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UPDATED Nov. 6: News from Around the World

Wednesday, November 4, 2020 - 12:45 By United World Wrestling Press

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Yazdani, Geraei Among Champions at Iran World Team Trials

Iran held its world team trials for the 2020 World Championships. Strict protocols were followed, including PCR testing and quarantining for all participants.

In the freestyle competition, Olympic and world champion Hassan YAZDANI was dominant at 86kg, defeating Asian silver medalist Ahmad BAZRI, 11-0. Yazdani will seek his sixth world or Olympic medal. Other freestyle champions included Reza ATRI (57kg), Majid DASTAN (61kg), Amir Mohammad YAZDANI (65kg), Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI (74kg), Ali SAVADKOUHI (79kg), Kamran GHASEMPOUR (92kg), Ali SHABANI (97kg) and Amin TAHERI (125kg).

In Greco-Roman, two-time world bronze medalist Mohammad Ali GERAEI earned a spot on the Iran national team at 77kg with a victory over Pejman POSHTAM, 4-2. Other Greco-Roman champions included Poya DADMARZ (55kg), Alireza NEJATI (60kg), Meysam DELKHANI (63kg), Hossein ASADI (67kg), Amin KAVIANINEJAD (72kg), Mohammad NAGHOUSI (82kg), Hossein NOURI (87kg), Mohammad Hadi SARAVI (97kg) and Amir GHASEMI MONJAZI (130kg).     
   
Freestyle

57kg  (Winner: Reza ATRI)
Reza ATRI df. Rahman AMOUZAD KHALILI, 4-4
Alireza SARLAK df. Nader HAJAHANIA, 5-3
Rahman AMOUZAD KHALILI df. Nader HAJAGHANIA by forfeit
Alireza SARLAK df. Rahman AMOUZAD KHALILI, 10-8
Reza ATRI df. Alireza SARLAK, 2-1

61kg (Winner: Majid DASTAN)
Majid DASTAN df. Behnam EHSANPOOR, 2-1

65kg Winner: (Amir Mohammad YAZDANI)
Meysam NASIRI df. Amir Hossein MAGHSOUDI, 9-0
Morteza GHIASI df. Shayan HAMZE, 12-5
Amir Mohammad YAZDANI df. Peyman BIABANI, 3-1
Meysam NASIRI df. Peyman BIABANI, 3-1
Amir Hossein MAGHSOUDI df. Shayan HAMZE, 11-10
Amir Mohammad YAZDANI df. Morteza GHIASI, 6-6
Morteza GHIASI df. Amir Hossein MAGHSOUDI, 11-0
Amir Mohammad YAZDANI df. Meysam NASIRI, 7-4

70kg (Winner: Younes EMAMI)
Amir Hossein HOSSEINI df. Erfan ELAHI, 5-1
Younes EMAMI df. Amir Hossein HOSSEINI, 5-2

74kg (Winner: Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI)
Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI df. Saeid DADASHPOUR, 3-1
Mohammad NOKHODI df. Mohammad Sadegh FIROOZPOOR, 5-2
Jamal EBADI df. Masoud KAMARVAND, 10-10
Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI df. Mohammad Sadegh FIROOZPOOR, 4-0
Mohammad NOKHODI df. Masoud KAMARVAND, 2-1
Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI df. Jamal EBADI, 3-0
Jamal EBADI df. Mohammad NOKHODI, 3-2
Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI df. Mohammad NOKHODI, 9-4

79kg (Winner: Ali SAVADKOUHI)
Hamidreza ZARRINPEYKAR df. Peyman YARAHMADI 2-2
Ali SAVADKOUHI df. Bahman TEYMOURI, 3-0
Ali SAVADKOUHI df. Peyman YARAHMADI, 4-2
Hamidreza ZARRINPEYKAR df. Bahman TEYMOURI, 11-6
Ali SAVADKOUHI df. Hamidreza ZARRINPEYKAR, 5-4

