#WrestleTirana

U23 Worlds: What to watch in Freestyle

Thursday, October 19, 2023 - 13:21 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (October 19) -- The final World Championships of the season, the U23 edition, is here. Like every year, the U23 World Championships will throw in some memorable matches and records that the wrestling world cannot ignore.

The one in Tirana beginning next week will see close to 600 wrestlers and a few of wrestling's biggest stars will be on the mat. Here's what to follow in Freestyle

74kg

The U23 World Championships will kick off on October 23 and a few age-group world champions, wrestlers who have made their mark at the senior level and some strong youngsters will be on the mat on the first day itself.

As is the case in most World Championships, the 74kg weight class offers stiff competition. Defending champion Mohmmadsadegh FIROUZPOUR (IRI) is going to see former U20 world champs Keegan OTOOLE (USA) and Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) at 74kg.

Gadzhiev won the gold medal at 74kg in 2022 while Otoole is the U20 world champion at 74kg in 2021, a run that saw him pin three of his opponents.

Returning bronze medalist Vasile DIACON (MDA), U20 World bronze at 70kg Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) and senior world fifth placer NAVEEN (UWW) are also in the field.

Iran's heavy stars

Last year, Iran captured four gold medals. Firouzpour at 74kg was joined by his brother Amirhossein at 92kg, Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) won at 97kg and Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) was the champion at 125kg.

Both Azarpira and Masoumi are returning and it would be surprising if they don't defend the gold medals in Tirana. Azarpira stepped in for an injured Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) at 92kg for the World Championships in Belgrade but lost to Zahid VALENCIA (USA). Back at 97kg, he is the wrestler to beat.

Masoumi continues his tremendous record in international wrestling, having not lost a single bout at the age-group level. To maintain that record and defend his title, he will have to go through Abdulla KURBANOV (AIN) who finished fifth in Belgrade and returning silver medalist Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) who troubled Masoumi last year before running out of steam.

At 92kg, Iran is going with U20 world champion Mohammadmobin AZIMI (IRI). In Amman, he emerged as the champion after beating Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) who has now won a world champion at 92kg at the senior level. Azimi won the U20 Asian Championships as well.

Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE)Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) will be the favorite at 65kg. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

New crop at 65kg

The U23 world champion in Pontevedra was Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM). He is now a world bronze medalist at the senior level and left the category at U23 level for a new star to rise. In fact, none of the four medalists from 2022 are returning.

That leaves two-time U20 world silver medalist Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) as the favorite to win his first world title at any level. Bayramov has wrestled internationally only once since the 2022 U20 Worlds, finishing third at the Yasar Dogu.

Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ) will hope to win a U23 World Championships medal since that silver in 2019. He finished fifth last year and is still trying to find his footing at 65kg.

U20 world champion at 61kg Mohit KUMAR (UWW) will be at 65kg in Tirana and look to make his mark in a new weight class. Iran will send Mohammadali AMOUZAD (IRI), the twin brother of 2022 65kg world champion Rahman.

Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) is the defending champion and senior world silver medalist at 79kg. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Other stars

Georgia will look to repeat last year's performance including the two gold medals as both Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) and Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) are returning at 70kg and 79kg respectively.

At 79kg, Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE), Shoban YARI (IRI) and Sagar JAGLAN (UWW) will be waiting to upset Gamkrelidze who finished with a silver medal at the World Championships in Belgrade.

Aaron BROOKS (USA), deemed as the successor to world and Olympic champion David TAYLOR (USA) domestically, will be returning to the international scene in four years. He has a silver medal from the 2018 U20 Worlds but finished 17th a year later.

Defending champion at 86kg, Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN) is also returning to become Japan's first two-time freestyle world champion at the U23 level.

#development

UWW and Inspire Institute of Sport host first-ever coaching course

Tuesday, July 8, 2025 - 13:22 By United World Wrestling Press

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VIJAYANAGAR, India (July 9) -- United World Wrestling hosted a international coaching course at Inspire Institute of Sport in India from June 27 to July 1.

This was the first-ever coaching course held in India under the partnership that UWW signed with IIS in 2024 to help develop wrestling in India. The Level 2 coaching course was led by July and was lead by Ahmed KHEDHRI (TUN).

"The group was distinguished by a wide diversity of experiences and backgrounds, which added a special richness to the discussions and allowed for fruitful exchanges of ideas and practices," Khedhri said. "The coaches’ enthusiasm and commitment to enhancing their knowledge and skills to serve wrestling in their respective countries were clearly evident. This positive interaction added a dynamic and engaging spirit to the course, making it a truly rich and effective educational experience."

The Level 2 coaching course focused on the designing and implementing of practice plans and had nine coaches from three countries namely India, Singapore, and Nigeria that participated in the course.

The course covered various topics including seven basic skills of wrestling, introduction to performance analysis designing effective practice sessions, risk management, mental development, Anti-Doping, environmental impact and included technical sessions. During the course, the coaches actively practiced and developed their skills through practical evaluations.

"The course was very successful and impactful. It was truly excellent, characterized by clarity, depth, and practical application that added real value for all participants. I feel deeply grateful and very excited, as this was our first education clinic, through which we have already seen many promising potentials and future opportunities," Rishabh CHAUHAN, Head of Sports Excellence Program at IIS, said.

INDParticipants at the  Level 2 coaching course work through designing and implementing a wrestling practice plan. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Quotes from some of the participants:

Timothy Loh Yu (SGP)

“Completing the UWW Coaching Course Level 2 was an enriching experience that deepened my technical knowledge and coaching philosophy. The course focused on athlete-centered development, advanced planning, and effective communication. Key takeaways included structuring training cycles, integrating strength and conditioning, and applying sports science for better athlete management. Practical sessions improved my technical instruction and feedback skills. Overall, the course strengthened my confidence and commitment to continuous learning. The venue, facilities, accommodation, and the facilitation by Mr. Ahmed were also excellent and supported the success of the program.”

Gurpreet Kaur (IND)

“I would like to express my gratitude for facilitating the UWW Level 2 Coaches Course. The course was highly informative, engaging, and practical, covering key topics such as basic wrestling skills, training phases and periodization, video analysis, practice planning, nutrition and weight management, and athlete management. It has deepened my perspective as a coach and equipped me with practical tools to use in my training sessions. To further enhance learning, incorporating more case studies, video breakdowns of real matches, and live or recorded athlete demonstrations could strengthen technical and tactical understanding. Overall, the course struck a good balance between theory and real-life application.”

Blessing Oborududu (NGR)

“The UWW Level 2 Coaching Course has been a game-changer for me. I’ve gained practical skills to enhance my coaching, including analyzing and correcting techniques, planning effective training programs, and applying strength & conditioning and nutrition to optimize athlete performance. I’ve also developed leadership and communication skills to foster a supportive training environment. This course has truly elevated my coaching abilities and will help me better support my athletes’ growth and success.”