#BeachWrestling

Marchenko wins gold for Ukraine; Romania best at U20 Worlds

Saturday, September 3, 2022 - 12:47 By Vinay Siwach

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CONSTANTA, Romania (September 2) -- When Romania hosted its national championships for beach wrestling, more than 800 wrestlers registered across age groups. Perhaps Romania is by far the most active country in the sport.

So it was no surprise when seven of the eight finalists at the U20 World Championships at the Mamaia beach in Constanta, Romania were from the host country.

Winning three out of the four gold medals, Romania ended the championships as the best team in the women's category, as it did at the U17 edition a day before.

The only non-Romanian wrestler who managed to win the gold on Friday was Sofiia MARCHENKO (UKR), winning the 60kg title after beating Viorica ADAM (ROU) in the final.

While Adam, a silver medalist from the U17 World Championships last year, was the favorite, Marchenko dug deep to upset the local in the final minute of the bout.

Surprised by the constant attacks from Adam, Marchenko took time to adjust to Adam's style. On a few occasions, Adam almost got the fall but Marchenko managed to defend the attempted throws.

After two minutes of no action, Adam got the first point but Marchenko answered with a takedown four seconds later. But since she had a caution against her, Adams led 1-1 on criteria.

But Marchenko remained calm and scored a stepout with just 18 seconds remaining to win the gold medal.

"The final match was tough," Marchenko said. "The girl [Adam] was really active. I was risking with the hip-toss, but I did everything right and won."

Marchenko finished ninth at the U17 Worlds where Adams won the silver but has been training for the championships and it paid off.

"I practice freestyle wrestling, but when it’s getting warmer in summer I practice beach wrestling," she said.

The 18-year-old showed her class in the semifinal as well when she defeated Ana PUIU (ROU) 3-2 in the semifinal. She took a 1-0 lead with a snap down in the first four seconds but Puiu countered with an ankle pick. As the bout neared its end, Puiu took the lead when Marchenko's knee touched the sand.

With 37 seconds remaining, Puiu was happy defending her lead but Marchenko scored via a strong snap. She ended the bout with another snap down.

But Romania's three gold medalists came at 50kg, 70kg, and +70kg.

'21 U20 world bronze medalist Ana PIRVU (ROU) upgraded her medal to gold this year as she won her four bouts at 50kg to remain undefeated.

She began with a 1-0 win over Fanny VIGOUROUX (FRA) in Round 2 before beating Andreea BARAGA (ROU) 3-1 in Round 3, Nicoleta BAJAN (ROU) 3-0 in Round 4 and  Cristina ANDUJAR (ESP) 3-0 in Round 5.

At 70kg, Teodora SIRBU (ROU) defeated compatriot Paula ROTARU (ROU) 3-1 in the final to claim the gold medal. Sirbu had missed out on a medal last year but dominated the field on Friday to win her first world title in beach wrestling.

Drosoula TZIANAKOPOULOU (GRE) won the bronze medal after she beat Georgiana ANDRIES (ROU) 3-0. She won her second bronze in two days as she was a medalist at the U17 Worlds as well.

In the +70kg weight class, Elena MARGAS (ROU) pulled off a thrilling 2-2 win over Andreea SCARLATESCU (ROU) to win the gold medal.

Both wrestlers were tied 0-0 for the first two minutes before the referee penalized Margas for passivity. Scarlatsecu then scored a stepout to lead 2-0.

But Margas managed to get a point with five seconds remaining. She then got another throw in the final second to win 2-2.

Amalia RATUNZEANU (ROU) defeated Maren ANDERSON (USA) 3-0 in the bronze medal bout to ensure a sweep of the podium for Romania.

Georgian TRIPON (ROU)Georgian TRIPON (ROU), dark, won the +90kg gold medal. (Photo: FRL)

3 gold for Romania men

Like the women's category, Romania dominated the show in men's as well, winning three out of the four gold medals on offer.

At 70kg, Daniel SANDU (ROU) put the Round 1 loss against Alin CIORICI (MDA) behind him to reach the semifinals in which he defeated Rubail IBRAHIMLI (AZE) 3-2 in a close decision. Ibrahmili got behind Sandu and almost forced the Romanian's knee to touch the sand but his own knee touched first which gave Sandu the win.

