U23 World C'ships

Russia and India Send Two to Gold-Medal Matches in Tournament Finale

By Taylor Miller

BYDGOSZCZ, Poland – Two nations, Russia and India, each advanced two wrestlers to the World-title bouts in the final night of the U23 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Sunday.

Russia and India will have one head-to-head match, which will be featured at 65 kg.

Nachyn Sergeevitch KUULAR (RUS), a two-time World Military Games champion, looks for his third World title. He’ll wrestle Bajrang BAJRANG (IND), who won the 2017 Asian Indoor Games and took top prize at the 2017 Asian Championships.

India will also be represented at 70 kg, where Kumar VINOD (IND) will face Richard LEWIS (USA) for the World title. Lewis made his international debut today and landed the U.S. its first medal of the week-long event, cruising to the finals.

Russia’s second finalist is Gadzhi NABIEV, 2015 Junior World champion and 2017 Russian Championships silver medalist. He’ll go head-to-head with 2017 Junior European bronze medalist Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) in the 74 kg finals.

At 97 kg, 2016 Junior World bronze winner and 2015 Junior World runner-up Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR) seeks his third World medal. Challenging him is 2017 Asian Indoor Games champion and Golden Grand Prix silver medalist Mojtaba Mohammadshafie GOLEIJ (IRI).

With no medals thus far in the tournament, USA is the only country seeking a medal at all four weights on Sunday night.

The medal matches start at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET).

Finals matchups
65 kg
Gold - Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) vs. Nachyn Sergeevitch KUULAR (RUS)
Bronze - Joseph Christopher MC KENNA (USA) vs. Heorhi KALIYEU (BLR)
Bronze - Haydar YAVUZ (TUR) vs. Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI)

70 kg
Gold - Kumar Omprakash VINOD (IND) vs. Richard Anthony LEWIS (USA)
Bronze - Muhammet AKDENIZ (TUR) vs. Zulfikar MAKHAMATOV (KAZ)
Bronze - Mirza SKHULUKHIA (GEO) vs. Nobuyoshi TAKOJIMA (JPN)

74 kg
Gold - Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) vs. Gadzhi NABIEV (RUS)
Bronze - Isaiah Alexander MARTINEZ (USA) vs. Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Bronze - Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) vs. Engin Rashid ISMAIL (BUL)

97 kg
Gold - Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR) vs. Mojtaba Mohammadshafie GOLEIJ (IRI)
Bronze - Ty Ryan Jack WALZ (USA) vs. Chaoqiang YANG (CHN)
Bronze - Rasul MAGOMEDOV (RUS) vs. Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR)

#WrestleParis, #UnitedWorldWrestling

IOC EB, Lalovic visited Sorbonne before Paris Olympics

By United World Wrestling Press

Top Photo (from left to right): Nicole HOEVERTSZ, Nenad LALOVIC, John COATES, Emma TERHO, IOC President Thomas BACH, Kristin KLOSTER, Gerardo WERTHEIN, Ser MIANG NG, Kirsty COVERNTRY

PARIS (July 27) -- United World Wrestling and International Olympic Committee Executive Board member Nenad LALOVIC visited Sorbonne in Paris last week. IOC President Thomas BACH along with the IOC EB visited Sorbonne, the place where the IOC EB was first founded.

Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympics, and the EB met in Sorbonne 130 years ago to found the IOC in Paris.

Before the 2024 Paris Olympics which began July 26, the current IOC EB revisited the same room where it all began.

Lalovic was first elected as an IOC member in 2015 for an eight-year term. He was re-elected unanimously at the 141st IOC session in Mumbai in 2023 for a new eight-year term.

As an IOC EB member, Lalovic was first elected in 2018 and then re-elected in 2022 in Beijing for a four-year term. He also serves on the WADA Executive Committee and the ASOIF Council.