#WrestleOslo

25 Tokyo Olympic Medalists Highlight #WrestleOslo World Entries

By Eric Olanowski

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 8) – Fresh off winning his second Olympic title, wrestling's most prominent star Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF) will return to the mat October 02-10 for the Oslo World Championships. He'll lead a group of 25 newly minted Olympic medalists – including four champs – into Norway for this year's historic World Championships.

Due to the Tokyo Olympic Games postponement, the 2021 World Championships will be the first of its kind. It'll be the first time wrestling has held the Olympic Games and an all-weight world championship in the same year.

Sadulaev, alongside fellow Tokyo champs David TAYLOR (USA), Tamyra STOCK-MENSAH (USA) and Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) will have the unprecedented opportunity to win World and Olympic gold in the same season.

But the path to history for 'The Russian Tank,' Taylor and Mensah-Stock, in particular, won't be easy. Instead, they'll share the bracket with at least two other Tokyo Olympic medalists – including the wrestlers they defeated in early August to win Olympic gold. 

Sadulaev will have to get through Kyle SNYDER (USA) to win his fifth world title. His American nemesis is the only person who's handed him a world championship loss in his previous five world appearances. But, as of last month, the 25-year-old Russian broke the series tie and gained the one-match advantage on Snyder with his 6-3 victory in the 97kg Tokyo gold-medal match. He also defeated 'Captain America' to win '18 world gold, which came a year after falling to Snyder in the '17 world finals. 

Outside of Sadulaev and Snyder, Olympic bronze medalist Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA) will also compete at 97kg.

Taylor will share the 86kg bracket with Rio Olympic champion Hasan YAZDANI (IRI). They've met three times since 2017, with "The Magic Man" owning the 3-0 series lead. Taylor picked up his most recent victory over 'The Greatest' in Tokyo with a last-second takedown to claim the 86kg Olympic title.

Artur NAIFONOV, the Russia Wrestling Federation's Toyko Olympic bronze medalist, is also entered at 86kg.

Mensah will wrestle alongside Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) and Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) in the 68kg bracket. She defeated her Nigerian foe for gold, while the Kyrgyz wrestler ended her Tokyo campaign with a bronze medal.

On the Greco-Roman side of the competition Olympic champ Geraei will compete at 67kg.

Freestyle wrestling kicks off the 2021 World Championships on October 2. Women’s wrestling takes center stage at the Jordal Amfi Arena on October 4, with Greco-Roman closing out the competition in Norway beginning on October 7.

*Please note that these entries are subject to change, and National Federations can update names and weight categories until three days before the start of each style.

Musa EVLOEV (RWF) celebrates with his coaches after winning 97kg gold in Tokyo. He'll wrestle at 97kg in Oslo. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Here's a breakdown of all of the reigning Tokyo Olympic medalists that'll lay it on the line in Oslo. 

By the numbers:
Freestyle: 11 medalists (2 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze)
Greco-Roman: 5 medalists (1 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze)
Women’s Wrestling: 9 medalists (1 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze)

Freestyle
57kg  - Thomas Patrick GILMAN (USA) – Tokyo Olympic bronze
74kg - Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
86kg  - David Morris TAYLOR III (USA) - Tokyo Olympic gold
86kg - Hassan Aliazam YAZDANICHARATI (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic silver
86kg - Artur NAIFONOV (RWF) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
97kg - Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF) - Tokyo Olympic gold
97kg - Kyle SNYDER (USA) - Tokyo Olympic silver
97kg - Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
125kg  -Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) - Tokyo Olympic silver
125kg - Amir Hossein Abbas ZARE (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
125kg - Taha AKGUL (TUR) - Tokyo Olympic bronze

Greco-Roman
67kg  - Mohammadreza Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic gold
82kg  - Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
87kg  - Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
97kg - Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
130kg  - Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO) - Tokyo Olympic silver

Women’s Wrestling
50kg  - Sarah Ann HILDEBRANDT (USA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
53kg  - Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
57kg - Helen Louise MAROULIS (USA) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
57kg - Evelina Georgieva NIKOLOVA (BUL) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
62kg  - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) - Tokyo Olympic silver
68kg  - Tamyra Mariama STOCK MENSAH (USA) - Tokyo Olympic gold
68kg - Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) - Tokyo Olympic silver
68kg - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) - Tokyo Olympic bronze
76kg - Adeline Maria GRAY (USA) - Tokyo Olympic silver

David TAYLOR (USA) finishes a shot on Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) during their meeting in Tokyo for 86kg gold. They are both entered at 86kg. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Freestyle

