2026 U17 World Championships

U17 World Championships 2026 Women's Wrestling Day 3 Results

By Vinay Siwach

BAKU, Azerbaijan (July 29) -- The U17 World Wrestling Championships 2026 enters day three with five Women's Wrestling weight classes - 43kg, 49kg, 57kg, 65kg and 73kg.

Use code BUNDLE20 to get 20 percent off when subscribing to UWW+. Click here.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | WOMEN'S WRESTLING WATCH | DAY 2 RESULTS

14:27: U17 Asian champion GARIMA (IND) was a little surprised when Karina MUZALEVSKAIA  (RUS) managed a takedown on her but she manages to dominate her quarterfinals and win 9-2. She will face Kaili MANUEL (USA) for a spot in the final.

14:25: Bianka BARANY (HUN) gave no chance to Lyra LEDERER (GER) and wins the quarterfinal at 73kg. She sets up a rematch of U17 European Championships against Solomiia PETRIV (UKR) which the Ukrainian won.

14:11: Solomiia PETRIV (UKR), the returning bronze medalist from 69kg, is bullying her opponents. She beats Aisha WILLIAMS (PAN), 11-0, in the quarterfinals at 73kg. She attacks with lot of force which unsettles her opponents. Into the semis now 

14:08: Saika UCHIDA (JPN), trying to match her sister world bronze medalist Sowaka, is into the semifinals at 49kg after yet another 10-0 win. She beats Irina TSYDEEVA (RUS) in 3:19

Wrestling Epenesa ELISON (USA)Epenesa ELISON (USA) is chasing the world title at 57kg after finishing with a silver medal at 53kg last year. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

14:00: Epenesa ELISON (USA) uses the lace to beat Mia KOVAC (CRO), 10-0, in the 57kg quarterfinals and she moves into the semifinals, where she will face Gurleen DHILLON (CAN). The other semifinals will see Nikita SEHRAWAT (IND) and Mariia POLTORAK (UKR) clash

13:55: U17 European champion at 57kg Janka SILLEI (HUN) falls in the quarterfinals against Gurleen DHILLON (CAN). The match began with Dhillon hitting a four but Sillei worked her way to 4-4 but criteria remained with Dhillon for her bigger move. Dhillon once again took a clear 6-4 lead with a takedown. Sillei managed to pancake Dhillon for two points and tried pinning her. For 20 seconds she continued to work on it but Dhillon survived, making her a 6-6 criteria winner. 

13:40: Solomiia PETRIV (UKR), the U17 European champion, uses a mix of takedowns and stepouts to beat Kaillany MELO (BRA) and advances to the qaurterfinals at 73kg.  

13:30: Sera FURUICHI (JPN) thought she nailed a 1-1 win but Mukhlisa MASHARIPOVA (UZB) with a big throw to win 5-1 barely seconds before the match finished. Masharipova moves into the semifinals.

13:15: Bianka BARANY (HUN), the U17 European silver medalist, gets a fall over Chamangul MUKHAMMATSALIEVA (UZB) and moves into the quarterfinals at 73kg. 

13:08: U17 Asian champion GARIMA (IND) has no trouble seeing off Rodina SOLIMAN (EGY), 11-0, at 73kg and she moves into the quarterfinals.

12:55: Saika UCHIDA (JPN), sister of Asian champion Sowaka, finishes her opening bout at 49kg against Isabelle CHEN (CAN), 11-0. Uchida won the U17 Asian gold last year.

12:45: Janka SILLEI (HUN) clearly has a better gameplan against European style wrestlers. She beats Sofiia BELOVA (RUS), 9-5, in her second bout at 57kg and enter the quarterfinals

We had an internet interruption but everything seems to be back on track. The matches were stopped.

12:15: Epenesa ELISON (USA) was off to work straight off the whistle in her 57kg bout against Nadiia ZHOLTIKOVA (ESP). She scored five different takedowns and one turn to beat Zholtikova 12-2 in the first period

12:05: Sera FURUICHI (JPN) with a final-second front headlock exposure to beat DIKSHA (IND), 7-7, on last-point criteria at 43kg. Furuichi was the one dictating the match but Diksha scored two cradle exposure to lead 6-3 at one point before Furuichi made a comeback in the second period

11:27: U17 Asian champion GARIMA (IND) with her relentless forward wrestling and Diana TURGUNBEKOVA (KGZ) has no answers to it. Garima sweeps the 73kg bout 10-0 and advances to the 1/8 finals

