#WrestleYakutsk

Freestyle World Cup Rosters

Wednesday, March 13, 2019 - 13:30 By Eric Olanowski

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YAKUTSK, Russia (March 13) - United World Wrestling has released the full rosters for the 2019 Freestyle World Cup, which begins Saturday, March 16, in Yakutsk, Russia. 

The host nation will compete this weekend in Group A. For Russia to earn top-billing in 2019, the home side will need to win a Group A side which includes a resurgent Cuban team, Japan, and Turkey. 

The United States heads up Group B but faces steep competition from a Georgia squad rife with former world and Olympic champions, including two-time defending heavyweight world champion Geno PETRIASHVILLI. A young Iranian team and ever-improving Mongolia squad fill out Group B. 

Groups
Group A - RUS (1), CUB (4), JPN (5), TUR (8)
Group B - USA (2), GEO (3), IRI (6), MGL (7)

Unofficial Schedule 
March 16 (Saturday) 
08:30 - Medical examination and weigh in 
11:00 - First round matches 
16:00 - Opening ceremony 
16:30 - Second round matches

March 17 (Sunday) 
08:30 - Medical examination and weigh in 
11:00 - Third round matches  
13:30 - Fifth - sixth, seventh-eighth place matches 
15:15 - Third-fourth place match 
17:00 - Final, award ceremony

Russia's three-time world and Olympic champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV was added to the host nation's roster last weekend. He'll join Russia's other reigning world champion Zaurbek SIDAKOV as a team captain. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne)

Group A 

Russia (2018 World Championships: 1st place) 
57kg - Muslim SADULAEV                   
57kg - Aryian TIUTRIN             
61kg - Zelimkhan ABAKAROV
61kg - Ramazan FERZALIEV                    
65kg - Gadshimurad RASHIDOV 
65kg - Viktor RASSADIN                        
70kg - David BAEV                  
70kg - Anzor ZAKUEV   
74kg - Zaurbek SIDAKOV                    
74kg - Timor BIZHOYEV        
79kg - Magomed RAMAZANOV          
79kg - Husej SUUNCEV
86kg - Vladislav VALIEV                      
86kg - Dauren KURUGLIEV                  
92kg - Magomed KURBANOV             
92kg - Alikhan ZHABRAILOV               
97kg - Abdulrashid SADULAEV                 
97kg - Vladislav BAITSAEV 
125kg - Zelimkhan KHIZRIYEV 
125kg - Pavel KRIVTSOV 

Cuba (2018 World Championships: 4th place) 
57kg - Reineri ANDREU ORTEGA
61kg- Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ
65kg - Alejandro Enrique VALDES TOBIER
70kg - Franklin MAREN CASTILLO
74kg - Jeandry GARZON CABALLERO
79kg - Reinier PEREZ ABREU
86kg - Yurieski TORREBLANCA QUERALTA
92kg - Lazaro Daniel HERNANDEZ LUIS
97kg - Reineris SALAS PEREZ
125kg - Oscar PINO HINDS

Japan (2018 World Championships: 5th place) 
57kg - Yuki TAKAHASHI
61kg - Yudai FUJITA
65kg - Daichi TAKATANI
70kg - Kojiro SHIGA
74kg - Yuhi FUJINAMI
74kg - Yuto MIWA
79kg - Yuta ABE
86kg - Sohsuke TAKATANI
92kg - Atsushi MATSUMOTO
97kg - Naoya AKAGUMA
125kg - Nobuyoshi ARAKIDA
125kg - Katsutoshi KANAZAWA

Turkey (2018 World Championships: 8th place) 
57kg - Ali KARABOGA
61kg - Munir Recep AKTAS
65kg - Cengizhan ERDOGAN
70kg - Serhat ARSLAN
74kg - Nazim Selami KARA
79kg - Abdulkadir OZMEN
86kg - Fatih ERDIN
92kg - Suleyman KARADENIZ
97kg - Ali BONCEOGLU
125kg - Abdullah OMAC

Reigning world bronze medalist TUMENBILEG Tuvshintulga (MGL) leads a Mongolian squad that's looking to improve on their sixth-place finish from the past four years. (Photo: Max Rose-Fyne) 

Group B

United States (2018 World Championships: 2nd place) 
57kg - Zane RICHARDS
57kg - Zachary SANDERS
61kg - Nicholas MEGALUDIS
65kg - Zain RETHERFORD
70kg - Jason CHAMBERLAIN
74kg - Isaiah MARTINEZ
79kg - Thomas GANTT JR
86kg - Samuel BROOKS
92kg - Hayden ZILLMER
97kg - Kyven GADSON
125kg - Anthony NELSON