57kg 
Afgan KHASHALOV (AZE)
Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL)
Darthe CAPELLAN (CAN)
Levan  METREVELI VARTANOV (ESP)
Goga DZIGUA (GEO)
Horst Justin Junior LEHR (GER)
Pankaj PANKAJ (IND)
Alireza Nosratolah SARLAK (IRI)
Toshiya ABE (JPN)
Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ)
Simon Kamau WAINAINA (KEN)
Changjun PARK (KOR)
Bekhbayar ERDENEBAT (MGL)
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD)
Abubakar MUTALIEV (RWF)
Suleyman ATLI (TUR)
Roman HUTSULIAK (UKR)
Thomas Patrick GILMAN (USA)
Gamal Mohammed Yahya ALSABRI (YEM)

61kg
Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM)

Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE)
Alibeg ALIBEGOV (BRN)
Georgi Valentinov VANGELOV (BUL)
Arman Norik ELOYAN (FRA)
Beka LOMTADZE (GEO)
Nico MEGERLE (GER)

Gamzatgadzsi HALIDOV (HUN)
Ravinder RAVINDER (IND)
Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI)
Toshihiro HASEGAWA (JPN)
Kenneth KOECH (KEN)
Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ)
Sunggwon KIM (KOR)
Chakir ANSARI (MAR)

Igor CHICHIOI (MDA)
Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL)
Eduard GRIGOREV (POL)
Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RWF)
Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB)
Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR)
Yaroslav HURSKYY (UKR)
Daton FIX (USA)

65kg
Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
Gabriel JANATSCH (AUT)
Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE)
Ayub Muratovitch MUSAEV (BEL)
Marcos Wesley DE BRITO SIQUEIRA (BRA)
Haji Mohamad ALI (BRN)
Ruhan Hyusnyu RASIM (BUL)
Dillon Emmanuel WILLIAMS (CAN)
Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA)
George Anthony RAMM (GBR)
Rohit ROHIT (IND)
Amirmohammad Babak YAZDANICHERATI (IRI)
Colin John REALBUTO (ITA)
Kaiki YAMAGUCHI (JPN)
Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ)
Junsik YUN (KOR)
Maxim SACULTAN (MDA)
Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)
Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
Sebastian C RIVERA (PUR)
Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF)

Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR)
Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR)
John Michael DIAKOMIHALIS (USA)

70kg
Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM)
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE)
Adam BATIROV (BRN)
Carlos Eduardo ROMERO MILLAQUEO (CHI)
Nicolae COJOCARU (GBR)
Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO)
Shamil USTAEV (GER)
Daniel ANTAL (HUN)
Sushil SUSHIL (IND)
Erfan Mohammad ELAHI (IRI)
Gianluca TALAMO (ITA)
Jintaro MOTOYAMA (JPN)
Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
Seungchul LEE (KOR)
Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA)
Temuulen ENKHTUYA (MGL)
Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL)

Evgenii ZHERBAEV (RWF)
Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB)
Anil NiroshanMunasinghe KARUNA PELI GEDARA (SRI)
Marc DIETSCHE (SUI)
Daniel CHOMANIC (SVK)

Mustafa KAYA (TUR)
Ivan KUSYAK (UKR)
James Malcolm GREEN (USA)

Hussein Abdullah Hussein Abdullah AL AZZANI (YEM)

74kg
Joshgun AZIMOV (AZE)
Ali Pasha Ruslanovich UMARPASHAEV (BUL)
Jasmit Singh PHULKA (CAN)
Aimar ANDRUSE (EST)
Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Osman Kubilay CAKICI (GER)
Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN)
Yash YASH (IND)
Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI)
Mitchell Louis FINESILVER (ISR)
Masaki SATO (JPN)
Mathayo Matonya MAHABILA (KEN)
Byungmin GONG (KOR)
Vasile DIACON (MDA)
Byambadorj BAT ERDENE (MGL)
Suresh CHUNARA (NEP)
Kamil RYBICKI (POL)

Timur BIZHOEV (RWF)
Malik Michael AMINE (SMR)
Hetik CABOLOV (SRB)
Tajmuraz Mairbekovic SALKAZANOV (SVK)
Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR)
Zielimkhan TOHUZOV (UKR)
Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA)

79kg
Arman AVAGYAN (ARM)
Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE)
Oktay Ruzhdi HASAN (BUL)
Samuel Jacob BARMISH (CAN)
Erik REINBOK (EST)
Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA)
Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
Csaba VIDA (HUN)
Baliyan GOURAV (IND)
Mohammad Ashghar NOKHODILARIMI (IRI)
Aron CANEVA (ITA)
Ryuki YOSHIDA (JPN)
Saiakbai USUPOV (KGZ)
Manho OH (KOR)
Alans AMIROVS (LAT)
Wilson Hallowanger TOAYEN (LBR)
Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA)
Bat Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL)
Andrzej Piotr SOKALSKI (POL)
Maxim VASILIOGLO (ROU)

