#YasarDogu

Yasar Dogu Women's Wrestling Entries

Monday, July 8, 2019 - 13:02 By Eric Olanowski

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ISTANBUL, Turkey (July 11) --- The most anticipated Ranking Series event of the year, the Yasar Dogu, will take place July 11 to 14 in Istanbul, and more nearly 150 women from 20 countries are expected to make the journey to Turkey's most populated city. The goal remains simple: try to pocket the remaining Ranking Series points before heading to Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, for September's World Championships. 

Since the Budapest World Championships, wrestlers have been stashing away Ranking Series points with hopes of becoming one of the forty top-four seeded wrestlers come September. The Yasar Dogu leaves those on the cusp of earning a top-four seed one last opportunity to gain those additional much-needed Ranking Series points. 

Heading into Istanbul, five wrestlers have seized the No. 1 seed, 15 wrestlers have cemented at least a top-four seed, leaving 25 seeds open for the taking in Istanbul. Though they're not all entered, there are still 74 wrestlers who could steal a seed from a current top-four seeded wrestler if they were to win a gold medal in a weight class with 20+ wrestlers in Turkey. 

Wrestling begins July 11 and can be followed live on www.unitedworldwrestling.org. 

50kg
Kseniya STANKEVICH (BLR)
Kamila BARBOSA VITO DA SILVA (BRA)
Natasha Irene Vera KRAMBLE (CAN)
Seema SEEMA (IND)
Maria Alexandra CIOCLEA (ROU)
Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RUS)
Valeriya CHEPSARAKOVA (RUS)
Veronika GURSKAYA (RUS)
Sarra HAMDI (TUN)
Zehra DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Aynur ERGE (TUR)
Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR)
Dauletbike YAKHSHIMURATOVA (UZB)
Diyora AMONOVA (UZB)

53kg
Camila FAMA TRISTAO (BRA)
Diana Mary Helen WEICKER (CAN)
Luisa Elizabeth VALVERDE MELENDRES (ECU)
Nina HEMMER (GER)
Annika WENDLE( GER)
Ellen RIESTERER (GER)
Vinesh VINESH (IND)
Aigul NURALIM (KAZ)
Zhuldyz ESHIMOVA (KAZ)
Tatyana AKHMETOVA AMANZHOL (KAZ)
Silje Knutsen KIPPERNES (NOR)
Emilia Alina VUC (ROU)
Ekaterina POLESHCHUK (RUS)
Natalia MALYSHEVA (RUS)
Faten HAMMAMI (TUN)
Emine CATALOGLU (TUR)
Zeynep YETGIL (TUR)
Funda TUKENMEZ (TUR)
Liliya HORISHNA (UKR)
Iryna HUSYAK (UKR)


Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR), the fourth-ranked wrestler at 57kg, will be dropping down to compete at 55kg at the Yasar Dogu. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan). 

55kg
Zalina SIDAKOVA (BLR)
Samantha Leigh STEWART (CAN)
Zulfiya YAKHYAROVA (KAZ)
Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ)
Odunayo Folasade ADEKUOROYE (NGR)
Viktoriia VAULINA (RUS)
Bediha GUN (TUR)
Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR)
Sinem KOROGLU (TUR)

57kg
Giullia RODRIGUES PENALBER DE OLIVEIRA (BRA)
Alexandria Rebekkah TOWN (CAN)
Lissette Alexandra ANTES CASTILLO (ECU)
Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER)
Elena Heike BRUGGER (GER)
Emese BARKA (HUN)
Pooja DHANDA (IND)
Altynay SATYLGAN (KAZ)
Emma TISSINA (KAZ)
Nazgul NURAKHAN (KAZ)
Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (RUS)
Siwar BOUSETTA (TUN)
Eda TEKIN (TUR)
Mehlika OZTURK (TUR)
Ozge FINDIKCI (TUR)
Tetyana KIT (UKR)
Sevara ESHMURATOVA (UZB)
Nigora BAKIROVA (UZB)

59kg
Katsiaryna HANCHAR YANUSHKEVICH (BLR)
Kumari MANJU (IND)
Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (ROU)
Emma JOHANSSON (SWE)
Sara Johanna LINDBORG (SWE)
Hatice Ece TEKIN (TUR)
Nurife DUMAN (TUR)
Elif YANIK (TUR)
Gulnora TOSHPULATOVA (UZB)

European Games champion Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR) will be looking for her second Ranking Series title of the year after winning the Dan Kolov earlier this year. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

62kg
Veranika IVANOVA (BLR)
Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA)
Luisa Helga Gerda NIEMESCH (GER)
Marianna SASTIN (HUN)
Sakshi MALIK (IND)
Ayaulym KASSYMOVA (KAZ)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Aminat ADENIYI (NGR)
Anzhela FOMENKO (RUS)
Iuliia ALBOROVA (RUS)
Uliana TUKURENOVA (RUS)
Henna Katarina JOHANSSON (SWE)
Moa NYGREN (SWE)
Malin Johanna MATTSSON (SWE)
Asli TUGCU (TUR)
Cansu AKSOY (TUR)
Gamze Nur ADAKAN (TUR)
Ilona PROKOPEVNIUK (UKR)
Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK (UKR)
Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB)

