#YasarDogu

Burroughs, Cox, Snyder Close out Yasar Dogu with Day 4 Titles

By Eric Olanowski

ISTANBUL, Turkey (July 14) --- The United States closed out the final day at the Yasar Dogu with three gold medals -- bringing their overall freestyle championship total to five. They had a pair of winners on Day 3, then tacked on three additional golds thanks to the help of world champions Jordan BURROUGHS, J’den COX and Kyle SNYDER, who won the 74kg, 92kg and 97kg title respectively. 

Cox and Snyder now head into September’s World Championships as the top-ranked wrestlers at their respective weights, while Burroughs gained the No. 2 ranking with his win in Istanbul.

Burroughs, a four-time world and Olympic champion, was scheduled to wrestle his biggest rival Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) for the 74kg title. But Chamizo, a two-time world champion, decided to sit out of the gold-medal bout after he locked up the top seed at 74kg -- handing the American the Yasar Dogu gold. 

With Chamizo grabbing the No. 1 seed from Sidakov, the Italian will face Budapest world runner-up and fourth-ranked Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) in the top-side semifinal in Nur-Sultan, and Sidakov and Burroughs in the bottom side semifinal. That is, of course, if the seeds hold true in Kazakhstan.

J’den COX (USA) outscored his four Yasar Dogu opponents 42-0 en route to the 92kg gold medal. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

J’den Cox closed out his run to a 92kg Yasar Dogu title outscoring his opponents 42-0 --including a 10-0 victory over Bendeguz TOTH (HUN) in the finals. 

Cox, the reigning 92kg world champion, picked up four takedowns then ended the finals match against Toth with a right side gut and slides into the World Championships with an unblemished 2019 record. 

Kyle Snyder earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ali SHABANIBENGAR (IRI) in the 97kg finals and passed Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) for the weights top spot. 

Snyder, a two-time world and Olympic champion, grabbed what ended up being the match-deciding takedown early in the first period with a quick ankle pick. Though he conceded a stepout point in the second period, Snyder hung on to win his first Yasar Dogu title -- improving on his third-place finish from a year ago. 

Erica WIEBE (CAN) won her second straight Ranking Series title with a 2-1 win over Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA) in the 76kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Meanwhile, Erica WIEBE (CAN) became the third Olympic champion to win a Yasar Dogu title after scoring a 2-1 victory over Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA) in the 76kg women’s wrestling finals. 

Wiebe and Da Sila Ferreira traded inactivity points, and the Brazilian led at the halfway point of the second period, but the Canadian earned her second inactivity point with 45 seconds left to hang on to win, 2-1. 

Wiebe has now defeated a world or Olympic champion in three straight tournaments en route to her gold medals. At the Sassari in late May, Wiebe stuck Olympic champion Natalia VORBIEVA (RUS) in the opening period, then followed that up by defeating reigning world champion Justina DI STASIO (CAN) to win the Canada Cup title two weeks ago.

RESULTS

Freestyle

Team Standings 
GOLD - Turkey (165 points) 
SILVER- USA (155 points) 
BRZONE - Azerbaijan (100 points) 
Fourth - India (94 points) 
Fifth - Hungary (83 points)

74kg
GOLD - Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) df. Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA), via injury default
BRONZE - Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR) df. Enes USLU (TUR), via injury default 
BRONZE - Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. Yakup GOR (TUR), 7-5 

92kg 
GOLD - J'Den Michael Tbory COX (USA) df. Bendeguz TOTH (HUN), 10-0 
BRONZE - Shamil ZUBAIROV (AZE) df. Abubakar TURGAYEV (KAZ), via injury default
BRONZE - Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR) df. Viky VIKY (IND), 8-0 

97kg 
GOLD - Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Ali Khalil SHABANIBENGAR (IRI), 2-1 
BRONZE - Abraham CONYEDO RUANO (ITA) df. Aslanbek ALBOROV (AZE), via disqualification
BRONZE - Pavlo OLIINYK (HUN) df. Baki SAHIN (TUR), via fall 

