#WrestleBudapest

#WrestleBudapest: Ranking points up for grabs at European Championships

By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (March 23) -- Next week's European Championships will provide wrestlers with another massive opportunity to score ranking points. After the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series event in Turkey last month, this is wrestling's second event of the year.

The Budapest event will also be the first time that Continental Championships will utilize the four-seeded wrestler system.

The points awarded at the Continental Championships are different than the Ranking Series events. However, additional points remain the same for both.

The points accumulated by Ranking Series events and Continental Championships will be used to decide the seeds for the World Championships to be held in Belgrade, Serbia in September.

Ranking Points for Continental Championships:
1st Place: 10,000 points
2nd Place: 8,000 points
3rd Place: 6,500 points
4th Place: 5,800 points
5th Place: 5,000 points
6th Place: 4,700 points
7th Place: 4,400 points
8th Place: 4,000 points
9th Place: 3,500 points
10th Place: 3,100 points
11th Place: 1,000 points
12th Place: 800 points
13th Place: 600 points
14th Place: 400 points
15th Place: 200 points
16th Place: 100 points

The wrestlers who can gain the most through medals at the European Championships are as follows.

Arsen HarutyunyanArsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) will be the top seed at 61kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan) 

57kg (12 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Vladimir EGOROV (MKD)
No. 2 Mikyay NAIM (BUL)
No. 3 Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO)
No. 4 Muhammet KARAVUS (TUR)

Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) has the best chance to jump up in the rankings. Currently, he's ranked 15th with 17000 points. He will jump to ninth-place with a top-two finish. However, if he finishes with a bronze medal, he'll still be ranked 10th.

Mikyay NAIM (BUL) [15500 points] is also in a similar position as a gold medal would take him to ninth place. If he wrestles Egorov in the final, the Bulgarian has to win to get a better ranking.

Georgia's Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO) is currently ranked 21st with 11400 points. A gold could help him break into the top-15.

Muhammet KARAVUS (TUR) can also break into the top-15 with a gold medal finish in Budapest but has to hope that other results also go in his favor.

61kg (14 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)
No. 2 Georgi VANGELOV (BUL)
No. 3 Suleyman ATLI (TUR)
No. 4 Eduard GRIGOREV (POL)

Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) will be looking to win his first continental title at the senior level. He is currently ranked fourth and his historic title will take him to second rank. An addition of 13000 points can take his tally from 31000 points to 44000 points, just 1000 shy of top-ranked Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RWF).

With 18200 points, Georgi VANGELOV (BUL) can also break into the top-four by winning gold. An addition of 13000 points will take him to 31200 points. That'd move him into the fourth position. Silver, however, will take him to the fifth position.

A favorite to win the title is Suleyman ATLI (TUR). He's ranked 18th with 8520 points, but a run to the final will take him to the seventh position, irrespective of a win or loss.

The same is true for Eduard GRIGOREV (POL) but he will have to rise above expectations for that result.

65kg (12 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Haji ALIYEV (AZE)
No. 2 Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
No. 3 Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN)
No. 4 Beka LOMTADZE (GEO)

Top-seeded Haji ALIYEV (AZE) has 41400 points and is ranked fourth in the world. He can improve to second by winning gold. The 13000 points will help him overtake Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) [51000 points] and Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) [53500 points]. However, he will be third with silver and remain fourth with any other result.

Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL), ranked 10th, has 25000 points and can remove Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) at fifth by winning the gold medal.

Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) is ranked 11th with 23000 points and he will be seventh if he can win gold in Budapest. He will remain at the same rank if he fails to win a medal.

Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) is ranked 28th but can break into top-15 with gold.

70kg (16 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO)
No. 2 Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM)
No. 3 Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA)

Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO) won the bronze medal at the Yasar Dogu to climb up to the third position. Now, he's seeded first at the 70lg. Currently, he has 41200 points and will overtake first-placed Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ), who has 45520 points, even with a ninth-place finish.

Ranked sixth with 25000 points, Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) will be ranked fourth if he can finish 10th or better.

Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA) is ranked 20th but will be in the top-eight if he can reach the medal bouts in Budapest.

