Yakushenko Marches on With Another Gold

Sunday, March 15, 2026 - 19:31 By Vinay Siwach

ZRENJANIN, Serbia (March 15) -- Since 2024, Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) has suffered only one loss -- to Darius KIEFER (GER) in the final of 2025 U20 European Championships.

On either side of that loss, Yakushenko had won two age-group European and three world titles. He has also avenged that loss to Kiefer and now heads the head-to-head, 4-1, with his latest victory over the German coming on Saturday at the U23 European Championships.

A day later on Sunday, Yakushenko added his second U23 European title after he defeated former U20 world champion and Paris Olympian Abubakr KHASLAKHANAU (BLR), 3-1, in perhaps his toughest match of the tournament.

"This [U23] European Championships was really tough for me," Yakushenko said. "Not as easy as I imagined. I thought it would be easier, but overall I think the hardest fights are still ahead."

In the final, Yakushenko was awarded the first passivity point and the par terre position from wihch he lifted Khaslakhanau and brought him towards the edge of the mat but failed to land the Belarussian wrestler in danger. He was awarded a point for the stepout which gave him a 2-0 lead.

Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) tries to throw Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (BLR) during the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Khaslakhanau got his chance in the second period when Yakushenko was put in par terre but failed to score any points. With a 2-1 lead, Yakushenko needed some good defense with two minutes left in the match.

While he had a couple of slip-ups during that time, Yakushenko did not give up any points. He was later warned for fleeing but managed to remain in contact after that. Belarus challenged for fleeing in the last 10 seconds but it was ruled out, adding one more point to Yakushenko's score.

"I had the same plan for all my opponents. It was tough," he said.

This was Yakushenko's third straight win over Khaslakhanau, a senior European bronze medalist and now a two-time U23 world silver medalist to go with his bronze as well.

Yakushenko defeated the Belarus wrestler twice last year -- a 7-3 victory at the U23 European Championships and then a 3-3 win at the U23 World Championships in Novi Sad.

Daniial AGAEV (RUS) completed an 8-0 victory over William REENBERG (DEN) in just 37 seconds. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Agaev Leads Russia to Team Title

In other finals, Russia won two gold medals while Azerbiajan and Armenia won one gold each.

World bronze medalist Daniial AGAEV (RUS) led an inspired performance from Russia as it won the Greco-Roman team title. Russia won the Freestyle team title as well in Zrenjanin.

With 190 points, Russia was the best team. Armenia managed 113 points to finish second and Georgia finished third with 106 points.

Agaev need only 37 seconds to win his 67kg final against William REENBERG (DEN). He scored a takedown and transitioned into a gut-wrench, winning 8-0.

Rabil ASKEROV (RUS) defeated Oliver PADA (FIN), 6-0, in the 72kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Russia's second gold medal came at 72kg Rabil ASKEROV (RUS) blanked Oliver PADA (FIN), 6-0, in the final. Wrestling in only his third international tournament, Askerov began the final with a stepout before getting the par terre position. He did not score any points from the position but led 2-0.

An arm-drag to takedown doubled the lead to 4-0 before the break. In the second period, Askerov got another takedown to extend his lead to 6-0. The takedown also ended any hopes for Pada to get the par terre position.

Askerov would defend his 6-0 and win gold, his first major medal.

Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) uses the seatbelt grip to throw Giorgi KOCHALIDZE (GEO) during the 60kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) captured his first U23 European title after a series of suplex to beat Giorgi KOCHALIDZE (GEO), 9-0, in the 60kg final.

The former U20 champion was awarded the par terre in the first period which gave him a 1-0 lead. Kochalidze did well to defend the position but just as the referee was about to call neutral, Aghajanyan changed to a seatbelt grip and tossed Kochalidze in the opposite direction for two points.

He continued the same move with the seatbelt grip and was awarded four points for the second throw, giving him a 7-0 lead. The third throw was also scored four points, confirming an 11-0 victory for Aghajanyan.

Georgia challenged the decision, hoping that the throws will be scored two points each. But upon review the first throw was scored four points instead of original two points. With the second throw also being a four-pointer, the final was over, 9-0, a technical superiority win for the 2025 U23 world bronze medalist.

Elmin ALIYEV (AZE) celebrates after winning the 82kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Georgia suffered its second loss in the final at 82kg after Tornike MIKELADZE's (GEO) heartbreak against Elmin ALIYEV (AZE), 3-2.

Aliyev was down 2-0 at the break after giving up a stepout and passivity point in the first period. However, he managed to score a stepout at the start of the second period that later proved to be a crucial moment in the final.

Down 2-1, Aliyev was awarded the par terre position, giving him a 2-2 criteria lead. He failed to score any points from par terre but the criteria of scoring the last points remained with him and that enabled him to win the final.

Georgia threw a late challenge, asking for fleeing from Aliyev. But there was no evident fleeing and Georgia lost the challenge, giving one more point to Aliyev, who won 3-2.

