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

Masterful Uguev Repeats as European Champion

Sunday, April 26, 2026 - 23:12 By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (April 26) -- Zavur UGUEV (UWW) became a two-time European champion in Tirana on Sunday. For a wrestler of Uguev's pedigree, the number looks bleak.

But the 31-year-old, who will turn 32 on May 21, doesn't rue the missed golds but says those were the experiences that helped him win gold later.

"Last year I won my first European gold medal," Uguev said. "My first two or three medals, I was still young and things didn’t work out. There were very experienced athletes competing, and I gained experience from them."

In his two appearances at the European Championships in 2017 and 2018, Uguev suffered losses to Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE). In the 2018 final, Edisherashvili scored a takedown in the last seven seconds to win.

"[From] losing in the finals in the last 7 seconds in Kaspiysk, I gained great experience," he said. "But last year, I was in great shape and I’m happy that in my career I now have two European Championship gold medals."

His second gold in Tirana may have gone under that radar given the return and dominance of Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW), who won his sixth European gold on Saturday and first in six years.

However, if there was an award for the most outstanding wrestler of the tournament, Uguev would handsomely beat all others wrestlers to it.

On Sunday, Uguev defended his 61kg gold medal in Tirana with rather ease after defeating former world champion and home-favorite Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB). The 4-0 win over Abakarov consisted one activity clock, one stepout and a two-point takedown from Uguev.

Even the low-scoring final was a masterclass from Uguev, one of the few who still mixes the art of defense and positioning to win bouts.

At one point, Abakarov would keep trying the two-on-one on Uguev's arm and instead of panicking, Uguev would casually block Abakarov using his head. After the two-minute mark in the match, Abakarov had a similar grip and Uguev was blocking using his head and grip one of Abakarov's wrist.

Abakarov moved to a position from which he could either whizzer or wrist snap Uguev. However, as soon as Abakarov moved sideways, Uguev placed his foot behind Abakarov and let go off his grip, quickly switching to a leg-attack. He scored a stepout to lead 2-0 after one activity period point.

Uguev set up his takedown in the second period when Abakarov took a shot from space and Uguev blocked it using a chest wrap. Instead of scoring exposure from front, Uguev jumped behind and locked Abakarov who tried to break the grip. But Uguev scored a takedown on the edge to lead 4-0, his winning score.

Zavur UGUEV (UWW) pins Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) in the 61kg semifinals. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

It was in the semifinals against Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), Uguev fell behind 3-2 but he brought down Harutyunyan in danger for two points before holding the Armenian in such a grip that he failed to move despite having split hands. Eventually, he gave up to Uguev's pressure who won via fall.

"The final is always a tough contest, both last and this year," Uguev said. "Last year it was Harutyunyan, a four-time European champion, and this year it’s Abakarov, the world champion. It’s a real pleasure to compete against them. I’ve come here solely to compete against them."

Two months ago, Uguev was in Tirana and he put on a wrestling masterclass, winning the 61kg gold medal. However, it was in Tirana that he lost to phenom Masanosuke ONO (JPN) and Vitali ARUJAU (USA) and finished fifth at the World Championships.

"I was here at the start of February for the ranking tournament, and I suppose I had some thoughts about it [losing World Championships in Tirana]," he said. "But I managed to win that tournament, and I came here with the sole intention of winning. The first attempt [2024 World Championships] didn’t go to plan."

Zavur UGUEV (UWW) after winning the 61kg gold medal in Tirana. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

The three-time world champion and Tokyo Olympic gold medalist at 57kg has been competing at 61kg for three years now. While he will eventually move to 57kg for a run at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Uguev says he is enjoying wrestling at a higher weight and not dieting during competitions.

"I’ll be wrestling in 65kg soon," he said jokingly. "I’ll probably be dropping down to 57kg. I’ll probably compete for another year or so [at 61kg], and then I’ll keep dropping down. I’m not actually that heavy to begin with, and I reckon anyone competing at 57kg is roughly the same weight as me. For now, I don’t see the point in cutting weight, and I think it’s better to stay as I am for the time being, compete for another year or so. I think that this year, or early next year, we’ll start thinking about which weight class to move to.

"Now that I’ve moved up to 61kg, I’m really enjoying the competition. When I was competing at 57kg, I struggled so much. Now, when I watch the wrestlers like Musa MEKHTIKHANOV (UWW), for example, I’m reminded of my own days on the mat. It’s just that when you’re on a diet, you don’t want to think about anything else. All you can think about is food. Now I feel comfortable. I’m not dieting; I enjoy wrestling and I’m managing to do well at it."

As for European Championships golds, Uguev isn't stopping.

"I'm not going to stop here," he said. "I'm not chasing numbers, I'll keep wrestling as long as I have the strength."

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

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Masterful Uguev Repeats as European Champion