#WrestleZagreb

Women's wrestling storylines to watch out for at Euros

Saturday, April 8, 2023 - 04:54 By Taylor GREGORIO

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ZAGREB, Croatia (April 8) -- From April 17 to 22, the best in Europe will assemble in Zagreb, Croatia and aim to be crowned continental champions.

The top four ranked wrestlers will be seeded for the tournament. The ranks were determined by performances at the 2022 World Championships and this year’s two Ranking Series events. This tournament will also serve as seeding criteria for the 2023 World Championships in Serbia.

Like other styles, the women’s field sets up the potential for massive milestones, exciting rematches and tons of talented wrestlers on display. All the action from Zagreb can be followed live on uww.org or on the UWW app.

Eight champions return

Eight of the 10 2022 European champions return in hopes of finding their way back to the podium. Leading the pack is five-time European champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR), registered at 76kg. Adar won four straight titles from 2016-2019 and claimed her fifth in 2022. Only two other Turkish women have topped the European podium, one of which was Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), who won the 50kg weight in 2022. A 2017 World bronze medalist and U23 World champion, Demirhan is back again this season, looking for her second title.

Along with Adar, three other women in the field already have multiple Euro titles under their belts, including Emma MALMGREN (SWE) at 53kg, Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) at 59kg and Irina RINGACI (MDA) at 68kg. Malmgren and Ringaci are both going for their third consecutive crowns, while Nichita won titles in 2020 and 2022.

Andreea ANA (ROU) at 55kg, Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) at 57kg and Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) at 65kg also make a run for another title in Zagreb.

Stadnik eyes 10th gold

Making her senior international debut in 2008, 35-year-old Mariya Stadnik goes for a historic 10th European gold medal. She won her first in 2009, just a few months after claiming her first Olympic bronze medal at the Beijing Games and just months before winning her first World title. Stadnik notched another European title in 2011 before going on a six-year championship run from 2014-2019. Her golds in 2015 and 2019 came in the form of European Games crowns. Stadnik’s most recent European win was in 2021 for a total of seven Euro Championships golds and two Euro Games golds.

In addition to her continental success, Stadnik is a two-time World champion, a four-time Olympic medalist and has four other World medals.

Nichita, Adar highlight 2022 World medalists

This year’s European Championships field will feature 11 medalists from last year’s World Championships, including two champions, one runner-up and eight bronze winners.

Nichita and Adar boast 2022 World golds as well as European golds and are the favorites in their respective weights.

At 62kg, Grace BULLEN (NOR), a 2022 World silver medalist at 59kg, seeks her third Euro title. She claimed her first in 2017 at 58kg, and in 2020, she was back on top of the podium, winning at 57kg.

Poland boasts three returning World medalists expected to compete in Anna LUKASIAK (POL) at 50kg, Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) at 57kg and Anhelina LYSAK (POL) at 59kg. Wrzesien and Lysak swapped weights this year and won their World medals at 59kg and 57kg, respectively. The other returning bronze medalists heading to Zagreb are Akobiia, Ringaci, Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) at 68kg, Alexandra ANGHEL (ROU) at 72kg and Epp MAE (EST) at 76kg.

World champs, Olympic medalists in fray

It’s clear that the field is loaded with women’s talent that has won recent major tournaments. However, there are still several more expected in Croatia that have reached the pinnacle of the sport. Outside of those that have already been named, there are two other World champions and two other Olympic medalists. World champs include 2014 gold medalist Yuliia TKACH (UKR) at 59kg and 2021 gold medalist Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) at 62kg, while the Olympic medalists are Tokyo bronze medalists Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) at 57kg and Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) at 62kg.

#WrestleBratislava

Gatsalov: Satisfied with Euros, will prepare for tougher World Championships

Thursday, April 24, 2025 - 13:29 By United World Wrestling Press

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (April 22) -- Khadzhimurat GATSALOV was in Bratislava, Slovakia for the European Championships as the coach if the UWW wrestlers and returned with five gold, two silver and one bronze medals in 10 weight classes.

United World Wrestling caught up with Gatsalov after the tournament and he reflected on the performance of the wrestlers and his plans for the World Championships which will be held in September in Zagreb, Croatia.

Excerpts:

- On the performance of his wrestlers

Gatsalov: Overall, we are satisfied with the results. We haven’t had a performance like this in a long time -- five gold medals out of ten, plus two silver and one bronze. That means eight out of ten athletes came home with medals. Both the coaching staff and the athletes did a great job and prepared well for this European Championships.

We were counting on four or five gold medals. The guys wrestled really well and followed the instructions. For us coaches, that’s the most important thing that the wrestler steps on the mat and follows the game plan.

- On competition with Iran and the United States

Gatsalov: I believe there’s still room for improvement. This will help strengthen both our technical and physical foundations. When I look at Iranian and American wrestling, they put a lot of emphasis on physical conditioning. We’ve never really focused on that. We’ve always prioritized technique. But moving forward, we’ll also be physically prepared to endure tough matches and handle heavy loads without wearing out.

- On Sidakov's return and performance at 74kg

Gatsalov: Sidakov just couldn’t make it happen this time, maybe it’s because they know each other so well. [Chermen] VALIEV had a very strong motivation to win. You could feel it, it was clear on the mat. But as a coach, I believe this loss will serve as a driving force for Sidakov's future wins. It’s a significant psychological moment. Honestly, it’s better to experience this now than at the World Championships or the Olympics. I think once he recovers from his injury, we’ll get back to training and keep moving forward.

- On former world champion Baev winning gold

Gatsalov: Since 2019, he hadn’t shown any results on an international level. But today, he was better than anyone. He’s been working towards this moment for a long time, training hard, and he showed solid, confident wrestling. He wrestled like a true master — precise, and without mistakes. We were genuinely very happy for him.

- On the 65kg champion Ibragim IBRAGIMOV

Gatsalov: Ibragimov demonstrated a strong performance, despite losing at the Ranking Series in Albania less than a month ago. Today, he came in well-prepared. He was in good form physically, technically, and mentally. That previous loss likely became a stepping stone toward this victory.

Khadzhimurat GATSAKOVKhadzhimurat GATSALOV at the European Championships in Bratislava. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

- On preparations for World Championships

Gatsalov: We have a clear understanding of how we’re going to prepare. I can’t reveal all the secrets of our training plan, but we know exactly who we’re preparing for. That’s why we’ll be focusing on targeted, individual work against specific opponents. Our coaching staff is strong. We have real professionals on board, including experienced coaches from the old Soviet school and younger ones who are stepping up and bringing fresh energy.

I think our wrestlers are also friendly with each other, which is very important. The atmosphere in the team is productive. We are waiting for the World Championships. We want competition on the mat with big countries like Iran, America. The Japanese have also improved a lot. Therefore, we want to compete with the strong ones, and we want to settle things on the mat.

(The interview was conducted by Karina MIRZOIAN)