#WrestleRome

Zhou Erases Eight-Point Deficit, Downs World Champ Mensah

Thursday, January 16, 2020 - 20:17 By Eric Olanowski

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ROME, Italy (January 16) --- It's no secret that ZHOU Feng (CHN) was the underdog coming into her Matteo Pellicone finals against reigning world champion Tamyra MENSAH (USA), and though she fell behind by eight points, she remained composed enough to erase an 8-0 second-period deficit to win the 68kg gold medal. Zhou’s shocking win stopped Mensah, the 2019 Women's Wrestler of the Year, from winning her fourth consecutive Ranking Series title.

“For the first period, I didn’t feel prepared or ready, but I didn’t give up,” said Zhou. At that point of the match, Zhou surrendered three takedowns and a trapped arm gut and trailed 8-0. “I was thinking the match is not finished and I didn’t give up.” 

Zhou, a two-time world medalist, kickstarted her unexpected comeback with two points from a defensive stop, which ended in a takedown. She tacked on six additional points from three gut wrenches and closed out the match on top, 8-8. 

After her remarkable come-from-behind win, Zhou said, “I’m happy and excited. From this competition, most of (these wrestlers) will participate in the Olympic Games, so to get the gold medal makes me very happy.” 

Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) downed Anshu ANSHU (IND), 10-0, in the 57kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

At 57kg, a friendly wager between two presidents sparked three-time world medalist Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) past Anshu ANSHU (IND) for the gold medal. Understanding the wager was a joke, and with a smile on her face, the long and lengthy Adekuoroye said, “Before the match, my president and one other president had a bet that I’d maybe lose to (Anshu). So, I told him to keep calm; I’m ready for the match. I’m happy to make him proud.” 

The Nigerian, who was last year’s world bronze medalist at 57kg, quickly handled Anshu in the finals, 10-0. She scored an early takedown off a single leg, then picked up eight straight points off exposures – six of which came from a match-ending leg lace.

“I came here to win a gold medal. For me, it’s not like a surprise, and I look forward to some matches again.”

Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) fought through illness to win the 62kg title. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Even though the reigning world champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) has been fighting through a nasty illness since the start of the year, she decided to still compete at the Matteo Pellicone. “At the beginning of this year, I got sick and ill, so I wasn’t 100% ready for the competition,” Tynybekova said. “And, actually, before this final, my coach thought I should not go on the mat because of my illness.”

But, midway through today’s session, she felt strong enough to compete in the medal-match session. And luckily for her, she didn’t have to wrestle the entire six minutes. 

She only wrestled for just over a period – three minutes and 16 seconds to be exact -- and after leading 7-2, was awarded the gold medal when 2019 world silver medalist Liubov OVCHAROVA (RUS) broke her nose in the second period and injury defaulted out of the finals.  

“In the final match, I didn’t give my 100%. In my mind, I planned on keeping my energy and strength to wrestle for the two periods. But, accidentally, my Russian opponent couldn’t continue.” 

Erica WIEBE (CAN) wrapped up her 76kg finals match against ZHOU Qian (CHN) in the opening period after a takedown, followed by four leg laces. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

In the 76kg finals, Olympic champion Erica WIEBE (CAN) ended her gold-medal bout against two-time world medalist ZHOU Qian (CHN) in the opening period with a 10-0 shutout victory. 

“When I get into wrestling position, that’s when it gets really fun. She went for kind of a double leg, I redirected, went behind, we get into a scramble, and that’s what wrestling is all about.” 

Wiebe barrel-rolled into four straight leg laces and ended the match 10-0 in the first period. Jokingly, Wiebe said, “I’ve been working on my lace. Watch out world!” 

Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY) scored the come-from-behind fall over Selcuk CAN (TUR) in the 72kg finals. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Meanwhile, Mohamed ELSAYED (EGY), Zotlan LEVAI (HUN) and Singh GURPREET (IND) closed out the Greco-Roman portion of the competition with gold medals on Thursday night. 