Women's Wrestling

Team Standings
GOLD - Russia (113 points)
SILVER - Turkey (112 points)
BRONZE - Belarus (92 points)
Fourth - India (89 points)
Fifth - Canada (78 points)

72kg 
GOLD - Buse TOSUN (TUR) df. Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (BLR)
BRONZE - Alena STARODUBTSEVA (RUS) df. Nilufar GADAEVA (UZB)

76kg 
GOLD - Erica Elizabeth WIEBE (CAN) df. Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA), 2-1 
BRONZE - Yasemin ADAR (TUR) df. Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER), 10-3
BRONZE - Iselin Maria Moen SOLHEIM (NOR) df. Alla BELINSKA (UKR), via fall 

Development

2025 UWW Pat Shaw Memorial concludes in Guatemala City

By United World Wrestling Press

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (June 2) -- The 2025 UWW Pat Shaw Memorial - Regional Education Development Tournament (REDT) successfully concluded once again in Guatemala City, continuing the tradition of excellence in wrestling development across the Americas.

From May 26 to June 1, athletes, coaches, referees, and officials gathered at the Center for High-Performance and Development of America (CARDA) and the Erick Barrondo Sports Complex for a week of intensive educational activities and training camps. The event offered a unique platform where participants could simultaneously improve their technical, pedagogical, and competitive skills.

The coaches’ course was conducted under the leadership of Iranian expert Professor Reza AZIMI, assisted by Ardeshir ASGARI (NCA), who also supported with translation. A total of 22 coaches from 11 countries took part in these sessions, which combined theoretical classes with practical on-mat application, allowing for immediate implementation of newly acquired knowledge.

In parallel, the referees’ course was led by Guatemalan international referee Hugo FIGUEROA, with the participation and support of UWW Referee Commission Member Rafael GALVA LEBRON (Puerto Rico). A total of 13 referees from 9 countries attended the seminar, actively engaging in discussions, case studies, and on-mat evaluations.

Throughout the entire week, participants demonstrated strong enthusiasm and commitment, sharing experiences and strengthening the regional wrestling community.

The educational portion of the event officially opened on May 26, with an inauguration ceremony attended by several dignitaries, including Ramón Francisco GONZÁLEZ PINEDA, President of the Guatemalan Wrestling Federation, and Francisco Eduardo LEE LÓPEZ, President of United World Wrestling Americas, who addressed all participants with words of encouragement.

The training camp allowed athletes from across the continent to train together, guided by both educators and coaches from the participating nations. Thanks to the excellent facilities at CARDA and the availability of five official mats, strength and conditioning areas, saunas, and recovery facilities, athletes were able to prepare under optimal conditions.

GUAWrestlers warm up and get ready to compete at the XXXIV "Pat Shaw" Memorial Cup. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

The week culminated with the XXXIV "Pat Shaw" Memorial Cup, held on May 31 and June 1. This year’s competition featured 619 matches across three wrestling styles: Freestyle (FS), Greco-Roman (GR), and Women’s Wrestling (WW), in four age groups: Senior, U20, U17, and U15. Over 308 athletes from 16 countries competed, including delegations from Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the United States.

The entire competition was managed using UWW’s official Arena system, with full implementation of the latest UWW standards in terms of competition management, medical protocols, anti-doping education, and technological support, with valuable collaboration from the UWW Americas T&R team.

The Pat Shaw Memorial - Regional Education Development Tournament continues to serve as a cornerstone for the development of wrestling in the Americas, providing athletes, coaches, and referees an invaluable opportunity for growth within a fully integrated educational and competitive framework.

United World Wrestling firmly believes that programs like these represent the ideal path for sustainable development, offering new generations of participants access to high-level international events while enhancing both their technical and personal growth within our sport.