Radik VALIEV (RWF)
Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK)
Muhammet Nuri KOTANOGLU (TUR)

Rustam RASUIEV (UKR)
Jordan Ernest BURROUGHS (USA)

86kg
Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
Dzhemal Rushen ALI (BUL)
Hunter Jeffery LEE (CAN)
Taimuraz FRIEV NASKIDAEVA (ESP)
Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA)
Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO)
Ahmed Ruslanovic DUDAROV (GER)
Sandeep Singh MANN (IND)
Hassan Aliazam YAZDANICHARATI (IRI)
Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR)
Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN)
Mark Omumasaba INGUYESI (KEN)
Gwanuk KIM (KOR)
Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT)

Piotr IANULOV (MDA)
Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)
Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL)
Ethan Adrian RAMOS (PUR)
Artur NAIFONOV (RWF)
Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
Osman GOCEN (TUR)
Mukhammed ALIIEV (UKR)
David Morris TAYLOR III (USA)

92kg
Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)

Akhmed Adamovich MAGAMAEV (BUL) 
Jordan STEEN (CAN)
Heriberto SANDI CASTILLO (CRC)
Irakli MTSITURI (GEO)

Pruthviraj Babasaheb PATIL (IND)
Kamran Ghorban GHASEMPOUR (IRI)
Simone IANNATTONI (ITA)
Takuma OTSU (JPN)
John Odhiambo OMONDI (KEN)
Hyeokbeom GWON (KOR)
Georgii RUBAEV (MDA)
Orgilokh DAGVADORJ (MGL)
Zbigniew Mateusz BARANOWSKI (POL)
Magomed Guseynovitch KURBANOV (RWF)
Erhan YAYLACI (TUR)
AndriI VLASOV (UKR)
Jden Michael Tbory COX (USA)
Gilberto Segundo AYALA RODRIGUEZ (VEN)

97kg
Islam ILYASOV (AZE)
Ahmed Sultanovich BATAEV (BUL)

Nishan Preet Singh RANDHAWA (CAN)
Maxwell Lemar LACEY GARITA (CRC)
Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO)
Satywart KADIAN (IND)
Mojtaba Mohammadshafie GOLEIJ (IRI)
Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA)
Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN)
Dan Aura CHEPTAI (KEN)
Minwon SEO (KOR)
Lukas KRASAUSKAS (LTU)
Radu LEFTER (MDA)
Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL)
Magomedgadji Omardibirovich NUROV (MKD)
Sumir Kumar SAH (NEP)
Radoslaw BARAN (POL)
Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF)
Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR)
Mahamed ZAKARIIEV (UKR)
Kyle Frederick SNYDER (USA)

125kg
Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT)
Amarveer DHESI (CAN)

Youssif Mohamed Badea HEMIDA (EGY)
Jere Tapani HEINO (FIN)
Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)

Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE)
Kumar ANIRUDH (IND)
Amir Hossein Abbas ZARE (IRI)
Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN)
Yeihyun JUNG (KOR)
Egor OLAR (MDA)
Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL)
Robert BARAN (POL)

Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV (RWF)
Taha AKGUL (TUR)
Oleksandr KOLDOVSKYI (UKR)
Nicholas Edward GWIAZDOWSKI (USA)

Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) looks to expose Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) during their 67kg battle for Olympic gold. Geraei is entered at 67kg. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman

*Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI) was registered at 97kg freestyle. He's been moved to 97kg Greco-Roman.

55kg
Norayr HAKHOYAN (ARM)
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE)
Marat GARIPOV (BRA)
Nugzari TSURTSUMIA (GEO)
Fabian Bernhard SCHMITT (GER)
Sandeep SANDEEP (IND)
Sajjad Javid ABBASPOURRAGANI (IRI)
Ken MATSUI (JPN)
Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ)
Nurmukhammet ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Hyeokjin JEON (KOR)
Snorre Harsem LUND (NOR)
Emin Narimanovitch SEFERSHAEV (RWF)
Ekrem OZTURK (TUR)
Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR)
Max Emiliano NOWRY (USA)

