#Grappling

Kazakhstan dominates U17 World Grappling Championships 2024

By United World Wrestling Press

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (October 10) -- Kazakhstan captured all four team titles at the U17 World Grappling Championships held in Astana.

The hosts won the men's and women's U17 Grappling Gi team titles in dominant style with no other country challenging it. However, Ukraine managed to push Kazakhstan in Grappling. Kazakhstan still managed to win the team titles in Grappling.

RESULTS

U17 Men's Grappling Gi

42kg
GOLD: Shapagat SERGAZYULY (KAZ)
SILVER: Sagyndyk AITBAYEV (KAZ)
BRONZE: Denis MURZABAEV (AIN)

46kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail TAVSULTANOV (AIN)
SILVER: Ali AKIMZHAN (KAZ)
BRONZE: Mirkhat IKHLASSOV (KAZ)

50kg
GOLD: Yernar YERALY (KAZ) df. Akhmad KANATULY (KAZ), 6-0

BRONZE: Erasyl MAKHMEDOV (KGZ) df. Julen TRUJILLO (ESP), via submission (2-2)
BRONZE: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Ilia GRISHENKO (AIN), 2-0

54kg
GOLD: Abdusomad TYNCHTYKBEKOV (KGZ) df. Islam MUSKHANOV (AIN), 4-2

BRONZE: Vladimir YERMOSHKIN (KAZ) df. Radmir AN (KAZ), via submission (8-0)

58kg
GOLD: Jose MARTIN SANCHEZ (ESP) df. Mykhailo KAZYMERCHUK (UKR), via submission (3-2)

BRONZE: Andrei LIASHCHENKO (AIN) df. Vanik SARGSYAN (ARM), 12-1
BRONZE: Akhmet IBRASHEV (KAZ) df. Arsen MURATBEKOV (KGZ), via submission (2-2)

63kg
GOLD: Ramazan TIANGUBER (KGZ) df. Imranali KARIMZHANOV (KAZ), via submission (9-4)

BRONZE: Hrachya GHAZAKHYAN (ARM) df. Adil MAIRAMBEK UULU (KGZ), via cautions
BRONZE: Eduard ASATRYAN (ARM) df. Viktor MENEILIUK (UKR), via submission (2-0)

69kg
GOLD:  Aleksei SKOREV (AIN) df. Sultan RUSLANBEKOV (KGZ), 2-2 (overtime)

BRONZE: Oleksii BOLBOCHAN (UKR) df. Bator FARKAS (HUN), 2-1
BRONZE: Oliwier PRZERWA (POL) df. Ivan STANEV (AIN), 6-0

76kg
GOLD: Shamil GUSEINOV (AIN) df. Alinur BEISEN (KAZ), via submission (2-0)

BRONZE: Dmitrii MULIAK (AIN) df. Aidarkhan BURIBAYEV (KAZ), via submission (5-4)
BRONZE: Artem SAVRANSKYI (UKR) df. Heorhi HLAZKO (AIN), 4-1

85kg
GOLD: Georgii GUTIUM (AIN) df. Ivan NARKEVICH (AIN), 5-2

BRONZE: Alberto MENA CRUZ (ESP) df. Yermek OSPANOV (KAZ), 0-0

110kg
GOLD: Kamil DZIKOWSKI (POL) df. Arsenii ERMAKOV (AIN), 2-0

BRONZE: Nursultan NURGALIYEV (KAZ) df. Timur CHAHOVETS (UKR), 6-2

U17 Women's Grappling Gi

40kg
GOLD: Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR)
SILVER: Khadisha NURTAYEVA (KAZ)
BRONZE: Aysu ALIYEVA (AZE)

43kg
GOLD: Iuliia KHOROSHEVA (AIN) df. Symbat IBRAKHIM (KAZ), via submission (9-0)

46kg
GOLD: Nuray ALTYNBEK (KAZ)
SILVER: Daria SERAZETDINOVA (AIN)
BRONZE: Umit YSKAK (KAZ)

49kg
GOLD: Alsu GALIEVA (AIN)
SILVER: Veronika MARUSHCHAK (AIN)
BRONZE: Aizhan YERKOSSAY (BRONZE)

