#WrestleNoviSad

U23 World Championships 2025 GR & WW Day 3 Highlights

Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 08:10 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

NOVI SAD, Serbia (October 22) -- The U23 World Championships third day will see Greco-Roman action in 60kg and 82kg while Women's Wrestling in 50kg, 72kg and 76kg.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 2 RESULTS

14:05: Audrey JIMINEZ (USA) looks in good form as she reaches the semifinals at 50kg with a 10-0 win over Nohalis LOYO JIMENEZ (VEN).

13:55: Ibrahim TABAEV (BEL) takes out Alperen BERBER (TUR) at 82kg. Tabaev was down 4-1 but got the par terre in the second period and scored a suplex which was scored two points as he led 4-4 on criteria. Tabaev countered Berber for another takedown later for a 6-4 lead. Berber, visibly frustrated being down, is docked two points for aggressive wrestling. Tabaev defends his lead to win 8-4.

13:35: Jasmine ROBINSON (USA) hits a double leg attack to get the first four points on her match against Haticenur SARI (TUR) at 72kg. Then gets the half nelson for a fall and move on to the semifinals.

13:25: It all happened in the first period but Aida KERYMOVA (UKR) gets the fall over Greili BENCOSME CARVAJAL (CUB) at 50kg despite trailing 7-5. Carvajal used the gut-wrench to lead 7-2 but Kerymova scored a reversal and then got the Cuban in a danger position before securing the fall, seven seconds before the break.

13:22: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) is a menace! He goes front headlock and Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) with two big throws and he leads 7-0 before he pressures Satayev to give up a takedown and Gutu into the semifinals at 82kg.

13:15: Off the whistle and Koto GOMI (JPN) hits a body lock for four against former U20 world champion Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM). Gomi then tries an arm throw but blocked by Aghajanyan. Both wrestlers move out of zone in par terre but Armenia challenges for a point. Challenge is lost which makes Gomi's lead 5-0. Aghajanyan scores a takedown to make it 5-2 but Gomi answers with a stepout. A takedown from Gomi to start the second period as he extends his lead to 8-2. Gomi blocks an attempted throw from Aghajanyan and gets two more points to win 10-2 at 60kg.

13:10: Kylie WELKER (USA) with a five! She moves behind Nyla BURGESS (CAN) and performs a suplex to to get the five points. Three turns and it's all over as she wins 11-0.

12:55: Audrey JIMENEZ (USA) with a massive comeback against Svenja JUNGO (SUI) at 50kg. Jimenez was down 6-0 before scoring two takedowns to make it 6-4. She then hit a four-pointer to take a 8-6 lead. Jungo with a few fake shots but Jiminez with an easy 12-6 win.

12:40: Greili BENCOSME CARVAJAL (CUB) hands Minoriho YONEHARA (JPN) at 6-3 defeat at the 50kg. Three different takedowns by Carvajal while Yonehara could only manage points in the last minute.

12:35: Returning silver medalist Beka MELELASHVILI (USA) and Samandar BOBONAZAROV (UZB) exchange four-pointers but Belelashvili breaks Bobonazarov in the second period to beat him 10-7 at 82kg.

12:30: Alperen BERBER (TUR) survives an onslaught from Elmin ALIYEV (AZE) in their 82kg bout to win 5-3. Aliyev started the second period with takedown and then also got the par terre position but failed to score any points as Berber defended his lead.

12:20: U17 world champion Yuqi LIU (CHN) manages to hold off Diksha MALIK (IND), 9-3, in her opening bout at 72kg. Liu has medals at all age-group World Championships but is chasing her first at U23 level.

12:10: Alexandru GUTU (MDA) hits a massive give on Reon KAKEGAWA (JPN) in the 82kg bout! Gutu is looking for his second U23 world title. 

12:00: After another round of repechage, wrestling continues with 1/16 finals. At 72kg, Jasmine ROBINSON (USA) hits her trademark four-pointer to pin Iryna ZABLOTSKA (UKR).

11:15: Sviatlana KATENKA (UWW) locked Hanny KUMARI (IND) with a double arm lock and threw her for four before securing the fall with three seconds left. Katenka was down 4-2 with 10 seconds left when she went for the move.

11:10: Natalia PUDOVA (UWW) starts her campaign at 50kg with a 10-0 technical superiority win over Asmar JANKURTARAN (AZE). Pudova is one of the favorites for gold at this weight class

11:00: Minoriho YONEHARA (JPN) was more cautious of Andela VASILJEVIC (SRB) in their 50kg match as Vasilkevic did look like novice. Yonehara works five takedowns to beat Vasiljevic

10:45: Ruslan ABDIIEV (UKR) hits a takedown in the final 25 seconds to see off Abolfazl MOHMEDI (IRI) at 82kg. Mohmedi enjoyed a 3-1 lead and seemed headed towards a win. However, Abdiiev dragged him down for a takedown and then got a stepout as well to win 4-3.

