#Grappling

Four earn double titles at European Grappling Championships

By Vinay Siwach

BAKU, Azerbaijan (May 29) -- The dominance of Individual Neutral Athletes was challenged by the field in the Grappling Gi competition at the European Grappling Championships in Baku. After AINs won all 10 gold medals in men's grappling, they were stopped to five in Grappling Gi.

Magomedbek TEMEEV (AIN), Artur AGASHIRINOV (AIN) and Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA) upgraded their silver medals to gold in grappling while Shamil MAZHIDKHANOV (AIN) repeated as the European champion.

Jerzy IZDEBSKI (POL), Samy MEZACHE (FRA) and Mateusz MAZUR (POL) were bronze medalists in grappling but managed to win the gold medal in Grappling Gi with some stunning performances.

In women's Grappling Gi, Alicja IRENA (POL) upgraded her silver to gold at 53kg, avenging her loss to Carlota PRENDES (ESP) in the final. Olesia ZHURAVLEVA (AIN) repeated as the champion at 58kg as did Alsu IANSHINA (AIN) at 71kg and Justyna SITKO (POL) at 90kg.

Laila OHLHOFF (GER) made sure she capped off her run at 64kg with a gold medal, beating Veronika KARAKHONOVA (AIN), 6-5, in a thrilling final.

RESULTS

Men’s Grappling Gi

58k
GOLD: Jerzy IZDEBSKI (POL) df. Ilia ABRAMENKO (AIN), via submission

BRONZE: Vahid ALAKBAROV (AZE) df. Bohdan CHORNEI (UKR), via submission

62kg
GOLD: Magomedbek TEMEEV (AIN) df. Dmytro BARANOV (UKR), 7-4

BRONZE: Wojciech GRYZ (POL) df. Philippe ALILAT (FRA), via forfeit
BRONZE: Vladimir KOZLOV (AIN) df. Mykola NYKYFORUK (UKR), via submission

66kg
GOLD: Artur AGASHIRINOV (AIN) df. Giorgi RAZMADZE (GEO), 2-2

BRONZE: Gazimagomed TAGAEV (AIN) df. Bartosz TYRKIEL (POL), via submission
BRONZE: Giovanni SUAREZ (ESP) df. Vadym SKRYNYTSIA (UKR), 4-2

71kg
GOLD: Kurban KADIEV (AIN) df. Sandor LAKATOS (HUN), 3-0

BRONZE: Nico PULVERMUELLER (GER) df. Vladyslav POHORILOV (UKR), 11-0
BRONZE: Dzhimsher RAZMADZE (GEO) df. Piotr DUDZINSKI (POL), 8-0

77kg
GOLD: Magomed DAURBEKOV (AIN) df. Iker CAMARA (ESP), 3-1

BRONZE: Adilkhan VALIEV (AIN) by forfeit
BRONZE: Dumitru CEBAN (MDA) df. Arthur LEROY (FRA), 2-2 in overtime

84kg
GOLD: Samy MEZACHE (FRA) df. Eneko DIEZ PUEBLA (ESP), 3-2

BRONZE: Igor DZIAG (POL) df. Pawel JAWORSKI (POL), via submission (0-4)
BRONZE: Pierre MANZO (FRA) df. Rasul ABDULVADUDOV (AIN), 5-4

92kg
GOLD: Mateusz MAZUR (POL) df. Mantas DAUBLYS (LTU), via cautions (6-2)

BRONZE: Pablo ESTEPA NIETO (ESP) df. Murat KHASANOV (AIN), via disqualification
BRONZE: Imran KHAMIDOV (AIN) df. Levente LAKY (HUN), via submission

100kg
GOLD: Shamil MAZHIDKHANOV (AIN) df. Francisco MARTINEZ VILA (ESP), 18-0

BRONZE: Ivan MALIN (UKR) df. Andrzej IWAT (POL), via decision
BRONZE: Vasif SAFARBAYOV (AZE) df. Arnold OCULI (FRA), 8-2

130kg
GOLD: Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA) df. Eldar MAMMADOV (AZE), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Wojciech WILK (POL) df. Viktor KLIUEV (AIN), 2-0

Women’s Grappling Gi

53kg
GOLD: Alicja IRENA (POL) df. Carlota PRENDES (ESP), 7-5

BRONZE: Kristina RAU (GER) df. Daria LUKIANCHIKOVA (AIN), via submission

58kg
GOLD: Olesia ZHURAVLEVA (AIN) df. Irina KUPRINA (AIN), via submission

BRONZE: Jazmin ARJONA (ESP) df. Paulina STASKIEWICZ (POL), 5-3

64kg
GOLD: Laila OHLHOFF (GER) df. Veronika KARAKHONOVA (AIN), 6-5

BRONZE: Anna CASTELLS (ESP) df. Joanna ZABULEWICZ (POL), 2-1
BRONZE: Daria CHIBISOVA (UKR) df. Viktoriia PANCHENKO (UKR), via submission

71kg
GOLD: Alsu IANSHINA (AIN)
SILVER: Alycia QUENEE (FRA)
BRONZE: Emily GUENZLER (GER)

90kg
GOLD: Justyna SITKO (POL)
SILVER: Alena VLASOVA (AIN)
BRONZE: Paula MARTINEZ (ESP)

#WrestleZagreb

Croatia to host 2025 World Championships, non-Olympic Worlds returns

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 15) -- For the first time in wrestling history, Zagreb, Croatia will host the World Championships in 2025. The mega event will take place in Zagreb from September 13-21.

The United World Wrestling Bureau held a meeting Friday to discuss future hosts and the Senior World Championships 2025 was awarded to Zagreb, a regular on the wrestling calendar for a decade now, hosting the European Championships and the Ranking Series regularly. The Zagreb Open has been the season opener for international wrestling on many occasions.

The World Championships will be another historic event in Croatia’s wrestling journey. In August, the country crowned its first-ever world champion when Veronika VILK (CRO) won the U17 World Championships in Istanbul, Turkiye.

Non-Olympic Worlds in Tirana

The Bureau also decided that a World Championships in non-Olympic weight classes will be held in 2024. The World Championships will be held in Tirana, Albania from October 28 to 31, right after the U23 World Championships which will be held in the same venue from October 21 to 27.

Non-Olympic weights World Championships in Tirana this year will be the first time it will be held since 2016 when Budapest became the host. Tirana will see wrestlers in 12 weight classes -- 61kg, 70kg, 79kg and 92kg in Freestyle; 55kg, 59kg, 65kg and 72kg in Women's Wrestling; 55kg, 63kg, 72kg and 82kg in Greco-Roman.

A detailed program of the World Championships will be sent to all National Federations later.