#WrestlePontevedra

European Champions Khvostova and Priceputu Set to Clash in Thursday Night's Finals

Wednesday, June 5, 2019 - 18:12 By Eric Olanowski

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PONTEVEDRA, Spain (June 5) -- Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) returned to the European Championships for the first time since 2016 and is one match away from repeating the run that she had in Stockholm when she won the 43kg cadet European title. On Thursday night, she’ll wrestle two-time European champion and last year’s U23 world bronze medalist Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU) in the gold-medal bout. 

Khvostova, who’ll wrestle for her second age-level continental title, kick-started her day with a 12-3 win over Taru VAINIONPAEAE (FIN). The Russian obliterated returning cadet world silver medalist Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE), 10-0 in the quarterfinals; then she capped off her run to the finals with a 10-2 win over last year’s European bronze medalist Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA). 

She’ll take on Romania’s U23 world bronze medalist Stefania Priceputu in the 50kg finals. Priceputu, the two-time European champion, will be looking for her first continental title since 2017 after she fell in the bronze-medal bout of last year’s Junior European Championships.

On her way to the finals, Priceputu scored wins over Erika ZSIDEKOVA (SVK) and Zehra DEMIRHAN (TUR); then trailed 1-1 on criteria but scored a counter-offensive takedown with 51 seconds left to defeat Mariia VYNNYK (UKR). 

The Day 4 finals begin on Thursday at 18:00 (local time) and can be followed live on www.unitedworldwrestling.org. 

RESULTS

50kg 
GOLD - Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) vs. Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU)
SEMIFINAL - Daria KHVOSTOVA (RUS) df. Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA), 10-2 
SEMIFINAL - Stefania PRICEPUTU (ROU) df. Mariia VYNNYK (UKR), 3-1 

55kg
GOLD - Anna Hella SZEL (HUN) vs. Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS)
SEMIFINAL - Anna Hella SZEL (HUN) df. Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), 10- 1
SEMIFINAL - Ekaterina VERBINA (RUS) df. Darya SINKAVETS (BLR), 10-0 

59kg 
GOLD - Erika BOGNAR (HUN) vs. Krystsina SAZYKINA (BLR)
SEMIFINAL - Erika BOGNAR (HUN) df. Angelika Agnieszka MYTKOWSKA (POL), 10-0 
SEMIFINAL - Krystsina SAZYKINA (BLR) df. Kristina MIKHNEVA (RUS), 9-1 

68kg 
GOLD –  vs. Kadriye AKSOY (TUR) vs. Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE)
SEMIFINAL - Tindra SJOEBERG (SWE) df. Khrystyna MALIAVKA (UKR), 5-4 
SEMIFINAL - Kadriye AKSOY (TUR) df. Johanna MEIER (GER), 12-4 

76kg 
GOLD - Bernadett NAGY (HUN) vs. Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR)
SEMIFINAL - Bernadett NAGY (HUN) df. Marina SUROVTSEVA (RUS), 5-4 
SEMIFINAL - Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR) df. Lilly SCHNEIDER (GER), 8-5 

#BeachWrestling, #BeachWrestlingWorldSeries

With Dakar 2026 Approaching, UWW Ramps Up Beach Wrestling in Africa

Friday, July 25, 2025 - 09:38 By Vinay Siwach

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CASABLANCA, Morocco (July 25) -- With Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games less than 500 days away, United World Wrestling is committed to reinforcing wrestling's presence on the African continent.

As a result, for the first time an African city will host the Beach Wrestling World Series. Casablanca, Morocco will see the third leg of the Beach Wrestling World Series from September 6-7, 2025, at the picturesque Ain Diab beach.

There is more in store for Africa. The final of the Beach Wrestling World Series will be held in Alexandria, Egypt on October 18 and 19, 2025.

UWW is calling for participants. REGISTER HERE!

Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

The World Series participants will be provided with top-class facilities including five-star hotel boarding, food in hotels and transportation to the competition venue. The conditions will therefore be exceptional for a Beach Wrestling event.

Prior to the World Series, the African Championships in U15, U17 and U20 age-groups will also be held in the same venue on September 4 and 5. All wrestlers who are 18 years or older from the African Championships can take part in the World Series as well.

This is not the first time UWW has stepped up its commitment to Beach Wrestling. Along with UWW Africa, UWW provided technical assistance to African wrestlers last year and has now decided to continue that for the U15 and U17 groups.

UWW reminds all countries that the participation in these tournaments is important as the same wrestlers can be considered with priority for the Youth Olympic Games while allotting the decided quotas for Dakar 2026.

UWW's vision is to develop the younger groups who will be part of the Youth Olympics in Dakar. And it was a step in that direction to start U15 competitions in Beach Wrestling from 2025.

Irina RINGACI (MDA)World champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) competes in Beach Wrestling in Porec, Croatia. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

One of the outcomes of its continued efforts was the participation numbers in the U17 Pan-Am Beach Wrestling Championships in Rio de Janeiro and the U17 Asian Beach Wrestling Championships in Vietnam this year.

The local organizing committee in Rio had to add one more ring to accommodate the participants during the event. At the Asian Championships, India, China, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and other nations participated with full teams.

Similarly, the wrestlers are encouraged to participate in the U17 and U20 World Beach Wrestling Championships in Katerini-Pieria, Greece on September 25 and 26.

Check out beachwrestling.org for all Beach Wrestling News!

UWW's decisions underscore its deep commitment to uplifting and expanding the sport of wrestling across Africa, particularly with the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar on the horizon.

For any queries, wrestlers, NFs or organizers can contact -- sports@uww.org.