65kg
Yuliana Vasileva YANEVA (BUL)
Aina TEMIRTASSOVA (KAZ)
Rimma RYSSAYEVA (KAZ)
Natalia FEDOSEEVA (RUS)
Ekaterina BALDANOVA (RUS)
Anna SHCHERBAKOVA (RUS)
Asli DEMIR (TUR)
Yagmur CAKMAK (TUR)
Sule KABAK (TUR)
Forrest Ann MOLINARI (USA)

68kg
Yauheniya ANDREICHYKAVA (BLR)
Maryia MAMASHUK (BLR)
Danielle Suzanne LAPPAGE (CAN)
Anna Carmen SCHELL (GER)
Nadine WEINAUGE (GER)
Maria SELMAIER (GER)
Divya KAKRAN (IND)
Yekaterina LARIONOVA (KAZ)
Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ)
Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)
Rihem AYARI (TUN)
Beste ALTUG (TUR)
Merve PUL (TUR)
Kadriye AKSOY (TUR)
Alina BEREZHNA STADNIK MAKHYNIA (UKR)
Bakhtigul BALTANIYAZOVA (UZB)

72kg
Anastasiya ZIMIANKOVA (BLR)
Alena STARODUBTSEVA (RUS)
Buse TOSUN (TUR)
Vahide Nur GOK (TUR)
Tugba KILIC (TUR)
Nilufar GADAEVA (UZB)

Third-ranked Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER) will be looking for her fourth Ranking Series medal of the year. If she medals in Istanbul, she'll move into the top two of the world rankings at 76kg. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

76kg
Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA)
Erica Elizabeth WIEBE (CAN)
Aline ROTTER FOCKEN (GER)
Kiran KIRAN (IND)
Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ)
Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ)
Iselin Maria Moen SOLHEIM (NOR)
Fanny Helene GRADIN (SWE)
Aysegul OZBEGE (TUR)
Yasemin ADAR (TUR)
Mehtap GULTEKIN( TUR)
Alla BELINSKA (UKR)

Development

Wrestling Enters a New Era in Southern Africa with Namib Storm and SADC Open Championships

Wednesday, August 13, 2025 - 13:57 By United World Wrestling Press

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WINDHOEK, Namibia — July 2025 The Namibian Wrestling Federation (NWF), in partnership with United World Wrestling (UWW) and Olympic Solidarity, launched a landmark initiative to boost wrestling development in Southern Africa: the Namib Storm Wrestling Week and SADC Open Championships, held from 30 June to 5 July 2025 at the Windhoek Showgrounds.

Speaking at the official launch in Windhoek, NWF President Colin Steytler emphasized the significance of this new chapter for the sport:

“This is where everything comes together — grassroots, elite, and development levels. It’s the most important step we’ve taken to date in bringing our strategic goals to life.”

A New Benchmark for Regional Wrestling Development

The week-long event featured two core components:

  • REDT – Namib Storm Training Camp (30 June – 3 July)
    This high-performance camp delivered Level 3 Coaching and Level 2 Refereeing Certification under the guidance of UWW instructors — a first for Namibia and a major milestone for the region.

“You can’t grow grassroots wrestling without qualified coaches,” Steytler noted.
Coaches and officials from multiple countries, including Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Mauritius, took part in intensive technical sessions.

  • SADC Open Championships (4 July)
    This tournament gathered elite athletes from Angola, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and beyond — many of whom are continental medallists. Importantly, the SADC Open became the first UWW-rated event in Southern Africa, enabling both athletes and referees to earn international exposure without needing to travel abroad.

“This changes the game,” said Steytler. “We can now compete regionally and still gain global recognition — this saves costs and boosts participation.”

NAMAttendees go through the Level 3 Coaching and Level 2 Refereeing Certification under the guidance of UWW instructors. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Beach Wrestling: Taking the Sport to New Shores

The week concluded on 5 July with a Beach Wrestling showcase, reinforcing UWW’s commitment to accessibility and outreach.

“Beach wrestling will be the only wrestling discipline featured at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal,” Steytler reminded. “And we are proud to host Namibia’s first-ever beach wrestling event in Swakopmund on 7 December 2025.”

Beach wrestling, requiring only sand and a rope, offers a practical and inclusive way to expand the sport into rural and underserved communities — a cornerstone of UWW’s vision.

Towards a Self-Sustaining Wrestling Future

The REDT initiative and Namib Storm programme are part of the NWF’s five-year strategy to develop a self-sustainable wrestling ecosystem, bridging the gap between grassroots and elite competition and aiming for future Olympic qualification and medals.

“The Namib Storm Week and SADC Open pull all of our strategic elements together,” said Steytler. “From here, we take what we’ve built back to the regions and expand wrestling further than ever before.”

This event highlights Southern Africa’s growing role in the global wrestling community and reflects UWW’s dedication to regional empowerment, education, and international competition access.