74kg (17 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)
No. 2 Frank CHAMIZO (ITA)
No. 3 Hetik CABOLOV (SRB)
No. 4 Ali UMARPASHAEV (BUL)

After winning silver at the World Championships in Oslo, Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) will be wrestling for the first time after the break. He has 37000 points and is ranked fifth but can be second if he wins the gold medal in Budapest. He is guaranteed to be ranked third after the competition.

Two-time world champion Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) will be competing for the first time since the Olympics. He's the 11th ranked wrestler with 23000 points has a chance to break into the top-six by winning any medal.

Ranked 12th, Hetik CABOLOV (SRB) will be a top-10 wrestler if he can wrestle for a medal in Budapest.

Ali UMARPASHAEV (BUL), ranked 15th with 15500 points, will also be a top-10 ranked if he can wrestle for a medal but also hope that Cabolov does not reach the medal bouts.

Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) and Soner DEMITRAS (TUR), ranked 16th and 19th, respectively, also fall in the same category but they need to win gold to be in the top-10.

Myles AMINETokyo bronze medalist Myles AMINE (SMR) is the top seed at 86kg. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

79kg (15 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Arman AVAGYAN (ARM)
No. 2 Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
No. 3 Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA)
No. 4 Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)

Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) is ranked fifth with 25000 points and can be ranked two by the end of the tournament if he can win the gold medal. That will take him to 38000 points, 1000 points more than the current second-ranked Mohammad NOKHODILARIMI (IRI). A top-10 finish will take him to third rank irrespective of other wrestlers winning any medal.

The U23 European champion Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) has 18200 points and is ranked seventh. Gold will take him to fourth place but even wrestling for a medal will take him to fifth position. However, he is unlikely to overtake Avagyan in the rankings.

Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA), ranked 11th and 17th Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) can move up to seventh or above if they can win at least a bronze medal.

86kg (16 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Myles AMINE (SMR)
No. 2 Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
No. 3 Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
No. 4 Osman GOCEN (TUR)

Just like the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series event, there will be no change in the top-three positions at 86kg. The fourth position is up for grabs as Tokyo bronze medalist Myles AMINE (SMR) holds that with 34200 points.

Oslo bronze medalist Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) is ranked fifth [31000 points], Boris MAKOEV (SVK) is sixth with 29600 points and Osman GOCEN (TUR) is seventh with 26500 points.

Amine can secure fourth place by reaching the final. If Abakarov wins the gold and Amine fails to reach the final, the Azerbaijan wrestler will be ranked fourth after the tournament.

Makoev and Gocen have to hope for Amine's medalless return to climb a spot in the ranking. Gocen can jump over Makoev if he reaches the final and the Slovak wrestler fails to win a medal.

Depending on the aforementioned four finish, Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA) has a chance to be in the top-five.

92kg (10 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)
No. 2 Georgii RUBAEV (MDA)
No. 3 Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO)

Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), who won a bronze in Oslo and is ranked fourth with 31000 points, is likely to move to the second spot. All he has to do is win a medal in Budapest. That will take him past Magomed KURBANOV (RWF) who has 37000 points.

Georgii RUBAEV (MDA) at 14th will move to seventh if he can win a gold medal. He won't be able to break into the top-10 if he finishes with bronze or less.

Ranked 23rd, Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) will break into top-15 if he can win a medal.

97kg (11 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD)
No. 2 Radu LEFTER (MDA)
No. 3 Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO)
No. 4 Burak SAHIN (TUR)

Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD), ranked sixth with 31700 points, has the chance to be ranked third if he can win at least a bronze medal.

There won't be a big shift in the rankings as Radu LEFTER (MDA) [17000 points] can only move from 13th to 11th even if he wins gold.

Veteran Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) is ranked 15th and the best he can reach is 12th rank.

Burak SAHIN (TUR) is ranked 24th with 7000 points and can only reach 16th rank with the top medal.

125kg (13 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)
No. 2 Taha AKGUL (TUR)
No. 3 Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER)
No. 4 Robert BARAN (POL)

World and Olympic silver medalist Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) [78400 points] and bronze medalist from the same events Taha AKGUL (TUR) [78200 points] are ranked second and third, respectively, with only 200 points separating them.

Given the two can only meet in the final, the wrestler winning the gold will be ranked second after the competition.