86kg (Winner: Hassan YAZDANI)
Hassan YAZDANI tf. Ahmad BAZRI, 11-0

92kg (Winner: Kamran GHASEMPOUR)
Arashk MOHEBI df. Hossein SHAHBAZI, 5-2
Hossein JALALINEJAD df. Mohammad Hossein MIRBAGHBAN, 7-4
Kamran GHASEMPOUR df. Hossein SHAHBAZI, 4-0
Arashk MOHEBI df. Mohammad Hossein MIRBAGHBAN, 7-6
Kamran GHASEMPOUR df. Hossein JALALINEJAD, 6-0
Kamran GHASEMPOUR df. Arashk MOHEBI, 6-2
Arashk MOHEBI df. Hossein JALALINEJAD, 3-0

97kg (Winner: Ali SHABANI)
Ali SHABANI df. Mojtaba GOLEIJ, 7-3
Mohammad Hossein MOHAMMADIAN df. Danial SHARIATINIA, 5-0
Mohammad Hossein MOHAMMADIAN df. Mojtaba GOLEIJ, 2-1
Ali SHABANI df. Danial SHARIATINIA, 6-2
Ali SHABANI df. Mohammad Hossein MOHAMMADIAN, 8-4
Ali SHABANI df. Mohammad Hossein MOHAMMADIAN, 4-0

125kg (Winner: Amin TAHERI)
Amin TAHERI df. Parviz HADI, 9-4
Amir Hossein ZARE df. Yadollah MOHEBI, 4-1
Amin TAHERI df. Yadollah MOHEBI by forfeit
Amir Hossein ZARE df. Parviz HADI, 4-0
Amin TAHERI df. Amir Hossein ZARE, 2-0
Amir Hossein ZARE df. Amin TAHERI, 3-1
Amin TAHERI df. Amir Hossein ZARE, 4-3

Greco-Roman

55kg (Winner: Poya DADMARZ)
Poya DADMARZ df. Sajad ABBASPOUR, 6-2

60kg (Winner: Alireza NEJATI)
Alireza NEJATI df. Poya NASERPOUR, 9-5

63kg (Winner: Meysam Delkhani)
Meysam DELKHANI tf. Reza MARDI, 8-0

67kg (Winner: Hossein ASADI)
Hossein ASADI df. Mohammad Javad REZAEI, 3-1

72kg (Winner: Amin KAVIANINEJAD)
Ali ARSALAN tf. Ashkan SAADATIFAR, 9-0
Amin KAVIANINEJAD df. Ali ARSALAN, 1-1

77kg (Winner: Mohammad Ali GERAEI)
Mohammad Ali GERAEI df. Pejman POSHTAM, 4-2

82kg (Winner: Mohammad NAGHOUSI)
Mohammad NAGHOUSI df. Jamal ESMAEILI, 3-0

87kg (Winner Hossein NOURI)
Hossein NOURI df. Ramin TAHERI, 2-1

97kg (Winner: Mohammad Hadi SARAVI)
Mehdi BALI df. Mehdi ALIYARI, 4-1
Mohammad Hadi SARAVI df. Mehdi BALI, 5-1

130kg (Winner: Amir GHASEMI MONJAZI)
Amir GHASEMI MONJAZI df. Ali Akbar YOUSEFI, 3-1

Grand Prix of Zagreb Homepage http://gpzagrebopen.com/

Also, you are free to use press materials from the link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1A7xzbWtmOx8pioVMPLrJw09hNNornIle?usp=sharing

Here are the links for live streaming

Saturday, November 7th

MAT A: https://youtu.be/FRbP0ElYCLo

MAT B: https://youtu.be/9VmGDXvXKNA

MAT C: https://youtu.be/dL3DUJzvpmw

Sunday, November 8th

MAT A: https://youtu.be/zhlq5IXR-U0

MAT B: https://youtu.be/jZJzGneQQX4

MAT C: https://youtu.be/Sa8z2zHrcHU

FINALS: https://youtu.be/DSOyIRgvJWw

IG https://www.instagram.com/gpzagrebopen/ 

>>>

Zagreb and Poland to Host International Competitions

The National Federations of Croatia and Poland are hosting international tournaments this week.

