In mid-September, for the first time in a year and a half, the real stars of Russian Olympic sports (if we leave tennis out of the equation) had the opportunity to compete in an international competition. And immediately, at the World Wrestling Championship!
The good relations between the UWW and FSBR and the location of the tournament probably played a role. But, be that as it may, the strongest team of the Russian national team will go to the main tournament of the year in Serbia, including the stars of the Tokyo Olympics – Sidakov, Uguev and, of course, Sadulayev!
This World Championship is also important because tickets for the Paris Olympic Games will be awarded here. In many sports, due to suspensions, our athletes can no longer qualify for the 2024 Games, but the way is open for wrestlers. And, of course, we must not forget that our fighters are real stars. Perhaps more than half of the weight classes compete for medals.
Abdulrashid Sadulayev
Photo: RIA Novosti
Where and when will the 2023 World Wrestling Championships be held?
From September 16 to 24 in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade.
For the second year in a row, competitions of this level are held here. Why is that? Yes, because until the fall of 2022 the next World Cup was supposed to be held in the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk. But you understand…
At Serbia’s Stark Arena, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers, as well as women, will compete for 30 sets of prizes, 10 in each event.
Tickets for the Olympic Games will be awarded at the 2023 World Cup
In total, 90 places for the Paris Games will be disputed in the Olympic World Championship. Five spots in each of the 18 Olympic weight categories.
Thus, four tickets in each weight will be distributed among the medalists (first, second and two third places). But those who lost the fights for bronze will decide among themselves the fate of the last, fifth Olympic quota.
World Wrestling Championship Schedule – 2023
Here is the schedule for the World Cup semi-finals and finals:
September 16, Saturday 17:45. Semifinals, wrestling (up to 61, 70, 86, 125 kg).September 17, Sunday 17:45. Semifinals, wrestling (up to 57, 74, 79 and 92 kg); 7:00 p.m. Finals, wrestling (up to 61, 70, 86 and 125 kg), including fights for the fifth Olympic license (up to 86 and 125 kg).
September 18, Monday 17:45. Semifinals, freestyle wrestling (up to 65 and 97 kg), women’s wrestling (up to 55 and 59 kg); 7:00 p.m. Finals, wrestling (up to 57, 74, 79, 92 kg), including fights for the fifth Olympic license (up to 57 and 74 kg).
September 19, Tuesday 17:45. Women’s wrestling semi-finals (up to 65, 60, 67, 76 kg); 7:00 p.m. Finals, freestyle wrestling (up to 65 and 97 kg), including fights for the fifth Olympic license, women’s wrestling (up to 55 and 59 kg).
Zaur Uguev
Photo: RIA Novosti
September 20, Wednesday 17:45. Women’s wrestling semi-finals (up to 72, 53, 62 and 68 kg); 7:00 p.m. Finals, women’s wrestling (up to 65, 60, 67, 76 kg), including fights for the fifth Olympic license (up to 50, 57, 76 kg).
September 21, Thursday 17:45. Semifinals, Greco-Roman wrestling (up to 55, 82, 77 and 130 kg); 7:00 p.m. Finals, women’s wrestling (up to 72, 53, 62 and 68 kg), including fights for the fifth Olympic license (up to 53, 62, 68 kg).
Friday September 22 18:00. Semifinals, Greco-Roman wrestling (up to 72, 60 and 97 kg); 7:00 p.m. Finals, Greco-Roman wrestling (up to 55, 82, 77 and 130 kg), including fights for the fifth Olympic license (up to 77 and 130 kg).
September 23, Saturday 18:00. Semifinals, Greco-Roman wrestling (up to 63, 67 and 87 kg); 7:00 p.m. Finals, Greco-Roman wrestling (up to 72, 60 and 97 kg), including fights for the fifth Olympic license (up to 60 and 97 kg).
September 24, Sunday 19:00. Finals, Greco-Roman wrestling (up to 63, 67 and 87 kg), including fights for the fifth Olympic license (up to 67 and 87 kg).
Composition of the Russian national team at the World Wrestling Championships
The Russian Wrestling Federation is in no hurry to announce the composition of the teams for the World Championships. The members of the wrestling team were announced literally the day before the start of the qualifying matches in the first weight categories.