RESULTS

60kg
GOLD: Suren AGHAJANYAN (ARM) df. Giorgi KOCHALIDZE (GEO), 9-0

BRONZE: Yevhen POKOVBA (UKR) df. Aykhan JAVADOV (AZE), 3-1
BRONZE: Ilian AINAOUI (FRA) df. Brian SANTIAGO (DEN), 1-1

67kg
GOLD: Daniial AGAEV (RUS) df. William REENBERG (DEN), 8-0

BRONZE: Azat SARIYAR (TUR) df. Arslanbek SALIMOV (POL), 4-1
BRONZE: Farid KHALILOV (AZE) df. Petro ZHYTOVOZ (HUN), 6-3

72kg
GOLD: Rabil ASKEROV (RUS) df. Oliver PADA (FIN), 6-0

BRONZE Faraim MUSTAFAYEV (AZE) df. Leonard IURASCU (ROU), 5-4
BRONZE: Arionas KOLITSOPOULOS (GRE) df. Ashot KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 4-1

82kg
GOLD: Elmin ALIYEV (AZE) df. Tornike MIKELADZE (GEO), 3-2

BRONZE: Illia VALEUSKI (BLR) df. Szabolcs SZINAY (HUN), 10-1
BRONZE: Gamzat GADZHIEV (RUS) df. Alexander AEMAES (NOR), 9-0

97kg
GOLD: Yehor YAKUSHENKO (UKR) df. Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU (BLR), 3-1

BRONZE: Saipula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. Robin USPENSKI (EST), 6-4
BRONZE: Darius KIEFER (GER) df. Luka GABISONIA (GEO), 9-3

Austria Develops Wrestling Future at UWW Performance Centre A.C. Wals

Wednesday, June 17, 2026 - 08:50 By Jörg Richter

WALS-SIEZENHEIM, Austria (June 16) -- Anyone in Wals-Siezenheim, Austria, looking for the local wrestling centre is directed towards the fire station. Standing in front of it, you look up at the tall tower where the hoses are hung up to dry after call-outs, and at the garages housing the emergency vehicles. But the floor above the firefighters belongs to the wrestlers.

The training centre of wrestling champions A.C. Wals was inaugurated in 1994, completely renovated in 2022 and, a year later, declared the sixth United World Wrestling training centre worldwide by UWW President Nenad LALOVIC.

The former mayor of Wals-Siezenheim, Ludwig BIERINGER, visits the training centre almost daily and can recount stories about the development of the wrestling venue, as well as the sporting stronghold of Wals-Siezenheim, home to the Red Bull family.

His words, "if, by building the wrestling centre, we manage to keep even one young person away from drugs, then this investment will have been worth it,” are likely to hold just as much significance today as they did 32 years ago, when the training hall was completed.

h In Austria, wrestlers are battling against the dominance of winter sports; whilst every child knows the ski jumpers, downhill and slalom skiers, wrestlers have to work incredibly hard to also make it into the spotlight of the mainstream media.

In Toni MARCHL, the Austrian Wrestling Federation has a dedicated and passionate leader who has given himself fully to the growth of the sport. His extensive network spans business, politics, and the highest levels of international sport, including UWW European Council President Karl Martin Dittmann and UWW President Lalovic, with whom he has built a strong and trusted relationship.

AC Wals Fitness centre at A.C. Wals. (Photo: Austrian National Wrestling Centre)

Back to the training centre in Wals, which was designated a UWW higperformance centre in 2022, wrestlers from all over the world now come together to train. This naturally also benefits the ORSV wrestlers, who can now train alongside the world’s best on a selective basis – and do so at home, on their own mats. What’s more, thanks to the efforts of ORSV wrestlers can now be found in positions supported by the sports programme within the army, as well as in the police, judiciary and customs services.

A small boarding school accommodates male and female athletes from all over Austria who combine school, vocational training or work with the demands of competitive sport in Wals-Siezenheim, whilst also travelling there on an ad hoc basis for centralised training sessions.

A large team of coaches has also been established to pass on their experience to the wrestlers. Georg MARCHL (Freestyle), Jeno BODI and Amer HRUSTANOVIC (Greco-Roman), and Elena PITTL (Women's Wrestling) lead a well-trained and dedicated team of coaches, supported and supervised by sports director Benedikt ERNST, and trained in collaboration with former German heavyweight wrestler Sven THIELE. The medical sector is also well-equipped in Wals-Siezenheim, with physiotherapy and sports medicine staff.

AC Wals A.C. Wals

The UWW Performance Centre is having an impact on the larger Austrian clubs and federations, which are following its example in developing talent under ever-improving conditions, so that an ever-stronger elite is emerging from the existing base. But no champion falls from the sky, no talent becomes a world champion overnight; everything takes time.

The ORSV is firmly committed to the long-term development of its athletes, investing in homegrown talent and building a sustainable future for Austrian wrestling. This philosophy is reflected in the growth of wrestlers such as Markus RAGGINER, Daniel GASTL, Simon MARCHL, Benjamin GREIL, Johannes LUDESCHER, Aker ACHMIDT and, last but not least, 10-time international medallist Martina KUENZ.

Projects like the UWW Performance Centre in Wals-Siezenheim represent exactly the kind of investment that nurtures the next generation, creates lasting foundations for the sport, and ensures that Austria's wrestling future is built from within.

- by Jorg RITCHER, Ringsport Magazine

Yakushenko Marches on With Another Gold

Comments

Austria Develops Wrestling Future at UWW Performance Centre A.C. Wals