52kg
GOLD: Sana NDIAYE (FRA) df. Daria KHAMETOVA (AIN), 5-2

BRONZE: Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL) df. Anhelina OTROSHCHENKO (UKR), via submission (7-0)

56kg
GOLD: Ekaterina KONSTANTINOVA (AIN) df. Varvara SHKUROPAT (KAZ), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Sara CICIO (ROU) df. Carmina GUILLEN (ESP), via submission (6-0)
BRONZE: Iris GARCIA (ESP) df. Kseniia POLIAK (UKR), via walkover

60kg
GOLD: Malgorzata SALAMON (POL) df. Milana MURGUZOVA (KAZ), 8-2

BRONZE: Sofiia FYLYPCHUK (UKR) df. Aitana LOOR (ESP), 10-1
BRONZE: Daiana HOTIU (ROU) df. Alisa GOLUB (AIN), 13-2

65kg
GOLD: Anastasiia SHAROVA (AIN) df. Olesia ILKINA (AIN), 7-4

BRONZE: Miruna BABAN (ROU) df. Yana MELNYCHUK (UKR), 6-2

90kg
GOLD: Nargiz YAKHYP (KAZ)
SILVER: Tetiana TKACHYK (UKR)
BRONZE: Nuray ARYSTANOVA (KAZ)

U17 Men's Grappling

42kg
GOLD: Adam MISRIEV (AIN)
SILVER: Nurislam KUATBAIULY (KAZ)
BRONZE: Sagyndyk AITBAYEV (KAZ) 

46kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail TAVSULTANOV (AIN) df. Jakub BARDEN (POL), 5-4

BRONZE: Osman SHAKHBANOV (AIN) df. Ualikhan ABDRAZAK (KAZ), via submission

50kg
GOLD: Yerkebulan ISLAMGALI (KAZ) df. Eldar ELDAROV (AIN), via submission (6-2)

BRONZE: Zakhar DREMLIUHA (UKR) df. Daniz HASANOV (AZE), 7-0
BRONZE: Erasyl MAKHMEDOV (KGZ) df. Julen TRUJILLO (ESP), via submission

54kg
GOLD: Islam MUSKHANOV (AIN) df. Yehor TARASENKO (UKR), via submission

BRONZE: Vladimir YERMOSHKIN (KAZ) df. Saulo HERNANDEZ (ESP), 5-2
BRONZE: Aleksandr MAKAROV (AIN) df. Lohan DURANDET (FRA), 5-1

58kg
GOLD: Jose MARTIN SANCHEZ (ESP) df. Artem SHALAEV (AIN), via submission (4-2)

BRONZE: Andrei LIASHCHENKO (AIN) df. Maxim POTAPOV (GER), 12-1
BRONZE: Mykhailo KAZYMERCHUK (UKR) df. Abai DOOLOTOV (KGZ), via submission

63kg
GOLD: Nazir KHAPSIROKOV (AIN) df. Nurdaulet ESSENULY (KAZ), via submission

BRONZE: Ramazan TIANGUBER (KGZ) df. Dorian ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL), 7-0
BRONZE: Viktor MENEILIUK (UKR) df. Hrachya GHAZAKHYAN (ARM), 3-3

69kg
GOLD: Davlet FIZIKOV (AIN) df. Zhalgas TURALIYEV (KAZ), via submission (9-1)

BRONZE: Marcin CHMIELEWSKI (POL) df. Bator FARKAS (HUN), 4-4
BRONZE: Aleksandr KARPENKOV (AIN) df. Oliwier PRZERWA (POL), 7-3

76kg
GOLD: Mukhammad EMINOV (AIN) df. Artem SAVRANSKYI (UKR), 6-0

BRONZE: Shamil GUSEINOV (AIN) df. Mateusz KUCA (POL), 5-1
BRONZE: Csaba SZABO (HUN) df. Heorhi HLAZKO (AIN), 3-2

85kg
GOLD: Georgii GUTIUM (AIN) df. Ivan NARKEVICH (AIN), via submission (2-0)

