Double glory for Ukraine at 2025 Worlds: Belinska reaches final, Vynnyk wins silver
Anna Belinska (photo: uww.org)
The Ukrainian women's freestyle wrestling team already has two medals at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb. Alla Belinska advanced to the final in the 72 kg weight class and will compete for gold, while Mariia Vynnyk became the world vice-champion in the 59 kg category.
Belinska in gold final
On the fifth competition day, Alla Belinska began with a victory in the round of 16 over Croatian Veronika Vilk (4:0). In the quarterfinal, the Ukrainian defeated the Euro-2025 bronze medalist, France's Pauline Denise Lecarpentier (4:2).
In the semifinal, the reigning European champion faced Kyrgyzstan's Nurzat Nurtaeva. The bout lasted the full five minutes, and Belinska secured a confident 11:6 win.
Thus, the Ukrainian advanced to the final and guaranteed the country a second medal at the world championships. In the decisive match, she will meet Turkey's Nesrin Bas, whom she defeated in the final of the 2024 European Championship.
For Belinska, this will be the first world championship medal of her career. Previously, she did not make it past the repechage rounds: in 2022, she lost her first repechage match, and in 2017, she was eliminated in the round of 16.
The final in the 72 kg weight class will take place on Thursday, September 18, at 18:02 Kyiv time.
Vynnyk won silver
Mariia Vynnyk became the first medalist of the 2025 World Championships for Ukraine. In the 59 kg weight category, she won her first three matches without giving her opponents a chance: 10:0 against Hungary's Erika Bognar, 11:0 against Norway's Othelie Hoe, and 10:5 in the semifinal against Canada's Laurence Beauregard.
In the final, the Ukrainian faced 19-year-old Japanese wrestler Sakura Onishi. After three minutes, her opponent was leading 9:6, and at the start of the fourth minute, extended the advantage to 11:6. Despite a successful challenge from the Ukrainian team, the Japanese wrestler maintained control and finished the match with a 17:8 victory.
For Vynnyk, this is her first medal at a senior world championship. In 2023, she finished in 10th place.
Other results of Ukrainian wrestlers
Two European champions lost their bronze medal bouts. Anastasiia Alpeeva (76 kg) was defeated by American Kylie Welker (2:6), while Iryna Koliadenko (65 kg) lost to Moldova's Irina Ringaci (3:6).
At the same time, Alpeeva still has a chance for a medal. She advanced to the bronze final, which will take place on September 18. Koliadenko will continue her campaign through the repechage rounds.