57 kg – Zavur Uguev;61 kg – Abasgadzhi Magomedov;65 kg – Shamil Mamedov;70 kg – Evgeny Zherbaev;74 kg – Zaurbek Sidakov;79 kg – Akhmed Usmanov;86 kg – Arslan Bagaev;92 kg – Vladislav Valiev;97 kg – Abdulrashid Sadulayev; 125 kg – Abdulla Kurbanov.
More information about the composition of the Russian national team can be found here:
Stories
Russian stars will perform at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships! Who was allowed to attend the tournament in Serbia?
The list of participants in the world Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling championships is still unknown. The FSBR will probably also announce it on the eve of the first contractions.
Stars of the 2023 World Wrestling Championship
At the 2023 World Championships, Russian wrestlers will compete as neutral athletes (AIN). Without flag or anthem, but with the desire to win. And Abdulrashid Sadulayev, of course, will lead the hungry team to victory.
It is not for nothing that the attention of fans around the world is focused on the weight category up to 97 kg. The eternal confrontation between Sadulayev and the American Kyle Snyder is expected here. The result of personal matches is 3:1 in favor of the Russian tank.
The Russian already has five victories in the World Cup. If the sixth occurs, Sadulaev will equal Jordan Burrows (USA) in number of championship titles.
In the weight category up to 57 kg, the leaders are the Russian Zaur Uguev and the Albanian representative Zelimkhan Abakarov. The latter, in the absence of Uguev, won the 2022 World Cup title. However, the Japanese Ray Higuchi will definitively intervene in the fight between the two representatives of the Caucasus. But the titled American Thomas Gilman will not be present. He lost the selection to his compatriot Zane Richards.
In the weight category up to 70 kg there are many medal contenders, in the absence of last year’s champion, the Japanese Taishi Narikuni. These are Zane Retherford (USA), Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan), Georgy Elbakidze (Georgia), Igor Nikiforuk (Ukraine). The Russian Evgeniy Zherbaev will also try to interfere in the distribution of medals.
Who else to follow in the World Cup besides the Russians?
There will be many former Russians at the World Wrestling Championships. Who to watch besides our own?
In the weight category up to 74 kg, another hot international confrontation awaits us: the Russian Zaurbek Sidakov against the American Kyle Dake. But the Belarusian Magomedhabib Kazimagomedov, who lost gold to Sidakov at the Tokyo Games, can intervene in the fight of eternal rivals.
By the way, for Sidakov himself it will also be a struggle with himself. A few months ago he lost the main animator of his life: his father.
The 2022 World Cup silver medalist Taimuraz Salkazanov from Slovakia and the Italian Franco Chamizo will also begin the distribution of medals with special desire.
In the up to 86 kg category, all attention will be focused on two fighters: the Iranian Hassan Yazdani and the American David Taylor. Gold at last year’s World Championships remains in Taylor’s hands. But Russian Arslan Bagaev will have to work hard to reach the top of the podium.
Zaurbek Sidakov
Photo: RIA Novosti
In the weight category up to 92 kg, Iranian star Kamran Ghasempour, who won gold at the world championship for two years in a row, will miss the world championship this year. Throughout the season, Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) and Mirian Maisuradze (Georgia) demonstrated stability. Also in good shape is the Russian Vladislav Valiev, whom experts also consider a medal contender.
In the weight category up to 125 kg, the main contenders for gold are the current world champion Taha Akgul, representing Turkey, the Georgian Geno Petriashvili and the Iranian wrestler Amir Hossein Zare.
The Ukrainian national team will also perform at the 2023 World Cup
It is worth noting that athletes from Ukraine and wrestlers from Russia will participate in the tournament. I would like to believe that there will be no incidents on the mat and that everything will be decided in a fair sporting fight.
By the way, at the 2023 World Championships the famous Ukrainian wrestler Zhan Belenyuk, who missed almost two years after the Olympic Games, will return to action. However, he is still considered the favorite in Greco-Roman wrestling up to 87 kg.
Zhan Belenyuk
Photo: RIA Novosti
Where to watch the 2023 World Wrestling Championship?
“Championship” will provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the spot – our correspondent went with the team to Serbia.
And the television version of the World Cup events will be broadcast by Match TV. On the channel “Party! Fighter” is scheduled to be broadcast live on Sunday at 6:55 p.m. But the federal channel will broadcast the 2023 World Cup matches in recording.