60kg
Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM)
Murad MAMMADOV (AZE)
Helary MAEGISALU (EST)
Irakli DZIMISTARISHVILI (GEO)
Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN)
Gyanender GYANENDER (IND)
Mehrdad Abdmohammad MARDANI (IRI)
Ayata SUZUKI (JPN)
Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ)
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
Jinwoong JUNG (KOR)
Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU)
Victor CIOBANU (MDA)
Michal Jacek TRACZ (POL)
Razvan ARNAUT (ROU)

Stepan MARYANYAN (RWF)
Ahmet UYAR (TUR)
Zhora ABOVIAN (UKR)
Dalton ROBERTS (USA)

63kg
Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM)
Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE)

Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO)
Mostafa Hassan Abdelaal MOHAMED (EGY)
Leri ABULADZE (GEO)
Deniz MENEKSE (GER)
Erik TORBA (HUN)
Neeraj NEERAJ (IND)
Meysam Karamali DALKHANI (IRI)
Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN)
Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ)
Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ)
Hanjae CHUNG (KOR)
Aleksandrs JURKJANS (LAT)
Stig Andre BERGE (NOR)
Artor Zaitsev HAGERUP (NOR)
Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU)
Ibragim LABAZANOV (RWF)
Perica DIMITRIJEVIC (SRB)

Virgil Alexander BICA (SWE)
Mehmet CEKER (TUR)
Lenur TEMIROV (UKR)
Sam JONES (USA)

67kg
Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM)

Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE)
Ott SAAR (EST)
Elmer Joakim MATTILA (FIN)
Mamadassa SYLLA (FRA)
Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO)
Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER)
Krisztian Istvan VANCZA (HUN)
Gaurav DUHOON (IND)
Mohammadreza Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI)
Zaur KABALOEV (ITA)
Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (JPN)
Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ)

Gilbert Mbevoni KABOCHE (KEN)
Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ)
Hansu RYU (KOR)
Morten THORESEN (NOR)
Mateusz Lucjan BERNATEK (POL)
Pedro Miguel DE MATOS OLIVEIRA DE MORAIS CA (POR)
Nazir Rachidovitch ABDULLAEV (RWF)
Sebastian NAD (SRB)
Andreas VETSCH (SUI)
Murat FIRAT (TUR)
Oleksii MASYK (UKR)
Peyton OMANIA (USA)

72kg
Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM)
Christoph BURGER (AUT)
Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE)
Deyvid Tihomirov DIMITROV (BUL)
Jair Alexis CUERO MUNOZ (COL)
Mikko Petteri PELTOKANGAS (FIN)
Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamed Hassan GHANEM (FRA)
Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO)

Idris Hanpasaevic IBAEV (GER)
Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN)
Vikas VIKAS (IND)
Mohammad Reza Hojatollah MOKHTARI (IRI)
Tomohiro INOUE (JPN)
Kaharman KISSYMETOV (KAZ)
Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ)
Jiyul LEE (KOR)
Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU)
Valentin PETIC (MDA)
Juan Sebastian AAK (NOR)
Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR)
Roman PACURKOWSKI (POL)

Sergei KUTUZOV (RWF)
Aleksa ERSKI (SRB)
Leos DRMOLA (SVK)

Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR)
Maksym YEVTUSHENKO (UKR)

Patrick SMITH (USA)

77kg
Boris FRROKAJ (ALB)
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
Joilson DE BRITO RAMOS JUNIOR (BRA)
Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL)
Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO)
Oliver Marco KRUEGER (DEN)
Matias Olavi Iisakki LIPASTI (FIN)
Evrik NIKOGHOSYAN (FRA)
Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO)
Roland SCHWARZ (GER)
Tamas LEVAI (HUN)
Sajan SAJAN (IND)
Mohammadali Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI)
Kodai SAKURABA (JPN)
Tamerlan SHADUKAYEV (KAZ)

Mathayo Matonya MAHABILA (KEN)
Kairatbek TUGOLBAEV (KGZ)
Yeonghun NOH (KOR)
Paulius GALKINAS (LTU)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
Emmanuel Alexis BENITEZ CASTRO (MEX)
Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Rabie K. A. KHALIL (PLE)
Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL)
Bakhit Sharif K BADR (QAT)

Roman VLASOV (RWF)
Viktor NEMES (SRB)
Bogdan KOURINNOI (SWE)

Daler REZA ZADE (TJK)
Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR)
Dmytro PYSHKOV (UKR)
Jesse Alexander PORTER (USA)

82kg
Gegham TORGOMYAN (ARM)
Rohan Peter KALISCH (AUS)
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE)
Tarek Mohamed ABDELSLAM SHEBLE MOHAMED (BUL)
Bozo STARCEVIC (CRO)
Oldrich VARGA (CZE)
Ranet KALJOLA (EST)
Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO)
Hannes WAGNER (GER)
Laszlo SZABO (HUN)
Singh HARPREET (IND)
Pejman Soltanmorad POSHTAM (IRI)
Igor PETRISHIN (ISR)
Satoki MUKAI (JPN)
Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ)
Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ)
Byeongcheol SHIN (KOR)

