#WrestleSkopje

#WrestleSkopje Weight-to-watch: 87kg (Greco-Roman)

Friday, May 14, 2021 - 12:05 By Eric Olanowski

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SKOPJE, North Macedonia (May 13) – Rising stars Aleksandr KOMAROV (RUS) and Istvan TAKACS (HUN) headline the 18-man 87kg Greco-Roman bracket at the U23 European Championships (May 17-23). The weight will also feature a total of seven wrestlers with age-group world medals. 

Komarov, the four-time age-group world and European gold medalist, will make his U23 debut in Skopje. He closed out his junior career in '18 – winning a fourth consecutive world title before grabbing the reigns at 87kg on Russia's senior squad.

Komarov's success from the cadet and junior levels quickly transitioned to the senior level. In his 14 senior-level appearances, the young Russian stud claimed a whopping ten gold medals – highlighted by '19 gold medals at the Russian National Championships and the Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov Ranking Series Tournament.

Most recently, Komarov appeared in Russia's lineup at the '20 European Championships. He went 3-1 and finished with a bronze medal. Despite falling to eventual champion Semen NOVIKOV (UKR) in the semifinals, Komarov ended his trip to Italy with a shocking 3-1 win over two-time world champion Metehan BASAR (TUR).

Komarov's biggest threat to winning 87kg U23 European gold will be one of the future faces of Hungarian wrestling, Istvan TAKACS (HUN). 

Takacs, a '19 junior world champion and three-time age-group world medalist, will also be making his U23 debut. Like Komarov's ascent to the senior level after winning his junior world title, Takacs did the same. He grabbed gold at the '19 Junior World Championships in Tallin, Estonia, and bumped up to the senior circuit.

Takacs finished in second place at the Hungarian Championships in his first senior outing. He then dropped to a seventh-place finish at the Individual World Cup but stormed back to win Ranking Series gold at January's Matteo Pellicone. During his run to a first senior gold medal, Takacs stopped '19 world silver medalist Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) and David LOSONCZI (HUN). He halted Lorincz from winning a historic seventh Ranking Series title before avenging his Hungarian c'ship finals loss to Losonczi to win gold.

Other guys who command attention at 87kg are '18 U23 world silver medalist Nicu OJOG (ROU), cadet world champs Lachin VALIYEV (AZE) and Dmytro KIIASHOK (UKR) and junior world bronze medalists Ihar YARASHEVICH (BLR) and Muhutdin SARICICEK (TUR)

Two other dark horses who are poised to make some noise at 87kg are '18 European champion Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO) and Mirco MINGUZZI (ITA). Although his resume lacks a world or continental medal, in late March, Minguzzi finished with a bronze medal at the European Olympic Qualifier and was one match short of earning an Italian Tokyo quota at 87kg.

Catch all the action from the U23 European Championships live on www.uww.org. Freestyle action begins on Monday, women's wrestling takes center stage on Wednesday and Greco-Roman closes out the competition beginning on Friday.

87kg Entries
Gevorg TADEVOSYAN (ARM)
Lachin VALIYEV (AZE)
Ihar YARASHEVICH (BLR)
Svetoslav Nikolaev NIKOLOV (BUL)
Matej MANDIC (CRO)
Andreas VAELIS (EST)
Juho Matias PAHIKAINEN (FIN)
Temuri TCHKUASELIDZE (GEO)
Ilias PAGKALIDIS (GRE)
Istvan TAKACS (HUN)
Mirco MINGUZZI (ITA)
Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED)
Szymon SZYMONOWICZ (POL)
Nicu Samuel OJOG (ROU)
Aleksandr Andreevitch KOMAROV (RUS)
Mario VUKOVIC (SRB)
Muhutdin SARICICEK (TUR)
Dmytro KIIASHOK (UKR)

#SportsDepartment

UWW organizes fourth edition Event Organizing Workshop

Wednesday, October 23, 2024 - 13:32 By United World Wrestling Press

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TIRANA, Albania (October 23) — Over the last decade, United World Wrestling (UWW) has focused on improving the quality of its events. To keep this improvement on track, UWW organized its fourth edition of the Event Organizing Workshop from October 17 to 22 in Tirana, within the framework of the U23 World Championship.

Nine countries, including China, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Namibia, participated in the workshop, which was held before the U23 World Championships.

Led by UWW Sports and Development Officer Yuri MAIER (ARG) and Senior Competition Manager Ramil AHMADOV (AZE), the workshop provided valuable insight into the complexities of organizing international wrestling events.

Participants arrived in Albania on October 17 and engaged in four theoretical sessions on October 18 and 19. On October 20 and 21, they had the opportunity to apply their knowledge practically by observing key event functions such as the technical meeting, draw, and weigh-in.

In addition to covering many relevant topics, the workshop featured contributions from UWW staff members specializing in Accreditation, Photography, Technology & Results, and Marketing and Communications. These sessions, which were held with the support of local organizing committees, helped participants understand the role of various departments in delivering a successful event.

KAKadir CALISKAN (GER), UWW's Photo Manager, presents at the Event Organizing Workshop. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Participants gave overwhelmingly positive feedback, praising the workshop’s structure and content. One attendee highlighted, "The level of engagement and interaction during the sessions was fantastic. The facilitators were knowledgeable, and the practical exercises were crucial in helping us understand how to apply the concepts in real-world scenarios."

Another participant added, "The networking opportunities were invaluable. Meeting professionals from different countries allowed us to exchange ideas and best practices, which will certainly help in future event organization."

Maier emphasized the importance of continuous learning, stating, "Workshops like this allow us to strengthen our network of event organizers across the world. By sharing experiences and knowledge, we ensure that every event is better than the last."

Ahmadov echoed this sentiment, adding, "The practical experience of seeing the U23 World Championship preparation up close is invaluable. It’s one thing to discuss logistics in theory but seeing them unfold in real time makes all the difference."

Overall, the Event Organization Workshop provided an excellent learning platform for participants, empowering them to organize events more efficiently and effectively in the future. It contributed to the growth and be capable of delivering better wrestling events worldwide.

United World Wrestling will continue to support and organize such Workshop in the years to come and already welcome all the interested Federations for the next editions.