Eighth-placed Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER) with 23200 points can only move to seventh even if he reaches the final while 15th ranked Robert BARAN (POL) can break into the top-10 if he manages to reach the final.

Epp MAEEpp MAE (EST), blue, and Yasmine ADAR (TUR) are the top two seeds at 76kg. (Photo: UWW / Max Rose-Fyne)

Women's Wrestling

50kg (11 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Emilia VUC (ROU)
No. 2 Miglena SELISHKA (BUL)
No. 3 Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
No. 4 Evin DEMIRHAN YAVUZ (TUR)

Emilia VUC (ROU) managed to jump to the fourth spot after winning gold at the Yasar Dogu event and now she has a chance to reach the second spot. A gold medal in Budapest will improve her tally from 42600 points to 52600 points.

Fifth-ranked Miglena SELISHKA (BUL) trails Vuc by only 700 points. The second rank will be taken by whoever finishes better in the tournament.

Anna LUKASIAK (POL), ranked 18th with 13600 points, and Evin DEMIRHAN YAVUZ (TUR), ranked 20th with 11600 points, will move upwards in the rankings.

53kg (11 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
No. 2 Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)
No. 3 Emma MALMGREN (SWE)
No. 4 Annika WENDLE (GER)

Iulia LEORDA (MDA) is at the third spot with 47200 points and can dethrone top-ranked Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) [56200 points] by winning a gold medal. Any finish with second to eighth will take her to the second spot.

Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) is ranked ninth with 31000 points and can only improve to sixth even if she wins the gold.

The 11th ranked junior world champion Emma MALMGREN (SWE) can improve to seventh by winning gold in Budapest and the same is true for Annika WENDLE (GER), who is currently ranked 12th.

55kg (9 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)
No. 2 Andreea ANA (ROU)

Ranked third at 55kg, Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) has 29000 points and a medal will take her to second spot. But she cannot reach the top as Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) has 43000 points.

U23 European champion Andreea ANA (ROU) has 16200 points at the eighth spot and a gold or silver will help her improve to the fifth spot.

57kg (9 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL)
No. 2 Anhelina LYSAK (POL)
No. 3 Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER)
No. 4 Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)

The winner of the Ranking Series event in Istanbul Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) [64200 points] will have a chance to consolidate her second spot with a gold. Top-ranked Helen MAROULIS (USA) is unsurpassable at the moment as she has 79200 points.

No other big moves are expected but 21st ranked Anhelina LYSAK (POL), 22nd ranked Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER) and 31st ranked Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) are likely to move up in the rankings.

59kg (9 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)
No. 2 Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)
No. 3 Jowita WRZESIEN (POL)
No. 4 Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)

Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) is ranked first in the weight class with 45000 points and is unlikely to be bothered by any other wrestler.

However, seventh-ranked Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) [22500 points] can improve her rank with a medal finish.

Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) [16400 points], who is ranked 10th, and 12th ranked Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) [11000 points] can only improve to the eighth position.

Taybe YUSEINTaybe YUSEIN (BUL) is the top seed at 62kg for the European Championships. (Photo: UWW / Tony Rotundo)

62kg (12 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Taybe YUSEIN (BUL)
No. 2 Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR)
No. 3 Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)

Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), ranked third with 43200 points, has to reach the final in Budapest to overtake second-ranked Olympic champion Yukako KAWAI (JPN) [51000 points].

Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) is ranked ninth with 25000 points. A gold will improve her rank to sixth. Anything less than a bronze finish will not help the Ukrainian improve her rankings.

Luisa NIEMESCH (GER), ranked 20th, will jump to the 13th spot if she can reach the medal bouts.

65kg (6 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Kriszta INCZE (ROU)
No. 2 Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
No. 3 Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)
No. 4 Asli TUGCU (TUR)

Kriszta INCZE (ROU), ranked 10th with 16720 points, and Elis MANOLOVA (AZE), ranked 11th with 16400 points, can jump to the fifth spot with a gold. The better finish among the two will take the fifth spot while any other finish will help them reach the seventh spot.

Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) has 9000 points at 16th and even gold can only help her to 11th spot.

