#WrestleZagreb

Blockbuster WW bouts on cards at Zagreb Open

Saturday, January 6, 2024 - 20:06 By Vinay Siwach

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ZAGREB, Croatia (January 5) -- Three World Championships finals rematches are on the cards in women's wrestling at the Zagreb Open next week.

World champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) can lock horns with silver medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) at 50kg, Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) will look to avenge her loss in the final to Buse TOSUN (TUR) at 68kg and Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) will look to overcome a heart-wrenching loss to Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) at 62kg.

All four 62kg world medalists are entered for the January 10-14 tournament in the Croatian capital with Tynybekova returning to the mat after finishing with a bronze medal at the Asian Games. Motoki will get a chance to take on Tynybekova who handed the Japanese a 4-1 loss in Belgrade last year.

Two bronze medalists, Grace BULLEN (NOR) and Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), will also look to upset Motoki and Tynybekova respectively. Motoki defeated Bullen in the semifinals 2-1 while Kolidenko lost the quarterfinals 2-1.

The line-up also includes Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL), Ana GODINEZ (CAN) and Kayla MIRACLE (USA). China is sending three wrestlers -- Jia LONG (CHN), Yaru WU (CHN) and LILI (CHN) -- hoping to find the best one for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in April.

At 50kg, Susaki and Dolgorjav are likely to meet in the final but Ziqi FENG (CHN), who won bronze in Belgrade, can stop that rematch. Feng troubled Susaki in the World Championships semifinal, taking two points in a 4-2 loss. A Feng vs Dolgorjav bout can prove to be a thriller.

Tosun, whose stunning run in Belgrade win the 68kg world title, will be in action in Zagreb. She would like to continue her winning run but Enkhsaikhan will look to end that. Enkhsaikhan was pinned by Tosun in the World Championships final in a shocking manner after she threw the Turkish wrestler for a four.

Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) and Forrest MOLINARI (USA) are also in the fray with three wrestlers from Bulgaria -- Yuliana YANEVA (BUL), Sofiya GEORGIEVA (BUL) and Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL).

China will send Feng ZHOU (CHN) and Qian JIANG (CHN) to find the best representation for the Paris Olympic qualifying events.

It's the same story at 76kg as it is sending Juan WANG (CHN) and Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN). But the weight class will also see Samar HAMZA (EGY), world silver medalist Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) and world bronze medalist Adeline GRAY (USA). The United States also has Kennedy BLADES (USA) and Kylie WELKER (USA) at 76kg.

France's entries include Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA), Kendra DACHER (FRA) and Ambre CHEVREAU (FRA) while Ukraine is trying to pick between Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR) and Anastasiia SHUSTOVA (UKR).

The 53kg weight class is wide open with more than one wrestler good enough to win the gold medal. Three Chinese and three U.S. wrestlers dominate the entries. Chun LEI (CHN), Qianyu PANG (CHN) and Min ZHANG (CHN) will look to finish at the best position to lay claim to the national team's spot.

The U.S. has Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA), Haley AUGELLO (USA) and Dominique PARRISH (USA). The weight class has not been qualified yet by the nation and the Pan-Am Olympic Qualifiers' represtative will be selected in February.

World bronze medalist Lucia YEPEZ GUZMAN (ECU) and European champion Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) are entered for the competition along with young prodigy Mariia YEFREMOVA (UKR) and Karla GODINEZ (CAN).

World silver medalist Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) is the favorite to win the gold medal but will have to go through Helen MAROULIS (USA) and three Chinese walls in Qi ZHANG (CHN), Kexin HONG (CHN) and Yongxin FENG (CHN).

#development

Libya hosts its first coach and referee course

Monday, November 17, 2025 - 08:37 By United World Wrestling Press

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TRIPOLI, Libya (November 17) -- Libya hosted its first ever education courses for coaches and referees from October 27 to November 3 in Tripoli, Libya.

The courses were conducted in conjunction with United World Wrestling, Olympic Solidarity, Libya NOC and the Libya Wrestling Federation. The coaching course was led by Ahmed KHEDHRI. The referee course was led by Kamel BOUAZIZ.

"This course was considered a success, as we were fortunate to have tutors Khedhri and Bouaziz," Khaled EZANKULI, Secretary General of Libyan Olympic Committee, said. "These courses are a step in the Libyan Wrestling Federation's programs and is part of the joint work with Olympic Solidarity, United World Wrestling and the Libyan Olympic Committee. We consider it a step forward in developing the skills of local coaches, raising their level, and relying on their actual abilities to achieve fair competition."

Libya

During the first half of the program, the technical course for coaches was conducted from October 17 to 31. The course was attended by 21 coaches who participated in Level 1 Course [Introduction to Coaching and Safety]. The following topics were covered throughout the course: discovery games, introducing a new technique, coaching skills, giving feedback, risk management, age and developmental stage characteristics.

The coaches actively practiced and developed their skills through practical evaluations. There was special emphasis placed learning new techniques and applying them in a realistic training environment.

"The coaches in the course showed lot of enthusiasm, cooperation, and exchange of experiences which was reflected in the participants’ active engagement and positive interaction throughout both the theoretical and practical sessions," Khedhri said. "This contributed to enhancing the overall learning outcomes and helped participants acquire new knowledge and skills in a professional yet friendly environment."

The Introduction to Refereeing Course was conducted from November 1 to 3. This course was led by Bouaziz and had 18 participants. The participants learned the foundations of what it takes to be a great referee.

The areas covered during the course included: safety of the athletes, evaluation of holds, referee mechanics, positioning, and controlling the bout. 

"A good number of participants already had knowledge of wrestling," Bouaziz said. "They were very attentive to the explanations, which allowed me to pass on as much information as possible. The same was true for the theoretical part, where their participation and interest were remarkable."

The program was praised by the federation and the participants as well.

"I am very pleased with the success achieved by this course on both the technical and organizational levels. It represents an important step toward building a strong training foundation that will contribute to developing coaches and referees and raising the overall standard of wrestling in Libya," Nabil Abou CHAHMA, President of Libyan Wrestling Federation, said.