#PolandOpen

Poland Prise Pair of Women's Golds at #PolandOpen

Saturday, September 8, 2018 - 20:09 By Eric Olanowski

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WARSAW, Poland (September 8) –  Roksana ZASINA (POL) and Agnieszka WIESZCZEK-KORDUS (POL) helped the host nation, Poland, capture two of the possible five women’s wrestling gold medals that were up for grabs on the second day of the final Ranking Series event of the year. 

Roksana Zasina, the No. 8 ranked wrestler in the world, gave Poland their first gold medal of the day after scoring a 6-2 win over U23 world bronze medalist Tetyana KIT (UKR) in the 55kg gold-medal match. 

Zasina won her second straight Poland Open title, but more importantly, she stopped Kit from capturing her first Ranking Series gold medal. Kit has competed in three of the four Ranking Series events and has finished with two silvers and a bronze medal. 

At 72kg, Wieszczek-Kordus handed Poland their second women’s wrestling gold medal after sticking WANG Kunming (CHN) in the gold-medal match. It took Wieszczek-Kordus four tries, but she finally grabbed the gold medal that she’s been chasing since 2012. 


Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) knocked off the No.1 ranked wrestler in the world to win the Poland Open title at 65kg. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne) 

Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN), Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS), and Mariya STADNIK (AZE) won the final women’s wrestling gold medals. 

In the 65kg finals, Danielle Lappage stunned the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the world, Petra OLLI (FIN), 3-2. Lappage handed Olli her first loss since January’s Ivan Yarygin. Since January, Ollie has won gold medals at the Klippan Lady Open, the International Ukrainian Tournament, and the European Championships. 

Stadnik gabbed her second gold medal of the season, defeating Ilona SEMKIV (UKR) in the 50kg gold-medal bout. Stadnik, the Klippan Lady Open runner-up, and European Championship gold medalist scored her fifth technical superiority victory of the tournament, improving her 2018 record to 12-1. Her only loss in 2018 was against reigning world champion, Yui SUSAKI (JPN).

Svetlana Lipatova claimed the final gold medal with an injury default win over 2017 world runner-up, Marwa AMRI (TUN). 

RESULTS
Women's Wrestling
50kg
GOLD -  Mariya STADNIK (AZE) df. Ilona SEMKIV (UKR), 13-2 

BRONZE - Whitney CONDER (USA) df. Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RUS), 6-4 
BRONZE - Jessica Anne Marie MACDONALD (CAN) df. Emilia Alina VUC (ROU), via injury default

55kg
GOLD -  Roksana ZASINA (POL) df. Tetyana KIT (UKR), 6-2 

BRONZE - Zalina SIDAKOVA (BLR) df. Olga SHNAIDER (UKR), 4-0  
BRONZE - Sofia MATTSSON (SWE) df. Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA), 10-0 

59kg
GOLD - Svetlana LIPATOVA (RUS) df. Marwa AMRI (TUN), 0-0 

BRONZE - Olena KREMZER (UKR) df. Hanna VAHER (BLR), 4-0 
BRONZE - Lingling BAO (CHN) df. Laura Sofia AAK (NOR), via fall

65kg 
GOLD -  Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) df. Petra Maarit OLLI (FIN), 3-2 

BRONZE - Forrest Ann MOLINARI (USA) df. Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), via fall 
BRONZE - Moa NYGREN (SWE)df. Chuying TANG (CHN), 6-2

72kg
GOLD -  Agnieszka Jadwiga WIESZCZEK-KORDUS (POL) df. Kunming WANG (CHN), via fall 

BRONZE - Catalina AXENTE (ROU) df. Patrycja SPERKA (POL), 3-1
BRONZE - Alexandra Nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU) df. Nikoletta Renata SZMOLKA (HUN), 10-0

Freestyle
57kg 
GOLD -  Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB) df. Givi DAVIDOVI (ITA), 10-0 

BRONZE - Georgios PILIDIS (GRE) df. Frank Vincent PERRELLI IV (USA), 12-6 
BRONZE - Nurislam (Artas) SANAYEV (SANAA) (KAZ) df. Adrian Jakub WAGNER (POL), via fall. 

65kg 
GOLD - Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) df. Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO), via injury default

BRONZE - Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) df. Jordan OLIVER (USA), , via forfeit
BRONZE - Dimitar Lyubomirov IVANOV (BUL) df. Hasibagena HASIBAGENA (CHN), 6-2 

74kg
GOLD -  Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) df. Wei WU (CHN), 12-2 

BRONZE - Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ) df. Nurlan BEKZHANOV (KAZ), 7-1
BRONZE - Andrzej Piotr SOKALSKI (POL) df. Jonatan ALVAREZ DIAZ (ESP), via forfeit. 