For Poland the trio of tournaments will be competed starting November 4. The tournaments will also be held early next year as Ranking Series tournaments. Entry lists are not currently available but the live stream links are below and will be updated via Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Freestyle gold-medal match results from the @pzz_official Poland Open:
57kg: Razvan KOVACS ?? df. CraciunPETRU ??, 12-2
61 kg: Ahmet DUMAN ?? df. Recep TOPAL ??, 1-1
65 kg: Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI ?? df. Ilman MUKHTAROV ??, 4-3
70 kg: Magomedmurad GADZHIEV ?? df. Haydar YUVUZ ??, 3-2
74 kg: Fazli ERYILMAZ ?? df. Maxim VASILIOGLO ??, 4-1
79 kg: Saifedine ALEKMA ?? df. Alan AMIROVS ??, 12-6
86 kg: Pitor IANULOV ?? df. Zbigniew BARANOWSKI ??, 5-1
92 kg: Erhan YAYLACI ?? df. Arif OEZEN ??, 10-0
97 kg: Suleyman KARADENIZ ?? df. Radoslaw BARAN ??, 10-0
125 kg: Robert BARAN ?? df. Daniel LIGETI ??, 3-2

The Croatian Federation is hosting the Zagreb Open, a Greco-Roman tournament that last hosted the Ranking Series in 2018. A short selection of entries can be find below with the official list expected November 6. The competition page for the event is http://gpzagrebopen.com/. 

Doninik Etlinger (Croatia)
Ivan Huklek (Croatia)
Bozo Starcevic (Croatia)
Riza Kayaalp (Turkey)
Kerem Kamal (Turkey)
Fatih Cengiz (Turkey)
Balazs Kis (Mađarska)
Viktor Nemeš (Serbia)
Mate Nemeš (Serbia)
Davor Štefanek, (Serbia)
Alexandros Kessidis (Sweden)
Ciobanu Victor (Moldova)
Aleksandrov (Bulgaria)
Milov (Bulgaria)

Livestreams for the Poland Open and Zagreb Open will be on the UWW homepage and updates on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Spanish Wrestling Federation Hosts U23, Junior Championships

The Spanish Wrestling Federation recently hosted the Spanish U23 Wrestling Championships and Spanish Junior Wrestling Championships. View links to the results below.

Spanish U23 Wrestling Championships Results

Junior Wrestling Championships Results

Iranians Compete in Premier League

Iranian wrestlers, following strict protocols, returned to competition for the first time in eight months with the return of the Iranian Premier Wrestling League.

Wrestlers, coaches, referees and organization staffs were the only people allowed in the competition hall. Everyone entering the hall was required to pass an antiseptic box and all participants received PCR tests before competitions and were placed in quarantine after testing.

Wrestling in Iran typically means excitement, sold-out arenas and thousands of cheering fans. This time the story was something else. There were no spectators at Azadi Sports Complex, which seats 12,000. Referees wore face shields and coaches wore masks.

After the United World Wrestling bureau approved existing plans to host the 2020 Senior Wrestling World Championships, the Iranian Premier Wrestling League was halted, and wrestlers were invited to the national training camp. All wrestlers and coaches were required to take PCR tests again before training. Iran's wrestling training center became a quarantine area.

"I am happy to be back again to wrestling camp," said Olympic and world champion Hassan YAZDANI.

"We didn't have training camp for about seventh months because of the coronavirus and I only followed my personal trainings," said Yazdani. "Competing in the league helped us to get more prepared. The federation has provided a quarantine place for our safety and nobody is allowed to leave the camp during the trainings. I have only one goal and it is to win at world title at the 2020 World Championships."

Sports federations in Iran are not allowed to start activities without the permission of the ministry of sport, as well as the health ministry. Wrestling was the first contact sport in Iran that started its league and national team training camps.

"We tried hard to receive permission and finally we succeed to hold league competitions and training camps under strict protocols," said 2000 Olympic champion and Iran wrestling president Alireza DABIR.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Une publication partagée par Olympic Wrestling (@unitedworldwrestling) le

#WrestleAlexandria

Wrestling World's Attention on Dunia after Golden Show

Sunday, May 3, 2026 - 09:50 By United World Wrestling Press

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ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (May 2) -- Dunia SIBOMANA (COD) was six years old when, in an instant, his childhood was shattered.

