#WrestleBudapest

Live Blog: #WrestleBudapest European Championships Day 4

By Vinay Siwach

BUDAPEST, Hungary (March 31) -- The fourth day of the European Championships in the Hungary capital and the five weight classes of women's wrestling will be in action.

After some top action in freestyle, the medals in women's wrestling will be decided Thursday and Friday. But before that, the wrestlers have to win their qualification and semifinals bouts.

Keep an eye on Kriszta INCZE (ROU), Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA (UKR), Elis MANOLOVA (AZE), Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR), Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL), Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR), Anhelina LYSAK (POL), Anna SCHELL (GER), Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), Iulia LEORDA (MDA), and Buse TOSUN (TUR).

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

13:10: The final bout of the morning session, Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR) beats Yuliana YANEVA (BUL) in a thrilling bout. Yaneva led 1-1 on criteria but Tosun with a takedown to lead 4-2. She is cautioned once but ultimately wins 4-3

12:45: Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) with a victory via fall over Viktoria VESSO (EST) and she will wrestle in the semifinals.

12:35: In a battle of U23 World champions, Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) gets the fall over Anhelina LYSAK (POL) at 57kg. The first period was slow but Akobiia had a big four before getting the fall in the second period

12:22: U23 European champion Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) gets a 3-0 win over Annika WENDLE (GER). She will move into the semifinals at 53kg.

12:15: Natalia KUBATY (POL) with a fall over Olivia HENNINGSSON (SWE). Kubaty completely dominated that bout and she is into the semifinals

12:00: Tamara DOLLAK (HUN) delights the home fans with a 12-2 win over Jenna HEMIAE (FIN). She locked the hands of Hemiae and continued to expose her before finishing the bout early in the second period.

11:50: Liliia MALANCHUK (UKR) gets the second win of the day. She beats Marina RUEDA FLORES (ESP) 13-0 at 53kg.

11:42: On Mat C, Anna FABIAN (SRB) was down 3-3 on criteria but scores a reversal in the final 10 seconds to win 4-3 against Nikolett SABZO (HUN). On Mat A, Kriszta INCZE (ROU)with a four-point throw at the end to win 4-2 against Asli TUGCU (TUR).

11:40: Tatiana RIZKHO (UKR) starts the day with a top victory over Elis MANOLOVA (AZE). In their Round 1 bout, Rizkho wins 7-0. 

11:30: Welcome to day four of the European Championships. Some studs of women's wrestling are about to take the mat in their quest to win a European medal.

#BeachWrestling

Youth Olympic quotas in focus as Katerini hosts U17, U20 BW Worlds

By United World Wrestling Press

KATERINI, Greece (September 23) -- Thirty countries, close to 300 wrestlers, a global glory and a Youth Olympic dream.

Over two days this week, on September 25 and 26, the world’s best age-group beach wrestlers descend upon the scenic Katerini Beach, where the sun sets behind the imposing Mount Olympus. In this postcard-perfect surroundings, they will hope to write their scripts at the U17 and U20 World Championships.

The tournament will be live on the YouTube channel of United World Wrestling's Beach Wrestling channel.

The championships will be taken into consideration for quotas for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games qualifier, adding another layer of significance to the U17 event.

United World Wrestling has received a request for quotas from more than 100 National Olympic Committees with a total of 300 male and 269 female wrestlers. Currently, there are 48 quotas per gender. In this context, the World Championships in Katerini will add excitement to the race for the Youth Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in Dakar.

The U17 and U20 World Championships will be held across eight weight classes each in men’s and women’s categories. Last year, Ukraine and the United States reigned supreme in the men’s and women’s events, respectively, of the U17 World Championships. This year, too, they will be among the favorites to lift the team titles.

Once again, this year, Ukraine has entered a jumbo team with eight wrestlers in the U17 men’s competition. Only hosts Greece (12), Georgia (11), and Moldova (9) have a contingent bigger than theirs. On the women’s side, the USA has fielded the largest delegation among the 24 teams, with 9 wrestlers. In Beach Wrestling, a country can register a maximum of 3 athletes per weight category.

It won’t be so straightforward for both teams to retain their titles, with challengers emerging from other nations, particularly hosts Greece, who would hope to put on a good show in front of their home crowd. Romania, Moldova, Georgia and Iran will remain strong contenders despite Ukraine's legacy in the competition, especially the women's.

Earlier this month, the U15, U17 and U20 African Beach Wrestling Championships were held in Casablanca, where Algeria bagged the U17 men’s and women’s titles. The serene Ain Diab beach in the Moroccan capital hosted the age-group tournaments before the Beach Wrestling World Series, marking the first time the event was held in an African city.

Soon after the U17 and U20 Beach World Championships, the Katerini Beach will host the World Series on September 27 and 28. The penultimate stop of the event is set to be the biggest of the 2025 season so far in terms of participation. There have been a record number of entries, underlining the sport’s continued global growth.

The World Series will return to Africa in October for its final instalment of this season, when the tournament will be held in Alexandria, Egypt, on October 18 and 19.