LIVE BLOG: Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France (Day One)

Friday, January 15, 2021 - 09:35 By Eric Olanowski

The 2021 calendar is officially underway, as action at the 47th Annual Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France kicked off in Nice, France. Women's wrestling takes center stage and is highlighted by Rio Olympic champion Helena MAROULIS (USA) and reigning world champions Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) and Tamayra MENSAH-STOCK (USA).

6:10: That'll do it for today's coverage of the Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France. Freestyle actions kicks off on Saturday at 10:00am (local time) and can be followed live on www.unitedworldwrestling.org.

Final Results:
50kg: Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) df. Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), 13-2
53kg: Sofia MATTSSON (SWE) df. Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA), 8-4
57kg: Helen MAROULIS (USA) df. Laura MERTENS (GER), 4-1
62kg: .Kayla MIRACLE (USA) df. Macey KILTY (USA), 8-2
68kg: Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) df. Forrest MOLINARI (USA), 6-1
76kg: Martina KUENZ (AUT) df. Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA), 8-2

6:04: What a way start her year! Rio Olympic bronze medalist Sofia Mattsson grabbed arguably her biggest win since returning to competition after have her baby. She defeated reigning world champion Jacarra Winchester, 8-4, and is leaving France with the 53kg gold.

5:57: In a battle of world medalist, Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) handled Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), 13-2, in the 50kg finals. This is the American's second gold medal down at 50kg. She also claimed gold at last year's first Ranking Series event, the Matteo Pellicone.

5:53: A five-point second period helped reigning world champion Mensah-Stock grab the 68kg gold medal over Molinari. The final score of the gold-medal match was 6-1.

5:50: World bronze medalist Martina KUENZ (AUT) claimed her first international gold at 76kg with a dominant 8-2 win over Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA).

5:49: Molinari is holding her own against the reigning world champion. She's heading into the final three minutes down by one point.

5:45: in the second all-American final of the night, world champion Tamayra MENSAH STOCK (USA) will go toe-to-toe with Forrest MOLINARI (USA) for the 68kg gold.

5:44: In the all-American final at 62kg, Kayla MIRACLE (USA) downed Macey KILTY (USA), 8-2.

5:40: Maroulis closes out a magical day with the 57kg gold medal after cruising past Laura MERTENS (GER) , 4-1. In total, Maroulis outscored her four opponents 40-1 on her way to the Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France title.

5:31: The finals are about to begin. We'll kick things off with the 57kg finals where Olympic champion Helen Maroulis will wrestle Laura MERTENS (GER).

Reigning world champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) awaits her finals match against Rio Olympic bronze medalist Sofia MATTSSON (SWE). (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

4:21: The final matchups are set and I'm struggling to pick my favorite match. Here's a quick rundown of why it's difficult to pick just one!

At 50kg, it'll be world silver medalist Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) taking on world bronze medalist Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR).

In the 53kg finals, reigning 55kg world champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) will square off with six-time world and Rio Olympic bronze medalist Sofia MATTSSON (SWE).

Olympic champion Helen MAROULIS (USA) has outscored her three opponents 36-0 and will wrestle Laura MERTENS (GER) for the 57kg gold.

it'll be an all-American final at 62kg and 68kg. Macey KILTY (USA) will take onKayla MIRACLE (USA) in the 62kg finals, while reigning world champion Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) will go toe-to-toe with Forrest MOLINARI (USA).

Finally, we'll see world bronze medalist Martina KUENZ (AUT) wrestle Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA) in the gold-medal match at 76kg.

Final Matchups:
50kg: Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) vs. Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
53kg: Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) vs. Sofia MATTSSON (SWE)
57kg: Helen MAROULIS (USA) vs. Laura MERTENS (GER)
62kg: Macey KILTY (USA) vs.Kayla MIRACLE (USA)
68kg: Forrest MOLINARI (USA) vs. Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA)
76kg: Martina KUENZ (AUT) vs. Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA)

3:41: It'll be an all-American gold-medal match at 68kg. Mensah and Forrest MOLINARI both claimed victories in their semifinal matches and will meet for gold later tonight.

3:19: Rising star Macey KILTY (USA) scored the upset of the day thus far. She defeated '14 world champion Yulia TKACH (UKR), 4-1.

3:01: Olympic champion Maroulis is wrestling on another level today! She moved into the semifinals with her second 13-0 victory of the day. Maroulis has now outscored her three opponents 36-0 en route to the 57kg finals.

