#WrestleBelgrade

Preliminary women's World Championship seeds announced

Monday, September 4, 2023 - 12:25 By Eric Olanowski

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BELGRADE, Serbia (September 4) --- United World Wrestling has released the preliminary women's wrestling seeds for the 2023 World Championships.

The point-based seeds were determined by a wrestler's participation and placement at the 2022 World Championships, 2023 Continental Championships and 2023 Ranking Series events.

Although it's highly unlikely that the brackets play out exactly how their seeded, but if the seeds were to hold true through the finals in the top-eight seeded system, here's how the bracket will look leading up to the gold-medal match:

Quarterfinals: 
No. 1 vs. No. 8 (top side)
No. 4 vs. No. 5 (top side)

No. 2 vs. No. 7 (bottom side)
No. 3 vs. No. 6 (bottom side)

Semifinals: 
No. 1 vs. No. 4 (top side)
No. 2 vs. No. 3 (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 vs. No. 2 

*The seeds are based on the current entries provided by National Federations and are subject to change.

50kg
No. 1 - Yui SUSAKI (JPN)
No. 2 - Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) 
No. 3 - Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
No. 4 - Ziqi FENG (CHN)
No. 5 - Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
No. 6 - Madison PARKS (CAN)
No. 7 - Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)
No. 8 - Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR)

53kg
No. 1 - Lucia YEPEZ (ECU)
No. 2 - Dominique PARRISH (USA)
No. 3 - Jonna MALMGREN (SWE)
No. 4 - Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
No. 5 - Iulia LEORDA (MDA)
No. 6 - Sztalvira ORSUS (HUN)
No. 7 - Karla ACOSTA MARTINEZ (MEX)
No. 8 - Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)

55kg
No. 1 - Karla GODINEZ (CAN)
No. 2 - Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA)
No. 3 - Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ)
No. 4 - Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA)
No. 5 - Erika BOGNAR (HUN)
No. 6 - Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)
No. 7 - Mariia VYNNYK (UKR)
No. 8 - Otgontuya CHINBOLD (MGL)

57kg
No. 1 - Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR)
No. 2 - Helen MAROULIS (USA)
No. 3 - Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)
No. 4 - Giullia PENALBER (BRA)
No. 5 - Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB)
No. 6 - Anhelina LYSAK (POL)
No. 7 - Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE)
No. 8 - Luisa VALVERDE (ECU)

59kg
No. 1 - Jowita WRZESIEN (POL)
No. 2 - Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ)
No. 3 - Yuliia TKACH (UKR)
No. 4 - Qi ZHANG (CHN)
No. 5 - Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE)
No. 6 - Othelie HOEIE (NOR)
No. 7 - Siwar BOUSETA (TUN)
No. 8 - Jennifer PAGE (USA)

62kg
No. 1 - Kayla MIRACLE (USA)
No. 2 - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
No. 3 - Xiaojuan LUO (CHN)
No. 4 - Ana GODINEZ (CAN)
No. 5 - Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)
No. 6 - Lais NUNES (BRA)
No. 7 - Luisa NIEMESCH (GER)
No. 8 - Sara LINDBORG (SWE)

65kg (Only six seeded wrestlers entered)
No. 1 - Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL)
No. 2 - Iva GERIC (CRO)
No. 3 - Aleah NICKEL (CAN)
No. 4 - Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ)
No. 5 - Kadriye AKSOY (TUR)
No. 6 - Masa PEROVIC (SRB)

68kg
No. 1 - Feng ZHOU (CHN)
No. 2 - Ami ISHII (JPN)
No. 3 - Irina RINGACI (MDA)
No. 4 - Koumba LARROQUE (FRA)
No. 5 - Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
No. 6 - Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE)
No. 7 - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)
No. 8 - Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

72kg
No. 1 - Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
No. 2 - Amit ELOR (USA)
No. 3 - Dalma CANEVA (ITA)
No. 4 - Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL)
No. 5 - Shauna KUEBECK (CAN)
No. 6 - Kendra DACHER (FRA)
No. 7 - QIANDEGENCHAGAN (CHN)
No. 8 - Alina LEVYTSKA (UKR)

76kg
No. 1 - Samar HAMZA (EGY)
No. 2 - Genesis REASCO (ECU)
No. 3 - Epp MAE (EST)
No. 4 - Justina DI STASIO (CAN)
No. 5 - Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
No. 6 - Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)
No. 7 - Cynthia VESCAN (FRA)
No. 8 - Francy RAEDELT (GER)

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.