In the final, he defeated Ion MARCU (MDA) 3-1 to be crowned champion, an improvement from his bronze medal at the U17 Worlds last year.

The final was expected to be a rematch between Sandu and Ciorici but in the semifinal, the Moldovan was tied 0-0 with Marcu. In such a case, the wrestler with lower weight wins. But both Marcu and Ciorici had the exact weight of 69.85kg.

As luck would have it, Marcu's draw number was lower than Ciorici which gave him the win over his teammate.

Ibrahimli bounced back in the bronze medal bout and defeated Ciorici 3-0 for the win.

At 80kg, Thor MICHAELSON (USA) looked in some form as he dominated his way to reach the semifinals against Ion MARCU (MDA). He was trailing 2-0 when he scored a three-point move to win and reach the final against Denis CHIRICA (ROU).

He once again came from behind with a lead 2-2 on criteria against Chirica but as he tried defending his lead with 10 seconds left, Chirica used a snap down in which Michaelson's knee touched the sand the Romanian won 3-2.

Marcu returned to beat Luca FINIZIO (ITA) 3-0 and win the bronze medal.

The Nordic bracket was followed at 90kg and Farid JABBAROV (AZE) emerged as the unbeaten wrestler after Round 5. 

He began with a win against Razvan PAVALASC (ROU), followed by Alexandru OLTEAN (ROU) and David MITRAN (ROU). In Round 5, he defeated Konstantinos TSAKNAKIS (GRE) to claim the gold medal.

Oltean with three wins was the silver medalist while Pavalasc took home the bronze with two wins.

Azerbaijan could have won a second gold medal but Georgian TRIPON (ROU) defeated Zafar ALIYEV (AZE) in the +90kg final to deny it.

In a rematch of the Round 3 bout which Tripon won, 3-2, Aliyev tried to avenge that loss but Tripon was well prepared for the final which he won 2-1.

The bronze medal was won by Rafail GKIRNIS (GRE) who defeated Eduard POPESCU (ROU) 2-0.

#WrestleBudapest

Ranking Series: Maroulis, Blades lead strong U.S. team to Budapest

Saturday, July 12, 2025 - 09:46 By Vinay Siwach

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (July 11) -- Although it will a Ranking Series by name, Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial tournament starting on Thursday in Budapest will serve more than just that for many wrestlers.

For some it will be about the ranking points, for other it is a preparatory tour for the World Championships. The United States is bringing its world team, almost while some others will test this event to select their representatives for the World Championships, to be held in September in Zagreb.

Helen MAROULIS (USA), who has not wrestled since winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in August 2024, will be leading the team which also has Paris Olympics silver medalist Kennedy BLADES (USA), who continues to shine at 68kg, a weight class she moved from 76kg at the start of the season.

Turkiye, Canada, India, Kazakhstan and a few United World Wrestling wrestlers will light up Budapest from July 17 to 20. Women's Wrestling will be held on 18 and 19. 

A few other individual stars will be making an appearance, namely, Irina RINGACI (MDA), Grace BULLEN (NOR), Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) and Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ).

Here's a breakdown of all 10 weight classes for Women' Wrestling in Budapest:

For Maroulis, who booked her World Championships spot on the U.S. team in June, the Budapest Ranking Series will pose a challenge as she returns to the mat. Having dominated the 'Final X' competition in the U.S., Maroulis will now look to show her dominance at the international stage. The U.S. has also entered Amanda MARTINEZ (USA) to the competition at 57kg.

Tokyo silver medalist and former European champion Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) and 2025 European champion Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) look to be the toughest challenge for Maroulis in the bracket. 

India's world U17 champion and world U20 medalist NEHA (IND) has made a few headlines by winning the Mongolian Open Ranking Series and followed that up with a gold medal at Yasar Dogu. Budapest will be a stern test for the youngster.

European silver medalist Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) is also in the mix to get Ranking points and get a seed for the World Championships.

Blades should run through the 68kg bracket in Budapest. She has the likes of world champion Buse TOSUN (TUR) and European champion Alina SHEVCHENKO (UWW) in the draw but Blades is a level above the field entered for the competition.

Blades won the Zagreb Open Ranking Series in February and also her first Pan-Am title in May. She is currently 12th in the rankings but has a chance to jump as high as sixth with a gold medal.

