Beach wrestling

Six Tips for Watching Beach Wrestling

Friday, October 5, 2018 - 22:24 By Marc Berman

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SARIGERME, Turkey (October 6th and 7th) -- Beach Wrestling is known for being a fast paced and exciting style, it is always a favorite amongst competitors. On the line this weekend is a world champion title and qualification to the 2019 Beach Games in San Diego next summer. Here is a quick guide to better understand the action when it hits the beach this weekend.

  1. The competition takes place in a 7-meter circle of sand
     
  2. Bracketing is determined by the athletes drawing lots to determine their position in the bracket
     
  3. The match is 1 period of 3 minutes for all divisions
     
  4. 1 point is awarded to a wrestler if they bring any part of the opponent’s body to the ground aside from the hands or if any part of the opponent’s body goes outside the competition area
     
  5. 2 points awarded when a wrestler manages to expose opponents back to the ground during a takedown
     
  6. 3 points wins the match. If there is a tie at the end of the match then the winner is decided by the highest value of holds, last point scored, weight of competitors (lighter taken the victory) or the lost number pulled during the drawing of lots.

Catch all the action live on United World Wrestling!

#WrestleBudapest

Ranking Series: Tazhudinov Shows No Rust on His Way to Gold

Thursday, July 17, 2025 - 21:32 By Vinay Siwach

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 17) --  Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) gave an early preview to what to expect from him at the World Championships in September.

The Paris Olympic champion won the gold medal in the 97kg weight class at the Budapest Ranking Series, outscoring his opponents 44-2 in four bouts and never appearing in trouble on the mat.

"I feel very good," Tazhudinov said. "I'm very happy to be back on the mat. It’s been almost a year I haven’t been competing  and it’s such a pleasure for us when you come back and win a gold medal."

The final Ranking Series event of the season kicked off in Budapest on Thursday with several familiar names winning gold medals. Asian champion Takara SUDA (JPN), world silver medalist Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), world U20 champion Luke LILLEDAHL (USA) and SUJEET (IND) were among the gold medalists on day one.

But none were as dominant as Tazhudinov.

The Bahrain star returned to competition for the first time since Paris Olympics competing last week in Madrid, where he won gold at the Grand Prix of Spain. In Budapest, he followed it up with another flawless run, claiming his second gold medal in as many weeks.

"Overall I’m satisfied with my performance. I would say I’m not yet in full form, so I’m pleased with how I did. I’ll reach 100% form by the World Championships," he said.

Wrestling in just his third career Ranking Series, Tazhudinov capped the day with an 11-0 technical superiority win over veteran Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) in the final.

He opened the tournament with a 14-2 win over Adlan VISKHANOV (FRA), who clearly looked smaller for the weight class and had trouble matching Tazhudinov in every aspect of the game.

Tazhudinov hit a big double-leg attack for four points but Viskhanov got two points for exposure. But that was only opening Tazhudinov allowed for the rest of the bout. Viskhanov tried a few leg attacks but Tazhudinov scored a takedown and two turns to be up 10-2 before an arm-bar attempt turned into takedown for his win.

In the quarterfinals, Tazhudinov needed just one minute to defeat Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (UWW). In the semifinals, he dispatched Merab SULEIMANISHVILI (GEO) in 1:48, winning 10-0.

Despite the dominant performance in Budapest, Tazhudinov admitted the World Championships would present a tougher challenge. He’s expected to defend his 97kg world title in Zagreb.

"We’ll have two training camps leading up to the World Championships, and I think after those camps I’ll be fully ready," he said. "There will be very strong, tough opponents. So I’ll prepare thoroughly and focus on performing even better."