Asli TUGCU (TUR) is in a similar situation to Rizkho but is ranked three places below.

68kg (8 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
No. 2 Natalia STRZALKA (POL)

Two wrestlers have a chance to improve their rankings at 68kg as Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) can move from seventh to fifth by reaching the final.

Natalia STRZALKA (POL), who is ranked 19th, can move to 11th after the tournament if she wins the gold, 13th by winning a silver or bronze.

World champion at 65kg Irina RINGACI (MDA) will be the favorite to win the gold in Budapest and she can debut at the 17th position in the rankings.

72kg (9 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Anna SCHELL (GER)
No. 2 Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR)
No. 3 Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU)

After their intense battle in Istanbul, Anna SCHELL (GER) and Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR) are likely to resume their rivalry in Budapest. The two can only meet in the final and third-ranked Schell is guaranteed the top spot if she reached the gold-medal bout.

Fourth-ranked Tosun has no luck when it comes to rankings. She will remain at the fourth spot even if she wins the gold medal. She will have 43000 points and be tied with world champion Masako FURUICHI (JPN) and silver medalist Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ). Since Bosun won a bronze, she cannot go over the two finalists in Oslo.

No. 15 Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) has a good chance to break into the top-10 if she can reach the final. Even a bronze will take her to the 11th spot.

76kg (12 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Epp MAEE (EST)
No. 2 Yasemin ADAR (TUR)
No. 3 Anastasiia OSNIACH SHUSTOVA (UKR)
No. 4 Francy RAEDELT (GER)

World silver medalist Epp MAEE (EST) is ranked with 52000 points and she can only better her points in Budapest. No wrestler can overtake her but she also cannot overtake top-ranked Adeline GRAY (USA) and second-ranked Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ).

Olympic bronze medalist Yasemin ADAR (TUR), ranked sixth, Anastasiia OSNIACH SHUSTOVA (UKR), ranked eighth, and Francy RAEDELT (GER), ranked 12th, are also unaffected by any results in the tournament.

Hasrat JAFAROVU23 world champ Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) will be seeded second at 67kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman

55kg (10 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)
No. 2Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
No. 3 Fabian SCHMITT (GER)

Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) and Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) are ranked third and fourth, respectively, and both have 29000 points each. Both have a chance to be second if they can win at least a bronze medal. Whoever finishes ahead of the other will be ranked higher after the tournament.

No other wrestler can overtake the pair however Fabian SCHMITT (GER), ranked 10th, can jump to seventh with a medal finish in Budapest.

60kg (15 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
No. 2 Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)
No. 3 Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)
No. 4 Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU)

Murad MAMMADOV (AZE), ranked seventh with 31000 points, and Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM), ranked ninth with 25000 points, can jump to the fifth spot if they win the gold. But Mammadov only needs to finish at least 14th to get that spot while Gharibyan needs to win gold to do the same.

24th ranked Razvan ARNAUT (ROU) and 27th ranked Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU) will improve their rankings in Budapest.

63kg (12 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
No. 2 Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)
No. 3 Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
No. 4 Victor CIOBANU (MDA)

Leri ABULADZE (GEO) is a world silver medalist and ranked second with 37000 points. He can be ranked first above world champ Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) if he wins gold in Budapest.

Fifth-ranked Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) has 30200 points and he will jump to the third spot after the competition if he finishes in the top-10. If he wants to be second, he has to win at least silver and hope Abuladze doesn't finish better than 10th.

15th ranked Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) will break into the top-10 if he can reach the final as he currently has 6600 points and can add at least 8000 points.

60kg world champ Victor CIOBANU (MDA) has 6400 points at the 16th rank and if he wins the gold, he can be ranked 10th.

67kg (18 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO)
No. 2 Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
No. 3 Murat FIRAT (TUR)
No. 4 Morten THORESEN (NOR)

World bronze medalist Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) has 56000 points at second rank and he will not make any move in the ranking. However, he will move closer to Olympic and World champion Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) who has 98000 points.

Junior and U23 world champion Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) and Murat FIRAT (TUR) are ranked ninth and 10th with 25000 points. Both can improve to fourth by reaching the final.

Morten THORESEN (NOR) has 21900 points at 12th place and at least a bronze medal in Budapest can help him to ninth spot.