While playing with his brother and cousin at the Virunga National Park in the Congo, the three boys were attacked by chimpanzees. His brother and cousin did not survive. Dunia did, but just barely. The attack left him with devastating injuries to his lips, face, and right ear. Much of the muscle in his face was destroyed, and he lost the middle finger of his left hand. Yet from that unimaginable tragedy, a story of resilience began to take shape - one that saw rise to claim two golds at the African Championships in Alexandria.

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At just eight years old, Dunia was brought to the United States for a chance at rebuilding what had been taken from him. What followed was a long and gruelling journey through 14 intensive surgeries, where doctors painstakingly grafted tissue and muscle in an effort to reconstruct his lips and restore basic function to his face. Each procedure was another battle, each recovery another test of endurance.

During his time in the United States, Dunia lived with two host families before finding a permanent home with Long Beach assistant wrestling coach Miguel Rodriguez and his wife, Marissa. What began as care turned into something deeper. They adopted him, giving him not just stability but a family. In 2019, Dunia officially became a permanent U.S. resident.

That possibility found its outlet on the wrestling mat. Dunia emerged as a force in middle school and continued to rise through the ranks at Long Beach High School. His determination, forged through years of hardship, translated into a relentless drive. At just 14 years old, he captured the New York State Division 1 wrestling championship title in 2022, a stunning achievement that marked him as one of the sport’s brightest young talents.

On Saturday, Dunia’s journey reached another defining moment. Competing at 57kg for his birth nation, Congo, he claimed the gold medal with commanding authority. He opened with a tense 3-2 victory over Alaa ELSAYED (EGY), then surged past Mouadh CHIBANI (ALG) with a dominant 12-2 semifinal win. In the final, he needed just 51 seconds to overwhelm Roland NFORSONG (CMR), sealing a 10–0 technical superiority victory.

Dunia’s march to the top of the podium was even more remarkable because he was one of the two wrestlers in Freestyle not from Egypt or Algeria to win the gold medal. The other wrestler who put the brakes on Egypt’s dominance was Harrison ONOVWIOMOGBOHWO (NGR), who defeated Mohamed SALAHELDIN (EGY) 10-4 to win the gold medal in the 97kg category.

These two results, however, did not stop Egypt from running away with the team title. The host-nation wrestlers reigned supreme in six out of the 10 categories, winning gold medals in the 61kg, 65kg, 70kg, 74kg, 92kg and 125kg weight classes. Algeria were second best, claiming top-of-the-podium finishes at 79kg and 86kg divisions.

Hassan ELSAYED (EGY) started the fireworks for the hosts by defending his title at 61kg. He started with a flawless 12-0 win over Saviour EGOLI (NGR), then beat Rabby KILANDI (COD) on superiority in the second round. He maintained his unbeaten record by defeating Tadeu DE DEUS (ANG) in the third round and entering the semifinals, where he defeated Mustapha BATNINI (TUN) 11-0. In the final, Elsayed beat Abdelghani AID (ALG) 9-1 to win the title.

Shehabeldin MOHAMED (EGY) took just two minutes to pin Stephen AKINTEWE (NGR) in the 65kg final to claim the title. He used a perfect over-under to throw Akintewe and secure the fall. Soon after, Mohamed AHMED (EGY) was even quicker to win the 70kg final against Wotna NDOC (GBS), 12-1, rolling him using the gut-wrench to win in just 1:02 minutes and upgrading his 2025 silver to gold.

Defending champion at 74kg Omar MOURAD (EGY) managed to retain his gold medal after winning the final against Ebierelayefa ANDREW (NGR) in just 1:13. Mourad used a counter front headlock to throw Andrew over and then pinned the Nigerian used a double-arm lock.

Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) added the fifth gold medal, beating Walid CHEIKH LAHLOU (MAR), 12-0, in the 92kg final. He used an arm-throw to score four points, then a fireman carry to get two more and lead 6-0. He could not pin Lahlou but got two more points for exposure. A second arm-throw gave him four more points and win the final via technical superiority.