Elsayed and Levai picked up falls in the 72kg and 77kg finals, respectively, while Gurpreet scored the 8-5 victory over Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) in the 82kg finals. 

Elsayed, a two-time U23 world champion, trailed 5-1 but flattened Selcuk CAN (TUR) in the 72kg finals and backflipped his way to a second career Ranking Series title. And after a pair of Ranking Series final losses, Levai finally got his long-awaited gold medal when he stuck Yunus BASAR (TUR) in the 77kg finals. 

The third day of wrestling at the Matteo Pellicone kicks off on Friday at 10:30 (local time) in Ostia, Italy.

RESULTS
57kg
GOLD - Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) df. Anshu ANSHU (IND), 10-0 
BRONZE - Linda MORAIS (CAN) df. Jenna Rose BURKERT (USA), 10-0 
BRONZE - Allison Mackenzie RAGAN (USA) df. Alina AKOBIIA (UKR), 4-4 

62kg
GOLD - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Liubov OVCHAROVA (RUS), via injury default
BRONZE - Jia LONG (CHN) df. Kayla MIRACLE (USA), 6-1 
BRONZE - Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) df. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR), 3-1

68kg
GOLD - Feng ZHOU (CHN) df. Tamyra MENSAH (USA), 8-8
BRONZE - Danielle LAPPAGE (CAN) df. Divya KAKRAN (IND), 12-2
BRONZE - Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) df. Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR)

76kg
GOLD - Erica Elizabeth WIEBE (CAN) vs. Qian ZHOU (CHN), 10-0
BRONZE - Natalia VOROBEVA (RUS) df. Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ), via injury
BRONZE - Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER) df. Vasilisa MARZALIUK (BLR), 4-2 

Greco-Roman
72kg
GOLD - Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed Ibrahi ELSAYED (EGY) df. Selcuk CAN (TUR), via fall 
BRONZE - Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) df. Parviz NASIBOV (UKR), 6 - 0
BRONZE - Maksym YEVTUSHENKO (UKR) df. Gaoquan ZHANG (CHN), 5-3 

77kg
GOLD - Zotlan LEVAI (HUN) df. Yunus Emre BASAR (TUR), via fall 
BRONZE - Wuileixis RIVAS ESPINOZA (VEN) df. Ravaughn Richard Ravelle PERKINS (USA), 8 - 2
BRONZE - Sajan SAJAN (IND) df. Emrah KUS (TUR), via fall 

82kg
GOLD - Singh GURPREET (IND) df. Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), 8-5
BRONZE - Florian NEUMAIER (GER) df. John Walter STEFANOWICZ JR (USA), 5 - 1
BRONZE - Salih AYDIN (TUR) df. Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB), 6-5

Development

Strengthening the Skills of Coaches, Referees, and Administrators for the Development of Wrestling in Africa

Friday, April 4, 2025 - 13:03 By United World Wrestling Press

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El Jadida, UWW Africa Center – (April 4) --- United World Wrestling Africa, under the leadership of its President, Fouad Meskout, Vice President of United World Wrestling, is firmly committed to the development of wrestling on the continent. In collaboration with the Royal Moroccan Wrestling Federation, a certification training was organized from March 23-29, 2025.

As a prelude to the 2025 African Championships, which will be held in Morocco in early May 2025, the UWW Africa Center in El Jadida hosted an extensive training program designed for coaches, referees, and administrators across Africa. This seven-day intensive program aimed to enhance the technical and administrative skills of key stakeholders in the development of wrestling on the continent.

A Pan-African Participation
Representatives from several African nations participated in this training session, demonstrating the growing commitment to developing wrestling across the continent. The participating countries included Angola, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Tunisia, South Africa, Guinea, and Morocco.