Tosun won a bronze medal at the European Championships in her first competition since the Paris Games and looked in good form, something she would love to carry to Budapest as well. An appearance in the final and she can well become the top ranked wrestler at 68kg.

Shevchenko made a great impression by winning the European gold in a tough bracket and has a consolidate on that win with a good show in Budapest.

Other names include Kendra DACHER (FRA), Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ) and Brooklyn HAYS (USA).

Dymond GUILFORD (USA)Both Dymond GUILFORD (USA) and Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) are entered at 76kg which could give us a rematch of Tirana final from February. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 76kg, a rematch of the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series final is on the cards as both Medet Kyzy and Dymond GUILFORD (USA) are entered. Guilford managed to beat Medet Kyzy in the final in Tirana but Medet Kyzy has since won the Asian Championships and Yasar Dogu golds.

Two young stars in the bracket include PRIYA (IND) and Elmira YASIN (TUR), both have multiple age-group continental and world medals. Former Asian champion Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) is also entered.

The 62kg and 65kg weight classes can throw some interesting match-ups, especially with Bullen and Rigaci continuing their season at 65kg. Bullen is a regular 62kg while Ringaci was at 68kg at Olympics and World Championships.

Ringaci and Bullen met in the 65kg final of the European Championships this year and the latter managed to beat Ringaci to capture the gold medal. Both can meet again in Budapest.

World bronze medalist Macey KILTY (USA), who will be in Zagreb for the U.S., will look to win gold and throw her hat in the ring as a contender for world title in Zagreb.

Dudova, Ana GODINEZ (CAN), MANISHA (IND), Esther KOLAWOLE (NGR), Adaugo NWACHUKWU (USA), Alina KASABIEVA (UWW) and Amina TANDELOVA (UWW) are some of the names that highlight 62kg.

Dudova won bronze at the European Championships while Godinez won the Pan-Am gold in May. Manisha was the Asian champion in April but lost at the Mongolian Open in June and will be keen on returning to winning ways.

Kolawale is the African champion while Nwachukwu won the 'Final X' and will be in Zagreb for the World Championships. Kasabieva has blown hot and cold so far, but had good wins at the Mongolian Open to build some momentum in the season.

Tandelova, the youngster with medals at Zagreb Open and European U23s, finished fifth at the senior Europeans but has the potential to be on the podium in Budapest.

At 53kg, world and Asian bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) will start as the favorite in the bracket, especially after her domination at the Mongolian Open. She won gold in Mongolia without giving up a point in four bouts.

European medalist Zeynep YETGIL (TUR), Felicity TAYLOR (USA) and Natalia MALYSHEVA (UWW) will look to finish on the podium as well.

In what will be one of the biggest brackets in Budapest, the 50kg will see European silver medalist Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR), Mongolia Open winner Natalia PUDOVA (UWW), European bronze medalist Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (UWW), multiple world age-group medalist Audrey JIMENEZ (USA), Madison PARKS (CAN), Emma LUTTENAUER (FRA) among others.

Pudova and Demirhan put on a stunning 50kg final in Ulaanbaatar which the former managed to win 7-6 despite comebacks from Demirhan. A medal in Budapest will put Pudova as one of the contenders for a podium-finish in Zagreb.

Pan-Am champion Karla GODINEZ (CAN), European champion Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) and the U.S. rep for Zagreb Worlds Cristelle RODRIGUEZ (USA) and Turkiye's young sensation Tuba DEMIR (TUR) will be the key names at 55kg.

At 59kg, world bronze medalist Othelie HOEIE (NOR) will look to win her first Ranking Series medal but has a tough road to medal bouts. She will have Elena BRUGGER (GER), Erika BOGNAR (HUN), Bediha GUN (TUR), Abigail NETTE (USA) and Anastasiia SIDELNIKOVA (UWW) in the same bracket.

Gun suffered a heartbreaking loss in the European finals but won Yasar Dogu tournament and will likely finish on podium in Budapest. Nette and Sidelnikova are strong contenders for a place in the final.

Three-time world silver medalist Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) should have an easy path to 72kg gold unless Alexandria GLAUDE (USA) or HARSHITA (IND) spring a surprise to deny her.