#WrestleRome

Matteo Pellicone women's wrestling preview

Monday, June 20, 2022 - 12:07 By Olivia Lichti

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ROME, Italy (June 20) -- After an unfortunate COVID-induced postponement from its original date in February, the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series will finally be contested in Rome this week. Women wrestlers from five different continents will be in the Italian capital and several up-and-coming will have the opportunity to prove themselves against the top wrestlers in the world.

The 68kg weight class provides a prime example of such a matchup. After winning U20 and senior world titles at 65kg last year, Irina RINGACI (MDA) made the jump to the Olympic weight of 68kg with her eyes on Paris 2024.

Her debut in February saw her win the gold medals at the Dan Kolov and U23 European Championships and later the senior European title, but her first big test will come here against Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Blessing OBORODUDU (NGR).

Oborodudu will be equally hungry for victory in Rome as a solid finish here will slot her as the number two ranked athlete at 68kg, bumping her up past Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA).

Another young star to keep an eye on is Alina AKOBIIA (UKR). Akobiia has collected gold medals at the '21 U23 World Championships and European Championships this year and will look to cement herself as one of the top women in the world at 57kg with a win in Rome.

Inarguably the most credentialed weight class at this event will be 62kg, which includes the likes of U23 world champion Ana GODINEZ (CAN), two-time Olympian Lais NUNES (BRA), and Olympic medallists Sakshi MALIK (IND) and Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR).

Despite a 10-month hiatus following the Tokyo Games, Koliadenko will enter this tournament as the favorite. However, Malik and Godinez are both coming off of impressive gold-winning runs at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup and Pan-Am Championships respectively. The young Canadian will certainly be hungry for wins over her more seasoned foes, but whether she has the skills to truly challenge either at this point remains to be seen.

Wrestling fans must also keep their eyes on the 53kg division. By way of her 2021 world silver medal, Iulia LEORDA (MDA) is the most heralded wrestler at this weight.

However, 2021 world bronze medallist Samantha STEWART (CAN) will indubitably be hungry for revenge after falling to the Moldovan in the quarterfinals in Oslo. Also present will be the European champion Emma MALMGREN (SWE), who is one of wrestling’s most talented rising stars. She’ll look to notch victories over the world medallists in her bracket and continue to establish herself as a real threat at the upcoming World Championships.

As always, 76kg will feature a multitude of talented women. Justina DI STASIO (CAN) headlines this weight class and will look to prove that she can contend in the toughest division and not just 72kg, where she won a world title in 2018. She’ll be challenged by fellow world medallists Epp MAE (EST) and Martina KUENZ (AUT). Matchups between these three heavyweight hammers are not to be missed.

Though the American contingent is small at this event, it is mighty. Emma BRUNTIL (USA) will look to earn her fourth international medal of 2022 at 65kg, adding to gold medals at the Dan Kolov and Ivan Yarygin and bronze at the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series. She’ll face tough tests in two of Ukraine’s top athletes -- Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) and Kateryna ZELENYKH (UKR).

Joining Bruntil is Skylar GROTE (USA) at 72kg. Grote is coming off a dominant Pan-Am title run in Acapulco, Mexico, and will look to advance her current world ranking of 17. Her primary challenger will be two-time world bronze medallist Anna SCHELL (GER).

At 55kg, 2021 world silver medallist Nina HEMMER (GER) will look to slide past Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) and Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN), neither of whom will be present at this event, into the top ranking spot.

However, she’ll have to contend with fifth-ranked Andreea ANA (ROU) and 2019 world bronze medallist Vinesh PHOGAT (IND) to do so. Hemmer defeated the Romanian by a slim 3-2 margin at the 2021 World Championships, but was teched by Phogat in their last encounter.

The deepest non-Olympic weight class, by far, is 59kg. Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) will look to further her remarkable 2022 season, which already includes titles from the Yasar Dogu and the European Championships.

To continue her golden streak, she’ll have to outplace young star Solomiia VYNNYK (UKR) who defeated her in an astounding upset at the 2021 U23 World Championships.

Vynnyk will have a huge opportunity to test herself against Nichita as well as other senior-level threats like world bronze medallist Sarita MOR (IND), who is just coming off of a title at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup, and former U23 world champion Grace BULLEN (NOR).

Up and down the weight classes, the Matteo Pellicone will serve as a fantastic preview for the future of women’s wrestling and will display who can be primed as medal contenders at the World Championships in September. Enjoy watching accomplished veterans and the next generation alike as the world congregates in Italy for what might just be the most exciting wrestling event so far in 2022.

The Matteo Pellicone kicks off Wednesday and can be streamed live on uww.org.

#WrestleBucharest

Nasibov hopes to build on golden start in Olympic year

Thursday, February 1, 2024 - 20:21 By Vinay Siwach

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BUCHAREST, Romania (February 1) -- Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) was never under the spotlight. Not until he reached the final of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and won a silver medal.

For Tokyo, he qualified at the World Olympic Qualifier in Sofia, the last of the qualifiers and the only chance he got. But as he prepares to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Nasibov is on the radar of his opponents.

He lost in the first round of the World Championships last year and is yet to win a UWW tournament. But in the season-opening Ranking Series Zagreb Open, Nasibov seemed to find his form and gear up for the Olympic year.

Wrestling in Zagreb, Nasibov won gold in 67kg after beating world silver medalist Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) in the semifinal and Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA) in the final.

"It’s important for me to try myself [in such tournaments] before the important one," Nasibov said. "I think this Ranking series event is more or less similar to the World championships level, because most of the leaders were present here in our weight class."

In a 34-wrestler bracket, Nasibov got past 2023 Zagreb Open champion HUSIYUETU (CHN), Lei LI (CHN) and U20 world champion Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) before beating Jafarov and Snjoyan. Nasibov later said that he expected Jafarov to come out strong in the semifinal.

"We have done research on that athlete together with the coaches," he said. "That’s why I got everything I had expected from him. He is a good guy, he is young and prospective."

Nasibov also hoped to face world champion Luis ORTA (CUB) in Zagreb but Orta pulled out of the competition. Orta won the 67kg world title in Belgrade, completing a successful switch from 60kg, a weight class in which he won the gold medal in Tokyo.

"Orta is a very good opponent. I met his at the training camp," Nasibov said. "But you know we are wrestling at such a high level that we are all pretty much similar. The one who thinks better and stays calmer will win. That’s why, I respect him a lot and can’t wait to meet him."

Nasibov has got a golden start to the season and would like to continue that at the European Championships in Bucharest, Romania from February 12 to 19. He will hope to win his first European title at 72kg as he is entered in the non-Olympic weight class. And later the qualifying event in Baku in April.

"At the 2023 European Championships I was the third," he said. "The qualifying world championships was unsuccessful for me. I lost my first match. The main event is ahead. I need a quota for Paris Olympic Games, I will do my best to get it and repeat my Tokyo result and maybe even improve. I believe in it and I do my best to be there."