Eight things learned from the 2023 Wrestling World Championships

There were upsets, classic performances, and memorable moments aplenty at the 2023 Wrestling World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Japan, spearheaded by their six victories in women’s wrestling, finished as the most successful nation overall, while United States topped the men’s freestyle charts with three golds, one silver, and three bronze.

In Greco-Roman it was all about the wrestlers from the Islamic Republic of Iran, who delighted their significant cohort of fans with a top spot courtesy of one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

With the Olympic Games Paris 2024 less than a year away, we take a look at eight key takeaways from the nine-day event in Serbia's capital.

• 2023 Wrestling World Championships: All final results and medals
• How to qualify for wrestling at Paris 2024

1. David Taylor one gold medal away from completing quest

As the reigning Olympic and world champion at men's 86kg freestyle wrestling, David Taylor only had two things left to do in the sport: defend both of those titles.

The USA’s ‘Magic Man’ completed stage one of that dream by dominating all of those before him in Belgrade.

In the final, he won another thrilling showdown against his oldest rival, Hassan Yazdani, 9-3, and now boasts a 5-1 winning record against the Rio 2016 Olympic champion from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Perhaps Taylor’s true talent is his ability to keep improving and evolving to stay ahead of the competition, and he will surely go into Paris 2024 as the gold medal favourite.

"As time has gone on we've become more calculated and he got the better of me, so I had to make some adjustments and I remember thinking after Oslo [2021 World Championships when Yazdani beat Taylor in the final] that he had surpassed me and it refocused me,” Taylor told Olympics.com in Belgrade.

"Now, one year out from the Olympics, I'm focused on defending my title and it's about just finding a way to get it done every time. I was so well prepared for this and now I'll have to make changes again because this is going to be tough."

2. Susaki Yui: The freestyle wrestling GOAT?

Susaki Yui retained her women’s 50kg title to continue a perfect record in international competition.

Despite this astonishing run of success, the Japanese Olympic champion was hugely emotional after her semi-final win, as she had secured Japan a berth for the Games for the first time.

“Four years ago, I was very disappointed that I couldn’t compete at the 2019 world championship to secure a spot for Tokyo 2020," Susaki explained after winning her fourth world title. "I’ve never forgotten the feeling, even after I became Olympic champion. That’s why I wanted to ensure a place for the Paris [2024] Olympics at this event, which is the only way I can clear up the disappointment.”

Yui also mentioned that she was inspired by Japan’s great run at the FIBA basketball World Cup.

The Japanese star is already being hailed as one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers of all time, and at 24 years old, she appears to be getting better with every performance.

3. Amir Zare is inspired by Steph Curry

The roof almost came off Belgrade’s Stark Arena when Amir Zare secured his second 125kg freestyle world title, such were the numbers of Iran fans in attendance. 

Zare's 11-0 shut-out of three-time world champion Geno Petriashvili was emblematic of his dominance all tournament. Still only 22 years old, he could dominate the sport for the foreseeable future.

In his post-final interview with Olympics.com, Zare paid tribute to mentors on his team like Hassan Yazdani, and revealed that he is inspired by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters, as well as NBA basketball star Steph Curry.

“He places a high importance on discipline as well,” Zare told Olympics.com. “Curry is a great performer under pressure, and he can control those pressure situations. It’s a skill that is vital in our sport and I have studied him a lot.”

4. New mothers deliver inspiring performances

There were several athletes in this year’s competition who had given birth recently, including USA’s Adeline Gray.

Despite giving birth to twins in 2022, the six-time world champion and Olympic silver medallist put on a superb display in Belgrade to clinch the 76kg bronze.

“I was literally breastfeeding two babies in the middle of the night watching this tournament last year, was 50 pounds more, and didn’t sleep more than 45 minutes at a time,” Gray explained afterwards. “At that moment I didn’t even know if I would return to the mat. But I wasn’t ready to leave the sport and slowly returned to training.

“I was so really impressed with what the body is able to do and adapt to, and what you are able to achieve if you put your mind to it.”

Three-time European champion and mother-of-two Anastasija Grigorjeva also made a strong statement in her return to the wrestling mat. The Latvian athlete gave birth three-and-a-half months ago and continues her journey towards Paris 2024 where she hopes to clinch an elusive Olympic medal.