3:00: The semifinals are underway!

Rio Olympic bronze medalist Sofia MATTSSON (SWE) will take on reigning world champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) in the 53kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

2:03: The semifinals are set! USA leads the way heading into the semifinals after having nine wrestlers competing for a spot in the finals. Meanwhile, Germany has eight wrestlers in the semifinals, while Argentina, Austria, France, Italy, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine all have at least one wrestler looking for a finals berth.

50kg
SEMIFINAL - Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) vs. Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)
SEMIFINAL - Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) vs. Lisa ERSEL (GER)

53kg
SEMIFINAL – Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) vs. Annika WENDLE (GER)
SEMIFINAL - Sofia MATTSSON (SWE) vs. Angelina PURSCHKE (GER)

57kg
SEMIFINAL - Helen MAROULIS (USA) vs. Johanna LINDBORG (SWE)
SEMIFINAL - Laura MERTENS (GER) vs. Josefine PURSCHKE (GER)

62kg
SEMIFINAL - Kayla MIRACLE (USA) vs. Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)
SEMIFINAL - Macey KILTY (USA) vs. Yulia TKACH (UKR)

68kg
SEMIFINAL - Forrest MOLINARI (USA) vs. Luz Clara VAZQUEZ (ARG)
SEMIFINAL - Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA) vs. Eyleen SEWINA (GER)

76kg
SEMIFINAL - Francy RADELT (GER) vs. Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA)
SEMIFINAL - Enrica RINALDI (ITA) vs. Martina KUENZ (AUT)

Martina KUENZ (AUT) moved into the semifinals with a 4-3 win over fellow world bronze medalist Epp MAE (EST). (Gabor Martin)

1:24: What a win! Kuenz secured her spot in the 76kg semifinals with a one-point "upset" win over reigning world bronze medalist, Mae.

1:15: HERE WE GO! I'm excited for this match. It'll be world bronze medalists Epp Mae and Martina Kuenz who are wrestling on Mat B.

1:11: Mattsson moves into the 53kg semifinals with an 8-0 shutout win over Hemmer. She's outscored her first two opponents, 18-0, and is one match away from earning a finals berth.

1:05: Olympic bronze medalist Mattsson is taking on Germany's Nina HEMMER on Mat A.The winner moves into the semifinals.

12:45: Mensah followed up her :20 second opening-round win with a 10-0 victory over Nesrin BAS (TUR). She'll wrestle the winner from Bout 34 in tonight's semifinals.

12:32: World bronze medalists Epp MAE (EST) and Martina KUENZ (AUT) will square off on Mat B in five matches.

Olympic champion Helen MAROULIS (USA) has outscored her Henri DEGLANE opponents, 23-0. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

12:21: Olympic champion Maroulis keeps things rolling and improves to 2-0 on the day. After her 10-0 shutout win over Elena BRUGGER (GER), she's outscored her first two opponents 23-0.

11:57: World bronze medalist Demirhan trailed 3-0, but put four points on the board and defeated Amy FEARNSIDE (USA), 4-4. Until that Fearnside loss, USA was a perfect 9-0 on day.

11:48: Ukraine's '14 world champion Yulia TKACH is coming up in four matches on Mat B.

11:43: Winchester leads Pul, 8-2, but the match was briefly stopped as the American showed the ref her left arm -- allegedly showing a bite mark. No points were awarded as Winchester closed out the match with the 10-2 victory.

11:40: World bronze medalist Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) is coming up next on Mat B.

11:38: Pul is holding her own against Winchester over on Mat B. The Turkish wrestlers leads the reigning world champion, 2-2, heading into the break. Each wrestler scored a takedown in the opening period.

11:29: And we're back! World champion Winchester is making her second appearance down at 53kg after winning world gold in Nur-Sultan down at 55kg -- which is a non Olympic weight class.

11:26: I'm not sure what the hold up is on Mat A, but I think it has something to do with the mat surface. They have been mopping the mat for what feels like 10 minutes. Winchester and Pul are waiting mat-side. They both just put their sweatshirts back on and are trying to stay warm.

Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) warms up for the opening day of wrestling at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

11:15: Reigning world champion Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) is coming up next on Mat A against Esra PUL (TUR).

11:05: Mattsson looked sharp in her first match of the year. She scored a pair of takedowns and three guts and moved into the 53kg quarterfinals with a 10-0 win over Schelder.