86kg 
GOLD -  Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) df. Samuel BROOKS (USA), 2-2 

BRONZE - Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA) df. Lars SCHAEFLE (GER), 10-0 
BRONZE - Piotr IANULOV (MDA) df. Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ), 8-3 

97kg
GOLD - Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO) df.  Mamed IBRAGIMOV (KAZ), 10-0 

BRONZE - Chaoqiang YANG (CHN) df. Pavlo OLIINYK (HUN), via injury default 

Greco-Roman
63kg 
GOLD - Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) df. Nikolay Ivanov VICHEV (BUL), 4-0 

BRONZE - Hassan Hassan Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) df. Virgil Alexander BICA (SWE), 8-0 

72kg 
GOLD -  Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) df. Denis HORVATH (SVK), 9-0  

BRONZE - Daniel Mattias SOINI (SWE) df. Shogo TAKAHASHI (JPN), 7-1 
BRONZE - Mikko Petteri PELTOKANGAS (FIN) df. Joilson DE BRITO RAMOS JUNIOR (BRA), 5-1 

82kg
GOLD - Emrah KUS (TUR) df. Oleksii OSNIACH (UKR), 6-4 

BRONZE - Daniel Tihomirov ALEKSANDROV (BUL) df. Edgar BABAYAN (POL), 6-2
BRONZE - Jarno Krister AALANDER (FIN) df. Petr NOVAK (CZE), 4-3

97kg 
GOLD - Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA) df. Nikolay Nikolaev BAYRYAKOV (BUL), 7-0 

BRONZE - Suleyman ERBAY (TUR) df. Mathias BAK (DEN), 13-6 
BRONZE - Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) df. Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM), via injury default 

Development

Wrestling Enters a New Era in Southern Africa with Namib Storm and SADC Open Championships

Wednesday, August 13, 2025 - 13:57 By United World Wrestling Press

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WINDHOEK, Namibia — July 2025 The Namibian Wrestling Federation (NWF), in partnership with United World Wrestling (UWW) and Olympic Solidarity, launched a landmark initiative to boost wrestling development in Southern Africa: the Namib Storm Wrestling Week and SADC Open Championships, held from 30 June to 5 July 2025 at the Windhoek Showgrounds.

Speaking at the official launch in Windhoek, NWF President Colin Steytler emphasized the significance of this new chapter for the sport:

“This is where everything comes together — grassroots, elite, and development levels. It’s the most important step we’ve taken to date in bringing our strategic goals to life.”

A New Benchmark for Regional Wrestling Development

The week-long event featured two core components:

  • REDT – Namib Storm Training Camp (30 June – 3 July)
    This high-performance camp delivered Level 3 Coaching and Level 2 Refereeing Certification under the guidance of UWW instructors — a first for Namibia and a major milestone for the region.

“You can’t grow grassroots wrestling without qualified coaches,” Steytler noted.
Coaches and officials from multiple countries, including Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Mauritius, took part in intensive technical sessions.

  • SADC Open Championships (4 July)
    This tournament gathered elite athletes from Angola, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and beyond — many of whom are continental medallists. Importantly, the SADC Open became the first UWW-rated event in Southern Africa, enabling both athletes and referees to earn international exposure without needing to travel abroad.

“This changes the game,” said Steytler. “We can now compete regionally and still gain global recognition — this saves costs and boosts participation.”

NAMAttendees go through the Level 3 Coaching and Level 2 Refereeing Certification under the guidance of UWW instructors. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Beach Wrestling: Taking the Sport to New Shores

The week concluded on 5 July with a Beach Wrestling showcase, reinforcing UWW’s commitment to accessibility and outreach.

“Beach wrestling will be the only wrestling discipline featured at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal,” Steytler reminded. “And we are proud to host Namibia’s first-ever beach wrestling event in Swakopmund on 7 December 2025.”

Beach wrestling, requiring only sand and a rope, offers a practical and inclusive way to expand the sport into rural and underserved communities — a cornerstone of UWW’s vision.

Towards a Self-Sustaining Wrestling Future

The REDT initiative and Namib Storm programme are part of the NWF’s five-year strategy to develop a self-sustainable wrestling ecosystem, bridging the gap between grassroots and elite competition and aiming for future Olympic qualification and medals.

“The Namib Storm Week and SADC Open pull all of our strategic elements together,” said Steytler. “From here, we take what we’ve built back to the regions and expand wrestling further than ever before.”

This event highlights Southern Africa’s growing role in the global wrestling community and reflects UWW’s dedication to regional empowerment, education, and international competition access.