#Zagreb2018

Five Continental Champions Highlight Cadet World Semifinals

Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - 14:46 By Taylor Miller

Share this article

ZAGREB, Croatia – The semifinals for the second set of men’s freestyle weights have been determined at the 2018 Cadet World Championships, which feature five 2018 Cadet continental champions.

Included in that group are Rahman AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI) at 45 kg, Adem UZUN (TUR) at 51 kg, Hamza ALACA (TUR) at 60 kg, Bagrati GAGNIDZE (GEO) at 71 kg and Ali Reza ABDOLLAHI (IRI) at 92 kg.

Amouzadkhalili, who won the 2018 Cadet Asian Championships, will wrestle Ahmet YUCEL (TUR), while the other semi at 48 kg will feature Rafayel HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) and Chance LAMER (USA).

Cadet European champion Uzun, who finished fifth at the 2016 Cadet Worlds in Greco and fifth at the 2017 Cadet Worlds in freestyle, will wrestle Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) in the 51 kg semis.

On the other side of the bracket Matthew RAMOS (USA) and Seyedfran JAFARIANGELYERD (IRI) will go head-to-head.

Three-time Cadet European medalist and 2018 Cadet European champion Alaca will face off against Shamil MAMEDOV (RUS) at 60 kg tonight.

Cadet World veteran Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE), who is making his third appearance to the World Championships, has already guaranteed his best finish at the event, heading to the 60 kg semis. He will face Sabir JAFAROV (AZE).

This year’s Cadet Asian champion Bagrati GAGNIDZE (GEO) headlines the 71 kg semifinals and will go up against Dominik MEZEI (HUN), while the other match pits Alex FACUNDO (USA) against Baliyan GOURAV (IND).

At 92 kg, there are three continental medalists. Leading the way is Cadet Asian champion Abdollahi. In the semis, he will take on Johannes MAYER (GER), who was the silver-medal winner at the 2018 Cadet European Championships.

Last year’s Cadet Euro silver medalist Omer AGTAS (TUR) advanced to the semifinals and will face Giorgi CHANKSELIANI (GEO) for a bid to the finals.

The semifinals for the above five weights will be contested at 5:30 p.m. local time (11:30 a.m. ET), followed by the finals at 48 kg, 55 kg, 65 kg, 80 kg and 110 kg live on unitedworldwrestling.com.

Semifinal pairings
48 kg
Ahmet YUCEL (TUR) vs. Rahman AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI)
Rafayel HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) vs. Chance LAMER (USA)

51 kg
Matthew RAMOS (USA) vs. Seyedfran JAFARIANGELYERD (IRI)
Adem UZUN (TUR) vs. Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN)

60 kg
Sabir JAFAROV (AZE) vs. Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)
Shamil MAMEDOV (RUS) vs. Hamza ALACA (TUR)

71 kg
Bagrati GAGNIDZE (GEO) vs. Dominik MEZEI (HUN)
Alex FACUNDO (USA) vs. Baliyan GOURAV (IND)

92 kg
Omer AGTAS (TUR) vs. Giorgi CHANKSELIANI (GEO)
Johannes MAYER (GER) vs. Ali Reza ABDOLLAHI (IRI)

 

#development

South Africa completes phase one of UWW DNSS Program

Monday, November 17, 2025 - 08:24 By United World Wrestling Press

Share this article

PRETORIA, South Africa (November 17) --  The South African Wrestling Federation successfully completed the first phase of the United World Wrestling National Development and Support Strategy (DNSS) from October 17 to 26.

Under the supervision of Vincent AKA, UWW International Development Officer for Africa, and the coordination of Markus DEKKER, member of the SAWF Coaches Council, a nationwide development mission was undertaken. The UWW-SAWF team visited provincial associations, conducting technical assessments, talent identification sessions, and workshops for coaches.

South Africa

Using the UWW National Federation Assessment Tool (NFAT), the mission provided a detailed overview of the current state of wrestling in South Africa -- from grassroots participation to elite athlete preparation.

The tour covered major provinces including Western Cape, Eastern Province, Free State, Northern Cape, Gauteng North, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West, engaging hundreds of athletes, coaches, and local administrators.

The assessment revealed strong technical potential among the U15 and U17 categories, as well as a growing passion for wrestling across communities and schools.

The mission also identified the need for stronger governance structures and more consistent communication between SAWF, provinces, and clubs to unify efforts under a national development plan.

Both teams will continue to work towards second phase of the program which will include establishing two regional pilot centers [Pretoria and Western Cape] to act as training and coordination hubs, launch a "School Integration" program linking PE teachers, schools, and wrestling clubs, developing a national athlete database to monitor and support emerging talents.

It will also aim to organize governance and compliance workshops to reinforce management capacity, implementing UWW coaching courses nationwide, forming a National Technical Committee to coordinate DNSS implementation and introducing measurable evaluation indicators to ensure accountability and progress tracking.