#WrestleRome

Four World Champions to be Featured in Friday's WW Finals

Thursday, February 13, 2020 - 20:23 By Eric Olanowski

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ROME, Italy (February 13) --- Friday night’s European finals will feature a loaded cast of four world champions who are looking to add a continental gold medal to their resumes. Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR), Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR), Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS) and Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) scored decisive semifinal wins and will compete in Friday night’s European finals.

Trazhukova, the reigning 65kg world champion, will square off with 2014 world champion Tkach Ostapchuk in the 62kg finals.

In her first appearance down at 62kg, Trazhukova toppled Taybe YUSEIN (BUL) in a semifinal battle between fellow world champions. She scored six unanswered points in the second period and stole Yusein’s shot at reaching the European finals for a fourth consecutive year.

Trazhukova will wrestle Tkach Ostapchuk in a second straight match against a former world champion.

Tkach Ostapchuk ousted Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE), 4-0, and inserted herself into the European finals for the sixth time. The reigning European Games champion owns a 3-2 European finals record heading into the Friday night gold-medal match.

Tkach Ostapchuk European Finals 
2011 – European Championship: Gold 
2012 – European Championship: Gold 
2015 – European Games: Silver 
2016 – European Championship: Silver
2019 – European Championship: Gold 

Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) beat a pair of reigning European champions on her way to the 53kg finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Vanesa Kaladzinskaya beat two reigning European champions and a European bronze medalist on her road to the finals. She’ll square off with Jessica BLASZKA (NED) for the 53kg gold medal.

Kaladzinskaya avenged her 2019 European loss against eventual European champion, Stalvira ORSHUSH (RUS), in her opening match. She added a second win over a reigning European champion with a 2-2 criteria win over Iryna HUSYAK (UKR). 

In the semifinals, Kaladzinskaya cruised to an 8-3 win over 2019 European bronze medalist, Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL). 

Kaladzinskaya scored early in the opening period with an outside high crotch, then transitioned into a trapped arm gut. She stopped an arm throw attempt and picked up two exposure points and led 6-0. Kaladzinskaya grabbed her second takedown of the bout and commanded the 8-1 lead after conceding a stepout point. She surrendered a takedown (throw by), which cut her lead to five points, but closed out the match with an 8-3 victory and reached the European finals for the third time in her career. 

Kaladzinskaya will battle Jessica Bladzka with an opportunity to win her second European title and first since 2017. Blaszka defeated Annika WENDLE (GER), 2-1, in the semifinals and became the first women’s wrestler from the Netherlands to reach the European gold medal match.

Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS), a London Olympic champion, will wrestle Maria SELMAIER (GER) in the 72kg European finals on Friday night. (Photo: Gabor Martin) 

Natalia Vorobeva is the fourth world champion that's featured in Friday’s finals.

Vorobeva, the London Olympic champion, dumped Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR) to her back early in the first period and controlled the 4-0 lead. She gave up two points late in the second period and held on to reach the European finals for the third time with the 4-2 vicotry.

She’ll meet Maria SELMAIER (GER) on Friday night in the 72kg gold-medal match. Selemair cruised to an 8-3 win over Catalina AXENTE (ROU) and will make her first appearance in the continental finals. 

Bullen Looking to Become Norway’s First Two-Time European Champion
Grace BULLEN (NOR) shutout European Games champion Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR), 2-0, in the 57kg semifinals, and is one win away from becoming the first Norwegian woman to win two European titles. She won her first title at the 2017 European Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Bullen, a 2018 U23 world champion, will wrestle Alina AKOBIIA (UKR) in the 57kg gold-medal match. 

Akobiia bulldozed Marina SIMONYAN (RUS) for the fall and locked up her finals spot against Bullen. The Ukranian trailed 3-0 but scored eight unanswered points against her Russian opponent before scoring the fall in the second period. 

Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) will try to become the only 2019 European champion to repeat as a gold-medal winner. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Manolova One Match Away from Defending European Title 
Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) will have a shot at doing what the other three reigning champions couldn’t do on Thursday night – defend their 2019 European crowns. 

Manolova cruised to a 7-3 win over Mariia KUZNETSOVA (RUS), and with a win on Friday night, will be the first 2019 champion to defend her title.

She’ll wrestle Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) in the 65kg finals. Hristova, the two-time European finalist, handled Kriszta INCZE (ROU), 5-1, in their semifinals match. She’ll try to claim her first continental title after dropping the 2019 and ’18 gold-medal matches.

RESULTS 
53kg
GOLD - Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) vs. - Jessica Cornelia BLASZKA (NED)
SEMIFINAL - Jessica Cornelia BLASZKA (NED) df. Annika WENDLE (GER), 2-1 
SEMIFINAL - Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) df. Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL), 8-3 

57kg 
GOLD - Grace BULLEN (NOR) vs. Alina AKOBIIA (UKR)
SEMIFINAL - Grace BULLEN (NOR) df. Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR), 2-0 
SEMIFINAL - Alina AKOBIIA (UKR) df. Marina SIMONYAN (RUS), via fall

62kg
GOLD - Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) vs. Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS)
SEMIFINAL - Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) df. Tetiana OMELCHENKO (AZE), 4-0
SEMIFINAL - Inna TRAZHUKOVA (RUS) df. Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), 7-4

65kg
GOLD - Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) vs. Mimi Nikolova HRISTOVA (BUL)
SEMIFINAL - Elis MANOLOVA (AZE) df. Mariia KUZNETSOVA (RUS), 7-3
SEMIFINAL - Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) df. Kriszta INCZE (ROU), 5-1

72kg
GOLD - Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) vs. Maria SELMAIER (GER)
SEMIFINAL - Maria SELMAIER (GER) df. Catalina AXENTE (ROU), 8-3 
SEMIFINAL - Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) df. Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR), 4-2

#WrestleTirana

U23 Euros: Yakushenko grabs 97kg gold; Georgia wins GR team title

Friday, March 14, 2025 - 21:27 By United World Wrestling Press

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TIRANA, Albania (March 14) -- Ukraine was out of the top five in Greco-Roman team rankings before the 97kg gold medal bout Friday at the U23 World Chamionships. But Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) made sure that Ukraine improves, he helped it climb to number two spot.

