2026 U17 World Championships

U17 World Championships 2026 Day 2 Greco-Roman Results & Highlights

Tuesday, July 28, 2026 - 06:49 By United World Wrestling Press

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BAKU, Azerbaijan (July 28) -- The second day of the U17 World Championships will see five Greco-Roman weight classes in action -- 45kg, 51kg, 60kg, 71kg and 92kg till the semifinals before the medal bouts of the Monday's five weights -- 48kg, 55kg, 65kg, 80kg and 110kg.

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WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 1 RESULTS

15:30: Tomasz MITAL (POL) with a turn from par terre and Sandor ANTALY (HUN) doesn't have any as the Poland wrestler wins 3-1 at 92kg and enters the semifinals.

15:15: Another world champion reaches the semifinals. Janes NAZARYAN (ARM) takes only a minute and 13 seconds to punish Ervin CZUCZOR (HUN), 9-0, and move into the last-four at 71kg.

15:00: Denys KIRYK (UKR) has no answers to the constant pressure of returning world champion Bunyod HASANOV (UZB) at 51kg. The Uzbekistan wrestler takes a 6-0 lead before the break and Kirkyk manages only two points in the second period as Hasanov wins 6-2.

14:52: Into the semifinals for the hosts Azerbaijan, Abdurrahman HUSEYNLI (AZE). He hangs on for a 6-4 win over Gevorg HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) at 51kg. Harutyunyan threatened to take away the match in the second period with a few stepouts but Huseynli kept it clam.

14:22: Bunyod HASANOV (UZB), a returning world champion, sees off Artem TKACHENKO (RUS) with a 10-2 technical superiority win at 51kg. Leading 3-2 at the break, Hasanov went all out in the second period, scoring a stepout, front headlock throws and a takedown for the win.

14:15: Incredible bout between Ali IPEK (TUR) and Ahmad BADRADDINI (IRI) at 51kg. The Iranian raced to a 6-0 lead but Ipek took a criteria 6-6 lead with two turns after a takedown. But Badradinni countered him and scored a exposure and turn to lead 10-6 at the break. Badraddini comes out with a takedown and turn in the second period to win 14-6 

14:08: U17 European champion Tomasz MITAL (POL) moves into the quarterfinal at 92kg with a 7-1 win over Matti EICHMANN (SUI). Mital is hoping to become Poland's first World Championships finalist in Greco-Roman since 2017.

14:00: U17 European bronze medalist Mark KOT (BLR) rolls to a 9-0 technical superiority win over Ahmed ELGENDI (EGY) after four turns from par terre at 92kg.

13:40: Amirreza TAHMASBPOUR (IRI), U17 Asian champion, continues his march after another good win, this time 7-1 over Darpan CHAUDHARI (IND) at 60kg. Chaudhari had good defense but he failed to finish his counters. Tahmasbpour managed to craftly come out of the scrambles and post the win to enter the quarterfinals.

13:38: U17 European silver medalist at 92kg Aleksan SHALJYAN (ARM) had all the chances to win against Yusuf AKSU (TUR) in their match as he got the par terre and almost turned Aksu has well. But he gave up two points in the same move and Aksu won 3-1. Shaljyan was clearly not happy after the loss and both wrestlers exchanged some heated moments.

13:30: Amirreza MEHRITALARPOSHTI (IRI), the U17 Asian champion, led 2-2 on criteria against Hlib YEVSIEIEV (UKR), but the Ukrainian throws him for four and then holds the Iranian for a fall for a shock win at 92kg.

13:05: Rematch of the 1/8 final from U17 European Championships between Christiano LIEBZEIT (GER) and Elmir CHARKAZOV (AZE) at 60kg. Leibzeit, who won that match in Samakov, gets put in par terre first which gives Charkazov a 1-0 lead. However, he fails to score anymore points. Liebzeit too cannot score from par terre in the second period and Charkazov leads 1-1 on criteria with a minute remaining. Charkazov wins 1-1 and avenges his loss against the U17 European silver medalist.

12:52: Aslan DZUEV (RUS), the U17 European champion at 65kg, wrestling at 71kg in Baku, needed a late takedown to complete at 6-3 win over Alinur TOLEUGALI (KAZ) and advance to the 1/16 finals

12:50: U17 Asian champion Baiel NURALIEV (KGZ) has no trouble seeing off Parnam SINGH (IND), 7-1, in their 71kg bout. He scored three turns from par terre and then defended his position for the win.

12:45: Returning champion from 65kg, Janes NAZARYAN (ARM) needs only a minute and 24 seconds to finish his 71kg bout against Martin LETVIK (NOR), 8-0, and start his quest for another world title with a technical superiority win.

12:40: Vadim TARELUNGA (MDA), a 2025 bronze medalist at 45kg, has moved up to 51kg and he pins Georgios CHONDRONASIOS (GRE) to advance to the quarterfinals in Baku.

12:15: Returning bronze medalist Abdurrahman HUSEYNLI (AZE) sends the crowd into a frenzy after a 9-0 win over U17 Asian champion Kuanyshbek ZHANGAZHOL (KAZ) at 51kg. He scores a four-point throw and Zhangazhol is hit with a foul caution. The bout restarts in par terre with Huseynli leading 7-0 and he turns Zhangazhol for the win 

12:05: U17 European champion Tomasz MITAL (POL) opens his campaign at 92kg with a 10-0 blanking of Sanjar STALBEKOV (KGZ). Mital gets the par terre and then launches Stalbekov for four points. Poland challenges for a leg foul and gets it correct. Leading 7-0, Mital turns Stalbekov for a 9-0 win and then one more point for a lost challenge from Kyrgyzstan

Another round of repechage bouts ongoing

11:22: U17 Asian champion Amirreza TAHMASBPOUR (IRI) wastes no time in finishing his 60kg qualification bout against Pavlos TSENTIDIS (GRE), 8-0. He scores a takedown but a throw for four points. He adds two stepouts to win in a minute.