5. Stevan Micic puts Serbian freestyle wrestling on the map

The home crowd were in raptures on day three of the event when Stevan Micic won the 57kg gold medal, which was Serbia’s first-ever men’s freestyle wrestling world title.

Micic overcame Olympic and world champions en route to victory, and now hopes to inspire a new generation of wrestlers in his adopted homeland.

“Serbia is part of my blood and I couldn’t be happier to give this gold medal to the Serbian people,” Micic, who grew up in the United States, told Olympics.com afterwards.

If selected for the Serbian team at Paris 2024, Micic, a natural 61kg wrestler, will hope to make more history with a gold medal in his second attempt at the Olympic weight of 57kg. He was eliminated early at Tokyo 2020 in 2021.

“I’ve now made weight twice and medalled at 57kg, so I have to make sure that we are better prepared for Paris," he said. "It may never happen again so I’ve got to make it count.”

6. The future is bright for Team USA

In addition to experienced Olympic champions like David Taylor, Kyle Snyder, and Helen Maroulis, the USA also brought a pool of young talent to Belgrade, who impressively won several gold and silver medals.

First up was Vito Arujau, who delivered gold in the men’s freestyle 61kg category. The 24-year-old son of two-time world champion Vugar Orujov hasn’t decided yet which Olympic category to try out for ahead of Paris 2024, but is sure to give the USA coaches a good selection headache.

Next, Zain Retherford upgraded his men’s freestyle 70kg silver medal from last year with his first world title thanks to a hard-fought 8-5 win over Iran’s Amir Yazdani in the final. The Penn State alum, who is known for his abrasive all-action attacks, attributed his mental toughness to growing up on a pumpkin farm in Wisconsin.

In women’s wrestling, Amit Elor defended her 72kg gold medal. While not a rookie, the California native is still just 19 years old and looks set to be a mainstay on the team going forward.

Meanwhile, Macey Kilty continued her rise in the sport with silver in the women’s 65 kg division.

The USA bagged 14 medals and 7 Paris 2024 quotas from the 2023 worlds.

7. Ibrahim Ghanem and Koumba Larroque get Olympic hosts excited

Ibrahim Ghanem’s victory in the Greco-Roman 72kg category marked France’s first wrestling world title since 2014. The Egyptian-born athlete only conceded one point the entire competition to land France’s fourth Greco-Roman world title ever.

Since the 72kg category is not an Olympic one, Ghanem would have to go up to 77kg or down to 67kg in order to try and compete at the Olympics on home turf, at Paris 2024.

On the women's side, Koumba Larroque underlined her status as the queen of French wrestling with bronze in the Olympic 68kg weight. It’s a fourth world medal for the 2021 European champion, which bodes well ahead of what would be her second Olympics, if selected.

8. IOC Solidarity scholars succeed at 2023 World Wrestling Championships

Olympic scholarships contribute essential funding to cover an athlete’s training and competition expenses and are available to all National Olympic Committees (NOCs), but in particular those with the greatest need. 

While there were many IOC Solidarity scholarship holders from around the world competing at the World Championships in Belgrade, the following 13 won medals:

• Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) – Gold, women’s wrestling 62kg
• Amir Zare (Islamic Republic of Iran) – Gold, men’s freestyle 125kg
• Akzhol Makhumudov (Kyrgyzstan) – Gold, Greco-Roman 77kg
• Zholaman Sharshenbekov (Kyrgyzstan) – Gold, Greco-Roman 60kg
• Aiperi Kyzy (Kyrgyszstan) – Silver, women’s wrestling 76kg
• Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) – Silver, women’s wrestling 57kg
• Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) – Silver, Greco-Roman 97kg
• Vazgen Tevanyan (Armenia) – Bronze, men’s freestyle 65kg
• Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) – Bronze, men’s freestyle 57kg
• Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) – Bronze, men’s freestyle 57kg
• Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia) – Bronze, Greco-Roman 77kg
• Mohammad Reza Geraei (Islamic Republic of Iran) – Bronze, Greco-Roman 67kg
• Mate Nemes (Serbia) – Bronze, Greco-Roman 67kg