#BudaWrestle2018

Stefanek Rolls into Semifinals, Kazakhstan Wrestlers Stun Olympic Medalists

Friday, October 26, 2018 - 13:14 By Andrew Hipps

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (October 26) -- Olympic champion Davor STEFANEK (SRB) looks primed for another shot at world gold.

The 33-year-old Serb needed just 19 seconds to earn a fall over Fredrik BJERREHUUS (DEN) in the quarterfinals of the World Championships at 67kg on Friday. He had two technical fall victories prior to the quarterfinals and did not surrender a point. 

Stefanek, a 2014 world champion, now faces Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL), who also earned a fall in the quarterfinals. 

Kazakhstan advanced two wrestlers to the semifinals. Both stunned Olympic medalists in Friday's opening session. 

Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) picked up two technical falls and a fall to reach the semifinals at 67kg. The fall came in his second match over 2016 Olympic champion Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB). The Cuban star jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Shermakhanbet stormed back to take the lead and eventually earn the fall. 

In the quarterfinals, he faced Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI). Shermakhanbet used a four-point throw, which he followed up with a gut wrench, to take a 6-0 lead. He closed out the technical fall a short time later. Shermakhanbet's opponent in the semifinals will be two-time world bronze medalist Artem SURKOV (RUS).

Surkov, a European champion, topped Kamran MAMMADOV (AZE) 5-1 in the quarterfinals. The 25-year-old Russian trailed 1-0 at the break but scored with two gut wrenches in the final period after getting a passivity point. Many expected Surkov to face two-time world champion Hansu RYU (KOR), but he fell early to Denys DEMYANKOV (UKR). 

Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) stunned 2016 Olympic silver medalist Shinobu OTA (JPN) 7-5 in the round of 16 at 60kg. In the quarterfinals, Sultangali cruised to a 9-1 technical fall over Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ). He will now meet Sergey EMELIN (RUS), who blanked Se Ung RI (PRK) 7-0. 

Kristian FRIS (SRB), a 2007 world bronze medalist, earned his spot in the semifinals at 60kg by getting a fall over Luis Alberto ORTA SANCHEZ (CUB). Fris led 3-1 in the second period before throwing Sanchez to his back for the fall. In the semifinals he will face Victor CIOBANU (MDA).

Ciobanu edged Sailike WALIHAN (CHN) 6-6 on criteria in the quarterfinals. Walihan held a 5-2 lead in the second period before Ciobanu used a body lock for four points to take the lead. He held on for the victory.

Reigning world champion Metehan BASAR (TUR) edged returning world bronze medalist Roberti KOBLIASHVILI (GEO) 1-1 on criteria in the quarterfinals at 87kg. It sets up a semifinal meeting with Bekkhan OZDOEV (RUS). 

Ozdoev went up 6-0 early against Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) after a takedown and two turns. Assakalov would get back in the match but come up short.

Olympic silver medalist Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) trailed 2-0 in the second period of his quarterfinal match before throwing 2017 world bronze medalist Hossein Ahmad NOURI (IRI) for four points to take the lead. He held on for the 4-2 victory. He now faces Islam ABBASOV (AZE) in the semifinals. 

Like Beleniuk, Abbasov trailed after the opening period of his quarterfinal match against before grabbing the lead after a passivity and gut wrench, which was enough to take the 4-1 victory over returning world silver medalist Radzik KULIYEU (BLR) and earn a spot in the semifinals.

The semifinals are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. local time.

Semifinal Matchups

Greco-Roman

60kg
Kristian FRIS (SRB) vs. Victor CIOBANU (MDA) 
Sergey EMELIN (RUS) vs. Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) 

67kg
Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ) vs. Artem SURKOV (RUS) 
Davor STEFANEK (SRB) vs. Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL)

87kg
Islam ABBASOV (AZE) vs. Zhan BELENIUK (UKR)
Metehan BASAR (TUR) vs. Bekkhan OZDOEV (RUS)
 

#BeachWrestling

Youth Olympic quotas in focus as Katerini hosts U17, U20 BW Worlds

Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - 08:47 By United World Wrestling Press

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KATERINI, Greece (September 23) -- Thirty countries, close to 300 wrestlers, a global glory and a Youth Olympic dream.

Over two days this week, on September 25 and 26, the world’s best age-group beach wrestlers descend upon the scenic Katerini Beach, where the sun sets behind the imposing Mount Olympus. In this postcard-perfect surroundings, they will hope to write their scripts at the U17 and U20 World Championships.

The tournament will be live on the YouTube channel of United World Wrestling's Beach Wrestling channel.

The championships will be taken into consideration for quotas for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games qualifier, adding another layer of significance to the U17 event.

United World Wrestling has received a request for quotas from more than 100 National Olympic Committees with a total of 300 male and 269 female wrestlers. Currently, there are 48 quotas per gender. In this context, the World Championships in Katerini will add excitement to the race for the Youth Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in Dakar.

The U17 and U20 World Championships will be held across eight weight classes each in men’s and women’s categories. Last year, Ukraine and the United States reigned supreme in the men’s and women’s events, respectively, of the U17 World Championships. This year, too, they will be among the favorites to lift the team titles.

Once again, this year, Ukraine has entered a jumbo team with eight wrestlers in the U17 men’s competition. Only hosts Greece (12), Georgia (11), and Moldova (9) have a contingent bigger than theirs. On the women’s side, the USA has fielded the largest delegation among the 24 teams, with 9 wrestlers. In Beach Wrestling, a country can register a maximum of 3 athletes per weight category.

It won’t be so straightforward for both teams to retain their titles, with challengers emerging from other nations, particularly hosts Greece, who would hope to put on a good show in front of their home crowd. Romania, Moldova, Georgia and Iran will remain strong contenders despite Ukraine's legacy in the competition, especially the women's.

Earlier this month, the U15, U17 and U20 African Beach Wrestling Championships were held in Casablanca, where Algeria bagged the U17 men’s and women’s titles. The serene Ain Diab beach in the Moroccan capital hosted the age-group tournaments before the Beach Wrestling World Series, marking the first time the event was held in an African city.

Soon after the U17 and U20 Beach World Championships, the Katerini Beach will host the World Series on September 27 and 28. The penultimate stop of the event is set to be the biggest of the 2025 season so far in terms of participation. There have been a record number of entries, underlining the sport’s continued global growth.

The World Series will return to Africa in October for its final instalment of this season, when the tournament will be held in Alexandria, Egypt, on October 18 and 19.