#Grappling

World Combat Games Qualifiers: 12 Grappling Gi quotas confimed

By Vinay Siwach

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (May 1) -- On the second day of the World Combat Games Qualifiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 12 more quotas were awarded, following an entertaining day one.

Sixteen Grappling quotas were earned on Sunday, while Monday saw 12 Grappling Gi athletes book their tickets for the World Combat Games to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in October 2023.

The qualification process for the World Combat Games began in 2022 in Pontevedra, Spain, which also offered 40 quotas. The four highest-placed grapplers in each of the senior weight categories qualified for the World Combat Games in Saudi Arabia, scheduled for October 2023.

In Tashkent, the process is the same, and the first four highest-placed athletes in each weight category will qualify for one quota place for their national federation. However, if more than one athlete from the same country is ranked in the first four highest places in a weight category, only one quota will be allocated to the country. The remaining quota(s) will be reallocated in the same weight category to the national federation of the next best-ranked athlete who has not yet qualified.

With the deadline fast approaching, the national federations must confirm the usage of the quotas won by their grapplers to United World Wrestling at the earliest.

Men's Grappling Gi

71kg
Alessio SACCHETTI (ITA)
Feruzbek UROKOV (UZB)
Sandor LAKATOS (HUN)
Fierre AFAN (PHI)

100kg
Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA)
Evgenii SLESARENKO (KGZ)
Azizbek SHARIPOV (UZB)
Guglielmo CECCA (ITA)

Women's Grappling Gi

53kg
Zhenishgul ABDYRAKHMAN KYZY (KGZ)

64kg
Zilolakhon MUHAMMADOVA (UZB)

71kg
Shynar UZBEKOVA (KAZ)
Bubusaira ABDILMANAP KYZY (KGZ)

#WrestleZagreb

Wednesday night's women's wrestling semifinals set

By Eric Olanowski

ZAGREB, Croatia (April 19) -- The third day of the European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Women's wrestling will kick off with 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg and 76kg wrestlers taking the mat.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

FULL EUROPEAN C'SHIP SCHEDULE:
- 11:30 -
Qualification rounds
- 16:45 - Semifinals
- 18:00 - Finals

Wednesday semifinal matchups:

50kg
Oksana LIVACH (UKR) vs. Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL) 
Anna LUKASIAK (POL) vs. Mariya STADNIK (AZE) 

55kg
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) vs. Andreea Beatrice ANA (ROU) 
Annika WENDLE (GER) vs. Erika BOGNAR (HUN) 

59kg
Yuliia TKACH (UKR) vs. Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) 
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)  vs. Eda TEKIN (TUR) 

68kg
Alla BELINSKA (UKR) vs. Winner 217
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) vs. Yuliana Vasileva YANEVA (BUL) 

76kg
Martina KUENZ (AUT) vs. Cynthia Vanessa VESCAN (FRA) 
Yasemin ADAR (TUR) vs. Anastasiia OSNIACH (UKR) 

13:28: The morning session is rolling by. We only have five matches left and the session is done. The semifinal matches are listed above as they come in.

13:08: There's the upset of the day. Cynthia Vanessa VESCAN (FRA) just upset European champion Epp MAE (EST), 3-2, setting up a semifinal match against Martina KUENZ (AUT).

12:58: That was quick. Adar only needed 75 seconds to pick up the 10-0 win over Axente. She'll meet the winner of Agoro PAPAVASILEIOU (GRE)  Anastasiia OSNIACH (UKR) 

12:53: Mariya STADNIK (AZE) picked up her second win of the day, a 9-3 victory over Julie Martine SABATIE (FRA), but it wasn't in normal form. She didn't dominate and looked a little gassed after the bout.

Either way, she reached the semifinals, where she'll meet 2022 world bronze medalist Lukasiak.

12:37: World bronze medalist Anna LUKASIAK (POL) is on deck on Mat A. She'll wrestle Gabija DILYTE (LTU) for a spot in the 50kg semifinals. 

12:35: Yasemin ADAR (TUR) kicks off her quest for a sixth European title in three matches on Mat B. She'll wrestle Catalina AXENTE (ROU). This'll be the first meeting of their careers.

12:22: That's a statement win from Yuliana Vasileva YANEVA (BUL). She just 10-0 blanked U23 world and European champion Nesrin BAS (TUR).

Turkiye is off to a rough start today. They've had two matches, with both ending in technical superiorty losses.

11:55: Four-time Olympic medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE) returns to the European Championships and marks it with a 14-4 win over defending champion Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR). Stadnik is gunning for her eighth Euro gold medal.

11:30: Welcome to day three of the European Championships here in Zagreb. After the repechage rounds of freestyle, we jump right into the women's wrestling.