#kaspeuro2018

Duo of World Champs Lead Women's Wrestling European Championship Roster

By Eric Olanowski

KASPIISK, Russia (April 18) - The 2018 European Championships commence in less than two weeks in Dagestan, Russia. Though line-ups are not official, women's wrestling preliminary line-ups have been submitted to United World Wrestling, and the duo of returning world champions in Yasemin ADAR (TUR) and Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) lead the field. 

The first five weight categories (50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg, and 76kg) will start wrestling on Wednesday, May 2, and the remaining five weight classes (53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg, and 72kg) will be wrestled on Thursday, May 3. 

50kg 
Oleksandra KOGUT  (AUT)
Mariya STADNIK (AZE)
Kseniya STANKEVICH (BLR)
Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL)
Ainztane GORRIA GONI (ESP)
Tabatha GRUNEWALD (FRA)
Jaqueline Saskia SCHELLIN (GER)
Jessica Cornelia Francisca BLASZKA (NED)
Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
Emilia Alina VUC  (ROU)
Anzhelika VETOSHKINA (RUS)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)

2017 world champion, Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR). Photo by Martin Gabor. 

53kg
Anzhela DOROGAN (AZE)
Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR)
Marina RUEDA FLORES (ESP)
Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA)
Nina HEMMER (GER)
Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
Mercedesz DENES (HUN)
Karalina TJAPKO (LAT)
Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL)
Estera TAMADUIANU DOBRE (ROU)
Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS)
Linn Matilda Daniela LUNDSTROEM (SWE)
Aysun ERGE (TUR)

55kg
Solmaz HASHIMZADA (AZE)
Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR)
Evelina Georgieva NIKOLOVA (BUL)
Elena Heike BRUGGER (GER)
Ramona GALAMBOS (HUN)
Roksana Marta ZASINA (POL)
Simona PRICOB (ROU)
Nina MENKENOVA (RUS)
Bediha GUN (TUR)

2017 European champion, Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR) . 

57kg
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)

Zalina SIDAKOVA (BLR)
Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA (BUL)
Lenka HOCKOVA MARTINAKOVA (CZE)
Mathilde Hélène RIVIERE (FRA)
Laura MERTENS (GER)
Emese BARKA (HUN)
Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR)
Jowita Maria WRZESIEN (POL)
Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (ROU)
Irina OLOGONOVA (RUS)
Szilvia PETER (SWE)
Mehlika OZTURK (TUR)

59kg
Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE)
Katsiaryna HANCHAR YANUSHKEVICH (BLR)
Mimi Nikolova HRISTOVA (BUL)
Kornelija ZAICEVAITE (LTU)
Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS)
Emma Margareta Charlotte JOHANSSON (SWE)
Elif Jale YESILIRMAK  (TUR)

62kg
Elmira GAMBAROVA (AZE)
Veranika IVANOVA (BLR)
Taybe Mustafa YUSEIN (BUL)
Luzie MANZKE(GER)
Aurora CAMPAGNA (ITA)
Agnieszka Sylwia KROL (POL)
Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU)
Inna  TRAZHUKOVA (RUS)
Malin Johanna MATTSSON (SWE)
Derya BAYHAN (TUR)

Current world no. 1 Petra Maarit OLLI (FIN). Photo Martin Gabor. 

65kg 
Iryna  Petrovna NETREBA (AZE)
Krystsina FEDARASHKA (BLR)
Gabriela Georgieva PEYCHEVA (BUL)
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
Petra Maarit OLLI (FIN)
Gabriella SLEISZ (HUN)
Hedda Haug STRAND (NOR)
Adina Elena POPESCU (ROU)
Yulia PRONTSEVITCH  (RUS)
Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE)
Asli TUGCU (TUR)

68kg
Martina KUENZ (AUT)
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE)
Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (BLR)
Sofiya Hristova GEORGIEVA (BUL)
Koumba Selene Fanta LARROQUE (FRA)
Ilana KRATYSH (ISR)
Dalma CANEVA (ITA)
Laura SKUJINA (LAT)
Danute DOMIKAITYTE(LTU)
Monika Ewa MICHALIK (POL)
Alexandra Nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU)
Anastasia BRATCHIKOVA (RUS)
Buse TOSUN (TUR)

72kg
Yauheniya ANDREICHYKAVA (BLR)
Cynthia Vanessa VESCAN (FRA)
Agnieszka Jadwiga WIESZCZEK-KORDUS (POL)
Tatiana KOLESNIKOVA MOROZOVA (RUS)
Anna Jenny Eva Maria FRANSSON (SWE)
Burcu UGDULER ORSKAYA (TUR)

2017 world champion, Yasemin ADAR (TUR). Photo by Martin Gabor. 

76kg
Sabira ALIYEVA (AZE)
Vasilisa MARZALIUK (BLR)
Epp MAE (EST)
Aline FOCKEN (GER)
Zsanett NEMETH (HUN)
Svetlana SAENKO (MDA)
Ekaterina BUKINA (RUS)
Yasemin ADAR (TUR)

#WrestleTirana

WATCH: Shiotani's signature move - Reverse Lift or Tawaragaeshi

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (March 3) -- Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) has done it many times domestically in Japan. On Sunday, he showed it to international fans.

As soon as he get the par terre position, instead for the typical gut-wrench, Shiotani goes for the reverse lift.

The reverse lift, known as Tawaragaeshi in Japanese, majorly seen in Greco-Roman wrestling when the wrestler on top in par terre jumps to face the grounded wrestler and the locks his hands around the opponents waist to throw him over his own head, or sometimes sideways.

That Aleksandr KARELIN photo in which he is clenching his teeth as he lifts his opponent like a sack. Exactly, a reverse lift.

Shiotani, former Asian champion, has mastered that move. And a reverse lift masterclass was on display on the final day of the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series 2025 in Tirana.

Out of the 53 points he scored on Sunday, Shiotani got 33 points from his signature reverse lift. Match after match, he would try the move and succeed as if the opponents did not how to defend it.

"There's not much to think about during a game like this. I do the Tawaragaeshi as if my body were moving on its own," Shiotani said.

Yu SHIOTANI (JPN)Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) performs a reverse lift during the 60kg semifinal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

The Japanese federation Instagram page is full of Shiotani's reverse lift videos. Despite his go-to move, Shiotani is shy to explain his obsession with the move which he performs even when he is in a position to pin or roll his opponent.

"I'm trying to switch things up and try to lift the wrestlers rather than trying to hold him down," Shiotani said. "I'm always practicing so I am able to do it in any situation."

Shiotani doesn't hide it that he is going for the reverse lift. He ideally starts from a chest wrap and quickly moves his grip to waist. If the opponent tries to raise his head to defend, Shiotani scores an exposure, opening more scoring options.

This was the first time Shiotani was wrestling at 60kg in a UWW event, up from 55kg but he said that he always remained in shape for wrestling.

"I always keep in shape," he said. "Ever since moved up the weight class, I've always believed that I could win by building my body, so I'm glad I was able to do that."