10:50: Six-time world and Rio Olympic bronze medalist Sofia MATTSSON (SWE) is coming up on Mat B in two matches. She'll take on Austria's Florine SCHELDER.

10:46: Team USA is rolling early. Lauren LOUIVE (USA) picked up a victory against Arianna CARIERI (ITA) over on Mat B -- extending USA's record to 6-0 in this morning's session.

10:38: Reigning world champion Tamayra MENSAH-STOCK (USA) kicked off her day with a :20 second fall over Laura GODINO (ITA). She scored an early takedown off a head inside single, then threw Godino to her back for the quick fall.

#WrestleTirana

U23 Euros: Triple delight for Turkiye as Bas leads gold rush

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - 19:25 By United World Wrestling Press

TIRANA, Albania (March 11) -- For Nesrin BAS (TUR), returning in the U23 European Championship after winning the senior continental title last year would have felt like finishing high school after earning a master’s degree.

Two years after claiming the U23 European gold, the 22-year-old star from Turkiye never looked troubled as she galloped to the top of the podium, beating Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), 6-2, in a nerve-wrecking 68kg final on Tuesday.

Bas might never have looked troubled en route to the final, blanking Laura GODINO (ITA) 10-0 and Viktorya RADZKOVA (UWW) via fall, but in Skobelska, she met a hungry and brave rival.

Returning silver medalist Skobelska, despite two medical timeouts for bleeding, did not show any signs of slowing down to protect her injury. In fact, she charged more purposefully and went 2-1 up.

Bas, however, proved why she is considered one of the finest young stars of the sport right now. She did not panic as she tried to make a comeback into the match. Bas summoned all her experience and strength to execute a throw-by and scoring the first takedown for a 4-2 lead. The score remained 4-2 until the closing stages of the bout and when in the last 10 seconds, Skobelska tried to counter-attack, leaving her defence vulnerable and conceding two more points to put the result beyond any doubt.

Bas led Turkiye’s golden hat-trick Tuesday. Minutes before her final, it was Tuba DEMIR (TUR) who set the ball rolling in the 55kg.

Facing Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA) in the title showdown, she made short work of her opponent to win 7-0. Demir opened the bout sedately, catching Samoil’s ankles to push her out of bounds for the first point of the final. Seconds after she went ahead, Demir thought she had a spectacular four-point throw but upon Samoil’s successful challenge, it was deemed to be just a two-pointer. However, it still gave the young Turkish wrestler a healthy 3-0 lead at the break.

Demir defended staunchly in the second period, surviving a barrage of attacks from Samoil. And in the closing stages of the match, Demir dug deep to counter an attempted whizzer from Samoil which was initially not score. Moldova challenged the decision, hoping to get four points for the win but on review, it was scored two points for Demir's takedown as she defended Samoil's toss and two more for exposure. Demir eventually won 7-0 open Turkiye’s gold medal account.

Demir’s trophy cabinet will now boast of a full set of age-group continental gold medals, having earlier won the U17 and U20 European Championships.

In the final bout of the day, Elmira YASIN (TUR) defeated Olga KOZYREVA (UWW) 10-5 to win the gold medal and cap off a remarkable day for Turkiye.

In an action-packed final, Yasin was put on the activity clock. With less than five seconds remaining for her to score, Yasin carried out a double-leg attack on Kozyreva. The referee judged it as a four-pointer but Kozyreva challenged the call and after a review, it was declared as a two-point throw.

But it swung the momentum in the favor of Yasin, who again initiated a double-leg attack to throw Kozyreva off-balance before slamming her on the mat back-first for a four-pointer. Kozyreva again challenged the call but this time, it was called four but she was awarded a point for taking Yasin out-of-bounds after the throw.

Yasin had the chance to win the match on technical superiority when she blocked a headlock attempt from Kozyreva and scored a takedown and lead 9-1. However, she failed to perform her lace. Yasin then went for a double-leg but lost her balance and fell with Kozyreya controlling her. That gave Kozyreva two points and a front chest-wrap turn made it 9-5. But Yasin scored a reversal and defended her 10-5 lead for the victory.

At 50kg, in an entertaining final, Natalia PUDOVA (UWW) scripted an impressive recovery to beat Anastasiya YANOTAVA (UWW) 7-5 after going 0-3 down at the start of the second period.

Pudova scored a reversal after Yanotava's takedown and scored a turn to take a 3-3 criteria lead. With a little more than a minute left, Pudova mistimed an attack and Yanotava made the most of it, using double underhooks to turn Pudova for two and lead 5-3.

