Samvel Terteryan Reaches Semifinals at 2026 U23 World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships

On October 13, the preliminary bouts of the second competition day of the 2026 U23 World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships took place in Las Vegas, USA. Five more Armenian wrestlers entered the competition, but only one managed to advance to the semifinals — Samvel Terteryan (77 kg).

The Armenian wrestler recorded three consecutive victories, defeating opponents from Russia, Uzbekistan and Poland. His quarterfinal performance was particularly impressive, as he secured a technical superiority victory in just 50 seconds.

Meanwhile, Yura Oveyan (67 kg), who competed on the opening day, won his repechage bout to earn a place in the bronze medal match.

Samvel Terteryan Claims Three Victories to Reach the Semifinals

In the 77 kg weight category, Samvel Terteryan opened his campaign with a hard-fought victory over reigning U20 world champion Imran Aliyev (Russia). The Armenian wrestler prevailed 2–1 in a closely contested bout.

In the round of 16, Terteryan faced Abdullo Aliyev (Uzbekistan), the U23 Asian champion. The bout ended 1–1, but Terteryan was declared the winner on criteria after scoring the first point.

In the quarterfinals, the Armenian faced Hubert Sidoruk of Poland. This time, Terteryan completely dominated his opponent, securing a 9–0 technical superiority victory in just 50 seconds.

Terteryan has therefore advanced to the semifinals, where he will face Levente Levai (Hungary), the senior European champion in the 72 kg weight category.

All Samvel Terteryan's Results (77 kg)

• Round of 32: Imran Aliyev (Russia) — won 2–1.

• Round of 16: Abdullo Aliyev (Uzbekistan) — won 1–1 (on criteria after scoring first).

• Quarterfinal: Hubert Sidoruk (Poland) — won 9–0.

• Semifinal: Levente Levai (Hungary) — upcoming bout.

Results of the Other Armenian Wrestlers

Manvel Khachatryan (55 kg) was eliminated in the round of 16. His bout against Romania's Denis Mihai ended 3–3, but the Romanian wrestler was awarded the victory on criteria.

Yuri Karapetyan (63 kg) made a strong start to the championships, defeating Greece's Georgios Papageorgiou 11–0 by technical superiority. However, in the next round, the Armenian suffered an 11–0 technical superiority defeat against Ozodbek Khalimboyev of Uzbekistan.

Vigen Nazaryan (87 kg) also opened his campaign with an impressive victory, defeating India's Karan Kamboj 10–0 by technical superiority. In the round of 16, Nazaryan faced Alperen Berber (Türkiye), a European champion at both senior and U23 levels, and lost 5–1.

Aramayis Harutyunyan (130 kg) began his campaign in the round of 16, where he suffered a 9–0 defeat against Russia's Ali Ilyasov. However, the Armenian heavyweight still has a chance to enter the repechage. For that to happen, Ilyasov must reach the World Championships final.

Yura Oveyan to Compete for U23 World Championships Bronze

In the 67 kg weight category, Yura Oveyan successfully advanced through the repechage round.

The Armenian wrestler defeated Kyrgyzstan's Bayaman Karimov 4–1 to secure a place in the bronze medal match.

Oveyan will face Mohammad Kamali (Iran) in the third-place bout.

Armenia therefore remains in contention for medals through both the semifinals and repechage rounds.

All Semifinal Matchups on Day Two of the U23 World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships

The semifinal bouts across five weight categories will begin on October 14 at 02:45 Moscow time (03:45 Yerevan time).

55 kg

• Barsbek Asankozhoev (Kyrgyzstan) vs Koba Karumidze (Georgia).

• Malik Gigiev (Russia) vs Vishwajit More (India).

63 kg

• Mamato Nakamura (Japan) vs Igor Punchenko (Russia).

• Servet Angi (Türkiye) vs Erfan Zharkani (Iran).

77 kg

• Mostafa Alameldin (Egypt) vs Irfan Mirzoev (Ukraine).

• Samvel Terteryan (Armenia) vs Levente Levai (Hungary).

87 kg

• Martin Ljosåk (Norway) vs Yasin Yazdi (Iran).

• Aleksandr Krikukha (Russia) vs Temirlan Turdakyn (Kazakhstan).

130 kg

• Ali Ilyasov (Russia) vs Zhokhar Uzarov (Kazakhstan).

• Kevin Uspenski (Estonia) vs Wenhao Jiang (China).

As a reminder, two Armenian wrestlers — Gaspar Terteryan (72 kg) and Martik Petrosyan (82 kg) — reached the U23 World Championships finals on the opening day, while Yura Oveyan will compete for bronze. The finals session is scheduled to begin at 05:00 Yerevan time (04:00 Moscow time).

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