#UWWAwards

'21 Breakthrough Performances of the Year: Geraei, Zare and Focken

Tuesday, December 7, 2021 - 12:23 By Eric Olanowski

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 7) -- Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI), Amir ZARE (IRI) and Aline FOCKEN (GER) have been named United World Wrestling’s Breakthrough Performance of the Year award winners.

Geraei came into 2021 without having a world or Olympic medal on his resume. The 25-year-old, known as ‘The Iceman,’ defied all expectations and claimed Olympic gold in Tokyo and closed out his improbable ’21 campaign with a world-title run in Oslo.

Zare, at just 20-year-old, had a colossal year. He collected an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo before upsetting three-time world champ Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Olympic gold medalist Taha AKGUL (TUR) en route to gaining heavyweight supremacy at the Oslo World Championships.

Aline Focken picked the perfect time to retire. After missing out on the ’12 London Olympic Games and a ninth-place outing in Rio, the 12-year-veteran ended her career with an upset victory over five-time world champion Adeline GRAY (USA) in the 76kg Olympic finals.

#development

UWW launches coaches’ mentorship program

Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 18:04 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 29) — United World Wrestling has signed an agreement with the Hungarian Wrestling Federation for a mentorship program for coaches in collaboration with the University of Hungary.

This is the first-ever coaches’ mentorship program and will be held at the KIMBA training centre from November 2 to 15 in collaboration with Hungarian federation.

The coaches who will attend the Olympic Solidarity Coaches Scholarship Programme will be eligible for the mentorship program. Upon completion of the course, selected coaches will also participate in a 14-day mentorship programme, organised in collaboration with the Hungarian federation and the KIMBA Training Centre.

The application for the Olympic Solidarity Coaches Scholarship Programme must be submitted through their respective National Olympic Committee and send a copy to: development@uww.org.

Application deadline: August 3, 2025
Course dates: October 1 – November 1, 2025
Mentorship programme: November 2 to 15, 2025

For more details, coaches and NFs are requested to contact: development@uww.org.