#wrestlenursultan

Wrestling Releases Media and Fan Guide for 2019 Senior World Championships

By United World Wrestling Press

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (September 10) – In an effort to better serve the press and the sport’s growing fan base, United World Wrestling has released its Media and Fan Guide for the 2019 Wrestling World Championships held September 14-22 at the Barys Arena in Nur-Sultan.

The guide has several helpful features for fans or media looking to learn more about the championships including the tournament schedule, links to prior results, downloadable event photos, graphics, entry lists, seeding, and a glimpse at all the anticipated matchups across the 30 championship weight categories.

Users can choose to download a PDF version of the guide, or access the most recent version of the guide via Google Docs, HERE.

New to this year’s guide is a direct link to a searchable photo database with images from United World Wrestling’s top photographers. Outlets and individuals are kindly asked to attribute any published photos to United World Wrestling, the photographer, and any associated social media accounts. For ease of reference the guide also includes links to all United World Wrestling social media accounts.

Wrestling at the 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships is set to begin September 14 and will continue for nine days, concluding September 22. For a full, day-by-day schedule, please see below.

Tournament Schedule

Date                                         Preliminary Rds            Gold, Bronze Finals      
Saturday, September 14:          GR: 55-63-72-82kg                     //
Sunday, September 15:            GR: GR: 67-87-97kg       GR: 55-63-72-82kg
Monday, September 16:           GR: 60-77-130kg             GR: 67-87-97kg
Tuesday, September 17:          WW: 50-53-55-72kg        GR: 60-77-130kg          
Wednesday, September 18:     WW: 57-59-65-76kg        WW: 50-53-55-72kg     
Thursday, September 19:         WW: 62-68/FS: 57-65     WW: 57-59-65-76kg     
Friday, September 20:              FS: 70-74-92-125kg        FS: 57-65kg /WW: 62-68kg                   
Saturday, September 21:          FS: 61-79-86-97kg          FS: 70-74-92-125kg
Sunday, September 22:                         //                         FS: 61-79-86-97kg

 

2026 World Championships

Yazdani Interview: 'Changing Weight Classes Difficult, But Ready for 97kg Challenge'

By

- By Amirreza ALIASGARI

KEMRAN, Iran (July 19) -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) made his eighth World Championships for Iran on Friday after beating Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), 4-2 and 5-3, in two straight matches at 97kg.

In 2015, Yazdani was at 70kg and won a silver medal at his debut World Championships. For a decade, he spent his wrestling career at 86kg, winning two Olympic silver medals, three world titles, two world silver and one bronze medal.

Now at 97kg after two shoulder surgeries, a 31-year-old Yazdani is adjusting to the new weight class. As he returns to the World Championships after three years, Yazdani will be chasing his eighth medal and fourth title.

After making the Iran team for the World Championships, to be held in Astana from October 24 to November 1, Yazdani spoke to United World Wrestling about the challenges of 97kg, returning to the World Championships and how his body is holding up.

Excerpts:

- How are you feeling physically after the two tough matches?

Yazdani: I’ve improved in some areas, especially when it comes to my breathing and conditioning. But we didn’t really have enough time to focus on strength training, so we worked on that a bit less than we wanted to. With the time that’s left until the World Championships, I’m going to do everything I can to get myself in the best shape possible and be even better prepared.

- How prepared were you for the wrestle-off against Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)?

Yazdani: For these competitions, I’d say I was about 70 percent ready. It’s hard to be 100 precent prepared for a tournament like this, but by the time the World Championships come around, I’ll definitely be in better shape and more prepared.

- What are your thoughts on competing at 97kg, a weight class that may have four Olympic champions in Astana?

Yazdani: The 97kg weight class is new for me, and of course I have new opponents now. It’s quite different from 86kg. I hope I can put on a good performance in this weight class as well. There are a lot of great champions here, and I hope I get the chance to wrestle against them, challenge myself, and show my best wrestling at the World Championships.

- But will it be challenging for your to be at the top at this weight class?

Yazdani: I already knew how many top wrestlers compete in this weight class. Considering my physical condition, I decided last year to move up to 97kg. Since it’s also an Olympic weight class, I wanted to make the move early so I’d have enough time to fix any weaknesses and adapt before the Olympics. My goal is to be at my very best for both the Olympics and the World Championships, which are just as important.

I wanted to move up sooner so I could get comfortable in this weight class as quickly as possible. Once you get to around 30 years old, things naturally become a little more difficult, and changing weight classes isn’t as easy as it used to be. There are definitely challenges at 97kg, and I’ve thought about all of them. Hopefully, I’ll be able to put on my best performance and come away with a great result.