Yakushenko won the 97kg gold medal after beating Richard KARELSON (EST) 4-1 in the final to take Ukraine's tally to 99 points, more than third-placed Turkiye (98 points), Azerbaijan (91 points) and Moldova (85 points).

Georgia won the team title, its fifth at the U23 European Championships in 10 editions, with 133 points. It won two golds, one silver and three bronze medals.

Yakushenko, who won his third consecutive gold internationally, would be proud of his campaign in Tirana, Albania as he gave no chance to his opponents in four bouts.

His four victories included one over former world U20 champion and Paris Olympian Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (UWW) in the first bout. He defeated the senior European bronze medalist 7-3.

In the final, Yakushenko denied Karelson a piece of history. Karelson was hoping to became the first Estonian to win the U23 European gold in Greco, adding to his historic U20 European gold from 2022.

Karelson got the first par terre advantage however Yakushenko calmly defended the position. When he got the chance in the second period, Yakushenko turned Karelson to lead 3-1. He lifted Karelson, hoping for a throw but managed only a out-of-bounds for one point to make it 4-1.

That was enough for Yakushenko to win the gold medal, adding to his collection of U20 world and European golds from last year. Karelson, too, would take some confidence with his campaign despite the loss in the final as the silver medal was his first in three years of international competitions.

Georgia won two gold medals Friday to reach the top of the podium. Dimitri KHACHIDZE (GEO) and Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) won the 60kg and 67kg finals respectively to add to Georgia's tally.

Khachidze gave no chance to Melkamu FETENE (ISR) in the 60kg final and needed only 50 seconds to win 9-0. He launched an arm throw for four before using an arm-drag to take control and launch another four-point throw. Fetene challenged but in vain.

The gold medal an improvement for Khachidze who finished fifth last year while Fetene was a silver medalist. With another silver, Fetene now has five age-group European medals, none of them gold.

Khozrevanidze needed a successful challenge to keep his lead in the 67kg final against Hleb MAKARANKA (UWW). After taking a 3-1 lead by turning Makaranka from par terre, Khozrevanidze was docked two points for offensive head-butting but he challenged the decision and on review, there was no foul.

The successful challenge restored Khozrevanidze's 3-1 lead which he held for the remaining one minute to win, completing the set of U17, U20 and U23 European golds for the 20-year-old.

At 82kg, Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) also completed his set of age-group European medals with gold after beating Gamzat GADZHIEV (UWW), 3-1, in the final.

The world U17 champion and world U20 silver medalist had a lacklusture 2024, winning only a silver medal [U20 European Championships] in five competitions. But he began 2025 with bronze at the Zagreb Open and now added a gold medal.

After both wrestlers had had their par terre positions, Solovei led 1-1 on criteria. But Gadzhiev was called passive again and put in par terre. As the third passivity in the match doesn't offer any points, Solovei, who led the bout, scored a turn to steer clear with a 3-1 lead.

It was too much for Gadzhiev to cover and Solovei was happy to pocket the gold medal, a huge confidence booster before steps on the mat at 77kg  in Bratislava, Slovakia for the senior European Championships in second week of April. He was chosen ahead of Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) who has shown slump in his form. Gutu won the 77kg bronze medal in Tirana.

Returning bronze medalist at 72kg Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) climbed to the top of the podium this year after he defeated Danil GRIGOREV (UWW), 3-2, in the gold-medal bout.

Nurullayev, a former world U23 medalist, scored a turn from par terre and before giving up a stepout but held on to his 3-2 to lead to win gold for Azerbaijan.

Photo

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Dimitri KHACHIDZE (GEO) df. Melkamu FETENE (ISR), 9-0

BRONZE: Papik DZHAVADIAN (UWW) df. Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM), 9-3
BRONZE: Mert ILBARS (TUR) df. Bohdan HRYSHYN (UKR), 5-0

67kg
GOLD: Anri KHOZREVANIDZE (GEO) df. Hleb MAKARANKA (UWW), 3-1

BRONZE: Daniial AGAEV (UWW) df. Bredi SLINKERS (NED), 9-0
BRONZE: Azat SARIYAR (TUR) df. Arslanbek SALIMOV (POL), 5-2

72kg
GOLD: Ruslan NURULLAYEV (AZE) df. Danil GRIGOREV (UWW), 3-2

BRONZE: Oleh KHALILOV (UKR) df. Rokas CEPAUSKAS (LTU), 5-1
BRONZE: Arionas KOLITSOPOULOS (GRE) df. Vasile ZABICA (MDA), 7-2

82kg
GOLD: Alexandru SOLOVEI (MDA) df. Gamzat GADZHIEV (UWW), 3-1

BRONZE: Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN) df. Elmin ALIYEV (AZE), 4-1
BRONZE: Frederik MATHIESEN (DEN) df. Data CHKHAIDZE (GEO), 12-4

97kg
GOLD: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) df. Richard KARELSON (EST), 4-1

BRONZE: Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (UWW) df. Muhittin HELVACI (TUR), via fall (7-0)
BRONZE: Luka GABISONIA (GEO) df. Luka KATIC (SRB), 9-0