#Yariguin2019

Yariguin Final Pairings Set for Sunday Afternoon

By Eric Olanowski

KRASNOYARSK, Russia (January 26) - Russia continued its stronghold on the freestyle competition and inserted three additional wrestlers into Day Four Yariguin finals. They also have two of the four wrestlers competing for the top spot in the 92kg round-robin tournament.

The Russian Federation has already won six gold medals and has an opportunity to sweep the freestyle competition. If they can find a way to remain undefeated during Sunday’s final session, they’ll claim a gold medal in each of the ten weight classes. 

In women’s wrestling, Russia leads the gold medal race with a trio of champions, but Japan, who has a pair of champions and a pair of day four finalists, can take control of the gold medal race if they win each of their two gold medal matches on Sunday.  

Belarus and the United States claimed the remaining two women’s wrestling finalist spots. 

Belarus is looking for their first Yariguin gold medal of 2019, while Tamyra Mariama MENSAH is looking to give the United States their second women’s wrestling title in the past two days. 

If Mensah wins against Japan’s Hiroe MINAGAWA SUZUKI, she’ll become the first American wrestler in any style to win three Yariguin titles. 

The final day of wrestling begins at 11:00 (local time), with the finals expected to start at (13:00).

FINALS

Freestyle

74kg - Zaurbek SIDAKOV (RUS) vs. Yakup GOR (TUR)
86kg - Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS) vs. Fatih ERDIN (TUR)  
97kg - Shamil MUSAEV (RUS) vs. Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR)

Women’s Wrestling
 
72kg - Tamyra Mariama MENSAH (USA) vs. Yuka KAGAMI (JPN)
76kg - Hiroe MINAGAWA SUZUKI (JPN) vs. Vasilisa MARZALIUK (BLR)

#development

UWW Organizes International Training Camp Before African Championships

By United World Wrestling Press

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (May 11) -- United World Wrestling hosted a international training camp before the 2026 African Championships in Alexandria from April 20 to 26.

The camp, organized with a focus on performance, technical exchange, and sporting cooperation, brought together coaches and wrestlers from across the continent with participants from Burundi, the Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia, Guinea, Namibia, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, and Zambia.

One of the major highlights of this edition was the historic participation of Zambia, which took part for the first time in a continental wrestling activity. The participation symbolizes the steady expansion of African wrestling into new nations and confirms the growing development of the sport across the continent. The Zambian delegation included wrestler Martin JERE (ZAM) and Stephen FULANGANI (ZAM), accompanied by their coach Eugine CHIPOKOLO.

Alexandria

Throughout the week, wrestlers took part in specialized sessions combining standing and ground techniques, upper and lower-level attacks, targeted defense drills, technical combinations, aerobic preparation, acrobatic exercises, and individual training. Coaches would also use this gathering as an opportunity to exchange training methods and share their expertise within a high-level international environment.

The camp will bring together several experienced athletes and international competitors in Freestyle, Women’s Wrestling, and Greco-Roman. Among the participating nations were also several Sub-Saharan African countries that continue to strengthen their presence on the continental stage through increasingly strong participation.

Beyond the sporting aspect, the program also included awareness sessions focused on environmental protection in sport through the “Wrestle Green” initiative, as well as workshops dedicated to anti-doping education and athlete protection.

Alexandria

Participants also received dedicated camp equipment, including sportswear, “Wrestle Green” materials, and training accessories intended for daily practice sessions.