev still reached the final for a second consecutive year as he won the 70kg semifinal against Vasile DIACON (MDA) 4-1 and earned a shot at winning his fifth continental title, with the last two coming in 2019, one at European Championships and other at the Games in the same year.

The Tokyo Olympic silver medalist began his season at 70kg, incidentally at the Ranking Series in Zagreb and finished with a silver medal. He was expected to be at 65kg for the Euros but decided against it.

“This is my second tournament of the year,” Aliyev said. “The coaches have decided that I will move to 65kg for the Worlds championships. We were thinking that for this European Championships and other tournaments, it wasn't so important to cut weight. I think I am doing quite good at 70kg as well.”

Indeed that was the case as Aliyev managed to navigate through the field and reach the final with some controlled, yet aggressive wrestling, in Zagreb.

The prime example was in the semifinal as Aliyev teased Diacon, allowing him to get on the single leg on multiple occasions. However, he did not let Diacon score a single point. The only point scored by Diacon was Aliyev's passivity in the first period.

On one occasion, the Moldovan managed to get on a deep shot and transitioned into a standing go behind which Aliyev, as we have seen in the past, flexed his way out of the lock. Diacon was left stunned, thinking about what he needed to do to get Aliyev to give up a point. This is despite Aliyev wrestling at a weight class above his preferred category.

“It's a bit tough for me to wrestle in 70kg weight class,” he said. “They are physically very strong, they usually have to cut 4-5 kilos. I made the decision to wrestle technically and I think I tricked them and won.”

Those tricks were on display in the second period as well. Aliyev scored a takedown and took a step back in the second period, waiting for Diacon to initiate moves. Diacon got hold of Aliyev's legs four times but failed to finish, as if in awe of his fancied opponent's skills to defend every shot.

Aliyev managed a late takedown with a misdirection shot and got the 4-1 win, reaching his second straight final moments after another of his teammate did the same.

“The guy who qualified for the 57kg final was also at the European final last year,” he said about Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE). “I think we will have two more finalists today at 79kg and 97kg. Four finalists for us on the first day is okay.”

Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) made it to back-to-back European finals at 57kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Aliyev was off by one though in his prediction. Apart from Rzazade, Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) reached the final at 97kg while Sabuhi AMIRASLANOV (AZE) suffered a defeat in the 79kg semifinal.

Rzazade will have a chance to win his first European Championships gold medal after returning to the final. He finished with a silver medal in 2022.

Rzazade dealt with a stiff semifinal against Simone PIRODDU (ITA) who almost upset the former U23 world champion.

After knocking off Horst LEHR (GER) via fall in the quarterfinal, Rzazade would have wished for an easier path to the final but Piroddu put on a fight despite giving up the first six points.

Rzazade burst into action with the word go and locked Piroddu's hands to get exposure for two. He then got a takedown and high gut for a 6-0 lead. At this point, Piroddu looked clueless. He took some time to regain his composure and then got to business, scoring a single-leg takedown to make it 6-2. A duck under made it 6-4 before Piroddu added a roll with an ankle pick to lead 6-6 criteria.

Piroddu began the second period with stepout to get an outright 7-6 lead. That was short-lived as Rzazade got a takedown but Piroddu scored a reversal. The lead, however, had switched hands and Rzazade led 8-8 on criteria. 

A duck under attempt from Piroddu is countered by Rzazade with a chest wrap throw. It was scored two but Azerbaijan challenged the call and on review, it was changed to four points as he got the move from standing. It was easy to defend the 12-8 score from there and make the final.

Rzazade, who lost to Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) in the final last year, will face Suleyman ATLI (TUR), an even more challenging opponent.

Suleyman ATLI (TUR)Suleyman ATLI (TUR) reached his fifth straight European finals on Monday. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

A consistent performer at the European Championships, Atli reached his fifth straight final at the tournament and will now be looking for his third title. He had performed at 61kg last year and finished with a silver medal.

Fresh off the Ranking Series win in Alexandria, Atli scored a thrilling 5-4 win over Georgi VANGELOV (BUL) before dispatching Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO) 13-1 in the semifinal.

Atli broke the deadlock with a takedown before Dingashvili scored a stepout to make it 2-1 at the break. But Atli broke loose in the second period with a deep shot and made it into a double leg to get two. He added two rolls to lead 8-1. He then scored a back exposure four to win 12-1. Georgia challenged and lost, adding one more point to the score.

Of the two silver medalists from the last edition, one is guaranteed gold this year.

Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE)Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) hits a double leg on Vladislav BAITCAEV (HUN) in the semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Magomed will be looking to defend his 97kg title as he faces Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) in the final Tuesday.

In a near-perfect performance on Monday, Magomed defeated Benjamin HONIS (ITA) 12-2, Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) 11-0 and Vladislav BAITCAEV (HUN) 6-0 in his three bouts.

Baitcaev and Magomed met in finals last year which the latter won and the story was similar on Monday as he defeated Baitcaev in the semifinal without much trouble.

He shot for a double leg early in the semifinal and then managed to turn Baitcaev just inside the zone to lead 4-0 at the break. Baitcaev never looked like in the bout and gave up another double in the second period and Magomed's 6-0 win took him to the finals.

Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO)Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) defeated Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR) to reach the final at 97kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Matcharashvili will look to upset Magomed in what will be the battle of two world bronze medalists from 2022. The Georgian will fancy his chances against Magomedkhan, going by his performance so far.

He began with an 11-0 win over Radu LEFTER (MDA) before eking out a 4-3 win over Ibrahim CIFCTI (TUR) in the quarterfinals. Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR) was the next to fall against Matcharashvili in the semifinal.

Mchedlidze was called passive in the semifinal which gave the opening point to Matcharashvili who then got an outside single and scored a takedown after some resistance from Mchedlidze.

He got three turns from par terre and made it 9-0 and was interrupted on the fourth attempt as the time ran out. He gave up a stepout in the second period but that was all as he clinched the semifinal 9-1.

Earlier in the day, Mchedlidze stunned world silver medalist Batyrbek TCAKULOV (SVK) 6-4 in the opening round. Tcakulov was put on the shot clock and as he tried to shoot, Mchedlidze threw his legs behind and circled to score a takedown. He added two gut wrenches to lead 5-0.

Tcakulov got a double in the second period but failed to tie a leg lace and the two wrestlers went back into neutral. After spending too much time trying to find a way to score, Tcakulov hit another double-leg attack but Mchedlidze had his arm around Tcakulov's leg. He did get the two points to close the gap to 5-4 but had only 22 seconds to score a point and win.

Mchedlidze did enough to not get called by the referee for fleeing and Tcakulov failed to get any points. He did challenge a final scramble, hoping for a stepout but it was not to be.

Comeback kid

In what was the match of the day, defending champion Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) rallied from 10-2 to beat Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) 12-10 in an epic semifinal at 79kg.

Kougioumtsidis fell behind after Avagyan scored a takedown in the period. But both wrestlers were happy to keep it slow for the remaining time of the first period, a trend in their previous bouts as well.

But all hell broke loose in the second period as Avagyan went for a stunning ankle pick. He did not get any points but never let go of Kougioumtsidis' leg, ultimately scoring a takedown using a trip and adding a roll to make it 6-0 with 2:20 remaining on the clock.

Kougioumtsidids got on a single leg but Avagyan used back exposure to score four points to win 10-0. However, Greece challenged and won as the review showed that Kougioumtsidis also got exposure over Avagyan. He was awarded two points and Avagyan now led 10-2. This was with 1:58 remaining in the bout.

Avagyan then went into defensive as he struggled for breath and Kougioumtsidis scored a takedown by stepping over to cut the lead to 10-4. Both wrestlers were hand locked for a few seconds before Kougioumtsidis got the takedown. He did not try any other move and asked for the neutral position with 38 seconds left.

Kougioumtsidis got a go behind with 24 seconds and added two trap-arm guts even as Avagyan tried defending the roll. The match had turned on its head as Kougioumtsidis now led 12-10 with just 12 seconds left. Avagyan sat in disbelief as Kougioumtsidis celebrated an unexpected win after the 10-2 scoreline.

This was in contrast to the U23 World Championships bronze medal bout which Avagyan won 6-4 in October 2022. More recently, Avagyan defeated Kougioumtsidis 13-7 in the repechage of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series event.

Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR)Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) reached the final at 79kg after beating Sabuhi AMIRASLANOV (AZE). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Kougioumtsidis will now wrestle Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) in the final as the latter defeated 
Sabuhi AMIRASLANOV (AZE) 5-2 in the other semifinal.

Amiraslanov reached the semifinal after beating U23 world champion Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) 10-0 while Mykhailov defeated Hetik CABOLOV (SRB) 8-1.

Mykhailov and Amiraslanov did not have a thrilling semifinal as the former controlled much of the action against an injured Amiraslanov who never felt he could complete the bout.

Mykhailov will be starting out as the favorite against Kougioumtsidis as he defeated the U23 European champion 10-0 twice last year -- in the quarterfinal of the World Championships and at the Matteo Pellicone.

sf

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) vs. Suleyman ATLI (TUR)

SF 1: Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) df. Simone PIRODDU (ITA), 12-8
SF 2: Suleyman ATLI (TUR) df. Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO), 13-1

65kg
GOLD: Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) vs. Mikyay NAIM (BUL) 

SF 1: Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) df. Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR), 12-4
SF 2: Mikyay NAIM (BUL) df. Stefan COMAN (ROU), 7-0

70kg
GOLD:  Haji ALIYEV (AZE) vs. Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL)

SF 1: Haji ALIYEV (AZE) df. Vasile DIACON (MDA), 4-1
SF 2: Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL) df. Ihor NYKYFORUK (UKR), 14-4

79kg
GOLD: Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) vs. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)

SF 1: Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) df. Sabuhi AMIRASLANOV (AZE), 5-2
SF 2: Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) df. Arman AVAGYAN (ARM), 12-10

97kg
GOLD: Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) vs. Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE)

SF 1: Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) df. Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR), 9-1
SF 2: Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) df. Vladislav BAITCAEV (HUN), 6-0