11:18: Christiano LIEBZEIT (GER), a U17 European silver medalist, hangs on for a 1-1 criteria win over Vlad DANILA (MDA) at 60kg. Liebzeit was in trouble when Danila hit an arm throw in the final five seconds but it was given no points

11:08: U17 Pan-Am champion Rylen WAX (USA) with a 4-1 win over Vazgen VARDANYAN (ARM), the U17 European bronze medalist, at 45kg. He got par terre in the second period and scored three points off the position to win

11:00: U17 Asian champion Armin ESMAEILI (IRI) begins with a 9-1 technical superiority win over Kerem DERMAN (TUR) at 45kg. He scores a throw from par terre but gives up a reversal. His 5-1 lead becomes 7-1 when he brings Derman down with a takedown. He then turns the Turkiye wrestler to finish the bout.

10:30: Soon after the repechage bouts, the qualification rounds will begin in five weight classes. The matches will continue till the quarterfinals and the semifinals will be held at 17:00 hours. The medal bouts of Monday's weight classes will be at 18:00 hours

#WrestleTirana

Kayaalp's 13: New Golden Standard Set in Europe

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 - 15:27 By United World Wrestling Press

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TIRANA, Albania (April 20) -- On Tuesday evening in Tirana, Riza KAYAALP (TUR) did something that for years existed and was expected to continue to exist only as a hypothetical.

He won his 13th European title in Tirana on Tuesday, beating Darius VITEK (HUN), 7-1, in the 130kg European Championships. 2026 joined 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2010.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR)Riza KAYAALP (TUR) turns Darius VITEK (HUN) in the 130kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

As the referee raised his powerfully sculpted right arm in triumph, Kayaalp raised the ceiling in Greco-Roman. He moved past the legendary Aleksandr KARELIN’s 12 European gold medals, the last of which he had won in 2000. Generations of wrestlers had competed, won and lost, knowing all the while that that number would outlast them. Until Kayaalp finally eclipsed it.

The moment itself wasn’t dramatic in the way history is often expected to be. Just a raised hand, a nod and a lap of honor around the mat with the Turkish flag around his shoulders. That’s been the story of Kayaalp’s career.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR)Riza KAYAALP (TUR) speaks to the media after winning the gold medal at the European Championships. (United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

Born in Yozgat, in central Turkey, Kayaalp would have inherently understood the role of wrestling in Turkish sporting heritage and the place champions of the sport have historically held in the nation. He would have grown up in the shadow of two-time Olympic and eight-time European champion Hamza YERLIKAYA, who defined Turkish wrestling in the 1990s and like everyone else in the sport, under the global shadow of Karelin.

Slowly and methodically Kayaalp would try to match them. His career has been relentless and consistent rather than spectacular. Since his first European gold in 2010, won as a twenty-year old, Kayaalp has claimed titles across two decades. He’s adapted through rule changes, generations of opponents, and brutal physical wear and tear of time itself.

Apart from his European titles, he has five World Championships gold medals, and three Olympic medals -- a bronze in London 2012, silver in Rio 2016, bronze again in Tokyo 2020. Every time a major medal was to be decided over the past decade and a half, Kayaalp would with almost absurd reliability be counted in the mix.

Riza KAYAALP (TUR)Riza KAYAALP (TUR) with Taha AKGUL (TUR) at the medal ceremony in Tirana. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

For all of Kayaalp’s longevity, his career has always carried the one obvious gap compared to Karelin or Yerlikaya -- no Olympic gold. That absence will still be there. That gap is unlikely to close any time soon. As such the European mark became a milestone within his grasp. Or in the last few years, a milestone just out of grasp.

Indeed, for Kayaalp the title will provide a sense of closure. He had equalled Karelin’s record at the 2023 European championships in Zagreb. Prior to that tournament, he had in an interview with Anadalou Agency spoken of equalling Karelin’s record, breaking it at the 2024 European Championships and finally finishing his career on a high note with a gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But things would not go as planned. At the 2024 European Championships, Kayaalp was pinned in the final by Sergey SEMENOV (UWW) -- only the second final he had ever lost in Europe. A few months later despite qualifying for the Olympics he was unable to compete due to a medication issue linked to treatment for persistent tinnitus. His appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was upheld, clearing the way for his return. He would describe the period as the toughest of his career.

But the ordeal had left him with a new purpose and a desire to exit the stage on his own terms.

“For an athlete with so many titles, this was the worst thing that could happen,” he said. “Because of a simple issue, we faced a huge problem. But I always believed I would overcome it, return to my job and leave the sport on my own terms,” he had told Anadalou Agency at the start of 2026 when he made his return to international competition at the Zagreb Ranking series earlier this year.

“There was fatigue before. In this 18-month period, my desire to work came back stronger. I was already motivated to be champion. Now it is even greater. I feel renewed,” he had said.

While Kayaalp has said he would compete until the 2028 Olympics, he had also spoken of the unfinished business he had had in Europe. “I was so close,” he said. “Fourteen finals, 12 European titles, one more for the record, and then something unwanted happens. But everything is resolved. To bring that record to my country would mean a lot,” he had said then.

He had come close once and fallen short. That could have been the ending -- a near miss against an immortal number. Instead, with his 13th European title, Kayaalp gets to tell his story. He stands alone as the most decorated European wrestler of all time.

Records though exist to be broken. At some point, inevitably, another wrestler will look at Kayaalp's number and decide to chase it. But at least for some time, records exist to define limits. For over a quarter of a century that limit was Karelin’s 12. Now it’s Kayaalp’s 13.