Youth Olympic Games

Wrestling Names Qualifiers for 2018 YOG, 50 Nations Set to Participate

Wednesday, September 5, 2018 - 21:50 By Tim Foley

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 5) – United World Wrestling, the international governing body for the sport of wrestling, has announced the wrestling entries for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. Wrestlers in freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling will compete October 12-14 at the Parque Polideportivo Roca.

Wrestlers from 50 nations and all five continents will be represented in Buenos Aires, including several Cadet-level continental and world champions. The Youth Olympic Games have been a springboard for some of wrestling’s current senior-level superstars, including European Games medalist Grace BULLEN (NOR) and world champions Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) and Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN).

“We are proud of our young wrestlers for showing heart and determination in qualifying for the Youth Olympic Games,” said United World Wrestling president and IOC Executive Board member, Nenad Lalovic. ”We expect to see a high level of competition, but also look forward to seeing these athletes learn more about the Olympic values while in Buenos Aires.”

In an effort to become more gender equitable, wrestling increased the number of female participants in Buenos Aires to 50, which is up from 32 participants in Singapore 2010 and Nanjing 2014. The adjustment was part of a larger effort by the International Olympic Committee to meet its goal to make the 2018 Youth Olympic Games the first-ever gender-equal Games.

“Wrestling is proud to support the IOC’s commitment to gender equality in the Games and we are certain that our athletes, coaches and fans will enjoy the competition,” said Lalovic.

For a full wrestling schedule, or to buy tickets to the event, please visit www.buenosaires2018.com or www.unitedworldwrestling.org/event/youth-olympic-games-0

A  PDF version of the final entry list is available HERE

MEN'S FREESTYLE

Halil GOKDENIZ (TUR)

48kg
Daiziel DETUDAMO (NRU)
Fernando BOOYSEN (RSA)
Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB)
Diego Armando ZULUAGA CUEVAS (COL)
Halil GOKDENIZ (TUR)
Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO)  

55kg
Gavin Stefan Sablan WHITT (GUM)
Oussama LARIBI (ARG)
Hayato FUJITA (JPN)
Robert Kelly HOWARD (USA)
Vladyslav OSTAPENKO (UKR)
Hernan David ALMENDRA (ARG)

65kg
Westerly Pehi Tahi AINSLEY (NZL)
Fathi Tarek A. ISMAIL (EGY)
Mohammad Baghi KARIMISEIFABAD (IRI)
Carson Taylor MANVILLE (USA)        
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE)       
Inayat ULLAH (PAK)

80kg
Ryan Devon MARSHALL (NZL)
Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG)
Mukhammadrasul RAKHIMOV (UZB)
Carson Barry LEE (CAN)
Akhmedkhan TEMBOTOV (RUS)
Valentine YAIREGPIE (FSM)

110kg
Thomas John Mcglinchey BARNS (AUS)
Ahmed Mahmoud Elsayed M. KHALIL (EGY)
Amir Hossein Abbas ZARE (IRI)
Luis Rodrigo OROZCO CORTEZ (MEX)
Sergei KOZYREV (RUS)
Dragan VELINOV (MKD)

GRECO-ROMAN

Mohammad Ghorbanali NOSRATI (IRI)

45kg
Densel Jaffet DE JESUS VALERIO (HON)
Abdalla Mohamed Shaaban M. SHAABAN (EGY)
Amirreza Mohammadreza DEHBOZORGI (IRI)
Jeremy Renzo PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU)
Edmond Armen NAZARYAN (BUL)
Arslanbek ZAKIRBAYEV (TKM)

51kg
Alexander ADINIWIN (MHL)
Mehdi JOUINI (TUN)
Wataru SASAKI (JPN)
Axel Andre SALAS ESQUIVEL (MEX)
Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO)
Eduardo LOVERA (ARG)

60kg
Arapo Ngatuerua George KELLNER (NZL)
Ahmed Abdelhakim MERIKHI (ALG)
Elmirbek SADYROV (KGZ)
Miguel Angel UGALDE AGUILAR (MEX)
Sahak HOVHANNISYAN (ARM)
Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO)

71kg
Lynch Xavier Tanglao SANTOS (GUM)
Lamjed MAAFI (TUN)
Shu YAMADA (JPN)
Brandon CALLE PEREZ (COL)
Stepan STARODUBTSEV (RUS)
Alexandrin GUTU (MDA)
 
92kg
Ariston Faamalosi BARTLEY (ASA)
Shady Elkhalil Ibrahim A. WEHIB (EGY)
Mohammad Ghorbanali NOSRATI (IRI)
Igor Fernando ALVES DE QUEIROZ (BRA)
Mukhammad EVLOEV (RUS)
Osman AYAYDIN (TUR)

WOMEN'S WRESTLING

Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)

43kg
Ella Mae DERRY (NZL)
Sara Gouda Farouk MAHMOUD (EGY)
Enkhzul BATBAATAR (MGL)
Simran SIMRAN (IND)
Emily King SHILSON (USA)
Heloisa Elena MARTINEZ (BRA)
Shahana NAZAROVA (AZE)
Maria LEORDA (MDA)
Justine Fanny VIGOUROUX (FRA)
Christianah Tolulope OGUNSANYA (NGR)

49kg
Paulina Jean DUENAS (GUM)
Zineb ECH CHABKI (MAR)
Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB)
Nilufar RAIMOVA (KAZ)
Tiare Lynn Masako Dizon IKEI (USA)
Maria Jose MOSQUERA ROJAS (VEN)
Emma Jonna Denise MALMGREN (SWE)
Roza SZENTTAMASI (HUN)
Natallia VARAKINA (BLR)
Sopealai SIM (CAM)

57kg
Kaetlyn Rae Okada QUINTANILLA (GUM)
Hala Wael Imbabi AHMED (EGY)
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)
Mansi MANSI (IND)
Mayra Alejandra PARRA ALVAREZ (VEN)
Andrea Monserrat LOPEZ MARTINEZ (MEX)
Anna Hella SZEL (HUN)
Irina RINGACI (MDA)
Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER)
Lydia TOIDA (CMR)

65kg
Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)
Sunmisola Idowu BALOGUN (NGR)
Xinru ZHOU (CHN)
Oyun Erdene TAMIR (MGL)
Yetzis Camila RAMIREZ MARQUEZ (CUB)
Sandra Elena ESCAMILLA MENCHACA (MEX)
Oksana CHUDYK (UKR)
Viktoria VESSO (EST)
Amina Roxana CAPEZAN (ROU)
Natacha Véronique NABAINA (CMR)

73kg
Ioana Penina Nicole Uputaua LUDGATE (ASA)
Khadija JLASSI (TUN)
Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)
Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB)
Milaimys de la Caridad MARIN POTRILLE (CUB)
Anika Elizabeth WHITE (CAN)
Kseniya DZIBUK (BLR)
Vahide Nur GOK (TUR)
Julia Hanna Ellinor FRIDLUND (SWE)
Linda Marilina MACHUCA (ARG)

#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)