But Pudova didn’t give up easily, making another comeback with only 30 seconds left to play. After a scramble, Pudova managed to hit a double-leg and Yanotava tried the front chest throw but Pudova blocked it and got Yanotava on her back to the mat for two points. An exposure turn made it 7-5 for Pudova who cliched the gold medal.

In the 59kg final, Zagreb Open winner 18-year-old Hiunai HUBRANOVA (AZE) defeated former U20 world champion Aurora RUSSO (ITA) 4-0 to make it two golds out of two tournaments this year.

Bondar aims third straight gold

Meanwhile, U23 and U20 world champion Iryna BONDAR (UKR) will hope to complete a hat-trick of U23 European Championship gold medals after she stormed into the 62kg final, where she will face Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) on Wednesday.

Bondar reached the final with a technical superiority win and a fall, first overcoming the challenge posed by Alesia HETMANAVA (UWW) 13-2 and then pinning Naemi LEISTNER (GER) in the semifinal.

If she is successful on Wednesday, she will add another feather to her cap, having already won the title in 2023 and 2024.

RESULTS

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Natalia PUDOVA (UWW) df. Anastasiya YANOTAVA (UWW), 7-5

BRONZE: Natalia WALCZAK (POL) df. Maria CAZALLA TORRES (ESP), 12-0
BRONZE: Asmar JANKURTARAN (AZE) df. Songul KAVAK (TUR), 9-3

55kg
GOLD: Tuba DEMIR (TUR) df. Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA), 7-0

BRONZE: Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN) df. Anastasiia IANDUSHKINA (UWW), 6-0
BRONZE: Amory ANDRICH (GER) df. Kamila KASPROW (POL), via fall (12-0)

59kg
GOLD: Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) df. Aurora RUSSO (ITA), 4-0

BRONZE: Marta HETMANAVA (UWW) df. Yuliia PAKHNIUK (UKR), 14-6
BRONZE: Ebru DAGBASI (TUR) df. Evgeniia OGORODNIKOVA (UWW), 4-3

68kg
GOLD: Nesrin BAS (TUR) df. Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), 6-2

BRONZE: Viktoryia RADZKOVA (UWW) df. Laura GODINO (ITA), 3-2
BRONZE: Karolina DOMASZUK (POL) df. Maria PANTIRU (ROU), via fall (7-3)

76kg
GOLD: Elmira YASIN (TUR) df. Olga KOZYREVA (UWW), 10-5

BRONZE: Hanna PIRSKAYA (UWW) df. Laura KUEHN (GER), 5-4
BRONZE: Mariia ORLEVYCH (UKR) df. Veronika NYIKOS (HUN), via fall (6-0)

Semifinals

53kg
GOLD: Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE) vs. Ekaterina KARPUSHKINA (UWW)

SF 1: Ekaterina KARPUSHKINA (UWW) df. Nataliia KLIVCHUTSKA (UKR), 3-2
SF 2: Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE) df. Carla JAUME SOLER (ESP), 12-0

57kg
GOLD: Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR) vs. Aryna MARTYNAVA (UWW)

SF 1: Aryna MARTYNAVA (UWW) df. Georgiana LIRCA (ROU), 5-3
SF 2: Alina FILIPOVYCH (UKR) df. Inna ALIMOVA (LTU), 12-1

62kg
GOLD: Iryna BONDAR (UKR) vs. Amina TANDELOVA (UWW)

SF 1: Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) df. Iris THIEBAUX (FRA), 10-0
SF 2: Iryna BONDAR (UKR) df. Alicja NOWOSAD (POL), via fall (5-0)

65kg
GOLD: Eniko ELEKES (HUN) vs. Kseniya TSIARENIA (UWW)

SF 1: Kseniya TSIARENIA (UWW) df. Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE), 3-1
SF 2: Eniko ELEKES (HUN) df. Viorica ADAM (ROU), 10-0

72kg
GOLD: Daniela TKACHUK (POL) vs. Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (UWW)

SF 1: Kristina BRATCHIKOVA (UWW) df. Veronika VILK (CRO), 8-4
SF 2: Daniela TKACHUK (POL) df. Noemi OSVATH NAGY (HUN), via fall (4-4)

LIVE BLOG: Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France (Day One)

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U23 Euros: Triple delight for Turkiye as Bas leads gold rush