Per Anders KURE (NOR)
Edgar BABAYAN (POL)
Adlan AKIEV (RWF)
Branko KOVACEVIC (SRB)
Alex Michel BJURBERG KESSIDIS (SWE)
Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR)
Dmytro GARDUBEI (UKR)
Benjamin Errol PROVISOR (USA)

87kg
Artur SHAHINYAN (ARM)
Michael WAGNER (AUT)
Islam ABBASOV (AZE)
Yoan Danielov DIMITROV (BUL)
Vjekoslav LUBURIC (CRO)
Petr NOVAK (CZE)
Turpan Ali Alvievich BISULTANOV (DEN)
Raido LIITMAEE (EST)
Lasha GOBADZE (GEO)
Pascal EISELE (GER)
Istvan TAKACS (HUN)
Kumar SUNIL (IND)
Ramin Soltanmorad TAHERISARTANG (IRI)
Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN)
Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
Seunghwan LEE (KOR)
Julius MATUZEVICIUS (LTU)
Mihail BRADU (MDA)
Ruben Elias BEEN (NOR)
Magnus GROENVIK (NOR)
Arkadiusz Marcin KULYNYCZ (POL)

Milad Valerikovitch ALIRZAEV (RWF)
Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB)
Kristoffer Zakarias BERG (SWE)

Metehan BASAR (TUR)
Alan VERA (USA)
Semen NOVIKOV (UKR)

97kg
Murat LOKIAYEV (AZE)
Kiril Milenov MILOV (BUL)
Ioannis NARLIDIS (CAN)
Artur OMAROV (CZE)
Mathias BAK (DEN)
Melonin NOUMONVI (FRA)
Giorgi MELIA (GEO)
Peter OEHLER (GER)
Alex Gergo SZOKE (HUN)
Ravi RAVI (IND)

Mohammadhadi Abdollah SARAVI (IRI)
Yuta NARA (JPN)
Yerulan ISKAKOV (KAZ)
Beksultan Makhamadzhanovich MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Jewoo PARK (KOR)
Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU)
Felix BALDAUF (NOR)
Marcus WORREN (NOR)
Gerard Cyprian KURNICZAK (POL)

Artur SARGSIAN (RWF)
Mihail KAJAIA (SRB)
Pontus Johan LUND (SWE)
Ibrahim TIGCI (TUR)
Yevhenii SAVETA (UKR)
Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA)

130kg
David OVASAPYAN (ARM)
Beka KANDELAKI (AZE)
Radoslav Plamenov GEORGIEV (BUL)
Yasmani ACOSTA FERNANDEZ (CHI)
Marko KOSCEVIC (CRO)

Stepan DAVID (CZE)
Konsta Johannes MAEENPAEAE (FIN)
Iakobi KAJAIA (GEO)
Jello KRAHMER (GER)
Naveen NAVEEN (IND)

Aliakbar Hossein YOUSOFIAHMADCHALI (IRI)
Arata SONODA (JPN)
Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ)

Seungchan LEE (KOR)
Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU)
Oskar MARVIK (NOR)
Nikola MILATOVIC (NOR)
Rafal Andrzej KRAJEWSKI (POL)
Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU)

Zurabi GEDEKHAURI (RWF)
Mykola KUCHMII (UKR)
Cohlton Michael SCHULTZ (USA)

 Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) finishes a shot on Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) during their battle for the 68kg Olympic title. They are both registered at 68kg. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
Patricia Alejandra BERMUDEZ (ARG)
Turkan NASIROVA (AZE)
Kamila BARBOSA VITO DA SILVA (BRA)
Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL)

Madison Bianca PARKS (CAN)
Lisa ERSEL (GER)
Kumari HANNY (IND)
Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN)
Miran CHEON (KOR)
Gabija DILYTE (LTU)
Emilia CIRICU BUDEANU (MDA)

Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) 
Ramona ERIKSEN (NOR)
Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
Emilia Alina VUC (ROU)
Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RWF)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Bohdana KOKOZEI YASHCHUK (UKR)
Sarah Ann HILDEBRANDT (USA)

53kg
Samantha Leigh STEWART (CAN)
Annika WENDLE (GER)
Pooja POOJA (IND)
Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)
Eunyoung PARK (KOR)
Kamile SERNAUSKAITE (LTU)
Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL)
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)
Anzhelika VETOSHKINA (RWF)
Emma Jonna Denise MALMGREN (SWE)
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR)

