Beach wrestling, beach, World Championships, Pakistan, gold medal, oil wrestling

Beach Wrestling World Champ’s Delivers High-Flying, Fan-Friendly Action

Monday, October 30, 2017 - 12:33 By Tim Foley

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DALYAN, Turkey (October 24) – Muscular bodies and postcard sunsets met with top-level international wrestling and sprays of sand last week on the beaches of Dalyan, Turkey as United World Wrestling hosted the 2017 Beach Wrestling World Championships.

The championships were a celebration of the sport’s reemergence around the globe and the kickoff event for what the wrestling body believes will be the next big global sports phenomenon.

“Beach wrestling is an exciting area of development for our organization,” boasted United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. “The appeal is right there for everyone to see. We are in the sun, and wrestlers are very fit people so when they compete everything is pleasing to the spectators no matter how much they know about wrestling.”

Wrestlers in the Cadet, Junior and Senior age groups competed in a total of 20 weight categories across the three-day event. Iran, Ukraine and Pakistan all took home gold medals in men’s beach wrestling, while Norway and Italy proved to be the dominant powers on the women’s side.

Beach wrestling is an especially appealing competition style for wrestlers from nations like Pakistan, India, Vietnam and dozens in Africa since their local styles are very similar. With constant growth Mr. Lalovic and others believe that the sport will help wrestling reach millions more young wrestlers and continue growing interest in the Olympic styles as well.

“Beach wrestling has a lot of potential. We want to see it in more countries in 2018 and are planning for a new event series to make sure that we inspire our young athletes to get out and be active in our sport,” said Lalovic.

The Beach Wrestling World Championships latched on to local excitement for oil wrestling and held a joint event on the final day of wrestling, combining the men’s freestyle 90kg and +90kg finals with a Turkish Oil Wrestling competition. Known as “yagli gures” the sport dates back more than a thousand years and holds an annual championship known as “Kirkpinar” which attracts more than 100,000 fans and is considered the longest continually running athletic event in history.

With big eyes for the future, beach wrestling will expand its offerings in 2018 with a tentatively approved global tour of five cities capped by an annual prize event.

For more information on beach wrestling and more follow United World Wrestling on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and on our homepage.

Men’s Senior Beach Wrestling

Men’s 70kg

GOLD:  RADULOV SEMEN (UKR) df. Mohammad NADERI (IRI), 3-2 
BRONZE:  Veli YANTIR (TUR) df. Michael PETERS (USA), 4-2 
BRONZE:  Aimar ANDRUSE (EST) df. Arouzmanidis NIKO (GRE), 2-1 

Men’s 80kg

GOLD: Sayed Jafar GHASEMI (IRI) df. Omid Hassan TABAR JELODAR (IRI), 3-0 
BRONZE: Serkan CAVUSOGLU (TUR) df. VELIKSAR SERGII (UKR), 1-0 

Men’s 90kg

GOLD:  Muahammad Inam (PAK) df. Pejman Fazlollah TABAR NAGHRACHI (IRI), 2-1 
BRONZE:  Pavlidis THEODOSIOS (GRE) df. Petridis CHRISTOS (GRE), 3-0 
BRONZE:  Savvinov PLATON (RUS) df. Kerimkulov CHYNGYZ (KGZ), 3-0 

Men’s 90kg+

GOLD:  Pouga RAHMANI (IRI) df. Hakan AYDOGAN (TUR), 3-0 
BRONZE:  Ivanov FEDOR (RUS) df. Kargiotakis IOANNIS (GRE), 2-2 
BRONZE:  Engin DAGLI (TUR) df. GABRIEL ARMAND (USA), 2-0 

Senior Women’s Beach Wrestling

Women’s 60kg

GOLD: Francesca INDELICATO (ITA) df. CHRISTINA DEMIRKAN (GRE), 4-0 
BRONZE: Florine SCHEDLER (AUT) df. Nadir UGURUN PERCIN (TUR), 2-0 

Women’s 70kg

GOLD: Charlotte SKAVNER (NOR)
SILVER: Cesilie MAGNUSEN (NOR)
BRONZE: Meral KAYA (TUR)

Women’s 70kg+

GOLD: Cathrine FRILSETH (NOR) df. Pesnille ROJAR (NOR), 4-0 
BRONZE: Pistiava AIKATERINI EIRIR (GRE) df. F Zehra KANLIADA (TUR), 3-0  
Gallery
Beach Wrestling World Championships Dalyan

#WrestleBudapest

Budapest Ranking Series Greco-Roman Highlights

Sunday, July 20, 2025 - 08:52 By Vinay Siwach

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 20) -- The Budapest Ranking Series final day will see Greco-Roman action in seven weight classes -- 55kg, 60kg, 63kg, 67kg, 77kg, 82kg, 97kg.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 3 RESULTS

16:30: The end of the semifinals in Budapest. Giorgi MELIA (GEO) makes it to the 97kg final after a 5-1 victory over Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE). He will take on  Hayk KHLOYAN (ARM) who sneaks through with a 5-4 win over Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN).

