#Grappling

Four earn double titles at European Grappling Championships

Sunday, June 2, 2024 - 11:51 By Vinay Siwach

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BAKU, Azerbaijan (May 29) -- The dominance of Individual Neutral Athletes was challenged by the field in the Grappling Gi competition at the European Grappling Championships in Baku. After AINs won all 10 gold medals in men's grappling, they were stopped to five in Grappling Gi.

Magomedbek TEMEEV (AIN), Artur AGASHIRINOV (AIN) and Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA) upgraded their silver medals to gold in grappling while Shamil MAZHIDKHANOV (AIN) repeated as the European champion.

Jerzy IZDEBSKI (POL), Samy MEZACHE (FRA) and Mateusz MAZUR (POL) were bronze medalists in grappling but managed to win the gold medal in Grappling Gi with some stunning performances.

In women's Grappling Gi, Alicja IRENA (POL) upgraded her silver to gold at 53kg, avenging her loss to Carlota PRENDES (ESP) in the final. Olesia ZHURAVLEVA (AIN) repeated as the champion at 58kg as did Alsu IANSHINA (AIN) at 71kg and Justyna SITKO (POL) at 90kg.

Laila OHLHOFF (GER) made sure she capped off her run at 64kg with a gold medal, beating Veronika KARAKHONOVA (AIN), 6-5, in a thrilling final.

RESULTS

Men’s Grappling Gi

58k
GOLD: Jerzy IZDEBSKI (POL) df. Ilia ABRAMENKO (AIN), via submission

BRONZE: Vahid ALAKBAROV (AZE) df. Bohdan CHORNEI (UKR), via submission

62kg
GOLD: Magomedbek TEMEEV (AIN) df. Dmytro BARANOV (UKR), 7-4

BRONZE: Wojciech GRYZ (POL) df. Philippe ALILAT (FRA), via forfeit
BRONZE: Vladimir KOZLOV (AIN) df. Mykola NYKYFORUK (UKR), via submission

66kg
GOLD: Artur AGASHIRINOV (AIN) df. Giorgi RAZMADZE (GEO), 2-2

BRONZE: Gazimagomed TAGAEV (AIN) df. Bartosz TYRKIEL (POL), via submission
BRONZE: Giovanni SUAREZ (ESP) df. Vadym SKRYNYTSIA (UKR), 4-2

71kg
GOLD: Kurban KADIEV (AIN) df. Sandor LAKATOS (HUN), 3-0

BRONZE: Nico PULVERMUELLER (GER) df. Vladyslav POHORILOV (UKR), 11-0
BRONZE: Dzhimsher RAZMADZE (GEO) df. Piotr DUDZINSKI (POL), 8-0

77kg
GOLD: Magomed DAURBEKOV (AIN) df. Iker CAMARA (ESP), 3-1

BRONZE: Adilkhan VALIEV (AIN) by forfeit
BRONZE: Dumitru CEBAN (MDA) df. Arthur LEROY (FRA), 2-2 in overtime

84kg
GOLD: Samy MEZACHE (FRA) df. Eneko DIEZ PUEBLA (ESP), 3-2

BRONZE: Igor DZIAG (POL) df. Pawel JAWORSKI (POL), via submission (0-4)
BRONZE: Pierre MANZO (FRA) df. Rasul ABDULVADUDOV (AIN), 5-4

92kg
GOLD: Mateusz MAZUR (POL) df. Mantas DAUBLYS (LTU), via cautions (6-2)

BRONZE: Pablo ESTEPA NIETO (ESP) df. Murat KHASANOV (AIN), via disqualification
BRONZE: Imran KHAMIDOV (AIN) df. Levente LAKY (HUN), via submission

100kg
GOLD: Shamil MAZHIDKHANOV (AIN) df. Francisco MARTINEZ VILA (ESP), 18-0

BRONZE: Ivan MALIN (UKR) df. Andrzej IWAT (POL), via decision
BRONZE: Vasif SAFARBAYOV (AZE) df. Arnold OCULI (FRA), 8-2