Amy FEARNSIDE (USA)

55kg
Natasha Irene Vera FOX KRAMBLE(CAN)
Nina HEMMER (GER)
Pinki PINKI (IND)
Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)
Soyeon KIM (KOR)
Sumiya ERDENECHIMEG (MGL)
Esther Omolayo KOLAWOLE (NGR)
Anne SVARSTAD (NOR)
Roksana Marta ZASINA (POL)
Andreea Beatrice ANA (ROU)
Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RWF)

Mehlika OZTURK (TUR)
Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR)
Jenna BURKERT (USA)  

57kg
Jeannie Agnes KESSLER (AUT)
Giullia RODRIGUES PENALBER DE OLIVEIRA (BRA)
Evelina Georgieva NIKOLOVA (BUL)
Alexandria Rebekkah TOWN (CAN)
Elena Heike BRUGGER (GER)
Ramona GALAMBOS (HUN)
Anshu ANSHU (IND)
Sae NANJO (JPN)
Sophia Omutichio AYIETA (KEN)
Davaachimeg ERKHEMBAYAR (MGL)

Patrycja GIL (POL)
Veronika CHUMIKOVA (RWF)

Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)
Helen Louise MAROULIS (USA)

59kg
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)
Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA (BUL)

Linda MORAIS (CAN)
Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER)
Sarita SARITA (IND)
Akie HANAI (JPN)
Ineta DANTAITE (LTU)

Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL)
Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR)

Jowita Maria WRZESIEN (POL)
Svetlana LIPATOVA (RWF)
Sara Johanna LINDBORG (SWE)

Ebru DAGBASI (TUR)
Oksana KUKHTA HERHEL (UKR)
Maya Gabriella NELSON (USA)

62kg
Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA)
Ana Paula GODINEZ GONZALEZ (CAN)
Luisa Helga Gerda NIEMESCH (GER)
Sangeeta SANGEETA (IND)
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Hwa Young SUNG (KOR)

Gantuya ENKHBAT (MGL)
Aleksandra WOLCZYNSKA (POL)
Alina KASABIEVA (RWF)

Merve KARADENIZ (TUR)
Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR)
Kayla Colleen Kiyoko MIRACLE (USA)

65kg
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
Mimi Nikolova HRISTOVA (BUL)
Koumba Selene Fanta LARROQUE (FRA)
Eyleen SEWINA (GER)
Bhateri BHATERI (IND)
Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)

Winrose ALIVISA (KEN)
Hyebin AHN (KOR)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)

Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL)
Ingrid Bergh SKARD (NOR)

Kamila Czeslawa KULWICKA (POL)
Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU)
Dinara KUDAEVA SALIKHOVA (RWF)
Malin Johanna MATTSSON (SWE)

Asli DEMIR (TUR)
Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)

Forrest MOLINARI (USA) 

68kg
Olivia Grace DI BACCO (CAN)
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
Ritu RITU (IND)
Rin MIYAJI (JPN)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
Minji HA (KOR)
Danute DOMIKAITYTE (LTU)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

Natalia Iwona STRZALKA (POL)
Khanum VELIEVA (RWF)
Nesrin BAS (TUR)
Anastasiia LAVRENCHUK (UKR)
Forrest Ann MOLINARI (USA)
Tamyra Mariama STOCK MENSAH (USA)

72kg
Sofiya Hristova GEORGIEVA (BUL)
Kayla Mary BEDNARCIK BRODNER (CAN)
Anna Carmen SCHELL (GER)
Divya KAKRAN (IND)
Masako FURUICHI (JPN)
Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)

Kseniia BURAKOVA (RWF)
Zsuzsanna MOLNAR (SVK)
Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR)

Alla BELINSKA (UKR)
Kylie Renee WELKER (USA)

76kg
Mariya Gerginova ORYASHKOVA (BUL)
Samar Amer Ibrahim HAMZA (EGY)
Epp MAEE (EST)
Cynthia Vanessa VESCAN (FRA)
Georgina Olwen NELTHORPE (GBR)
Francy RAEDELT (GER)
Zsanett NEMETH (HUN)
Kiran KIRAN (IND)
Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Cholee KIM (KOR)
Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU)
Zagardulam NAIGALSUREN (MGL)
Iselin Maria Vilde Moen SOLHEIM (NOR)

Marina SUROVTSEVA (RWF)
Aysegul OZBEGE (TUR)
Anastasiia OSNIACH SHUSTOVA (UKR)
Adeline Maria GRAY (USA)

#WrestleTirana

U23 Worlds: Iran, Moldova split Greco golds

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (October 23) -- Iran and Moldova emerged as the top nations on the third day of the U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania with them winning two gold medals each. Iran won the team title with 149 points with yet another incredible performance. Georgia followed with a second-place finish with 121 points and Armenia was third with 93 points.

