Junior Asian Championships

Iran Collects 3 Freestyle Golds on Saturday at Junior Asian C'ships

By United World Wrestling Press

CHON BURI, Thailand (July 13) - Iran started the freestyle competition at the Junior Asian Championships with a bang, collecting three of the five gold medals on Saturday. 

Earlier in the week, Iran ran away with the team title in Greco-Roman on the strength of seven champions. Now the Iranians are in prime position to win the freestyle title heading into the final day.

Iran's freestyle gold medalists on Saturday were Mohmmadsadegh FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (70kg), Abdollah SHEIKHAZAMI (79kg) and Alireza REKABI (97kg).

Mohmmadsadegh FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI) registered a 10-1 win in the finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Firouzpourbandpei earned his gold medal with a 10-1 victory in the 70kg finals over Sangho HAN (KOR). 

Sheikhazami rolled to a 10-0 technical superiority in the finals at 79kg over Tanggesi TANGGESI (CHN).

Alireza REKABI (IRI) won by 10-0 technical superiority in the finals at 97kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Iran's third gold medalist on Saturday, Rekabi, dominated in the finals at 97kg, winning 10-0 over Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM).

Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ) improved on his silver-medal performance from a year ago. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ), a returning junior world bronze medalist, earned gold at 65kg after finishing with a silver in last year's Junior Asian Championships. 

Yuto TAKESHITA (JPN) finished on top at 57kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Japan crowned a champion at 57kg as Yuto TAKESHITA topped Vijay Bajirao PATIL 7-4 in the gold-medal match. 

The Junior Asian Championships wrap up on Sunday with the final five freestyle weight categories: 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg and 125kg. Action is set to begin at 10 a.m. local time.

RESULTS

Freestyle

57kg    
GOLD - Yuto TAKESHITA (JPN) df. Vijay Bajirao PATIL (IND), 7-4
BRONZE - Hyeonsu CHO (KOR) df. Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL), 14-4
BRONZE - Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Abzal OKENOV (KAZ), 6 - 2

65kg
GOLD - Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ) df. Alireza ASHKIVAR (IRI), 4-4
BRONZE - Bobur ISLOMOV (UZB) df. Sunny SUNNY (IND), 5-4
BRONZE - Taiki TSUTSUMI (JPN) df. Injong HWANG (KOR), 8-1

70kg
GOLD - Mohmmadsadegh FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI) df. Sangho HAN (KOR), 10-1
BRONZE - Ayumu SUZUKI (JPN) df. Vishal KALIRAMANA (IND), 6-3
BRONZE - Mirkamol BESHIMOV (UZB) df. Parinya CHAMNANJAN (THA), FALL

79kg
GOLD - Abdollah SHEIKHAZAMI (IRI) df. Tanggesi TANGGESI (CHN), 10-0
BRONZE - Sandeep Singh MANN (IND) df. Tilek KABYKENOV (KAZ), 13-8
BRONZE - Shoto KANEKO (JPN) df. Daehyun NAM (KOR), INJURY

97kg
GOLD - Alireza REKABI (IRI) df. Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM), 10-0
BRONZE - Akash ANTIL (IND) df. Reheman RUSIDANMU (CHN), 12-2
BRONZE - Arslanbek TURDUBEKOV (KGZ) df. Haroon ABID (PAK), 12-1
 

2026 U23 European Championships

Three Golds Power Belarus to First U23 Euro Women's Team Title

By Vinay Siwach

ZRENJANIN, Serbia (March 13) -- Three golds medals on Friday propelled Belarus to win its first-ever Women's Wrestling team title at the U23 European Championships. Belarus finished with 171 points to claim the top spot while Russia was second with 141 points. Ukraine finished third with 140 points.

After winning one gold medal on Thursday, Belarus added three through Aryna DZEMCHANKA MARTYNAVA (BLR), Kseniya TSIARENIA (BLR) and Viktoryia RADZKOVA (BLR). It also won one silver and one bronze while all 10 wrestlers contributed points to the team score.