16:12: Zoltan LEVAI (HUN) gets the benefit of Beka MELELASHVILI (USA) defensive fouls and win 4-3 at 82kg semifinals. He will face Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW) for the gold who defeated Rafael IUNUSOV (UWW), 5-1.

16:00: Robert Attila FRITSCH (HUN) launches Sergei STEPANOV (UWW) for a huge four-pointer in the last minute and wins the 77kg semifinal 6-3 to set up a final against Sergei KUTUZOV (UWW) after he defeated Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) 8-6. Suleymanov was going well with a 6-0 lead but when Kutuzov got the par terre, he reverse lifted Suleymanov for a four and another for two points to lead 7-6. A lost challenge made it 8-6 for the win.

15:40: European bronze medalist Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) rolls to a 8-0 technical superiority win over Daniial AGAEV (UWW) in the 67kg final. But there will be no all-Georgian final as Leri ABULADZE (GEO) drops his semifinal to Valentic PETIC (MDA) 5-3.

15:25: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) takes out European silver medalist Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) 5-3 to enter the final at 63kg. Surprising win for Eriomenco but he will face Sergey EMELIN (UWW) for the gold medal. Emelin had a injury walkover in the other semifinal.

15:05: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) showing why he is the best in the world at 60kg as he beats Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) in a rematch of the European final. He defends most of Tibilov's attacks to win 3-2. He will face SUMIT (IND) in the 60kg final after the Indian pinned Galym KABDUNASSAROV (KAZ).

14:45: Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) needs all the luck he can as he beats Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), 5-5, on criteria in the 55kg semifinal. He will take on Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) for the gold medal after he defeated Alpamys DASTANBEK (KAZ), 8-0, in just a minute and 20 seconds.

Semifinals

14:15: Sergei KUTUZOV (UWW) scores turns from par terre and beats Asian champion Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) 9-0 to book a place in the semifinal against Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) at 77kg.

14:00: Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) keeps and simple and gets both par terre advantages in the against Mehroj BAKHRAMOV (UZB) and beats him 4-0 at 60kg. This avenges his loss to Bakhramov at the Zagreb Open earlier this year.

13:55: Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) takes out Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO) 5-5 in the 60kg quarterfinals via criteria. Tibilov will face Mammadli in the semifinal, a rematch of the European final which Mammadli won

13:40: SUMIT (IND) breaks Dahyun KIM (KOR) down with his pace and secures the fall after an early scare in the 60kg bout. He moves into the semifinals of the Ranking Series.

13:35: European champion Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) comes strong in defense, blocking Anil MOR (IND) when the Indian was trying to turn Sefershaev from par terre. He also pushed him out for a point. Sefershaev win 4-1 at 55kg. 

13:25: Alex SZOKE (HUN) sends the local crowd into frenzy after beating Artur SARGASIAN (UWW) 6-6 on criteria at 97kg. Szoke had three two point techniques while Sargasian managed only two and the Hungarian kept the criteria.

13:15: European silver medalist Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) puts another clinical show and beats Ellis COLEMAN (USA) 6-1 at 63kg. He enters the semifinals.

12:45: World and European champion Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) takes a little injury timeout before par terre but gets to work and finishes the bout against Seunghak KIM (KOR), 9-0, at 60kg.

12:20: Two huge losses as Sadyk LALAEV (UWW) drops his match 9-3 to SUMIT (IND) and on Mat D, Anvar ALLAKHIAROV (UWW) loses 9-0 to Dahyun KIM (KOR) at 60kg. Both were looking to be on the team to Zagreb but what unexpected losses.

12:00: Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) manages to blank Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) in the opening round at 77kg. A takedown to open the scoring for Suleymanov before he scores a turn from par terre. Gutu challenges for the hand-below-waist but it's lost. A takedown in the second period and Suleymanov wins 8-0.

11:50: European champion Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) gives no chance to Artium DELEANU (MDA) and wins an easy 7-1 opening round.

11:45: Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) and Dinislam BAMMATOV (UWW) are involved in a battle but it's the Moldovan who comes out on top 5-5 on criteria.

11:35: European silver medalist Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) bosses his opening round bout at 63kg and beats Yerkebulan ARDAKOV (KAZ), 9-0 to advance. In the next match on Mat D, 

11:20: World U23 champion Alisher GANIEV (UZB), one of the most explosive wrestler in the world, wins his first bout at 63kg via disqualification of Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ). Ganiev was already leading 7-0 by then.

11:05: Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) opens with a 10-0 victory over Seungjun KIM (KOR) at 97kg. Savolainen has not enjoyed similar success like he did before the Paris Olympic cycle.  

10:55: Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) needs a challenge to overturn a defeated to victory against Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB). Vardanyan got a exposure at the end but was not scored. However, he won the challenge and Nakibov is devasted.

10:40: Former world champion Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) wins his first bout at 77kg with a 1-1 score against Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) as he was the first to get the par terre points.

10:30: Welcome to the final day of the Budapest Ranking Series. It will be Greco-Roman action the whole day in seven weight classes