#WrestleHammamet

Thirty-Six Olympic Berths Secured by 10 Different Nations at African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier

Monday, April 5, 2021 - 19:08 By United World Wrestling Press

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HAMMAMET, Tunisia (April 5) -- Thirty-six Olympic berths were secured by 10 different nations this past weekend at the African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Hammamet, Tunisia. Wrestlers who finished in the top two in their respective weight categories qualified their nations for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Host nation Tunisia secured the most Olympic berths with 10 across the three styles. Algeria qualified eight weight categories, while Egypt qualified seven.

Below is a brief recap from each of the three styles.

Greco

Greco-Roman 

Tunisia tallied a quartet of Tokyo berths in Greco-Roman. They claimed the team title, finishing five points ahead of second-place Algeria, who also nabbed four Olympic berths.

The four wrestlers who earned Tunisian tickets to the Olympic Games were: Souleymen NASR (TUN), Lamjed MAAFI (TUN), Haikel ACHOURI (TUN) and Amine GUENNICHI (TUN). Nasr and Maafi won titles, while Achouri and Guennichi finished second. 

Algeria had a solo champion and three runner-ups and also booked four tickets to Tokyo. Their four berths came at 60kg, 67kg, 87kg and 97kg. Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG) won gold at 97kg, while Abdelkarim Fergat (60kg), Abdelmalek MERABET (ALG) (67kg) and Bachir SID AZARA (ALG) (87kg) closed out the day with silver-medal finishes.

Egypt won three golds and finished third place in the team race. Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY), Mohamed METWALLY (EGY) and Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) were crowned champions at 60kg, 87kg and 130kg, respectively.

Women's wrestling

Rio Olympic bronze medalist Marwa AMRI (TUN) assisted her country in winning three gold medals and a silver and grabbed the team title 45 points ahead of second-place Nigeria, who earned three women’s wrestling Olympic berths on the day.

Sarra HAMDI (TUN), Siwar BOUSETA (TUN) and Amri won golds at 50kg, 57kg and 62kg, while Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN) won silver at 76kg.

Cameroon’s Joseph ESSOMBE TIAKO (CMR) stole the show on Saturday night en route to winning the 53kg gold medal. The now-two-time Olympian obliterated her three competitors – scoring back-to-back falls before capturing the crown with a 53-second technical superiority win over Rckaela AQUINO (GUM) in the finals.

Other gold medals in women's wrestling went to Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) and Samar HAMZA (EGY).

Freestyle

Freestyle

Six countries combined to secure the 12 Olympic berths in freestyle that were on the line on the final day of the African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier on Sunday.

Algeria led the way by capturing four quotas while Egypt, Tunisia and Guinea-Bissau claimed two each. Senegal and Nigeria also registered their names by claiming a berth each for the Tokyo Olympics.

Egypt edged host nation Tunisia for the freestyle team title despite both countries having 105 points. The former had two gold medal finishes compared to the one of Tunisia.

Amr HUSSEN (EGY) led his country's charge as he defeated three-time Olympian Augusto MIDANA (GBS), 10-0, in the 74kg final. Another gold medal for Egypt was earned by Rio Olympian and African champion at 125kg Diaaeldin Kamal Gouda ABDELMOTTALEB in the Nordic style bracket.

At 57kg, 19-year-old Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS) stole the show as he claimed the gold medal in stunning fashion by pinning two-time African champion Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG) in just 57 seconds.

Tunisia also had two finalists but managed to claim only one gold. Rio Olympian Mohamed SAADAOUI (TUN) won the 97kg gold after Mohammed FARDJ (ALG) pulled out midway with an injury.

Adama DIATTA (SEN), who is now a three-time Olympian, claimed the lone spot for his country by edging Haithem DAKHLAOUI (TUN) to win gold at 65kg.

At 86kg, Ekerekeme AGIOMOR (NGR) could not have scripted a better finish for himself. Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG) surprised Agiomor with a five-point throw after starting with a single attack. Trailing 6-5 in the final 10 seconds of the bout, the Nigerian got an exposure over the Algerian to claim the gold medal. 

