#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)

#WrestleBucharest

Kayaalp reaches European final; Nazaryan, Abuladze stunned

By Vinay Siwach

BUCHAREST, Romania (February 12) -- Riza KAYAALP (TUR) took a step closer to a record 13th European title after reaching the 130kg final on the first day of the European Championships which began in Bucharest Monday.

The defending champion has won the gold medal at the European Championships, tying him with Aleksandar KARELIN and a win Tuesday in the final will make him the most successful wrestler in the continent.

For the gold medal, Kayaalp will take on Sergei SEMENOV (AIN), a bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics.

Four other Greco-Roman weight classes were also in action on Monday. Three defending champions failed to advance to the finals of their respective weight classes. Adem UZUN (TUR) dropped his quarterfinal at 55kg, Leri ABULADZE (GEO) lost to Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) at 63kg while Istvan TAKACS (HUN) lost to Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB) in the 1/8th final.

The only defending champion to make it to the final apart from Kayaalp was Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) at 77kg. He defeated Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) 2-1 in the semifinal and will take on Yunus BASAR (TUR) for the gold medal.

Kayaalp was up against Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) in the semifinal and trailed 2-0 at the break. But he began the second period with a stepout before getting the point for par terre. He reached the final with a 2-2 win.

Semenov defeated Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) 2-1 in the semifinal as he also scored an extra stepout against Kajaia's par terre point.

Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) defeated Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) 2-1 in the semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In a low-scoring bout, Amoyan scored a crucial pushout in the first period and then put up a strong defense in the second period to win 2-1. He got the first par terre advantage and added a stepout point from that position. Gutu got it in the second period but he was not able to score any points.

The gold-medal bout will see Amoyan take on Yunus BASAR (TUR), a repeat of the semifinal from last year that Amoyan won 6-1. Basar's path to the final included a win over 72kg world champion Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) in the qualification round. Basar held off Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) 3-1 in the last-four bout.

Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB)Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB) won his quarterfinal against Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) 3-1. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 87kg, world champion Ali CENGIZ (TUR) will try to win his first European title as he takes on Aleksandar KOMAROV (SRB) in the final. Cengiz defeated Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN) in the semifinal 4-1 while Komarov reached the gold medal bout after beating Islam ABBASOV (AZE) 3-1 in the semifinal.

Komarov, who first wrestled at the senior level at the European Championships in 2019 in Bucharest, looks to make his return to the city golden.

"My first time wrestling at a senior-level competition was back in 2019 in Bucharest," Komarov said. "Now I am back after five years and I want to win the gold medal. It’s my dream."

But the Zagreb Open Ranking Series bronze medalist accepted that it was a tough day in the office for him. In the pre-quarterfinals, Komarov defeated defending champion Istvan TAKACS (HUN), and stopped Olympic champion Zhan BELENUIK (UKR) in the quarterfinals before beating Abbasov.

"It’s been a tough day today," he said.

Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR)Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) stunned Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) 9-5 in the 63kg semifinal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The biggest upset of the day came in the 63kg semifinal as Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) stunned Nazaryan 9-5 in a comeback victory. Nazaryan managed to take a 5-0 lead after getting the par terre advantage but Hrushyn scored a big four and then got a par terre advantage to lead 5-5 on criteria. Nazaryan tried to get a body lock but failed. Hrushyn countered one of his attempts and scored a takedown and another in the dying moments to win 9-5.

"The semifinal went almost as I planned it," Hrushyn said. "Except for the first par terre, I was expecting a different move. I was planning to do something in a standing position. I am confident that functionally I am well-prepared, better than many other wrestlers here. I was counting on that."

Hrushyn has made it to his first European Championships final but he won a bronze medal in 2022. But he is not contended with silver and hopes to win his first gold on Tuesday.

"This is my first ever European final," he said. "Not a step back, just forward. That’s it. I will prepare the same way. It’s a European Championships, so no easy opponents."

Earlier in the day, Nazaryan faced world champion Abuladze in the quarterfinal and came out with a 3-0 win. He used an arm-throw to score but Abuladze stopped him from completing the throw. As Nazaryan landed first, Abuladze was awarded two points but Bulgaria challenged the decision. On review, the judges ruled that Abuladze blocked Nazaryan and restarted the bout in par terre. Abuladze was quick to stand up but he was later warned for passivity, giving one more point to Nazaryan who led 3-0 at the break. No points were scored in the second period and Nazaryan won 3-0. But his run was cut short by Hrushyn.

For the gold medal, Hryshyn will face Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), who reached his second straight European Championships after beating Anvar ALLAKHAROV (AIN) 3-3. Till the final 30 seconds of the bout, Allakharov was destined to reach the final as he was leading 3-1. But Mammadov received a late par terre advantage, with just 40 seconds left on the clock.

Allakharov, struggling with his conditioning, failed to stop a par terre turn and conceded a 3-3 criteria lead. Mammadov kept his distance from Allakharov for the remaining time in the bout.

At 55kg, Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) failed to break his Azerbaijan curse as he suffered a 5-1 loss to Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) in the semifinals. In his previous outings, he has lost to world champion Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE). Mammadov will now face Artium DELEANU (MDA) for the gold medal as he won 2-2 on criteria against Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM).

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RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. Artium DELEANU (MDA)

SF 1: Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO), 5-1
SF 2: Artium DELEANU (MDA) df. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 2-2

63kg
GOLD: Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) vs. Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR)

SF 1: Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (AIN), 3-3
SF 2: Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) df. Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL), 9-5

77kg
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) vs. Yunus BASAR (TUR)

SF 1: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), 2-1
SF 2: Yunus BASAR (TUR) df. Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO), 3-1

87kg
GOLD: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) vs. Ali CENGIZ (TUR)

SF 1: Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) df. Islam ABBASOV (AZE), 3-1
SF 2: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. Kiryl MASKEVICH (AIN), 4-1

130kg
GOLD: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) vs. Sergei SEMENOV (AIN)

SF 1: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 2-2
SF 2: Sergei SEMENOV (AIN) df. Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO), 2-1