#WrestleOlegKaravaev

Sasunouski Stops No. 1 Kus; Belarus Wins Oleg Karavev Team Title

By Eric Olanowski

MINSK, Belarus (July 28) --- Viktar SASUNOUSKI (BLR) gave the host nation one of their four Oleg Karavaev golds and sealed up the third seed at September’s World Championships with a late clutch throw in the 82kg finals against the No.1-ranked wrestler in the world Emrah KUS (TUR). 

In the opening period of the gold-medal match, Sasunouski conceded an inactivity point and an exposure and fell behind 3-0 to last year’s Budapest world runner-up. Sasunouski scored first in the second period and trailed 3-1 when he threw a desperation headlock -- which was good enough to pick up two correct throw points. Sasunouski hung on to edge Kus, 3-3 on criteria. 

Sasunouski came into the Oleg Karavaev as the fourth-ranked wrestler in the world at 82kg, but after his title-winning efforts in his home country, he’s passed Iran’s Saeid ABDVALI for the third seed heading into Nur-Sultan. 

The three other Belarusians gold medalists were Pavel LIAKH, Radzik KULIYEU and Siarhei STARADUB. They won their titles at 77kg, 87kg and 97kg, respectively.

In 77kg gold-medal match, Liakh cruised to an 11-0 win over Japan’s Shohei YABIKU and earned his second career Oleg Karavaev gold medal, but first since the 2016 season. 

Kuliyeu earned the hard-fought victory in the 87kg finals over Dogan GOKTAS (TUR) and will move into the fourth seed at the World Championships. Hungary’s Erik SZILVASSY and Viktor LORINCZ are ranked third and fourth, respectively, but will have to forfeit one of the top-four spots because each nation can only enter one wrestler per nation into the World Championships. Hungary’s forfeiture of one of their top-four seeds moved Islam ABBASOV (AZE) into the fourth seed, but since he’s didn’t compete this weekend, Kuliyeu needed nine points to overthrow the Azeri for the fourth spot. He ended up collecting 16 Ranking Series points and is now the fourth-ranked wrestler in the world at 87kg. 

The final Belarusian gold medal of the tournament went to Siarhei Staradub who took down Suleyman DEMIRCI (TUR), 6-1 in the 97kg finals. 

Belarus (147 points), on the backs of the four gold medalists, won the team title two points ahead of second-place Russia (145 points). Turkey rounded out the top three of the team race with 113 points. 

KIM Seunghak (KOR) won his third consecutive Ranking Series title with a 3-1 win over Ahmet UYAR (TUR) in the 60kg finals. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

Kim Wins Third Consecutive Ranking Series Title
KIM Seunghak (KOR) came into Minsk riding one of the hottest streaks in all of wrestling and added yet another Ranking Series title to his resume with a 3-1 victory over Ahmet UYAR (TUR) in the 60kg gold-medal bout.

Kim started his season off with a fifth-place finish at the Grand Prix of Zagreb, but has since won Ranking Series golds at three straight events. He's had title-winning performances at the Hungarian Grand Prix and the City of Sassari tournament in Sardinia and now the Oleg Karavaev. 

Kim has now earned the second seed at 60kg. He was stationed 14 points behind Victor CIOBANU (MDA), last year’s world runner-up, but with the 16 points he earned at the Oleg Karavaev, the Korean passed the Moldovan wrestler for the world’s second Ranking. 


Mohamed ELSAYED stuck two-time world champion Hansu RYU (KOR) in the 67kg finals.

ElSayed Wins Battle of Past World Champs 
In a battle of past world champions, Egypt’s Mohamed ELSAYED stuck RYU Hansu (KOR) in the 67kg finals after dominating the match from whistle-to-whistle. 

ElSayed, the reigning U23 world champion, had a large lead on Ryu, the two-time world champion, before tossing the Korean wrestler to his back for the fall.

Ryu was clearly frustrated when he got up to his feet and demanded that his corner challenge the initial four-point action -- saying it was a leg four. Ultimately, an additional point was tacked on for the failed challenge and ElSayed grabbed his first Ranking Series title of his career.

