The wrestling world's attention is now firmly fixed on Serbia as the much-awaited 2023 World Wrestling Championships kick off, signaling a pivotal moment on the road to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This year's edition of the World Wrestling Championships, the most significant event in the wrestling calendar leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics, will, much like the previous year, take place in the capital city of Belgrade.
Scheduled from Sept. 16-24 at the iconic Stark Arena, the competition will feature intense showdowns across ten weight classes for men in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women's categories.
Türkiye, a formidable force in the wrestling world, will be represented by a contingent of 30 national wrestlers in the challenging championship.
A defining feature of the World Wrestling Championships is that it serves as the battleground for wrestlers to secure coveted Olympic quotas.
Wrestlers finishing among the top five in their respective weight classes will earn the right to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The action-packed championships will commence with the freestyle wrestling competitions.
The first day will witness qualifying rounds, quarterfinals, and semifinals in men's freestyle categories of 61 kg., 70 kg., 86 kg., and 125 kg.
Representing Türkiye in these weight classes are Emrah Ormanoğlu (61 kg.), Servet Coşkun (70 kg.), Osman Göçen (86 kg.), and the Olympic champion Taha Akg.ül (125 kg.).
Rıza Kayaalp, a name etched in wrestling history with 12 European and five World Championships under his belt, holds the distinction of being the Turkish wrestler with the most gold medals in both of these prestigious tournaments.
Having climbed to the top of the podium in Belgrade last year, Rıza has a chance to extend his record by becoming a six-time world champion.
In his illustrious career, Rıza Kayaalp has notched up one silver and two bronze Olympic medals.
As he sets his sights on the 2024 Paris Olympics, he aims to claim the one title that has eluded him thus far – an Olympic gold medal.
Taha Akgül, another Olympic champion, will be in pursuit of his fourth world championship.
After clinching gold in Belgrade last year, Akgül added another chapter to his storied career, which began with his first world championship victory in Tashkent in 2014.
The Crescent-Star wrestler boasts an impressive tally of 10 European championship titles.
Türkiye's roster for the championship includes four wrestlers who have tasted the glory of becoming world champions – Rıza Kayaalp, Taha Akgül, Metehan Başar, and Burhan Akbudak.
Metehan Başar, a standout performer with no gold medals at the European level but a remarkable track record at the World Championships, aims to seize the moment once again.
He claimed the world championship title in Paris in 2017 and in Budapest in 2018.
Burhan Akbudak, who secured his first world championship last year, is riding high on his success at the 2022 European Wrestling Championships in Croatia.
His impressive form makes him a strong contender in Belgrade.
One notable absence in the women's division is Yasemin Adar Yiğit, the sole Turkish wrestler to have secured a world championship in this category.
Yiğit, a gold medalist in Paris in 2017 and Belgrade in 2022, will be unable to take to the mat in Serbia due to injury.
In her absence, Mehtap Gültekin will represent Türkiye in the 76 kg. category.
The American wrestler Adeline Gray, who has yet to clinch a gold medal at the European level but has consistently performed well at the World Championships, is gunning for her seventh world championship.
Gray, 32, aims to make history by becoming the first American wrestler to achieve this remarkable feat.
Türkiye left a mark at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships with a haul of eight medals, including four gold and four bronze.
Rıza Kayaalp, Taha Akgül, Yasemin Adar Yiğit, and Burhan Akbudak claimed the gold, while Selçuk Can, Yunus Emre Başar, and Ali Cengiz secured the bronze.
Soner Demirtaş, who lost in the third-place match, later received a bronze medal due to Italian wrestler Frank Chamizo Marquez's disqualification for using a banned substance.
Türkiye's Greco-Roman team reigned supreme at the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade last year, clinching the team championship with a total of 125 points.
The team's stunning victory came with two gold and three bronze medals.
This success was a historic achievement for the Greco-Roman national team, replicating their feat from the 2009 World Championships in Herning, Denmark, after a 13-year gap.
With 59 gold, 61 silver and 78 bronze medals, Türkiye's impressive medal tally in the World Wrestling Championships continues to grow, cementing the country's status as a wrestling powerhouse on the global stage.
