Young. Daring. Promising

Despite the sanctions, young Belarusian wrestlers had an unprecedentedly successful year

The harsh political ban that Western adventurers tried to impose on Belarusian sports did not put our athletes out of action or psychological balance, but forced the entire system of industry development to reorient and change priorities: pay closer attention to the development of internal infrastructure, children’s and youth schools, youth and their patriotic education. Perhaps somewhere there really was a lack of top-level competitions and extreme competition, in the hot cauldron of which class and skill grow faster, however, as the results of the Belarusian wrestlers this season have shown, patience and work will grind everything down, and luck favours the diligent.

Arina Martynova (in blue) showed herself well at each of the starts this season

The 2nd CIS Games. Belarus

At the tournament, athletes under the age of 23 competed for medals — a show of talent in conditions as close as possible to combat. For the Belarusians it was a prestigious, but in many ways a warm-up start: the main championships were expected a little later. Nevertheless, the level of competition in Soligorsk turned out to be quite high. Let’s celebrate those who later loudly declare themselves at the world championships. In Greco-Roman wrestling, Gomel resident Hleb Makaranka, the son of the bronze medallist of the 2004 Athens Olympics Viachaslau Makaranka, claimed a medal in the up to 60 kilogrammes category. 
Alas, home ground did not help: in the 1/4 finals our athlete lost to the representative of Tajikistan and retired from the race. According to the chairman of the Belarusian Wrestling Federation, Alim Selimov, he underestimated his opponent, and Hleb himself will talk about an injury to the adductor muscle of the thigh. Subsequent events will show that these circumstances really played a negative role.
The Games did not go well for Pavel Glinchuk, who competed in the up to 130 kilogrammes category and started wrestling in Molodechno. Although he won bronze in magnificent style (a clear victory with a score of 9:0), he aimed for more. Alim Selimov, however, reassured us here too, “Pavel fought to the best of his ability. Considering that he only recently moved to a new weight category and that he is underweight (he is only 103 kilogrammes), defeat by the Russian in the semifinals was expected. Glinchuk will still take his toll, Belarusians will hear about his victories.” He must have second sight!

Abubakar Khaslakhanov (left) during a fight with Olympic bronze medallist Mohammadhadi Sarawi

 However, Abubakar Khaslakhanov (up to 97 kilogrammes) became our main growing star after the Games! In the final of the Greco-Roman style tournament, he met with the Azerbaijani wrestler, the current European champion, and literally smashed him on the carpet — 9:0! But many of the opponents were 5 years older than Abubakar! Our girls also performed well. Gomel resident Arina Martynova showed herself especially brightly and, as it later turned out, it was no coincidence. 

World Championship U20. Jordan

Belarusian wrestlers continued their triumphal march. Abubakar Khaslakhanov once again proved to everyone that his dreams of Olympic heights have a basis in reality and at his age this guy has no equal on the planet. In the final, the charge of the Minsk wrestling school did not seem to notice his opponent — the opponent from Georgia was destroyed with a score of 8:0!
Arina Martynova (up to 55 kilogrammes) endured the tournament no less brilliantly. In the final, the Belarusian defeated Romanian Carla Lirchi in 10 seconds, winning an early victory — 10:0! Moreover, at the preliminary stage, Arina met with rivals from Uzbekistan, the USA and Ukraine and did not allow them to take a single point, winning gold with a total mind-blowing and delightful score for all her fights — 41:0! Incredible! Our team also won three more awards at the championship: silver was won by Alesya Getmanova (up to 59 kilogrammes) from Bobruisk, and bronze medals went to another Bobruisk woman Alina Shevchuk (up to 68 kilogrammes) and Kseniya Terenya from Minsk (up to 65 kilogrammes). Let’s take note of these beauties.

World Championship U23. Albania

Pavel Glinchuk brought the Belarusian team its first gold at the U-23 World Championships

 This tournament ended two weeks ago and capped such a tense and eventful season. If the elite championship of the planet is considered the major league, then this is the second division. Here, in fact, ready-made masters fight for victory, for whom only a little is missing in order to confidently step into the pool of the main stars of the world wrestling pantheon.
With this understanding, they moved to results. The best among the Belarusians was Pavel Glinchuk, who returned home with a gold medal! In the first round, our wrestler defeated the Pole Jakub Antoszewski (11:0), then defeated the Norwegian Marcus Warren (9:5), in the quarterfinals — the representative of Germany Lukas Lazogianis (9:0), and in the semifinals — the Armenian Aik Khloyan (9:0). The final turned out to be more intense, but even there the Turks Mustafa Olgun found no arguments against the Belarusian hero — 4:3 in favour of Glinchuk! Handsome!
Hleb Makaranka, who also reached the final, could also become a champion. In the decisive battle, the Belarusian was opposed by the representative of Russia Rakhman Tavmurzaev, who, alas, turned out to be stronger — 6:1. The Belarusian girls were not left without medals either. Alina Shevchuk won silver in the up to 68 kilogrammes category, and Arina Martynova and Victoria Radkova won bronze in the up to 55 kilogrammes and up to 72 kilogrammes categories, respectively. Remember these names, you will hear them more than once. 

Adult World Championship. Serbia

The current world forum was pre-Olympic, and for this reason the level of competition was simply off the charts. The five best wrestlers from each Olympic weight category received direct admission to the 2024 Games, and therefore only mature, experienced masters could break through and prove themselves in this meat grinder. Not everyone among our youth had the opportunity to participate in such a representative championship. But those who fought in Belgrade not only earned a place in the national team, but literally bit it out with their teeth. Among those whose names have already appeared in this material are Hleb Makaranka, Abubakar Khaslakhanov and the ubiquitous Arina Martynova.
Makaranka and Martynova can regard participation in such a forum as an invaluable experience: they are still far from medals. But Abubakar (don’t forget that the guy is only 19!) stormed into the cohort of the main favourites. Showing a stubborn but spectacular fight, Khaslakhanov reached the semi-finals and only at this stage lost, as it later turned out, to the future winner Gabriel Rosillo from Cuba. I also didn’t have enough strength for the match for bronze (the costs of my youth) — the seasoned Iranian Mohammad Sarawi turned out to be a little stronger. But this is not the main thing. And the fact that in the battle for fifth place and the Olympic license, the Belarusian young man managed to pull himself together and win! Thus, Abubakar Khaslakhanov became the only one from the entire men’s team of Belarus who returned home with the coveted ticket to the Olympics! A man, not a boy!

TOTAL
You can evaluate the intensity of the season and the success of our most promising wrestlers yourself. As well as give your own forecast for the further development of the career of each talent. We will end with the words of the head of the BSE, Alim Selimov, “Wrestling has been, is and will be in our country!” Truer words were never spoken.

By Sergei Kanashits
Photos by uww.org