Ukraine and USA Dominate U20 World Beach Wrestling
U20 World Beach Wrestling: Ukraine and USA Dominate in Greece
The U20 World Beach Wrestling Championships delivered an action-packed competition in Katerini, Greece, with Ukraine dominating the men’s team standings and the United States emerging as the strongest women’s team. A total of 95 wrestlers from 14 nations competed across four men’s and four women’s weight categories, producing several closely fought finals.
Ukraine Leads the Men’s Wrestling Standings
Ukraine Wrestling topped the men’s team ranking with 75 points, finishing ahead of Georgia on 55 and Moldova on 52. Ukraine collected two gold medals, with Ruslan Prokopov winning the +90kg category and another Ukrainian title coming at 90kg.
At +90kg, Ruslan Prokopov defeated Romania’s Brian Techerean 3-0 in only 1:04. At 90kg, Romania’s Magor Lorincz claimed gold after defeating Ukraine’s Samir Ibishov via fall, recorded as 5-0 in the results.
Ionut Triboi Produces a Perfect Run
Moldova’s Ionut Triboi was one of the standout performers of the U20 Wrestling tournament. He remained unbeaten through seven victories before facing Greece’s Aik Kazarian in the 70kg final.
Triboi secured the gold medal with a narrow 2-1 victory over Kazarian. Moldova also earned another major result through Alexandra Moisei, who won the women’s 70kg title after edging the USA’s Amber Hunter 2-1.
Georgia Impresses at 80kg
Georgia dominated the 80kg category, with Luka Makharadze winning the gold medal without conceding a single point throughout his five victories. He completed his run by defeating teammate Zurab Mamuladze 4-0 in the final.
The performance underlined Georgia’s strength in Beach Wrestling, with Makharadze controlling his matches from start to finish and producing one of the most dominant individual campaigns of the championship.
USA Tops the Women’s Team Race
While Ukraine controlled the men’s standings, the USA Wrestling team finished first among the women with 53 points. Germany followed closely with 52, while Moldova took third place with 48 points.
Alevtyna Liashenko gave Ukraine its only women’s gold by defeating Japan’s Harua Yamamoto 3-0 in the 50kg final. Serbia’s Milica Perovic also impressed at 60kg, winning her final in just 20 seconds by fall.
Four Women’s Champions Crowned
The women’s competition produced four different champions across the four weight classes. Liashenko won at 50kg, Perovic took the 60kg title, Moldova’s Alexandra Moisei captured gold at 70kg, and Germany’s Mia Bauer won the +70kg category.
Bauer secured her championship with a narrow 1-0 victory over Georgia’s Izabela Khutsishvili. The results showed how competitive the U20 World Championships were, with several finals decided by only one or two points.
A Strong Future for Beach Wrestling
The championships in Katerini provided another glimpse of the next generation of international wrestling talent. Ukraine’s strength in the men’s event and the USA’s performance in the women’s competition stood out, while Moldova, Georgia, Serbia and Germany also produced champions.
With 95 athletes from 14 countries competing, the U20 World Beach Wrestling Championships once again demonstrated the growing depth of the sport. For these young wrestlers, the results in Greece could be an important step towards bigger international success in the future.
