UWW Live

UWW LIVE: Zhan Beleniuk: Two-Time World Champion

By United World Wrestling Press

Zhan BELENIUK (UKR) is one of the world's most decorated Greco-Roman wrestlers. 

In 2019, Beleniuk captured his second world title with a victory over Viktor LORINCZ (HUN) in the gold-medal match at 87kg. It was his fourth world medal to go along with an Olympic silver medal he claimed at the 2016 Rio Games. 

Beleniuk joined Eric Olanowski to talk about his road to a winning pair of world titles, his aspirations of improving his Rio Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games and his role over the last year as a member of the Ukrainian Parliament.
 

#WrestleZagreb

Olympic champ Jamalov to miss 2025 World Championships

By Eric Olanowski

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (May 14) -- Paris Olympic champion Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) will miss the 2025 World Championships.

Jamalov told United World Wrestling that he will undergo knee surgery on May 19 in Moscow and will be sidelined for the rest of the 2025 season.

This is the second surgery for Jamalov in last eight months, and 10th of his career, as he also had a shoulder surgery shortly after his win in Paris in August 2024.

"This will be my fifth surgery on my knee," Jamalov told UWW. "I've also had three surgeries on both shoulders, one on my neck, and one for tonsils.

"This is very difficult news because I was hoping to be ready for the 2025 World Championships. It's an old injury that I suffered before the Ranking Series tournament in Hungary [last year]. It's a complete tear of the cruciate ligament."

Despite the physical and mental toll of ten surgeries, the 26-year-old is gearing up for the wrestling season in 2026.

"Even after 10 surgeries, I want to keep wrestling," he said. "I'm aiming to be back in action at the beginning of 2026. Without wrestling, life feels boring to me. Of course, there are doubts sometimes, but I try to work hard and keep believing."