Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! January 29th, 2018

By Eric Olanowski

Reviewing results from the Ivan Yarygin in Krasnoyarsk and the Takhti Cup in Iran. Also reviewing the worldwide rankings being released this week, a look revamped women’s team from China, and much more ....

1. Russia Heats Up a Frigid Krasnoyarsk, Taylor and Snyder Lead USA
Russian entries at the Ivan Yarygin, United World Wrestling’s first first ranking event of the season took home eight out of a possible ten gold medals. If that wasn’t impressive enough, seven of those eight gold medals came from Dagestan, Russia, a region located on the Caspian Sea, 2000km south of Moscow.

The only Russian gold medalist that did not hail from from Dagestan was 74kg winner, Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS), who is from North Ossetia-Alania, Russia, which is located just north of the Georgian border.

David TAYLOR (USA) and Kyle SNYDER (USA) rounded out the gold medal finalists. Snyder's win made him the first American wrestler to win back-to-back Yarygin titles, while Taylor won his first tournament since finishing with gold at the 2017 Freestyle World Cup in Iran.

Team Table: http://uww.io/qcP84
Results Table: http://uww.io/AyVo2

2. Iran Takes Takhti, Kazakhstan + Kyrgyzstan Score Big
Five different nations took home gold medals at the Takhti Cup with emerging powers Kazakstan and Kyrgyzstan each winning a pair of gold medals. Turkey also won a pair of gold medals while a depleted Azerbaijani squad limped away with onyl one gold medal.

Team Table: https://goo.gl/WTbPfF
Results Table: https://goo.gl/hwN8Dr

3. New-Look China Women’s Team Wins FIVE at Yarygin
After three days of action in Krasnoyarsk, China's women made their way to the finals in seven out of ten weight classes -- winning five. Team China wrestled for a medal in all ten weight classes, winning at least a bronze in eight.

This was the first individual events that the Chinese women have competed under the tutelage of their new coaching staff. Taking the helm is former Azerbaijan head women's coach Semen SHTEREV origninally of Bulgaria. Joingin him on the sidelines is 2006 world champion, Radislov VELIKOV (BUL).

China will host a Ranking Series event in women's wrestling in late June.

Team Table: http://uww.io/qcP84
Results Table: http://uww.io/AyVo2

4. Worldwide Rankings to be Released on February 1
United World Wrestling will be releasing the first set of world rankings on February 1. These rankings will be based on points earned during the new ranking series events. All points will be automatically updated post-event, with a recap of the action and rankings posted on the first Monday of each month.

Ranking Series points are a calculation of the number of total entries at a weight plus placement: 8 points for gold, 6 points for silver, 4 for bronze and 2 for fifth place.

5. Klippan and Cerro Pelado in Two Weeks
The Klippan Lady Open begins February 16 and is the first women’s wrestling ranking event of the season. 

The Granma y Cerro Pelado kicks off February 15 in Havana and is the second Greco-Roman Ranking Series event of the year 

Weekly FIVE! in Social Media

Weekly FIVE!

Weekly FIVE! June 11, 2018

By Eric Olanowski

Reviewing Russia's sweep of the U23 European Championships and Wiebe's World Championship return. Also looking at Final X results, doubling up on European titles and an update to the ranking series events. 

1. Russia Sweeps Team Titles at U23 European C'ships 
On the heels of twelve individual gold medals, Russia captured team titles in freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's wrestling at the 2018 U23 European Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. 

In freestyle, Russia captured six freestyle gold medals and finished with at least a bronze medal in nine out of ten weight categories. 

In Greco-Roman, the Russians grabbed three of the possible ten gold medals and walked away with hardware in seven weight classes. 

The Russian women snagged a trio of U23 Euro gold medals and locked up three other medals, bringing their overall count to six medals. 