BRONZE: Oleh STRATIICHUK (UKR) df. Benjamin HENCZI (HUN), 12-0

110kg
GOLD: Kiliaskhan DZHAMALUTDINOV (AIN) df. Mukhammad KHAIRUEV (AIN), 10-0

BRONZE: Kamil Konrad DZIKOWSKI (POL) df. Dias YESPAYEV (KAZ), via submission

U17 Women's Grappling

40kg
GOLD: Kateryna SERBOVA (UKR)
SILVER: Aysu ALIYEVA (AZE)
BRONZE: Khadisha NURTAYEVA (KAZ)

46kg
GOLD: Nuray ALTYNBEK (KAZ)
SILVER: Umit YSKAK (KAZ)
BRONZE: Nikol BATHORI (ROU)

49kg
GOLD: Alsu GALIEVA (AIN)
SILVER: Aikunim RUSLANKYZY (KAZ)
BRONZE: Aizhan YERKOSSAY (KAZ)

52kg
GOLD: Daria KHAMETOVA (AIN) df. Sana NDIAYE (FRA), 5-2

BRONZE: Helena ALEKSANDROWICZ (POL) df. Sylwia WELC (POL), 6-0

56kg
GOLD: Sara CICIO (ROU) df. Ekaterina KONSTANTINOVA (AIN), 9-4

BRONZE: Varvara SHKUROPAT (KAZ) df. Kseniia POLIAK (UKR), via submission (0-2)
 
60kg
GOLD: Alisa GOLUB (AIN) df. Malgorzata SALAMON (POL), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Yuliia MELNYCHUK (UKR) df. Aitana LOOR (ESP), 15-3
BRONZE: Olena RYBALCHENKO (UKR) df. Milana MURGUZOVA (KAZ), 5-2

65kg
GOLD: Olesia ILKINA (AIN) df. Angelica NIETO (ESP), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Karina GARIFULLINA (KAZ) df. Yana MELNYCHUK (UKR), 6-2

90kg
GOLD: Mercedes GARCIA (ESP)
SILVER: Tetiana TKACHYK (UKR)
BRONZE: Nargiz YAKHYP (KAZ)

#UWWAwards

UWW Breakout Wrestlers of 2025: Hidlay, Farokhi, Onishi

By Eric Olanowski

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 14) -- The 2025 Breakout Wrestlers of the Year were not the ones anyone circled heading into the season. They weren’t the favorites, or the ones analysts picked to walk away from the season as world medalists.

They were the outsiders, largely unproven and underestimated. But that all changed in a single season when they smashed expectations, catapulting themselves into world-wide stardom with world-title runs that nobody saw coming.

Freestyle Breakout Performer of the Year: Trent HIDLAY (USA)

Before 2025, Hidlay had never climbed to the top of a podium at an international event. His  2025 season even began with more doubt than promise, dropping his second match of the year to rising Azeri phenom Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) at the Zagreb Open. But that loss lit a fuse. From that moment on, the 26-year-old didn’t just improve -- he transformed.

Hidlay unleashed a stunning 13-match win streak and collected gold medals at the Pan-American Championships, the Budapest Ranking Series and the World Championships. Along the way, he knocked off giants -- Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE), Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), and Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE), just to name a few.

Then came the finale: a world finals comeback for the ages. Down and all but finished, Hidlay stormed back to defeat Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW). In one year, Hidlay didn’t just win -- he arrived.

Greco-Roman Breakout Performer of the Year: Gholemreza FAROKHI (IRI)

When opportunity knocked, Farokhi wasn’t just there to answer it, he was there to kick the door off its hinges. The 23-year-old stepped into Iran’s senior lineup for the first time in his career and tore through anyone in front of him -- whether it was at 82kg or 87kg.

Farokhi bulldozed his way to gold medals at the two World Championships he participated in. He racked up a perfect 17-0 record, including 11 technical superiority wins and six decisions, sweeping gold at the World Championships, U23 World Championships, the Islamic Solidarity Games, and the Zagreb Open Ranking Series.

Women’s Wrestling Breakout Performer of the Year: Sakura ONISHI (JPN)

At 19 years old, Onishi entered the senior circuit with massive goals but had zero experience and zero fear. In mere months, she became a problem no one had an answer for.

Onishi tore through the season with a flawless 15-0 record, capturing titles at the Senior and U20 World Championships, the Asian Championships, and the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series. Her dominance wasn’t subtle -- it was exactly what you’d expect from a Japanese women’s wrestler -- 11 tech falls, three pins, and a decision, outscoring opponents 158-17.