Iran's first gold medal of the day came from U20 world champion Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) as he added the U23 world title to his growing resume. He won the U17 world title in 2022.

The 19-year-old was up against European silver medalist Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) in the final but apart from par terre in the first period, he never looked in trouble. Mammadov got two points for a correct throw to lead 3-0 at the break.

Ahmadi Vafa got the par terre in the second period and scored two turns to lead 5-3. He went into defensive soon and was hit with the third passivity. But it proved fatal for Mammadov who was stopped in the middle of a turn from Ahmadi Vafa. With a 7-3 lead, Ahmadi Vafa hit a huge four-pointer on the edge to win the bout 11-3 and his third age-group gold medal.

"It was decided by the coaching staff to compete at the U23 World Championships after the U20 one," Ahmadi Vafa said. "Thank God, I was able to participate and return to Iran with a gold medal"

Ahmadi Vafa credits his training this year and his study of his opponents as the major factors for his improvement after suffering close losses in the age-group World Championships last year. 

"I worked really hard this year," he said. "I spent a full year in training camp and put in a lot of effort. A thorough analysis with the coaching staff made me win. I was able to reap the rewards of all my hard work over the past year."

In the 45-day break between the U20 and U23 World Championships, Ahmadi Vafa trained with the senior team. 

"A few days after we returned to Iran, we went to the senior camp," he said. "We were under a lot of physical strain, so the coaching staff decided to make our training sessions a bit lighter than the others.

"Our bodies responded well. I always felt deep inside that I could do it. I always say that I’m the best in my weight class."

To be on Iran's senior team, Ahmadi Vafa would have had to go through Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) who is the senior team member. However, the Iran federation has asked him to move to the 60kg weight class.

"He has a senior medal, and I have a lot of respect for him," he said. "We are from the same hometown. We’ve trained together several times at the senior camp, and he’s a really good opponent for me, and I might be a good opponent for him too.

"But the decision of the coaches is that I have to move up to the new weight category of 60kg, which will be a lot tougher. But I need to work harder to be able to win the gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics."

Multiple-time age-group world champion Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) added the U23 world title with a dominant run in Tirana. With three technical superiority victories, Hedayati won the final 6-0 against Dmitrii BABORYKO (AIN).

Hedayati, in which typical style, began attacking relentlessly and soon scored a couple of stepouts. He was also awarded the par terre but he could not score any points. After leading 6-0, Hedayati scored a takedown to finish the bout 8-0 but Baboryko challenged. On review, Hedayati was warned for pushing and the score was reversed to 6-0.

The 21-year-old managed to hang on to that lead and win the gold medal.

Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) scores two points over Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER) in the 77kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

For Moldova, Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) defended his U23 world title at 77kg and Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) denied Japan's Komei SAWADA (JPN) in the 63kg final to win the gold medal.

Gutu, who has a U17 world title as well, was competing at his fourth U23 World Championships and has won medals in three of them with two golds. Wrestling Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER) in the final on Wednesday, Gutu used his signature front headlock to score exposure. That remained the difference as he clinched a 3-1 victory.

The win gave Gutu something to cherish after a disappointing season in which he failed to qualify for the Olympics and finished with only a bronze medal in four tournaments.

"This championships is very important for me," Gutu said. "As everyone knows, I lost at the Olympic qualifiers. I couldn’t even win the European Championships. This was the last tournament of the year. I needed to show a good performance here. I am really happy that I’ve won."

After dealing with the disappointment of failing just one win short of winning a ticket to the Paris Olympics, Gutu took some time to motivate himself to return to the mat.

"After the qualifiers in Baku, it was difficult to recover," he said. "I can’t even describe it. I was not just one step away, I was one percent away from that spot. It was very disappointing. 

"I’ve always had that motivation. The younger generation looks up to me. My family and my coaches are always there for me. I can’t let them all down. I will keep working until I get what I want."

Eriomenco added to the party with the 63kg gold as he defeated Swada in a very one-sided final. He got two turns from par terre to lead 5-0 at the break. Swada opened the second period with a stepout and then a point for par terre. As he was trying the gut-wrench, Eriomenco got out of the hold and scored a reversal to make it 6-2. Two easy turns made it 10-2, ending the match with technical superiority.

