TAMPERE, Finland (July 30) – Zviadi PATARIDZE (GEO), fresh from winning his third European junior crown in Dortmund, sets his sights now on a rare third title at the Junior World Championships getting under way Monday at Tampere Exhibition and Sports Center.

Pataridze brought the curtain down in Dortmund four weeks ago with a technical fall in the 120kg final in Greco-Roman and could be poised to close out his career in the junior ranks with a triumph in the world meet finale on Sunday, August 6.

A victory in the Tampere finale will bring Pataridze’s gold medal total in major age-group events to nine – three each in the world and European championships along with a pair of world titles and one continental crown in the cadet division.

Meanwhile, five champions from last year’s junior worlds in Macon (FRA) are back to defend their titles along with two more titlists from 2015 seeking to enjoy a final junior-level triumph before graduating to the senior ranks.

Freestyle: Tuesday & Wednesday, August 1-2

Defending champion Mark HALL (USA) will attempt a title repeat at 74kg on the first day of competition with Radik VALIEV (RUS), a bronze medal winner at the Yarygin Grand Prix in January, the largest obstacle standing in Hall’s way.

At 96kg, Givi MATCHRASHVILI (GEO) will be seeking his first world title since being crowned cadet world champion in 2014. He has won this year’s European under-23 and junior crowns at heavyweight after finishing 11th in Macon last year.

It will be a bantams battle royal at 60kg with four continental champions – including reigning European champion Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE) and 2016 titlist Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (RUS) – along with Rio 2016 Olympian Abbas RAKHMONOV (UZB) all seeking to emerge victorious.

Defending world champion Afgan KHASHALOV (AZE) will light up the second day of wrestling after dominating in Dortmund with a fall and three technical falls for the 55kg crown. European runner-up Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL) and Macon bronze medal winner Daton FIX (USA) lead a crowded field of challengers.

Joining Khashalov as favorites on Day Two will be two-time European junior champion Gadzhimurad MAGOMEDSAIDOV (AZE) and two-time cadet world champion Gable STEVESON (USA). Magomedsaidov will seek to improve on last year’s bronze medal at 84kg in Macon, while Steveson will test the waters in the junior division at 120kg.

Women’s Wrestling: Thursday & Friday (August 3 & 4)

In Macon, Japanese wrestlers won six of eight weight categories and at the cadet world meet in Tbilisi, Japan’s nine entries came home with eight gold medals and a silver. The first day of women’s events in Tampere will feature two wrestlers who helped prevent Japanese whitewashes in both events.

Defending world champ at 51kg Ksenia NEZGOVOROVA (RUS) added European champ in Dortmund to her list of achievements, but could face tough challenges from world silver medalist LIAO Xuejiao (CHN) and European runner-up Khrystyna BEREZA (UKR).

Two-time cadet world champ Khanum VELIEVA (RUS) cruised to the 67kg crown in Dortmund with a fall and a pair of technical falls. After winning the senior Russian title in June, Velieva is the odds-on favorite, but 2016 Asia cadet champion Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN) will challenge.

One of Japan’s 2016 six world champs, Yuzuru KUMANO (59kg), is back to defend her title but will likely have to get by three-time European junior champ Grace BULLEN (NOR), who will be wrestling in her first – and only – junior world championships.

The second day of women’s events will see 2015 junior world champions Turkan NASIROVA (AZE) and Leyla GURBANOVA (AZE) trying to return to the top of the medals podium. Gurbanova and Nasirova finished eighth and ninth in their respective categories, 48kg and 55kg, in Dortmund.

Both categories, however, were taken by Ukraine’s Oksana LIVACH (48kg), a bronze medal winner in Macon, and last year’s European cadet champion Alina AKOBIYA (55kg). Japan, meanwhile, sends out three-time cadet world champion Kika KAGATA (48kg) and senior Asia champion Sae NANJO (55kg).

Last year’s junior world runner-up and Asia champion Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB) is back at 50kg after a fifth-place finish at 55kg in Taichung (TPE) in June, while Asian flyweight champion Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) seeks to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish in Macon.

Junior European champion and 2016 world cadet champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO) will set the pace at 60kg, while world bronze medalist and Asia champion Seydylla TAZAYEV (TKM) will try to stay within striking distance.

Also on Saturday, Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) at 96kg will have Finnish fans on their feet as he seeks to become the first Finnish wrestler in 23 years to win a junior world title in Greco-Roman.  Savolainen ended an eight-year dry-spell for Finland at the European championships by winning in Dortmund.

Along with catching Pataridze in his final appearance at the junior level on Sunday, Greco-Roman fans will also be able to catch European junior champion at 84kg, Alexander KOMAROV (RUS), who has a pair of world and European titles as a cadet along with titles in two senior events over the winter.

European champ Kerem KAMAL (TUR) also makes his debut at the junior world meet after silver medals at the 2015 and 2016 cadet worlds, but Emin SEFERSHAEV (RUS) will try to reverse his 5-3 loss to Kamal in the 55kg final in Dortmund.

Schedule

Monday, July 31
16:00-17:00 – Medical Examination: FS 50, 60, 74 & 96kg
17:15-17:45 – Weigh-In: FS 50, 60, 74 & 96kg

Tuesday, August 1
10:00-14:00 – Qualification Rounds & Repechage: FS 50, 60, 74 & 96kg
16:00-17:00 – Medical Examination: FS 55, 66, 84 & 120kg
17:15-17:45 – Weigh-In: FS 55, 66, 84 & 120kg
18:00-18:30 – Opening Ceremony
18:30-20:30 – Finals & Award Ceremonies: FS 50, 60, 74 & 96kg

Wednesday, August 2
10:00-14:00 – Qualification Rounds & Repechage: FS 55, 66, 84 & 120kg 
16:00-17:00 – Medical Examination: WW 44, 51, 59 & 67kg
17:15-17:45 – Weigh-In: WW 44, 51, 59 & 67kg
18:00-20:00 – Finals & Award Ceremonies: FS 55, 66, 84 & 120kg

Thursday, August 3
10:00-14:00 – Qualification Rounds & Repechage: WW 44, 51, 59 & 67kg
16:00-17:00 – Medical Examination: WW 48, 55, 63 & 72kg
17:15-17:45 – Weigh-In: WW 48, 55, 63 & 72kg
18:00-20:00 – Finals & Award Ceremonies: WW 44, 51, 59 & 67kg

Friday, August 4 
10:00-14:00 – Qualification Rounds & Repechage: WW 48, 55, 63 & 72kg
16:00-17:00 – Medical Examination: GR 50, 60, 74 & 96kg
17:15-17:45 – Weigh-In: GR 50, 60, 74 & 96kg
18:00-20:00 – Finals & Award Ceremonies: WW 48, 55, 63 & 72kg

Saturday, August 5
10:00-14:00 – Qualification Rounds & Repechage: GR 50, 60, 74 & 96kg
16:00-17:00 – Medical Examination: GR 55, 66, 84 & 120kg
17:15-17:45 – Weigh-In: GR 55, 66, 84 & 120kg
18:00-20:00 – Finals & Award Ceremonies: GR 50, 60, 74 & 96kg

Sunday, August 6
10:00-14:00 – Qualification Rounds & Repechage: 55, 66, 84 & 120kg
18:00-20:00 – Finals & Award Ceremonies: GR 55, 66, 84 & 120kg