RESULTS

Greco-Roman

60kg
GOLD - Haithem MAHMOUD (EGY) df. Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG), 10-3
BRONZE -  Fouad FAJARI (MAR) df. Mehdi JOUINI (TUN), 8-0 

67kg
GOLD - Souleymen NASR (TUN)
SILVER - Abdelmalek MERABET (ALG)
BRONZE - Gert COETZEE (RSA) 

77kg
GOLD -  Lamjed MAAFI (TUN) df. Zied AIT OUAGRAM (MAR), 3-3
BRONZE - Wael ABDELRAHMAN (EGY) df. Abd Elkrim OUAKALI (ALG), 8-4

87kg
GOLD - Mohamed METWALLY (EGY) df. Bachir SID AZARA (ALG), via injury default
BRONZE - Mohamed MISSAOUI (TUN) df. Edward LESSING (RSA), via fall 

97kg
GOLD -  Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG) 
SILVER - Haikel ACHOURI (TUN) 
BRONZE - Mohamed Ali Elsayed GABR (EGY)

130kg
GOLD - Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY)
SILVER - Amine GUENNICHI (TUN) 
BRONZE - Hichem KOUCHIT (ALG)

Women's wrestling

50kg
GOLD – Sarra HAMDI (TUN)
SILVER – SAdijat Avorshai IDRIS (NGR)
BRONZE – Nada MOHAMED (EGY)

53kg
GOLD – Joseph ESSOMBE (CMR) df. Rckaela AQUINO (GUM), 10-0
BRONZE – Siwar LOUATI BEN ALI (TUN) df. Elisa RASOANANTENAINA (MAD), via fall
BRONZE –  Bose SAMUEL (NGR) df. Lamia CHEMLAL (ALG), 10-0

57kg
GOLD –  Siwar BOUSETA (TUN) df. Fatoumata CAMARA (GUI), 9-3
BRONZE – Rayane HOUFAF (ALG) df. Eman EBRAHIM (EGY), via inj. def.

62kg
GOLD – Marwa AMRI (TUN)
SILVER – Aminat ADENIYI (NGR)
BRONZE – Berthe ETANE NGOLLE (CMR) 

68kg
GOLD – Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)
SILVER – Enas AHMED (EGY) 
BRONZE – Khadija JLASSI (TUN) 

76kg
GOLD – Samar HAMZA (EGY)
SILVER – Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN) 
BRONZE – Amy YOUIN (CIV)

Freestyle

57kg
GOLD: Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS) df Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG), via fall
BRONZE: Kossai AJIMI (TUN) df Junjun ASEBIAS (FSM), 2-0
BRONZE: Chakir ANSARI (MAR) df Gamal Abdelnaser Hanafy MOHAMED (EGY), 16-14

65kg
GOLD: Adama DIATTA (SEN) df Haithem DAKHLAOUI (TUN), 1-1
BRONZE: Reynhardt LOUW (RSA) df Aime Mbolalalaina Joel RAKOTONIAINA (MAD), 11-0
BRONZE: Fathi Tarek Fathi Attia ISMAIL (EGY) df Mostafa REZAEIFAR (AUS), 10-4

74kg
GOLD: Amr Reda Ramadan HUSSEN (EGY) df Augusto MIDANA (GBS), 10-0
BRONZE: Ayoub BARRAJ (TUN) df Ishak BOUKHORS (ALG), via fall
BRONZE: Ogbonna Emmanuel JOHN (NGR) df Elias Lauofo VAOIFI (ASA), 6-2

86kg
GOLD: Ekerekeme AGIOMOR (NGR) df Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG), 7-6
BRONZE: Khaled Masoud Ismail ELMOATAMADAWI (EGY) df Bedopassa Buassat DJONDE (GBS), 7-0
BRONZE: Maher GHANMI (TUN) df Jayden Alexander LAWRENCE (AUS), 10-0

97kg
GOLD: Mohamed SAADAOUI (TUN) df Mohammed FARDJ (ALG), via VIN
BRONZE: Martin ERASMUS (RSA) df Soso TAMARAU (NGR), via fall
BRONZE: Hosam Mohamed Mostafa MERGHANY (EGY) df Thomas John Mcglinchey BARNS (AUS), 6-4

125kg
GOLD: Diaaeldin Kamal Gouda ABDELMOTTALEB (EGY)
SILVER: Djahid BERRAHAL (ALG)
BRONZE: Abdelmoneim ADOULI (TUN)
4th: Johannes Jacobus KRIEL (RSA)
 

#WrestleTirana

European Championships 2026 Day 6 Freestyle Highlights

Saturday, April 25, 2026 - 08:56 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (April 25) -- The last five weight classes of European Championships will be in action on Saturday. Zavur UGUEV (UWW), Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB), Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SV), Ibragim KADIEV (UWW), Georgios KOUGIOUMSTIDIS (GRE) are among the stars that hit the mat in 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg and 125kg.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | UKRAINE RECORD HAUL

UWW Plus

14:00: Osman GOCEN (TUR) cannot get his leg out of Ibragim KADIEV (UWW) hold in what was one of the most entertaining matches of the morning session. Kadiev led for most of the match but Gocen kept coming back and made it 4-4 with exposure points but a reversal gives Kadiev a 5-4. He then turns Gocen to extend it to 7-4. However, Gocen with a takedown with 24 seconds left to make it one-point difference. But as he shoots for an attack, Kadiev hangs on to Gocen's leg and doesn't let it go, winning the semifinal 7-6.