"I’ve been working so hard to reach this," Eriomenco said. "I’ve finished third three times at the European Championships and last year I was third at the Worlds. I was motivated to win this gold. I’ve never won even the European championships, but now I have won the World gold. I came here only for gold."

The difference between the physicality of the two wrestlers stood out and Eriomenco acknowledged that it worked to his advantage.

"From the beginning, I could feel that I was physically stronger," he said. "That’s when I got the confidence that I could win. The first match was the toughest one, then it was a bit easier. The final match was the most difficult. It was mentally tough to get ready for that match, because I really wanted the gold medal and no less."

Eriomenco is scheduled to compete at the Non-Olympic Weight Classes World Championships and is keen to leave an impression.

"It’s definitely going to be difficult to compete at two competitions in a raw," he said. "I won’t let the weight go up a lot. I will keep it down. I think everything is going to be ok. I know all my competitors. We’ve been training together at camps, we’ve been wrestling each other at competitions."

Fellow gold medalist Gutu also praised his compatriot and friend for his gold medal. 

"Eriomenco is my best friend," Gutu said. "I am so happy for him, because he was always so close, but he could never win. He became the World champion, I am really happy for him and it motivated me a lot to win my gold medal as well."

Anes GONIBOV (AIN)Anes GONIBOV (AIN) defeated Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) in the 87kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) had the chance to add a second title to his U20 one from 2021. However, he fell short and dropped his 87kg final against Anes GONIBOV (AIN) 4-0.

Gonibov got par terre position in both the periods which made his lead 2-0. Sterkenburg tried desperately for a takedown but failed and Gonibov managed to score and lead 4-0. The win for Gonibov gives him his second world tittle to along with his gold medal at the U23 World Championships at 82kg.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) df. Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE), 11-3

BRONZE: Vishvajit MORE (IND) df. Adam ULBASHEV (AIN), 14-10
BRONZE: Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) df. William SULLIVAN (USA), 11-1

63kg
GOLD: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) df. Komei SAWADA (JPN), 10-2

BRONZE: Erfan JARKANI (IRI) df. Arman VARDANYAN (ARM), 8-0
BRONZE: Mairbek SALIMOV (POL) df. Bekir ATES (TUR), via fall

77kg
GOLD: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) df. Samuel BELLSCHEIDT (GER), 3-1

BRONZE: Khasay HASANLI (AZE) df. Temuri ORJONIKIDZE (GEO), 
BRONZE: Ali OSKOU (IRI) df. Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB), 6-4

87kg
GOLD: Aues GONIBOV (AIN) df. Marcel STERKENBURG (NED), 4-0

BRONZE: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) df. Payton JACOBSON (USA), 9-0
BRONZE: Achiko BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Yasin YAZDI (IRI), 4-4

130kg
GOLD: Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) df. Dmitrii BABORYKO (AIN), 6-0

BRONZE: Giorgi TSOPURASHVILI (GEO) df. Albert VARDANYAN (ARM), 1-1
BRONZE: Koppany LASZLO (HUN) df. Pavel HLINCHUK (AIN), 9-1

Women's Wrestling Semifinals

50kg
GOLD: Natalia PUDOVA (AIN) vs. Sage MORTIMER (USA)

SF 1: Natalia PUDOVA (AIN) df. Natallia VARAKINA (AIN), 8-2
SF 2: Sage MORTIMER (USA) df. Umi ITO (JPN), via fall (4-12)

55kg
GOLD: Zeltzin HERNANDEZ GUERRA (MEX) vs. Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)

SF 1: Zeltzin HERNANDEZ GUERRA (MEX) df. Amani JONES (USA), via fall (4-5)
SF 2: Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) df. Ekaterina KARPUSHKINA (AIN), 7-0

59kg
GOLD: ANJLI (IND) vs. Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR)

SF 1: ANJLI (IND) df. Aurora RUSSO (ITA), via fall (4-0)
SF 2: Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) df. Himeka TOKUHARA (JPN), 5-2

68kg
GOLD: Aues GONIBOV (AIN) vs. Marcel STERKENBURG (NED)

SF 1: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Alina SHAUCHUK (AIN), via fall (3-0)
SF 2: Ami ISHII (JPN) df. Xinze DU (CHN), 10-0

76kg
GOLD: Shuiyan CHENG (CHN) vs. Yelena MAKOYED (USA)

SF 1: Shuiyan CHENG (CHN) df. Zsofia VIRAG (HUN), 10-0
SF 2: Yelena MAKOYED (USA) df. Nodoka YAMAMOTO (JPN), via fall (13-2)