List of Participants:

  • Angola: Nseke Tiago Ndonga
  • Burkina Faso: Zinzere Wendpoulougo Augustae Daniel, Debe Blaise, Kabre Ousseni (President of the Federation)
  • Côte d'Ivoire: Coulibaly Yire Mariam Solange, Assalé Adje Jean-Claude Pamphille
  • Cameroon: Tsam Megom Gervais, Ngono Eyia Epse Ngoumou Edwige
  • Tunisia: Aymen Lamloumi
  • South Africa: Davel Donawan
  • Morocco: Kabil Driss, Najih Abdelhak, Ouled Ben Taliaa Redouane, Hatimi Youssef
  • Guinea: Sow Mamadou Bodo (Secretary General of the Federation)

UWWAParticipants walk through a training session with UWW Development Officier, Vincent AKA. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

A Well-Structured and Comprehensive Program

During this training, participants followed an intensive curriculum focused on the three key domains of wrestling development:

✔ Coaches: Technical and methodological skill development, training plan design, performance management, and athlete safety.
✔ Referees: Advanced rule analysis, positioning on the mat, competition management, and communication.
✔ Administrators: Official communication management, utilization of UWW digital tools (Athena Platform, UWW Academy, Development Programs).

Under the supervision of renowned experts, including Vincent AKA (Coach Trainer and UWW Development Officer), Kamel Bouaziz (Referee Trainer), and Youssef Bouaziz (Administrator Trainer), participants received high-level training, equipping them with new skills to effectively contribute to the growth of wrestling in their respective countries.

Testimonials from Participants
📌 Kabil Driss (Coach, Morocco):
"I am proud and very happy to have participated in this training. We have built an extraordinary friendship with my fellow referees, coaches, and administrators. Thank you for your competence and warm participation in this seminar in Morocco. A big thank you to Mr. AKA, an exceptional leader in the development of wrestling in Africa. Your training and collaboration, as well as your educational system, have allowed us to learn and improve our understanding of our respective roles."

📌 Donovan Davel (South Africa):
"First of all, I would like to thank the Moroccan Wrestling Federation for organizing this wonderful training week. I also want to express my gratitude to the entire center’s team for their kindness and warm welcome. To the trainers Mr. Vincent, Kamel, and Youssef, your teaching was exceptional. It was a great privilege to be part of this program. I am convinced that we will all share this experience and the valuable knowledge gained in our respective countries to continue developing our beloved sport."

📌 Assalé Adje Jean-Claude Pamphille (Côte d’Ivoire):
"We return to our homeland with a great impression and a mind full of valuable knowledge. I cannot continue without reiterating my gratitude to our three trainers: our compatriot Vincent Aka (Coach Training Module), Bouaziz Med Kamel (Referee Training Module), and Youssef Bouaziz from the IT department (Administrator Training Module). Their expertise was undeniable. We return home with the necessary skills to improve our federation’s operations, especially for the benefit of our athletes."

UWWA1
Participants learn about the extensive training program designed for coaches, referees, and administrators at the UWW Africa Center in El Jadida.

Closing and Future Prospects
The training concluded on March 29, 2025, with an assessment of the knowledge acquired and a certificate award ceremony hosted by members of the Royal Moroccan Wrestling Federation. This initiative aligns with United World Wrestling Africa’s mission to professionalize and structure wrestling across the continent.

Present at the closing ceremony, Kabre Ousseni, the newly elected President of the Burkinabé Wrestling Federation, expressed his gratitude:

"I would like to thank the members of the Royal Moroccan Wrestling Federation for their presence, which added prestige to this ceremony. I also take this opportunity to commend President Fouad Meskout for his continuous efforts in developing wrestling on the continent."

With these newly acquired skills, the trained coaches, referees, and administrators are now better equipped to train and develop wrestling in their respective countries, contributing to the growth of this sport across Africa.

President Fouad Meskout emphasized:
"We are on the right track to overcome challenges together, and we will continue to organize development activities ahead of the African Championships."