Obituary

Nico Coetzee, UWW Educator and Head Coach of South African Wrestling, Dies at 56

Thursday, May 27, 2021 - 15:03 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (May 27) -- Nico Coetzee, head wrestling coach of South Africa and UWW Educator, died suddenly on Tuesday. He was 56.

Coetzee was active in all aspects of wrestling in Africa. He was the head wrestling coach for South Africa since 2009, and for the past several years was a UWW Instructor tasked with assisting in the education and development of wrestling across the continent.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of Nico's death," said United World Wrestling president Nenad LALOVIC. "He was one of the sport's best leaders on Africa and we will miss his input. I send my condolences to his family, his wrestlers, and all those who called him a friend."

Coetzee grew up in the then small-town Boksburg, in South Africa. After finishing school, he completed his Honours Degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Pretoria. At school Coetzee participated in long distance running, rugby, boxing, and wrestling.

When his son was born, Coetzee's passion for wrestling, and specifically coaching, was ignited. He joined the Boksburg Wrestling Club as a coach and climbed the ladder to coaching excellence very fast. In 2006 he became the provincial head coach and three years later became the head coach for the South African Wrestling Federation.

In 2019, coach Coetzee was awarded the Gauteng Sports Coach of the Year. He had been instrumental in the development of the National Coaching Framework of the South African National Olympic Committee, SASCOC, now SASCA (The South African Sports Coaching Association), where he was elected a board member.

In addition to his many leadership roles in South Africa, Coetzee was also a sport-specific mentor for the WSLA High-Performance Coach program, which provides leadership training opportunities to women in sport.

"Nico was a lovely man and oversaw several projects developing wrestling on the continent and around the world," said Development Director Deqa Niamkey  "I always appreciated his positivity and energy. He's the kind of person who really did make a difference in our sport and used it as a way to enhance humanity as a whole."

"We are devastated."

#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar Open 2026 Day 2 Results & Highlights

Thursday, June 4, 2026 - 17:14 By Vinay Siwach

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ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (June 5) -- The second day of the Ulaanbaatar Open will feature three Greco-Roman and five Women's Wrestling weight classes. Iran, Bulgaria and India won two Greco-Roman gold medals each on day one of the competition.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 1 RESULTS

Semifinals with Greco-Roman

12:40: Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) stuns Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) in Round 3 at 63kg! Sharshenbekov did not score from par terre in the first period. On the other hand, Keshtkar scored an exposure from par terre to lead 3-1 and Sharshenbekov committed a defensive foul to give two more points to Keshtkar which Iran got only after a challenge. As the bout restarted in par terre, Keshtkar lifted Sharshenbekov and threw him for two points while the Kyrgyzstan wrestler committed a leg foul. Kyrgyzstan challenged for no foul but lost it and Keshtkar got another point, taking his score to 10-1.

12:30: Solid match between European champion Andreea ANA (ROU) and MUSKAN (IND). Ana with a takedown and then two trap arm guts to lead 6-0. Muskan got one back and scored a takedown to make it 6-2. But Ana scored another takedown before the break to lead 8-2. Both kept exchange takedowns in the second period but Ana managed to keep her lead at 10-6 with 1:33 left. She then scored a stepout and three different takedown to complete her victory.

12:15: MEENAKSHI (IND) is no match for world champion Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) who gets a 10-0 victory in just over a minute. She scores a takedown and lace to lead 6-0 before scoring another counter takedown and a roll for four more points.

12:10: World silver medalist Il Sim SON (PRK) begins with a 11-0 victory over Danielle LIM (SGP) at 57kg. She needed only a minute and 36 seconds to roll Lim

11:45: Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) secures his places in the semifinals with Round 2 victory over Sunny KUMAR (IND). Sharshenbekov did not score from par terre but managed to bring down Kumar for four points using a body lock. He then defended par terre in the second period to complete the win at 63kg

11:35: All-Iranian bout at 63kg in Round 2 between Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) and Erfan JARKANI (IRI). Keshtkar gets the first par terre and he lifts Jarkani, tosses him for four points. Jarkani cannot do the same when he gets the par terre in the second period. He challenges for something not evident but loses it and Keshtkar leads 6-1. Jarkani gets a point for Keshtkar's foul but the latter wins 6-2. The win also confirms Keshtkar's spot on the Iran team for the 2026 World Championships

11:20: World champion at 55kg, Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) was a little rusty in the first period against Namuuntsetseg TSOGT OCHIR (MGL) at 53kg. She tripped the Mongolian for a four-pointer but also gave up for four on a cutback. However, she switches gears in the second period and rolls to a 14-4 victory.

11:05: European silver medalist Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) with a fall in Round 1 of the Nordic bracket at 72kg against HARSHITA (IND). Choler led 4-0 before countering a deep attack from the Indian and sticking her to the mat for the fall.

10:55: Out comes the lace from Pyol HONG (PRK) against Enkhtuvshin BALJINNYAM (MGL) and she rolls to a 10-0 technical superiority win at 59kg.

10:52: Bediha GUN (TUR) scored the opening takedown in her Round 1 bout against Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL) at 59kg. But the Mongolia uses an arm-bar to secure the fall over Gun in the second period.

10:45: Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) returns to the mat for close to two years and begins with a win. In his 63kg Round 1 bout, Sharshenbekov was up against Erfan JARKANI (IRI) and holds off the Iranian 1-1 on first-point criteria. Jarkani was given par terre twice in the second period, one with 30 seconds remaining, but Sharshenbekov defended both times. Since it's a Nordic bracket, the two can face each other again in the final.

10:30: Ulaanbaatar Open will enter the second day with five Women's Wresting weight classes and the remaining three Greco-Roman weights. Here are the results from day one of the tournament.