72kg (16 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU)
No. 2 Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL)
No. 3 Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR)
No. 4 Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)

Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) won a bronze in Istanbul to reach the second spot and now has a chance to be ranked number one if he can finish in the top-10 in Budapest.

Fourth-placed Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL) has 31000 points and can jump to third place by winning a bronze medal. Sixth and seventh-ranked Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) and Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) can jump to fourth place.

Sanan SULEYMANOVSanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) is the top seeded wrestler at 77kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

77kg (17 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
No. 2 Viktor NEMES (SRB)
No. 3 Yunus BASAR (TUR)
No. 4 Oliver KRUEGER (DEN)

World silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) has a chance to be number one in the category. Currently third with 46400 points, the Azerbaijan wrestler needs to finish eighth or better in Budapest to surpass second-ranked Tamas LORINCZ (HUN) and top-ranked Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI).

If ninth-ranked Viktor NEMES (SRB) can reach the medal bouts, he will reach the sixth spot after the competition.

Yunus BASAR (TUR), ranked 21st, and Oliver KRUEGER (DEN), ranked 22nd, will have a chance to improve their rankings.

World champ at 72kg Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) will be wrestling at 77kg and if he wins the gold, he will debut in the rankings at the 19th spot.

82kg (18 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
No. 2 Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)
No. 3 Ranet KALJOLA (EST)
No. 4 Mihail BRADU (MDA)

Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) and Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) will once again battle for the top spot at 82kg. The former won the World Championships defeating Akbudak while the Turkey wrestler won the Ranking Series in Istanbul.

The Olympic bronze medalist has 50200 points at the top while Akbudak has 45000 points. Akbudak winning gold and Huseynov failing to finish on the podium is the only way Akbudak can overtake Huseynov for the top rank.

If the eighth-ranked Ranet KALJOLA (EST) can surprise everyone and reach the final and win, he will be ranked third in the rankings.

Mihail BRADU (MDA) is ranked 15th with 6400 points. He can break into the top-10 with at least a bronze in Budapest.

87kg (15 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB)
No. 2 Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL)
No. 3 Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN)
No. 4 Metehan BASAR (TUR)

He may have lost in Istanbul but world champion Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) remains the number one at 87kg. He will remain undisputed in Budapest as well.

Sixth-ranked Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) can reach the third spot if he manages to reach the final. He will add enough points to his 34520 points to jump over Viktor LORINCZ (HUN), Kiryl MASKEVICH (BWF) and Lasha GOBADZE (GEO).

Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN) has 25000 points at the eighth spot and will only move to seventh even if he wins the gold. If he fails to do so, and 12th ranked Metehan BASAR (TUR) finishes above him, Basar will be ranked seventh.

Islam ABBASOV (AZE) won the gold in Istanbul over Datunashvili and if he can repeat the performance, he will improve his 19th rank to ninth in the rankings.

97kg (18 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN)
No. 2 Kiril MILOV (BUL)
No. 3 Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA)
No. 4 Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU)

Tokyo Olympics fifth-placer Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) has a chance to jump from seventh to in the rankings if he can reach the final. A bronze will help him to the fifth spot.

10th placed Kiril MILOV (BUL) can improve to sixth if he wins any medal while 11th ranked Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) can jump to ninth with bronze or better finish.

Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU), ranked 13th with 22100 points, will break into the top-10 after the tournament.

Felix BALDAUF (Norway) is ranked 21st and can improve to 11th with a gold medal in Budapest.

130kg (15 participants)

Seeds:
No. 1 Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
No. 2 Riza KAYAALP (TUR)
No. 3 Oskar MARVIK (NOR)
No. 4 Beka KANDELAKI (AZE)

Olympic silver and world bronze medalist Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) is the top-ranked wrestler at 130kg with 72400 points and he will remain at the same spot after the tournament.

Greco-Roman legend Riza KAYAALP (TUR) will be ranked second if he can finish with any medal in Budapest.

Bronze medalist in Oslo Oskar MARVIK (NOR) will improve from his ninth rank to sixth if he can manage a top-10 finish while 10th ranked Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), who pinned Kayaalp in Istanbul, can be ranked eighth with at least a bronze.