130kg
GOLD: Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA) df. Eldar MAMMADOV (AZE), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Wojciech WILK (POL) df. Viktor KLIUEV (AIN), 2-0

Women’s Grappling Gi

53kg
GOLD: Alicja IRENA (POL) df. Carlota PRENDES (ESP), 7-5

BRONZE: Kristina RAU (GER) df. Daria LUKIANCHIKOVA (AIN), via submission

58kg
GOLD: Olesia ZHURAVLEVA (AIN) df. Irina KUPRINA (AIN), via submission

BRONZE: Jazmin ARJONA (ESP) df. Paulina STASKIEWICZ (POL), 5-3

64kg
GOLD: Laila OHLHOFF (GER) df. Veronika KARAKHONOVA (AIN), 6-5

BRONZE: Anna CASTELLS (ESP) df. Joanna ZABULEWICZ (POL), 2-1
BRONZE: Daria CHIBISOVA (UKR) df. Viktoriia PANCHENKO (UKR), via submission

71kg
GOLD: Alsu IANSHINA (AIN)
SILVER: Alycia QUENEE (FRA)
BRONZE: Emily GUENZLER (GER)

90kg
GOLD: Justyna SITKO (POL)
SILVER: Alena VLASOVA (AIN)
BRONZE: Paula MARTINEZ (ESP)

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Bahrain to host 2026 World Championships

Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 12:02 By United World Wrestling Press

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ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- For the first time in history, the World Championships are headed to Bahrain.

The 2026 World Championships will be held in Manama, Bahrain from September 5 to 13, United World Wrestling announced on Tuesday, during the ongoing World Championships in Zagreb.

No Arab country has ever hosted a World Championships but Bahrain will etch its name in history with the 2026 edition.

Secretary General of the Bahrain Olympic Committee Faris AL-KOOHEJI attended the press conference at the Arena Zagreb for the historic announcement. UWW President Nenad LALOVIC and Al-Kooheji announced the host together and signed the agreement.

"Bahrain has a superstar in wrestling," UWW President Lalovic said. "They probably want to use this opportunity to promote the sport through this superstar [Akhmed] TAZHUDINOV (BRN). But he's not the only one.

"They also want to develop the local Bahrain born athletes to compete because they have the role model of the top achievement in wrestling. This is something that we considered and that is why we made this decision.

Bahrain won its first-ever gold medal in Olympics in Paris when Tahzudinov ran-through the 97kg weight class and captured the gold medal. A year before that, he won the world title in the same weight class.

Tazhudinov is also an Asian champion, Asian Games champion and winner of other Ranking Series events.

Lalovic on the fact that wrestling wants to change the host continent of the World Championships more regularly.

 "We also want to change the continent regularly," he said. "A state that can organize the Asian [Youth] Games like they will do now in October, they will not face any problem with the championships, especially that we give all the assistance possible for the execution"

Manama, Bahrain will host the Asian Youth Games in which wrestling will be held from October 28 to 30.

Expressing its gratitude to UWW and readiness to host the mega event, Al-Kooheji said that the tournament will help Bahrain take wrestling to the grassroot levels in the country.

"For us, wrestling is a long term project," Al-Kooheji said. "Wrestling is a growing sport. It's a strategic sport for us. We got a gold medal in Paris, and we're looking to getting more medals. That gold medal started to inspire a lot of people, locally, to pursue wrestling, which is why part of the discussions with United World Wrestling is to even help us add wrestling in schools."

The Bahrain Olympic Committee expects that the World Championships will have a positive impact in growing the sport in the country.

"Strong economic impact [from the event]," he said. "We're going to get lots of travel spectators from Iran, the United States, and other countries as well. It's going to encourage the local community. They will understand more wrestling."