10:30: Returning champion Kylie WELKER (USA) with a quick technical superiority win over U20 world silver medalist PRIYA (IND) at 76kg. Welker is a recent senior World Championships bronze medalist

10:20: After the repechage bouts, we are straight into the qualifications in GR 60kg, 82kg and WW 50kg, 72kg and 76kg.

Trailblazer Epp Mae retires as Estonia's top wrestler

Tuesday, January 28, 2025 - 13:16 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

ESTONIA (January 28) -- European champion and two-time World Championships medalist Epp MAE (EST) announced her retirement earlier in January at an emotional press conference in Tallinn. She left her shoes on the mat, symbolizing retirement from wrestling.

The 32-year-old is Estonia's most successful wrestler in Women's Wrestling, winning gold at the European Championships in 2021 and silver medals in the 2017 and 2022 editions. She also has a bronze medal from 2019.

At the World Championships, Mae became the first Estonian wrestler to win a medal, enter the final, and even have two medals. She won silver in the 76kg in 2021, plus three bronze medals in 2015, 2019, and 2022.

"The day I announced my retirement was very emotional and hard because something so big in your life came to an end," Mae told UWW. "I knew that I was about to retire because I was expecting a baby. But it was difficult to stand in front of the people and say that this part of my life has ended, so announcing was harder than deciding it inside myself."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Epp Mäe (@eppmae)

Mae is a two-time Olympian for Estonia. She made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games and finished 13th. She improved to eighth at the 2020 Tokyo Games. For the 2024 Paris Olympics, Mae tried qualifying in the 76kg weight class but failed to achieve that. Her last international competition was the World Olympic Qualifier in May in Istanbul.

"To be honest, I did not expect my career to be this long, as it is," she said. "I did not have any role models in female wrestling in Estonia when I was growing up. So I had no idea whether it was possible to earn money or live from wrestling and how far it was possible to go from my country. I dedicated my life and my career to wrestling as much as I could. An athlete should know it's time to step down. It aligned for me with a wish to start a family."

Epp MAE (EST)An emotional Epp MAE (EST) announcing her retirement in a wrestling club in Tallinn on January 9. (Photo: ERR / Siim Lõvi)

Mae took up wrestling after her father, a former wrestler, pushed her into the sport. However, there were no partners to train with and Mae did not have any national competitions. She even trained in judo and sumo just to get training.

When Estonia did start a national championship in women's wrestling, Mae dominated, winning it 12 times in her career. For other sports, she is a four-time Estonian sumo champion, a four-time Estonian beach wrestling champion, and has also been an Estonian judo champion on one occasion.

"I have always laughed that the population of Estonia is 1.3 million and I am one in a million to choose to do something like this and be successful," she said. "Coming from a small nation, it is not easy to break through to the top. Most likely you don't have training partners at home. you have to travel a lot away from your country and get to train at a level that you need to succeed."

Epp MAE (EST)Epp MAE (EST), red, wrestling at the 2014 World Championships in Tashkent. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Martin Gabor)

Internationally, Mae made her debut in 2007 at the U17 European Championships, winning a bronze medal in the 70kg weight class. She began her senior career at the Yasar Dogu in 2011 and won a silver medal at 72kg at the age of 18.

In 2012, Mae clinched the U20 European Championships and remains the only Estonian wrestler to win gold at the continental event at any age group. A decade later, she reached the final of the World Championships at 76kg, marking another historic landmark in Estonian wrestling.

"As I said there was no one in front of me to lead the way, I am happy that I went through everything to get to places and results that I managed to and kind of make a path for all the girls from Estonia who will ever wish or have this doubt whether it is possible to get that far," she said. "I am happy that they have a path already in front of them. I wish that they would want to go bigger and further than I did. I will be more than excited and happy if someone did do that."

Epp MAE (EST)Epp MAE (EST) wrestling in the 2021 World Championships final at 76kg in Oslo. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Tony Rotundo)

Reflecting on her career two-decade-long career, Mae did share her disappointment of not winning a medal at the Olympics but was happy to have achieved what she has for Estonia.

"My father recently told a journalist that what I did [in wrestling] was against the odds because we did not have all the possibilities and facilities a bigger team would have," she said. "So I think I did good in my career by achieving the results that I did. Little sad that I did not win a medal at the Olympics. But I can leave wrestling knowing that I gave everything. There is never going to be any doubt that what if I could have done this or that."

Now off the mat, Mae will concentrate on her family and follow the sport from afar.

"I will keep following wrestling and the wrestling friends I have made during the years. I will keep following them," she said. "For Estonia wrestling, I wish all the girls in different age groups we have right now will be motivated just to go as far as possible and always try to achieve the best for you. I will try to help Estonian wrestling as I can and I hope they will not stop developing Estonian female wrestling."