European champion Alina SHAUCHUK (BLR) claimed the 68kg gold medal on Thursday and the gold rush on Friday began with Martynava scoring a tough win over Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR) in the 57kg final, a repeat from last year's edition.

In what turned out to be one-move match, Martynava scored a double-leg head-outside takedown in the first 10 seconds of the bout. She then sat on her two-point lead for five minutes and 50 seconds. In the second period, Martynava was called passive and Filipovych was given a point.

But the Ukrainian failed to score two more points that were needed for a win that would have avenged her loss from last year's final which Martynava won 8-2.

The Belarus wrestler now has two U23 European gold medals to go with her silver at the U23 World Championships and gold medal at the U20 World Championships.

The second gold for Belarus was won by Kseniya TSIARENIA (BLR) after she defeated Ekaterina KOSHKINA (RUS), 4-2, in the 65kg final. Tsiarenia controlled the match giving little chance to Koshkina to score.

It was only in the dying seconds of the match that Koshkina managed to score a harmless takedown for two points.

The third gold medal for Belarus was won by Viktoryia RADZKOVA (BLR) who denied Veronika VILK (CRO) a chance of winning a historical gold medal at 72kg. Radzkova opened the scoring when Vilk was called passive. Vilk then tried an arm-throw but Radzkova blocked her and scored two points to lead 3-0 at the break.

Vilk tried a headlock in the second period but Radzkova was ready for it and again blocked Vilk's attempt to score two points. A turn for exposure added two more points for Radzkova that extended her lead to 7-0.

Perhaps ready for another throw from Vilk, Radzkova stood up and when Vilk tried the throw, she once again blocked and landed on top. The two points plus two more points for the turn gave Radzkova an 11-0 win with a minute nine seconds left.

Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP) was also trying to achieve a historic gold for Spain but was denied as Anastasiia POLSKA (POL) used a fireman's carry to secure a fall in just a minute and 17 seconds and win gold at 53kg.

Senior world bronze medalist Amina TANDELOVA (RUS) claimed the 62kg gold medal after beating Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE), 5-3, in the final.

Tandelova, who won silver at U23 Europeans in 2023, used a beautiful arm-throw to score the first four-pointer. The first point for Tandelova was from the activity period of Mammadova in which the Azerbaijan wrestler failed to score.

Mammadova scored a takedown and activity clock point to cut the lead but it was still not enough to overturn the result.

Photo

RESULTS

53kg
GOLD: Anastasiia POLSKA (UKR) df. Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP), via fall (4-0)

BRONZE: Sevval CAYIR (TUR) vs. Nargiz SAMADOVA (AZE)
BRONZE: Ekaterina KARPUSHKINA (RUS) df. Kseniya KOSTSENICH (BLR), via inj. def.

57kg
GOLD: Aryna DZEMCHANKA MARTYNAVA (BLR) df. Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR), 2-1

BRONZE: Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN) df. Amory ANDRICH (GER), 7-5
BRONZE: Felicitas DOMAJEVA (NOR) df. Romaissa EL KHARROUBI (FRA), 5-0

62kg
GOLD: Amina TANDELOVA (RUS) df. Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE), 5-3

BRONZE: Iris THIEBAUX (FRA) df. Gulsum BINGOL (TUR), 4-0
BRONZE: Alicja WOJEWODZKA NOWOSAD (POL) df. Naemi LEISTNER (GER), 5-1

65kg
GOLD: Kseniya TSIARENIA (BLR) df. Ekaterina KOSHKINA (RUS), 4-2

BRONZE: Maria PANTIRU (ROU) df. Bianca CONTRAFATTO (ITA), via fall (8-0)
BRONZE: Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) df. Saga SVENSSON (SWE), 11-1

72kg
GOLD: Viktoryia RADZKOVA (BLR) df. Veronika VILK (CRO), 11-0

BRONZE: Karolina JAWORSKA (POL) df. Daniela BRASNAROVA (BUL), 5-0
BRONZE: Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (RUS) df. Greta TVERSKYTE (LTU), 3-3