13:45: Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) places himself in the 86kg semifinals with a big 10-0 victory over Eugeniu MIHALCEAN (MDA). Dzhioev will face Ivars SAMUSONOK (LAT) for a place in the gold medal bout

13:35: Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) has an unbreakable defense in the world. He frustrates Timur BIZHOEV (UWW) in the 74kg semifinals and beats him 2-1. Salkazanov is chasing his fifth European title

13:25: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE ((GEO) into the semifinals at 86kg with a 5-1 victory over Joshua MORODION (GER). Gamkrelidze looks in solid form but will face a tough challenge in the semifinals in one of Ibragim KADIEV (UWW) and Osman GOCEN (TUR).

(UWW) Nikita DMITRIJEVS MAYEUSKI (7)(AZE) Turan BAYRAMOV (9)

13:16: World silver medalist Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) has no answer to Ali TCOKAEV (AZE) wrestling as the Azerbaijan wrestler blanks Maisuradze 5-0 to advance to the 92kg semifinals

13:15: Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB), the returning medalist at 61kg, is back into the semifinals. He sends the home crowd into a frenzy after he defeated Niklas STECHELE (GER), 6-2.

13:10: Defending champion Zavur UGUEV (UWW) hits a massive counter using a double underhook on Dzmitry SHAMELA (UWW) and then works on a 11-2 victory to enter the semifinal against Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM). It will be a rematch of the final from last year which Uguev won.

13:05: Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) with a takedown in the final five seconds to beat Khachatur KHACHATRYAN (ARM) at 125kg. The defending champion was down 3-3 on criteria and then gave up a takedown to fall behind 5-3. Khachatryna tries to defend is but in no position to do it as Meshvildishvili hits a double leg outside takedown for the criteria win.

12:50: Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR) with late takedown in a back-and-forth match to beat Shamil MUSAEV (UWW), 6-5 at 125kg. Every time Musaev seemed to chip away, Buyukcingil came back with a takedown.

12:45: Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) gives up one point against Kamil KERYMOV (UKR) but has no trouble in beating the Ukrainian 11-1 and advance to the semifinals at 61kg

12:40: World champion at 79kg Georgios KOUGIOMISTDIS (GRE) falls in the first round against Osman GOCEN (TUR), 5-3. He began well with takedown and stepout but Gocen comes back with two takedowns to take a 4-3 lead. Kougiomistdis commits a offensive foul. Greece challenge the call and but lost it to win a point to Gocen.

12:30: Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) sets up a match against Ibragim KADIEV (UWW) after a 8-1 victory over Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) at 86kg. Just controlling the bout through and through for the win.

12:20: Timur BIZHOEV (UWW), trying to the coveted 74kg gold, begins with a 11-0 shutout victory over Ibragim VELIEV (BEL) and advance. 

12:15: World bronze medalist Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) is like a workhorse and slowly pile ups the points over Denys BYKOV (UKR), winning his 86kg opening bout 10-0.

12:05: Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) survives a scre against Farhad NOURIKHORJESTAN (UWW) at 74kg. Bayramov fell behind 2-1 but scored a stepout to take a 2-2 criteria lead before defending it for the win.

11:30: Home-favorite Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) moves forward at 61kg after a 12-2 technical superiority win over Simone PIRODDU (ITA). He blocked an arm throw from Prioddu to score his opening points before using a 2-on-1 for snap takedown and turn to lead 6-0. Piroddu scored two exposure points from a scramble but Abakarov quickly escaped and turned him three times for the win.

11:25: Returning silver medalist Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) works on his murderous leg-lace and beats Vladimir EGOROV (MKD), 11-0.

11:15: Kamil KERYMOV (UKR) does a perfect fireman's carry against Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) to score four points. He then continues to turn Kerymov and comes out with an 8-2 lead from the scramble. Ormanoglu scores two more points but Kerymov wins 8-4

11:10: Big match on Mat C as Shamil MUSAEV (UWW) takes on returning silver medalist Soloman MANASHVILI (GEO) at 125kg. Musaev with a trip to open the scoring for two points before giving up a reversal. He scored a go-behind to go ahead 4-1. Manashvili cut the lead to 4-3 after exposure with a minute left in the bout. But a struggling Manashvili gives up two more go-behinds and drops his first bout 8-3

10:30: Welcome to day six of the European Championships in Tirana. After the repechage rounds, the qualifications will being in 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg and 125kg.