#WrestleBudapest

#WrestleBudapest: Ukraine wins two golds on emotional day

By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (April 1) -- Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) was one of the 22-member Ukrainian team that gathered in Lviv, Ukraine on March 10.

After a traumatizing three-day journey by road, she reached Lviv and along with the team, stayed in the city for four days before leaving for Budapest, Hungary for a training camp. But as they left their homes and families behind, no one was able to concentrate on training at the camp in Budapest before the European Championships.

No one knew if they would ever return to their home, and like Akobiia, other wrestlers also spent some emotional days training in Budapest.

Those memories came bursting out of them as Akobiia claimed the first gold of the tournament for Ukraine and the chants of 'Ukarina, Ukarina' filled the Bok Sports Hall.

“I still can’t believe I’ve won the gold medal of the senior European championship," Akobiia said. "I’ve come through a tough way and a lot of people have helped me. But now, all of Ukraine has helped me. I am really happy."

Akobiia stunned Tokyo bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) in the 57kg final to claim the first gold of the tournament for her country. She was trailing 2-2 when Akobiia tripped Nikolova for four points with 39 seconds remaining. She won the final, 6-2.

Nikolova had been on an incredible run of seven wins via pin and it looked that Akobiia would be her latest victim but the Ukrainian managed to overpower Nikolova at the right time.

This was Akobiia's first-ever gold medal at the senior championships and it could not have been more special, as she dedicated the medal to Ukraine.

"I want to dedicate my gold to my parents and to my motherland Ukraine. These are the closest things to me," she said.

The fact that the team did not have a place to train until being allowed to train in Budapest made the 22-year-old's feat even more incredible. 

“It was really difficult to prepare mentally," she said. "Sometimes I would give up, but then I believed in myself again. My friends didn’t let me lose heart. I believed till the end that I could make it happen.

"Nobody even planned to go to the European Championships, we just wanted to save our lives. My family is still there and we worry a lot for them. But I am here and I am happy that I have proved that I am the strongest in this weight class."

Tetiana RIZHKOTetiana RIZHKO (UKR) pinned Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) in the 65kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The second gold medal for the team went to Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) who pinned Tokyo Olympian Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) inside two minutes to win her maiden senior European gold. That medal from Rizhko sent another wave of emotional reactions not only in the Ukraine team but also in the stadium.

"It took me four days to reach Lviv, then we stayed there for three days because we couldn’t leave, then we came here to Hungary, we spent two weeks in a training camp," Rizhko said. "The wrestling association helped us a lot, the national team coaches who organized this trip. We have two gold."

Talking about her final, the Ukrainian said that she did not expect her to pin Manolova.

"I didn’t expect I would pin her so fast because the final was tough as there is high competition in my weight class," she said. "I am full of emotions. I am so glad we have such coaches and girls who came here with us."

Accompanying the team is the 2014 World Champions Yulia TAKCH (UKR), Tokyo medalist Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), Tetyana KIT (UKR) and Oksana LIVACH (UKR) among others.

Since the team is a mix of young wrestlers as well, the senior wrestlers had to care for the younger ones.

"I had to distract the younger girls so they don't think about what is going on," Livach said. "We had to go through a lot and stay in shelters for two weeks. It was very emotional for everyone in the training."

But they did forget the difficult times, though momentarily, as the team ceremony happened.

"When the flag of Ukraine was going up, all I could think was about what the girls have done to reach here," Takch said. "The second place is still the first for us."

Emma MALMGRENJunior world champion Emma MALMGREN (SWE) won the 53kg gold in Budapest. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In other finals, junior world champion Emma MALMGREN (SWE) defeated three-time Olympian Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE), 3-2, to win the gold medal at 53kg. 

The 20-year-old Malmgren trailed Prevolarki 2-2 at the break but she got a point for inactivity from Prevolaraki to lead 3-2 in the second period.

She defended that lead till the end to win Sweden's first gold at the senior European Championships after four years.

"It feels unreal for me to stand here," she said. "This has been a dream for me and I have worked so hard to stand here. So it feels good to walk home with the gold medal."

Malmgren had Yuliya RATKEVICH (AZE), who wrestled the Greek wrestler at the London Olympics, in her corner, and before the final, the two had a chat about how to tackle the veteran.

