#WrestleBudapest19

Elsayed Advances to Second World Final in 10 Days at #WrestleBudapest

By Taylor Miller

Photo of Mohamed Elsayed (EGY) by Kadir Caliskan.

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Reigning U23 World champion Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) put together an impressive day on Saturday to move onto the 67 kg finals in Greco-Roman at the 2019 U23 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Tomorrow will mark his second World finals in the last 10 days as he won a World Military Games gold medal in Wuhan, China. Just over a month ago, Elsayed finished fifth at the 2019 World Championships in Kazakhstan.

To defend his U23 title, Elsayed will face Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (BLR).

The 60 kg gold-medal match features 2018 Senior World silver medalist Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), who will face Armen MELIKYAN (ARM) for the championship.

Sharshenbekov is also a 2017 Junior World silver medalist and 2016 Cadet World bronze medalist.

It will be a battle of Junior World champions at 97 kg as Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN), a 2018 Junior World champion, will face 2016 Junior World champion Giorgi MELIA (GEO) in the finals.

Melia already owns a U23 World medal, taking third in 2018. Savolainen has a pair of additional age-group World medals from the 2017 Junior Worlds and 2015 Cadet Worlds.

At 82 kg, 2016 Junior World silver medalist Vjekoslav LUBURIC (CRO) will take on 2019 Russia Nationals bronze medalist Milad ALIRZAEV (RUS).

For gold at 72 kg, 2019 Senior Asian champion Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) will go head-to-head with 2012 Cadet World bronze medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE).

The finals are set for Sunday at 5 p.m. local time live on unitedworldwrestling.org.

Semifinals results
60 kg
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) df. Zhora ABOVIAN (UKR), 8-0
Armen MELIKYAN (ARM) df. Krisztian KECSKEMETI (HUN), 5-0

67 kg
Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) df. Katsuaki ENDO (JPN), 7-5
Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (BLR) df. Deyvid DIMITROV (BUL), 2-0

72 kg
Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) Maksym YEVTUSHENKO (UKR), 6-2
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) df. Valentin PETIC (MDA), 6-0

82 kg
Milad ALIRZAEV (RUS) df. Aivengo RIKADZE (GEO), 7-2
Vjekoslav LUBURIC (CRO) df. Yevgeniy POLIVADOV (KAZ), 2-1

97 kg
Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) df. Vladlen KOZLIUK (UKR), 9-5
Giorgi MELIA (GEO) df. Dzmitry KAMINSKI (BLR), 5-1

Finals matchups
60 kg: Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) vs. Armen MELIKYAN (ARM)
67 kg: Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) vs. Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (BLR)
72 kg: Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) vs. Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE)
82 kg: Milad ALIRZAEV (RUS) vs. Vjekoslav LUBURIC (CRO)
97 kg: Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) vs. Giorgi MELIA (GEO)

#development

UWW Donates Mats to Mauritius for Regional Development Project

By United World Wrestling Press

MAURITUS (April 27) -- United World Wrestling has donated wrestling mats to the Mauritius National Wrestling and Allied Games Association. The mats were provided through UWW’s partner and sponsor, Taishan Sports, in support of the Olympic Solidarity/ UWW Regional Development Program.

The mats will be used as part of the OS/UWW regional program, which aims to strengthen wrestling development in Mauritius and create a lasting impact across the East Africa region. By improving access to quality training facilities and equipment, the initiative seeks to support athletes, coaches, and youth participation while helping national federations raise standards across the region.

The regional program is scheduled to take place from October 9 to 18, 2026 and will combine athlete training camps, coaches’ education, referees’ courses, and a regional competition to conclude the activities. Olympic Solidarity will soon send invitations to all National Olympic Committees in East Africa to participate in the program.

The President of the Mauritius National Wrestling and Allied Games Association Joel ANTOINETTE highly appreciated the donation.

“We are incredibly grateful for the generous donation of these wrestling mats," Antoinette said. "This contribution is more than just equipment; it’s the foundation for a new era. We promise to honor this gift by working tirelessly to revolutionize the Wrestling sport, pushing boundaries, and elevating our athletes to heights."

Thanks to the support of the Mauritius National Olympic Committee, this is not the first time that the Mauritius National Wrestling Association has organized such educational events. Over the past years, they have successfully delivered several Olympic Solidarity/UWW development activities at both national and regional levels.

Mauritius has increased its presence on the international wrestling stage in recent years, with athletes competing more regularly at major events thanks to the continued support of the Mauritius National Olympic Committee and the Mauritius Wrestling federation. This progress reflects the growing ambition of the federation and the country’s commitment to advancing the sport.