11:15: Another battle at 57kg as Epenesa ELISON (USA), who won silver at 53kg last  year, was up against Rion SUZUKI (JPN) in opening bout. She races to a 4-0 lead before Suzuki cuts it to 4-2 with a takedown. That was all Suzuki would score in the bout as Elison managed two assertive takedowns to win 8-2 and advance

11:00: Returning silver medalist from 49kg, Janka SILLEI (HUN), who won U17 European gold, has a tough time against Arina KUANYSHOVA (KAZ) in the opening bout at 57kg. Kuanyshova takes a 2-2 criteria lead before scoring another takedown to double it. Sillei manages a reversal to make it 4-3 before hitting a leg attack to score the match-winning takedown and win 5-4. But her conditioning doesn't seem par here

10:30: Women's Wrestling day in Baku with five weight classes and keep an eye on 57kg and 73kg, among the best.

2026 World Championships

Yazdani Returns to World Championships After Beating Azarpira

By Vinay Siwach

KEMRAN, Iran (July 19) -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) made his World Championships debut at 70kg in 2015. The Olympic champion will be at 97kg for his eighth World Championships, 11 years later.

Yazdani, a three-time world champion, booked his spot on Iran's team for the 2026 World Championships after beating world silver medalist Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) in two straight matches in Kemran on Friday.

Azarpira needed to win only one bout to earn his spot as he was a returning world medalist but Yazdani secured two wins, 4-2 and 5-3, to end Azarpira's hopes. 

According to selection criteria set by Iran, a returning world medalist needed to win only one bout while the opponent needed two straight wins to claim the spot.

Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), blue, shakes hands with Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) after beating him in the second bout. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

In the first bout, Yazdani scored three stepouts and a point for passivity while Azarpira managed a takedown to the lead but he could not find another takedown or two one-point scoring actions needed to win.

An hour later, the two wrestlers returned for their second bout. Azapira, needed just a win to secure his place, led 3-3 on criteria in the second period. After Yazdani led 3-0, Azarpira fired back a takedown and stepout to earn the criteria.

In the final minute, Azarpira pressured Yazdani towards the zone and just went it seemed that he has scored a stepout, Yazdani circled back and scored a takedown to take a 5-3 lead. A shocked Azarpira protested the decision but he had no challenge left as he had used and lost the challenge in the first period.

Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) tries to score on Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) during the 97kg bout. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Yazdani, with all his experience, managed to hold on to his two point lead and confirm that he will return to the World Championships three years later. The Iranian will be chasing his eighth medal as he already has medals from every edition he has participated in.

The 31-year-old began with a silver medal at 70kg in 2015, won gold at 86kg in 2017, 2019 and 2021, and won bronze in 2018. At the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, he finished silver medals, losing those finals to David TAYLOR (USA).

This, however, won't be Yazdani's debut at 97kg. He wrestled at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series in February and reached the final before Stephen BUCHANAN (USA) defeated him, 13-3.

Yazdani's next challenge will be to win a medal at the October 24-November 1 World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. The 97kg weight class will most likely have returning world champion Kyle SNYDER (USA), Paris Olympic champion and world bronze medalist Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) and world bronze medalist Arash YOSHIDA (JPN).

Former Olympic and world champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) will also be in the mix if he makes the Russian team. Olympic silver medalist Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO), former world champion Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ), will also be challenging for the three-time Olympic medalist Iranian.

Yazdani, Firouzpour Win

Two other weight classes, 74kg and 97kg, were also contested to confirm the Iran Freestyle team for the World Championships.

Former world silver medalist Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) defeated Yones EMAMI (IRI) in two straight bouts to clinch the spot at 74kg, a weight class that Emami has ruled in Iran for quite a few years now.

In two high-scoring bouts, Yazdani won 10-6 and 11-7, mostly using his counters in the zone to book his spot.

At 92kg, world bronze medalist Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) defeated Mobin AZIMI (IRI), 2-1, in the second bout of the series to claim the spot. As he was the returning world medalist, Firouzpour needed only one win to qualify.

Azimi won the first bout 2-2 on criteria, scoring a late stepout after three points were awarded for passivity. However, there was no such comeback in the second bout as Firouzpour kept his lead.

On Tuesday, a wrestle-off was held in Greco-Roman in which Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) defeated world champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI), 5-1, at 130kg to secure his spot for the World Championships.

Iran's Freestyle Team for 2026 World Championships

57kg: Milad VALIZADEH (IRI)
61kg: Ahmad JAVAN (IRI)
65kg: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI)
70kg: Sina KHALILI (IRI)
74kg: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI)
79kg: Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI)
86kg: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)
92kg: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI)
97kg: Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)
125kg: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)