Some of the brightest young wrestlers in the sport will face off at the U23 World Championships this week in Albania.
United World Wrestling created this tournament, which is considered the world championship for amateur wrestlers, to showcase the best of the best. Japan and Russia lead the medal count over 49 countries at 66, while the former leads with 38 gold medals.
WATCH: Wrestling U23 World Championships live on FloWrestling
The tournament will feature athletes who have won various accolades, from European and Youth championships to Olympic gold. There are several weight classes, including:
- Men’s Freestyle: 57kg, 61kg, 65kg, 70kg, 74kg, 79kg, 86kg, 92kg, 97kg, and 125kg
- Women’s Freestyle: 50kg, 53kg, 55kg, 57kg, 59kg, 62kg, 65kg, 68kg, 72kg, and 76kg
- Greco-Roman: 55kg, 60kg, 63kg, 67kg, 72kg, 77kg, 82kg, 87kg, 97kg, and 130kg
Some stars representing their country include 61kg champion Bashir Magomedov (Russia, competing as AIN), six-time medalist Mitchell Mesenbrink (U.S.), two-time U23 World Championships medalist Amirhossein Firouzpour (IRI), U20 World Championships winner Rizabek Aitmukhan (KAZ), Veronika Vilk, Croatia’s first-ever wrestling champion and more.
Who will stand out in Albania? Here is everything…