Georgia (2018 World Championships: 3rd place) 
57kg - Lasha LOMTADZE
61kg - Tornike KATAMADZE
65kg - Amiran VAKHTANGASHVILI
70kg - Mirza SKHULUKHIA
74kg - Zurabi ERBOTSONASHVILI
79kg - Davit KHUTSISHVILI
86kg - Tarzan MAISURADZE
92kg - Dato MARSAGISHVILI
97kg - Mamuka KORDZAIA
125kg - Rolandi ANDRIADZE

Iran (2018 World Championships: 6th place) 
57kg - Alireza SARLAK
61kg - Iman SADEGHIKOUKANDEH
65kg - Morteza GHIASI CHEKA
70kg - Meisam NASIRI
74kg - Reza AFZALIPAEMAMI
79kg - Mojtaba ASGHARI OSMAVANDANI
86kg - Mersad MARGHZARI
92kg - Hossein SHAHBAZIGAZVAR
92kg - Mohammadjavad EBRAHIMIZIVLAEI
97kg - Alireza GOODARZI
97kg - Ali SHABANIBENGAR
125kg - Komeil GHASEMI
125kg - Amin TAHERI

Mongolia (2018 World Championships: 7th place) 
57kg - TUMENBILEG Tuvshintulga
61kg - GANSUKH Otgonbaatar
65kg - BATCHULUUN Batmagnai
70kg - GANZORIG Mandakhnaran
74kg - BAT ERDENE Byambadorj 
79kg - PUREVJAV Unurbat
86kg - ORGODOL Uitumen
92kg - BAASANTSOGT Ulziisaikhan 
97kg - ULZIISAIKHAN Batzul
125kg - DORJKHAND Khuderbulga

2026 U20 Asian Championships

China's Yang Turns Weight-Loss Plan into Historic U20 Asian Gold

Tuesday, July 7, 2026 - 10:04 By Vinay Siwach

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PATTAYA, Thailand (July 6) -- Even Yuanchong YANG (CHN) could not help but appreciate the irony.

Yang was introduced to wrestling because he was overweight. His parents simply wanted their youngest son to lose a few kilos. Instead, he created history for China, becoming the country's heaviest-ever Asian Freestyle champion.

China won only one Freestyle medal at the 2026 U20 Asian Wrestling Championships in Pattaya, Thailand but Yang made sure it was a historic one.

The 97kg wrestler claimed the gold medal to become China's first-ever U20 Asian champion in Freestyle and only the sixth Chinese to win an Asian Freestyle title at any level. He also surpassed Ying WANG (CHN), who won the 84kg title at the 2008 Senior Asian Championships, as the heaviest Chinese Freestyle wrestler to capture an Asian gold medal.

"I was extremely fat in elementary school, so my parents sent me to a sports school [later] to exercise and become thinner and healthier," Yang told United World Wrestling. "My parents thought wrestling would help me lose weight faster."

Yuanchong YANG (CHN)Yuanchong YANG (CHN) celebrates after winning the gold medal in 97kg at the U20 Asian Championships in Pattaya, Thailand. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

When he first stepped onto the mat as a 12-year-old, Yang never imagined he would one day represent China. Wrestling was simply a way to shed the extra kilos.

"Following my training, I was deeply touched by the passion of my team, the teamwork and the charm of wrestling," he said.

Yang's first major breakthrough came in 2023 when he captured the U17 National Championships title. Later that year, he represented China at the East Asian Youth Games but returned home without a medal.

"I saw my older teammates winning medals consistently, so I set myself the goal of winning my own gold medal," he said. "After five years of training, I finally won the U17 title in 2023."

Yang competed at both the 2025 U20 and U23 World Championships but came up short in both after losing close bouts. When he returned home to Jinan, Shandong Province, he shifted his focus to the 2026 season.

Last week in Pattaya, Yang produced a dominant 11-0 technical superiority win over LACKY (IND) in the semifinals before defeating Samir DURSUNOV (KAZ), 8-2, in the final to complete his historic run.

Yang relied on strong underhooks to force pushouts and controlled the par terre exchanges with an effective gut wrench, leaving little room for his opponents to recover.

Yuanchong YANG (CHN)Yuanchong YANG (CHN) at the podium with the 97kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

As he stood atop the podium, Yang was emotional but he soon realised that this is just the beginning.

"When I received the gold medal, I was really happy," he said. "But while I was walking down from the podium, I realised there are higher goals waiting for me. I can't be satisfied with this. My next target is to win a medal at the Senior Asian Championships."