#WrestlePlovdiv

#WrestlePlovdiv Live Blog: U23 European Championships Day 3

Wednesday, March 9, 2022 - 08:16 By Vinay Siwach

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PLOVDIV, Bulgaria (March 9) -- It's day three at the U23 European Championships and some of the biggest names of women's wrestling will be in action in Plovdiv. World champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) and her fellow teammate and defending champion Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) will be on the mat. Moldova's rising star and junior Worlds silver medalist Maria LEORDA (MDA) also wrestles today. Keep an eye on U23 world champion Andreea ANA (ROU).

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

Olympic medalistsTen Olympic medalists are at #WrestlePlovdiv as Greco-Roman coaches. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan) 

1245: U23 world champion Andreea ANA (ROU) leads 5-0 against Nova BERGMAN (SWE) at the break at 55kg. A whizzer to get her four points to get going. Bergman did provide some challenge but Ana moves into the semifinal

1225: Anna SZEL (HUN) and Morena DE VITA (ITA) with a humdinger! The Hungarian was leading 6-4 with 20 seconds remaining and defended an attack with a split. But De Vita scored a takedown with 5 seconds remaining. Hungary challenged the call but lost.

1215: Earlier in the day, defending silver medalist Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) came up with a huge five-point throw before securing the pin over Laura STANELYTE (LTU) at 55kg

1210: Bernadett NAGY (HUN) with a first-period 11-0 win over Vanesa KALOYANOVA (BUL) at 76kg. She is looking for her first continental title.

1200: A series of gut and exposures from world champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) and she moves on to the quarterfinals at 68kg

1155: Ersel almost has a takedown but Szeker defends by keeping her opponent's hand in grip. Both are in the danger zone but the referee scores a stepout for Szeker. Germany challenges the call asking for a takedown. It is confirmed that Ersel actually stepped out before getting the takedown. 6-3 win for Szeker

1150: A tight first-round battle going on Mat B! Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN) leads Lisa ERSEL (GER) by a point. She was called passive early but scored a takedown before giving up one. Now, she has scored another to lead 4-3

1140: Defending champion Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) warms up with a victory via fall over Fatme SHABAN (BUL). She is coming from a gold medal-winning performance in Istanbul.

1100: After some great action in Greco-Roman, it's time for women's wrestling at the U23 European Championships in Plovdiv. Some big names are entered for the five weight classes that are in action.

#UnitedWorldWrestling

Lopez's coach Trujillo Diaz Joins UWW Development Efforts

Monday, December 1, 2025 - 06:52 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (November 28) -- Raul TRUJILLO DIAZ, longtime coach of Olympic champion Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) and recipient of 2025 International Olympic Committee Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award, has signed a development contract with United World Wrestling.

Following Lopez's appointment last year as the UWW Global Wrestling Promotion Ambassador, now Trujillo Diaz will also work with UWW with a focus on youth development, coach education, and high-performance training systems.

During his visit to the UWW in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Trujillo met with UWW President Nenad LALOVIC for an in-depth discussion on the future of the sport. Their conversation addressed coaching standards, talent retention, and sustainable pathways to support athletes from the youth level through elite competition.

UWW

"We all know the importance of having a good coach," Lalovic said. "We need to keep wrestling talents, especially great coaches, within the sport to ensure knowledge sharing and the long-term development of wrestling."

Trujillo’s new responsibilities will complement the work of Lopez who became the first athlete to win five Olympic gold medals in the same sport at Paris 2024. They will contribute to UWW’s global development initiatives as the organization continues its efforts to grow wrestling worldwide and support the next generation of athletes.