#WrestleTirana

Individual Neutral Athletes to compete at U17 European C’ships

Monday, June 12, 2023 - 11:51 By United World Wrestling Press

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COSIER-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 12, 2023) --- Russia and Belarus will return to international competition at the upcoming U17 European Championships, scheduled to take place in Tirana, Albania, from June 12-18. However, athletes representing both countries will compete under the Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) designation.

During the competition, they will be ranked according to their results, but Individual Neutral Athletes won’t be allowed to play their anthems or use their respective flags. For the team rankings, AIN athletes won’t score points and will therefore be unranked.

With safety as a top priority and following a thorough examination of registrants by United World Wrestling, four individuals from Russia and Belarus have been denied access and subsequently removed from the competition. The review of the registrants by the UWW eligibility panel was based on vetting reports carried out by a private integrity services provider (Sportradar) and led to the exclusion of these individuals, ensuring fair and transparent participation in the Championships.

“Ensuring the safety and well-being of the athletes, coaches, volunteers, and everyone involved in the U17 European Championships is paramount,” said President Lalovic. “Our aim, with the assistance of the Albanian Wrestling Federation, is to provide a secure and enjoyable Championships where the young athletes can excel while having confidence in their physical and emotional well-being.”

The U17 European Championships begins Monday, June 12, in Tirana, Albania, and can be followed live on www.uww.orgor on “The Home of Wrestling,” United World Wrestling’s app.

#WrestleBudapest

Yazdani: 'I was 60 percent fit in Budapest, want to win Olympic gold'

Saturday, June 8, 2024 - 13:05 By Vinay Siwach

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (June 8) -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) returned to the mat for the first time in eight months. After winning the Asian Games, Yazdani underwent shoulder surgery and returned to training only a month ago. The selection process for the Paris Olympics needed him to participate in the Ranking Series in Budapest to prove his fitness.

Yazdani wrestled like he was never away. Yazdani ended a long day with a 12-2 win over Trent HIDLAY (USA), his fourth win via technical superiority in as many bouts.

"I thank God that I was able to get on the mat in international competitions after seven months and 13 days," Yazdani said. "I started wrestling training a month ago and, it was good. With my relative preparation, I tried to get an acceptable result in this course of competition."

Yazdani said that he still needs to work on a few of his weaknesses which were exposed in the tournament. Yazdani gave up six points in his four matches and was stuck in a danger position a couple of times.

"I had a little preparation and it was around 60 percent," he said. "I hadn’t wrestled for a long time and when they announced my name for this tournament, I had about 25 days to train and it got better as time passed. When you’re not ready, you may face problems. My opponents used this opportunity and scored some points on me."

"I have some weaknesses that I hope I can fix before the Olympics so that I can wrestle better than these competitions and get the gold medal. I hope that until the Olympics, I can eliminate my weaknesses so I can win the best medal for my country and our good people."

For his return to the mat, Yazdani expressed his gratitude to several individuals but was grateful for the support from his family.

"I want to thank all those who have been by my side during this time," he said. "Dr. Rezaei, my physiotherapist and also Samereh Ghanbari as they didn’t leave me alone during this time. Dr. Aslani, my doctor and Javad Rahmani, my bodybuilding coach, and of course, my old coach Mehdi Yegane Jafari, who was by my side during these difficult days after the shoulder surgery. My family has its own place but these loved ones contribute to winning this medal and the Olympics medal. So far everything has been successful, I hope we can get the best result in the future.

RESULTS

Freestyle

74kg
GOLD: Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) df. Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN), 7-4

BRONZE: Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) df. Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Ali Abbas REZAEI (IRI) df. Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO), 5-3

86kg
GOLD: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) df. Trent HIDLAY (USA), 12-2

BRONZE: Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) df. Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ), 5-1
BRONZE: Evsem SHVELIDZE (GEO) df. Bobur ISLOMOV (UZB), 7-3

92kg
GOLD: Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO)
SILVER: Iuza TSERTSVADZE (GEO)
BRONZE: Balasz JUHASZ (HUN)