#WrestlePlovdiv

#WrestlePlovdiv: Golden Pair Ringaci, Nichita Defend U23 European Titles

Thursday, March 10, 2022 - 19:45 By Vinay Siwach

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PLOVDIV, Bulgaria (March 10) -- World champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) and her teammate Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) continued their winning start to the year as they defended their U23 European Championships title in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

The pair showed the gulf of class between them and the rest of the field, winning the gold medals with ease and adding to their stellar collection of titles.

At 68kg, Ringaci, who won the Dan Kolov Invitational tournament last month, outscored her opponents 38-2 en route to the gold medal to become a three-time U23 European champion.

“I feel great in the new weight class 68kg,” Ringaci said. “It's a new experience and I get to wrestle some new wrestlers and I will continue to wrestle in this weight [for Olympics].”

After winning Moldova's first-ever gold in women's wrestling in Oslo last year, Ringaci remained out of competition for five months but looked as good as ever on her return.

In the final, the 21-year-old wrestled Asli DEMIR (TUR) and blanked her 6-0. The two had wrestled before at Individual World Cup in 2020. Ringaci won that battle 14-4.

This time, Ringaci did not let Demir score any points and defend all attacks from the 2-on-1 position. Her ability to wear out her opponents made it even more difficult for Demir to score.

Ringaci scored four points in the second period but was in no hurry to finish the bout, playing out the clock for a 6-0 win.

Anastasia NICHITAAnastasia NICHITA (MDA) won the 59kg final 12-0 against Magdalena GLODEK (POL). (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Nichita's title defense at 59kg was similar to last year as she did not look in any trouble.

Against Magdalena GLODEK (POL), Nichita began with a takedown and added two more points with a go behind.

Glodek's attacks were easily countered and a cool-as-ice Nichita was leading 8-0 at the break. She finished the bout with a four-pointer.

“I don't think too much about the final,” Nichita said. “I just treat it as any other bout or like training. So that's why don't care about the final.”

Nichita began the season with a gold-winning performance at the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series event in Istanbul, Turkey last month and says is looking forward to competing at more ranking events.

“I want to make some ranking points at 59kg and I will be at 59kg this year,” she said. “This was a good test for me for the senior competition this month where I will wrestle at 59kg.”

But as the Paris Olympics come close, Nichita will opt for 57kg as her preferred weight class.

Moldova was the only country to have two gold medals Thursday but have a chance to win another Friday. Nichita hopes that girls in her country can continue the good work.

“We have some good girls and I want them to continue working hard and get some good results,” she said. “We work hard in training and you can see the result so I want to keep this going with the whole team.”

Andreea ANAAndreea ANA (ROU) won her first European title in Plovdiv. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

U23 world champion Andreea ANA (ROU) won her first continental title after she defeated Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE), 10-0 in the 55kg final. The Azerbaijan wrestler was called passive and a double-leg blast for four points helped Ana lead 5-0 at the break.

She began the second period with a go-behind before adding a stepout. The Romanian then slowed down the bout and was happy to play out the clock for the rest of the bout.

But countering a Mammadova attack, she got another two points to finish the bout 10-0.

Ana had not won a Championships before the Worlds in Belgrade but now has two back-to-back. The confidence from the Belgrade win will help her to be better at winning the finals.

“I think the world title win in Belgrade helped me a lot,” Ana said. “That made me stronger mentally and removed a big block.”

Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA)Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA) celebrates after winning the 50kg gold medal in Plovdiv. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 50kg, Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA) ended her country's four-year wait for a U23 Euro title by winning the gold against Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN).

In a 3-0 win, the France wrestler got a point for Szeker's passivity and score two via a takedown. The 23-year-old joins Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) as the only U23 European champions.

Hungary did finish with a gold medal as Bernadett NAGY (HUN) defeated Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU), 4-0 in the 76kg.

Daughter of two-time cadet world champion Attila NAGY (HUN), Bernadett scored via two takedowns, the only action in the final.

Her wrestling skills were honed at the Ujpesti Torna Egylet club in Budapest, which she joined as a 12-year-old following the wrestling tradition of her family.

While her win denied Gaucaite to become Lithuania's first-ever European champion, it was still historic as Gaucaite was the first-ever finalist from her country.

Along with her, Gabija DILYTE (LTU)'s bronze at 50kg was the nation's first medal at the U23 level.

The remaining five finals of women's wrestling will be held Friday.

Bernadett NAGY (HUN)The four medalists at 76kg including gold winner Bernadett NAGY (HUN). (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

RESULTS

WW Medal Bouts

50kg
GOLD: Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA) df Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN), 3-0

BRONZE: Lisa ERSEL (GER) df Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE), 9-8
BRONZE: Gabija DILYTE (LTU) df Zehra DEMIRHAN (TUR), via fall

55kg
GOLD: Andreea ANA (ROU) df Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE), 10-0

BRONZE: Mihaela SAMOIL (MDA) df Mariia MARTYNCHUK (SVK), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) df Nova BERGMAN (SWE), 3-1

59kg
GOLD: Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) df Magdalena GLODEK (POL), 12-0

BRONZE: Morena DE VITA (ITA) df Anna SZEL (HUN), via inj. def.

68kg
GOLD: Irina RINGACI (MDA) df Asli DEMIR (TUR), 6-0

BRONZE: Noemi SZABADOS (HUN) df Sophia SCHAEFLE (GER), 3-1
BRONZE: Nigar MIRZAZADA (AZE) df Marta OJEDA NAVARRO (ESP), 603

76kg
GOLD: Bernadett NAGY (HUN) df Kamile GAUCAITE (LTU), 4-0

BRONZE: Mehtap GULTEKIN (TUR) df Vanesa KALOYANOVA (BUL), 1-1
BRONZE: Marion BYE (NOR) df Lolita OBOLEVICA (LAT), via fall

Day 4 Semifinals

53kg
GOLD: Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) vs Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER)

SF 1: Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) df Rahime ARI (TUR), 6-1
SF 2: Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) df Gultakin SHIRINOVA (AZE), via fall

62kg
GOLD: Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) vs Anna FABIAN (SRB)

SF 1: Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) df Paulina DANISZ (POL), 6-1
SF 2: Anna FABIAN (SRB) df Luisa SCHEEL (GER), via fall

65kg
GOLD: Amina CAPEZAN (ROU) vs Ewelina CIUNEK (POL)

SF 1: Amina CAPEZAN (ROU) df Yagmur CAKMAK (TUR), 4-2
SF 2: Ewelina CIUNEK (POL) df Viktoria VESSO (EST), 13-8

72kg
GOLD: Maria NITU (ROU) vs Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL)

SF 1: Maria NITU (ROU) df Kendra DACHER (FRA), 10-0
SF 2: Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) df Tuende ELEKES (HUN), 5-0

Trailblazer Epp Mae retires as Estonia's top wrestler

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

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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."