U23 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships 2026: Two Armenian Wrestlers Reach Finals on Opening Day

On October 13, the semifinals of the opening competition day at the 2026 U23 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships concluded in Las Vegas, USA. The ten finalists were determined across five weight categories: 60 kg, 67 kg, 72 kg, 82 kg, and 97 kg.

Team Armenia has already secured two medals, with Gaspar Terteryan (72 kg) and Martik Petrosyan (82 kg) advancing to the finals. Another Armenian representative, Yura Hoveyan (67 kg), remains in contention for a bronze medal and will continue competing in the repechage rounds. Ruben Gevorgyan (97 kg) has been eliminated from medal contention.

Armenia and Kazakhstan will each have two wrestlers competing in the first five finals, while Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, and Belarus will each be represented by one finalist.

Gaspar Terteryan Advances to U23 World Championship Final at 72 kg

Reigning U20 world champion Gaspar Terteryan continued his impressive campaign at the tournament in Las Vegas.

In the semifinals, the Armenian wrestler faced Colombia's Nilson Sinisterra Angulo. In a closely contested bout, Terteryan came from behind to secure a 3-2 victory, earning his place in the World Championship final.

His opponent in the gold medal match will be Kazakhstan's Yussuf Ashrapov, who defeated Turkey's Ibrahim Ozdemir 5-0 by fall in the semifinals.

Terteryan had previously defeated Ashrapov 8-0.

Martik Petrosyan Secures Armenia's Second Final at 82 kg

Martik Petrosyan, competing in the 82 kg weight category, secured Armenia's second place in the finals.

In his semifinal bout, Petrosyan faced Sweden's Alexander Johansson and claimed a hard-fought 3-2 victory.

The Armenian wrestler will compete for gold against Iran's Abolfazl Mohammadi, who comfortably defeated Russia's Ramazan Arapkhanov 5-0 in the other semifinal.

Interestingly, Mohammadi recently competed in Yerevan, where he won the international tournament named after Benur Pashayan, while Petrosyan finished third at the same event.

All Semifinal Results from the 2026 U23 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships

60 kg

• Mehroj Bahramov (Uzbekistan) vs. Elmir Aliyev (Azerbaijan) — 2-4

• Yevgen Pokovba (Ukraine) vs. Aibek Aitbekov (Kazakhstan) — 4-5

Final: Elmir Aliyev (Azerbaijan) vs. Aibek Aitbekov (Kazakhstan).

67 kg

• Erzu Zakriev (Russia) vs. Mohammad Kamali (Iran) — 13-2

• Azat Sariyar (Turkey) vs. Takaku Suzuki (Japan) — 10-6

Final: Erzu Zakriev (Russia) vs. Azat Sariyar (Turkey).

Armenia's Yura Hoveyan will continue his pursuit of a bronze medal through the repechage rounds.

72 kg

• Yussuf Ashrapov (Kazakhstan) vs. Ibrahim Ozdemir (Turkey) — 5-0, victory by fall

• Gaspar Terteryan (Armenia) vs. Nilson Sinisterra Angulo (Colombia) — 3-2

Final: Yussuf Ashrapov (Kazakhstan) vs. Gaspar Terteryan (Armenia).

82 kg

• Ramazan Arapkhanov (Russia) vs. Abolfazl Mohammadi (Iran) — 0-5

• Martik Petrosyan (Armenia) vs. Alexander Johansson (Sweden) — 3-2

Final: Abolfazl Mohammadi (Iran) vs. Martik Petrosyan (Armenia).

97 kg

• Mohammad Seydi Avendi (Iran) vs. Yehor Yakushenko (Ukraine) — 1-4

• Darius Kiefer (Germany) vs. Abubakar Khaslakhanov (Belarus) — 1-5

Final: Yehor Yakushenko (Ukraine) vs. Abubakar Khaslakhanov (Belarus).

When Will the U23 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championship Finals Take Place?

The first gold medal matches of the 2026 U23 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships will take place on October 14 at 05:00 Yerevan time (04:00 Moscow time).

Gaspar Terteryan and Martik Petrosyan will compete for gold medals, while Yura Hoveyan will attempt to reach the bronze medal bout through the repechage rounds.

Five more Armenian wrestlers will also begin their campaigns at the tournament:

• 55 kg (Round of 16): Manvel Khachatryan vs. Denis Mihai (Romania).

• 63 kg (Round of 32): Yuri Karapetyan vs. Georgios Papageorgiou (Greece).

• 77 kg (Round of 32): Samvel Terteryan vs. Imran Aliyev (Russia).

• 87 kg (Round of 32): Vigen Nazaryan vs. Karan Kamboj (India).

• 130 kg (Round of 16): Aramayis Harutyunyan vs. the winner of Ali Ilyasov (Russia) / Achilleas Chrysidis (Greece).

How and Where to Watch the 2026 U23 Wrestling World Championships Live