In the round-robin bracket at 125kg, Abdelrahman SHEYATAN (EGY) won all four of his bouts in dominant fashion to claim the gold medal. He won his first bout against Joel TOKAI (KEN), 10-0, pinned Issah FUSEINI (GHA), got a forfeit in Round 4 and then pinned Laid KHELIF (ALG), the eventual silver medalist, in Round 5.

At 79kg, Abdelkader IKKAL (ALG) managed to defended his gold medal at the expense of Mohamed ABDELHADY (EGY), winning the final 10-0. A stepout opened the scoring for Ikkal who then scored a takedown using a leg-attack before lacing Abdelhady for a turn to lead 5-0. He tripped the Egyptian for two more points before an easy takedown made it 9-0. He finished the final with a stepout to win just before the break.

Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG) reclaimed the 86kg title after three years, beating Gabriel MC DUFFIE (SLE), 12-0 in the final. He used two beautiful arm throws to score eight points and two turns for two points each. Despite the loss to Benferdjallah, McDuffie can be proud that he is the first-ever Freestyle silver medalist for Sierra Leone at the African Championships.

Photo

RESULTS

57kg
GOLD: Dunia SIBOMANA (COD) df. Roland TAMBI NFORSONG (CMR), 10-0

BRONZE: John LEOPOLD (MRI) df. Makaya KATENDI (ANG), 9-1
BRONZE: Mouadh CHIBANI (ALG) df. Alaa ELSAYED (EGY), 11-7

61kg
GOLD: Hassan ELSAYED (EGY) df. Abdelghani AID (ALG), 9-1

BRONZE: Saviour EGOLI (NGR) df. Mustapha BATNINI (TUN), 5-5

65kg
GOLD: Shehabeldin MOHAMED (EGY) df. Stephen AKINTEWE (NGR), via fall

BRONZE: Raby BAPELEKIA (CGO) df. Gilbert MWAMBA (ZAM), 11-0
BRONZE: Oussama LARIBI (ALG) df. Gabriel YANGA (COD), 10-0

70kg
GOLD: Mohamed AHMED (EGY) df. Wotna NDOC (GBS), 12-1

BRONZE: Khaireddine BEN TLILI (TUN) df. Mourad SAAD (MAR), via forfeit
BRONZE: Dideikemei EREFAGHA (NGR) df. Elie DJEKOUNDAKOM DJERAYOM (CHA), 12-0

74kg
GOLD: Omar MOURAD (EGY) df. Ebierelayefa ANDREW (NGR), via fall

BRONZE: Abderrahmane BENAISSA (ALG) df. Jacques MONTY MBOUGOU (CMR), 5-2
BRONZE: Caetano ANTONIO SA (GBS) df. Omar LAMBARRAA (MAR), 7-5

79kg
GOLD: Abdelkader IKKAL (ALG) df. Mohamed ABDELHADY (EGY), 10-0

BRONZE: Solomon ULABO (NGR) df. Totiana RAZAFINJATO (MAD), via fall
BRONZE: Andy MUKENDI (COD) df. Mohammed BOUAZOUNI (MAR), 10-0

86kg
GOLD: Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG) df. Gabriel MC DUFFIE (SLE), 12-0

BRONZE: Mohamed EL MEKKAOUI (MAR) df. Persy BAMONA (COD), via fall
BRONZE: Matteo MONTEIRO FURTADO TRESSE (CPV) df. Bouba SALEH (CHA), 10-3

92kg
GOLD: Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) df. Walid CHEIKH LAHLOU (MAR), 12-0

BRONZE: Kevin MOSSE (BUR) df. Tiwisna BAMBA (CHA), via fall

97kg
GOLD: Harrison ONOVWIOMOGBOHWO (NGR) df. Mohamed SALAHELDIN (EGY), 10-4

BRONZE: Wali KEBIR (ALG) df. Cedric ABOSSOLO (CMR), via inj. def.

125kg
GOLD: Abdelrahman SHEYATAN (EGY)
SILVER: Laid KHELIF (ALG)
BRONZE: Issah FUSEINI (GHA)