RESUTLS

Final Team Standings 
GOLD - Belarus (147 points) 
SILVER - Russia (145 points) 
BRONZE - Turkey (113 points) 
FOURTH -Kazakhstan (88 points) 
FIFTH - Uzbekistan (67 points) 

Gold Medal Results
55kg - Emin Narimanovitch SEFERSHAEV (RUS) df. Manjeet MANJEET (IND), 9-0 
60kg - Seunghak KIM (KOR) df. Ahmet UYAR (TUR) , 3-1 
63kg -  Shinobu OTA (JPN) df. Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), 11-1 
67kg - Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed Ibrahi ELSAYED (EGY) df. Hansu RYU (KOR), via fall 
72kg - Magomed YARBILOV (RUS) df. Narek OGANIAN (RUS), 3-2 
77kg -  Pavel LIAKH (BLR) df. Shohei YABIKU (JPN), 11-0 
82kg -  Viktar SASUNOUSKI (BLR) df. Emrah KUS (TUR), 3-3
87kg - Radzik KULIYEU (BLR) df. Dogan GOKTAS (TUR), 2-2 
97kg - Siarhei STARADUB (BLR) df. Suleyman DEMIRCI (TUR), 6-1 
130kg - Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) df. Abdellatif Mohamed Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY), 9-0 

Development

Argentina become first country in the Americas to host a Level 3 Coaches Course

By United World Wrestling Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (December 2) —Argentina has become the first country in the Americas to host a Level 3 Coaches Course, organized by United World Wrestling (UWW) and Olympic Solidarity (OS), with the organizational support of the Federación Argentina de Luchas Asociadas (FALA) and the Argentine Olympic Committee (COA). This historic course, held from November 25-29, also stands out as the first-ever Level 3 course conducted in Spanish globally, marking a significant milestone in the development of wrestling coaches in the region.

The course brought together 40 Argentine coaches--including seven women--to enhance their technical and pedagogical skills while embracing a high-performance vision. In addition, Ignacio D'Alessandro (ARG), an international 1S referee and UWW educator, conducted a refereeing clinic, which the participants highly appreciated.

CUBWorld champion and Olympic silver medalist Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARG) walks through par terre strategy at the Level 3 Coaches Course in Argentina. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

One of the course's highlights was a technical and practical masterclass delivered by Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARG), UWW Bureau member and Olympic medalist. Julfalakyan shared advanced strategies and innovative exercises that inspired participants to raise their training standards and adopt new perspectives in their daily coaching routines.

The program covered essential topics such as the profile of an excellent coach, tactical strategies, periodization theory and training methodology, and pedagogy for both grassroots and high-performance levels. This comprehensive approach not only strengthened the attendees' theoretical and practical knowledge but also fostered a sense of community and collaboration.

Raúl Trujillo and Filiberto Delgado, renowned Cuban coaches with a distinguished track record of training Pan-American, World, and Olympic champions, led the main sessions.

CUBLegendary coach Raúl TRUJILLO (CUB) walks through technique during a training session at the Level 3 Coaches Course in Argentina. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

"Argentina has tremendous potential. During this course, we focused on technical aspects and strategies to evolve and enhance the sport’s development in the country," said Trujillo, the celebrated coach of Mijaín López, a five-time Olympic champion. "The Americas are growing significantly; while Cuba, the United States, and Canada used to dominate, other nations are now achieving remarkable results at World Championships and the Olympic Games."

David Ochoa, Argentina's National Coach and newly accredited UWW Educator, supported the Cuban experts. Ochoa earned this distinction at the most recent Educators’ Course held in Guatemala just weeks prior, and his involvement exemplified Argentina’s commitment to nurturing local talent in wrestling education.

The course opened with an inauguration ceremony at the Argentine Olympic Committee, attended by key figures such as Fernando Rittner, president of FALA; Sebastián Pérez, Secretary General of FALA; Yuri Maier, UWW Sports and Development Officer; Arsen Julfalakyan, UWW Bureau member; and Cristian Roldán, head of administration and responsible for Olympic Solidarity. The practical and theoretical sessions took place at the National Center for High Performance Sports (CENARD), providing a professional and motivating environment for the coaches.

This course marks a significant step in the growth of wrestling across the continent, underscoring the importance of educational programs to elevate coaches’ technical and pedagogical levels. The certificates awarded, endorsed by UWW and Olympic Solidarity, symbolize not only recognition for the participants' efforts but also a commitment to developing the sport in Argentina and Latin America.

The success of this event opens the door to replicating this model in other countries across the continent, contributing to the global advancement of wrestling.