"We had a good plan before the match I just kept to it," she said. "She [Ratkevich] did tell me a lot of things about her and I am glad that they are here with me. Sofia [MATTSSON] on the phone. It came out very good."

Malmgren had a great tournament as she won her first bout 12-2 and the semifinal via fall. After a disappointing tournament in Istanbul where she was pinned, it came around well.

"I am satisfied with my wrestling over the two days," she said. "I was very disappointed after Istanbul and a little concerned. Now I am feeling very happy with the result. We have new coaches in Sweden and I will start working with them and continue going with them to camps around the world."

Taybe YUSEINTaybe YUSEIN (BUL) won her first gold at European Championships since 2019. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 62kg, Tokyo bronze medalist Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) managed to claim the gold with a comfortable 7-0 victory over Luisa NIEMESCH (GER). She kept the pressure on her German opponent and never looked in trouble.

"I was without the gold for two years at the European Championships," Yusein said. "It was good for me to come back and win the gold. My plan was to take advantage of my opponent's mistakes. It was a great bout."

Anna SCHELLAnna SCHELL (GER) gave Germany its first gold since 2007. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Anna SCHELL (GER) gave Germany its lone gold of the tournament as she pinned Buse TOSUN (TUR) at 72kg. The win was her second straight win over the Turkey wrestler and she will now be UWW's number one ranked wrestler at 72kg.

"It's the second final because in Istanbul I met her in the semifinal. Today was the second bout against her and it's great to win," Schell said.

Not only did she end Germany's 15-year wait for a women's wrestling gold at European Championships, but Schell also reached a personal landmark. The gold in Budapest was the first ever in her international career.

"It's amazing as I don't have a gold medal in international competition," Schell said.

Turkey won its maiden women's wrestling team title with 140 points while Ukraine finished second with 135 points. Bulgaria was third in the race.

photo

WW Results

53kg
GOLD: Emma MALMGREN (SWE) df Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE), 3-2

BRONZE: Iulia LEORDA (MDA) df Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), 3-2
BRONZE: Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) df Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR), 14-4 

57kg
GOLD: Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) df Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL), 6-2

BRONZE: Tamara DOLLAK (HUN) df Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR), 7-2
BRONZE: Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER) df Anhelina LYSAK (POL), 4-2

62kg
GOLD: Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) df Luisa NIEMESCH (GER), 7-0

BRONZE: Natalia KUBATY (POL) df Yagmur CAKMAK (TUR), 10-0
BRONZE: Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR) df Anna FABIAN (SRB), via inj. def.

65kg
GOLD: Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) df Elis MANOLOVA (AZE), via fall
BRONZE: Kriszta INCZE (ROU) df Sofiya GEORGIEVA (BUL), 4-3

Final standings
GOLD: Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)
SILVER: Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
BRONZE: Kriszta INCZE (ROU)

72kg
GOLD: Anna SCHELL (GER) df Buse TOSUN (TUR), via fall

BRONZE: Kendra DACHER (FRA) df Eleni PJOLLAJ (ITA), via fall
BRONZE: Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) df Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU), 3-3

GR Semifinal Results

55kg
GOLD: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) vs Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)

SF 1: Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df Rudik MKRTCHYAN (ARM), 7-3
SF 2: Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO) df Artiom DELEANU (MDA), 9-0

63kg
GOLD: Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) vs Leri ABULADZE (GEO)

SF 1: Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) df Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM), 3-1
SF 2: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df Etienne KINSINGER (GER), 6-2

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

SF 1: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df Per OLOFSSON (SWE), 9-0
SF 2: Yunus BASAR (TUR) df Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL), 5-3

87kg
GOLD: Nicu OJOG (ROU) vs Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN)

SF 1: Nicu OJOG (ROU) df Islam ABBASOV (AZE), via fall
SF 2: Turpan BISULTANOV (DEN) df Mirco MINGUZZI (ITA), 10-0

130kg
GOLD: Danila SOTNIKOV (ITA) vs Riza KAYAALP (TUR)

SF 1: Danila SOTNIKOV (ITA) df Franz RICHTER (GER), via fall
SF 2: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 1-1