Erica WIEBE (CAN), the 2016 Olympic Champion will make her World Championship return in Budapest, Hungary (Photo by Jack Adams) 

2. Canada's Women's Wrestling World Team Set at Olympic Weights 
Canada's women's wrestling Olympic weight world team trials took place this past weekend in Toronto, Canada and four wrestlers reclaimed their world team spot for the 2017 World Championships. 

After sitting out of last years World Championships, Erica WIEBE (CAN), the 2016 Olympic champion will make her return to World-level competition. 

Also of note, at 68kg Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) stopped 2016 Olympian Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) from making her second world team with a 4-1 victory. 

2018 World Team 
50kg – Jessica MACDONALD (CAN) *
53kg – Diana WEICKER (CAN) *
57kg – Alexandria TOWN (CAN)
62kg – Linda MORAIS (CAN) *
68kg – Olivia DI BACCO (CAN) *
76kg – Erica WIEBE (CAN)
* Returning world team members

Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) defeated Isaiah MARTINEZ (USA) in two matches to make his sixth world team. (Photo by Tony Rotundo) 

3. Burroughs Makes Sixth World Team, Four Other World Medalists Headed to Budapest
In front of his home crowd, Olympic champion and defending world champion, Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) made his sixth world team after defeating Isaiah MARTINEZ (USA) in two matches (4-1/11-1) at the Finals X in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Returning world medalists Thomas GILMAN (USA), James GREEN (USA), Alli RAGAN (USA) and Kyle SNYDER (USA) were also successful in making back-to-back world teams. 
Freestyle 2018 World Team
57kg – Thomas GILMAN (USA) 
70kg – James GREEN (USA)
74kg – Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) 
97kg – Kyle SNYDER (USA) 

Women's Wrestling 2018 World Team 
55kg – Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) 
59kg – Alli RAGAN (USA) 
68 kg – Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK (USA) 

FINAL X - LINCOLN RESULTS 


Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) added a U23 gold medal to her 2018 senior-level Euro title from Dagestan, Russia. (Photo by Martin Gabor) 

4. Dudova and Mihut Double up on European Titles 
Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) joined 63kg Greco-Roman champion Mihai Radu MIHUT (ROU) as the only two wrestlers to win both 2018 Senior and U23 European Championships. 

Dudova defeated Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), 3-1 for the 59kg gold medal. 

Dudova nabbed a takedown after being dinged on the activity clock, taking the 2-1 lead after the first three minutes. She would add a step out point in the second period, ultimately winning the gold medal with a 3-1 victory. 

Romania’s Mihut won the 63kg U23 European title with a 5-3 win over Alexandru BICIU (MDA). 

Mihut’s first-period passivity point and two gut wrenches proved to be the difference in fighting off Biciu for the gold medal. 

Olympic champion Taha AKGUL (TUR) is expected to participate at the 2018 Yasar Dogu which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey on July 27-29. (Photo by Max Rose-Fyne)

5. Yasar Dogu Replaces South African Open as Ranking Series Event 
The 46th Annual Yasar Dogu International has been named a Ranking Series event in men’s freestyle wrestling. 

The tournament will be held July 27-29 in Istanbul and replaces the South African Open, which cited a lack of early sign-ups as motivation to cancel its event. 

Freestyle Ranking Series Events
Ivan Yariguin (RUS) -- Completed
Tbilisi GP (GEO), July 3-5                          
Yasar Dogu, July 27-29            
Medved (BLR), September 14-16     

Weekly FIVE! In Social Media 

1. Big Move Monday! #wrestlelikeagirl

2. Are you ready for the last day of the U23 Senior European Championships? ??? #UWW#Wrestling #u23euros

3. Big Move from Day 6 of the U23 Senior European C'ships #Istanbul2018 !

4. Thank you so much to all followers, we have reached 200,000.

#UWW #UnitedWorldWrestling #wrestling#followers

5. Day 3 in the warm up room here at the U23 Senior European Championships 2018 ?? #uww #wrestling#u23euros